Chapter 24: Criminal Element No.n

Chapter 24: Criminal Element No.n

The night had grown quiet, and Jing Yi yawned from travel fatigue. "Eldest young master, your presidential suite is really luxurious."

Jing Yi had never seen anything like it in his entire life.

The young butler’s eager expression was all too clear, so Li Wenzhao lifted his chin. "There's another room on the left."

Jing Yi perked up. "This is a bit much, isn't it?"

"Which way is the door?"

Li Wenzhao raised an eyebrow. "Is that your catchphrase?"

You always say that, but you never seem embarrassed.

Jing Yi, with a shy smile, said, "Just a little fib."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

"Door's on the left. You can find it yourself."

"Got it, thanks, eldest young master."

"Wow, off to the top-floor luxury suite!!!"

"..."

Even though Jing Yi’s room wasn’t the master bedroom, it was still way better than an ordinary one. Jing Yi had never stayed in a high-end hotel before. Even during his graduation trip, he could only afford ordinary guesthouses. So, he had no clue the bathroom was so luxurious you could soak in the tub while enjoying the night view from above.

It was the ultimate experience.

Remembering the snacks and drinks in the living room, Jing Yi slipped out again.

Li Wenzhao was reviewing the annual report of Shengshi branch company, sent overnight by Wang Hen. Maybe Wang Hen bribed Jing Yi to feel safe, but he didn’t cover his tracks well. In just a few minutes, Li Wenzhao found numerous loopholes.

Suddenly, a stealthy whisper reached his ears. "Eldest young master~"

Li Wenzhao's brow twitched. "No one else is around. Come out and talk."

After a pause, he added, "And wear your clothes properly."

"I didn't take them off." Jing Yi pushed the door open. "Are you busy, eldest young master? Want some fruit?"

Trying to butter him up, Li Wenzhao thought, still focused on the report. "No need."

"Got it."

A gust of wind swept the fruit tray away.

Li Wenzhao: "...?"

A few seconds later, the sneaky young butler returned with a face full of 'good intentions.' "Want some snacks?"

Li Wenzhao didn't have the habit of eating late-night snacks. Without thinking, he blurted out, "No—"

"Got it."

Another gust of wind, and a basket of snacks disappeared from the table.

Within moments, the door to the side room was opened again. Is it not over yet?

Li Wenzhao maintained his usual cold, composed expression. "Jing Butler."

Jing Yi, who was searching for food, paused. "Hmm?"

Li Wenzhao asked, "Do you want some champagne?"

As far as he knew, the young butler didn’t drink alcohol, let alone champagne. It was all written in his resume under hobbies. He was waiting for the young butler to say no, so he could take the champagne away in front of him.

The young butler’s blank expression must have been hilarious.

The moment Jing Yi heard "champagne," his eyes lit up.

"Champagne! So expensive! A CEO essential! Just a sip and your class goes up, I have to drink this!"

"I’m so happy about this job, hehehehehe."

Jing Yi: "I'll drink it! Thanks, eldest young master."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

The young butler boldly opened the wine cabinet and, not recognizing the labels, turned to ask, "Which one is the champagne?"

Li Wenzhao, with a blank expression, said, "The one at the top."

The young butler then took the bottle and a champagne flute into the room, closing the door firmly behind him.

Li Wenzhao: "..."

·

Jing Yi returned to his room, laying out all the food by the bathtub, and climbed into the bathtub stark naked. The perfectly warm water gradually enveloped his tired body, soothing him until he hummed contentedly.

"Wow, it even massages."

"Damn, I never knew, capitalists really know how to enjoy life!"

Li Wenzhao, who could still hear everything from nearby, closed his eyes and forced the mischievous young butler out of his mind, focusing back on the report.

"Wow, so this is champagne, it even has bubbles... It looks just like Sprite, isn't the eldest young master pulling my leg?"

Li Wenzhao: "..."

"(slurp) (smacking lips) Hmm, it’s pretty sweet, tastes like citrus..."

"Trying some fruit, so sweet, these are really good fruits... Let’s have some good fruits, hehehehehe."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

In the bathtub, Jing Yi was enjoying the good life, the massage bathtub washing away all his fatigue, and at this point, he wasn’t sleepy at all.

Buzz buzz—

The phone on the bathroom counter vibrated gently.

A wet wrist stretched out from the bathtub, fingers soaked white and tender, with a faint pink at the tips.

[Mr. Wang]: Assistant Jing, are you there?

Jing Yi: “……” (｀A`)Ψ

He hated it when people started conversations like this. If they didn’t get straight to the point, how was he supposed to know if he was "there" or not.

Also, this Mr. Wang really looked down on people. He had only just sent two muscle guys to his room not long ago; how dare he come looking for him so quickly.

