Power, it turned out, was still the most essential thing for surviving in this world.
Ten minutes later, the staff at the administrative office not only located the surveillance footage but even allowed them to take a copy. The department head, pale with embarrassment, apologized repeatedly to Assistant Zhou.
Once Ning Sui and the others left, the middle-aged teacher’s face turned ashen. He slammed his hand against the desk and hissed, “You two have completely ruined me!”
The two student council members, knowing they were in the wrong, stood in silence and endured the scolding. Still, confusion gnawed at them. One of them muttered, “But why would someone from the Ji family show up for something this small?”
The other one frowned, pulled out his phone, and started searching online. Moments later, he froze. “Holy crap.”
“What is it?”
“I… I just found an article from a month ago. It says Ning Sui married Ji Yucheng. Wait, he’s married to Ji Yucheng?! Why didn’t we hear anything about this before?!”
The two exchanged a horrified glance. Their faces drained of color, and a single word flashed through both their minds, trouble.
…….
Outside the academic building, Assistant Zhou said politely, “Mr. Ning, if there’s anything else you need, just let me know.”
Ning Sui smiled. “No need for now. Thank you. You can head back.”
Assistant Zhou nodded and walked toward the underground parking lot.
By the time Fang Dacheng arrived, hurrying after class, he was fully expecting to find Ning Sui and Cao Nuo walking out dejectedly. Instead, he was stunned to see Ning Sui holding a hard drive in his hand.
“A’Sui actually got it for you?!”
Cao Nuo flung his arms around Ning Sui, practically sobbing with joy. “And it took less than ten minutes!”
When the Ning family had first decided to marry Ning Sui off to a man in a vegetative state, both of his roommates had feared he might break down or do something drastic. They had even discussed quietly whether they should find a counselor for him.
But now it seemed that marrying a comatose husband wasn’t such a bad deal after all.
Handsome, powerful, and apparently useful even while lying in a hospital bed.
The two roommates were thrilled, but Ning Sui could only sigh in helpless amusement. He knew perfectly well that his marriage to Ji Yucheng was one of convenience, and he had never intended to exploit Ji Yucheng’s name unless absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, Ji Yucheng was unaware of any of it. If that cold and dignified man ever found out his nominal wife had used his name to pressure others, Ning Sui could already imagine the disdain in those deep, expressionless eyes.
Feigning power under another’s shadow… How shameful.
Still, with the surveillance footage secured, the three hurried back to their dormitory.
……..
Meanwhile, far away in the Ji family villa, Young Master Ji was also watching surveillance footage, but not the same kind. After a brief period of unstable power, System 009 had finally rebooted, its mechanical voice filled with excitement.
Ji Yucheng watched the video feed of Ning Sui making a call to Assistant Zhou, a faint warmth spreading through his chest. Satisfaction, even a hint of sweetness, welled up inside him.
So, his little wife had immediately thought of using his name for help? That meant he already saw him as someone reliable, someone he could depend on.
Otherwise, why didn’t he call that foolish younger brother of hers instead?
Once he confirmed that Ning Sui was safe, Ji Yucheng shifted his focus back to the experiment 009 had been urging him to try, the system’s newly restored remote-control ability.
The system’s voice buzzed eagerly in his head. “Host, I can feel it! My full power has returned! Try visualizing pulling the camera closer. Then, imagine reaching toward the bookshelf and taking down a book. I’m inside your consciousness. Whatever you can picture, I can make it happen!”
Finally free from its broken, half-functional state, 009 was desperate to prove its worth and shed its reputation as a useless system.
The study’s four walls were lined with bookshelves filled with pristine volumes. Ji Yucheng hadn’t set foot in that room for over two years, but the servants cleaned it daily under the old master’s orders. Not a speck of dust could be seen.
The man lying in the bed remained perfectly still, his eyes closed. In his mind, he imagined himself standing again, walking toward the shelves, reaching out, and pulling down a book.
And then, impossibly, the book really moved.
It slipped off the shelf and fell to the floor with a crisp thud.
Ji Yucheng’s eyes widened, his consciousness startled. It was the first time in two years he had actually managed to do something.
For so long, he had thought every system was like 009, noisy, useless, endlessly chattering in his head. But apparently, this broken thing had potential after all.
However, controlling it was difficult. The moment his focus wavered, the connection snapped, and the book hit the ground again with a sharp sound.
Housekeeper Aunt Zhou, who was tidying up nearby, jumped in fright and rushed to open the door.
“How did that fall on its own?” she muttered, scanning the room.
