Chapter 31 Cannon Fodder Ex-Boyfriend 31 Everyone's Here

"Boom—"

A bolt of lightning struck directly down.

Li Qingran turned to look out of the car. The beautiful Omega wasn't even wearing a hat and was soaked from head to toe by the heavy rain. However, the Omega, who would usually be unhappy if even a small spot on his body got dirty, didn't care at all about his drenched appearance.

He simply smiled and looked at Li Qingran, his amber eyes seemingly completely captivated the moment he saw the Alpha.

"Brother, I've caught you."

Yeah?

Did you really catch me?

Li Qingran blinked, her gaze sliding from Su Jingyi's face to the hand he was holding. His slender, fair fingers enveloped her pale wrist, his little finger gently caressing her, not only feeling the Alpha's warm skin beneath his fingertip, but also the mechanical watch that had been on Li Qingran's wrist since the beginning of the story.

That was a gift Su Jingyi gave to Li Qingran on the first day of their relationship.

Along with the phone.

With her eyelashes drooping slightly, Li Qingran, amidst the hard-won scream of "888," also showed a hint of pain on her face, "Jingyi, you know perfectly well that we—"

"We are destined to be together forever!"

Before Li Qingran could finish speaking, Su Jingyi took it upon himself to finish the sentence.

"No way, is this protagonist (bottom) crazy?! Why doesn't he go and be in love with the protagonist (top)? Why does he keep bothering us, a cannon fodder character?!" 888 exclaimed in despair.

Li Qingran could answer the question about why the protagonist (shou) and the protagonist (gong) were not in a loving relationship, since the other protagonist in the question was sitting on his other side, arguing with the protagonist (shou).

However, considering that 888 was already sparking with excitement, Li Qingran pressed her tongue against her cheek and decided not to tell it this cruel reality.

Analyze the plot a bit more, find some plot holes, and increase his freedom of choice even further.

Li Qingran licked her lips, ignoring 888 who had been covered in bugs the moment she stepped outside, and began to focus on the plot in front of her.

"If I'm with you... then what about Mr. Gu? Aren't your two families already discussing the engagement? How are you going to go against the Su family and be with me?"

Su Jingyi was stunned.

Li Qingran continued, "So, how exactly are we going to be together?"

"We can't be together, Jingyi," Alpha said softly, his voice gentle, but at a moment, it overlapped with a cold, mechanical voice.

He said, "You can't be tied to me forever. You'll eventually marry Mr. Gu. You two are the real couple. You should be with Mr. Gu..."

The relentless raindrops, under the glaring lights, seemed to transform into cold, hard data. Amidst those countless data points, Omega stood stiffly outside the door, raindrops sliding down his hair onto his pale face. His amber eyes, whether blurred by the rain or the data, appeared hazy and lost…

He should be with Gu Shiyu.

He has to be with Gu Shiyu?!

Su Jingyi blinked.

As far as the eye could see, Omega's golden hair was completely soaked by the rain. The soft golden strands clung to his fair cheeks, and his amber eyes were also filled with moisture. He looked disheveled, pitiful, and a little aggrieved.

"Why?" Li Qingran heard him speak softly, unsure whether he was asking him or someone else.

"Why should I be with Gu Shiyu? Why do I have to be with Gu Shiyu?!"

As Omega finished speaking, he pulled hard on Li Qingran's wrist, and in the next second, Li Qingran, who was not prepared at all, was pulled out of the car.

Just then, Li Qingran was about to fall into Su Jingyi's arms.

At that moment, Gu Shiyu, who was sitting on his other side, reacted even faster than Li Qingran and grabbed his other arm.

"Do you think I really want to be with you?" Gu Shiyu, sitting on the other side of Li Qingran, said coldly.

"Then go and tell them! Tell them you don't want to get engaged to me at all!"

"Why should I say anything?!" Gu Shiyu sneered, her gaze towards Su Jingyi tinged with a cold mockery.

