Hearing Song Lingyuan’s words, Luo Yu was a bit surprised. He tilted his head slightly, curiously looking at him.

Why was this person suddenly acting differently? Not only was he not arguing with him, but he actually spoke up for him?

Could it be that Luo Yu’s impressive maneuver back in the dead-end alley had saved him, and now the grand president was feeling grateful?

Song Lingyuan noticed Luo Yu’s gaze and turned his head to meet it. His deep blue eyes, however, were unreadable.

“President Song, what exactly do you mean by that?”

Wen Li’s smile vanished instantly upon hearing Song Lingyuan’s words.

“Xiao Luo is our organization’s most precious treasure. How could I ever do anything to harm him?”

With that, he firmly wrapped an arm around Luo Yu’s shoulder, pulling him closer, his gaze still fixed intently on Song Lingyuan:

“Our team includes world-class computer experts who can create a virtual identity, location, and broadcast room for Luo Yu to stream freely that even the Association can’t track.”

“With absolute security measures, having Xiao Luo appear and say a few words won’t make him a target.”

Luo Yu lowered his head slightly, noticing Wen Li’s fingers gripping his shoulder tightly, turning white.

He pursed his lips, then gently lifted Wen Li’s hand away.

Wen Li glanced at him, momentarily startled.

“Senior, you’re hurting me,” Luo Yu explained softly, lowering his gaze.

Only then did Wen Li slowly release his grip, awkwardly clearing his throat before regaining his composure and turning back to Song Lingyuan with a resolute tone:

“In any case, we will definitely keep Xiao Luo safe. This is our organization’s responsibility, so there’s no need for President Song to worry—”

“You’re not protecting Luo Yu at all. You’re only protecting yourselves.”

Song Lingyuan had taken note of Luo Yu brushing off Wen Li’s hand, and now he looked at Wen Li with a dismissive smirk, his voice growing even colder:

“Even if everything is virtual, Luo Yu the streamer’s image is real.”

“You’re putting Luo Yu in the spotlight, and once everything blows over, only he will be left to bear resentment and hatred, while you all can walk away unscathed.”

“I have to say, the Hypnos League is playing a clever game.”

Wen Li glared at him, his voice rising in irritation. “How could we possibly—”

“Uh, can I say something?”

Luo Yu suddenly raised his hand weakly.

“Is it still possible for me to back out of all this?”

“What I mean is, I’ll stop streaming from now on! I won’t get involved with the Association or the Hypnos League! I’ll just return to school, stay in the dorm, play games, and read books during the summer. Is that okay?”

He’d just suddenly remembered that he already had 550,000 in his bank account!

And the whole reason he got pulled into all this in the first place was simply because he didn’t have money to pay for the rent and a place to peacefully sleep, right?

Well, that problem was solved now!

So why did he still need to live this risky, life-on-the-line existence?

“That’s no longer possible.”

“No way.”

The two of them responded to him in unison.

Luo Yu: …

What was going on?

Why did these two seem to be at each other’s throats one moment, but always align when it came to him?

Song Lingyuan frowned, glancing at Wen Li, then quickly looked back at Luo Yu and said seriously:

“Duan Yixun already knows you’re with me. If you’re alone, he’ll do everything he can to find you in order to track me down.”

“So until this crisis is over, it’s safest for us to stay together.”

After he said this, there was a hint of guilt in Song Lingyuan’s gaze. “I’m sorry, Luo Yu, for dragging you into this.”

Luo Yu’s eyebrows twitched.

How odd. Song Lingyuan, of all people, feeling guilty?

He quickly waved a hand to reassure him:

“It’s fine, really. I don’t blame you…”

“Xiao Luo, you don’t have to stay with President Song; you just need to stay here.”

Wen Li countered irritably:

“Song Lingyuan, you’re in no position to make demands. Go wherever you like, but Xiao Luo stays here. He’ll only be truly safe under our organization’s protection.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stay here. You two don’t need to argue. Just get back to your main topic.”

Luo Yu, helpless, pulled his mouth into a grin, then let himself fall backward onto the bed, sinking into the soft mattress.

“You can continue your Talk far away. Can I lie down while you do it?”

“Go ahead and rest.” Wen Li pulled a silver blanket from behind him and gently draped it over Luo Yu before continuing:

“President Song, if you don’t want Xiao Luo to stream, do you have another approach?”

Song Lingyuan’s gaze followed Wen Li’s movement before turning icy again.

“I told you, I came to you for the support of the Hypnos League.”

“I want every member of your organization to be a source of the rumors.”

“Ideally, each person should start a live broadcast, sharing with the public that it’s possible City A’s sleep hospital has been adding toxins to the anti-sleep medication.”

