In the end, Su Youqi stepped forward to wrap an arm around Guan Hongyu’s shoulder with a laugh. “Don’t worry. Second Brother having this kind of moral awareness is definitely something our parents taught him.”
Su Youqi wasn’t just throwing words around blindly. Though he made a point not to pry into other people’s privacy as a dorm-mate, he had still casually observed the general aura surrounding Guan Hongyu.
The energy swirling around Guan Hongyu was pure and upright, faintly carrying the protective blessings of his elders, with the parental sector being the strongest. This clearly indicated that Guan Hongyu came from a family with exemplary moral values.
Moreover, while Guan Hongyu appeared boisterous and occasionally sported a short temper, he was actually observant beneath his rough exterior and never made empty promises.
Since he had given Jin Yan his word, it meant he would undoubtedly follow through.
Sure enough, Guan Hongyu pulled Su Youqi into a sideways hug and chuckled, “Third Brother is right. If my dad and mom were here today, they probably would’ve handed him an entire legal team instead, hahaha!”
Everyone had assumed this was just a lighthearted joke Guan Hongyu used to comfort Jin Yan. None of them imagined that when Guan Hongyu’s parents later learned of the incident, they genuinely flew into a rage and dispatched their Guan Group elite legal squad to assist Jin Yan. But that, of course, was a story for another day.
Ultimately, the driving desire to secure justice for his brother won out, and Jin Yan accepted the assistance.
“Young Master Guan’s immense kindness is carved into Jin Yan’s heart! If Young Master Guan ever needs Jin Yan for anything in the future, I will never refuse!” Jin Yan was so choked with emotion that tears nearly spilled over.
Guan Hongyu had never encountered such a display before; Jin Yan’s excessive solemnity made him feel rather awkward. He rubbed the back of his head and stammered, “Don’t, don’t do that, it’s not that deep. I didn’t even do anything, certainly not as much as our Second Brother did.” Mortified by the awkward atmosphere, Guan Hongyu quickly shoved Jin Yan toward Su Youqi.
“Alright, alright. Huang Linzhi hasn’t faced legal punishment yet, so you can save your gratitude for after everything is settled,” Su Youqi deftly cut off Jin Yan’s flowing stream of thanks. “Right now, the most important thing is ensuring Huang Linzhi gets the punishment he deserves.”
Jin Yan nodded vigorously. “Mhm!”
After all, Guan Hongyu was still just a young master. Having made such a massive commitment, he still needed to report back to his parents. The moment they left the set, Guan Hongyu headed straight home.
Conveniently, the Guan family residence was located within the same city, making his trip back quite straightforward.
To guard against any petty retaliation from the Huang family, Guan Hongyu initially offered to drop Su Youqi off back at university, reasoning that no matter how bold the Huang family grew, they wouldn’t dare stage a public spectacle on a college campus.
However, Su Youqi had other matters to attend to and declined, heading alone toward a high-end high-rise apartment complex in the city center.
This property was one of the betrothal gifts given by the Nan family; its location and interior design were, naturally, top-tier.
Yet the longer Su Youqi looked around, the more a strange sense of familiarity crept over him.
“This is where I usually stay when I’m working,” Nan Ke’s soul drifted over to clarify. “The corporate headquarters is right nearby, so whenever things get hectic at the company, I mostly live out here.”
No wonder!
The realization clicked instantly for Su Youqi. The interior design of this apartment was an exact carbon copy of the bridal chamber in the Nan family estate, which was, of course, Nan Ke’s personal room.
I see. If Nan Ke had genuinely perished, Su Youqi taking over this apartment wouldn’t have been an issue. But the property owner’s living soul was currently floating right beside him, making Su Youqi feel rather awkward, like an interloper squatting in someone else’s home. After a brief pause, he said, “Your family probably assumed you were gone, which is why they handed this apartment over to me. But since this is your regular residence, I’ll return it to you once your soul and body are reunited.”
Considering the Nan family owned massive real estate ventures, properties should theoretically be as abundant as autumn leaves. They could’ve easily tossed him a random apartment or two for the betrothal gift tally; why single out the place Nan Ke actively lived in?
