Bo Yueming’s biological clock was still as accurate as ever. When he awoke, the headache that had been silent the whole night unleashed its strength and instantly penetrated all over his body.

He frowned and tried to turn around, but a familiar weight on his arm startled him. His reasoning that was delayed by the pain finally returned, and he lowered his eyes—

Pei Yi was sleeping in his arms. Perhaps because he had slept so warmly, there was still a trace of a flush on his cheeks.

Bo Yueming’s movements had likely disturbed his sweet dreams, and Pei Yi casually grabbed the material of his clothes over his chest and mumbled, “Don’t, don’t move. I haven’t slept enough yet.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming immediately became “well-behaved’ and stopped moving. He stared at the sleeping face of the kitten in his arms and silently recalled everything that had happened before going to bed—

Last night, his sudden return home shocked everyone in the Bo family at the dinner table.

Aside from Bo Jiao, who gave him a genuine welcome, the eyes of the others were all full of repulsion and defiance. Even so, their verbal greetings were still very proper.

Since childhood, Bo Yueming had been accustomed to such hypocritical scenes.

In the past, Bo Yueming would have left the venue after greeting them, but that night, he deliberately “didn’t see” the true emotions in their eyes and instead “found” a seat and sat down calmly.

After a few simple and superficial remarks, Bo Yueming directly stated that he wanted to return to group headquarters to continue working for Old Mr. Bo. Not only that, but he brought up Old Mrs. Bo as an excuse.

After all, the Wencheng Sports Center project and the investment expansion along the coast was one of Old Mrs. Bo’s most valued projects before she fell ill.

Of course, Bo Yueming brought up Old Mrs. Bo in order to see the other peoples’ reactions, and as he expected—

Old Mr. Bo seemed to be in pain, as if he had been stepped on. Then he slapped the table and exploded, “After your grandma had an accident, you took her away without telling us, and now you still want to use her to suppress me?”

“Bo Yueming, think about your birth and identity. If I don’t recognize you as a grandson, what qualifications do you have to influence my decision here?”

The moment these words came from Old Mr. Bo’s mouth, Bo Yueming thoroughly saw through the other’s selfish, narrow-minded, and biased nature—

In fact, Old Mr. Bo didn’t care whether his wife would get up again, and didn’t value their so-called grandparent and grandson relationship. All he valued from beginning to end was his own face and surname!

Marrying into the Bo family back then was the best choice he could make with his interests and pretenses, and maybe there was some real affection for Old Mrs. Bo.

But later, the love between husband and wife gradually faded away, and all that remained was pretense and superb acting skills.

He hated being called “Old Mr. Bo” by others. His wife was a head above him, and he felt that he had been swallowing down this humiliation for decades!

During the period where his wife, Bo Peizhi, had an “accident,” the mask Cheng Yangshan had worn for many years finally grew weaker each day, and he began to reveal the chauvinism in his  bones that had not disappeared for a day.

Pedantic, ignorant, and stupid!

The reason Cheng Yangshan showed such extreme resistance and disgust toward Bo Yueming was because Bo Peizhi valued this grandson so much!

He didn’t dare let Bo Yueming return to group headquarters, for fear that the other party would firmly control everything about the Bo family on behalf of Bo Peizhi in her hospital bed!

Of course, Cheng Yangshan’s deepest fear was that—

Bo Peizhi’s condition would improve, and she would wake up one day to suppress him again!

“……..”

After realizing this absurd and ridiculous fact, Bo Yueming left the main house with a cold expression, and after returning to his villa, his long-suppressed emotions finally reached the breaking point.

The strong alcohol entered his throat, and the overflowing hatred became more and more intense.

For a moment, Bo Yueming felt that under the influence of the alcohol, he would become unhinged and extreme, and even rush out of the house to do things that would harm others and himself.

But at that time, Pei Yi returned.

Bo Yueming was not like Pei Yi, who would become completely fragmented and lose his memory after drinking. On the contrary, he would clearly remember everything before and after drinking—

He remembered Pei Yi holding his wrist and earnestly saying that he believed in everything he did.

He remembered Pei Yi rubbing his head, trying to calm his pain and anxiety.

He also remembered that when he “childishly” clung to Pei Yi while drunk, the other party grumbled and complained, but didn’t run away and leave him.

Due to his blindness, Bo Yueming really couldn’t “remember” the scene when he first met Pei Yi, but he could confirm—

The Pei Yi who rushed toward him that afternoon, playing the fool, had unknowingly become his only outlet in his inner world. He intercepted his gloom, regulated his pain, and let him release his feelings, while giving him the steady companionship he once longed for.

“Pei Yi.”

Bo Yueming lightly brushed the scattered hair on Pei Yi’s forehead with his fingertips, and thought that he should choose a time to confess to the other party.

The fingertips touching his forehead likely tickled.

The sleeping Pei Yi let out a “hmmn” and raised his eyelids, as if he was about to wake up.

A gleam passed through Bo Yueming’s eyes, and he closed them again, pretending to be asleep.

“…….”

Not long after, Pei Yi awoke in a daze.

His instinctive clinging was faster than his rational thinking. He rubbed his cheek against Bo Yueming’s chest twice, and opened his eyes in reaction when he realized that the fabric against his face wasn’t right.

Pei Yi felt the strength of the arm around his waist, and raised his head slightly to see Bo Yueming’s sleeping face clearly.

En.

He drank so much last night that he shouldn’t wake up early, right?

Pei Yi confirmed this idea to himself, and was not in a hurry to escape this time.

The hand in front of him unconsciously shifted direction, from Bo Yueming’s eyebrows to the tip of his nose, then to outline his lips and touch his sexy Adams’ apple.

The sleeping Bo Yueming remained motionless, letting him mess around.

“…….”

Pei Yi seemed to think of something, and rubbed his fingers back and forth on Bo Yueming’s Adam’s apple four or five times. As expected, the swell of his Adam’s apple instantly turned hot and red.

Pei Yi was as surprised as if he had discovered a new continent, and said in amazement, “It can’t be true, can it?”

He remembered the company’s female staff discussing it during a team-building dinner. They said that a man with a red Adam’s apple was usually pure and abstinent, but when he finally indulged his desires, he was also very capable!

At the beginning, Pei Yi noted this matter down out of curiosity, and when he went back at night, he vigorously rubbed his Adam’s apple a few times in front of the mirror.

Afterwards, he dismissed it as “fake.”

Pei Yi’s thoughts were distracted by the past for a moment, and he forgot to stop moving his fingers, playing them in circles around that Adam’s apple.

Unable to bear it, Bo Yueming failed in his efforts to pretend to be asleep, and firmly grasped the mischievous hand. “It’s early, don’t touch randomly.”

“…….”

Pei Yi shivered in shock. “E-Er Ge?”

Bo Yueming’s head still throbbed with pain. He wasn’t in a hurry to open his eyes, and his voice was uncommonly hoarse and lazy. “Why did you come to sleep with me again?”

He asked while knowing the answer, deliberately fishing for a kitten.

Pei Yi recalled what happened the night before and took it amiss, withdrawing from his arms. “You, drunk.”

A certain somebody threw a childish tantrum when he was drunk and kept clinging to him, so what could he do, ah?

Seeing Pei Yi withdraw from the embrace, Bo Yueming didn’t deliberately try to keep him, but reached up to rub his aching temples. “There also seems to be a person who can pour one glass and end up much more drunk than me.”

“…….”

He was angry, but couldn’t refute it.

Pei Yi, who was in a jam, got up numbly and ran away with sleep-mussed hair.

“Meow-wu~”

As soon as the door opened, Inspector’s chubby figure quickly entered.

Facing Pei Yi and Bo Yueming, who were standing and lying down, it immediately began to meow in accusation, as if very dissatisfied that it was left alone in the living room last night.

Pei Yi quickly picked up his beloved pet and tossed the pot over hard, “Right, he’s bad!”

Inspector stared, wide-eyed, and thought for two seconds. Then it took Pei Yi’s arm in its little paws and responded unknowingly, “Meow!”

Bo Yueming opened his eyes and watched the back of a person and his cat leaving, and smiled helplessly. He suddenly felt that the headache wasn’t so severe anymore.

. . . . . .

After coming home last night, Pei Yi had yet to step into his small room.

Now, as he entered the room and looked at the familiar layout, he suddenly felt an unexpected sense of long-lost belonging. Taking a deep breath, he picked up a change of clothes and went to the bathroom.

He washed in comforting warm water.

Taking advantage of his early wakefulness, Pei Yi focused on recalling the plot of the original text—

The story of “The Misplaced Love of a Rich Family” began with Old Mr. Bo’s banquet, where the protagonists Yan Cen, Pei Huan, the supporting role Li Yuan, and the “villain” Bo Yueming met.

After that, from the perspective of Pei Huan, it went through his initial efforts in his career, to the various exchanges and interactions when re-encountering Yan Cen, and then to his acquaintance and words of defense for the important supporting role Bo Yueming.

All in all, the steps of the plot crazily favored the protagonist.

Pei Yi had actually passed the “three months passed in the blink of an eye” portion of the book. It would be Pei Huan and Li Yuan’s birthdays in half a month, and the most important scene in the original book was on that day!

On the day of the birthday, both Pei and Li coincidentally chose the same restaurant to celebrate. Compared to Pei Huan, who had many relatives and friends celebrating his birthday, Li Yuan only had his mother, An Yang, by his side.

Ever since her husband passed away from a sudden illness, An Yang experienced some mental problems, with ups and downs.

At the dining table, Li Yuan apologetically confessed the bankruptcy and closure of the Dawn company. Unexpectedly, An Yang lost control of her emotions upon hearing about this, shouting and crying.

This coincidentally attracted the attention of Pei Huan and others.

Then there was a series of twists and turns before the mystery of the two’s origins could be solved.

However, since he transmigrated, Pei Yi had witnessed a series of changes.

First of all, Yan Cen and Bo Yueming probably didn’t have much affection for Pei Huan, and Li Yuan also hadn’t experienced bankruptcy or the closure of his company. Perhaps the next part of the plot would change accordingly?

Pei Yi didn’t want to speculate about the main plot that hadn’t happened yet. What he cared more about was—

In the original text, Bo Yueming’s eye condition showed signs of improvement after the “mystery of origins” was revealed, and he recovered completely within half a month.

Judging from this timeline, there was only a month left at most.

During this month, Pei Yi could complete the structure of at least two more mini-games, prepare a new house for after he “escaped,” and even reveal his “recovered” status with Qin Yishun, Shu Wan, and others so that they could help hide his whereabouts in the future.

A month was short, but it was enough time.

Pei Yi turned off the water, his heart filled with a nameless and inexplicable complex emotion—

In the beginning, he had chosen to enter the Bo family according to the plot of the original book, in order to make money and better grasp the progress of the plot; In the follow-up, he was insistent on leaving the Bo family in order to completely rid himself of the fate of the cannon fodder in the original text.

Everything was now moving in the direction he wanted, so why couldn’t he look forward to it?

There was a knock on the door.

Uncle Kai’s voice was muffled by the two doors. “Little Sir, are you inside? Are you all right?”

Pei Yi tossed away these messy thoughts and quickly got ready before walking out.

Uncle Kai was waiting anxiously at the door, and only reacted when the wet-haired Pei Yi opened the door. “Aiyo, Little Sir, you scared me. You didn’t make a sound after I called for a long time.”

“So you went to take a shower, ah.”

Pei Yi rubbed the wrinkles on his fingertips indiscriminately. “En.”

Just now, he was in such a daze thinking about things, and the water was so comfortable, so he didn’t pay much attention to the time.

Uncle Kai hinted gently, “Shall we dry our hair before breakfast? Second Young Master has already gone up to group headquarters.”

Although the atmosphere in the main house was a little tense the night before, work had to be completed in a strictly business-like manner.

Bo Yueming had returned to the Imperial Capital with news of a successful bidding project. He and Lin Zhong needed to go to headquarters and report in front of the shareholders.

Pei Yi understood these important matters, and nodded obediently to Uncle Kai.

. . . . . .

Bo Group Headquarters.

Bo Lihui strode into the office with a trace of anger on his usually poised face.

Shortly after, Bo Guancheng entered as well. He locked the door of the office and shut the glass windows that automatically closed on both sides, saying in a low voice, “Dad, don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry? Why don’t you tell me why I shouldn’t worry!” Bo Lihui retorted in a suppressed voice, pointing in the direction of the executive conference room. Didn’t you see how satisfied that group of shareholders are with Bo Yueming? Almost everyone agreed that he should return to the position of General Manager!”

Bo Guancheng said nothing, but was also inwardly dissatisfied.

“If you want my opinion, your grandfather is an old fool! How could such a large profit project in Wencheng be entrusted to him without giving prior notice to this father and son? Now look what has happened—” Bo Lihui smacked the table furiously. “How long did we plan to drag him off his horse, and now he’s been given a chance to come back!”

At today’s meeting of Bo Group’s senior shareholders, Bo Yueming gave a summary report of the Wencheng project. As a result, some shareholders expressed their desire to return him to the position of “General Manager.” The reason was simple—

Facts speak louder than words.

Although the Second Young Master had an accident that made his eyes inconvenient, he still had the ability to do a good job on projects and make money for the group. As long as he was willing to return, there was no reason to stop him.

Bo Lihui thought of the silent torment he had suffered in the meeting, and felt aggrieved. “And look at the second branch’s attitude! Ever since that damn girl Bo Jiao returned, hasn’t she made trouble for our main branch openly and in secret?”

At the meeting just now, the shareholders had only just mentioned it, and Bo Jiao immediately jumped out to agree. Then Bo Yueming took advantage of this to step up—

No matter how politely Old Mr. Bo and Bo Lihui tried to stop them, in the end, there were more for it than opposed, and the minority had to obey the majority!

The agreed-upon project report suddenly became a shareholder election for positions!

“I’m just astounded! Those shareholders are usually stuffy and mute! Why did one sing more happily than the other today! It seemed like it was already negotiated!”

“…….”

Bo Guancheng pushed up his glasses, his eyes darkening, “Of course it had to be negotiated.”

“Dad, don’t forget, isn’t that senior shareholder who jumped out at the beginning to make the proposal the most loyal defender of Grandma when she was in office?”

Bo Lihui carefully recalled it, frowning even more. “Guancheng, it’s impossible to go on like this, ah! As soon as Bo Yueming returns to the position of General Manager, the advantages we accumulated in the early stages will be gone!”

“We don’t know your Grandma’s physical condition for the moment, but your Grandpa……” Bo Lihui looked at the closed office door and lowered his voice, “As for why he supports the main branch so much, you also know the reason.”

Old Mr. Bo hated his status as a “husband-in-law,” and deep down, he was even more dissatisfied that his sons and grandsons were all named “Bo!”

After Old Mrs. Bo fell, the father and son secretly communicated—

As long as Old Mr. Bo was partial to the main branch and helped the main branch control Bo Group, then when Old Mrs. Bo passed away, the main branch father and son would change their surnames to the old man’s!

At that time, “Bo Group” would be changed to “Cheng Group!”

Nobody understood the son better than the father, and vice versa.

Bo Lihui understood his father clearly. “Guancheng, this surname is what your grandfather wants. If he thinks the second branch is more capable, he might not help us!”

After all, Bo Yueming’s ability was clear to everyone, and his project performance when he was in the group should not be underestimated!

What’s more, now there was Bo Jiao on the second branch’s side. In just two and a half months, the ability shown by the other party showed that she was not an amateur!

If Old Mrs. Bo passed away in the hospital bed, that was easy to deal with, but what if the other party actually recovered one day?

Bo Guancheng removed his glasses and went back to his desk. “Dad, I understand what you’re saying.”

Bo Lihui took a deep breath. “Understand? You understand and you’re not worried?”

Picking up the glasses cleaning spray, Bo Guancheng sprayed a mist over the lenses. “The position of General Manager cannot be divided into two. It should be mine, and no one can take it back!”

Bo Guancheng picked up a cloth and wiped the lenses with great force. “If Bo Yueming wants to come back again, it won’t be that easy.”

“……..”

But the shareholders had already voted, and it was a certainty that Bo Yueming would return to the group. What did he mean by saying it wouldn’t be that easy?

Bo Lihui suddenly remembered the man-made car accident from the beginning, and his heart tightened. “Guancheng, what do you mean by that? Some things can’t be messed with again!”

Bo Guancheng knew what Bo Lihui was worried about, and scoffed. “That foreign bastard got lucky. Since I failed the first time, I will not risk a second time.”

Since Bo Yueming went blind and got married, he really hadn’t planned anything.

He had originally thought that Bo Yueming would simply settle down, never expecting that he would seize this small opportunity.

Bo Guancheng put his glasses on again, but the malice in the depths of his eyes was unable to be concealed. “Isn’t there going to be a celebration in his name this Saturday for the Wencheng project? I’ll prepare a big surprise for him.”

Everyone, just wait to watch a good show.

. . . . . .

Ding, ding, ding.

The messages in the work group were incessant.

Since Xiang Nansheng and Lou Yang took their places as Technical Director and Art Director, Li Yuan had recruited many new employees one after another, and even Pei Yi’s side became a team of six.

“The Last Fog 1.0” was a relatively simple card game, and the construction and preparations were in full swing.

Because of Pei Yi, the general gatekeeper who knew the key points of the game, and Xiang Nansheng and Lou Yang, who were equally capable, the current push was going smoothly.

If there were no accidents, they planned to launch the first wave of internal testing on New Year’s Day, and finish up within two months.

Pei Yi marked the content of the character plot that needed modification, and sent it back to the work group. “The marked copy must be re-edited and sent back to me before the end of the work day, with no delay.”

The planning team at once cried and howled, “Teacher Will, it’s only two hours until we get off work!”

“I took a look at the segment that needs editing, and I’m already scratching my head. [Wailing and crying.jpg]”

“+1”

Seeing the staff members’ accusations, Pei Yi chuckled. “If you have enough time to cry, you can modify two more NPC dialogues. This little work, you can get done in time.”

“I’ll order dessert and afternoon tea for you right away, but the work progress cannot be delayed. Finish early and rest early, and there will be absolutely no extra overtime tomorrow and Sunday.”

Although they hadn’t been in contact with Pei Yi online for very long, the entire planning team was familiar with Pei Yi’s character—

He was absolutely strict during work hours, would never hand them extra burdens when they were off work, and there would be free desserts now and then. Compared with the art team and technical team next door, theirs was a celestial being of a director!

Seeing the “thank you” superimposed in the group, Pei Yi quickly took out his phone and ordered some desserts as a reward.

Lying in its cat’s nest, Inspector seemed to have gotten enough sleep, and got out to stretch its body slowly. Then it walked to the door and signaled to Pei Yi, “Meow-wu~”

Pei Yi put down his phone and got up to move his stiff shoulders and waist. “Let’s go downstairs and ask Uncle Kai for dessert.”

“Meow!”

The person and cat were familiar with the path to the ground floor.

Inspector had just reached the ground floor when it slipped out the side door with lightning speed. Pei Yi let out an “ai,” and had no time to catch the playful kitten.

Uncle Kai stood in the living room, looking at Pei Yi with a smile. “Little Sir came down? The strawberry pie will be done in no time, just wait a little longer.”

Pei Yi looked back, and was instantly drawn to Bo Yueming’s banquet attire. He couldn’t help but quickly approach. “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming wore a champagne-colored three-piece suit, and upon closer inspection, there was a slight shimmer to the fabric.

It should be known that this sort of suit was very different from conventional ones, and could be very finicky. Even the male stars in the entertainment industry who walked the red carpet were rarely able to pull off the look. After all, it was easy to appear vulgar if one wasn’t careful.

But this suit naturally seemed to have been made for Bo Yueming, complementing his proudness and nobility.

When looking closely, there was also a sense of cold and detached aggressiveness.

Pei Yi was admiring Bo Yueming’s appearance when he suddenly heard him say, “I’m leaving for the banquet now, you stay at home obediently.”

This celebration banquet was attended by the shareholders and employees of the group, so there was no other special meaning. 

Bo Yueming wanted to take advantage of this banquet to test and win over the shareholders’ minds, an important step for him to return to the Bo Group!

Of course, he had invited Pei Yi in advance, but the other party was unwilling to go out.

“En,” Pei Yi responded in a low voice.

He would be busy writing the structure of a new game earlier, and confirming the revised content of the copywriting team, so he was unwilling to waste time on a boring celebration banquet.

Besides, he knew that Bo Yueming’s trip today was to win over people’s hearts. If he brought along his “foolish” marriage partner, it would be easy to create a negative impression on the shareholders. It wasn’t worth it.

Lin Zhong entered the room and called, “Mr. Bo, the car is ready. It’s almost time to go.”

Bo Yueming nodded, then looked at Pei Yi again. “Pei Yi.”

“En?”

Pei felt that the color of Bo Yueming’s eyes under his glasses was slightly different today, but couldn’t see clearly at the moment.

Bo Yueming drew in an indistinct breath, as if he had come to some sort of decision, and said, “Wait for me to come back tonight. I have something to talk to you about, do you hear me?”

---

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Chapter Forty-Nine <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-One

To analyze hauntings, one must first determine where the ghost came from.

The attendant quickly brought them hot water and food. In addition to the special rice noodles, there was also a plate of colorful flower cakes, which were extremely delicate. It was said that in order to usher in the Many-Color Festival, every household was full of ingredients for the back kitchen, but in the end, who knew it would be canceled. When it came to important matters like making money or losing money, the attendant was no longer fearful of ghosts, and complained to the guests: “Say, why didn’t she pick another time, but only crawled out for the Many-Color Festival?”

“Maybe they also want to join in the fun.” Liang Shu pushed the rice noodles over in front of Liu Xian’an, let him eat slowly, and continued to question the attendant, “What is the origin of the female ghost?”

“It is the daughter of Lao Wan in the city,” the attendant said. In any case, there was no work to do in the inn now, so he was happy to chat with these two customers and take a break. Lao Wan’s name was Wan Gui, and he was a blacksmith in the city when he was young. He raised a capable daughter and named her Wan Yuan,^[1] because she was born on the fifteenth of the eighth month, when the moon was perfectly round in the sky.

“Everything was happy, and it sounded auspicious.” The attendant folded his arms. “It’s a pity about later.”

Wan Gui was not a good fellow. He had no skills, drank all day and lay down like the dead, and after his wife passed away due to illness, no one could control him. The aunts and mothers-in-law in the neighborhood saw that little Wan Yuan was so hungry, so they got together to discuss it and took turns taking her home for dinner. Eating here and there, more than ten years passed like this.

