Chapter 10: The Trash Depository

Chapter 10: The Trash Depository

Another person had been planted in the large flower bed.

Jing Yi blinked and took a big step to the side—this time, it wasn’t his doing.

The same flower bed had already claimed two victims. Wen Suoan plunged face-first into it and lay on the ground for a long time without getting up. Jing Yi sized up the distance and impact and figured, yeah… Wen Suoan must’ve hit the ground pretty hard.

The same pose, the same spot, and the same painful groans.

Wen Suoan finally struggled out of the flower bed and, turning his face, whined to Li Mingzhi, “Mingzhi, I’m disfigured, waaaaah…”

A thin, red scratch from a flower branch stretched from the corner of his eye to his cheek. It hadn’t broken the skin, but it looked unsightly. He was a mess, clearly having taken a solid tumble.

In the past, whenever Wen Suoan had an accident, Li Mingzhi would rush over anxiously to show concern and help resolve the problem. But today, Wen Suoan waited and waited, but Li Mingzhi didn’t show any concern.

“Jing Butler,” Li Mingzhi said, “please call a car for Wen Suoan. I’m not feeling well, so I won’t see him off personally.”

With that, Li Mingzhi turned and entered the villa.

Wen Suoan stretched out his arm in a desperate attempt to stop him. “Wait… Mingzhi! Mingzhi!”

Jing Yi smirked. What a joke—this fake brotherly love act? Who’s he trying to fool? Not wanting to play along with Wen Suoan’s drama, Jing Yi called a taxi, shoved Wen Suoan inside, and called it a day.

Jing Yi patted his hands together, ready to leave, when the car window rolled down, and Wen Suoan looked at him from inside the car. “You did this, didn’t you?”

Jing Yi: ???

“You must have said something to Li Mingzhi. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have acted like this toward me. Don’t tell me it’s a misunderstanding. We were close before, but as soon as you showed up, he changed. What you did just now has everything to do with this.” Wen Suoan said coldly, “Jing Butler, I’ll remember this.”

Jing Yi smiled slightly. “Actually, no.”

“What?” Wen Suoan asked.

“See that large flower bed over there?” Jing Yi pointed behind him.

Wen Suoan felt the pain in his face again. “You son of a…”

“That flower bed has a lot of bad karma. If you do too many bad things, you’ll get your retribution.” Jing Yi warned, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. There are two human-shaped imprints right there.”

Wen Suoan: “……”

He looked over instinctively and, damn it, there really were two human-shaped pits.

Jing Yi waved him off with what little politeness he had left. “Go on, don’t come back. Otherwise, the flower bed will get you again.”

The taxi slowly disappeared from view.

Jing Yi stood there for a moment, then pulled out his phone, logged into Weibo, and found a popular entertainment exposé account. He privately messaged them with Wen Suoan’s blackmail material, including the time, location, people involved, and details—a treasure trove of information.

He could only do so much. Now, it was up to fate to deliver retribution.

·

·

When he returned to the villa, Jing Yi always felt that the Li family members were giving him strange looks. Jing Yi blinked back at them. What’s going on?

“Jing Butler,” Li Wenzhao suddenly spoke up.

Jing Yi turned his head. "Hmm?"

"There's an external task today. Come with me to the company."

More extra work?

His job title should be 'butler,' but he felt like he was doing anything but butler duties. He seemed to work everywhere except at the Li family estate.

Internally, Jing Yi was slacking off, but he put on a concerned-for-the-company expression and said perfunctorily, "Mr. Li, I'm just a butler. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to go to the company?"

Li Wen Zhao said, "Work as my assistant for a while, and I’ll bump your salary by 20,000."

Jing Yi replied, "Sure, Mr. Li, please lead the way."

"..."

The butler’s original salary was 80,000 per month, but with the raise, it would now be 100,000.

A poor college student like him had never seen so much money.

Jing Yi quietly calculated that working for the Li family for two years would give him enough savings to live comfortably without worrying about money. Even if he lost his job one day, he could buy a car and a house in a small city and live a comfortable life.

Jing Yi chuckled to himself.

Li Wen Zhao went upstairs to change his clothes, and Jing Yi waited obediently downstairs.

"Butler Jing," Li Ting shook the newspaper, "Salary increased? Happy?"

"Happy," Jing Yi's smile widened, "If Third Young Master could also give me a raise, I'd be even happier."

You understand what I mean, right?

