Qian Yuan was currently just a poor student, focusing on his studies while taking care of his frail mother in his daily life, which was quite challenging. Qian Yuan's feelings for Ren Qiao began with gratitude. In the year Qian Yuan graduated and entered the Ren family research institute, his mother fell seriously ill and urgently needed a large sum of money for surgery. Upon learning of this, Ren Qiao voluntarily offered to advance Qian Yuan's future ten years' worth of salary. With this money, Qian Yuan was able to save his mother, and from that point on, he felt deeply grateful to Ren Qiao for her proactive assistance, becoming even more devoted to the Ren family.
Ye Zhizhou boarded a public hovercar, adjusted his hat, and stared at the information on the screen, lost in thought. Qian Yuan was indeed a good child who knew how to repay kindness. The help the Ren family was providing to Qian Yuan now was genuine. Trying to sow discord between Qian Yuan and the Ren family would surely be unsuccessful. Ye Zhizhou could only start by manipulating Qian Yuan's feelings for Ren Qiao.
The hovercar quickly arrived at a bustling street in the city center. After getting off, Ye Zhizhou casually bought an ice cream cone and, after a short search, headed towards Qian Yuan, who was wearing a mascot costume and trying to attract customers for a restaurant.
Based on the ID photo attached to the information, Qian Yuan's appearance and height as a male protagonist were passable. However, perhaps due to a difficult life, his complexion was somewhat sallow, and he was slightly thin, appearing somewhat unhealthy.
After confirming the name of the restaurant, Ye Zhizhou pretended not to notice and bumped directly into Qian Yuan. "Ah, I'm sorry!" he said, holding onto Qian Yuan, pointing to the large ice cream stain on the mascot costume, and apologizing, "I'm sorry for getting your clothes dirty. Let me compensate you with a new one."
"It's okay," Qian Yuan's clear voice came from behind the mascot's headpiece. He picked up a clean towel near the store entrance and wiped off the stain, reassuring Ye Zhizhou, "It's just a small stain. You don't need to compensate. I can wash it off later."
Since he couldn't see Qian Yuan's expression through the headpiece, Ye Zhizhou judged that Qian Yuan had a good temperament based on his tone. He's quite easy to take advantage of... Ye Zhizhou sighed inwardly, then, without hesitation, he moved closer, pretending to apologize again, and discreetly sprinkled some sleep-inducing powder on the mascot costume. After counting a few seconds, Qian Yuan collapsed.
"Ah!" Ye Zhizhou deliberately raised his voice in a shocked exclamation and turned to the staff inside the restaurant. "I accidentally knocked out your employee. Um, where's the owner? I'd like to take this person to the hospital."
The staff were somewhat bewildered. How could someone faint from such a light bump? But after thinking about Qian Yuan's slender and frail figure, they turned and hurried back into the restaurant to call the owner.
Once the staff had left, Ye Zhizhou squatted down and removed the mascot headpiece from Qian Yuan, smiling with narrowed eyes. It's just a health issue; once it's treated, let's see how your feelings will bloom.
After taking Qian Yuan to the hospital for a full-body checkup, the results naturally showed nothing wrong. The doctor simply stated that Qian Yuan was experiencing some exhaustion and needed rest.
The restaurant owner was kind enough to offer to pay the medical expenses and even wanted to personally take Qian Yuan home. Ye Zhizhou stopped him, saying, "It was clearly my fault for bumping into him, and I haven't compensated him at all. Well, since he has fainted, let's keep him in the hospital overnight and wait for him to wake up. I'll cover the expenses."
"You're really kind, but Little Yuan's mother is waiting for him at home. How about you take him home instead? This child is really pitiable," the restaurant owner sighed and was about to call a taxi.
Ye Zhizhou intervened again, "Let me take him home. Just give me the address. If you're worried, I can leave my ID here. I need to help in some way... "
The restaurant owner was amused by him and thought for a moment before saying, "Alright, you can take him. I'll give you the address. There's no need for your ID; you seem like a student yourself. I trust you. Thanks for making the trip."
