“Look at yourself, what kind of trash are you? Daring to mess with President Qu’s people you’ve got a death wish.”
“Stop playing dead, get up.”
The furious shouts were deafening. Jian Zhixu, who was sitting slumped against the wall, slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring face-to-face with a fierce, broad-faced man.
After a few seconds of adjusting, Jian Zhixu swept his gaze around and realized he was in a hotel guest room. As he was feeling perplexed, a flood of unfamiliar memories rushed into his mind, flashing frame by frame with different scenes.
A moment later, he realized he had transmigrated into a book.
It was a BL (boys’ love) novel titled The Overbearing President Pamper His Wife Fiercely, a cheesy, melodramatic story about an overbearing president (the main gong) and a top-tier celebrity (the main shou) locked in a “he runs, he chases, he can’t fly away” dynamic.
And he was just one of the cannon fodder seasoning agents for the main couple’s romance.
In the original setting, the cannon fodder original owner accompanied a classmate to an idol survival show during the summer of his freshman year and unexpectedly debuted because of his striking looks. In this era that favored good appearances, his resources had always been decent. While he wasn’t wildly famous, he was definitely a recognizable standout among a sea of idols whose faces blended together and were hard to remember.
However, after meeting the main gong, he seemed possessed by the ultimate ancestor of “brainless simps,” Wang Baochuan. From then on, he turned into the main gong’s ultimate licking dog. His career plummeted straight to the bottom of the barrel, and every day from open to close, he only thought about spreading rumors and smearing the main shou, trying to replace him as the main gong’s lover.
Unfortunately, the young couple were the official pairing, constantly putting on extreme push-and-pull dramas like “If you don’t love me, I’ll die to show you” and “You misunderstood, I didn’t,” leaving zero room for a third person.
Besides, the main shou possessed a natural magnet for everyone rated by fans as a once-in-five-thousand-years “heartthrob arsonist.” Even the main gong’s rival in business, the book’s ultimate villain the eldest grandson and heir of the Qu family, a prestigious clan formed through a marriage alliance between the underworld and legitimate business circles was deeply snared by him.
And he, precisely, was the cannon fodder tortured to death by this big villain. The root cause was that, in order to seize the main gong, he had hired an assassin to murder the main shou at a fan meeting.
After the incident was exposed, the big villain locked him up and tortured him with treatments resembling cancer chemotherapy. He couldn’t die even if he wanted to, and living was pure agony. Until the doctors said his life couldn’t be sustained much longer, the villain sliced him once a day, letting him slowly bleed to death until he finally withered into a dried skeleton.
Cannon fodder + low-tier celebrity + brainless simp the buff stacks were simply too full.
As a dignified, Grand Slam-winning Best Actor at the age of 30, he had simply been hit by a prop while filming a scene and transmigrated. How could he let such a brain-dead plot happen to himself?
Jian Zhixu propped himself up against the wall, smoothed down his wrinkled, flashy pink suit, and prepared to leave.
“Stop right there!”
The broad-faced man reached out to block Jian Zhixu’s path. “President Qu said you must stay here until the fan appreciation event is over.”
What fan appreciation event?
Jian Zhixu searched his memories hard and suddenly realized with a shock—that was the trigger that plunged the original owner into the abyss.
Because of a hit costume drama, the main shou had skyrocketed to become a top-tier celebrity. To thank his fans, he begged the big villain to help organize a private interactive appreciation event, and the assassin was someone who struck during this very event.
No, he had to stop the assassin. He hurriedly fished out his phone from his pocket, but the man snatched it away, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it fiercely. The screen instantly went black.
Knowing he couldn’t beat this bulky brute, Jian Zhixu made an excuse to go to the restroom.
After a moment, Jian Zhixu let out a startled scream to lure the man in. Hiding behind the door, he gave the man a hard shove, quickly slipped out, locked the door, wedged a wooden clothes hanger under the doorknob to jam it, and picked up the broken phone while swiping the room’s access card.
First-floor banquet hall of the hotel.
A fan asked Xie Lan, “What have you gained the most from acting?”
