91

“Grocery Shopping”

Shi Weichong left right after Shi Jin made that promise.

Shi Jin accompanied him to the door. After Xu Jie got in the car, he called his brother’s name, stopping him, and led him two steps aside. “Big Brother, I want to invite you out for dinner in a few days, alone. Is that okay?”

Shi Weichong knew what he meant by “alone”. Casting a sideways glance in Xu Jie’s direction, he replied, “Of course. Just let me know the time and place, I’ll be there.”

Shi Jin nodded. He hesitated for a moment, then hinted, “Keep an eye on your mother—don’t let your good intentions go to waste.”

Immediately realizing why Shi Jin would say this, Shi Weichong frowned. “Did she do something?” he asked.

If the issue of Tarantula cooperating with Annihilation to deceive Xu Jie got out, it would affect Tarantula’s reputation, so Shi Jin couldn’t explain anything too clearly. Besides, he’d rather avoid Shi Weichong confronting Xu Jie about it and unwittingly destroying his plan, so he only said, “It’s just that she looked off. I’m worried that she’s only pretending to accept it and will still try to make trouble in secret. Big Brother, I told you earlier: as long as she doesn’t try to harm me again, I can turn a blind eye to what she’s done for your sake. However, I’m not a saint—if she acts against me one more time, I won’t let it go. I only hope that you won’t blame me when the time comes.”

Shi Weichong’s expression became strained once more. “I understand,” he replied. “If she still refuses to listen to reason… I certainly won’t blame you. Thank you, Xiao Jin.”

“Don’t thank me,” Shi Jin said, shaking his head, and took the initiative to hug him. “Ruixing is still yours, Big Brother, just wait until this is all finished. Don’t tell Xu Jie.”

“Weichong!” When Xu Jie saw the two of them hugging, she couldn’t stop herself from opening the car door and getting out.

Shi Jin released his brother and stepped back, shooting her an icy glance. Not caring about Shi Weichong’s presence, gave her a direct warning: “I advise you to behave—I’m no longer that naive kid who was so easy to mess with. You’d better believe that if you dare try something again, I’ll dare to put a bullet straight through your skull.” Finished speaking, he nodded to Shi Weichong, then turned around and walked back to Lian Jun. He took the handles and began pushing the wheelchair towards the club’s entrance, not looking back.

He’d said everything that needed to be said, and told them where he stood as well. How things would develop from then on would depend on Xu Jie—on whether Shi Weichong’s compromise would help her regain some of her conscience as a mother.

Shi Weichong was so stunned by what Shi Jin whispered in his ear that, for a moment, he didn’t pay any attention to his threat towards Xu Jie. As he watched Shi Jin’s back move away, his eyes were full of complex emotions: he was moved, felt shame, guilt, wanted to repay him somehow but didn’t know how… In short, many kinds of emotions were smoldering in his chest. However, when he turned his head and saw what kind of expression Xu Jie wore when she looked at his brother, his heart turned cold once again.

“Mom,” he called. He didn’t manage to make his face look gentle. “Behind Shi Jin, there stands Lian Jun, and behind Lian Jun, there’s Annihilation. He isn’t someone you have the ability to touch. Just be thankful for the fact that Xiao Jin is still soft-hearted right now, and willing to recognize me as his brother, and stop it. You’ve made enough mistakes already.”

Xu Jie couldn’t believe her ears. Nearly mad with hate, she blurted, “Are you really taking his side? Didn’t you hear what he said just now? He said he’s going to kill me! You actually—”

“Yes, he did say that, but the premise is that you try to harm him first. Do you want to? Do you really plan to strike out at him again?” Shi Weichong asked in reply, his voice cold.

Xu Jie’s hands, hidden by the body of the car, clenched into tight fists, but she forced a sad expression onto her face. Looking to the side as if she was hurt, she said, “I… how could I? You made the stakes clear yesterday. You even contacted your grandparents and asked them to take back all the assets they’d left under my name… Weichong, Mom loves you very much, and that’s never going to change.”

Seeing her like that, Shi Weichong felt a little uncomfortable, but he endured and didn’t comfort her. “I hope so,” he said. “Once everything is settled, I’ll go with you to find somewhere nice overseas, and I will accompany you in the future.”

Accompany her? No need, a man should focus on his career instead. Xu Jie opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to lecture Shi Weichong, then remembered the situation she was in at the moment. Swallowing her words, she nodded and got back in the car.

On the second floor of the club, Gua Two watched Shi Weichong’s car drive away. He took out his phone and made a call. “Keep watching Xu Jie, report any of her movements without delay.”

One day later, the surveillance team reported that Shi Weichong had shut Xu Jie in her home and called several elders of the Xu family to come to talk to her. He also began to make arrangements for sending Xu Jie abroad.

With that news, Shi Jin instantly understood that Shi Weichong had listened to his warning the day before and intended to send Xu Jie away as soon as possible so that she wouldn’t get the chance to make trouble, but…. He glanced at his progress bar, firmly stuck at 970, and let out a heavy sigh.

It was useless—Xu Jie still hadn’t given up.

That evening, under Lian Jun’s instructions, Tarantula’s branch head contacted Xu Jie. He informed her that after consideration, they decided they could allow her to participate, but she would be required to listen to their orders and would not be allowed to mess around.

