Ye Zhizhou entered the venue with Chang Yao and casually handed him a few calming pills.
"These are for relaxation. I noticed you have heavy dark circles under your eyes. Did you not sleep well last night?" He said, chewing a pill himself as if it were candy, then flashed a harmless smile at Chang Yao.
Chang Yao accepted with gratitude, and for some reason, his tense mood suddenly relaxed. He took a pill and swallowed it, hesitated for a moment, then took another one and replied with a smile, "Thank you, I feel much better now. I indeed didn't get a good night's rest."
"No problem." Ye Zhizhou increased the release of his friendly aura and continued, "I can tell from your accent that you're from City B, right? We're fellow townsfolk. Are you still in college? Which university are you attending?"
"I'm at B University," Chang Yao replied. His demeanor became more relaxed, and he appeared more naturally friendly. "You don't look very old either; are you still in school?"
"Oh, me? I'm not a fan of studying. I've already started making money." Ye Zhizhou directly revealed his status as a rich second-generation with a nonchalant tone, then grinned and continued, "But my cousin has a friend who also went to B University. He's a few years older than you and has already graduated. He runs a studio and has some collaborative projects with B University. How about it? Are you interested in a part-time job? I can introduce you."
Chang Yao's eyes lit up, and he asked, "The one who runs the studio... is it Shi Jianwen, by any chance?"
"Wow, you know Jianwen ge?" Ye Zhizhou put the snacks he had in his hand into Gu Yi's arms, then excitedly took out his phone and dialed a number. "It turns out we all know each other. Hang on, Jianwen ge is also here at the gemstone gambling event. Let me call him over."
Chang Yao tried to stop him but explained, "I know Shi Jianwen because I attended one of his lectures, but he doesn't know me, so there's no need..."
"No worries." Ye Zhizhou waved it off and made a call. After a few words, he hung up and walked back excitedly. "Let's go to Area C. Jianwen ge said he met an interesting friend over there. Let's check it out."
Chang Yao was helpless against his enthusiasm and temporarily put aside his search for Qin Bai. He followed Ye Zhizhou as they headed to Area C. It took some time to get from the entrance to Area C, during which Chang Yao tried to contact Qin Bai several times via text and calls but received no response. Ye Zhizhou noticed this but pretended not to and kept diverting Chang Yao's attention by commenting on the wealthy clients buying and cutting gemstones around them.
The raw gemstones in Area C were all large and expensive, so there were fewer people browsing. Ye Zhizhou immediately spotted Shi Jianwen, who was surrounded by a crowd. He eagerly ran over with Gu Yi, calling out, "Jianwen ge, I'm here! How's the gemstone gambling event? Is it fun?"
Shi Jianwen was startled by being addressed as "ge" (brother), and he couldn't help but look at Gu Yi, who was following behind Ye Zhizhou.
"My younger cousin can be a bit mischievous," Gu Yi explained with a half-smile. "Surprising, isn't it?"
"My cousin..." Shi Jianwen's initially somewhat strange mood improved slightly as he glanced at the group of people surrounding him. He nodded towards them and said with a meaningful tone, "I just met a 'new friend' who purchased a raw gemstone worth seven million. It's spring-colored, and it's likely to be the opening highlight of this year's event. Everyone's here to share the good luck."
"That's great for your friend; by the way, I've also made a new friend just now." Ye Zhizhou replied with a similarly meaningful look, then pushed Chang Yao forward. "This is Chang Yao, your junior at B University. He attended your lecture. I heard your studio is recruiting interns, and I think he's a good fit. What do you say? Consider it?"
Chang Yao was taken aback by Ye Zhizhou's introduction but managed to greet Shi Jianwen, "Hello, Senior Shi. I'm Chang Yao, a new student of Professor Liu..."
"Chang Yao, my junior." Shi Jianwen extended his hand, smiling warmly and naturally. "I've heard Professor Liu mention you. I didn't expect to meet you here. If you're interested, you can come for an interview at my studio. We have several internship positions that match your major."
Chang Yao's emotions were beyond description at this point. He shook Shi Jianwen's hand enthusiastically and nodded, "Certainly, thank you, Senior Shi! I never imagined that you would know about me. Was it Professor Liu who mentioned me? I, um, I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity, Senior."
Shi Jianwen was surprised by Chang Yao's enthusiasm and offered some reassuring words before Chang Yao became even more excited.
Seeing this, Ye Zhizhou's eyes narrowed as he stroked his chin. Chang Yao's behavior as an infatuated fan was a bit strange. He poked Gu Yi next to him and whispered in a low voice, "Where did the red thread connecting Shi Jianwen's fate go? Overseas?"
"I don't know."
"How can you not know? You mentioned it just a couple of days ago..." He paused, then gave Gu Yi a sidelong glance. "Are you mad, cousin?"
Gu Yi didn't look at him and replied stiffly, "How could I be mad, little cousin?"
