Huang Yi almost blurted out those words, but fortunately he bit his tongue at the last second and swallowed them back.

He had followed Gu Qin for so many years and knew this ancestor all too well—he would say he wouldn't cause trouble, but he would definitely cause trouble in secret.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for the girl.

Meanwhile, Wenqing did indeed stay at home and did not go out.

Lin Zhiyan called the day after I returned from the hotel.

His voice remained gentle and composed, but it sounded more formal over the phone than face-to-face.

He said he had spoken with Gu Qin, who promised not to cause any more trouble for him and his sister, and that the relevant compensation would be implemented as soon as possible.

Wen Fan answered the phone, thanked Wen Qing politely after listening, and then turned to Wen Qing with some concern after hanging up.

"Qingqing, it's best if you don't go out recently. If you really want to go out, you can wait for me to come back and I'll take you out."

Wen Qing didn't refute, and obediently nodded.

She knew that Wen Fan didn't disbelieve Lin Zhiyan's sincerity, but rather Gu Qin's promise.

To be honest, she didn't believe it either. It was too naive to think that someone who could kidnap her in public would be silenced by a few words from a cousin.

So during this time she stayed at home obediently, never leaving the house.

As for whether Gu Qin would secretly retaliate against Wen Fan, the siblings both felt that with Lin Zhiyan around, he probably wouldn't do it openly.

However, we still have to be wary of him doing something underhanded. In short, Wen Fan hasn't gone anywhere except to work lately. He goes to work on time and leaves on time.

Even though we stayed home, it wasn't boring.

She started learning to draw, dug out her colored pencils and sketchbooks that she had bought before, and curled up on the sofa to draw several pictures of the green ivy on the windowsill.

When I got tired of drawing, I started researching the system's online store.

The mall is filled with a dazzling array of products, categorized in such detail that it resembles a large e-commerce platform.

There are disposable items, limited-time trial cards, and permanent abilities, with prices ranging from single digits to four figures.

She saw a "Three-Day Trial Card for the Charming Body Fragrance" priced at fifty points of affection.

She also saw a permanent mind-reading ability that cost 500 points of affection. Her gaze lingered on it for a couple more seconds, but 500 points was too far away for her. All her current assets only amounted to about ten points.

In short, the more magical something is, the more expensive it is, and the system is quite in line with market rules in this respect.

However, this peaceful period did not last long.

That evening, almost half an hour had passed since Wen Fan was supposed to be home, but there was still no sound of a key turning at the door.

Wen Qing picked up her phone and dialed Wen Fan's number. After a few rings, no one answered.

Just as she was about to dial again, a barrage of comments suddenly flooded her view.

[Huh, is there a new plot today? Why did the screen suddenly jump?]

[Holy crap, where is this? Ruins? Factory?]

[Wait, wait, is that Gu Qin? What happened to him? Why is he lying on the ground?]

Gu Qin's head was covered in blood! His body was covered in blood too! What happened to him? Who beat him up like this?!

[Seriously, is this scene in the original novel? When did Gu Qin ever get beaten up like this? Isn't he supposed to be the strongest fighter?]

I'm completely baffled. Shouldn't he be in the villa preparing to take revenge on his sister? How did he suddenly appear in the abandoned factory and get beaten half to death?

The tender gaze paused.

But then the style of the comments suddenly changed.

【Aaaaaaah, someone's coming!!!】

That figure—it's Wen Fan!!! It's Wen Fan!!!

Why is Wen Fan here? Did he come to rescue Gu Qin?

[No way, don't Wen Fan and Gu Qin have a grudge? His appearance in a place like this... No, I don't believe it.]

[Looking forward to Wen Fan saving Gu Qin!!! The sense of redemption is overwhelming!!!]

[Hero saves the damsel in distress—no, damsel in distress saves the dominant one—that's not quite right either—anyway, it's just so adorable!!!]

Upon seeing her brother's name, Wenqing's warm eyes widened in shock.

Brother? Where did he go? Why didn't he go home after get off work? What was he doing at the abandoned factory?

