The Consequences of Provoking the Male Lead of a Qidian Novel - Chapter 2

He had been kissed by a man who didn’t know he was a man!

By the third watch of the night, the rain had ceased its weeping. As the night passed, all that remained were the damp bluestone paths and the rhythmic dripping of water from the apricot blossoms onto the black-tiled roof.

The air was crisp and refreshing, mingled with the scents of post-rain earth, grass, and apricot blossoms, which lifted the spirit.

It was rare for Shen Youqing to wake up so early. Without disturbing Taojin or Luyin, he washed, dressed, and slumped over his desk. He proceeded to write extensively, filling several pages with plans ranging from Plan A to Plan G, even finding the good mood to add a few abstract stick-figure drawings in the margins.

One of the figures had a high ponytail tied up, with a jade hairpin piercing through the gap, dressed in white robes and black boots, kneeling on both knees in a pleading posture. His attire was, unmistakably, the lasting impression Shen Youqing had of Xue Gu from three years ago, just before he left.

Shen Youqing couldn’t help but bend over with laughter.

It was precisely because the real-life Xue Gu would never do such a thing that the sheer contrast struck his funny bone instantly.

Yet, as his thoughts turned back to three years ago, the curve of his lips froze for a moment.

When Xue Gu left the capital, it was the cold spring, just as they had shaken off the harsh winter.

The young man had asked to meet him by the Bishui River south of the city, claiming he had something important to tell him. Before that day, Xue Gu had never asked to meet him alone, which had greatly surprised Shen Youqing.

Had he finally become overwhelmed by the surging “love” that hit him like the tides of the Qiantang River, to the point where he couldn’t bear it anymore and wanted to proactively call off the engagement?

Or had he found a conscience and realized he couldn’t drag me down with him anymore, and thus wanted to call off the engagement?

Whatever the reason, as long as they ended things peacefully and he didn’t give Xue Gu a reason to hold a grudge later for kicking him while he was down, the mission would be perfectly fulfilled.

When he reached the riverside, a tall, slender figure stood there, apparently having waited for a long time.

The youth had an exceptional bearing. His dark-colored sash was pulled tight, accentuating his lean waist, and his white robes fluttered in the wind. Viewed from afar, his entire aura was cold and hard, tinged with a hint of malice that made him impossible to ignore and daunting to approach.

Shen Youqing suppressed his excitement, knitting his brows slightly so that the perfect amount of sadness—no more, no less—was revealed. “I heard from my father that you are leaving, is that true?”

“It is.”

“Then… is our engagement still valid?” Shen Youqing’s eyes dimmed slightly, as if terrified that the person before him might utter a negative answer.

The youth didn’t answer immediately. He simply stared straight at him with those deep, cold-brown pupils that held an exotic air. They were like a tipped inkstone, so dense that they seemed to turn into a sharp blade, striking at the deepest part of his heart.

“You said you would always like me. Is that still valid?”

Shen Youqing’s breath hitched. For a split second, a bizarre illusion flashed through his mind that he had been seen through.

“Of course!”

Upon hearing this firm answer, the thick ink in Xue Gu’s eyes seemed to dissolve. His brows relaxed, the icy air around him was softened, and a faint smile tugged at his lips—so subtle that if one didn’t look closely, one wouldn’t even notice it.

“I feel the same.” The youth’s tone was steady, carrying a trace of gentleness.

Wait, what? What does that mean?

I’ve always liked him, and he still hasn’t called off the engagement?

That must be it!

Shen Youqing racked his brains, trying to figure out how to respond and how to steer the topic back to the engagement, but Xue Gu didn’t give him the time.

The person before him suddenly loomed larger, his warm breath fanning against Shen Youqing’s face. When the wind blew, their strands of hair tangled together, adding a sense of ambiguity. The youth’s lips pressed against the corner of his mouth—the movement was light, touching and then parting immediately, leaving behind only a tingling, numbing sensation on his heart.