That was the last chance that Shi Jin would give Xu Jie. If she withdrew the commission and honestly stopped trying to harm him, then, under provision, he could let her off for Shi Weichong’s sake.

Unfortunately, Xu Jie seemed extremely pleased with Tarantula’s answer. In order to avoid any uncertainty, the branch head once again made to confirm whether she wanted to place the order. Xu Jie said yes without an ounce of hesitation and urged Tarantula to act as soon as possible.

{…So that’s the situation,} Lu Shan concluded on the other side of the phone. {When do you want to start?}

Lian Jun didn’t reply but looked at Shi Jin instead.

Shi Jin lowered his head as he thought. Rather than answering, he turned to Gua Two, who was in Lian Jun’s study as well. “According to what Shi Weichong arranged, when is Xu Jie supposed to go abroad?”

“In four days. It wasn’t hard to find out, Shi Weichong didn’t hide what he was doing,” Gua Two replied.

In four days… Shi Jin tapped his finger, thinking. “Let’s do it a week later. I’ll find some excuse to go out so they can catch me.”

Not four days later, but in a week? With that much of a time gap, was Shi Jin giving Xu Jie yet another chance to give up? If Xu Jie left the country four days later and broke off all contact with those inside, then Tarantula could unilaterally cancel the commission on the grounds of them not being able to reach the customer.

Gua Two touched his chin, giving Shi Jin a thoughtful glance, but kept silent.

“So the time is set—one week later,” Lian Jun said decisively, finalizing the matter. “Make your people be careful not to hurt Shi Jin.”

Lu Shan’s tone immediately turned disgusted. {I know, I know, you’ve only told me that a thousand times,} she drawled. {Okay, I’ll contact you later. By the way… Xiao Jin, right? Xiao Jin, I’ll let you in on a secret: Lian Jun wet his bed until he was 15.} And with that, she hung up.

The study sank into dead silence.

Gua Two let out a cough. Forcing himself not to look at Lian Jun’s suddenly dark face, he got up. “If we’re done here, there’s still something Gua One needs my help with… I need to go now, I’ll leave you to your work.” He slipped out of the study without glancing back, considerately closing the door after himself.

“That, um…” Holding back a smile, Shi Jin placed his hand over Lian Jun’s on the armrest of the wheelchair and said seriously, “Actually, when I was a teenager, I would also wet my bed from time to time. Don’t worry, something like that’s perfectly normal.”

Lian Jun cast him a sideways glance and asked evenly, “You believed in Lu Shan’s nonsense?”

This time, he didn’t call her “Aunt Lu” like usual, but went straight to using her full name; apparently he was really angry.

Shi Jin shook his head at once. “No, of course not. Lu Shan is the leader of an enemy organization—she just said that to smear your reputation and destroy your prestige in Annihilation. Don’t worry, we’re all too smart to fall for it!”

Lian Jun refused to swallow his “sugar-coated bullets.” He glanced three inches under Shi Jin’s navel and slid the wheelchair to behind the desk. “Wait until we get to bed tonight,” he said, voice flat.

Instinct sent a shiver running up Shi Jin’s spine, then his heart fluttered, and his mood, which had been cloudy because of Xu Jie, cleared up in an instant. Shameless, he scooted up to Lian Jun and stuck to his side, looking forward to the evening.

Three days passed. During that time, except for Shi Weichong, the other brothers all called Shi Jin to say that they had managed to squeeze out some free time and would soon visit B city to come see him.

Shi Jin said okay, but didn’t set a specific meeting time yet.

Then, the fourth day came, that is, the day when Shi Weichong was going to send Xu Jie abroad. Not so unexpectedly, Shi Jin got the news that Xu Jie had tried to commit suicide by taking sleeping pills, but the housekeeper found her just in time. Right now, she was hospitalized. Of course, the move abroad had to be postponed.

Shi Jin put down his phone and looked at his progress bar, which was still stuck at 970. He raised his hand and pressed it into his forehead, obscuring the cold expression in his eyes.

Some people, it seemed, simply refused to give up, come hell or high water.

If so, there was no longer any need to be lenient.

He lowered his hand and picked up the phone again, then sent his four brothers a group text inviting them to Nightlight for dinner. He chose the day he’d scheduled for the start of the operation with Tarantula.

Time seemed to pass in a flash. On the morning of the action day, Shi Jin called Shi Weichong, mentioned that the other brothers were coming to the club for dinner, and invited Shi Weichong to come over as well.

{Something’s happened—I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it this evening,} Shi Weichong said, exhaustion evident in his voice.

Shi Jin knew exactly what had happened, but he still pretended to be surprised. “Something’s happened? Is it serious? Do you need any help?”

{No, it’s not a big deal, I’ll take care of it. You don’t need to worry,} Shi Weichong replied with forced cheer. {Is Yujing coming too? I’ve been a little busy these days, and I haven’t been in touch with the four of them. How long will they stay in B city? I’ll invite everyone out for a get-together some other day, maybe?}

“I don’t know. Fourth Brother is on leave and should stay for a few days, and Fifth Brother is his own boss, so his schedule is quite flexible. Second Brother and Third Brother, though, are busy and probably won’t stay for long. You really can’t make it today, Big Brother?”