Su Youqi tentatively assumed the Nan family found the space too painful to look at and wanted to purge it quickly by dumping it on him.
Yet Nan Ke, the actual homeowner, didn’t mind in the least. “No need. Since it’s a betrothal gift, just keep it.” Furthermore, he seized the opportunity to tease, “Besides, even if you return it to me, it’s still yours. Marital community property, you know.”
“Well, that amount still falls a bit short!” Su Youqi wasn’t some naive college student; at twenty-five years old and possessing worldly experience, he smoothly rode the wave of the joke. “I hear the Nan family heir is a multi-billionaire. If we’re talking marital community property, shouldn’t I be sitting on at least fifty billion?”
Nan Ke gave him a meaningful look and uttered a single phrase: “More than that.”
A direct critical hit from a corporate tycoon.
Su Youqi had assumed the media’s tales of a multi-billion-dollar heir were just sensationalist tabloid fluff, tossing it out merely as playful banter.
To his utter astonishment, the media had actually underestimated the numbers.
What a scrupulously honest press.
Having dealt with the Nan family for barely two days, Su Youqi was starting to suspect his previous life was that of a fake rich person.
Was this the sheer, unbridled chasm between a nouveau riche and an ancient aristocratic lineage?
Refusing to tangle any further with these vilely wealthy people, Su Youqi shot Nan Ke a brilliantly fake, blinding smile and quietly summoned Zheng Ze out from the prayer beads.
Seeing Zheng Ze triggered a sudden question in Nan Ke’s mind. “By the way, why could Huang Linzhi see Zheng Ze earlier, but he couldn’t see me?”
This mystery had bothered Nan Ke for quite a while.
They were both wandering souls, so why the differential treatment?
On turf involving professional metaphysics, Su Youqi’s supreme confidence returned instantly. “Because I opened a targeted spiritual eye for him, the kind that only lets him see Zheng Ze. That’s a high-level celestial master technique. Ordinary practitioners can’t pull that off.”
Put simply, if you aren’t meant to see someone, you simply won’t see them.
A high-level celestial master operates with absolute whimsy.
Nan Ke experienced an epiphany. “Ah. So when Zheng Ze helped you stall those bodyguards, you had already closed Huang Linzhi’s spiritual eye, which is why he couldn’t perceive Zheng Ze’s actions, nor whip out any talismans to interfere.”
As soon as Nan Ke voiced this deduction, even Zheng Ze had a profound mental breakthrough.
No wonder! Back then, Huang Linzhi clearly possessed lethal talismans on his person yet stood there completely idle, completely failing to react.
Both Zheng Ze and Nan Ke had previously assumed Huang Linzhi was merely blinded by arrogance, placing absolute faith in his elite bodyguards and dismissing Zheng Ze as a non-factor.
After all, supreme arrogance was the defining flaw of scumbags like Huang Linzhi, who always believed they were the center of the universe while everyone else was trash.
Zheng Ze had even briefly wondered if his positioning had been so flawless that he successfully evaded Huang Linzhi’s line of sight.
Turns out he just hadn’t been visible at all.
What a delightfully awkward misunderstanding.
Su Youqi coughed lightly. “Big Boss, is it really necessary for you to connect the dots quite like that?”
Have a little mercy on my pride!
If he were using his original physical vessel from his past life, handling those bodyguards would’ve been a walk in the park.
However, this book’s minor cannon fodder body lacked top-tier physical conditioning. Even if he could outmaneuver a bunch of punk high-schoolers through sheer technique, taking on five professionally trained elite bodyguards in a one-versus-five brawl was still brutally difficult.
After all, nobody possesses infinite stamina when heavily outnumbered.
Thus, Su Youqi had intentionally initiated the assault to monopolize Huang Linzhi’s visual focus. While Huang Linzhi’s attention remained entirely fixed on him, Su Youqi severed his spiritual sight, letting Zheng Ze slip in to trip up the bodyguards, thereby manufacturing the illusion of an effortless, sweeping victory.
