Tha 2

Yan Jicha didn’t really know how to act, not even with just a glance.

But that’s okay; 030 and Yan Jicha, one dared to teach, and the other dared to learn.

System: Your gaze needs to be affectionate, as if you’re looking at a husband stone. From childhood to now, this is your first time being so serious.

Yan Jicha: I don’t really understand how to be affectionate.

System: It’s about focus. Do you understand focus?

He understood.

Yan Jicha thought back to when he was most focused, which should have been when he was playing video games, racing against time to kill enemies, as if he were the king on the battlefield. In those moments, he might not even notice if something was on fire next to him.

The system said again: You need to look without being too blatant; you should have a youthful heart and steal glances. If discovered, you would instinctively dodge and feel shy.

Yan Jicha: I don’t really understand how to express this shy youthful heart.

System: It’s about observing secretly, understanding that feeling of adventure of not wanting to be found out—do you get it?

He understood.

Yan Jicha recalled the last time he secretly observed someone without a hitch; it was when he mistakenly thought his dad was doing illegal business behind the family’s back and secretly followed the butler to investigate the truth.

That was his best performance; when the truth came out later, his dad even joked that he had watched too many spy movies.

System: Still not right; it’s too stiff. You need to bring in some emotion!

Yan Jicha: ? How do I bring that in?

System: When you look at him, you need to think that the man before you is the one holding the things you want the most! Infuse it with that kind of longing emotion! Longing!

Holding what I want the most?

Yan Jicha thought of the client he encountered during his internship, and his gaze instantly turned colder.

System: Uh… no, no, think again! He, he is the one who helped you successfully cross over, helped you escape your predicament and welcome a new life! Infuse it with that kind of gratitude!

Yan Jicha thought about how, after crossing over, although he had escaped the marriage pressure of his original world, he had to maintain that terrifying persona as a price. He wanted to thank his entire family.

His gaze suddenly carried a hint of sullen resentment.

System: And also, even though you don’t have feelings right now, think about how he is a successful person! Infuse it with that kind of desire to become someone as excellent, radiant, and powerful as him!

Desire? To become this delusional villain?

Yan Jicha thought of the original plot, and he felt a bit dazed.

Rather than saying it was longing, it would be more accurate to say it was wanting to bury—bury this experience that was destined to be hard to look back on.

030 was completely bewildered. Why was the acting getting increasingly off track as he taught?!

—

Qin Shen only felt a prickling sensation on his back, as if he were being targeted by some terrifying person. But every time he turned around abruptly, trying to locate the enemy hiding in the shadows, he could only see a group of ordinary people enjoying the banquet, as if everything that had just happened were mere illusions.

After several repeated attempts, he began to mentally sift through his business rivals and other hostile parties, pondering who might be inclined to harm him recently and could hide among the guests at such a banquet.

As he was lost in thought, he overheard the idle chatter of several wealthy young men beside him.

“...It's like a vengeful spirit, right? Because the resentment doesn’t dissipate after death, it keeps following its enemies, always lurking in unseen corners with hatred, waiting for a chance to harm them?”

“That’s not a vengeful spirit! And it’s not a pure ghost either. In this movie, it refers to a malevolent spirit that can possess people. You can never guess which person next to you has been controlled by the evil spirit, planning something sneaky—that’s what makes it the scariest…”

Qin Shen: …

He didn’t actually believe in ghosts and had never feared external hostility.

But that didn’t prevent him from feeling a bit creeped out right now.

He thought it over carefully; unless someone wanted to assassinate him and cause him injury—given the current medical and security technology, that would be meaningless—otherwise, watching him at a banquet like this would serve no purpose other than to affect his mental state.

But it was precisely this meaningless and illogical behavior, as if someone simply wanted to keep their eyes on him, that felt a bit too insane.

Since Qin Shen entered the new energy sector, he had made countless enemies and defeated countless rivals. He had never feared difficulty or clever opponents, nor was he afraid of those with strong connections or superior technology… What he found most annoying was those who acted illogically, making things difficult for him. These kinds of people were the most troublesome and could do stupid things that would hurt everyone, including themselves.

