Chapter 60 Cannon Fodder Substitute Lover 8 Is that his face?!

"Oh? You seem a little reluctant?"

The man in black leaned over and put his arm around Gu Qingyan's shoulder, saying:

"What's wrong? You've been absent-minded all day. You're not feeling nervous about going home, are you? Are you getting anxious about seeing Jiang Ming soon?"

"screw you!"

Gu Qingyan broke free from the man's arm, stood up, and said coldly:

"I'm not nervous at all, I'm just thinking about other things."

"What is it?" the man asked curiously.

Gu Qingyan didn't answer. He just looked down at the bartender across the bar, who gave him an ambiguous smile, and then tilted the bottle in his hand.

Gu Qingyan watched as the pale red liquor slowly flowed into his glass, the ice melting away and its sharp edges becoming smooth and blurred, much like his chaotic thoughts at that moment.

The man next to him seemed to say something again, but Gu Qingyan didn't hear it. He didn't care, and just followed the flow of people out of the private room, left the bar, and finally got into his car, heading towards the airport with the cars in front and behind him.

He should go and see Jiang Ming.

I'll experiment to see if my recent strange thoughts are due to things about guys that resemble Jiang Ming, or simply because of him...

Gu Qingyan thought to himself, then took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and turned to look out the window.

The surrounding scenery kept changing, and the trees quickly disappeared from sight after leaving afterimages, giving people the illusion of traveling through time. In a daze, the scene that Gu Qingyan had been dreaming about frequently recently appeared before his eyes again.

The boy in front of him was tall and had long legs. He was dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants, with black hair and brown eyes. A faint smile appeared on his handsome face as he slowly approached him.

At the same time, her well-defined hand, as if in slow motion, reached towards the collar of her clothes. Her pale pink lips parted slightly, and the next second, Gu Qingyan heard that gentle voice, as always.

"Mr. Gu...would you like to see it?"

"Would you like to pull it down yourself?"

The boy's hand had somehow covered Gu Qingyan's hand, and as their fingers intertwined, Gu Qingyan's hand was led down to the loose collar.

Fingertips touched the soft fabric, and with a gentle caress, the white fabric slid down, revealing the boy's slightly trembling Adam's apple, his slender neck, and his fair shoulders...

Go down a little further...

Let's go down a little further.

Even with just a little effort, you can see the place you've always wanted to see, the place you've always longed to see.

Want to see it?

Want to touch it?

I want to kiss you—

Gu Qingyan clenched his fingers tightly, and his breathing became rapid. It was at this moment that he realized he had a faint taste of blood in his mouth.

He bit his tongue without realizing it.

The tingling tooth, as if treating it as a substitute for something else, mixed with a desire to leave an indelible mark, pierced the soft flesh.

The taste of blood spread from his mouth all the way down to his throat, but he was still not satisfied.

That's how it should be.

After all, what he was biting was just a substitute, so it couldn't provide the satisfaction that the real thing could give him.

He wants it for real.

He wanted to cover that real, desperately wanted place with his lips and his teeth marks...

Gu Qingyan's Adam's apple bobbed.

For a fleeting moment, he seemed to grasp a sliver of thought amidst the chaos that could guide him. But before he could calm himself down, properly consider his deepest, truest feelings, and sort out his confused mind to figure out what he really wanted, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket, completely interrupting his train of thought.

Gu Qingyan took a deep breath, then took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and answered with a look of annoyance:

"What's up?"

"No, are you busy with something? Why do you sound so irritable?"

The person on the other end of the phone sounded suspicious. "Old Gu, you're acting really strange today. Has something happened to you lately?"

"...No." Gu Qingyan said, rubbing his temples with his eyes closed.

"I was just thinking about work. Is there something you need?"

Gu Qingyan didn't really want to tell anyone other than the bartender about her recent troubles and worries.

In this kind of situation, it's enough to have one person offer advice; otherwise, the more people who know about it, the more complicated things will become.

Fortunately, his workaholic image was quite well-established, so when he used work as an excuse, the person on the other end of the phone didn't suspect anything and simply went along with it:

"It's nothing, it's just that we tried calling Jiang Ming earlier but he didn't answer, so we thought we'd have you call him."

Gu Qingyan smirked, "He doesn't answer your calls, do you expect him to answer mine?"

"Didn't you two have a special relationship before?" The man chuckled twice, then, before Gu Qingyan could hang up the phone with a dark expression, he desperately tried to survive:

"Alright, alright, enough joking around. The main thing is that we've already tried it all, and Jiang Ming hasn't changed his phone number all these years, so we thought we'd have you call him too. Testing his feelings for you is secondary; the main thing is that we're worried that the Chu family kid might play dirty tricks. You should remember what he did to Jiang Ming before, right?"

"..."

Gu Qingyan didn't say anything. After hanging up the phone, he pondered for a moment and then dialed the number he hadn't touched in years.

"beep……"

"beep……"

As Gu Qingyan listened to the deathly tone coming from the receiver, she felt anxious and suddenly realized that she no longer felt the same anticipation and excitement she used to have for this phone call.

At this moment, all he wanted was for Jiang Ming to answer the phone quickly and report his location so that he could reassure these troublemakers.