Liang Shu asked: “You said just now that she was a capable girl?”

“Yes, she was well-known for her boldness,” the attendant said. “When she was seven or eight years old, she followed the men up the mountain to gather medicine. Later, she simply built a thatched hut on the mountain and lived there, specializing in catching poisonous snakes and scorpions. Although it was dangerous, they could be sold for a lot of money. No one in this city dared to provoke her, and even her father was suppressed by her. He stopped drinking half a sip, and concentrated on running the blacksmith stall at home.”

The father and daughter made money and built a new house, seeing that the days were getting better and better. However, Wan Yuan met a hunter from abroad in the mountains. The two decided to spend their lives together privately, and went to the city together a few times to buy things. The attendant said: “When I was young, I stood at the stewed meat stall at home all day long, so I met that hunter twice. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, but I didn’t expect that he was an evil-minded person who would cheat someone of money and body. He said that he would return and propose marriage, but he never came back.”

There was no shortage of gossips and bad people in any city. There was no reason not to gossip about this sort of thing, but Wan Yuan was so angry that she couldn’t bear it. She would beat anyone who talked about her, and once broke a person’s head so that blood flowed all over their face. The other party sued the government, and the government sent someone to arrest Wan Yuan for interrogation. As a result, she was jailed in the morning, and in the afternoon, news came that she had committed suicide by bashing her head in.

“I say…..she had resentment in her heart, and was unwilling to stay in the grave, so it is normal to want revenge.” The attendant leaned against the door. “But the hunter has gone somewhere and is not here in Huaizhen City.”

Liang Shu asked: “Where is Wan Yuan’s father?”

“When his daughter died, he would go to the street every day to make trouble, crazy and foolish. Later, he was tied up and sent to a charitable organization, but they refused to accept him, saying that they feared he would hit another old fellow. But later it seemed……it seemed he was sent elsewhere, I really can’t remember.”

As he spoke, there was a knock on the door downstairs, and he hurried down to greet the guests.

Liang Shu said: “If I had known it was such a story, I would have let you have a full stomach before listening to it.”

Liu Xian’an had originally put down his chopsticks, but upon hearing this, he picked up another flower cake on the table and ate it. It was sweet and sticky, but tasteless in his mouth. Liang Shu dragged a chair over to sit beside him, and was about to speak, but Gao Lin had already climbed the stairs. At a glance, he saw that his family’s prince was leaning toward Second Young Master Liu, so he immediately turned around and went downstairs with a serious expression, startling the guards who were following behind. What happened, was that female ghost floating around the inn?

Liu Xian’an asked in bewilderment: “What is Lieutenant General Gao running away for?”

Liang Shu replied: “Maybe he forgot something. Don’t worry about him.”

Liu Xian’an didn’t look further into the matter. He was still thinking about Wan Yuan’s story, and felt that it sounded both reasonable and unreasonable. A bold and capable girl survived the hardest days, but in the end, she committed suicide because of a man. He asked: “Who was the magistrate of the city back then, does the prince know?”

“I’ll have to check, but according to the five-year rotation regulation, it is likely that he has been transferred to another place.” Liang Shu asked, “You think Wan Yuan’s death is related to something that happened after she was imprisoned?”

“Whatever the case, she was unlikely to commit suicide,” Liu Xian’an said. “Now that the city is suddenly haunted by a ghost, perhaps it is an insider who wants to avenge her.”

“It is also possible that someone wants to make trouble in the name of ghosts, so they randomly picked this girl who died tragically,” Liang Shu said. “But no matter the possibilities, the whole city of Huaizhen is now in a state of turmoil, and this matter must be investigated thoroughly.”

Liu Xian’an nodded. He thought for a moment, and suddenly gave a deep sigh: “Matters of love are really troublesome.”

Liang Shu’s eyebrows twitched: “What does this have to do with love?”

“If she hadn’t met that hunter, all subsequent events would not have happened.” Liu Xian’an analyzed, “If she just did her poison business and didn’t speak of love, perhaps now she would have become one of the best female merchants.”

“That is because she married a bad husband, it has nothing to do with love,” Liang Shu disagreed. “If the hunter was honest and reliable, and was willing to promise her with a sincere heart, wouldn’t they be able to live a prosperous life and jointly run the poisonous snake and insect business? It would be a little more lively.”

Then wouldn’t you also have to bother to screen the honest and reliable from the liars and lechers first? Liu Xian’an still insisted on his point of view. Anyway, it was very troublesome, and he also tried to brainwash His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, who seemed to be looking forward to getting married.

Liang Shu propped up his head, asking him: “Do you have a way for me to avoid desire?”

Liu Xian’an responded: “Yes, read more books.”

“What if I still have desires after reading the books?”

“Then the prince can come to see me.”

Lang Shu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Do you understand what you’re talking about?”

Liu Xian’an explained: “I understand. What I mean is, I can tell the prince about the dao of Heaven. Once a person becomes one with the dao of Heaven, the desires of the mortal world will naturally be left behind.”

Liang Shu’s head hurt. He didn’t want him to continue to talk nonsense, and it was getting late at this time, so he sent someone to call A-Ning up and said to Liu Xian’an: “Don’t think about the female ghost. Get a good night’s sleep, and I’ll take you to investigate this old case tomorrow.”

Liu Xian’an wasn’t sleepy at all, but A-Ning had already sent His Royal Highness Xiao Wang out the door, and when he returned, he said: “We also heard about Wan-guniang downstairs just now. Is the prince going to reinvestigate this case?”

“Yes.” Liu Xian’an lay down on the table. “We must find out the truth of the haunting. What if it is being caused by the cult again, isn’t that why the prince came here this time?”

“That’s right.” A-Ning quickly cleaned up the table. “Then I’ll go get some hot water for Young Master’s bath……Young Master, Young Master, raise your arm.”

Liu Xian’an continued to lay motionless on his stomach and didn’t bother to lift it up, because he was not in the mood. He said: “I just wanted to tell the prince about the dao of Heaven, but he didn’t want to listen.”

A-Ning said internally, isn’t this normal? The prince didn’t look like he could meditate and realize the dao. He was a general, not a sage. Moreover, the Young Master’s dao of Heaven was empty and boring. Every now and then, it would be dragged out of the universe infinite li away – life and death are one, unending – and he would often fall asleep while hearing it.

With great strength, he forcibly dragged up the lazy, melancholic young master, sat him on the bed, and continued to wipe the table.

Downstairs, Gao Lin was also asking Liang Shu: “Why did the prince come down so soon? On a haunted night like this, don’t you have to stay in the room of your sweetheart? If Second Young Master Liu is not afraid of ghosts, then we can take on the job of being afraid. In any case, the opportunity must be won by yourself.”

Liang Shu was dizzy from the nagging: “Shut up and get down to proper business.”

“I just came to the inn on proper business.” Gao Lin pointed to the door. “The officials are still looking for the female ghost with torches tonight, and after listening to the attendant’s story about Wan Yuan, I went out and asked two of them casually. The magistrate who imprisoned her was Li Liang. He was originally quite old, and coughed all day, suffering from colds at every turn. After Wan Yuan committed suicide, this Li-daren also fell ill, and returned to the west for a short while before his death.”

“How was his reputation?”

“No good comments, no bad comments. He should be an ordinary official,” Gao Lin said. “But I only spoke a few words. If we want to find out more news, we still must wait until tomorrow.”

“Then just talk more tomorrow,” Liang Shu said. “Go to sleep, ba.”

Gao Lin agreed, but still did not forget to remind: “Will the prince really not go to Second Young Master Liu’s room?”

Liang Shu asked: “To do what, listen to him continue to talk about all is one with the dao of Heaven and the ability to be righteous without desire?”

Gao Lin was stunned. What the hell was this?

Liang Shu scoffed: “I knew you wouldn’t understand it.”

Gao Lin was hurt. I can’t understand it, but the prince can’t understand it either. All is one with the dao of Heaven. Whatever it was, just based on these few words, he felt that Second Young Master Liu was about to step onto the clouds and become an immortal. At this thought, he felt that it was very difficult for his family’s prince, because when other people fell in love, they only needed to say some affectionate words without overthinking, and didn’t need to bury their heads in delving into the true meaning of the universe. How could anyone ask for a daughter-in-law like this, those who heard it would cry.

Liang Shu said: “Scram.”

Gao Lin quickly scrammed. Instead of going upstairs, he left the inn and went to the street to inquire about the news.

Liu Xian’an didn’t feel sleepy either. A-Ning asked: “What is the Young Master standing at the window looking at? You’re going to catch a cold.”

The cool wind was blowing, and the tip of his nose was really cold. Liu Xian’an put his hands into his sleeves: “Trying to see if I can glimpse the female ghost.”

“The city is full of torches, no matter if it is a person or a ghost, they will definitely not come out tonight,” A-Ning said. “Young Master, let’s go to bed quickly.”

As soon as the words fell, there was a scream from the other side of the long street as if deliberately cutting off the conversation. Liu Xian’an was taken aback, and A-Ning was so startled that he almost dropped the basin: “What was that sound?”

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[1] Yuan (圆) means round, or circle. ⮐

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Chapter Fifty-Two << Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-Four

“Someone was caught? Are the Old Lady and others all right?”

Having learned of this, Uncle Kai was so nervous that he spilled some of the hot tea in his hand.

Bo Yueming’s tone was calm. “Uncle Kai, don’t worry. My grandma is fine, as well as Aunt Song.”

He had learned the details from Qin Yishun—

The security around the villa had long been replaced by personnel from the STS company. During this period of time, access to the villa had been very strict.

Around eight o’clock tonight, a maintenance worker suddenly appeared. The other party claimed that at the end of each month, manor headquarters would regularly check the circuits in each villa in order to avoid potential safety hazards.

As one of the long-term residents of the villa, Aunt Song confirmed that there were indeed such  safety inspections in the past two months, but this person was relatively unfamiliar. 

At the same time, the person in charge of security also checked with manor headquarters — and confirmed that the other party was a hired maintenance worker before allowing him to enter.

“Maintenance workers” always had special security personnel at their side to supervise when inspecting various electrical appliances. After the other party checked all the equipment in the villa, he said that he would check the main electricity meter outside the house.

Coincidentally, Qin Yishun also came at this time.

Since Bo Yueming had entrusted this task to STS, the other party paid more attention for his brother’s sake, and would come over to supervise the situation in person whenever he was free.

After Qin Yishun saw the maintenance worker’s unfamiliar face, it was inevitable that he would scrutinize him and ask a few more questions, and not everyone could withstand the fierce manner of an army veteran—

The “maintenance worker” stuttered while talking to Qin Yishun, panic flashing in his eyes.

Noticing that something was wrong, Qin Yishun then found a hidden monitoring device in the hollow gap of the other party’s hand tool.

Qin Yishun said that the price of this sort of micro device was very high on the black market. It relied on a wireless connection and could last for half a month when fully charged.

“It is likely that because the lighting in the villa was too bright and the security personnel were watching too closely that the “maintenance worker” didn’t dare to take it out easily. So he decided to settle for the next best thing and start from the exterior of the house where the line of sight was relatively unclear, and install it facing the window.”

“The people sent by STS are there for the purpose of personal protection and medical treatment. If Qin Yishun hadn’t come in time, such a small and delicate surveillance device would have been difficult to detect.”

Fortunately, Qin Yishun had arrived in a timely manner. The only pity was—

Although the maintenance worker’s intentions were discovered, the other party refused to admit guilt and it had not actually been installed. Even if it was turned in to the police, there would not be much of a point.

That was why Qin Yishun called to ask Bo Yueming himself for his opinion on how to deal with it.

Pei Yi had already learned about the situation from the phone call, and in order to maintain his persona, he purposely remained silent.

Uncle Kai handed some hot tea to Bo Yueming, feeling horrified. “Fortunately Mr. Qin was there, but who would spend so much effort just to install a monitor? Was it the main branch?”

“That’s right, ah. Mr. Bo, what are the people behind the scenes doing by going so far?”

Pei Yi lowered his head and ate a slice of pear, thinking, is it not obvious?

No matter who was behind the scenes, they just wanted to monitor Old Mrs. Bo’s physical condition!

It must be known that Old Mrs. Bo’s “illness” came on suddenly, and she did not make a will beforehand when she was in good health. If she passed away in the end, then the distribution of property would be made according to normal inheritance principles—

The property of the Bo Group and even the Bo family would go firstly to Old Mr. Bo,  and secondly to her children, namely the eldest son, Bo Lihui, and the second son, Bo Lihong.

Old Mrs. Bo was “in a coma” during this period and Old Mr. Bo, as her husband, had the right to take over and manage everything.

But if Mrs. Bo got better one day? Then she could be the master and control all the property and power that belonged to her, ah!

Pei Yi remembered that it was once mentioned in the original text—

Bo Yueming blackened later on and wanted to snatch everything up, but because it was unreasonable and unlawful, he was criticized and opposed by everyone, and was seen as having particularly “wild ambition.”

“Grandma fell into a coma after an accident. At that time, the doctor said that if she didn’t wake up within three months, it was likely that she would enter a vegetative state until treatment was given up and she died.”

Bo Yueming slowly explained his reasoning, “I feared that her accident was caused by human factors, so I transferred her to Minxi Manor for treatment without telling the Bo family.”

For this, Bo Yueming was severely criticized by everyone in the Bo family.

Lin Zhong responded, “Mr. Bo, do you mean that the reason why the people behind the scenes have been silent is because they are waiting for the day that Old Mrs. Bo can no longer hold on?”

Now that more than three months had passed, Old Mrs. Bo’s condition had not deteriorated, and she was still recovering. Although her recovery speed was not fast, it was not entirely impossible that she would wake up.

Thinking a little deeper—

Even if Old Mrs. Bo’s illness indeed had nothing to do with the main branch and others, what if she favored Bo Yueming even more after waking up? This was why the people behind the scenes panicked!

“Some people wanted to hear bad news from me, but were not fortunate enough to get it. Since they have a guilty conscience, they would inevitably get impatient. Not to mention—-”

Uncle Kai couldn’t help but ask, “What more is there?”

Bo Yueming took a sip of tea to relieve the effects of the champagne he drank that night. “I won the bidding in Wencheng.”

Lin Zhong came to his senses and slapped his thigh. “I’ve got it! They’re afraid that Boss Bo will get them back with this project!”

At the beginning, Old Mr. Bo had Bo Yueming to transfer all the projects in his hands to Bo Guancheng, and didn’t allow him to stay in the position of General Manager of the group. Without exception, he used his “eye injury” as an excuse!

Even giving Bo Yueming the Wencheng project was in essence to drive Bo Yueming out of the Imperial Capital.

But who would have expected?

Under the attacks of the two leading enterprises in Wencheng, Shuntian and You, the “blind” Bo Yueming broke through the siege and got the project!

As for what this meant? It illustrated his capability!

Bo Yueming hit them back with a project worth at least 12 billion. Whatever he wanted, the high-level shareholders should not object.

Understanding this reason, Pei Yi took a “vicious” bite of the pear. He was proud, but at the same time did not forget to ridicule—

Old Mr. Bo was just a short-sighted phoenix man!^[1] He tried to attack Bo Yueming on behalf of the main branch, but Bo Yueming fought more and more courageously! 

As expected of the big villain he had always admired. Totally awesome!

Pei Yi bit the pear so loudly that it even distracted Bo Yueming.

“Pei Yi? What are you eating?”

“Er-ge!”

Pei Yi liked business-oriented men the most, and looking at Bo Yueming now, he felt that the other party was shining.

He couldn’t help the inexplicable excitement in his heart. Picking up a clean fork from the side, he picked up the best-looking piece of pear and fed it to Bo Yueming’s mouth. 

“Sweet! Ah—”

Without a second’s hesitation, Bo Yuming bit it off. “En, quite sweet.”

Pei Yi smiled happily, but didn’t intend to give more. After all, the pear was so sweet and delicious.

When Lin Zhong and Uncle Kai witnessed the interaction between the two, they suddenly felt less anxious.

“Second Young Master, since there has been no accident on the Old Lady’s side for the time being, shall we follow the original plan and return to the Imperial Capital after handing everything over here?”

Bo Yueming shook his head. “No, we must return as soon as possible.”

If the time was dragged out, the Bo family members would come up with other reasons to continue to suppress him.

Bo Yueming thought for a moment. “Lin Zhong, help me contact Sister Zhong Yi. I want to treat her to dinner tomorrow night and discuss something.”

He wanted to return to a core position in Bo Group, so other shareholders would have to come forward and “check the balance of power” with Old Mr. Bo.

Zhong Yi had been in Bo Group for more than ten years, and had all the abilities, connections, and sensibility that one would expect. It would be perfect for the other party to secretly contact the shareholders and analyze the situation, then convince them all to support Bo Yueming.

Bo Yueming recalled everything that had happened in the past half year, his eyes full of fight. “Lin Zhong, buy a plane ticket for the day after tomorrow to return to the Imperial Capital!”

It had been half a year. It was time for him to go back and destroy the prestige of those people!

Pei Yi listened with great enjoyment, and was the first to cooperate loudly, “En!”

“…….”

Everyone’s eyes automatically shifted. “Why is Little Sir so happy tonight?”

Pei Yi bit his fork guiltily. “Go back, I, I play with Inspector!”

Bo Yueming was aware of the truth, and turned the page for him, “It’s getting late, let’s all go back to our rooms to rest. By the way, Lin Zhong, remember to tell Lao Zhang and Qiao Dong in advance tomorrow.”

Lao Zhang was a Wencheng native, so he would naturally not follow them back to the Imperial Capital, and his salary must be settled in advance.

After Chen Shun and Pan Chenggong were detained by the police, Qiao Dong voluntarily acted as the representative of the deceased’s family and cooperated with the lawyers hired by You Group to carry out subsequent follow-up prosecution, and had not been back for several days.

“All right,” Lin Zhong responded.

. . . . . . .

In the blink of an eye, it was time to return to the Imperial Capital.

Pei Yi looked at the “home” he had lived in for a couple of months and felt a small bit of reluctance in his heart—

It seemed that from childhood, he had never lived in any place for a long time. As an adult, he liked to use the studio break room as a temporary home.

He estimated that when he returned to the Imperial Capital, the time he could stay in the Bo family was also very limited.

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door.

Pei Yi thought it was Uncle Kai, but when he turned around, he found that it was Qiao Dong. The plaster cast on his leg had been completely removed. Although he had gone through so many days of pain and injury, he could just manage to walk around now.

“Little Sir.”

Qiao Dong’s usually pale face finally had a healthy color. Standing at the door of the room, he bowed deeply and gratefully to Pei Yi. “Thank you.”

He heard that Bo Yueming, Pei Yi, and the others were leaving today, so Qiao Dong came here to see them off. Before going upstairs, he had already expressed his thanks to Bo Yueming and the others.

Qiao Dong knew that if he hadn’t met this group of noble rich people, let alone getting revenge, he feared he might have become so desperate that he would get himself in trouble.

Pei Yi understood the weight of his gratitude and walked over, asking in a low voice, “Qiao Dong, what are you going to do in the future?”

“…….”

Qiao Dong was a little dazed upon hearing Pei Yi’s complete question. “S-stay in Wencheng. When the Chen Shun and Pan Chenggong case is officially over, I’ll find a job.”

“Mr. Bo paid for my treatment, and I will definitely find a way to make money and pay him back in the future! 

Perhaps because the hatred he carried with him had lessened, Qio Dong was less gloomy and more extroverted. “I spoke with Brother Lin before when we were sharing a room. Both of us majored in resource management in university.”

Although Qiao Dong’s schooling and abilities were not as good as Lin Zhong, he was willing to study and keep working hard—

If one day he could find an excellent boss to work and learn with, like Lin Zhong had, shouldn’t there still be hope for his future?

It was rare for Pei Yi to hear Qiao Dong speak so many words. He saw the longing and brightness in the other’s eyes, and his mind moved slightly. “Qiao Dong.”

“Ah?”

Qiao Dong felt that Pei Yi was a little different today. Too normal.

Just as he thought so, Pei Yi took the initiative to hook his shoulder, and whispered a few words in his ear—

Qiao Dong’s eyes gradually widened, and the longing in his eyes turned to shock.

When the casual whispering was over, Qiao Dong looked at Pei Yi in disbelief and sized him up from head to toe.

“L-Little Sir, you……”

“Shh!”

Pei Yi stopped him softly, and patted him on the shoulder again. “You can do it.”

Perhaps one day in the future, they would meet again with different identities.

. . . . . .

The plane arrived on time in the Imperial Capital at six o’clock in the afternoon.

Pei Yi stepped out of the airport pick-up thoroughfare and saw a familiar figure from afar—

Qin Yishun was wearing a thin, long-sleeved windbreaker with an ingrained look of seriousness on his face, and it seemed that the words “Strangers stay away” were written on it as he stood there.

But although he painted a serious image, there was a cat carrier on his back. And having been raised to be obedient, the chubby little Inspector “stayed” in his arms, its eyes wide and round as it watched everything going on around it.

The combination of one person and one cat was strangely cute.

It had been a long time since he had seen his beloved pet. Pei Yi practically ran over the moment he saw it, and the view of him from the back looked extraordinarily cheerful.

“…….”

Bo Yueming looked at Pei Yi, who was absent from his side, and the long-lost sour feeling welled up again.

Picking him up from the airport with Inspector?

Sure enough, it was a good way to attract a kitten.

Completely unaware of Bo Yueming’s jealousy, Pei Yi quickly rushed over to Qin Yishun, not hiding the excitement in his eyes at all. “Inspector, miss me?”

“Meow-wu! Meow~ wu~”

Inspector quickly recognized Pei Yi, and the little cat’s paws began to scratch excitedly.

“…….”

Qin Yishun’s greeting stuck in his throat.

He didn’t expect that when his little brother came up, he would greet the cat first, and the most amazing thing was that Inspector knew how to respond to him with a meow.

At this sight, Qin Yishun helplessly and dotingly released Inspector into Pei Yi’s arms. “The little black cat is returned to you, how did Brother do raising it?”

Pei Yi found that Inspector was round and even cuter. When he raised his head, he praised, “Brother, the best!”

As soon as these words were spoken, Bo Yueming came up from behind and called out, “Mr. Qin.”

Qin Yishun was proud of himself after being praised by his little brother, and used a rare amiable tone towards Bo Yueming, “Second Young Master, long time no see. We can’t stand here for very long, let’s talk in the car.”

