Second-Generation Heir x Illegitimate Son 33

It was winter in Jingzhou. The dry and cold weather outside made people feel as if sand was growing on their faces.

Since that day, Lin Sui had disappeared for exactly twenty-five days.

Of course, this kind of disappearance was only in front of Yan Qin. The Lin Family, Gao Jing, and the others knew that Lin Sui was perfectly fine. Only Yan Qin was searching frantically, but to no avail.

"Are you two having a spat?"

Lin Min poured Lin Sui a cup of hot tea, looking at the young man leaning lazily on the green rattan chair.

Outside the window was a leaden gray sky. Withered vines clung to the clean wall, carrying a somewhat gaunt and depressed feeling.

It was early morning. It was hazy outside, and the natural light shining in was dim. The interplay of shadows created a lifeless scene. Only he was a vibrant and abrupt shade of vermilion.

Lin Min had wanted to ask for a long time but had held it in until now. However, seeing Yan Qin's increasingly gaunt and gloomy appearance day by day, she couldn't hold it back anymore.

Part of it was gossip and curiosity, and another part was pity for her business partner. After all, based on her understanding of Yan Qin and the attitude he displayed, Yan Qin should be extremely submissive to Lin Sui. How did things end up like this?

She hoped that Lin Sui's life would go smoothly. It would naturally be better if his partner also continuously doted on him. After all, he was a child raised by their Lin Family; he couldn't suffer any grievances.

"He did some things, so I'm punishing him."

Lin Sui thought about the inquiries he had blocked these past few days and took a sip of tea unhurriedly.

Before leaving, he had specially left a memento for Yan Qin to long for, lest the dog really thought he had become a stray. By then, he would probably go completely mad.

Lin Min breathed a sigh of relief, her mood brightening a bit. "I suppose it's not a major issue that touched your bottom line."

Lin Sui asked curiously, "Why do you say that?"

"Knowing your temper, if he really made you angry, you wouldn't be this tactful."

Lin Min joked, which was also telling the truth.

If Lin Sui was truly enraged, it would be far more than this. With his character of seeking revenge for the smallest grievance, how could he stop without tormenting the person he had a grudge against until they wished for death?

Nowadays, this kind of playing disappearance was nothing more than lovers' flirtation in Lin Min's eyes. After all, Lin Sui only used this to punish Yan Qin because he knew Yan Qin cared about him.

Lin Sui was slightly taken aback, using the act of drinking tea to conceal the somewhat inexplicable look in his eyes.

The thing Yan Qin did could be considered big or small. If it were anyone else, the grass on their grave in the Cultivation World would already be three meters high. In the modern world, they would definitely be left with nothing but tears behind bars. Lin Sui wouldn't even give them the chance to touch him. But Yan Qin was different from others.

"It's not exactly tactful. The interesting part is yet to come."

Lin Sui put down the tea in his hand, adjusted the cushion behind his back, and leaned against it obliquely, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Lin Min said softly, "I can never really understand the things you want to do, but just remember that I'm on your side. If you want to do something, remember to let us know."

In the past, Lin Min felt that her brother's business talent was far above hers. Later, she realized that Lin Sui was superior in both scheming and tactics. It was just that for some reason, he kept them hidden. Even she could only catch glimpses of them, so she simply didn't delve deeper.

"Don't worry, it won't affect the family. If it does, don't panic; I will have a way."

Lin Sui estimated the current situation and laid his cards on the table with Lin Min, but after thinking about it, he still added the latter sentence.

Currently, the cooperation between Yan Qin and the Lin Family was extremely tight. It could be said that if Yan Qin decided to withdraw from their ongoing project and strike at the Lin Family, the Lin Family would definitely suffer severe damage and take a heavy hit. Lin Sui originally expected Yan Qin to make a move, but unexpectedly, during the time he 'disappeared', Yan Qin did nothing, as if he never harbored any ill intentions.

But this wasn't important either. Just as he said, the best scenario was that the matters between them wouldn't involve the Lin Family, but if they did, there was no need to panic.

"I know you have a sense of propriety. If you need my cooperation, just say it, just like before."

Lin Min was referring to the things Lin Sui did through her hands in the early days. She trusted him unconditionally.

Lin Sui nodded and had someone secretly escort Lin Min out.

In the courtyard, the withered branches were blown by the wind. Next year, they would sprout new leaves again.

