Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"?" The system was baffled. "Host, your mission is ready. Why are you leaving?"

Qin You said calmly, "So you want me to ignore the storyline? If the chairman revokes my heir status in a fit of anger and I can’t help the target, don’t blame me."

The system panicked. "...That’s not what I meant!"

Qin You said, "Relax. Let’s follow the storyline first and stabilize the situation."

The system half-understood. "Okay..."

After hanging up, Qin You rose from the bedside and gestured to Cui Ling. "Clothes."

Cui Ling was also surprised.

Would the eldest young master actually agree this easily to go to work?

As he fetched a spare suit from the wardrobe and handed it to Qin You, his gaze lingered on the wound on Qin You’s arm.

The doctor had already briefed him about it.

The cut wasn't life-threatening, but it was severe enough to require stitches—hardly a minor injury. He'd been bleeding nonstop when brought to the hospital, which took a real toll on his body.

Plus last night's car crash and the attack, the mental exhaustion alone would be difficult to recover from even after a full night’s rest.

Moreover, Qin You had lived a life of privilege since childhood, spoiled rotten. This was likely the first time he had ever suffered such a serious injury.

Making a spoiled rich kid like him report to work without proper recovery, Cui Ling had expected a tantrum before resorting to dragging him back to the company.

He never thought he'd misread Qin You so badly.

Qin You had actually pushed through the pain and agreed to the chairman’s demand without complaint.

As Qin You walked into the bathroom, Cui Ling couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.

Before their formal meeting, the information he’d gathered from others had made Qin You sound terrible. Their few phone interactions had also been pretty tense.

But now, upon reflection, from last night until now, Qin You hadn’t screwed up once. On the contrary, it was Cui Ling who had constantly judged him with preconceived notions and bias.

Just the fact that Qin You was willing to put work first even while hurt proved that this successor wasn’t as incompetent as the records suggested.

He had been too narrow-minded.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too late. There was still time to understand him properly.

With this in mind, Cui Ling arranged the travel details. When Qin You emerged from the bathroom, he took a few steps forward and offered reassurance. "Mr. Qin, the chairman does care about you. There’s a reason for his decision."

To ensure the eldest young master, who had been screwing around overseas, grasped the deeper meaning, he patiently explained, "Last night’s banquet announced your appointment. Today, everyone will be watching your every move. If you don’t show up at all, the chairman will be in a difficult position."

Qin You glanced at him.

Cui Ling followed him out the door and continued earnestly, "You’re still injured. Once at the company, aside from essential meetings, just work from your office. Don’t worry—a doctor will accompany you for the round trip."

The assistant's weirdly nice attitude was confusing.

Qin You thought he'd shut up already, but from upstairs to downstairs, and even after getting into the car, Cui Ling kept rattling off instructions.

The system also found it odd. "Host, why has this NPC's attitude toward you suddenly improved so much?"

Qin You replied dismissively, "Must be cursed."

"..." The system took the chance to revisit the topic, "Host, do you have a plan for the newly unlocked mission?"

Qin You remained silent.

"Generally, the most important part of an affection mission is to develop feelings first. But given your identity as a tyrannical villain, the task skips this prerequisite and lets you skip straight to physical intimacy to achieve the goal of awakening the target."

After explaining, the system brightened, "You hit the jackpot, Host. This way, the mission's a cakewalk—just physical intimacy is enough to complete it."

It expected the host to share its excitement, but the next moment, Qin You spoke.

"This mission can't be done."

The system sputtered. "Why?!"

Qin You said, "In the original bad ending, it was because of forcing the target. To change that outcome, the approach to the mission must change."

The system suddenly understood. "That makes sense, it really should be changed..."

It was thoroughly convinced by the host's insightful suggestion and declared flatly, "But it's not possible."

Qin You asked, "Reason?"

The system answered honestly, "Priority missions, once issued, allow no cancellations or substitutions unless the main affection mission is unlocked. They must be completed."

Qin You pinched his brow. Damn bureaucracy.

