Professor 2
At noon, Tang Xi followed the original character’s memories and went to the cafeteria. However, instead of lining up for food, he avoided everyone and used hot water to prepare a cup of braised beef instant noodles.
In his previous world, He Wang had been very strict with him, never allowing him to eat instant noodles.
But in this world, instant noodles were all he had. Tang Xi ate them with a blank expression, as if he were carrying out some kind of mission.
His adorable face was tense with seriousness.
It didn’t take long for him to understand the meaning behind Duan Sifei’s meaningful glance before leaving.
As soon as he finished eating, the old dean caught him. The elderly man, with his white-streaked beard, smiled kindly and asked why he was unwilling to conduct research with Professor Duan.
“This is an opportunity that so many people would kill for.”
Tang Xi kept his head down, looking distracted as usual.
It seemed that even if Duan Sifei didn’t personally force him, someone else in the scientific community would pack him up and send him over because of Duan’s status.
The dean sighed. “Becoming his assistant is essentially the same as becoming his personal disciple. You’d have your own independent research lab, better resources, and equipment. Most importantly, you’d receive guidance from Professor Duan.”
Although the dean didn’t have high hopes for Tang Xi’s current project, he knew the boy was dedicated and didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm.
Tang Xi had no interest in Professor Duan’s guidance. With the original character’s memories and his system, he could complete the research on his own.
However, the prospect of better research conditions was tempting.
In his world, only research remained. The only thing that held any meaning was this project, into which he had poured so much time and effort.
Sensing his hesitation, the dean intensified his persuasion—nine out of ten of his sentences were praises for Duan Sifei.
For a brief moment, Tang Xi even wondered if the supposed villain was actually the protagonist. But then, he immediately snapped back to reality.
This was what made the villain of this world so terrifying. Until his identity as a serial killer was exposed, everyone around him sang his praises. Except for the protagonist gong, no one saw through his facade.
The persona he had crafted was nearly flawless.
The conversation with the dean dragged on for too long, cutting into Tang Xi’s nap time. Not only did it disrupt his schedule, but it also drew unwanted attention from others.
That was something he could not tolerate. Left with no choice, he reluctantly agreed.
Thus, Duan Sifei got what he wanted—his little researcher knocking on his door.
Looking at the man before him, dressed in a crisp white shirt instead of a lab coat, Tang Xi blinked and greeted him, emphasizing every word.
He even made sure to point out that the dean had sent him.
“Come in.” Duan Sifei chuckled softly, opening the door wider and stepping aside to let him enter.
His gentlemanly demeanor was impeccable.
As Tang Xi sorted through the materials he had brought with him, Duan Sifei stood behind him, watching intently.
He observed as Tang Xi carefully organized the documents with precise movements, aligning everything without even a millimeter of deviation.
[Did he notice something?] Tang Xi felt a little nervous.
[Even if he did, it doesn’t matter.] 1551 reassured him.
Duan Sifei leaned in slightly. “Had instant noodles for lunch?”
His laboratory was almost completely odorless, so the braised beef scent lingering on Tang Xi was particularly noticeable.
Of course, Tang Xi wasn’t going to respond. Like a little hamster, he tirelessly moved his “treasures” back and forth, each time carrying only a small portion. The weight of each trip was almost exactly the same.
Duan Sifei stood nearby, hands in his pockets, watching him with amusement as he scurried around. He made no move to help.
Sweat beaded on Tang Xi’s forehead as he grew frustrated. [He must have figured something out!]
He wasn’t even bothering to hide his twisted sense of humor anymore.
He was certain that he wouldn’t complain to others.
When he finally stopped, Duan Sifei handed him a glass of water, his tone gentle. “Have some water.”
Tang Xi acted as though he hadn’t heard. He disliked this person who had suddenly barged into his life and disrupted his routine.
Who knew what kind of strange things this psycho might have put in the water?
