He slowly pulled down his mask, opened the car door, and walked towards the villa, clearly intending to investigate himself. After getting out of the car, he glanced at Li Hui and smiled, "Take a taxi home yourself. I have other uses for the car."
Qi Xuan, his mask hanging on his chin, walked slowly towards the villa's gate. His steps were light, and the car keys occasionally made a pleasant jingling sound between his fingers.
Judging from his posture, he doesn't look like someone whose company is on the verge of bankruptcy at all; instead, he seems to be reaping some wonderful harvest.
Upon reaching the villa's front door, Qi Xuan's smile vanished, replaced by a worried expression, as he rang the doorbell.
The electronic door opened, and Qi Xuan strode into the villa, just in time to meet Qin Chu, who was putting down a magazine and heading upstairs.
“Mr. Lu…” Qi Xuan said softly, “Right now, President Qi is preoccupied with his own problems. What are you planning to do?”
"What do you mean, what should we do?" Qin Chu asked, staring at the person who had come down the stairs in a few steps.
Under his gaze, a barely perceptible smile appeared in Qi Xuan's eyes: "My suggestion remains the same as before. If you are willing, I can take you away."
When the man you admire, Mr. Qi, loses his money and power and is struggling to make ends meet, shouldn't he give his loyal driver a little hope?
Seeing that the person by the stairs remained silent, Qi Xuan added another layer of pressure: "President Qi is about to flee abroad. Staying here won't end well for you."
Upon hearing this, the person who had been observing him by the stairs immediately reacted, but it wasn't the reaction Qi Xuan wanted: "Going abroad? When? I'll go pack my things first and go with him."
Qi Xuan's lips stiffened.
After working hard for most of the day, all he got in return was this sentence, and he couldn't quite describe how he felt.
He anticipated Mr. Lu's last-minute defection, yet watched the scene with a mocking detachment, like a bystander.
But now, seeing the gift that should belong to him, still clinging to "President Qi," a sudden, indescribable possessiveness surged within him.
He even began to envy Lu Wan's "Qi Xuan" so intensely, someone who loved him unconditionally, who broke his own wings for him, and who waited in the empty villa every day just to catch a glimpse of him.
And this person... should have been his.
I should have followed him, gazed at him...
When Qi Xuan came to his senses, Qin Chu's characteristically cold voice rang out: "What are you doing?"
Qi Xuan then realized that he had already rushed up the stairs in two steps, grabbed Qin Chu's wrist with one hand, and pinned him against the ebony railing.
Qin Chu was somewhat surprised because he hadn't managed to dodge it.
Although he wasn't wary of "Zhao Yuan," the fact that he could lock his wrists suggests that this driver was clearly not as innocent as he appeared.
Looking at the person he was pinning down, Qi Xuan decided to drop the pretense. The hint of docility in his eyes and brows vanished, replaced by a subtle air of untamed rebellion.
Qi Xuan rubbed his thumb against the wrist he held in his hand and asked softly, "Am I not good enough, Mr. Lu? I can give you everything you want, so why must you choose President Qi?"
The voice sounded extremely aggrieved, but the tone carried a sense of malice that Qin Chu was very familiar with.
The smell was too strong; Qin Chu could practically picture the scene after his answer. If he didn't choose President Qi, this man would say yes, but his eyes and brows would mock him for being a gold digger; if he chose President Qi, this man would stubbornly cling to him, his face full of grievance, but his eyes like those of a mad dog.
Having experienced two worlds, the incredibly upright General Qin successfully grasped the logic of a lunatic.
So Qin Chu didn't choose either answer. He stared at the strangely familiar data in front of him and asked, "What is your relationship with Kaiheng Investment?"
Incisive and to the point.
Qi Xuan was taken aback by the question.
While he was still in a daze, Qin Chu had already nimbly broken free from his grasp and continued walking upstairs: "Whether the Qi family is doing well or Qi Xuan is starving is none of my business."