Rigid rules still restricted the system's freedom of action.

The system said, "Rules are rules, Host. You'll have to follow the damn mission."

Qin You: "..."

Follow the damn mission.

Having been in this world for less than a day, he was now expected to kiss someone he'd only met twice. And that someone was a man.

His stomach turned at the thought.

Nearby, Cui Ling handed him a tablet. "Young Master Qin, here's the day's agenda. Any changes you'd like to make?"

Qin You gave it a cursory glance before leaning back. "Your call."

Cui Ling studied his resting profile, mindful of his injuries, and silently took the tablet back.

He waited until the car parked before breaking the silence. "Young Master Qin, we've arrived."

The driver hurried to open the door.

Cui Ling also stepped to Qin You's side and checked his watch. "Young Master Qin, we're on the clock for the meeting."

Qin You said, "Lead the way."

Cui Ling took point without comment.

They fell into step and soon reached the large conference room.

When they entered, all conversation died.

Qin You looked ahead and saw an energetic elder seated at the head of the conference table.

Chairman of the Qin Group—his grandfather, Qin Hengzhong.

Under his watchful gaze, all departments had taken their seats in an orderly manner. When the three entered, everyone turned their eyes toward the door.

Worried that too many people might overwhelm Young Master Qin, Cui Ling tactfully stepped halfway forward, blocking most of the onlookers' view, and gestured ahead. "Young Master Qin, your seat is up front."

Qin You glanced at him again and continued forward.

As he passed a corner, a sudden, crisp sound abruptly cut off reached his ears. Qin You followed the noise and spotted an employee crouched in the corner, sneakily tapping and swiping on a vibrant phone screen.

Cui Ling followed his line of sight and frowned. "Li Chengming, what are you doing?"

Li Chengming instinctively looked up, met Qin You's gaze, and hastily stood, his face burning red. "Y-Young Master Qin..."

He frantically tried to turn his phone face-down but then heard Qin You ask him,

"A game? What's it called?"

Li Chengming mumbled, "Happy... Match-3..."

He swallowed hard, his mind racing.

What did Young Master Qin mean by this?

Was this the first act as the new boss, with Li Chengming as the unlucky scapegoat?

But the meeting hadn't even started yet—strictly speaking, he wasn’t breaking rules...

And he thought he'd hidden it well! How had he been spotted so easily? Was Young Master Qin really determined to make an example out of him to establish authority?

Swear to god, he was just a nobody who slacked off, hardly intimidating to anyone!

As Li Chengming hesitated over whether to say something flattering, he realized Young Master Qin had already turned away after hearing the name, leaving behind two words.

"Sit down."

Li Chengming sat down, baffled.

Cui Ling scrutinized him briefly before quickly catching up to Qin You. He wanted to say something but noticed they had already reached the chairman's side, so he first guided Qin You to his seat before sitting down beside him.

Soon, the meeting began.

Cui Ling watched as Qin You took out his tablet and jotted notes nonstop throughout the session, his guilt growing.

He’d misjudged him all along.

Midway through the meeting, Cui Ling took the opportunity to straighten some papers for Qin You and brought him a glass of water. He intended to suggest that Qin You could ease up for the second half—he could handle the rest.

But before he could speak, as he approached Qin You from behind, he caught sight of the screen on Qin You's tablet—

In a flash, Cui Ling froze in place.

Qin You seemed to sense something and turned to look.

Cui Ling's widened eyes locked onto him, furious.

Qin You calmly closed the page.

Cui Ling's face was full of disbelief as he trembled and clenched the water bottle, the fragile plastic crumpling with a pathetic whimper. He jolted back to attention just as quickly.

When the chairman glanced his way, Cui Ling set the water down rigidly and turned back to his seat.

But the moment he sat down, he saw Qin You open the tablet again, tapping away—

Cui Ling gritted his teeth.

This spoiled brat of an heir!

How dare he play *Candy Crush* during such an important meeting!

—

"That’s all for today."

Finally, as the meeting ended, Cui Ling immediately marched over to Qin You.

