Chapter 31: So It Was You Who Took My Special Ability!

Chapter 31: So It Was You Who Took My Special Ability!

"I don't believe it," Jing Yi scoffed.

"Fortune-telling is inherently metaphysical," Li Wenzhao said. "It works if you believe in it."

Jing Yi tilted his head and stared at him. "You're planning to keep denying it, aren't you?"

Li Wenzhao remained unmoved.

Jing Yi gazed at his stoic profile for a moment, then quietly opened Pandora’s Box—

"But I know a lot of secrets about the Li family."

"..."

"I know what will happen to the Li family in the future, how many traitors are hiding in the company, and what Shen Shubai has up his sleeve next."

"..."

"I also know who you'll end up with."

Li Wenzhao turned his head and met the young butler's upturned face, seeing the look of anticipation as if waiting to trap him into revealing his secret.

With a smile, Jing Yi said, "Are you sure you don't want to know?"

Li Wenzhao answered with actions: No. He gently turned his gaze away and picked up the tablet on the seat to start working.

Not giving up, Jing Yi pressed on, "Don't you want to know? Really don't? Not even a little?"

Li Wenzhao calmed his mind. "No."

Jing Yi: "Why?"

Li Wenzhao briefly took his eyes off the tablet and looked at Jing Yi's face. "Because I know who I'll be with in the future."

"..."

"??"

"！！！"

He finally admitted it!

Li Wenzhao admitted he could hear inner thoughts!

Finally caught red-handed!

Suppressing the slight shiver in his heart, Jing Yi cautiously asked, "Since when have you been able to hear them?"

Since everything was out in the open, Li Wenzhao decided to be clear. "When Mingzhi brought Ning Jiang back to the main house."

Jing Yi's eyes widened. "That early!"

So everything he'd been thinking had been overheard by Li Wenzhao.

Jing Yi was so frightened that he covered his chest.

Shh, keep it down.

Li Wenzhao: "......"

Even if you whisper, I can still hear everything from this close.

Jing Yi was dumbfounded in the car.

Actually, it wasn't that surprising. Many things had already shown signs. He didn’t say anything, but everything was moving in a positive direction. Ning Jiang was sent to prison, all the disgraced artists from the branch company were terminated, an ugly scandal broke out about a director at headquarters, the Hua family’s underground organ trading house was shut down by the police, and Li Xu suddenly left during his birthday party...

All of this was secretly done by Li Wenzhao, right?

He only realized it now?!

Ah-ha, so you're the one who took my cheat ability!

Jing Yi's eyes instantly sharpened: ψ(*｀ー?)ψ (with a sharp, knowing look).

After listening to the young butler’s inner thoughts, Li Wenzhao slowly glanced at him: "Got it all figured out?"

The young butler nodded: "More or less."

Li Wenzhao seemed to smile and called out to the driver in the front seat: "Uncle Lin, take us home first, then drop off Secretary Fan."

Uncle Lin: "Yes."

Jing Yi leaned forward: "Secretary Fan, so you're still here."

In the passenger seat, Fan Ming had been trying to make himself less noticeable. The two in the back seat were whispering, treating him as if he wasn’t even there.

Having navigated the workplace for so many years, Fan Ming knew one rule well: don’t see what you shouldn’t see, don’t hear what you shouldn’t hear.

He coughed lightly: "Actually, I’m not even here."

Jing Yi: "......"

Was he seeing a ghost right in front of him?

Jing Yi poked his head forward: "Secretary Fan, you’re speaking strangely."

Fan Ming said: "I’ve always been this strange."

Jing Yi: "......"

He slowly turned his head and cast a concerned glance at Li Wenzhao: "Looks like your secretary got spooked by that big scene earlier."

Li Wenzhao: "......"

·

Now that the truth was out, Jing Yi actually felt relieved. Now he could spill the beans to Li Wenzhao without having to overthink how to hint at things.

That was a good thing.

Jing Yi yawned and sank back into his seat, a tear welled up in the corner of his eye.

With only three hours of sleep the previous night and an eventful morning, even the toughest person would be worn out. He leaned back in the comfortable seat and fell silent.

Li Wenzhao noticed the young butler had quieted down and turned to look. The young butler was already dozing off.

"Almost home, you can sleep once we get there."

Jing Yi curled up lazily, reluctant to move. "Just let me sleep for a bit."

Li Wenzhao glanced at him for a couple of seconds, noticing how tiny and drowsy he appeared, and his lips curved slightly. "Will you pull another all-nighter next time?"

Jing Yi's eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes a crack.

"It's like you're asking if I'll eat tomorrow."

