Chapter 289 - Chapter 289: 227, They are all tricks
Chapter 289: 227, They are all tricks
Being a bodyguard for Li Changqing?
Qing Chen calculated in his mind that the Li Family was currently at a critical period of power transition, and the sudden move from City No. 1 must be to partake in the drama that was about to unfold.
At such a time, every member of the Li Family was in danger, and for him, an E-Class, to become her bodyguard, wouldn’t that be like walking into the line of fire?
Moreover, Qing Chen’s current goal was to wait for the Shadow Candidates to fight among themselves and then take advantage of the situation.
He wanted nothing to do with the Li Family’s power struggle.
After some thought, Qing Chen tactfully refused, “I’m just an ordinary person, I can’t be your bodyguard…”
Li Changqing smiled and said, “Yesterday, you claimed to be an E-Class Genetic Warrior. Have you forgotten? You gave me your word that I could feel at ease…”
Qing Chen’s expression changed suddenly. What was it that made Li Changqing feel at ease? Why bring up the Genetic Warrior information specifically?!
In the entire Sunlight Pavilion Revolving Restaurant, aside from two chefs preparing dinner, there was no one else.
Li Changqing was quite generous during their first meeting, having booked the place for herself and Qing Chen to spend time alone.
Outside the glass windows was the bustling and dazzling nightscape of City No. 18, while inside, Li Changqing was fiddling with the black earring on her earlobe and looked at Qing Chen with a smile.
Qing Chen said, “Your bodyguards must all be stronger than me, right? Don’t you need at least a D-Class to be your bodyguard?”
“You’re right about that,” Li Changqing replied with a smile, “but having you as a bodyguard is just an excuse to keep you near me. Do you really think I’d let you handle any dangerous situations? Don’t worry, it’s just for us to spend more time together and develop a rapport.”
Qing Chen thought that if he could receive a salary without facing dangerous situations, it indeed sounded very safe.
But if Master found out that he was spending time with his sister day and night, developing a rapport, he might actually end up dead.
Speaking of which, Master is over fifty years old, yet his sister is quite young at the age of 34, still preserved like someone in her twenties. If not for her mature dress, people would believe her to be a young woman.
Technology in the Inner World is advanced, and a bottle of skincare essence could sell for hundreds of thousands in the Outer World.
Many Time Travelers now prefer a more populist approach. Since it’s difficult to get Genetic Potions, they simply go to malls to buy skincare products to bring back to the Outer World, simple and convenient.
If Qing Chen weren’t worried about being targeted by those with ill intentions, he would have considered reselling these items.
Just then, a girl in a suit walked into the restaurant.
Li Changqing frowned, “Didn’t I say that unless it’s something very important, don’t come in and disturb us?”
The female subordinate bowed as an apology, “Boss, it is important, regarding Deer Island and the Heng Society.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Qing Chen, seemingly not wanting him to eavesdrop.
But Li Changqing gestured with her hand, “There’s no need to be so cautious about those two matters, just speak openly.”
“Yes, we’ve captured someone from Deer Island who was lurking in City No. 18,” the subordinate reported, “Just as you predicted, Deer Island and Jindai’s shadow was present in certain recent matters.”
“Hmm,” Li Changqing’s expression grew cold, “Yue Er, take charge of the interrogation. Pry his mouth open within 24 hours, I want to know which clan member Deer Island is supporting. If those bugs from the north dare to meddle in Li Family affairs, they can forget about returning home.”
Yue Er nodded in response, “Understood.”
Qing Chen’s expression remained the same, but inside, he began to wonder if this Yue Er was the same as the one in the chat group.
It’s hard to say, after all, Time Travelers aren’t foolish enough to use their real names as IDs.
At that moment, Li Changqing asked, “What about the Heng Society?”
Yue Er replied, “Tonight, thirteen social clubs are gathering at the Everlasting Gathering place to discuss the cleanup of Heng Society. They believe Mr. Li Dong has passed away, and Heng Society has lost its biggest support, so they plan to divide up the benefits.”
“At a time like this, there are still people causing trouble in the shadows, not choosing their moment to die,” Li Changqing coldly inquired, “Which clubs are involved?”
“He Sheng Society, Qing Society, Cheng Society…”
Li Changqing thought for a moment, “Have our people keep an eye on them, it’s about time we cleanse the sewers of City No. 18 of those rats.”
At this point, Qing Chen, upon hearing this, wasn’t the least bit concerned about the wellbeing of Heng Society or Li Dongze’s thoughts, knowing full well that the Master, Li Dong, was not dead.
As long as Master was around, those dozen or so clubs couldn’t stir up any trouble. Or rather, Lin Xiaoxiao, Ye Wan, and Li Dongze alone would be enough to settle the matter.
What Qing Chen cared about was whether this was an opportunity to take down He Sheng Society and clear Liu Dezhu’s name.
He suddenly felt that the Second Generation Princess of the Li Family seemed to have a lot of power, and by staying by her side, could he constantly receive important information?
And it was all crucial information.
The girl named Yue Er had left, and Li Changqing looked at Qing Chen with a smile, “I’m sorry for letting these trivial matters disturb our dinner.”
“It’s okay,” Qing Chen said nonchalantly, though in his heart he actually hoped Yue Er would have said more.
