Chapter 33

Translator: Abo Dammen

Chen Lu watched the expression on Qin Guchuan’s face on the other end of the phone shift from speechless frustration to flustered and irritated, and couldn’t hold back a laugh.

This unrestrained laughter finally pushed Qin Guchuan to his limit, and he hung up the call. Even then, Chen Lu couldn’t stop his laughter. 

Seeing the always impeccably cool Qin Guchuan make a mistake and get flustered was truly the most entertaining thing. The heartache Chen Lu had suffered from Fang Qizhi seemed to be healed by Qin Guchuan’s expense.

After laughing for a long while, Chen Lu finally calmed down. Looking again at the flying dragon he had drawn, he suddenly felt it wasn’t that ugly after all.

If something is ugly to the extreme, who can say it isn’t a form of art?

Just as Qin Guchuan had said, he was the protagonist of this world!!! 

Three days later, Chen Lu put on his ‘meticulously designed’, absolutely specially customized formal wear. Under the stunned silence of the Qin residence staff and amidst countless fixed gazes, he got into the car heading to the banquet.

After Chen Lu got into the car, the two waiting bodyguards, who had frozen for several seconds, finally snapped out of it and hurriedly got into the car behind them.

The bodyguards accompanying Chen Lu to the banquet today were the same ones who had gone with him to the formalwear shop. They had seen the effect of the outfit Chen Lu wore before, and they knew that outfit had been cut up by Fang Qizhi.

Don’t underestimate their professional awareness. Of course they had noticed Fang Qizhi’s little maneuver. 

Now, seeing this damaged outfit again… the two bodyguards suddenly remembered something.

Their young master Lu’s proper profession didn’t seem to be livestreaming, but rather, he was an artist.

It really is art!!! The two bodyguards were inwardly shocked, looking at Chen Lu as if he were some incredible, monstrous phenomenon.

☆ 

According to the plot’s needs, Chen Lu arrived very early to avoid being seen getting out of the luxury car by his teacher.

Upon arrival, Chen Lu shooed away the bodyguards and drivers, adopted his ‘little white flower’ persona, standing slightly awkwardly near the entrance of the venue, finding an inconspicuous corner to stand in, looking delicate and pitiable.

However, no matter how inconspicuous the corner, if Chen Lu was in it, it would inevitably become the center of everyone’s attention. All the guests couldn’t help but glance in Chen Lu’s direction, feeling a strange, captivating allure.

The outfit was very special. On its own, it couldn’t be considered good-looking. In fact, one might even call it strange. Staring at those bizarre lines and colors for too long felt somewhat eerie. But once worn by Chen Lu, it held a peculiar aesthetic appeal. 

So-called ‘the green leaves set off the red flower effect‘.

Accentuated by this outfit, Chen Lu’s beauty seemed magnified to the extreme by some kind of magic, his every movement like the most wonderful scenery in the world.

“This is absolutely master-level customization,” countless guests thought upon seeing Chen Lu.

Ordinary master tailoring usually just makes the clothes themselves look good. But this master’s work makes one keenly aware of the wearer’s charm. 

One could even call it magical.

Many people asked the venue attendants about Chen Lu, but the attendants weren’t very clear on the details either.

And even if they were, they wouldn’t dare speak carelessly.

The attendants had personally seen Chen Lu step out of a luxury car and unceremoniously order the bodyguards and drivers around. He was clearly not a simple character. 

And now this delicate, pitiable act… Well… Smile.

Respect the big shot’s quirks.

But as attendants, saying nothing in response to guests’ inquiries would be impolite. So, an attendant softly offered a piece of information that could be found out by asking around a little. “I’m not very clear about this guest’s situation, but he has been here for quite a long time. He might be waiting for someone.”

Fang Qizhi, hearing what the attendant told others, pursed his lips and looked at Chen Lu waiting alone in the (supposed) chilly evening breeze of a May evening at the entrance. 

He looked like a pitiful, helpless, delicate flower that could be broken at any moment.

Was it worth it!!!

Qin Guchuan simply has no heart for you, to make you wait outside for so long!

