Qin Qing thought he had misheard. He collected himself, then took an unusually long, thin cigarette from his pack and placed it between his pale, thin lips.
“What’s the next plot?” he asked silently.
The filter was moistened by his pink tongue, bringing a hint of tobacco’s bitter taste.
996 rubbed its chubby paws, beaming: “The next plot point is seducing, ah, no, chatting up Cang Ming. This is a special plot point with high value, minimum 20 points, up to 100. Don’t give up! The more points you get, the faster your body and soul will heal.”
Qin Qing bit the filter gently with his white teeth, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, but there was no smile in his eyes. Xu Yizhi, standing not far away, smiled silently, then gave Cang Ming a deep look. Cang Ming still stood straight, silently smoking while facing the boundless blue sky outside. Nothing happening around him could shake his composure.
“May I ask, why should I seduce Cang Ming?” Qin Qing removed the cigarette from his mouth, his voice low.
996 slapped its forehead, finally realizing Qin Qing’s problem. Because of his ability, he was disconnected from the script. In the script, the original owner was humiliated at the banquet, crushed at work, and at home kept asking Qin Huaichuan and Ji Lan for money to support Shen Mingshu and Qin Bao’er. Consequently, the Qin family had a very poor impression of him and treated him coldly. With no place for the original owner inside or outside the home, he turned dark. Under Zhou Yourou’s constant instigation, he vowed to steal Cang Ming away; only then could he fight Qin Zishi. But now, Qin Qing hadn’t faced any of the original owner’s problems. Whoever wronged him, he paid back double. He hadn’t been humiliated, trampled, or ostracized. What was his reason for seducing Cang Ming?
Qin Qing continued, “Divine Envoy, can you give me a reasonable motive? Hmm?”
He emphasized “reasonable,” drawing out the last word to express his confusion and dissatisfaction.
996 said cautiously, “The motive was actually triggered long ago; you just didn’t notice. Remember what Zhou Linlin said to you on your birthday? Those words were your motive.”
Qin Qing thought for a moment and understood. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Xu Yizhi exhaled smoke and asked lazily, “What motive?”
Cang Ming couldn’t be bothered to answer; he simply handed his phone to Xu Yizhi. Xu Yizhi found a video in the unread messages on WeChat. After watching it, his slender brows arched.
“This world is indeed very boring,” he said, handing the phone back. The spark of interest in his eyes had gradually faded.
Clearly, he found such petty conflicts beneath him.
But the next moment, Xu Yizhi heard someone voice his own thoughts out loud: “Don’t you think such a motive is beneath you? If you want something, why not take it with your own ability? If you can’t take it, then steal it!”
This sentence made the dark light in Xu Yizhi’s eyes flicker again. In an instant, he seemed to be intrigued once more. A long, thin cigarette was pinched between Qin Qing’s fingers, but he hadn’t lit it yet.
He looked down at 996, a hint of lazy amusement in his low voice: “Do you think I need to degrade myself this way to deal with Qin Zishi? Is he even worthy?”
996 was speechless. Dammit! Why was Qin Zishi so weak compared to Qin Qing? He was supposed to be the protagonist!
Qin Qing turned his dark eyes and cast an almost imperceptible glance at Cang Ming, then added: “Do you think this arrogant, self-important, condescending, cold-hearted man is worth me going out of my way to please? Is he worthy?”
Before 996 could react, Xu Yizhi had already laughed softly. A hoarse, magnetic, joyful laugh echoed in the smoking room, like morning bells and evening drums, long and resonant, so pleasant it was almost overwhelming. Qin Qing looked back and saw Xu Yizhi scrolling through his phone, laughing as he read; he must have found something amusing. Cang Ming, who had been staring out the window, turned his head, shot a cold glance at Xu Yizhi, then looked up directly at Qin Qing. Unlike Xu Yizhi’s lazy gaze, his eyes were like blades of ice, their chill penetrating. Qin Qing quickly looked away, not daring to meet his eyes.
Xu Yizhi’s voice carried a smile as he murmured slowly, “Your idioms are quite good.”
