Chapter 45#

World 2: I Want to Be a Fish in Your Pond#

It took Qin Qing most of the day to clean up the original owner’s house.

Seeing him walk into the bathroom covered in dust, 996 followed him in.

“Why do all kittens like to watch their owners take a bath?” Qin Qing pulled the shower curtain, his gentle voice carrying the dampness of water vapor.

996 squatted on the toilet lid and rolled its eyes: “Bah, you are not my owner! Tell me quickly what the origin is!”

Qin Qing chuckled lightly: “Guess.”

The sound of water splashed, and mist filled the entire space. An extremely sweet, strong, and gentle fragrance steamed in this narrow bathroom, like freshly picked tender green catnip, making 996 dizzy and its body soft and drunk without drinking.

It sniffed the strong fragrance in the air deeply, then narrowed its eyes, raised its head, and couldn’t help sticking out half of its tongue.

Everything in the bathroom, including the shower curtain, water mist, towel, and even the smooth mercury mirror, was soaked in this fragrance. Immediately afterwards, the domineering fragrance drilled out of the door crack and invaded the entire apartment.

The original owner’s small and simple, even somewhat dirty snail shell, turned into a spotless and fragrant flower nest after Qin Qing arrived.

Behind the pure white shower curtain, Qin Qing supported himself against the cold wall with both hands and stood silently under the shower head.

The steaming water slid over his body, moistening his skin like jade. The flower blooming on his shoulder was now like a pastel painting soaked in water, slowly fading the magnificent color like the morning glow, sinking into the well-proportioned and fragrant flesh and blood bit by bit, nourishing his riddled soul.

Half an hour later, Qin Qing wrapped a bath towel around his waist and walked slowly to the balcony.

“It’s too empty here. When I make money later, I will plant flowers all over here,” he muttered to himself while wiping his wet hair.

996 walked behind him with a cigarette in its mouth, glanced casually, and its eyes widened.

“Qin Qing, where is your flower?”

“A person can only bloom one flower. Changing the world, without that person, the flower will naturally be gone.” Qin Qing smiled casually, then walked back to the bedroom and put on clothes and pants.

996 kept looking him up and down, and found that he didn’t show any pain or nostalgia for losing Cang Ming at all, and couldn’t help but say angrily: “Qin Qing, the story about you and Xu Yizhi making a life-and-death contract was made up by you to deceive me, right? Otherwise, how can you still be alive now? Xu Yizhi died definitely because you snatched all his luck. Then you took a fancy to Cang Ming’s luck! Relying on Cang Ming’s luck, you lived to the end. You are not some flower of the mortal world, you are a flower of evil!”

996 pounced on the dining table and sharpened its claws hatefully on the table leg.

“Qin Qing, I even shed a tear for your infatuation! Give me back my tear!”

Meowing sounds rang out continuously in the room.

Qin Qing looked at 996 helplessly with a gaze of pity for a fool, and didn’t argue.

996 said again: “You don’t want to seduce the protagonist gong of this world too, do you? Do you want to take away the protagonist gong’s luck?”

Qin Qing smiled without saying a word, took out the original owner’s account book and flipped through it casually.

Thinking that several protagonist gongs would soon throw themselves into the net and come to this demon flower, 996 felt numb all over. It quickly jumped onto the desk, pressed the mouse with its paw, turned on the computer, and then logged into the original owner’s QQ account.

996 pressed its big flat face against the computer screen just to see clearly the avatar photo used by the original owner.

This photo was naturally of Yun Siyu.

The boy in the photo had round cat eyes, a small face, red lips slightly pursed, revealing a shy smile, looking as pure as a clear spring.

“Really cute and invincible, meow! Nothing will happen, the protagonist gong will definitely not escape the protagonist shou’s palm…”

996 had great confidence in the protagonist shou’s charm. Looking back and comparing it with Qin Qing’s face, that confidence turned into a stone, stuck in its throat, unable to go up or down, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Qin Qing… he seemed to be better looking than in the last world! Did he evolve?

The bright sun of early autumn refracted through the glass door, casting colorful light. The light spots scattered, magnificent and warm, but not as good as the inadvertent smile when Qin Qing lowered his eyes and curved his lips.

If Qin Qing in the last world was as brilliant as a summer flower, then in this world he was a fruit of late autumn, ripe thoroughly, brewing endless sweet nectar under the thin, soft, white and smooth skin.

Who wouldn’t want to take a bite upon seeing him?

