After Picking Up the Rival Boss, It Smells Really Good - Chapter 14

“…”

Great, Lu Lian had just heard another novel adjective used to describe himself.

The boy beside them widened his eyes! He glanced at Lu Lian and quickly collected himself: “Qin. Young Master Qin, then we.”

Not wanting to waste more time dealing with a drunkard, Lu Lian decided to simply pull Qin Gou away.

“I’m not going with you!” Qin Gou shook off his hand, speaking without any courtesy.

This time it was the boy’s turn to laugh.

Lu Lian turned back and gave him a calm look, then turned away without hesitation.

A hand grabbed his sleeve, stopping him.

Without looking back, Lu Lian heard Qin Gou declare in a flamboyant tone: “You’re coming with me!”

Lu Lian: “…”

Completely ignoring the boy as if he were air, Qin Gou tightened his grip on Lu Lian’s hand and led him through the colorful lights and noisy crowd, out the bar’s entrance where the warm, soft glow of streetlights fell upon them.

For once, Lu Lian was momentarily stunned, his gray eyes losing focus for a second as if being pulled back into some distant memory.

He quickly regained his composure and looked at Qin Gou: “Where do you want to go?”

Qin Gou pulled him along, seeming to need a long time to gather his thoughts before barely managing to find a direction: “To find Ye Wan.”

“…”

“If you walk, it would take about two months to reach the Main City,” Lu Lian said expressionlessly. “Provided you can swim across the islands.”

Qin Gou continued pulling Lu Lian along aimlessly, but seemed somewhat deflated upon hearing this, slowing his pace. The next moment, as if remembering something, he pouted and looked at Lu Lian: “Damn love rival! Stinky love rival!”

“…”

“It’s all your fault for taking him away!” Qin Gou said unhappily. “He was so good to me.”

“If he was so good to you, why did he leave you?” Lu Lian looked at him.

Qin Gou hung his head: “He was in trouble, he thought I couldn’t help him.”

Lu Lian briefly recalled the situation. In fact, he had simply needed an obedient lover at the time, and these names had been screened and delivered by his assistant – he had just chosen the most suitable one.

Ye Wan. it seemed the Ye family had indeed encountered some problems back then?

Nothing major – the Ye family had developed an innovative potion for nourishing the Mental Sea and, wanting to capitalize on the momentum to grab a share of the pharmaceutical market in Pelate Main City, had been too aggressive and offended the established Yun Corporation. This led to the exposure of side effect scandals regarding their previous New Drug, causing public opinion to rapidly turn against them until they were almost forced out of the Main City.

To reverse their decline, the Ye family wanted to seize the opportunity to connect with the Lu family. Regardless of how it happened, Ye Wan’s name ultimately ended up on the list.

Ye Wan’s background had been thoroughly investigated. It did mention that he was childhood friends with the Qin family’s young master Qin Gou, but that was all.

Coming from a respectable family with some status but unable to cause major waves – just right to handle.

But… judging from some of the capabilities Qin Gou had revealed these days, he might not have been unable to help Ye Wan – it would just have been more troublesome and more discreet.

“He didn’t believe in you,” Lu Lian hit the nail on the head.

Qin Gou hung his head even lower, like a dispirited puppy with seemingly fluffy ears drooping down.

“Your fault…”

“Hmm.” Lu Lian nodded thoughtfully. Looked at this way, to some extent he really had taken away Qin Gou’s white moonlight. “So how do you plan to get your revenge?”

“Revenge…” Qin Gou’s voice softened as he lowered his head in contemplation. After a moment, he clutched his head in pain. “No more revenge…”

“?”

Qin Gou plopped down on a roadside bench, releasing his head from his hands to look up at Lu Lian. “I slept with you. I have to take responsibility. I can’t seek revenge anymore.”

Lu Lian: “…”

Still seated, Qin Gou propped his chin on his hand and continued, “I can’t be with Ye Wan either. I have to marry you.”

This time even Lu Lian nearly laughed. Who would have thought the young master of the Qin family, despite putting on a playboy facade, held such simplistic views about love? If he said these things to his frivolous young master friends, they’d probably laugh at him so hard he wouldn’t dare show his face for two days.

