Chapter 25: Sharp-Tongued and Poisonous

Chapter 25: Sharp-Tongued and Poisonous

As soon as the security guards pulled Wang Hen to his feet, he woke up and glared at Jing Yi with wide eyes. "Mr. Li, I’m turning him in! Butler Jing accepted a bribe of two million from me. He definitely wouldn’t dare tell you about this! I’m reporting him! Be lenient to those who confess! Please give me another chance, Mr. Li!"

Li Wenzhao remained silent.

Efficient Secretary Fan adjusted his glasses. "Mr. Li already knew about this. The two million will be transferred to Butler Jing's personal account as a housing subsidy from the company. On behalf of Butler Jing, I thank you for your generous contribution."

Jing Yi let out a small, surprised gasp.

He now had a house.

Wang Hen looked at Secretary Fan in disbelief. "You?"

Fan Ming nodded. "Yes, me."

You had no idea that the one you’ve been ignoring is actually Mr. Li’s most capable secretary.

Wang Hen looked back and forth between Fan Ming and Jing Yi, unable to believe it. "You deceived me?"

Jing Yi shook his head. "No, I didn’t."

He had always spoken the truth.

"You bribed me, and I accepted it. You asked me to steal the reports, and I did." Jing Yi looked innocent. "How did I trick you?"

Wang Hen paused. "You also said you spilled coffee and destroyed the reports?"

He pointed at the documents in Secretary Fan's hands. "Then what is this?"

Jing Yi didn’t even blush. "That’s your evidence of crime. That couldn’t be destroyed—it was crucial evidence. Other than that, I really didn’t lie."

Wang Hen: "..."

Only then did Wang Hen realize he had backed the wrong horse. Not only had the two million gone up in smoke, but he had also been led on by a butler all night, gaining nothing, while Jing Yi ended up with a house.

Anyone would be livid.

"You motherf—" Wang Hen struggled to rush forward but was held back tightly by the security guards. Cursing and swearing, he was dragged away.

The incident unfolded so quickly that Jing Yi didn’t have time to react. The big boss had already been defeated in the blink of an eye.

It happened too fast. According to novel tropes, it should have taken ten or so chapters of ups and downs to build up the readers' anticipation, and then a final chapter where the trap is sprung, delivering ultimate satisfaction.

It was in this kind of exhilaration that Jing Yi had binge-read through 3000 chapters of a melodramatic novel.

"Jing Yi." Li Wenzhao noticed the young butler's contemplative expression and asked, "Is there still a problem?"

Jing Yi pointed outside at the person being dragged away. "Is it really resolved so neatly?"

So clean and swift?

Li Wenzhao replied, "What else?"

Jing Yi voiced his confusion. "In novels, dealing with such villains usually requires slow cooking over low heat."

"Only then does the plot become rich and flavorful."

Li Wenzhao lightly raised an eyebrow. "I don’t like simmering villains slowly; I prefer to bring them to a quick boil."

Jing Yi: "..."

Wow, the eldest young master is quite the straight man in this comedy duo.

Even if he really goes bankrupt in the future, he should still have a skill to rely on.

Barely containing his excitement, Jing Yi spoke, "Eldest Young Master, am I really getting a house?"

Li Wenzhao looked up, "You decide. After all, it's a bribe. Once it's out in the open, it's yours to do with as you please."

Jing Yi thought for a moment, "Then I'll buy a house."

Finally, a place to call home. In his previous life, he had wandered for so long, and what he had wanted most was a place of his own.

He hadn’t expected that time travel would fulfill a long-held desire.

Jing Yi couldn't help but smile slightly.

The crisis at Shengshi had temporarily subsided, but the mess left by Wang Hen still needed to be cleaned up. Li Wenzhao needed to stay at Shengshi for a few days to prevent opportunists from exploiting the situation.

As Li Wenzhao became busy, Jing Yi was also forced to work overtime.

"Secretary Fan," Jing Yi looked at the square table in front of Li Wenzhao, "I think you’ve brought the entire headquarters’ desk here."

The table was piled high with files, giving him a sense of familiarity.

