I Drove the Tycoon Mad

In the night, a bulletproof luxury car smoothly drove into the Qi family estate. A few bodyguards in black, well-trained, surrounded the car. Only after confirming that everything was secure did they open the door. Inside, a long leg wrapped in gray trousers slowly stepped out, followed by a cold, pale, handsome face. Standing, the man had a tall, slender figure and an air of nobility. Apart from the faint shadow of dark circles under his eyes, the man was nearly perfect. This was the youngest leader of the Qi Group, the eldest son of the Qi family, Qi Can—A City's most mysterious figure. His assistant immediately approached, speaking in a calm tone at about 30 decibels. “President, everything’s been arranged. The engagement ceremony will officially start in ten minutes.” Qi Can seemed uninterested. He lowered his gaze and half-closed his eyes, raising his hand to pinch the crease between his brows. “Mm.” Assistant Shen lowered his voice and continued reporting, “The guests have all undergone security checks and registrations. The protective measures in the banquet hall have also been completed. Dr. Bai also sent congratulations today… and reminded you that it’s been a long time since your last mental evaluation. He suggests that you get one before the wedding.” Only their inner circle knew that years ago, a traumatic accident left Qi Can with irreversible nerve damage, which required extreme quietude. Afterward, he conducted a major purge around him, and from then on, the security system became incredibly strict. All the servants in the Qi household remained silent, and even the assistants and bodyguards maintained a constant silence—no burps, no farts, nothing that could disturb his nerves. That was also why Qi Can chose her among all his potential marriage partners. At that moment, they reached the bottom of the villa, and through the third-floor window, Qi Can saw a slender, quiet figure. She stood like a silent ornament, waiting for him. The little mute. Shi Ting. She was the daughter that the Shi family found in the mountains years ago. Originally, she had been wild and unrefined, and when she returned, she lost her voice in an accident. Since then, she became withdrawn and quiet, staying indoors every day, not knowing what to do. The Shi family had evaluated her as a daughter who only inherited their appearance but had a hollow, rough inner self. Therefore, they had intended for Shi Ting's younger sister, Shi Jingjing, who had grown up in a wealthy family, to marry into the Qi family instead. But Qi Can didn’t care about her soul. She was boring and incapable, but quiet and safe. That was her greatest value. And this was never a marriage that required communication. Qi Can coldly withdrew his gaze, his steps unwavering, his aura cold and steady. After years of secret psychiatric treatment, his mental state was now stable, and he hadn’t needed medication for a long time. Once this engagement was over, no one would disturb him anymore. “Tell Dr. Bai not to worry.” Assistant Shen quickly nodded, “Yes!” Dr. Bai had also mentioned that if neurological disorders weren’t intervened with in the long term, they could lead to more severe consequences, such as the worsening of persecutory delusions, or even hallucinations… But with Qi Can’s current peak state, that was highly unlikely! … Meanwhile, inside the third-floor room, Shi Ting’s silence was deafening. Just now, ten minutes before the engagement ceremony began, she became aware of the explosive plot that awaited her future. On the first day she entered the Qi family, a voice told her, “Actually, you’re a mute cannon fodder with only one line in your entire life.” “But it’s okay. As long as you speak a hundred million sentences in your mind, you can cure your muteness.” “0/100000000, completion rate increases at every multiple of 10, and the plot will shift in your favor.” At first, Shi Ting didn’t believe the string of numbers that appeared before her, but when she spoke to herself in the room and reached a thousand sentences, she was suddenly flooded with a large amount of plot-related memories. It turned out that her marriage partner, the top domineering CEO from a wealthy family, chose her as his fiancée because of his nerve damage and need for peace and quiet. But that wasn’t the worst part. The most terrible thing was that Qi Can would be secretly poisoned with a neurotoxin during this engagement party, which would cause a gradual mental breakdown, turning him into a real psychopath! But because he already had pre-existing neurological issues, the symptoms of poisoning would be mistaken for a worsening of his condition. By the time Qi Can realized he’d been poisoned, it would be too late! The mastermind behind all of this had deep, sinister plans and would continue to hide the truth until the very end. So, who would be the perfect scapegoat for the early part of the plot? Who else? It would, of course, be her, the little mute. A heavy burden would be placed on her, and with no voice to explain herself, not even sign language would be understood. In the end, she would be blamed for causing Qi Can’s mental breakdown. On the night his insanity fully manifested, she would be personally