Villain Simulator, Ch 34

"How much?" Shenhe frowned slightly.

The agent pulled out a form and said, "The rent is 100,000 Mora per month, with a deposit of one month and three months' rent in advance."

"100,000 Mora?" Shenhe's eyes widened in surprise. "That's…"

"I know, it's a bit expensive," the agent shrugged. "That's why renting a regular house is a more economical option."

"Too cheap," Shenhe finished her sentence aloud, "If it's that cheap, there's no need to rent it at all. I might as well just buy it."

"Are you serious, Miss Shenhe?" Lucas asked awkwardly. "Buying a house is something that should be carefully considered."

Shenhe responded calmly, "It's fine. Before I left the mountains, my master told me that wealth is just an external possession. If it needs to be spent, don't hesitate."

"May I ask, how much of these 'external possessions' did your master give you?" Lucas asked, swallowing nervously.

"I didn't count exactly," Shenhe said nonchalantly. "Probably several tens of millions."

Lucas: "..."

Indeed, Shenhe's master, Cloud Retainer, was one of Liyue's ancient immortals and likely possessed a vast collection of valuable treasures. And being an old friend of Morax, Liyue's Archon of Geo, she would certainly never lack Mora.

After a brief negotiation, Shenhe directly bought the office.

The location wasn't too far, and due to Shenhe's "enthusiastic invitation," Lucas had no choice but to accompany her there.

For some reason, as soon as they entered the large office, Lucas felt a strange sense of déjà vu, especially seeing the spacious ebony desk in the center of the room. It stirred up many memories for him.

After all, this had once been one of the workplaces he shared with Shenhe.

Sometimes, while Lucas handled paperwork, Shenhe would silently do her own tasks at her station, helping to relieve his stress.

However, this office didn't have a privacy screen under the desk, which might be inconvenient...

Wait!

Why was he thinking about such inappropriate things again?!

Lucas quickly shook his head to clear it and casually asked, "This office is pretty big, but there's no bed. Miss Shenhe, where do you plan to sleep?"

"Where to sleep?" Shenhe sat directly on top of the desk, her long legs swinging slightly. Her eyes, not hidden by her bangs, stared straight at Lucas. "This desk is quite spacious. It should be fine to use it as a bed."

"Sleeping on a desk?" Lucas was puzzled. "Wouldn't it be a bit… too hard?"

"No worries, I actually prefer it harder," Shenhe said, patting the solid ebony surface. "It's more comfortable to sleep on."

These words didn't come from Cloud Retainer's handbook but were lines Shenhe had thought up, based on her memories from the dreams.

In the dreams, Lucas was a hypocrite who appeared gentlemanly but was secretly a beast. Faced with her provocations now, how could he remain unmoved?

As long as he showed any inappropriate intentions, she would immediately subdue him!

"Miss Shenhe…" Lucas stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

Gulp…

Seeing the familiar face in front of her, Shenhe suddenly felt a sense of nervousness.

Was it happening now?

Logically, she should feel angry, but for some reason, there was a strange hint of anticipation in her heart.

No, no!

What I'm looking forward to is bringing this villain to justice, not anything else!

Without saying a word, Lucas reached out, placing his hand on Shenhe's back.

The warmth and roughness of his palm made Shenhe's body tremble slightly.

Countless scenes from her dreams flashed through Shenhe's mind, each one vivid despite being mere dreams.

Finally, you're revealing your true nature!

But to her surprise, Lucas suddenly squeezed her shoulder and said seriously, "Miss Shenhe, sleeping on hard surfaces for too long is bad for your health, especially your spine. I just checked, and your spine is already a bit misaligned. Have you been feeling occasional pain in your vertebrae?"

Thanks to his newly acquired [Medical Sage] talent and the knowledge and experience gained in the simulator, Lucas had become quite the skilled physician. Such minor issues were easily apparent to him.

"I… I have felt a bit of pain recently…" Shenhe said, her expression turning blank.

Wait… This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

Shouldn't he have taken the opportunity to embrace me, and then... 

"Good thing you met me!" Lucas's healer instincts kicked in, and he smiled. "Lie down, and I'll give you a quick massage to relieve your symptoms."

"W-wait, I…"

…

Half an hour later.

Shenhe lay on the desk, her face full of satisfaction.

This felt… too good!

After spending so long in the mountains training under Cloud Retainer, Shenhe had lived a spartan life—eating bland food and sleeping on cold, hard stone beds. Massage, something as indulgent as this, was completely foreign to her.

Now, she felt as if her muscles had been unlocked, her entire body reborn.

[You've earned 1000 Virtue Points!]

Lucas cracked his knuckles and said, "You should really buy a proper bed. I don't know what kind of life you've been living, but every now and then… you should be kind to yourself."

'Be kind to myself?'

Shenhe pondered over these words. Indeed, she had always been overly harsh with herself, even believing that any form of enjoyment was a sin.

Moreover, throughout the massage, Lucas's hands had been very professional—he didn't take advantage of her in any way.

