Chapter 21 Cannon Fodder Ex-Boyfriend 21 As expected... it was you...

"???"

Li Qingran was stunned for a few seconds, unable to react for a moment.

It wasn't until the pheromones emanating from the Alpha, reeking of gunpowder, surged towards him, so intense they almost enveloped him, that Li Qingran realized the person excitedly grabbing his hand was actually the Alpha he had encountered in the alley during his sensitive period.

The villain, Jiang Siran.

But why is he here?!

He clearly stated his name was Su Jingyi, so shouldn't the Alpha have gone to find Su Jingyi and successfully become addicted to the Omega's pheromones according to the plot, and become entangled with him?

Why are you contacting him again?

In Li Qingran's mind, 888 had once again transformed into a screaming chicken. The sharp screams made Li Qingran's ears ring, and her brain began to feel dizzy.

He wanted to find a secluded spot to quiet 888 down, but the Alpha in front of him clearly had no intention of letting him go.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you? I didn't mean any harm. I was just too excited. I've been looking for you for a long time, so I couldn't control my emotions for a moment. I'm sorry."

"..."

Actually, if Jiang Siran hadn't gripped her hand so tightly while saying these words, Li Qingran might have believed him a little more.

But now, perhaps because he had learned too many lessons from Su Jingyi and Qi Ziyan about the inconsistency between words and actions, Li Qingran had no desire to listen to Jiang Siran's so-called heartfelt words. He just wanted to leave, to get as far away from the obviously abnormal Alpha in front of him as possible.

But Jiang Siran seemed oblivious to his resistance. As Li Qingran forcefully pulled his wrist back, the Alpha's slender yet strong wrist rubbed and twisted in his palm. This not only failed to make Jiang Siran want to let go, but also made his breathing more rapid. His dark green eyes, filled with undisguised aggression towards Li Qingran, were almost overflowing.

"Don't you remember me? We met before, in the alley. It was raining heavily that day, and you helped me comfort during my vulnerable period..."

[To appease?] Upon hearing this adjective, 888 felt its entire body go numb. [No, host... what exactly happened in the alley that day?]

It's incredible that even the villain could use the word "appease"!

Is it really appropriate for these two words to appear between two Alphas?!

Li Qingran was also shocked. "I simply suppressed him with my pheromones."

This is a common fighting behavior among Alphas, using the violent suppression of pheromones to achieve the goal of making the other party submit. It also has the same effect on Alphas in their susceptible period.

However, this process of suppression is nothing short of painful torture for the suppressed party, and cannot be described as "appeasement" at all.

Isn't this villain a bit... ugh—

The mask could barely conceal the indescribable look on Li Qingran's face.

But Jiang Siran was completely oblivious. His dark green eyes, like those of a cobra, were fixed on Li Qingran's only exposed eyes, as if trying to touch his soul through that window. His voice carried a strange, indescribable excitement.

"So I've always wanted to find you, to thank you in person for your help that day, and I also hope you can give me a chance to get to know you, because to be honest, ever since that rainy day, I—"

"Sir!"

Before Jiang Siran could utter even more bizarre lines, Li Qingran, unable to bear it any longer, interrupted him.

"Is it possible that you've mistaken me for someone else?"

Alpha, dressed exactly like Jiang Siran except for a slight difference in color, spoke softly. His tone was polite and gentle, but every word he uttered seemed to carry the chill of ice and snow, instantly freezing the excited Jiang Siran in place.

Ignoring the astonishment in Jiang Siran's eyes, Li Qingran continued calmly:

“I’ve been staying at home all this time and haven’t gone out at all. I don’t know which rainy day you’re talking about, and I haven’t been to any alleys. You’ve probably mistaken me for someone else. Why don’t you go back and look for them again? Or maybe they left their name or something when they left. Would it be better to follow those clues?”

Please, go find Su Jingyi.

If he can't leave work soon, he really can't guarantee what he might do.

As Li Qingran spoke, she smiled at Jiang Siran, who was still in a daze.