Jing Yi left the phone alone for a while, but Wang Hen couldn’t sit still. Another message came through.

[Mr. Wang]: The branch company's report has been submitted, but my subordinates weren’t meticulous and made a few errors. Mr. Li hasn’t seen it yet, right?

Jing Yi giggled to himself. What he didn’t know was that Mr. Li had already stayed up all night reviewing it.

But his fingers calmly tapped the screen: [No.]

[Mr. Wang]: Great. Could you please secretly get the report back for me? I’ll submit a new one tomorrow.

[You Jing Dàye]: Secretly?

[Mr. Wang]: Yes.

[Mr. Wang]: Be careful, don’t let Mr. Li find out.

[You Jing Dàye]: No need.

[You Jing Dàye]: As my partner, you shouldn’t always be thinking about doing things behind my back.

[Mr. Wang]: ……

You’re pretty good at covering your tracks while committing crimes, aren’t you?

But at this point, he didn’t dare to push too far in front of Jing Yi, afraid of causing resentment. He was still counting on Jing Yi to steal the report for him.

[Mr. Wang]: Then hurry up, I’ll wait for your message.

Jing Yi soaked in the bath until his skin turned a rosy pink, a satisfied flush visible on his flesh. He finished the last sip of champagne and climbed out of the water.

After wrapping himself in a white bathrobe, he went to find Li Wenzhao.

The living room was empty, dimly lit by just two faint wall sconces.

Jing Yi oriented himself and successfully found the door to the master bedroom.

“Eldest Young Master, are you asleep?”

The sound of running water in the master bathroom stopped. Li Wenzhao paused, recognizing the soft knock as coming from the young butler. He almost didn’t notice.

Li Wenzhao dried himself, wrapped in a bathrobe, and opened the door, facing Jing Yi, who looked like a freshly boiled pink-and-white dumpling. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “...What is it?”

Jing Yi looked up and met a half-naked chest, wet with round, glistening droplets sliding from the chin down into the depths of the bathrobe.

Jing Yi was momentarily mesmerized by the sight of the handsome man stepping out of the bath.

To be honest, Young Master Li has quite an appetizing appearance, far better than those two washboards from earlier. It’s just... without such a physique, the villainous official match wouldn’t be able to both scheme to hollow out Li Corporation and enjoy such a feast of beauty at the same time, truly not letting either people or money slip away.

Mr. Li: “...”

Quite appetizing.

Why don’t you elaborate on how it’s appetizing? And how exactly do you plan to ‘eat’?

Jing Yi snapped back to his senses, gently shifting his gaze: "Young Master, is the report you were looking at earlier in the room?"

Mr. Li hummed in response: "What’s up?"

Jing Yi handed over the chat record: "Mr. Wang is teaching me how to commit crimes."

Mr. Li glanced over it briefly before turning to go back inside.

Guessing that he was probably going to look for evidence of the crime, Jing Yi obediently waited outside the door.

Just then, Mr. Wang urged impatiently:

[Mr. Wang]: How's it going?

[Mr. Wang]: Did you steal... get the report? Has Mr. Li noticed anything?

[Your Greatness Jing]: Not yet.

[Mr. Wang]: Hurry up, time is running out!

Jing Yi narrowed his eyes dangerously. What a nerve, asking for help and still putting on airs. He wasn’t about to indulge this bad attitude.

And the initial ID of this friend was also an eyesore, so he changed it with a flick of his fingers.

[Your Lord Jing]: Can you do it yourself if you think you can?

[Criminal No.n]: That's not what I meant, but it's been so long and you haven't made a move. I'm getting anxious. What are you actually doing?

Recalling the scene he had just seen, Jing Yi typed quickly:

[Your Lord Jing]: Enjoying the scenery.

[Criminal No.n]: ...

Jing Yi was smirking when Li Wenzhao returned, holding the report: "What are you laughing at?"

Jing Yi took it and snapped two pictures, sent them to Wang Hen, then showed the chat interface to Li Wenzhao: "Urging me to do something bad."

Li Wenzhao's gaze lingered on the very realistic note: "..."

"Alright." Jing Yi put his phone in his pocket: "It's done. I'm going back to sleep. Good night, Young Master."

The young steward yawned and turned to leave. After a moment of silence, Li Wenzhao said: "Mm, good night."

·

·

The next day, Jing Yi slept until he naturally woke up.

He turned over to check his phone; it was almost 10 o'clock. Li Wenzhao and Wang Hen had scheduled an inspection for 10:30, and he was almost late.

Still groggy, Jing Yi leaped out of bed.

After a quick wash and change of clothes, Jing Yi stepped out, pushing the door open. Fan Ming was reporting to Li Wenzhao. Noticing Jing Yi’s slightly rumpled clothes as he emerged from the side room, Fan Ming’s eyes widened in surprise.