Li Ting stood up with a smile, "The Third Young Master isn't as wealthy as the Eldest Young Master. You should keep milking the Eldest Young Master for all he’s worth. Second brother, I'm off to work."

Li Xu also stood up, "Together."

The living room was left with only Li Mingzhi, looking frustrated. Jing Yi thought for a moment, pressed his lips together, and approached, "Young Master, if I say Wen Suoan is not a good person, would you believe me?"

Li Mingzhi blinked in surprise, his dark eyes steady and unreadable.

Jing Yi began to feel tense.

"I believe you," Li Mingzhi said, "I believe whatever you say. I won't have any more contact with him in the future."

He took out his phone and immediately blocked Wen Suoan.

Jing Yi: ?

This easy to talk to?

In the original story, Li Mingzhi was someone who stuck to his opinions stubbornly, even if he hit a wall. He was also spoiled by his three older brothers, making him wild in nature. If things didn’t go his way, he’d throw tantrums and break things until everyone gave in to him.

A spoiled, reckless brat.

But now, looking at him, he seemed like a completely different person—obedient and well-behaved.

Jing Yi’s mind raced, and he realized something wasn’t quite right.

Ever since entering the book, it seems like all the plot points have gone off script, with the original plot running wild like weeds, developing into something I can't wrap my head around.

Li Mingzhi didn't elope with Ning Jiang, avoiding a certain deadly disaster.

Li Ting didn't invest in the amusement park, dodging a trap from the heavens.

The eldest young master, Li Wenzhao, wasn't drugged at the banquet, evading the schemes of a scheming official.

Things are turning out better than expected.

But why?

Have the characters in the book awakened? Or have the four young masters of the Li family been possessed as well?

It doesn't seem like it.

If they had awakened or been possessed, they should have a god-like perspective. Then Li Mingzhi wouldn't have been desperate to elope on the first day, Li Wenzhao wouldn't have been completely unprepared at the wine party, and Li Ting wouldn't have casually canceled the investment.

So what went wrong?

……

I can't wrap my head around it.

Whatever, as long as things are going well, the reason isn't important.

Jing Yi chatted with Li Mingzhi for a while, then went to the kitchen to have a simple breakfast. Just as he wiped his mouth, Li Wenzhao came down in a sharp suit.

Jing Yi followed him out and lightly exclaimed when he saw the car waiting outside.

Another difference from the original story.

In the book, Li Wenzhao lived a high-profile life, with a mode of transportation fitting the tycoon stereotype—helicopters for coming and going.

Hearing Jing Yi's surprise, Li Wenzhao stopped in his tracks. "What is it?"

Jing Yi looked at the car, then around. "Eldest young master, you go to work by car?"

Li Wenzhao: "What else would I do?"

Walk there?

Jing Yi stated, "Don't tycoons usually go to work by helicopter?"

"……"

Sometimes, Li Wenzhao really didn't know what was going on in his young butler's mind. "Jing Butler, I'm a tycoon, not a ruffian. Private helicopters aren't allowed in the city center due to regulations."

Jing Yi was surprised. What a law-abiding tycoon!

The author really knows how to mess with things.

Jing Yi walked forward and almost tripped, grabbing the pillar to steady himself.

"What's with the Li family's floor? It's so slippery?"

Li Wenzhao was about to say something, but when he saw the startled Jing Yi, the severity in his eyes vanished, and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

Jing Yi sharply narrowed his eyes. "Hmm?"

Why is the eldest young master smiling so sneakily?

It's not at me, right?

"Eldest young master..."

But before Jing Yi could say more, Li Wenzhao urged him on by lifting his chin, as if ushering a reluctant animal into its enclosure. "Get in the car."

"..."

The luxury silver sedan glided out from the villa's entrance.

·

·

The headquarters of Li Corporation was located in the financial center within the second ring road.

Two towering skyscrapers loomed overhead, a testament to the Li family's wealth and influence.

The driver took the car directly to the company entrance. Li Wenzhao and Jing Yi walked through the main entrance, and every employee gave Li Wenzhao a respectful look, constantly addressing him as "CEO."

Jing Yi followed behind Li Wenzhao, getting a taste of what it feels like to be watched.

The two stepped into the elevator. The transparent box began to ascend, the streets below shrinking rapidly. Jing Yi started to feel dizzy.

He clung to the elevator wall, shaking his legs to distract himself. "Eldest young master, do you enjoy looking down at your empire from up here?"

Li Wenzhao: "No, I don't."

Jing Yi trembled. "Then why did you make the elevator transparent?"

