Chapter 08

Jing Butler grumbled and returned to his dormitory.

After finally time-traveling and being granted a cheat ability that allowed him to foresee the future, he still couldn't accomplish anything. Although everything was developing according to the novel's plot, before he could even act, the crises mysteriously disappeared. The young masters of the Li family displayed an unprecedented level of clarity and rationality.

Wait, this is so out of character!

His cheat ability was useless. Couldn't they at least give the time-traveler a fighting chance?

He feared he had been transported into a fake tragic romance novel.

Jing Yi angrily threw on his pajamas, stormed into the bathroom, and slammed the door, only to see his own furious reflection in the mirror.

It was still his face, the one he knew so well, but the original Jing Butler was thinner, his chin more pointed, and his expressionless face seemed a little cold and unapproachable.

He needed to eat more.

Being too skinny wasn't healthy.

Jing Yi quickly took a shower, rolled onto the bed with a body full of steam, and wrapped himself up like a tangyuan in the soft quilt, lying there fresh and crisp.

In the quiet of the night, it was the perfect time to get emotional.

Jing Yi wrapped himself tighter in the quilt, and his emotions slowly surfaced.

He wondered if his classmates had safely left the mountains after his untimely death, and if his body had been properly retrieved and buried.

His golden power had been stolen, and he cursed Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang to never eat a warm little cake in their lives……

And Li Wenzhao, the stingiest CEO in history, wouldn't even give him 20,000 yuan……zzzzzz snore.

·

·

Jing Yi slept until morning, feeling refreshed.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard someone knocking on the door. Too lazy to get up, Jing Yi rolled around on the soft bed and lazily said, "Come in."

The door lock clicked open, and Li Mingzhi walked in. "Wow, Butler Jing, you still didn't lock your door while sleeping."

Hugging his pillow lazily, Jing Yi said, "The lock is too advanced. I don't know how to use it."

"What's so difficult about that," said Li Mingzhi. "It's a voice-controlled lock. It can recognize your voice. Just say 'unlock' or 'lock'."

"?"

This world sure has advanced quickly.

"No rush, let's talk about the main issue first. I've borrowed a few bodyguards from Second Brother and have already had Ning Jiang guarded," said Li Mingzhi, looking at Jing Yi. "Butler Jing, accompany me there, will you?"

Another field mission.

For some reason, even though he hadn't accomplished much since arriving, he felt utterly drained.

Who had sapped his energy?

"Young master, you already have bodyguards, so my presence won't be much use." Jing Yi rolled over like a sea lion, feeling drowsy once more.

"That's not the same thing." Li Mingzhi countered. "I consider you a friend."

He also considered him a cheat code, very useful.

Li Mingzhi added silently in his mind.

With the conversation at this point, how could he refuse? Jing Yi gave Li Mingzhi a very friendly pat. "Alright, I'll go with you."

"Yay."

The butler needed to report to the head of the family for an external assignment. Jing Yi changed into his regular clothes and knocked on the door of the study. After a short while, he heard Li Wenzhao's voice. "Come in."

Jing Yi gently poked his head in. "Mr. Li, I'm going on an external assignment today."

Li Wenzhao looked up. "With Mingzhi?"

"Yes." Jing Yi said. "Going to deal with that lying liar."

Li Wenzhao seemed to pause for a moment, his eyes showing a hint of hesitation. A few seconds later, he lowered his head and continued working. "Mm, go ahead."

Jing Yi narrowed his eyes in confusion.

Hmm? Was there something unspeakable on the eldest young master's mind?

But if the leader didn't ask, he wouldn't inquire. He happily went out with the young master to deal with Ning Jiang.

Jing Yi left with a bounce in his step.

Li Wenzhao looked up and rubbed his temples. This young butler knew too many secrets and could always find issues.

Today was a company signing event. He had originally wanted to bring this living radar to check for pitfalls, but Li Mingzhi had taken him first.

Oh well.

He would just have to be more careful himself.

·

·

Li Mingzhi and Jing Yi headed out with ten tall, black-suited bodyguards. These elite bodyguards were sent by Li Xu to protect his younger brother from Ning Jiang.

The leader was called Fei Lun, the captain of the bodyguards.

