GBT Chapter 98

Chapter 86

On the fifth floor, Jiao Bai leaned against the headboard of Qi Yi Liao’s bed. Directly in front of him, the entire wall was covered with a maximized surveillance screen, stretching and widening the people inside, making them appear somewhat distorted.

It showed Shen Er An and Tan Jun in the west-side reception room on the first floor.

Liang Dong had just left.

Jiao Bai fiddled with the cat ears along the edge of his cotton socks. In “Broken Wings,” Liang Dong, in his pursuit of Li Jue, eventually became enemies with Shen Er An, never to speak to each other again.

Now, their friendship had reached that point.

Except the focus of this falling out had shifted from love to family.

Liang Dong, once a love-struck fool obsessed with Li Jue, had become a vengeful, drug-addicted avenger seeking justice for his family.

On the surveillance screen, Shen Er An stood frozen in place while Tan Jun comforted him. Scattered on the floor were pieces of tin foil left behind by Liang Dong’s drug use.

Jiao Bai felt a chill for some reason. He subconsciously grabbed the neatly folded blanket beside him and covered himself. Human genes were incredibly powerful; one only needed to look at the dwindling population of the Qi family to understand.

Shen Er An, ah, in the original story, no one ever asked him what he wanted. Instead, they took things from him and forced things upon him.

It was the same now.

He was being pushed forward by the situation. A combination of factors, probably.

Like what Zhang Zhen had said when talking about Qi Yi Liao – sometimes it’s not that you want to seize power, but that power pushes you along.

After Shen Er An came into power, he moved quickly and steadily. This relied on the protagonist’s halo, Tan Jun’s assistance, and, most importantly, the Shen family’s genes.

Earlier, in the main hall, Jiao Bai couldn’t talk to Shen Er An because Liang Dong was on the verge of losing control in anger. It was inappropriate. Shen Er An, Liang Dong, and Tan Jun had to confront each other as soon as possible.

At this point, Jiao Bai wasn’t surprised in the slightest by how things were unfolding.

Shen Er An had made his choice before seeing Liang Dong.

There was one thing Jiao Bai hadn’t anticipated, though: when Liang Dong attacked Tan Jun, he was no match and was knocked to the ground, even losing teeth.

Shen Er An didn’t help Liang Dong but instead suggested they sit down and talk. That was a superior’s aura, trying to control the situation.

But when Liang Dong, feeling wronged, questioned him, he still treated him like a brother. How could he possibly sit down?

Original intentions, ah.

That stuff is truly something you can’t see, yet you can.

Jiao Bai bent his legs, his knees pushing the blanket into a bulge, and rested his chin on it. Cheng Mountain no longer had greenness, nor did it snow. He couldn’t understand Shen Er An anymore.

To be precise, the Shen Er An that Jiao Bai knew was becoming blurry. He always felt that, in some fleeting moment, he would see the crazy, perverted protagonist of this comic.

This wasn’t the first time he had this thought.

Jiao Bai’s feelings toward Shen Er An had been constantly changing, and each change was reflected in his actions.

Initially, when Jiao Bai only saw Shen Er An as the Slag gong from the original story, he was just an observer. But as they interacted more and he felt that the non-Slag version of him wasn’t bad, he spoke up from the audience and offered encouragement and comfort when he needed help.

Back at Shang Ming Yuan, when they talked about college applications, Jiao Bai didn’t directly tell Shen Er An his plans. He began to consider the original story’s plot and the butterfly effect. If Shen Er An started to turn Slag after joining the group, then there was no need to contact him again.

Last year, when Shen Ji forcibly took Jiao Bai on a plane to West City, he used Xiao Er Duo’s phone to let Shen Er An know he was safe. Shen Er An’s words moved him. He said in his heart: as long as you don’t step into the world-destroying plotline of the original story, I will be your friend for life.

