I Rely On The Collapse Of The Character Setting To Survive In The Hands Of The Male Lead Chapter 184

Chapter 184

As everyone quickly settled down, they were warmly welcomed and seated. Once everyone had their glasses filled, the leading official proposed a toast, and then casual conversation ensued.

One of the officials shouted for a few more beauties to be brought in. It was customary for everyone to be accompanied by a beautiful woman in such gatherings, even Yue Chen and Huo Luo had to play along in this situation. The newly arrived junior officials were all dumbfounded. They felt conflicted, as outside, disaster loomed, while inside, there was revelry and merrymaking. It was quite discomforting for them to adapt to the official environment.

Qi Yan was a veteran of social gatherings and knew how to liven up the atmosphere. He was familiar with the officials here and chuckled, “Since Lord Zhang wants to treat us, then let us not be polite. I’ll choose some people, I’ll choose…”

“You little rascal, you’re more knowledgeable than us, haha. These are the youngest of Zhongyi Marquis’s residence. His two older brothers have done well in the Hu Hai, Liangzhou. After this disaster, they might even be transferred back to the capital.”

Qi Yan skillfully selected five beauties. Lin Qingyang hurriedly interjected from the side, “Don’t pick any for me.”

Qi Yan nodded in mock agreement, and when Lin Qingyang spoke, naturally, people paid attention to him.

“Young Master Lin came out to play by himself and even brought a beauty? This looks mysterious…” someone chuckled.

People around started to appraise the delicate figure of Chu Lishu, who had an almost shy demeanor with a veil half-covering his face. Although he had removed the hat brim for courtesy, revealing his fair skin and attractive features, he kept his head lowered for the most part, avoiding direct eye contact. Coupled with the veil, it only piqued people’s curiosity further.

Lin Qingyang forced a smile, feeling the burning gazes of Yue Chen and Huo Luo beside him.

“This is one of our household’s attendants, a bit timid. I thought it’d be good for her to see the world,” he said, his voice strained.

“Oh, indeed, it’s good for them to learn. As an attendant, one must know how to serve. And the ladies of the Golden Phoenix Pavilion are the best at serving,” someone chuckled.

“Exactly! Let’s pour some wine for your young master,” another added, their speech slightly slurred from the alcohol.

Chu Lishu gracefully poured the wine for Lin Qingyang, following the lead of the other ladies in the vicinity. Mimicking their actions, he offered the cup to Lin Qingyang’s lips, who awkwardly took a sip.

Normally, such banter would quickly shift the attention away. However, several people were captivated by the elegance and grace of the ladies at the Golden Phoenix Pavilion. Suddenly encountering someone so demure, even in the simple act of pouring wine, stirred a longing in their hearts, especially catching glimpses of a teardrop mole. It evoked a sense of pity and a desire to embrace and cherish.

Someone felt that the beauty in their arms was not enough, “The girls here are all open and can be seen clearly. Lin Qingyang, let us have a look at your pet, if she’s good, I have a few at home too, how about we exchange?”

Lin Qingyang’s face changed, and he immediately regretted it, realizing that he shouldn’t have let Chu Lishu come out like this. Chu Lishu didn’t know that his status as the male lead was destined to cause trouble.

“My pet is not very savvy, she was brought from Jiangnan by my elder cousin. She hasn’t seen much of the world and is quite shy. Lord probably won’t like her.”

The remark was a bit insulting, and the official immediately looked displeased. Someone chimed in, “Come on, satisfying our curiosity shouldn’t hurt. There must be a unique charm from Jiangnan.”

Actually, most of the ambitious individuals at the table were just curious and wouldn’t bother much about an unknown girl. They were more focused on socializing. However, there were always a few cannon fodders who had nothing better to do than to have lewd thoughts all day.

Their curiosity sparked the interest of others, especially since it was a girl brought by Lin Qingyang. After all, Lin Qingyang was perceived by outsiders as someone who preferred men. So, suddenly bringing a woman along meant she must be exceptionally beautiful to capture Lin Qingyang’s attention.

Lin Qingyang felt increasingly awkward. Despite Qi Yan’s efforts to speak up for him, it was of no use. Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but look towards Yue Chen and Huo Luo for help.

The two of them raised their glasses and drank, completely ignoring his plea for help. Instead, they seemed curious to see what kind of person she was.

