The afternoon sun shone through the tall glass windows of the mansion library.
Rows of books stretched across the walls, the quiet space filled with the faint scent of paper and polished wood.
Lu Bolin sat at the long table near the window.
A notebook was open in front of him.
Next to it were three psychology books.
His phone rested quietly beside the notebook.
The message conversation with Gu Yichen remained open.
Gu Yichen: What are you doing?
Lu Bolin: Reading.
No further messages had arrived.
Lu Bolin calmly wrote another line in his notebook.
Villain initiated communication. Response kept minimal.
The system hovered near his shoulder.
[Host intentionally limiting conversation length.]
Lu Bolin nodded slightly.
"Yes."
[Purpose?]
"Encourage further initiative."
The system processed the statement.
[Explanation.]
Lu Bolin spoke calmly while turning another page of the book.
"When someone becomes curious about a person, minimal responses create informational gaps."
[Meaning?]
"The brain attempts to fill those gaps."
Meanwhile—
Across the city.
Inside Gu Corporation's executive office.
Gu Yichen sat behind his desk, staring at his phone.
The single-word reply from Lu Bolin remained on the screen.
Reading.
That was all.
Gu Yichen frowned faintly.
In the past, Lu Bolin's replies were always long.
Careful.
Sometimes overly enthusiastic.
Now—
Just one word.
Gu Yichen typed another message.
"What book?"
He pressed send almost immediately.
Back in the mansion library—
Lu Bolin's phone vibrated again.
He glanced down.
The system appeared instantly.
[Villain initiated second message.]
Lu Bolin replied.
"Psychology."
Again—
Nothing else.
Across the city, Gu Yichen received the message.
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
Still short.
Still minimal.
Gu Yichen leaned back in his chair.
Interesting.
Lu Bolin used to try very hard to keep conversations going.
Now he seemed completely uninterested.
Gu Yichen typed again.
"Why psychology?"
A moment later—
The reply appeared.
"To understand people."
Gu Yichen stared at the message.
That answer sounded exactly like something Lu Bolin would say now.
Calm.
Direct.
Almost clinical.
Gu Yichen suddenly typed another message.
"Including me?"
Back in the mansion—
Lu Bolin looked at the screen.
Then he typed one word.
"Yes."
The system blinked slightly.
[Host extremely concise communication pattern detected.]
Lu Bolin placed the phone down again.
"That is sufficient."
[Villain emotional engagement increasing.]
Across the city—
Gu Yichen read the reply.
Yes.
That was it.
No explanation.
No apology.
Nothing.
Gu Yichen suddenly laughed quietly.
Low.
Amused.
"So you admit it."
He set the phone down on the desk.
For the next several minutes, he tried to focus on the documents in front of him.
But his attention kept drifting back to the conversation.
Lu Bolin was studying him.
Observing him.
Analyzing his reactions.
Gu Yichen tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.
Then he realized something.
Normally, he hated being analyzed.
But this time…
He wasn't angry.
If anything—
He was curious.
Very curious.
Meanwhile—
Back in the library.
Lu Bolin continued reading quietly.
The system displayed the latest data.
Villain Interest Level: 38%
Lu Bolin wrote the number down.
Then he added another observation.
Communication initiated repeatedly by villain.
The system asked,
[Host response strategy remains minimal.]
"Yes."
[Prediction: Villain curiosity may escalate.]
"That is the goal."
Just then—
Auntie Zhang knocked lightly on the library door.
"Young Master?"
Lu Bolin looked up.
"Yes?"
"Your tea is ready."
She placed a tray on the table.
Lu Bolin nodded politely.
"Thank you."
Auntie Zhang hesitated slightly.
Then she asked carefully,
"President Gu called earlier?"
Lu Bolin blinked.
"No."
"Oh… I thought I heard your phone."
"That was a message."
Auntie Zhang smiled gently.
"That's good. You two should talk more."
Lu Bolin considered that.
"Yes."
