Chapter 9 Cousin’s Forcible Seizure of You

Chapter 9: The Cousin Takes What He Wants

Lou Han sat on the floor of his blue-toned room.

Back in his room, Lou Han did what he always did: he sat on the floor. He placed a pile of items beside him—documents and files he'd gathered about the Lou family, the capital market of this world, and the distribution of capital.

Then, Lou Han realized that he'd been going about this all wrong.

The current capital market was already oversaturated. If he wanted to muscle his way in, he truly needed to find a partner. And if he wanted to establish a foothold in a place like the Lou family, the partner he needed would have to be a powerful backer.

Looking at it this way, he should have found his cousin and teamed up with him much earlier!

But Xiao Jing hadn't told him sooner.

He'd even kidnapped him.

It seemed Xiao Jing really had completely lost his memory.

His actions were no longer under his own control.

While Lou Han was intently studying the materials spread on the floor,

The System was observing Lou Han.

Its data swirled in the air.

The System was a little frazzled.

"Host, what, what are you doing?"

Shouldn't you be grilling me about what I just said, paying attention to my alerts, wondering why I haven't appeared for so long? I log in and send a notification, and you ignore me as usual. Don't tell me...

The System pondered seriously: Could it be that I'm about to become the first program to be given the cold shoulder by its host?

One day, when it returns to the company headquarters, would it no longer be greeted as an Ace System, but rather as a lonely, ignored program?

The room's lights were all on. Lou Han sat on the floor, rubbing his neck, legs crossed, mulling it all over.

The System finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Host, I'm sorry."

Hearing the sudden apology pop into his mind, Lou Han asked in surprise, "Why are you apologizing?"

The System stalled for a moment: "You've been ignoring me. I know, before you were angry because I pulled you into this world, and now you're angry because I didn't tell you sooner that the cousin is someone you know? I was really wrong, but this is how the program is designed."

Lou Han was taken aback for a second. Resting his chin on his palm, a hint of sly playfulness appeared on his face.

He smiled for the first time since returning: "That's not what I was thinking. You're a program; of course I wouldn't actually be angry with you."

The System thought that sounded reasonable, but also felt something was off.

Lou Han had indeed just been thinking about this aspect.

Why, when both entered this world, was Xiao Jing so wealthy while he started as a minor underling?

And the whole thing about Xiao Jing having a crush on him, where did that even come from? And he was even the cousin in the mission who was pursuing him.

Did he like him before he even arrived? Was he also designed by the program?

Lou Han felt somewhat troubled.

Looking at the clumsy-tongued System, Lou Han couldn't help but get a mischievous idea. He tempted, "Just tell me why you bound both me and Xiao Jing at the same time, and I'll forgive you."

The System, maintaining its utterly flat mechanical tone, also seemed on the verge of tears: "I don't have the authority for that either."

How useless.

The young man twitched the corner of his mouth. Suddenly, his door was knocked.

The System perked up: "Is it the cousin coming over!!"

"No." Lou Han, however, seemed to know who it was even before the knock sounded. He stood up calmly. Lou Han was tall and long-legged, reaching the door in a few strides, then smoothly opened it:

"It's Lou Zimin."

Lou Zimin, standing outside the door, looked at Lou Han and finally relaxed from his tense state.

He'd even started to wonder if he was losing his mind. When he returned to the private room, Lou Han was gone—such a big living person. He asked the others in the room, and they all had complicated expressions, not uttering a single word, just staring at Young Master Bai.

Especially that Young Master Bai.

He felt uneasy at the time. He said Lou Han had left on his own. Lou Zimin almost came to blows with Young Master Bai. Later, after Lou Zimin pressed him, he found out that the boss had taken Lou Han away.

The boss! The boss of that lousy bar dared to mess with someone from his family. Furious, Lou Zimin grabbed the manager who had followed him in, trembling, and said he wanted to see the boss above him.

"Do you know who I am? If your brain isn't completely fried and you still remember, you should know the people around me aren't simple either." He demanded coldly and sharply: "How dare you offend us like this!"

At that moment, the manager/boss, appearing from who-knows-where, came in laughing it off, saying the person who took Lou Han away was also someone he knew, just family, no need to worry.

The enraged Lou Zimin received a piece of news that left him bewildered. His younger brother Lou Han had been taken away by that "cousin" from outside the family. As for why he was taken, how he disappeared so quickly, and why he didn't say anything before leaving, the boss just laughed it all off, being deliberately vague.

Lou Zimin understood his attitude.