They were going to have words.

"Qin You, stay behind. Cui Ling, you wait as well."

At the chairman’s order, Cui Ling slammed a hand on the table and sat back down.

Once everyone else had filed out, he asked, "Chairman, do you have something to discuss?"

Qin Hengzhong tapped the document in front of him. "Review this."

Cui Ling complied, picking up the file and handing one copy to Qin You before flipping through his own.

At the first line, his breath hitched.

It was a collaboration the president had been pushing for before the accident.

But after the president fell into a coma, the project had been shelved. Every attempt to revive it had been refused by the chairman.

He had assumed the chairman was waiting for the president to wake up and complete his own plans. But now, it seemed he intended to leave it to the *esteemed* prodigal heir.

Qin Hengzhong said, "The two of you—hand in your proposals separately to me in a week."

Separately?

Cui Ling’s jaw dropped.

He turned to Qin Hengzhong. "Chairman—"

"Cui Ling," Qin Hengzhong shut him down, "Qin You is new here and has much to learn. I need you to show him the ropes."

Cui Ling replied, "Yes, sir."

Qin Hengzhong then turned to Qin You. "As for you—you were in a car accident last night. Take it easy today. Just get acquainted with the departments under Cui Ling’s guidance. If you’re feeling rough by the afternoon, you may leave early and return to the hospital to rest."

Before anyone could react—

Qin You straightened up solemnly. "No, Chairman. As the general manager, I will lead by example today—I’ll be here on time and stay late if needed."

At these words, the stern face of Qin Hengzhong finally relaxed.

He looked at Qin You, a faint, sighing smile finally breaking through his weary expression. "It's the thought that counts."

"..." Cui Ling clenched his fist.

What good intentions could this Prodigal Heir possibly have?

Is his heart set on playing phone games during meetings?

Caught red-handed right in the act, yet still putting on such a holier-than-thou act in front of the Chairman?

Shameless!

Qin Hengzhong didn't notice his expression and continued asking Qin You, "I heard you've been getting close to the Yan family's Tingshen these past couple of days?"

Qin You glanced at Cui Ling, who was still glaring at him angrily.

This snitch was completely unreliable—after seeing how he really treated Yan Tingshen, yet still feeding Qin Hengzhong such a conclusion.

But perhaps it was for the best.

In the original story, when Qin Hengzhong learned that the heir he had placed such high hopes on was neglecting his duties to chase after a mere assistant, he flew into a rage and imposed extreme restrictions on the original host's freedom.

Now, with Qin Hengzhong misunderstanding his closeness to Yan Tingshen, it was still better than being under tight surveillance.

Qin You said, "It's whatever."

Understanding flashed in Qin You's eyes.

So that was why. Indeed, saving a life was a greater virtue than building a seven-level pagoda.

Seeing things this way, Qin Hengzhong's tone remained gentle. "Don't worry, I'm not interfering with your friendships. Besides, Tingshen is around your age and already running the whole company. Since you're getting closer to him, you can exchange business knowledge."

Exchange business knowledge...

Cui Ling lowered his head.

Qin You said, "Sure thing."

Qin Hengzhong looked at him, pleased with his attitude today. After a few more instructions, he noticed Qin You's left arm and waved dismissively. "It's getting late. You two go and get to work."

Taking the cue, Qin You stood up, took the documents, and left the conference room.

Cui Ling followed behind him, anger barely concealed in his scowl. Following the Chairman's orders, he dutifully provided a detailed introduction to the company's various departments and operations along the way.

Before they knew it, it was past noon, and the secretary brought in lunch. Pushing aside one of the meals, he gathered his things and stood by the desk, fixing Qin You with a long stare. He seemed on the verge of speaking but ultimately held back, leaving with a conflicted look and a single remark.

"I hope Qin Junior can also practice what he preaches and submit the proposal on time a week from now."

With that, he turned and left.

The system sounded confused. "Host, why does it seem like he has a problem with you again?"

Qin You opened the lunch delivered by the secretary. "Yeah, he changes his tune in a heartbeat."