After that, as they interacted more, Jiao Bai left the audience seats and stepped onto the stage. When Shen Er An’s scenes came up, he no longer looked at him as a cardboard character but as a vibrant life, a friend.

Although Jiao Bai often wanted Shen Er An to turn Slag, sending Shen Ji to his original ending, whenever he was tortured to death by Shen Ji, those were just empty words, a way to enjoy himself.

What was the point of turning Slag?

A strengthened version of Shen Ji was just utterly repulsive.

Therefore, Jiao Bai did what he could, pulling Shen Er An up again and again.

And now…

Could he still pull this friend?

Shen Er An’s sobbing came from the surveillance screen. Jiao Bai’s brow twitched, and he jumped in fright when he turned his head. Qi Yi Liao had fallen asleep on his shoulder at some point.

He hadn’t noticed at all!

Jiao Bai’s first reaction was to pull the blanket off himself and share it with the old pervert.

Then, he stared blankly at the window. The curtains were drawn shut, so he couldn’t see any night view, and he couldn’t afford to be distracted. So, he shifted his gaze to the other decorations in the room.

Waves of sterile coolness washed over his flushed face.

Jiao Bai felt for his phone in his pocket but it wasn’t there. In his mind, he was torn between the still-crying Shen Er An, the drug-addled Liang Dong, the recovering Zhang Zhen, and the short-lived Qi Yi Liao. In the end, his own task dominated his thoughts. It was annoying.

Humans weren’t machines, following a program to the end.

What would happen to people? As they walked, they changed, changed in all sorts of ways.

Jiao Bai unconsciously leaned closer to Qi Yi Liao, the warm breath landing on the small cinnabar mole on the side of his… nose.

Then,

He reached out, his fingertip touching the mole.

Jiao Bai casually withdrew his hand and nudged Qi Yi Liao awake: “Third Brother, I want to go downstairs and take a look.”

Qi Yi Liao’s voice was hoarse: “Go ahead.”

Jiao Bai looked at the old pervert who not only didn’t move his head away but also rubbed against his shoulder, ready to continue sleeping. He glanced at Blood Cat, who was “purring”.

It was acting spoiled.

Damn it, Jiao Bai had been awake for five months since falling down the stairs, and the cat’s fur hadn’t turned white again! His lifespan hadn’t increased by half an inch!

This was related to Qi Yi Liao’s internal condition. The effects of resisting the drug were not something that could be metabolized away; it was like a knife, cutting off his originally slow-growing desire to live and vitality.

But its activity hadn’t stopped; it was at 40.

This phenomenon was proving something to him, also indirectly urging him to fill in the answer.

Fill in what?

In August, when Qi Yi Liao rented a villa to host a banquet for Jiao Bai, celebrating his college acceptance, he analyzed what each friend’s activity level stemmed from besides their interests.

When it came to Qi Yi Liao, Jiao Bai found that the other party’s activity stemmed from recognition, a desire to live, and one other thing.

At the time, Jiao Bai wanted to add it but didn’t.

Now, urged on by this activity level that didn’t match the cat’s symptoms, he finally added that one thing.

That was, fondness.

Qi Yi Liao liked me. This old pervert, he liked me!

“How do I go?” Jiao Bai rubbed his face, heavy and fast, his voice hoarse, “I can only choose between the wheelchair and you. The wheelchair is downstairs, and you’re next to me.”

Qi Yi Liao’s legs in the blanket bumped against him, patiently instructing: “Xiao Bai, when solving a problem, given the answer, should the process be as concise as possible?”

Jiao Bai put on a receptive look: “You carry me downstairs.”

“Okay, carry.” A hint of laughter came from Qi Yi Liao’s breath.

Jiao Bai’s gaze drifted away, then recklessly returned, revealing bright, little tiger teeth: “Then let’s go.”

Qi Yi Liao closed his eyes for a few moments. He sat up, his slender and nimble fingers running through his hair a few times: “Not watching the surveillance anymore?”

Jiao Bai nodded.

