Chapter 11 - I'm His Fiancé
Massaging the growing bump on his forehead, Lin Quan awkwardly sat on the sofa as he faced his former friend, Zhou Qiran.
Zhou Qiran raised his phoenix eyes and scoffed, "Well, well, look who it is. Has the Lin family fallen so far that their heir has been reduced to sneaking around like a thief? Is the Lin family going bankrupt?"
The two had grown up together, and Zhou Qiran was a sharp-tongued softie—the typical kind who would mock Lin Quan one moment and then defend him with his life the next.
The main reason for their falling out was Fu Yunteng. Zhou Qiran had warned Lin Quan more than once that Fu Yunteng Fu Yunteng wasn’t a suitable romantic partner. Fu Yunteng treated Lin Quan poorly, and this type of person should be cut loose.
One day, Lin Quan and Zhou Qiran had a particularly heated argument
Back then, rumors were flying around that Zhou Qiran had feelings for Fu Yunteng and was deliberately sabotaging Lin Quan's attempts to pursue him. Furious, Lin Quan confronted Zhou Qiran, demanding to know why he would do such a thing and warned him to stay away from Fu Yunteng.
Zhou Qiran was even more enraged by this—how could Lin Quan believe baseless gossip over him?
Since then, their friendship deteriorated, and the two drifted apart. When Lin Quan fell ill and was hospitalised, Zhou Qiran sent a sarcastic congratulatory message, congratulating Lin Quan on taking over the Lin family.
The friendship between the little young master of the Lin family and Zhou Qiran had shattered. And the former friend had made it clear that their friendship was as good as dead, with no chance of reconciliation. Meeting Zhou Qiran was as good as hitting a dead end; Lin Quan initially felt like backing off, but the system quickly persuaded him otherwise.
System: Do you know who was the one who handled the funeral processions for the little Young Master Lin after he died?
Lin Quan: Don't tell me it was this sharp-tongued ex-friend of his.
System: Precisely. He was the one who saw him off, giving him final dignity.
Lin Quan smiled at Zhou Qiran, "Qiran, it's been a while."
"Young Master Lin, we’re not that close. Don’t be so familiar. Our Zhou family is small and insignificant—we can’t afford to associate with someone like you," Zhou Qiran said, raising his chin slightly and shooting Lin Quan a look that screamed, "State your business or get lost."
"I came here to ask…" Lin Quan gripped tightly at his empty pockets before steeling himself, "could you lend me some money for food?"
Zhou Qiran: "…"
Such a blunt and straightforward request for money to buy food—Zhou Qiran couldn't quite keep up with Lin Quan's pace, the conversation was spiralling in all sorts of absurd directions.
System: This host over here, have you never borrowed money before?
Lin Quan: Is that not what people say when borrowing money? Was I supposed to butter up to him first using our friendship? What if I wasn't clear enough, and he doesn't understand my hints?
System: Well, whatever makes you happy.
The next moment, Zhou Qiran suddenly slammed the table. "Lin Quan, are you bored out of your mind or something? Deliberately coming here just to mess with me? Has the Lin family collapsed? The heir of the great Lin family scaling walls and claiming he can’t even afford to eat? What gives?"
After unleashing his "machine gun-like" barrage of words, he swiftly started to kick Lin Quan out. "Kindly leave, Young Master Lin. I'm not in the mood to argue with you."
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, he's not going to lend me money?
System: Do you think he should lend you money?
As Lin Quan racked his brain trying to come up with an explanation, Zhou Qiran wandered off to the open balcony, casually answering a phone call as he did.
On the other end of the line, a cheerful female voice could be heard: "Brother, I've got some great news!"
"What is it?" Zhou Qiran asked lazily.
"Hahaha, guess what, Bro! Lin Quan's in trouble again," the girl laughed heartily, "There was a fire, and he went missing at the scene. Do you think he’s dead? That ungrateful jerk. You helped him, and he turned around and suppressed the Zhou family. A bastard like him is better off dead…"
"Those things weren't his doing," Zhou Qiran cut her off. The Lin Quan he knew wasn't someone so ruthless and vindictive. Lin Quan is dumb, that's what he is. A naive fool who was used by others but unable to see the truth.
