Ning Guiqu didn’t reply to the message. He ate his meal while thinking.
The protagonist shou was there, which meant Lu Yuan had already met him. If Lu Yuan was going to like the protagonist shou, he probably already did. If he didn’t like him now, it would be difficult for him to develop feelings later.
Of course, there was always a chance. Perhaps the protagonist shou would do something to deeply move Lu Yuan. However, Ning Guiqu never believed in probabilities; there were too many variables. If Lu Yuan’s relationship with the protagonist shou didn’t sour in the future, and Ning Guiqu continued to follow Lu Yuan, it would mean he, as the villain, would be entering the protagonists’ nest.
That wouldn’t do!
Ning Guiqu decided to distance himself from Lu Yuan.
Distancing himself from Lu Yuan also meant distancing himself from the protagonist shou. Even if he inherited the original owner’s memories in the future or, for some messy reason, fell in love with the protagonist gong (ugh), at least by keeping his distance, he could likely avoid a bad ending. After all, his consciousness as a genius was still there. As long as the person he loved (ugh) wasn’t flaunting their affection right under his nose, even if he was influenced and fell for the protagonist gong (ugh), he wouldn’t do anything foolish.
Love brain… he’d have to get rid of that for now.
In any case, he had to stay away from the protagonist group!
If something unexpected did happen, it would mean that he, the genius Ning Guiqu, was gone, and the original cannon fodder had returned. Only then would he actively seek out the protagonist gong. But that wouldn’t be his problem anymore.
His future career was important, the business empire! Ning Guiqu gave himself a light slap, snapping out of it. But his life was more important. He didn’t want to go to prison. Li Mu was annoying, but no matter how annoying Li Mu was, he wouldn’t land Ning Guiqu in jail.
Stay away from the protagonist gong! Cherish the future. The only regret was that he would lose Lu Yuan as a friend, and all his efforts to get close to him would be wasted.
It had been so difficult to get someone as aloof as Lu Yuan to pay attention to him and become his friend.
Moreover, during their time together, Ning Guiqu stopped seeing Lu Yuan as just a thigh and truly considered him a friend. Even if Lu Yuan didn’t have a company in the future, Ning Guiqu wouldn’t mind.
Ning Guiqu sighed.
Oh well, he still didn’t want to go to prison.
After tidying up the table, Ning Guiqu struggled back to his own bed. He could now put some weight on his legs, but it still hurt a bit. The clumsy Shi Wen was playing games again, so Ning Guiqu didn’t bother him.
Lying on the bed, Ning Guiqu stared at the ceiling, not wanting to play with his phone. His heart was full of regret and disappointment.
Lu Yuan, such a good friend!
And now he had to let him go.
But Lu Yuan probably wouldn’t care, right? After all, Ning Guiqu hadn’t done anything for him, only caused him trouble. He even made Lu Yuan, a straight man, pretend to be his boyfriend in front of Li Mu and sleep with him every night.
He had really taken advantage of straight Lu Yuan.
The more Ning Guiqu thought about it, the more he felt he had crossed a line. He would have to give Lu Yuan the things he bought on Taobao, but those couldn’t repay Lu Yuan’s kindness. However, he couldn’t invite Lu Yuan for meals anymore.
As Ning Guiqu was sighing, the dormitory door suddenly opened. He raised his head to see Lu Yuan pushing the door open. Lu Yuan glanced up, making eye contact with Ning Guiqu for a moment before calmly looking away and closing the door behind him.
Ning Guiqu pretended to sleep, closing his eyes. Lu Yuan was probably back to get his books. Ning Guiqu had taken a week off, so he didn’t need to attend evening self-study, but Lu Yuan and the others still had to go to class.
Forget it. If he did not take the initiative to approach Lu Yuan, Lu Yuan would not take the initiative to find him.
That was that.
Ning Guiqu had just closed his eyes when the railing beside his bed was tapped.
He opened his eyes and turned his head.