When Shi Weichong heard the expectation and hope in Shi Jin’s voice, he hesitated. Finally, he said that he’d try his best, and that he’d call in advance if he would be able to come.

Shi Jin said okay and hung up, exhaling lightly, then got up and grabbed his backpack. After saying goodbye to Lian Jun, he left with Gua Two, heading to a supermarket to “buy groceries” for tonight’s dinner.

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Once the car had left the club, Gua Two couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you call all your brothers over? Aren’t you afraid that you’ll just bring yourself more trouble in the end?”

“Not really. I just want them to see with their own eyes what will happen to those who try to harm me, and completely eliminate the possibility of them ever making a move against me or becoming my enemy,” Shi Jin replied, not concealing his plan at all.

Gua Two shook his head, speechless. “When you kept giving Xu Jie chances again and again, I thought your way of handling things was too soft, and that you weren’t sharp enough. But now you go and say something like that and it turns out you’re actually so cold-blooded it’s almost scary, and you’ve planned for this situation to serve as a warning to your other brothers. I really can’t make sense of you, Shi Jin.”

Shi Jin gave him a meaningful look. “So you’ll be better off if you don’t provoke me—be careful that I don’t brush off Jun-shao one of these days and off you!”

Gua Two was taken aback, then sneered in contempt. “You and what army?” He shook his head again, with an expression of not being willing to talk to someone with a mental handicap anymore.

Shi Jin let out a contemptuous snort of his own, then quieted down, turning his attention to his phone. He looked through the text messages from Fei Yujing and the rest, stifling a sigh.

It wasn’t that he was cold-blooded, but that he was afraid of the progress bar going up again. The reason he’d called the other brothers to witness Xu Jie’s fate wasn’t to deter them but to deter the mothers behind them. After all, he was just an ordinary person; he wasn’t strong enough to keep enduring no matter what came his way. He really didn’t think he could bear it if another person like Xu Jie appeared.

In addition, he wanted Shi Weichong to see for himself how much malice Xu Jie hid inside. That way, Shi Weichong should be able to accept him dealing with Xu Jie without harboring resentment towards him.

The human heart was fickle. He needed as much insurance as possible, even if it was a bit too cruel to Shi Weichong.

An hour later, Shi Jin and Gua Two finished shopping and drove back to the club. On the way, they encountered a wave of ambushes, eventually ending with Gua Two being “seriously injured” and Shi Jin going missing. As in the plan, Shi Jin left behind his phone, and after saying goodbye to Gua Two who was covered in blood from a blood bag, he was “forced” into a car by members of Tarantula and taken away from the place they were ambushed.

Another hour later, in front of Gua Two’s operating room, Lian Jun used Shi Jin’s mobile phone to call Shi Weichong.

“Shi Jin was kidnapped on his way back from a supermarket,” Lian Jun said directly after the call connected. His voice was quiet and without any trace of emotion, but for some reason it made people feel a sense of danger. “It better not have been done by your mother, or she’ll beg for death before I’m done with her.” He hung up, not waiting for a reply.

In front of him, there was a tablet with an open video call. On the screen, Shi Jin put down the cue board and applauded his lover’s acting skills: {Very good, I have nothing left to teach you.}

Lian Jun looked at him somewhat helplessly. “I will pick you up as soon as possible,” he said, putting away the phone.

All of a sudden, Lu Shan appeared next to Shi Jin, leaning into the frame from the side. She waved at Lian Jun in disgust. {Oh, please, you’re making it sound as if your boyfriend is going to be bullied here. I’m hanging up, I’ll call if anything happens.}

Gua Three looked at the dark screen, surprised. “Lu Shan is in B city?”

“The friendly relationship between Annihilation and Tarantula has to be kept secret from the rest of the world—it’s only natural that she’d want to come and keep an eye on this operation in person to make sure that nothing goes wrong,” Lian Jun replied, then turned to Gua One. “Go back to the club, then call Fei Yujing and the other brothers. Tell them that Shi Jin was ‘kidnapped’ and ask them to come to the club.”

Gua One acknowledged the order and immediately left to carry it out.

Shi Weichong was in a hospital as well. He stood still for a moment after he received Lian Jun’s call, shocked, then rushed back to the ward behind him and looked at Xu Jie, who was sitting in bed and reading a magazine. “Xiao Jin is missing—are you behind this?” he demanded. “Where is he? What do you want to do?!”

Xu Jie was surprised—she didn’t expect Tarantula to move so fast. She was ecstatic inside, but on the surface, she looked confused and hurt. She turned her head away, her eyes reddening. “Weichong, I didn’t realize you had so little trust in me,” she said with a quaver in her voice. “I’ve barely returned from knocking on the gates of death, but something happened to Shi Jin and I’m the first person you suspect? You yourself said that Shi Jin’s man is a gangster—isn’t it normal for them to get in some kind of trouble? I… Never mind. I’ve said that I realized the error of my ways, but since you don’t believe me, then there’s no point in me living.” As she finished speaking, she moved to get out of bed, trying to get to the fruit knife on the side table.

