Why Do All the Villains Look at Me Like This? - Chapter 48

Meng Xuexiao truly felt this world was becoming increasingly absurd.

How could they even ask him?!

Were these people insane?

Was this some kind of elaborate trap?

Well, given Huai Sui’s unpredictable nature, it seemed perfectly plausible.

Meng Xuexiao discreetly glanced at the young man beside him.

Huai Sui’s eyes were curved into crescents as he clasped his hands together, rubbing them incessantly. His gaze remained fixed on Meng Xuexiao, like a younger brother looking to his elder for guidance. With childlike innocence, he asked, “Big Brother, do you think this candied hawthorn is safe to eat?”

But Meng Xuexiao didn’t believe any of it.

A tribute? This Alien Beast that looks like a child? They’re really stretching the truth.

Does my face look like a gold brick, or my arms like a pearl mine?

Everyone knows Zhuoyue despises humans in the original story!

Now, if he took the bait, his fate would surely mirror that of the Giant Ape, easily beheaded.

Meng Xuexiao had always been self-aware.

He immediately shook his head, adopting the obsequious humility unique to Human Livestock. A servile smile spread across his face as he said, “You mustn’t joke about such things.”

When he was first forced to learn these customs, Meng Xuexiao secretly grumbled, thinking they were as tedious and outdated as feudal relics. But at this moment, they felt like a protective cloak.

He was even somewhat grateful he had paid attention during his lessons. Now, he could at least go through the motions convincingly.

He blended seamlessly into the row of bowing Human Livestock, indistinguishable from the rest.

It was just like those novels where the protagonist’s tragedy often stems from the villain’s “Man, you’ve caught my attention.”

Well, he was content to remain unremarkable.

Meng Xuexiao took the initiative to appear weak, giving the Kitchen Steward an opening. The steward eagerly chimed in, “Indeed, Lord Duke! Look at this Human Livestock, how could he possibly be displayed alongside the tribute offerings? There must be some mistake!”

Meng Xuexiao nearly nodded his head into a bobbing drum.

The Kitchen Steward, of all people, had turned out to be an unexpected ally. Usually crude and ill-mannered, he had suddenly stepped up when it mattered most.

Huai Sui fell silent, tilting his head as if considering the truth of their words.

Meng Xuexiao waited patiently. The longer Huai Sui remained silent, the more confident he became. The Kitchen Steward clearly felt the same, watching Huai Sui alongside Meng Xuexiao.

“Ah, is that so?”

After a long pause, Huai Sui puffed out his cheeks, as if finally convinced, and adopted a childlike expression of frustration.

The Kitchen Steward swallowed several mental calming pills, his trembling lips nearly breaking into a smile.

Then Huai Sui spoke, his eyes darting around mischievously. With a sudden leap, he threw himself onto Meng Xuexiao’s neck, his lips curving into a wide, mischievous grin, “But I really… um, my brother really likes Tribute Big Brother!”

The soft, furry sensation of Huai Sui’s body rubbed against Meng Xuexiao’s neck, tickling him. Huai Sui’s swinging legs occasionally brushed against Meng Xuexiao’s thigh, whether intentionally or not, Meng Xuexiao couldn’t tell.

Huai Sui’s body was icy cold, as if he had crawled out of an ice cellar bit by bit. Clinging to Meng Xuexiao like this, he gave him the sensation of being coiled by a giant python.

Meng Xuexiao couldn’t help but shiver, tilting his neck away.

“So, Tribute Big Brother, what’s your answer?” Huai Sui’s lips brushed against Meng Xuexiao’s neck.

He released one hand, instead cupping Meng Xuexiao’s chin and turning his face toward the Kitchen Steward, “How should we deal with him?”

“Deal with this… thief who stole my—hmm, my brother’s tribute.”

The boy was undeniably handsome, his movements graceful and even flirtatious, his voice playful and charming, the kind of boy everyone adored. Yet, Meng Xuexiao felt like he was trapped in a horror story.

Especially when he met the Kitchen Steward’s face, twisted in utter terror. The once fearless Giant Ape’s pupils had shrunk to pinpricks.

This only made the already terrifying story even more horrifying…

At that moment, Meng Xuexiao had nearly exhausted all his patience, barely restraining himself from throwing the youth off his back.