Bo Yueming had come back at the last moment, and in order to create a “rare” surprise for the Bo family, he deliberately didn’t have Driver Fu pick him up.

In addition, Qin Yishun had found some new clues, so the person who picked them up at the airport became him.

“I drove a seven-seater vehicle today, so there’s a lot of room.” Qin Yishun opened the trunk so that Lin Zhong and Uncle Kai could put their luggage in. “Xiao Yi, you sit in the front.”

“Pei Yi and I should sit in the back.” Bo Yueming took a step forward with his refusal, providing a suitable reason, “Inspector hasn’t seen Pei Yi in so long. With a person and a cat in the front passenger seat, it may cause problems.”

Qin Yishun frowned, wanting to say something more—

In the end, Pei Yi carried Inspector and sat in the back, not forgetting to reserve a seat for Bo Yueming. He said obediently and sweetly, “Er-ge, here.”

The corners of Bo Yueming’s mouth finally showed an upward trend, and he said, “If Mr. Qin is tired, you can have my assistant drive for you.”

“……..”

Qin Yishun’s face defaulted back to seriousness again.

He didn’t know what was going on. Why did he find Bo Yueming so displeasing?

Qin Yishun was anxious about other people driving, so he just let Lin Zhong sit in the front and drove the vehicle toward the Imperial City himself.

The scenery on both sides flashed past the windows.

Not wasting any time, Qin Yishun quickly brought up business, “By the way, I’ve made a more detailed investigation here.”

“The man’s name is Xu Yongqiang. He is thirty years old, and a technician for Huajing Electric Co. He’s worked for the company for ten years.”

In the back row, Pei Yi heard this and stopped petting his cat.

An employee of ten years?

Setting aside such a decent job and being willing to do such shameful things for ambitious people behind the scenes, where was the benefit in this?

Bo Yueming asked, “Mr. Qin, did you find anything else?”

Qin Yishun spoke further, “Half a month ago, Xu Yongqiang won a large order of over a million for Huajing Electric Co. According to that company’s regulations, he could get a lot of commission.”

Bo Yueming heard what he was implying. “A technician snatched a salesman’s job?”

It was likely not snatched, but given on purpose.

“Mr. Bo, do you know who could have been behind that order?”

“Who?”

“Cheng Xingde.”

“……..”

When Pei Yi heard this completely unfamiliar name, a trace of doubt appeared in his eyes.

Fortunately, Lin Zhong sitting in the front row noticed something and turned around to ask, “Why does this name sound familiar to me? Is he a relative of the Old Sir?”

Uncle Kai had a clearer relationship with the older generation, and confirmed, “The family’s Old Sir is named Cheng Yangshan. The third eldest in his family, he was originally an intellectual. In the early years, he relied on his learning ability to become a university teaching assistant, and only now can he be addressed with an authoritative title.”

After marrying Old Mrs. Bo, the people on the other side of the family gained a lot of benefits.

“I remember that Old Mr. Bo has a nephew who runs a factory. He has been following the orders of the Leng Ceng Group these years, earning a lot of money. His name is Cheng Xinde.”

When Bo Yueming heard this, his eyes turned cold.

After going around in such a big circle, in the end, it was still related to Old Mr. Bo. Who else would use surveillance cameras to confirm the physical condition of their first-married wife?

Didn’t this clearly shed light on the problem?

Qin Yishun stopped there and changed the subject, “Mr. Bo, my auntie knows that Pei Yi is coming back tonight and cooked a big table of food. You……”

Bo Yueming’s voice cooled, but it wasn’t aimed at anyone in the car. “Mr. Qin, please take Pei Yi to dinner. I’m in a hurry to go back and deal with some things.”

“Please stop at a place where it is convenient to take a taxi.”

Pei Yi felt an unusual oppressiveness from the person next to him. “Er-ge?”

“It’s nothing.”

Bo Yueming seemed to blindly touch Inspector’s head, but actually placed a light touch on Pei Yi’s hand. “Auntie and the others must miss you. Just come back early after eating.”

“Also, the villa hasn’t been tidied up in two or three months, and maybe the servants have been slacking off too. When Uncle Kai has set the place in order, you can come back directly tonight.”

“…….”

Pei Yi knew that Bo Yueming intended to distract him, and that he might have to “make trouble” with members of the Bo family. In addition, he and Qin Yishun had not seen the Shu Wan mother and daughter for a long time—

Pei Yi hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he followed Bo Yueming’s arrangements.

. . . . . .

Before ten o’clock in the evening, Pei Yi returned to the long-unseen Bo Manor under the escort of Qin Yishun.

Originally, Shu Wan and Pei Yuan wanted to keep him at home overnight, but Pei Yi’s thoughts were still partly on Bo Yueming, so after hesitating for a long moment, he decided to come back and have a look.

The lights of the villa were still on.

On the first floor, Uncle Kai saw Pei Yi and hurriedly got up to greet him. “Little Sir, you’re back? If you’re tired, go back to your room and rest. I’ve unpacked everything.”

Pei Yi looked around, and then toward the second floor where the lights were on. “Er-ge?”

“Second Young Master is drinking alone upstairs,” Uncle Kai said with a rare sigh.

When they got home in the evening, the main branch, second branch, and Old Mr. Bo were having dinner in the main house. Because of Bo Yueming’s sudden return, everyone in the Bo family were more or less surprised.

According to the original plan, Bo Yueming directly used the “Wencheng project” as a stepping stone, expressing that he wanted to return to Bo Group.

But how could Old Mr. Bo allow him to lead him by the nose? After saying a few casual words, he just intended to temporarily evade the issue. 

There was, perhaps, an indirect confirmation that Old Mrs. Bo’s “illness” was related to Old Mr. Bo tonight, and Bo Yueming deviated from his usual calmness and restraint.

In a fit of anger, Old Mr. Bo just used his identity to make a point, and after Bo Yueming came and went, the atmosphere stagnated a bit.

Later, Bo Yueming returned to the villa where he was staying and drank wine after a simple wash.

Uncle Kai knew that he was under pressure and in a low mood, so he didn’t dare to persuade him otherwise.

“…….”

Having come home late, Pei Yi didn’t know the details, but after he opened the door on the second floor, he detected the strong scent of alcohol—

Bo Yueming was reclining on the sofa, two small empty bottles sitting on the wine table in front of him. There was only one third left of the strong whiskey in his hand.

Drinking like this, could his stomach handle it?

Pei Yi frowned as he approached, and sat down tentatively. “Er-ge?”

Bo Yueming shook the bottle by the neck, and reacted slowly for once, looking over. His dark blue eyes were misted over by alcohol, and he stared at the person in front of him with vision that was a bit out of focus.

Pei Yi had never known Bo Yueming’s true drinking capacity, let alone how much he had drunk just now, but he did know—

With such a strong, potent whiskey, it would be difficult for a normal person to remain completely sober after drinking one bottle. And Bo Yueming had been drinking in such a gloomy mood, so he probably didn’t have any clarity left.

Pei Yi tried to extract the bottle from Bo Yueming’s hand. “Er-ge, stop drinking.”

Bo Yueming let him take it, and immediately covered the mouth of the bottle with his palm. “You…..you can’t drink. This alcohol is too strong, you’ll get a headache after drinking.”

“…….”

Pei Yi was helpless, his heart warm.

How drunk was he? And he still knew to take care of him?

Pei Yi responded in a low voice, taking the bottle away, “Er-ge, they are not good. Don’t be sad.”

He had confirmed that Bo Yueming was quite drunk, so he spoke faster than usual and didn’t deliberately stammer.

Bo Yueming collapsed on the sofa and covered his face, letting out a deep, powerless sigh from behind his fingers. “Tell me, how could they do it? Grandma, Grandma is such a good person……”

Over the years, she had never treated anyone in the family badly, so why should she encounter these dirty tricks in her old age when she should be about to enjoy retirement?

Today, his original speculation had become reality. Bo Yueming loved his grandmother who had treasured him since he was a child, and hated Old Mr. Bo and his group to the bone!

“I wonder, is it because of me that they hate Grandma so much? I never actually thought about fighting over things with them, but no one believed me.”

The reason Bo Yueming co-founded the company with Yan Cen was because he once thought that when Old Mrs. Bo retired, he would be able to completely withdraw from Bo Group.

But now?

Old Mrs. Bo was hurt like this by the person who had shared her bed for many years. And he was hurt by the main branch family and almost had his entire future ruined!

What You Qinian said was right. If you didn’t have enough strength to protect everything you cared about, then all the “concessions” and “unnecessary things” would become the blade that stabbed you.

One day, would Pei Yi also become a bargaining chip for others to threaten him?

“I know that with my identity, I can’t compete, but now I have to.”

He could endure other people’s ridicule, but he couldn’t tolerate someone hurting Old Mrs. Bo, or in the future, Pei Yi!

Bo Yueming was still not interested in having too much power and status, but he must at least have the ability and status to protect Pei Yi. No matter what, he must hold on until the day Old Mrs. Bo woke up or the truth came to light.

“……..”

Facing Bo Yueming’s never-before-seen depression, gloom, and helplessness, Pei Yi was overflowing with distress.

He reached out to wrap a hand around Bo Yueming’s wrist, rubbing his thumb up and down lightly. “I believe you.”

He believed Bo Yueming’s helplessness toward his own background, he believed in Bo Yueming’s filial piety toward Old Mrs. Bo, and he believed that everything Bo Yueming was doing was a last resort.

Bo Yueming felt the warmth on his wrist and lowered his eyes slightly. “Believe me?”

“Yes.”

Pei Yi remembered one of the few comforting tricks he learned as a child, and stretched out his other hand to touch Bo Yueming’s head, coaxing, “Er-ge is good.”

“Calm, calm, no anger, no worry~”^[2]

Bo Yueming lagged a bit for a moment, and then he leaned on Pei Yi’s shoulder with a smile. “Okay.”

“Go back to your room and sleep, it isn’t good here.”

Now that the weather had turned cold, Bo Yueming drank alcohol and slept on the couch, so he would surely catch a cold when he woke up tomorrow morning.

With a little effort, Pei Yi helped Bo Yueming back to the master bedroom and placed him on the large bed.

He took a few exhausted breaths and picked up the quilt, planning to cover the other party, but before he could take any action—

Bo Yueming stretched out his hand and pulled him forcefully into the bed, hugging him into his arms.

“…….”

Facing the sudden embrace, Pei Yi was stunned for two or three seconds, and then struggled to get out.

Bo Yueming felt his resistance and slightly opened his drunken eyes. He habitually reached out to grasp the back of the other’s neck, whispering, “Kitten, be good.”

Pei Yi’s neck shrank sensitively, and the heat blowing against his ear made his heart skip a beat.

W-what did he call him? Did he hear that wrong?

Pei Yi looked up uncertainly—

It should be that the alcohol in his body had begun to permeate, so Bo Yueming hugged him in his intoxication. Compared to his previous proud, calm demeanor, there was now an illusion of “closeness and clinginess.”

Pei Yi couldn’t break free, so he grabbed the corner of his clothes and mumbled, “Bo Yueming, why are you so clingy?”

It was never written in the original text that the other party had such a side. This was quite novel and interesting.

Bo Yueming seemed to hear this complaint, and buried his head between his shoulder and neck, rubbing his head back and forth with a bit of little-known rascally behavior. “I’ll just cling to you.”

“…….”

Hearing this, Pei Yi loosened the hand holding the corner of the other’s clothes, and there was a complicated reluctance in his eyes that even he didn’t realize.

He huddled in Bo Yueming’s arms and wanted to speak, but in the end, he couldn’t express his rebuttal—

You can’t cling to me, ah, I’m leaving too.

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[1] A “phoenix man” (凤凰男) is a guy who grew up with a countryside working-class background and gained a foothold in the city through hard work. It has primarily negative connotations. ⮐

[2] This is a sort of rhyming song that a mother might sing to her child to comfort him. It goes “呼噜呼噜毛，不气不烦恼.” My translation is the best equivalent I could come up with. ⮐

---

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Chapter Forty-Eight <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty

T/N: Thanks once again to Ba 🤯 boom for the Kofi! Your bonus chapter is up after this one!

Inside a bright, spacious hall.

The staff of the relevant departments responsible for the bidding process had all dispersed, leaving only a few suppliers who were still talking and the staff of the bidding companies.

Suddenly, a thunderous shout came from the stairway, “Trash!”

Facing the sound of the “explosion,” Li Liang, the person in charge, pushed up his glasses in a panic. “Chairman Chen, please calm down first. W-we really had no idea about this situation.”

“No idea?”

Chen Shun glanced at the hall not far away, holding back his anger, “That Bo Yueming and You Qinian teamed up to deal with our family. Such a terrible thing, and you really had no idea about it?”

“The list of names was already released, and you didn’t know what to report?”

Five days ago, the relevant departments announced the companies officially participating in the bidding—

Apart from Shuntian and Bo Group, who were still on the list, the always stalwart You Group had actually “disappeared!” Instead, they were replaced with two small, little-known companies which seemed to have been temporarily brought in to accompany them.

Facing the questioning of the chairman of the group, Li Liang couldn’t express his suffering. “C-Chairman Chen, I called you immediately, but you hung up.”

“What?”

Chen Shun’s eyes shifted slightly, as if he was remembering something—

Five days ago, he suddenly received an anonymous letter, and upon opening it, it turned out to be a photo of his son-in-law embracing a prostitute at the entrance of a clubhouse and asking for a kiss.

Chen Shun’s blood surged on the spot. It must be known that his daughter Chen Xiu had been coaxed by Pan Chenggong’s sweet words in the early years, and insisted on marrying this man who had an ordinary family background and ordinary looks!

Chen Shun had always loved his daughter very much. He strongly opposed this improper relationship at the beginning, but later had to admit defeat and give the nod. 

He had originally thought that as long as Pan Chenggong was honest and didn’t cause trouble, and treated his daughter wholeheartedly, the family did not lack money anyway, and it was fine as long as his daughter was happy.

But who would have thought it?

Before getting married, Pan Chenggong had tried to be honest, but after marrying, he also embarked on a “crooked” path.

Unbeknownst to him, the idiot coveted the company’s financial resources, caused a fatal accident, and still put on airs as the “group son-in-law” to suppress the victims’ family!

If Zhao Hui hadn’t come to the door with the evidence, Chen Shun would have been kept in the dark!

But these things had already happened. For the sake of his daughter who was having a difficult pregnancy, as well as the unborn grandson, Chen Shun could only find a way to entrust Pan Chenggong to deal with it.

But how could he have known?

Only three months later, the safety equipment purchased by Pan Chenggong went wrong again, and another life was lost on the construction site of the “Jiu Metro” project!

This bastard didn’t want to settle the matter as soon as possible, and was still in the mood to go outside for entertainment?

Seeing these anonymous photos was the last straw for Chen Shun, and he criticized Pan Chenggong severely, but then his daughter Chen Xiu’s delivery happened to come up.

In the past few days, the addition of miscellaneous affairs had caused him to somewhat neglect group matters.

Li Liang saw that Chen Shun was silent for a long time, his expression changing again and again, so he quickly took the blame himself. “I’m sorry, Chairman Chen!”

“It’s my fault. I thought that You Group felt they had no chance of winning, so they withdrew from the bidding at the last moment. Yes, it was my carelessness.”

“……”

Withdrew at the last moment?

Did You Qinian seem to be a character who would withdraw at the last moment?

Chen Shun just didn’t expect that You Qinian would be willing to cooperate with Bo Yueming outside, and even voluntarily cede leadership in the consortium bidding!

In the initial bidding and explanation session just now, the opponent’s advantage was obviously higher than their Shuntian’s. Even before the second round of private quotations, Chen Shun asked Li Liang to lead the project team to temporarily compress the project points—

But it was no longer possible to ensure the absolute advantage of the Shuntian Group in this bidding!

Thinking that such a huge project might be taken up by Bo Yueming and You Qinian, Chen Shun just couldn’t wait to get in the way and ruin it!

It was a pity that the bidding process was over, and they could only patiently wait for the final result.

Chen Shun stretched out his finger and ruthlessly poked the chest of the team leader, Li Liang. “Let me tell you, if this project doesn’t fall on our Shuntian’s head, you can pack up and leave!”

Li Liang knew that he was being treated as a scapegoat, and suppressed the anger in his heart. “Yes.”

It wasn’t until Chen Shun quickly walked into the corridor that the respect on his face suddenly vanished, and he cursed secretly, “Old thing!”

. . . . . .

In the elevator hall, Lin Zhong had been waiting and was the first to locate Chen Shun’s figure. He quickly moved to Bo Yueming’s ear and whispered, “Mr. Bo, Chen Shun is back!”

“Look at his complexion, it looks terrible.”

The last half of the sentence clearly contained a hint of gloating.

It wasn’t that he was bragging. Bo took the lead and You assisted, and since the two sides confirmed the cooperation—

The greatest sincerity had been given in the fusion and modification of various data, and today’s bidding was practically a crushing victory visible to the naked eye!

Although the final result had not yet come out, Lin Zhong felt that good news was a sure thing.

Bo Yueming understood clearly, but still warned, “Don’t talk too much.”

“Yes.”

Lin Zhong hurriedly restrained himself, waiting for Chen Shun to enter the elevator hall before calmly greeting him, “Chairman Chen.”

Bo Yueming played the blind man. “Chairman Chen is here too?”

Chen Shun felt aggrieved at the sight of Bo Yueming’s face. He obviously didn’t deserve this.

As soon as that voice fell, the elevator door opened.

With Lin Zhong’s support, Bo Yueming slowly stepped into the elevator and issued a seemingly friendly invitation, “Chairman Chen, the bidding has ended. Will you come down with us?”

“It just so happens that I’m free today and I’m in a good mood. If Mr. Chen is willing to show his face, may I treat you back?”

“……”

Good mood? Treat him back?

The two sentences were neither warm nor cold, and imperceptibly hit Chen Shun’s pain point again. He tried his best to maintain a calm expression, and walked steadily into the elevator.

The heavy steel doors closed.

Chen Shun stared at Bo Yueming in the glass mirror of the elevator, and gave an imperceptible hum. “Mr. Bo, I really underestimated you, ah.”

Bo Yueming asked while already knowing the answer, “Why don’t I understand what Chairman Chen said?”

“Mr. Bo, smart people don’t tell lies.” Chen Shun got straight to the point. “When did you get in touch with You Qinian? With You’s competitiveness, he actually agreed to step back and let you, Bo, take the lead?”

Bo Yueming rubbed his fingertips. “I hear that Shuntian and You Group have always been bitter rivals? There is an old saying, Mr. Chen should have heard of it, right?”

Chen Shun frowned. “What?”

“The enemy of my enemy can naturally be my friend.”

Bo Yueming removed his guide glasses. The eyes hidden under the lenses were deep and cold as they looked straight at Chen Shun in the elevator door mirror, as if seeing right through all the dirt and filth—

“Threats and bribes caused Feng Zheng, the former head team leader of Bo Group, to flee. And you learned about our Bo Group’s first bidding plan through irregular means.”

“Chairman Chen, you should still remember what you did?”

“…….”

Chen Shun subconsciously avoided Bo Yueming’s gaze. He who was used to seeing all sorts of things actually felt that Bo Yueming’s imposing manner was a bit terrifying.

Lin Zhong played by ear, adding, “Chairman Chen, we have discovered Feng Zheng’s whereabouts and sued him for ‘leaking company secrets!’”

“In time, the relevant judicial personnel should come to Chen Shun to inquire about the situation.”

Chen Shun was so angry he could barely speak. “You……”

At the same time, the elevator’s electronic notification sounded: “Hello, you have arrived at the first floor! Wishing you safe entry and exit!”

Bo Yueming put on his guide glasses again, and walked out of the elevator with the “support” of Lin Zhong.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded, “Er-ge!”

“……”

Bo Yueming was stunned for a moment, not expecting Pei Yi to suddenly appear in the first floor hall. “Pei Yi?”

Pei Yi responded with a smile and a hum.

The slower Uncle Kai also came up and explained, “Second Young Master, Little Sir insisted on coming to see you.”

“Xiao Dong is not at home these days. I feared that Little Sir would be bored at home, so I brought him here. Is it inconvenient?”

Lin Zhong replied, “No, Uncle Kai. The bidding has ended.”

Uncle Kai was concerned. “How did it go?”

Pei Yi was also quite concerned about this matter, so he pricked up his ears to listen in.

Before Bo Yueming could speak, Chen Shun stopped him from behind in an untimely manner. “The results won’t come out until five days later. Is Mr. Bo so sure about who will win?”

Pei Yi tilted his upper body to the side, and then saw Chen Shun, who had been completely blocked by Bo Yueming. “Ah! A person is behind Er-ge!”

“…….”

Chen Shun’s forced smile suddenly froze.

What did this mean? Was he mocking him for being short?

Pei Yi couldn’t be bothered to pay any attention to Chen Shun, so he tugged on Bo Yueming’s cuff again. “Er-ge, celebrate. I, I’ll treat you!”

The smile at the corners of Bo Yueming’s lips deepened. “You’ll treat me? Do you have any money?”

Pei Yi nodded. “I have it!”

And he had earned a lot in the past two months, he was rich and arrogant!

He knew that Bo Yueming had officially ended his bidding related work today, and wanted to celebrate with him, as well as let Uncle Kai, who cooked every day, relax.

Pei Yi feared that Bo Yueming and others would be suspicious, so he found an excuse and muttered, “Mama gave it, my money.”

“Okay.”

Bo Yueming took the opportunity to grab his hand, and turned around to say perfunctorily, “Chairman Chen, are you free tonight? Pei Yi and I still owe you a meal.”

“…….”

Chen Shun was speechless.

Pei Yi was even more unhappy, and changed his words, “Then, I don’t have any money.”

He didn’t save Chen Shun any face inside or outside of his words. Invite this kind of person to dinner? Then he might as well use the money for charity!

The dignified chairman of Shuntian Group was actually given the cold shoulder back and forth by a young couple here? 

Chairman Chen couldn’t let this go!

His calculating eyes lost their smile, and instead were filled with anger and ruthlessness.

“Mr. Bo, young people still need to learn to restrain themselves.”

“See clearly who the territory of Wencheng belongs to. Not to mention that the bidding for this project is not yet determined, so what if it is won by you? Don’t be happy too early, and be careful…..”

Chen Shun deliberately paused and glanced at Pei Yi, who had made him suffer the most, “……of getting hurt, ah.”

Sensing this blatant threat, Bo Yueming immediately shielded Pei Yi behind him, and his original powerful, cold aura spread out again.