Lu Yuan stood expressionlessly by his bed and said in a cold voice, “Come down. Let’s talk.”
Talk?
About what?
Then Ning Guiqu remembered.
Lu Yuan still thought he wanted to be a xiao san!
Lu Yuan was friends with the protagonist gong, so of course, he needed to talk to him! Ning Guiqu agreed it was necessary. He might lack some social graces, but he had morals! How could he possibly be a xiao san?
Ning Guiqu slowly got up from the bed. As he climbed down the ladder, Lu Yuan offered a helping hand from below.
“Xiao Qu, you still can’t go to the bathroom by yourself?” Shi Wen, who had been gaming during his break, suddenly spoke up after finishing a round, glancing at Ning Guiqu descending the ladder.
Ning Guiqu inwardly groaned, too lazy to explain.
As Ning Guiqu reached the bottom, he heard Shi Wen speaking again, though not to him. He was angrily addressing someone on the phone. “What nonsense are you spouting? Xiao Qu’s leg is really injured.”
Sensing something was off, Ning Guiqu asked, “Is that Li Mu? What nonsense is he saying?”
Shi Wen removed his headphones and relayed to Ning Guiqu, “He says your leg pain is fake, that you’re just pretending so Lu Yuan will help you!”
Ning Guiqu: “……”
He looked at Lu Yuan innocently, speaking sincerely, “It’s not true. I’m really in pain.”
Ning Guiqu lifted his leg. He had changed into pajamas with short pants, and the bruises on his leg were still visible.
Lu Yuan didn’t even look.
“I didn’t doubt you.”
Ning Guiqu was exceptionally well-behaved.
Shi Wen still felt something was off between the two. But as his game started again, he had no time to think about it.
Lu Yuan helped Ning Guiqu to the balcony. The early evening air was still quite warm. Although there was a breeze, it was a hot one. Ning Guiqu found a spot to lean against in the shade, easing the pressure on his leg, and took the initiative to ask, “What did you want to talk about?”
Lu Yuan didn’t speak, his gaze on Ning Guiqu’s eyes growing colder. The atmosphere around them was tense, and Ning Guiqu could clearly sense Lu Yuan’s bad mood.
So, he must think Ning Guiqu wanted to interfere in his friend’s relationship.
Lu Yuan was really loyal to his friends. Still, Ning Guiqu couldn’t help but ask, “Are you very close friends with Song Huai and Xu Zhi?”
Maybe they were just casual friends!
As soon as Ning Guiqu finished speaking, Lu Yuan’s displeasure intensified. The inexperienced Ning Guiqu shrank back a little.
Lu Yuan finally spoke, his voice lowered considerably, “He has a partner, Ning Guiqu. You said it yourself before, you’re a gay man with morals.”
Even though he was being questioned about past events, Ning Guiqu felt clear of conscience. He looked directly at Lu Yuan and said timidly, “I really am a gay man with morals. I don’t have those kinds of thoughts about him.”
Lu Yuan didn’t believe him at all. “No thoughts, but you recognized him just by his hand?”
Ning Guiqu shook his wrist, “Not his hand, it was his watch.”
Lu Yuan’s voice grew colder, “So you even know what watch he wears?”
Ning Guiqu realized he didn’t need to ask about Lu Yuan’s relationship with the protagonist gong. Given how thoroughly he was being interrogated, if Lu Yuan wasn’t extremely close to the protagonist gong, why would he be grilling him like this?!
Ning Guiqu didn’t lie, answering honestly, “I saw it on the forum. That watch is very expensive, so a poor person like me just looked at it a bit longer. I really don’t have any thoughts about him.”
Lu Yuan’s dark eyes stared intently at him.
Ning Guiqu remained open and frank.
After a while, Lu Yuan asked again, “Why were you looking at him on the forum?”
Ning Guiqu blinked.
He hadn’t seen the protagonist gong before and wanted to know what he looked like. In the end, he found him less appealing than Lu Yuan.
But how could he dare say that?
