Chapter 43: Forty-second Chapter: An Invitation from Qin Yanfeng
Gu Yunsheng was so startled by Lu Jingheng’s sudden questioning that his hand jerked. A dollop of Doufunaо slipped from his spoon with a splat back into the bowl, splashing droplets of soy milk onto his pale face.
He looked at Lu Jingheng with absolute seriousness and said, word for word, “Jingheng, you’re right. After I transmigrated into the book, I changed the plotline with the system!”
Lu Jingheng felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. His chopsticks slipped from his grip, clattering uselessly onto the table.
He stared at Gu Yunsheng in disbelief. “You… you really transmigrated into my novel?”
Furthermore… the terror of that “slug” gnawing at his ankle last night was still fresh in his memory. That bone-deep chill was definitely not something that could be explained away as a mere “hallucination.”
“I’m not making this up! You gave me that conch shell, and that very night, I was sucked into your novel. Seriously! I even met a Jiaoren named Ling Xi. He had everything you wrote in the book…”
Gu Yunsheng spoke rapidly, desperate to convince his best friend to believe this bizarre reality. “Later, to save him, I blocked a fish-sword for him from Selo. It pierced right through my shoulder…”
“…Then I fell into a black hole. When I woke up, I was back in the real world!”
Lu Jingheng rubbed his temples vigorously. Images of the conch, the Jiaoren, and the black hole described by Gu Yunsheng flashed before his eyes. These grotesque and fantastical scenes swirled in his mind, making it impossible to think straight.
He couldn’t reconcile the childhood friend he grew up with with concepts like “transmigration” or “systems.”
“It’s true!” Gu Yunsheng grabbed Lu Jingheng’s hand. His own hands were trembling slightly, as if he were struggling to suppress the fear and unease within him.
“Jingheng, you have to believe me! Everything you wrote, I encountered it all!” Gu Yunsheng gasped, as if trying to exhale all the terror in his lungs.
“Because I changed the plot, Mr. K appeared. He is a literal devil from hell!” He pulled at Lu Jingheng, his voice shaking with fear, as if seeking a shred of validation.
“And… Ling Xi. He… he actually has a split personality…” Gu Yunsheng’s voice cut off abruptly at that point. His eyes reddened instantly, and he gritted his teeth as if enduring immense pain.
“And that Jiaoren named Selo! I clearly saved him, yet he turned into a murderous monster. I saw it with my own eyes…”
“Mr. K? You mean that Xue Chenxi you mentioned at the hospital, the one Dr. Li resembles?” Lu Jingheng shuddered violently. These names were like ghostly claws tearing through his memories.
Then there was that eerie, terrifying pet hospital from last night, that “slug” that almost killed him, and that strange fish scale in Gu Yunsheng’s hand… All the images he had tried to convince himself were hallucinations came rushing back like a nightmare.
At that moment, the television at the breakfast stall flickered to a different screen and began playing a public service announcement.
(The vast ocean is the cradle of countless lives.) (But did you know? Every year, over 100 million sharks die agonizing deaths simply because their fins are harvested…)
Accompanied by a low narration, a shocking scene appeared on the screen: in the azure seawater, a shark with its fins hacked off struggled powerlessly, its blood staining a massive expanse of the sea…
(Seals, sea lions, whales…) (These beautiful creatures are also facing drastic population declines and the brink of extinction due to human greed and cruelty…)
The TV images kept switching, showing innocent marine life dying in pain under human slaughter…
Lu Jingheng felt his stomach churn. He stood up abruptly, his face frighteningly pale.
The images from that report were still vivid in his mind—the bloody water, the severed fins, and the desperate eyes of those marine creatures… Those images were like brands, seared deep into his mind, impossible to wipe away.
Could it be that those horrible things weren’t just cold words in a report, but were actually real in this world?
Was Gu Yunsheng’s experience a microcosm of these sins?
Was this world truly as he described—filled with countless devils like Mr. K who would stop at nothing for profit and trample on life at will?
The shrill ring of a phone exploded in the quiet breakfast stall. Gu Yunsheng jolted. The name “Qin Feng” flashing on the screen reminded him of the “handsome” man who had failed to pick him up at the bar but insisted on adding him on WeChat.
Lu Jingheng’s gaze fell on the phone, snapping him out of his gloom.
Gu Yunsheng braced himself and answered the call. Before he could speak, Qin Feng’s magnetic voice came through, heavy with nasal congestion as if he had a cold.
“Sheng-sheng baby! Why did you sneak away last night? You made me look for you all night, and now I’ve caught a cold!”
Gu Yunsheng couldn’t help but roll his eyes and corrected him, “Mr. Qin, first of all, we aren’t close, so please address me as Mr. Gu. Secondly, I never agreed to your invitation last night.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by Qin Feng’s exaggerated sniffing. “Sheng-sheng, you’re so heartless! I fell in love with you at first sight, yet you’re so cold!”
