Chapter 548: Whose Rules

My brow furrowed as I realized I had been tricked.

Chu Tianqiu... Did he really have that kind of "notebook"?

He was just trying to bluff me, but he didn't expect my micro-expressions to give me away immediately.

Yes, I wasn't one of the people in the room, and he originally couldn't be sure, but now he was certain.

I hadn't lost just now; I had lost from the very beginning.

This person was becoming terrifying; his demeanor was now approaching that of Qi Xia—or perhaps he had always been like this?

"You are neither from the 'Shengxiao' nor from the 'Can Yu Zhe'... "

Chu Tianqiu gave a bitter smile. "I'll venture a guess... You're not some 'Di San Fang Shi Li' separate from these two sides, are you?"

I reached out to interrupt Chu Tianqiu.

"This matter can't be discussed." I swallowed hard and said, "If you keep going, both our situations will become very dangerous."

After hearing that, Chu Tianqiu's expression changed, as if confirming his inner thoughts.

"Indeed... You're quite the hidden one." After a few seconds, he smiled again. "In that case... Let's hear about your new plan."

Seeing that Chu Tianqiu agreed, I leaned close to his ear and quietly shared my idea.

Although I wasn't his match in psychological games, there were still things I was good at—for example, I knew more of the "upper-level figures" here, which Chu Tianqiu did not.

The intelligence I had was on a completely different level from his, and before he could figure everything out, it would be enough for me to carry out my plan.

"Chu Tianqiu, I want you to recruit Qi Xia to 'Tian Tang Kou'."

That short sentence came out, but Chu Tianqiu showed no reaction.

I wasn't sure if he had already guessed what I was going to say or if he had long planned to recruit Qi Xia.

"You say recruiting Qi Xia is your plan?" He softly countered. "Then I want to know... What's in it for me to recruit him?"

"Aren't you trying to take down all the 'Shengxiao'?" I asked. "I can help you get the 'Di Ji' heads."

"'Di Ji' heads...?"

Those five words excited Chu Tianqiu even more than recruiting Qi Xia; his eager expression was written all over his face.

"That's right." I stared into Chu Tianqiu's slightly manic eyes and said, "You should know... These heads don't have any practical use, but they can become your trump card."

"You're right..." Chu Tianqiu looked at the ground and then nodded. "They really can become my 'trump card'..."

I knew he understood my meaning—as long as 'Tian Tang Kou' had three 'Di Ji' heads in place, it could keep attracting strong individuals.

"Deal." Chu Tianqiu laughed. "You give me the 'Di Ji' heads, and I'll recruit Qi Xia as soon as possible."

"Good, those heads are in the trunk of my car—you can go get them. And also..." I handed the car keys to Chu Tianqiu and added, "To recruit Qi Xia, it'll take at least the next cycle."

"Oh?" He took the keys expressionlessly. "He's dead?"

"Yes... How did you know?"

"Yes, he came by." Chu Tianqiu put the car keys in his pocket and turned back to look at me; I could never quite read what he was thinking. "Xiao Nian... Why don't you want to reveal the fact that you've come back?"

"I want to get involved." I said decisively. "This time, I want to play your role and carry out this plan with you."

"Play my role...?" Chu Tianqiu smiled slightly. "Interesting. So your plan isn't just about recruiting Qi Xia—there's something else in mind, isn't there?"

"Chu Tianqiu, I'm not as smart as you, but I have my advantages." I laid my cards on the table with him. "Let's have a contest. Even if we end up dying in each other's schemes, I won't regret it."

The two of us stood in the gradually dimming alley in silence. I didn't know what he was thinking—would he guess my intentions?

"But... Can you really play my role?"

I seemed to see a strange glint in Chu Tianqiu's eyes.

Now even Chu Tianqiu had changed. The leader who once made anyone feel safe to rely on had now become manic.

But that was fine. I had felt a bit reluctant before, but not anymore.

Even if I followed Qing Long's instructions and let Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia fight it out, no matter which of them ended up completely gone, I wouldn't have any psychological burden.

"I'll try to play the role of the old you." I replied. "The current you... I don't understand anymore, but I remember everything you used to do clearly."

"'Liang Ren Wang'?" Chu Tianqiu chuckled lightly. "I was planning to throw away that title right away, but now that you've come back... Let it work for one more cycle."

I thought I might have misheard—Chu Tianqiu was even going to abandon the "Liang Ren Wang" title?

"So you want to disguise yourself as me... and recruit Qi Xia?" Chu Tianqiu confirmed.

"That's right." I nodded. "This will need your support; otherwise, I'll be struggling every step of the way."

"You haven't dealt with Qi Xia much, have you? He can see through you with just a glance." Chu Tianqiu came over to me with interest. "Even if you can change into my appearance, how will you gain Qi Xia's trust?"

"This..."

Hearing that question made me hesitate a bit.

Although I had once disguised myself as someone else to deceive people, those were just ordinary folks—none of them could compare to Qi Xia.

"So, does that mean I can't play your role?" I asked.

"No, no..." Chu Tianqiu adjusted his glasses and smiled at me. "I'm thinking... Since you'll show flaws no matter what, you might as well deliberately reveal one to him."

"What?"

"The next time you meet him, I want you to act superior and give him a well-timed put-down."

"For example...?"

"For example, you could directly control his teammate and then tell him, 'My rules are the rules.'"

Hearing that, I slowly furrowed my brow: "But if I do that, what's the point of me playing your role?"

"How could there be no point...?" Chu Tianqiu shook his head, his smile growing even more strange. "Qi Xia is meeting 'me' for the first time. No matter what information he's heard about me before, given his personality, he'll definitely believe in 'seeing is believing.' If you were in his shoes... and discovered that a leader who's been hyped up is actually all show, what would you do?"

I thought for a moment and got the answer: "I'd look down on him."

"You might underestimate him, but Qi Xia might not." Chu Tianqiu said. "He could try to seize control and hope to use me for his own plans."