Chapter 15

Five little gold coin-like objects glittered under the counter lights.

He said, "You're too kind, President Shen. Take these five million. When you have time, come to Australia Province and support my business. Before you go, clean up the trash around you."

Shen Zongze could not figure out Xu Jiahao's intentions.

Was Xu Jiahao taking his side?

One million in exchange for five million, and they were casino chips. He could even use them to win even more cash.

Was this a gesture of goodwill?

As long as he dealt with Jiang Shijie, would that be enough?

Chi Ning vaguely understood. When Shen Zongze looked over, he turned his head away as if sulking.

Qin Heng wanted to say something but stopped. Xu Jiahao's handling of the matter was too ambiguous, and he could not figure it out either.

Shen Zongze pocketed the little gold coins, straightened his tie, and left looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

Without hesitation, Chi Ning walked over to Xu Jiahao and asked, "Brother Xu, are you going to work with Shen Zongze?"

Xu Jiahao looked surprised. "Of course not. I'm very neutral right now."

Chi Ning:?

Really? But his attitude just now had not seemed like that.

Still, being neutral meant not cooperating. He understood. "All right, then I won't have my dad bother you."

Xu Jiahao: ...

Someone else saying that might have been playing hard to get, but when Chi Ning said it, he had probably genuinely misunderstood.

He sighed. "But I won't be neutral in a while. Go back and tell your dad. We can find a time to talk later."

The Shen Family was a complete mess. They would not last long.

The Chi family had raised someone like Chi Ning, which showed they had a solid foundation. Chi Yang was probably different from the rumors outside—he could not be that bad.

"Really?" Chi Ning brightened up.

Xu Jiahao added, "I'll use Shen Zongze's money to get you a new pool table. From now on, the first table will be reserved for you."

Chi Ning: Woohoo~

Thinking of Shen Zongze's expression when he found out that the money he had lost was being used to improve his rival's son's pool-playing experience, Chi Ning felt so satisfied he nearly laughed out loud.

Qin Heng finally caught on. Xu Jiahao was planning to play both sides on the surface while secretly choosing the better side.

Then what were those five million in chips for?

Xu Jiahao made a call and told the person on the other end, "If Shen Zongze comes over there to support our business, make sure you take good care of him. Be hospitable."

He emphasized the words "take good care."

Qin Heng: ...

He understood. Boss Xu was planning to scam President Shen out of his money.

Use five million in chips to hook an even bigger fish.

There was no need to think about it. He could acknowledge Xu Jiahao as his godfather right now.

Xu Jiahao was truly formidable.

Chi Ning understood as well and let out a breath.

Shen Zongze would definitely take his anger out on Jiang Shijie. The Chi family had gained a huge advantage for free.

11:43 p.m.

Qin Heng got off work and looked at the person sprawled crookedly on the sofa, half-asleep. "Chi Ning?"

"Hm?" Chi Ning answered groggily, then said in a daze, "Brother Heng, didn't I tell you not to come pick me up?"

Qin Heng's breathing caught. "What did you call me?"

Chi Ning woke up abruptly.

This was not the research institute!

"It was nothing." Chi Ning brushed it off vaguely. After getting up and finishing a call with the realtor, he turned to Qin Heng. "Come on, let's go look at the place."

The young realtor had been worried about having no sales. The moment he heard there was money to be made, he hurried out from home, led the clients into the residential complex, and introduced the house.

"Our property isn't a new development. The owner went abroad and entrusted it fully to us. Since the house is large and only available for an annual lease, no one has rented it for nearly a year."

Chi Ning responded casually and looked toward the house, where the lights had already been turned on.

It was a two-story townhouse duplex, with two units in each building. Size-wise, it was perfect for conducting experiments. The refrigerator and appliances were all there. The living room had no sofa or television, making it spacious and open—ideal for setting up experimental equipment.

The only thing left in the entire hall was an ornament on the shoe cabinet by the entrance.

He was too sleepy. After putting on the shoe covers, he lost his balance as he stood up and tilted toward the shoe cabinet. When he braced himself with one hand, the ceramic ornament on top of the cabinet fell.

The realtor was standing too far away and had no time to rush over.

Qin Heng's heart tightened. By reflex, he reached out, caught Chi Ning around the waist, and took a step back.

Even through the thin shirt, he could tell how slender that waist was.

Leaning in Qin Heng's arm, Chi Ning pressed his fingers against the suddenly taut muscles in his arm and heard a brief, steady warning:

"Careful."

Chapter 15

Crash. The ornament fell to the floor and shattered.

The realtor hurried over. He wanted to check on the client, but once he got close, he felt like he was intruding. He could only squat down and gather the shattered ceramic pieces.

The shards were sharp. Qin Heng tightened his hold around Chi Ning's fingers, easily pinching the soft flesh as he led the seemingly stunned Chi Ning another step back.

The broken ceramic was so sharp. What if he got hurt?

Chi Ning wanted to speak but hesitated, feeling as though he was about to melt beneath Qin Heng's scorching palm.

What was going on? Why was Qin Heng's hand so hot?

Could he be overheated?

For a moment, the air fell quiet, leaving only the crisp clinking of the realtor gathering the shards.