Xie Lan gave a very official answer, earning rounds of applause from the fans.
A fan then asked, “Is your romantic life in reality as sweet as it is on TV?”
“Sorry, I won’t be discussing private romantic matters today.”
The manager shrewdly cut in. Anyone asking questions like this didn’t bother checking whose home court today was, and immediately shifted the topic. “Time’s almost up, let’s start the personalized autographed photos.”
Jian Zhixu had already shed the pink suit, wiped off the ghost-white makeup on his face, messed up his slicked-back hair, and let his slightly long strands cover most of his face. Disguised as a staff member, he stood behind a fixed camera.
Actually, he hadn’t fully finished reading this BL novel, but his manager happened to listen to audiobooks every time he was around, so he had a rough grasp of the plot. If he remembered correctly, the assassin was a male, hired online by the original owner.
Most of the fans present were women, so finding him shouldn’t be too hard. Using the camera as cover, Jian Zhixu scanned for males among the fan crowd, intending to quietly subdue the person once found, trying not to draw the big villain’s attention.
Just then, a tall, straight-backed figure beside a pillar entered his frame.
As if sensing something, the man turned around alertly, staring fixedly at his camera.
In a flash, Jian Zhixu was stunned stupid.
The man’s facial features were sharp and defined, like carved stone, giving off a resolute vibe. His slightly narrowed black eyes gleamed with sharpness, scanning his surroundings as keenly as a black panther.
The bodyguard beside him asked, “President Qu, what’s wrong?”
President Qu? Bushi, nobody told him that the notorious big villain looked like this?! Strikingly handsome, with a 190 cm tall, straight physique under his tailored suit, the raw masculine charm hit his XP (fetishes) straight on.
To be honest, his preference was men, but he had always been too busy grinding for his career to seriously look for anyone, nor had he ever fancied anyone.
At this moment, the romantic love described in ancient literature seemed to become concrete. Suddenly turning back, there he stood in the dim fading light.
Jian Zhixu took another serious look, thinking to himself: how is he anything less than the main gong? He seriously suspected the original owner was blind—why did he simp for the wrong person? Whether it was love at first sight or lust at first sight, the person he had set his eyes on was someone he swore to chase down to the end.
“No filming President Qu allowed.” The bodyguard walked over and pressed down on the camera.
Jian Zhixu quickly shifted the lens. He had gotten carried away just now and almost forgot about the real task of capturing the assassin.
Suddenly, bang.
The camera accidentally bumped into someone, and Jian Zhixu instinctively reached out to steady the person.
“Don’t touch me.” The heavily made-up woman with big wavy hair spoke with a voice like a drake’s, quickly dodging away from Jian Zhixu.
Reacting so strongly was he really that terrifying?
Looking at the woman’s back, Jian Zhixu always felt something was off, but it clicked in his mind a second later: she completely didn’t fit in with the fans here. Everyone else was holding photos asking for autographs, but she had both hands shoved in her pockets.
His heart skipped a beat. Could she be the assassin? But wasn’t the assassin a guy?
Just as Jian Zhixu was feeling puzzled, the woman suddenly stopped in her tracks and shouted, “Xie Lan, go to hell!” Pulling a sharp knife from her pocket, she lunged at Xie Lan, who was busy signing autographs for fans.
The clueless fans screamed “Ahhh!” in terror and scrambled to flee instinctively. Xie Lan was caught off guard and knocked to the ground.
What the heck, Jian Zhixu cursed silently, pushing past the fans to step forward and stop her.
However, at this very moment, the woman’s gleaming knife abruptly changed direction.
Wait a minute, where are you going? Weren’t you supposed to stab the main shou?!
He watched as the woman rapidly swiveled to the right, locking her target on someone approaching from ahead. Without a moment’s hesitation, she lunged with the sharp blade toward the tall man.
At this critical moment, Jian Zhixu took a forward stride and threw himself right in front of the man.
“Damn it!”
The woman cursed angrily, not expecting a meddling busybody to jump in halfway. She yanked the knife back, intending to stab the man behind him instead.
