Chapter 3

Translator: Abo Dammen

The moment Qin Guchuan gave the order, the entire Qin estate was mobilized. In truth, the number of people working in the Qin residence wasn’t exactly large or small, they simply didn’t appear in front of their employer unless needed. That was part of their professional conduct.  

With Qin Guchuan’s command issued, everyone sprang into action and began a frantic search for Chen Lu. Qin Guchuan didn’t think finding Chen Lu would be difficult. After all, according to the plot he knew, every time Chen Lu tried to escape, he always caught him with ease.

But reality had other plans.

Two hours passed, and night had fallen completely. Over a hundred people swept through the entire Qin estate, inside and out even with hunting dogs, but they all came up empty-handed.

The old butler offered an apologetic explanation to Qin Guchuan, “I don’t know how Young Master Lu managed it, but the entire estate is saturated with his scent. It’s so mixed up that even our trained hounds can’t pinpoint his exact location. 

“But rest assured, Eldest Young Master. We’ve confirmed with the guards at all exits. There’s no doubt Young Master Lu is still inside the estate.

“It’s getting late. Why don’t you go get some rest? Once we find him, I’ll report back to you immediately.”

Qin Guchuan didn’t look too pleased, but he too was certain Chen Lu was still within the estate. The world was still intact. If something had gone wrong, signs of collapse would’ve appeared, but everything in his vision remained stable.

So when the old butler urged him to rest, Qin Guchuan didn’t object. It was his usual bedtime, after all. “Alright. Let me know when he’s found.” 

“Yes, Eldest Young Master.”

Wearing a weary expression, Qin Guchuan stepped into the elevator, still deep in thought. ‘Where could Chen Lu possibly hide that not a single trace could be found, even under such an exhaustive search? Could it be that the reason Chen Lu got caught so easily in later escape attempts… Was it because he had already rehearsed multiple times with the estate staff outside of the storyline?’ 

The thought had barely surfaced before Qin Guchuan immediately shoved it aside. It was completely ridiculous and absurd, what was he even thinking? Was he just too stressed and sleep-deprived? Qin Guchuan rubbed his forehead and opened his bedroom door.

The moment he pushed open the door, he thought he heard a faint noise. 

Was someone in his room?

Qin Guchuan lifted his head…and locked eyes with someone who seemed to have just stood up from a chair not far away. Once he got a clear look at the person’s face, Qin Guchuan’s mouth twitched. He paused mid-step, pulled back, and stared at the other’s panicked expression while maintaining his own cool indifference. After several seconds of silent eye contact, he calmly pulled out his phone and called the old butler.

“Uncle Sun, call off the search. Tell everyone to go rest. Chen Lu is in my room,” Qin Guchuan said, voice calm and emotionless. After receiving a response, Qin Guchuan hung up and stared at Chen Lu in front of him whose cheeks were flushed, his eyes full of panic.

Of course. He should’ve known. 

According to the storyline, this was still the very beginning. At this point, Chen Lu might’ve held some bitterness and resentment about being trapped in the Qin estate, but above all, he was grateful, because the agreement he had made with “Chen Lu” promised his mother the best medical treatment, no conditions attached.

For a desperate “Chen Lu,” even if the terms were harsh and humiliating, it was still a lifeline. So at this stage, his feelings toward Qin Guchuan leaned mostly on the positive side.

And “Chen Lu” had always been someone ruled far more by emotion than reason.

So this kind of situation wasn’t all that surprising. For instance, perhaps the other thought he had been denied visitation as a punishment, a warning for his recent cold attitude, and now, in the dead of night, Chen Lu had come to his room to “take the initiative.” 

Qin Guchuan: “……”

To be honest, he wasn’t ready for that kind of thing.

Good thing he’d called the old butler just now so it gave himself a moment to calm down. After hanging up, his emotions had stabilized. He’ll have to figure out how to handle the current situation.

Looking at Chen Lu’s flushed cheeks, Qin Guchuan let out a cold laugh, eyes filled with mockery. “Chen Lu, did you come to my room looking for that contract you signed? Wake up. Like I’d ever keep something like that here in this house. 

“You want freedom? Keep dreaming!”

Faced with the neat, obviously untouched room, Qin Guchuan lied without batting an eye. The pure-hearted “Chen Lu” absolutely couldn’t tolerate being slandered like that.

As for Chen Lu himself, it had simply never crossed his mind that he’d have such bad luck. Of all the doors he could’ve opened, he just so happened to pick Qin Guchuan’s. The moment Qin Guchuan walked in, Chen Lu felt like he had no words to defend himself.

Sure, he’d noticed a few financial magazines and books on the nightstand, but out of basic courtesy, he hadn’t taken a closer look or thought too deeply about where he was. He’d even dozed off in the chair from boredom. 

Who could’ve guessed it would be his room?

Now, in the middle of the night, there were just two men alone in the overbearing gong’s bedroom. Come on, this is an old-school novel with “Forceful Love” right in the title! Anyone could guess the kind of R-rated plot twist this situation was setting up for.

Flushed under Qin Guchuan’s intense gaze, Chen Lu’s mind was spinning as he tried to think of a way to escape without breaking character.

He really, really wasn’t ready to have that kind of relationship with a man yet!!! 

Please, let me explain!!!

Thankfully, before Chen Lu could even come up with a decent excuse to escape this highly dangerous scene, he heard Qin Guchuan spit out a classic, heartless CEO line. For the first time ever, Chen Lu found those cliche overbearing lines utterly beautiful.

