Chapter 30: Two Fortune Tellers

Chapter 30: Two Fortune Tellers

Jing Yi felt about 80% full and patted his stomach, noticing it was a bit soft, with no muscle at all.

Ever since he found himself in this wealthy family, his meals had improved significantly, on par with Li Wenchao and the others. His job was easy, and there were few chances for exercise—cars everywhere, and elevators for going up and down. He really hadn’t moved much.

……Could he really be developing a three-layered belly?

Jing Yi immediately stopped eating.

"No more, no more... I don’t want to end up looking like a gas can."

Li Wenchao chuckled softly at his words.

After dinner, Jing Yi strolled around the Li family garden, walking a cat to help digest, hoping to reduce his three-layered belly to just one.

"Jing Butler, the director called me!" Li Mingzhi ran over, beaming with excitement. "He wants me to be a permanent guest on the show!"

Jing Yi was happy for him. "That’s awesome! Now I’ll have a fun show to watch when I need to unwind."

"..." Li Mingzhi’s expression turned sorrowful in an instant. "Am I really that hilarious? You and Third Brother were laughing all night. Even Big Brother cracked a smile!"

Jing Yi cast him an envious glance. "As long as you’re happy, that’s all that counts. Isn’t it better than working?"

Although Li Mingzhi had businesses under his name, they were all managed by his older brothers. He had never experienced the hardships of being a corporate worker. "Is work that exhausting? If so, don’t go. Come join me on set. You'll meet tons of celebrities!"

Jing Yi thought about it. "I think I’ll pass. It’s a real dilemma."

Li Mingzhi asked, "Why?"

Jing Yi looked serious. "If I don’t work, I’ll have financial problems. But if I do work, I’ll have mental problems."

Li Mingzhi: "..."

Jing Yi sighed. Forget it, every job has its own kind of craziness.

By this time, it was already late. After walking the cat for a while, Jing Yi and Li Mingzhi went back to rest. Jing Yi had become hooked on the drama he watched during dinner and, after his shower, lay in bed watching it at double speed.

The dramas in this world were quite well-made, especially this crime series that really suited Jing Yi’s taste.

He ended up binge-watching until the early hours of the morning.

·

The next day, after finishing breakfast, Li Wenchao waited in the living room for half an hour before the young butler arrived late.

Jing Yi’s condition wasn’t great. He had stayed up all night to catch up on the drama, stopping at the most critical moment. After putting down his phone, his mind was still in chaos, and it took him a long time to fall asleep.

Now, his face looked tired, his eyelids puffy, and he seemed to lack energy.

Li Wenchao noticed his complexion. "Didn’t sleep well?"

Jing Yi lazily rubbed his cheeks and replied, "It’s not that I didn’t sleep well. I didn’t sleep at all."

"..." Li Wenchao observed his haggard face and guessed, "Were you hungry?"

Was he still hungry from last night’s dinner?

"No." The young butler shook his head and yawned sleepily. "I was binge-watching dramas."

Li Wenzhao: “……”

He hadn't expected this to be the reason and almost laughed in disbelief. “Does the show disappear if you don’t watch it right away?”

Is it really necessary to finish it all at once?

“No,” Jing Yi grumbled, “but it'll drive me crazy and I won't sleep a wink all night.”

Li Wenzhao sneered. “And the result isn’t the same anyway?”

Jing Yi: “……”

He leaned against the doorframe and began to zone out.

Li Wenzhao, curious, asked, “What are you thinking about now?”

Jing Yi looked very serious. “I’m trying to figure out how to get eight hours of sleep in three hours.”

Li Wenzhao: “……”

Jing Yi was so sleepy he was about to fall asleep.

The poor guy was slumped against the doorframe like a limp noodle, eyes barely open, emitting zzzz’s above his head.

In this state, even if he went to the company, he’d just spread the drowsiness around. Anyway, recently, the Li Corporation had been developing well, and no potential threats had been found. Forget it; he'd give the young butler a break today.

Li Wenzhao stood up and casually buttoned his coat. “Since you didn’t sleep well, don’t go to the company today.”

Jing Yi perked up instantly. “Am I losing pay for this?”

Li Wenzhao glanced at the dark circles under the young butler’s eyes. “……No deduction.”

“Yay!”

“Even capitalists can show a bit of heart sometimes. And by the way, two more episodes drop at 10.”

Li Wenzhao: “……”

That kid never learns.

“Then take care, Eldest Young Master, and good luck with work.” Jing Yi bowed slightly, ushering Li Wenzhao out the door.

The moment he heard he didn’t have to go to work, the young butler’s face lit up, his energy returning, his face looking particularly fresh and handsome.

Li Wenzhao stopped in his tracks and stood in front of him. “Are you that happy about not working?”