He neither drank nor acknowledged him. He had expected this to anger the man, but instead, Duan Sifei just kept smiling—like he was looking at a disobedient child.
“I like obedient kids.”
Duan Sifei said it with a smile, but Tang Xi caught a trace of danger in his voice.
His animal instincts screamed at him, filling him with unease. Reluctantly, he took the glass and sipped twice.
Duan Sifei sighed. “Good boy.”
Tang Xi froze. For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw a shadow of He Wang in this man.
That was just an illusion.
He Wang would never be this twisted—he wouldn’t have gone so far as to get the dean to pressure him.
Frowning subtly, Tang Xi secretly apologized to He Wang in his heart.
Unaware that the seemingly obedient boy before him was internally badmouthing him, Duan Sifei smiled in satisfaction.
Pleased with his little researcher’s compliance, he reached out and lightly touched Tang Xi’s earlobe.
The overly intimate gesture startled Tang Xi. Like a frightened little animal, he clutched the water glass and took a sharp step back.
His eyes were misty, his lips a tempting shade of red, and now even his earlobes had turned crimson.
Was it from embarrassment? Anger? Or fear?
Duan Sifei rubbed his fingers together as if savoring the sensation, then put on an apologetic expression. “Sorry, did I scare you? Your earlobes are small—they look adorable.”
If the first half of his sentence sounded like an apology, the latter half was unmistakably teasing.
He had a bad habit of bullying small creatures. His nature was downright wicked.
Tang Xi kept his head down, unable to say a single word. Instead, he simply ignored him and got back to work.
Duan Sifei didn’t seem like a professor who had obtained countless patents at all—he spent the entire afternoon watching Tang Xi conduct research.
Once Tang Xi was immersed in his research, he would automatically block out everything around him.
Following the system’s guidance, he carried out the experiment step by step.
Meticulous to the point of being rigid.
While scientific research demanded precision, it wasn’t hard to see that his every move carried an almost pathological level of rigor.
Duan Sifei clearly noticed this, but he didn’t say a word.
His gaze on the young researcher was like that of an art connoisseur admiring a masterpiece—one that only he had discovered.
The smile on Duan Sifei’s face grew more and more sincere.
If Tang Xi were to look up at him now, he would see the possessiveness hidden deep in his eyes.
The moment the clock struck six, Tang Xi stopped what he was doing.
Not a second more. He began tidying up his workstation.
At 6:10, he walked out, not sparing the villain behind him a single glance.
His portrayal of someone unwilling to engage with others, someone utterly withdrawn, was flawless.
“Want to grab dinner?”
Duan Sifei, however, wasn’t going to let him leave so easily. He followed behind at just the right distance—not too close, not too far.
Tang Xi: [He must have figured out that there’s something wrong with me.]
He wanted to quicken his pace to shake off the man behind him, but he could only maintain his usual speed, each step falling at nearly the same distance as before.
1551: [As expected of a major villain—his perception is terrifyingly sharp.]
A single day was all it took for this man to notice something was off about him. Meanwhile, the rest of the research institute, despite working alongside the original character for so long, had completely overlooked it, mistaking his detachment for arrogance.
This was one of the reasons the original character had ultimately been destroyed—because when the time came, not a single person chose to believe him.
At this thought, Tang Xi’s impression of the villain improved—just a little.
Probably just back to a neutral level.
Dinner was instant noodles. Pork-flavored instant noodles.
He mechanically tore open the seasoning packets and numbly went to fetch hot water.
What should have been his most anticipated moment of the day—mealtime—had now become nothing more than a task to sustain his body.
Just as he was about to close the lid, his cup of noodles was taken away.
Stunned, he looked up, eyes full of confusion.
Duan Sifei had originally been a little irritated, but the moment he saw Tang Xi’s expression, his anger dissipated instantly.
Even he himself wasn’t sure why seeing this little researcher eat instant noodles made him so upset.