This time, Ning Guiqu could only lie. He rubbed his nose, widened his eyes, and said in a clear voice, “I accidentally saw it and just clicked to take a look.”
He stammered again, always stuttering when lying.
Lu Yuan didn’t let him off the hook, exposing Ning Guiqu’s lie without mercy. “You’re lying. Your small movements give you away. When people are nervous, they touch their nose.”
Ning Guiqu: “……”
Ning Guiqu then scratched his butt, his eyes widening even more, his voice becoming clearer, “No, really, my nose was just itchy.”
Was his butt itchy too?
Of course, Lu Yuan didn’t ask that.
But Ning Guiqu’s evasiveness suggested that even if it wasn’t love, there was at least some attraction.
How fickle…
Lu Yuan tried his best to suppress his unnecessary emotions and said coldly, “Anyway, he has a partner and will be getting married in a few years. You have no chance.”
This time, Ning Guiqu didn’t fidget, “I never thought about having a chance! He’s not even as… as you…”
Ning Guiqu stopped mid-sentence.
He had already decided not to associate with Lu Yuan anymore, so he should refrain from complimenting him.
“Not as what as me?” Not as good as him? Lu Yuan picked up on his words, pressing further.
Ning Guiqu shook his head, “It’s nothing. Lu Yuan, don’t worry. I have no thoughts about your friend whatsoever, and I won’t do anything immoral.”
Lu Yuan’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed.
This sentence came without stammering or fidgeting, so it was probably not a lie. It was just attraction, after all, and he was just a fickle gay man. After today’s warning, that attraction would probably disappear soon.
Lu Yuan’s voice softened considerably, “Make sure you keep your word.”
Ning Guiqu nodded like a little chick and said rather enviously, “Lu Yuan, you’re so good to Song Huai. Don’t worry, with you around, your friend’s relationship definitely won’t have any problems!”
If he continued to interact with Lu Yuan, he might have become a good friend to him, too. But now he was going to lose Lu Yuan as a friend forever.
Ning Guiqu felt dejected for a moment.
At this point, Lu Yuan wasn’t paying attention to Ning Guiqu, and his expression was a bit strange. He was “so good to Song Huai” – what a nauseating description.
“With him around, Song Huai’s relationship won’t have any problems.” – what did Song Huai’s relationship issues have to do with him?
Lu Yuan suddenly came to his senses. What was he doing right now?
Ning Guiqu walked away dejectedly, sat in a chair, and poked at his phone.
[Lu Yuan, goodbye!]
[Here, Genius Xiao Qu will forever throw away his love brain]
After sending these messages, Ning Guiqu planned to return to bed to rest. Lu Yuan silently came over to help push Ning Guiqu back to his bed. Ning Guiqu felt sad, thinking, “Why did that stupid protagonist gong have to become friends with Lu Yuan!”
After lying down, Ning Guiqu closed his eyes, resigned to his fate. He thought he’d sleep, and when he woke up, he’d completely cut ties with Lu Yuan.
Just as Ning Guiqu was thinking this, suddenly, the railing beside his bed was tapped again. Ning Guiqu turned his head to see Lu Yuan once more.
Ning Guiqu asked, “What is it?”
Lu Yuan, still holding his phone, had a gloomy expression. “Nothing. Get some rest,” he said, his voice seeming to squeeze through clenched teeth.
Frightened, Ning Guiqu curled up in his blanket and turned to face the wall under Lu Yuan’s chilling gaze.
How scary!
Lu Yuan.
What had he done now?
Moreover, Ning Guiqu’s sensitive ears caught the sound of Lu Yuan crushing something. He peeked down to see it was a water bottle.
A perfectly good bottle, now crumpled in Lu Yuan’s grip.
Noticing Ning Guiqu’s glance, Lu Yuan looked up.
Although his face was handsome, Ning Guiqu could swear he glimpsed a hint of bloodlust.
Ning Guiqu quickly pretended to sleep.
How scary!
It seemed that cutting ties with Lu Yuan had been the right choice after all.
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