Cang Ming exhaled smoke and looked out the window again, but his relaxed brow was now furrowed.
996 pressed its chubby paws together and mumbled, “Why isn’t he worthy? Cang Ming is the destiny child of this world, meow! He can turn the world upside down, why isn’t he worth your effort?”
“Destiny child?” Qin Qing latched onto the key point.
Until now, he had labeled Cang Ming only as “Qin Zishi’s top.” Xu Yizhi smiled silently, his thin lips curved. Cang Ming flicked his ash, unmoved. Neither of them showed any reaction to such fantastical talk.
996 nodded its round head: “Destiny child; the darling of the Heavenly Dao. You’ve heard of that, right?”
Qin Qing’s dark eyes suddenly became distant, as if recalling many memories.
His pale lips parted slightly as he murmured, “The darling of the Heavenly Dao, of course I’ve heard of it.”
He had not only heard of it, but he had seen it.
“The Heavenly Dao gives the best of everything to the destiny child, including a partner. This fortunate one chosen by the Dao is the destined person. Every destiny child has a destined lover. We exist to serve them,” 996 continued.
“So Qin Zishi is this destined person?” Qin Qing blinked his deep eyes.
“Yes. The destiny child will always end up with the destined person. If they don’t, even the Heavenly Dao won’t allow it. We were born for this purpose. They are the protagonists; we are the supporting characters destined to sacrifice ourselves for them. Do you understand?”
“I’m a supporting character?” Qin Qing looked down at the hideous scar on the palm of his right hand.
“Yes. What else did you think you were? Didn’t I tell you from the start?” 996 tilted its head.
“I thought… I thought I was only a supporting character in this world.” Qin Qing clenched his injured hand tightly, his eyes reddening slightly.
“The destiny child and the destined person are fated to be together; no one can separate them?” He asked, his eyes vacant, his mind dazed.
“Yes!”
“What if a supporting character insists on being with the destiny child?”
“Then they’ll die a horrible death.”
“Eternal damnation?”
“Yes!”
“Bones broken to dust?”
“Yes!”
“Soul scattered to the wind, everything turned to nothing?”
“Of course, meow! No one can break apart the destined couple! No matter how much effort they put in, supporting characters are always cannon fodder!” 996 showed a contemptuous expression.
Qin Qing slowly stepped back, his back against the large floor-to-ceiling window. The warmth of spring sunlight streamed in, but it couldn’t warm his bitterly cold heart. He raised his hand and slowly covered his face, which was pale as paper. His slightly reddened eyes were dark and misty, filled with dampness.
996 stepped forward, worried: “What’s wrong? Are you going to follow this plot point or not?”
Qin Qing closed his eyes, like a shadow hiding in a corner beyond the reach of the brilliant spring light. He didn’t answer for a long time, only his slightly rapid breathing echoing in the smoking room.
“Is your gastric ulcer acting up?” 996 touched Qin Qing’s pant leg with its paw.
Xu Yizhi pressed his thin lips together as he looked over. Cang Ming remained motionless. Qin Qing lowered his hand from his face and smiled faintly. His eyes, tinged with a slight blush, caught the thin, warm spring light, looking both radiant and bewitching.
“Seducing Cang Ming, is it?” He used his slender fingertips to brush a strand of hair from his temple.
“Yes! Go over there now; otherwise they’ll leave.” 996 nodded happily.
Qin Qing straightened his tie and adjusted his diamond cufflinks, then slowly walked toward Cang Ming and Xu Yizhi. Xu Yizhi cast a meaningful glance at Cang Ming. Cang Ming frowned, his oppressive aura instantly unleashed.
But when Qin Qing reached them, he didn’t greet Cang Ming. Instead, he stopped beside Xu Yizhi, curving his slightly pale, thin lips into a gentle smile: “Mr. Xu, do you have a lighter?”
He held up the long, thin cigarette between his fingers. The filter was slightly wet from his tongue, with two tiny teeth marks visible on the damp spot. Even such a tiny detail carried an inexpressible allure.