Under the golden sunlight, the Alpha's already light gray eyes were tinged with a warm hue, looking gentle and kind, but there was no trace of Jiang Siran in them.

Alpha denied their meeting, denied helping him, and even denied him as a person...

Jiang Siran looked at him as he lowered his head after speaking. The brim of his hat blocked the sunlight, and the shadow fell, blurring his expression, just like that afternoon when it was pouring rain, making him impossible to see or grasp.

Li Qingran exerted force again, and this time, he pulled his wrist away.

"Then I'll be leaving now." Li Qingran rubbed her slightly reddened wrist, paused, and continued, "I also hope that you can truly find the right person."

PS: From the storyline.

The villains should just harass the protagonist and make things difficult for him.

Don't add another cannon fodder role to his story.

Perhaps shocked by Li Qingran's cold denial, Jiang Siran remained stunned and unable to react. He even forgot to reach out and grab the figure that had appeared in his dreams countless times and which he had finally found. He just stared blankly as the other person got further and further away from him.

Li Qingran stayed in the garden of the community for a long time. Only after confirming that Jiang Siran had left did she slowly get up, rub her stiff back, and walk along the cobblestone path to a small gate in the community away from the main gate to swipe her card and come out.

Actually, the better option now would be for him to go home immediately, order some takeout, and avoid any chance of encountering these main characters.

However, perhaps because she had been bitten several times by autumn mosquitoes in the small garden, or perhaps because of the Chinese people's obsession with the phrase "Since we're already here," Li Qingran felt that she had come this far, and it would be too frustrating to just slink back.

Besides, home isn't necessarily safe.

For example, the Omega who suddenly came to his door before, and today's villain. Li Qingran suspected that if he hadn't planned to go downstairs today, the other party might have come upstairs and knocked on the door directly, just like Qi Ziyan did a few days ago.

In the story, this is clearly where the protagonist is hidden as cannon fodder, but right now, Li Qingran really wants to ask 888 a question.

"Why do they all know about this place?"

The plot doesn't say that this place was never discovered by anyone until later in the story, when the protagonist discovers it and uses it as a point of conflict to start the protagonist's "chasing after her husband" arc. This is also the last bit of screen time and use for the cannon fodder in the whole plot, and it appears in the form of a flashback.

Now, this place has been dug up into a dice shape, and anyone can come knocking on the door.

Another bug?

Regarding this, 888 has a completely new explanation this time: "[It's probably because we lingered in this world for too long, and the number of unknown plot points that follow increased, including the premature discovery of the cannon fodder's hideout.]"

"Is that so?" Li Qingran raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "So, according to you, the longer we stay in this world, the more unknown events will unfold?"

[...Logically speaking, that's how it is; it's the butterfly effect, after all. Even a scapegoat, if they make a wrong move, can have a huge impact on the plot.]

That's why it's so eager to get the plot back on track.

888 is devastated; this plot is really forcing a purely high-tech product like it to resort to praying to gods and Buddhas.

Li Qingran, however, had a different understanding of 888's words: "If that's the case, if the unknown plot keeps increasing, won't the ending be affected in the end?"

In addition to what 888 said before being forcibly taken offline, the more bugs there are, the greater the freedom of the tasker in the task world. In the end, they might even... become more important characters and gain absolute freedom in the world?

Li Qingran's Adam's apple bobbed.

888 didn't immediately give him a definite answer. Just then, Gu Shiyu, who had been silent for a long time, finally came online and sent him a message.

The matter has been resolved. Tonight at 9 PM, at the East City Airport, I'll take you away.

888 was even more excited than Li Qingran upon seeing this message: [Hey host, we don't need to worry about all that nonsense. We can leave tonight anyway, time to clock out! Who cares about any unknown plot points!]

Li Qingran didn't speak, but instead sent a question to the other end: "Are you taking me with you?"

Yes, for some reasons, I will personally take you away.

Of course, you don't need to be afraid. I have no intention of hurting you. It's just that the destination this time is a bit complicated, and there are some places I need to personally communicate and confirm.