Fan Ming, unhurried, said, "Butler Jing, it's inconvenient to bring large items when traveling."

Jing Yi looked at the pile of documents in the corner of the table and gave a suspicious expression, "Not big enough? Or does it not qualify as luggage?"

Secretary Fan pushed his glasses up, "This is only partly documents from headquarters."

Jing Yi: "What about the other part?"

Secretary Fan: "The mess left behind by the previous CEO."

He wobbled the last stack of files as he placed it on top, "Butler Jing, being so capable, you have more responsibilities. I'll get you a cup of coffee to keep you energized."

Ever-alert Secretary Fan slipped away quickly.

Jing Yi: "..."

Running so fast, your share is in there too, right?

·

Looking utterly defeated, Jing Yi flipped through the documents, trying hard to recall various plot points from the novel, cross-referencing them with the files to help the Li Corporation avoid disaster as much as possible.

Ever since he started earning extra money, Jing Yi had begun to dislike the original novel.

Indeed, anything related to work becomes detestable.

So frustrating, he couldn't escape the fate of being a workhorse no matter where he went.

Ding ding.

The phone on the desk buzzed twice, and Jing Yi instinctively grabbed it.

Time to take a quick break and unwind.

[Young Master]: (눈_눈)

[Young Master]: Butler Jing, why aren’t you responding to me?

Jing Yi: ؟

He replied: [Young Master, did the filming wrap up smoothly?]

[Young Master]: You really don’t care about me. I told you it finished yesterday.

Jing Yi swiped the screen and saw that, indeed, Li Mingzhi had sent him messages in the middle of the night—

[Young Master]: Where did you go, Butler Jing?

[Young Master]: The filming ended, and the director said my performance was great, to the extent that it can make people's eyes dazzle! [Happy blooming jpg.] [Hehe jpg] [Happy dog jpg]

Jing Yi: "......"

He had a hunch that the director actually said "to the point where it made people’s eyes roll."

Too many emojis pushed the messages out of view.

Jing Yi glanced at the time, 10:36 PM yesterday, when he was walking Mr. Wang and didn’t notice his phone.

Jing Yi hurriedly apologized.

Luckily, Li Mingzhi didn’t take it personally.

[Young Master]: When will you come back? Last night after work, I found a little cat. It’s so small, lying wet in the sewer, so pitiful. I want to keep it.

[Young Master]: Look, isn’t it cute? [Picture] [Picture] [Picture]

It was a tiny black-and-white tuxedo kitten, likely just born, cradled in Li Mingzhi’s hands.

Jing Yi, who already had a liking for fluffy things, immediately replied:

[You Jing Dàye]: So adorable! Wait till I get back, and we’ll adopt it together.

[Young Master]: Yeah! [Hug emoji]

Li Wenzhao had just concluded a meeting with Shengshi’s middle management, confirming the next general manager. Shengshi’s situation was temporarily stabilized. He pushed open the door and entered the office, only to see the young butler huddled in the office chair, holding his phone with a silly smile on his face.

Li Wenzhao pushed the door open: "Rein in that goofy grin before your jaw hits the floor."

"!!!"

Jing Yi instantly closed his phone and sat up straight.

"You’ve got to be kidding—leaders always show up right when you’re messing around on your phone."

Li Wenzhao: "......"

Without a word, he picked up the briefcase from the large office desk. "Let’s head home."

Jing Yi immediately stood up, then paused. "What am I supposed to do with all this?"

The desk was still piled high with documents he hadn't finished reviewing.

Li Wenzhao thought for a moment. "I'll have Secretary Fan pack them for you."

Jing Yi was shocked.

While others brought back souvenirs from their trips, Jing Yi was stuck lugging a pile of paperwork home.

Jing Yi stormed out of Shengshi’s office, looking like he was ready to chew nails.

Secretary Fan made a copy of all the documents and casually placed them in his briefcase, walking away with utter nonchalance.

"Hey, Wenzhao! Li Wenzhao!"

A hurried shout came from behind. A middle-aged man hurriedly got out of a nearby car, his face anything but friendly. "Someone told me Wang Hen was let go by you. What's going on?"

