Chapter 50

Translator: Abo Dammen

Fang Qizhi took a deep breath. Whether it was true or false, whether he believed it or not, the only path presented to him now was this one. He wasn’t someone who dilly-dallied, so he asked the two, “So then, what do you want me to do next?” 

Chen Lu thought for a moment, opened his mouth, and tried to explain the follow-up plot to Fang Qizhi using different phrasing. But looking at Fang Qizhi’s lost expression, it was clear the other man still couldn’t hear anything. So Chen Lu also abandoned the simplest method.

“You can’t hear what I’m saying. Anyway, when the time comes, I’ll tell you where to go. Just abandon your own brain, remember you’re a villainous male supporting character, and act according to your heart’s desires,” Chen Lu offered Fang Qizhi a go with the flow suggestion.

Hearing Chen Lu’s words, Fang Qizhi’s head involuntarily produced a string of question marks. Looking at Qin Guchuan, who didn’t raise any objection to this suggestion, Fang Qizhi couldn’t help but voice a question from the depths of his soul, “Are you two really… okay?”

Originally, Fang Qizhi was about 50% convinced that this world was a book or something. Because of this suggestion, his belief instantly dropped to 30%. 

Was this really not some strange play these two bastards were into, wanting to make him a part of it?

How could they be so nonchalant?!

“How could there be a problem?!” Chen Lu felt his suggestion was quite reliable.

Think of the deeply moving Madame Feng, who hadn’t gotten a single word wrong! Think of the pool scene, where after he hesitated for just a moment, Qin Guchuan’s hand started emitting that intense holy light! 

As long as the characters were present, he believed this world would put in the effort itself!

Well, if these two thought it was fine, then it was fine. Fang Qizhi temporarily defined this matter as ‘playing along with two ancestors’. But since he was already playing along…

“Is this what you’ve been busy with recently?” Fang Qizhi asked Chen Lu.

“Yep.” Chen Lu treated Fang Qizhi to another demonstration of his one-second switch to his delicate and charming face. “See, the fruits of my labor!!! Don’t you feel heartache for me?” 

Fang Qizhi: “…..”

Although he had seen Chen Lu speak in a tone completely mismatched with his expression more than once during livestreams, the experience of facing it directly in real life was completely different from watching a stream.

It really, really made one want to complain.

Fang Qizhi suddenly missed the distance of being separated by a screen from Chen Lu. 

His enthusiasm for personally guiding Chen Lu’s career struggle, as per his original plan, diminished by more than half. After all, Fang Qizhi could already feel his blood pressure rising slightly.

But while the plan could be temporarily shelved, his heart as a career fan, not yet extinguished, was still burning in other aspects.

Fang Qizhi said to Chen Lu, “So, since I’ve agreed to cooperate with your actions, you shouldn’t need to spend much time on these things anymore, right? Adding two more hours to your daily livestreaming time should be possible, no?”

Chen Lu, once again joyfully receiving a fan pressure to stream in person: “…” 

“It’s time for lunch. I’ll take my leave first.” Chen Lu stood up calmly and swiftly fled the scene, escaping the question that instantly reminded him of the contents of the file he’d just seen.

With Chen Lu’s escape, only Qin Guchuan and Fang Qizhi remained in the reception room. Thus, Fang Qizhi felt, without any deviation, the faint hostility emanating from Qin Guchuan.

This instantly reminded Fang Qizhi of the warning look Qin Guchuan had given him back at the banquet hall pool.

Being actually quite sensitive to “love-brain” behavior, Fang Qizhi’s expression instantly turned strange. 

He suddenly realized something he had always overlooked.

Wasn’t the forever silent top donor in Chen Lu’s livestreams, the one whose ID was just the character ‘Qin’?

For some reason, Fang Qizhi had never made the connection before. But now that he thought about it, it didn’t seem hard at all to guess the identity of that top donor.

Recalling his thunder gifts that never managed to blast the #1 spot, Fang Qizhi was left speechless. 