“Then why not turn it off?” Qi Yi Liao asked in a puzzled tone.

Jiao Bai retorted: “Doesn’t your remote require a password? How would I know.”

“There’s no password.” Qi Yi Liao threw back the covers and got out of bed, lazy and sensual. “Same as the second basement floor.”

Jiao Bai reached for the remote and used dual iris and fingerprint authentication. The interface under his eyelids flashed, and he pressed the power button. The surveillance screen on the opposite wall disappeared, turning into an ordinary wall.

The lives of the rich were filled with all sorts of multifunctional furniture.

When Qi Yi Liao carried Jiao Bai downstairs, Liang Dong had already left. Zhang Zhen had sent two people to escort him, and they would be watching him for the time being.

Shen Ji and Tan Jun were still in the reception room.

Jiao Bai sat at the dining table in the main hall, facing the still-warm New Year’s Eve dinner. He didn’t have the slightest appetite. He asked Qi Er to take a look. Before long, the master and servant duo came over.

Tan Jun lagged behind two steps, while Shen Er An, who was walking in front, had a swollen half of his face and a split corner of his mouth.

He had slapped himself.

Shen Er An met Jiao Bai’s eyes from a distance. He stopped, hesitant to move forward, too ashamed to face him.

“Er An, you’re no longer the unwelcome young master of the Shen family. You are the head of the Shen family, you represent the Shen Corporation. Go, greet your father’s old friend, now your senior in the business world, Qi Yi Liao,” Tan Jun said from behind him. “Before the Cen family falls, you need the Qi family.”

The sweetness in Shen Er An’s mouth was mixed with bitterness. His tightly pursed, cold lips twitched briefly, revealing a blurred arc that vanished in an instant.

Then, he lifted his foot.

An hour before arriving at Lanmo Mansion, Shen Er An had learned everything. That was when Tan Jun killed Old Pan to silence him and proactively confessed everything.

For example, Qi Shuang’s death was planned by Tan Jun, the goal being to use Qi Shuang to clean up the situation in Nancheng. Since the Shen family couldn’t retaliate against the corpse of Qi Shuang, they simply annihilated the entire Qi family.

With Qi Shuang dead, Jiao Bai had become Shen Ji’s only life-saving talisman. The old lady wouldn’t let him go, so he was taken back to Nancheng while his ribs were still healing.

Many things were linked, one after another. Once this chess piece was used or discarded, the next one would take its place.

Tan Jun said that he had waited and planned for many years before the opportunity came, and the revised plans could finally be put into use. He also said that Jiao Bai was an unexpected surprise and the center of this game.

Shen Er An knew too late. The multiple-choice questions he faced had turned into single-choice ones. He could only choose that option. He was already standing on a path of no return.

Reaching this point was not just about fulfilling his mother’s last wish.

Last year, when Jiao Bai blocked the iron rod for him, breaking three ribs and being kidnapped and collared by Shen Ji, he had already grown to hate his own incompetence.

Later, the old lady used Jiao Bai to trade for him, causing Jiao Bai to fall into Qi Zi Zhi’s hands.

At that time, Shen Er An had never been so soberly aware of how important power was. He told Jiao Bai in the video that he wanted to grow, to do so many things, that he couldn’t fold paper dragonflies anymore.

It was because he made that decision that he was able to promptly lead people to intercept Shen Ji, who was trying to take Jiao Bai onto a helicopter this year.

He thought that with power, he could protect those around him. But the effect couldn’t be simply protection; it also involved harm. Behind protection, there was always harm.

Why couldn’t things ever be perfect…

Shen Er An walked up to Jiao Bai, looking down at him.

The gaze from above was heavy, bearing untold weight. Jiao Bai took a sip of water. Shen Er An had chosen to protect Tan Jun, and he had that look of suffering and helplessness as if he knew the relationship between his mother and the Cen family, and how his mother and grandmother had been abused by the Cen family.