Jing Yi looked at him and decided not to share this joy with his boss. “Well, it’s not that. I just haven’t rested in many days of work.”

He had been working for two consecutive weeks. Since Li Wenzhao’s work hours were so long, any location could become his office, and this intense work environment had somewhat affected Jing Yi as well. In two weeks—14 days—he’d only had one day off.

Li Wenzhao thought back for a moment. “I remember you resting for a day.”

“One day off isn’t enough. It was just a breather.”

Li Wenzhao: “……”

He looked down. “I haven’t had a break either.”

He’d always been in the trenches with his employees.

Jing Yi shot back, "You're the boss; working overtime is part of the job."

Li Wenzhao: "……”

Forget it; the young butler always had some twisted logic, and his arguments were too sharp to counter. He was in a rush to get to work, so he decided not to argue anymore.

Jing Yi watched Li Wenzhao leave, a particularly wide grin spreading across his face.

Driver Uncle Lin pulled the car up to the door, opened the rear seat, and said, "Mr. Li, Secretary Fan just called. The foreign businessman we've been dealing with has come back to the country and wants to meet with you to discuss next year's collaboration."

Li Wenzhao paused, "Which foreign businessman?"

The company's projects had expanded too widely. Recently, he had been in contact with dozens, if not hundreds, of foreign business projects and really couldn't remember who wanted to meet him.

Uncle Lin said, "Secretary Fan said his surname is Qu."

"……” Jing Yi, who had been stretching, suddenly froze, almost pulling his back.

Li Wenzhao nodded, recognizing the name, "Okay, have Secretary Fan set it up. We..."

"Hold on a second?!"

"Qu?"

"That scammer? Seriously, why do these villains always show up at the worst possible moment?!"

Li Wenzhao froze, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel.

Although many things had happened recently, none were enough to destroy the Li family—at most, they caused some damage. Lulled into complacency by the young butler's odd business war stories, Li Wenzhao had almost forgotten about the curse hanging over his family.

Every step was a big pitfall, each time ending in a head injury.

So, what would it be this time?

In the time it took him to lose focus, the young butler had already shuffled over to his side. Though reluctant, he spoke up, "Eldest young master, I think I'm not tired anymore. I'll come with you."

"……Alright."

Li Wenzhao didn't refuse. He needed the young butler by his side at this time. He would find a chance to make it up to him later for the hard work today.

·

·

Since the foreign businessman requested a meeting, Uncle Lin drove straight to an exclusive VIP-only restaurant called Jinghe Lou instead of heading to the office.

Jing Yi knew exactly what this was—a critical turning point in the story.

On the surface, Mr. Qu was an import-export dealer specializing in machine tools, but behind the scenes, he was a notorious scam artist from Myanmar. Grateful after Qin Ningning saved him from a violent confrontation, he’s been looking for ways to repay her ever since.

Through a twist of fate, he learned that the Li Corporation had been clashing with Shen Shubai. To repay his debt to Qin Ningning, he infiltrated the country alone, intending to exact revenge on Shen Shubai and Qin Ningning.

The meeting was disguised as a business discussion, but its real purpose was to abduct Li Wenzhao during the meal.

...

Recalling these details, Jing Yi's face turned a little pale.

Boss Qu isn't like the petty criminals I've met before; those were just minor troublemakers. He's the real deal—a top-tier villain. The end of the novel didn't reveal his fate, but under the glow of the protagonist's aura, he should still be active within Myanmar, continuing his fraudulent activities.

Jing Yi quickly gathered his thoughts and turned to Li Wenzhao. "Eldest young master, can we stop the car for a moment?"

Li Wenzhao didn’t ask why but instructed Uncle Lin to pull over. "What's wrong?"

The young butler looked extremely tense, which led Li Wenzhao to involuntarily wonder what kind of background this foreign businessman had, causing the usually laid-back young butler to panic.

"I..."

Jing Yi gulped and nervously confessed, "I have a secret."

Li Wenzhao's expression darkened.

Was the young butler finally about to spill his secret?

Should he pretend to be shocked to keep up the illusion that the young butler had hidden it well?

They turned their heads one after another. Li Wenzhao looked at him, his voice softening considerably. "Go ahead."

Jing Yi said, "Actually, I can tell fortunes."

Li Wenzhao: "......"

This was the best way Jing Yi could think of to protect Li Wenzhao while hiding his outsider identity, using fortune-telling as a cover to subtly hint at the plot.

Killing two birds with one stone.

"Trust me, trust me! I'm not a fraud. Okay, it's a bit hard to believe, but look at my sincere expression and trust me!"