996 suddenly wailed and hugged its head.

“Don’t come and throw yourself into the net, stay far away, stay far away…” 996 shrank in the corner, its furry butt facing Qin Qing, chanting spells nervously like a wizard.

Qin Qing glanced at 996 with amusement and didn’t ask much. This little fat cat had some IQ problems, so he couldn’t be too demanding of it.

“Hello, is this Yun Siyu?” Qin Qing picked up the phone and made a call.

996, who was chanting, hurriedly turned to look at him, panic written all over its face. Every time Qin Qing took the initiative to provoke the protagonist gong or protagonist shou, the plot would collapse greatly. It was already afraid.

“Brother Qin, do you need something from me?” Yun Siyu’s voice was a bit surprised.

The original owner had social phobia, never called Yun Siyu, and didn’t allow Yun Siyu to visit his home. He always contacted him via QQ or WeChat. This was the first time in three years that he had called so proactively.

“Yun Siyu, I sent you some pictures. Open WeChat and take a look first, then we’ll talk after you finish reading.” Qin Qing said gently.

“Ah, okay.” Yun Siyu immediately opened WeChat.

The call was not hung up. There was a long silence on the other end, and then there was the sound of heavy breathing one after another. How nervous and uneasy Yun Siyu felt was conveyed without words.

Qin Qing gently fiddled with the title page of the account book with his slender fingertips, a faint and gentle smile on the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were cold.

“Have you finished reading?” he asked calmly.

“Finished reading.” Yun Siyu’s clear boyish voice had changed its tune, showing a bit of panic.

“Siyu, did you also see my bank card balance?” Qin Qing asked again.

“Saw, saw it.” Yun Siyu’s voice was a few degrees hoarser than before.

“I borrowed 300,000 for you. Did you also see those chat screenshots and transfer records?” Qin Qing pressed step by step, but his tone was as gentle as water, as if this call was just a casual chat.

“Saw it.” Yun Siyu’s voice lowered, and a trace of embarrassed trembling was transmitted through the channel.

“Then when can you return the money to me?” Qin Qing asked politely.

“I thought that was—”

Yun Siyu wanted to say I thought that was sponsorship and didn’t need to be repaid. But seeing page after page of transfer records in WeChat, he fell silent. He was just obsessed with art and didn’t like to be tainted by the secular world, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t distinguish right from wrong, good from evil.

He had no concept of money, so he never knew how much of Qin Qing’s money he had spent. But now, he knew. This was a guilt he couldn’t escape.

“Brother Qin, I’m sorry. I will repay this money. Shall I write you an IOU first? I’ll ask a courier to send it to you later. Starting today, I will pay off the money bit by bit.” Yun Siyu promised seriously.

He was just like what was written in the script, a child who couldn’t be kinder.

996 glared at Qin Qing resentfully. Having achieved his goal, Qin Qing smiled with satisfaction.

“Pay it back in installments. A lifetime is very long, it doesn’t matter if you take your time.” This comfort sounded really like a curse.

After hanging up the phone, Yun Siyu also organized a bill and sent it to Qin Qing. He recorded his expenses in detail. Except for study tours, exhibitions, buying study supplies and artworks, the rest of the millions were used for charity.

[I donated a lot of money to the director in your name. The director said your family went bankrupt and wanted to return the money to you. I had no choice but to donate it anonymously using my account. Brother Qin, I didn’t spend your money recklessly. It was all used to sponsor children who dropped out of school. By the way, because of your sponsorship, six children in the orphanage were admitted to university this year. Also because of your sponsorship, my good friend Yan Boxing is about to become an NBA star. Look, this money was used in very meaningful places. I always remember Uncle Qin’s teaching to be a kind person.]

He explained like this.

Uncle Qin was Qin Qing’s father. As a savior-like existence, his words would inevitably have a huge impact on Yun Siyu’s growth.

996 looked at this text message and sighed: “The protagonist shou this time is really reliable.”

Qin Qing turned his head away, curved his eyes, and smiled with amusement.

Even the director knew that the original owner was in financial difficulty and needed money more, but Yun Siyu didn’t know, and insisted on donating the remaining money of the original owner in his own name. Moreover, the money he used to sponsor children who dropped out of school and his good friend was all transferred from his own bank card.

If investigated afterwards, the one whose life was ruined was the original owner, but the one who gained reputation and praise was him, Yun Siyu. This is called reliable?