Qu (Qu Yuheng) grabbed the woman’s wrist and twisted it backward with force. The woman cried out in pain and dropped her grip, sending the weapon clattering to the floor.
The bodyguards who rushed over swiftly pinned the woman’s hands and moved to press her against the ground. During the struggle, her big wavy wig fell off, revealing a masculine Adam’s apple.
A gush of hot liquid surged from his abdomen. Jian Zhixu looked down and saw fresh blood staining his white T-shirt. His body swayed uncontrollably, and the next second, a pair of strong hands caught him.
In the chaotic crowd, staff members pulled Xie Lan up and shielded him behind them. When they looked up, they only saw a receding blur speeding away.
It hurts!
An unprecedented wave of pain assaulted him. Jian Zhixu’s face turned pale, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing grew somewhat rapid.
The wound he was pressing tightly was bleeding profusely, dripping onto the luxurious leather car seats.
Was this cannon fodder about to kick the bucket in a totally different way?
No! He couldn’t just die like this without rhyme or reason.
Jian Zhixu bit his bullet, dragged his body forward, and pressed closer to the broad chest.
“Don’t move!”
His voice was deep and magnetic, sounding amazing. A tingling sensation surged up his tailbone, almost making the pain in his wound fade away.
Jian Zhixu lifted his chin slightly, appreciating the man’s clean-cut jawline all the way up. Those tightly pressed lips were sexy, stirring an urge to plant a kiss right on them.
As an old saying goes: Die under the peony blossom, even as a ghost, he’d be a romantic player.
“Lean closer, I have something to tell you.”
Qu Yuheng looked puzzled and lowered his head slightly.
“Qu Yuheng, the one I like is you.” The moment the words fell, Jian Zhixu pressed his lips against the man’s handsome cheek, enduring the severe pain to plant a loud smack.
Qu Yuheng: …… Wasn’t this assassination hired by you?
The driver in the front seat felt his pupils dilate, unable to resist stealing a glance in the rearview mirror.
Tasting a beauty was too bland; a mix of meat and vegetables made a balanced diet. Jian Zhixu pushed his luck further. “To be polite, give me a French kiss, and I’ll die with no regrets.”
Qu Yuheng raised his head and gazed with an unreadable expression at the young man in his arms. The exquisitely pretty face had the words “unsatisfied desire” written all over it, and the slightly curved corners of his lips betrayed a triumphant smile.
“Kiss me,” Jian Zhixu pouted his lips.
Calm down!!!!!
Qu Yuheng warned himself that he shouldn’t lower himself to argue with someone who was about to die.
Failing to get his kiss, Jian Zhixu wanted to say something else, but accidentally tugged at his wound, causing his brow to instantly knit tightly.
“Shut up,” Qu Yuheng commanded.
“I’ll listen to you, since I li” Qu Yuheng gave him a warning glare, and Jian Zhixu sensibly shut his mouth.
A moment of silence.
The breathing grew weaker, and his consciousness scattered further. Jian Zhixu swallowed hard and spoke once more, “Qu Yuheng, I really do like you.”
His voice came in intermittent gasps. “I swear, if… if I’m lying, may I die a horrible death…”
His slender eyelashes fluttered a few times before slowly closing. Jian Zhixu fell unconscious, his hand clutching his wound sliding down to hang by his side.
Qu Yuheng pressed down on the still-bleeding wound and commanded in a deep voice, “Drive faster.”
The driver slammed hard on the gas pedal, speeding all the way.
Minghua Hospital.
A man stood outside the doors of the emergency room, his hands covered in blood.
The heavy smell of blood dragged up his buried memories—a child crying out, “Daddy, Mommy…”, but no matter how heart-rending his screams were, he could not wake them up.
An elderly doctor walked over. “President Qu, should I have someone take you to clean up?”
The blood still retained its lingering warmth. Qu Yuheng felt an inexplicable panic in his chest, his hands trembling involuntarily for a good long while before he finally said, “Wait.”
The long wait was not entirely in the dark. As the actual controller of Minghua, Qu Yuheng could fully grasp the situation inside the operating room.
The sharp blade had pierced the stomach, and the patient had gone into hemorrhagic shock.