Chapter 22

Translator: Abo Dammen

After being thoroughly “dealt with,” Chen Lu became a bit more subdued.

But only a bit. 

It didn’t take long for him to forget the lesson and start chattering to Qin Guchuan about some of Zhu Yi’s actions that fell outside the script during their earlier “performance.”

“Dr. Zhu is really great. When I said I didn’t want the check-up, he immediately said it was okay. He agreed to everything I said the whole time. Such a good temper, worthy of a doctor,” Chen Lu praised. “It looks like Dr. Zhu has probably suffered quite a bit in his daily life.”

When Qin Guchuan first heard the first part of Chen Lu’s statement, he pursed his lips, a strange, indescribable feeling bubbling up inside.

As if I haven’t agreed to whatever demands Chen Lu makes. 

But as soon as that thought surfaced, he heard the second part of Chen Lu’s sentence.

Qin Guchuan: “…”

Qin Guchuan silently looked at Chen Lu for a long moment, then finally nodded with sincere and profound agreement.

Indeed. He had suffered quite a bit. 

In every sense of the word.

Completely oblivious to the meaning behind Qin Guchuan’s gaze, Chen Lu only felt his opinion was being validated, which boosted his spirits even more. He poked Qin Guchuan. “What was that expression on your face when you were on the second floor earlier? You must have scared Dr. Zhu. He was so frightened he didn’t even dare to start the scripted scene. Tsk tsk tsk.”

“When I stood up, I wanted to see how terrifying your expression was, but Dr. Zhu blocked my view directly,” Chen Lu lamented, then immediately continued his praise. “Dr. Zhu is really too good, super gentle. He perfectly fits the ideal image of a doctor that people hope for. When he spoke to me, he was all benevolent.”

Qin Guchuan, who actually had little interest in listening to Chen Lu praise others: “…” 

“You should probably stop complimenting people in the future,” Qin Guchuan offered a sincere suggestion.

Is ‘benevolent’ even used that way?

Chen Lu, whose compliment-giving ability was being questioned, puckered his lips. “Fine, then I’ll just compliment you!” After all, capitalists aren’t really people.

After saying this, Chen Lu thought for a moment, then almost without pause, loudly recited, “Ferocious Qin Guchuan! Ruthlessly tough Boss Qin! Forever working overtime, the Tyrannical CEO…” 

Feeling the gazes of the servants subtly shifting their way, Qin Guchuan took a deep breath. “Alright, Chen Lu. What will it take for you to be a little quieter?”

Chen Lu was really just being his usual, mischievously provocative self and hadn’t expected an unexpected bonus.

But since Qin Guchuan was offering a bribe, Chen Lu naturally wouldn’t refuse.

He thought for a moment, considered the remaining break time before Qin Guchuan had to return to work, and decided he wanted Qin Guchuan to tell him a story. 

Of course, the “story” referred to the subsequent plot.

Qin Guchuan had given him a summary before, but it was just the gist, not the detailed original text. This time, Chen Lu wanted to hear the original content that hadn’t yet appeared in his mind.

The plot in Chen Lu’s head ended after Qin Guchuan uttered that shameful line. The follow-up content hadn’t popped up since, but that didn’t mean nothing was happening; it’s just that the events during this period weren’t related to Chen Lu.

The request wasn’t difficult. Qin Guchuan didn’t refuse, but the first floor wasn’t a great place for a chat. After moving elsewhere, Qin Guchuan began explaining the subsequent details to Chen Lu. 

The next part of the plot was mainly from Zhu Yi’s perspective.

——After informing “Chen Lu” about his mother’s condition, Zhu Yi discovered that the medical team originally assembled for Chen Lu’s mother started running into problems one after another. Doctors left for various reasons within a few days.

——The applied treatment fund was rejected, and the previously smooth medical plan was on the verge of collapse.

——Zhu Yi didn’t realize the problem at first, but after a short while, he naturally sensed something was wrong. He immediately understood that his intention to take Chen Lu away from the Qin estate had been exposed, as only Qin Guchuan had the power to do this. 

——But Zhu Yi wasn’t concerned about his own jeopardized future. Instead, one thought sprang to his mind: Chen Lu must be in danger.

——So, Zhu Yi found a reason to visit the Qin estate again. This time, he wanted to take Chen Lu and escape together, to flee far across the seas, away from Qin Guchuan’s control.

——And “Chen Lu” actually agreed.

“Why would ‘Chen Lu’ agree?” Chen Lu, listening to the story, couldn’t help but ask. 

Qin Guchuan looked back at the earlier part, then at what came next. “Probably ‘Chen Lu’ was deeply moved by Zhu Yi and found it impossible to refuse.”

Chen Lu pondered this but still couldn’t quite convince himself. He could only say, “Well, if this world is happy with it, then so be it.”

“And then you start to run away,” Qin Guchuan highlighted the key plot point for Chen Lu.