This line of thought made him internally raise his level of vigilance. These people were bothersome, but that didn’t mean he would back down or be afraid.

With that in mind, Qin Shen's aura grew even stronger. From the moment he began to rein in his mental energy, he gradually released ten percent of it.

It was like a cheetah that had just been dozing off suddenly stood up, arched its back, and boldly displayed its sharp claws.

Not everyone possessed the ability to control their mental energy in such a manner; most people didn’t have as much understanding of mental energy as Qin Shen did, let alone whether they had awakened it. Therefore, not many people noticed what Qin Shen was doing. Most only subconsciously became more tense and couldn’t relax as they had just moments before or found themselves involuntarily moving away from him.

But Qin Shen believed that the person who was fixated on him certainly had impressive mental energy and hadn’t intended to conceal it; otherwise, he wouldn’t feel such a strong sense of being watched so quickly, even picking up on the subtle fluctuations of emotion.

This meant that his earlier act of releasing ten percent of his mental energy should have appeared provocative to the person lurking in the shadows.

Such a lunatic or madman would be most intolerant of provocation and baiting.

—

Not far away, Yan Jicha was standing behind a large antique. Although he wasn’t yet accustomed to or familiar with this world’s unique “mental energy,” he vaguely sensed some changes, changes that came from Qin Shen.

Yan Jicha's emotions were complicated: System, does this count as a response to my… cough…?

A response to my affectionate gaze?

He really didn’t want to say those four words.

System: ?

Yan Jicha: What’s wrong?

System: I now believe you really are someone who has never been in love since birth.

Yan Jicha: Then I should thank you for the compliment?

With a ding, the task guidance popped up before Yan Jicha’s eyes, and below the main quest description, there was an additional description for a branch task, which was Task No. 1: “Secretly Admiring.”

As a preliminary novice task, this detailed sub-task was not difficult, with three judgment conditions:

1. The duration of gaze on the task target must reach 5 minutes.

2. Attract the attention of the task target.

3. The task target's favorability increases.

Upon closer inspection, the first two judgment conditions each accounted for forty points, while the third condition was self-selected; if achieved, it would grant additional points based on favorability.

All scores would be multiplied by a thousand for system points during the final settlement.

In other words, there was no perfect score for these tasks; the more capable one was, the more one could earn.

Ding-ding-ding sounds echoed as the task began to settle.

The scores were as follows: 30, 30, 0, resulting in a final score of 60 points.

030 was astonished: You actually just passed…?

Yan Jicha was also shocked: Just barely passed?

030 was confused amid the astonishment: ???

Yan Jicha quickly calmed down: Well, I guess this is the score I used to get in the subjects I disliked the most in school.

After the settlement was complete, Yan Jicha stepped out of the shadows and found that Qin Shen was no longer present at the banquet.

The system task updated again, revealing Branch Task 2: “Moonlit Encounter.”

Yan Jicha suddenly had a bad premonition.

Sure enough, as his gaze fell on the task name, a long segment of original plot description popped up before his eyes:

【… Yan Jicha knew that, given his identity, it wouldn’t be easy to approach Qin Shen. The Yan family, in the development of new energy, aligned with the state-owned enterprise faction, leaning toward conservatism. Qin Shen, on the other hand, was someone daring and ambitious with formidable strength; he belonged to the radical faction. This time, he declined the Yan family’s proposal for a marriage alliance, indicating his stance of not aligning with the conservative camp.

From another perspective, Qin Shen was not a person who acted based on emotions. Recklessly approaching him would likely be futile.

Even if he rejected inheriting the vast family business of the Yan family for the sake of freedom and the man he was drawn to, even if he used some schemes to get into Qin Shen's bed, it wouldn’t shake the resolve of someone as steadfast as Qin Shen.

Yan Jicha pondered for a while and came up with his own plan.】

This segment of plot description was quite long, and the lower right corner had a [1/2] page indicator, allowing him to turn the page.

