An Yubei had been careless. He had been so focused on befriending and saving the male lead that he had overlooked the original plot.
According to the plot, the female lead should have been the one to play the hero. As a wealthy young lady, she had stopped Lu Jincheng from bullying someone, and that act had stirred Lu Jinsheng's heart.
That was also the beginning of their connection. Next came the campus arc. Lu Jinsheng and the female lead attended the same school and class, and because he received financial support from her father, their paths crossed more and more often.
Their connection had begun just like that.
Then came the romance arc. Once the two became a couple, the career arc began. Lu Jinsheng returned to the Lu family, kicking off the wealthy-family power struggle, face-slapping everyone and inheriting the Lu family fortune.
In the end, he lived happily ever after with the female lead.
It was a very traditional formula. The author had written the romance well, and most readers had come for it.
But now, An Yubei was no longer sure about a lot of things.
With An Yubei's sudden appearance, the plot had changed, and he no longer knew what to do.
He followed Ji Shang outside, looking back at the pool where everything had just happened. There was nothing there. Where was the female lead?
Where had the female lead gone?
By rights, she should have appeared by now.
After arranging for Lu Jinsheng to change into clean clothes, An Yubei and Ji Shang waited in the guest room's outer sitting area.
An Yubei spent a long time trying to recall the female lead's name before asking, "Has Ji Sui arrived?"
If An Yubei remembered correctly, the female lead's name was Ji Sui. She was the only daughter of the second Ji brother, Ji Shang's younger cousin, and counted as An Yubei's older sister.
Since coming to this world, An Yubei had yet to meet the other members of the Ji family.
The Ji family patriarch had had three sons, with Ji Dongsheng being the eldest.
Ji Shang was the only boy among the grandchildren. Because of his outstanding abilities, the patriarch had chosen him to inherit the family fortune and manage the company, while everyone else merely held shares and received annual dividends, just like Ji Dongsheng.
Since the patriarch's passing, the family only gathered for meals during holidays and rarely visited one another otherwise.
The book had said very little about the others, mostly focusing on the female lead.
Ji Shang frowned. "Who is Ji Sui?"
An Yubei was stunned. "Ji Sui is Second Uncle's daughter."
"Don't you remember?"
An Yubei was utterly bewildered. He carefully searched his memories and confirmed that he had not remembered wrong. The female lead's name was Ji Sui, and she was the daughter of the Ji family's second uncle.
Ji Shang chuckled, raising a hand to affectionately brush the tip of An Yubei's nose. "Xiao Bei, did you remember wrong?"
"Second Uncle has a boy. He's still a little kid who's only just started kindergarten."
An Yubei felt completely out of sorts.
Why did it feel as though the plot was going further and further off course? Even the female lead was gone.
If the female lead had disappeared, how was Lu Jinsheng's romance arc supposed to progress?
Who would stay by Lu Jinsheng's side through his early hardships?
Now An Yubei was unsure whether his appearance had changed the book's plot or whether the book had had bugs to begin with, causing it to veer further and further off course.
After changing, Lu Jinsheng opened the door and came out. He bowed deeply, thanking An Yubei and Ji Shang for their help.
An Yubei said, "You're welcome. Ji Shang is a great guy. He loves speaking up whenever he sees injustice."
Ji Shang: "...!"
Ji Shang was still very pleased to hear An Yubei praise him like that, but something about it felt wrong.
How had he become someone who spoke up against injustice? He had clearly only done it to protect An Yubei.
Did An Yubei understand his painstaking efforts at all?
Lu Jinsheng offered his sincere thanks, then turned to ask An Yubei his name.
An Yubei blinked. "Me?"
Lu Jinsheng nodded.
An Yubei smiled. "My name is An Yubei. He's Ji Shang, my fiancé."
Lu Jinsheng asked in confusion, "Fiancé?"
An Yubei smiled. "Yes. Ji Shang is my closest family."
Ji Shang: "...?"
Just family?
All three had their own thoughts, and An Yubei began struggling with another dilemma.
At present, Lu Jinsheng was strapped for money. He could not even afford school and also had to care for his sick mother.
To scrape together his university tuition and medical expenses, he had come to work part-time at the banquet through a friend's introduction.
He had never expected to encounter Lu Jincheng and be bullied, only to be saved by the female lead in the end. Through his connection with her, he had also met her father, the Ji family's second uncle.
Now that the plot had changed, how would Lu Jinsheng get through his difficult life without meeting the female lead?
Who could become his sponsor?
An Yubei's gaze landed on Ji Shang, and an idea suddenly came to him.
If Ji Shang sponsors Lu Jinsheng, he'll become Lu Jinsheng's benefactor. If the Ji family runs into trouble in the future, Lu Jinsheng will definitely help.
But how do I convince Ji Shang to sponsor him? Maybe I should just secretly take out some of my own private savings. That way, I can help both the Ji family and Lu Jinsheng, killing two birds with one stone.
Before An Yubei could voice his idea about sponsorship, Ji Shang asked first, "Are you still in school?"
Lu Jinsheng paused, not expecting Ji Shang to take the initiative to speak to him.
He felt that Ji Shang had been hostile toward him all along, as though he disliked him.
"I've already received my admission letter. Classes start in September."
Ji Shang said, "My company has a student aid program. It can cover your tuition, living expenses, and your mother's hospitalization costs, but you'll need to sign a contract. After graduation, you'll have to work for me for ten years."
"After ten years, I'll give you back your freedom."
Ten years? Isn't that a little long? A person's best years are their twenties. Isn't making him spend all that time working for my older brother a little harsh?
Lu Jinsheng will return to the Lu family and inherit its fortune in the future. Does that mean Ji Shang already has the Lu family in his grasp?
Wow, Ji Shang is an old fox. He's so clever!
Even without my advice, Ji Shang can protect the Ji family.
Ji Shang is amazing.
It's just a little unfair to Lu Jinsheng. Ji Shang and I are playing him.
Before An Yubei could finish his thoughts, Ji Shang took his hand and gave his palm a slightly punishing squeeze.
"You can think it over. It is ten years of your youth, after all. You can refuse. I'm giving you a choice."
Without any hesitation, Lu Jinsheng answered Ji Shang directly, "I'm willing."
An Yubei: "...!"
That answer came way too fast!
When the second Ji brother had proposed this condition back then, it had taken some effort before Lu Jinsheng agreed.
Now that the female lead was gone, everything seemed to have become simpler.
An Yubei began to wonder whether he had really transmigrated into a book. In any case, there were more and more bugs in it.
He had no idea how things would end for the Ji family, or where he himself should go from here.