Chapter 15

No way, what are the odds?

Tingshen's here too?

Seeing this scene, Cui Ling, who was waiting by the car, went poker-faced and kept sneaking looks at Qin You.

Finding the Prodigal Heir cool as a cucumber, not showing a hint of nerves, you had to hand it to him.

His crush right there in front of him.

A setup date standing next to him.

Faced with such a situation, Qin You could remain so composed—he really had serious game.

"Is that someone you know, Mr. Qin?" Sensing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Miss Liu had to ask.

She had just returned from studying abroad and, apart from attending a few recent banquets, was pretty new to this scene.

Qin You looked away and smiled at her. "Yes. Let me introduce you—"

But halfway through his words,

he caught sight of Yan Tingshen turning and walking away.

Miss Liu assumed they had a strained relationship and felt awkward, jumping in to defuse things. "It’s alright, shall we go ahead with dinner?"

Qin You just rolled with it. "Sure."

Nearby,

Pei Sheng was just stepping out of the car and saw his friend waiting at the entrance, waving. But before he could return the greeting, Yan Tingshen had already turned and entered the building.

He did a double take, only then noticing Qin You and the classy-looking woman with him walking toward the hotel entrance not far away.

"Whoa, hold up—"

Qi Yan’s raised hand hadn’t even lowered yet as he watched Yan Tingshen brush past him. Blinking in confusion, he turned to Pei Sheng and asked in a low voice, "What’s going on?"

Seeing Qin You and his companion also walking away, Pei Sheng’s expression was complicated. "Man... it's complicated. Let’s go in first."

This matter involved Tingshen and Qin You’s privacy. He was playing dumb about what he'd heard that day and naturally wouldn’t repeat it.

But playing dumb didn’t mean he truly hadn’t heard.

Qin You’s confession to Tingshen—he had caught every word.

That night, Qin You seemed to have been drinking.

But liquid courage tells no lies—he believed those words were Qin You’s true feelings.

Now, he was just as thrown.

If Qin You liked Tingshen, then what was this chick about?

Qi Yan was completely lost and shrugged. "Alright..."

They headed in and made their way up to the lounge.

Before sitting down, Qi Yan noticed Yan Tingshen's gaze sweep past his side, lingering for two seconds before withdrawing. He couldn't help but look too.

Of all places, it was the two people they had encountered at the entrance, now being led to their seats by a waiter.

They ended up seated directly across from Yan Tingshen.

Qi Yan discreetly studied Yan Tingshen's face, seeing his usual indifferent expression. He scratched his nose, burning with curiosity.

Turning to Pei Sheng, he asked casually, "Who are those two? The woman looks familiar, but who’s the man?"

Having been Yan Tingshen's sidekick since childhood, he was dying to know more about someone who seemed to have caught Yan Tingshen’s attention.

Pei Sheng automatically looked at Yan Tingshen.

Seeing no objection, he replied, "That’s Qin You, the general manager of the Qin Group."

"Qin You?"

Qi Yan repeated the name, then suddenly it clicked. "Ah, Qin You—the newly announced heir of the Qin family, right? I’ve heard of him. Rumors say he’s all flash and no substance, a playboy who laid low since returning to the country, though he was quite wild abroad. I—"

Pei Sheng cut in with a cough. "Qi Yan, Qin You is Tingshen’s friend."

This was the first time he and Yan Tingshen had met in person since that night.

He knew Yan Tingshen had moved out of Zeshui Bay the very next day, seemingly to avoid any awkwardness.

But for over twenty years, that night—before Qin You’s confession—was the first time he’d heard Yan Tingshen repeatedly and actively express concern for someone else.

It was so unusual, so unlike Yan Tingshen, and so rare. Rare enough to be Yan Tingshen’s only exception.

Having broken his own rule and let someone into his heart for the first time, would Yan Tingshen really want that connection to end?

Pei Sheng didn’t think so.

Qi Yan caught himself for a second, then laughed. "Great timing to meet him!"

Yan Tingshen gave him a look.

Qi Yan coughed too and changed the subject. "Actually, I recognize the woman with Qin You. I’ve met her before—she’s the daughter of Kaiqiang Tech’s CEO, Miss Liu."

Then, unable to resist speculating, he added, "Kaiqiang was just acquired by the Qin Group. Is this some kind of setup? Then—"

Pei Sheng looked at him and coughed again.

"But whatever, not my problem," Qi Yan amended.

