Chapter 5#
The Villain’s Sinister Intentions#
Qin Mu had been here for nearly half a month.
Tonight was Jiang Yunhan’s nineteenth birthday banquet, and it was a grand affair.
The Jiang family estate was brilliantly lit, and almost every person of importance in the city had attended. Guests moved to and fro, a dazzling array of elegant figures with practiced smiles; yet, whenever they raised their glasses, different schemes flashed in the depths of their eyes.
Qin Mu leaned against the second-floor railing, nonchalantly sipping red wine from his glass.
He had shown some degree of respect for the occasion by wearing a well-tailored suit, but his jacket was left open and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, maintaining his persona as a romantic, dissolute playboy to the letter.
The idle chatter of two CEOs sitting in the booth behind him drifted into his ears.
“I heard Old Man Qin was admitted to the ICU twice recently. It seems the situation isn’t optimistic?”
“The law firm I partner with has been quite busy lately. Word is the will has already been finalized.”
“Qin Zheng hasn’t been behaving himself lately either. He’s been privately winnowing over several shareholders.”
“An illegitimate son is just… unpresentable after all. But then again, looking at someone like Qin Mu, who spends all day fooling around in bars—if I were his father, I wouldn’t think much of him either…”
The other CEO hurriedly interrupted his unfinished thought: “Don’t talk nonsense. Don’t you know what kind of man Old Man Qin is? How could he possibly leave the inheritance to a bastard like Qin Zheng? The Old Man values tradition above all else; what he looks down on most is an illegitimate child.”
Qin Mu chuckled softly and tilted his head back to finish the wine in his glass.
77 issued a prompt at the right moment: 【Host, according to the original plot, Old Man Qin will pass away in six months. Qin Zheng will then join forces with the Jiang family to swallow the Qin Corporation.】
【Your ending will be: being expelled from the family and dying in a car accident.】
“And so?” Qin Mu asked back in his mind.
77 didn’t expect its host to follow the plot obediently, but it felt compelled to remind him again.
【As long as you play your role well and strive to gain Jiang Yunhan’s trust, perhaps you can rewrite your ending.】
Gain the protagonist’s trust…
Hearing this requirement, Qin Mu couldn’t help but want to laugh.
The real show officially began when the protagonist made his entrance.
Qin Mu lowered his eyes, his gaze falling upon the handsome young man in the center of the crowd.
The youth was wearing a small white suit with a white rose pinned to his chest. The slim-fit suit outlined his tall and lean figure. His back was ramrod straight as he bowed his head slightly, his slender fingers dancing across the black and white piano keys. Smooth, melodious music flowed out slowly.
His features were handsome, his face overflowing with a bright smile. His eyes were as brilliant as the stars, and a prominent tear mole sat at the corner of his eye like a drop of ink on white paper. His nose was dainty, and his lower lip was full, gleaming with a soft moisture.
Looking at this face, Qin Mu was momentarily dazed.
That pale, fragile face from the dim light—the one filled with hatred and biting down on him—perfectly overlapped with the smiling face currently bathed in the spotlight. Only the expression in the eyes was diametrically opposed.
One was bright and sunny.
The other was cold and gloomy.
Interesting.
Qin Mu curled his lips with intrigue. He only knew that Jian Yunchen was the young master the Jiang family had lost years ago, but he hadn’t expected the two to look exactly the same.
No wonder that in the latter half of the original novel, Jian Yunchen’s goal was to replace the protagonist shou.
A villain who doesn’t want to be the protagonist isn’t a good villain.
As the piece ended, applause rang out from below. As if sensing a gaze, Jiang Yunhan suddenly looked up and met Qin Mu’s eyes on the second floor. The youth smiled radiantly and waved at him.
Their family backgrounds were comparable, and they had known each other since childhood, maintaining a decent relationship. The original owner was essentially his “flower-protecting knight.” Qin Mu didn’t want to violate this persona for the time being, so he quirked his lips, winked at him, and headed downstairs.
“Brother Qin Mu!”
Jiang Yunhan stood up and walked a few steps toward him, his eyes sparkling as he reached out his hand: “Brother, where is my gift?”