Lin Sui looked at them, thinking of the mission in his heart, the dark color in his eyes deepening.

In fact, the mission the System originally gave him wasn't that vague, but it wasn't detailed either.

Yan Qin's remnant soul entered each world to become the Child of Fortune. Originally, he wouldn't need assistance to stand at the pinnacle. If the System wanted him to atone for his sins, it didn't need to choose this method. But the problem lay in the fact that because Yan Qin entered as a remnant soul, his fortune would be insufficient, and he might ultimately be unable to stand at the apex.

Therefore, the System required Lin Sui to atone by serving the Child of Fortune as his master and helping him achieve great deeds.

It was almost complete, if everything went as expected.

Lin Sui didn't conceal his thoughts here, allowing the System to sense his thoughts perfectly.

System: [?]

[When I type this question mark, it's not that I have a problem, but that you have a problem.jpg]

[How is it almost complete? How far have we even gotten?]

The System really couldn't quite understand. If Lin Sui was going to hand over the things in his hands to someone else, why go through such a huge circle?

Even though it followed by Lin Sui's side, it still couldn't guess this person's eccentric thoughts.

Lin Sui didn't answer, leaving the System to guess on its own.

The System couldn't guess it but also couldn't stay quiet. Thinking about the inner voice Lin Sui had deliberately let it hear before, it couldn't help but coldly snort: [How exactly are you serving him as your master?]

It had shielded itself for several days in a row. Every time it lifted the shield, the scenes it saw made it want to vomit blood.

Even during the time Lin Sui was locked up, he maintained his young master demeanor. Even cutting his nails was carefully attended to by Yan Qin. With that pretentious attitude, anyone who didn't know better would think a nail clipper could hurt this vixen. Anyway, just looking at it was irritating.

Lin Sui said innocently: [I already called out to him, doesn't that count as serving him as my master?]

Even if it was just once, he had still done it. Not to mention he had ridden for a long time, so much that his body couldn't handle it.

System: [Put some clothes on, will you.jpg]

Shielding. Bye.

Seeing the System deflated once again, Lin Sui picked up his computer in a very good mood and started reading documents.

Thumping sounds came from the stairs. Wu Qiu ran and bounded over to Lin Sui.

"That was close, so close. I was almost caught."

Lin Sui cast a sideways glance at him and asked, "Did you go provoke Yan Qin again?"

"I was just giving him some legal education."

Wu Qiu muttered. He had been persistently doing this for twenty-five days. Yan Qin's speed at tracking him was getting faster and faster. He couldn't go again tomorrow, or he would definitely be caught.

Lin Sui pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling that he might have overcorrected.

When he brought Wu Qiu back two or three years ago, he was only fifteen, an age when legal awareness was weak. Coupled with the things he did in the original book, Lin Sui had strengthened Wu Qiu's education in law, politics, and moral character.

Now Wu Qiu wasn't even eighteen yet. Although he still wasn't particularly law-abiding—otherwise he wouldn't have hacked into Tianqi Company's system—he was enthusiastic about using law and morality to torment people.

Gao Jing had once complained to Lin Sui. After Wu Qiu systematically learned the laws, he went online to help people solve their problems. Scammers were all handed over to the cyber police. Those who hid private photos of young girls and boys to use inappropriately were all reported, and he would play long recordings of moral education to them. He even caught a few pedophiles; not only did he hack their computers, but he also put laws on an endless loop and cursed them out as animals.

He did a good job, but he was too flashy about it. Gao Jing had been invited for tea by the authorities several times.

When Lin Sui learned about this, he taught Wu Qiu a lesson. It wasn't that he did poorly, but that he left too many traces behind and wasn't tactful enough in his actions. Moreover, he couldn't make a name for himself right now, lest it bring him trouble.

Wu Qiu revered Lin Sui the most and had learned about eighty percent of his boss Lin Sui's intricate and winding methods. His ability to cover his tracks had grown considerably. If not for this, he would have been caught by Yan Qin a long time ago.

However, the young man was still somewhat childish. When Lin Sui learned that Wu Qiu had turned the small villa completely upside down that day, he had been amused for quite a while.

Right at this moment, Lin Sui saw Wu Qiu close his computer, his eyes darting evasively as he said, "Boss, how about we move to another place? He seems to have tracked us here."