This is called hypocrisy, this is called fishing for fame, this is called being a…

Qin Qing shook his head and didn’t say that ugly word.

After hanging up the phone, Yun Siyu sat on the bed in a daze for a while, his face pale as paper.

His roommate asked: “Siyu, I heard you are not going out for an internship?”

“En, Master Tang Jianguo is coming to our department to give a lecture. I want to learn classical oil painting techniques from him. You guys go for the internship, I won’t go.” Yun Siyu answered unconsciously, and quickly corrected himself after reacting: “Where are you going for the internship? Is there a salary? Can you take me with you?”

“There is a salary. Eh, you also want to go out to work? Why?” The roommate felt very surprised.

Yun Siyu’s food, clothing, and expenses were all the best, and the paints and painting tools he bought were also the most expensive. During winter and summer vacations, everyone went to work, but he could travel all over Europe to see exhibitions. Compared with other classmates, he really lived in the clouds.

Therefore, everyone thought he was a noble son from some family. His appearance was indeed very exquisite and noble.

“Are you out of money?” The roommate asked curiously.

“En, I’m a bit short of money recently. How much is your monthly salary?” Yun Siyu asked uneasily.

“About five thousand or so.”

“What, only five thousand or so?” Yun Siyu’s face turned pale.

“Five thousand during the internship period is already quite a lot. How can a rich second generation like you know the suffering of us poor people.” The roommate shook his head and left the dormitory.

Yun Siyu counted on his fingers how many years he would have to work to pay off the debt, and his face immediately turned a few shades paler. He stared blankly at the sky for a while, then covered his face and wept aggrievedly in a low voice.

Although he was an orphan, due to the successive sponsorship of Qin Qing’s father and Qin Qing, he lived a glamorous life. When this glamour no longer enveloped him, he realized that life was so bitter.

The next day, 996 tried every means to destroy Qin Qing’s mobile phone, for fear that Gong 1 would call.

What the hell plot to follow! Keeping Qin Qing away from the several protagonist gongs was the top priority!

But Qin Qing had just arrived in a new world and needed a mobile phone to understand various information, so he always kept the phone in his hand, giving 996 no chance at all.

At more than eight o’clock in the evening, a photo of 200,000 cash was transmitted to Qin Qing’s mobile phone just as written in the script. Immediately afterwards, Gong 1’s text message was sent, saying that he had quarreled with his mother and ran away from home. Now he had no place to live, so he asked Qin Qing to find him at the Chuanshu Barbecue Shop on the food street. He wanted to stay at Qin Qing’s house for a while.

The photo and text message were sent from a strange number. Qin Qing removed the two creditors from the blacklist as soon as he arrived, but they didn’t seem to have discovered it yet.

A junior student who was not deeply involved in the world wandering outside with 200,000 cash, various dangers would inevitably lurk in the dark.

Qin Qing couldn’t sit by and ignore it, so he changed his clothes immediately and went to the Chuanshu Barbecue Shop.

996 followed in a hurry, looking at Qin Qing’s dreamlike profile hidden in the neon lights while walking, the ominous premonition becoming stronger and stronger.

At the same time, Ye Rongzheng frowned and threw the phone to a friend beside him, his extremely wild and handsome face full of impatience.

“He agreed, he will arrive in half an hour.” He waved his hand and ordered: “You guys order, order expensive ones. Later I’ll pretend to be drunk and won’t pay the bill, and you don’t pay either. Everyone stare at him together and make him take the initiative to pay the bill.”

“What if he doesn’t pay?” A friend asked.

Ye Rongzheng kicked a travel bag at his feet casually and sneered: “You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. He is a scammer, he can’t give up hundreds of thousands for a few thousand. I calculate that he will definitely pay the bill.”

“Running to live with a scammer for 150,000, Brother, your sacrifice is too great. Are you playing him or playing yourself? If it were me, I would just call the police.” A friend said disapprovingly.

People who could play with Ye Rongzheng were naturally also rich second generations with prominent family backgrounds. 150,000 really meant nothing to them.

Any watch in Ye Rongzheng’s drawer started at millions. Making a big fuss for 150,000 was purely because he had nothing better to do.

Ye Rongzheng shook his head and didn’t speak. Of course, he wasn’t doing it for money, but for the secrets Qin Qing had tricked out of his mouth. Who would know that he, the dignified heir of the Ye family, would have a crazy mother?

