The Cannon Fodder 'Seme' is the Center of Attention Again (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 38

“What are you doing?!”

Before Chu Yu could recall where he had seen that hand, a dark, questioning voice rang in his ear.

The fingertips resting in the youth’s palm contracted instinctively. Chu Yu’s body, startled, recoiled slightly into the warm embrace beside him.

The youth’s other free hand naturally slid around his waist. Their eyes met as they looked down; to any outsider, it was a perfectly ambiguous picture of mutual attraction.

Inside his pocket, Qin Yanyun’s hand was clenched so hard it nearly drew blood. The veins on his neck twitched along with his tightened jaw.

“So, you are here.”

He struggled to control his tongue, swallowing blood-tinged saliva several times before he managed to repeat his question.

“What are you doing?! And so close”

Qin Yanyun could not bring himself to say the rest. He could only reach out and gesture between the two of them with a deep frown.

It was only then that Chu Yu realized he had remained in Li Qingran’s arms even after getting up from the ground.

“Oh, I am sorry!” He hurriedly took a step back.

His black corduroy jacket brushed against Li Qingran’s palm, carrying away a large smear of white cream as he moved out of the embrace.

Li Qingran blinked, his gaze falling on his palm, which was now almost wiped clean. He silently gave himself a thumbs up.

He was simply admiring his handiwork, but in Qin Yanyun’s eyes, it looked like he was staring at his empty palm with a trace of lingering attachment, as if Chu Yu’s body heat still remained there.

Besides him, Chu Yu also noticed Li Qingran’s small movement.

However, unlike Qin Yanyun who was busy analyzing Li Qingran’s psychological state, Chu Yu’s focus was entirely on Li Qingran’s hand.

Fair, slender, with well-defined joints; even the neatly trimmed nails were exactly the way he liked them. The palm had a faint, glossy sheen. Under the surrounding fill lights, the entire hand seemed to sparkle, as if he held a cluster of stars in his palm and was offering it to him.

It really was beautiful.

It was just as beautiful as the photo he had received in his Weibo private messages before.

Unfortunately, due to the scare Xiao Zhang gave him back then, his hand slipped. He had clicked back before he could save it. When he went back to look for it, the photo had already been buried under a mountain of messages, never to be found again.

If he had known, he would have risked Xiao Zhang discovering his little fetish just to save that photo in his gallery.

Thinking of this, a trace of regret naturally appeared on Chu Yu’s face. His gaze remained glued to Li Qingran’s hand. If eyes could take photos, Chu Yu’s brain would likely already have hundreds of shots of Li Qingran’s hand.

Moreover, the more closely he looked, the more he felt that Li Qingran’s hand was incredibly similar to the one in that fleeting glimpse.

Could it be?

Chu Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He could not help but lean closer toward Li Qingran, wanting to see more clearly.

However, at that moment, an uninvited guest suddenly thrust himself between them.

“…”

Chu Yu pursed his lips. His slightly hazy vision cleared instantly, and a look of obvious impatience flashed in his eyes.

He looked up at Qin Yanyun and rolled his eyes. “What are you doing?!”

“That is a question I should be asking you.” Qin Yanyun’s voice was very calm, but his eyes were filled with rolling dark clouds and a gloomy expression.

“What are you doing here with my assistant?!”

“What could we be doing?”

Chu Yu was almost moved to angry laughter by Qin Yanyun’s vigilant, thief-catching expression.

“I accidentally tripped, and this friend was kind enough to give me a hand. Is there any need for you to be this tense?”

Besides, based on Qin Yanyun’s words, the guy was just his assistant, not his partner. Who was he putting on this caught-in-the-act performance for?

Chu Yu gave a cold snort and rolled his eyes at Qin Yanyun again.

But although he was dissatisfied with Qin Yanyun’s indignant attitude, as if he had walked in on a tryst, he still chose to tell the truth. He did not exaggerate or fabricate any ambiguity just to spite the man.

Of course, he did not do this for Qin Yanyun’s sake. He simply wanted to maintain a gentle and beautiful image in front of Li Qingran.

