Chapter 10

Translator: Abo Dammen

After dinner, Qin Guchuan gave the old butler some instructions. He’d taken a liking to a new set of furniture, and it was being delivered the next morning. The old butler was to have the living room swapped out with the new pieces when they arrived. Only after handling that did Qin Guchuan head upstairs. 

There was still a mountain of work waiting for him. Just thinking of all the company affairs that had piled up these past few days made his head throb, not to mention a few matters that required on-site inspection in other cities which were things he had already put off for far too long.

Once the “Chen Lu and Zhu Yi” storyline wrapped up, he would have about half a month of free time before the next arc began. He needed to seize that window to deal with all those external matters in one sweep.

After laying out his schedule one task at a time in his mind, Qin Guchuan threw himself into work at full speed. He didn’t know how much time had passed when, faintly, he thought he heard light footsteps stop at his study door, then linger in silence.

A glance at the clock startled him. It was already past midnight. This was the first time he had ever worked so late. Rubbing at his temples, he figured it must be the butler, here to scold him for not resting. No doubt he was about to get nagged. Qin Guchuan sighed and called out, “Come in.” 

But there was no immediate response. A few seconds of silence passed, long enough for him to doubt whether he’d imagined the footsteps when at last the door slowly creaked open. From the narrow gap peeked a pitifully delicate face. Chen Lu’s head tilted, his eyes blinking up at Qin Guchuan, gaze innocent. “Mr. Qin, it’s so late. You should be sleeping.”

Qin Guchuan hadn’t expected him at all.

Staring at that familiar face, he instinctively checked the storyline in his mind.

Yes, this was the beginning of the arc, not the extra chapters at the end. 

So why did Chen Lu look and sound like he was waiting for him in their bedroom, gently reproaching him for staying away too long?

“How did you come upstairs?” Qin Guchuan asked, puzzled.

Chen Lu lowered his eyes, his voice a little stiff. “I saw how busy you looked during dinner, Mr. Qin. I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d come up to check on you.”

Those words warmed Qin Guchuan’s heart. To be cared for was a rare, comforting feeling. 

Except…. Shouldn’t this version of Chen Lu still be carrying resentment toward him?

Then again, this wasn’t the “time for the plot.” Outside the bounds of scripted events, he hadn’t kept the character locked into his written role. What stood before him now was Chen Lu’s unfiltered self, caring for him out of genuine feeling. With that thought, Qin Guchuan’s expression softened. “Alright. You should get some rest too.”

Chen Lu blinked, startled by such a gentle reply. Under the glow of the warm lamp, Qin Guchuan’s eyes looked tender, almost loving. The sensation of being treasured welled up in Chen Lu’s chest.

He flushed with embarrassment. 

The truth was, that wasn’t why he had come.

Normally, Qin Guchuan retired to bed by 11 PM. By then, the rest of the household was also asleep. Which meant the study at that hour belonged to Chen Lu alone.

There’s no need to creep about like in the afternoons, ears pricked for footsteps in the hall, ready to dive under the desk at a moment’s notice.

But tonight, when he reached the study door, he caught the faint glow of light slipping through the crack. As he was still calculating how to escape unseen, a voice from inside had called out, “Come in.” 

In that instant, Chen Lu had even decided what he’d name himself in the next life. But… looking at it now, maybe the situation wasn’t so dire after all.

And if it wasn’t dire, then rounding down, it was basically fine. Emboldened by his gift for pushing limits, Chen Lu straightened up, no longer timidly poking just his head inside. Instead he stood tall and declared with righteous certainty. “I’m going to watch you go back to your room.”

Qin Guchuan let out a low chuckle. “Alright.”

So obedient? Chen Lu blinked, watching in disbelief as Qin Guchuan actually set down the file in his hand at once. 

He looked… almost easy to push around.

“You have to go to bed on time every day from now on, understand?” Chen Lu pressed on, growing bolder.

