Chapter 6

"Dummy." Chi Ning instinctively used the tone he had used when speaking to Qin Heng in his previous life. "Shouldn't there be a delivery fee? I can't exactly make you run errands for nothing, can I?"

He counted out three red bills from his wallet and stuffed them into the little box.

Qin Heng looked at the money, feeling a complicated mix of emotions. He had casually told Chi Ning that he owed the hospital money, not because he wanted Chi Ning to help him, but Chi Ning seemed to have misunderstood.

This young master had walked all the way to Yangcheng Night Market under the blazing sun until his face was red. Other than wanting to check on his injury, there should have been no other reason.

Qin Heng's expression tightened. He glanced at Chi Ning's face and guessed, What does he want? Invest in me?

Under Qin Heng's gaze, Chi Ning quietly explained, "I'm not doing this to help you pay the hospital back sooner. It's just that no one in Yangcheng can make bayberry juice that tastes exactly like this. I like drinking it."

Qin Heng clicked his tongue inwardly, becoming even more certain of his guess.

Saying one thing and meaning another.

That day, Chi Ning had been so scared that he was nearly in tears, yet he had still helped a stranger whose face was covered in blood. Helping him was one thing, but he had even gone all the way and found an excuse to pay the man's debt.

If someone dragged him into a van to sell him off one day, he might even help the traffickers count their money.

And after getting out of the van, he would probably tell them, "You're actually pretty nice people, huh?"

The thought flashed by, but Qin Heng was still annoyed. He said coldly, "Got it."

Chi Ning let out a sigh of relief. Why did the younger Qin Heng seem even more imposing than the grown-up one...?

He murmured without thinking, "You really are a pretty good person."

Qin Heng's expression froze. He suddenly felt like he was a human trafficker from the championship district, about to skin a sheep and eat its meat the next second.

No one who knew him would think he was a good person. Where had Chi Ning even gotten that idea?

Just as Qin Heng was about to say something, an arrogant voice sounded behind him. "Hey, Brother Qin? You know Second Young Master Chi?"

Chi Ning turned to look at the newcomer.

He wore the short-sleeved uniform shirt of No. 1 High School, his collar hanging wide open without a single button fastened, exposing his muscular upper body. He walked up to Chi Ning with easy familiarity and pointed at himself. "I'm Zhang Qiuwen, Class 18 at No. 1 High School."

"Hello." Chi Ning shifted half a step to the side, instinctively standing a little closer to Qin Heng. "You know me?"

He did not remember knowing someone who walked around the street with his shirt hanging open like that.

Wasn't this basically a gangster?

"Of course I know you! How could I not?"

Zhang Qiuwen pulled a newspaper folded into a long strip from the back of his waistband. After unfolding it, he read aloud with dramatic intonation, "Jiang Shijie tried to provoke Second Young Master Chi, only to get slapped in the face! Eldest Young Master Chi was kicked out of the house for taking Second Young Master Chi out to party in Gangnan at night~ You're famous now. There's even a photo of you in the paper, so of course I know you."

Chi Ning raised an eyebrow.

Hadn't it been about a KTV host and Eldest Young Master Chi being inseparable while street racing late at night this morning?

Had the newspaper changed its report after Dad made a call?

He leaned in to look. The front-page photo showed him bent over a billiards table.

The photo was clear and beautiful.

The light above the table had become the only light in the darkness, illuminating his profile with exceptional clarity. The resulting shot looked like an artistic portrait.

Zhang Qiuwen pointed at the picture and praised him. "Your stance is pretty standard too."

"Mm, my brother taught me." Chi Ning pinched the edge of the newspaper and turned to the next page. The following photograph showed Jiang Shijie's furious, twisted face.

This time, the paparazzi had been remarkably honest, without twisting the narrative at all.

They had reconstructed the event from beginning to end with vivid clarity. It was even more entertaining than the wish-fulfillment novels sold at street stalls.

Chi Ning's eyes curved faintly, but his expression darkened.

Something was off.

Judging by the angle of the photographs, the paparazzi should have been far away from them, at least by the drink counter near the entrance.

But the place where they played billiards was by the inner window, deep inside the entire floor, around forty meters from the drink counter.

There was no way the paparazzi could have heard clearly what he said to Jiang Shijie from that far away, much less write down, "You lost. Just call me Daddy and we'll call it even," word for word.

Unless someone among the people playing with his brother had deliberately revealed the details to the paparazzi, the entire thing made no logical sense.

Who would do that?

Once something like this was reported, the Chi family's stock price would inevitably fall somewhat. Who stood to benefit?

Chi Ning frowned slightly, and even the fingers holding the newspaper turned pale from the force of his grip.

When the young man lowered his eyes with a frown, he gave off an exquisite, fragile air. Combined with how thin he was, even the vertebrae protruding at the back of his neck when he bowed his head seemed delicate.

Zhang Qiuwen panicked inwardly.

He really deserved to die. A well-behaved kid like Chi Ning had surely grown up surrounded by praise. These paparazzi wrote complete nonsense, using the most exaggerated wording possible. They had even written things like "a waist slender enough to fit in one hand" and "Jiang Shijie harbored malicious intentions."

