Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The first time Fu Xiuning met Xing Shi on class assignment day, he witnessed the other party racing to slam into a wall, then serenely singing in a way that scared the living daylights out of everyone. He knew right away that Xing Shi was going to be a handful.

The subsequent interactions confirmed this. So, when Xing Shi started causing trouble right after moving in, Fu Xiuning wasn't surprised.

He picked up the beer bottle and clinked it with Xing Shi's.

It was a bottle of beer, with a thin layer of condensation on the dark green surface.

Xing Shi took a sip and his eyes briefly paused when he saw Fu Xiuning drinking as well.

He didn't know how many people had seen Fu Xiuning drinking straight from the bottle. It was his first time witnessing it. The distant but kind-hearted rich kid seemed to have suddenly acquired a touch of earthly warmth, appearing more real.

But the moment passed, and the illusion faded. As soon as the bottle was back on the table, Fu Xiuning was back to his usual calm, collected self.

Xing Shi, with an expression of curiosity and innocence, asked, "Hey, what made you decide to have me move in?"

Fu Xiuning said, "I don't know either."

Xing Shi was puzzled. "Huh?"

Fu Xiuning spoke as if it were a matter of fact, "I heard you guys talking about moving last night. None of the options seemed good, so I subconsciously suggested it."

He threw the question back, "What about you? You just said yes without even knowing why I asked?"

Xing Shi didn't hesitate, "I already told you before."

Fu Xiuning quickly recalled a fragment.

The next second, Xing Shi said, "The first time I met you, I thought, 'This guy could be my brother,' so of course, I’m down to live with you!"

Fu Xiuning knew it would be this answer and sincerely praised, "Good."

Xing Shi accepted the compliment with a clear conscience and moved a little closer. "So... if you really think about it, what’s the real reason you wanted me to move in?"

Fu Xiuning cooperatively thought for a moment, "Maybe because we click, and I thought it’d be cool to have a friend around?"

Xing Shi thought, *Making friends by inviting people to live with you? Yeah, sure, I totally believe that.*

He said with surprise, "I see."

Fu Xiuning responded with a soft "Hmm."

The two looked at each other across the table.

Xing Shi raised his beer bottle, and Fu Xiuning once again held the bottle.

With a light clink, they clinked bottles again.

Fu Xiuning swallowed a mouthful of beer, and an amused feeling rose in his heart, something rare for him.

He realized he’d moved too fast this time.

He should have left a good impression on He Dao, waiting for He Dao to entrust him with looking after Xing Shi before he left. He could have used He Dao's relationship with Qi Changyi as an excuse to occasionally check in on Xing Shi, gradually building a closer relationship. Eventually, it would seem natural to have Xing Shi under his watch until he figured out the secrets Xing Shi carried.

But plans change, leading to the current situation.

Their relationship was ordinary, yet both had reasons to approach each other.

Both of them had their own hidden agendas: one invited the other knowing he would be suspected, while the other accepted despite sensing something fishy.

This was the first time Xing Shi had found himself in this situation with the host.

After a round of conversation, Xing Shi realized he wouldn’t get any useful information for the time being, so he lowered his head to eat and took the opportunity to ask, "Boss, now that I've just moved in, is there anything I should know about in terms of daily life?"

Fu Xiuning decided to improve their relationship starting today. "Aren't I your brother?"

Xing Shi didn’t feel any pressure and happily called out, "Bro!"

Fu Xiuning responded, "You can go anywhere except the master bedroom and the study. I’ll get a desk for you tomorrow so you can study whenever you want."

"Okay, thanks, Brother," Xing Shi said.

"Is there anything else you need?" Fu Xiuning asked.

"Nope," Xing Shi replied.

"If you need anything in the future, just let me know," Fu Xiuning said.

Xing Shi smiled and nodded, raising his wine bottle toward him.

He bought ten bottles of wine, thinking that five bottles each would be enough to knock out this pampered young master.

He was mistaken; by the third bottle, he started feeling dizzy and had to stop. Given the high-risk situation, he was accustomed to staying sober.

Fu Xiuning stayed calm and composed, asking gently, "You done drinking?"

"Yeah, I’m starting to feel a little tipsy," Xing Shi replied calmly.

Fu Xiuning took a napkin to wipe his mouth. "Sounds good, I’m done too."

Hearing this, Xing Shi perked up and carefully examined Fu Xiuning’s face, finding no sign of drunkenness. He suspected Fu Xiuning was pretending, but he also knew some people didn’t show it even when they were drunk.

After hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t resist asking, "We shouldn’t waste it, right? How about we finish it?"

Fu Xiuning nodded. "Alright."

Still doubting whether he was being tricked, Xing Shi drank a few more sips and felt dizzy again. He decided that even if Fu Xiuning was truly drunk, he wouldn’t drink anymore. "We don’t have to finish the wine," he said.

With a half-smile, Fu Xiuning replied, "Didn’t you say not to waste it?"

"But my health comes first," Xing Shi said.

Fu Xiuning looked at him. "Are you drunk?"

Xing Shi’s mind was clear.

After a moment, he decided to play along and see how Fu Xiuning would react if he thought Xing Shi was drunk. "Yeah, feeling dizzy," Xing Shi obediently said.

Fu Xiuning looked a little disappointed. If it weren’t for the system, he would have tried to get more info.

He stood up and said, "Then go to bed early. Don’t worry about the desk; the housekeeper will take care of it tomorrow."

After taking a few steps, Fu Xiuning remembered something. Although he knew Xing Shi was aware of the situation, he still felt the need to remind him. "There’s something I forgot to mention earlier, and I just remembered it now."

