Chapter 2

Translator: Abo Dammen

Chen Lu didn’t actually forget the character he was supposed to be playing. But really, people live in this world, so who doesn’t have a few personal indulgences? His just happened to lie in the realm of foods and drinks. So in moments like this, it was truly difficult for him to control the way his eyes behaved. 

From Chen Lu’s perspective, the fact that he hadn’t immediately lunged at the dishes the moment they were served was already a tremendous effort to preserve his delicate “frail little white flower” image. He hadn’t even realized how blatantly his gaze had become glued to the food on the table.

In order to uphold that carefully constructed image, Chen Lu gave it his all by trying to eat in a slightly more refined, slightly less starved manner.

Graceful.

He needed to be graceful! 

And so, with great composure….. Chen Lu elegantly polished off every single dish laid out before the two of them.

Only after there was absolutely nothing left—no entrées, no side dishes, not even a garnish—did Chen Lu slowly emerge from the haze of culinary temptation. He looked down at the plate in front of him that was now sparkling clean, then looked up to the man across from him, who seemed to have stopped eating quite some time ago. That man was now regarding him with a rather… complicated expression.

Chen Lu, “..…”

This isn’t what it looks like! Let me explain!!! 

Stuffed to the brim, Chen Lu desperately tried to come up with an excuse in his head.

But judging by the other man’s face, he didn’t actually seem all that upset? Chen Lu, now reduced to a tiny inner voice of panic, cautiously studied the other’s expression.

So far, it seemed like things outside the written plot descriptions were actually pretty flexible.

That thought brought Chen Lu a measure of relief. Still, he hadn’t forgotten that there were lines to deliver and plot to follow. 

According to the script, this scene in the dining room was mostly composed of the OG shou’s inner monologue. ‘Chen Lu’, feeling emotionally distressed, nibbled a little food, ultimately lacking appetite. He set down his utensils then glanced at ‘Qin Guchuan,’ who seemed to be in a good mood. Then seizing the moment, he expresses his desire to leave the manor and visit his family. ‘Qin Guchuan’ would coldly reject him, and the scene would end on a sour note.

Well, he did lack appetite now.

There was simply no more physical space left in his stomach. He had quite literally reached a state of not being hungry. Chen Lu slowly set down his utensils, and as the script directed, raised his gaze to the man across the table.

That man still radiated the aura of an overbearing CEO, but his expression was… hard to read. There seemed to be a strange mix of confusion and mild shock in his eyes. But overall… Well at least he didn’t look upset. 

Chen Lu cleared his throat inwardly. Give or take, that could still count as “seemed to be in a good mood,” right?

He sheepishly tried to calm himself. Lowering his eyes slightly and searching for the right air of gentle fragility, he took a quiet breath before beginning his line, “Mr. Qin, I’d like to go home tomorrow… just for a short visit…”

As he spoke, Chen Lu kept a sliver of attention fixed on the man’s reaction. He vaguely sensed that when he said those words, the other man visibly relaxed, if only just a bit. Then came the expected interruption, cold and indifferent, “Chen Lu, remember your place.”

Comparing it to the plot in his head, the line matched Qin Guchuan’s scripted dialogue word for word, not a single syllable missing. 

That alone made Chen Lu breathe a little easier.

Perfect. His earlier loss of control at the dinner table hadn’t thrown the plot off track. Which meant he really did have a decent amount of freedom outside the written scenes.

As a streamer who specialized in gaming, Chen Lu suddenly found himself a little more intrigued by this world. A high degree of freedom in a game always meant more room to stir things up.

—Wait, no. This world wasn’t like a game. You couldn’t just stir up trouble and hit reset if everything fell apart. 

Chen Lu forcefully reined in the chaotic instincts of a streamer trained to cause mayhem for views. Of course, he hadn’t forgotten to stay on script either. He wasn’t entirely sure about the deeper background of the character “Chen Lu,” but judging from the dialogue, it seemed that at this point in the story, the protagonist still harbored some hope toward the male lead, clinging to this hope even after being flatly rejected, still trying to plead his case.

