Chapter 88
Li Yu was taken aback by what he heard.
He wondered if he'd misheard and couldn't help but question, "I'm sorry, sir, what did you just say?"
The man standing across from him was bathed in warm yellow light, giving his soft, dark hair a subtle glossy sheen. On hearing Li Yu's question, a hint of surprise appeared on his face. Then, with his angelic, harmless-looking face, he exploded, "I said I'm rich, and you can come to find me if you need money. I can... support you."
The man in the booth presented his offer with such nonchalance as though discussing what to eat for lunch.
Li Yu's face turned pale instantly.
Why was he so nonchalant?! How many times had he made such an offer before? Did everyone he invited agree and successfully end up in his bed?!
As these thoughts raced through Li Yu's mind, he gave the man standing opposite him a head-to-toe assessment. His eyes lingered on the man's fine face, travelled down the long, straight legs cloaked in black jeans, then moved to the semi-transparent back of his hand and his slightly curled fingers beneath the sleeve of his finely crafted, expensive camel-colored coat.
Even without making such an offer, people like him would still have countless suitors clamoring for his attention. Those he invited would probably be thrilled. After all, who could bear to refuse someone as attractive and wealthy as him?
In a calm voice, Li Yu asked, "Why do you want to support me?"
Mu Cai quickly responded, "Because you're good-looking."
As someone who always took a liking to those who fit his aesthetic, this rings true to his character. The main reason he wanted to... support the protagonist in the original script was because the protagonist's appearance met his aesthetic.
What a simple and crude answer, thought Li Yu. It's probably the only answer that his countless past lovers have ever received.
But what a ridiculous reason it was. When it comes to appearances, perhaps no one in this world could surpass the man in front of him.
Li Yu thought to himself that he couldn't agree to this.
Because, once he did, he would just become one of the countless lovers the man in front of him had had before. He would change from a rare item that had never been won to just another ordinary person by his side.
Even though today was their first meeting, for some reason, Li Yu felt a deep desire to maintain his own distinctiveness when facing him. At this point, he didn't even know who this breathtaking person in front of him was or what his name was. Yet, he subconsciously did this:
"I'm sorry, sir, I refuse," he responded.
Mu Cai, unphased by Li Yu's response, wasn't surprised. According to the original script, Li Yu indeed rejected him at this point. And given that the main character has high self-esteem, he of course wouldn't readily agree to such a careless request.
Therefore, Mu Cai wasn't disappointed. He simply said, "You will agree."
Following the plot, the original character would meticulously plan, forcefully seizing what he wanted. Despite Li Yu's initial refusal, he would eventually have to agree.
As Li Yu gazed at the other's soft hair, and stared into his radiant eyes like morning stars, a strange feeling of joy rose in his chest amidst his anger. He enjoyed seeing the person in front of him looking at him this way. Although Li Yu understood that he was just an optional dessert to the other for now, one day, he would make him indispensable.
Both physically and emotionally.
With an indifferent expression, Li Yu glanced at Mu Cai once more and rudely bowed slightly, saying, "Please do as you wish." Upon these words, he walked past him.
Mu Cai, who was originally in a casual posture, suddenly straightened up, looking somewhat incredulously in the direction Li Yu had gone.
Wait, did he just feel like the protagonist was a little taller than him?
Li Yu walked all the way down to the bar counter before stopping. Waiters would go back and forth between the bar and the kitchen, bringing guests what they needed while attending to separate rooms. There were quite a few other waiters present and even a bartender in front of the counter.
It was Li Yu's break time, having just switched shifts with another waiter. Now, he stood by the bar, wiping transparent wine glasses.
The guest who had cornered him near the men's restroom entrance earlier had come downstairs.
The dim lighting at the bar counter created a hazy atmosphere. The man didn't notice Li Yu standing behind the counter, as he seemed in a hurry, heading out. His boots tapped on the floor, under the swaying camel-colored coat revealed a tantalizing waist and hip curve.
Li Yu's wiped the glasses absent-mindedly, his gaze always following the man's back, lingering on that curve. He casually asked the bartender, "Who was that guest just now? I saw him in room number two."
The bartender, who was in the middle of making a drink, had already opened the bottle but didn't pour a single drop. His eyes glued to Mu Cai. Upon hearing his new colleague's question, the bartender smirked, "If I'm not mistaken, you came to S City to study and haven't been working here for long, right?"
Li Yu nodded.
The bartender chuckled, "Then, it's no wonder you don't know. That man, he's the young master of the Rainbow Group's chairman's family, named Mu Cai. He's very generous and has a decent temperament. Most importantly, he is incredibly handsome. Though rumored to have some peculiar habits, everyone scrambles to catch his eye, even if it's just for one night, without any pay."
Li Yu raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What kind of quirk?"
The bartender glanced around to make sure nobody was listening, then he quietly said to him, "I heard he's involved in BD$M, a minor 'S', he likes it when people call him 'Master'." (Note: From the context, I'm guessing he meant Mu Cai was a s*dist)
Li Yu paused in the middle of wiping a glass.
