Chapter 520 - 324: Do Not Advance to Tier Four (2)

Lin Qi would be lying to himself if he said he had no feelings for her.

Liu Xingyuan’s line of questioning also shifted completely from official business to personal matters. He asked, "Do you think it’s love?"

Lin Qi looked at Liu Xingyuan in surprise. He never imagined this conversation with Liu Xingyuan would unfold this way.

It wasn’t just Lin Qi who was caught off guard; Liu Xinglu, who was standing to the side, hadn’t expected it either.

’Did those words really come out of my older brother’s mouth?’

Liu Xinglu had never seen Liu Xingyuan reveal such a side of himself. He was so stunned that he forgot to reply to the latest message from Liu Xuan.

This time, Lin Qi was truly silent.

’He and Liu Xuan hadn’t even made things official. Did he have to talk to her dad first...?’

Lin Qi could feel two scorching gazes locked onto him. They weren’t hostile, but under his Spiritual Vision, Lin Qi could perceive these gazes as practically scalding.

It was like having needles on his back!

Finally, Lin Qi nodded.

Lin Qi admitted it. No man could refuse the chance encounters, year after year, day after day, and the care woven into her everyday actions.

Liu Xuan’s efforts could warm even a heart of stone.

Of course, Lin Qi’s heart had been warmed as well, giving rise to feelings. But having lived for so long in the cold Cyber Society, he had never let it show.

However, just after Lin Qi nodded, Liu Xingyuan said, "But what if I told you that Liu Xuan’s feelings for you are not love?"

Hearing these words, Lin Qi’s slightly wavering heart instantly steadied.

’What does he mean?’

’Is Liu Xingyuan going to stand up and say he disapproves?’

’Or is he going to throw a cold chip of Credit Points at me?’

Lin Qi frowned. Beside him, Liu Xinglu also found it difficult to understand Liu Xingyuan’s words.

Liu Xingyuan sighed and continued, "But I know this isn’t your fault. It was all caused by Liu Xuan’s own impulsiveness."

"Even I had to study it for many years to understand the key to all this."

"Lin Qi, if I’m not mistaken, you should be... a Wizard Professional, right?"

Liu Xingyuan’s tone was full of helplessness, yet he asked a question that put Lin Qi on high alert.

’A Wizard...’

Lin Qi couldn’t figure out how Liu Xingyuan had discovered his secret!

Even for Baili Xueyuan to realize he had an Extraordinary Profession, she had to combine it with intelligence from the Eastern Alliance to make a guess.

Logically, with Lin Qi’s previously cautious behavior, plus the concealment from Guang Ling, there was no reason he should have been exposed to the Liu Clan.

Lin Qi replied, "I am not."

Liu Xingyuan stated unequivocally, "No, you must be."

This exchange between the two left Liu Xinglu completely baffled.

Liu Xinglu glanced at the message from Liu Xuan and quickly tried to smooth things over. "Xingyuan, you must be mistaken, right? Back in Greenfield City, he took a direct hit from Holy Light. We had A-Class Liu Clan security personnel on site who can testify to it. He can’t be a Wizard."

Liu Xingyuan waved his hand, his eyes still fixed on Lin Qi. "I don’t know what method you used to evade the effects of Holy Light, but I do know this: if you weren’t a Wizard, then many years ago, Liu Xuan would have... passed away."

"Therefore, you can only be a Wizard Professional. There is no other possibility."

Listening to Liu Xingyuan’s words, Lin Qi’s expression remained unchanged, but waves were crashing in his heart.

’What does he mean?’

’Is it because of that experiment Liu Xuan conducted back then?’

’That inexplicable Spiritual Power storm?’

If it weren’t for that Spiritual Power storm, Lin Qi would never have been able to clearly perceive the existence of the Door in his Sea of Consciousness.

But it was also after that incident that Liu Xuan began to frequently appear in his daily life.

At the very beginning, due to the vast class divide in the Cyber World, Lin Qi, who had no desire to be a rich woman’s boy toy, was very resistant.

But year after year, day after day, and even after he successfully joined the Weapon Research Institute, Lin Qi slowly came to accept Liu Xuan’s presence.

Lin Qi took a deep breath and said to Liu Xingyuan, "Why? What exactly happened back then? As the daughter of the head of Liu’s Heavy Industries, Liu Xuan shouldn’t have been personally involved in something so dangerous, right?"

Lin Qi’s response was a tacit admission to Liu Xingyuan’s speculation. From Liu Xingyuan’s behavior, it was clear he wasn’t preparing to make a move against him; instead, it seemed he wanted to maintain the status quo for now.