This was a family scandal strictly kept secret by the Ye family, but he leaked it to a scammer with corrupt morals. If this scammer learned of his identity one day, would he use this handle against the Ye family?

Ye Rongzheng couldn’t allow such a situation to happen, so he agreed to Mu Feiyan’s plan.

The friends ordered lavishly, and then bought a few cases of beer, drinking while cursing the scammer. Ye Rongzheng sat aside smoking silently, wondering what he was thinking.

While pondering, a friend asked: “What does that liar look like? Is there a photo?”

Ye Rongzheng came back to his senses and pulled up Yun Siyu’s photo for his friends to see.

“Fuck! The scammer looks like this? Too cute! Could it be a picture searched from the Internet?”

“If the scammer really looks like this, then don’t ask for that 150,000. Isn’t getting the person better than 150,000?”

“Exactly, the tender model girlfriend I just got isn’t as good-looking as this scammer. I spent seven or eight hundred thousand on my girlfriend. For a beauty of this level, spending a million on him isn’t a loss!”

These people played very openly. As long as they were beautiful enough, it didn’t matter if they were men or women. After being hit by Yun Siyu’s looks, they immediately defected.

Someone even snatched Ye Rongzheng’s phone and sent Yun Siyu’s photo to his own WeChat to save it.

Ye Rongzheng flicked his fingertip lightly and accurately shot the unextinguished cigarette butt into the trash can not far away, saying impatiently: “If the scammer looks like this, I won’t bother with him! This photo belongs to someone else.”

Worried that Yun Siyu would be harassed by his friends, Ye Rongzheng didn’t explain the source of the photo.

Because they couldn’t see the beauty, the friends sighed one by one: “I said it, how could a scammer use his own photo to cheat money.”

“Damn, this drinking party tonight is boring.”

“If a greasy man with big ears comes later, I’m afraid I’ll vomit.”

“It must be an ugly person coming. If he really looks good, does he need to hide his head and tail to cheat money?”

“If he is as good-looking as in the photo, turns on the video and acts coquettishly a few times, let alone 150,000, Brother Ye would give five million, right Brother Ye?”

A friend bumped Ye Rongzheng’s shoulder.

Ye Rongzheng frowned and smiled wickedly: “When he comes, I’ll shove the photo in his face and ask him how he got disfigured. Damn, people with thick skin are really invincible, actually daring to come.”

“If he doesn’t come, what will you play?” The handsome man wearing gold-rimmed glasses sitting silently beside Ye Rongzheng suddenly spoke.

He was a rare top student in this group, a top student in the Physics Department of D University. He was dragged to play this childish game before finishing his experiment, so he was naturally unhappy.

“Brother Jin is right, if he doesn’t come, we have nothing to play. Come come come, Brother Jin drink!”

A group of people scrambled to pour wine for the glasses man. Except for Ye Rongzheng, the glasses man’s family background was the most prominent, so everyone naturally dared not provoke him.

Ye Rongzheng thought for a while and ordered: “When the person comes, if he greets you, ignore him, just pretend you don’t see him. If he chats with you, pretend you don’t hear him either. See if he feels awkward. Wanting to cheat money from me and wanting face too, how can it be so easy! By the way, put your car keys, mobile phones, and wallets on the table, let him see your strength. The fat meat is right in front of him, hook him, make him itch. If he asks for your WeChat ID privately, just send it over, everyone join hands to play this idiot. Damn, cheating money on my head, doesn’t want to live anymore!”

The more Ye Rongzheng spoke, the gloomier his face became, and his temper obviously became irritable.

Everyone nodded hurriedly, saying that they would make that scammer suffer today.

Ye Rongzheng looked at his phone and said contemptuously: “He has arrived. Just after the photo of 200,000 cash was sent, I was removed from the blacklist by him. This is the power of money.”

Ye Rongzheng sent the table number and his clothing characteristics to Qin Qing.

“He said he saw us.” Ye Rongzheng looked down at the WeChat chat box, his expression even gloomier. After finishing, he took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth irritably.

Just thinking about staying with a scammer for the next few weeks made him extremely unhappy.

“The person is here? Where?” The rich second generations looked up at the entrance of the food street together.

The burnt aroma of meat permeated the air along with the thin smoke released by the oven. The noisy human voices mixed with the soaring smell of alcohol, dyeing the early autumn night turbid. A tall and thin man was walking slowly through this turbid smoke and smell of alcohol.

Every time he passed a table of diners, he brought a silence of staring eyes.