“Chairman Chen, you have been taught a lesson, but I also want to tell you—”

“What?”

“Prosperity and decline never last, everything is cyclical. Wencheng may not continue to be your territory.”

When Chen Shun heard Bo Yueming’s counterattack, he felt that he was putting on a front.

He and Shuntian Group had taken root in Wencheng and developed and grew together with the city. Although they had been in conflict with You Group, if they were strictly compared, Shuntian was still slightly better!

Wencheng was not his territory? Then whose territory could it be?

Just as Chen Shun let out a sneer, his assistant hurried back from the parking lot. “Chairman Chen, something happened! Manager Pan was taken away by the police!”

Chen Shun’s expression changed.

The anxious, fast-talking assistant realized the existence of Bo Yueming and the others, but due to the seriousness of the matter, he had to lower his voice to inform, “Mr. Gao called, please go back as soon as you finish up here!”

The assistant didn’t dare to say much in front of outsiders—

Not long ago, the families of the victims who died accidentally on the construction site had gathered together at the headquarters, holding big-character posters and shouting one after another, crying and making a commotion. Even many business-oriented media and individual reporters rushed to hear the news!

They used equipment to shoot, interview, record, and even live broadcast the complaints of the victims’ families, and there were quite a number of viewers!

Pan Chenggong had now been taken away by the police, but there were still law enforcement officers waiting for Chen Shun—

It was said that he was involved in at least two serious accident liability crimes!

“……..”

Chen Shun’s expression shifted again and again.

Bo Yueming seemed to have already been aware of everything that would happen today. “It seems Chairman Chen will be very busy in the near future, so let’s make an appointment another time.”

Chen Shun had a suspicion that Bo Yueming had something to do with this. He displayed his anger for once, gritting his teeth, “Bo Yueming, you wait and see!”

After saying this, he took his assistant and left quickly.

Looking at his pretentious retreat, Pei Yi couldn’t hold back a soft “Pff.”

Uncle Kai was startled, but couldn’t help stopping him, “Little Sir, don’t be like this. It’s not polite.”

“Oh.”

Pei Yi immediately behaved honestly.

Hearing the kitten’s cute and revealing tone, Bo Yueming suppressed a smile before saying, “Let’s go, ba. Our Little Sir said he’s treating us tonight.”

“……”

Pei Yi’s face was suddenly on fire, and the memory was automatically imprinted in his mind.

This was the first time he heard Bo Yueming call him “Little Sir.” Why did it seem different from when Uncle Kai and Lin Zhong addressed him that way?

Very strange!

. . . . . . .

A week later, at Linshui Pavilion in the World Trade Center.

The manager of the restaurant brought out the champagne, and respectfully said to You Qinian in the main seat, “Director You, shall I pour it now?”

“En.”

You Qinian looked at Bo Yueming and Pei Yi who were facing each other, and there was a rare smile on his scarred face. “Pour for Mr. Bo and the others. We will have a good celebration tonight.”

The bidding results of the Wencheng Sports Center came out two days previous. Shuntian Group lost, while Bo and You, who were hiding behind, successfully won.

Facing this anticipated result, You Qinian asked the restaurant manager to reserve a table a week in advance.

Not only that, but he also booked five tables for the celebration banquet in the hotel below, in order to reward the employees of both parties who had worked hard on this project.

“Yes.”

The restaurant manager poured champagne in turn for the four seated people.

Pei Yi’s gaze followed the manager’s hand, carrying a secret hint of anticipation—

There were outsiders present tonight, so Bo Yueming wouldn’t directly refuse him being poured some, right? Just a sip! Even one sip was good!

The moment this thought came to mind, Bo Yumeing shattered his expectations. “Pei Yi can’t drink, change it to fruit juice, ba.”

“…….”

The corners of Pei Yi’s mouth drooped, and he didn’t even have the strength to sigh.

Zhang Shunzhi, who was seated next to You Qinian, noticed Pei Yi’s unhappiness. He smiled and handed his untouched champagne to the restaurant manager. “Then I won’t drink tonight either. Let us drink juice with Little Mister Pei.”

“I remember I bought a batch of sparkling citrus juice before? Let’s drink that.”

“Yes, Mr. Zhang.”

The restaurant manager quickly switched to sparkling citrus juice.

Zhang Shunzhi pushed up his glasses with a smile. “Little Mister Pei, give it a try?”

“…….”

Pei Yi was really not interested in the drink, and was a little resentful. Playing the fool, he took two sips from the glass.

Within three seconds, his eyes brightened.

Zhang Shunzhi met his gaze and asked knowingly, “Is it tasty?”

Although this drink was non-alcoholic, because of its special production, it had a taste that simulated alcohol.

Pei Yi nodded, grudgingly satisfied.

You Qinian glanced at Bo Yueming on the other side. He knew he was pretending in front of Pei Yi, but for the sake of the happy cooperation between the two parties, he was willing to help cover it up.

“Mr. Bo, happy cooperation.”

You Qinian took the initiative to clink his glass against Bo Yueming’s.

Bo Yueming took a sip of champagne. “Director You, don’t you feel that you are at a disadvantage now?”

You Qinian raised his eyebrows slightly. “To be honest, the shareholders of the group were very opposed to it at first. In order to reach a cooperation with Mr. Bo, I was under a lot of pressure a while ago.”

“However, Mr. Bo was right, this 4-6 share is indeed not a disadvantage.”

Although You Group’s benefits in the project were less, due to the “sacking” of Chen Shun and Shuntian Group, from a long-term perspective, You Group had made a lot of profit!

Public opinion had been fermenting for seven days.

There were the accusations made by the victims’ families led by Qiao Dong, the recordings of Chen Shun and Pan Chenggong that broke out on the internet, the safety problems and legal issues regarding Shuntian Group’s “Jiu Metro,” and the financial fraud within Shuntian Group.

With You Qinian’s covert assistance, each piece fermented smoothly.

After Chen Shun and Pan Chenggong were taken away by the police, they had thus far been charged with multiple crimes, and could not be released on bail. The high-level shareholders of Shuntian had also become a mess.

Due to safety issues and violations on the construction site, the construction permit of the Jiu Metro project was revoked, and all construction was forced to stop!

In addition, because of the accidental worker deaths during the project, it was possible that Shuntian Group would have difficulty in obtaining building permits for other projects in the next year!

For You group, this was an excellent opportunity to kick out the opponent’s company in one fell swoop!

Now, none of the top members of You Group dared to raise doubts or complaints against You Qinian, and even the You family members who coveted the title of “Executive Director” were forced to calm down.

Seeing You Qinian’s carefree expression, Pei YI was puzzled—

To be able to open a restaurant with such atmosphere and taste as Linshui Pavilion, You Qinian was definitely not someone who was obsessed with power. In any case, rich people could make money wherever they were, so why bother to stay in the top position of the You family?

Just as he was thinking, Bo Yueming beside him said something similar, “Director You, with your personality, there is no need to sit in a position you don’t enjoy.”

Pei Yi inwardly agreed.

You Qinian was similar to Bo Yueming, but also different.

The reason that Bo Yueming dealt with the Bo family was because he had to work hard to support Old Mrs. Bo in her hospital bed.

A wry smile appeared on You Qinian’s mouth. “I used to think it was unnecessary, but I couldn’t stop others from thinking that I was ambitious and wished to fight for power.”

“Mr. Bo, if you don’t have sufficient power and status to protect yourself and your loved ones, sooner or later, what is ‘unnecessary’ will become ‘necessary.’”

When it came to the last half of the sentence, You Qinian’s tone carried a rare hint of charitable good intentions.

“…….”

Protect your loved ones?

Bo Yueming remained silent, his eyes hidden under the glasses, and unconsciously glanced at Pei Yi, who was sipping his drink.

Zhang Shunzhi sensed You Qinian’s emotions, and tightly held his hand under the cover of the table to comfort him.

You Qinian quickly returned to his senses and punished himself with half a glass of champagne. “Apologies, I lost my composure.”

Bo Yueming also had a sense of propriety and drank as well, saying, “Director You, I am the one who stepped out of bounds.”

“Mr. Bo, it isn’t your problem.”

Likely because their partnership had been confirmed, You Qinian had lost an element of vigilance against them. From what he had revealed about the past, Bo Yueming and Pei Yi knew what was going on—

You Qinian was the grandson of the former director, Old Mr. You.

As the youngest daughter in the family, You Qinian’s mother had always been specially doted on, but it was a pity that she suffered from an incurable eye disease at a young age.

The old You family couple loved their daughter and recruited a son-in-law for her, and she gave birth to You Qinian within a few years of marrying. His parents’ love naturally transferred to him.

From childhood to adulthood, You Qinan had never experienced any hardships.

This lasted until the old couple were both ill in bed, and their children began to compete for property.

You Qinian and his parents had the least intention of fighting for anything, but they became the first victims in this battle, and even Zhang Shunzhi was forced to be involved. His father and mother were so overcome that they ended up in the hospital, his face was ruined, and even his companion was disabled.

You Qinian was given a taste of being powerless, so he was even more determined to protect the people around him.

If it wasn’t for his parents and Zhang Shunzhi, he would have dared to gamble his position and future with this bidding, but it was precisely due to this weakness—-

He must have power and status, and he must have more reservations and scruples when making decisions.

Forming an alliance with Bo Yueming was the safest and surest way he could think of.

You Qinian got back on topic. “Now that this project has been successfully won, does Mr. Bo plan to stay here or return to the Imperial Capital?”

“Once the handover is completed, I will return in ten days to half a month.”

Bo Yueming had his own arrangements. “Director You, in terms of future cooperation, you can contact Song Yuanyuan on our side at any time. If you encounter any problems, he will report to me in a timely manner.”

After more than two months of working together, Bo Yueming had confirmed that Song Yuanyuan’s ability and character were trustworthy.

You Qinian was appropriately direct, saying bluntly, “In addition to this cooperation, we can also be considered friends. If there is anything I can do to help in the future, Mr. Bo can call upon me at any time.”

“Thank you.”

Just after nine o’clock, the two parties concluded their small dinner banquet.

Pei Yi and Bo Yueming got into the back of the car, and before Lao Zhang started the engine—

The phone in Pei Yi’s pocket rang unexpectedly, and he fumbled it out in surprise to answer it. “Hello?”

Qin Yishun’s voice sounded. “Xiao Yi, good evening. You haven’t gone to sleep yet?”

“No,” Pei Yi replied. “Good evening to Brother too!”

During this time, Pei Yi and Qin Yishun kept in touch online, and the other party would show him videos of Inspector every night.

“…….”

Bo Yueming was casual on the surface, but was in fact listening intently.

Qin Yishun chuckled when he heard his little brother’s cute and skillful greeting and wanted to chat with Pei Yi a little more, but remembered the important reason he had made this call—

“Xiao Yi, is Bo Yueming by your side?”

Pei Yi glanced at Bo Yueming beside him. “En.”

Qin Yishun’s tone was still soft. “Little Brother, give him the phone, please?”

Pei Yi was a little puzzled, but obediently handed the phone to Bo Yueming. “Er-ge, here.”

Bo Yueming frowned as he took it. “Hey, this is Bo Yueming.”

“It’s me.”

Qin Yishun’s tone changed at once. The gentleness that belonged to his little brother was gone, and only business-like seriousness remained.

Bo Yueming felt like something was wrong, but didn’t know what it was. “Mr. Qin, since you called Pei Yi, why do you want to speak to me?”

“I want to make sure that Second Young Master is taking good care of my brother anytime and anywhere.”

Qin Yishun didn’t hide his intentions, and quickly got to the point after that brief explanation. “There is something I need to tell you.”

Bo Yueming understood and once, and said anxiously, “What is it?”

“It has to do with Mingxi Manor and the Old Lady. We just caught someone.”

---

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Chapter Forty-Seven <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Nine

The next day, Luo Ran went to work as usual.

Tomorrow, Lucas would leave for Luobing, and had also said he would be taking him along, so Luo Ran had to make more preparations to ensure that the handover could be settled before they left.

“Secretary Luo.” Just after midnight, the captain of the investigation team handed a document to Luo Ran.

Knowing that the captain was coming to hand over the document in person, Luo Ran had already dismissed Rong Duo, so there were only the two of them outside the office.

The captain said: “We looked into the relationship between the Lion Hunters Chamber of Commerce and the First Prince, and confirmed that the First Prince did give J9 to the Lion Hunters. Also, the reason why the medicine is sold so cheaply is because the First Prince is paying for it.”

Luo Ran frowned slightly.

That was to say, the First Prince provided the factory costs, and the chamber of commerce was only responsible for selling it and making money?

So in order to make more money, they simply sold it cheaper, and had zero cost at all.

Why was the First Prince doing this? What was the benefit?

“As for whether the Lion Hunters Chamber of Commerce is composed of star pirates, we cannot yet confirm, but the foreign chairman of the chamber of commerce is Earl Randolph.”

“Okay.”

Luo Ran nodded.

After he sat down, he continued to ponder the First Prince’s purpose.

Perhaps he needed the star pirates along with their military strength, so he was willing to give them so many benefits.

Perhaps because Lucas inflicted heavy losses on the star pirates before, both the First Prince and Huntsman wanted to restore the star pirates’ vitality as soon as possible.

Or was it actually not that complicated, and the chamber of commerce was just a means for the First Prince to make money?

Luo Ran paused. He checked the information and called home.

“Mom……”

“What’s wrong, Ranran?”

“Can you give me Aunt Yu’s contact information?”

Luo Ran wanted to get back in touch with the blind date who had blacklisted him, Yu Han. Firstly to apologize and explain the situation, and then to ask him for a favor.

After all, Yu Han worked in the government’s financial department.

Luo Ran didn’t intend to bother him at first, and didn’t want to pester others for help. But now, Luo Ran must be sure of one thing.

According to speculation and Zhou Mingkai’s unintentional disclosure, Yu Han had been bribed and intimidated into blocking him so decisively. Otherwise, even if Lucas went to question him, this wouldn’t be the case, and he might even feel forced.

But Luo Ran was certain that Lucas would not do such a thing. He would only make trouble on the surface, and after making trouble, he might even feel self-righteous about it.

So……

Now the First Prince was suspected to be in collusion with the star pirates. It had not yet been confirmed, but Luo Ran and the others were investigating him.

So Luo Ran didn’t want to miss anything about the First Prince.

Luo Ran contacted Mother Yu, explained the situation to her straightforwardly and honestly, and asked her to relay it on his behalf.

After a while, Yu Han called him directly.

Luo Ran breathed a sigh of relief, and said politely after connecting: “Mr. Yu.”

Yu Han’s voice was still steady and gentle, with no anger or grievance. After understanding the situation, he explained to Luo Ran in detail the characteristics of those who had blackmailed him.

Then Luo Ran made an appointment with Yu Han.

Luo Ran said: “When I return from Luobing, I will contact Mr. Yu. I’ll arrange the location. It is best for this to be kept confidential.”

Even though Luo Ran wouldn’t mention the royal family, it was still a bit sensitive to ask Yu Han to help investigate.

After everything was finalized, Luo Ran put down the terminal and saw Lucas standing to the side with a very bad expression, looking at Luo Ran silently.

“Admiral……? When did you come back?” Luo Ran was startled.

Lucas said with a sneer: “When you made an appointment with that ‘Mr. Yu.’ Is it Yu Han? Your blind date?”

“…….” Luo Ran said: “Admiral, Mr. Yu and I……”

“Shut up!” Lucas bared his teeth and said: “What, is this a resurgence of old feelings? You want to make an appointment to chat in a secret place?”

“…….” Luo Ran said: “Admiral, please let me explain. I contacted Yu Han for this.”

Luo Ran directly passed the investigation team’s report to Lucas.

“Mr. Yu works in the Ministry of Finance, he can help me leverage the data.”

“…….” Lucas scoffed coldly. “You can call someone else to leverage the data, I don’t like you contacting him.”

Lucas paused and then turned his head: “I don’t like you contacting your blind date partner. You obviously like me, so why is there still a blind date…..”

The more he spoke, the more wronged he felt.

“……I like you?” Luo Ran was even more confused.

“You think I don’t know?” Lucas bared his teeth and said: “You said it clearly. You told the princess from Luobing whose name I can’t remember at that previous banquet!”

“…….”

“You heard that?”

Luo Ran stared blankly at Lucas.

Finished. He was finished.

“I, I……” Luo Ran lowered his head and said: “I lied to Her Royal Highness Lilia…….I, I spoke nonsense, just to make Her Royal Highness stop pestering me.”

“…….”

The atmosphere was suddenly quiet.

Still.

Eerily silent.

Three minutes later.

Lucas released Luo Ran’s collar and whispered: “You mean, you lied to her, and you don’t like me?”

“…….” Luo Ran was a little nervous, and nodded in a daze.

Lucas turned around blankly and left without saying a word.

He went back to the military department.

Holding the juice in his hand, Luo Ran stood there in a daze and thoroughly panicked.

W-was he angry?

He seemed very……sad?

Had he accidentally……hurt Lucas?

. . . . . .

Presently, at the military shooting range.

“Bam! Bam!”

“Bam!”

Wang Qiuyang and Lu Cheng exchanged glances.

What was the matter with the admiral? Didn’t he leave? Why was he here again?

Standing alone in the shooting range and continuously firing, the aura around him looked extremely depressed.

Almost depressed enough to murder people.

Wang Qiuyang nudged Lu Cheng with his elbow, motioning for him to go ask.

Lu Cheng: “…….”

Lu Cheng bared his teeth and nudged Wang Qiuyang back with his elbow.

If you want someone to go, then you go! I’m not going to die!

“Come here!” Lucas suddenly turned his head and said to the two of them viciously: “What are you doing chattering behind me? Come and train with me!”

“…….”

The two went, resigned to their fates.

Clatter.

Lucas threw the gun to the side with force and changed to a different one, shooting wildly at the distant target.

Keeping his silence.

. . . . . . 

“Secretary Luo, Secretary Luo!”

“Ah……?”

Luo Ran suddenly returned to his senses, and only then did he realize that Rong Duo was calling for him.

“What’s wrong with Secretary Luo? Are you uncomfortable?” Rong Duo was a bit worried.

Luo Ran was clearly not in the right state today.

“It’s nothing.” Luo Ran rubbed his temples.

Rong Duo handed a document to Luo Ran and said: “I’ve sorted it out, Secretary Luo can look it over.”

“En, thank you.”

The office door opened. Lucas was about to go downstairs for a meeting.

“Admiral……!” Luo Ran hurriedly got up with a smile. “Is the admiral going to discuss a new escort route for the ice mines? Do you want me to come along?”

Lucas glanced at Luo Ran, opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak, and finally turned his head, going downstairs without a word.

“…….”

Staring at Lucas’s back, Luo Ran was stunned.

Rong Duo could see Luo Ran unconsciously rubbing the hem of his clothes with his hands beside her, and his complexion was also a little pale.

T-they quarreled…….?

No wonder Luo Ran was in a sluggish state today.

Rong Duo was a little surprised.

Wow, the secretary and the admiral also had fights?

“Secretary Luo…….don’t worry, just……” Rong Duo thought to herself, quarrel and then make up in bed, what’s the big deal!

“The admiral has a bad memory, he’ll stop being angry in no time!”

“En.” Luo Ran nodded absently, then got up and said: “I’ll go to the medical department.”

He was going to ask Shen Xiluo for a signature.

Xia Zhi was also in the medical department now, and when he saw Luo Ran coming, he immediately stepped forward and dragged him to have a cup of coffee together.

“Ranran is leaving again tomorrow,” Xia Zhi said with a sigh. “Ranran is different when he’s being pursued by the admiral. He doesn’t come drink coffee with me very much anymore.”

The two of them were sitting at a booth in the medical department’s restaurant, as Luo Ran had decided to stay for a meal while he was here.

Luo Ran paused, and said: “Xiaxia, can I ask you a few questions?”

“En?”

Luo Ran said: “Can you distinguish between a romantic sort of love and the love you have for family? If……if you accidentally hurt someone else, I mean…….”

Luo Ran had always been calm and professional. Now, seeing Luo Ran out of his wits, Xia Zhi knew the reason without even thinking about it, and interrupted: “Did you have a fight with the admiral? Relationship problems?”

“No.” Luo Ran didn’t know what to say. “I rejected the admiral’s confession. We……”

Luo Ran fell silent as he got his words together.

“The reason for your refusal……” Xia Zhi raised his eyebrows and said: “Is because you think the admiral likes you, but not in that way?”

“……..” Luo Ran recalled that day in the bathroom. Lucas’s reaction really gave him a wakeup call.

If it was someone Lucas didn’t like, he would definitely feel disgusted, and wouldn’t have had……that kind of reaction.

Luo Ran said: “That’s not it.”

“Then do you think it’s your own liking for the admiral that isn’t like that?”

“…….I don’t know.”

Xia Zhi said: “Then can you accept the admiral liking others?”

Luo Ran was stunned, and said: “I never thought……the admiral wouldn’t like others, he’s too resistant to outsiders. It’s impossible.”

“Then why is he still pursuing you so hard?” Xia Zhi looked at Luo Ran with a smile: “If it’s like what you said, then what are you afraid of?”

Luo Ran froze.

Xia Zhi filled up Luo Ran’s cup, lowered his eyes, and said: “Your situation itself is a circle, and you’re too smart and cautious to get yourself out of it.”

“You cherish him so much that you dare not take that step, but why do you cherish him so much? If you think the admiral doesn’t understand love and doesn’t really like you, then why do you have such a concept? You think it’s good now, so you can accept maintaining the status quo, and in the future he won’t give his tenderness to others?”

Luo Ran stared senselessly at the food in front of him, and didn’t move the chopsticks in his hand.

He felt uncomfortable and sad when Lucas was cold toward him.

For the first time, Luo Ran imagined Lucas being kind to others.

It felt impossible.

But if Lucas really cared for another person tenderly and trusted them unconditionally……

Dating and marrying another person, kissing them, being intimate with them, exposing his lion’s belly……

Luo Ran frowned slightly, tightening his grip on his chopsticks.

“Let’s eat, ba, and talk when we’re full.” Xia Zhi used his chopsticks to give Luo Ran a piece of meat. “Eat more meat and add some protein. It’s really hard work to go to Luobing with the admiral in your current spiritual state.”

. . . . . .

The next day, the team officially set out for Luobing.

This time, it was just a military parade, so Lucas didn’t bring the army with him. Besides, he was on “vacation,” so he just brought Wang Qiuyang and Freeman, plus a small team to set off.