"Young master, Mr. Jing, Ning Jiang has been moved to a private hospital under our company, where she's in a separate ward. The hospital staff has been told it's for a film shoot, so no one will disturb her." Fei Lun reported Ning Jiang's situation in detail.

Li Mingzhi listened half-heartedly, as if discussing an unrelated person, even finding the time to discuss with Butler Jing which type of chocolate was the best.

Soon, the car pulled up to a high-end private hospital. Li Mingzhi, along with two bodyguards and a butler, headed directly to Ning Jiang's ward.

"Zhizhi!" Ning Jiang looked at Li Mingzhi with a desperate expression, like she was holding onto a lifeline. "Zhizhi, you're finally here! Why didn't you come to see me yesterday? I missed you so much, I couldn't sleep all night."

Jing Yi looked at Ning Jiang's eyes, which indeed had dark circles, indicating a lack of sleep.

Li Mingzhi had already adjusted his expression before entering the room, reverting to the innocent young master. "Aww, Jiangjiang, they locked me up and wouldn't let me see you. I finally managed to sneak out."

Ning Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately smiled. "Sorry, I missed you so much that I got a bit anxious."

As he spoke, he gently touched Li Mingzhi's cheek. "My Zhizhi has been suffering. Let me see if you've lost any weight."

Jing Yi: ???

Excuse me?

"It's just one night. You wouldn't lose as much weight as a grasshopper. If you want to play the sympathy card, at least put some effort into it, will you?"

Jing Yi genuinely pointed out, and Li Mingzhi could barely hold back his laughter. He lowered his head and thought about the saddest moments of his life to suppress the smile threatening to break free.

"Zhizhi, I don't want to stay here." Ning Jiang said urgently. "Let's leave. I want to get out of here, but the doctors and nurses won't let me. What's going on, Zhizhi?"

"Jiangjiang." Li Mingzhi wiped the corner of his eye, his voice hoarse. "The doctor's test results are out. You do have leukemia. If you don't get hospitalized and treated, you'll die. Stay here and get better first, then we can talk about other things."

Ning Jiang's eyes widened in disbelief. "No... How could I..."

Li Mingzhi: "How could what?"

Ning Jiang swallowed the truth that was about to escape his lips and said instead, "How could I put you through this? I don't want to be a burden."

"Jiangjiang." Li Mingzhi patted his arm. "We are lovers. I'm willing to share both joy and sorrow with you. Don't worry, I'll cure you. We're getting everything ready for the transplant and surgery. Just rest and recover."

Ning Jiang: "I don't..."

The hospital room door was gently knocked on, and several doctors and nurses in white coats entered. "Patient Ning Jiang, bed 36, prepare for pre-surgery checks. You haven't eaten this morning, right? We need to do a blood test."

Hearing this, Ning Jiang's face turned pale with fear. "I don't want to... I'm not sick, Zhizhi, help me!"

Li Mingzhi tried to calm him down by gently stroking his hair. "Jiangjiang, I'm saving you. Be a good boy and go with the doctors."

Ning Jiang stared blankly at Li Mingzhi, finally sensing something was off. "You..."

But upon closer inspection, the person in front of him was still the same head-over-heels, utterly devoted fool.

What exactly was wrong?

Ning Jiang couldn't quite put his finger on the oddness in Li Mingzhi and was forcibly taken away by the doctors and nurses.

Jing Yi, watching Ning Jiang's struggle, whispered, "Do we really need to operate on him?"

"No," Li Mingzhi replied. "That would be such a waste of resources. I just want to scare him so he won't dare to scam others again."

Jing Yi blinked. "And the blood test?"

Li Mingzhi clenched his fist, a hint of anger in his voice. "It's just a routine check-up. He tricked me, so I'm going to scare him good."

The two chatted in the hospital room and were about to leave for a dessert shop when Fei Lun, one of Li Mingzhi's associates, burst in, drenched in sweat. "Young master, sorry, Ning Jiang escaped."

"Escaped?" Li Mingzhi was shocked. "How did he manage that?"

"He did go into the blood-drawing room with the doctors, but our men didn't follow. He quietly knocked out the doctor, put on a white coat, and fled."

They had underestimated Ning Jiang.

A professional conman, with a keen sixth sense for losing control in situations. Perhaps Li Mingzhi had acted out of character in front of him, allowing Ning Jiang to sense something was off about this whole scenario.