“The head of Xingyao Live Platform is connected to the Association. I’ll get in touch with the platform directly to remove censorship on such statements, allowing the rumors to spread.”

Glancing at the time on his phone, Song Lingyuan continued:

“Soon, anti-sleep medication will be distributed as usual in other regions, but City A’s will be delayed due to the need to restock. At that point, people from outside will inevitably start speculating about what happened in City A.”

“And that will be our best chance to sway public opinion.”

Wen Li gave him a long look, silent for a few moments before asking with a meaningful tone:

“But President Song, how will you prove that Duan Yixun is behind it?”

“If people realize something’s wrong with the anti-sleep medication, they’ll just question the Association, nothing more.”

Song Lingyuan furrowed his brow.

“I’ll provide ample evidence pointing to Duan Yixun. I just need a bit more time to decide on the best approach.”

“Fine. I’ll give you an hour.”

Wen Li nodded.

“During this hour, I’ll start persuading the entire Hypnos League to cooperate with our President Song in this public opinion campaign against our common enemy.”

“But in one hour, you’d better present enough evidence. Not only to clear the Association’s name but to firmly prove this is all orchestrated by the City A Management Committee.”

“One hour is enough.” Song Lingyuan’s deep blue eyes were resolute. “And just to clarify, it’s not the Management Committee; it’s Duan Yixun alone.”

“Duan Yixun alone…”

Wen Li stood up, frowning in confusion.

“President Song, what exactly is your brother’s motive? A power struggle, fratricide? Is it to bring you down and take all of City A with him?”

Song Lingyuan shook his head. “I’m not certain.”

Wen Li stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to find any hint of deceit, but Song Lingyuan’s face remained impassive, as if hidden behind a mask.

Finally, Wen Li gave up, then patted Luo Yu’s leg:

“Xiao Luo, come on. Let’s step out and leave the room to President Song so he can think.”

Luo Yu, though lying down, had listened to their entire conversation clearly. At Wen Li’s call, he reluctantly sat up.

But Song Lingyuan called out to him.

“Luo Yu should stay here.”

His voice was low.

“This is his room. I’m just here to seek refuge, so pushing him out would be impolite.”

Luo Yu blinked, then lay back down, feeling justified.

Wen Li, at a loss, looked between Luo Yu and Song Lingyuan, then lowered his voice, speaking to President Song with an intense edge:

“President Song, the Hypnos League can cooperate with you, but if you dare harm Xiao Luo…”

“The ones who’ve been hurting him aren’t me, but you.” Song Lingyuan cut him off coldly.

“I’ve said, Xiao Luo is our most valuable treasure; no one will hurt him!” Wen Li glared at Song Lingyuan, taking a deep breath before finishing his sentence, “If you dare harm him, you’ll be our organization’s biggest enemy.”

He spun around, and with a slam, he closed the door firmly.

After the door shut, Song Lingyuan waited a few seconds, then calmly stood up.

He sat down on the side of the bed where Wen Li had been sitting earlier.

Luo Yu turned to face him, frowning. “Hey, President Song, weren’t you just saying it’s rude to sit on someone else’s bed?”

Song Lingyuan lowered his gaze. “Since someone has already sat here and dirtied it, it shouldn’t matter if I sit too.”

“…” Luo Yu clicked his tongue in speechless disbelief. “What a flimsy excuse!”

He was about to roll back over to lie flat again when Song Lingyuan unexpectedly lay down as well.

Facing him, lying on this wide, soft bed.

Those blue eyes, like a calm lake, were right in front of him, quietly meeting his gaze.

Luo Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

“You could just sit—why are you lying down too…? Weren’t you unwilling to share a bed with me at Deer Mountain just a while ago?”

Then, muttering to himself, he added:

“Oh, President Song, you’re not pretending to agree with Wen Li on finding a solution when you’re really just planning to nap here for an hour, are you?”

“Streamer Luo, you know full well what’s going on here.”

Song Lingyuan didn’t explain his actions, simply closing his eyes.

His deep features cast shadows on the sheets in the soft lighting. He spoke in a low voice:

“My uncle escaped after causing all this trouble, and the military is heavily guarding the sleep hospital’s drug storage. How am I supposed to immediately prove to the public that Duan Yixun is behind it all…?”

“I want to hear your thoughts.”

“Me?”

Luo Yu pointed at himself in disbelief.

Song Lingyuan was actually asking him?

Could he just rest a bit here?

“There’s been so much complexity between Duan Yixun and me, it clouds my perspective.”

“But you don’t know the past conflicts between us or the tensions between the Association and the Management committee President and yet you’re a key witness to this incident. I thought you might be able to see it more clearly.”