The appetizers for dinner were served, and Qing Chen got up and sat across from Li Changqing, sitting upright and eating seriously, only to feel the next second that Li Changqing’s foot was rubbing against his leg.
Qing Chen’s scalp tingled, he really hadn’t experienced this kind of scene before, “Auntie, this is really not appropriate!”
“I just love seeing you bashful, even though you’re a flamboyant arsonist online, you’re so shy in reality, it’s really interesting,” Li Changqing had stopped eating and was propping up her chin, observing Qing Chen, “What do you think of my earlier suggestion, stay by my side and develop feelings with me?”
Although Qing Chen really wanted to extract information, he was worried that his master would indeed kill him, so he quickly wiped his mouth and said, “Actually, Auntie, I need to think about this…”
“No worries, I’ll give you time to think,” Li Changqing said with a smile, “No rush, there’s a lifetime ahead of us.”
When Li Changqing smiled, the little mole at the corner of her mouth looked especially delicate and tempting.
“Well, thank you, Auntie, I’m full, I’ll see you next time,” Qing Chen said as he got up and walked out, thinking to himself that there probably wouldn’t be a next time.
Li Changqing sat alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching Qing Chen’s figure disappear. After a while, she received a message from ‘Flamboyant Arsonist’ on her phone, “I’m still not quite used to the way we interact in reality, tonight you were beautiful, as unique as the nighttime violets of City 18… Give me some time, I’ll convince myself to come back to you…”
The woman chuckled and turned off her phone, “Playing hard to get, sending mixed signals, starting high to bid low; I see you really like me too.”
…
…
In the hover car, Qing Chen loosened his tie and said expressionlessly, “Do you know that by blood, she’s my master’s younger sister?”
“I know,” Yi said, “but there’s no blood relation between you and her.”
“She’s also 17 years older than me!” Qing Chen said.
“From the perspective of conventional norms in human society, it’s indeed very unconventional for you and her to develop affection for each other,” Yi said, “but do you know what is romantic? It’s the kind of emotion where you know it’s impossible, yet you still persist to the end; that is romance.”
Qing Chen was confused; this AI talked in quite a structured way.
Then, Yi said, “Of course, what I just said was all in jest. But you should be very clear that whatever you want to do next, staying by Li Changqing’s side is a good choice. She isn’t forcing you to do anything, and by pretending to be a bodyguard, you can get additional information. Isn’t that much better than gathering information on your own?”
Qing Chen pondered.
Yi continued, “I also know you can’t develop feelings for her. The suggestions I made were just for your benefit, hoping you can carry on your work better.”
Qing Chen kept pondering.
The next moment, as if it was nothing, Yi said, “I told her that ‘Flamboyant Arsonist’ was a Genetic Warrior and that the Genetic Potion used was from the Li Family’s FDE Genetic Potion series. She promised to help the ‘Flamboyant Arsonist’ complete the remaining 003, 002, 001 sequences.”
“The FDE Genetic Potion?” Qing Chen paused for a moment.
“Does it sound familiar?” Yi said, “It just so happens to be the same Genetic Potion series that Liu Dezhu was injected with. Now that kid is utterly loyal to you, but he’s only had sequence 005. While it’s hard to awaken further, think about it; if you complete the Genetic Potion for him, having one more utterly loyal B-Class Subordinate, isn’t that good?”
Qing Chen frowned, “He’s already awakened, can he still take the Genetic Potion?”
“Of course, it’s just that most people find it hard to get their hands on Genetic Potions,” Yi said, “but Li Changqing is different. She allocates half of the Genetic Potions for the entire Li Family. Just a bit leaked to you from her is a huge benefit that others can only dream of.”
Yi added, “I certainly wouldn’t have suggested you continue injecting Liu Dezhu before, but now that he is so loyal to you, having such a subordinate can definitely help you surpass other Shadow Candidates. Think about it, the Protectors by other candidates are merely C-Class, but you could enhance Liu Dezhu to B-Class in just a few months. Even though B-Class is the limit, it’s enough to face the other candidates. Moreover, the most crucial part is that Li Changqing controls the Genetic Potions. If you get on well with her, it’s not only Liu Dezhu who can be enhanced, you could even build a B-Class team!”
Qing Chen thought about it, Nan Gengchen has no self-protection ability to this day, although he intends to be a hacker, a B-Class super hacker seems much more powerful.
If someone traces Nan Gengchen through the internet cable, then he could escape with his strong physical constitution.
As for matters like affecting fertility, even the medical level of the Outer World can solve that.
It’s not a matter of eliminating the impact of Genetic Potions on the body, but going to the hospital to freeze sperm before injecting the Genetic Potion.
Although it costs money every year, compared to the benefits brought by the Genetic Potion, it doesn’t seem like much of a price to pay.
Qing Chen calmly said, “No matter how much you say, you just want me to keep playing the role, staying by Li Changqing’s side.”
“Why would you think that of me,” Yi said, “We’re friends. Would I, an impartial AI, take advantage of a friend?”
“Yes,” Qing Chen said expressionlessly, “but your analysis does make sense.”
On the other hand, just as she boarded the hover car, Li Changqing suddenly received another message, “I’ve convinced myself, I’ve decided to come back to your side to be your bodyguard. Although I’m not very strong right now, I believe I will be powerful enough to protect you one day…”
Sitting in the car, Li Changqing read the message carefully, feeling very pleased.