From a research perspective, communication increased observational data.
Meanwhile—
Across the city—
Gu Yichen finally picked up his phone again.
He stared at the conversation.
Then he typed something new.
"Have dinner with me tonight."
He paused.
Then pressed send.
Back in the library—
Lu Bolin's phone vibrated again.
The system appeared instantly.
[Villain initiating direct interaction.]
Lu Bolin read the message.
Dinner invitation.
He considered the situation carefully.
Then he replied.
"Okay."
Across the city—
Gu Yichen received the reply.
Okay.
Again—
No additional words.
Gu Yichen stared at the screen.
Then he laughed again.
This time a little louder.
His assistant looked up from the doorway.
"President Gu?"
Gu Yichen shook his head slightly.
"Nothing."
But inside his mind, the situation was becoming clearer.
Lu Bolin really had changed.
Completely.
And somehow—
That change made him more interesting than ever before.
Meanwhile—
Back in the mansion library—
The system updated the data again.
Villain Interest Level: 42%
Lu Bolin closed his notebook.
Then he stood up slowly.
[Host preparing for dinner interaction.]
"Yes."
[Strategic objective?]
Lu Bolin answered calmly.
"Observation under direct interaction conditions."
The system paused.
[Host treating social interaction like scientific testing.]
"Yes."
The evening arrived quickly.
At exactly seven o'clock—
A black car stopped outside the mansion.
Gu Yichen stepped out.
He had returned earlier again.
Inside the house—
Lu Bolin was already waiting in the dining room.
But he wasn't sitting at the table.
He was standing near the window.
Watching the city lights slowly appear in the distance.
Gu Yichen entered the room.
"You're ready."
Lu Bolin turned.
"Yes."
Gu Yichen studied him carefully.
Lu Bolin was wearing simple white clothes again.
Clean.
Minimal.
But strangely elegant.
"You didn't dress up."
Lu Bolin blinked slightly.
"Why would I?"
Gu Yichen walked closer.
"I invited you to dinner."
"Yes."
"That usually means something formal."
Lu Bolin thought about it.
"That was not specified."
Gu Yichen stared at him for several seconds.
Then he shook his head slightly.
"You're unbelievable."
Lu Bolin nodded politely again.
"Thank you."
Gu Yichen sighed quietly.
"Still not a compliment."
"Oh."
Dinner was served.
They sat across from each other at the long table.
For a few minutes—
Neither of them spoke.
Then Gu Yichen asked,
"So."
Lu Bolin looked up.
"Yes?"
"What have you learned about me so far?"
Lu Bolin considered the question.
Then he answered calmly.
"You are curious."
Gu Yichen raised an eyebrow.
"That's obvious."
"But the reason is interesting."
"And what is that?"
Lu Bolin met his gaze.
"Because you lost control of the interaction pattern."
Gu Yichen's eyes darkened slightly.
"Explain."
Lu Bolin spoke quietly.
"For three years, I chased you."
"You ignored me."
"That created a stable dynamic."
Gu Yichen watched him carefully.
Lu Bolin continued.
"But when I stopped chasing you…"
"The pattern changed."
Gu Yichen leaned slightly forward.
"And now?"
Lu Bolin answered simply.
"Now you are chasing the pattern."
Silence filled the dining room.
Gu Yichen stared at him.
Then slowly—
A smile appeared.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
"You're wrong."
Lu Bolin blinked.
"How?"
Gu Yichen leaned closer across the table.
His voice dropped to a low whisper.
"I'm not chasing the pattern."
His eyes locked onto Lu Bolin's.
"I'm chasing you."
The system suddenly displayed a new update.
Villain Interest Level: 48%
Lu Bolin calmly recorded the number in his mind.
The experiment was progressing faster than expected.
But something else had also appeared.
A subtle shift.
Because Gu Yichen's gaze now carried something new.
Not just curiosity.
Something darker.
Something far more dangerous.
And Lu Bolin was about to discover exactly how dangerous the villain could become.