Talk about coming in hot—like he was here to demand answers.

If Jing Yi hadn't read the original story and known that Li Wenzhao didn't have any immediate elder relatives, he would have wondered if the Li family's elders had come back from the dead.

Who was this again?

Jing Yi racked his brain for a few seconds but found no trace of this man in his memory.

Of course, the novel didn’t delve into every minor detail from the villain’s perspective, let alone mention distant relatives.

Li Wenzhao clearly didn’t want to give this man any face. "He broke the law and ran illegal operations. He deserves what he got."

The man argued, "Why talk like that? Do we really need to air our dirty laundry? As soon as I heard about it, I rushed over. You're being too harsh on your own family. How can you be so ruthless?"

Li Wenzhao frowned impatiently.

He hated dealing with distant relatives, especially when they acted like elders. His impatience grew, and after a few seconds of internal grumbling, he was about to respond—

"He's your second aunt's cousin's sister-in-law's brother-in-law!"

Jing Yi was shocked.

"Only someone like Nuwa could sort out this tangled mess of 'family.'"

Li Wenzhao: "..."

The man continued, "Even if Wang Hen messed up, it’s a family issue. You should cut him some slack and give him another shot. If Shengshi isn’t a good fit for him, assign him to a new company. Family should be easier to work with than outsiders."

Jing Yi started giggling.

"This guy’s got his head screwed on backwards. Showing mercy to a criminal is nuts!"

Li Wenzhao: "..."

The man earnestly continued, "The Li family doesn’t have many relatives left. If you don’t maintain good relations with them, what will happen in the future? People will talk behind your back! Listen to me, buy some gifts, visit him in person, and apologize. Don’t send him to the police. It’ll harm your reputation!"

"Wow, who knew begging for favors could sound so noble?"

Li Wenzhao: "..." Tsk.

With Jing Yi's sarcastic commentary, the man didn’t seem so detestable anymore.

I can't even work up any anger.

The young butler had already helped him lay into the guy.

Jing Yi watched the man in front of him spouting vulgar accusations at Mr. Li, his brows slowly furrowing.

While reading the novel, he'd only paid attention to the various coincidences and satisfying moments manufactured by the author around Shen Shubai, completely ignoring the bleak situation on Mr. Li's side.

With toxic relatives inside and powerful foes outside, surrounded by internal and external troubles, Jing Yi shot Mr. Li a look of deep sympathy.

However, in this precarious situation, Mr. Li managed to go head-to-head with Shen Shubai for a whopping 3000 chapters.

The villain is strong!

Mr. Li was just about to say something when the young butler gently tugged his sleeve, whispering, "Eldest young master, let me rip into him for you."

Mr. Li: ?

Before he could react, the young butler darted forward, standing in front of him. "Sir, our Mr. Li was clearly trying to be helpful. Why aren't you appreciating it?"

The man was stunned for a moment. "Who are you to interrupt a conversation between family? What do you mean by him being helpful? What nonsense are you spouting!"

Jing Yi calmly said, "Today, Wang Hen dares to embezzle funds; tomorrow, he might dare to kill and burn. When he makes a big mistake, do you really think you can pull strings with the judge?"

The man: "You dare to curse him...?"

Jing Yi: "I'm just stating the truth. If you don't like it, go bail him out yourself. Why come here putting on a show in front of the eldest young master, playing the 'family' card? Can't do anything yourself and still sucking the life out of one person? Is your whole family made of leeches?"

The man's face turned red with anger. "How dare you defy your elder?"

Jing Yi: "My elders are long gone. Are you claiming to be one of them?"

"Li Wenzhao!" Seeing that Jing Yi was too strong, the man shifted his attention back to Mr. Li. "Are you just going to let an outsider be so disrespectful to me? Do you really want to send your relative to prison?"

"I don't like what you're saying." Jing Yi continued to babble. "Mr. Li is just hoping he reforms soon, so when he gets out, he can start anew. Why are you hindering his rehabilitation? Are you jealous that he might turn over a new leaf?"