In fact, when Qin Yanyun took a step back and stopped blocking his view of Li Qingran, Chu Yu’s impatient expression instantly transformed into a polite and slightly shy smile.

He curved his eyes and smiled at Li Qingran, his voice gentle. “Thank you so much for earlier.”

Li Qingran also smiled and replied that he was welcome.

If he could just take a photo of the ice cream on the jacket, then he would really be welcome.

Thinking this, Li Qingran’s eyes unconsciously drifted toward the jacket Chu Yu was wearing.

The two of them were exchanging glances back and forth. In Qin Yanyun’s eyes, this scene only added fuel to the fire already burning in his mind.

Fortunately, before he could lash out further, Li Qingran, who had been ignoring him since he walked over, finally noticed him. He proactively leaned toward him and explained in a low voice:

“We were not doing anything. I was just here eating ice cream while waiting for you and Xiao Wen. Mr. Chu happened to trip behind me, so I helped him up. I was just about to let go when you arrived.”

Qin Yanyun kept a stiff face and did not speak.

“What is he so angry about? According to the plot, he has not even fallen for the lead male yet. Why is he throwing a tantrum now?”

888, who had watched the whole thing from the sidelines, did not understand at all.

“Could it be that he started awakening after finding that photo of the lead male? Is his possessiveness starting to act up? Is he in love without realizing it?”

Having gone through many melodramatic plots, 888 could not help but let its imagination run wild.

Before starting this mission, the main system had told it that the rules of this mission world were stronger and the attraction between the lead male and the lead female or male was greater. Therefore, the moment it saw Qin Yanyun getting angry, 888 did not even consider the possibility that he was jealous over Li Qingran.

Li Qingran, naturally, had no intention of telling it.

His fingertips moved slightly. Li Qingran looked at the silent, downcast Qin Yanyun and thought for a moment. He prepared to reach out and pull the man over to look at the ice cream dropped on the ground to prove his innocence.

After all, the plot still held great control over him. He could not afford to be fired from his assistant position by Qin Yanyun here.

Most importantly, he could not let the world rules judge that he was fired due to his own mistake, thereby ruining the plot.

Biting the tip of his tongue lightly, Li Qingran reached out toward Qin Yanyun. However, before he could touch him, Chu Yu, who had been watching Qin Yanyun’s dog-like temper flare up again, could not hold back. He spoke up first:

“Qin Yanyun, are you a mute? If you feel so cold, go stay in a refrigerator. What are you doing here playing at being an air conditioner? Do you think you look cool?”

Li Qingran: “…”

888: “…”

Qin Yanyun’s gaze was icy. “What does this have to do with you?!”

“How does this not have to do with me?” Chu Yu tilted his head and spoke to Qin Yanyun with complete confidence.

“This”

He looked at Li Qingran, who understood instantly. “Li Qingran.”

“Oh, right. This Mr. Li has to endure your attitude here just because he helped me. Of course I cannot just stand by and let you bully people!”

“I am bullying him?” Qin Yanyun laughed in anger.

He looked up at Li Qingran and asked, “Li Qingran, did I bully you?”

Li Qingran’s lips moved, but before he could give a negative answer, Chu Yu’s voice rang in his ear again.

“Your tone is so terrifying, who would dare tell the truth to your face!”

Who would dare tell the truth to your face?

No one tells the truth to your face!

So, that day in the dressing room, the boy was not telling the truth either?

Qin Yanyun’s breath hitched. His body swayed slightly due to the anger rushing to his brain. He looked like he was about to blow up right there at the filming site before the live cameras started. But just then, a sudden warmth covered his clenched right fist.

Qin Yanyun froze.

Li Qingran leaned in. His fingertips gently rubbed the back of Qin Yanyun’s hand twice. The warm touch sparked waves of tingling sensations that miraculously calmed the fire in Qin Yanyun’s heart. Li Qingran pretended to be a stylist, using his other free hand to tidy Qin Yanyun’s hair and smooth out the wrinkles on his jacket. Finally, facing a now-calmer Qin Yanyun, he spoke with a smile:

“Brother, your eye makeup has faded a bit. Let’s go back to the dressing room to touch it up.”

