Sun Yushan froze at Yan Jinyue's words, then shouted, "That's impossible!"
"As the Yan Family's eldest son, how could you possibly invite him?"
Yan Jinyue turned his gaze toward Ji Hanxing. "Hanxing is a talented young man in City A, and a friend I respect and appreciate. He deserves it."
Ji Hanxing tugged at the corner of his mouth and rubbed his slightly burning ears. He looked away to hide it, his gaze falling on Sun Yushan. Frowning, Ji Hanxing walked up to Sun Yushan and said with certainty, "You're just jealous."
Jealous of the original owner's strong self-control and emotional stability. The original owner had been clearheaded and rational. He knew what he wanted, went his own way, and kept moving toward where he wanted to go. Through his abilities, he had proved that his path was right, even if he didn't fit in.
Sun Yushan laughed in disbelief. "I'm jealous of you?"
"What do you have that's worth being jealous of?"
"You're just a pathetic wretch neither of your parents wanted! A burden!"
"Right, you don't understand those rules. I get it now. No one taught you! Your dad ran off with his mistress and wouldn't even bother with you!"
Sun Yuqiong's expression changed drastically. "Sun Yushan! Have you lost your mind?"
She immediately signaled, and several security guards came in from outside. They were people Sun Yuqiong had brought, and she ordered them to restrain Sun Yushan at once.
"President Yan, President Ji, there may be something wrong with him mentally. I'll take him away immediately and send him to South Africa in the next few days. I'll honor everything we agreed on earlier!"
After saying that, Sun Yuqiong hurried away with her people, as though afraid Ji Hanxing would change his mind.
Ji Hanxing had no time to concern himself with them. He stared blankly at his own chest. Sun Yushan's words had just sent a sharp stab of pain through it. Ji Hanxing unconsciously pressed a hand to his chest. He had already merged with the original owner's memories, and he knew that what Sun Yushan had just said touched the scar the original owner least wanted to remember, his forbidden sore spot that no one had touched.
Ji Hanxing closed his eyes. Having been an orphan from birth, he didn't care about this, but with the original owner's memories merged into his own, he still felt the sharp pain of someone prodding an old wound.
He recalled what the system had once said: the domineering CEO male lead in a romance novel needed emotional trauma, waiting for the female lead to heal him psychologically. Ji Hanxing only found it absurd. How could romantic love make up for what was missing in familial love?
It couldn't make up for it at all. They were merely puppets required by the plot. All they wanted was an equation that could keep the plot going.
"Hanxing, how are you feeling?"
A trace of worry flashed through Yan Jinyue's eyes. In that instant, he saw a vulnerability he had never seen in Ji Hanxing before. He wanted to reach out and steady him, but just as he was about to touch Ji Hanxing, Yan Jinyue stopped his hand.
Yan Jinyue had also understood Sun Yushan's words, and suddenly recalled the information he had previously looked up about Ji Hanxing. He finally understood why Ji Hanxing hadn't attended banquets before, and why he had seemed unfamiliar with things after attending today.
Yan Jinyue imagined a whole story about a pitiful young man who had been bullied, rejected social interaction, and been forced into social anxiety. Attending for the first time today, he had struggled to adjust, which explained all his nervous behavior. Yet he hadn't wanted anyone else to notice, so he had done everything he could to maintain his domineering CEO image.
Strong within yet hollow inside, a silver spear tip made of pewter.
Yan Jinyue had completed his logical loop. If Ji Hanxing knew, he would certainly remark, Making things up in your head is an illness.
Although the original owner had cared about that incident, he hadn't been that fragile. He had even set himself a clear goal at a very young age: since he couldn't rely on his parents, he would rely on himself, study hard, and support his grandfather.
Ji Hanxing felt that although he and the original owner seemed worlds apart in personality-one cold and one warm, one quiet and one lively-they were actually very alike deep down. Perhaps that was the connection between them.
Yan Jinyue withdrew his hand, thinking that Ji Hanxing probably didn't want anyone else to know what was on his mind right now.
Ji Hanxing waved a hand. "I'm fine."
He opened his eyes and saw the concern on Yan Jinyue's face. He froze for a moment, then grew amused. Why did it feel as though he and Yan Jinyue had really become friends?
The male lead and the villain had become friends. Oh, right, they had actually already slept together, though the system didn't know. But now that he and the villain were getting along so well, wouldn't the system explode with anger?
Oh no, my plotline!
Ji Hanxing hurriedly called to the system in his mind. "System! System! How's the plotline?"
[Huh?]
Summoned by Ji Hanxing, the system was completely bewildered. What had happened? It hadn't received any notifications.
Ji Hanxing asked tentatively, "The plotline hasn't collapsed on your end, has it?"
[No.] [Host, are you hiding something from this system?]
Ji Hanxing breathed a sigh of relief. As for the system's subsequent question, he played dumb. "No."
"Now that the villain considers me a friend, don't you have anything to say?"
The system replied, [Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you remain undefeated in every battle. There are plenty of male leads who become friends with the villain early on.]
[Even more people enjoy the drama of friends turning into enemies over love.]
Ji Hanxing had no reply to that.
Fine. The system hasn't even issued a warning, so what am I worrying about?
