204: Chapter 204 Qin Yi Recognizes Ye Qingcheng and Shen Jianan

Qin Yi's brow furrowed slightly as his gaze shot toward Si Hongfei like a torch, his eyes revealing a sense of sharpness and scrutiny. He felt his palm being gripped tightly by the other man, a force that seemed to be testing his depth. A surge of competitiveness rose within Qin Yi; with a slight tremble of his arm muscles, a powerful surge of Internal Energy quietly welled up as he gripped Si Hongfei's hand back.

At that moment, Si Hongfei's attribute panel flashed onto the light screen before Qin Yi's eyes, making all his data clear at a glance.

[Name: Si Hongfei]

[Gender: Male]

[Identity: Security Department Manager of the Sinan Feast]

[Age: 28]

[Realm: Middle Stage of Ming Jin]

[Cultivation Technique: Eight Extremities Fist (Minor Achievement)]

[Favorability: 0]

[Opposite Sex Intimacy: 0]

Looking at this data, Qin Yi couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Si Hongfei's Realm was the same as his own, and their level of technique cultivation was no different. His lips curled up involuntarily into a contemptuous smile. He mocked him silently: "No wonder you can only be a security manager; with this little strength, you're probably not even worthy of carrying Si Yao's shoes." But then he had a second thought, "Wait, that's not right. I'm in the same Realm as this Si Hongfei; mocking him is the same as mocking myself, isn't it?"

Thinking this, the competitive streak in Qin Yi's heart grew even stronger. With a light grind of his foot, the strength of his entire body was instantly mobilized. Beneath his T-shirt, his arm muscles coiled and bulged like a cluster of angry dragons, presenting a terrifying, explosive state.

Si Hongfei also truly felt Qin Yi's power surging toward him like a flood or a savage beast. His expression instantly became solemn, and fine beads of sweat couldn't help but break out on his forehead.

Yet, looking at Qin Yi, his expression was as calm as ever. The contest of strength between the two was practically a one-sided crushing by Qin Yi; and yet, this contest had been initiated by Si Hongfei in the first place.

Si Yao's eyebrows rose slightly as she watched Qin Yi with great interest, the corner of her mouth curling up almost imperceptibly. She nodded, inwardly praising: "This kid is actually quite a bit stronger than the strength he showed in the surveillance video last time." Despite her recognition of Qin Yi's strength, Si Yao didn't want to see Si Hongfei lose too miserably.

Thus, Si Yao reached out and deftly lifted between the gap of their handshake, easily prying their tightly gripped hands apart. Hidden within this seemingly casual movement was Si Yao's profound Internal Energy. Two streams of hidden force quietly entered Qin Yi and Si Hongfei's bodies following her motion.

Qin Yi only felt a strange force drill into his body from his palm, and his arm was instantly flooded with a numbing sensation, as if he had accidentally hit his funny bone. It was the same for Si Hongfei; both of their strength dissipated simultaneously, and they each retreated two steps.

Qin Yi was secretly alarmed. Rubbing his arm with one hand, he looked at Si Yao with a wary gaze, his face darkening as he asked displeasurably, "Young Miss Si Yao, what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to give me, Qin Yi, a show of authority?"

"Presumptuous!" Hearing this, Si Hongfei stepped forward and glared at Qin Yi, shouting angrily.

Qin Yi gave him a disdainful glance, then looked back at Si Yao, waiting for her response.

"Hahaha," Si Yao didn't seem to take the matter to heart at all. She chuckled and waved her hand, saying, "Young Master Qin, don't misunderstand. I was simply curious about your skills, so I brought A-Fei over to spar with you. But looking at it now, there seems to be no need for that."

"Young Miss," Si Hongfei immediately expressed his dissatisfaction, interjecting to explain, "We were just comparing strength, I..." However, before he could finish, Si Yao raised her hand to cut him off.

"That's enough," she said calmly. "You and Young Master Qin are both in the Middle Stage of Ming Jin, but you are inferior to him in terms of strength. If you truly came to blows, you might not be his match. Since we've already tested Young Master Qin's strength, let's just forget about this match." Si Hongfei's face showed his unwillingness; though he was still unconvinced, he didn't argue further and simply nodded in agreement.

Qin Yi knew when to stop while he was ahead, while secretly feeling glad. Fortunately, his Realm had already upgraded to the Middle Stage of Ming Jin; otherwise, he really might have lost face today. Besides, Si Yao's strength was far above his own; just that light lift of her hand was not something he could resist. Since the other party had given him a way out, he took it.

Having understood this, Qin Yi cupped his fists toward Si Hongfei and said politely, "I yield." Then, he turned his gaze to Si Yao and said with a smile, "Young Miss Si Yao, since we've already tested our skills, can we go in and eat now?"

Si Yao smiled slightly and nodded. "Of course. Young Master Qin, please." As she spoke, she made a rare polite gesture of invitation. Just as Qin Yi was about to step toward the building, he heard Si Hongfei's voice.