Really, I can assure you, I just want to see you arrive at your destination and make sure everything is arranged for you.

Are you angry? Or do you think my decision was a bit abrupt? If so, we can discuss it, like splitting the planes into two.

Hello? Are you still there? I was just taking care of some work; I didn't mean to ignore you.

...

The phone, which had been quiet, seemed to come alive the moment Li Qingran stepped into the restaurant and sat down in the private room, vibrating wildly. He could only order a few dishes haphazardly, then picked up his phone to wait for the waiter to leave before replying to messages.

He felt that the waiter was looking at him strangely for some reason, but the free upgrade to a private room was offered by the waiter, not something he had asked for unreasonably.

Li Qingran was somewhat confused, but fortunately the waiter left the private room quickly.

In the luxurious private room, decorated with exquisite screens and filled with burning sandalwood incense, only Li Qingran remained. He finally picked up his phone, ready to see just how complicated Gu Shiyu's plan was, that she could send so many messages.

However, before the screen could even be turned on, Alpha on the other end impatiently sent a voice message.

Li Qingran hesitated for a moment, but still clicked to answer the call. However, before he could speak, a loud noise suddenly came from behind the screen less than half a meter away from him.

He instinctively looked back, his pheromones spreading rapidly outwards from his body in shock. In the blink of an eye, a biting blizzard descended upon every corner of the private room, even weakening the faint scent of incense ash...

"As expected... it was you." A hoarse voice rang in Li Qingran's ear.

The world before his eyes began to blur. Under the dim light, the Alpha who had just taken off his hat and mask tilted his head slightly, his face pale, but his eyes held a tenderness that the Alpha could call fragile. He parted his lips slightly, wanting to say something, but in the end he could only fall into the Alpha's arms behind him like a delicate and fragile object.

"Thump—"

The black phone hit the carpet with a dull thud.

"Li Qingran? Li Qingran, are you alright?"

Gu Shiyu on the other side was still asking questions, but a minute passed, and after that loud noise, he could only vaguely hear a faint, yet still ambiguous, humming sound.

"Hmm—"

It was Li Qingran's voice.

Gu Shiyu tensed up abruptly.

A note from the author:

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The next chapter will be available for purchase! The update time is tomorrow night at midnight. At that time, the author will be offering a long, 10,000-word chapter and a generous red envelope. I hope you all will support me! Love you all! [heart eyes][heart eyes][heart eyes]

Also, I hope everyone can support the author's other quick transmigration pre-order, "The Passerby Gong is Always Coveted." If you like it, please give it a like and add it to your favorites! Below is the pre-order synopsis:

After Lu Chen died of illness, he was bound to a system that required him to play the role of a passerby in the protagonist's world in some novel worlds, and promised to reward him with a chance to be reborn as long as he completed the task.

Lu Chen agreed and vowed to make the most of his role as a passerby in order to be resurrected.

However……

The World of the Rich and Powerful:

Lu Chen plays the role of a butler who silently observes the entire process of the protagonist's abusive love affair, and who occasionally suffers the protagonist's threat to have his entire family executed.

However, in the dead of night, as the rain poured down, the canary, who should have been beside the protagonist, was wearing a silk nightgown and had pinned the butler down.

"I'm so scared by the thunder, Butler Lu. Feel my heart, is it pounding?"

Lu Chen: ...I don't know if you're panicking, but my whole family is probably quite panicked.

ABO Campus World:

Lu Chen plays the third-ranked student in the class, who watches the top two students in the class go from being rivals to being attracted to each other and finally falling in love, without even having a name.

However, at the sports meet, the protagonist who was supposed to compete with the main character for first place on the medal table instead cornered the third-place finisher in the classroom.

"Please, bite me again. If you bite me, I'll give you two more lessons..."

Lu Chen: ...Actually, I don't necessarily need to take this course again.

The entertainment industry world: ...

The world of esports live streaming: ...

Quick transmigration, main character is the dominant one, 1v1, sweet novel without splitting.