Chen Lu pursed his lips slightly, and with a voice that was soft but firm, continued his line, “Mr. Qin, can you please try to understand? For this past month, every time I see the clothes I wear, I remember how my mother would pick new outfits for me. When I look at books, I recall how my younger brother and I used to read under the same moonlight. This is the bond of blood ties.

“Even if I’m no longer living at their house, it’s the place I called home for 20 years where I was born and raised. No matter when or what happens, it will always be the home I long for.”

Facing Chen Lu’s attempts to persuade him, the response came with calm yet impatient indifference, “You belong to me now, remember that. If you want your family to stay alive, all you need to do is obey me. You don’t need to have any other thoughts. Do you understand?” 

“Mr. Qin, why?” Chen Lu widened his eyes, trying to pour as much disbelief into his expression as possible. “You must understand how I feel, right? And I’m not even trying to leave for good. I just want to see them once, to say a few words to them. I’ll come right back.”

But Qin Guchuan showed not the slightest hint of softening. If anything, his demeanor grew even colder, his impatience now laid bare, “Chen Lu, stay put in the Qin Estate. You really don’t want to find out what happens if you try to leave without permission.”

“You’re not that kind of person, why would you say such things?” said Chen Lu, still looking at him in disbelief. But the sharp, knife-like glare that was suddenly thrown back at him made him instinctively shrink his neck.

Fortunately, he caught himself just in time. That wasn’t right. His character might be a delicate little white flower, but he was supposed to be a resilient delicate little white flower, not one that withers at the first gust of wind. 

Chen Lu quickly drew in a few steadying breaths, trying hard to squeeze out a few tears. No luck. So he lowered his head slightly instead, channeling his best wounded-but-defiant look, steeling himself for the final seconds of the scene.

And then came the last line—

“You’ve gone too far!” Chen Lu declared crisply, delivering his final line with righteous indignation before turning on his heel and striding out of that suffocating dining room, practically storming off with rapid, sweeping steps.

Hell yes! 

Reading the scene in his head hadn’t stirred much emotion, but having to stand there, in character as “Chen Lu,” and face “Qin Guchuan” directly… It was really hard not to roll his eyes. The man was infuriating.

Seriously, what kind of dialogue was that?

Was this how classic overbearing CEO characters are supposed to be? Why did every other sentence sound like a threat to someone’s life or liberty? With all this “Keep your family alive”, “You don’t want to know the consequences” talk, he sounds more like a fucking crime boss than a businessman.

Does the legal system even exist in this world?! Chen Lu grumbled silently as he marched forward in righteous fury only to realize, a few steps later, that something was wrong. 

In his relief at finishing the plot scene, he hadn’t paid attention to directions at all…Where was he?

The utterly unfamiliar scene before him sent his pupils trembling.

The sprawling, vintage-romance-novel-like mansion, the kind that casually spanned thousands of square meters, loomed in full, horrifying glory. His first thought wasn’t “Wow, so grand” but “Oh fuck, I’m doomed.”

It only took a second for him to go from denial to acceptance. Chen Lu immediately decided to look for someone, anyone, who might be able to help him find his way. 

Unfortunately… there was no one.

He looked around. Not a soul in sight. No servants, no staff. Just him, standing alone in the vast, unfamiliar corridors of the Qin Estate.

So much for asking for help.

Guess he’d have to rely on himself. 

Chen Lu roughly retraced his steps, trying to backtrack the path he’d taken, though he wasn’t all that confident it would work.

Great. Things had somehow gotten even more fortunate for him. After backtracking for a bit, not only did Chen Lu fail to see anything resembling a dining room, he stumbled upon a reception room he’d never seen before in his life.

The cheerful conclusion was he was definitely lost.

But there was good news. Someone was up ahead. 

Bad news: that someone was Qin Guchuan. His supposed “gong” in this ridiculous novel world.

Then, more good news: Qin Guchuan hadn’t noticed him yet.

For some unknown reason, Qin Guchuan was just sitting there alone in what looked like a reception lounge. His head hung low, hands covering his face, the picture of someone overwhelmed by tragedy like he was in the middle of a solitary, soul-crushing confession in some forgotten corner.

