World Hopping: Avenge Our Love
Translator: translationraven
First Published on Chaleuria
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In a bar.
Song Yucheng leaned against the bar countertop. He cradled a glass in his hand, the ball-shaped ice cube bobbling in amber and reflecting his slender fingers; he was fairly alluring. Just looking at his fingers on the glass stirred up desire, and made one wonder if a man in possession of such beautiful hands would have a face that could bewitch the masses. Curling smoke from the cigarette in his other hand, however, enveloped his features in a haze, leaving one with the impression of dispirited beauty.
Almost everyone who walked past gave Song Yucheng a second glance. Only Lu Mian, who’d just walked in, wrinkled his brow in response.
“You should drink less.” He covered the glass in Song Yucheng’s hand with his own.
Song Yucheng moved the glass to Lu Mian’s lips. “Drink with me? I’m feeling pretty happy today.”
“Don’t be silly.” Lu Mian tried to move away, but Song Yucheng pulled him to the bar.
“You came up to me.” Song Yucheng was not as tall as Lu Mian but he wanted to be in control, as usual. He’d pulled Lu Mian to the bar, and positioned him between the bar and his own body. The overly intimate distance made Song Yucheng very aware of the feeling of Lu Mian’s body, which had gone hard instantly, and his ears had reddened.
Song Yucheng could not help the smirk on his face. The look in Lu Mian’s eyes was like a sweet, delicious little dessert.
“Are you drunk, Qianchen?” Lu Mian’s heart was beating fast. This closeness made him uncomfortable yet excited at the same time. Even so, he sensed that something was not quite right with Song Yucheng. Lu Mian felt that this behaviour was as if he was a trapped beast which had fallen to the bottom of a valley, seriously wounded but still pretending that everything was fine.
“What’s wrong?” Xie Qianchen had not spoken; he just looked at him with his head at a tilt, smiling. Lu Mian’s worry grew. He lifted his hands, hesitating, and put them on Xie Qianchen’s shoulders. He pulled him into his embrace, a little forcefully. A whisper choked with emotion reached his ears, wrenching at his heart strings.
“There’s six more,” whispered Xie Qianchen.
Six more? Six more of what?
Lu Mian was confused at first, but he soon realised what those words meant. Xie Qianchen was saying that there were six others who had caused Han Feiran’s death and Lu Wenyuan’s insanity.
Luo Tong and the paparazzi reporter had been sent to prison. Xie Qianchen was going to seek revenge on six more people.
“Don’t be sad.” Lu Mian didn’t know how to comfort him. The harm had been done, and the regrets could never be recovered. The latest proposed bills, too, were just belated actions to Xie Qianchen. There was no way to repair the wounds of his heart.
Song Yucheng was in greater pain than Lu Mian could imagine.
The regrets and grievances Xie Qianchen had left behind were too heavy to bear. These negative emotions had been habitually hidden and suppressed by their owner, so Song Yucheng had not felt them very strongly when he’d first taken over the body. Today, however, after the bill against cyber bullying was submitted for review, the emotions lurking deep in the body had come bubbling up to the surface in an instant.
Song Yucheng understood that it was the grief and resentment of Xie Qianchen, and his dissatisfaction and denunciation of the world.
Xie Qianchen had led a life too harsh, under pressure from others all the time. He had done his best to help others, but not received any kindness in turn. He had even lost people precious to him.
Song Yucheng was human too, so though he was much stronger in spirit than Xie Qianchen and able to easily suppress these negative emotions, he still indulged in the emotions for a bit. He let these emotions vent naturally.
A dead soul needed tribute to be paid to it after all, and battered bodies needed someone to help heal them.
As for why he had asked Lu Mian to come… Well, he didn’t have a better candidate.
Shen Yi was not clean of scandal, Qi Luo was too young, Yuan Yue had his work, and Director Yang and the rest were his friends, but they had their own lives to live too. The only option left to him was Lu Mian.
Plus, with the resources available to him, Lu Mian would have been able to find out everything about Xie Qianchen’s past. There wouldn’t be any problem even if he was a little impudent.
Song Yucheng did not want to admit that though he was wary of Lu Mian, he was the only one in this world he could believe in.
He lowered his head and rested it on Lu Mian’s shoulder as his consciousness faded. After a long while, the cigarette in his hand fell to the floor. He shut his eyes, asleep.
Lu Mian felt the even breathing on his neck and observed Song Yucheng closely for a bit. He stretched out a hand to gesture to the waitstaff, settled the bill, and carried Song Yucheng out the door in his arms.
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Lu Mian was gone when Song Yucheng woke up the next day. His jacket and socks had been removed, and his face, hands and feet felt clean, like someone had wiped them. His shirt and trousers, however, were untouched. Ah, Lu Mian. What a stickler for rules.
System: Rules are good. Milord, don’t you think he sort of like Ludwig from the previous world?
Song Yucheng was at a loss for words. He rejected the idea. “Don’t bring that name up.”
He was still feeling a little angry because of embarrassment. The thought of Ludwig forcing him into a “distanced marriage” in the previous world made Song Yucheng feel like a dark past was haunting him. The System’s words had put him on the alert.
Just the concept of ‘rules’ did make him think that Lu Mian and Ludwig had exactly the same values. They didn’t take advantage of him when he was vulnerable.
The thought made Song Yucheng’s emotions swirl. Fortunately, the work he had to do gave him no time to think about this question. The time for the manager qualification review was also nearing.
Based on the requirements, Song Yucheng needed three B-list celebrities or more, and at least one A-list celebrity to keep his elite manager status. He had just one B-list celebrity, Bai Siwei, right now but no A-list celebrity. He was far from meeting the requirements. Fortunately, the short film was going to be screened soon. Shen Yi would have no problem in getting on the list as a minor celebrity once the film was screened. The A-list celebrity… he would probably succeed in getting one.
What he had to do now was to hurry and find the remaining two B-list celebrities.
Song Yucheng did some calculations, and found that he had two weeks to go to the final evaluation. He didn’t have much time left.
System: So what do we do now, Milord? [AntsInMyPants.jpg]
“Need you ask?” Song Yucheng smiled lazily. “We’ll recruit people, of course!”
He went on Weibo and posted something akin to an advertisement.
Want to leave the B-list behind, and climb up to the peak of your life in the A-list? Do you want to leave your reputation as ‘just a pretty face’ and ‘box office flop’ behind to become a true performer? Do you wish to have access to excellent resources, gain popularity, and be the big star loved by everyone? Make the choice to come to Picture Domain, and Xie Qianchen will make your dreams come true.
P.S. This recruitment drive is only for B-listers and up. [CutiePie] [CutiePie]
All the netizens who read Song Yucheng’s Weibo post laughed. The ones who’d been drinking water when reading sprayed their screens with water, laughing. This Xie Qianchen’s so damn shameless!
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