Being a gigolo was too much for him, so he had to become a music superstar.

"This is the last time. This matter involves far more than a retired old man like me can cover for you. If your father asks..."

"They won't ask."

How can you be so sure?

Su Nianwei looked at the screen and typed four words:

"He's busy."

After sending those four words, she packaged and encrypted the organized materials and sent them over.

Then I put down my phone, walked to the window, and opened the blinds.

The setting sun was bathing the lawn outside the villa in a warm hue. She gazed at the light and tapped her fingers twice on the window frame.

The bets have already been placed.

Next, we just wait for the results.

When Lin Buyi came up from the basement, it was already past ten o'clock at night.

He was holding a half-empty bottle of water, his voice was a little hoarse, his hoodie collar was loose, and he looked thinner than he had a few days ago.

Only one floor lamp was on in the living room.

Su Nianwei sat on the sofa, a thin blanket covering her legs, holding a tablet in her hands. She heard footsteps but didn't look up.

"Finished practicing?"

"Um."

Lin Buyi placed the water on the coffee table and glanced at her.

Su Nianwei wasn't wearing her usual intimidating clothes today. She was wearing a loose nightgown, her hair casually tied up, and minimal makeup. Yet, even sitting there, she still commanded respect and made people hesitant to approach her.

Lin Buyi originally intended to go straight back to his room.

Su Nianwei suddenly said, "We've obtained the evidence."

Lin Buyi stopped in his tracks.

"What evidence?"

Su Nianwei then raised her eyes.

"The registered IP address of the Derek Mills account points to the network segment of the headquarters of Brilliant Media. The audio metadata has also been found; the project was created six days ago, not three years ago."

Lin Buyi paused for a moment while holding the water bottle.

He knew Su Nianwei was investigating, and he also knew she would most likely find out something.

But he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Su Nianwei tossed the tablet onto the coffee table, her tone casual.

"I've already had the materials delivered to Xue Xinghe. Without my intervention, they can't trace it back to me. If Xue Xinghe isn't out of his mind, he'll definitely make his move tonight or tomorrow."

Lin Buyi sat on the sofa, staring at Su Nianwei for several seconds without saying a word.

He heard every word she said. The evidence was obtained, the materials were handed over to Xue Xinghe, and they couldn't track her down. The whole process was clean and efficient, taking no more than a day from investigation to action.

This efficiency is terrifying.

Su Nianwei sat at the other end of the sofa, one hand supporting her head, the other idly swirling a glass of red wine. She glanced at his dazed expression and a slight smile played on her lips.

"What's wrong, are you dumbfounded?"

"……No."

"Then what did that expression mean?"

Lin Buyi put down the mineral water bottle and leaned back on the sofa. He actually had a lot to say, but he didn't know which sentence to say first.

Su Nianwei, however, was in no hurry. She took a sip of red wine, looked at his profile, and spoke in a tone like someone who had won a card game and was waiting for their opponent to concede.

"I checked your IP address, found a PR team, contacted a middleman to deliver the materials to Xue Xinghe, blocked so many talent agencies, not to mention monitoring public opinion data for three days and three nights—"

She counted on her fingers, and when she reached the last one, she looked up at him.

"Junior, you owe me more and more now."

When she said those words, Su Nianwei herself didn't realize how high the corners of her mouth were turned up.

She was trying to take credit.

Moreover, they invited him with complete confidence.

Lin Buyi looked at her face. She wasn't wearing much makeup today, her hair was just casually tied up, and her face showed signs of fatigue from not sleeping well for several days, but her eyes were very bright.

It was a light that shone from the inside out, and she couldn't control it herself.

This realization left Lin Buyi with a strange, unsettling feeling.

His initial goal in participating in "Future Star" was only one thing—to win the five million yuan prize, raise money for his sister's surgery, and then leave Su Nianwei.

Leave her.

He wanted to stop being her investment, stop living in her villa, stop eating her bird's nest, and stop being called up to the third floor by her to do those things.

His condition for accepting this relationship was that it was temporary. He would leave once he got the money, and neither of them would owe the other anything.

But now?

She helped him investigate Brilliant Media, found evidence of the fake song, and delivered the materials to the most suitable person, sparing no expense in doing these things.

She said she was protecting investments.

But investors are good at calculating; if they find it's not worthwhile, they'll cut their losses and leave.

She didn't leave.

Not only did she not leave, but she also staked her personal connections and even her family's hidden networks on it. That Uncle Hu—Lin Buyi didn't know exactly who he was, but from the tone and content of the phone call, she knew he was an elder of the Su family. She used the Su family's private resources to help him.

Is a pretty boy worth Su Nianwei going to such lengths for?

The answer is obvious. It's not worth it.

Unless she has developed feelings for him.

Lin Buyi tensed up.

He wasn't someone who didn't understand emotions. He'd lived for over thirty years in his previous life; he'd seen all kinds of people. Su Nianwei's behavior these past few days—still working on investigation documents at 3 AM, sending those stiff, overtly concerned messages every day, plus the barely concealed gleam on her face when she said, "You owe me more and more"—

She had fallen in love.

This realization made Lin Buyi's situation even more complicated.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that Su Nianwei's smile faded slightly.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

"I'm thinking about how to pay you back."

Su Nianwei was stunned for a moment.

"What else?"

"You've done so much for me," Lin Buyi said, looking at her. "I have to repay you."

Su Nianwei's expression changed several times. She put down her wine glass and shrank back a little into the sofa.

"Who told you to pay it back?" Her voice hardened. "I spend my own money and do my own thing, what's it to you?"

"But you did it for me."

"I did it for my investment."

"Senior."

"Um?"

You can't fool me.

These five words were spoken very softly, but when Su Nianwei heard them, her heart skipped a beat.

She opened her mouth slightly, but no sound came out.

Lin Buyi didn't pursue the topic further. He knew that was enough; any more and Su Nianwei would explode.

He stood up.

"I'm going to take a shower."

"……Um."

Su Nianwei watched him turn and walk towards the bathroom, her fingers hovering over the rim of the wine glass, her whole body frozen on the sofa.

What does "You can't fool me" mean?

Did he find out?

What do you know?

Does he know she cares about him?

Or did you know she already—

Su Nianwei dismissed the thought. She picked up her wine glass and took a big gulp; the red wine made her wince slightly.

No. She wasn't. She was just protecting the investment. An investment. Just an investment.

She repeated it three times, but couldn't convince herself even once.

The sound of water came from the bathroom. Su Nianwei sat on the sofa, her fingers unconsciously tracing circles on her knees.

She didn't care about the money.

When has the heiress of the Su Group ever cared about money?