“Give it back,” Tang Xi said, displeased, reaching out when he saw Duan Sifei staring at his noodles in deep thought.
“You shouldn’t eat something this unhealthy.”
The moment those words left his mouth, both of them froze.
Tang Xi didn’t know why, but in that instant, he saw a shadow of He Wang in Duan Sifei.
The longing he had forcibly suppressed burst out all at once, and his eyes instantly turned red.
Duan Sifei was initially puzzled by his own reaction, but when he saw the other man looking like he was about to cry from being scolded, he suddenly felt a little flustered.
It was only a fleeting moment, though. In the next instant, he was back to being the perfect Professor Duan.
He gently patted Tang Xi’s head. “You had instant noodles for lunch—how can you have them for dinner too? I’ll take you out for a proper meal.”
The offer was too tempting. Tang Xi immediately stopped feeling upset and widened his cat-like eyes to look at him.
[Wuwuwu 1551, he’s such a good person. I thought I’d be eating instant noodles for three years.]
Thoughts of murder methods and body dismemberment completely vanished from his mind in that instant.
1551: [As long as you’re happy.]
Duan Sifei seemed gentle and polite, but his actions allowed no room for refusal. He simply took Tang Xi and left.
Tang Xi merely put on an act of resistance, half-heartedly pretending to be unwilling as he followed him into the car.
They arrived at a private restaurant near the research institute. Inside, several other researchers who had just gotten off work noticed them and looked on with curiosity.
Some even came over to greet them.
Duan Sifei responded to each greeting with impeccable politeness.
Although his smile was courteous, there was an undeniable sense of distance, something difficult to put into words.
Tang Xi, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in greetings—he just wanted to eat.
Fortunately, Duan Sifei’s attention was entirely on him. Without engaging in too much small talk, he led Tang Xi into a private dining room.
Even though he knew Tang Xi wouldn’t be able to order, he still handed him the menu, asking for his opinion—going through all the formalities flawlessly.
Of course, he ended up choosing the dishes himself—five in total, all of which were Tang Xi’s favorites.
[How does he know exactly what I want to eat?] Tang Xi felt a bit conflicted.
It seemed like there was something he had overlooked.
1551 dismissed his concerns: [That’s just because you want to eat too many things.]
That made sense. With that thought, he relaxed again.
He made sure to sit far away from the villain, lowering his head to admire the intricate patterns on the cup, focusing intently as he counted them.
When all the dishes were served, he finally picked up his chopsticks and started eating—one bite of rice, one bite of food.
“Professor Duan?”
The door suddenly swung open, and a flamboyantly dressed man with a small ponytail squeezed his way in.
Duan Sifei had been admiring how adorable the little guy looked with his cheeks puffed out while eating. Even though they were interrupted, he showed no sign of displeasure.
“What are you doing here?”
“Hehe, just dropping by to say hi!” Huang Lihan rubbed his hands together shamelessly before plopping down into a seat.
Duan Sifei smiled faintly. “Well, now that you’ve said hi, you can leave, right?”
Huang Lihan burst into laughter. “Don’t be so heartless.”
The two of them seemed familiar with each other, but Tang Xi knew it was all just an illusion.
Maybe Huang Lihan genuinely saw the villain as a friend, but in the original storyline, because he was close to the protagonist shou, this psychotic villain ended up strangling him to death.
Then he staged it as a car accident—so brutal that they couldn’t even determine the real cause of death from the remains.
Tang Xi silently continued eating, praying that this guy would leave soon.
Even though the protagonist shou wasn’t here, and logically, the villain had no reason to be angry, his animal instincts told him—Duan Sifei was not happy.
From the moment Huang Lihan appeared, his aura subtly changed.
Unfortunately, his prayers went unanswered—Huang Lihan not only stayed but also noticed him.
Curious, he asked, “Hey, where did you pick up such a beautiful little kid?”
At that moment, Tang Xi could clearly feel the villain’s anger.