Chapter 62 Cannon Fodder Substitute Lover 10 Struggle

The thunder and rain collided, creating a melody of restlessness.

After Xu Luo finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of raindrops hitting the window and occasional rumbling noises entering the room.

Li Qingran looked up at Xu Luo. The surrounding lights were dim, and he couldn't see the other's expression clearly, but he could keenly feel that the other was also staring at him. That gaze was like a viscous liquid, firmly clinging to him.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Li Qingran asked softly, a bad feeling suddenly creeping into her heart for some reason.

"I feel a little uncomfortable in my chest."

As Xu Luo answered, he swayed as he got up and walked toward Li Qingran.

Several bolts of lightning struck the window in succession, and the sudden brightness made Xu Luo squint involuntarily. At the same time, he was able to see the confused expression on Li Qingran's face. He tilted his head slightly, his beautiful eyebrows furrowed gently, as if he did not quite understand why he had suddenly fallen ill.

But this didn't happen suddenly.

Xu Luo thought.

He had been sick for a long time.

From the day he met Li Qingran, from the moment he drank that cup of black tea that had been sitting for a long time but was still warm, from the moment the boy smiled and said, "I allow you to use wanting me to go as a reason," he had already fallen ill.

He is still very ill.

The only antidote is Li Qingran, who is standing right in front of you.

Xu Luo continued to move closer to Li Qingran. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but at this moment, Xu Luo actually smelled a faint herbal scent on Li Qingran.

It's a little bitter, and a little astringent.

Xu Luo's Adam's apple bobbed up and down a few times.

That's strange.

He used to hate taking medicine the most. Whether it was after a mission or before, he always relied on his strong will to get through every time he got sick, preferring to have a fever of 40 degrees Celsius rather than take a sip of medicine.

But now, smelling the herbal scent on Li Qingran, he suddenly had an urge to take medicine.

He had never been so eager to cure his illness!

So, is that okay?

So please!

"Please help me..."

About a meter away from Li Qingran, Xu Luo, whether unintentionally or intentionally, suddenly buckled at the knees. The next second, before Li Qingran could react, the boy had already turned sideways and knelt down at his feet.

"I'm sorry, I really don't have any strength right now," Xu Luo said sullenly.

After he finished speaking, as if to prove that he was really sick, or simply to evoke Li Qingran's sympathy, Xu Luo coughed weakly several times.

Her dry lips became moist from licking them with her tongue, and an unnatural flush rose on her pale cheeks from the continuous coughing. Xu Luo bit her lip, then looked up at Li Qingran and reached out her hand, her voice hoarse as she said:

"Ranran, can you help me up?"

Li Qingran did not move.

It's not because he lacks compassion.

The main problem is that he can't tell whether Xu Luo is being genuine or acting.

Which Xu Luo, the one he knows, is controlling his body?

[Host, the protagonist seems to be feeling unwell. How about we get involved in the plot a little, take him to his bedroom, and subtly ask him what happened to his failed mission?]

888 just wanted to know why Xu Luo's mission failed.

After all, the other party is the protagonist (bottom). If his mission failed, then there must be some trouble on the protagonist's side. 888 wants to know if these troubles are related to its host.

As the difficulty of the mission world increased, 888, which could no longer monitor the various activities of the characters in the story, had no idea what Gu Qingyan had been doing during the days when Li Qingran was slacking off, although it could vaguely sense that the reason for Xu Luo's mission failure might be related to Li Qingran.

However, this is just one side of the story, and it would be more prudent to understand the whole story clearly.

Although Li Qingran wasn't interested in this matter, he was very interested in Xu Luo's mission and wanted to know what kind of missions the transmigrators who became the main characters received.

Xu Luo seems a bit out of it right now, so it should be easy to get information out of him.

Thinking this, Li Qingran finally moved her hands, which had been clasped together on her lap, a couple of times.

He reached out to help Xu Luo up, but when he looked up, he met a pair of eyes as dark as ink. Those eyes were fixed on him, with a subtle, subtle aggression and...possessiveness.

