Male Lead, Please Don’t Covet the Mob Character Cannon Fodder (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 2

“Brother,” a lowered whisper pulled Qingshi back from his thoughts.

Qingshi asked, “What is it, Qingyu?”

“Brother, why did you tell that man he is our servant? What if he suddenly remembers who he is?” Song Qingyu asked, her voice laced with worry.

Your brother did not want to either, Qingshi thought, but this is a mission; it is a plot point I must follow.

Qingshi let out a sigh. “It is fine, Qingyu. Look at him; he remembers nothing. Since he cannot pay for his medical treatment, he cannot expect me to work for free. Our family’s situation cannot afford such waste.”

“Letting him stay to help with chores will count as his payment. Once he remembers, he can leave.”

“Brother makes sense. Let us do that, then,” Song Qingyu nodded in agreement.

Qingshi brought a tray with plain porridge and a few side dishes into the main hall. “Qingyu, go call him out for dinner.”

“Okay!” Receiving the instruction, Song Qingyu hurried into her brother’s room, only to find the man had already climbed out of bed. He was walking around the room as if observing his surroundings. She gave two loud coughs and announced, “Da Hei, time to eat.”

“Alright,” Gu Jiuli responded, following her out.

Gu Jiuli ate with elegant manners, yet his speed was anything but slow. A large bowl of porridge hit the bottom in no time.

Song Qingyu watched with wide eyes. She suddenly felt that her brother’s decision to keep this man might be a mistake; at this rate, he could eat them into bankruptcy!

“Young Masters, I wonder if I might have another bowl?” After finishing one bowl, Gu Jiuli felt no sense of fullness at all and asked tentatively, sounding a bit embarrassed.

Upon hearing this, Qingshi’s chopsticks paused. At this point, he had only taken two or three sips from his own palm-sized bowl. “Go serve yourself; the kitchen is that way.”

Is the male lead a glutton? He eats so much. It is a good thing I cooked extra.

“Thank you, Master Qingshi.”

Gu Jiuli served himself another half-bowl. This time, his pace was noticeably slower, but a question weighed on his mind. “Master Qingshi, I saw eggs, vegetables, rice, and flour in the kitchen. Why are you both eating salted pickles with me?”

A good question. Qingshi wanted to say it was not by choice. The truth was that neither of the Song siblings knew how to cook. Being able to boil porridge was the greatest progress Qingshi had made in the two years since their father passed away. Even these pickles had been gifts from his patients.

If the villagers had not known their situation and helped out occasionally, the two siblings likely would have starved to death in this house long ago.

“Ahem. I am not skilled in the culinary arts,” Qingshi explained.

“Oh,” enlightenment suddenly dawned on Gu Jiuli. “It seems I was the one who cooked for the Young Masters before? Do not worry, my injuries are mostly healed. Leave the cooking to me from now on.”

The male lead knows how to cook? Qingshi’s eyes widened slightly behind his black blindfold. “Alright then. I will continue to trouble you, Da Hei.”

Gu Jiuli replied, “It is only right.”

After dinner, Qingshi boiled hot water for a bath. It was late spring, and while it was not very hot, Qingshi kept a habit of bathing daily, except in winter, as it was too cold without heating. This was a personal habit of the soul Qingshi, not the original Song Qingshi.

Qingshi took a set of clean clothes from his room. Hearing Gu Jiuli follow him in, he turned and pointed to the small daybed he had been sleeping on for the past few days. “Da Hei, since you are awake, sleep back in your own spot. I only put you on the bed before because I was afraid your wounds would reopen.” Otherwise, what kind of master sleeps on a daybed while the servant takes the bed?

“Understood, Master Qingshi.”

The bathing area was a simple shed behind the kitchen containing a wooden tub. Qingshi filled a bucket with hot water and reached down to lift it, but his hands met empty air. “Where is the bucket?”

Gu Jiuli watched the youth named Song Qingshi, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind regarding the servant claim. The youth was clearly used to doing things himself and lacked the natural instinct to command a servant. So why did he claim otherwise?

“Master Qingshi, let me carry it for you.”

Hearing the male lead’s voice from right in front of him, Qingshi’s searching movements stiffened for a second before he straightened up as if nothing happened. “Then I shall trouble you.”

The male lead is certainly taking this servant role seriously!

After his bath, Qingshi returned to the room feeling refreshed. He sat on the bed, using a dry cloth to pat his wet hair, when a mechanical voice suddenly rang in his head, making his face freeze.

[Ding!]

[Plot Advancement Task: Have Gu Jiuli wash your feet for at least 3 minutes. Time limit: 10 minutes.]

Eight-Eight, what is this?

System 886: “Qingshi, this is the company’s new Task Assistance System. It helps maintainers complete missions more effectively.”

Is this reliable? If I humiliate the male lead like this, will I really not be beaten to death?

System 886: “Of course it is reliable! The company ran thousands of tests; hosts love it! Besides, are you not supposed to be beaten to death anyway?”

You have a point. Is there a penalty for failure?

System 886: “Let me check. Yes. This is a mandatory task. Failure results in a random penalty drawn from the Material Library. The library is populated by the company’s hosts. I suggest you finish it, Qingshi; the penalties in there are super perverted!”

Seems I have no choice.

Qingshi tried to keep his expression calm, but the way he gripped the towel betrayed his nerves. “Da Hei, my feet got dusty on the way back. Fetch some water and help me wash them.”

