Yan Junyu pretended not to notice the teenager's sudden blank expression, leisurely drying the water droplets from his hair and chest before picking up the shirt hanging on the coat rack and putting it on.
"What do you want me to help you with?" His low and husky voice carried a hint of hoarseness. If Qi Ze had to describe it in one sentence, it would be that his ears were about to get pregnant. Qi Ze scratched his itchy earlobe, looking a bit embarrassed, but his eyes were glued to the other person, not shifting away. If they couldn't be lovers, didn't he at least have the right to look a little bit longer to make up for it?
He coughed and said in a seemingly serious tone, "Didn't you tell me the other day that if the Ouyang brothers faced each other, you were more optimistic about Ouyang Ye? Could you mention it a few times on your personal page? Not much, just a few sentences."
Yan Junyu's action of buttoning his shirt paused for a moment, and his brows creased slightly.
"You want me to hype him up?" Are you that fond of Ouyang Ye?
"It's not about hype. You'll understand later; there's plenty of money to be made anyway." Qi Ze kept him guessing.
Really, he's all about the money. Yan Junyu's heartstrings relaxed slightly, and he was about to tease him a bit and agree, but then he saw Ouyang Ye run out from the back corridor. His clothes were tattered and he looked quite bedraggled, but his face was filled with an expression of wild joy. He flipped over the back of the sofa, hugged Qi Ze, and kissed him fiercely, saying with fiery passion, "Young Master Qi, you're fucking amazing! I love you, I love you the most in the world!" After he said that, he flipped over the sofa again and ran out of sight.
Qi Ze wiped the saliva off his face, looking disapproving, but his eyes were full of patience and indulgence.
Yan Junyu suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, and without waiting for the other side to speak, he cut off the communication.
When Qi Ze came back to his senses, there was no sign of the tall man on the other side, only a dark screen. He thought the connection had dropped, and immediately dialed back, but he found that the other side quickly hung up the communication, obviously not wanting to help him with this matter. Qi Ze was stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead and shook his head with a sigh.
They had been getting along very happily over the past two days, and he had almost forgotten what kind of person Yan Junyu was. At first, when he saved him, he seemed quite affable, occasionally even visiting him in the hospital. But after his confession, he started to avoid him, yet every time Qi Ze forcibly intercepted him, he would still patiently listen to every word he said, then politely decline. Others were cold on the outside and warm on the inside, but he was hot on the outside and cold on the inside, very hard to get along with.
Yan Junyu's help over the past two days in betting strategy was probably due to his boredom. And he had gone too far; no wonder he was disliked. Thinking about it, Qi Ze didn't feel too hurt. He himself was also that kind of person, getting along if there was profit, and letting go if there was none. They didn't owe each other anything. Without Yan Junyu, he could still hire a click farm; the difference was merely one was free and the other cost money. If things really worked out, it could earn him a big sum, enough to not feel any pain.
After staying in the Black Eye Galaxy for two years, the first thing Qi Ze figured out was these shady ways, and he soon found a few professional click-farming teams, ready to stir things up.
On the other side, after Yan Junyu cut off the communication, he didn't leave but instead stared at the display screen. Qi Ze, who would always call him repeatedly, only rang back once this time and then went silent. He waited for a few minutes, and the longer he waited, the more his brows furrowed, so he had to take out a cigarette and light it.
Suddenly, an epiphany flashed in his mind, and he finally realized why the scene just now had given him a strange sense of discord. When Ouyang Ye kissed Qi Ze, he called him "Young Master Qi" instead of any nickname that contained any suggestion of intimacy. To have the Young Master Ouyang use honorifics in his daily interaction with him, their relationship was probably more complicated than it seemed on the surface.
Unable to wait for the teenager's call, he had to head to the private room they had booked. As the match was about to start and the competitors were already warming up on the sidelines, the teenager was still not pushing the door open, making him somewhat restless. He would occasionally look down at his smartbrain and, to prevent any signal disruption, unlock the screen to check it several times.
Just as his patience was running out, the door opened, and Yan Bo walked in with his hands in his pockets, swaggering in. Catching a glimpse of his expression, he asked, "What, seeing me disappoints you? Were you waiting for someone? Who?"
Yan Junyu ignored him and instead asked the waiter leading the way, "This is a double occupancy private room, and besides me, there should be another guest. Has he arrived? If he hasn't, the order should be canceled, right?"
