Chapter 3 - Still Chose Him
Lin Quan’s answer instantly ignited his cousin's fiery temper. The cousin
highly suspected that Lin Quan was using these ridiculous excuses to brush him
off and mock him. He took large strides towards Lin Quan, ready to confront
him. But before he could react, Lin Quan turned tail and ran.
Lin Quan darted to Qian Gu's side with a "whoosh" and while dodging, he
shouted, "If you have something to say, say it properly. There's no need to
get physical."
Cousin: "…"
Qian Gu: "…"
Grandpa Qian: "…"
The plot had shifted too quickly; the little Young Master Lin's behaviour was
a mystery to all.
As he hid behind Qian Gu, Lin Quan couldn't help but chuckle internally. These
days, when rivals meet, how could it be short of involving both words and
actions. If the people involved were not at each other’s throats, spiralling
into a death match, they hardly deserved to be called rivals.
Thus, Lin Quan took advantage of this golden opportunity. He shamelessly ran
towards Qian Gu and started holding his hand a little, slipping his arms
around the man's waist, replenishing his HP. It couldn't have been more
perfect.
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, aren't I particularly clever?
System: This host here, please have some decency. You've jumped straight
from the "care for the mentally challenged" route to the "beware of fire,
theft, and perverts" route.
(lilies: he went from someone who needed protection to someone people
needed to be protected from lmaooo)
The system was certain it didn't activate the pervert trait for Lin Quan.
Lin Quan: Please, what did I do? I was in danger so of course, I
boldly sought help from my marriage partner. What's wrong with that?
Lin Quan: By the way, Little Temtem, did you notice that my HP isn't going
up as quickly anymore? Could it be that holding hands only works wonders for
the first time around, but the effect plummets by the second?
What a loss, a massive loss. If he had known, he would have held on for a few
more minutes earlier. After his HP reached "20", it stopped going up. He
thought he'd at least be able to reach a passing mark (50) but to think he
couldn't even reach half of that.
Lin Quan's behaviour was so unexpected, that his cousin couldn't even react.
When he finally processed what had happened, his face was filled with rage.
"Lin Quan, what's the meaning of this? Do you think you can get away with this
just by hiding behind someone else? What are you? Three?"
Lin Quan couldn’t be bothered to entertain his cousin, who clearly looked like
he wanted to strangle him. He wasn't even hiding; this was him legitimately
asking for help.
Then he gave Qian Gu a look that read: Bro, quick, show him out. Do you not
want that piece of land anymore? Do you not want to have more projects between
our businesses? For as long as his little life was still intact, so would the
benefits he could offer the Qian family.
Unfortunately, Qian Gu remained completely indifferent to Lin Quan’s look,
firmly sticking to his stance of letting Lin Quan handle this on his own.
Lin Quan reluctantly gazed at his hard-earned life points; he was very unhappy
with his cousin. "I’ve already said I won’t compete with you for him. What
more do you want? Whoever you like, just go after them. You live your life,
I’ll live mine. Just stop interfering with mine."
"Lin Quan, you…" His cousin didn't believe his words, but he couldn't figure
out what had gotten into Lin Quan today. They’d been fighting over this for
ages; he didn’t think Lin Quan would give up so easily.
The cousin stared intently at Lin Quan—something was definitely off.
Since when did Lin Quan have a fiancé? Did he dream that up?
He rushed to the hospital the moment he received news that Lin Quan had woken
up for fear of delaying the important matter of getting those papers signed.
Lin Quan had always been quick to sign things, but today he stubbornly
refused. Had he turned senile from sleeping so much—Lin Quan's condition
deteriorated so quickly?
The cousin’s gaze flicked between Elder Qian and Qian Gu. Or perhaps this was
a plot by the Qian family to deceive Lin Quan and seize the Lin family's
assets?
He said to Lin Quan, "If there's anything to discuss, let's go back upstairs
and talk slowly. Don’t disturb other's rest and make a spectacle of yourself."
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, does he think I’m an idiot? If I went back to my
room on the sixth floor, would I be at his mercy, whether he wanted to kill
or torture me? He might as well hold a knife to my throat and force me
to give him the money.
System: Friendly reminder, that your health is dropping.
