Become the Sickly Villain in the Novel - Chapter 81

Li Yuzhi scrutinized Li Yan, who stood before him. He was truly different now. In the past, whenever he faced him, he was always at a disadvantage. But now, he simply looked at him with a composed expression.

“Hah, what kind of look is that? Have you forgotten that I was the one who raised you?”

Here it was again. Those same words.

A complex emotion flickered across Li Yan’s face. Every time he attempted to resist, Li Yuzhi would say this, as if it were some kind of ultimate weapon.

If it had been the old him, he would probably have let himself be manipulated again. But now, things were different.

“Ever since you dumped all your debts onto me, I figured I had repaid whatever I owed for being raised.”

Li Yuzhi was instantly enraged. “What kind of nonsense is that?! I didn’t send you to an orphanage. I took you into my home! And what did you do? You caught a cold and passed it to Xiao Nuo, making him sick. From that moment on, our family fell apart.”

“……”

“Xiao Nuo’s mother left because we had no money. If it weren’t for you, how could Xiao Nuo have gotten so seriously ill?”

Li Nuo had a congenital heart condition, but that bout of pneumonia had indeed worsened his condition, making him suffer immensely.

Li Yuzhi loved bringing this up to stir up Li Yan’s guilt.

And he didn’t stop there. He continued, “Do you know how much effort I put into adopting you? Changing your birth date and everything? You still—”

Li Yan interrupted him directly. “I wasn’t even registered in the household registry at the time. Changing a birth date back then was hardly difficult.”

Whether in the past or now, Li Yuzhi had always sought to take away his freedom, using guilt and remorse to control his entire life.

“Besides, our family ended up like this because of your gambling addiction.”

“I was trying to raise money for medical expenses!”

“Hah—” Li Yan let out a helpless sigh. Still so shameless. It was always the same excuse. Yet it was Li Yuzhi himself who had dumped the debts onto him and left the sickly Li Nuo behind.

He hadn’t even provided them with a place to stay. The house had been sold. No one knew just how hopeless Li Yan had felt when he had just graduated from high school.

“Hu—” Taking a deep breath, Li Yan calmed himself down. “That’s enough. Just let me and my brother go.”

“What! What nonsense are you talking about? Blood ties don’t break so easily. You—I won’t even argue with you for now. But if you don’t tell me where Li Nuo is, I’ll go to the police.”

“……”

“Damn it, did you tell him something? Li Nuo was never this kind of kid. But now, he actually hung up on me without hesitation and refused to give me any money.”

When Zhang Wanhui told him that Li Nuo had lost his memory, he was utterly shocked. But he hadn’t believed it at first. However, after making that call, he was now convinced that his son’s brain was truly messed up.

His words gave Li Yan a bit of confidence.

“I won’t tell you. Go ahead and call the police.”

Li Yan estimated that before Li Yuzhi could even make it to the police station, Mo Chuan’s people would intercept him. As if he didn’t know. That control freak was probably monitoring this place even now.

“I’ll say it again. Your so-called kindness was repaid the moment you dumped your debts on me. Even if you take this to court, the result will be the same. You’re not even old enough to be legally entitled to support yet. And even when you are, I’ll only pay the bare minimum pension. My brother and I will split it between us.”

Li Yuzhi got up from the sofa, took a few steps forward, and raised his fist at Li Yan.

“So, after verbal abuse, you’re resorting to physical violence? Too bad. I’ve grown up.”

Li Yan was skilled enough to dodge his punch effortlessly and countered with a hold, though he didn’t use excessive force.

After a few rounds, Li Yuzhi realized he couldn’t do anything to Li Yan and stopped, panting heavily. Instead, he resorted to words again.

“Speaking of which, Xiao Nuo doesn’t know about the household registration matter, does he?”

“……”

“He’s lost his memory now, and since he still sees you as his brother, he treats you well. But what do you think will happen if he finds out that you’re not actually related by blood?”

His words slithered into Li Yan’s ears like the whisper of a demon, lingering and inescapable.