The look in his eyes was so obvious and so familiar that it instantly reminded Li Qingran of Su Jingyi, who had always tried to hide him in the first world.

He hesitated again as he raised his fingertips.

A new question pops up every now and then as my mind races.

Is Xu Luo really sick?

Did he really just want me to take him back to his bedroom to rest?

If that's really the case, then why does he have this inexplicable sense of crisis?

Just like when I faced Su Jingyi...

"You don't want to? Fine then, I'll go by myself. It's really too much trouble for you..."

Xu Luo smiled weakly at Li Qingran. After a long period of no response, her raised hand fell down in disappointment, and just as it was about to touch the carpet, it fell into a warm palm.

"Is it really that painful?"

Li Qingran enveloped Xu Luo's hand in her palm, then leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Xu Luo's before Xu Luo could react.

Xu Luo's eyes widened suddenly. In the dim light, her dark pupils clearly reflected the suddenly enlarged features of the boy in front of her.

He didn't actually have a fever, and since the main characters all share the common trait of having poor health, their body temperature wasn't high. So when Li Qingran came close to him, he felt the intense heat emanating from her body almost instantly.

It wasn't tall, but it was enough to melt his heart.

For a fleeting moment, Xu Luo had the illusion that he had a fever. The increasingly strong herbal scent surrounded him, enticing him to stick out his tongue to capture it, to taste it, and to swallow the medicine for the first time ever, so that he could get better completely.

Xu Luo's Adam's apple bobbed twice, his thin lips parted slightly, and just as his tongue was about to dart out of his mouth in search of prey, he suddenly heard the boy in front of him sigh softly.

"Your forehead does feel a bit hot."

Li Qingran straightened up, and under Xu Luo's dazed gaze, she gently pursed her lips, her face showing a mixture of worry and inner conflict.

"Do you have any medicine at home? Why don't I take you directly to the hospital and let the doctor examine you before you take any medicine? Wouldn't that be better?"

"ah?"

Still caught up in the sensation of the touch, Xu Luo was somewhat taken aback by Li Qingran's words and instinctively replied:

"No, no need... I just want to—"

"How can I not use it?" Li Qingran's expression showed an even more obvious hint of unease.

"You look really weak, and it doesn't seem like just a simple fever, so I'd better take you to the hospital for a check-up."

"..."

How did the incident shift from the bedroom to the hospital?!

Xu Luo forced herself to calm down, and under Li Qingran's concerned gaze, she gently bit her lip before refusing again:

"Really, it's not necessary. I just want to go back to my bedroom and rest."

He paused, then repeated himself.

"I just need to rest for a while."

"But when you're sick, you need to get treatment."

Li Qingran looked down at Xu Luo as if she were looking at a sick child who didn't want to take his medicine; her eyes revealed deep worry amidst her helplessness.

"The nearest hospital is only a ten-minute walk from here, it'll be quick."

Xu Luo moved his lips as if to say something, but before he could utter a sound, Li Qingran spoke again:

"Or is it that your illness isn't physical, but rather psychological?"

"Lolo, has something happened to you lately? Do you want to tell me? Seeing you like this, I'm really worried..."

Lolo...

I'm really worried about you right now...

Xu Luo's mind went blank for several seconds after Li Qingran's words. "What did you say?"

"I was wondering if you've been having any tough problems lately, and if you'd like to tell me about them?"

Li Qingran said softly, "Didn't you say before that a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative? So now, we should be able to trust and care for each other, right?"

"So, what are you thinking right now? Can you tell me?"

What's bothering you?

What are you planning now?

Li Qingran lowered her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes concealing the fleeting darkness in them.

Xu Luo, still lost in his own thoughts, did not notice.

He was still pondering what Li Qingran had just said.

A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. They have a relationship that they can trust each other. Has their relationship become that close?

The boy has started to trust her. After that, can she also fall in love with him, and then willingly build a closer connection with him, and finally leave this cold and rigid world together...?

