The Rich Second-Generation Villain With No Morals

Chapter 76

[Ding! The protagonist Jiang Lei’s fortune is approaching. Rescuing the drowning child will earn him the favor of an influential figure.]

[The system has issued the following choices:]

[Option 1: Inform Jiang Lei that saving the drowning child will benefit him. Reward: +10 Protagonist Favorability.]

[Option 2: Call the police immediately and let them handle it. Reward: Guaranteed 10,000 yuan lottery win.]

[Option 3: Stop Jiang Lei and rescue the child yourself. Reward: Qiu Yuelin’s diary.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for making a choice in advance. Reward: Qiu Yuelin’s diary.]

Just as Qi Lin stopped Jiang Lei, the system’s selection prompt appeared, along with the corresponding rewards.

After experiencing similar scenarios a few times, Qi Lin had already learned to anticipate the system’s selection tasks and their timing.

Before the system could even issue the options, he had already made his move.Jiang Lei had been tricked by Qi Lin twice before, but despite that, he still had a decent impression of this "little brother-in-law."

Now, seeing Qi Lin stop him from taking a risk, Jiang Lei—unaware of the real reason—actually felt touched.

What he didn’t realize was that Qi Lin wasn’t concerned about his safety at all. He was simply stealing the opportunity that was meant for him.

"Qi Lin—"

Jiang Lei wanted to say something, but Qi Lin raised a hand.

"Brother-in-law, no need to say more. To act righteously is a duty I cannot ignore."

With that, Qi Lin flipped over the railing and dove into the lake.

"Ah, damn! Swimming in this summer heat is incredible!"

Qi Lin grinned as he swam toward the struggling child.

On the shore, Lan Yuxi watched him with complicated emotions.

Seeing Qi Lin’s heroic act, she found herself unable to make sense of him.

He smoked, fought, disrespected teachers, bullied girls, threatened her and Wang Siling, and even set up Yu Chen and Wang Cheng. His misdeeds were countless.

By his usual character, if someone were in trouble, he should be standing on the sidelines, enjoying the spectacle, maybe even clapping.

But now, he was stopping someone else and jumping in to save the child himself?

"Because of this unpredictable way of doing things, no one can figure out his thoughts, let alone compete with him. That includes Wang Cheng…"

Lan Yuxi was growing increasingly doubtful that Wang Cheng could ever win against Qi Lin.

Was she really going to end up in this guy’s hands, letting him tease and torment her?

"My Hui! My little Hui!"

Just then, a middle-aged man appeared beside Lan Yuxi and Jiang Lei at the railing.

He wasn’t alone—he was accompanied by a group of people.

All of them were dressed in neatly pressed white shirts and suit pants, unmistakably government officials.

The middle-aged man at the front, however, was crying out in distress, gripping the railing as he looked at the drowning child.

Jiang Lei froze.

Could this boy in the water be the man’s son?

Judging by his entourage, this man was definitely someone important.

If that were the case, and he had managed to rescue the boy, wouldn’t he have gained a powerful connection?

Jiang Lei had guessed correctly. By not saving the child himself, he had not only lost an opportunity but also set himself up for a disaster later that day.

With a splash, Qi Lin reached the child just in time.

Luckily, at seventeen, he still had plenty of stamina. Otherwise, swimming to the middle of the lake and bringing a struggling child back would have been extremely difficult.

"Hey, don’t just stand there watching. Give me a hand!"

Reaching the shore, Qi Lin called out impatiently to the crying middle-aged man.

Under normal circumstances, if someone had dared to speak to him in such a tone, the man would have been furious.

But this time, he looked at Qi Lin with immense gratitude, almost ready to kneel in thanks.

At nearly forty years old, he had finally had a son. Only he knew just how important this child was to him.

Qi Lin was pulled onto the shore.

Smack!

"I told you I’d be back soon. I told you not to run off! Do you know you almost drowned?!"

The middle-aged man slapped his son but immediately broke down in tears, hugging him tightly.

After his emotions settled, he turned to Qi Lin and expressed his deep gratitude.

"Young man, thank you so much. If not for you, my son—"

Before he could finish, the man took out his wallet and handed Qi Lin all the cash inside—probably around one or two thousand yuan.

But Qi Lin wasn’t just anyone.

He was a billionaire’s son. What use did he have for a few thousand yuan?

What he wanted was the man’s favor.

This man was Qin Hanliang, the Director of the Jianghan City Bureau of Commerce. Given that his family was in business, having this connection would be a huge advantage in the future.