But then, Meng Xuexiao reconsidered.

Even if he couldn’t hold back and actually threw him, he probably wouldn’t be able to.

The person before him only appeared to be his age, but in reality, he was likely an Alien Beast thousands of years old, with a colossal form and terrifying power.

There was no way to resist.

Might as well play along with his whims for now.

Meng Xuexiao casually brushed it off, “It’s up to you.”

“It’s up to me…?” Huai Sui sighed, shaking his head. “Big Brother is too kind. How can something like this be left to chance?”

“If it’s too lenient, it won’t command respect. My Brother’s authority, built over millennia, could crumble in an instant!”

Meng Xuexiao listened blankly to his nonsense. If Zhuoyue’s position were truly so precarious, he wouldn’t have remained King for so long.

But Huai Sui continued earnestly, “If it were me, I’d do it like this…”

In a daze, Meng Xuexiao felt something being placed in his hand.

It was a dagger, its blade etched with serpentine patterns, clearly a meticulously crafted piece. Its touch sent a bone-chilling cold through him.

Yet… it still wasn’t as cold as Huai Sui’s fingers.

After handing the dagger to Meng Xuexiao, Huai Sui didn’t immediately release his grip. Instead, he clasped Meng Xuexiao’s hand, guiding his fingers to tighten around the hilt.

The young man’s hand was surprisingly large, with distinct knuckles that easily locked Meng Xuexiao’s hand in place. Meng Xuexiao squirmed uncomfortably, his nose accidentally bumping against Huai Sui’s chest.

It was unexpectedly firm, nothing like the “youthful” appearance he projected.

Huai Sui licked his lips, pressing Meng Xuexiao’s fingers to point the dagger’s tip at the Kitchen Steward, as attentively as a senior guiding a junior in piping frosting onto a cake.

“Then, let’s begin!”

The blade met skin, piercing effortlessly. A bloody gash opened, and Meng Xuexiao could even hear the tearing of flesh fibers.

This was… nothing like slicing steak.

For the first time, Meng Xuexiao was inflicting wounds on another living creature at such close range. If it were purely self-defense, it might be easier to bear, but the agonizingly slow pace of his blade made it clear… this was torture.

His hand trembled uncontrollably.

Meng Xuexiao didn’t consider himself a saint. He felt no sympathy for anyone who had harmed him. Yet, at this moment, he desperately wished the Kitchen Steward standing before him would turn and flee.

If he did… Meng Xuexiao wouldn’t have to endure this torment any longer!

But for some reason, the Kitchen Steward, who had seemed so menacing earlier, now stood motionless, like an animal awaiting slaughter. Even as blood dripped from his body onto the floor, he didn’t twitch.

What was going on?

Then Meng Xuexiao noticed a pair of beastly feet trembling violently just inches away, the Kitchen Steward’s feet.

His upper body remained rigidly upright, yet his feet had curled into a tight ball, as if desperately trying to burrow into the ground. This made no sense at all…

Wait a minute…

Meng Xuexiao suddenly realized something.

Among Alien Beasts, powerful individuals rarely needed physical force to intimidate weaker ones. Simply releasing their aura was enough to render their limbs useless, immobilizing them completely.

Could Huai Sui be using the same method?

Meng Xuexiao quickly checked the Kitchen Steward’s eyes. Sure enough, his pupils had shrunk to tiny black dots, a clear sign of overwhelming terror.

So, Huai Sui was undoubtedly the one holding the Kitchen Steward here, helpless as a fish on a chopping block.

Meng Xuexiao stared in disbelief at the man beside him. He couldn’t fathom what kind of person could do such a thing!

The Kitchen Steward might be an Alien Beast, but he was still alive, capable of feeling pain like anyone else. How could someone simply freeze him in place, turning him into a living specimen to be sliced apart for amusement?

This was worse than… just giving him a quick death!

Huai Sui was truly terrifying. If he could treat the Kitchen Steward like this today, would he do the same to Meng Xuexiao tomorrow?

Meng Xuexiao took a deep breath, trying desperately to calm himself, but his hand, forced to grip the dagger, trembled uncontrollably.

Cold sweat seeped through his skin, trickling down the dagger’s smooth tip to mingle with the blood, forming a single, glistening droplet.

