I Treat You Like a Brother

Zi Cheng chuckled, "It seems we didn't really talk much about girls. Back then, we often played games until very late, and after we finished, we'd either fall asleep instantly or chat about the games. Oh, we did discuss the model changes of Nass and Whitemane, and if Draenei girls appeared in real life, would we be attracted to their upper bodies or deterred by their lower bodies? We also discussed whether, if we traveled back to the Three Kingdoms period, we'd choose the beautiful Qiao sisters or the intelligent Huang Yueying as our wives."

"Haha, were you guys nerds back then? By the way, who did you choose in the end, the Qiao sisters or Huang Yueying?" Chu Xiaoting asked with a smile.

"Of course, it's the Qiao sisters," Zicheng said, shrugging.

"Wow! Men!" Chu Xiaoting asked again, "Don't you guys ever discuss real-life girls? There must be pretty and cute girls in your school, right? Like, the school beauty or something?"

Zicheng thought for a moment and recalled, "School beauties... I don't remember them. Our school doesn't seem to have that concept. As for real people... I remember in the second semester of my freshman year, Chang Bin dragged us to help the art school. They were putting on a party, and we watched their fashion show for a while. There was a girl wearing a dress with lots of LED lights, and the stage lights were dimmed. They even let her dance for a little while. A- A Tu and I talked about it all night after we got back..."

As Zicheng spoke, he couldn't help but laugh to himself.

Chu Xiaoting pressed, "What, is that girl very pretty, or does she have a great figure? Hey, what are you laughing at?"

Zi Cheng laughed for a while before saying, "I've long forgotten what that girl looked like. We were mainly discussing where she hid her batteries. She wore a crop top, so the batteries weren't clipped to her waist; we don't know where she hid them. Also, those LED lights could flash and turn off rhythmically, lighting up different colors. What kind of control chip did she use? Was the flashing pattern pre-set, or was it temporarily controlled...?"

Chu Xiaoting was stunned for a moment, stared at him wide-eyed, and said, "Then why don't you just go ask the models who are performing? You might even get their phone numbers or WeChat, and use that as an opportunity to get closer to them! Aren't you going to help out? You should have a chance!"

"That's too much trouble. We just looked it up online and found the solution they used." Zicheng said, shaking his head with a smile. "Then we bought some online and modified a light strip to show the computer's temperature. It lights up white in the normal temperature range, yellow when the temperature rises to a certain level, and red when the warning temperature is reached... Actually, it's not very useful because there are plenty of software programs on the computer that monitor CPU and GPU temperatures. There are many high-temperature alarm functions that can show the exact temperature and are much more accurate than this light. We only used it briefly at the beginning when we deliberately ran a stress test to raise the temperature."

Chu Xiaoting was both amused and exasperated. "They're doing a fashion show, walking the runway, and performing arts. All those pretty girls are on stage, and you guys are only paying attention to the lights? What's that phrase from the internet again? 'Destined to be single forever'?"

Zicheng shrugged and said, "Yeah, that's why neither of us found girlfriends in college. Actually, it's mainly A Tu's fault. He's a real pain in the ass and loves to research. Every time we raid a new dungeon, he has to find information on all kinds of monsters and bosses. If it's released overseas first, he'll look at the guides released overseas first, and then make specific modifications to the operational details based on our actual personnel. He often stays up all night."

"They're always researching computer configurations, constantly paying attention to the latest hardware specifications and technological advancements, and frequently browsing computer malls, but they never actually buy anything. Our computers are perfectly adequate for playing games and doing projects."

"It's the same with software projects. Every time, I'll come up with something that's actually not very useful, and can't be used for competitions or assignments. It's just for fun, and I'll work on it all night long..."

"I was definitely led astray by A Tu!"

Chu Xiaoting laughed and said, "Who knows, Xiang Kun might even think you've led him astray! Look at him now, surrounded by so many beautiful women, he's really popular with girls!"

Zicheng chuckled and scratched his head, saying, "Maybe it's because I shaved my head. Do you think I should try it later?"

Chu Xiaoting squinted at him. "I like long hair!"

"Then... I won't shave it! I'll let it grow long!" Zicheng said with a grin. "But speaking of which, A Tu has really changed a lot, not just in appearance, but also in personality. He's become much more outgoing and confident. He speaks and acts with a sense of control and mastery, which is very different from before. Even when talking to girls, he used to be just like me, unable to speak properly in front of pretty girls..."