In his mind, Qin Chu kicked Noah, his tone cold and deep: "Investigate the relationship between this data entity and K from the previous world, as well as Zhao Yuan from the world before that."
"Really...it's okay?" Noah said, looking aggrieved. "The source code of these three data entities is different."
Qin Chu sneered: "Can't every world have a troublemaker freak?"
After reprimanding Noah, he continued to the people on the stairs: "My mission is to protect Qi Xuan. Even if you bankrupt the Qi family, I will still follow him."
The young man, his mask hanging from his chin, was looking up at him. Driven by some malicious desire for revenge across the world, Qin Chu stopped in his tracks. He stared at the man and said in a cool voice, "Want me to go with you? Fine. Unless you're Qi Xuan."
Upon hearing this, the person who had been standing blankly on the stairs suddenly radiated a surge of ecstatic joy.
The next second, the villa door was flung open with a bang.
Qin Chu saw a stranger rush into the living room, point at the driver standing on the stairs, and start cursing: "Qi Xuan, are you sick in the head! You're happy running your own family business?!"
The person who rushed in was clearly furious. He rushed up the steps without a care and raised his fist to punch Qi Xuan in the face.
Qi Xuan slightly turned his head to avoid the man, and smiled as he looked at him: "Oh, Second Brother, you recognized him so quickly? You're much smarter than I thought."
"You madman! The Qi family raised you, sent you abroad, and finally handed the Qi family business over to you. And you fucking debase yourself like this?" Young Master Qi was clearly furious, his hand gripping Qi Xuan's collar trembling.
Just as no one in the Qi family expected Qi Xuan to be the heir, no one expected that Kaiheng, which was secretly plotting against the Qi family, was actually Qi Xuan's own company.
"Have you no shame? What the Qi family has ever done to you?"
"What do you owe me?" Qi Xuan chuckled, head down, turning his face to reveal the scar on his cheek. "Look at this and ask me again? If that piece of metal had gone any further down, my head would have been split in two, you know?"
Young Master Qi was startled by the hideous scar, but in an instant he grabbed Qi Xuan by the collar and was about to start a fight.
At that moment, a voice chilled to the bone descended from above: "We'll talk about the past later. First, tell me, who is this person?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a strong hand grabbed Qi Xuan by the back of his collar.
Qi Xuan: "..."
Before long, the usually empty villa finally started to fill with life.
There were four people in the living room: one sitting on the sofa, and three squatting on the floor with their heads in their hands. The three were Qi Xuan, Qi Ershao, and Li Hui, whose mask had been removed.
Qin Chu sat imposingly on the sofa, his liver aching with anger.
In his mind, Noah was sobbing, frantically checking the mission progress bar. After a while, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and gave Qin Chu some good news: "Sir, thankfully the mission progress hasn't changed!"
But soon he tearfully gave Qin Chu bad news: "However, your public image is shifting drastically."
Qi Ershao, who was squatting down, couldn't hold back any longer. He looked up, pointed at Qin Chu, and cursed, "Lu Wan, you've got some nerve, haven't you? Forgot whose woman you are? You bitch..."
The insults were barely out of his mouth before they were swallowed up by the soft cashmere carpet in the living room.
The troublemaker reached out and held down Qi Ershao, then looked up at Qin Chu with a smug smile and said, "Mr. Lu, don't be angry."
Qin Chu kicked the glass coffee table, and the table cracked with a "crack".
"..." Qi Xuan slowly squatted down, not daring to speak anymore.
Only Li Hui was on the verge of tears, feeling that he was the most innocent person in the group.
Qin Chu was so angry that he didn't want to say a word.
The thought of himself wearing that ridiculous cat-ear outfit one night, seeking advice from "Zhao Yuan" sitting on the sofa, made him feel extremely uncomfortable, and he really wanted to tear his target apart.