The system voiced its concern. "But we still need him to do the heavy lifting for us in the future. With him being this temperamental, couldn't that mess with the mission?"

"Relax, he'll convince himself," Qin You said.

The original character in the plot was way worse than this guy, yet Cui Ling still managed to mentor him—she’s a die-hard loyalist.

"Good..."

The system relaxed. Once the host finished eating, it urged, "Alright, host, get ready to duck out early today. It's time to head back to the hospital for the mission."

Qin You took out his tablet: "Relax."

The system freaked out and reminded him, "Host! The task we unlocked is already an emergency contingency mission. If we don’t hurry and catch up, the difficulty will only increase from here!"

"I've got this," Qin You said.

Different approach, same result.

Only the outcome counts.

His main mission is to get the target to experience love. As long as that happens, these checkpoints along the way are optional.

At worst, they wouldn’t gain energy and couldn't use system functions. But no big deal.

"That's for later!"

Realizing the host didn’t grasp the severity of the situation, the system was losing it. "Emergency contingency missions have time limits! If you fail to complete it within the timeframe, it counts as a failure, and we'll lose points. Once energy points go negative, the mission fails completely, host!"

Hearing this, Qin You sat up a little. "What’s the time limit?"

"Extremely short,"

the system emphasized, "only three days!"

Qin You leaned back again. "So what's the rush?"

"..." The system short-circuited. "Host..."

It didn’t get to finish.

The intercom buzzed once.

Qin You pressed the button to answer, and the secretary’s voice came through: "Mr. Qin, Manager Qi Xianghe wishes to see you."

Qi Xianghe?

Qin You quickly recalled—this was his distant cousin’s name.

"Let him in."

"Right away."

Soon, a knock sounded at the door.

Qin You put down his tablet. "Come in."

The secretary opened the door and ushered him in. "Manager Qi, please come in."

At the title, Qi Xianghe’s face froze.

"Manager?"

As a grandchild of the Qin family, just because he was the grandson through the female line, he was demoted to just a department manager, while that useless loser Qin You, who had not a shred of accomplishment to his name, spent over twenty years bumming around overseas, only to return and immediately become a general manager?

How unfair!

Even if his future wasn’t in the company but in the entertainment industry, he couldn’t stomach such obvious favoritism from the old man.

Qi Xianghe dug his nails into his palms, his gaze fixed on Qin You’s left arm, which was suspended in front of him.

Qin You was injured.

This was heaven helping him.

He understood that his father and elder brother’s analysis made sense—no matter why the drug meant for Qin You last night ended up being consumed by him, it indicated that things weren’t simple. Someone might be aiding Qin You, so he shouldn’t make another move.

But after getting humiliated like that, how could he swallow this anger?

Since Qin You’s arm was already injured, he wouldn’t mind finishing the job.

At the very least, he’d make Qin You spend some time in the hospital, so he wouldn’t be in the way at the company.

Thinking this, Qi Xianghe pasted on a fake smile. "Brother You, I wanted to ask you during the meeting—what happened there? You okay?"

Qin You raised an eyebrow.

To recover so quickly after his reputation took a huge hit—it seemed this cousin had some game after all.

He casually asked the system, "Did they already contain the backlash from the video?"

The system sounded confused. "Backlash? What backlash?"

Qin You paused for a second before asking again, "What was the reaction after that video was posted?"

The system opened its panel to check the statistics. "Data shows that the current video has six reposts, thirteen comments, and seventy-three likes."

The upload—just as expected, it was just the video, with Qi Xianghe’s name as the caption.

That was it.

And no one in the comments took it seriously.

—"You can even edit videos like this now?"

—"High-tech! No signs of editing at all!"

—"Hey OP, pro tip: posting like this is such a waste of your talent. Just share it directly in fan groups, and it'll blow up for sure!"

"..." Qin You pinched the bridge of his nose. "Get the video out there."

The system whispered, "...Sorry, the system's running low on juice and can't execute this command."

Qin You fell silent.