The waiter checked the backend information and politely replied, "Mr. Yan, the order has been canceled, and you can use this private room at your discretion. Is there anything else you need?"
To disappear without a trace after refusing to help, as if the pleasant days of companionship didn't exist. Qi Ze really knew how to burn bridges and kill the donkey after it had served its purpose. Yan Junyu waved away the waiter while shaking his head with a bitter smile, but at the same time, he felt very strange: why did he understand Qi Ze's character so well, as if he had known him for a long time?
His childhood friend was best at managing his emotions, always appearing cultured and elegant. Now, however, Yan Bo saw a hint of frustration and embarrassment in his eyes, along with a touch of regret. He couldn't help but become interested and stopped the waiter, asking, "Who else booked the private room before?"
"Sorry, that's the guests' privacy," the waiter, being professional, bowed slightly and walked away.
Yan Bo sat down across from Yan Junyu in a bold and casual manner. Catching sight of the two glasses of red wine already poured on the table, he spontaneously picked one up and inquired, "Who are you on a date with? So mysterious?"
Yan Junyu massaged his temple and pondered for a moment. Finally, he opened his personal webpage and wrote a review article. He exuded an aura of resignation, making Yan Bo even more curious. "What's the matter with you? Did you encounter something you couldn't solve?"
"It's indeed something I can't solve." Yan Junyu shook his head with a bitter smile. He found that Qi Ze was simply a stubborn donkey, only to be stroked in the right direction; if you went against him, you'd absolutely be kicked away. This character was a bit domineering, but he could only indulge him, as if he owed him in his past life.
"Hey, there's something even the great Young Master Yan can't solve?" Yan Bo was about to ask further when his smartbrain sounded with a crisp ding. A message from someone he was closely following had arrived!
"What the hell, are you on drugs? You're that optimistic about Ouyang Ye?" Yan Bo's eyes widened in shock. Yan Junyu was well-known for not liking to make posts on his personal webpage, let alone commenting on anyone. This message, with his tens of millions of followers, immediately made Ouyang Ye the hottest search trend in the entire empire. The official website of the Neptune Planet Combat Tournament, which had previously had poor click-through rates, was suddenly swarmed by people, causing a surge in traffic that nearly overwhelmed the server.
Of course, as a big figure, he had plenty of friends and even more enemies. Those who had a good relationship with him said they would pay attention and support Ouyang Ye, while those who had always been at odds with him immediately watched all the matches and then belittled him fiercely. The two factions argued, causing the heat to rise steadily.
A low-level tournament held on a low-level planet was pushed to become a popular competition within a few minutes by Yan Junyu. The influence was unparalleled. The notification sounds of ding-dong kept ringing, and many people sent him messages to inquire about the situation. Even the tech-savvy Mu Ran was alarmed, sending a private message to ask who Ouyang Ye was and if he was really that talented.
Yan Bo saw a few poorly worded comments and immediately began to persuade, "Young Master Yan, did you really take the wrong medicine? Your first long article in your life is used to praise Ouyang Ye? He's indeed very promising, but compared to those prodigies on Imperial Star, he's not worth mentioning. In so many matches, his performance can only be described as outstanding, far from brilliant. Now that you're so optimistic about him, have you thought about the impact it would have on you if he loses later? Your lifetime of glory might be ruined by this promotion!"
Yan Junyu didn't care about how others perceived him. He stepped out to the terrace and took out a cigarette, lighting it. His handsome face was blurred in the smoke.
Yan Bo was almost going crazy and rushed to his side to urge, "Quickly, quickly, delete this post. Ouyang Ye's opponent later is Chen Huan, a peak fifth-level metal-type ability user. That kid is very strong, a typical fighter who gets stronger the more he fights. When he goes crazy, even Ouyang Duanhua is no match for him, and only Wang Xuan can barely beat him."
A fleeting look of hesitation flashed in Yan Junyu's eyes, and he slowly said, "Do you only do something if you have absolute certainty? Is victory and defeat determined solely by level? Is there no such thing as a miracle in this world?" He had been living a stable life until now, and suddenly he found that he preferred taking risks.