Zhou Qiran asked nonchalantly, "You said there was a fire and he went missing, what's that about?"
The sickly young master of the Lin family, Lin Quan, had barely stepped out of the sanatorium he was trapped in before trouble found him again.
Currently, the Lin family was aggressively demanding the Qian family hand over their heir, accusing them of hiding him with malicious intent.
The Qian family retaliated by throwing a pile of evidence in the Lin family's face, showing that not only had the Lin family secretly followed Lin Quan, but they had also bribed Qian family bodyguards to spike Lin Quan’s drink. The Lin family had kidnapped Lin Quan, only to cry wolf, their intentions clearly suspect.
However, as it was, what truly happened was anyone’s guess. So far, no one knew Lin Quan's whereabouts—only his phone was found at the fire scene. His phone was lucky enough to survive the fire, but based on the location it was found, Lin Quan's escape route had been completely different from everyone else's.
Some suspected that Lin Quan had been kidnapped, which would explain the different escape route. Others speculated that Lin Quan panicked in the face of the fire and started running around blindly, only to perish in some unknown corner.
The theories ran wild. Many people were in the search for Lin Quan, determined to find him—alive or dead. Lin Quan's older brother had rushed back and was frantically searching for his missing brother.
Having sat in the living room for a while, Lin Quan belatedly realised how warm it was inside. The weather wasn't particularly cold, but the arcade had been crowded and stuffy, so Lin Quan had taken off his coat and left it on a nearby bench. The fire had broken out so suddenly that he bolted, and completely forgot about his coat.
His hair was a mess and his thin clothes were covered in soot. He had been running round and round for a long time; his already weak body was now utterly exhausted and starving, adding an undeniable authenticity to his frailty.
When Lin Quan saw Zhou Qiran return from his call, he immediately put on a pitiful expression. He was about to speak when his stomach spoke up for him first, growling loudly.
Zhou Qiran: "…"
Lin Quan: "…"
The scene was so vivid and convincing that Lin Quan didn't even need to act—his pitiful state was impossible to overlook.
Lin Quan asked, "Qiran, do you have anything to eat here?"
Zhou Qiran glared at Lin Quan, his hands clenching and then relaxing. A faint, unreadable expression flashed across his narrow eyes. "Ha! The Lin family heir, their precious young master, reduced to this state. How embarrassing."
He turned to leave, but after walking two steps away, he snapped his head back and growled, "Wait here. Don't even think about wandering off."
Zhou Qiran stomped into the kitchen, and before long, the enticing aroma of food filled the air.
Zhou Qiran wasn't much of a cook but given the current situation, it wasn't that appropriate to call others over either. So he just took the shredded meat and leafy greens from the fridge and tossed them all into one big pot with some noodles, cooking up a massive portion. It was all done in the name of his hungry belly—that big pot of noodles was for him.
But really, Zhou Qiran only ate a small bowl; most of it ended up in Lin Quan's stomach.
Seeing the way Lin Quan wolfed down the food, Zhou Qiran wanted to remark on it but his words ultimately turned into a cold snort.
Once Lin Quan was fully sated, he instantly felt warm all over. As he secretly plotted a way to continue mooching meals and possibly a place to stay off Zhou Qiran, the latter slapped a wad of cash on the table. "You've had your fill. Take the money and get lost. I don't want to see you."
Lin Quan quickly sat up straight to explain. But just as the words were about to leave his mouth, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over him and collapsed backwards. Zhou Qiran's angry roar filled his ears, "Damn you, Lin Quan! Enough already. If you're faking being sick, I swear I'll tear you apart.
"Wake up! If you don't say something, I'll throw you back to the Lin family and let them lock you in that sanatorium until you die there.
"Hey, Lin Quan! Are you okay? Should I take you to the hospital?
"Can you hear me?
"Lin Quan…"
Lin Quan couldn't respond to Zhou Qiran's questions, his consciousness was plummeting into the darkness. He did not know what kind of abyss he was falling into, nor did he know what to do.
