This Villain Ch.67

Chapter 67: It’s time to eat!

The dappled sunlight filtered through the gaps in the willow leaves, dancing on his body. His smiling face appeared fresh and clean amidst the lush greenery.

“Summer has arrived. There are always so many cicadas on the willow trees, chirping so loudly,” he said.

Feng Xuexiang listened to his idle chatter, and the faint sound of cicadas, which had seemed distant before, suddenly became impossible to ignore.

The hoarse, desperate cries reminded him that he was in the midst of a summer day in the human world.

“The sun is so intense, and there’s no wind at all. Aren’t you hot?” Yu Shi asked.

“Do you want some wind?” Feng Xuexiang, sitting close to him, suddenly reached out and grabbed a few slender willow leaves, tossing them into the air.

“Look, the wind has arrived.”

The emerald willow leaves spun and floated in the air like green butterflies.

Yu Shi felt the breeze. It rustled through the treetops, billowed his sleeves and collar, and brought a coolness.

The gentle breeze swept across his forehead, lingered by his ears, and dried the sweat on the back of his neck.

On the way back, the road, which usually wasn’t crowded, seemed even more deserted today as they didn’t encounter a single person.

Yu Shi parked the car near a charging station and led Feng Xuexiang toward the guesthouse.

“I remember there’s an empty room next to mine. I’ll tidy it up later, and you can stay there tonight,” Yu Shi said.

“Can’t I stay with you? Just like before, sleeping next to you. I won’t disturb your sleep,” Feng Xuexiang replied.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. That was a special situation. Now, I don’t want to share a room with anyone.”

If the employer were sick and needed care, that would be a different matter. But now, there was no need for them to sleep together.

Yu Shi had already made up his mind to curb his employer’s excessive reliance. Before Feng Xuexiang could continue, he changed the subject: “Do you want to eat something? I can prepare dinner for you tonight.”

He had asked Steward Sui several times whether Ninth Master needed to eat, and each time, the old steward would smile and praise him, expressing how pleased he was that Yu Shi was concerned about the Ninth Master. However, the old steward never actually answered, much like the dehumidifier Yu Shi had mentioned twice that had quietly fallen by the wayside.

No matter what mutations had occurred in Feng Xuexiang’s body, he wouldn’t starve even if he didn’t eat. Still, Yu Shi firmly believed that delicious food was a remedy that could soothe the soul, an essential aspect of life.

For him, cooking was also a way to relax—handling ingredients, transforming them into various shapes, using different cooking methods to bring out their flavors. Experimenting with different combinations often led to pleasant surprises.

He particularly enjoyed sharing his food with others, and if they liked it, it gave him a deep sense of satisfaction.

During his time at the Feng residence, apart from the occasional meal in the cafeteria with Jiang Mang, he usually cooked his own meals.

He would have liked to share his meals with friends or acquaintances, but the only person he was familiar with here was Jiang Mang, who was a single woman. Yu Shi felt it inappropriate to invite her, so he ended up cooking and eating alone.

In the house he lived in, the small kitchen that was once just for show had now been fully equipped with tools, and the fridge was stocked with ingredients.

Once he decided on the dishes he wanted to make, he focused entirely on preparing the ingredients. Feng Xuexiang watched him curiously, observing every move he made without blinking.

Feng Xuexiang had never actually seen anyone cook before, and even eating was a distant memory from long ago.

After becoming a spirit demon, his body had been altered, severing the “human” side of him.

The consequence of being deified or demonized was that everyone assumed he didn’t need such things.

He didn’t need them.

But at that moment, as Feng Xuexiang watched Yu Shi handle the food, he felt a desire.

“What is this?” he asked.

“It’s yam. I’m making you some yam, poria, and pork rib soup,” Yu Shi replied, thinking it was necessary for Feng Xuexiang to drink something that would dispel dampness.

“What does it taste like? I can’t smell anything.”

“You can’t smell it now, but once the soup is done simmering, it’ll have a nice aroma.”

Yu Shi put the soup on to simmer and began preparing the other dishes.

“And what’s this?”

“This is a tomato. I like its scent.”