Yan Bo was speechless, looking up and down at the man as if he didn't know himâSince Yan Junyu was unwilling to cooperate, Qi Ze didn't think of clinging on. Anyway, the preliminaries were coming to an end, and the finals were tomorrow. It was enough to make a big haul in the end. With enough capital, he wanted to open an online weapons specialty store, accepting orders for weapon customization, repair, and other businesses, to reinstate the name of the Supreme Divine Creation Sect.
Cancelling the private room on that side, he sat with Li Yu in the VIP seats on the fourth floor to watch the matches. Li Yu knew that Young Master Qi could stir things up, but he didn't know that he was also good at causing trouble. Watching him constantly buy click farms and popularity for his nephew, the expression on his face was quite indescribable. He was sure that back in his hometown, Young Master Qi was probably as much of a troublemaker as his nephew used to be.
"First, hype up Ouyang Ye, then let him fall, and finally make a turnaround. If handled properly in between, it should be able to gather a lot of betting money." Qi Ze said while giving the click farms a thumbs up. However, Ouyang Duanhua had been famous for a long time, his popularity always overshadowing Ouyang Ye's.
"Young Master Qi, you can tell me if you're short on money. You don't have to work so hard," Li Yu spoke rather tactfully.
"I like to earn my own money. It's quite fun." Qi Ze grinned, revealing eight white teeth. Before, he only knew about seclusion and cultivation. Only after coming to the Black Eye Galaxy did he discover that there were so many interesting things in life. No wonder his father always hoped he would go out and train.
Li Yu, "...As long as you're happy." After saying that, he lowered his head to browse the news website and then revealed a surprised expression.
"Young Master Qi, you don't need to buy any more click farms." He tapped on the smartbrain screen, "Mr. Yan just sent a post, which has already stirred up the popularity."
Qi Ze was full of suspicion, seeing the popular message that had been pushed up, and then his face lit up with a grin. Yan Junyu was indeed a major figure in the empire. With just a few simple words, he had attracted so much attention. Some supported, some refuted, with the ones who refuted mostly being his mortal enemies, their backgrounds and status being extraordinary. As a result, this had instead pushed Ouyang Ye onto the cusp of public attention.
If Ouyang Ye didn't win, or didn't win in a spectacular fashion, how these people would pile on and ridicule him, it could be imagined even with the knees. Their one sentence was equivalent to a hundred from others, plus their massive fan base. At that time, wouldn't they bring Ouyang Ye down to rock bottom?
If he fell that low, the odds wouldn't rise strangely!
With this wave of hype, the attention on the competition would definitely increase significantly, and more people would naturally bet on the gambling site, with the accumulated betting money possibly skyrocketing by a hundredfold or thousandfold. In the empire, the gambling industry was legitimate, protected by the law, and no department would supervise or obstruct it.
If this money was won, it was his. No one could touch it. Qi Ze saw the sudden surge in click-through rates on the tournament's official website, and his eyes twinkled, all filled with the symbol of the empire's currency.
"Yan Junyu is really a good friend." He smiled and sent a message, asking where the other party was.
The other side responded instantly, "At the usual place."
"I'm coming. Wait for me." Qi Ze bought a bottle of top-shelf red wine and leisurely made his way to the private room.
Li Yu, on the other hand, was deep in thought, feeling that Yan Junyu was very unusual towards Young Master Qi. His personal page was practically a decoration, with the number of messages he sent being countable on one hand. He knew very well how much his nephew was worth, and he wasn't at the level to be favored by Young Master Yan yet.
Could it be that he knows it was Young Master Qi who saved him? Thinking so, Li Yu couldn't help but reveal a worried expression. The Yan family was not like the Li family. Once they discovered the utility value of Young Master Qi, they would definitely take measures to control him. Young Master Qi, on the other hand, was a free-spirited person. In the end, it could very likely lead to a lose-lose situation.
On the other side, Ouyang Tao and Ouyang Duanhua also saw this article, and their hearts instantly filled with anxiety. They assumed that Yan Junyu was preparing to recruit Ouyang Ye, and their minds were in turmoil. Chen Huan, on the other hand, gritted his molars and revealed a vicious smile. The proposition of stepping on Young Master Yan to climb up seemed to be getting more and more interesting the more he looked at it.
Yan Junyu smoked while checking the backend of his personal page. However, five minutes passed, and the person he was waiting for did not respond. After finishing one cigarette, he lit another, and the furrow between his brows deepened gradually.