Shen Youqing was stunned, frozen in place.

He had been kissed.

He had been kissed by a man.

He had been kissed by a man who didn’t know he was a man.

Shen Youqing flushed crimson instantly. Unsure if he was angry or shy, he stiffened his neck and harshly accused, “You… you ambushed me!” But after saying it, he felt he had used the wrong words and was deeply humiliated, so he silently lowered his lashes and kept his mouth shut.

Xue Gu let out a muffled laugh.

His shoulders trembled slightly, his chest rising and falling with the laughter.

This was the first time Shen Youqing had seen him laugh so heartily, and he couldn’t help but take a few extra looks.

Xue Gu actually looked quite good when he laughed; he had much more of the spirited youthfulness appropriate for his age than usual.

Wait, that’s not the point.

What’s so funny? He ambushed me with a kiss, has skin thicker than a pig’s, and dares to mock me? No, that’s not it—he already has a harem of three thousand beauties, so kissing is the mildest thing he could do. There’s nothing he wouldn’t dare to do.

At this thought, Shen Youqing calmed down slightly.

Xue Gu took a step forward, narrowing the distance between them, so close that Shen Youqing could smell the faint scent of soap on him.

It made sense; the forces that had supported Xue Gu had all collapsed, so he couldn’t afford incense anymore.

A pride of heaven, struck back to his original form overnight, skulking away in the dead of night to crawl back to the place where he was born.

In anyone else’s case, it would look utterly pathetic and awkward, but occurring to Xue Gu—other than the slight exhaustion in his eyes, he hadn’t shown any sign of self-abasement. He didn’t look like a tiger driven to the plains and bullied by dogs, but rather like a wolf returning to the forest, biding his time to strike back.

The youth squatted down, his left leg bent forward, bowing his waist. Shen Youqing panicked slightly and instinctively took a step back.

Xue Gu looked up at him, his hand clutching a jade pendant engraved with the character “Gu.”

The surface of the jade had several worn spots, undoubtedly from the inevitable bumps and scrapes of being worn for too long. Without a doubt, this pendant was the token from the book that would allow Xue Gu to prove his identity and be taken into the palace.

The jade pendant was old, but it was a precious item that Xue Gu had worn since childhood, one that had accompanied him in place of his mother.

Shen Youqing’s retreat now undoubtedly hurt Xue Gu.

“You don’t like it?” Xue Gu stood up and asked.

Shen Youqing shook his head vigorously. “No. I just think it’s too precious.”

He was naturally aware of how much Xue Gu cherished the pendant. But ever since that kiss, the threads of logic in his brain had become a tangled mess. Even now, he couldn’t sort it out; he couldn’t fathom Xue Gu’s motives, nor could he guess what Xue Gu was thinking.

It seemed that everything had gone in the exact opposite direction of his initial fantasies.

Why did it develop like this?

“You’re lying.” The smile in Xue Gu’s eyes vanished abruptly. His tone was flat, though he wasn’t as calm inside as he appeared on the surface.

One couldn’t blame Xue Gu for noticing so quickly; even Shen Youqing knew his excuse didn’t hold water after he said it.

Previously, Xue Gu hadn’t been warm toward him, he was the one always chasing Xue Gu, and being able to get even one thing from Xue Gu was enough for him to show off for a long time. Today’s reversal was indeed suspicious.

Shen Youqing decided to give up and just let it all go. He gritted his teeth and said, “So much has happened now. You cannot make a rational decision. Accepting this jade pendant right now is highly inappropriate. Your Highness, there will be many changes in the future… it would be best for both of us to calm down.”

Shen Youqing’s brain whirred, desperately organizing a string of half-truths that wouldn’t provoke Xue Gu.

Dealing with Xue Gu required constant, painstaking effort. He could get by before, but ever since Xue Gu lost his power, the弦 (strings) of the plot seemed to be reaching a breaking point.

