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The malfunctioning system could not provide the relevant details or the full sequence of events, and there were no clues to be found from the original owner's perspective, either.

The only thing the original owner had heard was that Yan Tingshen was in poor health.

But there were many reasons a person might be in poor health. Surely it couldn't be such a coincidence that this car accident was the cause—

Qin You shook his head.

He was getting sidetracked.

How Yan Tingshen was doing had nothing to do with the mission. He only needed to deal with the target.

Before long, the driver hurried over again from nearby.

"Young Mr. Qin, Mr. Cui is on the phone!"

Qin You took the phone he handed over. "What is it?"

Cui Ling sounded anxious. "Young Mr. Qin, the paramedics will be there any minute. Are you all right? Are your injuries serious?"

Qin You moved his left arm. "It's nothing serious. A few stitches should do it."

Stitches?

There was silence on the other end for two seconds.

Cui Ling couldn't tell whether his calm tone was an act. He spoke soothingly. "I'm still on my way. If all goes well, we can meet in an hour."

"There's no rush to meet."

Qin You didn't seem concerned. "I still need you to handle the aftermath here. You'll have a busy night."

Cui Ling hadn't expected that response. He paused, then hesitantly reminded him, "The chairman can't get away from the birthday banquet. Are you sure you'll be all right alone?"

Even if he could get away, Old Qin couldn't possibly make a special trip to the hospital over a minor knife wound. He was tactfully reminding Qin You that, given his current circumstances, there was probably no one in the Qin Household besides Cui Ling who would visit and show concern.

"Mm," Qin You said.

"All right, then," Cui Ling said. "Don't worry, arrangements have already been made with the hospital. Someone will take over once you're admitted... Focus on recovering when you get there, and, um... if you run into any problems, call me anytime."

Qin You's brow twitched. "What are you trying to say?"

Given Cui Ling's attitude toward the original owner in the book, his sudden patience and consideration were unusual.

"..." Cui Ling hesitated again. "...Once you're at the hospital, you'd better keep your distance from Mr. Yan for now."

He remembered that Qin You was very interested in Yan Tingshen.

When he had learned over the phone that Qin You had saved Yan Tingshen, he had been amazed by Qin You's luck, stumbling into a situation where Yan Tingshen owed him such a huge favor. At the same time, he had gained a new appreciation for his new boss's ability to stir up trouble.

Never mind that the Qin Group's heir had been injured right after his succession was announced.

Just getting Qin You mixed up with Yan Tingshen could be a blessing or a curse.

Elder Yan was still alive, yet the Yan Family was already fighting bitterly over the inheritance.

Yan Tingshen was a great tree capable of standing firm, but not everyone beneath its shade had that ability.

If helping Yan Tingshen this time caused the other members of the Yan Family to put obstacles in Qin You's path, it wouldn't be worth it.

Even with two extra brains, the second-generation heir might not be able to handle the way the Yan Family operated.

But what was done was done. Cui Ling couldn't expect time to turn back.

Qin You was the Qin Group's future. The chairman had entrusted Qin You to him, and he had to guide Qin You toward a better path.

For that goal, even following the broad road laid out by the chairman was as difficult as hell. He didn't want any further complications.

With that in mind, Cui Ling asked tentatively, "Young Mr. Qin, you and Mr. Yan aren't particularly close, are you?"

"Something like that," Qin You said.

Something like that?

What kind of answer was that?

Cui Ling was about to press him when Qin You spoke again.

"All right, you'll find out about all this in due course. Let's say goodbye. I have something else to do."

"..." Cui Ling had no choice but to hang up as told.

Qin You had already handed the phone back to the driver. "Thank you."

The driver hurriedly said, "You're too kind!"

As he spoke, a rumbling roar sounded overhead.

Qin You looked up.

Brilliant beams of light swept across one another as two helicopters approached swiftly and descended, whipping up fierce winds.

The driver's face lit up. "Great, the medical team is here!"

He followed Qin You, intending to board the helicopter with his boss, but then his boss spoke.

"Go help over there."

The driver turned and saw the person who had fallen unconscious.

Right, he was unconscious, so he needed another person to look after him.

"All right."

Qin You continued toward the target.

Professional medical staff had already disembarked from the helicopters.

Even the burly bodyguard was lying on a stretcher, but his target hadn't even sat in the wheelchair pushed in front of him, nor had he accepted help. He appeared to be moving normally.

None of the medical staff let their gaze linger on Yan Tingshen's face. They all wore cautious expressions as they led the way in front of him.

Only Qin You was looking at him.

The lighting hadn't been clear before, so he hadn't been able to tell.

Now the bright lights from the helicopters made it as bright as day, revealing that Yan Tingshen's slightly pursed thin lips had long since lost their color.

Qin You's gaze swept over his wounds and finally settled on his left hand, pressed against an injured spot, its knuckles slightly pale.