Since Shen Er An was going to fulfill the last wishes of those two relatives, he would surely uproot the Cen family. He needed Tan Jun’s help.

Jiao Bai couldn’t stop this melodrama involving the previous generation of wealthy families. He had tried his best.

Jiao Bai put down the water glass and looked up.

Shen Er An recounted the events in the reception room, speaking of his falling out with Liang Dong. He spoke slowly, choking up several times. After finishing, he asked Jiao Bai: “Do you think I was wrong?”

Jiao Bai seemed to see a hamster who had broken something, desperately trying to shrink into its burrow. He didn’t let it hide, instead, he leaned over to the entrance of the burrow and called out: “Whether you were wrong or not, the answer is in your own heart.”

The smog on Cheng Mountain had gotten worse.

Jiao Bai glanced at Qi Yi Liao, who was smoking a little distance away, and then at Tan Jun, who was being stopped by Zhang Zhen. He pondered and returned to Shen Er An’s actions tonight.

Shen Er An had brought Tan Jun here to show Tan Jun, to show himself, and to present his choice to Liang Dong.

“Tan Jun was wrong to Liang family, he should have stood there and been beaten by Liang Dong, he shouldn’t have fought back.” Jiao Bai said, “Didn’t you tell him that?”

Shen Er An said softly: “It was Uncle Tan’s idea to come to the Qi family. I agreed. I wanted Dongzi to wait, I’ll give him two lives.”

Jiao Bai thought, Liang Dong was already addicted to drugs, how could he wait until then?

Besides, how could lives compensate?

What about the Liang family’s parents’ reputations? They were still the family of murderers.

“You didn’t answer my question directly,” Jiao Bai said, staring straight at Shen Er An.

Shen Er An’s thin lips moved, and he spat out three words in embarrassment: “I forgot.”

Jiao Bai asked again: “Then why did you stand there and watch Tan Jun fight back, hitting Liang Dong, and not stop him?”

Shen Er An couldn’t speak this time. The color drained from his face.

Jiao Bai scanned Shen Er An’s expensive CEO attire. Between the brother he had befriended in his youth and the uncle who was related to his mother and could help him, he chose the latter.

Regardless of whether this was mostly emotional or mostly rational, and how much careful consideration and compulsion was mixed in, the result was the same.

“You considered everything you thought was important from your point of view, and you also felt like you had no choice, that you had your difficulties and could only do what you are doing now. But you didn’t think about Liang Dong’s perspective.” Jiao Bai’s words couldn’t be sugarcoated; it was the truth. “Once you choose a path, keep going, don’t look back.”

The smog on Cheng Mountain seemed to engulf Jiao Bai, making it a little difficult to breathe: “Looking back only lets you see what you gave up when you made your choice. There’s no other meaning.”

After a pause, Jiao Bai added: “I see you are bearing the consequences, too. You’ve thought it all through, so don’t have any more illusions.”

Tears streamed down Shen Er An’s face. The person who had once encouraged him, taught him to be vigilant, and advised him, was now disappointed in him.

“Tan Jun told you not to contact me?”

Hearing Jiao Bai’s question, Shen Er An lowered his wet and curly eyelashes, hiding his bloodshot eyes: “It was my own decision.”

He didn’t reply to messages, didn’t answer calls, because he was afraid.

Afraid of regret, afraid of turning back.

In the past six months, besides recovering from his injuries and undergoing head surgery, he had been cultivating his power and preparing. Once everything was ready, he could quietly enter the three-way battle between the Shen, Cen, and Qi families, take the Shen Corporation from Shen Ji while he was unprepared, and ally with Cen Qi.

Jiao Bai didn’t have mind-reading powers and didn’t know Shen Er An’s thoughts. He could guess some things, but he couldn’t directly bring up the Cen family feud and openly discuss it with the other party.

“Many things, we can’t predict. It’s not like if you have a high position, you can control everything. Your father is an example.” Jiao Bai smelled a hint of tobacco; the old pervert was still smoking, a second cigarette! He frowned and continued, “I don’t know if you can take in what I’m saying.”

