Qi Junlin shot Xue Yanxin a complicated look. Then, with a subtle glance, he signaled the security guards to take action before turning around and leaving.
Xue Yanxin stared at him in disbelief.
He had clearly been walking toward her, but the moment she called out to him, he turned and left instead.
Instantly, fury surged through her.
What an ungrateful brat! Qi Tiedan, I was wrong about you!
Gritting her teeth, she enunciated every word slowly and clearly.
“Qi! Tie! Dan!”
Qi Junlin shuddered instinctively and stopped in his tracks.
Those three words were the nightmare of his childhood, etched into his very soul.
He still remembered the first days after obtaining the system. Back then, he had been skinny, frail, and much shorter than other children his age, as if a strong gust of wind could blow him away at any moment.
The system had told him that the name “Junlin” was too grand. It worried that if he failed his missions, he might die young, so it gave him a simple, rustic nickname instead.
According to the old saying, children with humble names were easier to raise.
Thus, he became Tiedan.
After that, whenever he refused to listen to the system’s instructions and insisted on doing something foolish, the system would call out his name one syllable at a time.
“Qi! Tie! Dan!”
First came the warning.
Then came the electric shock.
Ever since then, hearing the name “Qi Tiedan” had become an instinctive source of terror for him. It was the sort of overwhelming authority that only an older sister could wield over a younger brother.
Of course, he had grown up since then.
The lingering fear only lasted a few seconds before he quickened his pace and headed toward the exit.
Xue Yanxin flew into a rage and chased after him.
Before she could catch up, several security guards appeared out of nowhere, covered her mouth, and dragged her away.
…
The private room on the second floor of the banquet hall was lavishly decorated.
Qi Junlin sat elegantly in an ornate redwood chair that perfectly reflected his status. Looking down at Xue Yanxin, whose hands were bound behind her back as she sat on the floor, he asked coldly, “Who exactly are you?”
“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”
Xue Yanxin glared at him furiously and struggled to speak. Although her words were muffled, it was obvious that she was cursing him viciously.
Only then did Qi Junlin notice the strip of yellow tape covering her mouth.
Furious, he kicked the bodyguard standing beside him.
“Who told you to seal her mouth?”
“Boss, I’m sorry, but she was shouting so loudly that we were afraid she would disturb the guests downstairs.”
“Take it off.”
“Yes, sir.”
The moment the tape was removed, Xue Yanxin seemed as though a seal had been lifted.
She immediately exploded.
“I’m your grandaunt, you ungrateful, heartless beast, you hypocritical scumbag… Mmph!”
The bodyguard dutifully covered her mouth again before looking helplessly at his boss.
See? I told you. She starts cursing the moment you let her speak.
Qi Junlin pressed a hand against his forehead and rubbed his temples impatiently.
“Xue Yanxin, I’m warning you. I’ll ask the questions, and you’ll answer them. Otherwise, think about what happened to Huo Zhiyuan. I guarantee that if you offend me, your fate will be even worse than his. Understand?”
A wise person knew when to submit.
Swallowing her indignation, Xue Yanxin nodded.
Naturally, she continued cursing him in her heart.
Qi Junlin asked, “That nickname you used earlier, who told you about it?”
Then he gestured for the bodyguard to remove his hand.
Xue Yanxin was still furious, and her tone was anything but pleasant.
“I’m the one who gave you that nickname. Who else could have told me? You know perfectly well that when I was your system, only you could hear my voice. Besides, you were too embarrassed by the name Tiedan to tell anyone about it. Doesn’t that mean only the two of us know it?”
The bodyguard looked utterly bewildered.
Qi Junlin, on the other hand, was so shocked that his pupils widened.
He sucked in a sharp breath, dismissed everyone from the room, and left only himself and Xue Yanxin behind.
“Y-You are…”
At last, realization dawned on him.
His face lit up with delight, but he still couldn’t quite believe it.
“You…”
“I’m your System Sister,” Xue Yanxin said irritably.
Even so, Qi Junlin remained cautious.
“How can you prove it?”
Xue Yanxin rolled her eyes.
“You really want me to expose all your embarrassing little secrets, don’t you?”
“My secrets?” Qi Junlin snorted disdainfully. “I’ve always conducted myself with integrity. What could I possibly be afraid of?”
“Fine. But don’t regret it.”
“Hah.”
Qi Junlin looked utterly unconcerned.
Even if someone needed to cover her mouth, surely the bodyguards outside could do it. Why would he need to dirty his own hands?
Xue Yanxin smiled coldly.
“When your part-time boss refused to pay everyone’s wages, you weren’t brave enough to risk your life to force him into paying. You were scared so badly by his Tibetan mastiff that you wet yourself. You only jumped into the pond because you were afraid people would notice.”
