Chapter 27 Cousin’s Forcible Seizure of You

Chapter 27: The Cousin's Predatory Pursuit

The system popped up, suddenly saying:

"I think we need to add some melodrama."

Lou Han turned a page in his book.

He ignored it.

The system's blue screen flashed insistently, as if it were a person getting angry behind the scenes. However, by now, the system was used to Lou Han's attitude. Fine, whatever.

"Here's the thing," the system said. "I think our progress in this first world's task is a bit slow."

Lou Han looked at the blue screen in his mind with a thin, insincere smile.

"You haven't told me anything. I'm completely groping in the dark on my own, and I'm doing pretty well considering."

"..." The system felt a bit guilty, its blue glow dimming slightly. "It's not that I don't want to guide you, but there's simply no such instruction in my programming. I don't know how to guide you either."

"And from the current situation, you have your memories. Your mission target is your real-life husband. Even though he has no memories, you two are a couple. I can't just give random guidance, right?"

The system paused for a moment.

"However, right now, I feel the progress is a bit too slow."

"You can't just focus on building a career and then show it off to the mission target."

"We need to shift gears. You two need to start a romance."

Lou Han put down his book and looked at the system. Before he could speak to it,

Lou Han's doorbell suddenly rang.

For a moment, both the person and the system fell silent.

Lou Han glanced at his door, feeling strange about it.

The place he lived in now was a house he had bought himself. No one knew about it. Because he left early and returned late, he'd never even said hello to his neighbors. Who could be ringing his doorbell at this hour?

Lou Han stood up and looked towards the door.

He saw a man in a black suit outside. The corner of his mouth twitched; he probably knew it was someone sent by his husband.

Without pausing, Lou Han opened the door, facing the person outside.

The man in black stood under the glow of the streetlight outside. Seeing him, he placed something in Lou Han's hand.

When Lou Han looked down,

the man had already vanished.

Lou Han: "..." The people his husband trained were, as always, just like the mob.

He carried the box inside, placed it on his table, and opened it.

He discovered it was full of letters, stacked very neatly, each wrapped in a formal brown envelope. A single flower lay on top.

Lou Han was taken aback.

Lou Han looked at that flower strangely.

"Xiao Jing, what does this mean?"

What did Xi Jingqi mean? The system floated in the space, its programming glitching.

Seriously, big brother, you're not actually in prison. Even though you're in an interrogation room, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that you're just putting on a show. A large part of Xi Jingqi's performance was for his political rivals, and also to mess with the Lou family.

But why are you messing with us too?

And writing letters? What era's communication method is this?

But Lou Han's lips curved into a smile. He opened those letters one by one. He turned on a small desk lamp and, accompanied by the birdsong outside the window, slowly began to read them.

They were filled with the things Xi Jingqi wanted to say to him daily, mostly just daily hellos.

Hmm, was this Xiao Jing's little game of romance with him?

Lou Han thought for a moment. The next day, when the man in black came again, he gave him a small pouch—inside were some rose seeds and a few dried, compressed flower petals.

They were from a few perfectly selected, flawless flowers.

In the swaying wind and rain of September,

Lou Han helped the company Lou Zimin established go public.

This was the company they founded after leaving the Lou family, funded with money they raised themselves.

They were like a cheetah, charging fiercely through the business world with a small amount of capital and lightning speed.

They began making big moves in this world. Soon, everyone knew there was a junior in the Lou family named Lou Zimin.

Lou Zimin acted on Lou Han's instructions from behind, doing things according to Lou Han's plans.

Soon, Lou Zimin met with nothing but success. They rose to prominence in City A.

During the day, they went to the company. At night, the invitations for Lou Zimin to join his party crew at various bars increased. As soon as they met, Lou Zimin would be teased.

"Heard your family is going bankrupt?"

Lou Zimin: "Get lost."

More often it was: "Lou Zimin, you've got some sharp methods, huh."

Lou Zimin would usually laugh and retort. Then the group would mingle among various drinks, beautiful women, and handsome men. The nightlife was lively. Lou Zimin usually called this relaxation. What made him happy was that Lou Han didn't scold him but joined him.

Usually, at night, they were at hotel dining tables, drinking with their business partners.