Li Wenzhao: "To enjoy watching others tremble."

"..."

What a twisted sense of humor for a CEO! And he claims he's not a madman?

As the elevator rose, Jing Yi clung to the corner like a gecko. Finally, when the elevator stopped, he felt his legs go weak.

A strong hand steadied him.

Jing Yi leaned over gratefully. "Thanks."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

Ding!

The elevator doors opened.

"CEO, today's department meeting is already..." Secretary Fan was reporting at the elevator entrance. As the doors opened, the scene revealed the two entangled in an embrace.

Secretary Fan: "?"

Inside the elevator, Li Wenzhao stood stone-faced, his arm gripped tightly by Jing Yi, who had his eyes tightly shut, clinging to the eldest young master like a koala.

"..."

"Jing Butler." Li Wenzhao furrowed his brows and peeled Jing Yi off his arm. "We're here."

"Oh."

Jing Yi held onto the elevator wall and stepped out of the glass elevator, looking utterly wilted.

In the Li family, he was still a fresh young radish, but after that ride, he had been reduced to a dried radish strip.

This 20,000 yuan gig was no walk in the park.

Secretary Fan kindly supported Jing Yi. "Jing Butler, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He weakly waved his hand, looking like a dried-up radish. "Too much of a raise, got too excited."

Secretary Fan: "..."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

Jing Yi softly grabbed Fan Ming's arm. "Secretary Fan, you understand me, right?"

Secretary Fan didn't want to get into the specifics of the raise; it wasn't company policy.

Fan Ming guided Jing Butler into the CEO's office. Li Wenzhao had another board meeting that morning and couldn't miss it. As soon as he arrived at the company, without catching his breath, he immediately entered the conference room.

Before long, Fan Ming returned with a towering stack of files for Jing Yi. "Jing Butler, your work is here."

"..."

Jing Yi looked at the stack reaching his waist. "Secretary Fan, are you joking?"

Secretary Fan said seriously, "Mr. Li's orders."

"..."

A few minutes later, Jing Yi sat at a small desk, flipping through the documents. "They're all entertainers."

Secretary Fan nodded. "Mr. Li said that you need to select suitable candidates, and the main company will contact them for signing."

Jing Yi raised an eyebrow. "The basis for my selection is...?"

As a butler who handles day-to-day tasks, Li Wenzhao really wasn't afraid that he might pick a group of Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Li, and Mrs. Chen for the entertainment industry.

Secretary Fan was also puzzled about this. He only relayed Li Wenzhao's orders. After a few seconds of thoughtful frowning, he said, "Go with your gut?"

Jing Yi lightly twitched his lips. "...Secretary Fan, you crack me up."

Secretary Fan, with a serious expression, said, "Jing Butler, let's begin."

Jing Yi sighed. For the money, he accepted his fate. He casually pulled out a file and glanced at the name. "This person won't do."

Secretary Fan took out his notebook and started recording. "Basis?"

Jing Yi: "His face looks off—dark between the eyebrows and purple lips. He looks like a bad guy and will definitely be an abusive husband."

"..." Secretary Fan's hand tightened, and his hand trembled, causing the pen to scribble outside the lines.

"..."

In the conference room, Mr. Li sat expressionless in the top seat, listening to the subsidiaries reporting the revenue from the previous quarter.

"…Mr. Li, these are the performances of all our subsidiaries," the subsidiary manager bowed and took his seat, waiting for the CEO's feedback.

Li Wenzhao nodded. "Compared to the previous quarter, this time..."

"No, no, this one will have drug-related issues in the future."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

"This one will likely engage in domestic violence and infidelity."

"This one was involved in illegal surrogacy."

"This one is even worse; they gamble, solicit prostitutes, and associate with individuals who have HIV/AIDS."

"This one evades taxes and engages in inappropriate relationships."

"..."

"…Are we casting for a reality show, or is this a criminal record?"

"Is Li Corporation a dumping ground for criminals? How did we end up with all these offenders?"

"Li Corporation has become a magnet for troublemakers. No petty criminals allowed!"

"..."

Li Wenzhao's expression grew increasingly grim. He tapped his pen on the table lightly, and the silence in the room was so thick you could hear a pin drop.

The department head who was reporting wiped the sweat from their forehead. "Mr. Li, is everything alright?"

"No," Li Wenzhao exhaled, still visibly disturbed. "Let's end the meeting here for today. Dismissed."

He needed to address more pressing issues first.