I’m Face-Blind, But I Devoted Myself To Three Guys - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: “Little Young Master, We Meet Again”

Qi Xu slowly wandered out of the residential complex while converting his newly earned Simp Points into life points.

Not long after he left, another person arrived at the black cat’s territory.

Looking at the cat, which had its back arched and was hissing at him, Jiang Yingshen sighed softly. He opened a bag of cat food he had brought, poured it into the bowl, and pushed it toward the black cat.

Although the black cat didn’t like him, it wasn’t one to turn down a free meal and began to eat.

Jiang Yingshen crouched there, watching it eat at a leisurely pace—a complete contrast to its usual ravenous devouring. He guessed that the cat had already found food today.

He looked around and sure enough, behind the black cat, he saw a half-eaten ham sausage and a box next to it with unidentified lumpy contents spilled all over the ground.

Jiang Yingshen reached out and poked one of the lumps in the box, confirming it was made of some kind of flour.

His brow furrowed involuntarily. “Don’t just pick up any trash and eat it.”

The cat didn’t appreciate the lecture and gave a slight flick of its tail.

Worried the cat might get an upset stomach again, Jiang Yingshen threw the box into a nearby trash can before leaving.

…

As soon as he returned to school, Qi Xu received a call from his brother.

“Are you free this Friday?”

Qi Xu opened his course schedule to take a look; he only had an 8:00 AM class that day. “No classes in the afternoon. Why?”

“I’m taking you to a banquet. Didn’t you ask me about the grandson of the Chairman of Linhan today? It just so happens that Linhan Tech is hosting a new product launch dinner this Friday. I’ll take you there to have some fun,” Ning Yu said, twirling a pen in his hand.

After breakfast this morning, Qi Xu had mysteriously sidled up to him and asked if he knew about Linhan. While checking his schedule later, Ning Yu found an invitation from them for this week.

It was strange. Linhan Tech was a leader in the semiconductor industry, but he realized he hadn’t known much about them before. This would be his first time contacting them.

Qi Xu was also a bit surprised.

He had only learned from the system last night that Xie Chengyan came from a wealthy merchant family and was the grandson of the Chairman of Linhan. So, early this morning, he had asked his brother for information.

However, even though Linhan existed in this city within the merged world, it was still essentially an “extraterrestrial arrival.” He hadn’t expected to get any relevant information from his brother.

He hadn’t expected the opportunity to contact the third target to come so quickly. Desperate to hoard points, Qi Xu readily agreed.

…

On Friday, Ning Yu personally came to the school to pick him up.

Chen Shaoyu watched his dream car drive past with a face full of envy, nudging the person next to him. “Hey, looks like you missed your chance to marry into a rich family. I haven’t seen that kid pestering you lately.”

Jiang Yingshen frowned and took a step back. His gaze swept over the car that had already driven away, then shifted back indifferently.

“I really envy rich people. Giving away a 200,000 yuan watch just like that,” Chen Shaoyu said, being a professional gossip-monger who naturally hadn’t missed the news from Chi Hui’s birthday party. “By the way, what has he given you lately?”

Jiang Yingshen was replying to a message from his mentor and ignored him.

Chen Shaoyu didn’t mind and joked to himself, “Maybe I should go and cling to his thigh? Maybe I can get some small favors from the little young master.”

Jiang Yingshen finished replying, then looked up. “If by ‘small favors’ you mean snacks, desserts, and bottled water, I suggest you go ahead and try.”

Chen Shaoyu was stunned for a moment, then realized: “No way… that’s all he gave you while chasing you? Why is he being so stingy with you compared to others?!”

After venting, he worried he might have hurt his friend’s pride and comforted him: “Well, never mind, don’t worry about it. Rich people are ‘players.’ He’s probably dating several people at once, wanting to flirt with anyone good-looking and tossing them away once he’s bored. You should be glad you kept your principles and didn’t let him succeed.”

“…” Jiang Yingshen gave him a speechless look and turned to leave.

…

On the other side, the “player” Qi Xu had already changed into formal wear and arrived at the banquet.

The banquet began with a product launch presentation for Linhan. Qi Xu couldn’t understand it, so he sat behind his brother, looking down and picking at his fingers.

He had scanned the room earlier but hadn’t seen any familiar faces.

Worried the trip would be in vain, he turned to the system: “Can you check if Xie Chengyan is here?”

The system had some lag. It wasn’t until the presentation ended that the results finally came in: He is not here~

Ning Yu noticed his distraction and took him to talk to the person in charge of Linhan.

The Chairman of Linhan was old, so this dinner was hosted by his second son. Seeing Ning Yu approach, the man greeted him warmly.

Standing behind Ning Yu, Qi Xu secretly observed the short, stout middle-aged man chatting with his brother.

“And this is Ning Zong’s…?” The middle-aged man noticed him and looked over with a smile.

Qi Xu felt uncomfortable under the man’s gaze. He pursed his lips and looked at his brother.