Xue Gu was becoming harder and harder to fool.

If, after the mission was completed, the system rewarded him with only a pittance of points, he would absolutely go on strike! It was really treating him like a complete joke—a man pretending to be a woman every day, chasing after Xue Gu, scamming him of “money” and “affection.” If the truth were to come out, they would mince his flesh—there was no doubt his ending would be a hundred times more miserable than in the original novel.

The early spring sun was warm and pleasant, but the river breeze was damp and bone-chilling.

Xue Gu wore a half-smile, his hoarse voice sounding clearly in the empty, desolate countryside. “And after we calm down?”

Shen Youqing’s heart jumped. He lowered his head to avoid Xue Gu’s piercing gaze and, hardening his heart, said, “I do like you, but you are leaving this time with no set return date. Years later, if you forget me, have beautiful women by your side, and live a life of domestic bliss with another, how would I be expected to cope? You know me—I, Shen Youqing, could never share a husband with another in this lifetime. Furthermore, you have nothing now; why should I wait for you? You don’t even truly like me, so why should I keep liking you, just as you hope?”

It was the first time Shen Youqing had spoken to him so ruthlessly. Although he tried his best to keep his tone calm, Xue Gu could hear a trace of resentment within it.

Xue Gu’s complexion paled slightly, and the voice he squeezed from his throat was somewhat strained. “But when you first said you liked me, I also had nothing.”

His fingertips were icy, the long finger bones gripping the jade pendant bulging with the effort.

“Can you give me three years? Wait for me to come back” and marry you.

His lips moved, but the rest of the sentence was swallowed before it could leave his mouth.

It was also the first time Shen Youqing had seen this different side of Xue Gu.

Even the coldest person would find it difficult to speak harshly when seeing the dejected and helpless expression on Xue Gu’s face.

At that moment, Shen Youqing only felt his breath stagnate. The heavy air seemed to seal off his five senses, and when he finally regained his hearing, he heard himself say: “Okay.”

A month later, Shen Youqing broke his promise.

A letter asking to annul the engagement was sent to the distant Tongshan Pass, and it wasn’t until three months later that Xue Gu received it.

For three years, there hadn’t been a single reply.

For every node in Shen Youqing’s character plot, once the mission was completed, the system would automatically generate points, giving out varying amounts depending on the mission’s difficulty.

Breaking off the engagement happened to be an important plot point in the original novel to stimulate the male lead; while it wasn’t the final straw, it planted the seeds of hatred in him.

Before, he had always thought that the Xue Gu in his world didn’t like Shen Youqing as sincerely as in the original novel. But after their meeting by the river, he realized that Xue Gu really did seem to like him a little.

That was troublesome.

Only love can give birth to such hatred!

As his thoughts returned to the present, Shen Youqing set down his brush. He gathered the pages from his desk, tucked them into a book, and pressed it to the very bottom of the top shelf.

The door creaked open. Hearing the familiar footsteps, Shen Youqing knew it was Taojin and Luyin.

“Young Master, you’ve woken up so early today,” Taojin said with a smile.

Luyin remained expressionless, only offering a “good morning.”

Luyin was a guard assigned to him by Great Scholar Shen, responsible for protecting his safety and monitoring him, ready to report his situation at any time. However, having followed him for many years, Luyin had long since been “turned” by him, sometimes even helping Shen Youqing hide things and secretly do things that the Great Scholar forbade.

Taojin had a lively and straightforward personality, while Luyin was more reserved and stubborn.

Due to his gender and health, Shen Youqing didn’t have many close friends. Apart from obsessing over Xue Gu, he spent most of his time confined to the estate, chatting or playing games with Taojin and Luyin to pass the time.

“Oh, by the way, Young Master, Madam just asked for you to come over for breakfast.”

Shen Youqing blinked, tilting his head with a hum of laughter.

Without a doubt, this was actually a signal for peace from his biological father.