Chapter 13: Sneaky Behavior – Why Do I Feel Uncomfortable? Why Is He…

Lin Yu opened his phone, only to be bombarded by an overwhelming flood of messages.

[Ding—]

[Ding ding ding—]

Messages from different people left Lin Yu momentarily overwhelmed. The phone vibrated incessantly, its crisp alert tones echoing through the villa until even Zhang Modu couldn’t help but glance over.

Of course he accepted Zhang Modu’s suggestion.

Joking aside, though he didn’t believe Zhang Modu could compare to the advanced AI analysis robot Shen Qian had imported from the Interstellar Society, but…

Lin Yu tapped Chen Shuhua’s chat window while steadying the phone screen with his other hand, lowering his gaze.

He’d nearly forgotten about this good roommate of his.

[Lin Lin~]

[Not coming back to the dorm? Want me to take notes for you next week?]

[…Lin Lin]

Lin Yu froze for a second, his hand hovering motionless as his pupils reflected the dense text on screen.

Zhang Modu affectionately patted his shoulder. “What’s wrong, Ayu?”

“Another admirer?” Zhang Modu’s eyes sparkled as he watched Lin Yu intently, the corners of his lips slightly upturned.

Lin Yu nodded with complicated emotions.

Zhang Modu leaned his head closer, bracing one hand on the sofa while the other boldly wrapped around Lin Yu’s shoulders, pulling their bodies closer as he tried to peek at the screen.

He blinked.

“Ayu, just reject him. Notes aren’t important—what matters is you shouldn’t owe him favors.”

Lin Yu frowned almost imperceptibly. Even such an expression looked natural and harmonious on his face, as graceful as brushstrokes on a painting.

“What are favors?” He’d just searched the original host’s memories—the term only existed as something heard from others, without concrete recollection.

Zhang Modu found himself growing increasingly accustomed to these strange questions. He smoothly explained, “It’s when you feel so grateful to someone that it becomes an unbearable psychological burden.”

He kept his arm around Lin Yu’s shoulders, even daring to slide it upward, inching closer to Lin Yu’s neck.

A tingling warmth enveloped Lin Yu. How would an inexperienced Little Dragon understand such things?

He remained oblivious to the rising ambiguous atmosphere and the shrinking distance between their hearts.

The near-contact distance felt odd to Lin Yu, who immediately consulted 001:

“Why do I feel uncomfortable?”

001 popped out a head only visible to Lin Yu. “Oh, you just don’t understand! Among humans, this kind of shoulder-hugging is completely normal behavior.”

Enlightened, Lin Yu felt at ease—even compliantly nestling further into Zhang Modu’s arm.

Joking aside, having traveled through so many worlds, Lin Yu’s adaptability was top-notch.

—Zhang Modu’s heartbeat stopped.

His vision whited out momentarily, thoughts freezing as if struck directly in the heart.

It was like watching an innocent child dancing toward him with a bouquet, lifting the vibrant flowers to ask, “Do you see any you like?”

Yes.

Yes, I do.

Zhang Modu pressed a hand to his chest, glanced sideways at Lin Yu’s face, exhaled a quiet sigh of relief in his heart, steadied himself, and said in a calm tone:

“Then just reply that you don’t need it.”

Lin Yu completely agreed and typed into the chat box:

[Thank you, but no need.]

Chen Shuhua replied instantly:

[Where are you now, Lin Lin?]

Zhang Modu wrapped his arm tighter around Lin Yu’s neck, pulling him closer. “Ayu, why is this person calling you by the wrong name?”

“How rude.”

001 chimed in: “Exactly!”

Lin Yu momentarily forgot the scene in his original host’s memories where the host had agreed to it and nodded along.

He tapped the screen and replied: [I’ll return to school when I’m free.]

Then he turned off his phone, ignoring the flood of messages from others.

The screen’s light vanished instantly, and Lin Yu followed the fading glow with his eyes, looking at Zhang Modu.

Zhang Modu met Lin Yu’s gaze, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and quickly released his hold on Lin Yu’s neck. He looked away awkwardly, his eyes darting around.

Lin Yu stood up, straightened his collar, and adjusted his tie. “I’m heading to the company.”

He turned his head, glanced at the nodding Zhang Modu for a second, then stepped out.

“Hey—”

“I’ll have the driver take you. I’ll come find you later—” Lin Yu heard the voice but didn’t turn back, merely waving his hand behind him.

……

By the next day, news of Lin Yu’s late arrival at the company’s high-level meeting had already spread throughout the entire company.

Many were whispering about it privately, but unlike the usual rich playboys, the focus of everyone’s debate was actually on Lin Yu’s devastatingly handsome face.

Honestly, forget marrying into wealth—just being with that face alone would be a steal for the future.

Lin Yu pressed the elevator button. The blue light illuminated his slightly curved fingertips as they left the button, making them appear startlingly pale.

A manager in the same elevator silently eyed the handsome figure in front of him, pulled out his phone, and sent a message to his social group:

[Saw the handsome Lin again!!! In the elevator!!]