When Chen Lu wasn’t putting on an act in front of him, one could clearly feel that his personality was completely consistent with his livestream persona, not the lovestruck fool type. But now, the more he looked, the more he felt that Qin Guchuan was the one who was lovestruck?

However, Fang Qizhi had not the slightest interest in ‘saving’ Qin Guchuan from his lovestruck state. Because of the forced ‘like’ incident, Fang Qizhi genuinely held no positive feelings towards Qin Guchuan whatsoever, let alone after Qin Guchuan had just threatened him.

“Is this world really a book?” Fang Qizhi asked Qin Guchuan again.

Qin Guchuan’s expression was light. “There’s no need for me to lie to you.” 

This time, Fang Qizhi believed it.

It might have been a life for Chen Lu’s benefit before, but with Chen Lu not present, just the two of them, Qin Guchuan really had no need to deceive him. Combined with the previously overlooked but obvious clue of the top donor ‘Qin’, all these things clearly pointed out the strangeness of this world to Fang Qizhi.

It’s just that normal people wouldn’t think in this direction.

Having confirmed his own identity as the villainous male supporting character who likes Qin Guchuan, and Chen Lu as the protagonist of this world, then guessing Qin Guchuan’s plot identity, who was always by Chen Lu’s side, wasn’t difficult. 

He was the protagonist’s love interest.

But if it were just a plot identity, after he expressed his willingness to follow the plot, Qin Guchuan shouldn’t continue to hold hostility towards him. Then it could only be…

Fang Qizhi remembered all the times he had called Chen Lu ‘wifey’ countless times in the livestreams.

Glancing at Qin Guchuan’s expression, Fang Qizhi thought silently to himself… I’ll have to call him that a few more times from now on. 

But recalling how Chen Lu seemed completely unaware of these matters just now, Fang Qizhi frowned. Seeing Qin Guchuan stand up, preparing to follow Chen Lu to the dining room, he spoke up again, asking Qin Guchuan, “Since this world is a book, there must be a time when the plot ends. What will happen to Chen Lu then?”

Qin Guchuan turned to look at Fang Qizhi but didn’t answer.

“Are you planning to let Chen Lu stay at the Qin residence?” Fang Qizhi pressed Qin Guchuan.

The fact that Fang Qizhi asked this question clearly showed he had seen through Qin Guchuan’s feelings for Chen Lu. 

Was it that obvious? Qin Guchuan thought about it, then became absolutely certain.

He had never intended to hide it, so of course it was obvious. Wasn’t that simple idiot also aware that he liked him? That’s why he acted so recklessly. It’s just that the idiot thought his ‘like’ was the same as everyone else’s.

“Where he stays isn’t something I can decide,” Qin Guchuan replied with a faint, annoyed laugh. “You should know, he once told me he’s fictosexual1. Maybe once the plot ends, he’ll just go and marry ‘Hundred Brawls’.

“Screw his fictosexuality.” 

Fang Qizhi fell silent for a moment.

That line felt so characteristic of Just Passing By that his hands itched — he really wanted to send Chen Lu a few big firework gifts.

Fang Qizhi held himself back, not letting the laughter escape. He also felt that although Qin Guchuan was clearly annoyed with him, he was also quite straightforward. His previously negative impression improved slightly. Curious, he went on asking, “So, when Chen Lu asked you, what did you say?”

Normally, when someone asks this kind of question, they would usually ask the other person the same in return. 

But…

Chen Lu was clearly not a normal person.

Qin Guchuan’s face was expressionless. “He didn’t ask me.

“He doesn’t care about these things at all. 

“He never cares.”

Listening to that resentment-filled triple reply, Fang Qizhi couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.

Back when he thought Chen Lu was the lovestruck fool, Fang Qizhi had been furious, hoping to shake the water out of Chen Lu’s brain.

But now, knowing that Qin Guchuan was actually the one lovesick, and having been threatened by Qin Guchuan before, Fang Qizhi only had one thought in his heart. 

Satisfied!