Xu Luo's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and his breathing became rapid.

"you……"

He instinctively gripped Li Qingran's hand and said urgently:

"You trust me, right? Doesn't that mean you also have a little bit of affection—"

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

Before Xu Luo could ask the most important question in his heart, a cell phone suddenly vibrated in the small space that could only accommodate two people.

Xu Luo's fingers twitched involuntarily. He wanted to tell Li Qingran not to answer, but the boy took out his phone as soon as it started vibrating.

Li Qingran didn't deliberately block the screen, so Xu Luo also saw the caller's name.

Gu Qingyan.

Why is he calling at this time? Is he trying to break up with Li Qingran?

This morning, Xu Luo received a breakup call from Gu Qingyan and news of the mission's failure. When she saw Li Qingran's name displayed on her phone, her first reaction was confusion, followed by surprise.

Because if Gu Qingyan's purpose in calling was exactly what he was thinking, then at least for the next week, he and Li Qingran would not be disturbed by irrelevant people.

He will also be able to better implement his plans.

As for Jiang Ming, whom Xu Luo had met at the airport earlier and who seemed quite interested in Li Qingran, he had long been forgotten by Xu Luo.

In Xu Luo's guess, the only reason Gu Qingyan broke up with him could be that the other party had rekindled their old relationship with Jiang Ming. Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically chosen the day after Jiang Ming returned to the country to deal with them, the substitutes.

Gu Qingyan must have done this because he wanted to win Jiang Ming back. After all, in the original work, the destructive power of the "white moonlight" could be said to permeate the entire story.

Therefore, by getting together with the villain, the protagonist was able to eliminate two potential problems, leaving him alone to focus on winning over Li Qingran.

However, just as Xu Luo was feeling happy and expectant about Gu Qingyan's rare call, another voice suddenly appeared in his ear.

A voice he knew all too well.

"You're all alone. Have you forgotten that there's another person inside you, and that person is the one who first came into contact with Li Qingran and fell in love with him!"

That was his own voice!

Xu Luo's figure suddenly stiffened for a moment.

Why did you come out?

"Why can't I come out?!"

Number One was so angry at Xu Luo's words that he almost laughed.

"What? The foundation is being dug up, and I can't even show up briefly?!"

Xu Luo: "...You know that's not what I meant."

"So what do you mean? Are you just annoyed that I left before you successfully poached my partner?"

Xu Luo: "Can you please not speak so rudely!"

"Then don't do anything embarrassing!"

Number One retorted, not to be outdone:

"Xu Luo, put your hands on your heart and think about it carefully. Isn't what you did right?! You know I like Li Qingran, I've liked him from the very beginning, and now you're still thinking about how to win him over. Don't you feel ashamed?"

"Didn't you love missions the most? You always said you'd give up everything for them. So what are you doing now? Are you contradicting yourself?"

"...But the mission has already failed, that's a given fact," Xu Luo defended himself.

But Number One wouldn't listen at all. "Don't try that on me. We've been sharing this body for so many years. Do you really think I can't see through your little schemes?"

"So you've fallen for Li Qingran too! What are you pretending for!"

"Honestly, Xu Luo, you're quite funny. I was the one who pestered Li Qingran to brew that tea, but you were the one who ended up drinking it. It was the same at the airport. I was the one who invited Li Qingran out, but you were the one who ended up spending the whole trip with her. In all those mission worlds before, you could sleep through half of them. Now, you keep showing up to interrupt my plans. You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You just don't want me to be with Li Qingran."

"Admit it! You've liked Li Qingran for a long time! You want to steal him from me, that's why you've been forcibly logging in again and again!"

“…I didn’t!” Xu Luo said stiffly.

Number One sneered, "Whether you have it or not, you know it in your heart. If you really don't have that intention, then log off now and let me come out and have a good chat with Li Qingran for a while!"

Xu Luo: "...I don't have control over this body."

"Could it be that it's in the hands of my alternate personality?"

Number One laughed twice.

