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Xu Hang timely steered the conversation back on track, saving Xu Nuan and Chi Xiaoming from drifting further into an unrelated topic, earning a look of appreciation from Gu Ze.
"It seems we haven't introduced ourselves yet," Chi Xiaoming suddenly stood up, bowing slightly to the confused Xu Nuan and the others. "I am Chi Xiaoming, the nephew of the chairman of Chi Securities, which makes me a cousin of Chi Xu Sheng."
As Xu Nuan and the others were momentarily taken aback by this somewhat formal gesture and failed to respond in time, Chi Xiaoming calmly sat back down, straightening his back.
"You might have only heard my cousin's name occasionally; after all, as far as I know, Tang Jingshu is not a woman who enjoys boasting."
"That's true."
To Xu Nuan's surprise, Xu Hang was the quickest to react.
"Then please clarify this matter as much as you can."
Chi Xiaoming nodded and added expressionlessly, "I'll start with the relationship between Chi Securities and this game. Please be patient."
Xu Nuan's premonition came true. In a setting where urban methods of gathering information were unavailable, she could only rely on other sources that required careful consideration for their credibility to learn about this game. The pace of information gathering was beyond her control; she felt as if it resembled a gaming scenario where one needed to reach certain survival milestones, encounter specific individuals, and complete particular tasks to obtain relevant intel. Therefore, as long as she continued to progress through challenges and meet more people, her gains would increase.
"Are you sure you can provide us with this information?"
Despite her inner excitement, Rationality kept Xu Nuan skeptical of Chi Xiaoming's overly candid demeanor.
She maintained a strong composure, but her tightly clenched fists against her pant leg betrayed her emotions, drawing glances from Gu Ze and Xu Hang. She did not expect anyone else to understand her indescribable feelings.
"Why not?"
Chi Xiaoming's face remained expressionless, his tone innocent yet oddly unsettling.
"Now, only those Players with a bit of sense are starting to speculate about the true purpose of this game and the motives behind it. Among those participating in this game, there are not just Players driven by money, but also some Exiles. With a little effort to inquire and using Mind's Eye, it's relatively easy to uncover what one wants to know."
Xu Nuan was particularly sensitive to the term ‘Exile’, and she realized that Chi Xiaoming was being so candid as to include them in the circle of informed individuals. Why was he doing this?
However, despite Chi Xiaoming's serious and cold demeanor, he was quite perceptive and not at all dull.
"I know you, Xu Nuan."
Suddenly, Chi Xiaoming became even more serious. Xu Nuan felt an inexplicable urge to lean back, but her flexibility was not as good as she imagined; she lost control and nearly fell backward. Fortunately, Gu Ze was quick enough to catch her.
"Thanks."
Xu Nuan covered her head, which had almost met with disaster, and shot a glare at Chi Xiaoming.
"We are all Second Batch Players."
In truth, Xu Nuan had no impression of this low-profile yet handsome man before; thus, she felt a bit less confident in her response.
"No, I mean I knew about you even before entering the game."
The motion of Xu Nuan covering her head came to an abrupt halt. She instinctively lowered her head to avoid the gazes of others, already guessing what Chi Xiaoming would say next. She hated recalling that person in such a manner; it only served as a constant reminder that he bore significant responsibility for her current situation, while she needed to bear great responsibility for her parents.
"It's getting late; we should hurry with matters regarding Chi Securities, Chi Xu Sheng, and Tang Jingshu. If we delay too long, your father's teammates might rush in out of impatience."
Gu Ze timely interrupted whatever Chi Xiaoming was about to say next. Xu Nuan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She turned her head to express her gratitude but found that Gu Ze had turned his attention to Xu Hang, avoiding her gaze.
Xu Nuan's expression stiffened; this was another kind of discomfort that weighed heavily on her—one that she felt she deserved.
"Don't worry, they won't challenge my decision for now."
Watching the interaction among these people, Chi Xiaoming finally spoke up.
"Chi Securities is actually one of the key investors in this game. As far as I know, there are four partners involved in this project. One is Rao Group, with its core company being Fengtong Technology. Another is a subsidiary of our Chi Securities, and then there's Heng Technology. However, I'm not sure if Gu Group, which is the headquarters of Heng Technology, is aware of this matter. There's also one partner that remains undisclosed and has not yet been discovered."
Upon hearing Chi Xiaoming's words, Xu Nuan quickly gathered her thoughts and pointed at Gu Ze, asking Chi Xiaoming.
"Do you know who he is?"
Chi Xiaoming, interrupted, maintained a blank expression that made it hard to tell if he was displeased.
"Weren't you introduced to him earlier? Third Batch of Players, an employee of Heng Technology. I remember you called him Gu Ze?"
Chi Xiaoming suddenly squinted and scrutinized Gu Ze closely before asking meaningfully.