“This time, we’re going to the Luobing frontier. The journey will be relatively long. The admiral plans to stop at a few army stations and Empire patrol strongholds along the way.” Standing by the window, Wang Qiuyang and Luo Ran watched the battleship leave the Empire and enter the increasingly cold space.

Luo Ran put on a thick winter jacket.

He enjoyed standing by the window of the battleship and watching the scenery, and would rather give up the heating in his battleship room to see the vast universe and starry expanse.

This was the scenery that Lucas had watched since he was a child.

After traveling for half a day, the battleship stopped at a stronghold.

Lucas asked Wang Qiuyang to stay with Luo Ran on the battleship for a while, and went down to see if it was warm enough.

Luo Ran was not in a good spiritual state now, and Lucas didn’t want him be blown by the cold wind.

After all, a military station base was naturally crude, and a group of soldiers would not fear the cold.

Five minutes later, Freeman came up and said: “Secretary Luo can go down!”

Luo Ran asked: “Where is the admiral now?”

“Ah, he and the commander here went to the shooting range!”

Luo Ran nodded, and said with a smile: “Can I go and have a look?”

When Luo Ran arrived at the shooting range, he saw Lucas standing aside and competing with the commander.

There was an interesting game in the Luobing military camp, and could be regarded as exercise, which was to play with snowflakes. A machine would drop large flakes of snow from the sky, and the soldiers could compete to see who could hit more in three minutes.

The snowflakes were light and thin, making them much harder to hit than the targets.

As soon as Lucas arrived, he was dragged into a game by the commander, and he had just now won a round.

It was an overwhelming victory, with a score of 81 to 34.

Simply an inhuman achievement.

“Who else is not convinced?” Lucas shook the gun in his hand and raised his eyebrows, saying: “Bring yourselves up here! I want to compete in a few games!”

Luo Ran hesitated, then stood next to Lucas and picked up a gun.

The audience was in an uproar, and began to shout and applaud.

Lucas was surprised, and looked at Luo Ran with a frown.

He had been ignoring Luo Ran all day, but Luo Ran took the initiative to confront Lucas in full public view.

Lucas paused and wanted to say something, but turned and left in the end.

The commander and the others stared at them blankly, not daring to speak.

Luo Ran put down his gun with a smile and chased after him.

“Admiral!”

Lucas strode aboard the battleship.

He didn’t want to leave Luo Ran like this, but he was really suffering. He had caused so much trouble for Luo Ran, and he didn’t want to lose his temper in front of Luo Ran and hurt him.

He needed to vent by himself, and then he could once again continue to pursue Luo Ran.

“Admiral……!”

“Ah……hiss.”

Luo Ran seemed to have sprained his ankle.

“? !”

Lucas frowned, and subconsciously stopped, turning around.

Then Luo Ran threw himself into his arms.

Luo Ran directly rushed into Lucas’s arms and pushed him against the wall.

Lucas: “? ? ?”

Fuck, he was faking it!

“Admiral, listen to me,” Luo Ra said. “Don’t leave yet.”

Presently, Luo Ran had stretched out his hands to block Lucas between his body and the wall, but because of the difference in height and figure, it looked like Luo Ran was being hugged.

This may be Luo Ran’s first and only gaffe in his life.

Luo Ran feared Lucas would leave, so he didn’t let him speak, and immediately said: “I like you, I like you.”

Lucas froze in place, suspecting that he had heard wrong.

Luo Ran lowered his head. His ears and cheeks were blushing almost to the point of bleeding. In any case, he had said everything, broken the jar, and tossed it all out there.

“I…..I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to lie to you.”

Lucas was stunned, and subconsciously reached out to gently rub the back of Luo Ran’s head.

Luo Ran took a deep breath and said earnestly: “I don’t believe in myself, but I believe in you.”

“Admiral, I like you, sincerely.”

“Would you like to try being with me?”

---

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Chapter Sixty-Three << Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Five

T/N: Than you to Ian for the Kofi! Your bonus chapter is up after this one.

“Can I?”

Luo Ran’s pheromones made him somewhat……unable to control himself.

At this moment, Luo Ran had his head buried in Lucas’s arms, unconsciously emitting pheromones.

An Alpha would be induced by an Omega’s pheromones to go into rut and lose his mind. Lucas was an SSS Alpha, so there had never been an Omega who could affect him, and he had been basically isolated from the pheromones in the outside world.

But Luo Ran was an SSS Omega, someone he had given a temporary mark to before, and……

He was the person he liked.

Lucas had no ability to refuse him.

His breathing was even heavier than Luo Ran’s.

However a temporary mark and teasing were completely different from suppressing someone with pheromones. Unless it was in a moment of crisis like before, Lucas was unwilling to mark him unless Luo Ran was willing.

“Can I?” Lucas hugged Luo Ran tightly and urgently asked again.

“…….” Luo Ran panted heavily and didn’t know how to answer.

The first time, he was marked by an inebriated Lucas, and the second time, Lucas acted during an emergency while he was unconscious. 

Luo Ran had never experienced being actively and consciously marked.

He gripped Lucas’s shoulders harder and harder, and the pain became increasingly more unbearable.

Luo Ran couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Luo Ran…….!” Lucas looked distressed. “Can I or not!”

Luo Ran closed his eyes and said in a whisper: “Can anyone see……”

There seemed to be no other option.

If he was not marked by Lucas, even if he gritted his teeth and endured the pain, it would damage his spiritual power in the long run.

He had to rely on Lucas’s pheromone therapy.

“No.” Lucas turned sideways to block Luo Ran and said: “I’ll know if someone comes.”

The two men were huddling in the corner at this moment, covered by the curtains. Luo Ran was pressed against the glass window, and the night illumination spilled in, coating Luo Ran in a layer of silver light.

Although he knew that no one could see in from outside, Luo Ran could see the scenery outside and his own faint reflection, so he was still very tense and ill at ease.

A mark……

Let Lucas mark him……

Did he really want to do it?

Luo Ran was suddenly a bit lost in thought.

He saw the scene behind Lucas change.

A sky that was dyed blood red.

This was a scene that Luo Ran had never experienced, and he was struck with confusion.

“Luo Ran.” Lucas gripped Luo Ran’s chin, forcing him to look up at him, and said word by word, “Trust me.”

“…….”

Luo Ran took a deep breath, lowered his head toward Lucas, and exposed the Omega gland on the back of his neck in silent acquiescence. 

Facing this sort of defenseless trust of an Omega, no Alpha could resist.

Lucas held Luo Ran’s waist with one hand and pressed the back of his head with the other.

With Luo Ran’s head lowered, he could see the line connecting his neck to his shoulder with the most perfect proportions. The skin of his neck was covered by a high collar all year-round, delicate and fair.

The closer he got, the better he could smell the elegant and fragrant scent of white tea.

The scent was very light, and even the pheromones had a sense of distance.

The pheromones went to his head, and he wanted to possess this unfathomable person in front of him.

Lucas bowed his head and bit down on the soft, slightly protruding skin.

“Wu……”

The moment the pheromones invaded his body, Luo Ran’s brow tensed and he subconsciously tried to escape, but Lucas’s hands were like big iron clamps, and he couldn’t move.

The overwhelming pheromones pouring into his body through the glands made Luo Ran feel only one thing from his limbs to his brain — the feeling of being marked.

……Being taken.

The temporary marking only lasted for a moment before Lucas finished, moving away from Luo Ran’s gland.

Lucas gently rubbed the back of Luo Ran’s head and said: “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Luo Ran was completely unable to remain upright, and leaned his entire weight on Lucas.

“Don’t cry, it won’t hurt anymore.” Lucas covered Luo Ran’s eyes with his palm.

Luo Ran was taken aback for a moment, and only then noticed that his eyes were misted over, but he wasn’t really crying, either. It was just the physiological tears from being marked.

“I’m not crying.”

After being marked, Luo Ran’s storm of stabbing pain suddenly disappeared. Although the pain was still buzzing in his head, it was within his tolerable range.

The pain gradually receded, and Luo Ran felt it was miraculous.

Luo Ran continued to try to stay upright, but didn’t notice that he was encircling Lucas’s neck with his arms.

“Luo Ran,” Lucas said hoarsely, “Stop moving.”

Luo Ran was taken aback.

He was pressed against Lucas, and felt a place that shouldn’t be felt.

It was.

Rock solid.

Luo Ran: “…….”

Lucas: “…….”

Only then did Luo Ran come to a realization, and hurriedly retrieve the pheromones that he had put out indiscriminately.

Luo Ran’s cheeks were originally red, but now his whole body was red.

“I, I’m sorry……” Luo Ran stepped back, leaning against the windowsill with his hands propped against the wall, and his words became disordered again.

Lucas said fiercely: “You bastard.”

“I’m sorry.” Luo Ran lowered his head, not daring to look at Lucas.

Lucas had never encountered this sort of thing before, and his love felt redundant.

Now that it had come to this point, only then did Luo Ran realize something in a trance.

Lucas would actually…….

Lucas said: “Wait for me.”

He turned around and strode into the bathroom. Luo Ran heard a splash, and then saw Lucas come out with his hair soaked in cold water, drops of it rolling down his face.

Lucas wiped his face and stepped forward to pick up Luo Ran horizontally.

“Admiral?

“Don’t move. I’ll take you home.”

. . . . . . 

Soon after, Luo Ran used his terminal to contact the class leader, saying that he needed to go back to the office for an urgent matter. Then, perhaps because of the attack and subsequent marking, Luo Ran leaned against Lucas and fell asleep in a daze.

When Luo Ran awoke, he found himself lying on the bed in the office, while Lucas was sleeping on the sofa.

Luo Ran sat up and touched the back of his neck.

Perhaps because Lucas bit so hard, there were teeth marks on the gland.

It ached, and was also a little numb.

Luo Ran spaced out a bit.

Spiritual trauma could take years to heal. Now that he had been seriously injured……

Would he have to keep asking Lucas for pheromones?

Luo Ran gave a quiet sigh and got up to prepare Lucas’s breakfast and clothing.

Later, Luo Ran and Lucas investigated the Chamber of Commerce and Huntsman.

It wasn’t unusual that Huntsman was able to appear in the capital’s black market when Luobing came to visit, but this time he was at a restaurant.

This felt like they were fighting a war, and the enemy was directly standing at the door of their own battleship control room.

Too strange.

Both Luo Ran and Lucas had suspicions in their hearts.

The Imperial army wasn’t this useless, so someone must have coordinated from the inside.

In the past, they knew that there was a powerful person supporting him, but now they even directly settled him in the Chamber of Commerce. Perhaps……

“It’s probably the royal family.” Lucas tossed the official documents aside and said: “The council and the Viscount don’t have the capability.”

It was even more impossible for it to be someone from the military department. The interior of the Imperial Military Headquarters was like an iron pipe, without a single hole.

“En, but we need an in-depth investigation and evidence.” Luo Ran stood by the desk and said: “Unless we have full confidence and solid evidence, we cannot make any accusations against His Highness the First Prince.”

They had discovered so far that the Lion Hunters were a chamber of commerce that had recently settled in the capital. Because of its outstanding ability, it was brought under the command of the First Prince Zhou Mingyu and then took over some pharmaceutical factories owned by him.

The planet J9 was Zhou Mingyu’s inherited personal territory, and many pharmaceutical and medical equipment factories had been built there. It could be regarded as one of Zhou Mingyu’s small treasuries, and now he was actually willing to give it up to others and let the chamber of commerce take over.

After the takeover, more drugs were shipped and the prices were greatly reduced so that they basically sold at cost, and a lot were sold within a short time.

Luo Ran and the investigation team carefully counted the ingredients. According to the price, they were not making any money at all.

“The cost is 7 interstellar coins, and the unit price is 7.” Lucas glanced at the report and frowned, saying, “Is this correct?”

“After the chamber of commerce took over, the ingredients remained the same, but the price was adjusted like this.” Luo Ran said: “There is no possibility that the ingredients were changed. We have all of the medications from before and after the chamber of commerce took over, and they were sent to the lab for testing. They’re the same.”

“Tsk.” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

This was really strange.

“We will continue to investigate.” Luo Ran paused, then said: “By the way, Admiral, there is also progress on the matter of the birthday banquet.”

“En? Are there any clues about that bastard?” Lucas immediately regained his energy, and said fiercely, “It’s been too long.”

“……No. However, the investigation team checked for an Omega in white clothes, and found that His Highness the Second Prince’s secretary met the description. After the investigation, there was an unexpected harvest.”

Luo Ran said: “We found out that he brought……aphrodisiac drugs, condoms, and pheromone-masking spray to the Second Prince that night.”

Lucas: “…….”

? ?

Lucas bared his teeth: “No way, how many people were in bed after midnight that night? On the day of the old king’s birthday, was the feng sui so good on that day that everyone wanted to mess around and reproduce?”

Luo Ran: “…….”

Lucas smacked the table and choked with resentment: “I’m a dignified admiral, why do I have to investigate these messy bed affairs?!”

A dignified person who led soldiers into battle felt like he was about to become a private investigator for domestic affairs.

And……if the investigation continued, he feared that he would have to check into everyone’s sexual affairs from that night.

Luo Ran tentatively said: “Then how about we not investigate it? Let’s focus on the mastermind behind the scenes……”

“Investigate!” Lucas smacked the table and said: “We must investigate! I won’t give up until I find out who that bastard who climbed into my bed is. Fucking shameless, I hate others plotting against me like this the most!”

“……Oh.” Luo Ran was all smiles.

Then Luo Ran said: “Just in case……the investigation team will continue to look into what happened with the Second Prince.”

After all, he declared that he had no lover, but that night, he sneaked into a room with an unknown person and used pheromone spray afterwards.

Lucas tapped his fingers on the table lightly, and suddenly said: “Are you still in pain?”

Luo Ran paused, then said with a smile: “It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m much better.”

“Get off work early today. I can read any urgent documents you didn’t finish.”

Luo Ran brushed the loose hair behind his ears and lowered his head with a smile: “Thank you, Admiral. I’ll go to military headquarters to prepare first.”

In two days, Lucas would leave the capital again.

This time, Lucas was going to the military station on the border of Luobing to reorganize the army with the general of Luobing — Admiral Mu Yuan.

Previously, because everyone traded UNK from the ice mine, a final agreement was reached that the Luobing army and the Imperial army would merge, and the Luobing army could also be used by Lucas. Of course, Lucas must also protect the Luobing people like he protected the Empire.

Now that Luobing was finally prepared, they were waiting for Lucas to sign the agreement with them and discuss with Admiral Mu the deployment and allocation of troops.

Although there was no war, Lucas still had to leave for three or four days.

This should be the only job Lucas had during his vacation. After all, this job could not be handed over to others, and Luobing would not recognize anyone else.

Lucas suddenly said: “Luo Ran, you will set off with me in two days.”

“You can’t refuse.”

“Ah…….?” Luo Ran paused, then said: “Admiral, you don’t need my professional ability for this trip.”

Unless there were special circumstances like before, Lucas would not take him along in battle or for military parades.

Lucas answered naturally: “But I need you.”

“…….”

After a moment, Lucas touched his nose: “I mean, you need my pheromones.”

Lucas said: “You were marked by me just now, and because of your spiritual state, you will become dependent on my pheromones.”

What if Luo Ran had a fit or encountered trouble, and he wasn’t there?

“It’s only three or four days, there’s no need.” Luo Ran said with a smile: “I can deal with it myself.”

“Luo Ran.” Lucas got up, walked up to him, and said: “Even if we aren’t lovers, you can still rely on me.”

Luo Ran was taken aback.

“I need your help a lot, and I depend on you, so you can do the same.” Lucas scratched the back of his head and said: “If you have problems and difficulties, don’t always think about dealing with them alone. You can come and tell me, and I’ll handle it.”

“…….” Luo Ran stared blankly at Lucas.

“…….Okay.” For a moment, Luo Ran lowered his head and didn’t let Lucas see his expression.

“I, I’ll leave first.”

Luo Ran strode out, a little embarrassed. 

. . . . . .

That night, Luo Ran had a dream.

In the dream, he had gone back to when he graduated.

He used to dream about bad memories from school, and often dreamt about the time when he first became Lucas’s secretary, the turmoil between the two and Lucas’s fierce manner.

After all, those things had emotional ups and downs, and were easier to recall.

But during this time, he dreamt about them less and nearly forgot about them.

After graduating from high school, most of his classmates continued their studies in university, but he chose to work.

He was considered an adult, and work was not difficult to find.

It was only that the salary was naturally not high, and he worked three jobs at once, one during the day, one in the evening, and one all night. He could only sleep a little each day, so he was of course very tired.

It was a winter night.

There should be few people on the streets after midnight, but that night was different. Luo Ran could see that many people had come out, and the streets were crowded.

— Tonight, they were releasing sky lanterns for blessings.

Luo Ran could see volunteers pushing handcarts around and distributing paper sky lanterns to everyone.

Paper dissolved in water, and the candles inside were also artificial, so that they wouldn’t cause any pollution or fire.

“Hurry, hurry! Come get a sky lantern. They will be released later at three o’clock!”

Luo Ran was working at a bar, and the working hours were very tricky, from midnight to early morning.

Fortunately, this was a high-end bar. Not everyone could afford to drink there, and it was a place with standards, so there were few customers.

When there were few customers, Luo Ran was called to go out and solicit them.

A heavy winter snowfall was coming down, and it was quite cold outside, so Luo Ran stood there and rubbed his hands together, waiting for others to pass by.

His lips were chapped and his face was pale.

He felt so cold after standing for such a long time……

But now that there were so many people, he didn’t dare to go up and solicit them.

He felt……a little ashamed.

“Little brother over there, do you want to send up a sky lantern together, ah?” The volunteer said with a smile: “Come and pray for the admiral of the Empire.”

Luo Ran gazed at the lantern shining in the winter night, and said in a daze: “I want to……”

It looked so warm, ah.

Luo Ran took the sky lantern and immediately felt his frozen fingers and numb palms warm up.

It really was warm.

Luo Ran was very satisfied, and hugged the sky lantern to use it as a stove.

After fifteen minutes, everyone sent up their sky lanterns together.

Lucas was still on the battlefield at the moment. It was said that the battle was not going well, and Lucas was also slightly injured, so the people of the Empire wanted to pray for him.

The sky lit up as densely packed sky lanterns slowly ascended, filling it with brilliant sparks like tens of thousands of stars, lit by the people of the Empire for the dark night sky.

So beautiful……

Luo Ran was stunned.

But he was reluctant to let go of the sky lantern in his hands.

It was so warm.

He thought to himself that he would hold it for a while longer, and then let it go after the heavy snow stopped. Yes, that should be fine…..

It was said that today was also the first anniversary of the death of Admiral Alton, so the people chose today for that reason.

The admiral should also be very sad…..after all, Alton was his “father” in the true sense of the word.

Was the admiral the same as him? He also had no one to rely on.

But……it was fine, the admiral would surely win. If he worked harder and was more self-reliant, he would be able to overcome this hurdle with his family.

Luo Ran stood at the end of the alley and held the sky lantern, thinking wildly.

The heavy snow didn’t stop until early in the morning, and Luo Ran was about to finish work for the day.

He felt a little guilty for occupying the admiral’s sky lantern all night.

Luo Ran thought for a moment, then took a pen out of his pocket and carefully wrote on the sky lantern paper.

He thought to himself that although the sky lantern was released late, it should be enough to be sincere.

— I wish for the admiral to be safe and healthy during his trip.

— I wish for the admiral’s battle to go well, and for him to win as soon as possible.

— I wish for the admiral to be happy every day.

— I wish that all of the good luck will go to the admiral.

— I wish……

Luo Ran continued to search his mind, writing down all the blessings he could think of.

— I wish for the admiral to find a partner soon, someone to take care of him and make him happy!

Even this was written down, and the paper was full of densely packed words.

Then Luo Ran added another line with some embarrassment.

— Thank you for making me feel so warm last night.

Luo Ran’s legs were a little sore from standing, so he crouched down on the steps, paused, and then added a line at the bottom corner.

— I wish for the admiral and I to find happiness soon.

This line of words was so small that it was almost invisible.

Luo Ran thought, all of the luck went to the admiral of the Empire who was protecting them, but he could take a little bit for himself.

Then, as the sun came out, a sky lantern slowly lifted into the sky.

Rather unique and beautiful.

---

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Chapter Sixty-Two << Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Four

A-Ning’s persuasion was ineffective, so he had to leave the bedding newly sent by His Royal Highness Xiao Wang to the young master. He got out of the carriage with the original old quilt in his arms, wanting to see if anyone else needed it.

When Liang Shu went south this time, he only brought a dozen of his own soldiers with him, pretending to be a wealthy young master. Presently, everyone was cooking by the side of the road. When a troubled face appeared and wandered around while holding a quilt, they all looked at him and smiled. Gao Lin also noticed the movement over there, and strode over to ask: “Are you going to shake it out?”

“No.” A-Ning shifted the quilt to his other side and carried it on his shoulder. “My family’s young master wants to use the blanket from the prince, so I took out the old one to see if Uncle Yang would accept it.”

Uncle Yang was the cook, and was also responsible for managing some of the daily supplies, so he would definitely collect it, but how could Gao Lin allow the bedding used by Second Young Master Liu to fall into Lao Yang’s hands? He immediately said: “Give it to me, ba.”

“Ah?” A-Ning hesitated, wondering if this was appropriate. An old quilt, if used as bedding for ordinary soldiers, would be fine. But the dignified Lieutenant General, how could he use what the young master left behind? He wanted to refuse, but Gao Lin immediately added: “I’ll take it to my family’s prince.”

A-Ning was even more taken aback when he heard this: “No, no, this is too rude. Is the prince short of a quilt? Then I’d better return the new bedding, ba.”

Gao Lin froze in terror – don’t! But on the surface, he was quite proper: “How can there be so much fussiness in a military camp? The winter in the southwest is wet and cold, and the prince feared that Second Young Master Liu would freeze, so he sent his own quilt over there. Now that Second Young Master Liu is not short of one, there is no need to change it back and forth. That’s all, we can just cover up with whatever. Give it to me.” After speaking, he snatched the quilt from A-Ning like a bandit. Having won the prize, he turned around and fled without saying a word, walking briskly to present the treasure to his prince.