The droplet clearly reflected the figures of the two young men before him, pressed together in intimate closeness, as if one were holding the other in his arms.

Then, with a “Clang!”, the dagger, gripped by ten fingers between the two men, fell to the ground.

The angular blade lay like a fallen mirror, its surface clearly reflecting Meng Xuexiao’s slightly dilated pupils and the fine beads of cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

The moment the dagger hit the floor, Huai Sui glanced at it before quickly turning his gaze back to Meng Xuexiao.

Huai Sui seemed taken aback for a moment. He lifted his sleeve and wiped the beads of sweat from Meng Xuexiao’s face, “Oh dear, Tribute Big Brother, why are you sweating so much? Is it really that terrifying?”

“But…” Huai Sui’s tone shifted abruptly, the word rolling off his tongue. His slender fingers lightly touched Meng Xuexiao’s lip, like a child discovering a new toy.

“You look even more beautiful when you’re scared!”

Meng Xuexiao was so tense that his face had lost all color, making his lips appear even redder, like blood-red plum blossoms against fresh snow.

Huai Sui pressed his finger gently downward, observing with amusement as Meng Xuexiao’s lip formed a small curve. When he lifted his finger, the lip arched upward slightly.

It was like a delicate flower petal, contracting and expanding with each breath. Huai Sui could easily feel the rhythm of Meng Xuexiao’s breathing, and just as easily cut it short.

Huai Sui licked his lips, his fingers itching to poke at the lip again.

But this time, his finger met only air.

Meng Xuexiao turned his head slightly, avoiding Huai Sui’s finger, and glared at him with slightly reddened eyes.

Huai Sui stared at his empty hand for a moment, blinked, and then pouted. “Fine, if Brother doesn’t like it…”

He withdrew the oppressive aura he had been emitting, instantly freeing the Kitchen Steward. The Steward’s first act was to stumble back a large step. Then, as if suddenly drained of strength, the giant ape collapsed to the ground.

“Hey, you!” Huai Sui waved at the giant apes who had been flanking the Kitchen Steward. “The Steward was just praising your good sense, right?”

“So, do you know what you need to do now?”

The giant apes flanking the Kitchen Steward froze momentarily. But after glancing at their Steward’s miserable state, they nodded frantically, their survival instincts kicking in, “We know! We know!”

Meng Xuexiao watched Huai Sui and the Kitchen Steward’s subordinates exchange questions and answers, his eyes filled with confusion.

He hadn’t yet recovered from his recent fright when they abruptly changed the subject.

This… this is escalating way too quickly…!

But before Meng Xuexiao could observe further, the hand that had just held his, teaching him how to use the dagger, quietly circled around from behind and covered his eyes.

Huai Sui’s voice seemed to whisper right in his ear, “The Tribute Big Brother didn’t like that just now, so let’s not watch anymore, okay?”

What…?

Wait, what else could there possibly be to see?!

Could anything be more shocking than the slow, agonizing torture he’d just witnessed?!

Unbeknownst to Meng Xuexiao, the Kitchen Steward’s subordinates understood everything perfectly.

From the beginning, their Boss had believed Meng Xuexiao had offended Huai Sui, casting him aside as a scapegoat. The Boss had even hoped these underlings would execute Meng Xuexiao in front of Huai Sui to mitigate his own negligence.

Therefore, everything Huai Sui had just done was merely a payback to their Boss, turning the fate originally intended for Meng Xuexiao back onto the Boss himself.

Given this, their next move was clear…

One of the more nimble giant apes immediately trotted over and dragged back the crate that had previously held Meng Xuexiao. The other apes quickly surrounded their former boss, reaching out to seize the Kitchen Steward’s legs.

The Kitchen Steward exploded in fury, baring his fangs and snarling at his subordinates, “You’ve gone too far! Have you forgotten who’s in charge here?!”

But the subordinates were helpless. They glanced nervously at Huai Sui, who offered them a faint smile.

The giant apes, several times the size of humans, shuddered. Daring not delay any longer, they grabbed the Kitchen Steward’s arms and began shoving him into the crate.

The Kitchen Steward was too large to fit, but his subordinates didn’t dare give up easily. If he wouldn’t fit, they would force him in, the sickening crack of breaking bones echoing through the air.

By the end, the Kitchen Steward had no strength left to scream.