The Cannon Fodder 'Seme' is the Center of Attention Again (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 21

“???”

Li Qingran froze for several seconds, unable to process the situation immediately.

It was not until the Alpha’s pheromones, scented like gunpowder and smoke, surged toward him, thick enough to wrap around his entire body, that he remembered. The man excitedly gripping his hand was the same Alpha in rut he had encountered in that alleyway.

It was the villain, Jiang Siran.

But why was he here?

Li Qingran had clearly told him his name was Su Jingyi. In theory, the Alpha should have gone to find the real Su Jingyi, followed the plot, become addicted to the Omega’s pheromones, and become entangled with him.

How did he find him instead?

In Li Qingran’s mind, 888 had transformed into a screaming rubber chicken once again. The piercing shrieks gave Li Qingran a bout of tinnitus, making his head throb.

He wanted to find a private place to shut 888 up, but the Alpha in front of him clearly had no intention of letting go.

“I am sorry. Did I scare you? I mean no harm. I am just too excited. I have been looking for you for so long, and I lost control of my emotions for a moment. I apologize.”

“…”

Actually, if Jiang Siran would stop tightening his grip on his hand while saying those words, Li Qingran might believe him a little more.

But now, perhaps because he had learned too many lessons from Su Jingyi and Qi Ziyan about people whose actions contradicted their words, Li Qingran did not want to hear Jiang Siran’s so-called heartfelt explanations. He just wanted to leave, to get far away from this clearly abnormal Alpha.

However, Jiang Siran seemed oblivious to his resistance. When Li Qingran tried to pull his wrist back, the Alpha’s slender yet firm fingers rubbed against his palm. Instead of making Jiang Siran let go, the friction only made the villain’s breathing more hurried. In those dark green eyes, the unmasked aggression directed at Li Qingran was nearly overflowing.

“Do you not remember me? We met in that alley. It was raining heavily, and you helped soothe my rut.”

[Soothe?] 888 felt its entire system glitch upon hearing that descriptor. [Wait, Host, what exactly happened in that alley that day?]

For the villain to use the word “soothe”!

Was that even appropriate to use between two Alphas?

Li Qingran was equally shocked. [I simply used my pheromones to suppress him.]

This was a common form of combat between Alphas, using violent pheromone suppression to force the other into submission. It worked effectively on Alphas in rut as well.

But the process of being suppressed should be a painful torture for the one on the receiving end. It should not, under any circumstances, be described as “soothing.”

This villain was a bit… hiss.

Li Qingran’s mask could barely hide the look of sheer exasperation on his face.

Jiang Siran, however, noticed nothing. His dark green eyes were locked onto the only part of Li Qingran exposed to the air, his eyes, as if he were trying to touch his soul through that window. His voice carried a strange, inexplicable excitement.

“That is why I have wanted to find you, to thank you in person for your help that day. I also hope you can give me a chance to get to know you because, to be honest, since that rainy day, I have”

“Sir!”

Before Jiang Siran could utter any more bizarre lines, Li Qingran interrupted him, unable to bear it any longer.

“Is it possible that you have the wrong person?”

Dressed almost identically to Jiang Siran, save for a slight difference in color, the Alpha spoke softly. His tone was polite and gentle, but every word felt laced with frost, instantly freezing the excited Jiang Siran in place.

Li Qingran ignored the shock in Jiang Siran’s eyes and continued calmly:

“I have been staying at home recently and have not gone out at all. I do not know which rainy day you are talking about, nor have I been to any alley. You have likely mistaken me for someone else. Why do you not go back and look again? Perhaps the person left you a name or some other clue. It would be better to follow those leads.”

Please, just go find Su Jingyi.

If he could not “clock out” of this job soon, he really could not guarantee what he might do.

As Li Qingran spoke, he curled his eyes into a smile.

Under the golden sunlight, the Alpha’s naturally pale gray eyes caught a hint of warmth, looking soft and refined, but Jiang Siran’s reflection was nowhere to be found in them.

The Alpha denied their encounter, denied helping him, and denied his very existence.

Jiang Siran watched as the man lowered his head after speaking. The brim of the hat blocked the sun, casting a shadow that blurred his expression, exactly like that rain-drenched afternoon, impossible to see clearly and impossible to catch.

Li Qingran pulled again. This time, he successfully retracted his wrist.

“I will be leaving now.” Li Qingran rubbed his slightly reddened wrist, paused, and then added: “I hope you find the right person.”

Postscript: The one from the plot.

Go entangle yourself with the protagonist shou and cause trouble for the protagonist gong.

Stop adding scenes to a cannon fodder’s life.

Perhaps shocked by Li Qingran’s cold denial, Jiang Siran remained stunned and failed to react. He even forgot to reach out again to grab the figure that had appeared in his dreams countless times. He just watched blankly as the man walked further and further away.