Picking up on his mood, the system offered a suggestion. "According to the rules of this small world, the system can use the host’s account to make untraceable money transfers. After purchasing the service, a specialist marketing firm can spread the video content."

Qin You gave it two words: "Go ahead."

So the system did.

By then, Qi Xianghe had already approached the desk. "I came to see you this morning, but Cui Zhu was here the whole time. I thought, since it’s my first day starting at the company, staying in the office would be so boring. Now that Cui Zhu’s gone, Brother You, how about I show you around?"

The system quickly reminded him, "Host, unnecessary flattery always has ulterior motives!"

Qin You was surprised. "You’ve picked that up quickly."

The moment this Qi guy showed up, he knew he was up to no good.

But rather than sitting here rotting, it might be better to find something to pass the time.

Seeing Qin You stand up, Qi Xianghe's smile grew even more earnest.

Once outside, he threw the secretary a look and said to Qin You with a grin, "This way, Brother You."

Qin You listened to his blathering all the way until they reached the elevator, where Qi finally cut to the chase.

"Oh, Brother You," Qi Xianghe glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, pressed the elevator's down button, and added as if remembering something, "We can hit up the bar downstairs—perfect for relaxing."

Qin You said, "Sure."

Qi Xianghe smiled. "Then let’s ditch the elevator and take the stairs. This way."

Qin You studied his retreating figure.

Though he was holding back, his eagerness was unmistakable.

So the stairwell was his destination.

Qin You stepped inside and said to the system, "Run a sweep. Anything unusual?"

The system quickly responded, "Scan complete: the surveillance camera on this floor is out of order."

Qin You understood and couldn’t help shaking his head.

First drugging, now physical harm? Zero creativity.

"Brother You—"

Qi Xianghe had already edged closer to Qin You, trying to distract him with conversation while he tried to trip him.

Just as he was about to smirk at Qin You walking ahead, a sharp pain shot through his ankle, making him let out a yelp.

"Hmm? Did I step on you?"

In the dim stairwell, Qin You's voice drawled mockingly in his ears.

Seething, Qi Xianghe tried to straighten up, but the weight on his ankle suddenly shifted. His footing gave way, and he instinctively reached for Qin You's clothes.

But his wild grasping found nothing.

"Wha—" His foot slipped, his hand missed Qin You, and Qi Xianghe's mind went blank as he pitched headlong down the stairs.

Qin You didn’t stick around to watch further. He turned and left, calling Cui Ling.

Cui Ling arrived as quickly as possible. After hearing the details, his expression shifted several times, his eyes growing serious.

He pressed for specifics, "Qin, Manager Qi pushed for the stairs? You stayed an arm’s length away while going down—did you actually step on him?"

"Never got within arm’s reach."

Qin You said, "Otherwise, he could have grabbed me to steady himself and wouldn't have fallen."

Cui Ling frowned at him, thinking for a moment. "I'll be right back."

Qin You watched him pick up his phone, assuming he was arranging for assistance.

Unexpectedly, when Cui Ling returned, he brought news of being told to take time off.

"Young Master Qin, I've already reported the incident to the Chairman. He wants you to return to the hospital for a few days to recover, so you can recharge and get ready for the proposal once you’re rested."

Qin You paused. "No need, I can stay at the company—"

"The Chairman made it clear. Please don’t make this difficult for me, Young Master Qin."

Cui Ling politely stood his ground. "The driver is waiting downstairs. Would you like me to walk you down, Young Master Qin?"

Qin You: "..."

This level of overcaution—really?

The system, however, perked up: "Perfect, Host! He said you can rest for a few days, which means you can keep grinding on tasks!"

Qin You wasn’t sharing its enthusiasm—he only felt a splitting headache coming on.

He glanced at Cui Ling, who was still on the phone nearby.

Could he still claim the fall was an accident...?

Author’s Aside:

Cui Ling: No take-backs.

System: Not a chance.

Qin You: Seriously?

Yan Tingshen: Too late.

Qin You: Huh??