Qi Junlin froze.
“During your sophomore year, you spent an entire year pursuing the campus beauty. You dated for three hundred and sixty-five days and cheated on her for three hundred and sixty-four of them. To get revenge afterward, you made your tabby cat seduce her calico cat.”
Qi Junlin’s eyes widened.
“In your senior year, your online girlfriend turned out to be a married woman. You spent six months as the other man, and on the day you finally met in person, her husband nearly beat you to death.”
Qi Junlin was already sweating profusely.
“And as for the Huo family, the old master’s goldfish…”
Before she could finish, Qi Junlin rushed over and covered her mouth.
“Big Sister! My dearest sister! I believe you! I believe you already! The tabby cat is your nephew too, so please spare him!”
He hurriedly untied her ropes and respectfully invited her to sit in the chair he had occupied earlier.
Meanwhile, he knelt in the very spot where she had been sitting.
“Big Sister, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. How was I supposed to know you had become my sister-in-law? You were the one who said you would never appear in my world again after being reborn. After you disappeared, I secretly searched for you for a very long time. I kept thinking, what if there was still a chance? But I never imagined you’d become someone else entirely.”
Xue Yanxin glared at him.
“Did I tell you to rely on wild guesses? If you’d given me even one chance to explain myself, would you have failed to find me?”
The moment she recalled all the hardships she had endured trying to meet him, she wanted to smack him in the forehead with her shoe.
“Yes, yes, it’s all my fault.”
Qi Junlin grinned obsequiously.
The ingratiating smile on his face was so shameless that it was almost unbearable to look at.
“We’ll settle that account later. Today, we’re discussing serious matters.”
“Of course, Big Sister. So… may I stand up now? I’ll have someone bring you some refreshments.”
Xue Yanxin nodded.
Qi Junlin immediately rose to his feet, ordered someone to prepare tea and snacks, and then sat obediently beside her.
Xue Yanxin smiled sweetly at him.
The sight sent a chill down his spine.
Sure enough, the next moment, she seized his ear and twisted it.
“Ouch! Ouch! Big Sister, take it easy!”
“I taught you how to rise to the top through your own abilities. I never taught you to use despicable methods against your own family. Huo Zhiyuan is your brother. Even if he wasn’t especially good to you, he certainly never treated you badly. Yet you drove him into bankruptcy and got him thrown out of the family. Do you know I’ve been suffering right alongside him?”
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.
A bodyguard carrying tea and snacks entered the room.
Unwilling to embarrass Qi Junlin in front of others, Xue Yanxin finally released his ear.
The moment Qi Junlin saw the bodyguard, relief flooded over him.
In his eyes, the fierce-looking, bearded giant, standing six feet two inches tall, suddenly looked as kind and comforting as a saint.
Once the bodyguard left, Qi Junlin spoke in a wounded tone.
“Big Sister, why did you immediately assume that I harmed my brother? Just because of the rumors?”
“The victim himself is living under the same roof as me. Why would I need to listen to rumors?”
“But I’m involved too. Why didn’t you hear me out first?”
“I wanted to. Did you give me the chance?”
Qi Junlin fell silent.
“…”
“Anyway, I didn’t hurt him.”
“So you’re saying he ruined himself, willingly left the family, and happily handed over his company to you for free?”
Qi Junlin opened his mouth.
Then he closed it again.
The truth was that things really had happened exactly that way.
But he couldn’t explain.
Not even to her.
Because the plan Huo Zhiyuan had devised concerned not only himself, but also the old master, Qi Junlin, and the future of the entire Huo family.
Only three people knew the truth.
The old master.
Huo Zhiyuan.
Qi Junlin.
To protect the secret, the old master had not even told the beloved niece he had personally raised. Huo Zhiyuan had likewise concealed it from the uncle he trusted more than anyone else.
No matter how much Qi Junlin trusted Xue Yanxin, he had no right to reveal someone else’s secrets.
Just as the old master had kept his silence.
Just as Huo Zhiyuan had done the same.
He would have to keep Xue Yanxin in the dark as well.
Unable to explain himself, Qi Junlin could only plead helplessly.
“Big Sister, believe me. I didn’t harm him, but I can’t help him either.”
He had to maintain the appearance of hostility toward Huo Zhiyuan. Only by deceiving everyone on the surface could they continue working together in secret and uncover the traitors hidden within the family.
Deep down, Xue Yanxin didn’t believe Qi Junlin was the sort of person who would deliberately destroy someone else.
But no matter how she looked at it, the whole situation made no sense.
Who would ruin his own life?
Huo Zhiyuan had lived peacefully for more than twenty years, yet the moment the illegitimate son, Qi Junlin, returned, disaster struck.
If she didn’t suspect him, who was she supposed to suspect?