"No trouble at all. It's the least I can do," Ye Zhizhou smiled, looking completely innocent.
Qian Yuan's home was in the suburbs, a very basic one-bedroom apartment. His mother lived in the bedroom, while Qian Yuan stayed in the living room when he came home during the holidays.
Ye Zhizhou helped the frail Qian Yuan onto the makeshift bed in the living room and furrowed his brows slightly. Qian Yuan's living conditions were quite miserable, considering the financial support from the Ren family, coupled with Qian Yuan's scholarships and earnings from part-time jobs during vacations. This shouldn't be the way he's living.
"You've worked hard, young student. Here, have some water," Qian's mother let him sit on a single sofa, handing him a glass of warm water with an apologetic smile. "Our home is very simple; please don't mind."
Ye Zhizhou politely accepted the water, shaking his head. "Not at all... When I left the orphanage at 18, I had no money, and the place I stayed was even worse than this. Don't worry, Auntie. Qian Yuan is a hardworking and diligent young man. His life will improve."
However, Qian's mother focused on his first sentence and expressed her sympathy, saying, "I'm sorry for bringing up your painful past."
This was clearly his own suggestion... Sigh, it's really hard to find the right words for this mother and son. He knocked on the small mirror, scanning Qian's mother's body, and learned that her poor health was due to overwork in her early years, leaving her with lingering health issues. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. While Qian's mother was in the kitchen cutting fruit, he secretly crushed a Ten-Tonics Pill and sprinkled it into her water glass. Then, he pried open Qian Yuan's mouth and gave him one too.
Afterward, he chatted with Qian's mother about daily life, watching her drink the water. Then, he deliberately steered the conversation toward the Ren family.
"The Ren family? The one that produces mental stability drugs?"
"That's the one. If it weren't for them, Little Yuan's education would have been cut off in middle school," Qian's mother said, her face filled with gratitude and contentment. "Little Yuan is quite ambitious; he passed the exam to the military academy. After graduation, he'll become a stable researcher, and we won't have to struggle anymore."
Ye Zhizhou acted as if he suddenly understood and said, "So, it's the Ren family. Speaking of which, they might be celebrating something soon. I'm a medical student, and I met Ren Qiao, the young lady of the Ren family, recently, and she's pregnant."
Qian's mother, being naive, believed him and asked with a smile, "Really? Well, congratulations are in order then. Come to think of it, Little Yuan also knows a young lady from the Ren family. I wonder if it's the same person you're talking about. Pregnancy is a joyous occasion; I'll have Little Yuan write a congratulatory letter."
Writing that letter will cause quite a stir... Ye Zhizhou smiled, looking innocent, and replied, "Indeed, you should write one. Little Yuan has been able to pursue his education smoothly thanks to the Ren family."
In all likelihood, Qian's mother had been spending too much time at home and was completely unaware of the outside situation, such as the fact that neither of the young ladies from the Ren family had gotten married yet.
In the evening, when Ye Zhizhou returned home, he found that Dongfang Shu was repairing a lock again, this time the lock on the front door. He raised an eyebrow and plucked the rogue little immortal crane that had landed on his shoulder, asking, "What did you do this time?"
"You didn't give me a key to our home," Dongfang Shu muttered while fiddling with the lock, his posture exuding a sense of grievance.
Ye Zhizhou was speechless. There was only one key to their home, so how could he blame him?
Clang, clang, the corridor was filled with the sounds of lock repairs.
Ye Zhizhou sighed deeply, wiped his face with his hand, bent down, and gave him a kiss. He said, "Alright, alright, let's go out for dinner tonight, and I'll have a spare key made for you. First, fix the lock properly; I have a lot of important documents in my study, and we can't afford to be careless."
Dongfang Shu quickly finished fixing the lock upon hearing this and stood up. He kissed him back and said seriously, "I've reinforced the lock in the study; don't worry. Let's go out for dinner first."
