The Consequences of Provoking the Male Lead of a Qidian Novel - Chapter 5

Select All of the Above

Shen Youqing hit the “confirm” button at lightning speed; having his points cleared to zero was not a joke.

“The host may choose one punishment from the following four options:

A. Slap the male lead in public and shout, ‘Disgusting.’ B. Give the male lead a kiss in front of Li Xu. C. Confess your love to the male lead passionately, saying, ‘I don’t like the Heir; I only like you.’ D. Select all of the above.”

Slapping him was definitely out, what if Xue Gu slapped him back? No, he wasn’t that forgiving.

“Host, please make your selection promptly. Ten-second countdown: 10, 9, 8…”

Shen Youqing was so angry he laughed. Every option was a pitfall; the punishment was clearly designed to make him court death in various ways in front of Xue Gu.

“6, 5—”

Kissing Xue Gu in front of Li Xu? Option B was absolutely off the table. Was he looking to experience being hunted by both the protagonist and the villain simultaneously?

“4, 3—”

And a passionate confession? How incredibly greasy. Whether Xue Gu would believe it was one thing, but if he acted out the plot after confessing, he might die even earlier than in the original book.

Shen Youqing’s brain felt like mush; he couldn’t bring himself to choose any of them.

Maybe C… Or A seems okay too…

“2—”

Shen Youqing gritted his teeth, his finger hovering over option C. Just as he was about to tap it, Taojin’s voice reached his ears: “Young Master!”

His finger shook, and in his panic, he hit option D.

“Ding. Host has selected D: Select all of the above. Congratulations to the host for choosing the deluxe package; I trust it will be a wonderful experience. Please complete the tasks sequentially within one week, or your points will be cleared to zero.”

Shen Youqing: “…”

He heaved a long sigh and began to gently bump his head against the edge of the carriage window, over and over again.

Taojin, unaware of his current mental breakdown, spoke with joy about what she had just witnessed outside.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen such a scene. The Third Prince is truly formidable; he defeated Northern Qi repeatedly. Did you see? The people on the roadside are all here to offer their congratulations, praising him as the ‘Jade-Faced God of War’.”

Shen Youqing nodded weakly.

With the requirement to complete everything within a week, it was already an unknown whether he could even see Xue Gu and Li Xu within that timeframe.

The carriage arrived at the Marquis of Wu’an’s residence. Shen Youqing stood under the eaves outside, eyes reddened, asking the steward if the Heir was well, the dark circles under his eyes suggesting many sleepless nights.

The steward was moved by Shen Youqing’s “devotion,” but as Shen Youqing had expected, he still refused to allow a visit, citing that Li Xu could not be stimulated at the moment.

Shen Youqing, however, felt a premonition that it wasn’t that simple.

Upon returning to the Shen residence, Grand Tutor Shen had already returned from court, holding an invitation, which he slapped onto the table.

“An invitation to the victory banquet sent by the Emperor. With the great victory in Northern Qi this time, the Emperor is bound to confer a title upon the Third Prince.”

Shen Youqing feigned depth as he added: “The sky in the capital is about to change.”

Grand Tutor Shen glanced at him and flicked his knuckles against his forehead.

“Stop being frivolous.”

Shen Youqing let out an “Ouch.” “Father, you rely on the fact that I’m a boy to strike so hard. Why wasn’t I reincarnated as a girl? Let’s see if you’d still have the heart to hit me then.”

“Enough. What is it you’re looking for?”

Shen Youqing smiled, reached out an arm, and slowly, leisurely moved the invitation on the table toward himself.

“Father, the victory banquet—let me go.”

The opportunity had arrived.

In the original book, the victory banquet scene was brief, but the currents beneath were turbulent, with almost everyone harboring eight hundred schemes. According to the novel, Li Xu was also present.

This time, Shen Youqing didn’t bring Taojin, opting to have Luyin attend by his side.

Passing through the palace gates, Royal Guards patrolled the imperial road from time to time, and officials walked in pairs, chatting animatedly.

Shen Youqing only caught snippets, but they were inseparable from terms like “succession” and “His Highness.”

Shen Youqing understood. Picking a side in court was like buying stocks; pick the right one, and you soared to success and official fortune; pick the wrong one, and you faced misfortune and a rocky career path. The only thing to be careful about was whether you could keep your head at the end.

At a corner of the red palace walls, Shen Youqing collided with someone coming the other way, causing him to stagger back a few steps.

The person immediately dropped to their knees, knocking their head against the ground in apology: “This slave deserves to die, this slave deserves to die…”

Shen Youqing had lived in this feudal dynasty for eighteen years, yet he still wasn’t used to people kneeling and kowtowing to him.

“It’s nothing. Get up quickly.”

“This slave is guilty of offending a noble person; please show mercy.” Lin An stood up, still keeping his head lowered, apologizing timidly; he looked thoroughly terrified.

Suddenly, Shen Youqing understood why the young eunuch was so panicked.

Two eunuchs approached angrily. After offering a salute to Shen Youqing, they gnashed their teeth, wearing fake smiles: “This slave didn’t understand the etiquette and offended the young miss; we will drag him away and teach him a lesson right now.”

Shen Youqing frowned deeply: “It’s no matter. He did not offend me.”

“Young miss, do not be deceived by this boy’s pathetic look. He stole our purses, and there is irrefutable evidence!”

Lin An’s lips trembled, but upon hearing this, his courage suddenly surged: “I didn’t steal them!”

“Oh? You’re still trying to deny it?” One of the eunuchs became agitated, his fist raised high.