A-Ning was left where he was standing, extremely entangled. The young master really had covered up with that quilt for quite a while. It had been washed several times, and the fabric had changed from thick and smooth to thin, fluffy, and soft. Even if there was no fussiness in the military camp, how could it be used for the prince? He returned to the carriage, looked at the carefree young master who was wrapped in the new quilt and sleeping soundly, and had a terrible headache.

Liang Shu was reading military reports alone in his carriage, and was feeling pain in his temples when the carriage curtain suddenly moved. An old quilt was brought before him for some reason, with the familiar faint scent of medicine, and Gao Lin stuck his head halfway in to ask for credit: “Your Highness, A-Ning said that Second Young Master Liu wants to use the new quilt, and there is no place to put this old bedding. He wanted to dispose of it, so I took the opportunity to ask for it.”

A prince and a lieutenant, the two of them conspired to steal an old quilt used by another family’s young master. If this matter got out, the Emperor would probably faint on the spot. But since those men from the Imperial court were resting at the other end at this time, Liang Shu still hooked his fingers calmly and invited him into the carriage: “Tell me in detail.”

Gao Lin spoke of it again, and although no matter how detailed he was, there was no sign of tender affections in the story, Liang Shu still felt that this person looked more pleasing to the eyes than ever before. Gao Lin was encouraged, and slapped the carriage bench: “Don’t worry, Your Highness. I will definitely keep a close eye on Second Young Master Liu’s carriage to see if I can pick up something else.”

This sentence sounded both moving and degenerate, full of an uncanny feeling that could not be studied carefully, so Liang Shu decided not to think about it anymore and waved him away. Leaning on the quilt, he closed his eyes and rested for a while. The fragrance of medicine was not too much, just enough to relax tense nerves, and the cotton was so fluffy and soft that it was like lying on a cloud.

Little lovers gave each other handkerchiefs, sachets, and jade pendants to hold in the hand or place in the sleeve with a shy and timid secret joy. Only His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was different. Before clarifying his intentions, he first exchanged the most intimate quilt, covering the whole person from head to toe with a kind of overbearing, arrogant romance that was like the northwest winds.

Unique. Extraordinarily intimate.

With the new quilt, the Sleeping Immortal slept even more and had long dreams, and Liang Shu’s long-standing symptoms of insomnia were even relieved a little by the lingering medicinal fragrance. Sometimes, when he was free during the day, he could even take a nap. Gao Lin caught sight of this, and there was joy on his face and emotion in his heart. Since a quilt could have such a miraculous effect, if they really got married in the future, how great would that be?

Liang Shu asked: “What are you giggling about?”

Gao Lin said: “I’m not. I was thinking about the prince’s marriage, and I’m happy.”

When he said this, his voice was a little louder, and it happened to be heard by Liu Xian’an, who had just gotten out of the carriage. He immediately turned around and asked A-Ning: “Is the prince going to get married?”

“What do you mean, does the prince want to get married?” A-Ning was confused. “He doesn’t, ah, who did you hear that from?”

He didn’t? Liu Xian’an looked over suspiciously, and Gao Lin was still smiling, smiling like a flower on horseback, as if drinking wedding wine. And Liang Shu, who was riding beside him, seemed to be in a good mood. His eyes were slightly narrowed and his figure was tall and straight, bathed in gold by a ray of winter sun, extraordinarily luxurious and romantic.

He also rode over to listen carefully.

As a result, when Gao Lin saw his prince’s sweetheart coming, he promptly turned his horse’s head and went in another direction. At the same time, he also took away the circle of guards around him, skillfully clearing the scene. Second Young Master Liu was unable to hear anything, and was very downtrodden. Liang Shu asked him: “What are you in a daze for again, didn’t you sleep?”

“Woke up. I’m dizzy.” Liu Xian’an took the reins. “What was the prince talking with Lieutenant General Gao about just now?”

“He was telling me something about the future when I return to Wangcheng.” Liang Shu glanced at the sun. “We’re about to arrive at Huaizhen City, shall I take you for a tour?”

Liu Xian’an actually wanted to ask more about what was going to happen when he returned to Wangcheng, but also felt that he couldn’t admit to eavesdropping, so he planned to find another opportunity to investigate next time. Huaizhen City. Liu Xian’an had read of this place in the local chronicles of Southwest China. It seemed that there was a kind of multi-colored flower cake that was not bad, so he nodded: “Okay.”

Liang Shu took his hand and gently brought him over to his own horse. The soldiers were no longer surprised by this. They turned sideways to give way, and Xuan Jiao galloped all the way like lightning. On the way, they passed a small village with smoke curling up from the kitchens, and it looked particularly harmonious and happy. In fact, once one left the Baihe River Basin, most places in Dayan were still wealthy and stable, including the southwest — even if the current foundation was unstable due to the cult, at least the common people had what they needed.

Just as Liu Xian’an was thinking so, Xuan Jiao stopped in its tracks. Not far away, a blue city wall had appeared. This was the first big city that they had arrived at after entering the southwest.

Second Young Master Liu’s stomach growled in a timely manner.

Liang Shu smiled and pressed his stomach: “Let’s go, I’ll take you to dinner.”

Xuan Jiao trotted briskly over. The guard at the city gate didn’t recognize His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, but it could be seen that the status of these two people was not low, and they should come from wealthy families. So he lowered his voice and warned: “The two young masters have come to watch the Many-Color Festival, right? It has been canceled now, and there is no excitement to join in. It’s better to go back instead of going into the city.”

The southwest bloomed with seas of flowers, and the people were proficient in song and dance, so some singing and dancing events were often held. When there were flowers, there were many colors, and when there were no flowers, they tied beautiful cloth ropes, which could also be called many-colored. There was no fixed time or location for a Many-Color Festival. As long as there were people singing and drinking, they could celebrate.

Liang Shu asked: “Why was it canceled?”

The guard sighed, waving his hands as he said: “It’s not a good thing, Young Master, don’t ask. It’s getting dark, go back quickly.”

Liang Shu took out an ingot of broken silver from his sleeve: “We’ve been riding all day and we’re very hungry. Even if there is no Many-Color Festival in the city, we can still have a meal.”

“No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. Young Master, quickly put away the money.” The guard hurriedly refused. Seeing that the two of them insisted on entering the city and couldn’t be dissuaded at all, he could only tell them the truth. “The city is haunted by ghosts recently, and it is extremely dangerous. This……ai.”

Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an exchanged glances. Haunted?

The two disregarded the guard’s dissuasion, and still entered Huaizhen City. The sun had already set, and the sky was half dark and half bright. There was not a single person on the long street. Only a few wild dogs were running around, whimpering and growling. The colorful ropes hanging from the eaves of every house had not yet been removed, blowing erratically in the wind. The festiveness was half-gone, but there was a great deal of strangeness.

Liu Xian’an couldn’t help shivering.

Liang Shu grasped his shoulders and took him into his arms: “Shall I take you out of town first?”

“No need.” Liu Xian’an said, “This place looks very strange, let’s go to the inn first.”

According to the guard’s words, they found the biggest establishment in the city. After knocking on the door for a long time, the sound of footsteps came from inside, and then a voice from the other side of the door asked, “Who is it?”

“Guests,” Liang Shu said. “Let me ask, are you still doing business?”

Squeak. The wooden door was opened a crack, and an attendant looked the two of them up and down: “Why are you coming to Huaizhen City now? Haven’t the two of you heard……the latest strangeness?”

“We didn’t hear about it until we reached the city gate, but it was too late to leave,” Liang Shu said. “Before entering the city, it was just an ordinary rumor, but after entering and seeing the spectacle, the matter does not seem to be small.”

“It’s more than not small.” The attendant opened the door and allowed the two of them to enter the establishment. “A woman who has been dead for seven years suddenly crawled out of the grave and walked around the city. Who is not afraid of this!”

Liu Xian’an asked: “Then where did she go in the end?”

“I don’t know, ah. Liu-daren^[1] is organizing people to look for her, but they haven’t found her yet,” the attendant said. “As soon as the news came out, all our customers fled the next day. We’ll give the two of you a cheap price for two rooms. This way, please.”

“I also brought some followers, who will enter the city in about half an hour.” Liang Shu tossed a silver coin over. “We’ll book this inn. Please go and prepare some food.”

The attendant was overjoyed. The first happy event was that they received a big guest, and the second happy event was that the empty inn would finally have popularity. It was good to be popular, ah, popular enough to suppress ghosts! He hurried down to prepare. Liang Shu took Liu Xian’an upstairs, picked a guest room facing the long street, and asked him: “Crawling out of the grave, is there such a Gu?”

“There certainly is, but it is more likely that a living person is pretending to be a ghost.” Liu Xian’an said, “A corpse controlled by Gu worms is already at its limit just being able to move around. If it still has the brains to avoid the government’s search, there is no need to be dead. Continuing to live is rather good.”

Liang Shu smiled and shook his head: “Haunted by ghosts, yet you can still analyze it calmly. Tell me, is there anything in the world that scares you?”

There should be. Liu Xian’an searched for one – there is my elder brother’s ruler. Although my dad’s big stick looks thicker, he doesn’t really beat me, but my elder brother’s beating is a real beating. When mentioning this, he stretched out his hands to complain: “Once they were all swollen.”

Liang Shu held his slender white fingertips and carefully spread those palms. “Did it hurt?”

This question was obviously superfluous, but for love talk, nine and a half out of ten sentences were superfluous. What was superfluous had meaning, and what wasn’t superfluous was called talking about business.

The effect was remarkable. The sentence, “Did it hurt?”, coupled with His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s frown and caring eyes at this time, really succeeded in evoking a little bit of childhood pain hidden in the heart of Second Young Master Liu, stretching out continuously. As if he had been greatly wronged, he complained loudly and with conviction: “It hurt, I couldn’t even hold chopsticks steadily, and my elder brother still drove me into the pharmacy to cut bark for work.”

Liang Shu clasped their hands together: “In the future, if anyone dares to beat you again, I will go to him to settle the score.”

The Village Master and First Young Master Liu, who were hundreds of li away, both sneezed a series of times.

Liu Xian’an’s nose was also a little itchy. He looked at at Liang Shu close at hand, his face and eyes so gentle, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed, so he shook his hands free and turned his head, saying nonchalantly: “Let’s analyze the matter of the haunting.”

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[1] This person’s name uses the 刘 Liu, while Liu Xian’an uses the 柳 character. They both have different intonations in Mandarin. ⮐

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Chapter Fifty-One << Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-Three

When Pei Yi and Bo Yueming arrived home, Uncle Kai immediately greeted them, “Second Young Master, Little Sir, why did you come back so early?”

Technically speaking, the exchange meeting should take three or four hours.

Bo Yueming explained simply, “Something happened, and I didn’t want to waste time at that sort of place, so I brought Pei Yi back in advance.”

“Has Little Sir had enough to eat?”

Uncle Kai feared they would still be hungry, so he asked for instructions, “Second Young Master, shall I go to the kitchen and get some food?”

Bo Yueming gave a slight nod.

It didn’t matter to him, but he was afraid Pei Yi would be hungry later.

Pei Yi made a sullen sound, not in a high mood.

He was still thinking about Chen Shun and Pen Chenggong’s vicious deeds that disregarded human life, and on the way back, he felt more and more sympathy for Qiao Dong’s family’s misfortune.

Pei Yi looked around and said, “Qiao Dong?”

“Little Sir, he is still in the room.” Uncle Kai glanced at the closed door, and whispered to Bo Yueming, “I don’t know what is going on today. He’s all depressed and didn’t eat much for dinner.”

Uncle Kai always took care of children with the mentality of an elder.

In the past three months or so, he had managed to raise Pei Yi to a healthy state, and now he naturally wanted to let the helpless Qiao Dong eat more.

Hearing what Uncle Kai said, Pei Yi picked up the fruit plate on the coffee table, and after a moment’s thought, went straight to Qiao Dong’s room.

Uncle Kai was taken aback. “Ai, Little Sir?”

Bo Yueming saw Pei Yi’s actions and softly indicated, “Let him go.”

The door was pushed open gently.

Qiao Dong, who was sitting blankly at the head of the bed, slowly turned his head. When he saw that it was Pei Yi, he instinctively stood up to greet him, “Little Sir, you, what are you……”

Pei Yi put the plate of fruit on the bedside table and picked up a piece of peeled red pomelo. “Here.”

Qiao Dong took it in a daze, not understanding Pei Yi’s intentions for a moment.

Pei Yi said simply and clearly, “Sweet, not bitter.”

“……..”

Qiao Dong felt the comfort wrapped in Pei Yi’s few words. Under his gaze, he took a small bite of pomelo, and the moment the juice overflowed, it was indeed sweeter than the bitterness in his heart.

The rain outside the window grew louder.

Qiao Dong was full of negative energy that needed an outlet, and he subconsciously asked, “Little Sir, can I talk with you?”

Pei Yi nodded.

This was also one of his purposes for coming to the room.

Pei Yi hated Chen Shun and Pan Chenggong, who ruined other people’s families, but he knew it was not the best time to solve that matter, so he chose the route of comforting Qiao Dong.

Qiao Dong had learned about Pei Yi’s situation from Uncle Kai, but still regarded him as a silent partner to confide in. “Today is actually my brother’s birthday. If nothing had happened, he would be a father now. He would have been very happy.”

“Most of my school expenses were paid for by my brother, and my sister-in-law was also very kind to me.”

Even though Qiao Dong himself would study and work part-time, his elder brother and sister-in-law still feared that he would be too tired.

It was said that an elder brother was like a father, and compared with the dull and naive biological father, Qiao Dong preferred to get along with Zhao Hui.

“Although my brother and I were not born of the same mother, our relationship was better than that of ordinary brothers. When I was young, he took me to play with a simple bamboo spear to catch fish, and a self-made slingshot to shoot hares……”

Qiao Dong was immersed in his memories, a rare moment free from the pain of real life. “Little Sir, did you play with these when you were a child?”

“…….”

Pei Yi listened to Qiao Dong’s childhood memories and shook his head silently. It wasn’t only the original owner who hadn’t played with these things, as he hadn’t played with them in the real world either.

Qiao Dong’s confession reminded Pei Yi of his own childhood—

At first, there was a small yard with a small range of activities, limited and crude food every day, and unending crying and fighting anytime and anywhere. The top performer would be rewarded with a small piece of poor quality dessert.

Later, he changed to a beautiful residence, without quarreling and crying.

Someone baked the freshest desserts for him, and someone taught him how to distinguish the types of red wine. Shooting, swimming, equestrian…..he grew up being pampered by others, and could learn anything he wanted. Even his initial inspiration for video games originated there.

Pei Yi had thought that this kind of life could continue forever, but it only lasted until the age of fourteen.

Day after day of quarreling, and day after day of disgust. One person hysterical, and one person indifferent.

Only then did Pei Yi fully understand—

It turned out that delicious desserts depended on the mood of the maker, and delicious red wine could also make a person cause harm after getting dead drunk. And it turned out that two people who loved each other deeply could also hate each other enough to become enemies.

Pei Yi, who had seen through everything, fled the world that did not belong to him and tried to make a living while studying, then finally met a group of like-minded friends.

From a small game studio, they developed into one of the top game companies.

Pei Yi broke free from his memories, and Qiao Dong returned from his childhood to the present.

Qiao Dong didn’t know how much Pei Yi could understand, but he still spoke all of his thoughts. “I know that these matters have nothing to do with you or Mr. Bo. I shouldn’t ask you to spend your energy on solving them for me, and I shouldn’t cause trouble for you.”

“It’s me who wants to seek justice for my brother, but I hate myself for not being able to do so!”

Pei Yi took in Qiao Dong’s guiltiness and red eyes, and said firmly, “No.”

Qiao Dong was taken aback. “No?”

Pei Yi had a lot of things to say, but after some thought, he settled on a simple sentence, “Er-ge, he is very good, won’t lie to you.”

Qiao Dong could just barely catch Pei Yi’s brain circuit. “Little Sir, are you saying that Mr. Bo is a good person, and that he will help me as promised and not deceive me?”

“En!”

Having been together for such a long time, Pei Yi knew some things about Bo Yueming—

Because of his childhood experiences, Bo Yueming had learned to look at everything with an equal eye. Even if he later lived as a rich young master, he would never take the initiative to use his identity to bully others.

The “blackening” in the original text was because of too much contempt and ridicule during his time as a blind man.

Even before he was sure of what had happened to Qiao Dong, Bo Yueming was still willing to lend a helping hand, and after learning the specific situation, he also did not hide his intent to use Qiao Dong to deal with Chen Shun and win the bidding project.

In the end, if this matter couldn’t be resolved, Qiao Dong would live in pain and self-blame for the rest of his life.

Pei Yi realized this, and repeated, “Er-ge, very good.”

At least in his opinion, there was really nothing bad about Bo Yueming.

After hearing Pei Yi’s repeated assurances and seeing the joyful light in his eyes, Qiao Dong finally showed a curiosity unique to young people. “Little Sir, you really like the Second Young Master?”

“……..”

Ah?

L-like?

When Pei Yi first heard this sentence, he couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

Before he could figure out why, there was a knock on the door.

Lin Zhong, who had returned home one step later, opened the door and motioned calmly, “Little Sir, have you finished talking? Mr. Bo has asked me to take Qiao Dong to meet Director You.”

Meet You Qinian?

It was arranged so soon?

It seemed that the cooperation between Bo Yueming and You Qinian had officially begun.

In response, Pei Yi got up and looked at the fruit plate he had brought.

“…….”

He handed Qiao Dong a few more types of fruit and then ran away with a guilty conscience as he snatched his favorite, an undivided bunch of grapes.

Qiao Dong stared after Pei Yi’s suddenly fleeing back, and unconsciously grasped the fruit in his hand. “Little Sir is really kind.”

After talking to him, he felt that the gloom in his heart had been relieved at last.

Qiao Dong let out a breath and belatedly asked, “Brother Lin, who is Director You?”

Lin Zhong picked up the crutches beside him and handed them to Qiao Dong. “Let’s go, I’ll explain the situation to you on the way.”

. . . . . . 

The recording that was taken became one of the handles to target Chen Shun, and indirectly contributed to the final alliance between the Bo and You families.

Now, not only did Lin Zhong take Qiao Dong out, but Bo Yueming also contacted Song Yuanyuan, the leader of the project team, and restarted the audio conference.

Each had their own busy schedule.

After returning to the room, Pei Yi locked the door and opened the Youtu website as usual. He found something special just after logging in—

The group chat name that was originally The Last Fog had been changed to Core Research and Development of YWY Studio. Not only that, but the number of people in the group had changed from 3 to 4.

Pei Yi came to an immediate realization, and opened the members list to find out.

Sure enough, in addition to the familiar Pear Garden and Dehydration, there was also the new ID “Southern Mountain.”

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows and typed: “Southern Mountain, Director Xiang, welcome to YWY.”

As soon as this message came out, Li Yuan was the first to bubble up, “My eyes are sharp, ah. I feared that the great god Will was busy, and I wouldn’t be able to find him for ten days to half a month.”

Pei Yi teased back, “I really didn’t expect Little Boss Li to be so fast.”

It only took Li Yuan three days to recruit Xiang Nansheng into their new studio.

“……..”

Fast?

So fast?

Li Yuan on the other end saw this counterattack in the group and exhaled a puff of smoke rings. He muttered, unconvinced, “This guy, who are you looking down on?”

Lou Yang had long been accustomed to the occasional jokes between them. “Yuan and I have already expressed our welcome to you. Since Director Xiang has come, I finally have someone to cooperate with.”

After this line of text was sent out, Xiang Nansheng came in late and replied to Pei Yi, “Thank you, I will do my best.”

Pei Yi remembered the phone call between himself and Xiang Nansheng, and after a moment of thought, he confessed—

“Director Xiang, I have something to say on behalf of the studio.”

“I don’t care about the conflict between you and Ke Ming, but I hope you can make it clear that from the moment you accepted YWY’s invitation, that company is a thing of the past for you.”

Never respect the man you use, and never use the man you respect.

Pei Yi would not explore the reasons for the breakdown of the relationship between Xiang Nansheng and Ke Ming, but he hoped that the current Xiang Nansheng was sincere toward developing YWY.

“Of course, be at ease.”

Xiang Nansheng answered firmly. He was not a character who would continue to get involved with old people from the past.

Now that he was here, it was easy to think clearly.

Pei Yi received the other party’s answer and instantly entered a working state. “Good. If you have time now, please switch to the private chat, and I will clarify with you the concept of the “Last Fog” game and the requirements for the subsequent program architecture.”

Lou Yang sent an ‘eating melons’ emoji: “Director Xiang, I wish you luck.”

Li Yuan echoed: “+1”

Both of them had already witnessed Pei Yi’s might. Don’t just look at his apparent identity as a game architect – everything he wanted was very clear, specific, and detailed.

Xiang Nansheng came in late as the technical director, so they feared he was going to be very busy now.

“……..”

Xiang Nansheng was stunned for a moment.

He couldn’t help but glance at the lower right corner.

Was it possible to face overtime on the first day of work? En, it seemed like his hair was in jeopardy.

That said, Xiang Nansheng quickly added a private chat box with Pei Yi, and it wasn’t until the two of them started serious work that he fully realized how outstanding the other party’s abilities were—

Compared to ordinary game architects, Pei Yi seemed to be able to carry the entire planning team alone. In addition to the worldview shown during the bidding, the settings of “The Last Fog” in terms of system, levels, and magnitude were also excellent and interesting.

Most importantly, he also dabbled in technology.

There was a well-known joke in the game development circle: Architects and programmers are incompatible with each other. The former disliked the latter for always getting stuck when bugs occurred, and the latter disliked the former for bad writing.

When he was at his former studio, Xiang Nansheng, who was the most technically skilled, often felt extreme headaches and embarrassment for the planning group’s unconstrained ideas.

But when Pei Yi put forward his ideas, he attached procedural terminology so that Xiang Nansheng could understand what he meant.

The two talked from seven to eleven o’clock.

When Pei Yi took it upon himself to end the work meeting, Xiang Nansheng, who was “temporarily working overtime,” still felt unfulfilled. “Will, do you know what I feel right now?”

It was rare to see Xiang Nansheng bring up a topic other than work, and Pei Yi responded cooperatively, “You think I’m a workaholic?”

“I regret that I declined your invitation.”

He really felt that—

Compared to Li Yuan, who was in charge of overall operations, this game architect who had never shown his face was more like the core of the entire creative team.

Knowing that he and Ke Ming would fall apart in the end, and knowing that he could still find the joy of designing here, Xiang Nansheng felt that he should have directly accepted the olive branch the other party offered a month and a half ago.

