Chapter 103: The Cannon Fodder in a Dogblood Novel (103)
Shen Tangqing sat on the balcony until the eastern sky began to turn grey.
Just as he stood up to go back inside, the System’s voice suddenly rang out.
[Host, I’m back.]
Shen Tangqing: …
Like a ghost, it had scared the life out of him.
[Host, you’re back in Beijing?]
Shen Tangqing hummed in affirmation. “Did you get an answer?”
[I did. The Creator said the limit is three years. If the male lead hasn’t returned within three years, this sub-world will be abandoned. However, your reward will be halved; I can only give you fifty billion.]
Shen Tangqing silently marveled to himself. This Creator actually had a conscience! Not a black-hearted capitalist at all.
“Fine, I understand.”
After saying that, Shen Tangqing seemed to remember something and called out to 0032.
“System…”
[What is it, Host?]
Shen Tangqing was silent for a moment before asking softly, “Do you know Li Qiulanās ending in the original world?”
In the plot Shen Tangqing had received, there was no information regarding Li Qiulan.
Although the System was a bit confused, it immediately went to retrieve the data.
Two minutes later, the mechanical voice sounded again.
[Host, in the original world, Li Qiulan passed away at the age of twenty-one.]
Shen Tangqingās expression froze.
After a moment, he murmured, “Dead?”
[Yes. Suicide.]
Shen Tangqing lowered his eyes to hide the complex emotions within them and said no more.
He turned and took out another cigarette, lighting it.
The cigarette burned down, and the ashes fell softly to the ground…
He stood dazed for a moment before returning to his room.
He thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but surprisingly, he fell into a dreamland shortly after his head hit the pillow.
This time, he didn’t dream.
He slept until the sun was high in the sky.
After washing up, he hailed a taxi to return to the Jiang house.
He had no choice; he was penniless right now, had nothing, and was essentially an undocumented person.
He had to go back to the Jiang family to see if he could get his old cards and things replaced.
Of course, if his household registration had been cancelled, he was screwed.
But Shen Huayan was his mother after all; surely sheād give him something?
At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about food while living at the Jiang house.
His basic needs would be resolved.
The taxi stopped in front of the Jiang family villa.
Shen Tangqing looked at the driver with some embarrassment. “Sir, I forgot to bring money. Please wait a few minutes for me; I’ll go get it for you right away.”
The driver was a kind man and agreed with a smile.
Of course, judging by Shen Tangqing’s clothes, he looked like a wealthy young master who wasn’t short on cash.
…
Shen Tangqingās sudden appearance at home scared Auntie Li, who was cleaning, so much that the mop fell from her hands.
“A ghost!”
She backed up two steps, her scream drawing the butler over.
The butlerās originally impatient expression froze on the spot the moment he saw Shen Tangqing.
It seemed…
He had seen a ghost tooā
After Shen Huayan sent the butler to pay for the taxi, her gaze fell on Shen Tangqing, repeatedly scanning him.
Her eyes couldn’t hide her surprise, yet they also held a hint of scrutiny.
“So you’re saying you drove off a cliff, crawled out of the car, drifted across the sea to a small county, were rescued but lost your memory, lived there for a year, and then one day you woke up and your lost brain came back? And then you returned to Beijing?”
Shen Tangqing sat on the nearby sofa and nodded righteously.
He didn’t want to tell them he had been kidnapped by Li Qiulan.
After all, the moment he said it, anyone with a brain could guess what he had endured after being kidnapped…
He still cared about his dignity.
Shen Huayan: …
Looking at Shen Tangqingās calm demeanor, Shen Huayan was almost tempted to laugh out of anger.
“Shen Tangqing, do I look like an idiot to you?”
Shen Tangqingās lips twitched awkwardly.
Isn’t this how all the melodramatic dramas go?
They say art comes from life, so why couldn’t it happen?
If he were the male lead in a TV show, he should have come back with a fiancƩe who had saved him and fallen in love over time.
“Mom, I’m not lying to you. Thatās really what happened. Otherwise, how else do you think I’m back alive?”
Shen Huayan was left speechless.
She knew Shen Tangqing was lying to her, but she had no evidence.
For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
The air fell silent for a moment.
Finally, Shen Huayan broke the deadlock.
She looked at Shen Tangqing, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
“Your return is a happy occasion. I’ll give your brother a call. Heāll definitely be happy to know you’re not dead.”
Shen Tangqing was momentarily confused, wondering why Shen Huayan needed to specifically call Jiang Qingyan.
“Won’t Brother Yan be back tonight anyway? Is a special call necessary?”
Shen Huayan glanced at him, her tone intriguing.
“It’s better to give him a heads-up. Otherwise, if he sees you suddenly when he gets back, he might be scared half to death.”
Shen Tangqing: …
Jiang Qingyan was in City A with Fu Sizhao and Lu Yanli.
Wen Ci was getting engaged today, and they were here for his engagement banquet.
When he saw the call from Shen Huayan, he rejected it without a thought.
But immediately, a second call came through, as if she would keep calling until he answered.
He frowned, answering with some impatience.
“Shen Huayan, this better be important.”
Shen Huayan was momentarily stifled by his tone, but thinking of what she was about to say, her mood became strangely better.
Her son was back; could Jiang Qingyan still put on airs in front of her?
She cleared her throat, intentionally softening her voice.
“Young Master, Tangtang is back.”
Clangā
The wine glass in Jiang Qingyanās hand smashed directly onto the marble floor.
The shattered glass shards, mixed with wine, splashed everywhere.
The people in the private booth suddenly turned their focus toward him, but he didn’t notice at all.
His blood felt as if it had frozen for an instant, then surged in a violent boil.
The veins on his hand gripping the phone bulged, his knuckles protruding from the force.
Shen Huayan’s words, “Tangtang is back,” were like a thunderclap, leaving his ears ringing and his vision blurred.
His Adam’s apple bobbed twice, and his voice was unrecognizable in its hoarseness.
His tone carried a tremor he hadn’t noticed himself.
“Say that again… who is back?”
Beside him, Fu Sizhao was holding a wine glass, casually listening to the surrounding chatter.
His attention was drawn by Jiang Qingyanās uncharacteristic reaction.
His fingers gripping the glass paused, and his peach-blossom eyes narrowed.
He was confused about what the person on the other end had said to make the usually calm Jiang Qingyan lose control like this.
He observed Jiang Qingyan unobtrusively.
The next second, Jiang Qingyan bolted upright from the sofa.
He asked the other party again, his voice out of control, “You’re saying… Shen Tangqing is back?”
A person who had been dead for a year suddenly returningāthe impact on him was monumental.
Lu Yanli stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his entire being radiating a coldness that warned others not to approach.
He hadn’t been paying attention to Jiang Qingyanās call, but he was still drawn by the sound of the glass smashing on the floor.
He instinctively looked toward Jiang Qingyan.
Hearing Jiang Qingyanās frantic question, the hand holding the cigarette jerked violently, and the cigarette fell straight onto the polished marble floor.
His ink-colored pupils constricted suddenly, and cracks appeared on his usually frozen face.
His thin lips were pressed into a straight line, and his eyes stared intently at Jiang Qingyan, as if trying to confirm whether he had misheard.
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