Xu Yizhi raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “A smoker without a lighter? Hmm?”
His drawn-out tone was low and sexy.
Qin Qing said helplessly, “I forgot it when I left home. I’m a bit nervous about the interview today.”
That was reason enough.
Xu Yizhi took a lighter from his pocket- black gold, with a nozzle shaped like a lifelike, ferocious leopard head, its eyes set with two fiery red diamonds, as if radiating menace.
“Thank you.” Qin Qing took the lighter, his cool fingertips brushing lightly against Xu Yizhi’s palm like butterfly wings.
A tiny itch crept through the skin into his heart. Xu Yizhi’s eyes narrowed, his gaze darkening. Qin Qing flicked the lighter, bringing the cigarette to his lips, his thick lashes like two fans, slightly veiling his clear, bright peach-blossom eyes. He lit the cigarette carefully, as if completely unaware of Xu Yizhi’s intrigued and heated gaze. His moist, red lips held the cigarette, slowly exhaling a hazy cloud of tobacco-scented smoke, a sight more lingering and passionate than the late spring sun.
Xu Yizhi’s eyes turned completely dark. Qin Qing didn’t return the lighter but held it, pressing the switch on and off with his fingertips. His half-lidded peach-blossom eyes casually watched a beam of sunlight entering the room. The light was warm, with fine dust particles floating within, each particle refracting light, becoming grains of gold. Qin Qing extended a long, slender index finger to toy with these golden grains, gently flicking or pushing them. His fingertips, lit through by the warm sunlight, glowed with an ambiguous pink. Xu Yizhi’s presence was so strong, yet Qin Qing seemed to ignore it completely.
After a while, he finally stopped playing with the golden grains, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and as he slowly exhaled, lightly brushed a strand of hair from his forehead, then lowered his eyelids. He looked like a cat lying in the warm spring sun, about to fall asleep. Xu Yizhi, who had been waiting for him, showed no impatience; instead, he observed Qin Qing’s every move with great interest. As Qin Qing toyed with the dust, Xu Yizhi’s gaze clung to his translucent fingertips like dust itself. For someone with a hand fetish, that jade-like hand was an absolute masterpiece. Pursing his lips, brushing his hair, smoking, half-closing his eyes, Qin Qing’s every movement was like a spring painting, full of tenderness and top-tier seduction. Knowing the painting was deliberately displayed, one couldn’t deny its appeal. Xu Yizhi licked his dry lips and stubbed out his own cigarette.
“Let me try one?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
Qin Qing looked up, glanced at the cigarette in his own hand, then at the butt Xu Yizhi had tossed into the ashtray, and chuckled: “Mr. Xu’s cigarettes should be better than mine.”
There was quite a gap between a pack that cost a few dozen yuan and one that cost a few hundred.
“I can’t taste anything special,” Xu Yizhi shook his head and asked again, “Could I borrow one of yours?”
Only then did Qin Qing take out his pack, his low, gentle voice like ripples on a calm lake: “Mine are orange-flavored. I’m not sure if you’ll like them.”
“Cigarettes come in orange flavor?” Xu Yizhi showed an appropriate hint of surprise.
“Yes. Want to try?” Qin Qing took out a cigarette, handed it over, and lit the lighter for Xu Yizhi.
A strikingly handsome face leaned in, lazy brows, curved lips that smiled without laughter, and a strong masculine presence. Qin Qing couldn’t understand why such an outstanding man was just a supporting character.
Xu Yizhi took a puff and shook his head: “No flavor.”
Qin Qing laughed softly, then extended two slender fingers: “Give it back to me.”
Xu Yizhi handed the cigarette over. The filter was wet in one spot. Qin Qing, with equally moist lips, gently held it. The sweet floral scent mixed with the crisp pine scent, blending into another ambiguous fragrance. Xu Yizhi squinted at the sight, hidden flames flickering in his gaze.
“There’s an orange-flavored crush bead hidden in the filter. If you bite it before smoking, a faint orange flavor will seep out from the tobacco.”
