Marriage of a Sickly Villain and a Fortune Hunter - Chapter 6

The vehicle drove into a courtyard and slowly came to a stop. The interior was very quiet.

Xia Xingchi was sleeping soundly. In his dream, there was a huge golden money tree covered in glittering yellow gold standing before him.

The branches of pure gold were cold to the touch, and one wrapped around his waist to imprison him, while the other lightly touched his lips……

The cool tingle spread all the way from his lips to his collarbone, and Xia Xingchi unconsciously crooned, stretching out his hand to grab the gold —

Then he grabbed Li Chengyuan’s fingers.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw Li Chengyuan’s expressionless face close by. This hand had been touching his lips just now as lowered eyes gazed at him silently.

Xia Xingchi was dazed for a moment, then woke up with a start!

From his perspective, the villain almost seemed like he was observing whether he was fat and tender enough to be cooked.

……For god’s sake, one sleep-in mistake wasn’t enough? He had accidentally fallen asleep in front of Li Chengyuan again.

This really couldn’t be blamed on Xia Xingchi. After all, he had hardly slept at all the whole week before transmigrating, working hard every day to earn money.

After finally repaying his debt this month, he wanted to go back and sleep, but was struck by lightning on the way.

In the end, he never got a good night’s sleep.

On such a quiet night, which was very suitable for terrible crimes, Xia Xingchi and the big villain looked at each other at close range as soon as he woke up and the horror meter of this scene was instantly full.

He suddenly realized that he was still holding Li Chengyuan’s fingers, and let go as if he had been electrocuted.

Fortunately, Li Chengyuan didn’t do anything else. He just looked away and got out of the car, and Xia Xingchi had no choice but to follow, gazing around as if sleepwalking:

There was a luxurious French villa with a courtyard and a lake. There were sculptures and fountains in the garden that reflected the bright gleam of the lights, manicured lawns, carefully trimmed flowers……

In the capital where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, all of this showed that the owner’s wealth was unparalleled.

This display of fortune gave Xia Xingchi a shock.

It wasn’t until he walked through the gate that he realized that his life was still in danger, and that he was a fish waiting to be slaughtered on the chopping board.

Li Chengyuan hadn’t completely lost his mind yet, but who knew if he would go crazy in advance?

Inexplicably, the engagement banquet was not only ahead of schedule, but also hadn’t ended with a divorce as in the original plot.

The fish meat didn’t dare to ask why he had been captured by Li Chengyuan. Xia Xingchi was afraid of stepping on the tiger’s tail again, so he could only hold back his talkative nature, shut up, and follow behind.

The interior of the villa was quite large, and the luxury was astonishing. Xia Xingchi looked up and saw the elevator described in the book.

When reading the book, he got to thinking. There was a garage on the ground floor and a swimming pool on the first floor, then three other floors. Installing an elevator on the fifth floor was simply an inhuman extravagance.

When he delivered food, he used to climb ten floors in one go to catch up on time.

But luxury was luxury, and Xia Xingchi knew it was because of Li Chengyuan’s illness:

This person looked fine now, but he only had half a year to live.

It was difficult to walk when you were that ill, and such a proud and bad-tempered person would not allow himself to be carried.

He couldn’t go back to his room without an elevator to carry his wheelchair.

The butler, Uncle Ding, stepped forward to take Li Chengyuan’s coat and hang it up, saying with a smile: “Sir.”

Then he turned his head and said kindly and cordially: “You are Young Master Xia, right? Is there any luggage that needs to be settled in, or anything I can help with?”

Xia Xingchi cutely shook his head. Seeing that there were five or six servants and a kind-hearted butler around him, his tense heartstrings finally relaxed —

The big villain couldn’t commit crimes in front of so many people.

His life should be safe for the time being. Xia Xingchi finally dared to ask: “Mr. Li, when will I go back, ah?”

Li Chengyuan was walking up the stairs while undoing his tie.

Hearing these words, he asked lightly: “We are already engaged, where would you go?”

Light from the crystal chandelier shone down, and the diamond engagement rings on the middle fingers of these two sparkled brightly.

