Chapter 14: The Indebted Young Butler

Chapter 14: The Indebted Young Butler

Jing Yi had been thoroughly coasting at the Li family for a few days.

With a paid leave and a monthly salary of 100,000 yuan, he could afford to be carefree for quite a while.

Not long after arriving here, after completing his duties as a butler, Jing Yi always tried to go out. With his bulging pockets, he indulged in some luxury—bubble tea with extra toppings and cream, freshly baked small cakes, no buses for him, and taxis without air conditioning were a no-go.

These were the only luxuries Jing Yi, the penny-pincher, could think of.

After a few days of living it up like this, the Li family was hosting a grand banquet.

The long-awaited birthday of the second young master, Li Xu, had finally arrived.

On the day of the banquet, as the butler, Jing Yi got up early. The venue arrangements, menu planning, and invitation distributions had all been handled by dedicated staff of the Li family. Jing Yi only needed to patrol like a foreman to complete his butler duties.

80,000 was really easy to earn.

That evening, the Li family was filled with guests.

Before their bankruptcy, the Li family was a renowned and illustrious clan in the novel world. As the author put it—“At the age of 18, Li Wenzhao took over the Li family conglomerate and, within a decade, pushed the family to an unprecedented peak, building his own business empire.”

Typical CEO novels, starting with an empire.

Without some impressive titles, one would be too embarrassed to step out.

For the birthday banquet of the second young master of the Li family, all the bigwigs in the novel world had come. Luxury cars filled the area, and everyone was adorned with jewels, with all kinds of evening gowns dazzling the eye.

In the eyes of others, these people represented the pinnacle of wealth in the novel world. But to Jing Yi, these people, no matter how rich or grand, were just NPCs, mere cannon fodder created by the original author to bring down the Li family.

As the banquet was about to begin, Jing Yi found a corner to stay in, observing the entire scene, looking for any villains plotting against the Li family. To pass the time, he brought some sunflower seeds and munched on them, crunching away.

“Young Butler Jing,” Li Mingzhi, after searching for a while, finally found Jing Yi, bringing a small stool to sit beside him, “You’re hiding here, making me search for you for so long.”

Munching on the seeds, Jing Yi asked, “What do you want?”

What else? To eat sunflower seeds and watch the show, of course.

The usually calm and collected second brother had made a mistake, and his younger brother found it fascinating.

“The banquet is too boring, just looking for some entertainment,” Li Mingzhi casually grabbed a handful of seeds, “You’ve been running out these past few days, I couldn’t find you. Where did you go?”

With the chairs, tables, and sunflower seeds, Jing Yi was feeling a bit warm. He pulled at his collar and casually said, “It’s hot at home, just went out to escape the heat.”

“……” Li Mingzhi glanced at the 20-degree constant temperature air conditioner overhead, “Is it still hot now?”

Hearing this, Jing Yi sighed, “Not hot anymore, once the money’s gone, the heat will naturally subside.”

Li Mingzhi: “……”

“Young master, look, the banquet has started,” Li Mingzhi was about to say something more when Jing Yi patted his hand and, through the bustling crowd, nodded his chin towards the distance.

All the invited guests had arrived, scattered in various directions of the banquet hall, with many already offering their congratulations to Li Xu.

After brief greetings, Li Xu found Li Ting, who was chatting with friends in a corner, “All the guests have arrived, where’s Butler Jing?”

“Don’t worry, second brother,” Li Ting elegantly sipped some red wine, “He’s in that corner over there, with Mingzhi accompanying him.”

Li Xu raised his glass and took a sip, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the hidden spot in the hall, indeed seeing Jing Yi and Li Mingzhi huddled together, whispering.

"How can I not be anxious?" Li Xu loosened his tie and lowered his voice, "This is a matter of life and death for the company."

His tone was heavy, "Haven't you seen how busy Big Brother has been these past two days, rushing around non-stop? They found hundreds of tons of counterfeit building materials at Nanfeng Port, and Chairman Zhang and Chairman Li have been arrested for embezzlement and bribery. Even Big Brother, who is usually so calm and steady, made a mistake. My situation... must be even more severe."

Li Ting narrowed his eyes and gently swirled the glass cup, the dark red liquid inside reflecting a sharp color against the high-quality glass.

"Don't worry, as long as Butler Jing can find the person plotting against you, Second Brother, I'll make sure he pays a thousandfold."

Li Xu, feeling uneasy, finished his drink in one gulp and glanced at the time, "Keep an eye on things for me. Your sister-in-law has arrived. I'll go greet her."

A woman dressed in a silver strapless dress stood by the entrance, her makeup flawless and beautiful. The dress showcased her fair skin, while the sapphire necklace around her neck sparkled brilliantly.

"Xu," the woman called softly.

The usually cold and reserved Li Xu showed a rare gentle expression, "You're here."

The woman nodded, her eyes scanning the surroundings, "It's quite lively tonight."

