Chapter 47 Cannon Fodder Assistant 12 Qin Yanyun knew all along that you were his...

The private room, themed around a date, was dimly lit with a soft, warm glow. The dappled light refracted through the crystals of the chandelier and fell warmly onto the brocade tablecloth, but Qin Yanyun only felt cold.

The cold wasn't from the wind, nor from being frozen by cold air; it seeped from the very cracks in his bones. The fine, dense cold was mixed with pain, making his body tremble involuntarily, and even his voice became unsteady.

"President Qin..."

He struggled to utter those two words, then paused for a long time before finally managing to get the rest of the question out.

"Can you tell me what your assistant is?"

Li Qingran is clearly his assistant, okay?

I came abroad with him for work.

Therefore, Qin Yanyun really couldn't understand what Qin Zechuan's statement, "The assistant position doesn't refer to you, but to me," was based on.

Li Qingran was his personally interviewed assistant, and she had been by his side for the past two months. Qin Zechuan and Zhang Cheng only went to the head office before he went abroad because of the trending topic incident, but that trip was just to apologize and admit their mistakes. When did they say that Li Qingran's position would be changed?

Zhang Cheng hadn't told him about this, and Li Qingran hadn't mentioned it during this time either. Later, she still came with him to film the variety show as usual.

So how did he become Qin Zechuan's assistant?

He only went to the head office to apologize once, how did he become Qin Zechuan's assistant?!

Qin Yanyun clenched her fists, suppressing her anger, and said to Qin Zechuan, who remained indifferent at this moment:

"If my memory serves me right, Li Qingran has been my employee since he joined the company. From beginning to end, the position he applied for was my assistant, Qin Yanyun's assistant. So I'm not sure when he became your assistant, President Qin. Are you short of assistants?"

Even if it's the middle of the night, they'll travel halfway around the world to try and snatch him away!

Everyone present could hear the sarcasm in Qin Yanyun's words, but Qin Zechuan's first reaction wasn't anger. He didn't even glance at Qin Yanyun, but instead looked at Li Qingran with gentle eyes, his tone as soft as a warm breeze, his words full of comforting concern.

"It's okay, you don't need to worry about these things. Are you hungry? Let's eat something first."

As he spoke, he first used serving chopsticks to put some hot food that looked quite appetizing into Li Qingran's plate. Only after watching her lower her head and put the food into her mouth did he look up at Qin Yanyun, who was pale-faced at the door, with a sense of relief.

They weren't too stupid; they even knew to close the door when they barged in.

Qin Zechuan glanced at the closed door behind the two, then fixed his gaze on Qin Yanyun and said calmly:

"Didn't Zhang Cheng tell you? After this job is over, Li Qingran will be transferred back to the company and won't be working in your studio anymore."

Qin Zechuan's words also indirectly indicated that after this job was over, Li Qingran would no longer be Qin Yanyun's assistant.

He felt he had made himself clear enough, and that his decisions regarding Li Qingran's employment were very humane. However, Qin Yanyun, who had only learned of the news a few minutes earlier, simply could not accept Qin Zechuan's seemingly gentle but actually still arrogant decision.

"Why?"

He stared intently at Qin Zechuan and gritted his teeth, saying, "Why did you transfer him back to the company?!"

In fact, Qin Yanyun wanted to ask more about the right to do so.

Why should his carefully selected assistant be transferred back to the company after only a few months of use, allowing that old scoundrel Qin Zechuan to benefit!

Yes.

After learning that his assistant was about to be taken away, Qin Zechuan changed from a mysterious and steady big boss in Qin Yanyun's mind to a shameless old thief.

If you need an assistant, just hire one! Why do you have to come and steal his?

Qin Yanyun was very dissatisfied.

Qin Zechuan naturally had his own reasons for this, but...

Qin Zechuan glanced at Li Qingran, who was eating obediently beside him.

The latter noticed his gaze and looked up at him. His fair cheeks were bulging, like a little hamster unaware of the dangers outside, who only needed to stay obediently in the safe zone set up by his owner.

