The Gods Are Fighting Over Me - Chapter 7

Whose boyfriend did you just say?        

“Sweetheart, watch out for the puddle.”

The “man” considerately pulled Lin Jianyue into his arms, helping her avoid a puddle of standing water on the ground.

Lin Jianyue naturally hooked her arm through the “man’s” and leaned against “him.”

The “man” Lin Jianyue was with was about half a head taller than her, with black hair and light, almost unnoticeable makeup. “His” voice had a low, perfect Tokyo accent, and at first glance, there was no difference between “him” and a handsome adult man.

But “he” was a woman, a high-priced companion Lin Jianyue’s friend had hired as a surprise gift to celebrate her finally escaping her father’s control.

The character “he” wasn’t Kenji Hagiwara, but it was someone Lin Jianyue also liked, a person she had joked about marrying countless times.

It was a good date, but in ten minutes, the contract would be over.

The constant mental pressure turned into thick emotion. Lin Jianyue stared intently at the person in front of her, yet it was as if she were looking through “him” to her pure, white sanctuary.

She had paid a huge price, almost losing a layer of skin, to come to Japan and become a student of the famous illustrator she admired.

Like every child controlled by a dictator, her father had torn up all her paper drawings, smashed all her figurines, and cut up all her plush dolls one by one.

She had bought ten black-suited Kenji Hagiwara dolls to cover her bed, but her father had cutt them all to shreds.

She would always remember the scissors closing in front of her. The head of a stuffed doll fell to the ground, rolled a bit, and stopped at her feet, severed from its body.

The only reason for all this was that Lin Jianyue had said no to her father’s demand.

“I don’t want to go to Juilliard to study. I hate the piano!”

Rebellion came with a price.

Her father had destroyed the mental castle Lin Jianyue had secretly built, leaving her world in shambles.

Lin Jianyue stood on the ruins, looking at the mess at her feet, not shedding a single tear. She just quietly stared at her father’s triumphant face, pretending to be obedient. Then, on a sunny day with a gentle breeze, she suddenly disappeared with her luggage.

Lin Jianyue had risked everything she could afford. She wasn’t even fully prepared, but she was forced to stand on the streets of Tokyo.

Lin Jianyue liked many characters, both male and female. They were her mental anchors, her sanctuary. But none of them was her life’s true love.

Only her art was.

Under so much pressure, a character she loved had come to her from another world—even if it was fake, a transaction where a stranger played a role for money, it was enough to move her.

The loving light in her eyes was gradually enveloped in a mist. Lin Jianyue lowered her eyelids and her head, trying to hide her reddening eyes.

The “man” walked a few steps forward, sensing something was wrong with Lin Jianyue. “He” turned and stared at the top of her head for a few seconds, smiled, and then took Lin Jianyue’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

“I’m leaving now. While I’m gone, you have to take good care of yourself.”

Lin Jianyue nodded. Her black hair cascaded down her back, swaying gently with her movements. A bright, warm, and infectious smile returned to her face.

“Don’t be sad,” he cupped Lin Jianyue’s face, making her look up into “his” eyes. “This temporary parting is for a better reunion. I’ll always be with you, and I’ll always love you.”

“He” gazed at Lin Jianyue’s eyes with deep affection, then lowered “his” head, preparing to give her a kiss that would miss her lips and land on her cheek.

Lin Jianyue slowly closed her eyes in response, her wet eyelashes fluttering slightly as she tilted her head up, seemingly anticipating the kiss.

Their breaths grew closer, only a fraction of an inch apart.

Screech!

A long, sharp screech of brakes rang out, and a crooked tire mark was left on the road.

The sound, a clear sign of a car accident, startled them from their romantic moment. The fear of death made Lin Jianyue instinctively shrink back toward the “man.”

She clutched “his” arm tightly and looked in a panic toward the source of the sound. She then saw a man striding purposefully toward her, right across the street, with a face that she had been longing for.

The man walking toward them had a perfectly chiseled face, the kind of striking handsomeness you only see in movies. His perfect body proportions made him stand out from the crowd.

Most importantly, he had a face that was strikingly similar to Kenji Hagiwara’s, as if he had walked right out of a two-dimensional world.

“Huh?”

Lin Jianyue froze, her mind going blank with a hum.

The noise around them was like a tape recording being cut off, disappearing abruptly. All Lin Jianyue could see was the man’s face, getting closer and closer.

There’s really someone in the world who looks exactly like Kenji Hagiwara.

Is this for real?

Could this be a little surprise my friend arranged for me?

Lin Jianyue vaguely remembered that before she left this morning, her friend, who had arranged this companion, had said something secretive on the phone about another surprise that would be revealed tonight.

Lin Jianyue stared at Kenji Hagiwara’s face and had a sudden realization—so he was the surprise her friend had arranged.

