Zhou Yanxing finally let go, giving his handiwork a once-over with a few appraising glances. He seemed fairly satisfied with the result.
Chi Zhan straightened up, just about to leave, when Zhou Yanxing, looking more like the one being held hostage, narrowed his eyes and asked warily, “Where do you think you’re going now?”
All Chi Zhan wanted was to go back and take a shower. The stench of alcohol clung to him like a second skin, and he was thoroughly uncomfortable.
“Come back early. Don’t make me run around looking for you again.”
Was it just his imagination, or did Zhou Yanxing’s tone sound noticeably softer than before? Less sharp, more…gentle.
Maybe Zhou Yanxing was genuinely worried about him.
Chi Zhan preferred to think so.
As soon as he entered the room, Jiang Yi and Xiao Jia were already there. Jiang Yi looked flustered.
“Chi-ge, are you alright? Things sounded pretty intense out there. People are saying some rich guy got kidnapped on the yacht!”
Xiao Jia chimed in eagerly, “Yeah, I heard that too! And some folks are claiming there’s a dangerous criminal onboard who planted a bomb just to steal some priceless treasure! Who knows if it’s true. My god, it’s my first time on such a fancy cruise and now it’s turned into a live-action Detective Conan episode? What if there really is a bomb?!”
Chi Zhan gave them a strange look.
“Where are you two even getting this stuff?”
“Just people outside,” Xiao Jia said, face full of doom. “Someone came by for an inspection and I asked a few casual questions.” He looked like he was about to cry. “What do we do, huh? Should I be writing my will right now? I haven’t even paid off my Huabei credit, my mortgage is still due, my insurance has ten years left, and my bank account’s in the red! If I miss full attendance this month, that’s the year-end bonus gone too—an entire year’s work down the drain!”
Jiang Yi looked stunned.
“This game… is this realistic?”
Just an NPC, yet his worries were exactly like those in real life!
It hit a little too close to home—Jiang Yi suddenly felt like coughing up blood.
Chi Zhan was speechless.
What had originally been a small incident had spiraled out of control through a game of telephone, now blossoming into rumors of a bomb threat on the cruise.
“Don’t listen to them. It’s nothing serious,” Chi Zhan reassured them. “But still, be careful. Don’t leave the room tonight. And if someone knocks, don’t open the door, got it?”
Whoever that man was, he’d come looking for Zhou Yanxing and had found Chi Zhan first. It was entirely possible he’d go after others connected to them—like these two.
Chi Zhan wasn’t too worried about Jiang Yi, but Xiao Jia was an NPC. What if something happened to him?
He’d read the NPC Handbook, and one rule stood out: if an NPC died unexpectedly, the system would reset their program. After repairs, they’d be reintroduced into the world, but all memories would be wiped—essentially like deleting a character and starting over.
But… an NPC with no memories—was that still the same NPC?
Chi Zhan took a quick shower. The hot water helped clear his head, and once he felt better, his thoughts drifted back to the man’s identity.
Who was that person?
What baffled Chi Zhan was that the man had shown no intent to harm him, yet didn’t want his face seen. Despite asking for help, his tone lacked even a shred of humility.
And why approach it like this? If he were normal, he could’ve just called to schedule a meeting with Zhou Yanxing. Why stalk him all the way onto a yacht?
Suddenly, Chi Zhan recalled fragments of what the man had said.
“You’re the one who handles the calls to the president’s office, right?”
“Knew it was you. I hadn’t even finished speaking before you hung up. So it was you…”
Back then, he’d been too anxious to consider the deeper meaning behind those words. But if the man was telling the truth, could it be that he’d once tried to set up a meeting with Zhou Yanxing, only to have his call rudely cut off—prompting him to track down Chi Zhan in a fit of rage?
But as far as Chi Zhan could remember, he’d never hung up on anyone. He certainly hadn’t rejected any meeting requests.
Such matters were always passed to Zhou Yanxing for review—Chi Zhan would only deny them if they were truly unreasonable.
He thought back carefully. During his month on the job, there were a few scam calls he remembered—people who somehow got through, claiming his lover had been kidnapped and demanding five million in ransom. Or saying his child had been kidnapped and they needed ten million to release them. Completely absurd.
Could that guy have been part of a scam ring? If they caught him, it’d be a huge win for public safety.
…But that didn’t quite add up either.
The man had clearly said “president’s office,” which meant he’d dialed with intention—not just making random scam calls.
Chi Zhan mulled it over, then stepped out of the bathroom and called Xiao Wang from the secretary office.
“Xiao Wang, check the attendance records for me. Who was answering calls the week I was on leave?”
Normally, he handled the call transfers himself, but during his absence, that responsibility had been handed off.
If his hunch was correct, the person who cut off the call might not have been him at all.
This might all be a huge misunderstanding.
But if that man truly harbored ill will toward Zhou Yanxing, then the situation could be dangerous.
They couldn’t afford to overlook any possibilities.
After giving Xiao Wang his instructions, Chi Zhan turned to find Jiang Yi staring at him with wide eyes.
“Chi-ge, don’t tell me… you’re actually going to stay with Zhou Yanxing on the yacht? That guy totally has bad intentions toward you! I swear!”
Jiang Yi was so worked up, his face was turning red.
“He acts all proper, but it’s just a front! You cannot fall for it!”
Chi Zhan had been about to say Zhou Yanxing wasn’t interested in him, but then he remembered what the System had said—that Zhou Yanxing’s favorability toward him was slightly above average. That brief hesitation was all it took for Jiang Yi to zero in on the truth.
Jiang Yi gasped, stunned.
“Wait… you knew?! Don’t tell me you like that Demon King too?! What do you even see in him?!”
Chi Zhan gave a light cough.
“President Zhou isn’t that kind of person. He doesn’t like me either. Don’t overthink it—he’s like that with everyone. Spend more time around him and you’ll see.”
“…..He’s like that with everyone?”
Chi-ge, just how thick is the filter you’re using to look at Zhou Yanxing?
But thanks to Jiang Yi’s outburst, a problem Chi Zhan had almost forgotten now resurfaced—one that urgently needed solving: Who was he going to get to pretend to be his boyfriend?
The System’s warning still echoed in his mind, like a bell tolling ominously in his ears.