Chu Lishu found Lin Qingyang’s desperate attempts to defend him amusing. Seeing Lin Qingyang unable to find a way out, Chu Lishu naturally stopped there. Just as Chu Lishu was about to give Yue Chen and the others a signal with his eyes, suddenly, a groping hand reached out from beside him, seemingly attempting to embrace Chu Lishu.

The moment Lin Qingyang saw this, his expression immediately darkened, surprising even Chu Lishu, who rarely saw Lin Qingyang make such a face.

Lin Qingyang felt an indescribable surge of anger in his chest. Immediately, he reached out and forcefully spun Chu Lishu around, pulling him into his arms.

The ethereal figure in white robes sat sideways on Lin Qingyang’s lap, nestled in his embrace, looking somewhat bewildered. His eyes resembled startled deer, round and black. Meanwhile, the men facing this scene finally saw clearly the beautiful features hidden beneath the veil, resembling stars and moons. They couldn’t help but be astonished. As for the senior official who had attempted to take advantage, he was now caught off guard and felt somewhat embarrassed, his hand freezing in place.

“Oh, she’s not your wife, why are you being so possessive, Young Master? I can’t even touch her? How about this, name your price, I’ll buy her. That way, I can always look and touch, right?”

Lin Qingyang’s expression stiffened, his chest swelling with anger, but his arms involuntarily tightened around the person in his embrace.

Maintaining a false smile, Lin Qingyang said, “This is my treasure. I haven’t even touched her yet, so of course no one else can either. Not only can’t they touch her, they can’t even look. Even if someone offered me a mountain of gold, I wouldn’t trade.”

With that, Lin Qingyang gritted his teeth and firmly pressed Chu Lishu’s head against his chest, shielding Chu Lishu’s features from everyone’s view, ensuring that not even an inch of skin was exposed.

Lin Qingyang held Chu Lishu tightly from start to finish, as if guarding his precious treasure, not allowing anyone to peek even for a moment. Especially when his gaze swept towards the men opposite him, there was a clear warning in his eyes. Their inappropriate looks towards Chu Lishu were absolutely unacceptable! How could anyone dare to covet such a male lead? They weren’t even worthy! Lin Qingyang regretted agreeing to bring the male lead out just now.

The surrounding people expressed disgust at the behavior of the older official, but the men, drunk as they were, weren’t much better. Moreover, Lin Qingyang’s obvious agitation was seen as immature. All this fuss over a pet? This was a gathering of elders, after all. If he were smart, he would have simply offered the pet to someone else. Instead, he had chosen to confront the situation head-on. It seemed he was becoming arrogant due to favoritism, following the Fourth Prince’s example.

Even Qi Yan felt it was a bit too much, but when it came to his brother, he couldn’t stay uninvolved. He could only say, “My brother is too stingy. He always wants to keep things to himself. Before, he wouldn’t even share beauties with me. Now that he’s finally got one, naturally he’s unwilling to give her to anyone else. I reckon he’s afraid some big shot might take a liking to his beauty, so he’s being stingy and covering the girl’s face. We have plenty of beauties here; there’s no need to lower ourselves to his level.”

Some people chuckled at his jest, but others felt uncomfortable.

Chu Lishu, who had finally buried his head in Lin Qingyang’s chest, slowly lifted his head from Lin Qingyang’s shoulder and glanced towards the other side, where Yue Chen and Huo Luo happened to be sitting.

The two of them were squinting their eyes, observing the situation on Lin Qingyang’s side. In their view, since they had recognized His Highness as their master, His Highness’s lover should be their mistress. Now that the mistress was engaging in infidelity, it put them in a dilemma—neither catching nor ignoring her would be appropriate. After all, he was also their friend. It would be better to discipline the child first before taking action; this was the consequence of cheating.

Just as they were considering when to intervene and educate Lin Qingyang, suddenly a pair of icy eyes looked over.

Yue Chen and Huo Luo were instinctively drawn to that powerful presence, and they were instantly startled. Despite the significant change in the appearance of the eyes behind the makeup, the gaze projected was imposing and authoritative, unquestionably that of someone in a dominant position.

Now both of them were left speechless, choking on their own saliva instead of the wine.

That was it! That was it! It was His Highness.

Meanwhile, lurking in the shadows, Lu Yi and Lu Shi were about to intervene discreetly to teach someone a lesson. They hadn’t expected their master and Lin Qingyang to show up here unexpectedly. But that wasn’t the main issue; the main concern was why their master had come without changing his clothes.