Don’t think he didn’t know! Qin Guchuan had returned to North City early and had already been inside the banquet hall since the morning. 

There was no way Chen Lu could possibly wait for someone who had already entered the venue long ago!

Fang Qizhi continued to look at Chen Lu with a gaze full of frustration at his failure to ‘improve’, but ultimately hardened his heart and didn’t intervene, entering the banquet hall with his companion.

Lessons only stick if Chen Lu experiences the consequences himself!!!

Today, he was Fang Qizhi, with a heart of stone!!! 

Chen Lu breathed a sigh of relief after watching Fang Qizhi enter the banquet hall.

In the original text, Fang Qizhi, upon seeing the even more beautiful ‘Chen Lu’, grew increasingly angry. But with others around, he couldn’t make a scene, forcibly suppressed his hatred, glared at ‘Chen Lu’, this seductive troublemaker, and entered the banquet hall full of rage.

Well… just now, Fang Qizhi had indeed glared at him angrily several times. It’s just that those glares didn’t feel like he wanted to kill him, but more like he wanted to drag Chen Lu into the banquet hall to see the truth.

Chen Lu looked down at his phone. 

Qin Guchuan: “Checked the banquet schedule. I’ll probably go to the pool area after 7 PM. You can go then to start the plot.“

Qin Guchuan: ”The snacks in the southwest corner of the banquet hall are pretty good. You can try them.”

But the truth was, the person he was waiting for wasn’t Qin Guchuan.

‘Chen Lu’s’ teacher didn’t arrive particularly early or very late, coming at roughly the same time as in the plot. Not long after Fang Qizhi went in, the teacher arrived. 

The old man got out of the car and spotted Chen Lu at a glance. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes. He stood still, examining Chen Lu’s attire carefully for a while, then frowned and walked towards Chen Lu.

Chen Lu felt a little nervous.

This was his first time facing someone in this world who was relatively familiar with ‘Chen Lu’.

Combining the descriptions from the plot and his inferences about ‘Chen Lu’s’ personality, Chen Lu obediently went up to him. “Teacher.” 

“Mm-hmm.” The old man nodded somewhat dismissively, his face full of deep contemplation as he continued to examine the painting on Chen Lu’s clothes.

Chen Lu’s expression stiffened slightly, yet he felt a strange sense of calm.

It was the kind of calm that came from the plot going off the rails yet again, just as he’d expected.

Because originally, this part was supposed to go like this: 

——Old Man Fan saw ‘Chen Lu’s’ gaunt figure, a tear welling up in his eye. He reached out and patted Chen Lu’s shoulder, his tone full of affection. “You’ve had a hard time lately.”

——After saying this, Old Man Fan looked down at Chen Lu’s clothes again and smiled with relief. “You haven’t neglected your studies. Good, good! Come with me to meet some people. It’ll be fine. Things will always get better.”

But clearly, that scenario was now utterly impossible.

Chen Lu had been mentally prepared for this ever since he decided to paint the clothes himself. He had even prepared talking points in his mind, planning how to steer the old man toward a similar outcome after they met. 

He had even prepared answers for questions like ‘You seem different from before’ or ‘Why has your painting skill declined so much?’. However, this old gentleman wasn’t playing by Chen Lu’s script at all.

None of his preparations included the possibility that the old man would be interested in his scribbled-on clothes.

“The color combination theoretically shouldn’t work… why does it feel so interesting to look at?” the old man muttered to himself. “The brushstroke strength in these lines is also very strange… discontinuous, with many breaks, almost like a beginner’s work. Is this mesmerizing effect due to using such an unconventional technique?”

Chen Lu, who was indeed a complete beginner: “……” He felt like he’d just been insulted. 

This was all the world’s efforts to apply a filter for him!

This was forced attractiveness, esteemed elder, please don’t seriously study this!!!

Chen Lu felt like he was corrupting a great master of art. He hurriedly spoke to the old man, stammering, “Sorry, Teacher. I couldn’t find suitable clothes, so I had to alter them like this myself. Is it… inappropriate? Am I embarrassing you?”

