Chapter 7 After the soul swap, I switched back.

Ever since obtaining Si Qi's information, Si's father has been in a state of high excitement and has been unable to calm down.

He suspended most of the research projects that were already underway in the group, and allocated all the extra funds and resources to the research and development of full-skeletal mechs.

Mrs. Si was envious and couldn't bear to see such huge profits all go to the Si family group. She kept persuading Mr. Si to seek external financing, saying that her family was willing to contribute both technology and capital as investment.

Mr. Si knew that Mrs. Si would most likely find a way to leak this information to her family, and that this was something his family alone couldn't handle—just like when prosthetics were first introduced. The Peng Hui Group, which was the first to create prosthetics back then, had now become a behemoth with influence all over the world. And mechs were clearly even more formidable than prosthetics back then. If the Si family didn't gather some manpower to form a force, they might be targeted by the Peng Hui Group.

Therefore, after discussing with Mrs. Si, the couple decided to hold a business banquet to invite suitable conglomerates to join the project.

As the future heir of the Si family and the creator of the mecha blueprints, Si Qi certainly couldn't be absent.

The couple had informed Si Qi about the matter well in advance, and even discussed the list of guests and the power of the group behind them with Si Qi to ensure that Si Qi was at the core of the project and that there would be nothing he didn't understand.

The significance behind this hands-on teaching approach is self-evident.

Si Nan was already used to her parents' favoritism towards her brother. Being a brother-obsessed person herself, she didn't mind at all and even found it quite amusing. Knowing that her brother would definitely steal the show at this banquet, Si Nan ran to her parents with her dress in her arms and said enthusiastically, "Mom, which one do you think looks better on me? Should we order a new one?"

"There's no way we can order custom-made dresses for next week's banquet." Mrs. Si casually pointed to one of the light pink dresses. "This one will do."

“But this one doesn’t match my brother’s white suit,” Si Nan protested. “How about this black Chanel-style one?”

"Whatever you prefer."

"Tch~ You're just trying to brush me off." Si Nan pouted and said to Si Qi, "What do you think, brother?"

Si Qi replied dismissively, "Mom has better taste than me."

Si's mother immediately beamed with joy, and Si Nan nodded, "Okay, I'll listen to my brother."

"You silly girl," Mrs. Si said, both amused and exasperated. "Can't you learn from your brother and do something good to make your mother happy?"

“Learn from my brother?” Si Nan exclaimed dramatically, “That’s way too difficult! I’d need to cultivate for at least a few more decades.”

Mother Si chuckled again, clearly pleased by Si Nan's indirect praise of Si Qi.

Si Qi: "…………"

Next week arrived quickly.

This week, Si Qi was busy reviewing his studies, dealing with his father's complicated and tedious technical inquiries, and occasionally suppressing Si Ding, who was always restless and wanted to escape. His days were exceptionally fulfilling.

The only downside is that they haven't found any clues about Chu Feng yet, which makes it hard for him to adjust to life apart.

It was as if a piece was missing from what should have been a perfect daily life, leaving it feeling empty. Si Qi stood in the dressing room, raising his hand to fasten the cufflinks on his wrist in front of the mirror. The understated yet luxurious sapphire cufflinks complemented his moon-white robes perfectly, making the already handsome young man appear even more noble.

Unfortunately, the boy in the mirror didn't seem satisfied with himself and sighed softly.

He remembered how Chu Feng used to help him with small things like fastening his cufflinks.

Si Qi opened the previously recorded image of Chu Feng and projected it into his consciousness space. He stared at Chu Feng for a long time, quenching his thirst with a mere glimpse of plums, before finally closing it again.

Xiuxiu seized the opportunity to tattle to Siqi: "Master, that peeping tom is here again."

Si Qi said nonchalantly, "Come on then." He guessed that the AI ​​was keeping a close eye on Xiu Xiu because it was afraid that Xiu Xiu might do something to disrupt the network order.

Si Qi would find it strange if he knew of Xiu Xiu's existence and didn't react at all.

Moreover, judging from recent interactions, the other party seems to be a very enthusiastic person. Every day, he would report his work progress to Si Qi via text message, explaining where he went to look for Chu Feng and what the results were.

That serious and meticulous work attitude makes people quite like him.

Who would dislike someone who is eager to help them and is exceptionally attentive and friendly?

Xiuxiu is a bit jealous about this, and keeps saying sarcastic things, describing normal AI supervision as spying.

“That’s true…” Xiu Xiu muttered to herself, “What kind of AI comes to spy on you all day long, even recording what you like to eat every day?”

“This is what intelligent life is like,” Si Qi said.

