Professional Substitute

Chapter 5: Campus Flower Protector

"She... didn't say anything?"

At that moment, Yu Xiao was leisurely sitting on the golden cage, his long legs swinging casually, exuding relaxation. Mai Jing crossed her arms, repeating Mo Qinglan's words verbatim. A puzzling confusion appeared on Yu Xiao's face.

Emotional stability and indifference were always Mo Qinglan's style, but it was different from what Yu Xiao had imagined.

"So, will she come to next month's press conference?" Yu Xiao eagerly asked, full of anticipation for the answer.

"She said she'd remember." Yu Xiao clenched his fist and struck his palm.

"Qingqing has never disappointed me," he silently added in his heart. She could fulfill every request he made; if she said she'd remember, she would definitely come. Of course, it would require some cost. But wasn't that proof of her liking him?

Yu Xiao happily jumped down, and as he lowered his head, he noticed a bit of blood still on the cage's bars. To avoid worrying him, she could silently endure even if she got hurt. She truly loved him too much!

Mo Qinglan boarded a nearby bus. That Thursday was truly fulfilling; she lost two clients but netted five million.

From then on, that evening was free, and it seemed it was time to develop new clients. As a master of time management, she couldn't allow her schedule to have gaps. Not caring about money was truly unforgivable.

An hour later, Mo Qinglan returned to her apartment and ordered takeout. To facilitate her work, she rented a single apartment off-campus, stocked with various props.

The clothing styles alone ranged from girl-next-door, lady-like, mature woman, androgynous, to uniformed nurse temptress. Because facing different people and playing different stand-ins required different outfits and different lies. If her roommates found out, they'd surely call her a big p*****t.

Mo Qinglan took out a small notebook from her bag and crossed out Yu Xiao's name, then carefully reviewed her schedule for the next day. Tomorrow, she had two humanities and social sciences courses: one in personality psychology and another in Western art history. These were courses she chose based on what Gu Tianyi from the neighboring class selected; Gu Tianyi was also one of her clients.

Keywords for him were: 21 years old, computer science major, campus heartthrob and academic god, allergic to girls, the same age as Mo Qinglan. Player Gu Tianyi was quite interesting, with an impressive personal resume. During high school, he won numerous awards and was supposed to be directly admitted to a top university in the Imperial Capital, but for some reason, he gave it up and came to Cloud City's best program—the ace computer science department.

He was aloof, barely interacting with others, focused solely on studying, competing, and winning championships. But unfortunately, his looks were too outstanding, and girls pursued him relentlessly. While the saying "fruits overflow the car" might be an exaggeration, love letters were continuous, and public confessions were common.

A year ago, when Mo Qinglan first met Gu Tianyi, she was participating in an orienteering event, and Gu Tianyi fainted by the side of a bush, his exposed arms and neck covered in red rashes.

"Hey, are you okay?" She cautiously approached, leaned down, and gently poked Gu Tianyi's shirt with her finger.

Gu Tianyi frowned, eyes tightly shut, eyelashes trembling slightly, clearly in pain. "Don't... don't touch me."

Mo Qinglan wasn't one to meddle, but this was a campus, and he had fainted in a relatively secluded area. If he had a stroke or seizure and his condition worsened due to delayed treatment, it would be troublesome.

"Should I call 120 for you?" The boy slowly opened his eyes. His face was flawless, without a single rash. His skin was a cool white, like a beautiful jade.

"This skin texture is almost on par with benefactor Sheng Yunzhou. No, he's younger than Sheng Yunzhou; youth is the greatest asset." She silently judged. But he couldn't speak at the moment.

The shirt he wore, Mo Qinglan had seen in Sheng Yunzhou's wardrobe, a niche brand from abroad. Maybe this was a good fate.

She whispered, "I'm only helping because of your looks." With that, she lifted Gu Tianyi's arm and draped it over her shoulder.

The boy was thin but tall. His entire weight pressed on her, making it hard to bear. "Hang in there, the campus hospital is just ahead." She mentally prepared herself, comforting herself.

"No need."

"No need for what? Can you walk to the campus hospital yourself?"

"Don't look at my face."

"... Just looking at you, just looking at you! Be grateful I'm not disgusted." Mo Qinglan had seen many handsome men, too many. There was the crazy, snake-like domineering president Sheng, and the acting-obsessed dark-hearted Yu, but clients and peers were different.

"You're welcome." The boy said. The two bickered all the way, watched and pointed at by onlookers. Mo Qinglan used all her strength to get him to the campus hospital. Her back was soaked with sweat.

Afterward, a middle-aged beautiful woman approached her. The woman wore a silk dress, her figure graceful. Her soft, wavy hair had a unique charm. The Medusa necklace around her neck sparkled, full of personality, making her look like a queen, presumably of great value.

The woman asked forcefully, "Would you be willing to stay by Tianyi's side? Your main duty is to prevent other girls from approaching him. But you must not fall for him. If you break the rules, our employment relationship will be terminated immediately."

Mo Qinglan instantly understood; she was to ward off peach blossoms. This was her specialty. Fall for him? Absolutely not. She had long mastered the art of being warm on the outside and cold on the inside, repelled by similar icebergs.

However, Mo Qinglan firmly believed there was no free lunch in the world.

"Why choose me? Madam Gu, with all due respect, your task seems doable by anyone. What's my unique competitive advantage?"

Madam Gu gazed into Mo Qinglan's deer-like eyes. This girl seemed more thoughtful than the average female college student.

"First, your face is convincing enough. Ugly people can't make other girls back off." This was a compliment, but Mo Qinglan's face showed no arrogance or pride.

"The real reason is what's crucial, right?"

"Indeed. Tianyi has a special constitution; physical contact with girls causes him to break out in rashes. But from our observations, when you took him to the hospital, he showed no signs of worsening."

Mo Qinglan was dumbfounded. Such a situation existed? What kind of chosen genes did she have? No wonder she was meant to make money.

She immediately took out her flyer. "Madam Gu, which package would you like to choose?"

Madam Gu's fingers were perfectly manicured. She glanced at it briefly before putting it down.

"Money is not an issue. I hope you can choose some humanities and social science courses based on Tianyi's schedule. These courses have too many girls enrolled. Just keep an eye on him during class."

This request was a no-brainer.

"Rest assured, Madam Gu, from now on, I will be Academic God Gu's last line of defense." Anyone trying to approach him, Mo Qinglan would zap them.

"Also, the deal is between you and me. Don't let my son know. Since you're a guardian, guard silently."

Finally, the two parties agreed on a monthly payment of one hundred thousand. Madam Gu paid a month's fee upfront.

Since Mo Qinglan publicly appeared by Gu Tianyi's side, she seemed to have become the enemy of the girls at Cloud City University overnight. Everyone could accept their own failure but couldn't stand others' success. Why could Mo Qinglan sit next to Academic God Gu? What awaited her was a bucket of cold water falling from the classroom door frame.