The upper echelons of City A's society were just that small group at the top of the pyramid. These people all knew he was a young master of the Lou family, and a relatively favored one at that. Major entertainment venues usually fawned over him—which was also why Lou Zimin was angry. Because Lou Han looked so innocent, and in bars, especially the kind their status frequented, there were plenty of arrogant, domineering second-generation heirs with abnormal sexual orientations.

But in this case, it could only be said that the cousin held far greater power and influence than them.

It was said the person who took Lou Han away had swaggered right into their private room. The bar staff led him in like a VIP, followed by a group of tall, burly men in black. Their Lou family itself dealt in shady business, but that group looked even less like legitimate people than the minor young masters of the Lou family present in the bar at the time. So, these young ladies and gentlemen got scared, waited until the people left, and immediately called for help.

And he was genuinely interested in Lou Han. He didn't know how Lou Han had provoked him.

Thoughts of the cousin wanting to kill and dispose of the body flashed through Lou Zimin's mind. He also thought of the cousin wanting to... to do what? Lou Zimin was stunned at the time. He hadn't imagined a man could have such feelings for another man, and right beside him.

Was it simply attraction, or lust?

After returning, thinking about Lou Han's situation and trying to discuss it with others, he still hadn't figured out what to do next.

Then, when he came home, he came to Lou Han's room with a hopeful attitude, just to check.

He didn't expect to actually see Lou Han.

He immediately looked at Lou Han as if he'd seen a ghost.

Lou Han opened the door and smiled at Lou Zimin outside.

Lou Zimin outside the door was stunned: "Why are you smiling at me? Wait, you're actually home?"

Lou Han extended a section of his fair wrist to hold the doorframe, his bright eyes and white teeth maintaining a pleasant smile: "Yes, I am."

Lou Zimin was almost flattered by his demeanor, nearly forgetting why he had come.

Lou Zimin’s gaze uncontrollably traveled from Lou Han’s handsome face, down his waist, to his lower body. He muttered "fuck," stepped forward, and placed both hands on Lou Han’s shoulders, wanting to get a feel.

Lou Han’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he frowned. He brushed Lou Zimin’s hands away and raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

“I’m checking if you’re okay!”

Lou Han didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped aside to open the door and turned back into the room. “Just wait here a sec.”

After all, they were partners now.

Lou Zimin followed him inside without hesitation, his eyes instinctively darting around the whole room as he entered.

The mess in the room shocked Lou Zimin. “What the hell is all this?” He could barely find a place to step, but he watched as Lou Han effortlessly navigated through the chaos and sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

Lou Zimin casually picked up something from the floor and took a closer look. The papers were filled with complex data. He flipped through a few pages, and some of it even stumped him. Not to mention he was no idiot—he ran an entertainment company under his name, responsible for managing certain “funds” for the family.

After reading a few pages, he picked up another bound document and felt a bit speechless.

“*How to Cultivate Roses?*” Lou Zimin chuckled awkwardly. “You’re still reading this stuff?”

“Looks like you really love growing roses.”

Lou Han paid no attention to whether he was looking at them or not and focused on searching for something on the desk. “We’ll go to your company tomorrow. We haven’t signed the contract for the task yet, and we happen to have a new plan.”

“Huh?” Lou Zimin looked at Lou Han curiously.

Lou Han seemed to have found the file he was looking for and placed it directly on the table.

After seeing Lou Han, Lou Zimin pulled out his phone. Lou Han casually brushed his hair back, revealing his smooth forehead. His sharp, youthful features were on full display—his looks could be called “stunning.” With fair skin, a defined jawline, and a prominent Adam’s apple that moved as he swallowed, he exuded the aura of a campus idol.

Damn, even after all this time, Lou Zimin was occasionally dazzled by Lou Han’s innocent face.

They were brothers, so why was Lou Han so good-looking?

“…” He couldn’t help but pry into Lou Han’s personal life. “You must have had a lot of people chasing you in school, right? Have you ever been in a relationship?”

Lou Han opened his phone. As he typed on the screen, he casually thought about his own backstory and replied with a mix of truth and fabrication, “No. Shouldn't date while you're still a student. Besides, the beauty standards abroad are different from ours. They don’t really like me.”

Lou Zimin was skeptical and twitched the corner of his mouth. “Are you sure? Racial beauty standards might differ, but human aesthetics are universal. Someone like you is loved by everyone.”

Lou Han finished typing and clicked send.

Hearing such naive, old-fashioned values, Lou Zimin finally expressed the apology he’d been holding back. “Hey, you must have turned down Cousin, right? I don’t know what he meant by that, but people like him can be a bit… twisted. It’s best to keep your distance. Today was my fault too. We’re partners now, and I’ll protect you from now on.”

“No,” Lou Han said.