The windows were tightly shut, the curtains perfectly still. Not a breath of wind stirred.
She frowned, uneasy. “Maybe the old master or Master Ning forgot to put it back properly.”
Still, a chill ran up her spine as she returned the book to its place.
……….
Back in the dormitory, Ning Sui soon realized a problem. The surveillance footage from the cafeteria was nearly useless. During the lunch rush, there were easily a thousand people crowded into the space, and the grainy footage made it impossible to identify faces or even the table where Cao Nuo and Fang Dacheng had been sitting.
Cao Nuo, seeing all their effort come to nothing, dropped onto his bed with a sigh. “Forget it, A’Sui. Maybe it’s not worth it.”
Ning Sui thought for a moment. “It’s not over yet. I have another idea.”
……
Elsewhere, Xu Tianxing was pacing anxiously in his dorm room, scrolling through the campus forum. Half an hour ago, someone had posted a thread claiming to have captured footage of the person who had stolen a phone in the cafeteria a week ago.
Replies flooded in:
“Wasn’t the phone stolen from a computer science student? I’ve seen them at the admin office a lot lately. Must be checking the surveillance.”
“Seriously, who still steals phones these days? Post the video already and let’s see the culprit.”
“But how could anyone just happen to film that?”
Xu Tianxing’s heart was hammered in his chest. His palms were damp as he paced.
He had thought it was nothing, a stolen phone, that was all. He’d lost a few himself over three years of college and had never bothered to care. But who could have guessed that kid would make such a fuss, even pulling the Ji family into it?
When he’d heard that the official surveillance had been taken, he hadn’t worried much. He knew how poor the cafeteria cameras were, mounted several meters high, capturing little more than blurry shadows. He’d even worn a hat that day.
But now someone had personal footage.
That changed everything.
He’d only taken the phone out of misplaced loyalty, acting on impulse for a friend. He hadn’t imagined the mess it would cause.
“What are you panicking for?” Ning Yuanming said coolly from his desk. “The poster might be bluffing. If they really had the footage, why not post it immediately?”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the thread refreshed with a new reply from the original poster.
“I’ll give the thief one chance. Return the phone and message me privately before the end of today. Otherwise, I’ll post the full video.”
Attached beneath was the first half of a video clip.
The crowded cafeteria came into focus, and the camera slowly panned to a table where Cao Nuo and Fang Dacheng were eating. The timestamp in the corner read December 15th, 12:55 p.m., exactly the time of the theft.
The clip ended abruptly halfway through, clearly meant to give the thief a final warning.
Xu Tianxing’s face turned chalk white. “He really has it!”
Even Ning Yuanming was speechless now. The clothing in the video matched what they had worn that day.
“It seems you really were caught on camera,” he said grimly.
“What do you mean, I was caught? I did it for you!” Xu Tianxing snapped.
Then, as if struck by lightning, he froze. On that day, Ning Yuanming hadn’t done anything, he’d kept his head down, quietly eating while Xu acted alone. Unless the camera angle had been extremely specific, it would only show Xu Tianxing.
Which meant that if the truth came out, he alone would take the fall.
His face darkened. “So that’s it? You’re calm because this has nothing to do with you?”
“How could it have nothing to do with me?” Ning Yuanming replied evenly. “I’m trying to think of a solution.”
“I can’t wait anymore,” Xu Tianxing said, grabbing his phone. “I’ll just return it and apologize. Better that than getting expelled.”
Being fined was nothing. Public humiliation, however, would destroy his reputation completely.
“Apologize?” Ning Yuanming’s voice sharpened. He yanked him back by the arm. “And make me look weak in front of Ning Sui? No. I’ll handle this.”
Xu Tianxing assumed “handle it” meant Ning Yuanming would personally go and explain to Ning Sui, which made sense, they were distant relatives, after all, and Ning Sui had lived in the Ning household for years. Surely he would forgive them if Ning Yuanming asked directly.
But instead, Ning Yuanming’s “solution” was to offer Yang Yanhua five hundred thousand yuan to break into Ning Sui’s dorm room that evening, when everyone was out for dinner, and secretly return the stolen phone.
“The poster said as long as the phone is returned, they won’t go public,” Ning Yuanming explained. “Once it’s done, I’ll contact them and pay them off. This will all blow over.”
He turned to Yang Yanhua. “You won’t be in any danger. No one’s in the dorm during dinner hours.”
Xu Tianxing stared at him in disbelief. It was a terrible plan, reckless and cruel. He couldn’t believe Ning Yuanming would push someone else to take the risk for them.