This answer was reasonable. Xia Xingchi was slightly taken aback, and let out a prolonged “Ah.”

Right, they had previously had an outrageously exciting engagement party……but was this really an engagement?

Not to mention that the original plot was not like this at all, but considering Li Chengyuan’s worth, what kind of lover would he not be able to obtain?

How could he make such a hasty life decision?

Bang! With the cold sound of a door closing, Li Chengyuan entered his room and directly shut Xia Xingchi out.

Xia Xingchi……

It was more likely for pigs to climb trees than for the big villain boss to want to marry him.

He really wanted to shake his shoulders vigorously with both hands and question him loudly: We barely know each other, why didn’t you call off the engagement according to the script at the engagement banquet?

The villain boss and the cannon fodder, two characters who were destined to meet their ends. It was impossible for two negatives to make a positive.

Thinking this, Xia Xingchi suddenly turned into a sad frog,[1] frowning as he contemplated how he would die as cannon fodder.

“Young Master, the room is ready. Do you want to eat something or have a glass of milk before going to sleep?” Uncle Ding asked upstairs.

Seeing Xia Xingchi crouched dispiritedly at Li Chengyuan’s door and drawing circles on the ground with his finger, he guessed that he was sad because he couldn’t share a bed with his fiance.

The old man at once comforted him sincerely: “Don’t think too much, Sir might want to get a marriage certificate before the two of you stay together – but he must love you.”

His tone was quite confident.

Yet he saw Xia Xingchi’s expression of utter disbelief, and added: “Really. He specifically asked us to watch you and report to him at any time.”

Xia Xingchi: ……

Thank you, I am not relieved at all. I suspect that he just wants people to watch me in order to directly foil all of my escape plans.

He didn’t quite understand why the old butler who had watched Li Chengyuan grow up and knew him quite well had this illusion.

– – –

Supper that night was steaming hot rib noodles.

The noodles were soft and smooth, and the pork ribs had been stewed soft and delicious, dotted with a few pieces of golden corn. Xia Xingchi took a bite and felt perfectly fulfilled, as if his soul had been healed.

— Truly happy. Even if he was about to be caught and slaughtered by the villain, he would become a satiated ghost.

The ups and downs of the engagement dinner were too stimulating, and he hadn’t been able to eat anything. At this moment, after eating two full bowls of noodles, he finally paused his chopsticks in satisfaction.

After the meal, he did not forget to express his gratitude to Aunt Li:[2] “It’s so delicious, thank you, Auntie!”

Although Xia Xingchi was a difficult person, he looked quite well-behaved and cute when he smiled sincerely with his eyebrows curved.

Aunt Li was instantly flattered.

These years, she had been responsible for Li Chengyuan’s diet and daily life, but Young Master Li had been weak since he was a child, and his stomach was also poor. If his diet was not suitable, he would suffer from stomach pains, and was not interested in eating anything.

It got to the point that Aunt Li had to suspect that her cooking was not very tasty, and she always hoped that he would eat more.

Unexpectedly, something happened later on and his temperament, words, and actions changed drastically. This time he was “normal” —

Completely normal. He didn’t avoid raw, cold, or spicy food, and ate as much as he wanted, uncaring if his body could bear it as this vicious cycle continued.

It wasn’t until he left the old house that his daily behavior gradually improved.

At any rate, it was rare for Aunt Li to meet such a flattering child as Xia Xingchi. A sweet child with such a healthy appetite was simply a compliment to her culinary skills.

She straightaway asked Xia Xingchi with benevolence and contentment: “I recently came up with a set of recipes. Would you like to order food every day in the future?”

Free luxurious board and lodgings, and the freedom to eat meat. Xia Xingchi immediately pricked up his ears.

Just as he was about to nod excitedly, he stopped at once —

Wait, live here every day……?

Are you sure it will be me who will order the food, or will I become a dish stewed by Li Chengyuan?

Xia Xingchi thought for a moment, and then asked cautiously: “Li Chengyuan, he……”

He opened his mouth, but didn’t ask anything in the end.

Even Uncle Ding was under the misapprehension that Li Chengyuan liked him, so he figured that Li Chengyuan’s motivation and purpose for keeping him wouldn’t be found through Aunt Li.