Hearing the urgent, sharp ringing in his ears, Li Wenzhao breathed a little heavier and said, "Oh, really? Then tell my fortune for today?"

The young butler pulled out some old-school fortune-telling jargon. "Your lifeline is dark, indicating bloodshed and disaster."

Li Wenzhao slowly curled his fingers. "...Is that so."

"Yes, yes." Jing Yi nodded vigorously. "I also foresaw that Boss Qu is not a good person; he's a fraud leader from Myanmar, and this business meeting is a setup to kidnap you."

No fortune teller could ever predict events this specifically.

The young butler was definitely no con artist.

Li Wenzhao’s face grew cold and stern. When Li Wenzhao remained silent, Jing Yi worried he wouldn’t be believed. "I'm telling the truth, eldest young master..."

Li Wenzhao suddenly looked up. "Then let's call the police."

"Huh?"

"Wait, so even CEOs call the cops when they're in a bind?"

"Guess not all CEOs are tyrants after all."

Jing Yi came back to his senses and tsked twice. "Of, of course I can."

Li Wenzhao gazed steadily at Jing Yi and suddenly chuckled. "Alright, I believe you."

Jing Yi: "...Because I asked you to call the police?"

Li Wenzhao replied indifferently, "If you're not afraid to call the police, it's likely true."

Jing Yi had a sudden realization: "..."

So he was testing him just now, no wonder the CEO would call the police.

·

After successfully giving the warning, Jing Yi let out a deep sigh of relief and leaned back in the passenger seat, yawning widely.

Li Wenzhao had already gotten out of the car, contacted Li Xu to dispatch bodyguards for protection, and called a familiar police officer to set up a dragnet for the criminals.

Half an hour later, a police car quietly stopped beside them, and two detectives, one male and one female, stepped out.

The man first shook hands with Mr. Li, "Long time no see. Last time you reported the Hua family for trafficking human organs, I followed your lead and found the underground factory. We captured the entire crime syndicate last week. Thank you for your help."

"It was my duty," Li Wenzhao replied politely.

"Also, thanks to your tip, we uncovered embezzlement and drug use by two senior directors of Li Corporation. My team leader directly cracked the underground drug line in Capital City, earning a collective first-class merit from our superiors. We all want to thank you," the female detective said happily.

Jing Yi leaned on the car window, utterly bewildered.

"The Hua family is gone?"

"The organ trafficking syndicate was busted?"

"Senior directors of Li Corporation got into the system without any exams?"

"When did all this happen?!"

"Did Li Wenzhao do all that?"

Jing Yi shivered, thinking that Li Wenzhao was the real fortune-teller, nailing the bad guys so precisely.

He looked at the man talking casually with the police officers under the tree. His profile was strikingly handsome, his figure tall and straight, as if he was always calm and composed no matter the situation.

The novel mentioned that Li Wenzhao was deeply cunning and sly, but since he had come here, Jing Yi hadn't noticed any of that.

Was the novel's characterization wrong, or had he just never truly seen through this main antagonist's real face?

"It's every citizen's duty to assist the police; it's just part of the job..." Li Wenzhao exchanged pleasantries.

"Those matters are in the past, let's not dwell on them. Why did you contact us today?" the male detective asked.

"There is indeed something," Li Wenzhao said, lowering his voice as he looked at the young butler peeking out of the car window with two eyes and a fluffy head of hair. "There's a scammer from Myanmar at Jinghe Tower, probably an important figure in the scam syndicate..."

These details were what Li Wenzhao had heard while Jing Yi was recounting the events. The details were chilling, and if not for his strong will, he might have been found out by the young butler.

The two detectives immediately turned serious after hearing this.

Jing Yi leaned out of the window, trying to listen, but they had suddenly lowered their voices, and he couldn't hear anything.

Soon after, Li Wenzhao returned and asked Jing Yi to sit in the back seat.

"Eldest Young Master, is it resolved?" Jing Yi climbed into the back seat and asked.

Before receiving an answer, the door on the passenger side suddenly opened, and the female police officer from earlier, now changed into different clothes, sat in the car. "Mr. Li, I'll be your assistant from now on. No need to worry; I'll keep you safe."

Jing Yi's eyes widened in confusion. "You're going to be the bait?"

His fingers unconsciously tightened, digging into his thigh, but he didn’t even notice the pain because of his nerves.

"Hmm? This young brother is quite smart," the female police officer looked back. "My name is Shu Bei, and I am Mr. Li's temporary assistant for now. Don't worry, we will definitely protect him."

"Jing Yi," Li Wenzhao called out.

Jing Yi turned around, looking at him worriedly.

Although he knew in his heart that Li Wenzhao was just an NPC in the novel, and a major villain at that, after spending so much time together, he didn't want to see such a noble and clear-minded person become a tormented and sinister cripple.