Lu Lian temporarily set aside the marriage discussion and sat beside him, unusually patient as he reasoned, “That night you just used your legs. That doesn’t count as sleeping together. No responsibility needed.”

“No.” Qin Gou insisted firmly, “I’m not that kind of irresponsible man!”

“…” Even through the mask, one could see the faint amusement in Lu Lian’s eyes. “Fine, you’re very responsible.”

Discussing responsibility like this on the street was rather strange, so Lu Lian cut the conversation short.

“Since you want to take responsibility, come home with me first.”

Qin Gou nodded.

Lu Lian led Qin Gou home along the path. This time Qin Gou was truly obedient, following behind without needing to be dragged. His steps were steady – unless observed closely, no one would guess he was drunk.

Aside from seeming a bit slow, his drunken demeanor appeared quite proper.

As they approached the residential area, Lu Lian turned to activate the iris scanner, only to find Qin Gou hadn’t followed.

“Qin Gou?”

No response.

Frowning, Lu Lian backtracked to find him. Returning to the previous intersection, he saw Qin Gou squatting in a corner, folding several fallen leaves together.

Lu Lian said curtly, “Let’s go inside.”

Qin Gou shook his head. “It’s empty inside. I’m not going.”

“You plan to sleep on the street?”

Qin Gou shook his head again, saying dejectedly, “He treated me the best No one will stay with me from now on.”

“…” Here we go again.

Lu Lian’s patience was wearing thin. Since they were already at the doorstep, he decided to open the door first and then forcibly drag Qin Gou inside.

As he turned to leave, the squatting figure pulled at him again.

“You…” Lu Lian turned back to see Qin Gou holding up a flower made of folded leaves.

“For you.” Squatting on the ground like a large dog waiting for its owner to take him home, Qin Gou lifted the leaf flower high, looking both pitiful and hopeful for praise. “Don’t abandon me again.”

Lu Lian fell into rare silence, staring at the flower for a long moment. Common green withered leaves from the roadside had been neatly folded into a complex, layered blossom with unique classical elegance.

Qin Gou raised the flower higher. “Stay with me always.”

Was this meant for Ye Wan, or for Lu Lian?

No one knew.

Lu Lian watched Qin Gou for a while before accepting the flower. Qin Gou’s eyes sparkled, but the next second, Lu Lian pinned the flower back onto Qin Gou’s collar.

“No one will stay with anyone forever.” Lu Lian looked at Qin Gou as she spoke.

“One can only save oneself.”

Lu Lian spent considerable effort dragging the drunkard into the bedroom, casually tossing him onto the bed, then haphazardly finding him a blanket before cleanly shutting the door.

She walked to the living room, scanned her surroundings with an indifferent expression, then went to the curtains and removed the surveillance device Qin Gou had recently installed, crushing it in her hand. She then moved to the balcony, where a disposable phone had somehow appeared in her grasp.

“Beep!” The call connected.

“Sir!” came the assistant’s startled exclamation from the other end.

“Mhm,” Lu Lian responded. “Blaise’s biological experiment has been discovered. Someone will trace it back to Caberry soon.”

“Who is it?” the assistant asked. “Should I send someone to eliminate”

“No need. Proceed with the plan as scheduled.” Lu Lian lifted her gaze to the gloomy night sky. “Let them investigate if they wish.”

“Isn’t it better to let them plunge into the abyss completely when they’re just one step away from success?”

Qin Gou turned over, the blanket slipping off his body. The faint dawn light fell across his face, making him squint before slowly opening his eyes.

He pressed a hand to his forehead he’d clearly drunk too much yesterday, and his head still throbbed. His throat felt scorched and parched from the irritation.

He stood up, opened the bedroom door, and strode directly to the living room. Opening the refrigerator, he pulled out a chilled bottle of mineral water, cracked it open, and took a gulp.

As he tilted his head back to drink, his peripheral vision caught someone emerging from another room.

Was there someone else in the house?

Oh, right he’d taken Lu Lian in.

Lu Lian.

His brain rebooted, and he instinctively glanced down at his clothes. The collar of his shirt, wrinkled from a night’s sleep, bore a similarly crumpled gardenia flower pinned to it.

“Damn love rival!”

“I slept with you I have to take responsibility.”

“Don’t abandon me again.”

“Stay with me forever.”

Qin Gou spat out his mouthful of water.