The guilty conscience on Wu Qiu's face couldn't be hidden at all as he scratched his palm.

That person was actually a tiny bit better than him; this was something he hadn't expected. He thought he had been slipping away smoothly for the past half month. Who would have thought Yan Qin was intentionally letting him off? He only realized it just now and immediately cut the network, but Yan Qin had probably already found their location.

Lin Sui clicked his tongue lightly. He wasn't really angry. He gazed into the distance at the courtyard's scenery, his expression unreadable.

Not everything in this world could be calculated perfectly. Even with a foolproof plan, there would still be accidents.

He didn't plan on seeing Yan Qin at this time. It wasn't entirely to punish Yan Qin, as he had told Lin Min; there were other factors involved. The time wasn't right yet.

"No need to change places, we'll just stay here. Don't go out for the next couple of days, just behave and stay at home."

Lin Sui thought of Yan Qin's jealous appearance. The man already thought he had someone else over there. If he were to bump into Wu Qiu, he would probably be provoked.

Yan Qin was actually a very broad-minded person, but when it came to people and matters related to him, his mind was as narrow as the eye of a needle. He couldn't tolerate anyone else touching him even a little bit.

Wu Qiu nodded obediently. He naturally listened to Lin Sui's words, not to mention he had just caused trouble.

On one side of the road, a black sedan was parked quietly.

Yan Qin's eyes were fixed on the small building not far away. His fingers stroked the outer shell of his black laptop, a thoughtful look on his face.

Even though he was tracking that intruder, this intruder was the very person who had taken Lin Sui away that day. Yan Qin had a premonition that Lin Sui was inside.

He even felt that the person who kept continuously invading his network to 'educate him on the law' was probably the young boy Lin Sui had once hidden away.

If it really was him, Yan Qin would have to reconsider his previous judgment of him.

Because this kind of tactic really didn't seem like something done to a romantic rival; it was so childish... like a kid's prank.

If that were the case, it meant that Lin Sui didn't have anyone else. Yan Qin's eyes lit up slightly, but quickly dimmed again.

He didn't know how he needed to perform to make Lin Sui cool down his anger. Therefore, these days, he had been working hard to promote a two-way cooperation with the Lin Family, striving to get the Lin Family higher returns.

Lin Sui looked cold-hearted and indifferent as if he cared about nothing, but if others treated him well, though he didn't show it on his face, he would remember it in his heart. Since he couldn't see him right now, treating the Lin Family well would still be seen by Lin Sui.

Other than this method, Yan Qin was somewhat at a loss.

The Lin Family's reputation was well known; they had many fair-weather friends, but few true friends.

Over the years, there were only a few people who stayed by his side. That guy named Song Yunqing didn't count; one look and it was clear he had designs on Lin Sui, yet he kept hiding it. Ever since the previous cruise ship incident, he had spent less time looking for Lin Sui.

Yan Qin felt he was at least somewhat tactful and had some understanding of Lin Sui's temper, because after that, Song Yunqing didn't seek Lin Sui out again.

There was also someone named Yu Xiang, but there was even less need to mention him. Yan Qin felt that he was just unilaterally pestering Lin Sui to hang out, and Lin Sui didn't see him very often.

Lin Sui seemed to drift outside of this world, making him difficult to catch.

Yan Qin's only thought these past few days was the necklace that had yet to be worn around his neck.

He gazed at the small building not far away, his eyes dark and quiet.

The next day, Lin Sui woke up to find snow fluttering outside.

The snow had started falling in the middle of the night and hadn't stopped even by the morning, blanketing the courtyard in a layer of white.

A servant came up and said that someone had delivered something to the door.

Wu Qiu enthusiastically opened the box for Lin Sui. Inside were a phone and a scarf.

Lin Sui recognized the phone; it was the one Yan Qin had confiscated from him before. Lin Sui glanced at it, set it aside with little interest, and picked up the scarf.

The scarf was dark red, and the stitches weren't very tight. It was obviously hand-knitted.

If Yan Qin had given it to him, then Yan Qin definitely wouldn't have pawned the work off on someone else's hands.

Yan Qin had always been a virtuous and capable person. In the Cultivation World, he forged magical artifacts for him, and in the modern world, he didn't forget to knit a scarf for him.

Lin Sui's mood improved. He touched the soft fluff of the scarf, the lines of his eyes and brows softening quite a bit.