The man: "You..."

Jing Yi: "You, you, you, you, what about you? Shut up."

"Moral high ground isn't something you're given; it's something you take."

Mr. Li: "..."

Secretary Fan: "..."

Jing Butler, what a strong arguing partner.

His mouth was like dipped in poison.

Jing Yi gently exhaled, feeling satisfied after the scolding.

Secretary Fan took the opportunity to call security to drag away the negative character N+1.

On the way out of the company, Fan Ming pondered for a moment before turning to Jing Yi in the back seat. "Jing Butler, I'll compile the key information from these documents and show you later."

Jing Yi leaned against the seat and looked at him with particularly bright eyes. "Thank you, Secretary Fan. You're such a good person! I'll treat you to afternoon tea tomorrow."

Secretary Fan let out a light breath. "You're welcome."

Li Wenzhao discreetly glanced at Jing Yi.

The young butler was a master of dual personas, effortlessly switching from one to the other. Just moments ago, he was angrily standing with his hands on his hips, and now he was tapping away on his phone, a faint smile playing on his lips. With his clear and handsome appearance, who would have thought he harbored a lively, unpredictable spirit?

But for now, this lively spirit suited him quite well.

Thinking of this, Li Wenzhao lightly shook his head and focused on the documents in his hands.

A few seconds later, he suddenly looked up at Jing Yi.

What could he possibly mean by saying all his elders are dead?

·

On the way back, Li Wenzhao had bought high-speed rail tickets, business class seats. Even though it added an extra hour and a half to their travel time compared to flying, Jing Yi was thrilled.

Finally, no more nerve-wracking flights. He was terrified of flying and would freak out every time, imagining a thousand different ways he might die during the short two-hour journey.

Each time in a different pose.

Jing Yi valued his life too much to ever want to step on a plane again.

They returned to the Li family's home at around seven in the evening.

Since Li Xu had broken up with his partner, Jing Yi hardly ever saw him around the house. When they did cross paths, Li Xu was always in a daze. As for the third son, Li Ting, he was always restless and often went missing for days.

"Big brother is back," Li Ting noticed Jing Yi behind him and immediately said with a smile, "Butler Jing is back too. How was the business trip? Tiring?"

Jing Yi: "It was fine."

"Mainly felt much better after scolding someone."

Li Ting raised an eyebrow, giving his older brother a curious glance—was something interesting going on?

Li Wenzhao ignored him, loosened his tie, and asked Aunt Fang to bring him a glass of water.

After three hours of jostling on the high-speed train, Jing Yi was exhausted, and just as he was about to find an excuse to rest, Li Mingzhi rushed over, holding a small fluffy ball of fur.

"Butler Jing, Butler Jing, look quickly, the kitten is even cuter after being washed."

Li Mingzhi handed the little kitten to Jing Yi.

The kitten was clean, soft, and fluffy—perfect for cuddling. Jing Yi held the warm, fuzzy bundle in his hands, rubbing it gently until it kicked him again.

Li Mingzhi laughed. "Haha, it’s so used to being outdoors that it doesn’t really like being handled much. I’m planning to adopt it, but I can’t seem to find the right name. Butler Jing, can you help me think of one?"

Jing Yi stared at the warm little ball in his hand, rubbing it gently until it kicked him again.

"How about we call it JJ?"

"?" Li Mingzhi asked, "Why?"

Jing Yi patted the kitten's bottom and got kicked. He patted its back and got kicked again. He patted its paws and received another kick.

Undeterred, he scratched the kitten’s chin and was rewarded with a few contented purrs.

"...,"

Jing Yi stared at the little thing in his hand, "Because you can't touch below the neck."

Li Mingzhi hesitated: "That doesn't sound quite right."

Jing Yi: "Why do you think it's not proper?"

It's just a lighthearted story; don't take it too seriously, okay?

Li Mingzhi hesitated again: "Who names their kitten 'JJ' anyway?"

He could barely bring himself to say it.

"...,"

Jing Yi was at a loss for words, "It's 'JJ,' not 'JJ-ba.' Young master, there's no 'ba' here!"