Just let things take their course. In any case, Ji Hanxing felt very comfortable spending time with Yan Jinyue. He was exactly his type.
In a burst of excitement, Ji Hanxing reached out and patted Yan Jinyue.
[Yan Jinyue really is exactly my type. Sigh, unfortunately, I can only look, not have a taste.]
[Still, feasting my eyes is nice too.]
Ji Hanxing's risqué thoughts drew a sideways glance from Yan Jinyue, who stared at him with dark eyes.
After what had happened that day, the banquet came to a hasty end. Yan Jinyue took Ji Hanxing to the hospital for a comprehensive examination. Director Xu was once again the one who received them.
Ji Hanxing felt very awkward upon seeing Director Xu. It hadn't even been half a month, and he had already seen the director three times.
Once the examination was finished and the expedited report came back, there were no other injuries. He only needed treatment for inflammation and bruising beneath the skin, along with one additional restriction: no spicy or irritating foods.
Ji Hanxing, however, felt that life held no joy anymore. He hadn't eaten his fill at the banquet, and now he had to restrict his diet. The system already watched him every day as he ate, counting his grains of rice. Life was dull.
Yan Jinyue saw that Ji Hanxing was listless after leaving the hospital.
Ji Hanxing was just about to get into his own car and go home when he heard Yan Jinyue say, "Hanxing, wait."
Ji Hanxing looked at Yan Jinyue curiously. Yan Jinyue signaled to Fu Fangxi to open the trunk, then took a small box out of it and handed it to Ji Hanxing.
"What's this?"
"A little cake. Take it home for a late-night snack."
Ji Hanxing looked up at the sky. The moon had already climbed to the middle of it. It was very late.
"Eating cake this late at night is too sinful."
Yan Jinyue looked Ji Hanxing up and down. He was as thin as a bamboo pole. "You're not fat."
Ji Hanxing rolled his eyes at Yan Jinyue. He didn't understand his sorrow.
While fighting Sun Yushan that day, Ji Hanxing had asked the system for help. And what had the system done? It had issued him a study task and arranged a domineering CEO fitness and combat skills course for him.
[Ding! A qualified domineering CEO must possess a strong body and eight-pack abs, in preparation for protecting and seducing the female lead. Course time limit: one month. Host, please study diligently and pass the system's assessment. Task completion reward: 5 life points.]
Ji Hanxing had been speechless upon hearing the task description. He could understand protecting the female lead. After all, based on his experience reading novels these past few days, a domineering CEO needed to be able to protect the female lead at all times, appear out of thin air when she needed him, and protect her when she encountered danger.
Great, so I have to learn lightness skills too? I'll practically need to teleport.
That wasn't even what Ji Hanxing most wanted to complain about. What he most wanted to complain about was the phrase "seducing the female lead."
*???*
So I'll have to sell my looks later too? My innocence!
Ji Hanxing shook his head sharply. No, no. I'm gay. How can I show some young woman my body? Wouldn't that be sexual harassment?
"Why are you shaking your head so much?"
"If you really don't want it, forget it."
Seeing Ji Hanxing shaking his head like that, Yan Jinyue reached out to steady him, afraid he would make himself dizzy.
Ji Hanxing grabbed the little cake box. "I suppose I'll reluctantly accept it."
[I'll consider it my last indulgence!]
A probing look appeared in Yan Jinyue's eyes. Eating cake, his last indulgence?
Indulging in what?
Ji Hanxing didn't care what Yan Jinyue was thinking. Holding the little cake, he waved at him. "Good night. Be careful on the road."
He had barely taken two steps with the cake before suddenly turning around and staring fixedly at Yan Jinyue, leaving him utterly confused.
"What is it?"
Ji Hanxing walked a few steps back and approached Yan Jinyue. "I haven't settled the score with you yet. Who gave you permission to call me Hanxing?"
Yan Jinyue's tone was sincere. "Can't I call you that? I thought we were friends."
"Or would you like me to call you President Ji?"
To maintain your domineering CEO image. Yan Jinyue didn't say that last part.
Ji Hanxing had only meant to tease Yan Jinyue. Now that Yan Jinyue had put it that way, could he really make him call him "President Ji"?
In front of this "President Yan," he would stop putting on airs as a president himself.
"Since you want to be my friend so much..."
"I agree."
Ji Hanxing lifted his chin. "Consider it a return gift for the little cake you gave me."
Far from being displeased by those words, Yan Jinyue curled his lips. "Hanxing, call me by my name next time too."
Ji Hanxing said, "We'll talk about it next time."
With that, he got into his own car.
Yan Jinyue watched until Ji Hanxing got into his car before returning to his own. Sitting in the driver's seat, Fu Fangxi looked at the utterly undignified smile on his president's face, then silently turned his head to look ahead.
Fu Fangxi drove Yan Jinyue home. Neither spoke along the way, until they were almost at Yan Jinyue's villa and Yan Jinyue suddenly said:
"That information you found today-I don't want a third person to know about it. Deal with the source of that information. Don't leave any traces."
Fu Fangxi froze for a moment, then his professionalism allowed him to react immediately. Yan Jinyue was referring to the incident in which Ji Hanxing had administered the drug himself and fallen under its effects.
"Yes, President Yan."