Chapter 9

Translator: Abo Dammen

Chen Lu managed to eat until he was full. To him, that salt incident was just a minor, happy sort of “problem.” In high spirits, he returned to his room, watching as Qin Guchuan left the Qin estate. 

He knew that for the next few days, apart from sleeping at night, the CEO would probably be too busy to set foot back here.

These past days, thanks to the demands of the plot, Qin Guchuan had rarely left the estate at all. It didn’t take a genius to guess how swamped he was going to be next.

Being an old-school novel’s domineering CEO wasn’t exactly an easy gig.

Chen Lu wiped away his crocodile tears and cheered in his heart. 

Finally, days without Qin the Tyrant! No more living in fear that one day he’d open his bedroom door only to find an oversized CEO looming in the doorway!

His poor little heart couldn’t take that kind of scare.

Unfortunately, the joy didn’t last long. Before much time had passed, boredom set in.

Previously, he’d been absorbed in figuring out how to fulfill the plot by drafting Plans A, B, and C like he was strategizing for a game. It was productive, and gave him a nice sense of accomplishment. 

But now? Nothing.

Well… Almost nothing. There was still a short segment of the plot left, but that was tomorrow’s task.

——“Chen Lu” gets humiliated by Qin Guchuan, which deepens his depression. But remembering that Qin Guchuan likes him most when he’s frail and sickly, like his beloved first love, “Chen Lu” stubbornly decides to get out of bed and go for a walk.

——The earlier “lock him up and don’t let him out” order from Qin the Tyrant? That seemed to vanish the moment he came to see “Chen Lu.” 

Chen Lu didn’t care about these inconsistencies. The plot had always been riddled with bugs anyway, and this particular one worked in his favor.

——While “Chen Lu” is out walking, he overhears the old butler talking in a secluded spot near the living room.

——They say that “Chen Lu’s” mother has been sent by the eldest young master’s assistant to the best hospital in North City. But the preliminary results aren’t great, and more tests are needed. They discuss whether to tell Young Master Lu.

——The butler decides not to mention the results, only to assure him that his family is being well cared for. 

——Hearing this, “Chen Lu” wrestles with himself.

——For the sake of getting his family the best possible treatment, he decides to let go of his meaningless pride and start imitating the first love’s gentle, fragile mannerisms.

——But the first person to witness this “performance” isn’t Qin Guchuan. It’s the doctor the butler invited over to check on “Chen Lu’s” health.

——This doctor is a childhood friend of Qin Guchuan’s, a talented young man with an impressive list of awards. 

In the original text, the butler introduced him to “Chen Lu” with obvious pride, rattling off a string of foreign award names that sounded impressive but meant nothing to Chen Lu. Honestly, if there really was an author of this world, Chen Lu was sure those names were totally made-up.

And that’s where the plot in Chen Lu’s head ended.

The only action required of him was to eavesdrop in that “secluded spot” by the living room. It wasn’t hard, he could probably just hide behind one of the Roman columns in the lounge and call it a day.

With no plan to make, Chen Lu’s brain suddenly had too much free time, and he found himself missing his pre-transmigration life. 

Video games. Scrolling on his phone. Soda aka his “happy water.” Hunkering down in an air-conditioned room all day.

His phone. His games. His happy water.

Waaah.

Why did Qin Guchuan get to have a phone, but not him?! 

Of course, Chen Lu had already figured out the reason.

If he had a phone, he could just call his family directly.

Video calls would make everything so easy, no need to go outside at all. And then the plot couldn’t happen.

So, goodbye phone. 

Come to think of it, in all the plot segments he’d seen so far, “communication” was only ever described vaguely like someone calling someone else. Even Qin Guchuan’s phone use was never actually shown.

So why does Qin Guchuan get a phone?!

Chen Lu lodged a heartfelt protest against this world, complete with a few affectionate mental “greetings.”

Still, it wasn’t as if the house was completely devoid of ways to pass the time. After all, someone here was raising him like a canary, not locking him up in prison. 

For instance, his room was stocked with collections of prose and poetry, along with books and magazines on painting and color theory. Every few days, when he went out for meals, someone would come in and replace them with the latest issues, neatly arranged on his desk.

All of these were the things “Chen Lu” loved.

At the Qin estate, the level of service was, without a doubt, top-notch.

But the one who was an art student specializing in painting was the “Chen Lu” in the plot, not him. After one glance, he’d simply closed those books and never opened them again. 

Since the next plotline didn’t require much thought from him, Chen Lu’s little brain naturally started working on other matters.

For example, how to solve his entertainment problem.