Just as the system detected that he had read it and was about to automatically flip the page, Yan Jicha interrupted it.

Yan Jicha: Wait, it says here that I didn’t inherit the Yan family?

System: Yes, the task is urgent, and there’s no time to explain too much. After all, this is a parallel world, and there will be discrepancies in many details and events compared to the world you are familiar with.

Yan Jicha fell silent for a few seconds, suddenly curious about what kind of freedom and life he would have if he didn’t follow the path arranged by his parents.

The system assumed he was feeling down: But don’t worry! There will still be money; even if you don’t become the next family head, you can still strive for yourself! You’re a novice now, and the plot direction, dialogue, and actions are all strictly limited, but as your points increase, you can exchange for character freedom and offset the ooc value!

Yan Jicha chuckled lightly and shook his head: It’s fine, it’s quite good.

Back then, he and his older brother both didn’t want to inherit the family business, but his brother had clear dreams and goals, while he didn’t have such firm aspirations, so he just went along and became a good child.

The second page of the plot continued to unfold:

【Yan Jicha searched around and finally found Qin Shen in the garden outside the banquet. This man standing at the pinnacle also had times when he wanted to hide away and be at peace; did he also have such a lonely-looking back? When the vast moonlight enveloped Qin Shen, it appeared even colder.

Yan Jicha felt a slight stirring in his heart, but he quickly regained his composure, his eyes turning mischievous as he raised his wine glass and walked toward Qin Shen—such a beautiful scene; how could he let the person he liked face it alone?

He approached Qin Shen from the left, observing him as he spoke, circling to his right side like a proud peacock. While flirting, he presented a stance different from that of the Yan family and proposed an enticing collaboration, concealing his desires and infatuations. If one overlooked the shimmering light in his eyes, it seemed he had really come to discuss serious matters and engage in wrongdoing, rather than to seduce someone.】

Yan Jicha didn’t cover his eyes this time; he was left with a complex expression by this literary style: … I remember the garden is full of streetlights and ground lights; in a modern city with such serious light pollution, how could I see the moonlight falling on anyone? And a lonely back—it's the middle of summer, with so many mosquitoes around, isn’t it lively?

System: A world of mindless stories! Please don’t mind these details! Just remember your character setting of “flamboyant scheming gay”!

Yan Jicha casually picked up a wine glass: So what should I do now?

System: Just listen to me; I’ve arranged the actions, language, and demeanor for you. Strive for a score of 70 this time!

Yan Jicha: 70 points? I didn’t know you believed in me that much.

System: This is confidence! First, go to the back garden and find him. Once you locate him, approach from ten meters in front of his left side. When you’re one meter away, start reciting the lines; they will appear at the bottom of your view. While reciting, give a flamboyant yet awkwardly elegant smile, sizing up his handsome figure, then circle around him 270 degrees from behind and stand in front of his right side. After finishing the lines, wait for his response!

Yan Jicha: Why do I have to circle around him? Can’t I just walk to the right side and talk? Is there a tree in front of him?

System: No! This way, you’ll appear to have the proud temperament of a young master, secretly liking him but acting aloof! Remember to keep your posture elegant while holding the wine glass, very flamboyant and stylish~ After he responds, bring the wine glass close and invite him to taste a sip from the rim you’ve used—an indirect kiss!

Yan Jicha: Ugh, are you sure you want it to be this flirtatious?

System: I’m sure! It’s the plot, after all; you don’t really have to use a cup you’ve drunk from.

Yan Jicha immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

—

A moment later, Yan Jicha appeared in the garden, standing ten meters away from Qin Shen, briefly making eye contact.

It’s him?! A member of the Yan family! He had long heard that Young Master Yan was willful and bold, ignoring common sense.

However…

He had indeed been lured here, showing no intention of concealing his face or identity.

Qin Shen’s expression darkened, sensing a formidable threat; his mental energy surged outward by thirty percent, and at the same time, a chilling atmosphere began to rise.

For some reason, an old saying suddenly surfaced in Qin Shen’s mind—

“On a dark night with a strong wind, it’s a night for killing.”

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