The realtor was panicking, terrified that his sale would shatter together with the ornament.

Chi Ning had come to look for a place during the day. Although the realtor had thought the young man looked familiar, he had still refused him on the grounds that minors could not rent a house.

Only after returning to the sales office did he remember that this was Second Young Master Chi, who had appeared in Yangcheng gossip tabloids some time ago. There was no way he could not afford rent, and the realtor instantly regretted it.

He had thought he had missed his chance, but in the middle of the night, Second Young Master Chi had directly brought along an adult. That was enough to show his determination to rent a place.

In the realtor's mind, a script gradually took shape: the young master spending lavishly to elope with his lover. By the time he finished cleaning up the mess on the floor, the story had already progressed to the young couple making wild love in the villa, oblivious to the world around them.

"Mr. Chi, I'm terribly sorry. Do you still want this house?"

"Doo-doo-doo!"

The realtor's business and the phone both rang at the same time.

Chi Ning jumped and hurriedly slipped out of Qin Heng's protective hold, answering the call. "Hello?"

Qin Heng rubbed his fingertips together, then curled them into a fist and shoved it into his pocket.

The realtor inwardly went, Oh-ho.

He thought, Feels good, huh? Couldn't bear to lose that feeling, so you clenched your hand to keep it?

Chi Ning understood the realtor's teasing. The warmth at his waist instantly spread through his body. He did not hear what the person on the phone said at all and reflexively blurted out, "Huh?"

Chi Baichuan: ...

"Dad was asking why you still aren't home. It's almost one in the morning. Isn't that dangerous?"

Chi Ning said, "Oh?" This was the most intimate physical contact he had experienced across both his lives.

His mind was lagging, and he felt a little guilty. "I-I'm on my way home."

Chi Baichuan: Was his son's father really that easy to fool?

What road was so quiet that there was not even a single sound of traffic?

He probed, "Where did you go today? You've been out playing for so long."

"I was playing pool at the billiards hall." Under the realtor's increasingly amused gaze, Chi Ning stammered, "I-I'll be back soon. I'm hanging up. Bye, Dad."

Chi Baichuan was surprised. "What billiards hall is still open at this hour—"

Beep, beep, beep...

The call ended. More than half of Chi Baichuan's drowsiness vanished as he looked at the empty house, and sorrow suddenly welled up inside him.

His eldest son was outside putting on an act for the family business. They had just had a huge fight today, and he had deliberately driven him out of the house. His younger son had suddenly become lively and was having so much fun he had forgotten to come home. His beautiful wife's career ambitions were blazing brightly as she worked hard overseas, leaving him alone to guard an empty room.

Lonely.

After hanging up, Chi Ning let out a long breath. "Bring me the contract. I'll take this place."

The realtor beamed with delight, just about to reach for a pen when he was stopped.

Qin Heng said, "Let's inspect it more carefully."

Chi Ning was confused. "Inspect what? Isn't it pretty good?"

Qin Heng sighed, led Chi Ning around the place from top to bottom, then said to the realtor:

"The water heater hasn't been used in a long time, has it? The water pressure is a little low. Replace it."

"There's a problem with the gas stove ignition. Did you even inspect it?"

"The bathroom drainage is poor. Were the floor tiles repaired? There's a problem with the waterproofing. Why didn't you mention it just now? What, did you think I was easy to deal with?"

"You're trying to fool me?"

"The washing machine wiring was resoldered, right? You expect us to use a washing machine that could break down at any moment?"

Qin Heng checked the wiring and lights too, finding several small bulbs that did not work. "Replace everything before we sign the contract. The annual rent is expensive, and your agency commission is already high enough. I don't need to spell it out for you, do I?"

The realtor had not expected to run into such a tough customer.

Realtors usually hid these problems whenever they could. After all, few people could spot them, and any little advantage was still an advantage.

Who could have expected...

Qin Heng carried a fierceness that did not match his age. The realtor dared to fool Second Young Master Chi, who looked easy to deceive, but he did not dare to fool Qin Heng.

"I'll get everything replaced as soon as possible. Leave me a number, and come back the day after tomorrow for the inspection." The realtor did not even dare ask Chi Ning for a deposit, politely seeing them both out of the complex.

Chi Ning was dumbfounded. Even after getting into the taxi, he kept staring at Qin Heng.

Qin Heng had been acting all day and was a little tired. Now he lounged against the back seat of the taxi, tilted his head, and gave a low chuckle. "What are you looking at? Is this the first time you've met me?"

In private, he was this calculating, never willing to suffer a loss. Not only did he have a bad temper and hold grudges, he was also extremely practiced at fighting, brawling, and threatening people.

"Do you regret it?" Qin Heng asked softly.

Did he regret saving him?

Did he regret suggesting they rent a place?

Did he regret knowing him?

Chi Ning said, "Hm?"

The topic had jumped too abruptly into something emotional, and he could not quite keep up.

But Qin Heng was so guarded around others. He must have suffered many losses and endured much hardship when he was young.

Chi Ning said softly, "Things must have been difficult for you all these years, right? When you were younger, did a lot of people bully you because of your age, take advantage of you, even scam you out of money? Being more cautious is a good thing. This is good. It means you won't be easily deceived."

Qin Heng froze.