Shen Er An said: “I can.”

Jiao Bai restrained the urge to complain; his stubbornness was probably off the charts. “Can,” my ass. He chuckled: “Your people are very capable, plotting against all levels of people.”

“You won’t drag me in, will you?” Jiao Bai asked in the next second.

Shen Er An immediately shook his head.

Jiao Bai squinted: “Can you make that decision?”

Shen Er An lightly hummed in agreement.

Jiao Bai didn’t let Shen Er An help him; he supported himself and stood up by leaning on the table.

Standing face to face, Jiao Bai realized that Shen Er An had grown taller again. He was 1.78 meters tall and had to tilt his head way back to look at him. The height difference didn’t affect Jiao Bai’s coldness and determination. “Then remember what you said today. If Tan Jun schemes and uses me again…”

Shen Er An’s lips parted slightly. The words “I’m sorry” were about to form but were cut off.

“Don’t say sorry. If we keep calculating this and that, it’ll be a mess. I still have to say thank you to you. If you hadn’t arrived that time, I would have been taken to a safe place by your father, and who knows how much I would have suffered.” Jiao Bai said.

Shen Er An suddenly looked up, looking at Jiao Bai as if he was looking at a judge handing down his death sentence: “You hate me too.”

Jiao Bai’s face darkened slightly: “…If thinking that makes you feel better, then think that way.”

He spoke incoherently: “Liang Dong can’t kick his drug habit; he’s completely ruined this lifetime.”

The hem of his clothes grew heavy.

Shen Er An had grabbed Jiao Bai.

He wanted to hug his only friend, asking for a little comfort, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Jiao Bai looked at Shen Er An, his head bowed, tightly clutching his clothes, a suppressed sob escaping his throat.

He was still struggling.

Who are you waiting for to pull you, Shen Er An? Are you going to rely on me again? How many times have I pulled you already, how many more times can I pull you?

Jiao Bai didn’t pry off the hand on his clothes. He calmed down in the midst of the nicotine scent. The young President Shen was still immature, only wearing the empty shell of a “power holder.”

He hadn’t directly or indirectly stained his hands with much blood, and his heart wasn’t cruel enough; he wasn’t decisive enough in killing.

If you pick up one thing, you have to let go of another. This was such a simple principle.

Just like when I do tasks, if I want the task rewards, I’ll welcome all the horrible melodramas, becoming their tool. Jiao Bai thought, could such a scholarly top student like Shen Er An not understand that you couldn’t have both fish and bear paws? No, he just wanted to see a fairy tale.

It was estimated that Shen Er An had only recently learned about Tan Jun’s schemes, and he was still emotional. Once he sat in the large office of the Shen Corporation, handling a pile of official business and listening to his subordinates report their work, he wouldn’t dream anymore.

Reality was a whip that would wake everyone in a dream.

Those like Shen Ji who couldn’t be woken up no matter what were pretending to sleep.

The Slag gong Shen Er An in the comic was exactly like that. The current him wasn’t that far gone yet.

In the original story, Shen Er An had no love, no friendship, only power. He was an extremely successful entrepreneur, a pure businessman, twice as skillful as Shen Ji, with top-notch wealth and appearance.

He was a god-like existence when he went out. All the negative emotions of ordinary people were released after he stepped into his home, all stuffed into Li Jue’s body.

The god was still young and couldn’t suppress his generals.

But he would be able to suppress them soon, very soon.

However, if Li Jue wasn’t his container, then how would he deal with the side of himself that he couldn’t show to the outside world?

“At the banquet the night you held the press conference, Liang Dong wanted to sneak in, and I had Zhang Zhen send people to stop him,” Jiao Bai couldn’t stand anymore. He sat back down, his clothes still being clutched.

Shen Er An was standing. Since he was holding on so tightly, the fabric in his hand was pulled up a large amount, exposing Jiao Bai’s stomach and waist.