Shi Weichong’s heart tightened a little, and he hurried to stop her; in the end, he didn’t want to believe that she really was the one behind the kidnapping. Once he’d ushered her back to the bed, he frowned at her and said, “Mom, I’ll believe in you one last time. I hope it really wasn’t you, or even I wouldn’t be able to save you this time.” Releasing her, he turned to take the fruit knife from the side table. He threw it into a garbage can in the corridor and called the nurse to watch Xu Jie, then walked away without looking back.

Xu Jie watched him leave. As she recalled how hard he’d worked these past few days, sparing no effort, her heart wavered… but it soon stabilized again. She ran her hand through her hair, pushing it back, and looked at the nurse coming in. “My stomach has started to hurt all of a sudden, please help me call the doctor,” she said.

Not doubting her, the nurse nodded and left to get the doctor.

Xu Jie threw open the blanket and got out of bed. Taking out her mobile phone and making a call, she walked out of the ward.

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By the time Shi Weicong arrived at the club, Fei Yujing and Li Jiuzheng were already there.

“What’s the situation?” he asked as soon as he walked in, his face anxious.

Lian Jun’s gaze skimmed over him briefly. He said, “Shi Jin was ambushed and snatched on his way back from grocery shopping. Gua Two, who accompanied him, was seriously injured; right now, the doctors are still trying to save his life, and he can’t give us any information for the time being. There were no useful clues left at the site of the ambush, and the surveillance cameras in the vicinity were damaged in advance. The enemies came prepared.”

In other words, the situation was very bad.

Fei Yujing, who was barely keeping his calm, scowled at Lian Jun’s explanation. “‘Grocery shopping’?” he asked with disapproval, trying not to explode. “Have you suddenly forgotten your identity? You actually let Shi Jin go shopping for groceries, and guarded by only one person? Shi Jin really had to do those kinds of chores?”

“Of course not, the club purchases everything we need. He wanted to personally buy groceries to cook for the dinner he invited you to,” Lian Jun hit back. He paused for a moment, then continued, “It is indeed my negligence, to let him go out with only one person. I promise to get him back safely. And no matter who they are, I’ll make whoever’s responsible pay the price.” After another glance at Shi Weichong, he turned his wheelchair around and rolled out of the room.

Struck by the wariness and cold indifference in Lian Jun’s eyes, Shi Weichong stiffened, and his hands slowly clenched into fists.

After Lian Jun left, Fei Yujing looked at Shi Weichong with a frown. “Your mother…” he began.

“She said it wasn’t her,” Shi Weichong interrupted him with a strained expression, as if he was trying to convince himself as much as the others. “She’s been in the hospital for the past few days, and I’ve been watching her personally. It was impossible for her to do anything,” he emphasized.

“But she didn’t have to do it herself,” Fei Yujing replied coldly. “The last time your mother wanted to hurt Shi Jin, she asked Xu Chuan to hire a criminal organization and let them do it.”

Shi Weichong’s face sank. He couldn’t say anything in reply.

“It’s all my fault. I told Xiao Jin that I wanted to eat the food he made, so of course, he would go to buy the ingredients himself. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have gone out, and those people wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to kidnap him,” Li Jiuzehng said out of nowhere, lowering his head. It was impossible to make out his expression at that angle.

Fei Yujing stiffened. He thought of the texts he’d sent back and forth with Shi Jin and squeezed his eyes shut. In a rare indulgence, he let his emotions get the better of him and spat out a curse under his breath.

Suddenly, a phone began to ring. Shi Weichong froze, then pulled out his phone and answered the call. After listening for a moment, his expression went through a violent change. “You said my mother disappeared? Are you sure? Would she go for a walk… Damn it!”

He hung up and ran outside.

Realizing that something was wrong, Fei Yujing and Li Jiuzheng jumped to their feet and rushed after him.

The “kidnapped” Shi Jin sat safe and sound in the back seat of the van, eavesdropping on Lu Shan and her subordinates’ phone calls.

“She’s coming? Then take her to warehouse no. 1, but detour a little, drag it out,” Lu Shan said, then hung up. She turned to look at Shi Jin and raised her eyebrows. “Kid, it was you who came up with this scheme, wasn’t it? Aren’t you clever.”

Shi Jin couldn’t tell whether she was praising or mocking him, so he ignored her remark and asked with familiarity, “Auntie Lu, what’s the situation with Xu Jie?”

“What a sweet talker.” Lu Shan’s lips curled up in an unreadable smile, but she didn’t stop him from calling her aunt, following Lian Jun’s example. “Xu Jie has slipped out of the hospital, and now she’s on the way to warehouse no. 1. How do you want to play with her?”

How come that sounded so ambiguous?

Continuing to ignore her strange choice of words, Shi Jin replied seriously, “Xu Jie isn’t normal. Physical threats won’t work on someone like her—we have to break her mind.”

Intrigued, Lushan asked, “So?”

“So, I’m going to let her take the lead role in a show,” Shi Jin said. He still looked innocent and harmless. “She’s crazy, but she hasn’t entirely lost her reason just yet; before my brothers arrive, I have to find a way to help her completely descend into madness.”

Lu Shan looked at his youthful face and listened to his equally youthful voice, and suddenly felt the little hairs on the back of her neck rising. She realized she’d let herself be deceived by Shi Jin’s appearance—as it turned out, Lian Jun’s oh-so-honest-looking little lover was just as vicious as Lian Jun.