"Young Miss," Si Hongfei said, "Since the mission is complete, I won't be going in." His words revealed a hint of stubbornness and defiance. Si Yao stopped, looked back at him, and though she felt a bit helpless, she nodded without showing it. "Mm, alright. Then you head back first, no need to wait for me." Si Hongfei gave an affirmative grunt, shot a cold glance at Qin Yi, and turned to leave without looking back.

Just as Si Hongfei left, the System's notification sound suddenly rang in Qin Yi's mind.

[Ding! Detected that Si Hongfei's favorability toward the host has decreased by 10 points. Current favorability: -10!]

Immediately following that, another notification sounded.

[Ding! Si Hongfei's favorability toward the host has dropped to a negative value. A random mission has been triggered — To Be Young Is To Be Wild!]

Following that, two choices appeared before Qin Yi's eyes.

[Option 1: Whatever, let him be convinced or not, what does it have to do with me! Reward: Randomly deduct 5 points from the host's six-dimensional attributes, and be plagued by bad luck for 72 hours!]

[Option 2: Not convinced? Then I'll beat you until you are! Reward: Strength +2, Endurance +1, Gacha Draw +1!]

Hearing the System's mission notification, Qin Yi was delighted and shouted "Sweet!" in his heart. Without any hesitation, he immediately responded to the System: "I choose the second option!"

The System's notification sounded again.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for making a wise choice. The mission time limit is 24 hours. Please complete the mission as soon as possible!]

"Damn, there's a time limit..." Qin Yi frowned and muttered to himself. Then he quickly turned around and shouted to Si Hongfei, who had already reached the hotel entrance, "Hey, Si Hongfei! If you're not convinced, we can schedule another time for a proper match! Do you dare?"

Si Hongfei stopped at the sound and slowly turned around. He narrowed his eyes, sizing up Qin Yi, a flash of provocation crossing his face. A moment later, he lifted his head and said proudly, "Fine! You name the time and place!"

Qin Yi thought for a moment, then said decisively, "Then tomorrow morning at five o'clock, at Waitan Shenjiangwan Park!"

"It's a deal!" A cold smile curled onto Si Hongfei's lips, and then he turned and strode away, leaving behind a determined silhouette.

Si Yao stared at Qin Yi's back, shook her head gently, and a helpless smile appeared on her lips. She said softly, "Young Master Qin, why bother? Your Realm is the same as A-Fei's, but in terms of strength, you are clearly above him. Why fight him again?"

Qin Yi turned around to face Si Yao and explained, "Between Martial Artists, sparring with each other is also a way to improve strength. Moreover, he isn't as weak as Young Miss Si Yao says. If we don't have a match, I'm afraid the resentment in his heart toward me will be hard to dispel."

Hearing this, Si Yao couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Hahaha, alright. Since your mind is made up, I'll go watch tomorrow too, to cheer you both on." Speaking of this, she suddenly frowned and complained with some distress, "But Young Master Qin, the time you set for the match is too early, isn't it? Five in the morning, the sun won't even be up yet."

Qin Yi laughed awkwardly and replied, "Fewer people are up early, so there will be less interference when we spar. It's to avoid making too much of a commotion and attracting the police; that would be troublesome."

"Then couldn't you just change to an indoor venue?" Si Yao suggested, but then she waved her hand. "Sigh, forget it, forget it, have it your way. Since you've already decided, I won't say more." As she spoke, she extended her hand to Qin Yi. "Young Master Qin, after you."

Qin Yi smiled slightly, showing a gentlemanly grace. "Ladies first. Young Miss Si Yao, after you."

Seeing this, Si Yao didn't stand on ceremony anymore and turned to walk inside. Qin Yi followed closely behind. Qin Yi had never been to this Zuiyue Tower before; he had only heard some rumors about it. Now that he was stepping foot here for the first time, his gaze curiously sized up the interior decorations of Zuiyue Tower.

However, when his gaze inadvertently swept over a window-side seat, the attributes of Ye Qingcheng, who was sitting there alone, suddenly appeared on the light screen before Qin Yi's eyes.

[Name: Ye Qingcheng]

[Gender: Female]

[Identity: Captain of the Women's Special Operations Team of the Huaxia Dragon Kingdom's Sharp Sword Commando Unit (Captain rank), Captain of the National Security Special Operations Team, Eldest Young Miss of the Ye Family of the Capital]

[Age: 27]

[Height: 170cm]

[Weight: 52kg]

[Measurements: B86(B), W62, H90]

[Favorability: 50]

[Opposite Sex Intimacy: 0]

[Realm: Middle Stage of Ming Jin]

[Cultivation Technique: Military Boxing]

For no apparent reason, Qin Yi was shocked by the data on the screen before him. His footsteps faltered slightly, and a strange look flashed through his eyes.