Qin Chu was furious, and Noah was terrified, but seeing the data deviating, he could only dutifully remind him, "Sir, as the CEO's kept woman, you threatened, beat, and abused him today, so you..."
"Where did I abuse you?" Qin Chu asked irritably.
Noah whispered, "Making him squat with his head in his hands right now is torture..."
Qin Chu: "Oh, then I want to continue torturing him."
Noah trembled and dared not speak.
Because this was technically his dereliction of duty, normally a face can be changed, but the identity of the data entity is fixed. However, perhaps because Qi Xuan and Li Hui's responsibilities had been swapped, when he saw Qi Xuan, he actually extracted the driver's identity information…
After a while, Noah cautiously spoke up: "Sir, the mission is 80% complete."
Qin Chu closed his eyes, and for the sake of completing 80% of the progress bar, he reluctantly pointed at Li Hui and Qi Ershao: "You two get out of here."
The one in the middle who hadn't been named turned around without hesitation, hoping to slip away unnoticed. But before he'd taken two steps, he heard Qin Chu's cool voice again: "Qi Xuan, you stay here."
Qi Xuan forced a smile.
He thought to himself that he was being a domineering CEO and felt so stifled, but when he turned to the coffee table with several cracks, he felt that his stifling was to be expected.
Those who understand the times are wise.
Qi Xuan was actually quite curious about how Qin Chu would punish him after everyone around him had left.
Mr. Gift was clearly very angry; his tightly pursed lips had turned somewhat white.
But after Li Hui and Qi Ershao quickly scrambled out of the villa and closed the door behind them, Qi Xuan noticed that the person on the sofa only gave him a cold look before silently getting up and going upstairs.
Qi Xuan was stunned by what he saw. He subconsciously felt that this scene was somewhat familiar, so familiar that he wanted to laugh, but the panic that surged up in his heart was also real.
Seriously? You're really angry?
Qi Xuan subconsciously followed, only to be met with Qin Chu's indifferent back.
Qi Xuan disliked this very much.
He liked it when this person looked at him, whether it was serious and focused or just a casual glance; whether he was so angry that his lips turned white or he was impatient, he had to look at him.
Absolutely not, look at others.
Otherwise... he'll have to destroy everything he's looking at.
Qin Chu walked quickly, with Qi Xuan following behind, his chest rising with a surge of anger.
Why don't you look at him?
What is she angry about? Is she angry that he concealed it? Or is she angry that Li Hui isn't Qi Xuan?
Just as Qin Chu was about to close the door, Qi Xuan reached out and blocked the bedroom door.
The moment the young man's indifferent gaze swept over him in the room, the venom churning in his heart subsided abruptly. Qi Xuan looked up at Qin Chu, his eyes moist, his voice full of grievance: "Didn't you say you would protect me?"
"What if someone tries to assassinate me if I'm left outside?"
The person speaking looked pitiful and worried, and the way they looked at Qin Chu was as if they were looking at a scumbag who had started a relationship and then abandoned him.
Qin Chu was so angry he laughed.
He slammed the door shut, and Qi Xuan was half-stuck in the crack, wincing as the door slammed against him.
And just like that, Noah's alarm went off again, beep beep beep.
Ignoring the alarm, Qin Chu asked Noah in a deep voice, "Investigate carefully for me. Is there any connection between Qi Xuan and the data entities from the previous two worlds?"
Noah was on the verge of tears and could only present the source code he had collected to Qin Chu: "We have already broken away from the first two worlds, especially the last world which collapsed directly. This is all the information we have collected so far. However, we cannot determine whether they are connected through this information."
"It's not just data; it could also be human consciousness." Qin Chu still felt something was off.
"However, no mental patterns consistent with those of His Highness the Crown Prince were extracted from them."
After the incident involving the real and fake CEO Qi, Qin Chu realized once again how rubbish Noah was. He did not believe Noah's comparison results, but instead prepared to test it himself.
But before that, there was another tricky matter.