Looking at the seemingly harmless Li Qingran, Qin Zechuan unconsciously forgot about their previous tussle and automatically regarded the boy as a pure and innocent college graduate.

He didn't want to muddy this clarity, so after a moment of contemplation amidst Qin Yanyun's questioning, he stood up and addressed the extremely emotionally unstable Qin Yanyun:

"Let's talk outside."

Qin Zechuan didn't want to spoil Li Qingran's good mood while she was eating, and he was also afraid that if Qin Yanyun got too defensive and hurt Li Qingran again, it would be a loss.

His purpose in coming here was to completely dispel Qin Yanyun's ulterior motives towards Li Qingran. Now that the other party already knows about his assistant's affairs, he might as well make everything clear to save the man from being resentful and causing a foolish incident that would go viral.

Qin Zechuan was a man of his word. After making his decision, he first bent down and gently told Li Qingran to eat well. Then he straightened up, lifted his foot, and walked outside, not caring whether Qin Yanyun agreed with his decision or not.

Unless he's stupid, he won't waste his time pestering Li Qingran. Doing so won't change the outcome and might even annoy the boys. This would be good for Qin Zechuan, but for Qin Yanyun at this moment, it would be a devastating blow.

Therefore, Qin Zechuan was certain that Qin Yanyun would come out with him.

Sure enough, before he could even stand properly in the corridor after leaving the house, Qin Yanyun's hoarse voice came from behind him.

"Let's go to the front compartment."

He is, after all, a public figure. Although they are currently abroad, given the Chinese people's tendency to wander around, there's no guarantee that some fellow countryman who happens to be strolling over here won't take a picture of him.

Qin Zechuan had no objection to his suggestion and walked towards the next private room upon hearing it.

Qin Yanyun followed closely behind him.

The two of them coincidentally placed Chu Yu in the private room where Li Qingran was.

Qin Yanyun was so flustered that he forgot about his newly formed alliance partner, while Qin Zechuan didn't care about Chu Yu at all.

He's just a minor artist from another company. Let alone whether he'll be able to get in touch with Li Qingran after this shoot, during the shoot alone, as an artist from a rival company, how many words could he possibly exchange with Li Qingran, her little assistant?

Therefore, Qin Zechuan never considered Chu Yu as his competitor.

The only person he wanted to make give up on was Qin Yanyun, who had a relationship with Li Qingran that had lasted for several months.

The two entered the adjacent private room one after the other. The white door opened and then closed again, completely isolating the argument inside.

Li Qingran, the object of the argument, showed no sign of anxiety. He even leisurely greeted the person at the door. Chu Yu, somewhat bewildered and unsure of what to do, watched as Qin Zechuan and Qin Yanyun left.

"Mr. Chu, would you like to come and have some? Didn't you say you wanted to try this restaurant's signature dish when you were at the hotel?"

So, in the end, it was Chu Yu who ended up eating the couple's set meal with Li Qingran?

Chu Yu was somewhat dazed by this unexpected windfall, but it was only after Li Qingran asked him another question that he hurriedly took a step forward and said:

"Okay, okay! Of course that would be great."

Why not eat it if it's free?

This is a good opportunity to build a good relationship with Li Qingran, and it would be best to exchange contact information. That way, even if he really stops being Qin Yanyun's assistant and their alliance breaks down, they can still contact each other privately.

Chu Yu was happily fantasizing in his mind, while also casually sitting down next to Li Qingran when choosing a seat.

"Qingran...may I call you that?"

Chu Yu seemed to have accidentally uttered the name he had kept hidden in his heart, his face full of fear, and even the way he looked at Li Qingran became cautious.

[Tsk tsk tsk, this protagonist truly lives up to his reputation as an acting genius right from the start. Look at that pitiful little face, if he were in front of the male lead, he might just get... wait a minute!]

As 888 was venting, it suddenly felt like something was off.