Pei Sheng glanced at Yan Tingshen once more and added, "Maybe Qin You has work to talk about with Miss Liu. You know how he is—even if he wanted to pursue a new relationship, he wouldn’t go about it like this."

Even with limited interactions, Pei Sheng could tell Qin You wasn’t the type to go for some arranged match.

If pressured by family obligations, he wouldn’t marry beneath him but would seek an equal partnership with mutual benefits—

Pushing aside these thoughts, Pei Sheng continued, "As Qi Yan said, the Qin Group just acquired Kaiqiang. Maybe they have work to discuss."

Qi Yan: "..."

He shot Pei Sheng a weird look.

This was getting weird.

What on earth is Pei Sheng talking about?

Do you even know how he is? Even if he's seeing someone new?

If it weren't for the fact that these words were directed at Yan Tingshen, he would have thought that young CEO Qin was fooling around with someone.

Besides, just business?

A man and a woman, alone together—not for romance but for business? Who'd buy that story?

"That's his business and has nothing to do with others."

Qi Yan: "..."

He studied Yan Tingshen's face again.

But once more, he came up empty.

Was he buying it or not?

Yan Tingshen only said calmly, "Let's stay on topic."

Qi Yan suppressed a smirk but switched gears as instructed: "I've checked all the leads you gave me, and they do seem to have ties to your father's accounts."

Pei Sheng frowned deeply.

Qi Yan had been looking into the aftermath of the previous car accident.

Since the trail led to someone within their own circle, pushing further might tip them off, so Tingshen had passed the investigation to Qi Yan. But he never expected the clues would point to Yan Lihui!

Yan Lihui had no say in company matters, no conflict with Tingshen, and was his biological father—why would he want Tingshen dead?

From Qi Yan's tone, it seemed Tingshen had already known this was related to Yan Lihui?

Even in the Yan family, where deadly feuds weren't unheard of, a father killing his own son was unthinkable.

Moreover, aside from dividends, Yan Lihui's biggest source of income was Tingshen—why would he sabotage his own meal ticket?

Qi Yan had already been shocked when he took the case and continued, "I've sent the relevant materials to your email. But honestly, since I followed your line of inquiry, these connections seem kinda forced—I'm not sure if it's just coincidence."

Pei Sheng, still frowning, asked, "What about other leads? Did you find anything?"

Qi Yan shook his head. "If I had found other leads, I wouldn't have shown you this kind of material."

Pei Sheng said, "So, you're not certain yet?"

"Exactly."

Qi Yan nodded and looked at Yan Tingshen. "The reason I asked you here today was not just to fill you in but also to mention this. Since it involves the Yan family's accounts, which are highly confidential, it's tough to investigate. We're playing the waiting game—we'll have to see what happens next."

Yan Tingshen asked, "How long?"

Qi Yan hesitated. "That... I can't pin it down. Once I have a clearer picture, I'll give you the results immediately. Is that alright?"

Yan Tingshen nodded. "Mm."

Only after his agreement did Qi Yan open the files and continue explaining.

By the time the food arrived, Yan Tingshen waved his hand, and the talk died right there. Only then did Qi Yan belatedly realize what had happened, wearing a pissed-off look.

Unbelievable.

Back to playing errand boy for Yan Tingshen again.

Qi Yan irritably picked up his chopsticks, about to eat, when he noticed Yan Tingshen glancing—whether on purpose or not—toward the opposite side again.

Keeping his cool, he observed and stepped on Pei Sheng's foot under the table.

Pei Sheng looked at him.

Qi Yan avoided Yan Tingshen's gaze and shot a sideways glance.

Pei Sheng followed his eyes and spotted Qin You not far away but continued eating.

Qi Yan was speechless.

The curiosity was killing him!

So halfway through the meal, he couldn’t resist fishing, "Pei Sheng, speaking of which, our Runxi Group does have business dealings with the Qin Corporation. Since you're friends with Qin You, why didn’t you introduce us earlier?"

Pei Sheng paused. "Qin You and I aren’t friends."

If he had to guess, Qin You not only didn’t see him as a friend but had even mistaken him for an "enemy."

"Wait, what?"

Qi Yan didn’t understand. Based on Pei Sheng’s tone when mentioning Qin You earlier, he had assumed that Qin You and Yan Tingshen could become friends mostly thanks to Pei Sheng smoothing things over. Otherwise, with Yan Tingshen’s personality…

Friends? More like he's hiring another minion.