Whatever it was, they could talk about it back in the dressing room. If photos of Qin Yanyun throwing a fit in public were taken, he really would be fired.

Being fired meant ruining the plot; ruining the plot meant mission failure; and mission failure meant failing to gain his freedom.

Li Qingran did not want that to happen.

With that thought, the fingers Li Qingran used to hold Qin Yanyun’s hand tightened slightly.

“…”

Qin Yanyun looked up at him.

Li Qingran smiled at him, a clear hint of pleading in his beautiful eyes. “Brother”

Qin Yanyun’s other hand, still in his pocket, suddenly cramped. His gaze drifted away unconsciously. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and used it to rub his slightly burning cheek.

“Then”

His tone was suddenly hesitant. The hostility he had gathered in front of Chu Yu vanished completely under Li Qingran’s gaze. He was like a big cat that had been properly groomed; not only had he lost his aggressiveness, but even his voice had softened.

“Then let’s go back to the dressing room first.”

Actually, he had come out halfway through his makeup. After all, Li Qingran said he was going out to buy ice cream, but he had not returned after more than half an hour.

Besides, Qin Yanyun did not want to question Li Qingran in front of Chu Yu. He could not bring himself to do something so embarrassing as asking his assistant if he liked someone right in front of that person.

Especially when the person his assistant might like was his lifelong rival, the words became even harder to say.

So, calmed by Li Qingran, Qin Yanyun no longer insisted on demanding an explanation for their hugging right there. He turned to leave with Li Qingran.

However, just at that moment, Chu Yu, who had been observing the interactions between him and Li Qingran, suddenly spoke:

“Qin Yanyun, are you”

!!!

His footsteps stopped. Qin Yanyun turned back abruptly. “Am I what?”

“Nothing. It is nothing.”

Whether it was because the look in Qin Yanyun’s eyes was too terrifying or for some other reason, the words turned on the tip of Chu Yu’s tongue before he hesitantly swallowed them back down.

His gaze lingered on Li Qingran’s hand hanging by his side for a moment before returning to Qin Yanyun’s face.

“It is nothing.”

He repeated himself once more. “I just wanted to ask if you were mentally ill, that is all. It is nothing major.”

Qin Yanyun: “…”

 

“Alright, hurry up and leave. Looking at your half-finished makeup is really affecting my mood.”

 

Chu Yu took a deep breath, forcing himself not to look at Li Qingran’s hand which was still holding onto Qin Yanyun. At the same time, he put on an impatient expression and waved Qin Yanyun away.

 

“Go, go! It is truly an eyesore.”

 

“Chu Yu, do you want to”

 

“Alright, Brother. Filming is about to start soon. Let’s go back and finish your makeup first.”

 

Before the “big cat” could blow its top again, Li Qingran smoothed his fur.

 

Surprisingly, the man was actually coaxed by this single sentence. He gave a cold snort toward Chu Yu and turned to walk back to the dressing room, showing none of the usual “fight to the death” madness they usually had when meeting.

 

This was completely different from the Qin Yanyun in Chu Yu’s memory.

 

But that was not the point.

 

The point was…

 

Chu Yu’s gaze followed that tall, thin shadow standing beside Qin Yanyun.

 

From the casually styled hair to the broad shoulders, down to the waist covered by a loose short-sleeved shirt, and finally—

 

“Brother Yu!”

 

A shout suddenly rang out behind Chu Yu.

 

Chu Yu blinked as if waking from a dream, immediately withdrawing his gaze. His somewhat stiff feet turned around.

 

“What is it?” He asked Xiao Zhang, who had suddenly appeared behind him.

 

“Brother Yu, I should be asking you that…”

 

Xiao Zhang frowned at Chu Yu, his curious gaze moving past him to look behind.

 

“Brother, what were you looking at just now? I called you several times and you ignored me. And”

 

Before Chu Yu could block his view, Xiao Zhang reached out and grabbed his jacket, pulling it forward. That large, solidified patch of white appeared before Chu Yu’s eyes.