Lin Quan: What the heck? I’m losing health even at this distance? I knew
it, the sixth-floor ward was really a danger zone. I absolutely refuse to go
back.
Lin Quan clung to Qian Gu's back. He tugged at the other party's clothes and
whispered: "Hey, Mr fiancé here, get rid of him for me. We can renegotiate the
price of that land."
He was willing to sell the land at a rock-bottom price. As long as he could
get this annoying cousin to leave quickly, anything was on the table.
Qian Gu wasn’t interested in getting involved in childish squabbles. He was
about to refuse when his phone suddenly rang. He answered the phone, "What is
it?"
Lin Quan couldn’t make out what was being said on the other end, but he heard
Qian Gu simply reply, "Got it."
After Qian Gu hung up the phone, Lin Quan was about to continue with his
persuasion when he saw his cousin answer a call with a beaming smile while
shooting Lin Quan a look of disdain. Judging by his cousin's smug provocation,
Lin Quan could vaguely guess who was on the other end of the line.
Lin Quan: Tsk, tsk, something is up. Just look at him, Little Temtem,
gloating over one phone call. Was it really necessary?
System: Dear host, don't you think you should be more concerned about who
called Qian Gu first before worrying about your cousin's petty thoughts?
System: I sincerely suggest, from the bottom of my heart, that you memorise
the names of key characters. Don't be caught off guard next time you see a
caller's name and can't recognise who that is.
Lin Quan: So, who was it?
System: Childhood Friend No. 7
Lin Quan: What did you say? Say it again, who was it?
System: Childhood Friend No. 7
Lin Quan: …
Lin Quan: The person who called Qian Gu was Childhood Friend No. 7? What
kind of plot twist is this? Little Temtem, they're not conspiring to deceive
me, are they?
The timing was far too precise. Could he have jumped right into a trap
they’d set? A carefully planned play where he played the role of the fool?
Did it have to be this sad? Was he on track to lose every bit of his family
fortune?
System: You're overthinking it. Qian Gu isn’t in cahoots with Childhood
Friend No. 7. If he were, your health bar would have been emptied long
ago.
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, I feel uneasy. Why don't I run to the window and
jump again? Do you think I can still make it in time to save myself by
jumping in a different direction this time?
System: I'm afraid it's too late.
Lin Quan: All this messy bunch of rubbish; I'm doomed…
Feeling incredibly uneasy, Lin Quan didn't dare to hold hands or wrap his arm
around Qian Gu's waist anymore. He eyed Qian Gu warily, his mind racing to
sort out who was friend or foe.
Meeting his gaze, Qian Gu was remarkably calm. "In the terms of our marriage
agreement, shall we add a clause where you're not allowed to talk to that
person?"
If Lin Quan were to propose additional terms, the details of the Lin and Qian
families' alliance would need some renegotiating.
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, I'm not quite following.
System: He means don’t be stupid. As a potential marriage partner picked by
the Qian family, how could Qian Gu and Childhood Friend No. 7 not know each
other? Being acquainted is one thing, but whether or not they're close is
another. Don't be so nervous and paranoid, relax a bit.
Lin Quan: How can I not be nervous? My HP is way too low, and I'm afraid of
accidents happening.
When Lin Quan was contemplating asking Qian Gu to steer clear of Childhood
Friend No. 7, he suddenly felt the world spinning. In an instant, he was so
sleepy he couldn't keep his eyes open and fell unsteadily to one side.
Luckily, Qian Gu was nearby and quickly steadied Lin Quan, preventing him from
collapsing onto the floor.
For a good ten seconds, Lin Quan seriously thought he was about to sleep
forever, all the way until the end of time. Thankfully, it only lasted a short
while. Lin Quan quickly steadied his breath but his face was white as a sheet
and his mind was very hazy.
Lin Quan’s hands wouldn’t stop trembling. As he leaned against Qian Gu, he
heard the other party's voice beside his ear, "How are you feeling? Do you
want to go back to the sixth floor to rest for a while?"
The moment Qian Gu finished speaking, Lin Quan's HP started falling like
crazy. Lin Quan was so scared grabbed Qian Gu's hand tightly and shook his
head frantically. "I’m not going back to the sixth floor. I’m not going back
there."