killed by him in revenge! Shi Ting slowly closed her eyes. A psychopath. Damn psychopath… She really was just cannon fodder with no rights! Shi Ting now felt like a calm, beautiful volcano—serene on the surface, but ready to erupt at any moment. Trembling, she took a throat lozenge from her small box and popped it into her mouth. As the familiar minty sensation cooled her throat, she gradually calmed down. Since… the task from that string of numbers was real, and the first integer was 1000, the plot had indeed shifted in her favor, providing her with important information. What would the next integer, likely 10,000, bring her? Would it… allow her to speak a little? Or maybe… would someone actually hear her? After years of losing her voice, the Shi family had already abandoned her once they confirmed it couldn’t be cured. But Shi Ting never gave up on herself. Even when traditional Chinese medicine, Western medicine, and psychological counseling failed, she still took throat lozenges every day, drank herbal teas, and waited for the day she could speak again. And now, hope had appeared. Her heart warmed as she immediately began thinking of how to quickly accumulate inner thoughts. She had only self-talk in the past few years, so there were many ways to do it. For instance, she could mindlessly recite the melodramatic lines from CEO fiction, or curse Qi Can with short phrases every morning and evening. Or she could form sentences with exclamatory phrases, screaming and shouting at any time. But now, there wasn’t much time left. She still had nine thousand sentences to go. She had to use the most efficient method! … “Prosperity! Democracy! Civilization! Harmony! Freedom! Equality!…” As Shi Ting wildly recited in her mind, having reached 4905 sentences, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open. The sound of expensive shoes scraping against the carpet broke the silence. She looked up and met the cold, inorganic black obsidian gaze. Qi Can had arrived. No, she still needed five thousand more sentences. The engagement ceremony was about to start. Behind the CEO were still seven or eight bodyguards and an assistant team. He stood among them like a noble, detached figure—his demeanor not showing the signs of his impending illness. But the moment Shi Ting saw Qi Can, the last memory from that night activated. On the night she was convicted of poisoning, in the dimly lit room, the man leaned over her, his muscles seizing in neurotic spasms, veins bulging in his arm. His messy black hair and deep browbones framed eyes that oozed dark red madness, staring intensely at her. "Is it you? Is it you...?" "Speak, Shi Ting, speak!" Of course, the mute could not speak! However, Qi Can had completely lost his mind, his nerves in chaos. She, the scapegoat, was tortured to the extreme! Suppressed to the point of suffocation! Finally, she managed to squeeze out a humiliating "Qi Can!" and then—cut off. After struggling to regain her voice, that was the only line she could manage, and it was his name! —Ahhh!! Shi Ting could hardly bear it, cursing silently in her mind! She looked at the man before her, her mind full of colorful words, but then suddenly noticed the numbers in the upper right corner rapidly increasing, much faster than before. Shi Ting: "!" In that fleeting moment, she realized—emotions, the intensity of her emotions, could accelerate the progress of her thoughts. When her emotions fluctuated wildly, the speed of the number increase was nearly ten times faster. Five thousand sentences were no longer a problem; the plot would definitely turn in her favor. Even the billion sentences could be achieved. Qi Can observed that when the mute saw him, her eyes gradually lit up, frowning slightly. He did not want Shi Ting to develop any excess feelings for him. Assistant Shen stepped forward at the right moment, softly saying, "Madam, this way please." Shi Ting nodded and immediately turned into a quiet little girl. From this moment on, the mute would be calm. She gazed kindly at the back of the neurotic man ahead. Her silence was deafening. Her cheerfulness, like the stillness of a graveyard. ... In the banquet hall, the wealthy and famous gathered, eagerly awaiting Qi Can's appearance. Walking down the corridor, Qi Can arrived at the door, with the mute following quietly behind. Today, outsiders had entered the Qi residence. The banquet hall had been surrounded by a hundred-person security team, and cameras were positioned in every corner. The security measures were thorough. The most dramatic aspect was when the main door was pushed open. A temporary, transparent soundproof glass tunnel had been set up on the red carpet, connecting to the main stage and isolating the rest of the guests. Inside, Qi Can could see the people outside, but he could not hear them. This was a solution designed by the assistant team, which could prevent the unexpected sound of others from disturbing Qi Can's nerves while ensuring his safety. Such a neurotic design, yet no one in the high society noticed, all of them excitedly whispering. "He’s here, it’s really Qi Can!" "I haven’t seen him in years!" "Ahh, so excited!" A few years ago, Qi Can had rarely appeared in the public eye. But