Chapter 686: Me and Myself

"You fucking what...?"

Di Hou was just about to retort to Qiao Jia Jin when he suddenly furrowed his brow.

This perspective was incredibly tricky, but upon closer inspection, it was surprisingly hard to refute.

"De Ren Zi has been changing all along..." Qiao Jia Jin explained, "From an outsider's point of view, he's constantly altering himself, becoming completely different from before—whether it's his 'brain,' his 'wife,' or his identity as a 'deceiver.' But from his own perspective, he's just getting better each time, adapting himself to make the plans he set in the past succeed smoothly."

"No... that sounds way too difficult..." Di Hou still couldn't quite believe it. "If he does that, what was supposed to be a stable plan will end up with countless 'variables' on his end! One wrong move, and everything falls apart... No... this is too far-fetched. I still..."

"So his 'changes' are what make you all 'stable.'" Qiao Jia Jin blinked. "Isn't that the logic? Hard to wrap your head around?"

Hearing this, Di Hou paused again.

"Young man..." He looked at Qiao Jia Jin and blinked. "Your hypothesis is based on completely trusting Qi Xia's abilities, but I..."

"I do trust him." Qiao Jia Jin replied, "I live simply; I don't overthink like you do, so I find this easy to understand. After De Ren Zi sets his plan, he starts acting on it, and everything he does is to make that plan work."

"But..." Di Hou slowly lowered his head.

How he wished everything Qiao Jia Jin said was true.

Yes, if Qing Long hadn't appeared back then, he would have believed in Qi Xia as firmly as this young man did right now.

After a long while, he let out a deep sigh, and the grievances he'd hidden for decades seemed to dissipate with that breath.

"Forget it..." Di Hou said, "At this point, I don't know who to believe anymore. Let everything take its natural course..."

Chen Jun Nan perked up at these words: "Hey! Hou Ge! Don't just go with the flow, man. We've been listening to this for ages—why not share that big plan with us? As the saying goes, many hands make light work; we can help brainstorm together."

"'Big plan'... heh..." Di Hou shook his head helplessly. "This plan involves a lot of people, and I'm just one of them. I only know my own part in it. Qi Xia told me to live steadily and become a qualified 'Sheng Xiao' as much as possible, then wait for a 'Li Feng.'"

"Wait for a 'Li Feng'?"

"That's right."

"What kind of 'Li Feng'?" Chen Jun Nan asked.

"According to him, it's a crack that theoretically shouldn't exist at all. Even if someone had the guts, they wouldn't dare to create it." Di Hou finished and sighed. "So, do you see? I'm really no different from you all."

After hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, and Tian Tian spoke up: "In what way are we the same?"

"We're all part of the game." Di Hou said, "Each of us is a pawn; we can only do what we're supposed to."

"Are you saying we're also part of Qi Xia's plan?" Chen Jun Nan thought for a moment, then nodded. "That makes sense, but everything we've done is voluntary. Lao Qi never gave us any instructions."

"Ha." Di Hou chuckled softly and said slowly, "Just a moment ago, you said it yourself at the gambling table... He can unilaterally pull you into the game without your consent. Remember?"

This short statement left everyone in silence.

Yes, if Qi Xia could pull off that kind of strategy on the spot at the gambling table, how could he not use it in his grand plan?

Chen Jun Nan's thoughts started to open up. If what Di Hou said was true, then he must be one of Qi Xia's personally chosen teammates.

Not just him—everyone he saw when he opened his eyes in the interview room must have been Qi Xia's selection.

He deliberately brought these people together, forming a strange room that looked full of flaws but each with their own role.

But how did Qi Xia do it? And what was his goal?

At this point, even Qi Xia himself no longer knew what the original plan was.

He could only keep guessing what kind of setup his past self had laid out, then team up with that version of himself through accurate guesses and work with the pawns he'd placed.

What a terrifying scheme this was?

Even with Qi Xia's intellect, he had to push the plan out decades into the future. If he couldn't succeed even then, could an ordinary person really escape this?

Chen Jun Nan looked gravely at Qiao Jia Jin and Tian Tian; both wore thoughtful expressions, as if pondering this hard-to-accept information.

Di Hou gestured with his eyes to the group and said, "Whatever Qi Xia is up to, let him do it. I'll wait patiently. You can stay here and wait for him to wake up, or just carry him out. But don't bother me anymore—I have nothing to talk about with you."

With that, he walked straight to the counter, leaned back in his chair, propped one leg up on the table, and closed his eyes to rest.

Qiao Jia Jin scratched his head and asked, "Jun Nan Zi, do you think that dream-enterer guy fixed De Ren Zi?"

"Well..." Chen Jun Nan paused at the question and replied, "I'm not sure. On one hand, Lao Qi's face looks better than before; he's regained some color and doesn't seem as pained. But that kid still died... so I'm not sure if he died in the line of duty or after succeeding."

"Let's wait and see..." Tian Tian said timidly, "Either way, Xiao Cheng helped us once..."

"Yeah, that kid held up well at the end. Next time..."

Chen Jun Nan nodded, about to say more, when he saw Zheng Ying Xiong walking toward Di Hou.

He hadn't noticed earlier, but this child had been staring at Di Hou from the start, showing great interest.

Zheng Ying Xiong approached the counter, reached out with his blood-stained little hand, and patted Di Hou's leg.

"Uncle, uncle."

Di Hou lazily opened his eyes and glanced irritably at the child whose face was covered in dried blood. "What?"

"Uncle, how do you know about 'Yu Cheng'?"