Jiao Bai pushed away Shen Er An’s hand: “Liang Dong has nothing left, nothing to lose. As long as he has a breath, he won’t let Tan Jun go. If you stand in front of Tan Jun, you have to be prepared to face his knives and guns.”

Shen Er An bent over, his eyes and eyebrows seeming to be soaked in bitterness: “I know.”

“That’s good,” Jiao Bai said.

Lanmo Mansion didn’t keep Shen Er An and Tan Jun for New Year’s Eve dinner. They left the main hall.

Jiao Bai called out to Qi Yi Liao, who was about to light his third cigarette: “Don’t smoke.”

“Click.”

The metal cap of the lighter was snapped back into place, and the cigarette returned to the cigarette case.

“Third Brother,” Jiao Bai supported himself on the table as he moved over, panting and sweating, “You used to be opposed to Shen Ji, but after Shen Er An came into power, you sided with him. The outside world is saying Shen Er An is your illegitimate son.”

Qi Yi Liao couldn’t help but laugh: “Shen Er An and his father look so alike. Don’t pay attention to the words of the blind.”

Jiao Bai pulled out the chair next to him and sat down, feeling like he was about to collapse, unable to even speak.

“You had to come over yourself. If you have something to say, won’t you ask me to come over? I told you a long time ago, if you have an idea, just say it.” Qi Yi Liao placed his hand, stained with the smell of smoke, on Jiao Bai’s head, his fingertips rubbing into his hair, feeling wet and hot. All sweat.

Jiao Bai’s throat was terribly dry, unable to retort.

A tall glass was brought to his lips, and he drank the red wine from Qi Yi Liao’s hand.

Afterwards, he remembered that this was Qi Yi Liao’s cup.

Jiao Bai chose to collapse.

Qi Yi Liao added wine to the empty glass and took a few sips. When he attended the banquet to cheer for Shen Er An, it was to let those in this circle who were watching know that the Qi family and the Shen family led by Shen Er An were not enemies; this was repaying a favor.

Repaying the favor of Shen Er An finding Xiao Bai.

As for what followed, he wouldn’t actively participate. The entire Qi family wouldn’t.

“The dishes are all hot.” Qi Yi Liao’s palm stretched from the back of the young man’s head to the front, scooping up his wet bangs and stroking the bumpy scars on his forehead. “Want to drink some old goose soup to cool down?”

Jiao Bai’s attention was diverted: “Where’s the old goose?”

Qi Yi Liao turned the rotating table: “Here.”

Jiao Bai craned his neck to look. It was a goose, but when cooked, it wasn’t much different from a duck. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva mixed with the aroma of red wine and hesitated for a moment: “Okay, give me some.”

While Qi Yi Liao was serving Jiao Bai the old goose soup, the two uninvited guests from Lanmo Mansion were about to leave.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.

Then another.

One of the guests was shot in both legs. He had been closing the car door for his master, and with the bullet wounds in his legs, he knelt on the ground. Blood flowed out of his pants, leaving bloodstains on the ground of Lanmo Mansion.

Behind the vines, Zhang Zhen put down his gun and swallowed a few pills that were almost crushed by his grip.

Qi Er, who was next to him, only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Brother Zhen had really swallowed the pills.

Qi Ye had asked him to supervise Brother Zhen. Luckily, Brother Zhen didn’t shoot Tan Jun dead with one shot. Otherwise, how would they explain it to Young President Shen?

How would Young Master Bai clean up the mess?

The situation would be thrown into chaos.

Jiao Bai didn’t know that Tan Jun had returned to Nancheng with two bullets. He only received shocking news from Qi Er a few days later. Liang Dong had taken advantage of the opportunity of drug rehabilitation to deceive the Qi family’s bodyguards and escape. He went to Zhang Zhen’s friend who was reopening the case, staking out the area and plotting. He finally learned that Old Pan had been silenced.