Qin Mu’s footsteps paused slightly, but his expression remained unchanged. A gentle smile hung on his lips: “Didn’t I give it to the butler? Did he not give it to you?”
“Ah…” Jiang Yunhan wrinkled his nose in slight disappointment. “That one? I thought it was from Uncle Qin. I thought you would give me that motorcycle I like so much! It’s so cool.”
“If you like it, go to my garage and take one yourself.”
“Really? Even the MT you just collected is okay?”
Qin Mu had no interest in cars and nodded casually: “Sure, if you like it, take it.”
Jiang Yunhan instantly beamed, looking as if he wanted to go and drive that precious motorcycle back right this second.
While they were talking, Jiang Yunhan’s gaze shifted past Qin Mu. His expression froze, his smile vanished, and he offered a proper greeting: “Uncle Qin.”
Qin Mu turned around to look. A man with sharp features was walking toward them.
His suit was impeccable, his hair groomed perfectly, and his face was devoid of expression. His features bore a slight resemblance to Qin Mu’s, especially the way he frowned the moment his gaze swept over Qin Mu. The disdain on his face was undisguised, making Qin Mu even more certain of the man’s identity.
Qin Yanchen.
Behind him followed a young man wearing a deep blue suit. His aura was elegant and gentle, yet he carried an air that could not be ignored. A trace of subtle contempt lingered in his eyes as he nodded slightly toward Qin Mu.
—This was likely the protagonist gong, Qin Zheng.
When Jiang Yunhan saw Qin Zheng, his gaze faltered, his lips pursed, and a thin layer of pink brushed his cheeks.
According to the plot, at this point, the two should be at the stage of having mutual feelings but not yet having broken the “window paper” of their hidden affections.
It was this very banquet where Qin Zheng officially made his debut in the social circle as the Vice General Manager of the Qin Corporation. Behind his back, however, gossip was rife. Everyone knew he was the son Qin Yanchen had kept outside, only three years younger than Qin Mu. But any discerning person could see that President Qin valued him far more than the legitimate heir standing beside him.
If it weren’t for Qin Linze refusing to let go, the heir of the Qin family would have likely been replaced long ago.
High society still preferred legitimacy and wasn’t very kind to illegitimate sons. There were all sorts of rumors about Qin Zheng’s origins, but Jiang Yunhan didn’t care at all; instead, it sparked a protective urge within him.
What a perfect couple. Qin Mu was almost moved to tears.
Just kidding, he didn’t dare move.
Qin Zheng was currently a senior in university but had already been in the Qin Corporation for some time. After joining the company, he quickly displayed his staggering business talent, bringing in untold profits in a very short period.
Fortunately, Qin Mu couldn’t see it, otherwise he would have been blinded by the protagonist’s halo hovering over the man’s head.
In his opinion, this world was far too kind to its protagonist. Even if his background wasn’t perfect, it was merely a small obstacle on his road to success—perhaps even a stepping stone.
Qin Mu listened to Qin Yanchen’s subtle praises of Qin Zheng until his ears nearly grew callouses.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yunhan’s eyes turned into brilliant stars as he listened, his small face tilted up, gazining at Qin Zheng with focused intensity.
As a bystander looking at those identical features, Qin Mu couldn’t help but begin to picture another person’s expression in his mind.
Despite having the same facial features, the feeling they gave off was completely different.
By the time the smile on his face was about to become unsustainable, Qin Mu didn’t feel like listening to his “so-called father’s” veiled insults or basking in the protagonist’s halo anymore.
He found a casual excuse to slip away.
His interest in this banquet had been completely exhausted. Just as he was planning to leave early, a dispute around a corner caught his attention.
The “little mouse” who had escaped from his house a few days ago was currently standing there, his pale face tense, frozen in the dim light.
Qin Mu chuckled softly: “What a coincidence.”
77 detected the appearance of the villain and quickly issued a warning: 【Host, please be careful. The villain has sinister intentions; his appearance here is by no means simple. Please carefully discern and dismantle the villain’s conspiracy.】