[Wait a minute, why is the protagonist acting like a green tea bitch towards you, host?!]

Is that correct?

According to the original plot, at this point, the protagonist, who is the bottom, does not yet know that the pervert hiding in his closet is cannon fodder, but during the filming process, he can feel the other person's gaze falling on him from time to time.

Sticky, crazy, and with an underlying tone that made people very uncomfortable, Chu Yu still didn't like Qin Yanyun's assistant, even though he hadn't had any direct contact with the cannon fodder.

He even brought this up with Qin Yanyun later, which is why the cannon fodder later failed to sneak under the bed to touch Chu Yu and was instead discovered to have committed a series of perverted acts.

After Chu Yu told him about his discomfort, Qin Yanyun began to secretly pay attention to his taciturn and usually unremarkable assistant, and only then did he discover what disgusting things Chu Yu was doing in private.

This is also the time when cannon fodder characters are written out of the story in the original plot.

After the variety show filming ended, the main characters fell in love, and the cat and its host completed their mission as a catalyst for their relationship, gloriously departing from the world.

So now, why is the protagonist... starting to act cute towards its host?

He's definitely being affectionate!

Uncertainty about 888 led him to seek help from Li Qingran.

The latter, however, was not as alert as it was, and simply said calmly:

[Maybe he just wants to get along with me so he can use me as a starting point to get closer to Qin Yanyun.]

Yeah?

888 was skeptical.

However, Li Qingran's demeanor was too indifferent, and he had indeed not had much contact with Chu Yu before. 888 did not expect that someone would actually fall in love with a person just because of a pair of hands. So after a brief moment of doubt, he accepted Li Qingran's explanation.

It's no use if it doesn't accept it.

After all, it was the protagonist who acted like a green tea bitch, so it couldn't control the other party's behavior that deviated from the character's established persona.

Moreover, Li Qingran's attitude towards Chu Yu has always been polite and courteous. Although he seems very gentle, that gentleness carries a sense of distance. So, although 888 felt that Chu Yu's attitude towards Li Qingran was a bit strange, he didn't think too much about the possibility that Chu Yu had fallen in love with Li Qingran.

Cold, technological products don't quite understand the desire to conquer, just like 888 will never understand that sometimes, the more distant the other person seems, the more excited you become, and the more you want to get closer to them...

Chu Yu watched as Li Qingran nodded at him, seemingly agreeing to his decision to call him Qingran. However, apart from that, he did not show any desire to become closer to him, and even his form of address remained the same as before, "Mr. Chu".

The boundaries between them remained clear, and from the boy's perspective, he had no intention of getting closer to him.

Chu Yu, who usually rejects others, felt a sense of inexplicable frustration.

But looking at Li Qingran's hands, so beautiful they seemed to be made of white jade, he couldn't help but lean closer and say:

"Qingran, do you like dairy products?"

He had just noticed that the other person was constantly picking up that fried milk, and when he accidentally bumped into the boy earlier, the boy was also holding a milk-flavored ice cream. So when he smelled that familiar milk scent in his room, he subconsciously imagined that the person who had entered his room was Li Qingran.

Could it be Li Qingran?

If only it were Li Qingran...

Chu Yu's breathing unconsciously quickened, his burning gaze constantly sweeping between the boy's well-defined fingers. For some reason, Chu Yu felt as if something was missing from them, or perhaps, in his vague memory, there should be some liquid on those hands.

Some kind of white, thick...

"Smack!"

Chu Yu slammed his chopsticks on the table.

Li Qingran, who was standing next to him, was startled by his movement and subconsciously looked over.

"Mr. Chu? Are you... alright?"

In just a short while, her cheeks turned red, and even her eyes were filled with a faint watery light, as if she had been badly bullied by someone.

Li Qingran was quietly eating his food on the side, so the only person who could bully Chu Yu was himself.

