Chapter 10 (continued)

Qin You glanced at him. "I'm looking for A-Sheng."

"..." Cui Ling said, "He isn't here yet."

If Yan Tingshen were here, he would be surrounded by people eager to get acquainted and chat, easy to spot at a glance.

Qin You looked at the countdown on the panel. Thirty-six minutes remained.

Cui Ling said, "Young Mr. Qin, Mr. Li from Hongzheng Technology is here. The person next to him is—Young Mr. Qin?"

Qin You waved a hand. "I'm going to the restroom."

When Cui Ling heard that, he believed him.

So when Qin You turned away, he didn't immediately notice anything amiss.

By the time he belatedly spotted the distinct outline of a tablet against Qin You's lower back, Qin You had vanished into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

"..." Cui Ling took a deep breath.

[Host, why did you run off to a corner to play games? The task starts in just half an hour. I suggest waiting at the entrance for the target to come in, then sticking to him every step of the way?]

Qin You said, [The plot can't be changed. Would it do any good to stick to him?]

The system had no answer, though it still felt something was wrong. [Uh...]

Qin You said, [Remind me when there are thirty seconds left.]

Unlike emergency tasks, plot events took place at fixed times and locations. He had the precise coordinates, so he had plenty of time to rush over when it happened.

At least for this banquet, he would leave the socializing to Assistant Cui.

Unfortunately, he didn't get to enjoy the peace and quiet until the end.

With one minute left on the countdown, two sets of footsteps came in.

"Yunzhe, you haven't looked well these past few days. What's wrong? Have you run into trouble? Do you need my help?"

"...Not for now."

"You really are in trouble? Is it serious?"

"A little. If anything goes wrong, I'll be in for it..."

"That serious?"

"Sigh, don't ask. You wouldn't understand even if I told you—someone's here!"

The two men talking stepped into the private room at the same time.

One of them looked surprised to see Qin You.

"Cousin?"

Qin You looked up and glanced at them both.

The one who had spoken looked courteous and refined.

The other had worn a gloomy expression as he entered, but quickly composed himself and became mild and elegant.

Qin You's gaze lingered on his face for two seconds.

For some reason, he looked a little familiar.

"Oh! Cousin, this is my friend Meng Yunzhe. We were also classmates in college."

Qin You turned his gaze slightly toward the voice.

Only two people in the book addressed the original owner that way.

One was the original owner's younger female cousin on his father's side. The other was Qi Xianghe's older brother, his other cousin by default, Qi Xinwei.

Compared to Qi Xianghe, Qi Xinwei was much smarter.

Though he likewise looked down on the original owner, Qi Xinwei maintained a good relationship with him on the surface and got plenty of benefits directly from him. Right up until the ending, the original owner believed Qi Xinwei genuinely cared about him.

"Yunzhe, this is the one I mentioned to you a couple of days ago."

Qi Xinwei smiled and greeted Qin You, then said to his companion, "My cousin, Qin You."

Qin You looked at Meng Yunzhe.

His affected refinement paled in comparison to genuine mildness. Judging by how quickly his expression had changed, this college classmate who associated with Qi Xinwei was clearly a bird of a feather.

Meng Yunzhe also sized Qin You up, unable to hide his surprise.

The man before him was calm and composed, and his ease didn't look feigned. Even if Meng Yunzhe couldn't tell how deep he ran, he was nothing like the wastrel who had indulged himself abroad that Qi Xinwei had described.

Thinking of how Qi Xinwei had expressed concern in front of him and brought up the "misunderstanding" between Qi Xianghe and Qin You, Meng Yunzhe sneered inwardly. Judging by this, Qin You probably knew perfectly well whether it was a misunderstanding.

Qi Xinwei had already walked up to Qin You. "Cousin, the banquet's started. Aren't you going to bid?"

Seeing the game interface under Qin You's hand, his smile became a little more genuine. "No wonder I saw Assistant Cui looking everywhere for you in there. So you were hiding out here for some peace and quiet."

Qin You had no interest in exchanging pleasantries. Seeing that it was almost time, he simply stood up. "Assistant Cui is looking for me? Where is he?"

Qi Xinwei was taken aback, not expecting him to leave so abruptly. "When I came over, I saw him next to lot number three."

"Mm." Qin You gave a slight wave and was about to leave the private room when he suddenly heard a faint, delicate cracking sound overhead. He stopped in his tracks.

He glanced at the two men, who had noticed nothing, and continued forward.

If he hadn't been away from the bustling part of the convention center, he wouldn't have noticed such a faint sound at all.

Qin You looked at the countdown.

Only forty seconds remained.

At thirty seconds, the system reminded him right on time.

[Host!] it said unwillingly. [You're cutting it close again. What if you fail again this time?]

Qin You said, [Don't worry.]

The accident couldn't be stopped. Just like with the car crash, all he had to do was rush over and save the person afterward.