But before he could press further, the hotel manager suddenly came rushing over.

"Mr. Yan, Mr. Pei." The manager greeted the other two respectfully before leaning in to murmur in Qi Yan’s ear, "Mr. Qi..."

Qi Yan frowned at him. "You're interrupting for this?"

"No, Mr. Qi..." The manager looked troubled and whispered something else into his ear.

After listening, Qi Yan had to tell them, "I won’t be able to finish this meal. Something urgent came up, so you two go ahead."

Yan Tingshen said, "Mm."

Pei Sheng also set down his chopsticks and stood up. "Duty calls."

Now that's professionalism.

Qi Yan glanced back at Yan Tingshen, who treated him like some lackey, and found it even harder to comprehend.

How could a tyrant like this still have friends?

With that thought, Qi Yan dumped his napkin and made a point of swinging by Qin You’s table.

Seeing that the two were almost done eating, he signaled the manager to place two VIP cards on the table. "Qin You, from Tingshen, I hope you enjoy your meal here."

After speaking, he smiled politely at the two before turning away, only to make a face as soon as his back was turned.

Fine.

He's got that commanding aura, I'll give him that.

He's really... unbelievable, indeed slightly better looking than me...

At the table.

Qin You withdrew his gaze, glancing over the VIP cards placed on the table.

Miss Liu regained her composure and introduced earnestly, "Mr. Qin, that gentleman was Qi Yan, the president of Runxi Group, Mr. Qi."

Qin You merely smiled at her and said, "Put them away."

Miss Liu hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take one of the gold cards, saying earnestly, "Thank you."

Qin You gave a faint smile but said nothing.

He turned his eyes toward where Qi Yan had walked from, his gaze skimming past the main figure and settling on the target.

The other person seemed to sense it and looked over as well.

But upon meeting his gaze, he quickly looked away.

Qin You let out a soft chuckle.

"Host, stop laughing!"

The system said, "Look at the favorability gauge! You're here for a matchmaking meeting, and the target's favorability hasn't dropped at all!"

Seeing the numbers on the panel, Qin You's smile did fade slightly.

Then, remembering the key point, he smiled again: "Not dropping is actually good."

The system was incredulous: "Host, are you crazy? Why?!"

Qin You replied, "If seeing me at a matchmaking meeting caused his favorability to drop, it would mean he has special feelings for me. Now that it hasn't dropped, we can confirm he only sees me as just a friend."

Hearing this, the system suddenly understood: "Oh my god, Host, you're so smart! Yes, yes, that's exactly it!"

It asked, "In that case, do we still need to lower the target's favorability? Since he doesn't love you anyway."

Qin You said, "Of course we do. Better safe than sorry, understand?"

The system only partly understood: "Got it..."

Meanwhile, Qin You noticed Yan Tingshen standing up and said to Miss Liu, "Let's go?"

Miss Liu nodded.

By the time Qin You reached the elevator, Yan Tingshen and Pei Sheng were already standing inside.

Miss Liu was still a few steps behind. Qin You looked at Yan Tingshen and said, "Hit the button for me."

Yan Tingshen glanced at him and indeed reached out to press the button.

Pei Sheng couldn't hide his surprise.

A moment later, the elevator doors slowly closed.

Qin You watched Yan Tingshen's piercing, expressionless eyes through the closing doors and let out a soft laugh: "How childish."

Miss Liu, now beside him, saw Yan Tingshen and met those deep, emotionless eyes. Her grip on her handbag tightened again, completely unable to understand the meaning behind Mr. Qin's two words.

Qin You didn’t push it.

While one elevator went down, he called the next one.

He didn’t have to wait long. By the time he went downstairs, he could still see Yan Tingshen’s retreating figure.

"Host (system), get ready—the countdown’s almost up!"

Qin You scanned the hotel lobby but saw no signs of danger—until the massive crystal chandelier above suddenly swayed. He froze mid-step.

"Three—"

Qin You looked ahead at Yan Tingshen and warned sharply, "A Sheng, get out of the way!"

Hearing his voice, Yan Tingshen turned just as a loud crash came from above.

Pei Sheng looked up, gasping, and immediately shoved Yan Tingshen aside. "Watch out!"

Yan Tingshen dodged the debris but lost his footing.