Li Wenzhao was taken aback. "Still pulling all-nighters?"

Jing Yi turned over, facing away from Li Wenzhao, and closed his eyes. "You don't get the thrill of staying up all night."

Li Wenzhao snorted coldly. "Next time you skip work, your pay gets docked."

In the front seat, Fan Ming's back stiffened.

Was Mr. Li talking to himself? Or had those two in the backseat developed some kind of psychic connection?

Jing Yi was almost asleep, but upon hearing this, he still subconsciously replied, "Go ahead and deduct it. Someone making 100 grand a month isn't bothered by a couple hundred bucks."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

Since dropping the act, young butler Jing had become increasingly bold.

Even though he said he'd sleep, the car's motion kept Jing Yi from actually dozing off. As soon as the car stopped in the Li family's courtyard, he woke up.

Yawning and rubbing his eyes, he clumsily got out of the car, nearly tripping over the door and face-planting onto the ground.

Luckily, Li Wenzhao quickly reacted and caught him.

Jing Yi was pulled to his feet, patting his chest and breathing a sigh of relief. "Good thing, good thing."

Li Wenzhao pressed his lips together. "Keep this up, and you won't be so lucky next time."

Jing Yi giggled. "Young folks love pulling all-nighters, and the fact that I can handle it for so long is pretty impressive."

"Not everyone can handle this level of staying up all night."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a cold snort in front of him. "Hmm, the you at midnight is remarkable, but the you in the early morning can't even get up."

Jing Yi: "..."

·

·

The next day was the weekend, and after resting for three days, Jing Yi returned to his post, once again full of energy like a vibrant little cabbage.

"Secretary Fan, good morning."

"Jing..." Secretary Fan pondered over the address. "Young butler, good morning."

Jing Yi, with a friendly face, said, "Look, you're not used to the address again. Practice saying it a few more times."

Secretary Fan: "..."

Jing Yi was lifted by the back of his neck, tiptoeing as he was ushered into the office.

Jing Yi: “……”

"Why did you grab me?"

Li Wenzhao's expression stayed neutral. "You were blocking the way."

"Oh, so I was just blocking the path?"

Li Wenzhao: “……”

First time someone described themselves like that.

After resting over the weekend, a lot of work had piled up. Li Wenzhao picked out a few documents from the desk and handed them to the person beside him. "Take a look."

Jing Yi took them. "Categorize or review?"

Li Wenzhao: "Minesweeping."

Since it was all out in the open now, Li Wenzhao openly made use of the cheat code that was the young butler.

Jing Yi started working without pretending anymore. Whenever he found issues, he marked them and handed them back to Li Wenzhao.

The atmosphere remained fairly harmonious.

Half an hour later, Secretary Fan pushed the door open and entered. "Mr. Li, here are the project proposals from the project department. Chairman Qin has already approved them. Please take a look."

Li Wenzhao quickly scanned them. "Jing Yi."

The person beside him looked up.

"Hmm?"

"Minesweeping."

In the midst of Secretary Fan's shocked gaze, Jing Yi took the documents, quickly reviewed them, and returned them.

"This project is a no-go."

Li Wenzhao furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"The partner is a leader of a criminal organization. They're using this project to launder money, and it will be reported as a failed project by Shen Shubai."

Li Wenzhao took back the documents. "Secretary Fan, notify them that we're rejecting this project."

Fan Ming watched in disbelief as Li Wenzhao appeared to be talking to himself.

Li Wenzhao: "Secretary Fan?"

"Oh, right..." Fan Ming took the documents, visibly shocked, mumbling as he left.

Fan Ming's expression was too obvious for Li Wenzhao to miss. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jing Yi."

"What now?"

Li Wenzhao glanced at him. "Don't talk to me using your thoughts."

"I think it's pretty convenient; I don't even need to open my mouth."

Li Wenzhao couldn't help but frown. "But it makes me look like a lunatic."

Jing Yi: "..."

"Oh, no wonder Secretary Fan looked so weird earlier. He must think our big boss has lost it, haha..."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

He was about to say something when a furious shout came from outside—

"Li Wenzhao, you lunatic!"

"..."

Outside, Secretary Fan and two guards were struggling to hold him back, but nothing could stop Shen Shubai's rage.

His face contorted with anger, he stormed into the CEO’s office and slammed an Ultraman figure on Li Wenzhao’s desk.

"Are you out of your mind?" Shen Shubai was livid. "The dirty tricks in our business war were one thing, but messing with my god of wealth is another!"

For days, he had faithfully burned incense for the god of wealth, keeping the new statue covered with a red cloth for seven days since it couldn’t be exposed to light.