[I knew it!] As he neared the coordinates, the system suddenly spoke up. [Look, Host! It's packed with people ahead. How are you going to squeeze through?]

Qin You hadn't anticipated this unexpected situation either.

Ten seconds remained, and he was only five meters from the target. But in front of the coordinates was a group of guests waiting to hand Yan Tingshen their business cards, almost completely blocking the way.

He had ignored Yan Tingshen for so long, yet the man still managed to cause him trouble at a critical moment.

Just then, the crystal chandelier on the ceiling suddenly flickered.

The surrounding area fell quiet, followed by whispers.

"What's going on?"

"Is there a problem with the power?"

Everyone was still looking around.

The next moment, a tremendous crack suddenly came from overhead!

The hall abruptly fell silent.

Qin You took advantage of the confusion to push through the crowd and finally spotted the target's location.

The target was indeed standing with the protagonist.

In less than a second, he quickly took in what the target was wearing.

A dark teal suit.

Yan Tingshen was wearing only a shirt, so they were easy to tell apart.

The dull, terrifying sound continued to plunge downward.

The collapsing wooden second floor of the loft crushed the luxurious, exquisite modern ceiling in an instant. Sparks flew, and a piercing chill swept in at once, carrying terror with it.

The venue went completely dark.

Screams rose one after another.

Qin You frowned and went against the panicked flow of people toward Yan Tingshen's location. "A-Sheng? Pei Sheng?"

But his voice was completely drowned out by the chaos and the howling wind, barely carrying beyond him.

Fortunately, the crowd soon cleared out.

He reached the coordinates. With no light, he could only rely on his memory and feel around with one hand. "A-Sheng?"

[An icicle is falling on the left! Watch out, Host!]

Qin You barely managed to twist aside. The icicle, half a person's height, fell from above and smashed at his feet. Shards of ice shattered a glass display case nearby with another loud crash.

In the darkness, a muffled groan sounded amid the breaking glass.

Qin You followed the sound. "A-Sheng?"

There was no answer.

Had he passed out?

Qin You frowned and crouched down, touching a cool face.

The cold wind raged and snow swirled through the air. Having been abruptly thrust from a well-heated room into such harsh conditions, if he was injured and fell unconscious now, his life could be in danger.

"A-Sheng? Or—"

Above them, the roar of a helicopter taking off joined the wind, cutting Qin You off.

Fortunately, an intermittent beam of light shone through a gap.

By that faint light, Qin You saw the familiar dark teal jacket on the man's shoulders.

Slightly relieved, he used one hand to pull the man's left arm over his shoulder. "A-Sheng, can you still move?"

The man in his arms didn't move, so he had to drag him up a little, half supporting and half holding him—

Hm?

Qin You moved his hand.

He didn't feel quite right.

The system grew anxious. [Why did you stop, Host? Hurry! This place might collapse even more!]

The roar of the helicopter circled overhead.

The light was too dim, the unconscious man in his arms couldn't lift his head, and Qin You had no free hand to move him. After checking the color of the jacket again by the light, he was about to move forward—

Seeing that the place he was looking toward was pitch-dark, the system grew anxious again. [Why did you stop again, Host? Get out of here! It's not safe!]

Qin You frowned and looked away. He picked up the man in his arms with one arm and strode toward the exit along the route the system had planned.

Halfway there, a disheveled Cui Ling hurried toward him with a group of people.

Seeing Qin You, he let out a long breath, both surprised and delighted. "Thank goodness, Young Mr. Qin! You're all right!"

Qin You had no time for this. "There's still someone inside. Go—"

As he spoke, he casually glanced down, saw the profile of the man in his arms, and his expression darkened slightly.

The system gasped. [Host, you saved the wrong person!]

Qin You casually tossed the protagonist onto a stretcher and said to Cui Ling, "Take him back first, then find someone to come get me. Be quick."

Before Cui Ling could speak, Qin You had already turned around and headed back.

"Young Mr. Qin!"

Qin You strode back to the task coordinates and headed toward the dark corner he had looked at earlier.

The organizer's helicopters had all taken off, and the light was gradually growing brighter.

Qin You brushed aside the broken branches blocking his path and looked at Yan Tingshen, who was sitting against a display stand, clutching his arm.

Yan Tingshen looked at him too, his thin lips moving slightly—

"Why didn't you call out to me just now?"

Qin You bent down and gripped his shoulder, seeing his purplish lips and the scratches on his face. "Do you want to die here?"

Yan Tingshen pressed his lips together.

The grip on his shoulder was too strong to break free of. He instinctively raised a hand and grasped Qin You's wrist, only then noticing that the skin beneath his palm was just as cold.

His fingers tightened slightly. "Qin You, you—"

"Hold on to me." Qin You guided his hand onto his shoulder, then bent down, slid an arm beneath his knees, and lifted him into his arms.