"You think I don't know what you're up to? I'll go and tell them, and I'll take all the blame for both sets of elders' anger, so you can be happy with Li Qingran, right?"

"Otherwise what? You're the one who caused all this!" Su Jingyi retorted, equally unwilling to back down.

The two protagonists, who should have been loving and living happily together in the original story, were now glaring at each other and arguing fiercely, while Li Qingran, caught in the middle, was drenched in the rain.

On the right is Su Jingyi, who is trying to pull him out of the car and take him away; on the left is Gu Shiyu, who is holding him back and doesn't want him to leave.

Neither side wanted to give up, and both were putting in a lot of effort.

This has put Li Qingran in a very awkward position.

We can't get in.

I can't get out...

Tsk.

They've gone a bit too far.

Li Qingran pursed his lips. At this moment, for the first time, he felt empathy for 888...

If the main characters go crazy, can they only target each other and not drag others down, like him?

Who would have thought that among two A's and one O', the one sandwiched in the middle was actually an A...

Rainwater slid down her cheeks, and two drops fell into her collar. Li Qingran unconsciously shrank back and leaned her body towards the car.

Su Jingyi's eyes widened instantly, "Brother!"

My brother is here! He just doesn't want to get wet in the rain anymore.

Li Qingran looked at Su Jingyi helplessly, "Can we talk about this in the car?"

He really didn't want to get caught in the rain anymore.

However, Su Jingyi misunderstood his words, thinking that Li Qingran had chosen to get in the car and leave with Gu Shiyu instead of him. In an instant, his face turned even paler.

"No!" He gripped Li Qingran's hand even tighter. "Brother, how could you choose him? Why did you choose him? You're supposed to be with me! You have to be with me!"

"???"

Getting on the bus meant choosing to be with him?

This is as absurd as applying for marriage through WeChat!

Just as Li Qingran was about to explain, Gu Shiyu's voice, adding fuel to the fire, came from behind her.

"Why does he insist on being with you? Su Jingyi, when will you accept the reality that Aran no longer loves you!"

"Gu Shiyu! You—"

"alright!"

Having been soaked to the bone, Li Qingran finally couldn't take it anymore. To prevent the two people beside her from going crazy in their current positions, Li Qingran twisted her wrist, her fingers immediately hooking onto Su Jingyi's arm, and then pulled hard.

The next second, the Omega, who was originally holding Li Qingran's wrist and leaning backward at a 60-degree angle to the ground, was pulled in front of the impatient Alpha and then pulled into the car by his waist.

Li Qingran breathed a sigh of relief as he finally had something to shield him from the elements. However, the atmosphere between Gu Shiyu and Su Jingyi around him became even more tense.

Inside the carriage, the pheromones of red wine and lemon permeated the air, but instead of blending together as described in textbooks, they seemed to have an urge to attack each other.

Seeing this, Gu Shiyu first reached out and tugged at Li Qingran's arm, pulling the Alpha closer to her.

"Have you gone crazy enough? If you have, go back to your car."

Su Jingyi snorted coldly upon hearing this, "If that dog were willing to give in, I would have already taken my brother back to my own car. Do you think I want to stay in this car? It reeks of dog!"

"A certain dog..."

Gu Shiyu seemed to smile slightly, but there wasn't much of a smile in his dark eyes.

"So what? You can't become it even if you want to. After all, the only person Aran wants to stay away from from the beginning is you."

Su Jingyi's expression changed instantly, his breathing became rapid, and his eyes welled up with tears.

"you--"

"What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve? I'm really sorry." Gu Shiyu blinked, apologizing, but there was no trace of remorse in her eyes.

"Gu Shiyu!" Su Jingyi was so angry that he started trembling all over.

Looking at his flushed cheeks, Li Qingran hesitated whether to try to mediate the fight. After all, Omegas in this world are indeed fragile. If Su Jingyi were to get seriously injured, the collapse of the world would be a minor matter. The real concern was that it might cause Su Jingyi to fail in his mission. Not only would he fail to cause trouble, but he might also be sent to a punishment world or even relegated back to the game. For Su Jingyi, who now had self-awareness, that would be a disaster.