[Even better-looking than a celebrity!!!]

Lin Yu remained oblivious, making no reaction as he watched the scenery outside the elevator shift rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the elevator reached the 15th floor.

He stepped out, casually enabling 001’s voice permissions.

“Lin Lin Lin Lin, everyone’s staring at you! Why is that?”

001’s glow brightened. “You didn’t happen to look like some celebrity in this world, did you? Hahaha.”

Lin Yu strolled leisurely across the tiled hallway and replied, “Have you ever seen a celebrity?”

“Nope! 001 was just born not long ago. How would I have seen one?”

The brief exchange between the young master and the little system ended as they arrived at the chairman’s office door.

Lin Yu knocked.

No answer.

He retrieved the access card his father had given him, unlocked the door, and strode inside.

The office looked exactly as it had the day before, as if nothing had changed—except for the polished greenery in the corner and the immaculate desk, the only signs that someone had tidied up.

Perhaps it was the cleaner his father trusted?

The System Panel promptly displayed a line of text, which Lin Yu quickly read.

[Auto-save complete, comparing now—]

[Query results:

Changed items: Potted plant, water stains; Coffee machine: wipe marks; Floor unchanged;]

[Safe: Slight displacement detected.]

Lin Yu strode over to the safe, extended his finger, and twisted the metallic knob. Comparing it with the System Panel’s contents, he unlocked and opened it.

With a “click,” he released the small door and pulled it open, immediately saying, “001, connect me to a video call with my dad.”

Once connected, Lin Yu adjusted his phone to aim the camera at the safe and spoke:

“Dad, look. What’s missing?”

Lin Yicheng’s furrowed brows gradually relaxed as he heard Lin Yu’s words, his gaze now fixed on the phone screen.

He released the woman in his arms and waved at her. “Don’t look, turn around.”

Lin Yu glanced at the screen—it was a familiar face.

The same woman with long black hair he’d seen before, still dressed in a somewhat similar office outfit, though it looked newer than when Lin Yu had visited the club that day.

On screen, the woman obediently turned away.

Lin Yicheng stared at the screen for a long moment before slowly saying, “Open the file beneath the red-labeled one and show me.”

Once Lin Yu complied, his father stared intently, his voice low and laced with dread:

“A contract is missing. A major deal, pre-negotiated, with many companies competing for it.”

“What happens if it’s gone?” Lin Yu pressed.

—”Bang, bang, bang.”

Lin Yu heard knocking.

“Even with copies, that document held years of the group’s core technology.” Lin Yicheng abruptly turned off the music, rubbing his forehead hard before scrubbing his face, his expression full of regret.

“How is this possible? Who else could open the safe besides you?”

“It was fine when I checked yesterday.” His voice trembled slightly, the figures of the hostesses around him blurring in his vision. He struck his temple hard.

—”Bang, bang, bang.”

The knocking grew louder, urgent, the frequency nearly deafening even through the sturdy door.

Lin Yicheng lifted his head, his bleary gaze meeting Lin Yu’s. “Who’s knocking?”

“Come back as soon as you can.” Lin Yu hung up, closed the safe, reset its position, then turned on his computer before finally opening the door.

A familiar face—one Lin Yu couldn’t immediately name—appeared before him, panting heavily, eyes darting past Lin Yu to scan the room behind him.

“He looks frantic.”

“001, who is this?” Lin Yu narrowed his eyes.

“Your cousin, remember?” 001 materialized, perching on Lin Yu’s shoulder.

Lin Zhixing offered an unnatural smile, his face pale. “What brings you here, Lin Yu?”

Lin Yu studied his visibly unsettled expression before replying, “Nothing much. Just checking the company accounts.”

“Tch, isn’t that the finance team’s job? Why bother with this?” Lin Zhixing flashed a broad grin, revealing the little canine tooth Lin Yu had only seen in childhood memories.

He looked friendly enough.

Lin Yu shook his head.

Lin Zhixing took a big step forward, glanced at the unchanged safe, and silently breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He turned to Lin Yu and said, “Lin Yu, Cousin heard someone in the group chat say that a handsome guy had arrived.”

“Haha, I knew it was you the moment I heard it, so I rushed over to see if you needed any help.”

His gaze was sincere. “Is there anything your cousin can help you with? Ah, we’re family after all.”

Lin Yu shook his head again.

Feeling somewhat snubbed, Lin Zhixing exchanged a few more pleasantries with Lin Yu before finally leaving the office.

He hurried down the hallway, sneaking furtively as he made his way to his own office.

Turning around to avoid the surveillance cameras along the way, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to someone with a blurry profile picture: “No exposure. The target has returned. I’ll send you the documents shortly.”

Only after receiving a reply did Lin Zhixing finally exhale deeply. He stomped the ground hard, his expensive leather shoes suffering damage from the force, but he seemed utterly indifferent.

[Wait, who did you say just returned?] came the reply.

Lin Zhixing was utterly confused.

[Lin Yu, what’s the matter?]