The first thing that floated up in his mind was that moment during the underground garage scene, when he’d briefly been with, and painfully parted from, his “little lover”, which was… the computer in Qin Guchuan’s study.

That domineering CEO’s study wasn’t locked, and he could go in freely. Lately, Qin Guchuan hardly ever returned to the Qin estate, so if he snuck in to enjoy the computer, chances were no one would notice. 

The moment the idea came to him, Chen Lu’s heart began to itch with excitement.

The only problem was, the computer there was a desktop. If he wanted to use it, he’d have to stay in the study for a long time. And if a maid came to clean, or the old butler happened to patrol, things could get dangerous.

If it blew up into an incident, what if tomorrow’s plot couldn’t continue?

Chen Lu temporarily pushed the thought aside, only to find… Ha, who was he kidding? He couldn’t push it aside at all. 

It had been half a month since he’d touched the internet. Before, he hadn’t thought about it, so it was fine. But now that he had, did the world conscience know how tempting that computer was for a teenage internet addict?

Judging from how the plot had gone so far, this world was pretty sturdy. He believed in its narrative inertia so it definitely wouldn’t punish him over such a small thing.

So, you’re not going to let me get caught, right, world? Come on, have a little self-preservation instinct!

Chen Lu patted the air as if sealing a pact with the world. 

Two minutes later, he was in Qin Guchuan’s study.

Computer on! Browser open!

Let’s see what new wives this world has to offer me!!!

୨ৎ 

Meanwhile, in a meeting room, Qin Guchuan was listening to his subordinates’ reports on recent company projects, but he felt vaguely uneasy, unable to pinpoint why.

Thinking it over, there was really only one person in this world who could give him that kind of ominous feeling…

…Better head home early today. Qin Guchuan made the decision in an instant.

He returned to the Qin estate right on time and, as usual, tried to get through a few more documents before dinner. But this time, part of his attention kept drifting toward the person sitting across from him. 

Something was… off.

Usually, when he came home for dinner and worked through papers beforehand, Chen Lu would keep sneaking glances at him, grinning happily. But today was different.

Today, the grin was extra happy.

And his mind was clearly elsewhere. His fingers were tapping lightly on the table, not making any sound, but each little movement radiating an unmistakable, bubbling joy. 

“What’s the good news?” The information was too thin for Qin Guchuan to draw a conclusion, but that didn’t matter. If he didn’t know, he could just ask.

Hearing his voice, Chen Lu froze for a moment before realizing Qin Guchuan was talking to him.

“What?”

Patiently, Qin Guchuan repeated, “What’s the good news?” 

Chen Lu blinked, and instantly thought back to his afternoon voyage across the sea of the internet.

This world’s technological development was about the same as his original one. Most websites and apps were just renamed or redesigned, but all the classic games, animations, and other works? Completely different content.

It was like discovering a massive treasure trove, begging him to dive in.

And now, one of the most advertised new real-time battle games was basically the latest version of his all-time favorite back in his original world. 

He could play it fresh, hot, and brand-new!

He had signed up for it the moment he saw it, so happy he almost lost track of time. Thankfully, a shred of rationality had kept him from being late.

But could he tell Qin Guchuan any of this?

Of course not. 

Chen Lu averted his gaze ever so slightly, his guilt written plainly across his face. “Maybe… once you’ve cleared your head, you’d feel happier.”

Qin Guchuan studied that expression in silence. He’d only been away from the Qin estate for a few hours. What kind of trouble had this guy managed to stir up in that short time?

His eyes drifted toward the old butler, but seeing no sign of alarm there, he fell into thought, and let his stereotypical image of Chen Lu take over.

Could it be that this guy had finally taken advantage of his absence this afternoon… and successfully snuck into the kitchen for food? 

Honestly, those two previous times Chen Lu had gone hunting for snacks, it wasn’t like he’d caught him on purpose. It was just… maybe whenever they were in the same space, he somehow triggered a 100% chance of catching the little white flower sneaking around.

The meeting at the company had ended with the presentation of their subsidiary game company’s new title, which inevitably distracted him a little.

It’s probably nothing serious.

That was Qin Guchuan’s final conclusion. 

“Tomorrow, just walk around the house more,” he said casually, already thinking of the scene scheduled for the next day.

At those words, Chen Lu’s heart lit up.

With Qin Guchuan giving the go-ahead, tomorrow’s “walking around the Qin estate” scene could unfold perfectly without anyone finding it odd.

As expected of his best scene partner since he landed in this world, he’s always willing to help him out, even off-script. 

What a good man.

And of course, his computer setup was also excellent.

After enjoying the machine to his heart’s content, Chen Lu couldn’t help but extend the fondness to its owner, adding an extra filter of admiration over him.