1.7

Qiao Chen used the system to dilute and process the last bits of alcohol in his body. He walked out of the stall and quickly headed to the elevator for the underground parking garage.

Qiao Chen opened his car door and saw someone sitting in the driver's side.* After seeing the man, Qiao Chen could only close the door and walk to the passenger side. He opened the door and sat down.

(T/N: Remember this used to be Wei Zhennan's car. He probably kept the spare.)

"Are you stalking me?" Qiao Chen asked Wei Zhennan as soon as he sat down. He would not believe an excuse of coincidence.

"Hmm? I don't need to stalk you." Wei Zhennan shook his cell phone and continued, "With the GPS in your phone, I can always find out where you are. Besides- weren't you in trouble?"

The time they spent together let Qiao Chen know very clearly about Wei Zhennan's possessiveness. He helplessly rolled his eyes and said, "I said I can do it myself. I'll tell you when I need you."

"Babe, you have to understand that I want you to need me at all times." Wei Zhennan whispered. He wrapped his arms around Qiao Chen and pulled him closer. Wei Zhennan slid his hands up, held Qiao Chen's face, and gave him a sensual kiss. Wei Zhennan tasted the residual wine from Qiao Chen's breath.

Qiao Chen wrapped his arms around Wei Zhennan's neck and kissed back in response. The two men's tongues rubbed and licked and eventually wrapped around one another. They enjoyed the feeling of joy that each other's kisses brought.

As the kissing ended, Qiao Chen removed Wei Zhennan's hand that was fondling his dick.

"Hurry up and drive. The wine smells bad. I want to take a shower."

"Don't you want to take a look?" Wei Zhennan said as he shook his phone.

"Look at what?"

"At the images of them being caught, of course." Wei Zhennan pulled up a feed of the current situation at bar.

Qiao Chen took the phone and looked. The camera showed a feed from a body camera. "You arranged people to go in?"

"How can you pull them down to hell quicker if I don't help you arrange something?"

Qiao Chen's goal was to bring Shu Wenjie and Qi Yuxuan down. It was Wei Zhennan who didn't want a single person from that group involved escape.

"Watching tomorrow's news broadcast about it is enough." Qiao Chen handed the phone back to Wei Zhennan and continued, "Hurry up and drive."

Shu Wenjie's preparations included drugs in that last glass of wine. He even contacted reporters beforehand so they could catch Qi Beichen when he fell to the drugs' influences. When Qi Beichen ingested the drugs, Shu Wenjie and Qi Yuxuan would have left. Then they would give the signal to the reporter so they could photograph Qi Beichen's drug fueled madness.

Too bad for them Qiao Chen swapped glasses with Qi Yuxuan before he downed that last glass. As he left for the bathroom, he spiked Shu Wenjie's glass too.

If that wasn't enough, Wei Zhennan's mole added a stronger drug in everyone's wine bottles. The reporter called in by Wei Zhennan also joined in. He'd film everything first, and then call the police after he got his scoop.

So instead of the situation in Qi Beichen's previous life where he sat alone in the police station, tomorrow's news segment would feature Shu Wenjie and Qi Yuxuan in his stead. Of course, with Wei Zhennan's meddling, this now involved the whole group in the room, but Wei Zhennan specifically had the reporter focus on Shu Wenjie and Qi Yuxuan.

Qiao Chen didn't return to the Qi villa. He stayed over at Wei Zhennan's house- more specifically, in Wei Zhennan's bed. He lay on the bed, doggy style but arms spread out like the character 大. From time to time, small pants and groans would escape from his mouth. The couple fooled around through the night. As the sun slowly rose, Wei Zhennan finally wrapped his arms around Qiao Chen and fell asleep.

It was late in the morning when the two ate breakfast as they watched the news. The content of the current news segment was exciting yet deeply satisfying.