Li Xu chuckled and gestured for her to hook her arm with his, a sweet expression on his face, "Come on, I'll introduce you to Big Brother and Little Brother."

The woman gently agreed.

From the corner, Jing Butler watched the scene unfold, and a memory flashed in his mind. But before he could grasp it, he was abruptly interrupted by a loud voice in front of him.

"Li Mingzhi?"

Jing Butler looked up to see a flamboyantly dressed young man standing in front of him, with blue eyeshadow, red fingers, and yellow hair, making Jing Butler feel dizzy from the sight.

Who let this peacock in?

"I heard you were scammed by a man," the peacock chewed gum in a vulgar manner, eyes scanning Li Mingzhi up and down, his exaggerated fake eyelashes fluttering.

"The other party is a habitual fraudster. Weren't you always saying how smart and clever you are? How could you still trip in a ditch? Tsk tsk, how could you even bring yourself to kiss such a person? Was he so skilled that you couldn't resist him?"

Li Mingzhi's expression darkened.

The peacock sneered contemptuously. The young master of the Li family was still so easy to bully, never fighting back or talking back, and too afraid to report to the family. Itching to torment him every day.

He was about to escalate his mockery when suddenly, his vision blurred. The next second, sharp pain shot through his eyelid.

"Ah!"

The peacock screamed, "What are you doing?!"

"So they really are fake," Jing Butler pinched the long fake eyelashes that were longer than his own nails and shook them, his tone filled with disgust, "They're so heavy. Wearing these is going to give our young master a cold."

Jing Butler remembered.

In the original text, Li Mingzhi had a sworn enemy, someone who loved dressing flamboyantly. The name slipped his mind, but he recalled that this peacock was an accomplice in illegal organ trafficking.

When Li Mingzhi fell into trouble and was sold to the exchange by Ning Jiang, this peacock would beat and humiliate him daily, leading to several failed suicide attempts. On the brink of death, Li Mingzhi was sent to the operating table and drained into an empty shell.

"Bastard!"

"Selling anything is bad, but you sell organs. Trafficking anything is wrong, but you traffic inhumanity. Today, meeting me is your retribution!"

Jing Butler was truly angry.

The cold text, the bitter ending (BE) of the entire Li family, had been diluted in the satisfaction of the protagonist group's face-slapping revenge. While reading, it hadn't seemed unreasonable, but now, seeing it with his own eyes, Jing Butler felt deeply unsettled.

"What the hell..." The peacock was so angry he cursed, not because it hurt, but because he was scared by Jing Yi's lightning-fast move.

Jing Yi pursed his lips, ready to land another blow, when he heard a voice from beside him.

"What's going on."

Li Wenzhao, his expression icy and unreadable, stepped out from the crowd.

Jing Yi's pulse quickened, and he swiftly covered Li Mingzhi's forehead, trying to turn the situation around, "Why are you hitting people? Is young master okay?"

The peacock: ...Are you kidding me?

Jing Yi cradled Li Mingzhi's forehead like it was a delicate, breakable treasure, "Oh no, it's bleeding. Aunt Fang, please call the family doctor for an emergency!"

Li Wenzhao's cold, piercing gaze swept over the scene.

The peacock, now tense, stood up straighter, "It wasn't me, I didn't hit him, really. Everyone saw it, I really didn't hit him!"

"Hiss..." At that moment, Li Mingzhi finally snapped out of the confusion and softly fainted onto Jing Yi's shoulder, "Butler Jing, my head hurts."

Jing Yi turned his head and exclaimed, "Look what they've done to our young master."

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

The peacock said, "I never laid a finger on him. If you think I did, why don't you let go and show us the damage?"

In a fit of rage, the peacock yanked Jing Yi's arm away.

"Eww..."

"Oh..."

"Hiss..."

The crowd collectively sucked in a breath.

They saw Li Mingzhi's forehead bruised and bleeding, a steady stream of blood trickling down—definitely a nasty hit.

"That's a vicious hit."

"To attack like this, they clearly don't fear the Li family."

"This is like a slap in the face to the Li family."

"The Hua family has really offended them badly."

Jing Yi looked suspiciously into the crowd. Does this guy actually think we're buying this act?

The peacock's face turned pale, too angry to speak.

Li Wenzhao was also momentarily stunned.

Jing Yi, playing the part of the loyal butler, gently supported the fainting Li Mingzhi and stepped closer to Li Wenzhao, "Eldest young master, I don't think we can let this slide. What do you think?"

This guy is trouble—he's behind the plot to hurt your brother! We need to stop him, eldest young master. It's time for payback.

"Night's falling, and they're knocking on our door. It's time to make the Hua family pay, eldest young master!"

Li Wenzhao lowered his eyes to stare at the young butler's urgent expression. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a sudden poke in his lower back.

“……”

Just as he was about to speak again, another poke hit him.

“……”

In a corner where no one could see, Jing Yi's fingers were boldly jabbing the villain's waist, once, twice, three, four times, each jab harder than the last.