Feeling refreshed and cheerful, Jing Yi greeted, “Morning, Secretary Fan.”

Fan Ming hesitated, unsure how to address him: “Morning, Jing… Butler.”

Jing Yi shot him a reproachful look: “You’ve gotten all formal on me after just one night.”

Fan Ming: “……”

Li Wenzhao: “……”

Just as he was about to say something, there was a knock on the door, and the hotel staff brought in breakfast.

Due to Li Wenzhao’s special identity, the manager personally substituted as the delivery person: “Mr. Li, this is today’s special, pork ribs and fresh bamboo shoot soup. It’s best to have it in the morning. Please enjoy.”

Jing Yi leaned in eagerly: “How fresh is it?”

The hotel manager wasn’t used to being asked that and stumbled over his words: “…The pork ribs are freshly butchered, and the bamboo shoots are freshly picked. The ingredients take less than an hour from the kitchen to the pot. Very fresh.”

“True,” Jing Yi said, eyeing the soup hungrily. “Mr. Li’s in for a real treat.”

“Gulp.”

If the young butler hadn’t been drooling so much, Li Wenzhao might have believed his flattery: “If you want to eat, then sit down.”

Jing Yi plopped into the chair: “Oh no, I couldn’t impose.”

Li Wenzhao: “…The mask of goodwill can be taken off temporarily.”

Jing Yi sheepishly: “Got it.”

He’d been wearing it for so long, it had become second nature.

·

The breakfast was great, and Jing Yi helped himself to an extra couple of bowls of soup. As he went downstairs, he saw Wang Hen personally coming to pick up Li Wenzhao.

“Mr. Li, Assistant Jing, morning. I’m here to take you two to the company.”

As always, ignoring Secretary Fan.

Li Wenzhao nodded and boarded the car with Jing Yi.

Shengshi’s office was located in the heart of the neighboring city’s second ring, in a prime spot. It wasn’t office hours, so they avoided the morning rush and arrived smoothly at the company building.

As soon as they got out of the car, Wang Hen subtly pulled Jing Yi: “Assistant Jing.”

Jing Yi pulled back his sleeve and instantly shifted away: “Why are you pulling me? It looks bad.”

Wang Hen: “……”

If he didn’t need Jing Yi’s help, he would have cursed already!

Wang Hen gritted his teeth: “I just wanted to ask about last night. After you got the report, did Mr. Li become suspicious?”

Jing Yi: “No.”

Wang Hen frowned, a hint of doubt flashing through his mind: "No?"

Jing Yi babbled nonsense, "Yeah, I accidentally knocked over my cup while drinking coffee, and the report got completely ruined."

Oh, that explains it then.

Wang Hen suppressed the doubt rising in his heart and placed his full trust in Jing Yi. If he could accomplish such a difficult task, it was no wonder he had paid him a bribe of two million.

Jing Yi looked at the satisfied and contented expression on Wang Hen's face and sneered, "Be smug if you want, human. It won't be long before you become an honored member of the luxurious external prison of Li Corporation!"

Li Wenzhao: "..."

He turned his head. "Jing Yi."

Jing Yi turned to look.

"Come here. What are you muttering about over there?"

Jing Yi took a few steps. "Oh."

"Look at my status. The CEO can't go a minute without me. Of course, Wang Hen would bribe me. Hey, an easy two million."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

Jing Yi followed Li Wenzhao upstairs. In front of Wang Hen, he had to maintain the facade of being deeply hidden, so his expression became minimal, a fierce and ruthless look on his face, feeling like a soulless assassin.

When they arrived at the CEO's office, Li Wenzhao immediately started to check the accounts, but Wang Hen suddenly looked apologetic, "I'm sorry, CEO Li. The office was robbed last night, and several valuable items were stolen, along with the report. I'm currently investigating the truth. Please give me a few more days, and I'll provide you with a satisfactory explanation!"

Jing Yi blinked in confusion.

"What? You didn't mention there would be this additional twist."

"You just scraped the report from Li Wenzhao's hands without giving anything back? What about Assistant Jing, who stole the report? Having you is really my bad luck!"

Li Wenzhao understood that Wang Hen had been stalling his account inspection several times, so there must be a lot of shady dealings in Shengshi Corporation.

But for now, those shady dealings were hidden beneath the surface, waiting for time to reveal them.

Li Wenzhao decided to remain at Shengshi for the time being and instructed Wang Hen to locate the report promptly.

Wang Hen agreed hesitantly.

After the office door closed, Li Wenzhao hadn't heard the young butler's usual muttering for a while and, feeling unaccustomed, turned to see the young butler standing in front of a bookshelf.