When Qiao Chen returned to the Qi household, Qi father sat in the living room sofa, his face had hardened into stone. Mrs. Qi and Qi Yuxin anxiously stood beside him as they watched Qi Yuxuan kneeling on the floor. A red hand print freshly shone on his face.

"Where have you been all night?" Mr. Qi questioned the moment he saw Qiao Chen enter. His tone was filled with unfulfilled animosity.

"Yesterday at the bar, I was too drunk. I was in the restroom when I met a friend. He saw how drunk I was, so he took me in for the night." The living room atmosphere was very bad, but Qiao Chen knew that the storm already passed.

"No one is allowed to go out at night anymore. Don't even think about going out to some bar or some other place to act the fool. If anyone dares, I'll break their legs!" As Qi father listened to Qiao Chen speak about how he went to a bar too, his stone hardened face solidified to steel.

"I understand." Qiao Chen replied.

"In two days, you will begin to work in the company. I'll arrange someone to show you the ropes." Qi father spoke to Qiao Chen. Then he turned to Qi Yuxuan and continued, "As of today, you no longer need to come into work. You'll be staying home for a few months and do some self reflecting."

Qi Yuxuan looked up in shock. Qi Yuxin and Mrs. Qi were also very surprised about Mr. Qi's decision.

Qi Yuxin refused to accept the situation and rebelliously retorted, "Daddy, what are you doing? You want some stranger who only graduated from middle school to go work at the company? He's going to mess up and ruin everything once he gets there."

"No one is born knowing what to do. He can learn company matters and rules at his own pace." Mr. Qi replied.

"Husband, even if you want to have Beichen learn everything at the company, you still don't need to suspend Yuxuan's work too. I know he's made some mistakes, but he knows how to handle the company. He gets such good performance reviews. Why don't you give him another chance?"

"Father. I promise I will never make such a mistake ever again. Please give me another chance. Don't suspend me." Qi Yuxuan eagerly pleaded with Qi father. He knew. The fact of the matter was, if Qi Beichen excelled during his suspension, father would change his mind. He'd choose Qi Beichen as the successor.

"Didn't I already give you a chance? From your childhood to your adult years, I've spent so much effort on rearing you. I've used so much money to raise you. Even when Beichen came back into the family, I never once thought of abandoning you. I didn't throw you away. But what have you shown me? What have you done in return? You've made mistake after mistake. There's no break. I have no time to breathe. It's always one after the other. How can I trust you now? How can I trust you anymore?" Qi father lectured.

Mr. Qi was very proud because he always had a good face in others' eyes. Qi Yuxuan's antics caused him to lose it. The news showed him under arrest at the police station. No- it wasn't just the family, it was the company too. The company's image will be damaged because of this. Before, he used to brag to the other CEOs; claiming that his son was the most capable- that he was better than other families' sons. Even when everyone found out that Qi Yuxuan wasn't his biological son, they saw how he raised Yuxuan into the man he was. No one could gossip behind his back.

Mr. Qi steeled his heart and punished Qi Yuxuan. No matter what happened, he still needed Qi Yuxuan to admit his mistakes, repent, and change for the better.

———

"Where did you go last night? Why was it that you were the only one who wasn't caught and photographed?" Qi Yuxuan later found the opportunity to stop Qi Beichen and questioned him.

"I already said I met a friend in the bathroom. He saw me tottering around, drunk out of my mind. He helped me out and took me back to his place." Qiao Chen calmly replied to Qi Yuxuan.

"Really now? What a coincidence. Wasn't it you who called the cops and reporters in?" Qi Yuxuan questioned again. It was him and Shu Wenjie who arranged everything beforehand. The reporters and cops were for Qi Beichen. How was it them who were implicated, but he got off scot-free? He couldn't understand it.

"Why would I call in a reporter? Or even the police? Is drinking in a bar is illegal? Besides, weren't you and Shu Wenjie the ones who wanted to take me out for drinks? You were the ones who took me to a bar and something like this happens. I'm the one who's wondering what you were trying to do, but here you are questioning me. Is it my fault I was lucky enough not to be caught and photographed with you?"