 

He froze. “This is…”

 

“Exactly, what is this? I saw it from a distance. Brother, did you brush against something? Or did you bump into someone? How did it get so dirty? This jacket is unwearable now. Luckily Sister Lan brought several sets. Let’s go back and change.”

 

Xiao Zhang’s voice sounded far and then near in Chu Yu’s ear. Chu Yu could not remember exactly what was said.

 

At that moment, his mind was filled only with that large white patch and the way Li Qingran had kept looking at him with that hesitant, lingering gaze.

 

So, what he wanted to look at was not me as a person!

 

Chu Yu lowered his eyelashes. For some reason, he suddenly felt a dull tightness in his chest.

 

Meanwhile, on the other side, Qin Yanyun turned around in confusion, looking at the figure who had suddenly stopped walking behind him to the right.

 

“What is wrong?”

 

“It is nothing.”

 

Li Qingran turned around, naturally tucking his phone—the screen of which had just gone dark—back into his pocket. He then gave Qin Yanyun an apologetic smile.

 

“I was just worried about that ice cream that fell on the ground.”

 

“You do not need to worry about that. There are dedicated cleaning staff to handle it.”

 

Qin Yanyun’s expression relaxed upon hearing this. He even comforted Li Qingran with some patience.

 

“These filming sites are checked a second time before shooting starts. So you do not need to worry about making the floor dirty right after they finished cleaning. If a staff member sees it, they will deal with it directly.”

 

“That is good.” Li Qingran breathed a sigh of relief at Qin Yanyun’s words, and his expression became relaxed. He looked as if he truly had been worried about it.

 

Qin Yanyun believed this, but that did not mean the scene of Li Qingran and Chu Yu holding each other had truly left his mind.

 

The moment the dressing room door closed, before Li Qingran could react, he was pinned between the door and Qin Yanyun, who had suddenly turned around.

 

the man’s narrow black eyes gazed down at him. His voice carried a hint of tension due to the upcoming question.

 

“Just now, did you really just want to help him up from the ground?”

 

Li Qingran blinked. Under Qin Yanyun’s nervous gaze, he spoke softly:

 

“Of course…”

 

After hearing those two words, Qin Yanyun did not feel any relaxation or joy. Instead, he felt even more bitter.

 

The boy would only ever say those two words to him.

 

Whenever he wanted the other to make a choice, he would only ever hear the vague answer of “Of course.”

 

Of course it is.

 

Or of course it isn’t.

 

Li Qingran never gave him a precise answer. Of course, he did not seem to have the right to question the youth or demand a definite answer.

 

After all, Qin Yanyun could not even be sure if the boy still hated him or was still his anti-fan, so how could he expect to hear a definite declaration of love?

 

Qin Yanyun’s dark eyes grew heavy.

 

However, just as he was trying to convince himself again that the answer was the “of course it is” he wanted—forcing himself to stop obsessing over the answer and stop thinking about how Li Qingran felt about Chu Yu—he suddenly heard a sentence.

 

“It wasn’t.”

 

Qin Yanyun froze.

 

He looked up in disbelief, staring at Li Qingran for several seconds before finding his voice again.

 

“What, what did you say?”

 

“I said, at the beginning, I really did pull him up purely out of a desire to help. But later, I wasn’t looking at him from time to time because I helped him up or was worried he was hurt.”

 

As Li Qingran spoke, he curled his lips at Qin Yanyun. His ink-colored eyes looked clean and clear, easily reflecting the stunned expression on the man’s face.

 

He paused and added another sentence. “I think, Brother Qin, this is the question you are agonizing over, right?”

 

“Huh? Um…” Qin Yanyun was suddenly at a loss for words. He withdrew the hand he had pressed beside Li Qingran’s face, rubbed his nose, and scratched the back of his neck. His eyes wandered, and his throat suddenly felt itchy.

 

“Ahem, well,” Qin Yanyun explained stutteringly, “it is mainly because you are my assistant, so I just”

 

“I know.”