Li Qingran stayed in the residential garden for a long time. It was only after 888 finally confirmed that Jiang Siran had left that he slowly stood up to stretch his stiff back. He took a winding path along the cobblestones to a side gate far from the main entrance and swiped his card to exit.

The better choice would have been to go straight home and order takeout to avoid any chance of running into the main characters.

However, perhaps because he had been bitten by autumn mosquitoes in the garden, or perhaps because of the classic obsession of “since I am already here,” Li Qingran felt that going back empty-handed would be too demoralizing.

Besides, home was not necessarily safe.

Take the Omega who suddenly showed up at his door or the villain today. Li Qingran suspected that if he had not come downstairs, the man might have knocked on his door just like Qi Ziyan did a few days ago.

In the original plot, this was supposed to be the place where the protagonist shou hid the cannon fodder. But now, Li Qingran really wanted to ask 888 one thing.

“Why do they all know about this place?”

The plot said this location remained undiscovered until late in the story when the protagonist gong found it, using it as a conflict point to start the crematorium arc where the shou chases the gong. That was supposed to be the cannon fodder’s last bit of relevance, and even then, only as a memory.

Yet now, this place was as full of holes as a sieve. Anyone could find their way here.

Was this another bug?

This time, 888 had a brand-new explanation. [It might be because we have stayed in this world too long. The unknown plot extending forward is increasing, which includes the cannon fodder’s residence being discovered early.]

“Is that so?” Li Qingran raised an eyebrow. “So you are saying the longer we stay, the more unknown plot points will be generated?”

[In theory, yes. The butterfly effect. Even for a cannon fodder, one wrong step has a massive impact on the plot.]

That was why it was so desperate to get the plot back on track.

888 was having a breakdown. The situation was forcing a high-tech product to turn to prayer.

Li Qingran, however, had a different interpretation. “If that is the case, if the unknown plot keeps increasing, will even the ending be affected?”

Plus, as 888 had mentioned before being forced offline, the more bugs there are, the more freedom the task-taker has in the world. In the end, could he even become a more important character and obtain absolute freedom in this world?

Li Qingran’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

888 did not give him a straight answer. Just then, Gu Shiyu, who had been silent for a long time, finally sent a message:

[Everything is handled. Tonight at nine, East City Airport. I am taking you away.]

888 was more excited than Li Qingran. [Oh, Host! We do not need to worry about that other stuff. We can leave tonight! Clocking out! Who cares about unknown plots!]

Li Qingran did not speak. He only sent back a question: [You are taking me?]

[Yes. For certain reasons, I will personally take you away.]

[You do not need to be afraid. I have no intention of hurting you. The destination is a bit complicated, and there are places in between where I need to communicate and confirm things personally.]

[Really, I can promise you, I just want to personally confirm you arrive at the destination and arrange everything for you.]

[Are you angry? Or do you think this decision is too abrupt? If so, we can negotiate, like taking two separate planes.]

[Hello? Are you still there? I was just handling some work; I did not ignore you on purpose.]

The quiet phone suddenly began vibrating frantically the moment Li Qingran stepped into the restaurant and sat down in a private booth. He hurriedly ordered a few dishes and picked up his phone, planning to reply once the waiter left.

For some reason, the waiter was looking at him strangely. But the free upgrade to the private booth was the restaurant’s idea, not his unreasonable request.

Li Qingran found it odd, but luckily, the waiter left quickly.

In the luxurious booth decorated with an exquisite screen and the scent of burning sandalwood, Li Qingran was alone. He picked up his phone to see how complicated Gu Shiyu’s plan was to warrant so many messages.

But before he could open the screen, the Alpha on the other end impatiently sent a voice call.

Li Qingran hesitated but clicked to answer. Before he could say a word, a loud noise erupted from behind the screen less than half a meter away.

He instinctively turned his head. His pheromones surged outward due to the shock, and a biting snowstorm instantly descended upon every corner of the booth, making the scent of burning incense become weak and faint once again.

“果然…就是你,” a raspy voice whispered in Li Qingran’s ear.

The world began to blur. Under the hazy lights, the Alpha who had just removed his hat and mask tilted his head back. His face was pale, but his eyes held a tenderness that could only be described as fragile for an Alpha. He parted his lips, wanting to say something, but in the end, he could only fall into the arms of the Alpha behind him like a piece of exquisite, breakable porcelain.

Pudong.

The black phone hit the carpet with a muffled sound.

“Li Qingran? Li Qingran, are you okay?”

Gu Shiyu was still persistently asking on the other end. However, a minute passed, and all he could hear after that loud crash was a blurry yet distinctly suggestive soft moan.

“Nng…”

It was Li Qingran’s voice.

Gu Shiyu’s entire body snapped into a state of extreme tension.

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