Perhaps due to habits left over from the pre-internet era, the system automatically records users' browsing history and search content to facilitate data collection and information push.

Different intelligent species have different lifestyles, and Si Qi has adapted well to them. He had also worked as an AI a few times before, so he knew what it felt like for an AI to look at a person—that is, to feel nothing at all.

Oh, of course, except for Chu Feng.

In short, since we are different species, there is no issue of offense. Would a human be wary of a passing puppy with the intelligence of a seven or eight-year-old human when changing clothes?

After changing his clothes, Si Qi walked out the door.

The banquet was held in the banquet hall on the second floor of the east villa. The first floor is primarily for private gatherings, and guests are free to leave at any time to relax in the garden. The second floor is a more private setting, where discussions would be more formal.

He took a shortcut, passing the main kitchen and the public restrooms to reach the banquet hall—yes, the Si family even had several public restrooms. Si's parents were already chatting with the first group of guests who had arrived, and when they saw Si Qi appear, they quickly greeted him with smiles.

"This is your Uncle Zhou from Yong'an Group," Mr. Si introduced.

Si Qi quickly recalled the businesses under the Yong'an Group and extended his hand in greeting, "Hello, my father often mentions you to me..."

In no time, Si Qi joined the circle of these tycoon businessmen. The boy, who would have seemed somewhat green and immature in the past, performed exceptionally well this time when introduced to them by his parents.

Seeing Si Qi so poised and confident, Si's mother's eyes lit up. Her genuine pride was evident to everyone; Si's father was even more gratified. Whether it was the blueprints or his current performance, Si Qi's recent behavior had truly satisfied him.

Seeing that Si Qi easily took over the conversation with these uncles and elders and got along well with them, Si's father nodded in approval and spoke again, subtly mentioning the Si family's next plans.

Everyone understood the implied meaning from the music and realized that the Si family's high-profile banquet was not, as they claimed, to celebrate their son's upcoming graduation and becoming the future heir to the Si family business, but rather for something else that was more important.

The group of people tacitly expressed their curiosity and interest, and the conversation quickly continued following the tone of Si's father.

Si Qi watched silently from the side, occasionally speaking, but his words were always meaningful and flawless, drawing increasingly admiring glances from many present.

And so, the banquet lasted until well past midnight. Si's father secured a partnership, and other tycoons saw a business opportunity in the rise of their power; many were quite satisfied. Thanks to Si Qi's "extraordinary performance," the young master of the Si family successfully used his outstanding eloquence to attract a large number of investments for the family, making the couple extremely happy with their son.

Xiuxiu watched as the two of them called Si Qi "baby" and "lucky star" repeatedly, laughing so hard they were doubled over. It was as if she could see Si Qi digging a pit for people to jump into, and the other party even praising Si Qi for digging such a good pit.

Following this banquet, the already busy Si family group sped up its operations. From attracting investment and securing funding to negotiations, investigations, and research and development, every step required a tremendous investment of time and energy. Mr. and Mrs. Si were constantly on the go, dedicating themselves entirely to their business.

In this situation, they rarely have time to stay at home, so they naturally won't notice that Si Qi, whom they see as increasingly perfect, has a different personality than before. Nor will they notice that a certain boy at school, who is constantly jumping around and being suppressed, behaves remarkably similar to their favorite son.

Time passed little by little, and soon the provincial joint examination for senior high school students arrived.

Although it's called a joint entrance exam, its status is essentially equivalent to a mini-college entrance exam. All the ordinary students who have been studying relentlessly since elementary school are anxiously watching this exam. The intelligent system generates the exam questions, ensuring that the difficulty level is almost identical to the college entrance exam, and even the rankings won't change much. The effect is similar to informing students in advance whether their future will be a leap into the middle class or a decade of hard work going to waste.

Only the wealthy students in private schools maintain a relaxed attitude, as good or bad grades have no impact on their future development.

—Except for Siding.

Si Ding had been waiting for an opportunity to expose Si Qi's true colors. Although he still couldn't figure out how Si Qi had managed to fool his parents, sister, and classmates at school, preventing them from discovering Si Qi's identity, he knew that while other things could be faked, academic performance was something that absolutely couldn't be faked.

In the past, in order to leave a good impression on the Si family couple and to completely outshine "Si Qi", Si Ding always presented himself as excellent and perfect, ensuring that he could do everything to the best of his ability, so that the couple would be proud of him and groom him as their heir.

Now Si Qi is going to take an exam. Scores are not like answering questions in class. If you can't do something, you just can't do it. If you've only learned the knowledge from the first year of high school, you definitely can't handle the senior year exam.