Yan Bo felt that his childhood friend was really abnormal, so he resigned from his on-site guidance job and stayed in the private room to inquire about the situation. He didn't usually see his childhood friend favoring Young Master Ouyang so much, so why did he suddenly become a promoter for him? He was considering how to ask when he saw his childhood friend's hand tremble, and the scorching ashes fell off, landing on his straight military pants. Fortunately, the uniform fabric was made with special techniques, with a high ignition point. Otherwise, it would have really burned a big hole in it.
"You rarely smoke, what's the matter today?" He spoke out to probe.
Yan Junyu ignored him, stubbed out the cigarette butt, and quickly composed a text message. A crisp ding sounded, and there was a response from the other side. His stern face unexpectedly softened, revealing a bit of a smile.
"What good thing happened? I find you a bit abnormal today!" Yan Bo was curious to the point of clawing his heart.
"You can leave." Yan Junyu raised his chin.
"Fuck, I'm not leaving. Today, I must see which little demon has bewitched you."
As the two were at a stalemate, the doorbell rang, and Yan Bo jumped up, dashing to open the door. Seeing the teenager leaning against the wall with a bottle of red wine in his hand, he couldn't believe he asked, "How is it you?"
He would never have thought that the person who threw his childhood friend off balance was actually Qi Ze, a frail carbon-based lifeform with a short lifespan and a bleak future!
"I'm here to find Yan Junyu." Qi Ze slipped past the young man, entering the private room. Familiarly picking up a chair to sit down, he lifted the red wine and asked, "Have a couple of drinks?"
"Hmm." Yan Junyu's eager expression had completely receded, and he seemed very calm.
"I thought you wouldn't help. Indeed, you're the heir of the Yan family, with a very different influence." Qi Ze pointed at a few malicious comments and laughed, "Rest assured, I won't harm you. It's still the old rule, a 30-70 split."
"I know you won't harm me." This was Yan Junyu's most certain point. Even if a comrade-in-arms who had trusted his back betrayed him, the smiling youth in front of him wouldn't. This was a kind of intuition that was imprinted on his soul.
Qi Ze felt that he had misjudged Yan Junyu. He wasn't hot on the surface and cold inside; he was hot on the surface and hot inside. Although they couldn't be lovers, it would still be great to be friends. He offered a toast, drank three cups in a row, and two patches of red appeared on his face. His eyes were black and bright, like gems seeped with water, setting off his snow-white skin, red lips, and making his appearance even more stunningly beautiful.
Yan Bo took a fixed look and thought to himself that he really had guessed right; the one who had come was indeed a spirit. Otherwise, how could he make his childhood friend do something that would damage his reputation?
Yan Junyu didn't dare to drink any more, unbuttoning the topmost button of his military uniform and quietly letting out a breath. But before he could adjust his emotions, Qi Ze had changed his position. He directly sat on the armrest of his sofa, one arm locked around his neck, half of his body leaning into his chest, and leaned towards his ear, exhaling a clear yet hot breath of alcohol, "This time, you're really a good friend. When there are more ways to make money in the future, I'll still come to you."
Yan Junyu was in a daze for a long time before realizing what the teenager was saying. He half hoarsely and half deeply said, "Hmm." He felt that what was hanging on his shoulder wasn't a person but a ball of fire, which could burn his skin through the military uniform.
Yan Bo, sitting opposite, almost popped his eyeballs out. Is this Yan Junyu, who wouldn't even let his mom hug him since he was a kid? Fake, right?
Qi Ze didn't know Yan Junyu's temperament. If he wanted to get close to someone, he could become brothers in minutes, sleeping in the same bed, so what was holding someone's shoulder? Of course, one of the reasons he was so intimate was due to Yan Junyu's stunning good looks.
Afraid that this person misunderstood, he continued to explain in his ear, "No matter what happens later, you don't have to worry. It's fine. I can guarantee that the final result will definitely be as you predicted on your personal webpage." Tilting his head to take a sip of red wine, a hint of laughter was in his voice, "Think about it, everyone says you have poor eyesight, but then comes a shocking reversal. Isn't it fun? Isn't it satisfying to slap someone in the face?"