The old man finally realized this wasn’t the place to study the painting and reluctantly withdrew his gaze. Only then did he really look at Chen Lu. Seeing the genuine confusion and unease in the other’s eyes, he finally remembered his student’s recent tragic circumstances. 

“You’ve had a hard time lately,” the old man said with deep affection. He habitually wanted to say something like ‘you’ve lost weight, you must take care of yourself,’ but looking at Chen Lu, who seemed even healthier than he had at school, he felt a moment of confusion and couldn’t get the words out.

“Good, good. It seems you haven’t neglected your studies and have even developed many of your own ideas. Sometimes hardship is a necessary experience for a successful artist. Everything will get better,” the old man comforted Chen Lu, then immediately expressed his greatest interest. “Did you paint the pattern on your clothes yourself?”

“Yes. At the time, I just wanted to follow my heart completely and paint freely,” Chen Lu said with an embarrassed expression. “I’m afraid I might not be able to create a work like this again in the future.”

The old man nodded, not particularly surprised. Art was often a matter of serendipitous inspiration, so Chen Lu’s situation was normal. 

He reached out and affectionately touched the painting on Chen Lu’s clothes, unable to resist asking, “Xiao Lu, later, bring this painting for me to study more closely, will you?”

“Of course, Teacher,” Chen Lu replied in a joyful tone, as if delighted by his teacher’s approval. Internally, however, he was horrified, screaming: No! Esteemed elder, ahead lies the abyss!

‘I need to scrub this damn clothes a few times the moment I jump into the pool later,’ Chen Lu quickly decided.

He couldn’t corrupt an artist who had been serious his entire life. 

“Teacher, shall we go in?” Chen Lu urged, afraid the old gentleman would continue studying his clothes.

“Alright, alright, come with me to meet some people,” the old man replied with a smile.

Chen Lu breathed a sigh of relief. This part of the plot was finally over.

He hadn’t expected the world’s filter to have this effect. Now he just hoped his mentor wouldn’t obsess over his clothes anymore. 

Then Chen Lu realized he had sighed in relief too soon.

The entrance scene was over, but the next part where Fang Qizhi bullies him hadn’t started yet. In the long interim, Chen Lu stood stiffly beside the elder artist, listening as the old man called over his friends, a whole group of elderly gentlemen, to conduct an artistic analysis of the wonderful colors and lines on his attire.

Great.

He’d gone from corrupting one person to corrupting a whole group. 

This outfit only looked acceptable all thanks to the world consciousness’s efforts!!! Chen Lu knew exactly what it originally looked like! It only started to shine after he put it on!

This was magic, not art!

So, when the clock finally struck 7 PM, Chen Lu was practically moved to tears.

He had never looked forward to a plot point so much. 

Chen Lu immediately told the old man he needed some fresh air. After the old man laughed and said, ‘I know you young people aren’t comfortable staying with us old folks, go on, go on,’ Chen Lu beat a hasty retreat toward the pool area.

After walking just a few steps, he discovered Qin Guchuan standing near the pool. He had no idea how long the man had been there, or how long he had been watching him.

Chen Lu looked carefully at Qin Guchuan, who was exquisitely dressed, adorned with all sorts of accessories and jewelry, any single piece of which could probably buy a hundred of his own outfits. Bathed in the banquet hall’s lighting, holding a wine glass and sipping delicately, he seemed the very picture of sophistication.

Noticing Chen Lu had spotted him, Qin Guchuan smiled at him. 

Chen Lu, who subtly felt like he was being laughed at: “…….”

He shot Qin Guchuan a glare, then began searching for his scene partner for this part of the plot. He soon spotted Fang Qizhi at the other end of the pool. The other man had clearly seen Chen Lu come out and stare at Qin Guchuan for a long time. The expression in his eyes could no longer be described as ‘frustration at his failure to improve.’

It was frustration at his failure to become an aircraft carrier.

Chen Lu looked left and right, feeling a subtle sense of… something. 

Somehow, this triangular standoff had a certain… asura field flavor to it…