Just then, he heard a clear voice: Host, hang in there, don't give up. Make it out, you have to get out of this.
Lin Quan tried his best not to let his consciousness sink into the darkness. Following the urging voice, he inched forward slowly, step by step.
After what felt like ages, he finally managed to open his eyes and saw Zhou Qiran looking at him anxiously. "Qiran… I'm not going anywhere… Help me…"
Then, Lin Quan wearily closed his eyes again. Zhou Qiran carefully checked Lin Quan's breathing, it was steady and his heart rate was normal as well—Lin Quan was still very much alive.
Zhou Qiran ruffled his hair in frustration. "You sure know how to pick your hiding spots."
Given their strained relationship, no one would think to come looking for Lin Quan at his place. On top of that, the surveillance cameras in the area were down for maintenance these past couple of days. Talk about "good" timing, who would've thought such a massive trouble would come stumbling onto his doorstep.
Zhou Qiran picked up the little grey puppy toy that had fallen off the sofa and dusted it off. Lin Quan had been holding it ever since he entered the house.
He examined it with distaste and scoffed, "It looks stupid, just like you."
Over the next few days, Lin Quan drifted between brief moments of clarity but spent most of his time in a dazed state. Zhou Qiran didn't let anyone else in the house and took care of everything himself.
No matter his state, Lin Quan clung tightly to his little grey plush dog, mumbling, "My hundreds of game tokens… A gift for Qian Gu… I can't lose it…"
Sometimes, Zhou Qiran had the overwhelming urge to punch Lin Quan right in the head to wake him up properly. Lin Quan's relationship problems were as messy as ever. One moment he was chasing after Fu Yunteng, the next he was preparing gifts for Qian Gu. As Lin Quan had gone missing, the Lin family confronted the Qian family, demanding they return Lin Quan, leaving everyone else gobsmacked.
As Lin Quan's condition gradually improved, he spent more time awake, and his symptoms began to subside. Just as Zhou Qiran thought things had finally calmed down, an unexpected visitor arrived.
Zhou Qiran stared expressionlessly at Qian Gu who was standing outside the door. "What do you want?"
"Is Lin Quan here?" Qian Gu asked.
Zhou Qiran shook his head. "Nope. I haven't even started settling scores with him for finding trouble with my family. If he were to fall into my hands, he'd wish he were dead."
Hearing Zhou Qiran's response, Qian Gu seemed to take this as confirmation. His tone grew more certain. "He's here."
Zhou Qiran shook his head once again. "I already said he's not. Please leave, Young Master Qian."
Their standoff ended with Zhou Qiran's defeat when Qian Gu played his trump card: "I'm his fiancé. I need to make sure he is safe."
Zhou Qiran almost choked on himself when he heard those words. He didn't think Qian Gu was the type to make up stuff like this. But the revelation that he was Lin Quan’s fiancé was beyond shocking as not even the slightest information relating to this was released to the outside world. No wonder everyone was baffled when the Lin family demanded the Qian family return Lin Quan.
Before this, all the talks were about how the Fu family has been trying to get closer to the Qian family, suggesting a possible alliance. Who would've thought it would be between the Qian and Lin families?
When Qian Gu entered the bedroom, Lin Quan was half-asleep, holding the stuffed puppy he had intended to gift Qian Gu.
He stared blankly at Qian Gu, who was standing beside his bed, for several seconds before breaking into a smile, throwing himself into Qian Gu's arms, and nuzzling against him. "Hugs restore HP!"
Zhou Qiran entered the room a moment later than Qian Gu. He was about to ask the man what he planned to do next—whether he was going to take Lin Quan away——when he was caught off guard by the sight of Lin Quan hugging Qian Gu while grinning like an idiot.
Zhou Qiran: "…"
Ugh! My eyes! Lin Quan, you rascal, are you actually awake?
They say Qian Gu doesn't get close to anyone, but that doesn't seem to be the case, does it?
A/N:
Lin Quan: Gimme a hug, replenish some HP
Qian Gu: …Don't sleep, wake up already.
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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
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