But when he lifted the red cloth, oh my God, he saw a high-tech, joke-filled Ultraman figure.

The Ultraman even made an attacking gesture at him.

"..."

Realizing what he had been worshipping for the past few days, Shen Shubai nearly passed out from rage.

He thought Li Wenzhao was sick.

A lunatic.

Unable to contain his fury, Shen Shubai stormed into Li Corporation alone.

Seeing the large Ultraman on the desk, Jing Yi guiltily shrank back. Oh, this was the trap he had set for the main character earlier.

Li Wenzhao had known about this all along and wasn’t surprised. He looked up and asked, "Did you really burn incense to it for seven days?"

Shen Shubai: "..."

Pfft.

Jing Yi felt like he had heard the sound of a knife piercing flesh.

Seeing Li Wenzhao's reaction, Shen Shubai became even more certain that it was his doing. "It was you after all! The only person who came to my company that day when I invited the wealth god statue was you, and you stayed in my office for a long time. So that's what you were planning."

Enraged, Shen Shubai grabbed the Ultraman and shook it. "Did you really have me burn incense to this Ultraman for seven days? Does he even understand? And you used my Ultraman! Is Li Corporation broke? Can’t you afford a toy?"

The Ultraman bowed its head on the desk, hit something, and triggered a sound effect, making another attack noise at Shen Shubai.

Shen Shubai: "..."

Jing Yi: "Ah, how embarrassing and childish a scene!"

"Like a kid throwing a fit in front of adults when they don't get their toy..."

Li Wenzhao wasn't the least bit angry.

With the young butler constantly nagging in his ear with commentary, he couldn't get angry even if he wanted to.

The office door swung open again, and in came Secretary Zou, sweating profusely. He smiled apologetically at Li Wenzhao. "Mr. Shen, let's go back first."

Shen Shubai brushed him off. "I'm not leaving. I need Li Wenzhao to give me an explanation. What is this nonsense? This shameless nutjob!"

"Oh my, this is getting even more childish."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

Secretary Zou quickly said to Li Wenzhao, "Sorry, Mr. Li. Chairman Shen is really upset and not thinking clearly. It was really unavoidable that he barged into Li Corporation. Please don't call the police."

Li Wenzhao hadn't even thought about calling the police. He saw Shen Shubai as a comedy actor. "Take your Chairman Shen home to rest."

Secretary Zou nodded and dragged Shen Shubai out, half pulling and half coaxing.

"Chairman Shen, we're already at a disadvantage for showing up unannounced. You also personally attacked Mr. Li. Let's go back first and think of a plan..."

"What plan could there be? Li Wenzhao is practically riding me like a horse!"

Secretary Zou gently persuaded, "This is Li Corporation's turf. We shouldn't burn bridges too much. The security guards are watching..."

"So what if they're watching? Are they going to eat me?!"

Secretary Zou: "..."

"Secretary Zou seems like the parent of a spoiled brat." Jing Yi sighed softly.

Li Wenzhao looked deeply at him. "Are you two very familiar?"

Jing Yi thought for a moment. "We're about 30% familiar."

However, Secretary Zou was quite to Jing Yi's liking. The original text described Secretary Zou as an honest and reticent person. He wasn't as lively and cheerful as Secretary Fan, but he was thorough and meticulous in his work.

Unfortunately, later in the story, Shen Shubai found him too rigid and fired him.

Secretary Zou's family seemed quite poor.

Without the job, his days became harder.

Jing Yi thought for a moment and turned around. "Eldest young master, how about we poach Secretary Zou?"

Li Wenzhao raised an eyebrow. "Poach him to put where?"

Jing Yi replied matter-of-factly, "The CEO's secretary office."

"Good talent should be secured quickly, or someone else might snatch them up."

Li Wenzhao gave a sly smile. "Our Jing Butler, are you trying to push out Secretary Fan?"

Jing Yi froze.

"Oh, right. There's already a Secretary Fan by Li Wenzhao's side."

"Bringing in another Secretary Zou would definitely be too much."

"After all, one company can't accommodate two secretaries."

"If they start competing for attention, it'll make things around the eldest young master quite lively, hahaha..."

Li Wenzhao: “……”

Jing Yi thought about the original book's setting and recalled Secretary Zou's background: "I remember Secretary Zou is from Shandong."

Li Wenzhao: “Hmm.”

Jing Yi, with a serious face: “Let's give him some civil service exam prep materials to shake up his career goals!”

Li Wenzhao: “……”

·

Jing Yi was lively all morning and dashed off as soon as it was mealtime, even Li Wenzhao couldn't catch him.

