How to Stop the Villain from Going Crazy
Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 55 - It was as if he had contracted an incurable disease (1)
The next day, Bo Li went to see Thorne and asked if he was willing to stay and be an actor.
After that terrifying night, Thorne had matured. He had recovered from being frightened out of his wits.
Hearing her question, he lowered his head and thought for a while before whispering, "I'm willing."
Bo Li patted his head. "Good boy. My name is Polly Clermont. You can just call me Polly."
Thorne blushed and stammered, "Miss Clermont."
"Call me Polly."
Thorne's face turned even redder. He insistently addressed her as "Miss Clermont".
Bo Li corrected him twice, but she couldn't get him to change his mind, so she just went with his wishes.
Thorne was older than she had guessed. He was almost 15 years old. He looked younger than his real age because he never had enough to eat.
Bo Li felt an indescribable pity for him. She first treated him to a big meal, and then she had the hotel employee lead him to the bathroom to take a bath and shave his hair.
At first, Thorne was very cooperative. When he found that he had to remove his head covering to get his hair shaved, he hugged his head and mournfully wailed.
Bo Li persuaded him for a long time before a sobbing Thorne agreed to take off his head covering. However, he would only do it if there was only him and Bo Li in the room.
Bo Li thought it over and agreed.
The cost of living in Los Angeles was high. When she was in school, she cut her bangs and trimmed her hair. It shouldn't be difficult to shave Thorne's hair.
Thorne mustered up his courage and took off his head covering.
To be fair, Thorne didn't look scary. The lump on his face looked more like skull dysplasia or a benign lipoma.
Bo Li was someone that watched horror movies while eating. When she saw Thorne's face, her eyebrows didn't even twitch. She gently shaved his head.
Thorne had been carefully observing her expression. Seething that her eyes didn't show disgust like other people, he became even more dependent on her. He followed after her like a shadow.
Bo Li didn't mind.
She was thinking about something else. Mrs. Merlin never revealed the whereabouts of those deformed performers.
If she wanted to open a circus, she had to find those performers. She couldn't find those people on her own.
She needed Erik's help.
However, Erik's attitude towards her had become a bit strange, especially on the day she shaved Thorne's head. He stared at her fingers for at least ten minutes.
His gaze was piercingly cold. It almost froze the air.
Bo Li felt a bit choked. Did he view shaving Thorne's head as harming him and think she was humiliating Thorne?
He couldn't be blamed for thinking that way. Cutting part or all of someone's hair was a form of humiliation in some cultures.
Bo Li hastily explained, "You misunderstood. I didn't shave Thorne's head to humiliate him. He hasn't washed his hair or taken a bath in a long time. If I don't shave off his dirty hair, he might get pus-filled sores on his scalp."
Erik didn't express an opinion, but his gaze never moved away from her fingers.
Bo Li felt extremely frightened by his staring. Her heart was madly beating.
His gaze was so strange and unfathomable. Even if he chopped off her finger in the next moment, she wouldn't be surprised.
Inspiration struck her. Bo Li asked, "Your hair is getting a bit long. Do you want me to trim it for you?"
He looked at her with that unfathomable gaze and actually nodded.
Bo Li had no idea what was going on in his mind. He would get stressed when she looked at his hands, so why was he willing to let her cut his hair?
She got a clean cloth, wrapped it around him, dipped her fingers in water, and ran her wet fingers through his hair.
He looked very uncomfortable. He shut his eyes with difficulty. His Adam's apple kept going up and down with his swallowing.
Bo Li suddenly remembered that he wasn't much older than Thorne. He was two years or three years older at most. His body was closer to an adult's. He was taller with longer fingers and a more prominent Adam's apple. His male hormones were also stronger.
Bo Li was startled by her thoughts. She tried her best to not think about this and started cutting his hair.
He had a lot of hair and seemed to have washed it recently. She could smell a light soapy scent, and his hair felt cool, dry, and clean.
The hair at his neck was cut short and was stiff and prickly while the hair at the front was fine and soft like the fur of a small animal.
As she ran her fingers through his hair, she had goosebumps.
Bo Li suppressed her pounding heart and smoothed the strands of his front hair.
The next moment, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Bo Li froze in surprise.
He had already let go, as if he was signaling for her to continue.
Bo Li took a deep breath and simply trimmed his front hair with scissors while trying her best to create a layered look. And then, she used a razor to shave his hair on the edges of his temples.
When she was shaving Thorne's hair, she was at peace and didn't think of anything.
When she cut Erik's hair, her thoughts became increasingly weird.
She didn't know if she was just imagining it, but she felt more tension with Erik's hair compared to Thorne's, especially after she trimmed his temples and saw his short, youthful black hair.
She felt a strange attraction. Cutting his hair felt so… suggestive.
Her breathing instinctively quickened.
Perhaps, it was because too many things had happened recently. Erik was the only guy around her, and that was why she would have such thoughts.
She should be fine after a few days.
After Bo Li finished cutting, she took a few steps back. She carefully observed his hair and discovered that her skills were pretty good.
Erik suddenly untied the cloth and stood up to leave.
Bo Li quickly stopped him. "Wait!"
He stopped and slightly tilted his head
Bo Li saw that the bases of his ears were red like rashes.
Was he allergic to razors?
"What is it?" He spoke to interrupt her staring.
Bo Li returned to her senses. "Can you do me a favor? Mrs. Merlin never told me the whereabouts of those deformed actors. Can you help me find where they are?"
He paused. His tone became a bit strange. "Don't you have Oliver Thorne?"
"Thorne doesn't know anything." Bo Li was puzzled. "He's not like you. You can support a circus just by yourself."
Erik didn't speak.
Bo Li took a step forward, grabbed the corner of his clothes, and said in a pleading tone, "Pretty please, you're so smart. I'm sure you can quickly find them… Help me, please?"
After a few seconds, he pulled his clothing out of her hand and left.
Although he didn't agree or disagree, Bo Li was confident that he agreed.
She mused; so not only did he have a strange gentlemanly demeanor towards women, he also had a hard time resisting a woman's cutely spoiled voice?
Translator Ramblings: I wonder if Erik thinks Bo Li is collecting a harem. Thorne is lucky he looks like a kid. Below is a picture that the author commissioned and posted on her Weibo that shows Erik's hair from the side.