Liu Xinglu, standing to the side, was already stunned.

He never thought their conversation would become so explosive.

He immediately took control of the regional cyber network, using his administrator privileges to lock down and shield the area.

The cyber network within the entire H3 Skyscraper was now under Liu Xinglu’s control.

Liu Xingyuan said, "You may not know this, but Liu Xuan is a true engineering genius. At the age of nine, she already had the ability to design A-Class equipment, surpassing the ability of an ordinary A-level Researcher."

"At twelve, she personally designed an S-Class implantable operating system with an overall rating that reached the level of a flagship Prosthetic Body."

"But because of the Big Business Alliance Successor Bill, without a Wizard Talent, she couldn’t be selected for the list of successor candidates."

"But she’s been competitive since she was a child. Even when her younger sister, Liu Li, was ultimately chosen as the successor, she still refused to accept it. So she wanted to use her knowledge of engineering to explore the difference between a Wizard Professional and an ordinary person."

"In the end, there was an accident with the experiment—the one you were dragged into."

Liu Xingyuan’s description was brief, but it didn’t quite match the Liu Xuan in Lin Qi’s memory.

In Lin Qi’s impression, she had graduated from the elite class of Liu’s Academy in the same year as Liu Li and hadn’t displayed any particularly strong engineering talent.

But Lin Qi quickly figured it out. If the Liu Clan intentionally concealed this information, how could he possibly have known?

But Lin Qi still couldn’t figure it out: what exactly did that accident lead to?

Why did Liu Xuan start appearing in his life so frequently after that?

Just as Lin Qi was about to ask, he heard Liu Xingyuan continue, "As for what specifically happened, you don’t need to ask me, and I won’t tell you. If anyone else were to find out about this, the Liu Clan would be put in an extremely passive position."

"United Pharmaceutical is a trump card that the Liu Clan must rely on right now. I hope that you and Liu Xuan can do your best to maintain the current situation."

"Maintain... a cooperative relationship."

Liu Xingyuan heavily emphasized the word "cooperative."

This attitude made Lin Qi very uncomfortable.

Lin Qi asked in return, "This ’cooperation’ you speak of, is it business or personal? You should know that although my S-Class Pharmacy knowledge is bound to United Pharmaceutical by a confidentiality agreement, I’m not without other options."

"Even if I never create a single S-Class Potion in my life, I can still go to the Eastern Alliance to develop my career."

"And after I get to the Eastern Alliance, it’s not impossible that I might seek to join Nanyun Potion."

Whether it was business or personal, Lin Qi had a different way of responding.

Liu Xingyuan’s expression had already returned to normal. He said, "United Pharmaceutical has already shown the greatest sincerity. If we’re only talking about benefits, staying with United Pharmaceutical will bring you greater returns than going to the Eastern Alliance."

Liu Xingyuan’s attitude was clear. The personal discussion was over; now they were talking business.

From a purely financial perspective, this was very favorable for Lin Qi.

But from a personal standpoint, Lin Qi wanted Liu Xingyuan to talk more about private matters.

Lin Qi thought for a moment, then chose to... push his luck!

Whether it was business or personal, as long as Liu Xingyuan didn’t flip the table and use his power as a Tier Four Wizard, the initiative was in Lin Qi’s hands.

Lin Qi said directly, "The cooperative relationship will naturally be maintained, but... what if I want to take things a step further? I’m actually very interested in deepening my ’cooperation’ with the Liu Clan."

Before Liu Xingyuan could speak, Liu Xinglu at the side couldn’t stand it anymore. "What do you mean by that, kid? After all the ways Liu Xuan has looked out for you, this is how you repay her?"

Lin Qi didn’t respond, just stared straight into Liu Xingyuan’s eyes.

’An answer!’

Lin Qi wanted an answer!

After a moment, Liu Xingyuan said, "If you can become a Tier Four Wizard in the future, you will understand why I am stopping you and Liu Xuan from taking things further."

"It won’t take you long to become an S-Class Pharmaceutical Researcher, and you have significant ties to the Eastern Alliance. I believe becoming Tier Four won’t be difficult for you."

"If, on that day, you still feel this way, then I will not—and will not have the ability to—stop your choice."

"But as someone who’s been there, I want to tell you, if you weren’t lying just now and you truly have feelings for her, then I hope you will respect Liu Xuan’s ’true’ feelings."

"Finally, I have one more piece of advice: a Wizard Professional should do their best not to advance to Tier Four. It’s not a good thing."