“What does it smell like?”

“It’s a bit tangy, a bit sweet, and slightly green. The smell of fresh tomatoes really whets your appetite,” Yu Shi patiently explained.

Suddenly, Feng Xuexiang exclaimed with delight, “I can smell it!”

Yu Shi cut off a slice and turned to hand it to him. “You can eat it raw. Here, try a piece.”

Sitting on the small stool that Yu Shi had set up for him, Feng Xuexiang took the cool, slightly greenish-red slice of tomato in both hands. He licked the juice off it and then used his fingers to press the slippery seeds in the middle.

“Don’t play with it. Just eat it,” Yu Shi chided gently.

Though Feng Xuexiang occasionally behaved strangely, most of the time, he seemed quite normal. He sat across from Yu Shi, holding a bowl of rice, and ate with him.

Whatever Yu Shi picked up with his chopsticks, Feng Xuexiang would pick up the same thing. Whatever amount Yu Shi took, Feng Xuexiang would take the same amount, completely mimicking his actions.

Yu Shi set down his bowl and served Feng Xuexiang a bowl of soup. “Have some soup.”

Feng Xuexiang, copying Yu Shi, served him some soup as well, but it had to be exactly the same—one piece of pork rib and three pieces of yam.

“Drink the soup,” Feng Xuexiang said with a smile. “Did I do it right?”

Yu Shi guessed that Feng Xuexiang had probably never eaten with someone else before.

As he suspected, Feng Xuexiang had eaten alone as a child, and after becoming a spirit demon, no one dared to share a meal with him. Who knew if they might become the spirit demon’s “food”?

For Yu Shi, it was just an ordinary meal.

He looked at Feng Xuexiang across from him and drifted off for a moment, recalling his real family—his brothers, who he would never see again.

Unable to help himself, Yu Shi reached over and placed another piece of food onto Feng Xuexiang’s plate. “Eat more.”

“Do you want me to eat more?” Feng Xuexiang asked.

Yu Shi sighed softly. “I don’t want to have leftovers.”

For someone in charge of cooking at home, the biggest headache is probably making too much food and not being able to finish it.

In the past, he rarely had this problem at home. After all, his eldest brother had a huge appetite, and as long as he was home, no amount of food would go to waste.

From appearances, Yu Shi thought Feng Xuexiang would be like his second brother—delicate, eating very little and taking his time. Or perhaps like his fifth brother, who was more like a picky little cat, eating sparingly and running off after just a few bites.

But this time, he guessed wrong. Feng Xuexiang, without changing his expression, finished every dish Yu Shi had prepared.

Yu Shi discreetly glanced at Feng Xuexiang’s abdomen and noticed it was still flat.

Given his unique abilities, it made sense for him to eat a lot. Even Jiang Mang’s appetite had increased significantly. Yu Shi reassured himself with this thought as he put the dishes into the dishwasher.

After cleaning the kitchen and restoring it to its tidy state, Yu Shi went to prepare the adjacent room.

It didn’t require much preparation, as it was regularly cleaned. He just needed to change the bedding, do a bit of light cleaning, and set out some basic amenities.

In less than an hour, everything was ready.

“You should take a bath first and then get some rest,” Yu Shi suggested.

“Can you help me with the bath?” Feng Xuexiang asked.

“Do you not know how to bathe yourself? Do you need me to teach you?” Yu Shi inquired, considering Feng Xuexiang’s unique living conditions.

“I know how, but I want you to help me,” Feng Xuexiang shook his head. Most of the time, he did things based on whether he wanted to, not whether he was capable of doing them.

“If there’s a day when you’re unable to do it yourself, I can help you, but for now, it’s better if you wash yourself.”

Seeing that Yu Shi didn’t agree, Feng Xuexiang made another request. “Then can you stay with me?”

“I can stay outside the bathroom,” Yu Shi replied, thinking to himself about how long it would take for Feng Xuexiang to overcome his anxiety about his surroundings.

He wondered if the Feng family had considered getting him a therapist to help with this.

Yu Shi sat outside the bathroom, his back to the frosted glass door, and used the time to read a book.