Everyone was looking at him, their eyes blurred and dull, but he hooked his slightly red lips and looked straight at Ye Rongzheng’s table.

He was wearing a pure black sweater, the style was a bit loose, and the neckline hung loosely on his thin and round shoulders. The beautiful and exquisite collarbone was deeply sunken, making people want to touch it with their lips to see if it was filled with the cool night breeze. The skin as white as snow and smooth as jade was illuminated by the fireworks of the mortal world, emerging a layer of warm pink.

Pure black, pure white, warm pink, the huge color difference blended into a mesmerizing picture.

The person in the picture slightly lifted his curled and thick eyelashes, revealing eyes as clear as water. His gaze swept lightly over everyone at Table 8, and finally fixed on Ye Rongzheng.

Has anyone seen the moment a flower blooms?

If not, then this is the moment.

Everyone sitting at Table 8 couldn’t help but stare straight.

The person hooked his slightly red thin lips, revealing a sweet, soft and gentle smile. He raised his slender arm and waved gently.

The wide sleeve slid down with his movement, revealing a wrist as white as snow. Thin bones, tender flesh, pale blue blood vessels hidden under the snow skin showing warm pink, like a bunch of charming flower branches. What was lightly teased was not the air, but people’s minds.

“I, my soul seems to be lost.” Someone muttered dizzily.

“Who is that person? I must get his WeChat ID tonight!”

“My heart is beating so fast!”

Several rich second generations murmured in despair.

Ye Rongzheng’s thick eyebrows were still frowning, and the impatient expression still hung on his face, as if he was indifferent to this person who alarmed the entire food street. However, the cigarette in his mouth was unknowingly bitten off by himself fiercely, falling silently to the ground.

Seeing the handsome man with a short buzz cut, twisting long and sharp thick eyebrows, and releasing a compelling aura all over his body in the crowd at a glance, Qin Qing knew that he had come to the right place.

The man was wearing a black shirt and black trousers. The thin fabric was propped up by his robust muscles. The wildness and strong hormonal breath all over his body mixed together, turning into extraordinary masculine charm. He looked extremely like a male lion crouching in the grass, lazy, weary, but likely to rise violently and devour people at any time and anywhere.

The familiar, dangerous breath made Qin Qing hook the corner of his lips, revealing a gentle and joyful smile.

With this smile, Ye Rongzheng actually swallowed the half cigarette butt in his mouth whole into his stomach.

“Cough cough cough cough cough…” The rich second generations sitting at Table 8 let out a series of embarrassed coughs. This was because they swallowed saliva too quickly and choked.

“He is looking at me, he is looking at me!”

“Bullshit, he is looking at me!”

“Coming, coming, he is walking towards us! Who knows him, say hello quickly!”

Excited whispers rustled into a piece.

996 following behind Qin Qing: “…” Damn it, the evolved flower demon is too lethal!

The stupid look of Gong 1 being fascinated, it could see clearly from a long distance!

“Laozi Guan Tian Guan Di?” Qin Qing walked up to Ye Rongzheng, supported the table with one hand, and placed the other hand gently on the back of Ye Rongzheng’s chair. Leaning over, in a posture of half-embracing the other party, he asked softly.

Have you heard the sound of flowers blooming?

If not, then this is the moment.

The gentle and clear voice drilled into the eardrums with the night breeze, arousing a burst of irresistible numbness. Like a bamboo forest swaying in the misty waves, or like pine waves roaring in the strong wind.

The shoulder of Ye Rongzheng half-embraced by Qin Qing was hot and numb, and his eyes looked at the other party unblinkingly.

“Are you Laozi Guan Tian Guan Di?” Qin Qing asked again, and finally chuckled lightly: “I am Bubble Snail.”

“Bubble Snail?” Ye Rongzheng’s pupils contracted a few degrees, and then he realized belatedly that this person who amazed the night and silenced the hustle and bustle was actually the scammer he mentioned!

“Fuck! Why send fake photos when looking like this! Make a video call and smile at me, I can give him my life!” The rich second generation sitting opposite Ye Rongzheng expressed his thoughts amidst his daze.

Ye Rongzheng was stunned for a moment, and then swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva forcefully. The gulping sound of thirst could not be covered even by the surrounding noise. 150,000, and those family secrets that could not be known to the outside world, seemed not so important anymore.

996 rolled its eyes and almost fainted in despair! Finished, this world is finished again!