Qian Gu supported Lin Quan. "Hang in there, the doctor will be here soon."
"I’m not going back to the sixth floor." Lin Quan suddenly tightened his grip,
he clung on tightly, refusing to let go. "I'm not going back to the ward on
the sixth floor! No way!"
His HP kept fluctuating, rising and falling in rapid bursts. He was afraid of
falling unconscious, afraid that he would never wake up again. He absolutely
could not step back into the death loop of the plot again, where those guys
would continue to farm and drain the last drop of his health until he was
dead.
He continued to drift in and out of consciousness for who knows how long. When
he finally came to, he found that a certain cousin had been escorted out by
the Qian family's security. A new bed had been added to Elder Qian's hospital
room for Lin Quan to rest in.
At that moment, the doctor was observing Lin Quan's mental state while quietly
conversing with Qian Gu. After countless fluctuations, Lin Quan's HP finally
stopped at "20", neither increasing nor decreasing.
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, what’s going on? Am I dying?
System: Stay calm, it's a normal reaction. According to the original plot,
you'd have lost consciousness after giving that plot of land to Childhood
Friend No. 7. But right now, since you have sufficient HP and didn't trigger
any danger flags, you didn’t fall into a coma.
Lin Quan: I was scared out of my wits. Does that mean I've successfully
avoided a catastrophe? And I don't have to be in a coma for a week?
System: Yes. Congratulations on safely weathering this great misfortune.
Lin Quan wasn't sure what would happen if Childhood Friend No. 7 got hold of
that land, but it definitely didn't seem like anything good. He felt like he
was walking on a tightrope when he was navigating through this plotline.
He smiled brightly and said to Qian Gu, "Thank you."
First, Qian Gu saved his life by opening the window. Then he helped him
restore his HP. And now, he’s helped through the crisis by getting rid of his
cousin. In the days to come, Lin Quan planned to hold tight to his
Lucky Lifesaver Charm—this man had brought him good fortune, time and time
again.
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, is the late-stage big villain really bad?
System: Why are you asking that all of a sudden?
Lin Quan: Well, Qian Gu is my life-saving HP fountain. I'll be counting on
him to replenish my HP. If I don't care about him, who else am I supposed to
care about?
System: He hasn't blackened[1] yet so his thoughts and actions aren't
extreme. In this normal state, he's not much different from an ordinary
person.
Lin Quan: Blacken? What caused him to blacken?
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, I'm feeling a bit sleepy. I'll sleep for just two
hours, you've got to wake me up, okay?" When I'm up, I'll review the plot
details and character relationship chart until I can even read it
backwards.
Lin Quan: Oh right, Little Temtem, shouldn't there usually be the original
owner's memories or something? Why haven't I seen any?
System: It's normal you didn't see any, Young Master Lin doesn't have any
memories accessible by outsiders.
Lin Quan: I see. I'm really sleepy, talk to you later, Little
Temtem.
On the other side of the room, Qian Gu stood quietly beside Grandpa Qian. The
old man asked, "You're still choosing him?"
Qian Gu nodded affirmatively, to which Grandpa Qian asked with a chuckle,
"Why?"
Lin Quan’s health wasn’t great, and his situation wasn’t exactly ideal. He
really couldn't be considered a suitable marriage candidate. Even if it was
true that Lin Quan was wealthy and that he held important assets in his hands,
none of that wealth couldn't solve the problems the Qian family was facing.
After a pause, Qian Gu lowered his gaze and said, "He's more intriguing."
Lin Quan was more fun than any of the other potential marriage candidates.
Sure, choosing him would bring about complications, but at least things
wouldn't be dull anymore.
1. Written as "黑化", so basically like turned to the dark side/evil↩
A/N:
Lin Quan: That was so scary, I thought that was the end of me.
Qian Gu: We're not that close. Stop getting so handsy the moment we
meet.
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my interpretation is completely off lol Help me help you have a better
reading experience ahahah what a tongue twister XD
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Thank yous!! (˶‾᷄ ⁻̫ ‾᷅˵)
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a great day!!
You can support me by sending some love in the comments or through the button below
peace lilies~