"It was just a small act of kindness. If I took your money, it would cheapen the gesture. You should use it to buy something for your son—he looks pretty shaken up."

Qi Lin pushed the money back.

Qin Hanliang was stunned that someone would actually refuse that much cash.

Then he took a good look at Qi Lin.

Seeing that he was still in his school uniform and realizing that he was only a teenager, Qin Hanliang’s eyes flashed with admiration.

"Young man, what’s your name?"

Qin Hanliang asked.

Since the boy didn’t want money, he would at least remember his name. That way, if Qi Lin ever needed help in the future, he could return the favor.

"My name is Qi Lin."

Qi Lin answered with a smile.

Qin Hanliang still had work to attend to, so he took out a business card and handed it to Qi Lin.

"This is my card. I work at the Bureau of Commerce. If you ever need anything, give me a call."

The card was simple—just a name and phone number, no titles or extra details.

"Thanks, Brother Qin."

Qi Lin thought to himself, Got what I wanted.

Qin Hanliang smiled.

"I should be the one thanking you."

With that, he left.

Qi Lin turned back and saw that Jiang Lei was gone.

"Where did my dear brother-in-law go?"

Qi Lin asked Lan Yuxi.

Lan Yuxi chuckled.

"He left right after you saved the kid, but he didn’t look very happy."

Qi Lin laughed.

Of course he wasn’t happy.

His golden opportunity had been stolen right in front of him. Who could stay cheerful after that?

The summer sun had left Lan Yuxi slightly sweaty, tiny droplets glistening on her smooth forehead.

The strands of hair near her temples stuck to her fair, delicate face.

The hem of her skirt fluttered gently in the lakeside breeze.

She stood there, holding a paper bag in both hands.

Lan Yuxi looked even more captivating in that moment. Instead of losing any of her charm, she radiated a mix of purity and allure that was impossible to ignore.

Qi Lin’s dark eyes flashed with mischief.

"Ah, ouch! I swam too fast saving that kid just now—my foot is cramping!"

He suddenly collapsed onto the ground, clutching his foot and groaning in pain.

Lan Yuxi, at her core, was still a kindhearted girl.

Qi Lin had just saved someone, and she was genuinely moved by it.

Hearing him cry out in pain, she panicked. "Are you really cramping? Let me take a look!"

She quickly put down the bag in her hands and squatted beside him, reaching out to massage his foot.

Her beautiful face was filled with focus, and there was still a slight sheen of oil on her lips from the softshell turtle she had just eaten.

At that moment, Qi Lin couldn’t hold back anymore.

"Mm!"

Lan Yuxi’s eyes widened in shock as she found herself suddenly pulled into Qi Lin’s embrace.

Before she could react, he had kissed her.

"Pah! Pah! Pah!"

"You disgusting bastard! I knew I shouldn’t have believed your nonsense!"

In the passenger seat, Lan Yuxi's face was flushed red as she angrily wiped her lips with a tissue.

She had fallen for his trick again.

Looking at the way Qi Lin was walking so casually, where did he look like someone who had a cramp?

Clearly, he had just tricked her into coming closer so he could take advantage of her!

"I was just trying to help you wipe the oil off your lips," Qi Lin said with a grin as he drove.

"Couldn’t you have just handed me a tissue? That was blatant harassment!"

Lan Yuxi was so annoyed by his shamelessness that she almost laughed in frustration.

At the same time, she sighed inwardly.

There was no doubt Qi Lin was a bastard, but when it came to flirting with girls, ten Wang Chengs wouldn’t be his match.

If Wang Cheng had even half of Qi Lin’s slickness, her first kiss might not have ended up with this scoundrel.

But there was no "if."

When she put herself in that situation, imagining Wang Cheng trying to kiss her, Lan Yuxi felt nothing but rejection.

Her first kiss had already been taken by Qi Lin—if she let Wang Cheng kiss her now, wouldn’t that make her just like a loose woman?

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Lan Yuxi panicked.

Oh no, oh no! Why am I even thinking about being faithful to Qi Lin?!

This is just a mistake! It must be a mistake! The one I like is Wang Cheng!

They had already wasted too much time eating and saving someone.

By the time Qi Lin and Lan Yuxi returned to the classroom, class had already started.

"Qi Lin, can I ask you for a favor?"

As they approached the classroom, Lan Yuxi’s pretty face carried a hint of pleading.

"What is it? As long as it’s not asking me to marry you, I’ll consider it."

Qi Lin smirked.

Lan Yuxi was speechless.

"This is all your fault! You dragged me so far away for lunch, then stopped to save someone, and then… then you did that to me! You wouldn’t let me go for ages, and now we’re both late!"