Yang Yanhua, who came from a modest family and craved status, hesitated only briefly. Half a million yuan was a fortune to him. Refusing might mean being cast out of their social circle entirely.
And so, despite the unease in his gut, he slipped the phone into his pocket and left the room.
“It’s handled,” Ning Yuanming said lightly, turning a page in his book. “You can relax now.”
Xu Tianxing stood behind him, watching that calm, indifferent figure.
For the first time, he truly realized what kind of person Ning Yuanming was.
Although Yang Yanhua was considered somewhat on the edge of their social circle because of his average family background, Xu Tianxing had always treated him as a friend.
Xu Tianxing might be arrogant and impulsive, but one thing about him was certain, he valued loyalty. He never hesitated to stand up for Ning Yuanming, and he had never once imagined throwing a friend into a pit to take the blame.
But this time, Ning Yuanming’s approach completely shattered his understanding of what friendship meant.
After dinner, Ning Sui dragged his two roommates to take several leisurely laps around the school track before heading back to their dorm. Just before entering, he glanced at the lock.
As expected, it had been tampered with.
The dormitory doors were made of cheap wood, fitted with locks that cost no more than twenty yuan, nothing that couldn’t be easily picked or duplicated.
When the three of them stepped inside, they saw it immediately, Cao Nuo’s old phone lay quietly on his desk.
Ning Sui walked over to his own bed, lifted the quilt, and revealed the small camera he had hidden between the slats. His lips curved in a faint smile.
“Caught you,” he murmured.
Cao Nuo clutched his recovered phone with relief, quickly charged it, and flipped through the contents. Nothing was missing. He let out a long breath. “Finally! A’Sui, you’re incredible. I don’t even know how to thank you.”
Ning Sui chuckled. “It’s nothing. I just don’t like being taken advantage of.”
The forum post had been fake. So was the video.
He and Fang Dacheng had simply put on the same clothes they wore that day and filmed a short scene in the cafeteria. To anyone already nervous and guilty, the illusion would be convincing enough. There was no way their opponent could tell that the so-called “evidence” was shot only a few hours ago.
Ning Sui plugged in the camera’s memory card, and the three of them watched the footage in silence.
When the image froze on the intruder’s face, all of them were stunned.
“Yang Yanhua?”
They had suspected that Ning Yuanming might be involved, but they had assumed the culprit would be either Xu Tianxing or Ning Yuanming himself.
After all, Yang Yanhua wasn’t the impulsive type.
“They wouldn’t really make him take the fall, would they?” Fang Dacheng muttered. Although he’d clashed with Yang Yanhua before over a girl, he didn’t believe the guy deserved to be ruined over this.
“He probably doesn’t even understand how serious this is. If he gets punished for theft, that reputation will follow him for the rest of his university life.”
Ning Sui crossed his arms and asked evenly, “So, what do you want to do? Post the footage on the school forum, or dig out the ones behind him?”
Cao Nuo and Fang Dacheng exchanged a look, then nodded almost at the same time. “Let’s drag the people behind it into the light.”
Ning Sui’s lips curved again, this time in quiet amusement. “Good choice.”
He sent the video directly to Ning Yuanming and Xu Tianxing.
After a moment of consideration, he also forwarded it to Ning Chen and his mother.
If they couldn’t manage their son, he might as well handle it himself.
Xu Tianxing shot up from his bed the instant the message arrived. “They had a hidden camera in their dorm?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the realization hit him, hard. The post on the campus forum had been a trap from the very start. Ning Sui had laid the snare perfectly, waiting for them to step right into it.
Yang Yanhua’s face turned pale, sweat dripping down his temples. “Didn’t you say everything would be fine once I put the phone back? How did this happen? They caught me on camera! What if they post it on the forum?”
Ning Yuanming was staring down at his phone, his temple twitching as messages from his mother and Ning Chen poured in. “Can you not yell for one second?”
Xu Tianxing’s temper snapped. “You have the nerve to tell us to shut up? You’re the one who caused all this!” He lunged forward, grabbing Ning Yuanming by the collar.
Ning Yuanming lifted his eyes, his expression cold and detached. “Did I tell you to steal the phone? Did I? That day I even told you not to do it.”
Xu Tianxing froze.
It was true. That day, Ning Yuanming had indeed told him to stop. But that was always how things went. Xu Tianxing would get angry on Ning Yuanming’s behalf, he would confront Ning Sui, throw insults, stir up trouble.