Once Huang Linzhi’s spirit was thoroughly crushed, Su Youqi simply re-enabled his spiritual vision, letting him remain completely oblivious.
That was precisely why the subsequent developments had unfolded with such frictionless precision.
“A wise person lets intellect do the heavy lifting so muscles can rest,” Su Youqi suffered in silence, masking his inner turmoil.
Nan Ke chuckled softly. “You really are a clever little sprite.” He had even managed to trick an experienced veteran like himself.
Fortunately, Zheng Ze was right there to help soothe Su Youqi’s wounded pride. “Master Su is truly formidable! Such profound cultivation paired with a brilliant mind!”
Zheng Ze meant the praise from the absolute bottom of his heart.
Possessing both courage, strategy, and raw power, Su Youqi had deployed a tiny tactical bluff that effortlessly reduced Huang Linzhi to a nervous wreck.
This was a feat Zheng Ze had never even dared to imagine in his wildest dreams.
Suddenly, Zheng Ze realized that the towering, insurmountable mountain Huang Linzhi once represented in his mind wasn’t actually that terrifying after all.
“Alright, the plan was a success, let’s not dwell on the minor details,” Su Youqi pivoted smoothly away from the topic, turning his attention to Zheng Ze. “Are you truly certain you don’t wish to see your younger brother? Or your parents?”
Back at the set, Su Youqi had asked Zheng Ze if he wanted to reveal the truth to Jin Yan, but Zheng Ze had opted out.
That was why Su Youqi had concocted a half-truth cover story instead.
Zheng Ze replied softly, “I am a ghost now. Even if I appeared before Xiao and my parents, what good would it do? My departure is inevitable sooner or later. Another meeting would only gift them a second wave of grief.” Zheng Ze possessed profound clarity. “Besides, Xiao has been terrified of ghosts since childhood. I still remember how he used to cling to me in absolute terror walking down dark streets at night, insisting I walk right beside him. I refuse to let him stumble into things that transcend science.”
Catching a glimpse of a departed soul might provide temporary solace for a yearning heart, but once he vanished again, his parents and brother would be forced to endure a second bereavement, while having their entire worldview upended, potentially introducing unpredictable hazards. Look at it however he might, the math simply didn’t add up.
He hoped his younger brother and parents could remain forever shielded from these hidden realms, living out healthy, peaceful lives to the very end.
Zheng Ze smiled faintly. “Being able to lay eyes on Xiao again today is already more than enough to satisfy me.”
In truth, what Zheng Ze left unsaid was that if he could also catch one final glimpse of his parents, it would be the ultimate blessing.
Yet he understood the virtue of contentment. Su Youqi had already shouldered so much on his behalf; whether dealing with Huang Linzhi or reuniting with Jin Yan, these were unexpected gifts. He had no right to be greedy.
Su Youqi absorbed every nuance of Zheng Ze’s expression, keeping his silence and fully respecting the spirit’s personal choice.
With the miscellaneous chatter concluded, Su Youqi reached into his pocket and retrieved a single talisman paper.
This specific slip was the exact item he had peeled off Huang Linzhi’s jacket earlier.
With too many distractions at the studio, he hadn’t found a quiet window to inspect it properly, which was why he deliberately brought it back here.
It wasn’t that the talisman possessed the terrifying tier of power Huang Linzhi claimed; rather, the moment Su Youqi touched it, the paper radiated an aura of familiarity that felt even closer to home than this apartment.
Su Youqi unfolded the talisman, studying its brushwork for a few seconds before his face darkened completely.
What the hell? This is a genuine Su family talisman!
Low-to-mid-grade Su family talismans were stacked by the dozens in his dowry chest, matching this exact specimen line for stroke.
As a renowned lineage of celestial masters, the Su family possessed a deep historical foundation. Even after the original owner’s advanced celestial master parents passed away, the clan still retained several veteran practitioners capable of stabilizing the family name.
There was certainly no shortage of these middle-and-lower tier talismans utilized specifically for suppressing low-level wandering spirits.