Today’s lunch menu included Boston lobster balls, Shanghai smoked fish, beef with colorful peppers, and clam heart asparagus—all of Jing Yi's favorites—and he used Secretary Fan's card to pay.

After so many times, Jing Yi felt a bit embarrassed: "Secretary Fan, next time I’ll buy you lunch."

“No need to be polite, Butler Jing,” Fan Ming said: “I really liked the kiwis you gave last time. This is what we call…”

Jing Yi giggled: “Tit for tat?”

Secretary Fan was silent for a moment: “Give and take.”

After laughing enough, Jing Yi patted Secretary Fan on the shoulder: “Just kidding.”

Fan Ming didn't quite agree: “Butler Jing, your words are always sharp.”

“……”

·

After lunch, Jing Yi returned to the top-floor office and slumped down.

In the afternoon, Li Wenzhao had a department meeting scheduled. With nothing to do, Jing Yi started playing Minesweeper at the desk to kill some time.

Just as Li Ting walked in, he caught the slacking butler: “Butler Jing, aren’t you supposed to be working?”

Jing Yi clicked the mouse: “Busy playing Minesweeper.”

“……” Li Ting turned back and brought a stack of documents, then sat down in Li Wenzhao's spot: “Read these for me.”

Jing Yi: “……”

Another one treating him like a human audiobook.

Jing Yi glanced at his crossed legs, “Aren’t you free, Third Young Master?”

Li Ting raised an eyebrow: “Didn’t you know? This is how we playboys get things done.”

Jing Yi: “……”

“Well, I guess I didn’t know that.”

It was around two or three in the afternoon, prime lazy time. Jing Yi was sprawled out and didn’t want to move. "Third Master, good bosses always do everything themselves, like the eldest young master, for example."

Li Ting wasn’t buying it. "I’m different from Big Brother. I heard you have a second-in-command title at headquarters. Those who are capable have more work."

Jing Yi said lazily, "Then you be capable. I can’t."

Li Ting was stunned for a few seconds. Seeing that the young butler didn’t move, he started to dangle a carrot in front of him. "Young Butler Jing, work is unavoidable. In life, you have to endure bitterness before enjoying sweetness."

Jing Yi said expressionlessly, "That’s not right, Third Master. Bitterness doesn't always lead to sweetness, but enjoying sweetness first is just that—sweetness first."

"Let’s slack off together, Third Master."

Li Ting: "..." =_=

At that moment, Li Wenzhao returned from his meeting and saw the strange atmosphere between the two in his office. "Third, get your leg down."

Li Ting retracted his leg and started complaining, "Big Bro, your assistant is way too stubborn. I can’t get him to lift a finger."

Jing Yi turned his head in shock.

"You’re lazy and don’t want to move, yet you boss others around like they’re your workhorses? And now you’re tattling to the eldest young master?"

"Eldest Young Master, I’m innocent!"

Li Wenzhao: "..."

He looked at the untouched files on the desk and then at Li Ting. "Didn’t you do any of the tasks I just gave you?"

Li Ting pointed at Jing Yi. "Big Bro, it’s all on him—he didn’t help me at all."

Li Wenzhao said expressionlessly, "Did you pay him a salary?"

Li Ting: "..."

Jing Yi lifted his chin smugly.

"Exactly, exactly."

Li Wenzhao shot a glance at the smug young butler. "Jing Yi, go to the downstairs pantry."

Jing Yi turned his face. "For what?"

Li Wenzhao: "There are two new snack vending machines. Go check if they’re working."

The young butler vanished in a blink.

Li Ting watched him vanish, leaving only the slightly trembling office door behind. Li Wenzhao told him to get up. "I have something to assign you."

Li Ting got up reluctantly and smiled. "Big Brother, I’m starting to think you like Butler Jing more than me."

While the butler munched on snacks, I, the younger brother, had to slog through work. I really don’t know who the real younger brother is.

Li Wenzhao said, "Second Brother’s stuck in the mountains because of a mudslide. Go help with the rescue."

Li Ting was stunned. "When did that happen?"

"Just now."

"Alright, I’ll go." Li Ting stretched. "Guess it’s because Second Brother and I have that blood connection."

As he approached the door, Li Ting suddenly halted and turned back. "Big brother, regarding Butler Jing..."

Li Wenzhao's fingers twitched slightly as he lifted his gaze. "What about Butler Jing?"

Li Ting's eyes narrowed slightly, as if struck by a sudden idea. "You’re not considering making him our fifth brother, are you?"

Li Wenzhao paused, then softly replied, "No."

Upon hearing this, Li Ting pursed his lips, gave a nod, and walked out.