“Grocery Shopping”

Shi Weichong left right after Shi Jin made that promise.

Shi Jin accompanied him to the door. After Xu Jie got in the car, he called his brother’s name, stopping him, and led him two steps aside. “Big Brother, I want to invite you out for dinner in a few days, alone. Is that okay?”

Shi Weichong knew what he meant by “alone”. Casting a sideways glance in Xu Jie’s direction, he replied, “Of course. Just let me know the time and place, I’ll be there.”

Shi Jin nodded. He hesitated for a moment, then hinted, “Keep an eye on your mother—don’t let your good intentions go to waste.”

Immediately realizing why Shi Jin would say this, Shi Weichong frowned. “Did she do something?” he asked.

If the issue of Tarantula cooperating with Annihilation to deceive Xu Jie got out, it would affect Tarantula’s reputation, so Shi Jin couldn’t explain anything too clearly. Besides, he’d rather avoid Shi Weichong confronting Xu Jie about it and unwittingly destroying his plan, so he only said, “It’s just that she looked off. I’m worried that she’s only pretending to accept it and will still try to make trouble in secret. Big Brother, I told you earlier: as long as she doesn’t try to harm me again, I can turn a blind eye to what she’s done for your sake. However, I’m not a saint—if she acts against me one more time, I won’t let it go. I only hope that you won’t blame me when the time comes.”

Shi Weichong’s expression became strained once more. “I understand,” he replied. “If she still refuses to listen to reason… I certainly won’t blame you. Thank you, Xiao Jin.”

“Don’t thank me,” Shi Jin said, shaking his head, and took the initiative to hug him. “Ruixing is still yours, Big Brother, just wait until this is all finished. Don’t tell Xu Jie.”

“Weichong!” When Xu Jie saw the two of them hugging, she couldn’t stop herself from opening the car door and getting out.

Shi Jin released his brother and stepped back, shooting her an icy glance. Not caring about Shi Weichong’s presence, gave her a direct warning: “I advise you to behave—I’m no longer that naive kid who was so easy to mess with. You’d better believe that if you dare try something again, I’ll dare to put a bullet straight through your skull.” Finished speaking, he nodded to Shi Weichong, then turned around and walked back to Lian Jun. He took the handles and began pushing the wheelchair towards the club’s entrance, not looking back.

He’d said everything that needed to be said, and told them where he stood as well. How things would develop from then on would depend on Xu Jie—on whether Shi Weichong’s compromise would help her regain some of her conscience as a mother.

Shi Weichong was so stunned by what Shi Jin whispered in his ear that, for a moment, he didn’t pay any attention to his threat towards Xu Jie. As he watched Shi Jin’s back move away, his eyes were full of complex emotions: he was moved, felt shame, guilt, wanted to repay him somehow but didn’t know how… In short, many kinds of emotions were smoldering in his chest. However, when he turned his head and saw what kind of expression Xu Jie wore when she looked at his brother, his heart turned cold once again.

“Mom,” he called. He didn’t manage to make his face look gentle. “Behind Shi Jin, there stands Lian Jun, and behind Lian Jun, there’s Annihilation. He isn’t someone you have the ability to touch. Just be thankful for the fact that Xiao Jin is still soft-hearted right now, and willing to recognize me as his brother, and stop it. You’ve made enough mistakes already.”

Xu Jie couldn’t believe her ears. Nearly mad with hate, she blurted, “Are you really taking his side? Didn’t you hear what he said just now? He said he’s going to kill me! You actually—”

“Yes, he did say that, but the premise is that you try to harm him first. Do you want to? Do you really plan to strike out at him again?” Shi Weichong asked in reply, his voice cold.

Xu Jie’s hands, hidden by the body of the car, clenched into tight fists, but she forced a sad expression onto her face. Looking to the side as if she was hurt, she said, “I… how could I? You made the stakes clear yesterday. You even contacted your grandparents and asked them to take back all the assets they’d left under my name… Weichong, Mom loves you very much, and that’s never going to change.”

Seeing her like that, Shi Weichong felt a little uncomfortable, but he endured and didn’t comfort her. “I hope so,” he said. “Once everything is settled, I’ll go with you to find somewhere nice overseas, and I will accompany you in the future.”

Accompany her? No need, a man should focus on his career instead. Xu Jie opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to lecture Shi Weichong, then remembered the situation she was in at the moment. Swallowing her words, she nodded and got back in the car.

On the second floor of the club, Gua Two watched Shi Weichong’s car drive away. He took out his phone and made a call. “Keep watching Xu Jie, report any of her movements without delay.”

One day later, the surveillance team reported that Shi Weichong had shut Xu Jie in her home and called several elders of the Xu family to come to talk to her. He also began to make arrangements for sending Xu Jie abroad.

With that news, Shi Jin instantly understood that Shi Weichong had listened to his warning the day before and intended to send Xu Jie away as soon as possible so that she wouldn’t get the chance to make trouble, but…. He glanced at his progress bar, firmly stuck at 970, and let out a heavy sigh.

It was useless—Xu Jie still hadn’t given up.

That evening, under Lian Jun’s instructions, Tarantula’s branch head contacted Xu Jie. He informed her that after consideration, they decided they could allow her to participate, but she would be required to listen to their orders and would not be allowed to mess around.