Clearly, he's upset... So childish! Ye Zhizhou rolled his eyes in disdain, then took advantage of Chang Yao's distraction to sneak a kiss on his cheek, huffing in annoyance.
When they turned their attention back to the crowd, they heard a wave of enthusiastic exclamations. The conversations paused, and everyone turned their heads in the same direction.
"It seems that Qin Xuedi's stone has been revealed," Shi Jianwen said with a smile, then gestured to the three of them. "Let's go inside and take a look. It's not easy to see such a colorful springstone. We can also share in the good fortune."
Chang Yao's expression suddenly changed, and he asked, "Qin Xuedi? Is the new friend you mentioned from B University too? What's his full name?"
"Yes, he's also from B University, and he shares your major. His name is Qin Bai," Shi Jianwen casually replied, recalling the information that Ye Zhizhou had shown him earlier. He patted Chang Yao's shoulder sympathetically and said, "Let's go inside and take a look. Some things are better understood outside of the university. It's less likely to get taken advantage of in the real world."
Chang Yao's mind was in turmoil. He barely noticed Shi Jianwen's hint in his words. Surprisingly, it was Qin Bai... With an entrance invitation card worth five hundred thousand and a raw gemstone worth seven million... The Qin Bai he learned about today was completely different from the one he knew. He suddenly felt lost.
Over by the crowd, the bidding had started. The seven-million-worth gemstone had rapidly climbed in price and was now over twenty million. As Chang Yao followed Shi Jianwen and the others into the crowd, he unintentionally got separated from them and ended up on the opposite side. He watched Qin Bai, with a flushed face, touch the revealed stone, exchange friendly greetings with Shi Jianwen, and shake hands with Gu Yi... Thirty million, forty million, fifty million... The stone was sold for sixty-eight million. The buyer transferred the money on the spot, and after Qin Bai verified the bank information on his phone, he handed over the stone and warmly shook hands with the buyer.
Qin Bai's phone was still on... All those messages and calls he had sent, along with the lies about Qin Bai going out to buy him gifts in the morning... On a whim, Chang Yao avoided the searching gazes of Shi Jianwen and Ye Zhizhou, quietly retreated to a corner, and dialed Qin Bai's number.
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off..."
It was still the same repeated notification, but Qin Bai had just confirmed the transfer message on his phone a moment ago. The trust that had been built over more than a decade crumbled rapidly in a short amount of time. Chang Yao couldn't help but glance in the direction where the crowd was surrounding Qin Bai, but all he saw was Qin Bai reaching for another stone.
He withdrew his gaze, lowered his head in silence, and tightly gripped his phone. Even though it was the same familiar person, why did he suddenly feel so distant? His phone rang, and it was a call from Ye Zhizhou. He hung up and sent a sorry text message, then turned and left Area C, which was surrounded by money.
[The probability of Chang Yao falling in love with the protagonist has dropped to 30%. Please continue your efforts, host.]
Ye Zhizhou closed the system notification and looked sideways at Shi Jianwen, who was engrossed in conversation with the protagonist, feeling somewhat puzzled. Chang Yao's probability had already dropped to a safe level, so why was there no movement on Shi Jianwen's side?
"Well then, Senior, see you tomorrow," Qin Bai said his goodbyes, nodding to Gu Yi and Ye Zhizhou. "Goodbye, Mr. Gu, goodbye, Mr. Ye."
The three of them stood up to see him off and waited until he was gone. Shi Jianwen's smile disappeared from his face, and he rubbed his temples wearily. "I met Qin Bai shortly after arriving at the event today. You were right; he was very eager to get to know me. I could feel his efforts to please me, and he knew my preferences very well. His words and actions were in line with my likes."
Ye Zhizhou handed him a calming pill and raised an eyebrow. "So?"
"I need to observe a bit longer," Shi Jianwen said seriously after taking the pill. He was already accustomed to Ye Zhizhou's habit of offering pills. "Hearing is believing, and seeing is confirming. The gemstone gambling event lasts for a few more days, and I want to confirm whether his abilities truly exist. Also, there's the matter of Qin Bai residing in Baozi's body. Baozi is such a kind and cute cat..."
Ye Zhizhou finally understood the root of the issue. It seemed that Shi Jianwen had fallen into the trap of being a cat lover again and couldn't bring himself to believe that a cat he had raised could have ill intentions.
"There's something I haven't told you," he said, sitting up straight and speaking seriously. "The reason Qin Bai was able to enter Baozi's body is because he expelled Baozi's soul from it. Animal souls are much weaker than human souls and can dissipate if they're separated for too long. Jianwen, Qin Bai is not Baozi. Your Baozi is currently at your brother's villa, bullying the dogs."
Shi Jianwen was momentarily stunned by this revelation and, for once, displayed a frustrated expression mixed with some annoyance. "I still can't get used to all this talk about supernatural abilities. I..."
"Qin Bai's act of occupying the cat's body is a form of cat abuse," Ye Zhizhou interrupted him, releasing his spiritual power to soothe him. "Think about your brother. His villa is still under surveillance by those supernatural organizations, all because Qin Bai saw something in your mind that hasn't awakened yet."