When Zhang Zhen heard the news and went to find him, Liang Dong had already disappeared.

Jiao Bai’s eyelids were twitching non-stop. The melodramatic stuff was coming again, it was fucking coming again!

Because according to this situation, if Shen Er An’s activity level broke 50, it was most likely related to Liang Dong. Then what was his role in this…?

It was in the complete collection of melodramas, damn it.

Jiao Bai’s first reaction was to touch his tailbone and legs. He was still a semi-disabled person, dammit. Couldn’t it fucking wait?

Forget it, forget it, forget it.

As long as there wasn’t a mandatory task, he really both loved and feared it now.

Loved it because as soon as it came, the activity level would come.

I won’t talk about the fear.

After struggling, Jiao Bai amused himself, What was he thinking? He was basically the passive party, with no choice but to swim through the melodrama when it was splashed over, trying to find a position with as little damage as possible, doing his best not to drown.

“Xiao Bai, carving words?” Qi Yi Liao’s voice came from inside the black wall.

“I’ll play on my phone for a while, I’ll carve now!” Jiao Bai put his phone back in his pocket. Shen Er An, his mother, Liang Dong, Tan Jun, Qi Zi Zhi… they had all become puppets in the hands of hatred.

Fortunately, Zhang Zhen was breaking free of his puppet status and didn’t go to the small courtyard to torture Shen Ji again.

Jiao Bai came back to his senses and his face turned green.

Only part of “Restraint” was carved on the desk; Qi Yi Liao had been dragging him to carve it during this time.

That part had an extra set of words, three words.

——Qi Yi Liao.

Yes, that’s right, that’s what Jiao Bai had just carved.

Jiao Bai gritted his teeth and took the small knife, trying to destroy the evidence. He carved the three words messily.

But you could still see that it was Qi, Yi, Liao!

Jiao Bai tossed the small knife onto the desk. He swung his sore right hand and his brain was racing.

No, I must take the initiative.

So, Jiao Bai,

He wrote the words “Restraint” on a piece of paper, tore it off, and stuck it over the set of names, pressing down the edges.

He could say it was for decoration.

Anyway, it had “Restraint,” not much difference.

Jiao Bai rubbed his chin in satisfaction. He was truly resourceful and smart.

The next moment, he tore the paper off.

Smart my ass. Didn’t he know there were surveillance cameras everywhere? The old pervert in the bathroom was probably taking a bath with the surveillance on.

Qi Yi Liao was indeed watching the surveillance.

There was a huge bathtub in the bathroom. He leaned against one side, the water level reaching his lean waistline.

Under the water was a fierce beast trapped in a cage. Every time it wanted to escape, it would crash into the hard bars.

Again and again, unrepentant, not learning its lesson.

Each time it was crazy, each time it was hurt, shrinking back in fear, only to crash again the next time.

Qi Yi Liao clicked open the surveillance window on the laptop, watching the young man carving words at his desk with fascination, carving his name, stroke by stroke, clearly. He watched it ten times in a row, chuckled, and leaned back.

The cold water climbed up his tightening abs, his violently thumping chest, submerging his throat which was rolling with a hungry haste, his cool, waiting-to-taste-something lips.

He closed his hot, dark eyes.

His entire body sank into the water.

That set of names lay naked on the desk. Neither Qi Yi Liao nor Jiao Bai mentioned it.

Jiao Bai held it in for two days, unable to hold it in and ran to ask Qi Yi Liao, did he need the key?

Qi Yi Liao had just finished a video conference and was tired. Most of his facial contours were submerged in the shadow of the curtains, and he said, “No need.”

Jiao Bai flicked the little key on the key chain. Could he be so sick that he didn’t even have the basic ability to use it?

“Xiao Bai, chant the sutras.” Qi Yi Liao in the rattan chair spoke.

Jiao Bai hooked the key chain and shook it. In that crisp sound, he chanted the scriptures.

