I Can’t Be This Protagonist

“…That’s all for today’s class.”

There were a total of two classes in the morning and Ji Yao didn’t come to either of them. Yan Shuang packed his books while complaining about this evil capitalist society in his heart. 

Why were children from rich families allowed to skip class! Deduct their credits! Penalize their point! Have them expelled!

Then he took out his phone and shamelessly sent another text. “Ji Yao, I’ll wait for you at the hotel.”

His message was, like always, a stone sinking into the sea.

Sigh. At least he didn’t get blocked. 

Besides, Ji Yao had to come for his ID eventually. Yan Shuang could wait. He sent another text to Wei Yichen.

“Gege, I don’t have any money for lunch, :crying:”

Wei Yichen didn’t reply either.

Yan Shuang looked up at the sky and sighed. How could a proper shou like him not have even one scum gong willing to solve his food problem around? Would he have to go eat the leftovers from breakfast? Anyone would tear up if they heard of this.

It has to be said, Comrade Beast Qin provided bountiful amounts of food.

By the way, when was he going to be taken to live at this Qin manor, ah. He couldn’t wait.

Yan Shuang sighed and went back to the hotel. He had the front desk help warm the rolls stored in the refrigerator. Then he munched on them while surfing the web in his room.

On proper websites, mind you. 

He didn’t have time to play around.

Qin Feiyun was a man with a ten thousand word Baike entry.

Who knew when the photo on Baike was taken?

His hairstyle was very old-fashioned, but instead of appearing antiquated, it lent him a sort of solemn elegance. His eyes and eyebrows were sharp, and the irises in the photo appeared somewhat gray. His lips were pressed in a serious line, making him seem difficult to approach. 

There really wasn’t a way to tell just from his face that he was an old facecon who liked to engage in human extreme sports, ah.

Yan Shuang took a bit of his bun as he kept scrolling.

Qi Feiyun’s resume was too stunning to be the accomplishments of a carbon-based organism.

It was to such a degree that some people would suspect the author of giving this character all sorts of golden fingers just so he could play a role in the kidney and cornea transplants later on. 

Oh, not to mention brainwashing.

After reading Qi Feiyun’s Baike entry, Yan Shuang had just about finished his lunch. He took the time to send an email to Qi Feiyun’s mailbox.

Right now, Qi Feiyun was flying over Miami. Looking at the time, he should be able to look at his email tomorrow.

Tomorrow he had fewer classes and just enough time to put the egg called Qi Feiyun in the pot. 

“Vrrm–”

Finally, someone hit up his phone.

Yan Shuang picked it up and took a look.

“Come out.” 

It’s Ji Yao.

In the hotel lobby.

The front desk was eating melon seeds and pretending to be casual. He had to keep an ear out for everything but pretend like he wasn’t paying any attention at the same time.

It really wasn’t easy. 

The front desk wasn’t as astonished as before when he saw the cold and aloof handsome dude that was Ji Yao again.

After a while, the elevator door opened.

The front desk didn’t move, but his eyes and mind were fully concentrated on the battlefield!

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Yan Shuang was carrying a plastic bag. Truth be told, he ran into the cleaning auntie on the way down and asked her for it. 

Al Tjb rffwfv ab yf jigluta. Ca ifjra tf kjr yfaafg boo atjc Hlc Teyjl, ktb kjr jiwbra jcufgfv ab atf qblca bo ojlcalcu ys tlw ijra cluta. Tjc Vtejcu ibbxfv tlw bnfg jujlc ab rff lo tf kjr tega jcsktfgf.

Kbkjgvr atf olnf ylu rmew ubcur, tf kjr delaf ibnlcu jcv qgbafmalnf.

After all, they were non-renewable resources.

If he angered one to death, he wouldn’t be able to complete his task anymore. 

But after he filled up both the relationship line and the plot line? Sayonara, baby~

“Ji Yao…” Yan Shuang offered the plastic bag with both hands. “I washed your clothes…”

Ji Yao didn’t even look at him. Literally. From the moment Yan Shuang walked out of the elevator, Ji Yao kept facing away from him, his eyes fixed to the large glass doors of the hotel.

“ID card.” 

His voice was so cold that Yan Shuang almost shivered.

Yan Shuang slowly retracted his hands. “Ji Yao, I want to talk to you.”

Ji Yao finally faced him, but it was with completely undisguised disgust that was not there before.

He had always been taught that, no matter how much he hated a person, he shouldn’t show it. 

But his patience for Yan Shuang had been officially exhausted.

Originally, based on Ji Yao’s harsh requirements for friends, people like Yan Shuang would absolutely not be qualified to enter his social circle. If it weren’t for Yan Shuang’s face. which was remarkably similar to Qin Qing’s, Ji Yao wouldn’t care what happened to him at all.

Especially such a willingly self-deprecating person.

Ji Yao reached out palm up and said coldly again in a non-negotiable tone, “ID card.” 

Yan Shuang cried.

Tears rolled down his face without warning. You could say he was ugly crying rather genuinely.

Yan Shuang had different crying strategies depending on the person.

Qin Yubai used his lower body to think, so he just needed to cry flirtatiously enough. 

Ji Yao used his upper body to think, so he just needed to cry sorrowfully enough.

Like this, tears fell without pause. His features scrunched up, but he didn’t let out a sound as if he was enduring great pain.

The front desk was already flabbergasted.

Wow. Really at the drop of a hat. 

Respect.

He glanced at the ten minute handsome dude. His face was still ice-cold as he just watched the boy in front of him cry.