While tidying up the dishes, Aunt Li said enthusiastically: “Young Master, go to bed early. Sir will be at home tomorrow, so you can sleep until you wake up naturally.”

The room had been prepared in advance, and all kinds of daily necessities were available.

Xia Xingchi was originally full of energy, but the word “sleep” jogged his sleep-deprived brain.

Heavy fatigue fell over him, and he couldn’t help yawning.

He climbed the stairs as if sleepwalking, and after sloppily washing up, he quickly got into the warm and comfortable bed.

Forget it, he could sleep even when the sky was falling. No matter what Li Chengyuan wanted to do, he didn’t believe that he could enter his dreams and scare him.

– – –

He didn’t expect that he had spoken too soon, and that the horror villain that could “scare children into silence at night” would actually enter his dreams.

In the dead of night, Xia Xingchi opened his eyes in a daze, half awake. Some light came in through the half-drawn curtains

It wasn’t too bright, but it was enough to see the inside of the room —

Then he saw that Li Yucheng was actually sitting beside his bed, staring at him motionlessly.

Xia Xingchi: ……

I swear, no horror movie has such a terrifying opening.

Li Chengyuan was wearing a black nightgown, which made his face look even paler.

The belt was tied casually, and the neckline was slightly open, clearly revealing the beautiful lines of his muscles.

There was no expression on his face, and messy hair hung over his forehead, but even though he was dressed casually, the aura around him in the dream was still very intimidating.

The two looked at each other for a moment, and Xia Xingchi quickly acted on a semi-conscious “effective” idea:

He retracted his head into the bedding at once, closed his eyes, and hid himself.

The subtext seemed to say, as long as I can’t see you, you can’t see me.

Then he simple-mindedly fell back to sleep.

– – –

As if making up for his lack of sleep, when Xia Xingchi awoke the next day, it was already after noon.

The feeling of being fully rested was very satisfying, and the soft bed and blanket gave him an incomparable sense of happiness.

It even gave him a sense of “it would be nice to live here all the time.”

Xia Xingchi felt refreshed, and stretched his waist in the warm golden sun that filled the room.

After a simple wash, he put on the well-fitting house clothes that Uncle Ding had delivered. He had missed lunch, so he had to hungrily go downstairs and look for food.

Aunt Li was carrying a clothes basket and preparing to do the laundry. When she saw him sticking his head into the kitchen, she asked with a smile: “Young Master, you’re awake? Dinner isn’t ready yet, but if you’re hungry, I just baked some egg tarts for you. Would you like some?”

Xia Xingchi nodded at once when he heard this, and it was just now that he was attracted by a sweet fragrance.

In his previous life, he was reluctant to even buy an extra vegetable bun, let alone eat egg tarts and other small desserts.

He had always had a child’s sweet tooth. As a versatile migrant worker, he could actually bake all kinds of desserts.

But after making them, he could only stare at the tempting sweetness and watch someone else buy them. There were only a handful of times he could try it.

As he happily entered the kitchen with Aunt Li, his eyes subconsciously moved toward the clothes basket in her hand — on top was a black nightgown.

He knew without asking that it was Li Chengyuan’s.

The style was very familiar, as if he had just seen him wearing it…….the question was, when had he ever seen him wear it?

Li Chengyuan was wearing a white shirt when he returned to his room last night, and even after taking a shower and changing clothes, he never went out where he could see him.

In the blink of an eye, that horror movie-like dream reappeared in front of his eyes.

Why were they exactly the same style and color as the clothes on Li Chengyuan in his “dream?”

A question that made his blood run cold hung in his mind. Xia Xingchi suddenly realized something, and the smile on his face slowly froze.

Could it be that he came into my room last night, sat by my bed, and watched me sleep?

[1] Picture any sad Pepe the Frog meme here. ⮐

[2] The “aunt” here is just a respectful way to address a woman older than you. Also, the name “Li” here uses the 李, or “plum” character, rather than the 黎 character in Li Chengyuan’s name, which can mean “many” or “dark.” They aren’t actually related. ⮐