Chapter 58

Translator: Abo Dammen

—— ‘Chen Lu’s’ desperate cries mixed with the assailants’ brazen voices echoed down the quiet path, yet attracted no one’s attention. 

—— After who knows how long, ‘Chen Lu’, who had been covering his head, slowly loosened his hands and looked up blankly at the sky.

—— His attackers had left at some point. ‘Chen Lu’, looking disheveled, sat up. It took him a long time to gather his wits before he could barely tidy his dust-covered clothes and struggle to his feet, limping forward.

—— ‘Chen Lu’ walked on instinct, unconsciously arriving at the entrance to his residential area. The next instant, a scorching embrace enveloped him.

—— “Who did this?!” Qin Guchuan’s angry voice came from above ‘Chen Lu’s’ head. 

—— The familiar, reassuring embrace.

—— ‘Chen Lu’, who had seemed numb and lost the entire way, finally seemed to have found a safe harbor. Leaning against Qin Guchuan, he finally began to sob.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll find out who did this to you!” Qin Guchuan said through gritted teeth, using all his strength to endure the pain of Chen Lu pinching him fiercely while simultaneously leaning on him for support, firmly finishing this last line.

No doubt about it! 

Every single bodyguard from the entire Qin residence had been mobilized, not a single one missed, to chase and corner him. How could Fang Qizhi’s request alone achieve that? It must have happened with the nod of Qin Guchuan, the head of the household!

The man right here is one of the masterminds behind this bullying!!!

Qin Guchuan firmly endured Chen Lu’s subtle attacks and completed the plot. Seeing this, Chen Lu’s malice surged. The moment Qin Guchuan finished his last line, Chen Lu immediately raised his own arm, also covered in various designs, and viciously tried to wipe it on Qin Guchuan.

However, Qin Guchuan, who had anticipated Chen Lu’s retaliatory actions, was prepared. He immediately leaned back, dodging Chen Lu’s attack. 

Missing his target only fueled Chen Lu’s anger. Looking at Qin Guchuan’s pristine, well-dressed appearance, Chen Lu’s desire to ‘perish together’ grew stronger. Taking advantage of Qin Guchuan still holding him from the previous plot moment, Chen Lu’s missed hands swiftly changed tactics, wrapping around Qin Guchuan’s neck instead.

Using this hold, Chen Lu leaped up, locking his arms and legs around Qin Guchuan like an octopus. His face, thoroughly drenched by cosmetics, pressed firmly against Qin Guchuan’s without any reservation.

Qin Guchuan had originally planned to immediately surrender and coax this kid named ‘Chen Lu’, but this series of actions from Chen Lu left him speechless. With no chance to speak, he hurriedly held onto Chen Lu to steady them both and prevent a fall.

Seeing Qin Guchuan’s flustered expression, a triumphant, mischievous grin spread across Chen Lu’s face. After pressing one side of his face, he switched to the other. Not caring that Qin Guchuan’s face was now smeared with makeup, he then used his own mouth, painted into a blood-red gash, to plant several loud ‘mwah’ kisses on the domineering CEO’s face. 

His goal was mutual destruction.

Theoretically, this should be an intimate act Qin Guchuan would crave. But looking at Chen Lu’s makeup, which even the heavenly king wouldn’t be able to recognize…

“Pfft!!” Qin Guchuan, who had been holding back his laughter for over ten minutes during the acting, finally couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. This infuriated Chen Lu, who had just calmed down, and he punched Qin Guchuan several times.

“You didn’t warn me at all!!!” Chen Lu accused Qin Guchuan. 

Chen Lu, who had always been the one stabbing his teammates in the back, finally experienced a trick from a teammate.

After finishing his laugh, Qin Guchuan tried his best to look innocent, shamelessly spouting nonsense with a straight face, “They insisted on a collective action to give you a surprise. Since it was a surprise, how could I possibly tell you, right?”

Chen Lu rolled his eyes so hard they nearly got stuck. But since the plot was over, he had no intention of making a spectacle of himself at the residential complex entrance. Stomping away angrily, still limping, he headed into the complex.

Seeing Chen Lu’s gait, Qin Guchuan’s eyes sharpened, and he quickly reached out to grab him. “What’s wrong with your foot?” 

He had initially thought Chen Lu’s limp was for the plot, but now that the plot was over, it was clearly not right.

Chen Lu turned his head, his eyes seeming to shoot flames at Qin Guchuan. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He roared at Qin Guchuan, “Those guys!! Just wait until I catch the one who stole one of my height-increasing insoles!! I’ll kill him!!!”

Chen Lu raised a clenched fist and waved it vigorously.

The one who stole his chance to be 1.8 meters tall was his sworn enemy!!! 

“Pfft!!!” Qin Guchuan laughed out loud again.

Chen Lu narrowed his eyes at the gleeful Qin Guchuan. This time, it was his turn to grab Qin Guchuan.

Dragging Qin Guchuan to the edge of the greenery, Chen Lu glared at him ferociously and issued a command, “Sit down!”

Qin Guchuan recalled Chen Lu’s earlier face-pressing and kissing as punishment. Although their current appearances were indeed artistic, the thought of how Chen Lu might punish him this time still filled Qin Guchuan with anticipation. 

So, Qin Guchuan obediently followed Chen Lu’s command and sat on the edge of the flower bed, looking up slightly at the colorful Chen Lu. But before any expectation could appear in his eyes, a certain patch of color in his vision suddenly vanished. The next second, Qin Guchuan only felt his left foot become lighter.