That was the last chance that Shi Jin would give Xu Jie. If she withdrew the commission and honestly stopped trying to harm him, then, under provision, he could let her off for Shi Weichong’s sake.

Unfortunately, Xu Jie seemed extremely pleased with Tarantula’s answer. In order to avoid any uncertainty, the branch head once again made to confirm whether she wanted to place the order. Xu Jie said yes without an ounce of hesitation and urged Tarantula to act as soon as possible.

{…So that’s the situation,} Lu Shan concluded on the other side of the phone. {When do you want to start?}

Lian Jun didn’t reply but looked at Shi Jin instead.

Shi Jin lowered his head as he thought. Rather than answering, he turned to Gua Two, who was in Lian Jun’s study as well. “According to what Shi Weichong arranged, when is Xu Jie supposed to go abroad?”

“In four days. It wasn’t hard to find out, Shi Weichong didn’t hide what he was doing,” Gua Two replied.

In four days… Shi Jin tapped his finger, thinking. “Let’s do it a week later. I’ll find some excuse to go out so they can catch me.”

Not four days later, but in a week? With that much of a time gap, was Shi Jin giving Xu Jie yet another chance to give up? If Xu Jie left the country four days later and broke off all contact with those inside, then Tarantula could unilaterally cancel the commission on the grounds of them not being able to reach the customer.

Gua Two touched his chin, giving Shi Jin a thoughtful glance, but kept silent.

“So the time is set—one week later,” Lian Jun said decisively, finalizing the matter. “Make your people be careful not to hurt Shi Jin.”

Lu Shan’s tone immediately turned disgusted. {I know, I know, you’ve only told me that a thousand times,} she drawled. {Okay, I’ll contact you later. By the way… Xiao Jin, right? Xiao Jin, I’ll let you in on a secret: Lian Jun wet his bed until he was 15.} And with that, she hung up.

The study sank into dead silence.

Gua Two let out a cough. Forcing himself not to look at Lian Jun’s suddenly dark face, he got up. “If we’re done here, there’s still something Gua One needs my help with… I need to go now, I’ll leave you to your work.” He slipped out of the study without glancing back, considerately closing the door after himself.

“That, um…” Holding back a smile, Shi Jin placed his hand over Lian Jun’s on the armrest of the wheelchair and said seriously, “Actually, when I was a teenager, I would also wet my bed from time to time. Don’t worry, something like that’s perfectly normal.”

Lian Jun cast him a sideways glance and asked evenly, “You believed in Lu Shan’s nonsense?”

This time, he didn’t call her “Aunt Lu” like usual, but went straight to using her full name; apparently he was really angry.

Shi Jin shook his head at once. “No, of course not. Lu Shan is the leader of an enemy organization—she just said that to smear your reputation and destroy your prestige in Annihilation. Don’t worry, we’re all too smart to fall for it!”

Lian Jun refused to swallow his “sugar-coated bullets.” He glanced three inches under Shi Jin’s navel and slid the wheelchair to behind the desk. “Wait until we get to bed tonight,” he said, voice flat.

Instinct sent a shiver running up Shi Jin’s spine, then his heart fluttered, and his mood, which had been cloudy because of Xu Jie, cleared up in an instant. Shameless, he scooted up to Lian Jun and stuck to his side, looking forward to the evening.

Three days passed. During that time, except for Shi Weichong, the other brothers all called Shi Jin to say that they had managed to squeeze out some free time and would soon visit B city to come see him.

Shi Jin said okay, but didn’t set a specific meeting time yet.

Then, the fourth day came, that is, the day when Shi Weichong was going to send Xu Jie abroad. Not so unexpectedly, Shi Jin got the news that Xu Jie had tried to commit suicide by taking sleeping pills, but the housekeeper found her just in time. Right now, she was hospitalized. Of course, the move abroad had to be postponed.

Shi Jin put down his phone and looked at his progress bar, which was still stuck at 970. He raised his hand and pressed it into his forehead, obscuring the cold expression in his eyes.

Some people, it seemed, simply refused to give up, come hell or high water.

If so, there was no longer any need to be lenient.

He lowered his hand and picked up the phone again, then sent his four brothers a group text inviting them to Nightlight for dinner. He chose the day he’d scheduled for the start of the operation with Tarantula.

Time seemed to pass in a flash. On the morning of the action day, Shi Jin called Shi Weichong, mentioned that the other brothers were coming to the club for dinner, and invited Shi Weichong to come over as well.

{Something’s happened—I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it this evening,} Shi Weichong said, exhaustion evident in his voice.

Shi Jin knew exactly what had happened, but he still pretended to be surprised. “Something’s happened? Is it serious? Do you need any help?”

{No, it’s not a big deal, I’ll take care of it. You don’t need to worry,} Shi Weichong replied with forced cheer. {Is Yujing coming too? I’ve been a little busy these days, and I haven’t been in touch with the four of them. How long will they stay in B city? I’ll invite everyone out for a get-together some other day, maybe?}

“I don’t know. Fourth Brother is on leave and should stay for a few days, and Fifth Brother is his own boss, so his schedule is quite flexible. Second Brother and Third Brother, though, are busy and probably won’t stay for long. You really can’t make it today, Big Brother?”