He had eclectic tastes and unique hobbies, particularly enjoying all kinds of reference books. However, he was also open to reading other types of books recommended by his brothers—cold joke collections from his eldest brother, legal books from his second brother, anatomy books from his third brother, and novels and comics from his fifth brother. He would read them all and discuss his thoughts with them afterward.

He had only read a few pages when he heard, amid the sound of running water, a faint buzzing noise behind him—like the fluttering of moths’ wings, the kind often heard outside windows on summer nights.

He turned to glance at the bathroom. Through the glass door fogged with steam, he saw the silhouette of Feng Xuexiang’s slender figure. He was standing under the shower, gathering his hair into a bundle.

And there were… many, many shadows of butterflies fluttering chaotically inside the bathroom.

Yu Shi acted as if he hadn’t seen anything, turning back to his book on mechanical assembly.

A short while later, the bathroom door opened, and a cool mist wafted over his back.

“Did you take a cold shower?” Yu Shi asked, glancing toward the bathroom. Sure enough, the shadows of the butterflies had vanished.

“Yeah,” Feng Xuexiang replied, draping a towel over his shoulders and wringing out his hair, smiling at him.

Yu Shi couldn’t help but admit that Feng Xuexiang looked even more attractive when fresh out of the shower.

His gaze paused for a moment before he closed his book and stood up. “You rest. I’m going to take a shower now.”

He showered quickly, and after changing into his pajamas, he walked out while drying his hair with a towel. As soon as he stepped into the room, he saw Feng Xuexiang sitting on his bed, sniffing his pillow.

“Why are you over here? Don’t you want to sleep?” Yu Shi asked, trying to keep his tone gentle.

“I don’t want to sleep,” Feng Xuexiang replied, lifting his head without a hint of embarrassment for being caught.

“Then come here,” Yu Shi said, draping the towel over his shoulder as he walked to the other side of the room.

Feng Xuexiang followed, watching as Yu Shi went into the kitchen and brought out a pot of something.

“Do you like sweet soup? I made some lotus seed, lily, and mung bean soup. It’s just ready to drink.”

As Feng Xuexiang bent down to drink the sweet soup, strands of his hair kept falling into the bowl.

Seeing this, Yu Shi rummaged through a drawer and handed him a hair clip. “You can use this to tie up your hair.”

Feng Xuexiang took it and clumsily tied his hair into a messy bun. Yu Shi wasn’t surprised at all and quickly took over, tidying and clipping Feng Xuexiang’s hair neatly at the back of his head.

“You keep drinking; I’m going to take some of the soup to a colleague,” Yu Shi said, scooping a large bowl from the pot to take to Jiang Mang, planning to check on her.

“Why?” Feng Xuexiang’s spoon clattered against the bowl. “Isn’t this made for me? Why are you giving it to someone else?”

“Because there’s too much for you to finish,” Yu Shi explained.

“I can finish it.”

Yu Shi couldn’t help but notice the stubbornness written all over Feng Xuexiang’s now serious expression. With a sigh of resignation, he said, “Alright then, you can have it all.”

“But don’t force yourself if you can’t drink it all. You’ve already eaten quite a lot tonight.”

Feng Xuexiang smiled again, reverting to his obedient demeanor, and nodded as he lifted the bowl.

Yu Shi, holding the pot, said, “I’ll put it in your room so you can drink it at your own pace.”

Feng Xuexiang, who had been sent to the next room with both the pot and the bowl: “…”

“Good night, see you in the morning,” Yu Shi emphasized, particularly stressing the “morning” part.

That night, Yu Shi fell into a deep sleep. The light from the courtyard outside filtered into the room, casting shadows on the bed and floor.

The shadow of a butterfly fluttered its wings on the ground.

At some point, a figure appeared by the bed. His hair, loosely tied with the same amusing clip, had mostly come undone, giving him a disheveled, almost crazed appearance.

He lay by the bedside, gently tapping Yu Shi’s fingers that were resting outside the blanket, like a butterfly delicately touching each knuckle.

“Why aren’t you awake yet?”

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