Chapter 14 Cannon Fodder Ex-Boyfriend 14 Looks Easy to Bully...

Alpha seemed even more anxious than him, his upper body leaning slightly forward, his hands gripping the back of the driver's seat tightly, the veins even bulging.

His other hand was still holding the phone, and his knuckles accidentally touched the power button on the side. The screen, which had been turned off, lit up again, revealing a pair of black and white sneakers amidst the large expanse of yellow and green leaves.

Su Jingyi frowned, "You..."

"What's wrong?" Gu Shiyu had already sat back down. Hearing this, he looked at Su Jingyi with a calm and indifferent gaze, as if he wasn't the one who was more anxious than Su Jingyi to make the driver turn around.

"...Nothing." After several seconds, Su Jingyi managed to squeeze out three dry words amidst a jumble of chaotic thoughts. He then turned to look out the window, only to turn back a couple of seconds later.

He still couldn't understand, "Why did you tell the driver to turn around?!"

Gu Shiyu remained expressionless. "Didn't you want the driver to turn around?"

"..."

He did want the driver to turn around and find Li Qingran, but he didn't expect Gu Shiyu to give the order before he did.

Alpha didn't want him to get close to Li Qingran before, so he even sped all the way from the banquet to the hotel, bringing up his father and grandfather, willing to make him angry and crazy, just to bring him back from Li Qingran.

Why are you being so understanding today, taking the initiative to help him meet with Li Qingran?

Su Jingyi muttered to herself with suspicion, her round almond-shaped eyes slowly narrowing as she scrutinized Gu Shiyu with a look full of wariness and doubt.

"Did my dad say anything to you?!"

Gu Shiyu turned off her phone screen and slowly exhaled.

Why would you think that?

"Otherwise, why would you be so kind?!"

Su Jing also didn't believe it. "You wouldn't be thinking of using this opportunity to find out my brother's exact address, then taking him away by force when I'm not paying attention, and then using that to threaten me into getting engaged to you, would you?"

Gu Shiyu: "..."

Su Jingyi: "!!!"

Silence quickly spread between the two.

Su Jingyi saw Gu Shiyu's eyebrows slowly rise slightly, and the next second, a clear sneer escaped from his thin lips.

Have you considered becoming a short film writer?

Su Jingyi: "...What do you mean?"

"It's nothing," Gu Shiyu leaned back in his seat, a calm and composed smile on his face that Su Jingyi found utterly distasteful.

"I just think you're quite suited for this job."

He paused, then continued before Su Jingyi could erupt again:

"I'm not as bored as you think. I just wanted to help someone out. I can't let him die in your phone, can I?"

"Besides..." Gu Shiyu turned to look at Su Jingyi.

"Do you really think I don't know where you hid him?"

When you want to find someone, is it really impossible to find them?

Is it even possible that he doesn't even need to actively seek out the other person...?

The Alpha, with his legs crossed, wore rimless gold-rimmed glasses. His black hair and eyes were filled with a calm that bordered on indifference as he looked at Su Jingyi. He was still holding the screen in his hand, but between his well-defined knuckles, the screen was off. Only the light from the streetlights flashing past the window shone on him, flickering on and off. For a moment, it seemed as if his expression, too, had become obscure and unreadable.

Su Jingyi slowly tightened his grip on the phone.

But before the alarm bells could ring in his head, he saw Gu Shiyu smile at him. The dangerous aura that had surrounded him vanished completely with that smile, and in the blink of an eye, the Alpha reverted to his usual cold demeanor.

"Just kidding, don't be afraid. I can assure you, I will never use him to threaten you into getting engaged to me, never."

"..."

Su Jingyi's lips moved slightly. He seemed to want to respond to Gu Shiyu's inexplicable promise, but in the end he said nothing. He just lowered his eyes and glanced at the phone that Li Qingran had quickly hung up after the sob. A trace of confusion flashed in his round almond eyes, but soon that confusion turned back into determination, and his Omega amber eyes became deep again.

Threats are useless.

He will only ever be with Li Qingran in this lifetime.

Similarly, Li Qingran can only be with him!

The black car continued to speed along the wide road. As the night grew darker, the driver thoughtfully turned on the roof light. The orange light instantly shone down, falling into the gap between the two people in the back seat. Then, with the swaying of light and shadow, it flowed into a river destined to split its banks.

Li Qingran was soaking wet, as if she had just been pulled out of the river.

He was indeed taking a cold shower; the icy water flowed from his head to his feet, clearing his mind somewhat, but his body was still burning hot.

888 was still screaming in his mind.

[Host, are you alright? Can your body hold on? The inhibitor is on its way. Just five more minutes!]

