Chapter 177: Environment

It was the first time Cheng Huanzhen had seen his Little Uncle act like this—putting on clothes, getting up, turning his head, and leaving—all without a hint of hesitation or sloppiness.

Disregarding the conflicting voices battling in his mind, and not even bothering to properly put on his own clothes, he simply grabbed his coat and jogged to catch up.

“Little Uncle, I’ll drive you back!”

Cheng Huanzhen caught up to Lin Chen. His clothes were still disheveled, and the hem of his shirt looked particularly messy.

Lin Chen refused his offer: “It’s just a short walk. What’s there to drive for? I can walk back myself.”

Cheng Huanzhen: “…”

Cheng Huanzhen pressed his lips together tightly and said stiffly, “But, Little Uncle, I’ve always driven you back before. Why won’t you let me drive you today? Are you angry with me, Little Uncle? Why would you be angry with me?”

The persistent young man had drilled himself into a dead end.

This forced the man who had just prided himself on being gentle to stop helplessly and look at him.

Lin Chen said patiently, “What reason would I have to be angry with you? I’m very happy that you were willing to share your list of preferences with me. I’m also very happy to have the honor of topping that list.”

“It’s just that the villa is very close, so there’s really no need for you to make a trip. It doesn’t mean I’m angry with you.”

Cheng Huanzhen stared at him stubbornly: “It’s not trouble, Little Uncle. I want to drive you back.”

Lin Chen knew that if he didn’t agree, Cheng Huanzhen would likely follow behind him all the way to his doorstep.

Not wanting to make things so complicated, Lin Chen simply nodded and got into Cheng Huanzhen’s car.

Cheng Huanzhen himself didn’t know why he insisted on fighting over such a trivial matter that took less than ten minutes.

But on the way to drive his Little Uncle back to the villa, as he quietly glanced at his Little Uncle sitting beside him, poised and polite throughout the ride, he felt that being able to spend these extra ten minutes with him was worth it, no matter what.

The car soon arrived at the destination.

Lin Chen coaxed Cheng Huanzhen into going home, then made an excuse to Wen Shaozhuo about taking a shower. Soon, he took a change of clothes into the bathroom.

The system finally waited until the host was alone.

As soon as the bathroom door closed, the system spoke up coyly, asking the host: “Host, Host, do you need the system to directly adjust your physiological state back to normal? Actually, the system could have done this just now. Next time, if you need, you can just call the system to help you…”

Lin Chen’s expression changed drastically, and he questioned in horror: “Do you want me to become impotent at such a young age?!”

Before the system could speak, Lin Chen callously threw it back into the little dark room where it could neither see nor hear anything.

With a sorrowful “No—” from the system, Lin Chen’s mind became completely quiet.

Lin Chen sighed softly.

He leaned against the cold bathroom tiles with some distress.

The shower turned on, and warm water dripped down his hair.

His head tilted back slightly, water droplets sliding wantonly over his Adam’s apple, falling onto his collarbone, onto his chest, and then flowing further down.

The warm water embraced him, while the cold tiles against his back pierced him icily. The contrast of heat and cold clamped Lin Chen’s mind into extraordinary clarity.

…Such a young body.

Lin Chen thought distractedly.

The rising steam blurred the view inside the bathroom.

It wasn’t until a soft sigh sounded from the bathroom that the tense air finally relaxed again.

Countless thoughts, either calm or chaotic, didn’t dissipate with this sigh; Lin Chen felt even more troubled.

He dried his body, changed into fresh clothes, then absent-mindedly washed his underwear clean. After tidying everything up, he finally released the system from the little dark room.

The system was extremely heartbroken. As soon as it came out, it wailed and accused Lin Chen: “Host, you are so bad! The system finally understands; you only treat the system well when you need it. Once you don’t need the system, you are so cold to me!”

Lin Chen hummed “Mhm mhm mhm” in acknowledgment twice. While blow-drying his hair, he asked: “Did you dig up the contact information of the person I wanted? Did you find out their preferences? Is the strategy guide done? You haven’t done anything, so why are you crying to me?”

The system choked on its tears instantly.

It pitifully endured the host’s nonchalant scolding. As a mature system with four years of work experience, it could naturally distinguish whether the host’s scolding was sincere or not.

Obviously, the host’s scolding right now was very perfunctory!

The system curiously probed the host’s mood at this moment, only to find that the emotions it could perceive from the host were completely blurred.

Perhaps a more mature, higher-level system could find the host’s true emotions from such a blurred emotional spectrum, but clearly, it was not among them.

Confused, the system asked: “Host, Host, are you thinking about Cheng Huanzhen right now? are you worried that the ninety million you got might go down the drain?”

The host seemed too lazy to pay attention to it: “Who dares to touch my ninety million? No way.”

The system asked innocently: “Then are you troubled by the fact that you and Cheng Huanzhen both got aroused just now?”

Lin Chen: “.”

Lin Chen stopped the hairdryer. He smiled: “Please mind your phrasing, AC9999. Don’t make it sound like I’m gay.”

The system instinctively felt a chill in its core; a huge sense of crisis enveloped it.