When they saw their master changing into women’s clothing in the shadows, they felt like gouging out their own eyes. It wasn’t because it didn’t look good, but rather it felt suffocating. Their esteemed master, how could he demean himself for Lin Qingyang’s private affairs? They dared not look, pretending they hadn’t seen anything, silently going about their business; otherwise, they’d be left with psychological scars. Where had their exalted master gone?

To think that now their master had to endure further humiliation here. It filled them with a strong urge to resort to violence.

Finally, Yue Chen and Huo Luo cleared their throats.

“Don’t make things difficult for my student, he’s going to the palace tomorrow to serve as a study companion. It’s rare for him to relax with his loved one, and here you elders are, not letting him go. A gentleman should not deprive others of their pleasures,” Yue Chen quipped stiffly. “If you like this kind of atmosphere, why don’t you have the ladies beside you cover their faces while drinking with you? Come on, ladies, cover your faces. This is called ‘yielding to desires while feigning reluctance.'”

The ladies understood the situation and immediately giggled, easing the tension in the air.

“Oh, by the way, you mentioned earlier that the two elder brothers of Young Master Qi are in Jiangnan…” Huo Luo quickly changed the subject.

With Qi Yan’s cooperation, the topic shifted, and everyone’s attention followed suit. The officials from the Inspection Court didn’t pay much attention to Lin Qingyang anymore, and Lin Qingyang breathed a sigh of relief, lowering his head to look at the person in his arms. He saw Chu Lishu blink innocently, looking at him with an innocent expression. Lin Qingyang whispered softly, a hint of irritation in his voice, “It’s all your fault. I told you this wouldn’t work. You scared me. Why did you take such a risk?”

Chu Lishu hadn’t expected anyone to be so curious about him dressed as a woman. He thought he was just a pet, and as long as Lin Qingyang didn’t show him off, no one would pay him much mind. He hadn’t anticipated causing such a stir, but… it was worth it. Lin Qingyang’s behavior made his heart race even now, and he could feel Lin Qingyang’s possessiveness towards him. That feeling of being intensely needed satisfied Chu Lishu immensely.

Suddenly, the person in his arms reached out an arm to wrap around Lin Qingyang’s neck, lifting themselves up slightly to whisper into Lin Qingyang’s ear. Lin Qingyang adjusted his embrace to make both of them more comfortable, unaware that he could actually put the person down at this point.

“Just now, Qi Yan mentioned that you have a beauty you’re unwilling to share with him? Who is this beauty? Do I know her?” Chu Lishu asked.

Lin Qingyang thought Chu Lishu was going to discuss something serious with him, so he was surprised by the question. He gritted his teeth in frustration and replied irritably, “You’re asking about that? Clearly, Qi Yan was just making things up to help smooth things over. Yes, I do have a beauty with me. She almost got taken advantage of earlier, but now she’s here with me!”

Chu Lishu didn’t burst into laughter, but his beautiful phoenix eyes were full of amusement, twinkling mischievously and making it hard for anyone to maintain eye contact.

“Don’t worry, Yue Chen and Huo Luo already know it’s me. Let them handle the conversation next, and we’ll just listen,” he whispered.

Their actions appeared as if they were engaged in an intimate conversation, inadvertently leading observers to conclude that Lin Qingyang indeed treasured this “pet” very much.

Lin Qingyang still looked somewhat displeased, but he could only shoot a grateful glance at Yue Chen.

Yue Chen exchanged a glance with Lin Qingyang, his lips twitching slightly. He raised his cup, a silent agreement passing between them.

As drinks were poured and exchanged, the positions of the people at the table shifted, eventually bringing Yue Chen and the officials from the Qintian Observatory near Lin Qingyang. Their conversation could be heard more clearly by both of them.

In a low voice, Yue Chen asked, “What are you two up to? Is this some kind of new game?”

Lin Qingyang’s expression turned wry. “We just finished something else and didn’t have time to change clothes. Then we heard your news and ran into Qi Yan, so we just came in.”

“It’s quite a legitimate appearance, leaving no room for doubt. I was just thinking about what excuse to use to bring you in if you showed up,” Yue Chen chuckled. However, he refrained from lowering his head to look at Chu Lishu in Lin Qingyang’s arms. After all, he was their master, and it would be disrespectful to stare.

Was His Highness addicted to cross-dressing, or did he find teasing Lin Qingyang amusing? Perhaps it was because Lin Qingyang enjoyed it, and His Highness doted on him.

