Wait, who did you say was reborn?

Jiang Ze only slowly released his bite when he tasted a faint trace of iron in his mouth. He lightly licked that small patch of skin, then heard the man give a muffled groan above him.

He quickly got up and moved out of the man's arms. His cheeks were slightly flushed, but he looked much calmer than before.

Please, I've made progress too, okay!

Seeing the odd look on the man's face, Jiang Ze cleared his throat, turned, and made his escape.

"I'm going to the restroom!"

Before Meng Zhiyuan could say anything, the kid had already bolted out of the private room as though fleeing for his life.

Was he really that scary?

Just outside the door, Jiang Ze ran into Mu Shaoxuan, who was returning with two bottles of fine champagne.

"Little Ze, what are you..."

"Uncle Shaoxuan, where's the restroom in this bar?"

Seeing his relaxed expression and the complete disappearance of the gloom between his brows, Mu Shaoxuan knew the two had made up.

He couldn't help feeling impressed. Old man Meng Zhiyuan might wear a cold expression all day, but when it really mattered, he certainly knew how to sweet-talk someone!

"Go to the end, turn left, then left again."

Jiang Ze nodded. Seeing him still staring, he hurried away.

He followed the bar's corridor to the end and rounded two corners before spotting the restroom. He was just about to step inside when he heard some rather explicit noises coming from within.

"Baby, you look so innocent. Who knew you were this wild..."

Jiang Ze was speechless. Sure, he knew this sort of thing was common in bars, but seriously, did they have no manners?

Just as he was about to leave, the man's voice suddenly grew louder. Listening closely, he detected a hint of a foreign accent.

"No way. What are the odds? Why does that sound a little like Daniel?"

As the noises inside grew increasingly explicit, with no sign of stopping, he frowned and knocked hard on the restroom door.

"Oh, Tan Ya, someone's here... Don't do this here..."

A soft male voice followed Daniel's.

Jiang Ze froze at the sound, startled.

Well, damn. Isn't that Shen Yun's voice? These two have already hooked up?

Jiang Ze had only intended to knock a couple of times as a warning and leave, but he stopped in his tracks and began shamelessly eavesdropping.

"Baby, weren't you so eager just now? Why are you getting shy?"

Daniel's speech was slurred. He seemed to have drunk quite a lot and could barely get his words out clearly.

Shen Yun deliberately lowered his voice, drawing out the ends of his words as though he knew exactly how to make himself more seductive.

With just a few words, he had the man wrapped around his finger.

Listening at the door, Jiang Ze marveled at his technique. No wonder he was the bottom protagonist.

"Tan Ya, go wait for me in the private room. I'll come find you in a bit~"

After Shen Yun said that, Jiang Ze heard another burst of suggestive panting. Before long, someone emerged from the restroom.

He quickly slipped into a nearby blind spot. Only after Daniel had left did he step inside.

"Host, I have to say, you seem to be getting kind of sleazy~"

"What do you know?"

He waved the phone in his hand, a trace of a smile on his face.

Who knew a trip to the restroom would yield something useful?

As he entered, he happened to catch Shen Yun coming out, and they met face-to-face.

"Why is it you again?!"

Shen Yun seemed astonished to see him, his brows tightly furrowed. Makeup adorned his handsome face, lending him an alluring beauty he didn't usually possess.

"Jiang Ze, you just won't stop haunting me, will you?"

Jiang Ze rolled his eyes. That was exactly what he wanted to say.

"Shen Yun, aren't you afraid Meng Zimu will find out you're doing this with another man?"

Jiang Ze couldn't understand why he would hook up with Daniel instead of seducing the perfectly good top protagonist right there.

Shen Yun gave what sounded like a disdainful laugh and glanced at him, his tone contemptuous.

"Jiang Ze, you're still pining after Meng Zimu? Too bad he likes me. Even if you crawl up to him like a lapdog, he won't spare you a glance. Oh, right..."

He suddenly paused, as though something had occurred to him, and a malicious look appeared on his face.

"So, how does that old man taste? What's it like being sold off by your own father?"