Pei Yi pursed his lips. “It isn’t too late now. Happy cooperation.”

“Happy cooperation.”

After finishing the work conversation, Pei Yi didn’t turn his computer off immediately.

He clicked on the search page and immediately arranged another matter.

. . . . . .

A week later, Wencheng Soft Fragrance Bathing and Recreation Center.

A black car parked in a surveillance blind spot in the corner of an open-air parking lot.

Pei Yi, who was sitting in the back row of the car, pressed the peaked cap on his head. Tonight, he wore long sleeves and trousers, along with a mask. At this moment, he was staring at the colorful signboard of the clubhouse not far away.

He had pretended that he was tired and wanted to go to bed early tonight. After misleading Uncle Kai, he took the spare key and locked the door of his room from the outside before leaving the villa on light feet.

As for Bo Yueming and Lin Zhong, the project bidding had reached the final sprint stage, and they hadn’t seen each other for three or four days.

Pei Yi opened his phone and glanced at the time. It was almost past twelve o’clock. “Are you sure Pan Chenggong is here tonight?”

The private detective in the front row looked at the heavily armed Pei Yi through the rearview mirror, vowing, “I’m sure. Mr. Yi, don’t worry!”

Just seven days ago, Pei Yi learned that Pan Chenggong had killed another person due to inferior safety equipment. Add to that the experience of Qiao Dong’s family—

He really couldn’t tolerate such a person still relying on his power to be unrestrained, so he secretly found a reliable private investigator to help discover Pan Chenggong’s whereabouts.

Bo Yueming and You Qinian had ways to deal with Chen Shun, and Pei Yi also had ways to deal with animals like Pan Chenggong.

The private investigator in the front row suddenly said, “Mr. Yi, look, Pan Chenggong seems to have come out!”

Upon hearing this, Pei Yi immediately focused his attention.

At the entrance of the well-decorated clubhouse, the fat-eared, greasy-haired Pan Chenggong walked out with a drunken gait, surrounded by attractive women.

With such intimate body language, anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance what was going on.

“…….”

If he remembered correctly, Pan Chenggong’s wife, Chen Shun’s daughter, was about to give birth, right? Doing this kind of thing while his wife was pregnant? This man was really no good!

“Take pictures right away! I’ll go down for a while, and after you’re done filming, drive to the intersection at the northwest corner and wait for me.”

Pei Yi gave orders quickly, then opened the door and got out of the car.

After confirming that his outfit would not easily reveal who he was, he avoided surveillance and hastened toward the shadow of a huge parking sign.

On the other side, Pan Chenggong reluctantly said goodbye to his favorite “attendant” and walked drunkenly to the parking lot.

He took out his cell phone and intended to find a substitute driver. After seeing the time on the screen and a dozen missed calls, he immediately cursed, “Fuck, it’s annoying to death.”

His wife, Chen Xiu, had lost her shape and developed a bad temper after becoming pregnant, and Pan Gonggong’s inner disgust grew stronger day by day.

A few days ago, another accident happened at the construction site he was in charge of. He was caught and scolded by his father-in-law Chen Shun, causing his unhappiness to intensify.

He really couldn’t hold back tonight, so he wanted to find a “lady” in order to vent.

As a result?

His wife had yet to give birth, but the phone calls came one after another. It simply ruined his prestige and mood!

“This pregnant bitch is trouble! If she can’t give birth to a son, I…..”

—Zing!

Before Pan Chenggong could finish cursing, a stone shot out at high speed and slammed into his left eye. “Ah!”

Hiding behind the sign, Pei Yi heard the other party scream, and his eyes revealed a trace of success. He took out another sharp stone that had been prepared and shot it dexterously with the slingshot in his hand.

After hearing Qiao Dong’s childhood anecdote, Pei Yi played the fool the next day and asked him to make him a simple homemade slingshot.

Pei Yi had been shooting guns since elementary school, and his accuracy was not bad. He had mastered the range of skills he needed for the slingshot beforehand. This time, a stone shot out again and hit Pan Chenggong’s nose!

“Who’s there!”

Pan Chenggong cried out in pain with gritted teeth, belatedly realizing that someone was purposely messing with him. “Which motherfucker is it? Get out here!”

Pan Chenggong succeeded in confirming the direction from which the stone was thrown, and walked over agitatedly!

Pei Yi behind the sign had waited so long for this moment. He stretched out his leg to trip him when he saw the right moment — Pan Chenggong had long become drunk, so how could he see the situation in this dim environment? He immediately fell with his back to the sky and ate shit.

“…….”

With a calm expression, Pei Yi stepped on Pan Chenggong’s head. While putting away the slingshot, he did not forget to the grind his heel on the thing under his foot—

The two stones he shot with the slingshot were just a prank and an opportunity to reclaim his childhood fun, but now it was time for an adult lesson.

The ground in the parking lot was covered in rough gravel and sand, and the pain when his face was ground into it was severe. Pan Gonggong could only wheeze out, “It hurts, it hurts……”

Pei Yi took half a step back and crouched down to grab his collar. “You can’t bear this little pain?”

Pan Chenggong struggled to turn his face sideways and look, but he still couldn’t clearly see Pei Yi’s appearance under the double cover of hat and mask. “W-who are you, ah?”

“Do you know how many lives you’ve indirectly taken? Huh?” Pei Yi’s casual voice, and the look in his eyes full of hostility, were just like the King of Hell coming to ask for someone’s life.

Pan Chenggong, who had the deaths of others on his hands, had a guilty conscience and was suddenly frightened into a cold sweat. “You, who are you? Police! I’m going to call the police!”

Postering and repulsive.

Pei Yi gradually tightened the collar around his neck, warning in a dark voice, “Good, ah, if you dare to call the police, I will dare to send the photos of you seeking out prostitutes to the phones of your wife and your father-in-law.”

“Your old man just wiped your ass for you, right? Isn’t your wife about to give birth?”

The reasons why Chen Shun had successfully covered up the truth for Pan Gonggong time and time again was that firstly, he didn’t take workers’ lives seriously, secondly, out of care for his pregnant daughter, and thirdly, because Pan Chenggong was loyal to his daughter and did not engage in affairs.

But if Pan Chenggong’s sordid behavior was exposed, what father would be willing to watch his daughter be betrayed by her marriage partner?

“……..”

The identity of the person in front of him was completely unknown, but he revealed the most detailed information.

Pan Chenggong instinctively felt an irresistible fear, as if he was actually being strangled by the god of death. Breathing became difficult, and his eyes almost rolled back due to the alcohol.

Pei Yi stopped before he went too far, loosened Pan Chenggong’s collar, and got up.

Just when Pan Gonggong thought his suffering was over, Pei Yi kicked him in the stomach several times to vent his anger, and then turned around to leave gracefully.

. . . . . .

Northwest Street.

Pei Yi once again climbed into a familiar car.

The private investigator in the front row handed over the camera. “Mr. Yi, what should be done with these photos?”

Pei Yi thought for a while, but still decided against giving them to Pan Chenggong’s wife, who was about to give birth. “For the time being, only send them to Chairman Chen of Shuntian Group. I will transfer the balance to your account.”

“Okay.”

Pei Yi didn’t directly return in the private investigator’s car. In order to avoid revealing his identity, he changed to an ordinary taxi.

It was almost two o’clock in the morning when he returned to the villa neighborhood.

Pei unhurriedly swung around the side of the villa and first looked up to check on the lighting conditions of the master bedroom on the second floor—

It was pitch black.

He was either asleep or not there.

Feeling relieved, Pei Yi removed his stuffy mask and peaked cap, then briskly approached the outermost iron gate of the villa.

He fumbled for the keys in his pocket, but suddenly froze—

In front of the main villa security door stood two shockingly familiar figures. As if he had heard movement, Bo Yueming, who was standing in the rear, turned his body slightly.

“……”

Shit!

Why did Bo Yueming and Lin Zhong come back now? This shouldn’t be happening, ah!

Pei Yi felt his heart go into sudden arrest, and hid by the outer wall at his fastest reaction speed—

His body was stiff, his breathing was fixed, and his eyes were closed tightly. He was as anxious and timid as if a guillotine was about to fall on his head.

The arrogance with which he taught Pan Chenggong a lesson not long ago had disappeared without a trace.

On the other side.

Lin Zhong, who had opened the security door of the villa, had just turned around to help his boss when he saw a black shadow flash past.

“…….”

Lin Zhong thought he was hallucinating, and asked uncertainly, “Mr. Bo, just, just now, did you see someone standing there?”

Because of his busy project workload, Bo Yueming had only revealed his healed eyes to his assistant Lin Zhong in the past two days. 

Faced with the assistant’s question, Bo Yueming, who had been staring at the white concrete wall beside the fence for a long time, categorically denied it. “Don’t know, I can’t see.”

Lin Zhong was taken aback. “Ah?”

Why couldn’t he see again? 

“Okay, let’s go inside.”

Bo Yueming withdrew his gaze, but there was both helplessness and fondness in his eyes. “It must be some little wild cat, running out to catch mice in the middle of the night.”

What else could he do?

His own family’s disobedient kitten snuck out in the middle of the night and didn’t hide it well. He could only help cover it up.

---

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Chapter Forty-Six <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Eight

T/N: Thanks so much to VC3 for the donation! Your bonus chapter is up after this one!

Not long ago, Bo Yueming had received a message from Lin Zhong, saying that Pei Yi had gone to the “toilet” in a hurry, and then Zhong Yi, who hadn’t seen him for a long time, took the chance to greet him.

What Bo Yueming didn’t expect was—

That chat between him and Zhong Yi hadn’t lasted more than five minutes when Pei Yi hastily returned, and the word “husband” that he uttered sounded sour and jealous.

This unexpected harvest made Bo Yueming happy on both a physical and mental level. He looked at Pei Yi, who was about to become a shrunken kitten, and patted the empty seat beside him.

“Come here and sit down.”

In just five words, an uncontrollable smile still slipped out.

“…….”

Feeling mocked, Pei Yi ignored him and sat in another seat. He lowered his head and took a vicious bite, turning embarrassment into appetite.

Lin Zhong remembered an important matter and approached Bo Yueming, explaining in a low voice, “Mr. Bo, Little Sir and I went up to the second floor just now. Chen Shun and his son-in-law are in the room at the end of the corridor!”

Bo Yueming’s attention was drawn back by the assistant’s words, and his brow furrowed slightly—

When Chen Shun left with a bad expression just now, Pei Yi hurriedly “went to the bathroom.” He guessed that this person had gone to investigate for him.

Bo Yueming asked, “Did you hear anything?”

Lin Zhong replied, “I don’t know for now. Because it was a one-way exit, I was afraid of creating trouble, and also feared that Little Sir would be implicated, so I tossed a recording pen into the decorative plant by the door.”

Hearing Lin Zhong’s explanation, Bo Yueming asked more rigorously, “Is there any content of your past work on the recorder? Be careful not to be spotted by that old fox.”

“No, it’s clean.”

Lin Zhong would transfer the content of meetings to his computer every evening, then delete it on the recorder so that it didn’t take up memory. Even if they checked the brand of the recording pen, it would not be easy to spot him.

If the recording didn’t capture key information, they could just go on as if it hadn’t happened; and if some key information was recorded, they could prevent problems before they arose.

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s intuition told him that there would be something strange on it. “Well done. Keep an eye on it.”

“Yes.”

Seeing the interaction between Lin Zhong and Bo Yueming, Pei Yi didn’t have to think too much to understand what they were talking about. He finished eating a small cupcake, and finally managed to suppress the heat all over his body a little bit.

Suddenly, Pei Yi noticed a gentleman in a black suit whose gait was a little off when he stepped with his left foot.

Less than thirty seconds later, the gentleman walked up to Bo Yueming’s side. “Mr. Bo, Little Mister Pei, hello.”

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Bo Yueming quickly brought a trace of coldness to his expression.

As the assistant, Lin Zhong asked in his stead, “May I ask who you are?”

“I am Zhang Shunzhi, Chief Assistant of the You Group.” The gentleman introduced himself, looking around vigilantly. “Mr. Bo, I wonder if you are free now? Our Director You would like to treat you to a drink.”

Director You?

The name of this person instantly popped up in Pei Yi’s mind. He was the newly appointed Executive Director of the You Group who “broke through the siege” at the beginning of the year—

“You Qinian?”

The name Pei Yi had thought of was simultaneously spoken by Bo Yueming.

“Yes.”

Zhang Shunzi was appropriately direct.

A dark glow flickered deep in Bo Yueming’s eyes, once more hidden beneath the lenses. “I must bring these people with me.”

Although Zhang Shunzi was taken aback, he responded, “Of course.”

Lin Zhong, who was on important business, got the location and stayed put temporarily.

Bo Yueming, Pei Yi, and the others left the exchange hall and took the elevator to the twelfth floor. When the elevator door opened, Pei Yi realized that there was something strange about this floor—

After passing through the anti-theft door, a private restaurant with extremely stylish decorations appeared unexpectedly. The walls on two consecutive sides were made into wine walls with the same decorative theme, extravagant and rich, even more extravagant than Bo Yueming’s collection in the Imperial Capital villa!

Pei Yi stared straight at the dazzling array of alcoholic beverages, almost unable to move.

God!

How could there be such a beautiful place in this world?

Bo Yueming noticed that his kitten was about to make a move. Just as he was about to raise a hand and pinch the back of his neck as punishment, there was the sound of footsteps on the steel stairway nearby. 

“Mr. Bo, I have admired you for a long time.”

A slightly hoarse voice met his ears.

Pei Yi looked at the person coming down the stairs—

He had a tall, straight figure at first glance, and his hair was also meticulously groomed.

It was only that there was an obvious scar on the right side of his face that extended from his temple to the bridge of his nose, leaving the most unusual mark on an otherwise handsome face.

Perhaps due to the scar, You Qinian’s aura was particularly frightening.

“…….”

Pei Yi’s focus on the wine immediately shifted to the person who had arrived, and Bo Yueming, who was feigning blindness, was also also inwardly surprised by the acquired scar.

The other party stood before Bo Yueming, looked at him openly, and also didn’t forget to greet, “Hello, I’m You Qinian.”

After You Qinian spoke, Pei Yi covertly compared heights again, and the corners of his mouth slightly curved—

En.

Bo Yueming was still slightly better!

Feeling the aura of the person in front of him, Bo Yueming returned calmly, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Director.”

You Qinian withdrew his appreciative gaze, and there was a trace of invitation in his hoarse voice, “If Mr. Bo has time, can we sit and chat slowly? Want some wine? The brands on the wall can be chosen at will.”

They could be casually picked?

So generous?

Pei Yi exclaimed in his heart, and at the same time, heard Bo Yueming decline, “Director You, I don’t drink well, and dare not drink alcohol casually.”

You Qinian noticed Bo Yueming’s vigilance, and said calmly, “I thought Mr. Bo and Little Mister Pei were wine lovers. After all, they picked up a lot of good wine in Linshui Pavilion some time ago.”

He paused, then seemed to praise, “Few people in Wencheng can take advantage of Chen Shun.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s eyes shifted slightly when he spoke of this, and Pei Yi, who was accompanying him silently, also found it strange—

In a private restaurant like Linshui Pavilion, it was impossible for anything to leak, not to mention that from the beginning to the end of that night, they were sure that they did not see You Qinian.

Otherwise, if it was someone as impressive as You Qinian, it was impossible for him not to make an impression.

After some thought, Pei Yi realized one possibility, and Bo Yueming also grasped the answer. “It seems that the boss behind Linshui Pavilion is Director You?”

You Qinian generously admitted, “Mr. Bo can laugh at the small restaurant I started before taking charge of You Group.”

Small business?

That could be regarded as a small business?

Hearing this simple answer, Pei Yi said internally that You Qinian was not a simple person—

The other party had built Linshui Pavilion into the most famous private restaurant in Wencheng, and the customers who could afford to eat there were all rich and powerful people.

On the surface, this restaurant was a super high-end consumer venue, but it was also the easiest place to view the private relationships between the major families and enterprises in Wencheng. It was simply the modern version of a secret society, ah!

Pei Yi thought without speaking, while Bo Yueming was as steady as Mount Tai.

Seeing that Bo Yueming remained motionless, You Qinian could only show his own cards first. “Mr. Bo, I came to you today to discuss a partnership.”

Bo Yueming pretended to be puzzled. “Partnership?”

You Qinian pointed out, “You and I are intelligent people, and we know how to maximize the benefits of the Wencheng Sports Center project.”

Bo Yueming finally received the answer he wanted, and raised his eyebrows slightly. “Director You, how do you want to cooperate?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere of a stalemate dissolved quite a lot.

You Qinian slowly relaxed. “By the way, didn’t you bake an apple pie? Why not let Little Mister Pei and the others try it?”

Hearing this, Pei Yi subconsciously grabbed the corner of Bu Yueming’s clothes. “Er-ge.”

He was still not one hundred percent assured of the “partnership” You Qinian spoke of. Lin Zhong hadn’t come yet, and if the bodyguard left, what if the fierce-faced You Qinian tried to attack Bo Yueming?

Sensing Pei Yi’s concern for him, Bo Yueming gently squeezed the hand holding the corner of his clothes. “It’s fine, go, ba.”

You Qinian saw the relationship between the two, and subconsciously turned his gaze to Zhang Shunzhi.

Zhang Shunzi met his eyes and pushed his glasses up with a smile, inviting, “Little Mister Pei, please follow me.”

“……..”

Pei Yi naturally trusted Bo Yueming.

He hadn’t participated in the bidding process all this time. If he forcibly stayed put at the other’s side at this moment, firstly, it would not be easy for him to understand, and secondly, it would be easy to cause trouble during their partnership conversation.

Thinking of this, Pei Yi could only slowly follow Zhang Shunzi up to the second floor.

Bodyguard Sun Wei stood by the second floor railing.

Although he couldn’t hear the conversation on the first floor, Bo Yueming’s figure could be seen below. Once the situation changed, he could rush down in a timely manner.

On the left side of the stairs was a room specially made into a baking kitchen. The contrasting color layout of beige and orange made the whole space look particularly warm and charming.

Zhang Shunzhi was busy retrieving the apple pie from the oven.

Pei Yi looked at Zhang Shunzhi’s back, and his gaze unconsciously fell to his legs—

Up until now, he still felt that the other party’s right foot was a little strange. Especially when stepping on the stairs, the weight and movement of the two feet were inconsistent.

Having finished taking out the apple pie, Zhang Shunzhi turned around suddenly. Pei Yi had no time to look away, and was caught by the other party.

“……”

Pei Yi was uncomfortable for a moment, and simply stopped hiding it. “Foot?”

Zhang Shunzhi was taken aback, and then smiled helplessly. “I thought it was well-disguised, but I didn’t expect that I couldn’t even hide it from Little Mister Pei.”

He slowly approached Pei Yi, tugged on his slightly loose pant leg, and generously showed the condition of his right foot.

It was a prosthetic.

Pei Yi’s breathing cut off. He realized that he might have touched Zhang Shunzhi’s inner scar, so he quickly responded with his most sincere apology, “I’m sorry.”

Zhang Shunzhi’s understanding of Pei Yi was limited to the investigation data. But now that he had formal contact with him, he felt that Pei Yi had a pure, bright heart under the “foolishness” that others ridiculed him for. 

“Little Mister Pei, you don’t need to apologize to me.” Zhang Shunzhi was very open about his disability.

He didn’t know how much Pei Yi could understand, but after thinking about it, he explained it at conventional thinking and speaking speed, “This prosthesis is newly ordered, and I haven’t fully gotten used to it yet.”

Pei Yi nodded silently, and didn’t intend to pry into his deeper privacy. He felt like Zhang Shunzhi’s temperament and style of conversation did not seem like he was only an “assistant.”

Zhang Shunzhi thought that Pei Yi was still worried about Bo Yueming, so he put a small slice of apple pie on a plate and handed it over. “Little Mister Pei, give it a try?”

“You don’t have to worry, the scar on Director You’s face is an acquired injury. It looks fierce, but it is actually very easy for him to talk about.”

“…….”

Very easy for him to talk about?

Pei Yi felt that these words were spoken through a personal filter, but didn’t refute them.

He took a light bite of the apple pie, and the warm, sweet taste immediately hit his taste buds.

Zhang Shunzhi saw Pei Yi’s eyes brighten. “How does it taste?”

“Hm!”

The desserts at the exchange meeting were so-so, but this piece of apple pie tasted much better. Pei Yi was not stingy with his love, and took another bite.

. . . . . .

In the restaurant on the first floor.

You Qinian set the whiskey on the table in front of Bo Yueming and invited, “Mr. Bo, have some?”

Bo Yueming nodded slightly, but didn’t rush to raise his glass and drink.

You Qinian sat down opposite him and took a sip of liquor. “Mr. Bo, I won’t speak too politely. How about Bo and You form a bidding consortium, 50-50.”

He had checked the specific regulations in advance, and as long as the two companies reached a consortium before submitting the bidding documents, it would be in compliance.

Bo Yueming didn’t answer immediately. “Director You, since you want to win this project, why didn’t you cooperate with Shuntian Group?”

You Qinian saw that there was an element of deliberate questioning in Bo Yueming’s words. “Mr. Bo, I’m not sure how much you know about the situation in Wencheng? Compared with the Bo family’s absolute status in the Imperial Capital, the most competitive enterprises in Wencheng in the past ten years have always been Shuntian and You.”

The two families had deep grievances.

Unless Chen Shun fell and the executive director of Shuntian Group was replaced, then there was practically no possibility of cooperation.

Bo Yueming had a heart like a steelyard, and easily answered, “That being the case, why doesn’t Director You continue to compete with Shuntian Group, win or lose? Instead, you want to drag me, an outsider, into it.”

You Qinian understood Bo Yueming’s roundabout speaking skills—

That is, he was waiting for him to tell the whole story before he was willing to discuss the cooperation further.

A trace of determination flickered in You Qinian’s long, narrow eyes, and he said bluntly, “Mr. Bo, you are a person who was raised in a wealthy family, so you should know how ruthless the power struggles can be.”

You Qinian touched the long, thick scar on his face, his tone gradually sinking, “Although I have become the Executive Director of You Group, there are countless pairs of eyes watching my every move.”

“Only absolute strength can shut people up.”

Bo Yueming agreed with his second sentence. “So, Director You wants to win all competitions with Shuntian Group during his time in power. Even if he is giving up profits and finding someone to partner with, he must ensure that he wins?”