“Alright.” Qin Guchuan smiled as he neatly put the papers away. “I won’t make you worry again.”

Chen Lu, “…” 

Of course, he hadn’t been worried in the first place. But the way Qin Guchuan phrased it made a tiny pang of guilt bloom inside him. After all, in Chen Lu’s shallow understanding of old-school domineering-CEO novels, these tyrants were always cruel, violent, and fond of imprisoning someone and tormenting them. And yet, ten out of ten of them came with a pitifully tragic backstory.

Though he had no idea what kind of story this world was ultimately heading toward, Chen Lu couldn’t help but think that if even this tiny, insignificant bit of concern could be treasured so deeply by Qin Guchuan…

Looking at the smile that lingered on Qin Guchuan’s lips, a pang of guilt suddenly tightened in Chen Lu’s chest.

Now that he had spent more time with Qin Guchuan outside the confines of the “plot,” he could sense it clearly that this man wasn’t the scum the story had painted him to be. If anything, he was… a genuinely good person. 

Chen Lu pressed his lips together, hesitated, then asked a question that felt just a little too bold. “Mr. Qin, these days… I haven’t seen any of your family members come home.”

The warmth on Qin Guchuan’s face vanished in an instant. His tone was calm, yet carried something unspeakable beneath it. “They won’t be coming back.”

That single line set off a storm of melodramatic family feuds in Chen Lu’s imagination. But before it could spiral too far, he heard Qin Guchuan’s next words. “If they could come back, would I still need to deal with all of this myself?”

A question mark popped into Chen Lu’s mind. Thinking about it carefully, there seemed to be only one explanation. 

Qin Guchuan’s family… must already be gone from this world. That’s why they wouldn’t come back. They couldn’t.

In fiction, it was always like this. How many protagonists were orphans? Perhaps because fewer family ties meant fewer messy complications, which made it easier to write.

But in reality, that kind of setting was just far too cruel.

Chen Lu’s sympathy for Qin Guchuan deepened. He was eating Qin Guchuan’s food, and wearing Qin Guchuan’s clothes. The least he could do was treat him with more kindness. This time, when he sent Qin Guchuan back to his bedroom early to rest, it was with a heart full of genuine sincerity. 

But Qin Guchuan, thanks to Chen Lu’s words, could only think of all those relatives of his, who’s off on indefinite vacations, drifting through one country after another, leaving him with endless piles of work.

After all, the story needed its domineering CEO to appear invincible, holding the Qin Corporation in his palm. A man whose word was law. So naturally, the script erased the entire extended family, leaving behind only a few token “villains” to get slapped in the face.

And of course, that meant every burden fell onto his shoulders alone.

Being the sole voice of authority always came at a price. 

Not that he couldn’t handle it. Before the plot officially began, he hadn’t even felt particularly busy. So why was he suddenly drowning in overtime now?

He thought back carefully. Slowly, his gaze fell on the very person who had dutifully walked him to his bedroom door, yet somehow kept adding to his workload.

Qin Guchuan lifted his hand and, with his knuckles, tapped lightly on Chen Lu’s head. “Good night.”

Caught off guard, Chen Lu froze, instinctively clutching the top of his head. By the time he came to his senses, the bedroom door had already shut. 

Chen Lu, “……”

This CEO had no honor!

Fine then! He’d be even more shameless!

Without hesitation, Chen Lu spun around and darted straight into the study. 

The CEO needed a healthy routine. He didn’t. He only needed happiness.

And the unhealthiest path… was always the happiest!!!

——-

The next morning at breakfast, Qin Guchuan glanced at Chen Lu, who sat across from him with faint shadows beneath his eyes. A flicker of doubt stirred in his gaze, utterly failing to grasp what had happened. 

Feeling a little guilty under his stare, Chen Lu hurried through his meal, then raised his voice, “I’m going for a walk!”

…If he was still energetic enough to go for a walk, then there shouldn’t be a problem.

“Go on,” Qin Guchuan replied calmly.