"It's ridiculous. You split off a part of me so that I could accompany you and help you through these dangerous mission worlds. I've worked hard for so many years without ever complaining about your escapist nature. And in the end, before I even quit, you turned your back on me."

"I didn't betray you!" Xu Luo said with a headache, "Can you calm down?! We are one, no matter who Li Qingran is with, isn't it the same as being with the other person as well?"

Xu Luo felt that he had been sincere enough in what he said.

He really didn't want to have any unnecessary arguments with Number One at this crucial moment.

They can't afford to fall apart internally when there's no external resistance!

The most important thing now is to win over Li Qingran and make the boy willingly leave with her. Otherwise, if they keep arguing like this, even if Xu Luo has another year, he still won't be able to win over Li Qingran, let alone in just one week.

After all, who would like a crazy person who changes their personality from time to time and occasionally argues with themselves?

Xu Luo took a deep breath, intending to have a calm and peaceful conversation with Number One, and spoke again.

"As you probably know, we only have one week left. Let's work together to win over Li Qingran this week, and then we can discuss other things after he comes to live with us at the Administration Bureau."

"Otherwise, what's the point of us winning or losing here?"

The person is no longer by my side.

"..."

Perhaps feeling that Xu Luo's words made some sense, Number One remained silent for several minutes after listening.

Xu Luo didn't rush him. Anyway, he hadn't finished his call with Li Qingran yet, so he still had time to continue negotiating with the other self inside him.

"Alright."

After a long silence, Number One finally spoke:

"I agree with your suggestion. Let's win over Li Qingran first. As for who he ultimately likes, we'll talk about that when we get back to the Administration Bureau."

Xu Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

However, before he could fully relax, he heard Number One continue speaking:

"However, I have one condition."

Xu Luo frowned upon hearing this, a sudden sense of foreboding creeping over her.

"...What are the conditions?"

"The condition is..."

Xu Luo lowered his eyes and waited quietly for Number One to make his demands. Just then, his head suddenly throbbed as if he had been pricked by a needle.

His vision began to blur, and his control over this body began to gradually diminish.

"you……"

Xu Luo opened his mouth, but could only manage to utter a single word with difficulty.

The next second he realized that his tongue was starting to go out of control, the surrounding light was getting dimmer, and his consciousness seemed to be falling into a viscous black sea.

He tried to struggle out of the sea, but the liquid seemed to have a life of its own, extending black tentacles that wrapped around him, imprisoned him, and slowly pulled him into suffocating darkness.

Then, before his consciousness completely vanished, Xu Luo finally heard Number One's belated condition.

"The condition is that I will be in charge of planning this week's itinerary."

Dear brother, you don't actually think I didn't know that control of one's body can be taken away, do you...?

"Boom..."

A bolt of lightning struck outside the window, causing the light inside the room to flicker, making the young man who had just opened his eyes appear like a ghost.

Having just gained control of his body, Number One blinked twice, his head mechanically turning around before finally fixing his gaze on the boy standing on the balcony, his back to him as he made a phone call.

Found it...

Number One said softly.

Li Qingran suddenly shivered.

Was he standing outside for too long?

Li Qingran glanced down at the phone, which had finally ended, pursed her lips, and then turned to go back inside to say goodbye to Xu Luo.

There was no other way; if he didn't show up soon, the protagonist would really have to go downstairs to the convenience store to wait for him.

Unfortunately, he still hasn't been able to find out what the protagonist's mission was or why he failed.

It's okay, since according to their system, they'll be staying here for another week, so asking tomorrow won't change anything.

This isn't urgent.

Li Qingran thought to herself.

However, just because he is not in a hurry about some things doesn't mean the other person is in a hurry as well.

Just as Li Qingran turned around, before he could even see the fleeting black shadow in front of him, he felt a warm, wet touch on his lips.

This is... a kiss.

One accompanied by a sentence,

"Ranran, can I have just one kiss with you..."

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Author's Note: Number One: Enough talk, get straight to the point! [Angry][Angry][Angry]