Chapter 52 The Cannon Fodder Assistant (End) He would stay with him until he died…

[Host, are you really not going to choose any of these main characters?]

At the airport, in the last row near the corner of the waiting area, 888 looked at Li Qingran, who was looking down at a guide to the snow country, and asked curiously.

Li Qingran paused, her long, slender fingers hovering over the screen. She raised her hand and adjusted her sunglasses, her tone calm, as if asking a question, or simply stating a fact.

"Do I need to choose? Aren't I just cannon fodder?"

That's true.

But was its host just ordinary cannon fodder?!

Cannon fodder, torn between and fought over by the world's three most important figures, have no right to choose!

Compared to the host who seemed to feel inferior because of his cannon fodder role, 888's sense of worthiness was still very high.

Moreover, [in the previous mission world, didn't the host also ultimately choose one?]

888 still remembers that the character Li Qingran ultimately chose to be with was a villain.

So much so that in the previous three-choice scenario, it thought Li Qingran would choose to go with the villain Qin Zechuan.

"That's different, isn't it?" Li Qingran smiled upon hearing this.

888 is curious, "What's different?"

First of all, the people are different.

Li Qingran closed her phone, tilted her head back to relieve the soreness in her neck, and recalled the plot of the previous world.

At that time, he probably didn't really choose Jiang Siran.

The main problem is that none of the main characters are mentally sound. Rather than living in an environment where the whole world is constantly disturbed by the four of them, it's better to be with one of them and pass the harassment on to that person.

That's why Li Qingran proposed the final game.

Jiang Siran was the winner of the game again.

Then naturally he would want to be with her.

Time is long; finding someone to accompany you for the rest of your life will make the days less boring.

However, this choice isn't entirely without its downsides...

Li Qingran turned her head to look at the airfield outside. A plane had just landed and was taxiing on the runway at a slower speed, which was the opposite of those carefree lives.

In the end, time always seems to fly by faster than ever.

"If I could do it all over again, I would definitely find you sooner, much sooner."

"Qingran, do you think there's another chance to meet again after someone dies?"

Do people really have an afterlife?

"If I do, will I still come to see you? And if I'm still number one then, will you still stay with me?"

"...And what if you're not?"

"Then, then I'll beg you to compete one more time—"

See, this is the downside of spending too much time with the same person.

I can't help but reminisce and compare.

Time may take people away, but it cannot take away the memories in our minds.

[Host, have you fallen for that villain from before?]

The sound of "888" rang in Li Qingran's ears.

Li Qingran blinked.

Do you like it?

have no idea.

But he had to admit that Jiang Siran's final companionship had indeed left an indelible impression on his mind.

These impressions are indeed wonderful, but they are also mentally taxing, and sometimes even physically demanding.

After all, memories can always surface unexpectedly, delivering a heavy blow.

This is also why he didn't want to choose any of the three options in the previous storyline.

The human brain is not like game data; you can just delete some when the memory is full.

Memories can't be erased; they'll only accumulate and accumulate...

Li Qingran didn't want to add any more burden to her mind.

So he chose one person.

only……

Inside the airplane cabin, in the aisle where people were slowly moving forward, Li Qingran looked up and counted the seat numbers below the overhead bins, calculating how much longer it would take her to reach her seat.

Just then, someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

Li Qingran subconsciously turned around and saw a smiling face.

"..."

"What does that expression mean? Are you unhappy to see me?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.

Li Qingran: "...No, I'm just a little surprised."

At this moment, Li Qingran had already reached his row of seats. He chose a window seat, and as expected, after sitting down, he saw the man sitting next to him with a normal expression.

Then, continuing the previous topic, he asked, "What's so surprising?"

Li Qingran pressed her temples, which were feeling a bit swollen.

"I'm surprised that Mr. Qin, a big boss, would be flying economy class like me."

Qin Zechuan smiled upon hearing this, "What's so surprising about that? After all, you and I are both human, and we both need to bow our heads when facing some small difficulties in life."

Li Qingran glanced at him sideways, "Difficulties?"

What's the meaning?

Has the Qin family gone bankrupt?

"It's not a financial difficulty."