Qiao Chen's questions dumbfounded Qi Yuxuan, but he really believed it. He set Qi Beichen up twice, he had failed both times. There was also his current predicament….

Everything was Qi Beichen's fault anyways. None of this would have happened if Qi Beichen never came back to the Qi household. If Qi Beichen never came back, he would undoubtedly be the one and only successor of the Qi family. Qi Yuxuan was filled with hate and vitriol…Qi Beichen. You will never take the Qi family away from me.

Since Qi father suspended Qi Yuxuan, Qi Yuxuan stayed at home every day. He'd put up the appearance of self reflection and remorse, but what he truly felt was anxiousness. Qi Yuxuan knew that Qi Beichen was doing extremely well at the company. There wasn't a bump or a hiccup in sight. Adding to that, he heard about how Qi father told Mrs. Qi that he wouldn't allow the marriage between Qi Yuxin and Qi Yuxuan to go through.

Qi Yuxuan knew that since father Qi brought Qi Beichen back into the household; father wanted him to get married to Qi Yuxin. To be honest, he didn't really want to marry her in the first place. Unfortunately, if he wanted to have a big piece of the Qi family pie, then he'd have to bite the bullet. Now, father Qi had doubts. He no longer liked the idea of Qi Yuxuan and Qi Yuxin marrying, so Qi Yuxuan knew something had to be done. He needed to remedy the situation and quick.

In reality, Mr. Qi hadn't mentioned anything to Mrs. Qi about disallowing the marriage between Qi Yuxuan and Qi Yuxin. Qi Yuxuan believed this because Qiao Chen used his system. Qiao Chen planted a hypnotic suggestion. It took root. Qi Yuxuan's will power was too weak, and he believed that all the suggestions were all real.

Four months had passed after Qi Yuxuan's suspension. He and Qi Yuxin announced that they were already in a relationship to Mr. and Mrs. Qi. Then they also threw in another fast ball and told the Qi parents that they wanted to be married as soon as possible.

"You two are together?" Mr. Qi asked as a reply. He was already toying with the idea of arranging their marriage. If the couple were truly in love with each other, then he obviously wouldn't have any objections.

"That's right daddy. I'm with Yuxuan now." Qi Yuxin affirmed and shyly bowed her head.

"Isn't this wonderful? We don't need to bring in any outsiders to disturb our family. Then, Yuxin wouldn't have to marry out of our household. That means out family wouldn't have to separate, and we'll always be together." Mrs. Qi rejoiced. She was very happy about the two becoming a couple.

"Now that you've decided to be together, go ahead and enjoy yourselves. You are still young… let's say we set the marriage date for two years from now."

"But daddy, I can't wait…" Qi Yuxin replied with some hesitation.

"Well why not?" Mr. Qi asked, slightly puzzled.

"Well, because… because…" Qi Yuxin gently laid her hand against her stomach. She was embarrassed, but continued softly, "I'm pregnant."

"W-what?" Mr. Qi asked. Mr. and Mrs. Qi were stunned. But Mrs. Qi was the first to react and asked, "Yuxin, you're pregnant?"

"I'm sorry mom and dad. I was not careful, but I will be good to Yuxin. Please give me her hand in marriage." Qi Yuxuan asked. He knelt down on the floor before Mr. and Mrs. Qi.

Qiao Chen leaned against the banister as he watched the scene below him. He felt that Qi Yuxuan was getting better and better at kneeling.

"How are you the only one who was wrong, Yuxuan?" Qi Yuxin questioned. She quickly pulled Qi Yuxuan up, but he wouldn't budge. She had to just kneel down with him. Then she asked Qi father, "Daddy, please don't be mad. Yuxuan and I are truly in with love each other. Besides, what's done is done. Why not just agree?"

Mr. Qi was a bit angry. However, he couldn't change what was done. He finally agreed to allow the two to wed as soon as possible.