Clearly, he wasn't as unharmed as he appeared.

"[Host, please hurry and make progress on the strategy before the plot begins.]"

The system reminded him, "[The original owner had known the target for too short a time, so their emotional foundation was too weak. As a result, the target felt nothing but disgust for him, and he had no effect on the development of the protagonists' relationship. Please avoid that, host.]"

Their foundation was weak because they hadn't known each other long enough?

Qin You had reservations about the system's analysis.

But now that things had come to this, he wasn't opposed to the mission.

The sooner he finished, the sooner he could get away and be free.

If necessary, cultivating a seemingly close relationship was a habit he had developed long ago.

Unlike in his previous life, he needed to act in accordance with his current identity and personality, and the relationship he cultivated would no longer be that of ordinary friends or relatives. It would probably have to be more intimate.

After so many years of habit, he might not have the chance to recover his genuine feelings, but so-called intimacy could all remain on the surface.

Maintaining a superficially intimate relationship while acting like someone else shouldn't be difficult.

There was only one problem now.

How was he supposed to cultivate an intimate relationship with a man?

"..." Qin You pressed the bridge of his nose.

Forget it. For now, he would treat it as making a new friend.

He would think about the rest of the mission later.

With that thought, Qin You casually took Yan Tingshen's wrist.

Feeling the hand beneath his palm tremble slightly, he understood and looked to his side.

Yan Tingshen's steps faltered.

With his right hand suddenly restrained, he was about to counterattack, but the hand holding him lifted it and placed it on the left arm of the person beside him.

He turned and saw Qin You's smiling peach blossom eyes, which seemed full of affection.

Those eyes shimmered behind the light-reflecting lenses, seemingly deep and focused, making whatever he looked at seem like the object of a tender gaze.

Qin You had already let go, holding his left arm halfway up so Yan Tingshen could lean on it.

Meeting Yan Tingshen's gaze, he lifted the corner of his mouth. "There's no need to push yourself so hard."

Yan Tingshen's hand, which he hadn't yet withdrawn, tightened slightly.

The next moment, his right hand fell back to his side. His tone remained indifferent. "Thank you."

With that, he took the headset and walked slowly through the cabin door.

Behind him came Qin You's distinctive, slightly languid voice, sounding less than serious.

"Sometimes, learning to rely on others is another way to relieve stress."

Yan Tingshen paused again.

Rely on others?

He turned back to look at Qin You, his gaze sweeping over the man before him from head to toe.

Qin You raised an eyebrow.

He could tell he was being looked down on again.

But the target was much better at concealing his thoughts than Cui Ling, and his response was quite polite.

"I'll remember your words, President Qin."

Qin You watched him enter the cabin, smiled, and followed him aboard.

After a roaring flight, they landed on the hospital roof.

Having been informed in advance by Cui Ling, the hospital director had long been waiting there with a group of staff, braving the wind. As soon as the helicopters had landed, they hurried forward to receive the patients and promptly arranged separate rooms for them.

Qin You's injury wasn't serious. Once his wound had been cleaned and stitched, he learned that the other three were still undergoing examinations, so he went to freshen up briefly and went straight to sleep.

The system hurriedly reminded him, "[According to data analysis, taking advantage of a moment of vulnerability is the most efficient way to complete the conquest mission. It's simple and easy to do. Host, you can wait until the target returns from his examinations, show concern for his well-being, and uncover his budding feelings.]"

Qin You acted as though he hadn't heard.

It was only his first day on the job, and the system was already pressuring him for results. There weren't many capitalists this ruthless.

Besides, he hadn't had a minute to himself since opening his eyes. He had been so busy that the alcohol in his stomach hadn't even finished digesting.

As the saying went, work and rest should be balanced.

He had worked, so he could put that aside for now. Rest was what mattered.

"[...Host, you... I can actually sense that you're conscious right now...]"

"[You're sensing it wrong. Your host is resting now.]"

"[But—]"

"[It's also time for you to be muted.]"

"[...]"

Soon, his mind was quiet too.

The next day.

Early morning.

After sleeping soundly until daybreak, Qin You ate a breakfast carefully prepared by the hospital before looking at the doctor who had come to change his dressing. "How is Pei Sheng?"

"Pei Sheng?"

The doctor paused. The name was still somewhat unfamiliar to him, but he quickly realized who Qin You meant. "Young Mr. Qin, I heard the three patients brought in with you last night all had much the same injuries: spinal cord damage and concussions. Fortunately, they're all relatively mild. They should recover after resting for a while, and the risk of lasting complications is low. The rest are soft-tissue and bone contusions of varying severity. Their wounds, large and small, were all treated last night as well."

Spinal cord damage?

Qin You recalled how the other man had behaved last night and raised a brow slightly.

He was injured that badly and still refused to show weakness in front of others?