However, Huo Luo was less carefree. He frowned directly and said, “You nearly caused trouble. What if you were discovered? You should have at least told us beforehand.”

Lin Qingyang felt that Huo Luo’s words made perfect sense and nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Huo Luo glanced at them and hesitated, “Qingyang, aren’t you tired of holding on like this all the time?”

After the words fell, and before Huo Luo could react, Yue Chen grabbed his ear and pulled him away, scolding him as they left, “Idiot!”

Lin Qingyang froze. The warmth in his arms had been there all along, and he had forgotten to let go.

Chu Lishu spoke up, “Am I heavy? You can put me down.”

Lin Qingyang’s cheeks flushed, and he stammered, “Not heavy, I’ll put you down. But what if they get ideas if I let you go? It’s safer to hold you. No one would dare to reach into my arms to lift your veil. Are you… feeling uncomfortable? I can put you down if you are.”

After Lin Qingyang spoke, he heard a deep chuckle, as if resonating with his chest. The sexy tone made it clear to Lin Qingyang that the person he was holding was a man. But why did he feel a sense of tenderness, wanting to protect the person in his arms? Wasn’t that a feeling reserved for girls?

“I don’t mind, I’m just worried about you getting tired.”

“I’m not tired.” Lin Qingyang steadied himself internally, secretly feeling a hint of relief, then continued to listen to the conversation beside him.

The Qintian Observatory’s supervisor and four deputies were all here. Yue Chen was eloquent, able to find common ground with people based on their age, hometown, preferences, and various other aspects. After a few drinks, they could easily become like old friends.

During the conversation, Lin Qingyang could clearly sense that the four deputies were all very afraid of the supervisor, who didn’t seem like a good person. Although the deputies were his subordinates, the supervisor treated them like his servants, ordering them around and occasionally insulting them with his words, as if their abilities were inferior to his. Both explicitly and implicitly, there was concern that after retiring, these subordinates wouldn’t be able to uphold the reputation of the Qintian Observatory, which could lead to its decline.

During Yuan Ran’s reign, he didn’t really trust the Qintian Observatory much, at most treating them as weather forecasters, since he himself was quite adept at observing celestial phenomena. It was difficult for the Qintian Observatory to deceive him. However, he later realized that human actions were always more powerful than celestial signs. But after the new emperor ascended the throne, the Qintian Observatory regained its power, especially since the emperor favored it. So, when these officials went out, they also liked to consult the Qintian Observatory for divination.

As a result, the supervisor, having rarely gained prominence, naturally began to regard himself highly.

Chu Lishu pulled Lin Qingyang’s collar, prompting him to lower his head.

“Gu Jing.”

Lin Qingyang’s expression subtly changed. As expected, it was him. Lin Qingyang looked at the deputy who was despised and belittled by the supervisor.

“Tsk… Gu Jing doesn’t understand at all. If you really want to ask, you’d be better off asking the others, they’re all better than him.” The supervisor happened to be discussing a certain algorithm with Yue Chen at this moment. Yue Chen intended to probe Gu Jing, but was interrupted, clearly indicating the supervisor’s disdain for Gu Jing.

Despite being degraded, Gu Jing smiled without saying a word. When he saw the supervisor reaching out to pour wine for the guest, he understood that he was being made to do the job despite the presence of the female attendants, which lowered his status. However, he still cooperated obediently, though the resentment and dissatisfaction in his eyes were clearly noticed by those paying attention to his expression.

Actually, during Chu Lishu’s time under Yuan Ran’s rule, the members of the Qintian Observatory were already the same. Chu Lishu naturally knew some of them, albeit not intimately. This time, he had to choose someone to support him as his right-hand man. Based on his past knowledge and recent observations, Chu Lishu first chose Gu Jing.

Lin Qingyang found an excuse to chat with Yue Chen, subtly hinting at Gu Jing. Yue Chen understood and naturally increased the intensity of his probing.

As Lin Qingyang watched the cautious behavior of this seemingly timid man, he found it difficult to imagine him daring to do so many bold and audacious things for Chu Lishu in the future.

At that moment, Lu Yi and Lu Shi, who had been hiding in the dark, felt something amiss around them. It was a sensation tinged with bloodlust and murderous intent, something only they, accustomed to operating in the shadows, could sense. It was… the feeling of assassins lurking nearby.

Assassins? Who’s the target?

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