"If we walk in together, what do you think the other students will assume?"

"Qi Lin, can you let me go in first and then come in after?"

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke.

"You go in first, and I come in later? Do you think that’ll change anything?"

Seeing her hesitating and struggling to say this, Qi Lin nearly burst out laughing.

"Just answer me—yes or no?"

Lan Yuxi glared at him, practically fuming.

"Fine, fine, you go in first."

Qi Lin held back his laughter.

Lan Yuxi shot him one last glare before quickly entering the classroom.

"Huh? Where’s the teacher?"

As soon as she stepped in, she noticed that the lectern was empty.

All the students were looking at her instead.

Her face reddened slightly, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Lucky me. I better get to my seat quickly.

"Yuxi, why are you so late?"

As soon as she sat down, Wang Cheng leaned over and asked in a hushed voice.

He had been paying close attention to Lan Yuxi and Qi Lin all day.

Now, seeing that they were both late, an ominous feeling crept up his spine.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

"Qi Lin saved someone at the lake during lunch. That’s why we were late," Lan Yuxi sighed, deciding to just tell the truth.

Like Qi Lin had said, if she went in first and Qi Lin followed a few seconds later, anyone with a brain could tell something had happened.

Instead of coming up with lies, it was better to just be honest.

"Qi Lin, that bastard, being a hero? I don’t buy it!"

Wang Cheng’s face darkened as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Qi Lin was shameless and unscrupulous—he should be bullying people, not risking his life to save them!

"Yuxi, why were you at the lake with Qi Lin in the first place?"

Then he realized something even worse.

A lake? That was a place for couples to go!

Lan Yuxi rolled her eyes.

"You think I wanted to go? That bastard said he was treating me to lunch, but he dragged me to my aunt’s restaurant to get takeout. Then he took me to the lake to eat in the sun. Look at me—I’m tanned now!"

Wang Cheng glanced at her carefully.

Sure enough, her skin had a slightly flushed glow, as if she had been under the sun.

But then he noticed something else—

Her lips.

There was a slight puffiness to them.

Wang Cheng’s face went pale.

He didn’t dare think too much about it.

I must be overthinking. I have to trust Yuxi.

Just then, Qi Lin strolled into the classroom, yawning.

"Is this a free period? Where’s the teacher?"

His sharp eyes immediately spotted a familiar thermos flask on the teacher’s desk.

If he remembered correctly, it belonged to the new substitute teacher, Qiu Yuelin.

He had seen it last time when he made her cry.

"This damn heat is killing me. Oh? Who made this honeysuckle tea? Perfect timing—I need something to cool down."

Grinning, Qi Lin walked up to the podium, picked up the thermos, and gulped it down in front of the entire class.

Wang Cheng was stunned at first.

Then, a slow smirk crept across his face.

"I might not be able to beat Qi Lin right now, but he’s arrogant and reckless. He offends people way stronger than me."

"That new substitute teacher seems to be the type that Hu Bing likes. Qi Lin just drank her tea—there’s going to be a good show soon."

Wang Cheng’s prediction was spot on.

This class was supposed to be Qiu Yuelin’s.

However, when she took attendance earlier, she noticed that both Lan Yuxi and Qi Lin were missing.

Not sure how to handle it, she left her thermos and went to report to Hu Bing.

And just as Qi Lin finished drinking the last drop, Qiu Yuelin returned with Hu Bing.

"You—why are you drinking from my thermos?!"

Qiu Yuelin’s face turned red with embarrassment and anger.

She had just watched Qi Lin drink from the very place where her lips had been.

Beside her, Hu Bing’s face darkened with rage.

"Put down Yuelin’s thermos immediately!"

Qi Lin blinked innocently and held up the empty flask.

"Is this yours?"

"Of course it is!" Hu Bing roared.

Qi Lin grinned.

"Then why are you getting so worked up? I drank from someone else’s thermos—what does that have to do with you?"

Turning to Qiu Yuelin, he sighed dramatically.

"Qiu Xuejie, I was overheating and at risk of heatstroke. Your tea saved my life!"

"Surely, you wouldn’t scold me and ignore a life-threatening situation, would you?"

Qiu Yuelin was on the verge of tears.

Hu Bing clenched his fists in frustration.

But he wasn’t done with Qi Lin yet.

"You were late, weren’t you?"

Qi Lin nodded casually.

"Yup. Everyone saw it."

Hu Bing sneered.

"Good. You’re getting a demerit. Now go to the track and run laps."