Gu Yunsheng felt goosebumps break out all over. He turned to look at Lu Jingheng and found his friend covering his mouth, shoulders shaking as he struggled to suppress his laughter.
Gu Yunsheng took a deep breath, deciding to settle this quickly. “Mr. Qin, if there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
“Wait! Sheng-sheng,” Qin Feng’s voice suddenly turned pitiful. “My stomach is so empty, my head is spinning, and I have no strength. Can you come to my place and cook a bowl of porridge for me?”
Gu Yunsheng poked his ear in disbelief. “Mr. Qin, have you misunderstood something? We really aren’t close. Besides, it doesn’t seem like there’s a place for me in your home, does there?”
“Who says? I’ve already reserved a spot for you on my family’s Household Register. I’m just waiting for you to sign and seal the deal!”
Hearing this, Lu Jingheng could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing with a pfft.
Gu Yunsheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Just as he was about to refuse, a series of clatter and bang sounds came from the other end, as if something had been knocked over.
“Hey! My limited edition Gundam model!” Qin Feng’s tearful voice came through the phone. “Brother! What kind of madness are you having now?!”
A low, magnetic male voice came from the background, carrying a hint of helplessness and doting. “Who told you to talk nonsense about the Household Register again? You probably scared the poor person.”
“How was I talking nonsense? I’m being sincere!” Qin Feng’s voice rose an octave. “Sheng-sheng is so good; if I miss him, I’ll never find someone like him again!”
“Sheng-sheng?” The man’s voice on the other end deepened. “You brat, what kind of trick are you playing now?”
“What trick? I’m serious!” Qin Feng grew anxious. “Brother, you have to believe me. This time, I’ve truly moved my heart!”
“Moved your heart?” the man repeated playfully. “The last time you said that was only last month, for that person cosplaying as a Vampire Count…”
“Oh, Brother! That was ages ago, why bring it up!” Qin Feng quickly interrupted his brother. “I’m talking business here! Sheng-sheng isn’t like those common, flashy types! He has a unique temperament—pure, kind, and a bit…”
“Stop right there!” Lu Jingheng really couldn’t listen any longer. He snatched the phone from Gu Yunsheng and said coldly, “Qin Feng, is it? You should save those messy adjectives for your next target!”
The other end was clearly stunned for a moment. Then, a dangerous whisper from the man came through: “Who are you?”
“Who I am isn’t important,” Lu Jingheng took a deep breath and said word for word. “What matters is that Gu Yunsheng belongs to me.”
There was a moment of silence. Just as Gu Yunsheng thought the other person was about to blow up, the man suddenly burst into laughter.
“Interesting, truly interesting!”
The man’s low laughter echoed through the receiver, filling the small breakfast stall with an inexplicable sense of pressure.
Gu Yunsheng shifted uncomfortably and reached out to take the phone back, but Lu Jingheng dodged him without a word.
“What do you want?” Lu Jingheng’s tone was vigilant. He heard a hint of danger in the man’s laughter.
“Don’t misunderstand, I have no ill intent.” The man suppressed his laughter, his tone returning to calm. “I’m just very interested in the relationship between you and Sheng-sheng.” His voice carried a faint, hard-to-detect teasing. “After all, it’s quite rare for someone to make our Xiao Feng so ‘unforgettable.'”
“Our relationship is none of your business,” Lu Jingheng said coldly, as if declaring his sovereignty. “You just need to know that he isn’t someone your brother can covet.”
“Oh?” The man’s tone rose, carrying a hint of provocation. “Are you so sure? Perhaps Sheng-sheng prefers my brother instead?”
“You…” Lu Jingheng’s anger flared. He clenched his fist and was about to retort when Gu Yunsheng interrupted.
“Wait,” Gu Yunsheng finally couldn’t help but grab the phone back from Lu Jingheng. He said somewhat helplessly, “Sir, I think you might have a misunderstanding. Mr. Qin Feng and I are only acquaintances. There is no relationship between us.”
“Just acquaintances?” The man laughed meaningfully. “But I heard from my brother that it was ‘love at first sight, and it has to be you’!”
Gu Yunsheng felt a massive headache. How did he end up encountering such a family of “drama queens”!
“That’s all his nonsense, don’t take it seriously!” Gu Yunsheng tried to explain. “I really don’t know him well!”
“Not well?” The man’s tone held a hint of regret. “That’s a real shame. I was thinking that if there really was no chance between you two, then I…”
“How about this—I’m Qin Yanfeng, Qin Feng’s brother. We can find a time to meet and clear things up. We can still be friends, right?”
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