Xing Shi looked up at him.

Fu Xiuning said, "I really want to be your brother, but you should still think carefully about it. You just moved in, so you still have time to change your mind."

"My physique is quite special, and I often attract people with extreme personalities. If they know you're living with me, they might try to approach you to get close to me," he elaborated calmly. "This includes, but isn't limited to, flattering you, pursuing you, setting traps, or even deliberately harming you."

Xing Shi subconsciously thought of that information.

Fu Xiuning had been dealing with this for five years, so he spoke about it as if it were just another day.

Xing Shi smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, bro. I'm not scared."

Immediately after, he started asking, "Is there anyone like that around you right now? Who are they? Have I met them?"

His curiosity, mixed with concern, came through clearly, and with the slight effect of the alcohol, his act wasn't perfect.

His excitement and determination shone through, matching the brilliance of his smile, all of which Fu Xiuning noticed.

"Beep."

"Current favorability: -4."

Xing Shi sat up a little straighter.

Fu Xiuning shifted his gaze away and said, "There isn't anyone for now."

After all, he had them busy earning money, so they didn't have time to cause trouble.

Xing Shi didn't give up. "What about someone pursuing you in the company or at school?"

Fu Xiuning said, "There are."

Xing Shi's eyes lit up. "Who?"

Fu Xiuning said, "Many."

Xing Shi thought to himself, of course, with that appearance and status, he was bound to attract attention.

He continued, "Is there anyone who you think won't give up even after being rejected by you? I'll keep an eye out for them in the future."

Fu Xiuning pretended to ponder and after a few seconds, gave him an answer, "Yes, Yu Shu, an artist from the company."

Xing Shi was satisfied. "Good."

Fu Xiuning nodded. "Go to bed early."

Xing Shi remained seated without moving.

He called out to the system, "Will the other hosts find out soon that Fu Xiuning has a new roommate?"

The system replied, "Not necessarily."

It explained, "While I can search the web and crunch numbers, those tasks take up a lot of energy. I only do them when the host really needs it. Plus, I can't always handle pointless requests. Using me as a search engine once in a while is fine, but if you do it too much, I'll start saying no. Similarly, if you ask about Fu Xiuning's location while you're in a different city, I might help with the location a few times, but if you ask too often, I'll refuse because there's no practical purpose if you can't immediately get there."

The system continued, "Location info alone won't show that someone's with him. But if a host in City Z wants to know what he's doing, I could use nearby cameras—like your phones—to see you at his place."

It comforted him, "But don't worry, even if they find out about you, they won't suspect you're the host."

Xing Shi was puzzled, "Why wouldn't they suspect me?"

The system said, "Once the host finds out you're living at Fu Xiuning's place, their first reaction will be to check your background. The system will then discover your relationship with He Dao and Qi Changyi, and any suspicions will be dismissed. That's because the host's background is typically very straightforward and wouldn't have any connection to Fu Xiuning."

Xing Shi asked, "Then why am I an exception?"

Fu Xiuning was about to leave the dining area but stopped when he heard this.

He was curious about the answer too, so he naturally turned around and asked, "Dizzy and unable to walk?"

Xing Shi said, "No, I just want to sit for a while."

Fu Xiuning gave a noncommittal response and went into the kitchen to prepare a cup of honey water for him. In his ear, the system cheerfully said, "I don't know! I only got the details about this body after binding with you. Later, we discovered the connection between the original owner and Qi Changyi. Especially with that face of yours that Fu Xiuning seems to like so much, it's like I hit the jackpot!"

Xing Shi: "..."

Fu Xiuning: "..."

Judging by the tone, it seemed they couldn't rely on the system for this.

Xing Shi thought about asking the main system but was worried it might draw attention to him and expose his energy-stealing activities, so he remained silent.

The system sincerely said, "So, you really need to look out for yourself!"

Xing Shi decided to give it a task. "Go check Yu Shu's information."

The system replied, "Right away!"

Fu Xiuning walked over and placed the cup of honey water on the table.

After talking with the system in his head, Xing Shi felt even dizzier, maybe from the mental effort. It took him a couple of seconds to look at Fu Xiuning and thank him with a smile.

Fu Xiuning assessed his condition. "Can you really make it back to your room on your own?"

Xing Shi nodded. "Yeah." Just as he said that, his phone rang. He looked down and saw it was a call from He Dao.

He Dao had just wrapped up a roadshow and an interview, so he finally had some free time. Since he was leaving Z City the next day, he wanted to spend more time with his son. He said, "Sui Sui, have you finished moving? Are you with Xiuning?"

Xing Shi replied, "Yes."

He Dao suggested, "We bought some supper. Should we come over and eat together?"

Xing Shi, not wanting to hold his phone, had it on speaker.

Fu Xiuning agreed and suggested He Dao take a look around to feel more comfortable leaving his son with him.

However, Xing Shi, rubbing his forehead, said, "No, we're heading to bed soon. Another time."

He ended the call with a tap.

Fu Xiuning: "..."

On the other side, He Dao was also on speakerphone in his car, with only Qi Changyi beside him.

Since Qi Changyi had boosted He Dao's goodwill last night, his timely comments might help. They looked at the hung-up call and checked the time on the screen: 8:33.

Two young guys, already hitting the hay this early...

He Dao, knowing his son usually stays up late, glanced at Qi Changyi. "Is your friend one of those early-to-bed types? That's quite a healthy schedule."

Qi Changyi: "..."

Not exactly!