Kenji Hagiwara’s face was cold, his deep eyes brewing with an impending storm. It might have been a trick of the light, but Lin Jianyue saw a fiery anger and a crumbling sense of helplessness in his eyes.

If she had been calm enough to think about it, Lin Jianyue’s intelligence would have picked up that something was wrong.

But at that moment, her mind was like a seized gear. She couldn’t think, not even the simplest things. She just stared at Kenji Hagiwara’s face, with only one thought in her head:

Who the hell is this cosplayer? This is insane. He looks like he came right out of the anime!

Where did my friend find such a perfect specimen?

With a face like that, his fee must be high! If he were in China, he would definitely be an internet celebrity with millions of followers!

Not only his face, but his height and aura were also 100% accurate.

It was just a shame he was a guy.

But even if he were a guy, she wanted to hire him.

Lin Jianyue was staring at Kenji Hagiwara’s face, her mind wandering, when he spoke first.

Kenji suppressed his volcanic anger. His clenched fists trembled a little. He pointed at the “man” and yelled, “Didn’t you say you loved me the most?! Who is he?!”

The emotions came at him like a tsunami, his reason gone.

Kenji glared at Lin Jianyue, as if his stare would burn a hole in her face.

How could she!

How dare she!

She had dragged him into her world, enticed him, gotten him, and then kicked him away!

Hadn’t they been together for years? Meeting every night, he had been by her side longer than anyone else.

Out of all the countless worlds, they were the only ones who had met in a dream across space and time. They were meant to be together.

He had spent over a year planning and had patiently waited for months, not to see another man kiss her lips.

Her worries and her love should be told to him, and only to him.

Kenji wanted nothing more than to grab Lin Jianyue, give her a big kiss on the mouth, and then yell at the “man” to get lost.

But the last shreds of his sanity stopped him.

Lin Jianyue would get mad.

This thought appeared clearly in Kenji’s mind.

Kenji knew very well that even though Lin Jianyue talked about marrying him every day, her love for him was more of an emotional crutch than a desire to entrust her life to him.

The thought that Lin Jianyue didn’t see him as a real-life marriage partner made Kenji feel a sense of panic for the first time, even though he had always been aware of it.

For the past few years, Lin Jianyue hadn’t had a boyfriend. At least, in the time since she had met Kenji Hagiwara, she had never fallen for another man.

Without any competition, Kenji had naturally monopolized Lin Jianyue and enjoyed all of her attention.

Kenji was very patient. He could take his time, slowly, bit by bit, and make her his. But he couldn’t accept her turning around and looking for another man to fall in love with and marry.

Kenji stared at Lin Jianyue’s face, and dark, twisted thoughts uncontrollably began to grow like weeds, invading his mind. This, in a way, made him calm down.

After a few deep breaths, Kenji’s tone suddenly softened, and he looked at Lin Jianyue with a pitiful, fragile gaze. “Jianyue-chan, who is he?”

Lin Jianyue pursed her lips and thought for a moment. She hesitantly let go of the “man’s” arm.

Timing-wise, their contract was over, so…

Lin Jianyue tentatively said, “He’s my ex-husband, I guess?”

The word “ex-husband” exploded in Kenji’s ears like a clap of thunder. His face went white, and his temples felt a sharp pain, as if from a drill.

Lin Jianyue was completely unaware of what Kenji was thinking. She stared at his face, thinking to herself, Is the very first companion I hire going to be a love triangle drama? Is the surprise my friend arranged a little too much?

Behind Lin Jianyue, the third person in this farce, who was naturally androgynous and an expert at playing male roles, was the only true cosplayer there. “He” was holding a super-rare piece of merchandise hidden behind his back, completely silent.

Lin Jianyue’s friend, the client who had hired “him,” had sent “him” an expensive acrylic stand a few days ago, telling “him” to give it to Lin Jianyue at the end of the job.

The client had said at the time.

This stand was extremely rare and very expensive. In their fan community, they called it a “luxury coastal villa,” which meant it was as valuable as a luxury villa with an ocean view.

The client told “him” to make sure it was well-cushioned and not to scratch or damage it, or “he” would have to use half of his fee to pay for it.

The client also said that Lin Jianyue would be overjoyed to receive this gift, and she might even scream and hug “him” while spinning around.

“He” understood all that, but the client never said there would be other people here tonight.

The “man” stared at the long-haired man across the street, who was already starting to play the victim. After a moment of silent thought, “he” decided to send a message to the client:

Hi, as I’ve mentioned before, playing the role of a homewrecker, a mistress, or being in a love triangle costs extra.

The client quickly replied, but with only a few short words:

What are you talking about, a love triangle and a homewrecker? Only hired you.

The “man” looked at Kenji Hagiwara again and happened to catch the icy glint in his eyes when he glanced at “him.”

The “man” messaged the client again, getting beaten up by the client’s boyfriend also costs extra, and it’s double.

This time, the client’s reply was even faster. A screen full of question marks almost broke the chat.

WHAT?!

*****