The Empress’s Gigolo

“To kill or not to kill?” Ren Baqian kept his head low, monitoring the girl’s table from the corner of his eye.

He was trying to play down his murderous thoughts by thinking of identical twins, who were the most alike. As much as they were alike, twins were two different people.

Despite that, malicious thoughts continued to enter his head. He felt compelled to kill her.

Ren Baqian sat there in a daze for a good long while until he saw the girl and her friends standing up from their seats. He tossed the money for his meal on the table and hurriedly followed them.

They were just three girls flagging down a taxi by the road.

When she saw Ren Baqian following them out, the girl who looked like the empress whispered some stuff to her friends. The two of them turned to look before quickly turning away.

Ren Baqian stood beside his car, getting in to tail their taxi when they had left.

He followed them to a school campus. Ren Baqian took note of the school’s name: SH University.

His conjecture was right: she was still a student.

Ren Baqian left his car outside the campus, entering the university on foot.

He still had not made up his mind at this point. Taking the life of an innocent person, especially one who resembled the empress this much, was no mean feat.

Walking around the campus brimming with young life, Ren Baqian felt the stark difference between this peaceful place and the other war-torn world. His lust for blood finally quieted down.

He remembered the policy of non-intervention he had promised to his country. Disrupting their agreement over this matter was not worth it.

Furthermore, he had yet to bring the empress to his villa with its brand spanking new swimming pool.

For the sake of this villa and bikinis, he could not afford to act recklessly.

He decided to find an opportunity to discuss alternative solutions with that girl.

He would at most kidnap her and bring her back to Dayao.

Before that, he would have to find out who she was in order to locate her again.

Ren Baqian hastened his pace. Just when he was about 20 odd meters away from the three girls, a few other students blocked their path.

Among them, a young man wearing a button down shirt was holding on to a bouquet of flowers. Ren Baqian snapped out of it, realizing that nothing bad was going on. He repeatedly reminded himself that this was not a rescue situation.

This was a 211 University after all, so it was unlikely that any major incidents would happen here.

[1.Project 211 is a project of National Key Universities and colleges initiated in 1995 by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China with the intent of raising the research standards of high-level universities and cultivating strategies for socio-economic development.]

The bouquet of flowers in the guy’s hand foreshadowed the cringeworthy events that were to follow.

“Qi Jiayu, be my girlfriend!” the young man with the flowers suddenly exclaimed.

“So her name is Qi Jiayu! She has the same surname as the empress!” Ren Baqian swirled the thought in his brain for a bit before feeling grossed out by the scene.

They didn’t even show such things on television anymore.

Utterly uncreative!

That young man was rather dashing, however. Perhaps just a little less than Ren Baqian himself.

Qi Jiayu’s two friends quickly stepped aside, leaving her at the center of attention. A bunch of people had gathered around to watch this guy’s declaration of love. His friends were even shouting, “Say you’ll be his girlfriend!”

Students nearby were attracted by the commotion.

Ren Baqian wasn’t surprised. There were after all not many opportunities to watch such crappy plotlines on television anymore.

Ren Baqian swore in his heart, Son of a b*tch!

Things would really degenerate into a third-rate melodramatic soap opera if he were to go over and interrupt right now.

Although, he couldn’t possibly just stand here and watch this could he?

Ren Baqian felt the need to disrupt the proceedings a little!

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’re compatible. I think I can do much better!” Qi Jiayu suddenly answered. Her words made Ren Baqian almost trip. He was thoroughly impressed that she could actually say something like that in front of such a large audience. Even he himself would find it hard to do that.

Ren Baqian was barely two meters away from her by then. It was too late for him to turn around and leave.

His footsteps had caught the attention of one of Qi Jiayu’s companions, who turned just in time to see his shocked expression.

What now? Qi Jiayu had already diffused the situation herself, so what am I supposed to do now? Having already figured out her name, should I just quickly walk away?

Ren Baqian was caught in an awkward situation.

How was he supposed to just leave?

What a terrifying circumstance he had landed himself in!

He couldn’t bring himself to become part of this third-rate soap opera either! What was he to do? Walk up and attempt to snatch the girl? Give the guy a warning?

Ren Baqian clenched his jaw and took a few long strides toward the young man.

Barely recovered from being forcefully rejected, the young man was surprised to find someone walking up to him with such gusto.

Was this her boyfriend? Or was he someone just like myself? he thought to himself.

“You…” Before he could say anything more, Ren Baqian slapped him right into the ground. Half of his dashing face was now swollen.

Everyone watching was momentarily stunned by the events that had just transpired. Anger quickly followed!

This place was an ivory tower after all. These were all still merely kids sitting high up in their ivory tower!

Ren Baqian’s next line shocked the anger out of them all. Everyone was at a complete loss for what to do or what to think.

“You were going to abandon me for her? You call yourself a man?” Ren Baqian pointed angrily at Qi Jiayu before pointing at himself.

No one moved.

What the heck was happening? The f*ck, this was too unreal! What a crazy plot twist! This was way more exciting than any third-rate melodrama that was out there!

The young man’s entourage was so astonished that they took several steps back.

Qi Jiayu’s initial surprise quickly turned into utter incredulity. She had quickly pieced together the notion of a stalker upon seeing Ren Baqian’s familiar figure, but then his words completely shocked the crap out of her.

The young man on the floor was both literally and figuratively struck dumb. All he could muster up was to stutter, “You… You… You…”

Feeling wronged and anxious, he was unable to find the words he desperately needed.

He was bleeding from the corner of his mouth, and Ren Baqian had knocked one of his teeth out with that powerful slap.

“I…”

“Bah! You wh*re! Your promises are as fake as your acting! I’ve misjudged you!” Ren Baqian gave him another good kick right in the stomach, sending the young man’s arduously mustered reply of “I don’t know him” back in. Ren Baqian spat on the ground and walked off.

The already stunned audience was even more baffled now.

Wh*re? Acting? Who was that man? What kind of situation was this? What the heck just happened?