Yan Junyu continued to nod, unable to even say "Hmm." He was currently in a state of both water and fire: the teenager's body was soft and hot, with a fresh fragrance; the teenager's voice was low and soft, mixed with a hint of playful laughter; he raised the wine glass to take a sip, and the small Adam's apple under his eyes vibrated, making a "gulping" sound, incredibly cute and incredibly tantalizing.
Yan Junyu closed his eyes, forcing himself not to think too much, and even less to look around.
Yan Bo stared at his childhood friend's red ears and finally spoke up to defuse the situation, "What are you discussing? Say it to me as well?"
Qi Ze glanced at him but didn't reply, only giving a cold and indifferent smile.
Yan Bo finally realized something was off and his tone became serious, "You're Qi Ze? Why are you different from before? I thought you were a little lamb. You and Young Master Ouyang have been getting along well recently, showing affection every day on your personal webpage."
"The little lamb is what you think, what does it have to do with me?" Aside from earning money to buy materials, Qi Ze spent almost all his time on alchemy, steadily improving his cultivation. After taking the lightning strike for Yan Junyu last time, he had a big nourishment session and would be able to recover his Golden Core cultivation in a few years. So, he didn't plan to continue playing the role of a grandson.
If you played the role of a grandson for too long, you might really become a grandson. That would be tragic.
Yan Bo really didn't know much about Qi Ze, or rather, the entire school didn't know much about him. But he was clearly dating Ouyang Ye, and now he was trying to entice his childhood friend again. That wasn't very decent, right? He was about to give a few words of warning to make his childhood friend wake up, but Qi Ze suddenly seemed to lose interest. He patted Yan Junyu's shoulder and stood up, smiling, "Pleasant cooperation, see you later. I'll give you this bottle of red wine, have it slowly."
Yan Junyu's fingertips moved, but in the end, he didn't retain him, only slowly relaxing his stiff body after he left.
"I really underestimated Qi Ze! How could someone who could make Ouyang Ye so besotted not have a bit of strategy? Junyu, how could you get tangled up with him..." AfterQi Ze left, Yan Bo interrogated him in a torrent of words, but he was quickly interrupted by the clamor of the arena.
Ouyang Ye and Chen Huan jumped onto the stage together, entwining in a fight. Compared to the previous matches, Ouyang Ye's attacks were more fierce, but he had completely abandoned his defense. Chen Huan's surface was covered with metal, and his hands had transformed into blade-like edges with saw teeth, making him both offensive and defensive.
Ouyang Ye raised his sword to strike his face, and he crossed his hands, barely blocking it. Simultaneously, he bent his knee to hit the other person's waist and abdomen. With a tearing sound, the fabric on his knee was torn, and a sharp steel spike grew out from his kneecap. As a metal-type ability user, as long as he moved his mind, he could turn any part of his body into a weapon. Every gesture he made carried a hidden danger of death.
Ouyang Ye was startled and hurriedly pressed down the sword's edge, using the counterforce to quickly retreat. But he was suddenly blocked by the arrow that appeared. He dodged to the left and right, using the wind to boost his speed, finally breaking out of the encirclement, but his clothes were torn to shreds, revealing the blood under his skin.
Chen Huan summoned another rain of arrows, taking advantage of his disoriented steps to rapidly approach him. His hand blade flashed with a cold glow, directly piercing into his heart.
Ouyang Ye blocked this fatal strike, but he failed to block the cold arrow that shot from behind him, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The blood splattered, dyeing his eyes red, and it also sparked his madness. Opening his defenses, he thrust his sword forward. They exchanged hundreds of moves. In the end, Ouyang Ye, at the cost of his own injury, pierced Chen Huan's abdomen while being stabbed in the left chest by the other party.
The audience drew in a cold breath, originally thinking this was a draw, but unexpectedly, every wound on Chen Huan's body began to explode one after another, turning him into a bloodied figure. Chen Huan was also ruthless; giving a ferocious smile to Ouyang Ye, he used up the last bit of his ability, turning his right hand into a hook-and-spear after it had become a blade, stabbing in and then pulling it out, attempting to dig out Ouyang Ye's heart.
His blood splashed onto Ouyang Ye's body, making the audience unable to tell who was injured. The scene looked extremely bloody.
Chen Huan finally fell, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He hadn't been able to dig out Ouyang Ye's heart, but he seemed to see that the red under Ouyang Ye's torn clothes was not blood.