Wu Qiu was straightforward and immediately critiqued it, "Who sent this? It has no taste at all, and it's completely low-class. It does look pretty warm, though."

Even though Wu Qiu was someone who couldn't even afford food and had to beg for meals everywhere a few years ago, Lin Sui hadn't mistreated him regarding food and provisions these past few years. He had seen a lot of the world and felt that such a thing wasn't worthy of his boss.

"Boss, if you don't want it, you can reward it to me. Later, I'll buy you a much better-looking one."

Wu Qiu completely failed to notice the change in Lin Sui's expression, mentally calculating what kind of scarf his money could buy for Lin Sui.

"Have you finished your homework?"

Lin Sui looked at him, his expression even more freezing than the heavy snow outside.

Wu Qiu thought of his English and Physics homework and said awkwardly, "There's still a little bit left."

"Then add another ten test papers."

"Ten papers???!!!"

Wu Qiu begged for mercy with a bitter face, "Boss, please don't!"

Lin Sui's expression remained unchanged as his lips moved slightly, "Twenty papers."

"I'll go do them right now!"

Wu Qiu hugged his computer and rushed upstairs. Lin Sui lifted his chin towards the servant beside him.

"Go prepare thirty test papers for him. Bring his meals up to him; he's only allowed to come out when he's finished writing them."

The servant suppressed a smile, nodded, and immediately went to fetch the test papers.

When Wu Qiu saw the test papers brought up to him, his heart died. He couldn't understand why his boss was so angry today. When he accidentally messed up and exposed their coordinates, his boss didn't even punish him. Today, he merely said one extra sentence, and his boss punished him with thirty test papers. Maybe his boss's anger was delayed, or maybe his boss was unhappy because it snowed today?

Wu Qiu couldn't guess the reason and could only do his homework with tears in his eyes.

Downstairs, Lin Sui lay on the soft couch, looking at documents and working. The dark red scarf was draped over his lap, and the fine gold chain on his wrist rested on top of it, radiating a sense of warm winter joy.

In Yan Qin's home, Tao Ting helped clean up the yarn scattered all over the floor. She rolled up the defective pieces, intending to throw them all away later.

She had received a call from Yan Qin early this morning. She thought it was something major, but it turned out Yan Qin was asking her if she knew how to knit.

Tao Ting did know how. She had just knitted new ones for herself and her family this winter. Hearing Yan Qin's request for help, she hurried to his house.

As soon as she walked in the door, she saw all kinds of discarded knitted items. Yan Qin was holding two crochet hooks and actually looked the part, assuming one didn't look at how much material he had ruined.

It took Tao Ting half a day of instruction before Yan Qin got the hang of it. Although the knitted item wasn't particularly exquisite, it was still presentable. But what Tao Ting couldn't quite understand was...

"Old Yan, you're someone who strives for perfection, and this is a gift for Lin Sui. Why not make it look better?"

Some of the stitches could actually be handled better. Tao Ting had informed Yan Qin, but Yan Qin didn't change them.

"If it's too good-looking, he won't know that I knitted it with my own hands."

Yan Qin replied calmly. He had practiced the knitting techniques all night, and after knitting non-stop for the entire morning, his fingers were already red and swollen.

What kind of scarf didn't the young master have? The most important thing was just the sentiment. Although he didn't know if it would be cherished, for Yan Qin, sending it out was enough.

Tao Ting looked at her friend who was righteously and seriously employing manipulative schemes: ...Okay, she was too low-level, even though Yan Qin wasn't much better himself.

Tao Ting didn't want to get involved in her friend's romantic relationship. In her eyes, both of them were a bit crazy. Lin Sui treated Yan Qin like a dog, and Yan Qin treated Lin Sui like a caged canary. If the two of them loved messing around with each other, then let them mess around. Putting everything else aside, she actually felt they had a bit of a "match made in heaven" vibe going on.

"With your current condition, you should rest a bit before going to the company."

Yan Qin shook his head. "Let's go."

He had no desire to rest. He was afraid that if he had idle time, he would start thinking of Lin Sui, so it was better to be busy.

"How is the progress on Sifang's side? Has their interfacing technology reached the testing phase?"

Tao Ting replied, "It's still being perfected. They are very cautious in this area."

Yan Qin nodded. "Being cautious is the right approach. That person behind the scenes is not a simple character. Many of the measures he's taken can circumvent future troubles. His theories are very mature. It's just a pity that current technology can't quickly implement his visions."