“If you don’t want me to tell him, have Li Nuo contact me. You have two days.”

With that, Li Yuzhi straightened his clothes and walked out.

Li Yan remained standing as if nailed to the spot, unable to move.

……………

“Brother!”

Just after Li Nuo finished his lunch, he heard a familiar voice.

“Li Yan!”

Beaming with joy, he ran over. “I’ve been waiting for you to come!”

“Don’t run right after eating.” Li Yan hugged his brother briefly, then held Li Nuo by the shoulders and looked him over. “Are you doing well here? You seem thinner.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! I’ve gained three pounds!” Li Nuo had an expression of ‘Do you have any idea how much I’ve eaten?’ “By the way, how long can you stay here?”

“I can be here with you for a few days,” Li Yan said apologetically. “Sorry, there’s still a lot to take care of. If Secretary Yang had to handle everything alone, he’d collapse from exhaustion.”

“I don’t mind. This is all for a stable future, after all. But you’re the one who’s overworked.” Li Nuo studied his younger brother’s face, which he hadn’t seen in a while, feeling a pang of concern. “You look so much more haggard.”

Li Yan smiled. “I’ve been working overtime lately.”

“Then you must be exhausted. You traveled such a long way, too. And you probably haven’t had lunch yet, have you?” Li Nuo pulled his brother inside. “Aunt Zheng, is there any food left?”

“Yes, I set aside a portion specially for him.”

“Good! Then eat first, and after that, get some proper rest. Our catching up can wait.” Li Nuo propped his chin on his hand and smiled warmly.

Li Yan nodded. Although Li Yuzhi’s words earlier had left him unsettled, seeing Li Nuo’s smile at this moment eased his anxiety a little.

“Once you’re rested, I’ll take you to the greenhouse. I really like it there. I go every day.”

“Mm. What else have you been doing lately?”

“Reading books, playing games… It’s gotten colder recently, so I’ve been going out less. There’s a pretty good movie. I recommend you watch it.”

“Alright…”

As they chatted, Li Yan slowly finished his meal.

His room had already been prepared in advance, and after lunch, Li Nuo practically shooed him off to take a nap.

Despite the many thoughts in his mind, fatigue overtook him, and he ended up sleeping for quite a while.

When he woke up, he saw his brother sitting by the window, reading a book. Outside, the sky was still dim.

Hearing the rustling from the bed, Li Nuo turned around. Seeing that Li Yan was awake, he smiled and said, “Good thing you woke up before dinner.”

“Mm.” Li Yan got up and put on his clothes. “I slept longer than I expected. What if I can’t sleep tonight?”

Li Nuo closed his book and grinned. “Then just stay up and chat with me.”

“Not happening. I’ll wash my face first, then let’s go eat.”

“Alright. Aunt Zhou is making a feast tonight. You’re in for a treat.”

Li Yan’s arrival had made Li Nuo’s days much less dull. The two spent their time talking and laughing. Free from work, Li Yan’s complexion had also improved significantly.

On a peaceful afternoon like this, Li Yan was taking a nap while Li Nuo sat by the window playing a game.

Crack!

A distant rumble of thunder echoed through the air.

Li Nuo checked the window and muttered, “It’s not even summer. Why is there thunder in winter?”

Not long after the thunder, heavy rain began to pour.

The sky was shrouded in dark clouds, intermittently illuminated by flashes of lightning. The lights flickered.

Li Nuo turned to look at Li Yan, who remained sound asleep, undisturbed by the noise.

“He must be really exhausted.”

Muttering to himself, Li Nuo, who still wasn’t feeling sleepy, grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around himself. If the power goes out and there’s no heating, I can’t risk catching a cold.

Boom—

A deafening crash of thunder erupted in the sky. After flickering a few more times, the lights in the house finally went out, plunging the entire villa into darkness.

Li Nuo was momentarily startled. Just as he was about to wake Li Yan, a faint glow suddenly emanated from the phone in his pocket.

For some time now, he had been searching for a spot with a signal. But ever since Li Yan had arrived, the matter had been put on hold, and the phone had simply stayed with him.

