Chapter 54 The Cannon Fodder Substitute Lover 2 His collarbone...

According to the character settings, Li Qingran should not know at this time that Xu Luo is Gu Qingyan's new lover.

So upon hearing Gu Qingyan's words, he completely ignored the fleeting panic on Xu Luo's face and simply said gently:

"It's alright. You see, I have guests here too. I'll invite you to try the black tea next time."

As he spoke, he took two steps forward, then turned back and looked at Xu Luo, who was frozen in place, with a puzzled expression.

"Mr. Xu? Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh! Okay, I'm fine, it's just..."

Xu Luo pursed her lips, and suddenly felt no longer in a hurry to leave Li Qingran's house.

"Could I use your restroom? My stomach is really..."

Xu Luo didn't finish his sentence, but Li Qingran understood what he meant. She pointed towards the restroom and smiled at him.

"It's over there, Mr. Xu, if you don't—"

Before Li Qingran could finish speaking, Xu Luo's figure had already disappeared around the corner of the living room.

[He really seemed to be in a hurry. No wonder his expression suddenly changed, and he left without eating the pastries or drinking the tea.] 888 couldn't help but sigh as he watched Xu Luo's hurried departure.

Li Qingran blinked, glanced at the restroom upon hearing this, then looked away and walked towards the door.

He didn't respond to 888's comment, and in his heart, he didn't quite agree with its sentiment.

Is it really because of an upset stomach?

He felt as if the other person's second personality had come online...

The sudden stomach discomfort likely started after hearing Gu Qingyan's voice; she was probably afraid that Gu Qingyan would misunderstand if she went out now.

After all, the previous Xu Luo had impatiently hung up on Gu Qingyan while making tea in the kitchen.

He didn't answer the phone, nor was he in his own house. When Gu Qingyan settled for another stand-in who happened to be next door, he was discovered to be in the same house, sipping tea and eating pastries that Liuxianju had just made, looking relaxed and carefree. It was obvious to anyone with a brain that this would lower the target's favorability.

Therefore, Xu Luo cannot let Gu Qingyan discover that he is with his other substitute lover, at the very least, not when he refuses her calls or is discovered...

It seems that this Mr. Xu is much more career-oriented than the previous one.

Li Qingran lowered her eyelashes, no longer caring about the chaos that Xu Luo and the system were going through while hiding in the bathroom. She simply walked slowly to the door, placed her fingers lightly on the doorknob, and then slowly pressed down.

The latch snapped open with a crisp sound, and the gray-black door opened a crack. As the door was pulled back further, the gap widened.

Gu Qingyan, who had been staring at her phone screen, subconsciously looked up when she heard the door open, and her cool voice rang out.

"What are you doing? Why are you taking so long—"

The lights in the corridor came back on because of the sound, and a gust of wind slipped in through a window that wasn't closed properly, blowing the hair of the two people standing face to face.

The first thing Gu Qingyan noticed was a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes. His eyebrows and eyes were deep, but his gaze was as light as water. Perhaps because he was not used to receiving guests, his lips were pursed nervously. A breeze blew the hair on his forehead, revealing his delicate face and allowing Gu Qingyan to see his overall appearance.

Underneath the black knit sweater was a simple white undershirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, revealing smooth and strong forearms. Especially when pressing the door handle, the veins on the back of the hand would faintly appear as force was applied.

Perhaps it was because Gu Qingyan had been staring at him for too long, or perhaps the man's gaze was simply too aggressive, but after opening the door, the boy first awkwardly touched the stray hairs on his forehead, then bit his lip, his Adam's apple bobbing several times before he finally mustered the courage to speak:

"Mr. Gu..."

He called out the man's name, but then fell silent.

If this happened to an employee in the company, Gu Qingyan would probably have already waved them off and told them to go to the HR department to settle their wages and leave.

But the boy in front of him wasn't his employee, and surprisingly, Gu Qingyan showed a strange amount of patience compared to when he was at the company.

Gu Qingyan straightened his back a little, and his gaze slid down from Li Qingran's face to his neck, where a silver necklace hung loosely on his neck.

Gu Qingyan didn't know if there was a pendant on the silver chain, because the lower half of the necklace was hidden below the boy's collar, perhaps right on his collarbone...

Gu Qingyan's Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he moved his lips, trying to find his voice.

"You... cough cough, what were you doing in the house just now?"

"I was just making tea in the kitchen," Li Qingran answered honestly.

"I had just taken the kettle off the gas stove when you called, so I couldn't come to open the door for you in time. I'm sorry, Mr. Gu."

Li Qingran looked at Gu Qingyan and saw that he had taken off his glasses at some point. His dark eyes scanned Li Qingran's face all the way down to her feet, with a clear look of contemplation and confusion in his eyes.

"Mr. Gu?"

Li Qingran called him again.

This time, Gu Qingyan finally heard his voice.

"Okay, I understand. It's alright, I don't blame you."

You didn't say that when you first opened the door.

Li Qingran smiled and stepped back to make way for Gu Qingyan.

“Yes, Mr. Gu, would you do me the honor of inviting you for a cup of black tea? We happen to have some pastries from Liuxianju at home, which would be perfect to enjoy with tea.”