"I believe our Tianqi Company won't disappoint them. When the time comes, it will mark the dawn of a new era."

Tao Ting fantasized about it, her face full of yearning.

However, Tao Ting never expected that her vision would be shattered so soon.

"Sifang wants to stop the cooperation? Why?"

In her office, Tao Ting heard the news in disbelief. She immediately hurried to find Yan Qin, bumping into Chu Feng who had also come over in the hallway.

The main creative team sat anxiously in the conference room, looking at Yan Qin in the leading seat.

The R&D team responsible for interfacing specifically with Sifang was even more devastated. They had poured so much blood, sweat, and tears into it, how could they just stop cooperating just like that? Fully immersive virtual reality gaming was a massive, achievable, and tempting piece of cake that hadn't been created yet. Since they had boarded the ship, they didn't want to be kicked off halfway.

"Everyone, please stay calm."

Yan Qin made a gesture, and the boiling conference room quieted down.

"Sifang stated that they have developed a processor more suitable for their research and are only suspending cooperation in this specific area. Regarding cloud computing and engines, they will still rely on us and other tech companies. They will pay the compensation as stipulated in the contract, and our research will continue. We will pay them another visit to discuss the details."

Although Yan Qin said this, he was not optimistic in his heart. Things like technology are exceptionally objective. If the other party had grasped a more core technology, then it would be perfectly normal for Tianqi Company to be dropped off halfway. Even so, Yan Qin had no intention of giving up.

If this field truly became established, he didn't need to duplicate it. He only needed to rely on Sifang's technology to still hitch a ride on this Noah's Ark to a new world.

Yan Qin quickly made a decision and issued orders to the relevant departments of this project. The employees seemed to have taken a reassurance pill and implemented the directives according to plan.

Yan Qin, along with Tao Ting and Chu Feng, brought gifts to visit Sifang Technology to find out what was really going on.

Sifang's building was highly intelligent, identical to Tianqi Company in that regard, but it possessed a stronger sci-fi, psychedelic feel than Tianqi.

Passing through the lobby, the transparent elevator went past each floor.

The corner of Yan Qin's eye seemed to catch a glimpse of black, resembling a teenager's back. However, before he had time to get a clear look, the elevator went up another floor.

The top floor consisted of the reception room and offices. The secretary guided them to their seats and brewed coffee for them.

Gao Jing arrived quickly. He shook hands with Yan Qin, sat opposite him, and expressed his regrets over the partial suspension of this cooperation.

Gao Jing didn't actually like dealing with Yan Qin very much; confronting him was very stressful.

Yan Qin was gentle and polite. During the conversation, he avoided talking about the partial termination of cooperation. Instead, he talked about technology and core aspects, trying to extract information from the other party's mouth. Seeing Gao Jing's answers become increasingly hesitant, his attitude remained calm from start to finish.

Compared to being a businessman, this President Gao was actually more suited to be a researcher. His methods were not sly or experienced enough, showing a slight weakness. This also indicated that the decision to suspend cooperation was not finalized by him.

Yan Qin didn't come today for him anyway. He needed to speak directly with the mastermind behind the scenes and meet the legendary, mysterious President Qin.

Gao Jing had no choice but to leave halfway through under the pretext of going to the restroom. He went straight to the innermost office to ask for measures and countermeasures.

"Boss..."

A monitor hung on the office screen, clearly displaying the scene in the reception room. Gao Jing knew he didn't need to say much and asked for instructions.

"Invite him in to see me."

Gao Jing returned to the reception room and extended an invitation to Yan Qin.

"President Yan, our President Qin would like to see you. Please come this way for a chat."

Yan Qin was somewhat surprised by the other party's directness and straightforwardness, and without hesitation, he headed to the other's office.

After knocking and entering, the first thing Yan Qin saw was an executive chair facing away from the door.

He couldn't see the full appearance of the person sitting there. He could only see the forearm resting on the armrest, and a small section of a slender, pale wrist exposed by the bent arm.

Hanging on that wrist was a thin chain with a pendant.

Yan Qin stared straight at it. Without needing a closer look, he already knew the words engraved on it.

He was incredibly familiar with these hands. In countless days and nights, in reality and dreams, he had kissed and licked them, watching them tighten in feeble exhaustion.