Lou Zimin watched as Lou Han remained with his head down. These days, the young man’s energetic, youthful vibe, that mix of innocence and steadiness, was really captivating. He let out a sigh. “We’re brothers. Aside from the family inheritance, we share blood. It’s only right for me to help you.”

“No.” Lou Han finally looked up.

He glanced at Lou Zimin, his dark eyes filled with confusion, then smiled brightly. “I said I didn’t turn down Cousin. I’m dating him.”

Lou Zimin froze completely.

Staring at Lou Han, who seemed to glow under the light, he didn’t know whether to say, “What the hell, you like men?” “Even if you like men, you shouldn’t have agreed to Cousin!” or “Damn it, didn’t you just say you shouldn’t date while studying?”

His mind was in chaos. Finally, he just blurted out what he was really thinking: “What were you thinking? Is it just to get the family inheritance?!”

There were other things he couldn’t bring himself to say.

Was this a sugar daddy arrangement for looks??

Was this selling himself for money??

Lou Han looked up from his phone. To Lou Zimin’s shock, he appeared completely natural, as if he felt no shame for his scandalous behavior. “Why are you so angry? Anyway, here’s the plan I wrote for your company to start implementing tomorrow. You must follow my arrangements. I was going to give it to you later, but now you can take it and look it over.”

“Also, thinking ahead, I’ll have new support soon. I hope you’ll cooperate.”

Lou Zimin took the documents from him, about to say something.

But Lou Han had already pressed his phone to his ear, making a call.

His nonchalant attitude got to Lou Zimin. He wanted to say more, but all he heard was a “ding” as the call connected.

The system hovered above the host. Below, it observed:

A male voice came through the phone speaker—the tone was calm, low, and soft, carrying a suppressed, icy ruthlessness. It felt close, like heated air after intense low-frequency vibrations, rising in waves that made one’s scalp tingle and ears burn.

He only said one word, then fell silent: “Hello.”

The voice was pleasant and unhurried, yet decisive, almost like an order.

Lou Zimin saw the coldness in Lou Han’s eyes soften.

With a gentle, gentlemanly tone, sweet as maple syrup:

“Cousin, I need you to send someone to help me.”

“Yes. Tonight.”

The person on the other end of the call fell silent for some reason, as if surprised by Lou Han’s attitude.

The silence stretched on.

Lou Zimin was startled by the voice and equally shocked by Lou Han’s sudden change in demeanor. Had Lou Han and Cousin already grown so close? Could someone who had just… gotten together so casually request resources like this? Even more shocking was Lou Han’s attitude. Lou Zimin felt dazed.

Was Lou Han really like this?

Was he so two-faced in his pursuit of success?

Lou Zimin listened carefully. Soon, the man on the other end spoke again. He agreed: “Okay.”

Okay.

Lou Han hung up the phone and saw Lou Zimin standing there, seemingly lost in thought.

“Huh?” Lou Han patted him.

“Why are you still here?” He handed the folder on the table to Lou Zimin and continued typing on his phone as if nothing had happened.

Lou Zimin gave Lou Han a deep look. Unable to find the words, he left in a daze.

After handing the documents to Lou Zimin, Lou Han remained seated in his chair, waiting for the new person who was about to arrive.

The system knew exactly who Lou Han was waiting for, because it saw the message he had sent.

The recipient was clearly Xi Jingqi:

"Serenity": The flowers are beautiful.

Then.

Aside from his initial "No need," this was the first time Lou Han had replied to Xi Jingqi.

It was incredibly, incredibly cute. So cute it could melt your heart.

A moment later.

The door rang again. Lou Han opened it to find Xiao Jie standing outside, dressed in a black suit.

"Young Master. I'm here." He lowered his head. "I've come as instructed by Sir. From now on, I'll be by your side, acting as the liaison between you and the boss."

Lou Han observed him.

Xiao Jie could feel it but didn't dare meet his gaze.

Lou Han's attitude was very natural.

So natural that it made Xiao Jie feel somewhat unnatural.

His personal impression of Lou Han wasn't great, but of course, now that he was here, he had to obey all of Lou Han's orders.

He had anticipated that heirs from families fighting over inheritance—like them—were all the same. Bringing him here was nothing more than a ploy to gain access to the boss's resources.

Just as he was thinking this.

Lou Han pointed at him and signaled for him to listen:

"Right. I came back too late today, and the roses in the back garden haven't been watered yet. Go and water them for me."

Xiao Jie: "..."

The next morning.

"Serenity" received another message.

Sun: Good morning (^_^)／.

His intentions were blatant. Because he felt accepting your help was beneficial, he wagged his tail like a puppy, completely opening up.

Xi Jingqi looked at the message, his gaze lowering in thought.

Author's note:

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