Ji Yanzhi's need for control

Ji Yanzhi forcibly sent the ashen-faced Dai Xiangqiang away, then spent over an hour on the phone outside before coming back.

He had planned to go straight to his study, but as he passed the living room, he spotted Ji Ting sitting on the sofa.

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you." Ji Ting stood, his expression flat. "I don't accept your proposal. I'm not continuing the tutoring sessions."

"You're not?" Ji Yanzhi sneered. "Then give me back the bank card."

Ji Ting froze for a moment. "You gave me that to apologize. How can you go back on your word?"

"Apologize? I never said that." Ji Yanzhi looked away, his tone casual. "Anyway, that money was for your tutoring. If you're not taking the lessons, you have to give it back."

Ji Ting's chest rose sharply, and both his pale hands clenched into fists.

He had already spent everything on the card Ji Yanzhi had given him, along with the original owner's money, on equipment. If he had to return it now, he really couldn't come up with it anytime soon.

Ji Yanzhi was such a, such a...

Ji Ting struggled for ages without coming up with anything. Finally, he gave Ji Yanzhi a serious look. I'm never telling him another joke again.

Well, thank you for that. Ji Yanzhi scoffed inwardly. What lousy jokes. And he treats them like treasures.

"If you insist on tutoring, then have Xu Ren come back." With that, Ji Ting turned toward the stairs.

"Xu Ren?"

"Yes, the physics tutor."

Remembering how Xu Ren had asked for a phone number before, Ji Yanzhi grew suspicious. "Why him in particu-"

Before he could finish, the phone in his hand suddenly vibrated.

Ji Yanzhi glanced down at the screen and said coldly, "All right. Go back to your room."

Ji Ting watched him answer the call and head toward the study. As the door closed, he faintly heard Dai Xiangqiang's name.

Ji Ting's brow shifted as he recalled the clues he had noticed earlier.

He returned to his room and switched on his computer to confirm his suspicions.

If the current timeline corresponded to somewhere in the thirties of the original novel's chapters, Dai Xiangqiang's falsified data shouldn't have been exposed for at least another six months.

The original novel had only mentioned the incident in two sentences. At the time, Ji Yanzhi had been with the bottom protagonist when his secretary called to say that a chief scientist had discovered falsified experimental data for a chip that was already set to go into production.

That fuse had been laid long ago as part of a deliberate scheme against Ji Yanzhi. So why had Dai Xiangqiang slipped up ahead of time today?

Ji Ting lowered his eyes from the screen. First Ji Liping, and now Dai Xiangqiang-Ji Yanzhi's handling of both major incidents had differed drastically from the original novel.

Could it be... that some unknown variable had appeared around Ji Yanzhi?

A shadow passed through Ji Ting's eyes. Although he had no idea what that variable might be yet, since the butterfly effect had already begun, he would have to prepare contingency plans for certain things.

The light in the study stayed on late into the night.

After reading the last document, Ji Yanzhi took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his emotions.

Perhaps Dai Xiangqiang himself hadn't expected to be exposed so soon. He hadn't covered up a great many things properly, and Ji Yanzhi's people found something every time they looked.

It turned out Dai Xiangqiang had been working for that wonderful father of his even before joining the group. No wonder Ji Ting had known about their plot in advance.

Even after discovering the truth, Ji Yanzhi felt neither anger nor sadness. He merely found it laughable-his wonderful father had schemed so painstakingly, only to come to grief where he least expected it.

Yet when he thought of Ji Ting, a trace of something complicated stirred within him.

Ji Ting had wanted to warn him. Worried that he wouldn't believe him, Ji Ting had even used his own clumsy methods to lead Dai Xiangqiang into exposing himself.

Perhaps... perhaps Ji Ting wasn't so bad by nature. He had simply been taught the wrong things since childhood.

Ji Yanzhi nodded decisively. If that was the case, there was still time for him to change.

The following afternoon, the butler gently knocked on Ji Ting's door.

"Second young master, Mr. Xu is here."

There was silence inside for a few seconds. "Come in."

The butler opened the door, gestured for Xu Ren to enter, then withdrew and closed it behind him.

This time, Xu Ren showed none of his previous nervousness. Gripping the strap of the bag on his shoulder, he followed the clacking of a keyboard and hurried toward the small sitting room.

"Ji Ting!"

Sunlight from the window fell perfectly across the back of the young man's neck, lending his pale skin a lustrous glow. A face even more beautiful than Xu Ren remembered lifted toward him. It should have been a breathtaking sight, yet Ji Ting's expression held a particular cool serenity, as though all the world's clamor came to a halt here.

"You're here." Ji Ting glanced beside him. "Sit."

Xu Ren abruptly came back to his senses, his face inexplicably warming. "Oh, okay."

He took off his bag, and the moment he touched the chair, he blurted out eagerly, "Ji Ting, I've found the most suitable probe material for my experiment."

Seeing the excitement shining in his eyes, Ji Ting still spoke mildly. "What is it?"

"Single-walled carbon nanotubes!" After answering, Xu Ren grew a little tentative. "Is that the right answer?"

This time, a hint of a smile finally touched Ji Ting's lips. "Correct."

Xu Ren sprang out of his chair, clenched his fists, and let out a whoop. Even his neck flushed red.

Once he finished whooping, he turned back and reached for Ji Ting's hand. "Thank you, thank you! If it weren't for you, I'd still be going around in circles in that same dead end!"

"I only pointed you in a direction," Ji Ting said calmly. "You did the work yourself."

Xu Ren had found the answer among thousands of materials in just one short week. That took not only hard work, but considerable talent.

As his excitement gradually subsided, Xu Ren sat back down and pressed his lips together. "Um, there's something I've been wanting to ask..."

"You want to know why my older brother still hired you to tutor me when I'm capable of guiding you, right?"

Xu Ren blinked, then nodded rapidly.

What could Ji Ting say? He certainly couldn't say Ji Yanzhi had a compulsive need for control. "My family's situation is rather complicated. From now on, just work on your own things whenever you come into this room. Whatever I'm doing, pretend you haven't seen it."

Xu Ren frowned hesitantly. "But your guardian paid me double the tutoring fee this time. I'd really feel bad taking the money if I didn't teach you."

Ji Ting thought for a moment. "Then, once your research produces results, give the Shili Group first consideration when you sell the technology."

"No, no, no-" Xu Ren suddenly waved his hands vigorously, then said with complete sincerity, "You're the one who started this. How could the patent belong entirely to me?"

Somewhat surprised, Ji Ting stared at him for a long moment. "There's no direct evidence proving I took part in this experiment. As long as you don't acknowledge it, you can keep a substantial sum in patent royalties all to yourself."

Xu Ren shook his head firmly. "If I need money, I'll work hard to earn it. I won't do something like that."

This time, Ji Ting remained silent for a long time. When he spoke again, a faint glimmer had appeared in his eyes. "Xu Ren, do you want to know what material is better than single-walled carbon nanotubes?"