"……good."

Gu Qingyan paused for a moment and nodded.

He then stepped into the house, changed his shoes, and headed towards the living room.

Li Qingran followed behind him.

The two of them didn't speak a word the whole way, but Gu Qingyan was not idle either, his eyes were constantly looking around the house.

There was only one key in the entryway, two pairs of shoes placed by the door, but they were the same size, and the cup on the bar counter was also the same...

Gu Qingyan walked to the sofa in the living room and looked at the cup of steaming black tea on the coffee table. The doubts hidden deep in his eyes finally subsided a lot.

Indeed, no matter how you look at it, the house shows only signs of being lived in by one person.

Although Gu Qingyan had many substitute lovers, some of whom he had even forgotten, he would not allow these people to have affairs behind his back.

Everyone has signed a contract, so naturally everyone must abide by the various provisions of the contract.

“You…” Gu Qingyan sat down on the sofa, looked up at Li Qingran standing to the side, and for the first time ever, he didn’t know what to say.

This is very wrong.

However, what was wrong wasn't the awkward atmosphere between the two of them, but rather Gu Qingyan's own series of reactions, which were completely unlike how he had acted with his other lovers.

Because he knew very well that his purpose in seeking out these lovers was to reminisce about Jiang Ming and to find Jiang Ming's shadow in them. So each time, he would look at the similarities between the other person and Jiang Ming, ponder, reminisce, and then wave the other person away after the reminiscence was over.

This is how Gu Qingyan keeps a mistress. His friends even mocked him, saying that this wasn't keeping a mistress, but doing charity.

Not to mention the housing provided, there's a monthly salary of tens of thousands of yuan. All you have to do is stay there and act as a human model when the boss needs you.

Moreover, the boss rarely needs to work, and there are many employees with the same job, so the actual working time they need is at most two or three days a month. What else could such a wonderful job be but charity?

Compared to lovers who still have to work two or three days a month, Li Qingran lives a much more comfortable life.

After all, Gu Qingyan only comes to his place once a month.

So much so that after he entered the room, he couldn't recall exactly what the similarities were between the boy and Jiang Ming.

From his current observations, he and Jiang Ming have absolutely nothing in common.

Jiang Ming has a refined and reserved appearance, while Li Qingran has a striking and flamboyant look.

Jiang Ming was slender and frail, while Li Qingran was not only about the same height as him, but also had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, making her look very sensual.

Their personalities are also completely different.

Although Jiang Ming has a delicate appearance, he has a fiery personality, while Li Qingran... according to Gu Qingyan's observations so far, seems to be somewhat shy and not very bold. So far, she has not dared to look him in the eye.

So, in what ways are he and Jiang Ming similar?

Gu Qingyan couldn't remember.

Just as he was recalling why he had taken Li Qingran as his mistress, Li Qingran had already gone to the kitchen and brewed a cup of black tea, placing it in front of him.

"Mr. Gu, which kind of pastry would you like? Let me get it for you."

Li Qingran took a small pair of clips and asked Gu Qingyan while unpacking the pastries.

The latter, however, had no interest in tasting the pastries at that moment.

Gu Qingyan watched as the long, slender, fair hands tugged at the white ribbon on the packaging box. Perhaps because the ribbon was too long, the boy subconsciously hooked it with his finger while pulling on it.

The slender fingers were wrapped with white ribbons, giving them a unique and inexplicable charm.

Gu Qingyan's Adam's apple bobbed.

But that's not right!

This hand technique is completely different from Jiang Ming's!

The fingers on the sofa armrest tightened. As Li Qingran looked up in confusion and asked Gu Qingyan again which pastry he wanted, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed his wrist.

"Clang—"

An exquisite teacup fell from the coffee table, its white porcelain shattering as the red tea inside splattered onto the white carpet, leaving a damp, scalding stain.

But at this moment, neither of the two people in the living room could care about the mess on the carpet.

Gu Qingyan didn't want to.

Li Qingran, however, could not.

As far as the eye could see, a boy in a knitted sweater was being held down on a sofa by the wrist by a man in a black suit.

His legs were between his thighs, their noses almost touching, and Li Qingran could even see herself clearly in Gu Qingyan's eyes.

He pursed his lips, his voice still very soft.

"Mr. Gu, you—"

"What exactly makes you resemble me?"

Before Li Qingran could finish speaking, Gu Qingyan interrupted him.

The man looked extremely anxious. He seemed to be searching for something, or perhaps trying to prove something with something. His gaze was cold and oppressive, and he was tightening his grip on Li Qingran's wrist.

He looked down at Li Qingran, wanting to divide him into a part he cared about, just like he would with any other lover, but for some reason, he just couldn't do it.

So he asked again, "Where exactly are you—"

"clavicle."

The boy tilted his head slightly, looked at him, and said softly, "Collarbone, Mr. Gu."

"The most similar feature between me and your beloved is our collarbones... Would you like to see them?"

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Author's Note: My period cramps are killing me! [crying][crying][crying] I'll definitely update more often tomorrow once I'm fully recovered! [angry][angry][angry]