whenever his name or a word about him surfaced, the entire A City elite flocked to it. Over the years, Qi Can had fully taken control of Qi Group and was about to lead the company to sign a hundred-billion-dollar project. He was a true top-tier figure, possessing the brains, appearance, and skills. The relatives and friends of the Qi and Shi families stood in the front row. Shi Jingjing had been waiting for Qi Can to bring her mute sister in, but when she turned and saw Shi Ting's calm and peaceful face, she was clearly stunned. The entire banquet hall quieted down. Who was that next to Qi Can? Wasn’t that the Shi family’s reclusive mute? She—she was so beautiful!? Shi Ting already had a pair of extremely beautiful eyes and a perfectly shaped, albeit unused, set of lips. But before, she always kept her eyes lowered and lips pressed tightly. Now, when the mute was no longer self-conscious about her flaws, her bright, dark eyes and full lips gained life. Shi Ting no longer cared about the gazes of the upper-class people. She stood a few steps behind Qi Can on the stage, looking indifferent. Shi Jingjing's expression darkened as she observed this. She thought to herself, "So, this mute sister who has never been seen before, the one everyone thought was perfectly normal, actually has such a beautiful appearance!" For many years, no one in high society knew that Shi Ting was mute. Her family had kept her condition a secret, fearing the public would think they had caused her muteness by bringing her back from the mountains. Thus, Shi Ting had relied on her aloof, silent persona to pretend to be normal. Now, Qi Can must still be in the dark! Indeed, when the assistant presented champagne to them, Shi Ting remained silent, neither reaching out for the glass nor offering it to Qi Can—clearly unwilling to risk speaking out loud and exposing herself. Shi Ting kept her hands by her side, signaling her weakness. She suddenly remembered that, originally, she had reached for the champagne glass to offer it to Qi Can, intending to show some courtesy in front of others. But that small gesture became the very evidence used to accuse her later—because Qi Can drank the champagne she handed him and got poisoned. They claimed it was her who had poisoned him! The more Shi Ting thought about it, the more absurd the plot seemed. Who poisons someone by offering them a drink in public?! Did he lose his intelligence after being poisoned? Couldn’t he find the right person to take revenge on? — [9999/100000000]. When Qi Can lowered his gaze, he happened to see the small mute’s eyes sparkle with what seemed to be excitement for the engagement. He furrowed his brows and, without a word, reached out to take the champagne glass himself. This was Qi Can’s first return to the public eye in years. The engagement wasn’t the focus; the engagement partner was even less so. The purpose of this ceremony was to announce that his time had come. Hidden in the shadows, those who had waited for years, hoping to watch his downfall—would never have that chance. Qi Can raised his glass slightly to the elite guests. His mental world had been rebuilt and was now stronger than ever. Shi Ting glanced at the number, paused her thoughts, and watched the scene with a loving gaze. Good, she would never exit so recklessly. Qi Can losing his mind had nothing to do with her. She would wait until she could speak again, until someone in this world could hear her words... Slap [10000/100000000] As Qi Can’s champagne glass was about to touch his lips, a voice suddenly and clearly rang in his ears. — "So, who exactly poisoned Qi Can?" Qi Can froze for a moment. The room was completely silent. Whose voice was that? Hallucination? But the voice didn’t stop. — "This poison is colorless and tasteless, hard to detect, and gradually increases the dosage over time, slowly destroying the central nervous system until the person becomes completely insane... It must be someone with a deep grudge against Qi Can or some kind of personal or financial conflict! But then again..." The entire banquet hall was waiting for Qi Can’s reaction, but he was frozen in place. This soundproof passage was eerily quiet, with only his closest aides present. But the voice that had appeared wasn’t from any of them. After several seconds, Qi Can slowly turned his head and looked at the calm mute standing there. — "The person who poisoned him is certainly breaking the law, but let’s step back for a moment... hasn’t Qi Can done anything wrong?" Qi Can's temples began to throb harder. Shi Ting thought of her tragic end, and her heart broke. Her fists clenched, and her breath sank to her abdomen before releasing a loud, explosive cry: — "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, I just want to strike!" In that moment, Qi Can's quiet, secure world was struck by lightning. It was as though a high-voltage shock hit his brain, and he fell backward, stiff as a board. "Young Master?!" "President!!" Assistants and bodyguards rushed from all directions in an instant. In the midst of the chaos and unconsciousness, Qi Can heard the voice stop screaming and then ask in a strangely calm tone: — "Huh? He’s gone crazy now??" Qi Can closed his eyes. It seemed so.