Qin Zechuan understood Li Qingran's expression and patiently explained, "There are many kinds of difficulties: work, finances, family, and... relationships."

The man said in a low voice, "For the sake of love, even if you're worth hundreds of billions, you should still fly economy class."

Li Qingran chuckled softly upon hearing this, "Flying in economy class for the sake of feelings... Is President Qin trying to move me with a self-inflicted injury?"

"If so, did I succeed?"

"No." Li Qingran leaned against the window, tilting her head slightly to look at Qin Zechuan. Her dark pupils, reflecting the sunlight, shone with a cunning, soft light.

"If President Qin really wants to play the emotional card with me, then why not just upgrade me to a cabin class? It's better to be comfortable than to feel wronged, isn't it?"

When Li Qingran said this, it was as if the words "I want money" were written all over her face.

But Qin Zechuan wasn't angry at all; instead, the smile in his eyes deepened.

"That would be great. Actually, that was my initial plan too, but I was afraid you would accuse me of trying to win you over with money and that it wasn't sincere enough."

"That's all the typical trope of idol drama protagonists."

He wasn't the main character; he was just cannon fodder.

so……

Li Qingran looked at Qin Zechuan, who immediately apologized:

"It's my fault, I've been too influenced by idol dramas. Now, I wonder if Mr. Li could give me a chance to make amends?"

"What if I don't want to?"

“Well…” Qin Zechuan pretended to ponder for a moment, but in reality, only about three seconds had passed between Li Qingran’s question and his answer.

"Then I'll find a way to make it up to you, like with the hotel room, the experience of various tourist activities, and your life afterward..."

He wasn't afraid of Li Qingran; he only liked his money.

On the contrary, he was glad that Li Qingran liked money.

Because this is the thing he has the most of and can give the other party the most of.

"So... Ran, is it okay? Let me make it up to you like this, and I'll make it up to you like this from now on..."

Qin Zechuan leaned slightly towards Li Qingran.

The sunlight from the window fell on his brow, softening the aloofness and coldness that had lingered there, and even making his dark eyes appear gentle and affectionate.

Li Qingran blinked, and under Qin Zechuan's gaze, instead of directly answering his question, she asked in return:

"If I don't agree, will you keep bothering me?"

"meeting."

Regarding this issue, Qin Zechuan didn't mince words and readily admitted it:

"I'm a rather stubborn person. Once I've decided on a person or thing, I'll stick with it and never let go."

"So..." Qin Zechuan joked with Li Qingran, "To avoid being bothered by me throughout the entire flight, I wonder if you could give me the chance to upgrade your cabin?"

Li Qingran laughed too, "Upgrade to cabin class?"

"That kind of person will always push their luck."

Now that they've agreed to the upgrade, they'll likely agree to upgrade the hotel room category as well, and then...

“But I don’t like you,” Li Qingran suddenly said.

Qin Zechuan's expression didn't change at all upon hearing this. Back when Li Qingran chose to resign and leave in the storeroom in front of the three of them, Qin Zechuan had already realized that the boy didn't like any of them.

For Qin Zechuan, this wasn't actually a bad thing.

Compared to his assistant and fans, he, as the boss who had only met Li Qingran twice, was indeed not very competitive.

But if Li Qingran doesn't like anyone, then he has nothing to worry about.

When everyone is on the same starting line, things become much easier to solve.

After all, besides money, he had one more advantage than his two competitors who were already tied up with work: free time.

You can work anytime, anywhere, but you don't often have the chance to chase after your husband all over the world.

As for Li Qingran saying she doesn't like him...

It's okay, we'll take it one step at a time.

Qin Zechuan wasn't in a hurry.

After all, there's still a long time to go, and more than Li Qingran falling for him, he wants to stay by the boy's side forever.

No matter when.

No matter where.

Until death comes...

"So, his second mission world also collapsed?"

"It's not that it collapsed, it's just that the world lines and everything were completely messed up. According to those seniors who were lucky enough to see the final ending, the fact that the main characters didn't end up together, let alone become enemies, is the result of the world's rules being repaired after they used all their strength."