Li Qingran had no idea what Chu Yu was imagining. He only knew that when Chu Yu heard his voice, he first looked up blankly, blinked at him twice, and then looked down at his right hand, which was holding chopsticks and was now placed next to the plate.

Is there something wrong with his hand?

Li Qingran unconsciously put down her chopsticks, and her hand also moved further away from Chu Yu, while confirming with 888:

[Regarding the memory related to the photo in the protagonist's private message, is it confirmed that it has been completely erased?]

[Host confirmed!] 888 had great confidence in the main system's capabilities and immediately assured them:

[Host, rest assured, the memories erased by the main system itself will be completely clean, leaving no trace!]

Why was Chu Yu staring at his hand?

【...Just because you think it looks good?】888 hesitated before giving an answer.

Li Qingran: [...Listen to yourself, is this reason reasonable?]

Staring at something just because it looks good, with your gaze becoming increasingly intense—isn't that a bit perverted?

888 also felt that this reason was not quite appropriate.

It's not really appropriate to use this between Li Qingran and Chu Yu, since Li Qingran is the one who needs to act abnormally between the two.

So, after thinking for a moment, 888 came up with another terrible idea.

【Why don't you try looking at the protagonist like that, host?】

They're just cannon fodder labeled as perverts, they can't be outdone by the protagonist!

A strange fighting spirit suddenly ignited within 888.

Unfortunately, Li Qingran completely ignored him, only tapping the table expressionlessly, which brought Chu Yu back to his senses and also made him withdraw his gaze, which seemed to be glued to his hand.

"Mr. Chu, is there something wrong with my hand?"

Having confirmed that Chu Yu had no memory of that photo, Li Qingran asked quite frankly.

"Huh? No...no..."

Perhaps realizing that his gaze had lingered on Li Qingran's hand for too long, Chu Yu took a somewhat embarrassed sip of wine, trying to suppress the inexplicable mystery rising in his chest. However, under the influence of alcohol, the mystery only grew larger.

He took another sip of his drink, hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist asking, "Qingran, have you ever worked as a hand model before?"

Li Qingran paused in her act of picking up food. "Why does Mr. Chu ask that?"

"Ah, it's nothing. I just think your hands are really good, you'd be perfect as a model..." Chu Yu said with a laugh, then quickly changed the subject.

only……

During the conversation, Chu Yu's gaze seemed to casually sweep across the boy's slender, fair fingers.

Has he really never taken a photo of his hands?

The slight, sharp pain from biting her tongue brought Chu Yu back to her increasingly confused state of mind, but her rapidly racing brain did not stop exploring the boy's hands.

He felt like he had seen this hand somewhere before.

Or rather, he wanted the boy's hand to appear in front of him exactly as he imagined it.

The area around the thumb and knuckles was stained with white liquid, with droplets of white...

Chu Yu unconsciously bit his tongue, the taste of blood filling his mouth. At the same time, a sentence he had been suppressing finally escaped his lips.

"Qingran!"

"Wait a minute, let me treat you to an ice cream!"

"The kind with a crispy cone."

"Fresh milk flavor."

Pure white, easily melted, and also the easiest to drip down the cone onto your fingertips...

Li Qingran's hand suddenly stopped.

He wanted to ask Chu Yu why he suddenly brought up the ice cream, and whether he had discovered something.

Or for some other reason.

However, before Li Qingran could ask, the door that had been silent since Qin Zechuan and Qin Yanyun left was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

Qin Yanyun walked in.

Qin Zechuan had disappeared.

Just then, Li Qingran's phone rang.

He took out his phone and glanced at it.

As the notification light illuminated on the screen, Qin Zechuan's message was brief yet filled with the smugness of a victor.

Everything's settled. Have a great time these next few days, and I'll pick you up from the airport when you return home.

As for whether he would be made an assistant or some other position, Qin Zechuan suddenly stopped saying.

He wanted to wait a little longer.

It's not too late to talk about it when the boy's feelings for him are deeper and stronger than Qin Yanyun's...

