CH 2

Lu Bai collapsed into a ‘大’ shape on the soft bed, lost in thought. He was at the apartment he had purchased in a neighborhood near his school. In fact, when he was about to go to college last year, his father ordered him to live in the student dormitory and properly experience some hardship to temper himself.

But of course, for a qualified dandy, it was only natural that he couldn’t lower himself to squeeze in with his fellow students at dormitory. Therefore, under the double attack of his stepmother and grandfather’s doting love, his father helplessly relented.

He used to live at their house some time ago because Qin Gu had gone abroad to work on a project. Because there was no plot point, he could lay around and enjoy life with ease. Later, Qin Gu returned and the new university term was about to start so he reluctantly moved into the apartment and braced himself to go with the plot again – It was originally for the convenience and sake of the plot that he specifically found this apartment that was not only near his school but also close to the place where Qin Gu usually lived.

Lu Bai thought that the Lu family was indeed truly special. Each and every one of the Lu family including his looking-like-he-eats-people-with-his-serious-face father and the-originally-should-have-been-vicious supporting-characters stepmother and stepsister, have all overprotected Lu Bai, this worthless dandy. Not to mention his grandfather who loved him like a darling. Arguably, the plot of the Lu family has long collapsed but mostly owing to the fact that the Lu family only played an insignificant role, the World hadn’t punished him.

Thinking this, the corner of Lu Bai’s lips tugged on his mouth: That’s right. This was precisely the reason why he wanted to complete the story line. It wasn’t only because he wanted to gain the freedom to return to his world but also because he had already tried out everything. The finer details didn’t matter but in case his and Qin Gu’s plot happened to collapse, this story’s World would initiate the punishment mechanism.

Since arriving in this world, in fact, the punishment mechanism had only been initiated once. That had been many years ago already— Lu Bai raised his palm towards the dazzling bright light outside the window. His fair slender hand nearly became transparent in the light. Light spilled through the gaps of his fingers towards his translucent emotionless light-colored eyes. Lu Bai gently closed his palm into a fist: It wasn’t that he couldn’t stand the pain but because he hated being under the control of others. He must obtain freedom to completely reveal the secrets hidden in the dark by the World out open under the sun. After which, he then could give the guy who put him here a nice lesson.

He was not the kind of person who would just grin and bear everything1.

*Knock Knock*

The knock on the door interrupted Lu Bai’s thoughts. He sat up and couldn’t help but smile: The only one he intimately knew that would knock on the door like that instead of using the doorbell, besides himself, was his sister2 in this world, Lu Guanguan.

Lu Bai got out of bed. As soon as he opened the door, Lu Guanguan’s bright and childish face appeared in front of him. With worry and concern in her eyes she asked: “Are you okay brother?”

Lu Bai was stunned. A bit of genuine warmth appeared in his eyes. He rubbed Lu Guanguan’s hair and said: “What can happen to me?”

Lu Guanguan curled her lips. After all, she didn’t want to poke at her brother’s heartbroken mood so she simply replied: “Brother, there’s still some time before university starts. You should go back home first. Daddy and my mom miss you.” Qin Gu, that guy, has returned. It would be better if her brother could stay far away from him. This apartment was too close to Qin Gu.

Lu Bai chuckled and was just about to say something when his mobile phone vibrated with a ‘Buzz’. He glanced at the screen before picking it up: “Hello, mama.” Lu Guanguan heard Lu Bai’s words and was dumbstruck before obediently keeping quiet to listen to Lu Bai’s call.

She didn’t know what the person on the other end said but Lu Bai nodded and replied: “Okay, I’ll be there that day.” Lu Guanguan saw Lu Bai’s nearly blinding pure smile and her anxious heart couldn’t help calming down. She racked her head ‘til it was in disarray but she still couldn’t understand how such a good person like her brother could fall for Qin Gu, who couldn’t be but annoying in every way possible. Plus, that guy would keep rejecting her brother, hurting him over and over again.

When Lu Bai hung up the call, Lu Guanguan blinked at him: “Brother, is auntie coming to Jing Hai?”

Lu Bai nodded and said: “She will have an exhibit in half a month so she will we go over in two days to prepare for it. She also invited you and has prepared some gifts.”

Lu Guanguan’s eyes lit up and she showed a bright smile. “I knew auntie was the best!” Lu Bai’s mother, Ming Yan, was a locally and internationally renowned painter. Although she and Father Lu had divorced, she had always maintained a good relationship with Father Lu and the Lu family. She also really loves Lu Guanguan.

Lu Guanguan happily looked forward to meeting Aunt Ming but she also didn’t forget to persuade her brother to return home. It was unknown what she thought but she suddenly said: “Brother. You should go back home during this time. You might have forgotten that there will be a cocktail party at home in two days. At that time, many of daddy’s partners will be there and he will definitely ask you to go back.” Saying that Lu Guanguan blinked weirdly. “It’s better to go back early than late ya.”