Could it be that she had misunderstood all along? Was this man simply someone who coincidentally looked and acted like the villain from her dreams, but was actually a good person?

While Shenhe was lost in thought, Lucas's gaze unconsciously drifted to her figure sprawled on the desk.

This scene was so familiar.

And in his eyes, a glint of desire flickered uncontrollably.

[What are you waiting for? Don't hold back—do what you really want…]

The system's voice whispered, like a devil tempting him to release his true nature.

At that very moment, Shenhe turned her head, catching sight of Lucas's eyes, which were as deep and dark as abyss.

That deep, longing gaze and expression—already etched into Shenhe's very soul.

A person's actions, words, and even personality can be disguised. But instincts, they can never be hidden.

It's him! It's him! It has to be him!

Shenhe leaped off the desk as if she had been shocked by electricity, her expression tense. "You… are you alright?"

Lucas snapped back to reality, feeling a wave of intense heat rush through him as he looked at Shenhe.

The feeling was disturbingly similar to the one he had experienced earlier when bullying those two thugs in the alley. Both times, he had failed to control his dark thoughts. If Shenhe hadn't suddenly spoken up… the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Sorry, I… I'm not feeling too well…" Lucas, overwhelmed by the heat, quickly took off his jacket and placed it to the side, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I'll borrow the restroom for a moment."

Without daring to meet Shenhe's eyes again, he hurriedly turned and headed to the bathroom.

Splashing water onto his face at the sink, the cold sensation helped to cool the burning heat within him.

But as he lifted his head, he was startled to see the reflection in the mirror. Though it looked just like him, the man staring back was filled with malice, wearing a wicked grin.

"Who… who are you?" Lucas muttered.

"I am you," the reflection replied. "The real you—the evil within. Admit it, your so-called kindness is nothing but a pitiful façade. Only through committing evil can you feel true satisfaction and joy."

"Shut up!"

In a burst of anger, Lucas punched the mirror, shattering the glass. The sinister reflection disappeared along with the fragments.

Everything returned to silence.

His fist, sliced by the broken glass, bled briefly before healing at a rapid rate, thanks to his [Regenerative Factor] ability.

It was as though the whole ordeal had been a nightmare.

"What just happened, Xiao Xi?" Lucas asked, breathing heavily. "Was that… another one of your tricks?"

[This system does not interfere with the host. Its purpose is to test whether the host can maintain their moral compass after experiencing a life of evil.]

"So, that was… my own dark thoughts?" Lucas murmured. "Could I really have been influenced by the simulator?"

[Unfortunately, this system cannot provide an explanation for that.]

"So, if I fail this test," Lucas asked anxiously, "if I truly fall to my dark thoughts, what will happen to me?"

[Every life you live within the simulator serves as a reference.]

Of course, if the real-world Lucas were to succumb to evil, becoming a true villain, it would essentially be a live-action version of the [Villain Simulator]—except this time, instead of starting with just three talents, he had amassed numerous powerful rewards.

If he truly became a villain, the havoc he could wreak would be far worse than what the "Doctor" version of himself had caused in the simulator.

No. He couldn't let that happen.

Taking a deep breath, Lucas muttered to himself, "I absolutely… won't lose to my dark side."

...

Rewind to a few minutes earlier.

Watching Lucas rush into the restroom, Shenhe's suspicions hadn't faded in the slightest.

Could he be trying to hide something?

Ever since meeting Lucas, Shenhe's suspicions had been fluctuating wildly. Each time she thought he was a villain, he would do something good. But when she started to think he was a good person, he would show traces of malice and wickedness.

This constant back-and-forth had left the sheltered Shenhe thoroughly confused.

At that moment, her gaze fell on the jacket Lucas had left on the desk.

Maybe she could find some clues in his personal belongings.

Yes, if he truly was a villain, he might be carrying something incriminating.

Lacking much common knowledge about human interactions, Shenhe didn't realize that rummaging through someone's things was considered highly impolite. After all, in her mind, she was only doing this to punish a potential evildoer.

"Let's see…" Shenhe muttered as she began searching through the jacket.

"A few Mora… not much." To Shenhe, who had access to vast wealth, Lucas's amount of money seemed pitifully small.

"And this lump of iron… some kind of mechanism?" She put aside the M1911 pistol, not recognizing what it was.

Then her fingers brushed against a piece of paper.

"A picture…" Shenhe murmured, pulling out a photograph. "My master mentioned these are called photos."

But when she saw the image, Shenhe's pupils dilated in shock.

In the photo, Lucas was intimately embracing a beautiful blue-haired woman. The closeness of their relationship was unmistakable.

Not only that, but the woman's beauty and grace were extraordinary, to the point that even Shenhe, who was confident in her own appearance, felt a twinge of inferiority.

This woman… Could she be Lucas's lover?

Otherwise, why would they be so close, and why would he carry this photo so close to his heart?

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Author's Note: Evil Lucas irl? 😈