If Si Qi's exam scores drop from first to last in the school, his mother, who closely monitors her son's grades, will definitely ask him what happened. If Si Qi can't answer the questions, his mother will become suspicious and start asking questions. Eventually, she will realize that something is wrong and discover that her son has been switched at birth.

Then he won't have to wait until the joint entrance exam is over to go home for vacation, and he won't have to endure endless physical and mental humiliation anymore.

On the day of the exam, Si Ding, eager to prove himself and show his parents that even with a different body, he was still the top student in his grade, successfully arrived at the exam hall.

Before he could find his seat number according to the system prompts, several tall, muscular young men and women with sinister smiles suddenly approached him with ill intentions.

Before he could even cry for help, his mouth was forcefully covered, and his body was lifted up and carried away, thrown onto the toilet floor.

Surrounded by a group of people, Siding realized what he was about to face: "...Damn it!"

-

Si Qi left the exam room where the network signal was blocked. He hadn't taken two steps when he heard Xiu Xiu's gloating voice: "Tsk tsk tsk, he got beaten up badly."

Si Qi realized: "Is it Si Nan?"

“Yes,” Xiu Xiu said, “Si Ding entered the examination room, but before he could even find a seat, he was taken away by Si Nan’s younger brother and sister.”

"Dogs fighting." Si Qi scoffed, ignoring it, and opened the page to check his communications during the exam. Sure enough, his father had sent him another inquiry about some issues with the blueprints.

The long string of technical data showed that Si's father had put in a lot of effort recently. Si Qi glanced through it, picked out two lines, marked them in red, explained the technical oversights, and sent them back.

Upon receiving the email, Si Qi's father quickly replied, beginning by praising Si Qi's abilities as usual, and then asking with concern, "Did your exam go well? I've been taking up a lot of your time lately, so you probably haven't been able to study properly, have you?"

After saying that, as if to make amends, Si's father transferred a large sum of money to Si Qi, saying, "The exams are over. Relax and buy something you like."

Si Qi: "Okay."

Mr. Si frowned in confusion upon seeing the brief reply, wondering why his son's attitude had become somewhat cold lately.

But considering that Si Qi was taking exams at school and had just finished a long test that lasted several hours without even having a chance to rest, he immediately read through Si Qi's complicated and tedious emails carefully and provided solutions. It seems that Si Qi is not actually cold; he's just a bit quiet, but his actions are more proactive than anyone else's.

What a kind-hearted child with a cold exterior. Thinking this, Si's father closed the email with a smile and forwarded Si Qi's reply to the head of the R&D department.

After reading it, the minister excitedly sent a voice message to Mr. Si: "Chairman, you are amazing! You solved a problem that has been bothering us for so long! When can you bring the young master to us? I really want to learn from him!"

Si's father: "Let's wait until he finishes his college entrance exam."

Originally, Si's father wanted to wait until Si Qi had spent a few years in university to develop his character and settle down before joining the company to learn from him. However, after spending time together, Si's father felt that with Si Qi's abilities, spending those years in university would only waste his talent. He thought Si Qi should come to help with family affairs and take over responsibilities in the company sooner.

"There's still a month left! I'll be fully prepared and eagerly await your arrival, young master!" The minister rubbed his hands excitedly. "I truly envy you, Chairman, for having such an outstanding child. You've raised him so well!"

Mr. Si felt very comfortable from the flattery and suddenly understood why Mrs. Si liked to brag about her son so much—it was indeed a good feeling.

He used to dislike showing off Si Qi to others because Si Qi's mother would boast about Si Qi winning swimming competitions and getting first place in a private school. These things seemed impressive at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they were nothing special.

Everyone knows that the top student in a private school probably wouldn't even qualify for admission to a regular school outside. Even if the other swimmers were capable, they wouldn't dare to really compete with Si Qi for the championship.

What truly pleased Si Qi's father was Si Qi's exceptional interpersonal skills. He was obedient and docile in front of his parents, adept at using his power in front of outsiders, generally avoided trouble, and knew how to wear a mask to resolve problems.

Compared to the unruly second-generation rich kids in other wealthy families, Si Qi, who is gentle, polite, and ambitious, is indeed a perfect heir.

Now, Si Qi has not only satisfied him, but has also shown a side that surprised him. In business and scientific research, he has shown signs of surpassing his predecessors, and even gave the Si family a chance to go further through mecha blueprints.

Just thinking that such an outstanding Si Qi was his son—a son he was lucky enough to "pick up" for free—made Si's father so happy that he could eat an extra bowl of rice.

A note from the author:

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The identity will be revealed in Chapter 47 (although I never really intended to hide it).