 

Before Qin Yanyun could finish, Li Qingran interrupted him with a smile.

 

“That is why I have to explain it to you, Brother Qin. I do not want you to misunderstand me.”

 

I do not want you to misunderstand me…

 

Qin Yanyun blinked, suddenly feeling his ears burning hot, as if they would catch fire the next second.

 

Li Qingran continued speaking. Just as he had said a few seconds ago, his expression was serious and earnest. He told Qin Yanyun every detail of his contact with Chu Yu, as if he really was afraid of a misunderstanding.

 

“I was looking at him just now because when he bumped into me, the ice cream in my hand accidentally smeared onto him.”

 

An indescribable expression appeared on Li Qingran’s face. He raised the hand that had been hanging by his side toward Qin Yanyun, letting him see the bits of cream remaining on it.

 

“I was worried that when he found out later, he would make me pay for it.”

 

“Pay for it? No way!”

 

Qin Yanyun, who was completely led along by Li Qingran’s words, immediately frowned.

 

“He was the one who bumped into you. You were kind enough to pull him up. Would he really turn around and bite the hand that fed him?!”

 

Li Qingran pursed his lips. “Mainly, the ice cream really was smeared by me. If he makes me pay…”

 

“Then I will pay for you!” Qin Yanyun said decisively.

 

He looked at Li Qingran with a hint of disapproval. “I told you to come back right after buying your ice cream, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look, not only were you bumped into, but you’re at risk of being extorted by a bad person.”

 

Li Qingran gave an embarrassed smile. “It was my first time at a variety show filming site. I was curious, so I stayed to look around. I won’t do it again.”

 

“Fine, I will forgive your slacking off during work this one time.”

 

As Qin Yanyun spoke, he pulled a wet wipe from a nearby box, took Li Qingran’s hand, and wiped away the ice cream stuck to it finger by finger.

 

The sticky residue on his fingertips disappeared bit by bit, replaced by a damp sensation carrying body heat.

 

Li Qingran lowered his eyelashes, watching Qin Yanyun’s ears turn redder and redder.

 

The faint voice of 888 sounded in his ear:

 

“Is this right?”

 

Li Qingran remained unfazed. “What is wrong?”

 

“The lead male… why is he wiping your hand?”

 

And why was the atmosphere getting more and more ambiguous! 888 could not figure it out.

 

Li Qingran felt this was easily explained. “Because he misunderstood me, he naturally has to apologize. Didn’t you say the lead male is a classic ‘tsundere’ who only compensates for mistakes through quiet actions and never verbal apologies?”

 

888 realized. “Is that how it is?!”

 

It made sense. Besides, the lead male had been questioning its host about the other lead male just now, and neither his expression nor his tone had been polite. It was normal for him to reflect and want to compensate.

 

“It would be even better if he changed this compensation into a bonus,” 888 said regretfully.

 

After all, the assets a task-taker gained in a small world would eventually be converted into points. Even if 888 only got a tiny fraction, it was better than nothing. Even the smallest bit of meat is still food!

 

Li Qingran smiled and did not speak.

 

His reason was very logical, so the main system and world rules did not find anything unusual.

 

The plan seems to be moving forward smoothly, Li Qingran thought happily.

 

However, his good mood completely vanished after he logged into Weibo and entered the private message interface.

 

He saw that under the photo that 888 had promised countless times would not be read, a symbol appeared that he could not believe even after rubbing his eyes several times: Read!

 

Read?!

 

Li Qingran’s body went stiff. His fingers holding the phone suddenly didn’t know where to go on the screen.

 

How could it be read?!

 

Li Qingran’s fingertips trembled as they touched the screen. He wanted to restart Weibo, praying that this symbol was just a small bug. When he logged back in, the symbol would turn back into a green checkmark that was comfortable to look at.

 

However, he did not know if he clicked the wrong thing in his panic or for some other reason, but his phone suddenly buzzed twice.

 

Immediately after, the white screen jumped to show the ceiling above his head.

 

A video call.

 

The caller: Chu Yu?!