Li Wenzhao could feel Jing Yi’s extreme urgency, because aside from the drill-like jabs, he could also hear the young butler's sharp outburst by his ear—

“Ahhhhhh, is my gaze not obvious enough? Why is he not reacting at all?”

“Is his clothes too thick for him to feel it?”

“Ugh, another day without my cheat ability!”

Li Wenzhao: “……”

Did you even let me get a word in before you started yelling?!

“Bro, let me handle this.” Li Ting squeezed through the crowd, a smile on his face as he grabbed Hua Kongque's shoulder, “I’ll talk some sense into him.”

Li Wenzhao caught the hand that was poking from behind. “……Hmm! Go ahead.”

Jing Yi froze. The warm and dry palm firmly circled his slightly thin wrist, the broad touch making his new heart tighten, and an inexplicable sense of powerlessness welled up in him.

He didn’t dare to move anymore.

Hua Kongque, his face pale, was led away by Li Ting, and the splendid banquet continued.

Li Mingzhi, pretending to be ill, wasn’t suitable to stay at the scene. Jing Yi originally wanted to slip away with the wounded, but was stopped by Li Wenzhao.

With a look of a dedicated young butler, Jing Yi said, “Eldest young master, don’t stop me, I need to check how badly the young master is injured.”

Li Wenzhao sneered, “Is that so? I thought young butler Jing was going to check how deep the well you just drilled is.”

How does such a delicate wrist manage to jab so hard?!

Jing Yi: “……”

He gave an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, eldest young master, I had to act fast in this situation.”

“I’m doing this for the Li family’s sake. How could you punish me for this?”

Li Wenzhao took a deep breath. “Don’t run off, stay here.”

Jing Yi: “Why?”

Li Wenzhao rubbed his lower back. “Give me……”

“A rub?” Jing Yi offered his hand.

Slap.

Li Wenzhao slapped away his exaggerated paw. “Go pour the wine.”

“……”

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Fine, I'll pour the wine, but why are you rubbing your waist? The questions are so obscure, even a genius would be stumped."

"Still, it feels great—lean, smooth, and perfectly shaped. If this were out in public, it would turn heads for sure..."

Li Wenzhao finally snapped. "Jing Butler!"

Jing Yi looked up, confused. "What?"

"What is it now?"

"Did I do something wrong? Why is he getting so worked up?"

Li Wenzhao gritted his teeth. "...Pour the wine."

"Oh."

Jing Yi grumbled under his breath as he grabbed the decanter. It was pretty heavy, so he used both hands to lift it and carefully placed it on the edge of Li Wenzhao's glass, pushing it forward with some effort. The wine gushed out from the bottom—

Li Wenzhao felt a sinking sensation in his palm. Splash.

The glass overflowed, sending wine spilling over the sides.

Jing Yi jumped and instinctively leaned in to lap up the spill, but then he felt a cold, intense gaze on his face.

Oh no, it's a habit.

Jing Yi snapped back, pulling his overly familiar neck back. "You drink, you drink, go ahead and finish it yourself."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

That annoying young butler.

Just as the tension started to build, Li Xu strolled in with a beautiful girl on his arm. "Hey, big brother, Jing Butler, what's going on?"

His eyes fell on the brimming glass.

Li Xu raised an eyebrow. "Pretty thirsty, huh?"

"..." Li Wenzhao exhaled slowly, handing the glass to a passing servant. "It's nothing. Is it time to cut the cake?"

"Yes." Li Xu nodded.

The kitchen staff rolled out a fresh and fragrant double-person cake, beautifully decorated. The fruity and creamy aroma blended into the cake's unique sweet scent.

Jing Yi swallowed.

"This is the CEO's personal cake—there's gotta be something special about it, right?"

"It smells so good."

"How can I sneak a bite..."

"Young Butler," Li Xu said, "today is my birthday, you can have some cake too."

Jing Yi's eyes lit up immediately. "Thanks, second young master!"

"Oh, oh, oh! The second young master is such a great guy!"

Just as Jing Yi was staring at the cake and swallowing his saliva, Li Xu gently held the girl's hand and whispered, "Big brother, this is my girlfriend, Qiu Minzhi. Today, I'd like to formally introduce her."

"Minzhi, this is my big brother..."

"What the actual hell?!"

An explosion of sound nearly deafened Li Wenzhao and Li Xu.

……What now?!

"Qiu, Qiu Minzhi!!!"

Li Xu's expression changed.

"Now I remember, she's the biggest thorn in Li Xu's side, one of the reasons the Li family has been in turmoil."

"Tsk, the second young master looks handsome, but unfortunately, he's a bit foolish. Qiu Minzhi doesn't actually love him; she only wants his money. She's already colluding with his secretary, conspiring to siphon off his assets. I bet they've almost emptied everything by now..."

The second young master stumbled, almost falling face-first into a cake taller than a meter.

He caught himself just in time, but his face turned pale.