Li Qingran moved her lips, about to speak, when she heard Su Jingyi chuckle. A strand of damp blond hair fell onto the corner of his mouth. The Omega's red lips opened and closed, and the strand of hair swept up and down with them.

"Then it's me who's with him. Go to Nanjing University and ask around about Li Qingran's boyfriend. All people will mention is my name, Su Jingyi. As for you, Gu Shiyu, you're just a despicable person who wants to climb up the social ladder by clinging to the Su family and is unwilling to humble yourself. What are you anyway?"

Su Jingyi sat directly on Li Qingran's lap.

He was already sitting in the same seat as Li Qingran, and now he straddled her with his legs wide open, his cool fingertips landing on the Alpha's face, bringing a damp sensation.

"A dog? That's something only unofficial people want to be. As for me, I will only be my brother's boyfriend, partner, someone I'll spend my life with, someone I'll be buried with even in death..."

“Brother…” Su Jingyi lowered his head and slowly approached Li Qingran until they could clearly see the trembling of each other’s eyelashes and feel each other’s breath before he spoke softly:

"I don't care."

"Whether you go to a hotel with another Omega, share a room with them during your mating season, or leave with an Alpha, don't like me, or betray me, I don't care. As long as you stay by my side from now on, brother, don't leave me."

Su Jingyi's fingertips brushed across Li Qingran's eyes, nose, and cheeks, finally settling on her slightly parted lips.

"I will not... let you leave me."

I don't care whether you betrayed me or not.

I don't care whether you like me or not.

Because eventually, I will be the only one left by your side. Your boyfriend, husband, and lover can only be me.

His other hand had somehow landed on Li Qingran's shoulder, his fingertips were icy cold, and the force was astonishing. Li Qingran could even hear the bones in his hand creaking as he gripped them.

The atmosphere inside the car was somewhat eerie and unsettling.

888 was terrified by this type of protagonist and trembled in Li Qingran's mind, saying:

[Is this protagonist really insane?]

The protagonist in the original story was clearly a weak, helpless, sweet and soft little Omega, so why does he now have a ghostly aura?

Li Qingran lowered her eyelashes. [It's all my fault...]

No, no, no!

Before Li Qingran could finish her sad self-reflection, 888 hurriedly spoke up:

[What does this have to do with you, host! I've seen all the overtime you've worked and the effort you've put into fixing the plot! The fact that the plot is in this state has nothing to do with us. It's all because these main characters have gone crazy, one by one not following their character settings, making it impossible for you to leave the world and successfully go home!]

888 grew increasingly angry as she spoke. "To be honest, the problem lies with the world itself. Host, wait a moment, I'll go report this to the main system right now. I've finally realized it—our cannon fodder mission is simply impossible to complete here!"

Then they shouldn't waste any more time in this self-destructive world; they should just apply to the main system for early departure and overtime compensation!

888 acted immediately, and after reporting to Li Qingran, headed straight for the Management Bureau.

Before going, he repeatedly assured Li Qingran that he would definitely fight for more compensation and benefits for him.

From 888's perspective, his host suffered a lot in this world, tormented by various main characters, especially during the time he was locked in the dark room, he didn't know how much suffering he endured!

888 felt increasingly upset and decided that when applying for compensation, she must help Li Qingran apply for a dimensional item to prevent him from encountering the main character who had gone mad again in the next mission!

"Well, thank you so much." Li Qingran was deeply moved.

888's enthusiasm soared even higher. [Host, please don't be so polite. Given our relationship, your safety is my primary concern!]

Upon hearing this, Li Qingran's eyes immediately welled up with tears: 【Bye, it's so good to have you.】

【Host……】

In Li Qingran's mind, looking at the miniature image of herself floating in front of her, 888 suddenly started leaking electricity again, and the program that was supposed to be outputting stably also started to show garbled characters.