“Luyin,” Shen Youqing called out.

The next instant, the eunuch’s arm was twisted behind his back by Luyin, causing him to shriek in pain.

Shen Youqing didn’t consider himself a righteous person, but seeing the bruises covering the young eunuch’s delicate face, along with the suggestive red marks on his neck, he couldn’t turn a blind eye after witnessing it in person.

Shen Youqing spat internally: Bullying even a eunuch—are they even human?

“After I leave, don’t you dare cause him trouble.” Shen Youqing kicked the eunuch who had fallen beside him, then retreated a few steps in disgust, flicking his sleeves and saying lightly, “My fiancé is the Heir of the Marquis of Wu’an; weigh your options before you act.”

Holy crap, so this is what it feels like to act cool. Refreshing.

It seemed Li Xu was still somewhat useful.

Shen Youqing turned and left with satisfaction, his mood immensely pleasant.

Lin An watched his back quietly, a flicker of shock in his eyes.

“This Shen girl—years have passed, yet her temperament remains the same as before.”

In the spacious and comfortable carriage, a man shook his head and chuckled. Seeing that the person opposite him showed no reaction, he couldn’t help but tease him, mimicking Shen Youqing’s tone: “My fiancé is the Heir of the Marquis of Wu’an; weigh your options before you act. Tsk, what’s your impression after hearing that?”

“Get out.” Xue Gu flipped through the letters in his hand, not sparing him a glance.

Chu Yan let out a “Tsk.” “Boring.” He spun the jade thumb ring on his finger and continued asking, “Your former fiancée is about to marry someone else, Xue Guannan; how come you don’t look like you have any reaction at all?”

Xue Gu gave a light sneer, his eyes filled with mockery. Every time he closed his eyes, he would remember Shen Youqing’s panicked expression that day and the way the curtain corner had been pulled down in a hurry.

In that moment, blood had rushed to his head, and his heart felt like it was being gnawed on by ants; it had taken a long time to suppress the anger, to hold back the impulse to reach out, rip open the carriage curtain, and pull the person out.

Shen Youqing wasn’t like a mountain bird; he was more like a canary raised by the nobility in the palace, perching on the iron wires of the cage, chirping incessantly. When ignored, he chirped even more happily; when you approached, he retracted his wings, silent and motionless.

Afraid of the cold, afraid of the heat; afraid of bitterness, afraid of pain. How could there be such a troublesome person in the world?

Xue Gu didn’t want to take that engagement seriously, but Shen Youqing insisted on provoking him.

When he first arrived in the capital at twelve, he had only learned half the official language. His mother was a dancer who had been offered to the Emperor by Northern Qi, and he had inherited a few of her foreign features, such as tea-colored eyes that were very obvious in the sun. Having lived on the borders his whole life, he had been given derogatory nicknames.

Shen Youqing had accidentally overheard them once and said indignantly: “They’re using official language to call you a ‘Northern Pig’—don’t pay them any mind. And ‘Northern Barbarian’—that’s also an insult. Don’t you dare be angry. If you get angry, you lose; you’ll play right into their hands.”

He wasn’t angry.

Xue Gu could probably guess that those people were insulting him, but he didn’t care about others’ evaluations, didn’t like others’ concern, and didn’t like others meddling in his affairs.

It was just that Shen Youqing seemed even angrier than he was.

When they were in the palace school, Shen Youqing would always sit beside him, claiming he wanted to teach him to read. After finishing a few passages of the Thousand Character Classic, he would start dozing off.

Even though he was frail, he always loved following him.

“Brother, you said you didn’t want to marry me, so how about this? I’ve thought of a perfect solution.”

Xue Gu looked back at him, waiting for his answer.

“Why don’t you marry into our Shen family, Brother? I’ll treat you well.” Shen Youqing’s eyes were crescent-shaped, his words sincere.

Xue Gu flicked his sleeve and walked away.

He shouldn’t have held any expectations for him.

“Really, won’t you consider it? I like you so much; I’ll definitely be good to you in the future.”

Frivolous. Xue Gu had never seen anyone else who would constantly keep the word “like” on their lips like he did, as if it were as simple as drinking water or eating a meal.

At first, Xue Gu could manage to turn a blind eye to him. He didn’t know when it started, but he could no longer do it.

Every time he distanced himself, Shen Youqing would spout whatever came to his mind, never retreating because of his cold face; yet, once he drew even a step closer, Shen Youqing would immediately shrink back into his nest.

Chu Yan noticed Xue Gu’s expression looked a bit off and asked, unafraid of death: “You wouldn’t still have lingering feelings for him, would you?”

Xue Gu’s eyelids cast a shadow; his thin lips pressed together, and his grip on the letter in his hand tightened: “How could that be?”

“True enough, three years have passed; you should have let it go by now. This Shen miss—aside from that face, he has nothing to recommend him. His heart is hard and cruel enough; back then, when you were in danger from the enemy’s poisoned arrows, he sent a letter of annulment…” Chu Yan thought to himself that if he had encountered such a thing, he would never let the other party off easily.

Chu Yan got out of the carriage. The loosely closed carriage curtain left a gap, and the dusk sunlight squeezed in, casting the shadow of the person sitting still on the inner wall of the carriage.

Xue Gu twitched his mouth, lowering his head to look at the letter, as if returning to the scene where he had seen the annulment letter. The veins on the back of his hand bulged slightly, and a dull pain rose in his chest.

He repeated in the most normal, casual tone possible, “How could that be?” as if asking and answering himself.

Liar.

Xue Gu folded the letter and tucked it into his sleeve.