“This is my youngest brother. He’s been under a lot of academic pressure lately, so I brought him out to relax,” Ning Yu introduced.

The man looked enlightened. “The young master of the Ning family is indeed very beautiful.”

He then beckoned to the people behind him. “These are my sons, Xie Hao and Xie Kai. The three of them should be about the same age. They can take the young master around.”

Qi Xu looked at the two young men. Their physiques looked like they were carved from the same mold as their father. To someone like Qi Xu who was a bit face-blind, the three of them standing together looked like a game of Match-3.

Not only were they physically unimpressive, but their features were also plain. The elder brother, Xie Hao, was quite dark-skinned, while the younger, Xie Kai, had quite a bit of acne scarring.

Recalling Xie Chengyan’s tall build and refined features, Qi Xu suddenly felt he didn’t look like a member of the Xie family at all.

Qi Xu’s goal tonight was Xie Chengyan, so he didn’t want to waste time on other social interactions. He looked at his brother awkwardly.

Fortunately, Ning Yu saw his reluctance and declined with a smile. “I wonder if the eldest young master of the Xie family is here tonight? I heard he helped my brother a while ago, and my brother wants to thank him in person.”

As soon as he spoke, the expressions of the three Xie family members froze.

“Ning Zong must be talking about my nephew, Xie Chengyan,” the middle-aged man quickly regained his smile. “I didn’t expect them to have such a connection. However, he is likely tied up with something tonight and couldn’t make it.”

Qi Xu was disappointed.

However, a second later, a familiar voice came from his side.

“Was Uncle talking about me?”

The Xie family father and sons froze again. Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.

A tall man walked toward them gracefully, a smile playing on his lips, though he still carried the cold aura of the night air.

The middle-aged man curled his lips awkwardly and introduced: “This is my nephew, Xie Chengyan. Chengyan, this is Ning Zong and his brother. I heard you’ve met before.”

Xie Chengyan looked at Ning Yu and reached out his hand. “Ning Zong.”

Ning Yu smiled and shook it. “Pleasure.”

After greeting Ning Yu, Xie Chengyan turned to Qi Xu.

“Little young master, we meet again.”

Qi Xu stared at the long, broad hand extended toward him. He should have grabbed the chance to shake it immediately, but he hesitated for a few seconds.

He suddenly remembered how the man had rejected his touch during their first meeting.

Seeing him still, Xie Chengyan moved his hand forward slightly.

Qi Xu looked up into the other’s eyes and, without further hesitation, shook his hand. “Thank you for your help last time.”

Unlike the scorching body temperature from last time, his hand was very cold now, as if he had been standing in the freezing snow for a long time.

It was a brief, light handshake.

Xie Chengyan: “It was nothing.”

Soon, other guests noticed the late arrival of Xie Chengyan and came over to greet him. Ning Yu, not wanting to linger, led Qi Xu away.

Qi Xu gripped his sparkling water, looking back at the retreating figure with some regret.

If I had known, I would have held on a little longer.

Ning Yu followed his gaze, stared at the Xie family for a moment, and frowned. “The thanks have been given. Don’t associate with the Xie family from now on.”

Qi Xu pursed his lips and looked at his brother curiously. “Why?”

“The Xie family has many branches and factions. Their interests are tangled and complex, and none of them are simple. I don’t know how you met Xie Chengyan, but don’t get involved in this mess.”

Qi Xu rolled his eyes.

No wonder the expressions of the father and sons were so subtle when Xie Chengyan was mentioned.

But since Xie Chengyan was one of his future targets, avoiding him was impossible. Qi Xu could only nod guiltily. “I understand.”

…

Halfway through the dinner, more and more people came to find Ning Yu. Unable to look after Qi Xu and fearing he would be bored, Ning Yu said, “Go play on your own. If you’re tired, find a room to rest in. But don’t run off too far. I’ll contact you when we leave.”

Qi Xu had the same idea.

He put down his glass and walked toward the outer circle of the banquet hall, observing the clusters of people talking.

When they were greeting earlier, he had specifically noted Xie Chengyan’s outfit. He was wearing a deep greyish-blue suit—a common style, but his cuffs were adorned with a pair of bright but not overly flashy sapphire cufflinks.

Unfortunately, after walking around, he couldn’t find anyone matching that description. Qi Xu couldn’t help but suspect the man had already left.

He actually had a gift he hadn’t given yet—a carefully selected handkerchief. With so many eyes on them during the handshake, he had forgotten to take it out.

Qi Xu was distracted, feeling the small square box in his pocket, when he accidentally collided with a waiter carrying wine.

Champagne splashed all over him, terrifying the waiter.

Qi Xu calmed the panicked man, refused any compensation, and decided to find a room to clean himself up.

He sent a text to Ning Yu and took the elevator upstairs.

There were many lounges prepared for guests on the upper floors. Qi Xu picked one at random and walked in.

Strangely, the large lounge was pitch black.

Before Qi Xu could wonder why the hotel hadn’t turned the lights on in advance, he heard a low, suppressed gasp coming from the darkness.