Inside the staff canteen of the Time and Space Administration, the villain Jia and the male supporting character Yi got together again and started gossiping.

And this time, their gossip target was naturally Li Qingran.

The villain, Jia, simply couldn't understand, "How on earth did he manage to derail so many plot points without getting a warning from the rules?"

For someone like him, even uttering a single wrong line would result in an extra red card on the task panel.

Normally, when doing tasks, you must strictly follow the character setting. If you deviate even slightly from the character setting, you will be thrown into the punishment world.

Therefore, let alone ruining the relationships between the main characters, he can't even sow discord among his own underlings.

This kind of cautious life, where one could be thrown into the punishment world at any time, is truly devastating. So, the villain Jia really wants to know how this mysterious cannon fodder mission taker managed to escape the dual surveillance of the system and the rules and break the original plot.

"Does nobody really know who he is?" the villain Jia asked.

He really wanted to learn from this expert!

Yes.

After disrupting the storylines of two worlds, Li Qingran has become the respected figure in the hearts of most mission takers at the Time and Space Administration.

Even this big shot was just a newcomer compared to the amount of work they did.

But who can blame them for having the ability to deviate from the plot?

Therefore, besides the villain Jia, many mission takers within the Administration Bureau also want to know Li Qingran's identity.

Unfortunately, back in the first world, the main system, sensing something was wrong, sealed away all the data related to him.

No one could find out who this person was who had disrupted the storylines of two worlds, except for the main system and the high-ranking officials of the Administration Bureau who had access to all data.

"You mean, in both worlds, the protagonist first acts abnormally, making choices and behaviors completely different from the original plot, which leads to more and more plot holes and the world lines becoming increasingly chaotic?"

Based on my observations of the second world, this is the case.

"So what do you mean now? To stop all activities of this person on the mission and monitor and observe him? Or do you have other plans?"

Inside the silver-white room filled with technological equipment, sounds continuously emanated from one of the communication devices.

In front of this device, a small blue sphere of light floated up and down, answering the question posed by the voice.

I want to observe another world.

"Oh?" The person on the other end seemed intrigued.

"What's the reason?"

I want to see if Li Qingran truly possesses that magical power to attract all the main characters.

The main system replied: "If that's the case, then I think we can restart the previous department."

"You mean... the one who turned the tables on the heartthrob?"

【yes. 】

[The reason this department was shut down before was that task participants needed to expend a lot of energy and resources to gain everyone's favor during the task process, and sometimes they would fail. The effort put into the task was not proportional to the reward after the task was completed. Some top-tier players couldn't even make up for the shortage of resources used. More and more task participants transferred to the department, until there was no one left, which was the only reason for its closure.]

But if there were someone who could summon the main characters to their doorstep with just a flick of their finger without expending much effort or using any props, then the main system would think it would be worthwhile to restart this department.

After all, although this department gives fewer points to the mission takers, it contributes a lot of energy to the Time and Space Administration!

The main system does not want to abandon this department.

Meanwhile, the person on the other end of the communication device recalled the energy points that could be gained from a comeback to become a heartthrob, exceeding those of the other three task interfaces, and was also very tempted.

"Then let's do as you say. Let's observe another world. If that's really the case, then let's restart the 'Most Popular' department."

【good! 】

In the empty room, the person and the uniform hit it off immediately.

Meanwhile, Li Qingran, who had already been transported to the new mission world, was unaware that after experiencing a series of emotional or behavioral changes such as confusion, shock, annoyance, helplessness, and struggle, the main system had actually begun to have different expectations of her.

He was in a luxurious living room, looking around quietly while listening to 888's introduction to the world.

This world is actually a very traditional novel about a domineering CEO chasing after his wife in a heart-wrenching way.

The protagonist initially falls for his childhood sweetheart, but their relationship breaks down due to family conflicts and the fact that both are young and ambitious, unwilling to back down to each other.

Later, due to a series of actions by the protagonist's father, the childhood friend's family went bankrupt, and the two of them broke up completely. The childhood friend was sent abroad by his family, and before leaving, he told the protagonist that he would never see him again.

The protagonist, Gong, is too ashamed to face his childhood friend because of what his father did to his family.