After a quarrel, lovers became even more shameless and adorable... to death!
[The probability of love between Qian Yuan and the protagonist has decreased to 50%. Please continue to work hard, Host.]
Ye Zhizhou raised an eyebrow; it should be at this point that Qian Yuan heard about Ren Qiao's pregnancy from his mother. Hopefully, Qian Yuan is genuinely grateful to the Ren family, grateful enough to send a thank-you letter without inquiring about the situation, and that would create quite a commotion in the Ren family.
Dongfang Shu helped him remove fish bones and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Qian Yuan's flag has been lowered by half," he said contentedly, finishing the last bite of fish and pinching Dongfang Shu's cheek. "You've provided excellent service; I'll double the tip!"
Dongfang Shu looked at him and silently moved his hand to a certain unspeakable place, saying, "You said double."
Ye Zhizhou quickly withdrew his hand, blushing and surprised. "You, you..." He was no longer jealous of his own body? This is not scientifically possible!
A glint flashed in Dongfang Shu's eyes, and the little immortal crane suddenly appeared and acted lasciviously. "In the future, this body can only belong to me. I control the destiny... Xiao Zhou, you belong to me."
"... Did you really let him have his way? We're done!"
The next day, Ye Zhizhou contacted Fang Yixing and briefly explained his speculations about his own background.
"How did you manage to find out so much in just one day? What did you do?"
"I got my head examined by an alien," Ye Zhizhou joked, then asked, "Did you find out who the father of Ren Qiao's child is?"
"I couldn't find out," Fang Yixing sighed, dejected. He slouched into the sofa, "I have no clues at all. She got pregnant not long ago, probably around the time when she was covering for me with the paperwork during our entrance to the research institute. I don't see how she had time to date anyone."
For some people, dating isn't necessarily a prerequisite for getting pregnant... Ye Zhizhou silently refrained from commenting. He typed the name of a research institute and said, "Let's start by looking into this institution. It might give us some clues."
Fang Yixing was almost shocked by the name. "The Bai Family? Aren't they the arch-enemies of the Ren family?"
Ye Zhizhou nodded and wrote down another name, "Bai Xuyang, the second young master of the Bai family, a research maniac. He once spent six months in a dangerous jungle to study the special reactions of a certain animal after eating a particular poisonous plant, and he even ate the poison himself, nearly dying." He noticed Bai Xuyang because, in the original plot, this character's fate was too inexplicable and tragic, even more so than anyone from the Bai family. Then, he thought about Ren Qiao's pregnancy and let his thoughts wander...
Fang Yixing's eyes were about to pop out. "Bai Xuyang? That lunatic? Are you suspecting that Ren Qiao and Bai Xuyang..."
"Ren Qiao's talent suddenly skyrocketed just before entering the research institute, going from being the tail-end of the cohort to a genius skipping several grades. We found that surprising, but Bai Xuyang..." Ye Zhizhou paused for a moment and added, "He has recently been working on genetic inheritance research."
One lunatic, one lunatic working on genetic inheritance research, and one lunatic working on genetic inheritance research who stumbled upon an interesting case... Fang Yixing rubbed his face and gave Ye Zhizhou a thumbs-up. "I'm impressed. I'll take care of it. I'll investigate."
Dongfang Shu came in from outside the door, holding a bowl of porridge. "Done with your conversation? Hungry or not?"
Ye Zhizhou rolled his eyes at him, then reopened the plot information, pretending to be busy.
The little immortal crane jumped onto his shoulder again and affectionately nuzzled his ear.
"Have some food first. What do you need to investigate? I'll help you," Dongfang Shu put down the porridge and sat beside him, pinching his earlobe. "The flags from Shao Feng's side should be coming soon. His fate is tied to Lou Yi."
Ye Zhizhou's fingers, which had been busy with the data, paused abruptly. He turned to look at Dongfang Shu with a raised eyebrow and said, "So, this is a messed-up world where the female lead has taken two gay guys into her harem? And it's my own world? Every day in each world is turning into an accomplishment achievement challenge! Damn!"