Lu Bai was stunned. If it wasn’t for his sister’s reminder, he nearly would have forgotten about the party. The party scene was too dramatic3 and too important. In Jing Hai City, the Lu Family and Qin Family were old friends so naturally, Qin Gu attended the party that day. During that night, Lu Bai, the malicious supporting male, went crazy and drugged Qin Gu. He schemed to possess the person first before possessing his heart and took the chance to sleep with Qin Gu. This was seen through by Qin Gu and ultimately it was Lu Bai who drank the spiked glass of wine.  That night, Lu Bai in his drugged state rolled on the bed together with a man and was even blackmailed with photos by said man. As for Qin Gu, he pretended to be intoxicated by the spiked wine and laid in Qu Xueyu’s room waiting for the other to take care of him. It was precisely that night when the protagonist shou, Qu Xueyu, faintly recognized how special Qin Gu was to him.

After recalling the plot, the corner of Lu Bai’s mouth twitched due to the troublesome plot: He had never seen such a thoughtful and unlucky vicious supporting male. He did horrible things just to dig his own grave. He rolled on the sheets with a stranger only to be blackmailed with photos and so on. Wasn’t this treatment reserved only for the miserable lead of a melodramatic soap opera?

Lu Bai took a deep breath and looked towards Lu Guanguan: “Okay, I’ll go home with you. But Guanguan, do me a favor on the day of the party.” In any case, he couldn’t really throw himself into such a miserable situation. He had tried it before. As long as the plot between him and Qin Gu actually happened, there was room for the other plots to move around.

Upon hearing that her brother finally agreed to go back home with her, Lu Guanguan’s eyes sparkled. She nodded: “Brother, say it!”

Lu Bai then said: “Pay attention to me that day. If you see me unconscious, let Uncle Liu send me back to my room.” Afterall, they were at his house and unlike the repugnant original work, he still had his loved ones so it was impossible for him to dig his own grave in sleeping with a strange man and getting blackmailed with indecent photos of himself.

Lu Guanguan nodded in seriousness: “Don’t worry brother.” Even if Lu Bai didn’t say it, she would still pay attention. That guy, Qin Gu, would also be there. She would be foolish if she let Qin Gu bully her brother at their own house.

“Okay, then let’s go back ba.” What Guanguan said was right.  There’s no difference whether he returned early or late. In any case, there was no plot point in the next two days.

So, Lu Bai looked at Lu Guanguan’s super cool blindingly bright pink sports car and his lips pursed. Nevertheless, he resigned to his fate and got in.

They really didn’t have the best timing today. There was a very bad traffic jam on the nearest route to their home. Lu Guanguan would have to go the long way around and take a different route. Although Lu Bai had grown up in Jing Hai since childhood, there were still places that he was unfamiliar with. He didn’t know whether there was a problem with the navigation or something but the detour Lu Guanguan took was awfully far. They even accidentally entered the bar street where some shady people inhabited4. This bar street was different from the one near the city center. The staff here were messy and come from all kinds of places but it also contained profane, vulgar, and the hustle and bustle kind of liveliness.

Lu Guanguan drove under the shade of the gingko trees. The dim yellow lights slowly began to light up. Amidst the narrow noisy street, they had no choice but to slow down and tread carefully. Lu Guanguan embarrassedly said: “Sorry brother. I seem to have taken the wrong way. There might be something wrong with the navigation program just now. I might have gone in the wrong direction. We should have taken another path from Fuyu road but we accidentally made a turn right before it.” This Fuyu road wasn’t far from the road they were originally supposed to take but it led to a completely different direction along with a different environment.

Lu Bai’s pupils contracted when he heard the name: “What did you say the road was called?”

Lu Guanguan held the steering wheel. She felt extremely aggrieved as she looked towards Lu Bai: “Fuyu Road.”

Lu Bai suddenly looked out the car window. At this moment, they just happened to turn a corner and Lu Bai directly saw a bar that was slightly quieter and more elegant compared to the other places surrounding it. The bar’s signboard was made of wood and the four words written on it made it seem out of place: Collecting Fireflies, Reflecting Snow. Lu Bai looked at the bar then glanced at the dark alley next to the bar. His throat bobbed: Fuck. That’s exactly it. That’s the place where he will die and provoke the blackened supporting character Ruan Jiangjiu in the near future…

“Brother, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” Lu Bai replied with a twitch of his brows. In short, although that plot point was dramatic and headache-inducing compared with the one where he had to drug Qin Gu, at least it was still some time before it happened. He still had some time to properly think about how he could escape alive when he had to provoke Ruan Jiangjiu. As for why he must provoke Ruan Jiangjiu, Lu Bai’s right eye twitched: Of course, it was still because of Qin Gu ah.

At Collecting Fireflies, Reflecting Snow.

“Yo. Great film emperor. Young master Qu. Are you satisfied with the place where you’ll step down to earth and come to experience life? I especially cleaned it for you today.” The empty bar was lit with a dim yellow light and only two men sat at the bar’s counter.

Qu Xueyu raised an eyebrow and looked at the sloppy man. His black eyes still appeared as clear as winter in the dark. His slender fingers touched the wine lined with flecks of hazy colors from the light glass on the table but he didn’t drink it. There was familiarity in his voice: “Save it.”

""

The man smiled and shook his head. He then asked: “How long are you going to stay?”

Qu Xueyu softly knocked on the wooden table: “Two months.”

The man spoke: “Alright. Don’t worry. No one will recognize you if you stay here.” After a pause, the man snorted out a laugh and coughed before sternly saying: “Ruan Jiangjiu, starting today, you are a server in this bar.”

Server Ruan Jiangjiu: “Oh.”