Jiang Ze's brows drew together slightly, his voice turning cold. "You were behind what happened that time?"

"No, no, no. How could I have done it all by myself? Your darling Zimu was more than happy to see it happen too."

Wonderful. They really are a scumbag top and a nasty bottom.

"Jiang Ze, so what if you've latched onto Meng Zhiyuan? Whether the Meng Group can stay standing is still anyone's guess! Even if you were reborn too, you couldn't beat me in your last life, and you won't in this one!"

Shen Yun seemed somewhat agitated. He shut his mouth after that and gave a cold snort, then turned and left as though he couldn't bear to look at Jiang Ze any longer.

Jiang Ze remained rooted to the spot for a moment, rapidly interrogating the system in his mind.

"System, did you hear that? What does he mean, reborn? That wasn't in the book!"

The system started playing dead again, but this time Jiang Ze had no intention of letting it off. Judging by its attitude, it had probably known about this for ages.

"Great. Looks like you don't want to tell me either. Fine, let's both give up. Whoever wants this stupid mission can do it!"

"No, no, no, Host, I'm here! Boo-hoo, I only just got the news too. Because this world's order is in disarray, some bugs have appeared. It might, perhaps, possibly have... a few tiny differences from the original plot~"

"You call this a tiny difference?! The protagonist was reborn!"

Jiang Ze was so furious it hurt. If the system had a physical body, he would have dragged it out and beaten it senseless. Nothing less would soothe his anger.

"So what are we supposed to do now?"

It was like having an incredible cheat, only to be told halfway through that it was defective.

"Don't worry, Host. You still have me! And the Exchange Interface! You both know the plot, but he doesn't have this system! So you're still one step ahead of him!"

Knowing he couldn't count on this unreliable system, Jiang Ze thought back to all those plot events that had inexplicably happened ahead of schedule. At last, he understood what had been bothering him.

Since Shen Yun had been reborn and had just claimed Jiang Ze was reborn too, Jiang Ze's changes to the original owner's fate from the previous life had probably aroused his suspicions.

"From what he just said, he probably doesn't know I've already stopped Meng Zhiyuan from working with Daniel's family."

Jiang Ze's head ached. Now that he knew Shen Yun had been reborn, many future events were riddled with uncertainty. Changing the plot's major turning points would only become even harder.

When he returned to the private room, his thoroughly aggrieved expression left both men inside puzzled.

"What's wrong, Little Ze? Don't tell me someone bullied you while you were in the restroom. Tell me, and I'll go make them pay!"

Jiang Ze shook his head and sighed, saying only, "Uncle Zhiyuan... I'm a little sleepy. Let's go home."

Seeing that he really did look tired, Meng Zhiyuan frowned but asked no further questions. He rose, said goodbye to Mu Shaoxuan, and took Jiang Ze out of the bar.

It was nearly midnight on the drive home. As Meng Zhiyuan drove, he caught sight of the young man asleep in the passenger seat, his head tilted to one side.

He couldn't help slowing down. What should have been an hour's drive ended up taking an hour and a half.

"Mm... Are we home?"

Jiang Ze woke groggily. Seeing that he was apparently still in the car, he wondered how long the man had been waiting in the garage.

"Why didn't you wake me up again?"

A little embarrassed, he was about to sit up when he realized the man's coat was draped over him. It seemed to carry a trace of that familiar sandalwood scent, and warmth welled up in his heart.

Once back in his bedroom, he folded the man's coat neatly, then took out his phone and began fiddling with it.

"Host, what are you doing?"

Jiang Ze's lips curled, his face full of triumphant delight.

"Since Shen Yun made me miserable, why should I let him enjoy himself? I wasn't idle while I was eavesdropping. I took photos and recorded the audio. What do you think will happen if I send them anonymously to Meng Zimu?"

With that sinister grin on his face, Jiang Ze looked every bit the archvillain.

The system said, "Host, you're looking more and more like a villain~"

"This is called strategy, understand?"

Looking thoroughly disappointed in the system's failure to grasp that, Jiang Ze sent the messages, then happily went off to shower.