But solving problems for the host is what a qualified system should do! Steeling itself, the system said enthusiastically: “If you are unwilling to let me adjust your physiological parameters directly, the system has another good method! The system can connect to Cheng Huanzhen’s smartwatch and release a special electric current to create a specific dream for him, so that he will never again be able to get aroused by you, Host…”

Before it could finish, the host sneered and mercilessly threw it into the mute zone!

The system was horrified: “OxO…!!…!!”

The host ignored its heartbroken cry for help and callously assigned more tasks: “Is creating a strategy for just the Dean of B University’s Art Academy too easy? Then, within one day, compile a list of relevant information on the top 100 artists nationwide and send it to my work email. Within two days, I want to see strategy guides for all their preferences. If you can’t finish it…”

The host sneered.

…

Wen Yifeng and Wen Qingcai met Qi Jingming as agreed.

But during the entire discussion, both were somewhat distracted. It was entirely thanks to their subordinates staying focused that the work proceeded smoothly.

Finally, the work topic came to an end. Papa Wen and Mama Wen instantly regained their spirits. Waving for both sides’ subordinates to temporarily withdraw, they grabbed Qi Jingming and took turns pouring out their grievances to this old friend.

Qi Jingming calmly took a sip of tea.

“Jingming, is that studio you recommended last time actually reliable?”

“Do you know what plan they came up with for Shaozhuo? They actually took Shaozhuo and ran away from home!”

“If it was just running away from home, that would be one thing. But Shaozhuo has only followed the acting agent for a month or so, and he’s already unwilling to see us!”

Qi Jingming calmly took another sip of tea.

Wen Yifeng sighed and groaned, putting his arm around Qi Jingming’s shoulder, looking extremely melancholy: “To be honest, we suspect that acting agent is sowing discord… Otherwise, how would Shaozhuo have the guts to say such things, and even refuse to see us behind closed doors??”

“That acting agent is too young, probably soft-hearted too. I think he simply can’t understand the painstaking efforts of us parents…”

Qi Jingming calmly finished his tea.

Wen Yifeng rambled on for a long time about Wen Siheng indulging his son in painting. When he looked again, Qi Jingming was still drinking tea!

Wen Yifeng got annoyed, snatched the teapot, poured it all out, and drank it in one gulp: “Is this tea that good? You should be judging this for us!”

Qi Jingming glanced at him: “Judge? If you ask me, you’re just worrying over nothing.”

Papa Wen and Mama Wen: “?”

Qi Jingming: “You’ve already paid out one hundred and twenty million. If you keep worrying here, isn’t that money spent in vain?”

Wen Qingcai couldn’t help interrupting: “But we can’t just ignore it!”

Qi Jingming was surprised: “Why not? Back then, I stayed outside for a whole year without going home!”

“Besides—”

Qi Jingming calmly brewed himself another pot of tea: “Isn’t Little Shao just painting? You praise my Xiuyi every day for being raised well, but isn’t he also tinkering with his museum every day now?”

He carefully savored a sip of tea and concluded: “Anyway, as long as they don’t bankrupt the family, it’s fine. Aside from that, it’s not like we can’t afford to raise them. What’s the rush?”

…

Third Dad: [Mission accomplished perfectly. So, my cut?]

Lin Chen: [Do I have to pay your social security too?]

Having said that, Lin Chen still promised Third Dad that he would bring some gifts the next time he visited the Qi family.

After putting in a lot of effort and working overtime, AC9999 finally received the great pardon of having its mute cancelled by the host. At this moment, it extended a camera to secretly listen to Papa Wen and Mama Wen’s reactions.

It muttered dissatisfiedly: “Host, they seem to have really been persuaded a tiny bit by Qi Jingming! Damn it, clearly you’ve said these principles before too, why didn’t they listen to you, but listened to Qi Jingming instead?”

Lin Chen: “Didn’t I tell you that 80% of a person is shaped by their environment? The simplest way to change a person is to change their environment?”

The system was confused: “Host, you said that, so you brought Wen Shaozhuo out to live!”

Lin Chen smiled: “Can’t you infer other things from one instance? The environment influences A’Shao, and naturally, it also influences Papa Wen and Mama Wen.”

“They are also products of their environment. In fact, they are even more severely influenced by the environment.”

“All their demands on A’Shao, their vanity for A’Shao to earn them face—which one of these doesn’t stem from environmental influence?”

“And I am not a part of their ‘environment,’ nor am I their peer, let alone a ‘parent’,” Lin Chen said indifferently. “But Qi Jingming is, Fang Yecheng is, Old Master Cheng is, and Li Zhengshen is too.”

“So—”

Lin Chen smiled: “Instead of me saying it, it’s better to let their environment say it.”

“—Brother A’Heng!”

Wen Shaozhuo’s excited voice suddenly rang out from outside the room.

Wen Shaozhuo rarely ran in the hallway making da da da sounds.

Wen Siheng stood up in confusion, opened the door, and peered out: “What’s wrong, A’Shao?”

Wen Shaozhuo held his phone high, his face flushed, his expression a mix of excitement and panic.

Only when he saw Wen Siheng did Wen Shaozhuo finally find his backbone. happily holding up the phone for Brother A’Heng to see.

Wen Shaozhuo: “Brother A’Heng, look! The teacher from the Art Academy said that Dean Gong… Dean Gong is very interested in me and invited me to his office on Monday to appreciate paintings and drink tea!”