When Shi Weichong heard the expectation and hope in Shi Jin’s voice, he hesitated. Finally, he said that he’d try his best, and that he’d call in advance if he would be able to come.

Shi Jin said okay and hung up, exhaling lightly, then got up and grabbed his backpack. After saying goodbye to Lian Jun, he left with Gua Two, heading to a supermarket to “buy groceries” for tonight’s dinner.

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Once the car had left the club, Gua Two couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you call all your brothers over? Aren’t you afraid that you’ll just bring yourself more trouble in the end?”

“Not really. I just want them to see with their own eyes what will happen to those who try to harm me, and completely eliminate the possibility of them ever making a move against me or becoming my enemy,” Shi Jin replied, not concealing his plan at all.

Gua Two shook his head, speechless. “When you kept giving Xu Jie chances again and again, I thought your way of handling things was too soft, and that you weren’t sharp enough. But now you go and say something like that and it turns out you’re actually so cold-blooded it’s almost scary, and you’ve planned for this situation to serve as a warning to your other brothers. I really can’t make sense of you, Shi Jin.”

Shi Jin gave him a meaningful look. “So you’ll be better off if you don’t provoke me—be careful that I don’t brush off Jun-shao one of these days and off you!”

Gua Two was taken aback, then sneered in contempt. “You and what army?” He shook his head again, with an expression of not being willing to talk to someone with a mental handicap anymore.

Shi Jin let out a contemptuous snort of his own, then quieted down, turning his attention to his phone. He looked through the text messages from Fei Yujing and the rest, stifling a sigh.

It wasn’t that he was cold-blooded, but that he was afraid of the progress bar going up again. The reason he’d called the other brothers to witness Xu Jie’s fate wasn’t to deter them but to deter the mothers behind them. After all, he was just an ordinary person; he wasn’t strong enough to keep enduring no matter what came his way. He really didn’t think he could bear it if another person like Xu Jie appeared.

In addition, he wanted Shi Weichong to see for himself how much malice Xu Jie hid inside. That way, Shi Weichong should be able to accept him dealing with Xu Jie without harboring resentment towards him.

The human heart was fickle. He needed as much insurance as possible, even if it was a bit too cruel to Shi Weichong.

An hour later, Shi Jin and Gua Two finished shopping and drove back to the club. On the way, they encountered a wave of ambushes, eventually ending with Gua Two being “seriously injured” and Shi Jin going missing. As in the plan, Shi Jin left behind his phone, and after saying goodbye to Gua Two who was covered in blood from a blood bag, he was “forced” into a car by members of Tarantula and taken away from the place they were ambushed.

Another hour later, in front of Gua Two’s operating room, Lian Jun used Shi Jin’s mobile phone to call Shi Weichong.

“Shi Jin was kidnapped on his way back from a supermarket,” Lian Jun said directly after the call connected. His voice was quiet and without any trace of emotion, but for some reason it made people feel a sense of danger. “It better not have been done by your mother, or she’ll beg for death before I’m done with her.” He hung up, not waiting for a reply.

In front of him, there was a tablet with an open video call. On the screen, Shi Jin put down the cue board and applauded his lover’s acting skills: {Very good, I have nothing left to teach you.}

Lian Jun looked at him somewhat helplessly. “I will pick you up as soon as possible,” he said, putting away the phone.

All of a sudden, Lu Shan appeared next to Shi Jin, leaning into the frame from the side. She waved at Lian Jun in disgust. {Oh, please, you’re making it sound as if your boyfriend is going to be bullied here. I’m hanging up, I’ll call if anything happens.}

Gua Three looked at the dark screen, surprised. “Lu Shan is in B city?”

“The friendly relationship between Annihilation and Tarantula has to be kept secret from the rest of the world—it’s only natural that she’d want to come and keep an eye on this operation in person to make sure that nothing goes wrong,” Lian Jun replied, then turned to Gua One. “Go back to the club, then call Fei Yujing and the other brothers. Tell them that Shi Jin was ‘kidnapped’ and ask them to come to the club.”

Gua One acknowledged the order and immediately left to carry it out.

Shi Weichong was in a hospital as well. He stood still for a moment after he received Lian Jun’s call, shocked, then rushed back to the ward behind him and looked at Xu Jie, who was sitting in bed and reading a magazine. “Xiao Jin is missing—are you behind this?” he demanded. “Where is he? What do you want to do?!”

Xu Jie was surprised—she didn’t expect Tarantula to move so fast. She was ecstatic inside, but on the surface, she looked confused and hurt. She turned her head away, her eyes reddening. “Weichong, I didn’t realize you had so little trust in me,” she said with a quaver in her voice. “I’ve barely returned from knocking on the gates of death, but something happened to Shi Jin and I’m the first person you suspect? You yourself said that Shi Jin’s man is a gangster—isn’t it normal for them to get in some kind of trouble? I… Never mind. I’ve said that I realized the error of my ways, but since you don’t believe me, then there’s no point in me living.” As she finished speaking, she moved to get out of bed, trying to get to the fruit knife on the side table.