He looked down to see Chen Lu already holding one of his shoes. Chen Lu then dashed off into the complex on his uneven steps, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Qin Guchuan stared dumbfounded at the retreating figure, then looked down blankly at his now sock-clad left foot.

Qin Guchuan, who thought he had seen it all: “……” 

This was a trick he genuinely hadn’t encountered before.

After a few seconds of pondering, Qin Guchuan stood up again. Under the curious, spectator-like gazes of those who had watched the entire scene, he walked into the complex with firm steps, as if nothing had happened.

He had learned this from Chen Lu.

As long as he wasn’t embarrassed, only others would feel embarrassed. 

Upstairs, Qin Guchuan pushed open the door to Chen Lu’s apartment to find his left leather shoe placed prominently in the entryway, seemingly mocking him silently.

Qin Guchuan: “…..”

He turned his head to look at Chen Lu, who was already sitting on the sofa, his face full of triumphant and gleeful smiles. Qin Guchuan didn’t know what to say.

Well, as long as this little tyrant was happy. 

But Qin Guchuan suddenly appreciated the advantages of this small apartment.

You didn’t need to go anywhere specific upon entering, just a glance and you could easily see the person you wanted to see. What a wonderful place.

Qin Guchuan felt he somewhat understood why many people in the Qin family didn’t particularly like returning to the main Qin residence.

His thoughts drifted slightly as he looked at Chen Lu’s smiling face, but soon his attention returned to the upcoming plot. 

Since ‘Chen Lu’ was now ‘injured’, the next natural plot point was the classic novel trope of applying medicine. Chen Lu had already prepared the liniments and placed them on the table at home, but given the current situation, they were obviously unnecessary. So, Chen Lu dug out the original ‘Chen Lu’s’ mother’s makeup remover and cotton pads.

After all, the plot description was about Qin Guchuan gently dabbing the bruised areas with cotton soaked in medicine, his eyes filled with pain and anger.

Well… who says makeup remover pads aren’t cotton?

When it came to fudging the plot, Chen Lu was truly going further and further down the path. 

Qin Guchuan, of course, understood perfectly. After entering, he picked up a cotton pad, gently wiped the ‘bluish-black’ areas on Chen Lu’s face, and silently acted out the ‘pained’ part of the plot for a while before speaking. “Chen Lu, come back.

“I’ll give you whatever you want. Please don’t make me worry anymore, okay?” Qin Guchuan said softly.

Tears welled in Chen Lu’s eyes as he looked stubbornly at Qin Guchuan, enduring the ‘pain’. “You know what I want. I want your heart. A complete heart, one that has no one else in it. Can you give me that?”

Qin Guchuan fell silent, his heart running through hundreds of words of internal conflict and uncertainty. 

Chen Lu’s eyes flashed with anger, also running through hundreds of words of internal love-hate turmoil. Finally, the anger in his eyes turned to disappointment. He shoved away Qin Guchuan’s hand that was ‘tending’ to him. “Get out! Qin Guchuan, I don’t want to see you again!”

As soon as the words fell, Chen Lu finally couldn’t hold back his sobs. Hearing the bottle in Qin Guchuan’s hand… no, the makeup remover, land with a loud ‘thud’, Chen Lu gritted his teeth, almost laughing out loud.

In the original plot, it should have been the crisp sound of the medicine bottle hitting the table, symbolizing the sound of ‘Chen Lu’s’ heart breaking.

But now, with this half-hearted substitute, a 500ml plastic bottle of budget-friendly makeup remover, well… let’s just say his heartbreak sounds were uniquely personal and full of character. 

Holding back his laughter, Chen Lu waited a few seconds before looking up. After acting out the final scene where there was supposedly no one in sight, as if Qin Guchuan had never been there, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Hooray! Several days of free time are coming!!!

Chen Lu rushed into the bathroom. Then, catching his reflection in the mirror, he finally got a proper look at his own condition and let out a tragic scream.

Why?! 

The dozen or so burly bodyguards who had been doodling on him randomly had produced a result that looked better than his carefully crafted “artworks”!!!

This isn’t fair!!

Meanwhile, Qin Guchuan, who had gone out and then used Chen Lu’s key to reopen the door, shook his head at the pitiful wails coming from the bathroom. He grabbed the makeup remover pads on the table, cleaned himself up a bit, changed clothes, and by the time he finished, Chen Lu was still making a ruckus in the bathroom.

Only now, the tragic shrieks had evolved into a rhythmic, beat-filled wailing. 

Somehow… given that it was Chen Lu, it felt completely unsurprising.

Qin Guchuan shook his head again and laid out the lunch he had brought.

Since they had the noon plot, Qin Guchuan hadn’t forgotten to prepare food. Just as he finished setting the table, he heard knocking from the bathroom.

“President Qin, Boss Qin, could you bring me a towel?~” Chen Lu’s voice called out. 

Qin Guchuan was momentarily stunned. He looked toward the bathroom and walked over. “Where is it? Is there none in the—”

Before he could finish, the bathroom door burst open with a bang. A bed-sheet monster leapt out, “devouring” Qin Guchuan whole in one gulp.

“Qin, you big villain! You’ve been eaten by me! Raw rawr rawr!!!” Chen Lu shouted, flailing his arms and legs dramatically.