Hitting the core issue, Ye Zhizhou left Shi Jianwen at a loss.
"I'm sorry... After meeting him today, I realized that Qin Bai is actually a nice person. I thought..." Shi Jianwen closed his eyes to calm his emotions, then earnestly said, "I'm not questioning what you told me. On the contrary, I'm grateful. I'm just... sorry."
He was going through another bout of self-struggle as a skeptic. Ye Zhizhou patted his shoulder understandingly and didn't push further, "If you want to observe, go ahead. Cain will be here tomorrow, and you can have a good chat with him. He also took care of Baozi for a while."
While taking a shower, the system notification popped up again. The probability of Chang Yao falling in love with the protagonist had dropped to 10%. Ye Zhizhou quickly dried himself off and rushed out of the bathroom, taking out his phone from his pocket to call Chang Yao.
It took a long time for Chang Yao to answer, and his voice sounded hoarse, "Xiao Ye, what's up?"
"I'm inviting you to hang out tomorrow. We got separated earlier today, and I didn't get a chance to show you around properly. Jianwen even mentioned that he'd like to have a meal with you," Ye Zhizhou said as he gently pulled away the hand his lover had placed on his back.
He continued, "Why does your voice sound strange? Are you catching a cold? By the way, the one who won the Spring Bringer today is your companion, right? His luck is really good. But it seems like he didn't recognize me and my cousin, so I didn't mention you to him. Jianwen didn't either. How about we invite your companion tomorrow so that everyone can get to know each other formally?"
When Gu Yi heard him mention his cousin, he couldn't help but feel annoyed and bit his lover's earlobe.
Ye Zhizhou let out a stifled groan and quickly feigned a cough to cover it up. Then, he rapidly made plans to meet with Chang Yao tomorrow, hung up the phone, and pounced on his lover, saying, "You've been sulking all day. Why are you so childish?"
Gu Yi's eyes deepened, and he embraced Ye Zhizhou's waist, pinning him down on the bed. He lowered his head and sealed his lover's lips, saying, "I'm only childish with you."
Chang Yao looked at the disconnected phone and remembered Qin Bai's expressions and excuses during dinner, like "my phone ran out of battery" and "I met a lost child today and spent the whole day helping them find their parents." He slumped back onto the couch, feeling despondent.
It was just supposed to be a leisure trip to comfort a friend, but how did it turn into this? And Qin Bai's changes... being addicted to gemstone gambling, inexplicably possessing large sums of money, and his clumsy deception... Was all of this real?
Wu Kai'en arrived the next day, along with Yin Lie.
Ye Zhizhou discreetly handed over a kidney-replenishing pill and asked with concern, "How have these two days been treating you?"
Wu Kai'en gave him a teary-eyed look, wanting to complain but not daring to.
"What's this?" Yin Lie looked at the pill in Ye Zhizhou's hand.
Ye Zhizhou explained thoughtfully, "It's for kidney replenishment. Your Kai'en seems to have some kidney deficiency."
"Kidney deficiency," Yin Lie said without much expression, taking the pill and narrowing his eyes. "To think he played himself into kidney deficiency. It seems I didn't assign enough tasks."
Wu Kai'en, with a history full of dark moments, clenched his buttocks and cast a blaming look at Ye Zhizhou, his eyes filled with accusation.
Ye Zhizhou turned his head, pretending not to have noticed, and called Shi Jianwen.
After a while, Shi Jianwen arrived, and the two people who had both raised the same cat finally met.
"My cat is cream-colored," Ye Zhizhou began.
Shi Jianwen nodded.
"It's easy to take care of, a master at acting cute."
Shi Jianwen nodded again.
"Sometimes it seems to understand human speech. I once told it to eat... um... and it scratched me."
Shi Jianwen frowned and asked, "You told a cat to eat... what?"
"...My mom has a dog, and I was just curious. I didn't actually make it eat..."
After a detailed discussion about their experiences as cat owners, Shi Jianwen finally confirmed something with a heavy heart. "The same cat exhibits different personalities in front of both of us, and it's different from Baozi's current personality. The fact that a human soul resided in a cat's body and that this human soul intentionally got close to us is something I can no longer avoid. There are indeed some powers in this world beyond scientific understanding, and my worldview is on shaky ground."
[The probability of Shi Jianwen falling in love with the protagonist has dropped to 10%. Please continue your efforts, host.]
[Detection of plot changes... Detection failed... Soul Flag is displaying abnormal behavior! Soul Flag is displaying abnormal behavior! There is a risk of loss of control!]
[Detection of fluctuations in the protagonist's soul... Fluctuations have disappeared... Currently confirming the state of the Soul Flag... The first flag is normal... Interference detected, please ensure your safety!]
Ye Zhizhou was greatly alarmed. He stood up and quickly reached for the vibrating glass bead in his pocket, anxiously asking, "What's going on?!"