“Wow,” Chen Lu uttered a polite exclamation. After all, this was the second time in the plot that “Chen Lu” took concrete action. Chen Lu felt it deserved a somewhat ceremonious reaction. 

Qin Guchuan waited for Chen Lu to finish his exclamation, then continued, “And then you get caught.”

Chen Lu: “??? What about the process?”

“There is no process,” Qin Guchuan stated, indicating he wasn’t skipping details, and continued in a flat, uninflected tone, “Zhu Yi reached out his hand to Chen Lu and said, ‘Let’s go.’ Chen Lu looked around at the exquisite, luxurious decorations, which seemed like a giant birdcage. He could finally leave. ‘Okay!’ Chen Lu nodded and placed his hand in Zhu Yi’s palm. Both of them broke into smiles. In that moment, nothing else mattered; they were both happy for a bird about to regain its freedom.

“‘BANG—!’ The door to Chen Lu’s room was kicked open, slamming violently and tragically against the wall. ‘Neither of you is going anywhere!’ Qin Guchuan’s voice was like ice, sharpening into a blade that smashed ruthlessly into the hearts of the two people in the room. 

“Chen Lu spread his arms, shielding Zhu Yi, tears welling in his eyes. ‘Mr. Qin, Zhu Yi was only trying to help me. Please, let him go.’”

Seeing the look of utter cringe on Chen Lu’s face, Qin Guchuan glanced over the remaining melodramatic lines and logically chose to stop. “That’s roughly it. Then you get caught, confined again, and Zhu Yi loses his job and is forced to go abroad.”

Chen Lu didn’t particularly object to where Qin Guchuan stopped. He pondered for a moment, then let out a long, theatrical sigh. “My next part of the plot starts again in a few days. So that means I have to stay up late playing games these next few nights. What a shame, truly no helping it.”

Qin Guchuan observed Chen Lu’s utterly transparent, hypocritical display of his love for gaming. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “You seem to really like that game.” 

“Yep!” Chen Lu responded immediately. Talking about games always perked him up. He promptly pulled out his phone and showed Qin Guchuan a series of screenshots. “Look, this is my waifu!” Then he swiped. “This is also my waifu.” “This is Waifu Number Three.” “Number Six.” “This is my true love.” “And this is my baby.”

Qin Guchuan stared woodenly at the various hand-drawn images of both male and female characters. After a long pause, he finally commented in a complex tone, “You certainly have a lot of waifus.”

“To love only one person is a barbaric act.” Chen Lu declared with profound gravity.

Qin Guchuan felt he had received a minor shock from the world of 2D. He decided to return to his original topic and not dwell on issues from a realm he didn’t understand. “The day after tomorrow, there’s a celebration party for the game’s first-day revenue breaking a hundred million. Do you want to attend?” 

Chen Lu’s eyes immediately lit up, then he looked puzzled. “How come I didn’t know about this?” He kept up with gaming news pretty well.

“It’s an internal celebration. They’re only inviting some well-known streamers and such externally,” Qin Guchuan explained briefly. “Do you want to go?”

“Can I go?!” Of course Chen Lu wanted to.

“The next part of the plot doesn’t involve you. It’s non-scripted time. I think we can give it a try,” Qin Guchuan said. 

“Are you going?” Chen Lu thought for a moment and asked Qin Guchuan.

“No time,” Qin Guchuan replied bluntly. The next plot involved his confrontation with Zhu Yi. Just because the script didn’t show his perspective didn’t mean he could lie back and do nothing.

But after vetoing the idea, Qin Guchuan thought again and said to Chen Lu, “The people there will all be ones not involved in the plot. You can relax.”

Qin Guchuan had actually noticed that before he revealed he knew about the plot, Chen Lu had interacted more with other people in the Qin estate. But after his confession, Chen Lu spent most of his time following him around and chattering, aside from going to the study to game. 

He knew Chen Lu’s boisterousness had a reason.

Zhu Yi’s previous script breakdown clearly showed that interacting too much with plot-related characters and changing their impressions could destroy the world.

But humans are social animals, especially someone like Chen Lu, who was a social butterfly, even a terror. So, after Qin Guchuan revealed his identity, Chen Lu had categorized him into the ‘safe zone’ for unrestrained interaction.

Qin Guchuan actually felt somewhat similarly. He quite enjoyed hearing Chen Lu’s occasional comments that seemed to transcend this world. 

In this world, the two of them were alike.

But this wasn’t really good for Chen Lu.

Qin Guchuan had his work and daily routine, allowing him to contact many ‘outsiders.’ His life wasn’t completely confined to the areas dictated by the plot. But Chen Lu was different. He shouldn’t have to stay within the Qin residence all the time, just waiting for him to return.

Chen Lu tilted his head, looking at Qin Guchuan without speaking. 

It seemed he might have heard the hidden meaning in Qin Guchuan’s last words. Or perhaps not.

“Ah, got it,” Chen Lu replied.