Song Lingyuan paused, then added:

“It was thanks to you mentioning City A while we are at the car that I found a new angle.”

Song Lingyuan’s sincere words made Luo Yu feel a bit out of place.

This night had brought about a total transformation in Song Lingyuan’s attitude toward him—an almost 720-degree turn!

So, lying on the bed, Luo Yu seriously considered it.

From what he knew, everything Duan Yixun had done revolved around City A’s Sleep Hospital.

Duan Yixun had tampered with medications through the sleep hospital and covered up evidence through it.

Now, with Dr. Duan, the “surgeon” behind the sleep hospital, having fled and the “drug replacement site” heavily guarded by the military…

Where else could they find evidence of Duan Yixun’s crimes?

“But do we really need solid evidence?”

Luo Yu stared into space, mumbling:

“If we can’t find it, can we… make it up?”

He wasn’t good at reasoning, but he was quite adept at bluffing!

“Make it up?” Song Lingyuan slowly opened his eyes, intrigued. “How would you go about that?”

“Well…”

Luo Yu tilted his head, burying his cheek comfortably into the sheets, mumbling into the softness:

“Even though your uncle ran away, we could still go live and say that he confessed everything to us!”

Luo Yu’s thoughts were, indeed, all over the place.

Song Lingyuan felt his heart race at the sight of the smug smile on Luo Yu’s face.

He thought he’d asked the right person.

As Association President, he had always focused on the big picture—the grand cause of “human progress” was a monumental task!

So in Song Lingyuan’s mind, he’d always thought in terms of flowcharts and frameworks to analyze trends and their underlying essence.

But Luo Yu was different.

In what way? He seemed to understand individual human nature more deeply.

“President Song, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Luo Yu said as he grabbed a pillow from the headboard, hugged it, and buried his head back into its pleasant softness.

Song Lingyuan snapped out of his thoughts, his voice thoughtful:

“Dr. Duan is a cowardly, selfish man, indeed a good starting point. I had always thought that if we could capture him, everything could be resolved.”

“Oh, catching him isn’t as useful as framing him!”

Luo Yu laughed, remembering when Wen Li brought him to this underground room two days ago.

At the time, he’d asked Wen Li how the Hypnos League had known the anti-sleep medication would cause allergies.

Wen Li had said it was because “Dr. Duan from the sleep hospital revealed the truth to Wen Shu.”

Now that he thought about it, that doctor had probably been trying to smear the Association from the start!

And back then, Luo Yu had believed it immediately! Given that Dr. Duan was responsible for handling patient remains, his words had seemed incredibly convincing!

Luo Yu quickly explained this to Song Lingyuan, then suggested:

“See? We just need to adjust the story a little about what Dr. Duan said, right?”

“When we go live, we just tell everyone—”

“That Wen Shu, in her search for the truth about her parents’ deaths, gradually got close to Dr. Duan. Finally, one day, he told her that it was President Duan Yixun of the Management committee who ordered indiscriminate poisoning in the anti-sleep medication in City A, then secretly cremated the patients’ bodies!”

“And Wen Shu… immediately shared this secret with the families of the deceased, gathering a group to seek the right moment to take down Duan Yixun…”

“Now, with Duan Yixun about to be re-elected as President, we have no choice but to go live, demanding an investigation into this madman! We absolutely cannot let him be re-elected!”

Luo Yu was practically vibrating with excitement as he spoke:

“Well, President Song, how does my made-up story sound?”

Song Lingyuan lay there, silently watching him, listening quietly.

It was as if a floodgate had opened in his mind.

Yes, until now, he’d only considered finding a weak point in Duan Yixun through internal contacts or trusted allies within the Management Committee.

After hearing Luo Yu’s words, Song Lingyuan realized that things didn’t need to be this complicated at all.

He had been misled by Wen Li.

What he needed right now wasn’t real evidence to solve the case; it was simply to steer public opinion.

“Streamer Luo, that’s a brilliant story.”

Song Lingyuan looked intently at Luo Yu.

“If everyone among the Hypnos League repeated this story, it would create initial public distrust toward the Management Committee President.”

“At that point, the Association can announce that we conducted an immediate test on the anti-sleep medication, pursued Dr. Duan and investigated the sleep hospital in City A.”

“Duan Yixun is inherently suspicious. If we act this way, Dr. Duan will likely lose his trust. And since Dr. Duan is a coward, if he wants to survive, he may try to reach out to me.”

“By then, he might even bring us actual evidence…”

Muttering to himself, Song Lingyuan found that his thoughts were truly clearing up. Unable to resist, he gently brushed a strand of hair off Luo Yu’s forehead.

“Streamer Luo, you’re exceptionally clever.”