Just as the front desk thought this was some big breakup scene, the ice-cold handsome guy grabbed the boy’s arm and pulled the silently crying boy to the elevator with a roughness that belied his appearance.

As the only audience to this scene, the front desk believed that the following scene would be pay-per-view. 

A shame.

Wait. No it isn’t!

He’s not gay! 

The front desk shook his head and quickly straightened his orientation.

Ji Yao was actually quite strong.

Yan Shuang’s seen his upper half naked. He knew that this guy was actually packing muscle even though he looked like a beautiful boy scholar. He could probably be the brick-carrying champion of the month at any construction site he happened to stop by. Yan Shuang estimated his strength and adjusted his expression as he continued to fake cry.

Ji Yao dragged Yan Shuang all the way back to the room he had opened that day. 

Yan Shuang probably planned on inviting Ji Yao back to the room to talk because he didn’t even close the door.

Without hesitation, Ji Yao stepped into this room that he considered so dirty he wouldn’t even touch the doorknob.

With the person he was dragging along by the hand.

Yan Shuang was shaking slightly, his chin touching his chest. He was probably still crying. 

It seemed like Yan Shuang had always been crying since Ji Yao had met him, as if he had countless grievances and worries.

It was him who said he was ‘willing’. It was him who refused to leave with Ji Yao. In the end, how come it felt like he was still the victim?

Ji Yao let go. “Talk.”

He gave Yan Shuang one last chance. 

For the sake of that face.

“My dad…he owes a lot of money…”

Yan Shuang found it hard to speak. Every word ended on a wavering note.

“I didn’t have a choice…” 

Yan Shuang squatted down, buried his face in his knees and wept bitterly.

Fake crying was one of the scenes he was best at.

Yan Shuang silently counted down in his heart.

Five. 

Four.

Three.

“How much?”

Even faster than he thought. 

Yan Shuang’s tear-stain face looked up. In order to better confuse Ji Yao, he took off his glasses under the pretense of wiping his eyes.

Invisibility buff, disengage!

Activating substitute mode.

“What?” 

“How much money?” Sure enough, Ji Yao’s tone seemed to soften a little. “How much money does your dad owe?”

“A, a million dollars.”

Ji Yao’s expression immediately underwent a subtle change.

If Yan Shuang wasn’t a microexpression expert, he wouldn’t be able to read Ji Yao’s expression right now. 

Ji Yao’s expression at this time can be summarized in two words– “Utterly ridiculous”.

A million dollars.

What could a million dollars possibly do?

Even the shirt Ji Yao casually tossed to Yan Shuang was worth five figures. 

It was made using the best materials on the market exclusively by the private tailor who has been serving the Ji family for generations just to make sure this precious young master was dressed comfortably.

To Ji Yao, a million dollars wasn’t even pocket change.

So where did that leave Yan Shuang, who sold his body for such a measly sum?

Rather than sympathy, Ji Yao just felt like the situation was absurd. 

The big young master removed from worldly affairs didn’t understand that some people wouldn’t fetch a million dollars even if they sold the entirety of themselves, along with their soul.

He only silently judged Yan Shuang’s behaviour as a pitiful and stupid decision.

“Don’t cry anymore,” Ji Yao said bluntly, “I’ll pay back the money for you.”

Yan Shuang almost choked. 

Who knew that Ji Yao was so generous.

He took a moment to check the progress of the relationship line. It was still at 10%.

It hadn’t changed a bit.

In other words, everything Ji Yao did for him was still only ‘for the sake of his face’. 

He must deeply love Qin Qing, ah.

A mere 10% progress in the relationship line was enough to make Ji Yao pay off his debts without blinking. Without any conditions, even.

“Don’t meet up with him again.”

Ah, he spoke too early. 

So there was a condition attached.

“ID card.” Ji Yao reached out again, pursing his thin lips. “Meet me here at 8 tonight. I’ll bring you a check.”

Little Ji, you look real handsome giving away money so readily!

What did Yan Shuang care if he was doing this for the face or not? Wasn’t this wonderful? He could just rely on this face to freeload! 

Now the question was if this one million dollars could get to him smoothly.

This wasn’t part of the original plot line.

There was a high possibility that this money would be ‘accidentally’ confiscated.

For example, the bank that cashed it might suddenly go bankrupt, or the money might just vanish into thin air. 

The Transmigration Bureau really were bastards like that.

But it was still worth a shot. Yan Shuang slowly stood up and took out Ji Yao’s ID card from his pocket and gave it to him. “I’ll pay you back in the future.”

Ji Yao hummed noncommittally. His eyes swept across Yan Shuang’s neck.

The faint red marks there resembled a beautiful collar. 

He harshly said, “Don’t do this kind of thing again.”

Yan Shuang reared back a bit at his words. He lightly nodded. “Thank you.”

When Ji Yao made to leave, his sleeve was grabbed by Yan Shuang again.

This time, Ji Yao simply frowned instead of shaking off his hand. “What else is there?” 

“Your clothes…”

“I don’t need them.”

Ji Yao left.

Yan Shuang put down the plastic bag and took out the shirt that hadn’t been washed at all. He had guessed that Ji Yao would definitely not want this piece of clothing anymore, so he didn’t waste time washing it. 

This shirt was high-end and custom tailored. Even if red wine had been spilled on it, you could still sell it to some clothing studio for them to research at a good price.

He should be able to keep that sum of money.

The Transmigration Bureau only cared when big sums were involved.

His phone rang again. 

It was an unknown number.

Yan Shuang picked up.

“Hello, delivery here. Are you Yu Yue, Mr. Yu? I’ve left your delivery with the front desk. Please come down to collect it later, ah.”