"System," she cried out in her mind, "What's going on? Is this the original plot?"

The system was silent for a moment before the electronic voice sounded.

Searching... Search complete.

"Host, because the initial key plot point of Gu Qin and Wen Fan's first encounter was disrupted, the two failed to establish the emotional bond as in the original work. Some viewers who like Gu Qin continued to express their dissatisfaction, and the narrative pressure gradually accumulated. As a result, the plot power activated an alternative plot to create a new opportunity for the two to form a bond."

"Does 'alternative plot' mean new storylines?" Wen Qing asked rhetorically.

The system nodded.

"Do you know what the new plot is?"

"The specific plot development cannot be obtained," the system said. "This system has limited permissions and can only explore the general direction and triggering conditions of the plot's power operation. It cannot know the specific details."

Wen Qing frowned slightly: "You can't possibly know nothing, can you?"

"Sorry, host."

The system's tone remained that of a calm, electronic voice, but if you listened carefully, you could detect a faint hint of helplessness.

"This system is not the main control program of this world, but only an auxiliary module attached to the host's consciousness. If you explore too deeply, the plot power of this world will detect and counteract it. I can only sense that this is a plot designed to create a bond between Wen Fan and Gu Qin. As for what will happen and how it will happen, I, like the host, will only know after it happens."

Wenqing took a deep breath, her mind racing.

She said, "Could you broadcast the footage from over there for me? I can only see text in the live chat; I want to see what happened with my own eyes."

"Yes, retrieving live feed for the host."

A small square projection appeared in her field of vision.

The scene appears to be an abandoned factory.

The brick walls are mottled, revealing rusty steel bars inside. The windows have long since lost their glass, leaving only a few dark, empty frames.

The ground was littered with broken bricks, scrap iron, and unidentified industrial waste. Weeds grew wildly from the cracks in the cement floor, reaching half a person's height.

The sky was overcast, with low-hanging clouds, a mix of gray and off-white, as if it were about to rain but never did.

Gu Qin lay unconscious in that messy pile of grass.

The jacket was ripped in several places, revealing a T-shirt underneath that was already soaked in blood.

There was a cut on his forehead that was still bleeding, and the blood flowed down his brow bone to his eyelids, which looked shocking. His eyes were tightly closed, and his eyelashes were covered with blood and dust.

At the edge of the frame, a figure is standing there.

It's my older brother!

He stood a few steps away from Gu Qin, motionless, as if observing.

Because the system's broadcast view was from the side, Wen Qing couldn't see his expression clearly.

With his back to the dim light of day, his figure was outlined as a silent silhouette.

The comments scrolled synchronously on another layer of screen in front of her, faster and faster.

He's approaching! He's walking towards Gu Qin!

[My god, this scene is so incredibly fateful! An abandoned factory! A cloudy day! A blood-soaked seme and a silent uke walking towards him!]

However, given how badly Gu Qin treated Wen Fan before, would Wen Fan save him now? If it were me, I'd turn around and leave.

[I will definitely save him! Wen Fan isn't the type to stand by and watch someone die.]

Yes, he could even tolerate being forced to drink and humiliated, how could he possibly stand by and watch someone die in front of him?

[This is the difference between the original story and the current version! In the original story, Gu Qin forced himself on Wen Fan in the bar, and their relationship started with hurt. Now, Wen Fan saves him when he's injured, so the starting point is completely different!]

[Yes, yes, I ship this! The sense of redemption is a million times greater than any forced obsession!]

Honestly, this plot is much more palatable than the original story's overly aggressive approach; at least there's some emotional buildup, and it's not just pure violence.

Actually, forced relationships are quite appealing, and redemption is also a good option.

So this is the new plot, using redemption to replace the way the two characters developed a bond in the original work? That's certainly clever.

[What's so clever about it? Gu Qin has been beaten up like this, and you call that clever? Can't you at least care whether he lives or dies?]

[Stop arguing! Stop arguing! Wen Fan squatted down! He reached out his hand!!!]

Wen Qing watched as Wen Fan squatted down and reached out her hand to Gu Qin in the scene.

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