Those worth them "accompanying for drinks" here were all old-timers who preferred hard liquor.

This made Lou Han fall silent. Then he would usually take the initiative to stay in a supporting role, letting Lou Zimin step forward to drink. The unlucky Lou Zimin got drunk and dizzy every day.

Young Master Bai once ran into him at a hotel.

They had even collaborated with him a few times.

By the end of the drinking session, many of those pot-bellied old-timers had passed out, and a few had vomited. Waitstaff came in to clean up.

Lou Zimin was delighted.

He turned to look at Lou Han, who was resting his forehead in his hand, back straight, face buried, and cheeks even redder than Lou Zimin's own.

Lou Zimin: "...No way, how much did you drink?"

After a moment's thought, Lou Zimin—the third young master—saw his chance. He asked Lou Han about a certain someone.

He stammered, sounding hesitant: "...You and Xi Jingqi..."

"What?" Lou Han, who normally didn't have much to say to him, was downright impatient now, likely due to the alcohol. His fine-boned, elegant profile was nestled between his crossed hands, the curve of his neck and the downward tilt of his eyes projecting a deceptive aura of distance.

Only the system knew that Lou Han wasn't really like this—at least, he wasn't like that in front of Xi Jingqi.

"I mean..."

Their business had been going well these days, but Lou Zimin's ultimate goal was to snatch all the Lou family's wealth.

It was only later that Lou Zimin learned about Xi Jingqi's identity and realized he was the one behind the recent moves against their family.

So, he no longer took seriously the fact that Xi Jingqi deemed Lou Han the heir to their family's assets.

But Lou Zimin was puzzled.

It scared him a little. *Didn't Lou Han fear Xi Jingqi?*

"I heard he's currently detained by Congress, in an interrogation room. Is that... thing between you and Xi Jingqi still on? Someone like him, with the feud between our families aside—he can't even save himself right now, but his influence is still out there. Be careful—what if he makes an example of you as the next Lou family member to target? You could get yourself killed! You shouldn't stay alone these days." Lou Zimin poured Lou Han a glass of wine.

Lou Han: "..."

Lou Han didn't know how to respond.

He replied briefly, "I want to, alright?"

"What?"

"So what if I die? I'm fine with it."

Lou Zimin choked up, completely speechless. He thought incredulously, *Was Lou Han saying he still wanted to be with Xi Jingqi?!*

"Lou Han, don't you realize your relationship is wrong?" Seeing that Lou Han hadn't treated it seriously from the start, Lou Zimin felt compelled to remind him.

Lou Han kept his face buried, his expression unclear in the dim light.

Lou Zimin frowned. "Do you know how toxic your relationship is?"

"Forget about you, I don't know anyone else who would stay with someone knowing there's a blood feud between your families! And..." Lou Zimin continued, "And what we have now is far from enough to contend with Xi Jingqi! Even if he somehow gets out unscathed and Congress can't touch him, you'll always be at a disadvantage by his side. Do you understand? You know, those kept lovers might look glamorous on the surface, but behind the scenes, they live in humiliation—some aren't even treated like human beings..."

Lou Han's head was about to split. He had never drunk baijiu before and was already drunk. He really didn't want to hear this from Lou Zimin, his business partner, out of the blue.

Lou Han still seemed dismissive.

Lou Zimin didn't know what else to say.

He was so outstanding—why was he so determined to be with Xi Jingqi?

He was deeply worried for Lou Han. In his eyes, Lou Han was standing on the edge of a cliff, but Lou Han himself didn't see it.

Or perhaps he did.

But Lou Zimin felt a sense of detachment from Lou Han.

It was as if Lou Han knew he would leave this place sooner or later.

He wasn't sure if this was the right way to describe it, but he always felt that Lou Han lacked extra emotions—toward this world, as if he didn't belong here and thus wouldn't invest any additional feelings.

Lou Zimin could only attribute all this to Lou Han eventually returning abroad.

He asked:

"Lou Han, you won't stay here in the future, will you?"

Lou Han was annoyed by the question, unsure of what he was getting at. He straightened up, took a sip of water, and looked around the room—it was a mess, with waiters cleaning up. Casually, he asked, "Stay where?"