Chen Lu stared. This felt very familiar. In game terms, this was exactly the kind of scene that triggered a plot event. 

And as a seasoned game streamer, his first instinct in a situation like this was obvious. Run.

Chen Lu promptly took a careful half-step back.

He still remembered the glare Qin Guchuan shot at him back at the dining room. It was sharp as a blade, enough to make anyone shrink. Whether this was a plot event or a surprise boss battle, it was better not to find out.

Though something did seem off. 

Was there supposed to be any major event happening for Qin Guchuan at this point in the story?

Chen Lu couldn’t help but wonder. He flipped through the plot summary in his head for what felt like the hundredth time.

As expected, there was nothing. Totally blank.

Chen Lu, “..…” 

Wasn’t this supposed to be a cheat? A golden finger? Why couldn’t he get any useful info when he actually needed it?

Grumbling inwardly, Chen Lu didn’t stop moving. He retreated with the precision of a ninja—quiet, steady, not disturbing a single soul.

Perfect evasive maneuver. Full marks for that one.

Chen Lu was quite pleased with his micro-movement skills, and his mood immediately brightened. Because if Qin Guchuan was here, that meant the dining room couldn’t be too far. No way the man walked across the entire estate just to sit down and reflect on life. He must have picked a nearby spot. 

Which meant…

Chen Lu’s hope of finding the dining room was rekindled.

And this time, things went surprisingly well.

He didn’t find the dining room. Nor did he see a single servant. But he did find an elevator. 

Hey!

Humming a little tune, Chen Lu stepped into the gloriously familiar elevator.

Half an hour later, in the 1st floor reception room where Qin Guchuan had been soul-searching over his morality and conscience, he received an urgent message from the family butler.

“Eldest Young Master, Young Master Lu has gone missing,” the old butler said with a frown. “Just now, Xiao Fei went to bring him water and fresh supplies, but found the room empty. I asked around and everyone says they haven’t seen him since he left the dining room.” 

Qin Guchuan’s eyes snapped open.

Chen Lu ran off?

That shouldn’t be right. According to the plot he remembered, Chen Lu wasn’t supposed to make his first escape attempt until three or four days later.

Qin Guchuan thought back to that terrifying moment when the entire world seemed to collapse before his eyes. He didn’t know why everything had stabilized again, but he had a gut feeling that if he didn’t make the story progress the way it was supposed to, that apocalyptic collapse might return. 

He had to bring Chen Lu back.

Suppressing the pangs of his moral conscience and lingering shame, Qin Guchuan made a swift decision. Gritting his teeth, he told the butler, “Seal off all exits. I don’t care if you have to dig 3 feet into the ground. Find Chen Lu!”

“Yes, Eldest Young Master!”

Meanwhile, at that very moment, Chen Lu, who had just realized he took the wrong elevator and was now even more hopelessly lost in this giant mansion, had completely given up on himself. 

If he couldn’t find the mountain, then let the mountain come find him. He leaned against the door of a room that looked like someone might be living in it.

Might as well rest here until someone returns.

It was a good plan, and Chen Lu even picked a spacious spot to stand in. Spacious areas were nice. Any sounds nearby would echo clearly.

Which is exactly how he instantly heard a sharp, piercing bark from downstairs. 

The sound of that dog barking reverberated through the open space. Chen Lu’s whole body jolted on instinct, and before he even realized what he was doing, he’d bolted straight into an unoccupied room.

The moment he shut the door, the noise from outside was completely blocked out. The soundproofing was excellent. It gave him a deep, much-needed sense of safety.

Chen Lu, “…..”

Yeah, okay, this was super rude, but… he’d wait until the room’s owner came back and then beg them to escort him back to his room. 

Staring blankly into space, Chen Lu, who was a level 10 dog-phobic, sank into despair.

Author’s Feed:

Chen Lu: Why does a normal house have to be built this complicated!!!

Qin Guchuan: Maybe… to make it harder for you to escape? 

Chen Lu: …Suddenly makes sense. (pain mask face)