"Oh?" Chu Xiaoting looked at him. "Then why do you talk to me so smoothly? Is it because I'm not pretty?"

"You..." Zicheng laughed, "It's not a matter of whether you're pretty or not, I treat you like a brother~"

Chu Xiaoting stood up with a laugh, grabbed the watermelon rind she had just finished eating, and tried to smear it on his face, laughing and scolding, "So you're saying you don't consider me a woman anymore?"

While laughing and dodging, Zicheng said, "Then you have to prove you're a woman first?"

"Oh? Who was it that hugged my waist last night, and whose hands were shaking the whole time?" Chu Xiaoting smiled and leaned closer, saying, "Then why don't you prove you're a man?"

Seeing the smiling face so close to his, Zi Cheng paused for a moment, swallowed hard, but avoided eye contact first, then muttered softly, "I'm sure you're a woman, okay, Miss Chu?"

"Little brat." Chu Xiaoting smiled and nudged Zicheng's head before sitting back down in her chair.

After laughing and joking for a while, Chu Xiaoting asked about the game they made, and asked curiously, "Did you and Xiang Kun make that game together? Why would he come to Tongshi Town to set up a restaurant and do something like that in Chongyun Village... a breeding farm or a breeding research institute? Shouldn't a game company be more suited to a first-tier city?"

"It wasn't something we did together, he did it himself. Hmm, he might have found another team, but I don't know the specifics. I didn't ask. Anyway, I did whatever he asked me to do. I trust him." Zicheng said, then looked at Chu Xiaoting and smiled, "Why do you keep asking about A Tu? Did your uncle ask you to ask?" Although he hadn't met Chu Xiuwen many times, he could still sense that Chu Xiuwen clearly cared a lot about Xiang Kun, even more than Liu Caifu.

"What, do you think my second uncle sent me here to use my beauty to seduce you and spy on your business secrets?" Chu Xiaoting snorted.

Zi Cheng laughed and said, "If that's really the case, then I have to thank your second uncle!"

"Thank you my ass!" Chu Xiaoting threw a piece of watermelon rind at him and said, "My second uncle has never mentioned Xiang Kun me, but when he met Xiang Kun at the opening of 'Youlong Restaurant,' he was clearly different from how he treated other people."

"And I also feel that wherever Xiang Kun goes, he becomes a center, the kind of center that isn't conspicuous but connects everything. Like just now when we were eating, it was as if he knew what we were thinking, always making sure we could find something to talk about. When we talked about sports, he mentioned swimming, then the beach, then sailing, surfing, and then naturally brought up the climate, then solar energy, wind power, which allowed me to talk about my major. It was the same when Nana, Zhen'er, and Zhang Qian were here. Whenever Xiang Kun was around, he had a way of making everyone feel comfortable participating in the discussion, and he didn't even have to say anything. He was like..."

As she spoke, Chu Xiaoting waved her hands and said, "He's like a giant spider weaving a web, connecting us all to one web through his silk."

Zicheng, who was drinking tea, was amused by her analogy and almost choked, coughing repeatedly.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the private room, and You Meng opened it and poked his head in, asking the two men, "Brother Chu and President Qi are here. I've prepared some dishes for them to have a late-night snack. Then I'll call Xiang Kun over. You guys want to join us too?"

Zi Cheng looked at Chu Xiaoting and handed the decision over to her, after all, Chu Xiuwen was her second uncle.

"We're not going. You guys are probably going to talk business, and there's nothing for us to talk about. It'll be pretty boring," Chu Xiaoting said. "Besides, we just ate a lot of fruit, so we're not hungry and can't eat a late-night snack right now. We'd better head back."

So the two of them didn't bother to go to the other private room to say hello to Chu Xiuwen and Qi Haoguo, and left the "Youlong Restaurant" directly.

It was already past 10 p. m., and most of the shops on the pedestrian street were closed, with the pedestrians mostly being shop owners.

Zi Cheng and Chu Xiaoting chatted as they walked side by side down the road.

After walking a few steps, Zicheng seized the opportunity to grab Chu Xiaoting's hand, then continued walking forward with a nonchalant smile.

Chu Xiaoting stopped in her tracks, grabbed his arm, and raised her clasped hands, asking, "What do you mean?"

"Hehe, be my girlfriend," Zicheng laughed.

"Aren't we brothers?" Chu Xiaoting asked him, squinting her eyes.