The bartender didn't notice his reaction. He stopped pouring the drink, propped his chin up with his hand, and a wistful look appeared on his face. "Ah, he's really my type. I'm a bit of an 'M', both a giver and taker, whatever the young master pleases. But looking at him just now, with his innocent face, slim waist, and a curved hip, I think it's better if 'big brother' me spoils him." (Note: M also probably means m*sochist. I'm just guessing here, sorry (╥﹏╥))
Li Yu's expression was cold and indifferent. He said bluntly, "Just make your drinks. He's only interested in good-looking people."
Bartender: "..."
He wanted to poison the drink and pour it into this annoying guy's mouth!
________________________
After completing the task, Mu Cai sent a WeChat message to Lou Chengye and hurriedly came downstairs.
He was a bit afraid that Lou Chengye would come out to catch him, and try to instill a bunch of reasons into his head, attempting to dissuade him from taking care of the main character. In addition to that, Mu Cai was troubled by the world's script, so he directly drove back home.
Relying on his body's memory, Mu Cai returned to the place he was living. Thanks to his older brother's help, Mu's father had retired from the company early, and he and Mu's mother stayed in a villa in the suburbs, walking their dog and tending to flowers.
Although the original owner of the body was a spoiled young master, it was impossible for him not to do any serious work due to his older brother's pressure. Therefore, he owned a small company, usually picking up projects from his brother's company, Rainbow Group, as pocket money given by his brother.
Of course, the original owner had no skills and didn't understand the projects. Usually, he would leave these tasks to be handled by his brother's subordinates, while he often skipped work to have fun. However, he still needed to maintain appearances, and in order to have more freedom to go out and play, he bought a house outside to live in.
Mu Cai drove his car into the garage of a high-end residential complex.
After parking, he started to walk out of the garage, conversing with the system in his mind,
["System, isn't the script for this world going a bit too far?"]
The system responded immediately with a cold, mechanical voice:
["What's going too far? Are you referring to the whip, candles, and bondage? Or a 3some, 4some? Or…"]
As Mu Cai was walking along the pathway of the complex, under the dim light of the street lamps, his cheeks flushed quickly:
["All of them! Can I avoid these settings?"]
The system in his mind paused for a moment before answering:
["Our goal is to stimulate the energy field and advancing the storyline aids in this stimulation. After analyzing the data from the host's previous worlds, it's evident that the host could still stimulate the energy field perfectly despite some considerable differences in the plot trajectory in the latter stages. So in conclusion, the host can modify the plot appropriately, but should not deviate too far from it prematurely. During the initial stages, it's best for the host to follow the development of the plot."]
Upon hearing this, Mu Cai felt a weight lifted off his heart.
According to the system's explanation, it isn't forbidden to make substantial changes to the plot. What's most important is to stimulate the energy field and monitor if it collapses. As it is a psychic energy field, it has been concluded from the experiences of countless predecessors that only by following the plot and maximizing the emotional stimulation of everyone in the energy field can achieve near-perfect energy harvesting.
Mu Cai had initially operated in this way. However, he soon discovered that this law was not quite suitable for him, as there were times when he completely ruined the plot yet could still perfectly stimulate the energy field. During his last rest period, Mu Cai carefully revisited the plots he followed in these three worlds and summarized some of his experiences.
Firstly, at least early on in these three worlds, he adhered closely to the script. That is to say, setting specific scenes and necessary situations for the story in the energy field is important.
Secondly, Mu Cai had always been committed to playing his assigned character. Whether it's an obsessive cannon fodder, a malicious one, or a domineering cannon fodder, he believed he was devoted, revealing his true nature only towards the end when the plot broke. Specific characters can trigger the necessary chemical reactions in certain situations, so the character design is also crucial.
As for whether the plot crumbles or not, that depends on timing, location, and people.
Having figured this all out, Mu Cai decided to stick to the early stages of the plot first. After falling in love with the main character in the middle-latter part of the story, the original host's possessiveness would cause him great pain. At that point, Mu Cai would adhere faithfully to his assigned role, showing he cannot accept sharing the lead character, thus actively choosing to be a solitary main character who remains alone, subtly altering the plot as needed.
As for the stimulated energy, there might be some loss. But since all of Mu Cai's previous energy fields had been perfectly stimulated, losing a bit this time should not reflect badly on him to the organization.
With these thoughts in mind, Mu Cai confidently picked up his phone to play out the plot.
He immediately sent a WeChat message to his friends, indirectly getting Li Yu's WeChat ID from the owner of the previous high-level club, and then without any disguise, sent a friend request with a note on his identity.
After doing all of this, Mu Cai put down his phone, feeling relieved.
This time, the main character had a bad attitude towards him from the start. He not only inconsiderately offered him passionfruit wine but also sternly rejected his offer of sponsorship. His reaction could be described as fiercely determined - a teachable child indeed.
Certainly, the other party would not accept his friend request this time either.
As in the original plot, his friend request would lie in the WeChat message box for a full half a month.
Just as Mu Cai was thinking this, the phone vibrated once, and a WeChat message popped up.
He initially thought someone was contacting him. Picking up the phone, however, he saw the message:
[You and Li Yu have successfully added each other as friends.]
Mu Cai: "???"
Sigh, forget it. He has already gotten used to this.
________________________
Author's Note:
Cai Cai: Wronged.jpg
Li Yu: I knew he would come looking for me again. Playing hard to get really works! Proud.jpg
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