Silence filled the room. Qingshi knew Gu Jiuli was there because he could hear another person’s breathing, though he was not sure of his exact position.

When no one answered, Qingshi tilted his head and called out again, bracing himself. “Da Hei?”

“Yes, Master.” A slightly hoarse voice came from the direction of the desk, followed by the sound of the door opening.

Qingshi breathed a sigh of relief, though he worried about the male lead’s suppressed tone. He must hate me now. No wonder I get beaten to death in the end.

In reality, Gu Jiuli was not offended at all; he had simply been dazed while looking at the youth.

When the youth had entered, Gu Jiuli was looking over the prescriptions on the desk. The handwriting was elegant and free; if it were not for the large, slightly untidy characters, one would not have guessed the writer was blind.

He had glanced up at the sound of the door, and his eyes had not left the youth since.

The steam-dampened youth was thin, his waist so narrow it seemed Gu Jiuli could span it with one hand. His fair skin glowed with a faint pink hue from the heat. The black cloth over his eyes had been removed. Gu Jiuli had assumed he wore it to hide some deformity, but now he realized how wrong he was. Those pale black eyes were shaped like peach blossoms, seeming to hold a galaxy within them. If it were not for the obvious lack of focus, one would think he was merely pretending to be blind.

As the youth called his name, Gu Jiuli’s gaze fell upon the pair of feet dangling off the bed, which were smaller and more delicate than those of an average man. The toes curled slightly, and faint veins traced across the insteps. He could not help but wonder if he had some unknown fetish before losing his memory; why else would he be entranced by someone’s feet?

Until he heard the youth calling him again, Gu Jiuli finally managed a response from his dry throat.

Gu Jiuli brought the hot water to the bedside, placed Qingshi’s feet into the basin, and began to rub them gently. The rough calluses on the male lead’s fingers brushed against the sensitive soles. A wave of numbness and tingling shot up from Qingshi’s feet to his spine. The lingering sensation almost made his waist go soft. He instinctively tried to pull back, only to find his ankle held firmly in a large palm.

Qingshi glanced at the timer; only a minute and a half had passed. If he pulled away now, the mission would fail. But the intense tingling was unbearable. He bit his lip and managed to say, “Da Hei, you use a bit more pressure.”

Gu Jiuli’s heavy breathing hitched. “Yes, Master.”

“Ngh!” Instead of helping, the heavier friction made the itchiness even more pronounced. The sudden intensity made Qingshi’s waist tremble as he let out a muffled groan. Propping himself up with his hands, he gasped, “Da Hei! Better, better go lighter.”

“Hah, Master, do you want me heavy or light?” Gu Jiuli let out a low chuckle. He softened his touch as requested, though he did not seem to notice his own hawk-like eyes were turning dark with intensity.

I want you to stop, Qingshi thought, his body trembling under the man’s hands. He watched the timer tick down second by second. He never knew his feet could be this sensitive.

Finally, “Enough, stop.” The moment the three minutes hit zero, Qingshi spoke up to end the ordeal. He tried to pull his feet out, but they were caught between large, well-defined fingers. His soles brushed against clothing before a dry towel wrapped around them.

“Master, we must dry them properly.”

Gu Jiuli held the feet and carefully dried every drop of water, not missing the spaces between the toes. Only then did he set them down and carry the water out.

Hearing Gu Jiuli’s footsteps fade, Qingshi collapsed in relief, clutching his chest and breathing hard.

System 886: “Qingshi, are you okay? Did the male lead bully you?”

“No, I am just a bit drained.”

Qingshi could not describe the feeling to 886. It was just a footbath, yet he felt as though he had been invaded inside and out.

By the time Gu Jiuli returned to the room, Qingshi had already lain down with his back to him. He blew out the candle and lay down on the narrow daybed. The light scent of medicinal herbs wafted from the bedding into Gu Jiuli’s nose. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he buried his face into the sheet beneath him.

The sky was just beginning to brighten. Qingshi woke to the sound of the rooster. He sat up to reach for his clothes, but his hand touched the warmth of skin; someone was standing by his bed.

Qingshi pulled his hand back. “Da Hei?”

“Yes, it is me, Master Qingshi,” Gu Jiuli answered. “Shall I help you dress?”

Qingshi opened his mouth to refuse, but remembering his role was to treat him as a servant, he pivoted. “Fine.”

Hearing the rustle of clothes, Qingshi stood up by the bed.

“Arms up, Master.” Qingshi obediently raised his arms.

As the sleeves went on and the collar was fastened, Qingshi felt hot, large palms settle on his waist. He could almost feel the other man’s breath against his forehead. The broad hands gripped him and adjusted his position slightly; Qingshi’s waist muscles tensed instantly, but it was over in a blink as the belt was tied.

Next came the blindfold. Gu Jiuli wrapped it around and secured it.

“Is that all?” Qingshi asked.

“One more step, Master.” Gu Jiuli’s hands rested on Qingshi’s shoulders, applying slight pressure to sit him back down. “Your socks and shoes.”

Hearing his words, Qingshi instinctively remembered the sensations from the previous night, and his body gave a small shiver. He frowned slightly and said, “That, that will not be necessary. I can—”

“It is necessary.” Gu Jiuli interrupted without room for argument. He grasped Qingshi’s ankle, slid on the socks, and carefully put on his shoes.

Stepping back, Gu Jiuli said, “Master Qingshi, I am going to prepare breakfast.”

Qingshi pursed his lips. “Go then.”

What is wrong with the male lead? Is he addicted to serving people?

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