While Ning Yuanming would always stand aside, saying softly, “Don’t do that.” And yet, when things went wrong, all the blame landed on him.
He had done it because he thought Ning Yuanming had been wronged, robbed of affection, pushed aside by Ning Sui. He had wanted to defend his friend, to prove his loyalty.
But now, watching Ning Yuanming neatly wash his hands of the matter, he suddenly realized how foolish he had been.
He was nothing more than a clown.
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Statistically speaking, coffee would be appreciated.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · The WeddingChapter 2 · New Target!Chapter 3 · Moved OnChapter 4 · Personal Information of Ji YuchengChapter 5 · Liked Ji Yucheng for 3 Years?!Chapter 6 · Love Rival?!Chapter 7 · Domineering PossessivenessChapter 8 · Obviously Very CuteChapter 9 Part 1 · Can’t be SeperatedChapter 9 Part 2 · Can’t be SeperatedChapter 10 · A blonde Guy…Chapter 11 · Dangerously Close to love?Chapter 12 · Confrontation with Ji ZhilinChapter 13 · Accidental DiscoveryChapter 14 · System 009 upgradedChapter 15 · Battery charging!Chapter 16 · Young Master was MiserableChapter 17 · Did Ning Sui treat you like this before?Chapter 18 · Was this what happened last night before you went to bed?Chapter 19 · He really got to the bottom of thisChapter 20 Part 1 · Don’t look at him, he was shocked too!Chapter 20 Part 2 · Don’t look at him, he was shocked too!Chapter 21 · Because I like it so muchChapter 22 Part 1 · Pull up your pantsChapter 22 Part 2 · Pull up your pantsChapter 23 · Why does it sound like he’s jealousChapter 24 Part 1 · I will protect himChapter 24 Part 2 · I will protect himChapter 25 · He’s quite gentleChapter 26 · Young Master Ji suddenly started to stutterChapter 27 · Ning Sui’s timeChapter 28 Part 1 · They ran away as soon as they were scaredChapter 28 Part 2 · They ran away as soon as they were scaredChapter 29 Part 1 · Are you looking for death?Chapter 29 Part 2 · Are you looking for death?Chapter 30 · Hurry up and say your last wordsChapter 31 · Ji Yucheng collapsed into his armsChapter 32 · Mr. Ji, I never expected you to be such a good person.Chapter 33 · He’s so well-behaved when He sleeps…Chapter 34 · His expression was incredibly varied in an instantChapter 35 · How could it be Ning Sui?Chapter 36 · Does the young wife only like people in a vegetative state?Chapter 37 · State-based controlChapter 38 · The young master was so happy he dropped his phoneChapter 39 · You were 37 minutes lateChapter 40 · I don’t plan to get a divorce.Chapter 41 · Otherwise, would it be your turn?Chapter 42 · Both perverted and cuteChapter 43 · If they sneak away again, I’ll hold them even tighterChapter 44 · I sprained my ankle tooChapter 45 · A cat jumping on a lion’s head to play with fire.Chapter 46 · Your young master has fainted!Chapter 47 · Sui Sui, come downChapter 48 · Are you going to lock me in there?Chapter 49 Part 1 · I love you, Ning SuiChapter 49 Part 2 · I love you, Ning SuiChapter 50 · Give the snowman a heartChapter 51 · Miss you.Chapter 52 · To hold in one’s mouthChapter 53 · You are in the cloudsChapter 54 · Ning Sui hugged him for the first timeChapter 55 · Can you sit on my lap?Chapter 56 · It’s either you or it’s not.Chapter 57 · From this moment on, I am your vegetableChapter 58 · Young Ji YuchengChapter 59 · They kiss tirelessly.Chapter 60 · RipplingChapter 61 · You want to compare this?!Chapter 62 · It’s 001!Chapter 63 · I like everything about it.Chapter 64 · It seems to have been filled up a little more.Chapter 65 · Wedding rings should be exchanged between the couple.Chapter 66 · Love-struckChapter 67 · Why can’t we even be apart for a day?Chapter 68 · PerfectChapter 69 · A lifelong contract was madeChapter 70 · Extra 1Chapter 71 · Extra 2Chapter 72 · Extra 3Chapter 73 · Extra 4Chapter 74 · Extra 5Chapter 75 · Extra 6Chapter 76 · Extra 7Chapter 77 · Extra 8Chapter 78 · Extra 9Chapter 79 · Extra 10Chapter 80 · Extra 11Chapter 81 · Extra 12Chapter 82 · Extra 13Chapter 83 · Extra 14