Damn it! This world really isn't normal!

888 forcibly suppressed its fluctuating voltage and stammered to Li Qingran:

"Well, host, I... I'll head back to the Administration Bureau now. You... wait for my good news!"

【OK. 】

Li Qingran replied softly.

Sensing a momentary blankness in her mind, Li Qingran felt relieved and looked up at Su Jingyi above her.

The show must go on until 888 comes back.

"So how are you going to tell your family?" Li Qingran asked slowly.

His voice was soft, yet it struck Su Jingyi's heart like a heavy hammer.

"I……"

"Do you think your father will let you be with me? Do you have the power to resist him now? Do you still want to hide me away like before? Wearing a mask and hat when you go out, even in the middle of summer, and wearing a thick coat?"

Su Jingyi was speechless, "Brother..."

"I don't want to do that anymore, Jingyi." Before Su Jingyi could even speak, Li Qingran interrupted him.

Inside the carriage filled with various pheromones, the Alpha looked up at Su Jingyi, his beautiful gray eyes filled with helplessness and pain.

“I don’t want to live that kind of life anymore, so please let me go, and let yourself go too, okay? After that, be with Mr. Gu properly. I believe he will treat you well.”

Gu Shiyu, who was enjoying the show, was initially bewildered: "???"

"No, I won't be with him—"

Gu Shiyu subconsciously looked at Li Qingran, her dark eyes filled with anxiety.

"Why would I be nice to him? I only want to be nice to you...tsk!"

Gu Shiyu wanted to explain to Li Qingran, but the latter turned her head away, looking like she didn't want to talk to him.

This is quite normal.

After all, although he and Su Jingyi were not yet engaged, it was already an accepted fact between their families.

Even before taking Li Qingran to the airport, Su's father was still discussing the location and time of the engagement with him.

But he hasn't replied yet, and he doesn't want to reply at all.

At this moment, Gu Shiyu realized one thing very clearly—he did not want to get engaged to Su Jingyi, not even for the sake of the family business, nor did he want to have any further relationship with this Omega who, in the eyes of the Su and Gu families, in the eyes of a certain strange voice, and especially in the eyes of Li Qingran, was destined to be bound to him.

Unless it's someone like Li Qingran's ex and current partner.

However, this matter cannot be completely resolved in the short term. In addition, Li Qingran is now making it clear that she wants to tie him and Su Jingyi together to prevent them from tearing each other apart and ending up hurting each other, which would ultimately benefit the other two Alphas and Omegas who are eyeing Li Qingran.

After much hesitation, Gu Shiyu could only steel herself and look at Su Jingyi, saying:

"Tomorrow, let's go together to Uncle Su and explain."

Gu Shiyu's plan was to first team up with Su Jingyi to put Li Qingran in a place where Jiang Siran and Qi Ziyan couldn't find her, and then talk about the two of them.

Su Jingyi completely ignored him, saying, "Go by yourself! Who wants to go with you?!"

He's developed PTSD from what Li Qingran said about "being with Gu Shiyu," and he gets furious whenever anyone mentions it.

Gu Shiyu: "...If you don't go, does that mean you still want to get engaged to me?"

Alpha sneered as he spoke, then looked at Li Qingran and said:

"Aran, did you see that? This isn't the kind of marriage I wanted to arrange right now."

"..." Li Qingran blinked but didn't say anything.

Su Jingyi, on the other hand, became even more agitated. "Who wants to get engaged to you! Gu Shiyu! Stop being disgusting! I said from the beginning that I would rather die than get engaged to you!"

As he spoke, seemingly afraid that Li Qingran might overthink things, he turned back and gently nuzzled her forehead, his smile tender and sweet.

"Don't worry, brother, I won't really die."

"And even if it means death, I will go with you, so you don't have to worry about me leaving you."

Li Qingran: "..."

Thanks.

Can he say that what he's always worried about is that Omega won't leave him?

The drying function installed next to the seat started working the moment Alpha pulled Omega into the car and closed the door.