As he explained, Qin Qing bit the filter with his pearly teeth, gently grinding. A soft crackle, the bead burst, and he handed back the cigarette now emanating a strong orange aroma. He could have just told Xu Yizhi to bite the bead himself. But he didn’t…
Xu Yizhi took the cigarette but didn’t smoke it. He just looked deeply at Qin Qing, his gaze focused and unreadable. Qin Qing put his own cigarette between his lips, his not-so-nimble right hand still toying with the black-gold lighter. He seemed completely unaware of how ambiguous his actions were. Cang Ming, standing nearby, turned his head and cast a meaningful glance at him. Xu Yizhi suddenly let out a hoarse chuckle, then held the damp cigarette, still marked with faint teeth marks, between his lips.
“Taste the orange?” Qin Qing asked at the right moment.
Xu Yizhi shook his head, exhaling smoke.
“How could that be?” Qin Qing didn’t believe him.
Xu Yizhi smiled and murmured, “In my eyes, this world is unimaginably dull.”
“Oh? How dull?” Qin Qing wasn’t thrown off by the sudden topic shift.
Xu Yizhi glanced at him, then looked out at the empty blue sky: “All sensations are hollow. Food has no taste. Flowers have no fragrance.”
As he spoke, he looked deeply at Qin Qing once more. Qin Qing tightened his grip on the cigarette, his heart clenching for a moment. Was that directed at him? Or was it just an illusion?
Xu Yizhi continued, “No joy, no anger, no love, no sorrow, everything is as bland as plain water. Anything I do succeeds too easily. It’s boring enough to make me want to sleep forever.”
Cang Ming stubbed out his cigarette forcefully, his profile unusually stern.
Qin Qing shook his head. “My feelings are completely opposite.” He pointed to the clusters of pink flower trees below. “Look how lovely the world is. It’s because it’s so beautiful that I exist.”
He looked directly into Xu Yizhi’s eyes. “My life came about this way. Perhaps you’re standing too high. If you shatter yourself and scatter yourself into the mundane world, you’ll find many joys.”
Xu Yizhi squinted and smiled, his tone lazy: “How do you know I haven’t already shattered myself?”
The conversation had unconsciously become bizarre. 996 hid behind Qin Qing, its eyes spinning like pinwheels. Dammit! What was all this? Not a word made sense! Qin Qing shook his head and smiled, as if unable to continue, so he smiled again. Then he took a deep drag and blew a thick cloud of smoke directly into Xu Yizhi’s face.
“Smell it now?”
Qin Qing tilted his head and smiled with narrowed eyes, then turned to look at the bright spring light outside, dragging out a slow sigh: “Doesn’t it feel like summer’s almost here? Orange soda and clear ice cubes – a perfect match, don’t you think?”
The intense orange scent and inexplicable sweet floral fragrance, blended with a hint of cool cedar, enveloped Xu Yizhi. The orange came from the cigarette, the sweet floral from Qin Qing, and the cedar was his own scent. It was the first time Xu Yizhi had so clearly and distinctly identified so many different smells. He froze for a moment, then unconsciously loosened his tie. Standing in the inexplicably scorching spring light, he said hoarsely and slowly, “Yes. Summer is coming.”
Suddenly, his hollow senses were filled with an inexplicable fullness. Cang Ming turned sharply to look at Xu Yizhi, a deeply hidden surprise flashing in his cold eyes.
996 watched the scene, increasingly feeling something was off. It tilted its head, thought for a moment, then let out a stunned shriek: “Meow! Qin Qing, are you seducing Xu Yizhi? Your target is Cang Ming!”
Qin Qing laughed softly, the shards of tears in his eyes long faded, replaced by wicked amusement.
Just vibes, late nights, and coffee keeping this translation project alive. If you want to help fuel the next chapter, Ko-Fi and PayPal are linked below.
![The Return of The Lord God[quick wear]](https://i2.wp.com/knoxt.space/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/007S8ZIlly1ghl04hyuxyj30hs0owwgu.jpg?resize=85,105 "The Return of The Lord God[quick wear]")
Yani On ABLO Chapter 35