Just now, at the moment Qin Yi and Si Hongfei were competing in their handshake, Ye Qingcheng happened to catch the scene. With her eyesight, she naturally saw that Qin Yi's strength was superior. When she heard them agree to fight again at five tomorrow morning at Waitan Shenjiangwan Park, a playful smile couldn't help but curl onto Ye Qingcheng's lips.

However, when Ye Qingcheng retracted her gaze, she unexpectedly found Qin Yi staring intently at her. This caused her heart to skip a beat, and she thought to herself: "What's going on? Could it be that my identity has already been seen through by him? That's impossible; this is the first time I've met him, we didn't know each other before..."

At the same time, Si Yao also noticed Qin Yi's unusual behavior. She followed Qin Yi's gaze and saw Ye Qingcheng sitting by the window. Si Yao teased, "Young Master Qin, what is it? Have you been attracted by that beauty? If you like her, go try to strike up a conversation. If you don't dare, I can try for you, you know."

Qin Yi snapped out of it and hurriedly waved his hand to explain, "Young Miss Si Yao, don't joke. I just thought she looked a bit familiar; I probably have the wrong person." As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily drifted back to Ye Qingcheng a few more times.

"Is that so?" Seeing this, Si Yao sized up Ye Qingcheng thoughtfully, then lowered her voice and said to Qin Yi, "Young Master Qin, I advise you not to set your sights on that beauty. From what I see, there's an extraordinary Aura in her brow, and looking at her complexion, she likely has some skills; she's probably from the police or the military."

Qin Yi raised an eyebrow at this, secretly admiring Si Yao's insight. He nodded and didn't say anything more.

"Alright, alright, let's hurry upstairs. Don't let Brother Kun and the others wait too long." Saying this, Si Yao followed the waiter toward the second floor. Qin Yi followed closely, but his gaze still couldn't help but glance toward Ye Qingcheng's direction from time to time, wondering to himself: "Why would Young Master Ye's sister come here? Did she come with Young Master Ye? But if that's the case, why wouldn't she go sit in the private room and instead stay downstairs alone... I really can't figure it out."

As for Ye Qingcheng, after watching the two go upstairs, she also retracted her gaze. She thought to herself: "That should be the rumored Second Young Miss of the Southwest Si Family, right? She really lives up to her reputation; her Aura is indeed extraordinary."

Soon, Qin Yi and Si Yao were led into the private room by the waiter. The three people inside the room, seeing them arrive together, all stood up to welcome them.

Xing Zhenkun looked at the two with some trepidation and asked with a frown, "Yaoyao, why didn't Brother Fei come with you?" Si Yao smiled helplessly and explained, "We were going to come together, but we ran into Young Master Qin at the door. A-Fei felt his strength was inferior to Young Master Qin's and felt too ashamed to show his face, so he went back."

"Uh..." Xing Zhenkun hadn't expected that and was momentarily embarrassed, not knowing what to say. Chu Muyun, who was nearby, smiled to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, everyone stop standing and sit down." As she spoke, she looked at Shen Jianan, who was pretending to be a waitress, and ordered, "Waitress, please serve the dishes."

Qin Yi subconsciously looked at Shen Jianan, who was posing as a waitress. At this time, his Eye of Truth was still active. He saw Shen Jianan's attribute panel clearly appearing on the light screen before him.

[Name: Shen Jianan]

[Gender: Female]

[Identity: Member of the National Security Special Operations Team, Captain of the Public Security Team at the Waitan Police Station of the Shenjiang Bay Branch]

[Age: 25]

[Height: 168cm]

[Weight: 50kg]

[Measurements: B83(A), W60, H85]

[Favorability: 60]

[Opposite Sex Intimacy: 0]

Qin Yi was stunned. His eyes were fixed on the waitress, his brow tightly furrowed as if he had encountered something unbelievable. He couldn't help but rub his eyes to confirm he hadn't seen wrong, but the waitress before him, no matter which angle he looked from, did not look like the Shen Jianan he knew.

"What the hell is going on?" Qin Yi was full of doubt and couldn't help but ask the System, "System, am I having hallucinations, or have you glitched? How is this waitress Shen Jianan?"

[Ding! In response to the host, the System is stable and correct! The host is not hallucinating either; everything seen by the Eye of Truth is real!]

Qin Yi's brow furrowed even deeper as he thought to himself: "Could it be that this really is Shen Jianan? But her appearance isn't like her at all. Even if her makeup skills were superb, it would be impossible to achieve such a complete transformation, right?"

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Qin Yi's mind — Disguise Technique! He was instantly enlightened and thought: "Right, it must be the Disguise Technique! I didn't expect that besides me, Shen Jianan also mastered this technique. There really is always someone better out there!"

At that moment, Shen Jianan, looking a bit dazed, hurriedly responded with an 'Okay' and backed out of the private room. After speaking with the real waiter at the door, she quickly went downstairs and came to Ye Qingcheng's side.