"Just friends on the surface, but actually lovers, hehe."

"Hey, you!" Chu Xiaoting kicked Zicheng, but didn't let go.

On the second floor of the "Youlong Restaurant", Chu Xiuwen stood by the window, watching the backs of two young people who were holding hands and joking as they walked away. He was both amused and exasperated.

"Is that Mr. Xiang's friend who owns a chain of supermarkets? Is his Liu Chuang?" Qi Haoguo stood next to Chu Xiuwen and said, looking at the two figures in the distance.

"It seems so." Chu Xiuwen nodded, without telling Qi Haoguo that the woman holding hands with Liu Chuang was his niece.

A short while later, You Meng personally brought several freshly prepared dishes into the private room and said to the two of them, "I just called Xiang Kun, but he said he's already asleep and has something to do tomorrow morning, so he won't be coming over."

"It's alright, it's alright. We just decided to come over for a late-night snack on a whim. Since Mr. Xiang has already gone back, there's no reason to call him out again. We can do it another day, there will be plenty of time later," Chu Xiuwen said with a smile.

Qi Haoguo nodded in agreement. "Yes, Mr. Chu and I were craving the rabbit meat from your shop, so we came over for a late-night snack."

So the three of them ate and chatted, and also "casually" discussed their plans and ideas for opening a chain restaurant together in the future. Last night You Meng revealed Xiang Kun's idea of "doing it together" to Chu Xiuwen, who then contacted Qi Haoguo that night. The two of them naturally had no objection to the cooperation. Originally, they didn't really value this chain restaurant that much—although they did think the rabbit meat here was really delicious.

The plans discussed in a casual manner, whether by Qi Haoguo or Chu Xiuwen, prioritized the interests of You Meng, or rather, the current "Youlong Restaurant." This made You Meng somewhat embarrassed. Although Xiang Kun had given him full authority, he still wanted to discuss the final plan with Xiang Kun.

After finishing their late-night snack and as they were about to leave, Chu Xiuwen suddenly said, "Mr. Qi, could you have your driver drive me? I just remembered that I think I had a little to drink at dinner earlier."

Qi Haoguo was taken aback. Chu Xiuwen had driven himself here and didn't smell of alcohol at all. But he immediately realized that Chu wanted to be alone in the car with him, obviously they had something to talk about. So he nodded to the driver, told him to take Chu Xiuwen's car keys to the parking lot, and took the driver's keys and got into the driver's seat.

Half an hour later, after dropping Chu Xiuwen off at home, Qi Haoguo, who had returned to the back seat of his car and let the driver take over, frowned and fell into deep thought.

On the way here, Chu Xiuwen chatted with him about a lot of random things, but he distilled the core of the conversation to just two things: one was the thunderstorm that struck the mountains last night, killing two escaped convicts who had fled into the mountains; the other was the wooden carving he mentioned at his new home in Tongshi Town.

When he first moved to Tongshi Town, Chu Xiuwen and Liu Feibao visited him with gifts. At that time, Chu Xiuwen accidentally saw the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving and asked where it was bought and who made it. He even wanted to borrow it to take a look, but he brushed it off with other words.

Today in the car, Chu Xiuwen brought up the wood carving again, but this time he asked directly what the image of the wood carving represented.

When Chu Xiuwen asked the first time, Qi Haoguo didn't pay much attention, thinking that Chu Xiuwen was simply curious about the shape of the wood carving. But when he asked again this time, he realized that Chu Xiuwen's curiosity was not just about the wood carving. He must know something!

However, when he tried to probe him, Chu Xiuwen pretended to be ignorant and refused to reveal the information he knew.

What was Chu Xiuwen's purpose?

According to Liu Feibao, Chu Xiuwen should not have known Xiang Kun before. It was only when Liu Feibao wanted to find someone to mediate that he met Xiang Kun through him and Liu Caifu. He was just a middleman.

Could it be that he has learned something during this time?

They had discussed the incident of the fugitive being struck by lightning, which they had mentioned while having dinner with You Meng, and later brought it up again in the car. Chu Xiuwen was clearly hinting at and testing something.

Xiang Kun also lives in Chongyun Village... Could the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster be related to the lightning storm that killed the two escaped convicts?

After this thought crossed his mind, Qi Haoguo remembered the images of the lightning storm he had seen on the news, and he broke out in a cold sweat for no apparent reason.