Many things were queuing up to happen, there might be those that cut in line, they all seemed to be waiting for him.

But he still had to put the task first.

Living was the premise of all things.

A chill on his ankle, the ruler came up and brushed over his tattoo. Jiao Bai lowered his head, closed his eyes, and listened to Qi Yi Liao’s instruction: “Focus.”

“I know, I know.” Jiao Bai stepped on the ruler.

Then, the soles of his feet itched. The ruler was pulled out, stuffed in, back and forth, endlessly.

The thirtieth day of the year was calm, Jiao Bai had a peaceful year, thankful to heaven and earth. After the New Year, he chose a time, finished his rehabilitation and went to the front yard to plant seeds.

He sat in a wheelchair, using a long shovel to dig holes, and throw seeds in.

No one in Lanmo Mansion helped Jiao Bai, not a single one. The bodyguards all craned their necks to take a look while Jiao Bai was busy, and then went back to their posts. While Jiao Bai wasn’t paying attention, they secretly hid behind the bushes to eat lemons.

“Qi Ye’s level is really high.”

“We should all learn from him.”

“Learn what? First, you have to have land, do we have it? Do we have it?”

“…”

The topic was cut short.

They were still eating lemons. Besides the ones planted by Qi Ye and Bai Shao, they couldn’t eat anyone else’s. There was no other choice.

“Wanna bet?”

“Definitely getting married before Valentine’s Day this year.”

“I’ll bet on September, the day Bai Shao goes to medical school.”

“Am I the only one who thinks they won’t be that fast, probably in another three or five years…”

The little brother who spoke was beaten badly. The older brothers all told him to get lost, angered.

Jiao Bai heard an exaggerated scream from a bush. He scattered the flower seeds in the row of small holes in front of him, smacked his lips, the Qi family’s thugs were of the sand sculpture style.

During the day, Jiao Bai planted two packs of seeds. He was exhausted in the evening. He waited in the wheelchair for Qi Yi Liao, who didn’t have any engagements, to get off work and let him see his achievements.

But before Qi Yi Liao returned, Jiao Bai received a call from Jiang Yan. The people and things he mentioned surprised Jiao Bai.

Jiang Yan said that Shen Er An was injured.

He was injured by Chu Dongshan, who was sent abroad by the Chu family and snuck back.

The Shen family hadn’t suppressed the Chu family yet. Chu Dongshan’s crazy behavior was equal to burying the entire family.

Old Master Chu was so angry that he was hospitalized, critically ill.

Jiang Yan fed this melon to Jiao Bai’s mouth, but Jiao Bai couldn’t swallow it. How could Chu Dongshan re-enter the stage at this time?

Jiao Bai suddenly remembered a person he had overlooked. He quickly checked the three people in the fourth group: Shen Ji, Qi Zi Zhi, Li Jue. None of the three had a white flower on their head.

Li Jue wasn’t dead.

Right, he couldn’t be dead.

So, where was Li Jue???

Jiao Bai cursed, I forgot about the protagonist shou? Sigh, if they weren’t in front of him, he would really forget about them.

Before long, Jiao Bai called Zhang Zhen and asked about Li Jue’s whereabouts.

But Zhang Zhen said that he had fainted at the foot of the mountain that day. His brothers sent him to the hospital, and he was in bad shape when he woke up. Since then, he had been busy with this and that under the control of drugs and had neglected that person.

At the end of last year, Zhang Zhen remembered, he sent people to investigate the employee files of “Di Ye”, but he didn’t find Li Jue. Now he was still investigating and wouldn’t give up.

Jiao Bai comforted Zhang Zhen a few words and hung up the phone, The motive for Chu Dongshan to attack Shen Er An was probably only…

When Jiao Bai reacted, he had already dialed a number that had been gathering dust in his list.

This time, Shen Er An actually answered.

Jiao Bai listened to the sound of paper turning on the other end and asked directly: “Is Li Jue with you?”