Then, a familiar figure darted in from behind—faster than before—

Qin You, held up by bystanders, swiftly wrapped an arm around Yan Tingshen’s waist, only to be pulled down by the momentum.

Frowning, he cupped Yan Tingshen’s head, landing on his right side to roll and disperse the impact—only to see Yan Tingshen brace his left elbow against the ground, taking the brunt of the impact.

Up close, Qin You saw his pallor and asked, "Are you okay?"

Yan Tingshen glanced down, confirming Qin You’s arm wasn’t bleeding, then gradually relaxed his grip—only to collapse against Qin You almost instantly.

Qin You’s face fell. "A Sheng?"

Yan Tingshen didn’t answer.

He felt Yan Tingshen’s hand shaking against him and noticed the cold sweat on Yan Tingshen’s forehead. Immediately pulling him up, Qin You scooped him up in his arms.

Yan Tingshen didn’t resist, muttering, "I’m fine..."

Qin You held him closer, looking down. "Yeah, you look *real* fine."

Just then, Cui Ling shoved through the crowd.

He had been waiting nearby, having heard Qin You’s warning and witnessed the scene.

"Boss, I called—"

Qin You snapped. "I’m taking A Sheng to the hospital. You stay here and watch him. He’s out cold—don’t touch him. Wait for the paramedics."

Before Cui Ling could react, Qin You was already storming off, leaving only his retreating back.

Wait—

Him?

Cui Ling followed Qin You’s earlier glance.

Pei Sheng was out cold, sprawled on his side amidst the shattered chandelier fragments.

Luckily, the chandelier missed him, and the ground was clean of blood.

With an indescribable feeling, Cui Ling took a couple of steps forward, stopping before the unconscious figure. Gazing at that pale face, a pang of sympathy welled up in him.

Fainted again?

This Pei Zhu sure is accident-prone.

How many times does this make now?

—

On the road.

The car raced down the road.

"Dude, you didn’t have to haul him to the hospital like this. He’ll be fine," the system said.

Qin You glanced at Yan Tingshen, who insisted on sitting upright by himself. "So the plot point was to get him injured?"

Catching his tone, the system cautiously explained, "That’s right, Host. These plot points in the book were originally designed for the target and the protagonist. At each critical moment, the target would rescue the protagonist from danger, bringing them closer."

Qin You said, "One gets injured, the other passes out—that’s what you call ‘rescuing from danger’?"

"But... these are necessary hardships on the path to love! Only by suffering injuries can the protagonist realize how much risk the target took to save them, bringing them closer..."

The system muttered, "It’s just a shame the protagonist never appreciated it. Despite being saved so many times, by the end, they remained stone-cold, showing no special feelings for the target... So, there was no choice but to transfer part of this opportunity to you, Host. Now, you’re the one saving the target, getting on his good side first."

Qin You fell silent.

He'd noticed earlier—the target had pushed himself to avoid rolling over and causing further harm to Qin You’s right arm.

That night, it had taken him half an hour just to recover from sliding from the bedside to the bed.

Though nearly a week had passed since then, this flare-up was way worse.

Silence filled the car.

The system spoke again, "Host, I know you think this is sketchy, but rest assured, in all plot points—whether for the target or the protagonist—they emerge unscathed. Even if you hadn’t intervened, they’d have been fine in the original story."

"Enough."

The system opened its mouth to say more but stopped at his tone. "Alright..."

The car soon arrived at the hospital.

Medics, already notified, waited at the familiar entrance of the inpatient ward. As soon as the door opened, they rolled up with a wheelchair.

Ignoring Yan Tingshen’s refusal, Qin You lifted him directly into the wheelchair and pushed him into the ward.

The tests showed that his condition hadn’t worsened—just nerve pain. Apart from medication for relief, the patient would just have to tough it out.

Qin You looked at the target, now propped up in bed, who must have been through this drill before.

Some color was back in his cheeks after taking his medicine, and he was looking like his usual self again.

His eyes drifting to the sunlit window, Yan Tingshen said quietly, "Thank you."

"Thank you?"

Qin You walked to the bedside and perched on the edge. "Slacking on your workouts?"

The nerve recovery isn't complete. There's no other possible reason besides this one.

Yan Tingshen said, "Not your business."

Qin You sighed lightly, "Because of you, my wound seems to have reopened. I didn’t expect you to be so cold about it."

Yan Tingshen frowned and glanced at his left arm, seeing no sign of injury.

Suddenly.

A quiet laugh came from in front of him.

