Chen Junnan was about to stop Qi Xia when he saw him already at the door of the “Preparation Zone.”
Qi Xia suddenly seemed to remember something. His hand, about to push the door open, paused as he turned back to look at Qiao Jiajin and Han Yimo.
After a brief hesitation, he walked over to them and gave Han Yimo a meaningful glance. Han Yimo immediately understood, laying Qiao Jiajin flat before stepping aside.
With his back to Han Yimo, Qi Xia reached into Qiao Jiajin’s pocket and took out the “Guardian” piece. Then, using the “Fire” piece he had obtained from Lawyer Zhang earlier, he swapped them—placing the “Fire” back into Qiao Jiajin’s pocket while pocketing the “Guardian” himself.
Qi Xia felt that the “Guardian” Qiao Jiajin had risked his life to retrieve might trigger a butterfly effect, propelling them one step closer to “victory.”
“Chen Junnan, there’s one more thing I need you to do…”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you still have any spare chains? I need one.”
“Dang it! I’ve got plenty of chains, hold on a sec!”
Chen Junnan dug into his pocket and pulled out a handful of chains, handing them to Qi Xia. Qi Xia nodded, about to say something when he glanced at Han Yimo and hesitated mid-sentence.
He always worried that he might be overthinking, devising solutions for scenarios that might never happen.
But now, caution was necessary. Even if the odds were just one percent, they couldn’t afford a slip-up.
“Chen Junnan,” Qi Xia said, locking eyes with him, “let’s talk privately.”
At the word “privately,” Chen Junnan immediately understood. He stepped closer, leaning in as Qi Xia whispered a few words. Chen Junnan’s expression gradually shifted, lighting up with amusement.
“Oh?” He chuckled. “Good, good… This is too damn interesting.”
“As long as you understand,” Qi Xia replied. “If something like that really happens, just improvise—do whatever you think is right.”
“Honestly, I was afraid you’d tell me to hold back,” Chen Junnan said with a grin. “Don’t worry, Old Qi, I’ll keep an eye on things here. You go ahead. If anything goes wrong, I’ll bring you Xiao Han’s head.”
Han Yimo: “Huh?!”
“Leave it to you.” Qi Xia nodded. “I’ll be back soon.”
He opened the door, confirmed the hallway was empty, and strode out of the “Preparation Zone.”
Chen Junnan took a deep breath and was about to walk toward the screen when he noticed Han Yimo staring at him.
The odd intensity of Han Yimo’s gaze piqued his curiosity. He strode over, crouched down, and grinned at him.
“Wh-what’s wrong?” Han Yimo asked.
“Nothing,” Chen Junnan replied.
“If it’s nothing, why are you staring at me?”
“Don’t be scared, Xiao Han,” Chen Junnan said, still smiling. “Nothing’s going on. You just seem interesting, so I thought I’d take a closer look.”
“Nothing’s going on…?” Han Yimo clearly didn’t believe him. “But just now, Qi Xia… didn’t he…?”
“Old Qi didn’t say anything—just told me a joke,” Chen Junnan said, staring straight at Han Yimo. “Wanna hear it? It’s *hilarious*.”
Han Yimo shuddered but quickly forced a composed expression. “Ch-Chen Junnan, I don’t know what joke it is… but I’ve always been on your side. You *have* to believe me.”
Chen Junnan’s eyebrows shot up. This was getting interesting.
Because Qi Xia’s whispered words hadn’t mentioned Han Yimo at all.
Chen Junnan had simply noticed Han Yimo’s discomfort after the private exchange and decided to test the waters with a few probing remarks. To his surprise, he’d cracked the case on the spot.
But now that he had… what was the verdict?
“Really don’t wanna hear the joke?” Chen Junnan asked, still grinning.
“N-no, thanks,” Han Yimo stammered. “Just trust me—I’m loyal to Qi Xia, absolutely no ulterior motives!”
“Hah!”
Seeing Chen Junnan laugh, Han Yimo forced out a couple of dry chuckles.
In the next second, Chen Junnan’s smile vanished, replaced by an icy glare. Han Yimo immediately froze, his own expression crumbling.
“Am I giving you too much leeway?” Chen Junnan asked coldly. “You *dare* laugh with me?”
“N-no, I… I…” Han Yimo’s face turned deathly pale.
“Do you know why Old Qi left just the two of us here?” Chen Junnan pressed.
“Uh…?”
“Do you know why he didn’t say any of that in front of you?”
With just those two questions, Han Yimo trembled like a leaf in a storm.
Chen Junnan was inwardly delighted. Han Yimo might as well have “I’m a traitor” written on his forehead. If *he* could see it, how could Qi Xia have missed it?
But if Qi Xia knew… why leave him here?
Ah. Qi Xia’s move was nothing short of brilliant.
Right now, Han Yimo might swear loyalty to Qi Xia, but deep down, he still believed he was working for the other side.
And if he thought *they* were about to lose… then they *would* lose.
This was a guaranteed loss—no room for luck.
The priority now was to reinforce Han Yimo’s belief that he was on the opposing side. They couldn’t let him truly align with Qi Xia.
That meant no persuasion, no confrontation, and no excessive intimidation.
If Han Yimo’s fear shifted from “we’re going to lose” to “I’m going to die,” this perfect weapon would be wasted.
So how could they subtly manipulate the situation, making Han Yimo *naturally* believe his cover was still intact?
“This way of winning is just… abstract,” Chen Junnan muttered with a low laugh.
“Wh-what way?”
“Who said you could ask questions?” Chen Junnan shot back.
“Ah… no, I just… we’re on the same team, right? If there’s anything, you can tell me. Maybe I can help brainstorm.”
Even as he said this, Han Yimo couldn’t shake the feeling that Chen Junnan was acting like a textbook movie villain—right down to the dialogue.
He sighed inwardly. *This is what I get for being the protagonist. Anyone else would’ve cracked by now.*
“Yeah, I know,” Chen Junnan said with a somber nod. “I’m really torn right now… Do you know what Old Qi just told me?”
“N-no, I don’t,” Han Yimo answered.
“Really don’t?”
“Really.”
“He said *you’re* the mole,” Chen Junnan said gravely. “Tell me… are you?”
“*What?!*” Han Yimo’s heart skipped a beat. “H-how could I be?! I just said—I’m loyal to Qi Xia!”
“And how could *I* not know…?” Chen Junnan murmured. “Remember those seven years? Even though I was causing chaos, there was always one person standing for justice, calling me out every time. Who was that?”
“Uh…?”
“No matter how many times he died, he still tried to stop me. That unwavering righteousness, that towering presence… I’ve never forgotten it.” Chen Junnan stood, slowly turning his back as his voice cracked with emotion. “Han Yimo… tell me. Who was that?”
“No way… you…”
Chen Junnan sighed. “But now Old Qi says that person is a mole. Han Yimo… what should I do?”
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