"If your last name is also Gu, could it be that you're from Gu Group? If that's the case, then Gu Group might not be unaware of what Heng Technology is doing. This means your claim of being drawn into the game might just be a lie. However, you've managed to keep it well hidden."
Gu Ze shrugged without offering much explanation and casually patted Xu Hang's shoulder, who had suddenly begun to breathe heavily.
"I'll explain later."
Xu Hang was an ally of both him and Xu Nuan, but typically, they would answer whatever questions Xu Hang posed. Xu Hang was unaware of the details regarding Gu Ze's purpose for entering the game or the specifics of Xu Nuan's memories. His ignorance could stem from disinterest or perhaps a hope that these two would speak up on their own. After realizing that his buddy was actually quite sensitive and perceptive, Gu Ze had been pondering how to broach the subject. But now that Chi Xiaoming had exposed it, Gu Ze's gaze toward him became even more meaningful.
"He hasn't really been in the spotlight much."
Xu Nuan lightly explained for Gu Ze. Although her choice of words was somewhat off, she considered Gu Ze to be quite an oddity himself; instead of staying at the headquarters to learn about management and operations, he chose to work as a technician at a branch office. Wasn't that peculiar?
“Cough, cough.”
Gu Ze suddenly cleared his throat a few times, but Xu Nuan paid no attention and continued to look at Chi Xiaoming, asking,
“Were you emphasizing that the chairman of Chi Securities doesn’t know they invested in this game, but rather that a company under your name is using Chi Securities’ reputation?”
Chi Xiaoming suddenly smirked, his previously dull eyes now sharp and piercing as he fixed his gaze on Xu Nuan.
“Smart.”
Xu Nuan, who was often praised for her intelligence and equally criticized for it, shrugged it off nonchalantly.
“Can you explain that?”
Chi Xiaoming scratched his chin with one hand.
“I suddenly don’t know how to explain it. Let’s put it this way: my uncle has an illegitimate son named Chi Ming. He doesn’t have any inheritance rights to Chi Securities and can only get a share of one company. Then, this company suddenly started some highly profitable project and secured a large sum of funding from the headquarters.”
Chi Xiaoming emphasized the words ‘large sum’ heavily, and Xu Nuan thought that the amount must be something unimaginable for an ordinary person like her.
“So that funding was actually used to invest in this game?”
Chi Xiaoming nodded, now running his fingers through his hair, seemingly dissatisfied with Chi Ming.
“But after Chi Ming received that funding, he fabricated some false accounts to report back to the headquarters. For a while, no one noticed what he was doing until someone overheard Aunt’s phone conversation and realized what was happening.”
“Aunt?”
Xu Nuan took a moment to realize that the person being referred to was Chi Xu Sheng's biological mother, the legitimate wife of Chairman Chi. She felt that any connection to the entanglements of a wealthy family would inevitably lead to some astonishing revelations.
"Sigh," Chi Xiaoming lamented, "What’s wrong? Aunt was originally unwilling to give Chi Ming any inheritance rights or shares, but when the uncles found out that Chi Ming was involved in a large-scale Survival Game, they changed their tune."
"Aunt said that if Chi Ming accomplished a certain task, he would receive a specific percentage of shares. Since Chi Ming is the key investor in this game, that task was far too easy for him."
Xu Nuan recalled what Tang Jingshu had once told her—Chi Xu Sheng's mother was dissatisfied with Tang Jingshu and her family, having repeatedly obstructed her relationship with Chi Xu Sheng.
"Is that task related to Tang Jingshu?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Xu Nuan realized her voice was hoarse, and her hands had unconsciously clenched into fists. Anger surged within her as she neared the truth.
Chi Xiaoming closed his eyes, avoiding the sight of Xu Nuan and the others, who looked furious as they pieced together the truth.
"Aunt has always been displeased with Tang Jingshu. She often said harsh things and made some moves against her. However, Tang Jingshu could handle it with my cousin. But that time, no one could deal with it; letting Tang Jingshu fend for herself in the game was a terrifying tactic. Even Tang Jingshu's family was manipulated."
"I didn’t have confidence at the time and didn’t dare to tell my cousin for fear of ruining their mother-son relationship, so I investigated on my own. By the time I uncovered the basic information about this game and how to enter it, my cousin had already been sent overseas, and my actions were exposed. I had no way to contact anyone and could only enter the game as one of the Second Batch Players."
At this point, Chi Xiaoming ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, but there was a flicker of anger in his eyes.
"It was only when I learned that Chi Ming was missing that I realized the First Batch of Players had already entered the game. At that time, Tang Jingshu hadn’t encountered any problems, which meant someone must have set up a trap for her involving Chi Ming. Initially, I thought I would navigate through the game and help Tang Jingshu succeed in overcoming this crisis before finding a way to contact my cousin. What I didn’t expect was how formidable this game was; I never had a chance to meet Tang Jingshu and could only speculate that she was among the Third Batch of Players."
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