Li Wenzhao walked over. "Found something?"

Jing Yi turned back with an excited expression. "Young Master, look, Wang Hen has a shrine to the God of Wealth right here in his office!"

Li Wenzhao wasn't surprised. Wang Hen was greedy, so it made sense that he would worship the God of Wealth. He thought the young butler had discovered something important. "So what's your point...?"

"So do you think," Jing Yi asked cautiously, "If I pray here, will it be very effective?"

Li Wenzhao raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you making enough already?"

"Who says no to more money?" Jing Yi said. "Young Master, even though you're already incredibly wealthy, you still work every day to earn more money, right?"

Li Wenzhao: "..."

He really couldn't refute that.

At his level, going to work wasn’t just about making money anymore.

In the brief moment of speechlessness, the young butler had already begun to pray, his posture sincere and attitude serious. If Li Wenzhao couldn’t hear the butler’s random thoughts, he would’ve thought he was praying for a promotion or wealth.

"…I hope the Li family will never fall, and I can continue to be a rich parasite forever. Oh God of Wealth, if you grant me this wish, I promise to live in luxury forever, feasting on the finest foods..."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

You really don’t hold back when it comes to treating yourself, huh.

After making three bows, Jing Yi stepped forward to offer incense and accidentally stumbled on the floor. Li Wenzhao’s face turned pale with worry, and he lunged to catch him.

However, Jing Yi was too fast, rolling like a sack, and crashed heavily into the offering table.

Bang—

The offering table shook, nearly knocking over the statue of the God of Wealth.

"Ouch..." Jing Yi grasped his injured arm, and as he stood up, he bumped into something else, causing a crack. Snap.

Snap?

Jing Yi looked towards the sound and saw a crack in the bottom of the offering table, with a stack of documents lying quietly in the narrow gap.

"It’s hidden so well, there’s definitely something shady going on."

"I understand now!"

"A sneaky frog, always playing tricks!"

"There’s only one explanation! This must be the missing real financial report!"

Li Wenzhao: "..."

Where did that awkward foreign language come from?

He quickly pulled out the stack of papers, and as the young butler said, it was indeed the financial report. Looking at the data, it was authentic.

Jing Yi nodded repeatedly. "I knew it."

It had to be the report.

Secretary Fan stood there, jaw dropped in shock. His throat felt tight as he stared at Jing Yi.

"Quick, close it before we find something even worse!"

His luck was just good; no need to be so shocked.

Secretary Fan: "..."

After retrieving the report, Li Wenzhao silently scanned it. The more he read, the darker his expression grew as he found more and more discrepancies.

Just at that moment, Wang Hen entered with a freshly brewed pot of tea. Seeing the report in Li Wenzhao’s hand and the wrecked offering table, Wang Hen’s face went ghostly pale. "J-j-j-j-j..."

Jing Yi said with exasperation, "Not so many 'Jing's."

Wang Hen: "..."

He stood there shaking for a while, and all the water in the teapot spilled out.

He used the office theft as an excuse, hoping it would buy him a few more days. As long as Mr. Li left, he could deceive others as he pleased.

He hid the real financial reports on the altar, thinking no one would pay respects to his "god of wealth," and that no one would dare to cause a scene in his office by searching through his things.

But in just two minutes, everything was exposed.

Wang Hen struggled to swallow, stuttering, "M-m-m-Mr. Li."

Li Wenzhao said, "Not so many Li."

Jing Yi’s eyes gleamed slightly—looks like the eldest young master knows how to copy homework well.

"Mr. Li," Wang Hen trembled as he tried to explain, frantically making eye contact with Jing Yi.

Help?!

Got it and still not helping?!

Meanwhile, Assistant Jing had gone into standby mode, completely ignoring him.

Wang Hen felt utterly hopeless.

"Embezzling 20 million in company funds, exploiting employees, falsifying accounts, and bribing HQ staff..." Li Wenzhao listed all the trouble Wang Hen had caused over the years, "Mr. Wang, you’ve certainly kept yourself busy."

Wang Hen stammered, "No, it’s all a misunderstanding, Mr. Li, I can explain!"

Li Wenzhao was merciless, "Go explain to the police."

The moment he finished speaking, two security guards moved in to arrest Wang Hen.

Everything happened so fast. Wang Hen glanced between Li Wenzhao and Jing Yi, who stood side by side, seemingly in perfect harmony.

Wang Hen widened his eyes, "You... you were messing with me?"

Jing Yi grinned, "Yep, did you enjoy it?"

Wang Hen was speechless.

Thinking of the two million he’d lost, he was so furious that he rolled his eyes and collapsed to the floor.

Jing Yi clicked his tongue, "Being older is great, able to fall asleep anywhere without complaint."