As for any other complicated, hesitant, uncertain, or nervous feelings, Gu Qingyan was completely unaware of them.

It seems he really has no feelings for Jiang Ming anymore...

Just a month ago, he would occasionally stare blankly at the gifts Jiang Ming had given him.

Everything seemed to have changed from the day he met Li Qingran.

So, could it be that he really—

"Hello?"

Gu Qingyan's breath hitched for a moment, and after a slow reaction, the call connected.

Perhaps because he hadn't said anything, the person on the other end was getting impatient, so they spoke up again, saying "Hello."

"Gu Qingyan, is that you?"

"...It's me."

Gu Qingyan pursed his lips, and then, in response to Jiang Ming's question, said in a deep voice:

"Qin Mo and the others couldn't get through to you on the phone. They wanted to ask if something happened on your end, or if Chu Sui was looking for you?"

"No, no, I just put my phone in my pocket and haven't taken it out since. It was on silent, so I didn't answer their call."

Jiang Ming paused, then continued:

"I'm fine here, I might be a little late. Could you tell them for me that I'll definitely punish myself by drinking three cups to make amends?"

Whether or not he apologized was of no concern to Gu Qingyan.

He only cared about one thing right now: "Are you still at the airport?"

"Yes, what's wrong?" Jiang Ming asked, puzzled, while a bad feeling suddenly crept into his heart.

Sure enough, the next second, Gu Qingyan brought him particularly bad news that was especially bad for him at that moment.

"Qin Mo and the others couldn't stay still in the private room, so they decided to pick you up from the airport. They're on their way now."

"..."

"Hello?"

"..."

"Hello? Are you still there?"

"...Yes." Jiang Ming remained silent for a long while before speaking weakly:

"Didn't I tell you not to come? I can go by myself later. I have something urgent to attend to."

"Then why don't you call Qin Mo back and tell him?"

Gu Qingyan didn't really want to go to the airport either. It was too far, and it would take another hour to get there after walking for so long. By then, Jiang Ming might have already arrived at the party venue.

"Okay, then I'll do it now—"

"Mr. Jiang, is this room alright with you?"

Before Jiang Ming could finish speaking, Gu Qingyan was on the phone, looking out the window idly when she suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from the receiver.

That's... Li Qingran?!

Gu Qingyan's breath hitched, and at the same time, her body, which had been lounging in the seat, instinctively straightened and tensed up.

He wondered if he had been dreaming about that voice too much lately, which was why he was hallucinating while calling Jiang Ming. However, the next second, that familiar voice came again.

"No need, Mr. Jiang. It's just a little bit. I'll wash it off when I get home."

Jiang Ming seemed dissatisfied with the boy's answer and persisted in trying to persuade him:

"A little bit is already done, look, it's all dry, you can't wipe it clean. Besides, it was my mistake to begin with, so it's only right that I compensate you with a new piece of clothing. Please don't refuse."

"But……"

"There's no 'buts' about it. Just pick one, otherwise I'll keep agonizing over it and feeling guilty."

"..."

The boy seemed to have run out of options with Jiang Ming's persistence, and finally sighed and gave in:

"Okay, I'll go take a look."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming immediately pressed his advantage, "Since we're already here, let's pick out an inner layer as well."

"But there's no residue inside."

"What if it brushed against a spot you couldn't easily see when you were moving around? Okay, okay, go pick one out, consider it a gift from me..."

Jiang Ming's tone was tinged with amusement, accompanied by the sound of staggering footsteps. Gu Qingyan guessed that this was the sound of the boy being pushed along by Jiang Ming in desperation.

Afterwards, the two seemed to say something about helping each other choose something, but Gu Qingyan didn't hear it clearly. Mainly, his mind was full of Jiang Ming and Li Qingran's conversation about what was on their clothes.

What exactly got on your clothes that you need to change them? It even came to the point where you have to change your inner layer?!

Gu Qingyan didn't want to think in a dirty mind, but the reality seemed to prevent him from not thinking in a dirty mind.

So... Jiang Ming didn't let Qin Mo and the others pick him up at the airport because there were already people waiting for him there?

Moreover, is this person Li Qingran, whom he knows and with whom he still has a sugar daddy/sugar baby agreement?!

For a moment, Gu Qingyan even had the illusion that he hadn't woken up from the dream.

Otherwise, how would he have known that Jiang Ming and Li Qingran were together?

How did they meet? What exactly happened at the airport? What was on them? What kind of contact occurred when they were choosing innerwear...?

A jumble of questions flooded into Gu Qingyan's mind, blurring his vision and leaving his head in utter chaos.

"You... Jiang Ming... Jiang Ming!"

When he called out that name, his voice seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pieces of gold, sounding heavy and oppressive, like an honest husband who had just discovered his partner's infidelity, so shocked that his tongue wouldn't obey him at that moment.

Jiang Ming seemed to only then realize that the call hadn't ended, and he let out a puzzled "Huh?" before putting the phone back to his ear and saying:

"You're still up? Is there anything else?"