Li Wenzhao shouldn't end up like that.

Sensing the tension from the young butler, Li Wenzhao spoke again. "Jing Yi."

Jing Yi's eyelashes fluttered rapidly. "Eldest Young Master..."

"I'm fine," Li Wenzhao softened his voice. "The police captain has returned to the station to rally more officers. Jinghe Tower will be surrounded. Trust the police; I’ll be back safe and sound."

Jing Yi couldn't feel at ease.

He’s the protagonist’s ally, protected by some kind of aura. If something goes wrong today, the Li family won't have peaceful days ahead, facing dual blows from the Shen Group and criminal organizations.

Jing Yi's fingers tightened nervously.

Sss...

A faint groan reached Jing Yi’s ears. Li Wenzhao’s voice was strained. "Jing Yi, I know you’re worried, but if you squeeze any harder, my leg will really be crippled."

Jing Yi looked down and realized he had unknowingly placed his hand on Li Wenzhao's leg, his fingertips leaving five wrinkled marks on the fabric.

No wonder it didn’t hurt—he had been gripping someone else.

Jing Yi immediately pulled his hand back.

The car sped down the road and soon arrived at the base of Jinghe Tower. Li Wenzhao and Shu Bei got out, leaving Jing Yi sitting there in a daze.

It wasn't until Li Wenzhao and Shu Bei entered the building that Jing Yi snapped out of his trance.

What did Li Wenzhao mean by his last words?

"If you squeeze any harder, my leg will really be crippled."

What does "really will be" mean?

A guess began to surface in Jing Yi's heart as he swiftly turned his head to look at Jinghe Tower across the street.

Jing Yi felt a slight excitement.

Li Wenzhao knows, so he will be much more cautious when dealing with Boss Qu.

...Everything will be okay, right?

Jing Yi stared at the gate without blinking. After ten minutes, a group of state armed forces surrounded the private kitchen, creating an intimidating scene with armed officers.

Jing Yi started to worry again.

The car shook slightly as Fan Ming, pale-faced, sat in the passenger seat. He had been notified by Li Wenzhao and left under the pretense of having something to do. Seeing so many police officers, he was dazed.

Even now, he still didn’t understand what had happened.

“Is this… a dream?” Fan Ming muttered under his breath.

Jing Yi, without turning his head, looked out the window. “Probably.”

He felt like he was in a dream too.

Everyone else (including him) knew the risks but hesitated, yet Li Wenzhao did the opposite, acting as bait for the police. Was this the role a villain should take?

Nervously, Jing Yi fidgeted with the car window, fearing that Li Wenzhao wouldn’t come out of that door.

An hour later, the police stormed the building. The faint sound of gunshots echoed. After a tense confrontation, the police successfully captured two suspects.

Jing Yi opened the car door and stretched his neck to look into the distance.

Where’s Li Wenzhao?

Why hasn’t he come out yet?

A few minutes later, a dust-covered Li Wenzhao emerged intact. Apart from some minor scrapes on his face, he appeared unharmed.

Shu Bei took off his helmet and threw the bulletproof vest on the ground. "Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Li. You should go home and rest. We’ll come to take a statement later."

"Okay."

Looking weary from the ordeal, Li Wenzhao returned to the car where the young butler gazed at him blankly.

“Snap out of it.” Li Wenzhao reached up and rubbed the young butler’s head. The soft, fluffy top of his head felt very tender.

Jing Yi looked up at him. “Did they catch them?”

“Yes.” Li Wenzhao nodded. “They did. The person matches the police’s wanted profile, surnamed Qu.”

Upon hearing this, Jing Yi sighed in relief, his handsome features showing the relief of having survived a perilous situation.

Li Wenzhao’s brow softened as he gently inhaled. “Now you can relax. Let’s go home.”

Back in the car, once calmed down, Jing Yi’s attention shifted to another matter.

“Eldest Young Master,” Jing Yi whispered, “You can hear me, right?”

Li Wenzhao pretended not to understand. “Hear what?”

The young butler leaned in, his lips parting slightly. “You can hear my thoughts, can’t you?”

Li Wenzhao narrowed his eyes. “Jing Butler, didn’t you have a dream last night?”

Jing Yi, sharp as ever, shot back: "You're still not admitting it?"

Li Wenzhao: "You're reading too much into it."

Jing Yi: "Then how do you explain this?"

Boldly, he reached out his hand and poked Li Wenzhao's thigh several times.

Li Wenzhao grabbed his wandering hand; his wrist was slender and delicate.

Li Wenzhao said with a straight face: "Because I’m a fortune teller."

Jing Yi: "..."

Okay, okay, he got hit by his own boomerang.