Could Chi Ning handle such slander? Why had he carelessly pulled out the newspaper?

"I... uh..." He swallowed. "Don't be angry. Paparazzi just make things up."

"What?" Chi Ning shot him a glare, tapped the newspaper, and lifted his chin proudly. "I'm exactly as fierce as it says here."

How was it made up? This article had made him sound so distinctive. Once the board of directors saw it, they definitely would not try to force the inheritance onto him again.

Qin Heng felt as though he had just seen a kitten puff up its fur.

Chi Ning was not fierce at all in the tabloid. Most of the paparazzi's mockery had been aimed at Eldest Young Master Chi and Jiang Shijie. The passages devoted to Chi Ning mostly described his exceptionally beautiful face and the way his eyes widened when he provoked people.

Qin Heng glanced at Zhang Qiuwen, frowned, and said in a deep voice, "Zhang Qiuwen, did you come here to chat? Don't you have anything serious to do?"

Zhang Qiuwen immediately stood at attention. "No, Brother Qin. I do, I have something serious."

"I asked Boss Xu. He said we can use his billiards hall for free from Monday to Friday mornings, but we have to help keep watch over the place on weekends. Brother, are we doing it?"

"We can do it," Qin Heng said.

Chi Ning: ...Huh?

That strange feeling he had gotten when he saw his kind father playing favorites and his rebellious older brother bringing him seasoned shrimp cakes rushed straight to his head again.

In his previous life, Qin Heng had said that he was an exemplary student who worked while studying, excellent in academics and character alike, well-rounded in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and practical development, with scholarships practically falling into his lap.

Working while studying and being an exemplary student seemed to fit, but what about the rest?

This man planned to play billiards at the hall every weekday morning.

At night, he sold bayberry juice at the night market.

And on weekends, he was going to help someone watch over a venue.

Where would he find the time to become a top student?

Could it be that... the future renowned President Qin was actually a USB drive reincarnated, and once plugged into a computer, knowledge just flooded into him?

Damn it, his CPU was starting to burn.

Why was everyone different after his rebirth?

"Don't you guys go to school?"

Chi Ning pointed tentatively at the job listings on the last page of the newspaper. "If you really need to work, you could do hourly jobs instead. They pay by the hour and wouldn't interfere with school much."

Zhang Qiuwen smiled at him. "Fewer than five people from Class 18 go to school to study every day. Our grades are bad, and we need to make a living, so the school doesn't manage us too strictly. As for hourly wages..."

He paused, then continued, "That amount of money isn't enough. The Yangcheng Billiards Tournament, held three months from now, is sponsored by the Jiang Family. The champion gets a prize of two hundred thousand. After winning, you can also compete nationally. If you win the national championship, not only can you earn three million, but you can also get into university through special-talent admission. For students who aren't good at academic subjects, it solves everything at once."

Chi Ning gave an acknowledging sound and turned to Qin Heng. "Are you applying as a special-talent student too?"

Qin Heng had been about to nod, but when he met Chi Ning's eyes, the words changed inexplicably at the last moment. "I'm doing it to get startup capital."

Chi Ning relaxed.

Right, Qin Heng had built himself up from nothing. It was normal for him to spend more time making money. Maybe he was working while studying?

Qin Heng had treated him so well in his previous life. As his lab colleagues put it, "The big CEO worked himself to the bone for Professor Chi."

He should not have doubted Qin Heng.

Looking at the highly motivated Qin Heng, Chi Ning suddenly felt that even if he wanted to slack off, he could not slack off completely.

Slacking was slacking, and laziness was laziness.

Some people bent over backward to get an education. Some squatted by the curb eating boxed meals just to make a living.

He could not rely on his parents' money, pay the tuition, lie around at home, and then take first place on exams. Wouldn't that be discouraging to everyone else?

What if people suspected him of cheating or getting special treatment?

At the very least, he had to lie around at school.

He definitely could not enter competitions. If he won an award, it would be reported nationwide, and the board of directors would find out. That would be a disaster.

But he still had to keep hold of the patents that should have belonged to him in his previous life.

Some of those patents had been taken by the board of directors to curry favor with others and registered under someone else's name. Others had been stolen by rival companies and turned into their capital. In the end, less than a third remained in his hands.

He had still won the highest scientific research award with that one-third alone. That showed just how valuable the things that had been divided up were.

This life, he would register them first!

Anyway, doing things he had already done once would not be tiring. Without the board squeezing him dry, he could work nine to five and go have fun whenever he got tired.

Playing billiards was pretty interesting. It could be a regular way to relax.

Playing with his brother was fun, but there were too many people who killed the mood. Better to...

"Where is Brother Xu's billiards hall?"

Chapter 6

Qin Heng could not figure out what that question meant.

Chi Ning was too beautiful, exquisite like Nuwa's finest creation. He never lacked for food or clothing, his grades were excellent, his personality was gentle, and his emotions were stable. Any compliment would suit him.

He was wonderful, yet completely out of place among them.

Qin Heng turned his head away and said casually, "The equipment at Gangnan Entertainment is excellent. You can practice there."

Thinking of Gangnan Entertainment's prices and its terrible bayberry juice, Chi Ning muttered, "It costs five hundred per person over there... and..."