"you……"

Gu Qingyan moved her lips, wanting to ask Jiang Ming what was going on, why he was with Li Qingran as soon as he returned to the country, and how the two of them met.

But just as the question was about to slip out, he suddenly stopped, his mind racing. Only after Jiang Ming raised another impatient question did Gu Qingyan finally reply in a hoarse voice:

"Don't call Qin Mo and the others, we're almost there."

"We're almost there, but didn't you just say—"

"I misread it just now." Gu Qingyan said coldly, "You wait at the airport, we'll be there soon. Oh, I just heard you talking to someone else, are they your friends? Bring them over to meet them too."

"Okay, that's all for now. I have a work call coming up, so I'll hang up now."

Before Jiang Ming could say anything in objection, Gu Qingyan hung up the phone.

He should go and take a look.

What if it's just the voice that's similar?

Yes!

There are so many people in the world who look alike, so there must be quite a few who have similar voices.

It's definitely just a similar voice!

After all, Jiang Ming has been abroad for so many years and has no contact with China. How could he have had any contact with Li Qingran, who had never been to Kyoto before going to university?

He doesn't need to care so much, nor does he need to be so nervous!

Gu Qingyan kept telling himself to relax, but in the end, he couldn't loosen his grip on the phone even a fraction of a second...

Was it just his imagination?

Why does it feel like the wind outside has suddenly become much colder?

Looking at the at least ten items Jiang Ming had picked out for him, Li Qingran pursed her lips in exasperation.

"Mr. Jiang, actually one coat is enough, there's really nothing underneath—"

"It's okay, just try them out. I just feel that these all suit you quite well. I also picked out some accessories that would suit you. If you match them together, they will definitely look great."

"..."

Li Qingran had reason to suspect that Jiang Ming was now trying to manipulate him like a Barbie doll.

Although the other party's actions would not harm him at all, and would even give him a bunch of valuable clothes after the makeover was over, Li Qingran did not cooperate with the other party's intention to treat him like a doll.

Although he hadn't been paying attention to Jiang Ming's voice on the phone, Jiang Ming had accidentally turned on speakerphone during their scuffle, which allowed him to hear the other end of the line.

That was Gu Qingyan's voice.

Although Jiang Ming quickly switched to receiver mode, Li Qingran could roughly deduce from his one-sided words that Gu Qingyan wanted to come to the airport to pick up Jiang Ming.

If the main character is going to meet his white moonlight, then he, the cannon fodder substitute, definitely has to avoid it.

Unaware of what the main system was planning, Li Qingran didn't want the main system and the world rules to discover his indifference towards the mission.

However, when he wanted to leave, the young man in front of him didn't want him to go.

"Don't go! How about trying one on?"

“This matches the coat you chose perfectly, and I also added a necklace.”

Jiang Ming raised his hand to show Li Qingran the necklace on his wrist.

Unlike the simple and plain silver chain around Li Qingran's neck, the one in Jiang Ming's hand looked more elaborate. The deliberately aged chain was adorned with a small black skull, and two red gemstones were inlaid in what should have been empty eyes. When Jiang Ming lifted it up and brought it close to Li Qingran's eyes, it reflected the light from above and refracted a faint glow.

Li Qingran blinked.

Jiang Ming pressed on, "Give it a try?"

Jiang Ming had planned it very well.

After Li Qingran changed into the outfit he had chosen, he hid the necklace she had taken off, so that he would have a reason that would be hard for her to refuse if he wanted to ask her out again...

Thinking about this, Jiang Ming himself felt it was somewhat absurd and unbelievable.

There will come a time when he will rack his brains and be so persistent in trying to get close to a boy that it can be described as harassment.

Jiang Ming looked up at Li Qingran.

The latter was looking at the necklace he had just handed him, his black hair falling beside his ears and trembling gently with his breath. With each movement, the silver chain around his neck slid across his fair skin like a snake, sometimes showing and sometimes hiding between his white collar, making one want to reach out and pull open the collar to see where the silver snake had finally coiled up.

Jiang Ming blinked, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"or……"

He couldn't help but ask, "Shall I help you change and see? Just the necklace, no need to change the inner layer..."

As Jiang Ming spoke, his hand rose, almost touching the boy's collar, which was about to slip down, but just then—

"Li Qingran!"

A sharp shout suddenly came from behind him, and the person being shouted at was none other than the boy in front of him.

Jiang Ming's fingers paused, and he subconsciously wanted to turn around to look at the person behind him who was calling for Li Qingran.

However, before he could even react, the person behind him had already rushed between him and Li Qingran.

The next second, Jiang Ming saw the other person naturally grab Li Qingran's wrist, their tone half accusatory and half aggrieved:

"Didn't I tell you to wait for me where you were? Why did you come here? Do you know how long I've been looking for you..."

Jiang Ming's body stiffened, and his gaze followed Li Qingran's wrist, which was being held, upwards until he clearly saw the person who had suddenly intruded between him and Li Qingran.

Then, his gaze became even more fixed.

Because he realized that the other person had a face that he was very familiar with.

A face he sees every morning when he wakes up, a face he needs to touch every now and then.

That's...his face?!

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Author's Note: At this moment, President Gu is still driving on his way. [heart emoji]