Shi Weichong’s heart tightened a little, and he hurried to stop her; in the end, he didn’t want to believe that she really was the one behind the kidnapping. Once he’d ushered her back to the bed, he frowned at her and said, “Mom, I’ll believe in you one last time. I hope it really wasn’t you, or even I wouldn’t be able to save you this time.” Releasing her, he turned to take the fruit knife from the side table. He threw it into a garbage can in the corridor and called the nurse to watch Xu Jie, then walked away without looking back.

Xu Jie watched him leave. As she recalled how hard he’d worked these past few days, sparing no effort, her heart wavered… but it soon stabilized again. She ran her hand through her hair, pushing it back, and looked at the nurse coming in. “My stomach has started to hurt all of a sudden, please help me call the doctor,” she said.

Not doubting her, the nurse nodded and left to get the doctor.

Xu Jie threw open the blanket and got out of bed. Taking out her mobile phone and making a call, she walked out of the ward.

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By the time Shi Weicong arrived at the club, Fei Yujing and Li Jiuzheng were already there.

“What’s the situation?” he asked as soon as he walked in, his face anxious.

Lian Jun’s gaze skimmed over him briefly. He said, “Shi Jin was ambushed and snatched on his way back from grocery shopping. Gua Two, who accompanied him, was seriously injured; right now, the doctors are still trying to save his life, and he can’t give us any information for the time being. There were no useful clues left at the site of the ambush, and the surveillance cameras in the vicinity were damaged in advance. The enemies came prepared.”

In other words, the situation was very bad.

Fei Yujing, who was barely keeping his calm, scowled at Lian Jun’s explanation. “‘Grocery shopping’?” he asked with disapproval, trying not to explode. “Have you suddenly forgotten your identity? You actually let Shi Jin go shopping for groceries, and guarded by only one person? Shi Jin really had to do those kinds of chores?”

“Of course not, the club purchases everything we need. He wanted to personally buy groceries to cook for the dinner he invited you to,” Lian Jun hit back. He paused for a moment, then continued, “It is indeed my negligence, to let him go out with only one person. I promise to get him back safely. And no matter who they are, I’ll make whoever’s responsible pay the price.” After another glance at Shi Weichong, he turned his wheelchair around and rolled out of the room.

Struck by the wariness and cold indifference in Lian Jun’s eyes, Shi Weichong stiffened, and his hands slowly clenched into fists.

After Lian Jun left, Fei Yujing looked at Shi Weichong with a frown. “Your mother…” he began.

“She said it wasn’t her,” Shi Weichong interrupted him with a strained expression, as if he was trying to convince himself as much as the others. “She’s been in the hospital for the past few days, and I’ve been watching her personally. It was impossible for her to do anything,” he emphasized.

“But she didn’t have to do it herself,” Fei Yujing replied coldly. “The last time your mother wanted to hurt Shi Jin, she asked Xu Chuan to hire a criminal organization and let them do it.”

Shi Weichong’s face sank. He couldn’t say anything in reply.

“It’s all my fault. I told Xiao Jin that I wanted to eat the food he made, so of course, he would go to buy the ingredients himself. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have gone out, and those people wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to kidnap him,” Li Jiuzehng said out of nowhere, lowering his head. It was impossible to make out his expression at that angle.

Fei Yujing stiffened. He thought of the texts he’d sent back and forth with Shi Jin and squeezed his eyes shut. In a rare indulgence, he let his emotions get the better of him and spat out a curse under his breath.

Suddenly, a phone began to ring. Shi Weichong froze, then pulled out his phone and answered the call. After listening for a moment, his expression went through a violent change. “You said my mother disappeared? Are you sure? Would she go for a walk… Damn it!”

He hung up and ran outside.

Realizing that something was wrong, Fei Yujing and Li Jiuzheng jumped to their feet and rushed after him.

The “kidnapped” Shi Jin sat safe and sound in the back seat of the van, eavesdropping on Lu Shan and her subordinates’ phone calls.

“She’s coming? Then take her to warehouse no. 1, but detour a little, drag it out,” Lu Shan said, then hung up. She turned to look at Shi Jin and raised her eyebrows. “Kid, it was you who came up with this scheme, wasn’t it? Aren’t you clever.”

Shi Jin couldn’t tell whether she was praising or mocking him, so he ignored her remark and asked with familiarity, “Auntie Lu, what’s the situation with Xu Jie?”

“What a sweet talker.” Lu Shan’s lips curled up in an unreadable smile, but she didn’t stop him from calling her aunt, following Lian Jun’s example. “Xu Jie has slipped out of the hospital, and now she’s on the way to warehouse no. 1. How do you want to play with her?”

How come that sounded so ambiguous?

Continuing to ignore her strange choice of words, Shi Jin replied seriously, “Xu Jie isn’t normal. Physical threats won’t work on someone like her—we have to break her mind.”

Intrigued, Lushan asked, “So?”

“So, I’m going to let her take the lead role in a show,” Shi Jin said. He still looked innocent and harmless. “She’s crazy, but she hasn’t entirely lost her reason just yet; before my brothers arrive, I have to find a way to help her completely descend into madness.”

Lu Shan looked at his youthful face and listened to his equally youthful voice, and suddenly felt the little hairs on the back of her neck rising. She realized she’d let herself be deceived by Shi Jin’s appearance—as it turned out, Lian Jun’s oh-so-honest-looking little lover was just as vicious as Lian Jun.