Yan Tingshen's face grew colder. When he looked up, he saw Qin You's now dead serious face.

Only those eyes, hidden behind the lenses reflecting the sunlight from the window, still looked amused.

Qin You said, "That easy to fool?"

Yan Tingshen turned toward the window.

After a moment, he looked back, looking Qin You over. "Childish."

Qin You laughed. "Still holding a grudge?"

As the words fell, the ringing of an incoming call interrupted their banter.

Seeing Qin Hengzhong's name on the screen, Qin You nodded to Yan Tingshen and answered the call.

"Qin You, I heard there was trouble at Tong Sheng. Are you alright? Were you hurt?"

Qin You replied, "I'm fine."

"That's good. Are you back already? Have you met Miss Liu? Did you hit it off?"

Hearing the name, Qin You paused.

Everything happened so fast—he had completely forgotten about Miss Liu at the hotel.

Yan Tingshen also glanced at his phone upon hearing the name.

"She's nice. If you hit it off, you should see her again."

Qin You was about to respond when he noticed Yan Tingshen nearby. After a moment's thought, he stood and walked outside the room before saying, "I'm not looking to settle down. Please don’t arrange anything like this for me again."

Qin Hengzhong frowned. "Qin You, you're already twenty-six. If you don’t consider settling down now, when will you? By your age, your father already had a three-year-old (you)."

Qin You said, "For me, the most important thing right now is learning the business."

Cui Ling had just arrived behind him, initially unsure whether to risk his bonus by informing him about Pei Sheng's situation. Upon hearing this, he went completely silent, turned around, and left the way he came.

While happy to hear this, Qin Hengzhong still tried to persuade him. "Don't rush the company stuff—"

Qin You said, "I've been dealing with Tong Sheng all night and I'm tired. Let’s talk about this another time."

Hearing this, Qin Hengzhong didn’t press further. "Fine, go rest for now."

Qin You ended the call and was about to return to Yan Tingshen's room when he noticed the medical staff still inside—but the door was locked.

Even the dense system noticed something was off. "Host, why won’t Yan Tingshen let you in? Does he have an issue with you? That shouldn’t be the case—you didn’t offend him just now!"

Qin You glanced inside.

Unfortunately, from this angle, he couldn’t see the target.

He picked up his phone and sent the other a message.

Qin: Should I leave then?

Before long, a reply popped up.

.: Do as you please.

Qin You chuckled, checked the time, and sent a voice message: “It’s late. You really should rest. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”

This time, there was no reply.

Qin You didn’t push it. After one last glance inside, he turned and headed back to Zeshui Bay.

By the next morning, he returned to the hospital from Zeshui Bay.

As he approached the ward, he heard voices from inside the open door.

“Yikes, last night really scared me to death… That you got hurt in my place—completely unforgivable, absolutely unforgivable.”

Qi Yan?

Qin You was about to step forward when he heard the protagonist’s voice again.

“If this weren’t your place, I’d sue you for everything you’ve got.”

Qin You paused.

Yan Tingshen again? What’s he doing in the target’s room again?

Seeing him turn to leave, the system asked in confusion, “Host, you’re not going in?”

Qin You replied, “No.”

With Yan Tingshen, it was better to steer clear.

—

“Ah, my bad, I owe you one. Thanks for being so forgiving this time.”

Qi Yan put on a look of surrender, then added, “But it’s also strange. The hotel facilities are inspected regularly—how did the chandelier even fall…?”

Pei Sheng, seated in a wheelchair, brushed off his pointless guesswork and instead looked at Yan Tingshen, then followed his gaze toward the door.

There was no one there.

“Tingshen?”

Yan Tingshen withdrew his gaze.

Meeting his eyes, Qi Yan quickly fawned, “Last night, I only heard about what happened past midnight—all because your friend acted so flawlessly, rescuing everyone too quickly, leaving my guys twiddling their thumbs! If I hadn’t been so far away and didn’t want to bother you, I’d have rushed over to apologize right away. Look how fast I got here today!”

Pei Sheng looked down too.

Last night, he was in Qin You’s debt again.

These favors just kept adding up, as if he owed more and more—he could never pay them back.

"I mean it!"

Qi Yan was still begging. "President Yan, Pei Sheng, you both know I'm not like you, I moved away long ago. Qingning Road is so far from here!"

Qingning Road.

At the mention of that name,

Yan Tingshen glanced at him.