But he still loved his childhood sweetheart, and this love, instead of fading with time, only grew stronger.

The protagonist, who is in a dilemma, doesn't dare to go to his childhood sweetheart. So, in his confusion, he learns a game that has recently become popular in the domineering CEO circle - finding a substitute lover.

They also upgraded the game.

Other domineering CEOs usually only find one person who is most similar, but the way the protagonist finds a substitute is more like collecting stamps.

He found several stand-ins; some had similar eyes and childhood friends, others had similar mouths, but the protagonist was the one who, from any angle, most resembled his childhood friend.

Hearing this, Li Qingran roughly guessed her identity.

"Am I just one of so many stand-ins?"

[Yes, host!]

888 gave Li Qingran a thumbs up for her quick wit and explained:

[However, the part that you resemble is the most unique.]

Li Qingran asked curiously, "Where?"

Collarbone.

"..."

"???"

"Where?" Li Qingran asked again in disbelief.

888 patiently answered again, "[Replying to the host, it's the collarbone. The part of you that most resembles your childhood sweetheart is your collarbone.]"

no.

Who in their right mind would look at the collarbone when looking for a body double?

Is this really reasonable?

Li Qingran was completely confused.

888 doesn't think there's anything wrong with what the protagonist did.

[Since he's essentially collecting body doubles, it's quite normal for him to want to find someone similar to him in various places.]

Li Qingran remained silent.

888 continued: [This is also why the cannon fodder characters were consistently ignored by the protagonist in the original storyline.]

After all, the other stand-ins are all in places that the protagonist can see at a glance, such as the eyes, nose, mouth, hands, and body shape. But the cannon fodder stand-in, if it is dressed a little thicker, is a completely unfamiliar person to the protagonist, someone who has nothing to do with his childhood friend.

[So, host, this is great news for us!]

Li Qingran raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, "What do you mean?"

[This time, we don't even need to see the main character (the seme). We can just eat, drink, go shopping, play games every day, and then, after the seme falls in love with the uke, we can just disband the army of substitutes and leave the world.]

At this point, 888 proudly turned to Li Qingran and boasted:

[How was it, host? This mission was much easier than the previous two, wasn't it?]

Li Qingran certainly agreed with this point, but—

"Are you sure I won't need to see the main character during the entire mission?"

【I'm sure!】888's tone was very confident.

Although in previous worlds, every one of its flags had failed, and every promise had been refuted by the protagonist's various actions, 888 still had great confidence in its flag this time.

After all, what he said this time was from the original storyline—

Gu Qingyan found so many stand-ins, but in reality, the one he cared about the most and saw the most was Xu Luo.

After all, he's the only one who most resembles Jiang Ming.

The others were either tools he used to pass the time in his spare time, or dolls that were completely put away in the cabinet after his collecting obsession was satisfied, quietly waiting to gather dust, never to be thought of or missed...

Li Qingran plays one of the dusty dolls.

These people would never even see Gu Qingyan. They might bump into each other on the street, and Gu Qingyan might not even recognize them as his lovers.

This time, 888 isn't confident in his own words, but in the plot!

After all, they never even meet, so why would the main character ruin the plot for someone he's never even met?

However, whether it was because 888 had some kind of guaranteed premise that would definitely be proven wrong, or for some other reason, before 888 could confidently show Li Qingran the wonderful and smooth working future in their world...

"Ding-dong—"

A crisp doorbell rang out from the entrance hall.

Immediately afterwards, there were three more knocks on the door, each about two seconds apart.

"Thump."

"Thump."

"Thump."

Li Qingran smiled.

In his mind, 888 was also dumbfounded.

This special way of knocking on doors has appeared in the original storyline before, and even more than once.

One doorbell ring, three knocks.

It was like secret agents meeting.

This is the way Gu Qingyan knocks on the door specifically when he's looking for Xu Luo.

Only Xu Luo has it.

This is a special code that belongs only to the two of them.

However, at this very moment, this peculiar knocking method appeared at Li Qingran's door...

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

Author's note: 888: I kept making promises, and kept getting proven wrong [crying emoji][crying emoji]