The winning team wasn't interested in the upcoming dinner, and with their secretary constantly urging them to leave, they left early.

The remaining losers glanced back and forth between Li Qingran and Chu Yu several times, still wanting to give it a try.

"Xiao Li, have you finished eating?"

Qin Yanyun forced a smile at Li Qingran, thinking he was smiling at a boy, but the smile actually looked uglier than crying.

What exactly did Qin Zechuan say to him that made the protagonist, the top, so devastated?

Li Qingran subconsciously put down his chopsticks. Also, wanting to escape the game that the protagonist seemed to be testing him, he immediately spoke up:

"I'm done eating, bro."

"Then let's go back." Qin Yanyun said, reaching out to Li Qingran as if to pull him up, but halfway up, he seemed to remember something and let his hand fall limply down.

He looked very uncomfortable and remained silent the rest of the way back to the hotel.

Not to mention Li Qingran, even Chu Yu, who usually doesn't get along with him and has now become his love rival, doesn't dare to provoke him, for fear that if he pushes him too far, he might do something desperate to him and Li Qingran.

Chu Yu understood very well that his relationship with Li Qingran was still at the stage of having met a few times, but they were still not very familiar with each other.

He would need to use Qin Yanyun as an excuse to get closer to Li Qingran later, so he naturally wouldn't want to provoke Qin Yanyun at this time.

However, later on, he might be able to take advantage of Qin Yanyun's current desperate situation to secretly advance his relationship with Li Qingran.

Chu Yu had a brilliant plan in mind.

So after returning to the hotel, he immediately sent a message to Qin Yanyun, hoping to take advantage of her vulnerable state of mind to get the contact information he hadn't managed to get from Li Qingran earlier.

Unexpectedly, his message disappeared without a trace after he sent it; he received no reply and didn't even hear a sound.

Chu Yu had no idea that at this very moment, the man who, in his imagination, should be in his own room questioning or accusing his agent, was actually in a dimly lit bedroom.

Qin Yanyun knelt on one knee at the foot of the bed, tilting his head slightly upward, and pleaded in a trembling voice to the boy in front of him who was looking down at him:

"Xiao Li, I like you."

"I really like you, I really like you..."

"So please, please don't leave me..."

The metallic taste of blood had spread from her mouth to her throat. Qin Yanyun tilted her head back, her dark eyes filled with an undisguised possessiveness as she looked at the boy in front of her...

He doesn't want to care about cooperation or compromise anymore!

As long as the boy nods in agreement.

As long as the boy is willing to be with him.

Then he can disregard everything and give up everything!

Qin Yanyun stared longingly at Li Qingran.

He saw the boy smile at him, his beautiful, rose-like lips slightly parted, as if he was about to give him an answer that would make him happy.

Just a second before Li Qingran spoke, a muffled ringtone suddenly sounded in the dimly lit room.

That was the sound of a cell phone being tucked into the blanket.

The commotion was minor, so Qin Yanyun didn't take the phone call seriously.

They assumed that Zhang Cheng had learned of Qin Zechuan's arrival and was calling to inquire about what had happened to Li Qingran.

As a result, just as he was waiting for Li Qingran to answer the phone, to casually give Zhang Cheng a few perfunctory words, and then to solemnly reply with a happy answer—

In the silent room, Qin Zechuan's voice rang out, along with a sentence.

"By the way, you should know that Qin Yanyun has known for a long time that you are his hater, right?"

Qin Yanyun had just raised his hand, his fingertips about to touch Li Qingran, when he suddenly stopped.

Qin Zechuan's voice continued on the other end of the phone.

"So, Ran, do you want to know what kind of twisted sense of humor he has that would lead him to keep a hater by his side?"

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

Author's Note: Qin Yanyun: Forget about gentleman's agreements, I'll get him first! [Angry]

President Qin: To prevent someone from betraying me, I'll start with a double-cross! [Heart emoji]

At this moment, Chu Yu was still on his way to get Pear's contact information... [evil grin]