Who was being the most difficult?

"Heh." Ji Yanzhi's lips twisted unnaturally. "He'd love to ask me for help, but do you think he'd dare step through Shili's doors?"

Ji Ting saw right through him: Ji Yanzhi was being difficult again.

The tips of Ji Yanzhi's ears suddenly burned. He was just about to snap at him when Ji Ting said calmly, "I guessed you wouldn't agree, so I asked Xu Ren. He said he could try making the monitoring software."

"Xu Ren?" Ji Yanzhi frowned, then his expression turned cold. "He can't work for Lu Yanchu without my permission."

Ji Ting looked puzzled. "Why?"

"Xu Ren started working with me first. We haven't officially signed a contract yet, but we've already established an employment relationship." Ji Yanzhi folded his arms and tipped his chin up slightly. "In other words, I'm his boss now. Naturally, he needs my approval."

A sense of helplessness rose in Ji Ting. His lips had barely parted when his stomach let out a long gurgle.

He glanced down, but Ji Yanzhi gave a mocking laugh. "What, you spent all that time with Lu Yanchu and didn't even get a meal out of him?"

"I..."

Before he could finish, Ji Yanzhi got up from the sofa. "Enough. Let's eat."

They went to the dining room one after the other. Before the food arrived, Ji Ting took a moment to check his phone.

Lu Yanchu: [Ji Ting, are you home yet?]

Ji Ting replied with a yes, left the chat, and sent Xu Ren a message on WeChat: [Xu Ren, are you in the lab?]

Xu Ren replied in under thirty seconds: [Teacher Ji, I'm sending my advisor the experimental materials!]

Ji Ting typed a few words, then thought better of it and deleted them. This wasn't something he could explain in a couple of sentences. He would leave it until later.

Ji Ting: [If you're free, I'll call you in half an hour.]

Xu Ren replied with an okay, along with a happy sticker of someone cupping their face.

"Are you tipping Lu Yanchu off?" Ji Yanzhi asked abruptly.

Ji Ting looked up and answered honestly, "No. He just asked whether I was home."

Ji Yanzhi gave a snort, his expression somewhere between a smile and a sneer. "I warned you before. Lu Yanchu might look like a perfect gentleman, but he's full of sneaky schemes. Don't let a couple of smiles get you running yourself ragged for him."

Ji Ting's brows shifted slightly. Out of simple curiosity, he asked, "Do you say that because he's gotten the better of you before?"

"Lu Yanchu, get the better of me?" Ji Yanzhi's voice rose. "As if! Does he even have the brains for that?"

Ji Ting nodded silently: So he has. No wonder Ji Yanzhi wants to get him back.

The instant that thought formed, Ji Ting froze. Even whatever Ji Yanzhi said next became a blur.

Just now... he had actually recognized that someone meant the opposite of what they said.

Without a moment's hesitation, without having to analyze the context, entirely on instinct.

Ji Ting raised his head stiffly and looked at Ji Yanzhi in a daze. Could he really be the reason I'm able to become a normal person?

Ji Yanzhi, who had still been lashing out in embarrassment, suddenly fell silent. His thin lips parted slightly, and clear confusion showed in his furrowed brows.

What did that mean? What did he mean, become a normal person?

Had Ji Ting thought he wasn't normal before?

Both of them sank into deep confusion. Just then, the butler approached the table. "Young Master, may we serve the food now?"

Ji Yanzhi came back to himself, though his brows remained furrowed. "Yes."

He glanced at Ji Ting and found him still staring into space, seemingly trapped in that question from a moment ago.

Ji Yanzhi lowered his gaze and chose not to speak.

By the time they finished eating, Ji Ting had long since returned to his usual self.

When Ji Yanzhi put down his chopsticks, he said, "Tomorrow's the weekend. Lu Yanchu is meeting Xu Ren. Do you want to go?"

Ji Yanzhi's expression tightened. "Did everything I said go in one ear and out the other?"

"That's why I'm asking you. If you go, Lu Yanchu can ask for your help in person." Ji Ting seemed to have found a way to communicate with him.

Ji Yanzhi said nothing. He got up and left the table, only tossing out a cold reply when he was nearly out of the room. "Depends on my mood."

If I didn't want to root out that spy, I couldn't care less what happened to Lu Yanchu.

Ji Ting knew that most likely meant yes, so he called Xu Ren first once he returned to his room.

When Xu Ren first heard that the monitoring program would be credited to him, he felt a little guilty and undeserving, but agreed at once.

Then he heard it was being made for Lu Yanchu, and his brain promptly crashed. "Who? W-who? Lu-Lu Yanchu? You mean the famous actor, Lu Yanchu?"

"Yes."

Xu Ren swallowed hard several times. "Teacher Ji, how do you know him too?"

Ji Ting thought for a moment, then chose the most concise explanation. "Lu Yanchu and my older brother are romantic rivals. We already knew each other."

"Huh-??"

Having given him some advance warning, Ji Ting continued calmly, "So if either of them acts strangely tomorrow, just pretend you didn't notice. All you need to do is play the part of my friend."

Xu Ren was already getting nervous. "I-I'll do my best."

"Okay. Sorry for the trouble."

After ending the call with Xu Ren, he opened his chat with Lu Yanchu.

Not long after he sent the message, Lu Yanchu suddenly called him.

"Hello."

"Ji Ting, I read your message." Lu Yanchu paused briefly, his voice a little subdued. "Ji Yanzhi must have given you a hard time because of me, right? I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

He could tell from the message alone that Ji Ting had been left with no choice. Otherwise, with his current personality, he certainly wouldn't have complicated matters by involving Ji Yanzhi.

Ji Ting didn't mind any of that. He simply said, "Then when you two meet tomorrow, you..."

"Don't worry." Lu Yanchu chuckled. "If I'm asking for a favor, I should act like it. Even if it's only for your sake, I'll accommodate Ji Yanzhi."

There was something odd about the undertone of those words, but Ji Ting couldn't pick up on it. "Okay. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow. Good night."

With the three of them all informed, only Ji Yanzhi remained.

Ji Ting sat quietly in his chair and thought for a minute, then abandoned the idea of going downstairs to find him.

At ten the next morning, Lu Yanchu sent him a location. It was a private club called Chantilly.

Ji Ting took his phone downstairs and stopped outside Ji Yanzhi's bedroom.

He knocked twice. It took quite a while before the door opened.

Ji Yanzhi stood in the doorway. He knew perfectly well why Ji Ting had come, but still said expressionlessly, "Whatever it is, make it quick."

Ji Ting carefully studied his face before asking, "Are you in a good mood today?"

Ji Yanzhi turned his face slightly aside and gave a quiet huff. "Good enough."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Ting raised his wrist to check his watch. "It's 10:13 now."

As he spoke, he lifted his gaze to Ji Yanzhi. "We still have to pick Xu Ren up from campus, so we need to leave early. You have fifteen minutes to get changed. I'll wait downstairs."

Ji Yanzhi: "..."