“How could you think that of me?!” Chen Lu’s reaction was lightning-quick. He immediately used his most aggrieved voice to throw the line at Qin Guchuan. Without waiting for a reply, he clapped a hand over his totally tearless but gleaming-with-relief eyes, put on a look of dramatic heartbreak, and slipped right past Qin Guchuan at the door, bolting out with a clean exit.

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, both men—one inside, one out—simultaneously let out a breath. 

Thank god!

In all his (admittedly short) life, Qin Guchuan had never experienced something this nerve-wracking before. After exhaling fully, he slumped down into the chair Chen Lu had just vacated and began quietly reflecting on life.

So this is what it took to maintain plot and preserve character settings… It was a lot harder than he’d expected.

But at least the night ended without disaster. 

After a day of running on tension, Qin Guchuan finally let himself relax, only for a whole two seconds before he heard that fateful door creak softly open again.

Qin Guchuan’s neck went stiff as he slowly turned toward the door, only to see Chen Lu’s head cautiously peeking in, hands clutching the doorframe, eyes darting nervously and laced with suspicion. “Mr… Qin… uhm… are all your dogs back in their kennels yet?”

Qin Guchuan was genuinely unprepared for that to be the question behind this late-night visit. He stared for two full seconds before calmly replying, “It’s late. I’ve already told everyone to go rest.”

Qin Guchuan figured that would be the end of it, that Chen Lu would thank him and leave. 

But nope. The guy was still there, clawing at the door frame, and now his fingers were visibly digging into the wood. It looked like there was still something painfully embarrassing he wanted to say.

Qin Guchuan’s internal warning system went on high alert again, the shameful scene from earlier replaying vividly in his mind, until he heard Chen Lu whisper, voice soft and filled with barely concealed mortification, “Uhm… Mr. Qin… could you tell me… how to get back to my room… again?”

Qin Guchuan stared at Chen Lu.

Chen Lu silently stared right back. 

An unspeakable tension coiled in the air between them.

Finally, Qin Guchuan slowly raised a hand and covered his mouth.

His mind was razor-sharp. As expected of a world-designated top dog, there was no stinginess in his IQ department. With just that one line, Qin Guchuan pieced together exactly what had happened tonight.

How did something like this even happen? 

He recalled what the old butler had said, how the entire Qin estate was saturated with Chen Lu’s scent. He was instantly overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity of it all.

Chen Lu looked at him suspiciously.Qin Guchuan was covering his mouth, frowning, looking down, as if holding something back. On the surface, it seemed like he was annoyed. But just now… it’s like he heard a faint snort of laughter?

Before Chen Lu could confirm whether he’d imagined it, the resident overbearing CEO let out a deep sigh and stood up. His voice remained cool and aloof, “Tch. Come on. I’ll take you there.”

Chen Lu: “……” 

Wait, huh? Big Boss? Mr. CEO? You’re gonna personally handle this?

He thought he’d have someone else come help!

Now the whole situation felt unbearably awkward.

It was like… like he’d just invited Qin Guchuan to his room or something. 

And if he said “Never mind” now… wouldn’t that be even worse?

Chen Lu’s fingers dug deeper into the doorframe.

Qin Guchuan didn’t pick up on Chen Lu’s emotional turmoil at all. He walked to the door and finally got a good look at the awkward, contorted position Chen Lu was in, clutching the doorway.

Swallowing hard, Qin Guchuan barely held back another burst of laughter. “Not coming?” he asked coldly, doing his best to maintain the aloof tone of an overbearing CEO, though there was a hint of confusion in his mind. 

Would someone like Chen Lu really act this way? It was just… a little too cute.

But it was only a passing thought. As someone who had already awakened, Qin Guchuan was very clear—he wasn’t the same as the version of himself in the story, who was a kind of guy who should be thrown into jail to cool off for a few years.

So if Chen Lu’s personality outside the plot diverged a little from his in-story character… that was perfectly normal too.

“Oh, right! Coming!” Chen Lu blurted out when he couldn’t come up with any better excuse, quickly opening the door for the big boss and respectfully letting him take the lead. He’d fully expected the journey back to be utterly painful because based on their two previous interactions, this guy really was the type who was only good for eye candy. Once his mouth was open, and he could infuriate a perfectly sane person. 

But unexpectedly, the walk back was quiet. Qin Guchuan didn’t seem interested in conversation at all. He simply walked ahead, leading the way in silence. Chen Lu glanced up slightly, catching a glimpse of the man’s back.

…Why did he suddenly feel kinda reliable?

Chen Lu scoffed at himself inwardly.

After a few turns and one more elevator ride down, Chen Lu finally spotted a familiar hallway and instantly let out a sigh of relief. Without hesitation, he invoked his signature “use-and-ditch” philosophy. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he darted out and then strategically blocked the doorway, ensuring Qin Guchuan had no chance to step out. 

“Thanks, Mr. Qin. I know how to get back now,” he said with his usual polite smile, standing firmly in the exit’s way and giving a little wave. “Goodnight.”

Chen Lu’s little ploy was so obvious it was laughable. Qin Guchuan lowered his head and looked at him in silence, then turned his gaze to the slowly closing elevator doors. Right before they sealed shut, he finally let out a reply, the laughter barely suppressed in his voice.

“…Goodnight.”