Dongfang Shu pressed down on his eyebrow and chuckled. "Why not help them out? Lou Yi hasn't come to his senses yet."
Ye Zhizhou pounced on him angrily and bit him. "Help, help, help! We must help!"
Three days later, news came from Fang Yixing that Ren Qiao had secretly asked Bai Xuyang to help her with a test before she skipped a grade. There might have been some questionable transactions involved. Ye Zhizhou retrieved the information Dongfang Shu had found, got Bai Xuyang's contact information, and sent an anonymous text message, informing him about Ren Qiao's pregnancy.
A day later, the thank-you letter and congratulatory letter from Qian Yuan arrived at the Ren family's house. They had been keeping an eye on Fang Yixing, who was beaming with joy. The Ren family had a lively celebration, singing and acting as if in a grand performance. The next day, Qian Yuan's financial support was suspended.
Ye Zhizhou repented for his dark-hearted actions for two seconds, then swiftly contacted Fang Yixing, asking him to get Qian Yuan assigned to his research team at the institute and to apply for a sponsorship program for him.
Two days later, Bai Xuyang, who had been collecting specimens out of town, rushed back and barged into the Ren family's house.
"Boss, what are we doing here?" Qian Yuan, with a healthier complexion, followed Ye Zhizhou, feeling a bit puzzled. He couldn't understand why his young boss had brought him to the Ren family.
"I've told you not to call me boss, call me senior." Ye Zhizhou said solemnly, then rang the doorbell of the Ren family.
Qian Yuan became even more uneasy. "But you're younger than me... and why did you bring me to the Ren family?"
At this point, he couldn't help feeling somewhat remorseful. The Ren family had supported him for so many years, and all it took was a congratulatory letter... He felt like he had acted recklessly without confirming the facts.
Seeing Qian Yuan's pitiful expression, Ye Zhizhou also felt a twinge of guilt. In Qian Yuan's status, the letter wouldn't have made it to the Ren family's main members if it weren't for him lurking in the background, pulling some strings...
But despite the guilt, debts still needed to be repaid. Remembering what his lover had discovered, he calmed his expression and a cold glint passed through his eyes. "I brought you here for three reasons: First, to give you a chance to thank the Ren family for their support over the years. Second, for some personal matters of mine. Third, because Bai Xuyang is causing a scene inside, and I want to watch the show."
After a few seconds, the video intercom at the entrance lit up, and a middle-aged woman with a stern face appeared on the screen. "The Ren family is not receiving guests today. Please come back another day."
"I am Ye Zhizhou."
The middle-aged woman's initially cold and proud expression immediately changed, and she frowned as she looked at him.
Ye Zhizhou remained composed. "Regarding my father, Ren Haonan, my mother, Ye Wenxiu, and your family's theft of my father's patent rights for mental stability drugs, I'd like to have a good talk with the current head of the Ren family, Ren Yunjie."
The middle-aged woman's expression stiffened, and she raised her hand to end the call.
"Or would you prefer me to bring the police to your door?" Ye Zhizhou coldly stared at her, then casually dropped another bombshell, "Or perhaps you'd like me to tell the media about Ren Qiao's pregnancy with Bai Xuyang's child, Mrs. Ren."
The middle-aged woman's expression turned even more somber, and she cast a piercing look at Ye Zhizhou before opening the door to the Ren family's residence.
Ye Zhizhou glanced back at the bewildered Qian Yuan, waved his hand, and said, "Let's go. I'll show you the treacherous side of a big family." He then contacted Dongfang Shu on his communicator and said leisurely, "Later, I'll bring your little brother and Shao Feng to the Ren family for some entertainment. We'll settle all these messy matters in one go."
Dongfang Shu glanced at Lou Yi, who was sitting on the sofa with a perplexed expression, and nodded. "Alright, I'll be there."