You Qinian paused, then bluntly stated his goal, “Yes, I want to suppress Chen Shun and his group all together.”

Bo Yueming was noncommittal. “Director You, it is good to be ambitious, but why do you think it is necessary for me to cooperate with you? You should have investigated me before, so you should know—”

“I’m just an abandoned son of the Bo family. I don’t have to take this Wencheng project.”

You Qinian set down his glass, and there was a hint of clarity in his hoarse voice. “Is that so? I thought Mr. Bo wanted to take advantage of the success of this project to return to Bo headquarters.”

“You would rather endure the ridicule of others and pretend that your eyesight isn’t perfect. Mr. Bo said that I’m ambitious, so what about you?”

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s jaw tensed for a moment, and his fierce aura instantly spread out.

You Qinian grasped the initiative, “Mr. Bo’s camouflage techniques are very good, but my mother suffered from an eye disease before she died, so I just have more experience in discerning such things than outsiders do.”

“Moreover, Mr. Bo wanted to raise his hand to touch his lover when he first entered the door, right? Although you quickly restrained yourself, you were unfortunately caught by me while I was standing on the stairs.”

“…….”

Lover?

Hearing this term of address, Bo Yueming finally took off the glasses blocking his eyes. His dark blue irises were no longer lifeless, and there was a rare evenly-matched appreciation in them.

“Director You, good to meet you.”

The same words, but with a different meaning.

You Qinian understood what he meant, and became more frank, “To be honest, this project is really too large. You can actually afford it, but I can’t take the risk of investing all my capital into it.”

It was good to be able to win the entire thing, but in case there were unavoidable misfortunes during the construction process—

The others in the You family who were eyeing him would take the opportunity to attack and try to drag him down from his high position.

Participating in the bidding in the form of a consortium could increase the chances of winning for both parties.

You Qinian, who had just taken office, could have some leeway, and Bo Yueming could also rely on the success of this project to return to a core position in the group headquarters.

Bo Yueming picked up the whiskey on the table. “Director You, cooperation is fine, but I request that the consortium be led by Bo and the interests be divided 4-6 in the end.”

“…….”

You Qinian’s eyes shifted slightly. “Mr. Bo, you have a big appetite, ah.”

In his envisioning, You should be the leading enterprise, and a 50-50 split was the greatest sincerity he could give.

Bo Yueming took a sip of whiskey, not denying it. “Director You, if I didn’t have much of an appetite, why would I sit here and discuss cooperation with you?”

“This will bring down Shuntian Group step by step and make You the leader in Wencheng and even the coastal areas. As for other projects in the future, Bo will never compete with you for the top spot.”

Bo Yueming put the whiskey back on the table and made a final ultimatum. “4-6, it isn’t too much.”

You Qinian’s jaw tensed imperceptibly, and it took him a long time to reply. “There are still three days. Let me think about it.”

. . . . . .

Footsteps sounded upstairs.

Bo Yueming quickly donned his guide glasses, and the cold indifference of “not being able to see” suffused his body again.

Pei Yi descended the stairs first. He saw Bo Yueming get up slowly and fumble around, and trotted to his side. “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming grasped his wrist habitually, his gaze off-center. “Director You, if there is nothing else, then we will leave first.”

Seeing him pretend to be decent in front of Pei Yi, You Qinian suddenly felt speechless, but he quickly adjusted. “Mr. Bo, walk slowly.”

As an assistant, Zhang Sunzhi sent them out and then returned. “Qinian, is the deal settled?”

You Qinian dropped his defenses, cupping his temples that were about to explode. “Somewhat. Bo Yueming has the intention to cooperate, but the conditions he raised are harsher than I had imagined.”

Since he was stabbed last year, this injured temple would always hurt sharply in rainy weather.

Distressed, Zhang Shunzhi pulled him down to sit, “It’s fine if you can’t talk about it. Don’t hurt yourself, why bother to be obsessed with this project?”

“If I don’t snatch this project from Chen Shun’s hands and stop the mouths of those people with ulterior motives, I won’t be able to secure my position completely.”

If his seat was unstable, he would be at their mercy.

You Qinian hesitated to speak, “Such pain…..I don’t want to go through it again.”

Last year, when the You Clan’s fighting was at its worst, not only You Qinian’s face suffered an accident, but Zhang Shunzhi’s leg also suffered at that time.

You Qinian asked Zhang Shunzhi to sit down, and glanced at his legs. “It might be about to rain, does your leg hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

Zhang Shunzhi masked it with one sentence, and changed the subject. “I just got to know Little Mister Pei, and I think he’s quite interesting, as well as a very nice person. What do you think of Mr. Bo?”

“Younger than me by four or five years—” You Qinian shook his head. “Ambitious and able to control the overall situation. I wonder what the current patriarch of the Bo family is thinking.”

To actually regard a sharp blade like Bo Yueming as an outcast? How ridiculous.

You Qinian stopped there and gently said, “Sit down for a while, I’ll go get some hot water and apply it to your foot.”

Zhang Shunzhi teased with a smile, “Then I will trouble Director You.”

. . . . . . .

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi walked into the elevator hall, followed by Sun Wei, who was in charge of security. Sun Wei said, “Boss Bo, do you want to go back to the exchange meeting or to the parking lot?”

“Let’s go back to the parking lot, you can contact Lin Zhong.”

In fact, one of the main purposes of Bo Yueming’s decision to come to this exchange meeting was to try to meet You Qinian, who was also the director of a Wencheng enterprise.

He didn’t originally see the other party at the exchange meeting, so Bo Yueming thought that his plan had failed.

Unexpectedly, there was another way out.

As a landmark enterprise in Wencheng, Shuntian Group did have an advantage in this bidding. No matter how confident Bo Yueming was in his bidding plan, he was also worried about this.

Bo Yueming had been considering the feasibility of consortium bidding when unexpectedly, You Qinian actually approached him of his own initiative and incidentally “gave” the initiative to him.

Now that the initial negotiation with You Qinian had been completed, there was no need for him to stay at this Hongmen Banquet.

Pei Yi was unclear about the outcome of the negotiation between Bo Yueming and You Qinian. “Er-ge?”

“It’s fine.”

Bo Yueming held his hand firmly. “Let’s go home.”

“……..”

Pei Yi lowered his eyes to look at their clasped hands, and felt a warmth in his heart.

He thought back to the beginning and how Bo Yueming “disliked” this marriage, and he was not allowed to have physical contact or call out to him jokingly. But now everything seemed to have changed, and this could indirectly prove one point—

Hadn’t his own existence played a role? Hadn’t Bo Yueming not become withdrawn, twisted, and blackened like in the original text?

When Pei Yi thought of this possibility, he unconsciously tightened his grip. “Er-ge!”

The elevator doors swung open.

Aware of his hard grip, Bo Yueming replied, “What is it?”

Pei Yi was a little proud, and said inexplicably, “I’m amazing.”

Bo Yueming heard this nonsensical sentence and teased, “En, knowing to call me ‘husband’ is amazing.”

“……..”

Couldn’t this matter pass? 

Why did this person like to laugh at him recently?

Pei Yi took a deep breath and tried to shake his hand off, but failed.

. . . . . . .

The elevator quickly arrived at the underground floor.

Lin Zhong, who had already completed the task and come down first, was waiting at the door. He reported immediately after seeing Bo Yueming, “Mr. Bo, I have already brought back the recording pen. Chen Shun and the others didn’t find it.”

“When I left the exchange hall, I met Ms. Zhong Yi again. She took the initiative to leave her contact information and said that she would like to meet up with you again sometime and ask about the Old Lady’s situation.”

Bo Yueming nodded, without much to say.

It wasn’t until they drew closer to Lao Zhang’s car that he intentionally urged Sun Wei away. “Stay outside the car for a while longer.”

A trace of approval flickered in Pei Yi’s eyes as he understood what Bo Yueming was doing.

They had to confirm the news on the recorder as soon as possible, but Sun Wei had only been working with them for a day, so they couldn’t fully trust him.

Sun Wei fulfilled his duty and completely obeyed Bo Yueming’s arrangements. “Okay, Boss Bo.”

The door closed again.

After cutting off all possibility of prying eyes from outside, Bo Yueming cut to the point at once. “Did it record anything?”

“It did!”

Lin Zhong’s expression was indescribably complicated as he simply clicked the playback button of the recording pen. “Mr. Bo, I think you should just listen!”

The recording was a bit staticky, but it didn’t affect the clarity of Chen Shun and Pan Chenggong’s conversation—

Chen Shun’s anger remained undiminished. “I told you to change the batch of safety equipment last time, did you hear my words with deaf ears? How long has it been, and another life has been lost! Do you still want to live!”

“Dad, you, listen to my explanation, I really changed them out! Just, there are so many different batch numbers, and I didn’t know that there would be a fish that slipped through the net and caused something to go wrong!”

“You didn’t know? I think you know better than anyone else that you have the guts to deceive those below and above you! Get the hell out of the company today! Find a way to deal with it yourself!”

Pan Chenggong raised his voice pleadingly, “Dad! I really know I’m wrong! Xiuxiu is pregnant and about to go into labor, if I’m taken away by the police, she will be worried! Just help me one more time!”

“You……”

The furious Chen Shun remained silent for a long while.

During the pause in the recording, Lin Zhong told of the news he had found out. “Chen Shun’s daughter, Chen Xiu, met Pan Chenggong in university. They have been married for many years, and she only became pregnant this year.”

Chen Shun’s voice sounded, but this time it was nearly inaudible. Fortunately, Lin Zhong adjusted the volume to its highest point—

“If you pay the damages privately, you can directly pay double what the other party wants, and I will take care of the other things. You can’t let Xiuxiu know about this. If something goes wrong between her and the child in her belly, I’ll peel your skin off!”

There was the sound of a door opening and closing again.

Following this conversation, Pei Yi’s heart overflowed with disgust—

For the sake of your pregnant daughter, you want to do a favor for this money-loving son-in-law who disregards human life?

What about Qiao Dong’s brother? What about Qiao Dong’s pregnant sister-in-law and nephew? Qiao Dong’s father had to send his own son away! The lives of the rich were important, but the lives of the workers on the bottom could be ignored and trampled upon!

Coldness also condensed in Bo Yueming’s eyes. He decided after a little thought, “Lin Zhong, go to the twelfth floor again and tell You Qinian about the recorder and Qiao Dong.”

Since he intended to form a bidding alliance, some things should be handed over to more suitable people!

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Chapter Forty-Five <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Seven

Liu Xian’an got up early and hadn’t eaten anything. On the way, he met a cook delivering food and asked for a steamed bun. The solid and slightly bitter yellow rice flour took a lot of teeth to bite, and he ate slowly while asking: “Is there still a shortage of food in the army?”

“If we can quickly attack Qianqu City, there will be no shortage, and there is just enough for the time being.” Liang Shu stretched out his arm to be used as a handrail, and the two climbed up to a high hill together. “I was discussing with Gao Lin this morning about sending you back to Baihe Mountain Village.”

When he heard this, Liu Xian’an was slightly taken aback, and after a long silence, he said doubtfully: “How long will it take to fight Qianqu City?”

“Not long.” Liang Shu said, “I plan to hand over Qianqu City to Hong Feng for him to fight.”

Lu Xiang had been dismissed for dereliction of duty, but the position of commander could not remain vacant forever. There must be someone to take it over temporarily, and Hong Feng was the best candidate selected by Liang Shu and Gao Lin from the army after so many days of observation. Liu Xian’an also felt that Qianqu City would not be difficult to attack, because Huang Wangxiang’s banner had already fallen and the rebel army had lost its backbone. And the two cities Qingyang and Sanshui had been captured by the Yan army with the force of lightning, which should have an enormous psychological deterrent effect on the rebels in Qianqu City.

He asked: “Since the battle can be resolved quickly, why are you rushing to send me and A-Ning back?”

Liang Shu was helpless: “Because the plan has changed. Emperor Brother sent a long-distance urgent decree last night so that I don’t have to go back to Wangcheng, and after the rebel army is wiped out, I will go directly to the Southwest to investigate the Baifu Sect.”

Investigate the Baifu Sect. These few words sounded simple, but they were a venomous constrictor that had been entrenched in the Southwest mountains for many years, and if they were not careful, they might be swallowed by it. The Imperial court had sent troops many times in recent years, but they were only knocks on the partition wall intended to deter them from being too arrogant. Liu Xian’an asked: “This is a provisional decision made by the Emperor?”

“It doesn’t count as such,” Liang Shu said. “Emperor Brother has been making arrangements in secret since he ascended the throne, the timeline has just moved up a little. To eradicate the cult and to divert the Bai River, these two events are his greatest wish. The Bai River may take many generations of working together, but that is not so for the cult. The Baifu Sect’s reach is getting longer and longer. If these ghastly claws are not cut clean, sooner or later the entire territory of Dayan will wither.”

Taking advantage of the security of the border at this time, he could free up his hands to take care of it.

When Liu Xian’an was lying in the waterside pavilion, watching the sky and sleeping, he just felt that his parents, brothers, and sisters were very busy every day. And now that he had met Liang Shu, he realized that ‘being busy’ could reach the height of a mountain.

Marching and fighting without sleep, now that the war was finally coming to an end, he was sent to the Southwest again before he could breathe a sigh of relief.

Whether the Emperor was a wise ruler, Liu Xian’an couldn’t discern for the time being, but he truly could see that the Emperor was very short of people around him.

Liang Shu asked: “Why are you in a daze again?”

Liu Xian’an swallowed the yellow rice bread in his mouth: “Then I’ll go to the Southwest too.”

Liang Shu gazed at him. Go to the Southwest together. This idea had also ignited in him for a short time, but in the end, he extinguished the flames. When carrying him back to camp under the moonlight last night, that body was light in his arms. Wrapped in a loose robe, he was slender and weak, very much like a weightless cat. So he would send him back to Baihe Mountain Village, ba, to that stable and wealthy town. Let him continue to eat and sleep, and watch the sky and clouds, and when he was tired of lying down, he could play chess and talk with those annoying white-bearded old men.

Liu Xian’an asked: “Why does the prince keep looking at me?”

Liang Shu said: “The forests in the Southwest lands are dense, with miasma everywhere. In the deep mountains where the Baifu Sect are located, there are even more snakes, insects, and rats crawling around.”

“Then I must go. The prince must have a doctor by his side, right?” Of course, there must be an army in the Southwest, as well as local military doctors. But Liu Xian’an thought, I’m different from them, I have to go.

Liang Shu frowned: “You cannot.”

Liu Xian’an turned his back to him and muttered, that’s your call, I have my own legs.

The sound was like a hum, but Liang Shu heard it clearly and grabbed his hairband: “Turn around, how can there be a person who brings suffering upon himself?”

Liu Xian’an said: “It cannot be considered suffering.” In ancient times, there were sages who sought the true, good, pure, and beautiful dao of heaven, traveling thousands of miles and walking barefoot all over the mountains and rivers. He himself would go to the Southwest to seek the same sort of pure new world. Wasn’t this very reasonable? Then he continued, “And the prince has promised to help me rearrange the worlds in my mind.”

Liang Shu knocked on his forehead: “I think you can come in and out freely now.”

“Not so, not so.” Liu Xian’an put on an act. “I still have a bit of a headache.”

Liang Shu didn’t expose his clumsy acting skills. Sliding his fingers down, he took advantage of the opportunity to pinch the other’s cheek: “You just want to go. What about those white-bearded old men who told you to do nothing and ignore the world? When it’s time to implement it, you throw it clean away.”

Liu Xian’an’s voice was pulled out by him – but the sages also say that if you go to rule the country and then leave it, there will be chaos.

In any case, I am going.

Liang Shu asked: “Just to save the country?”

Liu Xian’an tried to bluff his way out, answering: “Something like that.”

“Where is the point of difference?”

“Don’t know.”

“Then you are not allowed to go.”

“…….”

In the end, Liu Xian’an had no choice but to acknowledge that the point of difference was the prince. But admitting it was not enough, and His Royal Highness Xiao Wang continued to interrogate him about how many points that “point of difference” was. Liu Xian’an gestured that a cun was not enough, nor a chi or a zhang, and in the end, he could only point to the east, west, north, and south, taking in the entire world as far as he could see. Liang Shu was, with difficulty, satisfied with his own measure.

Liu Xian’an asked: “Then can I go to the Southwest now?”

Liang Shu nodded: “All right.”

After returning to camp, he told Gao Lin about the incident. Lieutenant General Gao sighed repeatedly, pulled the prince to a deserted corner, and persuaded him earnestly, didn’t we agree to send Second Young Master Liu back to Baihe City? Why did you suddenly change your mind? Asking for a wife is all about romantic surroundings, what the hell is a cult lair? There are dangers and miasma, who has the brains to take his sweetheart there? Is the prince menacing someone again?

Liang Shu was dizzy from his nattering: “Stay away from me.”

And A-Ning, as always, was very supportive of this decision. He said: “I think the young master should be with the prince.”

Liu Xian’an, half lying down: “En, I think so too.”

After lying down for a while, he wrote a letter to his parents at home, telling them that he must go to the Southwest. A-Ning was at his side grinding ink for him, and also leaned over to look at the two lines, reminding him: “Young Master, write a little more, ba. This time it’s all about the war and the cult again, the Village Master and his wife must be very worried. You must let them rest assured. En……just say that the prince has taken good care of us, and it is safe here.”

Liu Xian’an wrote as he said. The family letter reached the level of a family tree, and could be said to be thick. The letter described in detail how brave and invincible His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was, commanding troops like a god, and how caring and considerate he was to himself personally, voluminous and flowing, eloquent in every detail. A-Ning finally dozed off. Rubbing his eyes, he reminded, don’t just write about His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, also write about yourself, ah. Didn’t the young master also do many capable things in the war?

But Liu Xian’an had already dropped the brush. He was tired from writing and his arm was sore, so he went to the bed and lay down: “That’s all, ba. I don’t want to move.”

A-Ning was very regretful, and carefully sorted out the letter. Halfway through, Liang Shu’s voice suddenly came from outside, and he just watched as the lazy young master who claimed that he was “very tired, his arms were sore, and he didn’t even have the energy to write an extra word” immediately got up and ran out energetically.

“……”

After a short rest, the army struck out again and moved forward.

Although Miao Changqing was a rebel, due to his meritorious service in protecting the common people, along with his illness and old age, Liang Shu sent him to Kunzhou to work as a tomb guard there. 

Although it sounded bitter, Kunzhou had a warm climate and was a place where there was no shortage of food. There was also a Baihe Medical Center nearby, which could see him at any time, and there was no need for heavy work when guarding the tombs. Just living in the village amounted to a peaceful retirement.

As expected by Liang Shu, the battle for Qianqu City was fought without much effort. Taking advantage of the terrain, Hong Feng ordered the army to slow down its marching speed in order to confuse the rebels’ spies, and personally led three thousand vanguard troops to march rapidly from another direction and raid the city overnight. The leader of the rebel army was beheaded while still in a dream, and blood splattered three feet high.

This rebellion caused by floods and famine ended at the edge of this sword.

In a dark prison, Lu Xiang looked at the bowl of rice with a piece of fat before him. He raised his head and said: “You’re trying to kill me!”

Liang Shu said: “You are corrupted and took bribes, and were lax in governing, neglected your duties, and disregarded human life. Should you not be killed?”

“Only the Emperor—”

“It is the Emperor who wants your head,” Liang Shu interrupted him coldly. “Kneel down and receive the Imperial edict.”

Lu Xiang’s face was ashen, and he slumped to the ground: “Impossible, my uncle…..it’s you, you and my uncle have always been at odds, so you’re getting in the way. I want to face the Emperor for vindication!”

Gao Lin was amazed by his thick skin. You have the injustice of a fart. He ordered the jailer to go in and force the puddle of melting snow into a kneeling position, then opened the Imperial edict with a snap, and read it quickly. “Okay, take him out.”

“Liang Shu!” Lu Xiang shouted loudly, “You’re too arrogant! My uncle will not let you get away with this!”

Gao Lin kicked him until he was breathless: “You had better let your uncle off first, ba. This time, your beheading was personally requested by Lu-daren. He’s old enough to mop the floor with his beard, and he still has to take care of your mess. If you really have a conscience, your soul will drift far away after death and not frighten that hapless old man.”

Lu Xiang was dragged the whole way out, along with a continuous pattering of liquid. Gao Lin covered his nose and followed Liang Shu out to supervise the beheading. The people of Qianqu City were all there. The executioner went down and beheaded Lu Xiang, which also slew the corruption and dereliction of duty in the hearts of officials in the Baihe area.

Food for disaster relief had been shipped from all over the nation. The Imperial envoys were about to arrive, and refugees were being accepted in an orderly manner by local governments, so they could at least live through a winter that was no longer hungry or cold.

Liu Xian’an was sitting in a southbound carriage, holding a heater in his hands, his nose still red from the cold.

“I heard from Lieutenant General Gao that it’s already snowing in the north.” A-Ning also squeezed in beside him. “It would be great if we were in Wangcheng.”

Liu Xian’an also felt a little regretful, because it never snowed in Baihe City. He had never seen snow before, and his nose itched at the thought.

“Achoo!”

A-Ning picked up a cloak to the side and wrapped him up completely. The black fur was embellished with golden lace, very luxurious and exquisite. It was not of the same tailoring style as Second Young Master Liu’s usual robes, so one could tell it was something from the palace at a glance. And besides the cloak, the blankets, cushions, and pillows were all sent by His Royal Highness Xiao Wang.

A-Ning was baffled, waving his hands again and again: “We have them, we have them already.”

Gao Lin was resolute: “It doesn’t matter if you already have them, you have to keep them.”

The journey is long and the country is remote, and my prince really has nothing else to give. But this is his first awakening of love, the time where there are butterflies in his stomach and a little spark can cause a wildfire. He truly wishes that he could hold out all the good things in the world to his sweetheart, and after searching and searching, he could only find these. Although they look shabby and disgraceful, and your family’s young master may not need them, they must still be accepted.

A-Ning held a huge quilt in his arms. Feeling very dazed, he got into the carriage with great difficulty and said: “I tried to refuse. We have blankets, but Lieutenant General Gao ran after stuffing it into my arms, and I couldn’t catch up at all.”

Liu Xian’an spread his hands on the bed: “Give it to me.”

A-Ning crawled over and tidied up for a long time, saying with a troubled look: “I really can’t put any more down, our original quilt is not small. We should still return this to the prince.”

Liu Xian’an hugged his big quilt tightly.

Won’t return it.

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Chapter Fifty << Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-Two