"In this country. Aren't you planning to go back abroad? You grew up there, after all."

"You're overthinking it. I'm staying right here. I'm not going anywhere."

But this only made Lou Zimin more worried.

"What do you mean, staying here forever? Lou Han, don't you have any dreams?"

Lou Zimin went on:

"My dream is to make a lot of money, then live it up. Yeah, someone like me is just that shallow. Spend money until I die. Even in my seventies or eighties, I'll still be spending."

Lou Han let out a soft laugh. "You're something else."

"What about your dream?"

"Hmm, you're really drunk..." Lou Han smiled. "I don't want anything."

It perfectly matched the pretentious image Lou Han had in Lou Zimin's mind.

But could someone really want nothing at all?

If such a person existed, was there anything in this world that could keep him here?

Would he leave one day?

Lou Zimin took a sip of wine, lost in thought. He felt unexpectedly upset—not from the alcohol, but from a heaviness in his heart. He didn't know why.

A while later, Lou Zimin too was out cold, felled by that last mouthful of wine.

Much later.

Lou Zimin groggily woke up to a waiter tapping his shoulder. He realized Lou Han was nowhere to be seen and asked around, but no one knew where he was.

Perhaps Lou Han's sudden disappearance last time had left a bad impression, because Lou Zimin jolted awake instantly.

Grabbing his jacket, he headed out of the hotel. Just outside the main entrance, he scanned the area.

By the door, he spotted Lou Han crouched in a corner, watching a white cat rolling around and gently petting it.

He had almost never seen this side of Lou Han before.

He was so gentle.

In the shadows of the corner, petting the cat, crouched down—it was a stark contrast to the person he had just seen. Now, Lou Han's long legs were curled beneath him, exuding a quiet, gentle calm, as if this was what he truly wanted, not the chaos from before.

The cat meowed as he held it, and Lou Han immediately let it go.

Lou Zimin suddenly had a strange thought: what did Lou Han actually like? It was only today he started wondering about this.

What Lou Han liked wasn't wealth or grand spectacles; perhaps it was just quietly stroking a cat like this.

Lou Zimin then fell silent, wondering again about that same question: why did Lou Han insist on being with Xi Jingqi?

It was so dangerous!

Lou Zimin stood there without making a sound, thinking to himself that Lou Han had lost his mind.

Lou Han had probably come out to sober up and get some air; it was about time to head back.

He looked up, ready to leave.

A moment later, Lou Han turned and saw Lou Zimin standing there, looking completely taken aback. Lou Zimin assumed he was just startled to find someone behind him, but Lou Han stood up. Since no one was petting it anymore, the cat ran off. Then Lou Han smiled and said, "Just now, the way you looked reminded me of someone."

Lou Han was wearing a silver suit, and Lou Zimin was carrying his own jacket.

Lou Han, all long arms and legs, strode over toward him.

Lou Zimin watched Lou Han's back.

There was a shadowy figure there.

As they reached the corridor, that thing moved.

Lou Zimin focused his gaze and saw—wasn't that... wasn't that a person?

While walking, Lou Han felt a sudden pain in his neck and grew dizzy. He fell backward, unable to stop himself.

Xi Jingqi caught Lou Han and glanced at Lou Zimin, recognizing him. Lou Zimin was Lou Han's brother—thankfully, a real one.

Otherwise, Xi Jingqi...

The last time he'd seen him was in the rose garden, and Xi Jingqi had disliked him on sight.

Xi Jingqi looked down at the person in his arms. Lou Han's face was flushed, as if he had drunk a lot. A youth—no, already like a man. Xi Jingqi stroked the waist of the person he hadn't seen in so long and smiled; Lou Han's abs were more defined now.

It seemed he hadn't given up on his workouts these days.

Actually, before, he still seemed a bit childish. Xi Jingqi couldn't bear to bully him.

"I missed you," Xi Jingqi said, looking at him.

Lou Zimin took a step back and bumped into someone.

A person who had appeared from nowhere, at an unknown time, stood behind him.

It must be one of Xi Jingqi's men.

Under this person's surveillance, Lou Zimin could only watch helplessly as Xi Jingqi in the distance held Lou Han.

He slowly moved away from the area.

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Author's note: A bit slow~ mwah mwah