Now, due to the thunderstorm, the signal jammer had lost its effect, and there was suddenly reception.

He took out his phone, unlocked it, put it on silent mode, and then checked his inbox.

Since most of his usual contacts knew he had no phone service here, they hadn’t tried to reach him.

Instead, there were numerous missed calls and messages from Zhang Wanhui and an unfamiliar number. He guessed that the unknown number likely belonged to Li Yuzhi’s new phone.

Seeing Zhang Wanhui’s most recent message, he unconsciously let out a puzzled sound. “Eh?”

Zhang Wanhui: 【 You and Li Yan aren’t even real brothers. He’s been lying to you! 】

What does that mean?

For a moment, Li Nuo was stunned. Only when he heard footsteps on the stairs did he hurriedly hide his phone.

Aunt Zheng knocked on the door. Li Nuo opened it and assured her that everything was fine. He had just been startled.

Aunt Zheng informed him that power would be restored soon and asked him to wait a little longer before heading to the utility room with the staff. It was located in the backyard.

Li Nuo glanced at Li Yan, who was still fast asleep, then took his phone and went downstairs, finding a quiet, inconspicuous spot in the living room.

Lowering the phone’s brightness, since it was still visible in the dim light, he reread Zhang Wanhui’s message carefully.

Most of the earlier messages had been asking, “Where are you?” But lately, this was all Zhang Wanhui had been talking about.

If it was just him, Li Nuo might not have taken it seriously. But even Li Yuzhi had said the same thing.

His grip on the phone trembled slightly. “Ha—” He exhaled, his breath carrying the weight of his wavering emotions.

His first instinct was to confirm this with Li Yan right away. But no, he needed to be prepared before confronting him.

For now, he would verify it with someone else first.

Stepping out of the living room, he found the front yard deserted due to the heavy rain and power outage. He dialed Zhang Wanhui’s number.

The call connected quickly after a few rings.

“Li Nuo, where are you?”

“…I saw your message.”

“You finally saw it? Where are you? I’ll come pick you up!”

“Is what you said true? Who told you this?”

The voice on the other end was urgent. “Your father told me himself. He messaged you too, right? You and Li Yan are complete strangers. He’s been deceiving you! He’s only pretending to care about you because he wants to use you!”

Li Nuo remained silent.

“Those two people who were always around you before, they’re both directors at his company, right? They treated you really well. Li Yan must be trying to use you to get benefits from them.”

Li Nuo chuckled. “That’s not true.” Those two had treated the original owner terribly.

Zhang Wanhui continued speaking hurriedly, “Forget it. You’ll understand when we meet. Just tell me where you are, and we’ll come get you.”

“We?”

” Your father is with me. He’s been searching for you. He’s really worried.”

At the mention of Li Yuzhi, Li Nuo’s mind suddenly became clearer. “I’ll say it again. You’ve got it wrong. If Li Yan really wanted to use me, he wouldn’t have taken care of me all this time. I’m just a patient.”

“That’s because he stands to gain even more!”

For a brief moment, Li Nuo had the urge to hang up. But he held back and instead asked, “Did Li Yan know all along?”

“Yes. Your father told him a long time ago. He’s been lying to you this whole time, and now, he’s even keeping you hidden!”

A dull headache crept up on Li Nuo. And along with it, another question surfaced. Did the original owner know?

Or rather, did the original owner know that Li Yan was aware they weren’t actually brothers?

The answer was clear. He knew.

That would explain his attitude toward Li Yan. When they were younger, they had been close. Even after falling ill, he had never been resentful.

And from the looks of it, he must have known for a long time.

Though he had no idea how the original owner had found out, the conclusion remained the same.

He needed time alone to think.

“The signal here isn’t great. I’ll hang up first.”

“Hey, wait! At least tell me where you are! I’ll come get you—”

Ignoring the shouting from the other end, Li Nuo ended the call.

As he slowly turned around, he saw Li Yan standing not far away, his expression frozen in place.