The delivery interface was refreshing 60 times per second. Li Qingran, who had already come out of the bathroom, wasn't concerned about the exact location of the inhibitor; he was simply curious.

"Didn't you say that as cannon fodder, we wouldn't have a vulnerable period?"

[This kind of plot embellishment, purely for emotional exchange, will only be emphasized on the protagonist. As for cannon fodder, especially one who appears a few times at the beginning and then quickly leaves, they won't have any special periods of vulnerability. Therefore, the host doesn't need to worry about accidentally marking the protagonist during their interactions.]

This was something 888 had assured him before entering this world.

So what's wrong with him now? Is he just being provocative?

Li Qingran expressionlessly stuffed ice cubes into her mouth, her teeth clattering against the transparent ice shards, making a crunching sound that sent shivers down 888's spine.

[I'm not entirely sure about this either... but don't worry, host, I've already reported the problem to the main system. It's probably a plot bug, and it should be fixed soon. At worst, the inhibitor is already on its way; it'll be there in three minutes!]

888 tried to soothe Li Qingran's emotions, but the Alpha, who was in a sensitive period, found the mechanical voices in her ears extremely noisy.

Bug?

Aren't there enough bugs in this world already?

Li Qingran chuckled softly, but under the glaring light, her dark irises appeared even more somber.

888 was somewhat uneasy. For some reason, it was afraid of Li Qingran at this moment, feeling that she was full of extremely dangerous and uncertain factors, and that a slight mistake could cause everything to explode. This unease made it unable to help but speak again:

[Actually, host, you don't need to be too angry. In worlds with bugs like this, the tasker usually receives extra generous rewards after completing the mission. I heard before that a tasker directly received a planet and retired there, farming and raising dinosaurs—it was so comfortable and free.]

It emphasized the word "freedom" and then looked expectantly at Li Qingran, only to see the Alpha's calm and indifferent expression.

Bored, Li Qingran twirled the ice glass on the table with her finger, her eyelashes slightly lowered, obscuring her increasingly deep, dark eyes.

"Therefore, compensation is only provided after the mission ends."

His voice was soft and his tone was calm, but 888 could detect a hint of sarcasm and boredom in that flat tone.

I'm tired of this world.

I'm also tired of this task...

This kind of emotion is a major taboo for the task performer, and it poses a devastating danger to the system that assists him in completing the task.

Because if a mission participant ends their ongoing mission in an extreme way, they may only need to complete two or three punishment worlds, but the system will really have to be scrapped, and in severe cases, they may not even be eligible for rebirth.

88 came to the cannon fodder department to slack off, not to be lazy to death.

888's heart raced even more. Before she could even think, the words had already slipped out.

No, there are occasional compensations during missions. For example, the story restrictions on the mission participants might be relaxed. In fact, if there are too many bugs, the mission participants might even receive compensation.

The mechanical tablet's voice abruptly stopped, whether it realized it had said something it shouldn't have, or whether someone had hastily cut off its microphone before it could reveal more of the hidden mission rules.

Long eyelashes cast a blurry shadow on the Alpha's eyelids under the light, and water droplets on fingertips left a wet trail on the dark jade bar. The living room was deathly silent.

"Buzzing—"

Li Qingran's phone vibrated.

He glanced down and saw that the inhibitors 888 had bought for him had arrived. The deliveryman probably didn't want to be in contact with an Alpha who was in a vulnerable period, so he put it at the door, took a picture, and left immediately.

Li Qingran slowly got up and walked towards the door.

His body was still burning hot, and his emotions were clearly agitated, but his mind was unusually clear.

What does it mean to remove the storyline restrictions on the mission takers?

If there are too many bugs, what can the tasker even do?

The 888 is still unfinished; how many bugs would it take to cause this?

A deafening whistle seemed to sound downstairs, followed immediately by a frantic doorbell ringing in Li Qingran's ears.

His inhibitors are still outside.

Alpha stood in front of the gray-black door, blinked twice slowly, then placed his hand on the doorknob and pressed down hard.

The lights in the corridor had illuminated the entire hall the moment the whistle sounded, but they couldn't shine any further into the door that Alpha had opened.

The room was pitch black, and a rich, icy aura seemed to emerge from the darkness, rushing out the moment the door was opened. The person at the door shivered involuntarily, and even the chestnut-colored ahoge on their head trembled slightly.

Pitiful.

helpless.

Looks like someone who's easy to bully...

A note from the author:

----------------------

Big Fish and Crispy: No, why did he get here before us?!

Author (in a lame joke): Because salt is the most idle [covering face and peeking]