Li Qingran's hair and body had long since returned to their initial dry state, but even so, he still felt a dampness lingering around him, refusing to dissipate...

At this point, should he say a few more words so that when the main system reviews this part of the story, it will rate the bug as more serious?

Li Qingran pursed her lips.

However, before he could speak, Gu Shiyu beside him sneered first:

"So you mean you'd rather die than tell Uncle Su that you don't want to get engaged to me?"

"Gu Shiyu!" Su Jingyi never expected that his words could be misinterpreted in this way.

But Gu Shiyu shrugged, clearly intending to smear him in front of Li Qingran.

"Otherwise, why don't you dare to cancel the engagement with me?"

"I didn't want to break off the engagement?! I was clearly afraid of you—"

Su Jingyi didn't say the rest, but from the way he instantly tightened his arms around Li Qingran's neck and the wary look in his eyes at Gu Shiyu, it was clear that the reason he didn't want to go to the Su family with Gu Shiyu was that he was afraid Gu Shiyu would cause trouble behind his back again.

After all, it was Alpha who went back on their word and broke the contract first tonight!

How could Su Jingyi possibly believe that such an untrustworthy person wouldn't take advantage of his presence at the Su family home to send someone to hide Li Qingran elsewhere?

Gu Shiyu knew, of course, that what he did tonight was immoral, but he didn't regret it. After all, from the very beginning, what he wanted to do was not a moral thing.

Gu Shiyu didn't want to get entangled with Su Jingyi anymore about the engagement. Now that he had calmed down, he was only worried about whether a third or even a fourth contestant would appear in this battle for the A-O ranking.

The most important thing now is to take Li Qingran away to prevent Qi Ziyan or Jiang Siran from catching up.

Especially Jiang Siran...

Thinking this, Gu Shiyu bit her lip, then looked at Su Jingyi and said:

"Alright, let's not talk about the engagement for now. Let the driver start driving; it's not good to keep parked on the side of the road."

"Heh." Su Jingyi sneered upon hearing this. "Now you realize it's not good to keep the car parked on the side of the road?"

What were you doing just now?!

God knows how much Su Jingyi wanted to kill Gu Shiyu when he opened the car door and smelled that strong, lingering scent of red wine around Li Qingran!

Inside the carriage, the lemon scent grew stronger under the Omega's agitated emotions. Gu Shiyu frowned, about to speak to Su Jingyi to calm down, but unexpectedly, before he could speak, Li Qingran took the initiative to stop the Omega's hand from slapping him.

Wherever his gaze fell, the Alpha looked up, his eyes gentle, his voice carrying a clear tone of reassurance.

"I think Mr. Gu means that if the stalemate continues, it may lead to a bigger conflict."

Su Jingyi blinked twice, tears hanging on her eyelashes, threatening to fall.

Beside him, Gu Shiyu stared blankly at Li Qingran.

Is this really okay?

An Alpha soothes an Omega with a gentle tone, but the words he utters are actually defending another Alpha.

The eyes of A and O became confused, but the next second, they stopped worrying about the sentence.

Because Li Qingran spoke again, he smiled, his gaze shifting from Su Jingyi to Gu Shiyu, then back to the rearview mirror. His gray pupils flickered slightly, carrying a hint of unbridled arrogance that went unnoticed by anyone.

"However, it seems that a conflict has already arisen..."

"Boom—"

Another clap of thunder sounded.

In the rearview mirror, two cars sped toward them, one after the other, cutting the rain curtain in half. They then stopped one after the other, sandwiching the black Maybach in the middle, unable to move.

"Crack—"

The car door opened.

Under the blinding headlights, Gu Shiyu looked ahead, while Su Jingyi stared at the rear of the car.

They were clearly looking in different directions.

At the same time, a black figure, clearly heading straight for them, appeared in their pupils...

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Author's Note: The author, always eager for drama (munching on sunflower seeds): How about a game of mahjong? [Evil grin]