Li Mingzhi stood stunned for a few seconds, then looked out the window. He was more composed than expected. "Forget it. If he ran, he ran. I'm tired of putting on this act every day. Let him go."

Fei Lun paused. "Don't worry, young master. Eldest Young Master has already sent people to collect all of Ning Jiang's fraudulent activities over the past few years, compile them into a report, and submit it to the police. Ning Jiang won't escape justice."

Jing Yi was somewhat surprised and raised his eyebrows.

It turns out that even in CEO novels, there are still law enforcement agencies. When reading the novel, he had thought it was a flawed worldview filled with lawless ruffians, but apparently not.

As for Li Wenzhao, even though he had privately investigated Ning Jiang, he still gave Li Mingzhi an opportunity to vent, completely severing Li Mingzhi's lingering feelings for her.

It's not easy being a CEO.

With this kind of cunning and calculation, it's no wonder he could compete with the main characters for over three thousand chapters. Impressive.

·

·

After Ning Jiang escaped, there was no reason for Li Mingzhi and Jing Yi to stay. They were sent back to the Li family by Fei Lun.

The round trip didn't take much time, and when they arrived home, the three young masters of the Li family were still having breakfast. There was also a stranger sitting in the living room.

The cook, Aunt Fang, brought out breakfast and, upon seeing Li Mingzhi, exclaimed in surprise, "Young master is back. Your classmate has been waiting for you for a while."

Li Mingzhi curiously stopped in his tracks. "My classmate?"

Aunt Fang: "Yes, he seems to be an actor. He chatted with the eldest young master for a bit and is now waiting for you in the living room."

Jing Yi, who was about to sneak off to the kitchen, stopped and came back. "An actor?"

Aunt Fang: "Yes, Butler Jing."

Jing Yi pursed his lips. In the original story, Li Mingzhi only had one classmate who became an actor. Li Mingzhi considered him a friend, but the actor saw him as a fool and used him for over ten years. Tsk tsk.

Jing Yi tiptoed closer. "I wonder what this backstabber looks like."

Li Mingzhi stopped in his tracks and almost tripped on the threshold of his own home.

Another scammer?

In a daze, Li Mingzhi walked into the living room and, before he could react, was hugged tightly. "Mingzhi! You're back. I've been waiting for you for so long."

Wen Suoan, excited and emotional, hugged Li Mingzhi.

From a distance, Jing Yi observed this fragile plastic affection. Wen Suoan was young, with striking features and blue-dyed hair, making him look like a delicate figurine from a manga.

"Scammers in this world are so good at disguising themselves; who would suspect this harmless-looking person is a backstabber?"

Jing Yi's voice echoed throughout the Li family mansion, causing Li Wenzhao to stop eating, wipe the corner of his mouth, and head to the living room.

Li Xu and Li Ting also lost their appetite and went to the living room to see the scammer.

Wen Suoan was a rising star at one of Li Wenzhao's entertainment companies. Low-key and gentle by nature, he had been promoted by the company due to his talent and his friendship with the younger brother. With the Li family's support, he quickly rose to the top and last year won the Top Ten Artists and Best Supporting Actor awards. With continued effort, he would surely establish himself in the entertainment industry.

So, what made Jing Yi label this promising and obedient artist a "backstabber"?

Li Wenzhao, calming his thoughts, asked Jing Yi casually, "Are you a fan of Wen Suoan?"

Jing Yi jumped in surprise and shook his head repeatedly. "No, no, I’m really not."

"Who would be his fan?! That would be a lifelong stain on one's reputation!"

"He puts on a facade of being positive and upstanding, but behind the scenes, he’s involved in all kinds of shady and questionable activities."

"It would be one thing if he only acted recklessly on his own, but when he does bad things outside, he uses Li Mingzhi’s name as a cover, ruining the Li family’s reputation."

At this point, the Li family members’ eyebrows and mouths drooped in disappointment.

"It was probably last month... He used the Li family’s name to exploit a newcomer in the industry, pushing her to the brink of suicide."

"He keeps himself looking pure and innocent, while all the bad things are blamed on the Li family. What a hypocrite!"

After Jing Yi finished ranting, he gave Li Mingzhi a look of utter disdain.

"What a naive kid. Meeting you is like hitting the jackpot for scammers; they probably don’t even need to worry about their performance anymore."