Xu Ren arrived at ten sharp. As soon as he entered, he discovered that the Ji Family had quite a few visitors that day.
The butler led him into Ji Ting's room, then hurried downstairs again.
"Teacher Ji, I saw a lot of people when I came in." He took off his backpack as he spoke. "Is something happening at your house today?"
Ji Ting was dismantling a component. "The central control system in my eldest brother's room broke. He called in some technicians to repair it," he said evenly.
Xu Ren scratched his head in confusion. "Does fixing a central control system take that many people? There are seven or eight of them downstairs."
"Because I was the one who broke it."
"Oh..." Well, that explained it, Xu Ren thought.
The two of them kept up appearances in the room for a while, then sneaked over to the game room in the west building.
As they entered the elevator, Xu Ren faintly heard the programmers on the second floor talking.
"I just ran several scans at the highest level. No viral code detected."
"Strange. I checked the program logs too, and there aren't any bugs..."
The elevator doors slowly closed. Xu Ren pressed his lips together and stole a glance at Ji Ting.
Wow, Mr. Ji really was amazing!
Once they reached the game room, Xu Ren rolled up his sleeves and got to work, moving much more confidently through the steps than he had the day before.
Seeing how diligently he worked, Ji Ting asked, "How's your thesis coming along?"
"I've sent my adviser the first draft, but he's probably been busy these past few days, so he hasn't replied yet." Xu Ren gave an earnest smile. "I'm not in a hurry, though. It gives me time to add some more experimental data."
Ji Ting nodded slightly. "I suggest you start organizing your materials now and apply for a patent after the New Year. It'll give you something else to put on your résumé."
"Okay. I'll organize everything when I get back."
After their conversation, they each got on with their own work.
Once Xu Ren finished assembling a computer case, he wiped away his sweat and went to the table for some water, only to find Ji Ting staring intently at the screen.
He leaned over for a curious peek, then gave a violent start.
That Mr. Ji's face filled the screen. The photograph had been enlarged so much that the ferocity in his features was unmistakable.
Stranger still, Mr. Ji was frowning slightly, moving his cursor back and forth between anger and disgust among the four options below, as though tackling the hardest question of the century.
Xu Ren swallowed, leaned closer, and stammered, "Mr. Ji, are you... are you studying your eldest brother?"
Ji Ting considered this for a moment. "You could say that. Tasmanian Devil One took a few pictures yesterday, so I'm using them for socialization training."
"Tasmanian Devil... One?"
Ji Ting pointed at the disc Ji Yanzhi had been determined to find even if he had to dig up every inch of the place. "Its full name is Research Unit One for Collecting Tasmanian Devil Facial Expressions and Emotional Changes."
He felt that this method of collection was more convenient than interacting with Ji Yanzhi face-to-face, and it yielded more samples too. There was one regrettable point, however: the emotions it captured were rather monotonous. The man was almost always angry.
With a soft click, Ji Ting selected [Anger], then looked up. "That's the right answer, isn't it?"
Xu Ren opened and closed his mouth a few times. "...I can practically see the murderous intent. It should be right."
After lunch, Xu Ren received an unexpected message asking him to return to the university lab.
"I'll walk you out." Ji Ting had been sitting all morning, so it was a good chance to stretch his legs.
They left the main building. Just as they were approaching the estate gates, they suddenly heard shouting.
"Fuck, just let me in! I really am Ji Ting's friend!"
"...You're just a fucking guard dog! Who the hell do you think you are?"
Taken aback by the stream of profanity, Xu Ren looked at Ji Ting.
Ji Ting's expression remained as calm as ever. "Xu Ren, go on ahead."
"Okay."
With the tutor leaving, the bodyguard at the entrance had no choice but to open the gates.
The man outside darted his eyes around and tried to slip through the gap, only for the bodyguard to seize him by the back of his collar.
He immediately began struggling, shouting and swearing. "Fuck, let go of me! Do you have any fucking idea who I am?!"
"Xu Tianhao."
Xu Tianhao froze at the voice. Then the bodyguard unexpectedly released him, nearly sending him sprawling flat on his face.
The bodyguard bowed slightly. "Second Young Master."
"Sorry. I'll handle this," Ji Ting said.
"Yes, sir."
Xu Tianhao scrambled awkwardly up from the ground, still cursing under his breath. After brushing the dust off his clothes, he turned his anger on Ji Ting. "What the hell is wrong with you? You don't answer your phone or reply on WeChat. I thought you were dead!"
"I'll be taking lessons at home from now on, so I won't be going out anymore. Don't come here again either." Having said this indifferently, Ji Ting turned to go back inside.
Xu Tianhao's eyes widened, and he grabbed Ji Ting's arm. "What did you say? Tutoring? Fuck, don't make me laugh."
Ji Ting intensely disliked this kind of physical contact. He forcefully pulled his arm free. "Please let the others know too. I won't be joining any of your social activities from now on."
The original owner's disreputable friends were a problem left over from the past. He had thought cutting off contact would take care of it, but he hadn't expected one of them to show up at his gate.
"Why are you talking so weird..." Xu Tianhao suddenly leaned his face closer. "Did your brother beat your brains out?"
Ji Ting frowned and stepped back. "I've said everything I needed to say. Please leave."
"Ha." Xu Tianhao gave a mirthless sneer. "Fine. If you're not interested, I'm not going to keep kissing your ass. But let me warn you: Zhang Xu and the others are all there today. If they get wasted and take turns showing up at your gate, don't say I didn't warn you."
Ji Ting was silent for a few seconds. "They're all there?"
"Of course. You're the only one missing."
That made it a perfect chance to tell them all in person, once and for all, and prevent any future trouble. Having made his decision, Ji Ting said, "I'll go with you."
"Now that's more like it. See, you..." Smiling, Xu Tianhao reached over to sling an arm around his neck, but Ji Ting dodged him.
He paused in surprise. Ji Ting turned away impassively. "Let's go."
Xu Tianhao curled his lip in displeasure. They had even prepared a surprise for him, and here he was acting like he'd taken the wrong medication.
Over an hour later, Ji Ting's car followed Xu Tianhao's to a stop outside a club.
Xu Tianhao got out, tossed his keys to the valet, and waved at Ji Ting. "Come on. The guys are waiting upstairs."
They went upstairs together. Just as they were about to enter the private room, Ji Ting said, "I need to use the restroom."
Xu Tianhao beckoned a server over, then pointed at the sign on the door. "Nightmare. Don't go to the wrong room when you come back."
"Mm."
Once Ji Ting had walked away, Xu Tianhao's expression changed. He pushed the door open in excitement. "Well? Is everything ready?"
"Don't worry. I arranged it with the manager yesterday."
"Damn, does that server really look that much like Ling Xi?"
The brown-haired man laughed. "More than just a resemblance. I was shocked when I saw them that day. If the names weren't different, I'd have thought they were the same person."
"Well, well. Our Second Young Master Ji is going to be absolutely thrilled."
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