Chapter 44: The Panic of Illegal Free Shopping

Chapter 44: The Panic of Illegal Free Shopping

At the main entrance of the Li family, Jing Yi and Li Xu looked distressed, their faces colder than the chilly wind outside.

"Well, well! The Third Young Master has finally lost it, doing somersaults like this, arguing so fiercely, and even starting an indiscriminate argument mode at home!"

Li Ting, hearing Jing Yi's complaints, felt a surge of mischief. He didn't notice his elder brother's pitch-black eyes and poked his head out, bouncing on the bottom line.

"Especially you, Jing Butler. You look so clumsy that it doesn't even require brainpower to deceive you."

Jing Yi was shocked. When had he ever been easy to deceive?

"Third Young Master, I understand you're heartbroken from your breakup," Jing Yi murmured, softly retaliating, "but you can't ruin the eldest young master's good intentions!"

Li Ting: "? When did I ever ruin..."

Jing Yi looked at the lotus seed cake in his hand, trying to curry favor with Li Xu. "How could the eldest young master give me leftovers to eat? The Third Young Master is really inconsiderate. Unlike me, I only know to thank the eldest young master."

Li Ting: "..."

It was as if he had been choked by some old, strong tea.

Jing Yi, too, shivered at his own tea-like behavior. It seemed that tea arts weren't for everyone; this wasn't for him.

Li Ting was shocked by Jing Yi's method of tattling and even more by his elder brother's neither light nor heavy gaze coming his way, feeling a skip in his heart. "Eldest brother, that's not what I meant."

"Hmm," Li Xu said softly, "It seems in your heart, I'm just a con artist."

Li Ting: "..."

Li Xu: "When we were young, did I ever give you leftovers to eat?"

Li Ting: "..."

Li Xu gave a cold laugh.

"Third Young Master! K.O!"

"Who did you provoke that wasn't the eldest young master! Got scolded, didn't you? Hahaha, I told you so..."

Before Jing Yi could finish his smugness, he was grabbed by the back of his neck and dragged out by Li Xu. Before he could react, the cold wind rushed in, filling his collar.

Jing Yi fluttered like a chick in Li Xu's hands. "Eldest young master, it's cold! So cold!"

Li Xu wrapped his own coat around the young butler. "Put it on."

Jing Yi, unable to care about avoiding suspicion anymore, was about to lose his nose to the cold. As he wrapped himself in the coat, he babbled, "The Third Young Master went crazy so suddenly that I forgot to grab my jacket. Thank you, eldest young master."

"I've received your tattling," Li Xu's deep voice betrayed no emotion. "Can we depart now?"

Jing Yi lightly pursed his lips. "Yes."

Today, the capital city saw a significant drop in temperature, with heavy rain pouring since yesterday. The air was damp and cold. Jing Yi, warmed up in the car by the heater, wilted like a soaked cabbage as soon as the door opened. Even after getting into the elevator, he hadn't recovered.

The young butler's state switch amazed Li Xu. "It's cold today; why didn't you wear more?"

Jing Yi, shivering with his neck shrunk, said, "I don't have any thick clothes, wuwuwu."

The original Jing Butler must have been quite the fashionista, as there wasn't a single warm garment or down jacket in his wardrobe. All he had were light, flimsy outfits suitable for spring and fall. This new guy was freezing his butt off.

"..."

Li Wenzhao asked, "Can't you just buy something?"

Jing Yi retorted, "It wasn't cold a few days ago."

Li Wenzhao coldly snorted, "Hmm, well, looks like the cold air is here to remind you now."

Jing Yi sniffled, "..."

Li Wenzhao frowned, "I've got some clothes in my office. Go grab them from the lounge."

Jing Yi shook his head, "It's okay. The office has heating. I'll warm up soon."

Li Wenzhao said, "The heat doesn't kick in until the afternoon."

Jing Yi said, "Then thanks a lot, big boss, for saving me from freezing."

"..."

The elevator reached the top floor.

Jing Yi dashed into the office, shivering and oblivious to Secretary Fan's greeting.

There was a private bedroom inside the CEO's office, usually only accessible to Li Wenzhao. Even though he'd never seen Li Wenzhao use it, the room was always spotless.

Jing Yi wasn't interested in anything else and headed straight for the large wardrobe by the wall.

Opening it, his face fell in disappointment. The clothes inside matched Li Wenzhao's temperament, all perfectly tailored handmade suits and long black overcoats, looking extremely expensive. In the corner, he finally spotted two casual pieces, but they weren't down jackets.

Despite grumbling inwardly, he hurriedly put on the clothes to protect himself from the chilly wind outside.

·

"Mr. Li, Huo Corporation says there are problems with the project and they want to meet with you to discuss it in detail," Fan Ming reported from outside the office.

"Yes," Fan Ming handed over a list, "These are the candidates for the department manager position. All departments have approved them, just waiting for your signature."

Li Wenzhao glanced over it, "Isn't there a young person in the R&D department who knows hacker technology?"

Fan Ming nodded, "Yes, his details are on page 17."

Li Wenzhao nodded, pulled out the information, and signed, "Transfer him to the cybersecurity department and promote him two levels."

Fan Ming was startled, "Yes."

As soon as the business discussion ended, Li Wenzhao heard the sound of the door lock clicking open. A black, round figure of Jing Yi slowly appeared before him.

Li Wenzhao wrinkled his brow, "What are you wearing?"

Jing Yi looked down at himself.

Jing Yi wore a hoodie as a base layer, a sweater in the middle, and a black leather jacket on top. It was warm and comforting, but... the hood was a bit tight around his neck.

Jing Yi, looking puzzled, asked, "What's up?"

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I didn't tuck my undershirt into my pants either..."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

Jing Yi walked over and sat down, struggling to lift his arms and resting them on the edge of his small desk.

He looked like he was wearing too much—it was warm, but it restricted his movements a bit.

"Isn't there a coat in my room?"

Jing Yi blinked. "It's too big."

"And long. I can't even see my ankles when I wear it, and it makes me look like a big potato!"

"..."

Jing Yi slightly turned to show off his outfit. "Doesn't it look good? I spent a long time matching it."

Li Wenzhao glanced at his somewhat bulky outfit and chuckled. "...Quite unique."

Jing Yi grinned. "Then if I lose my job, I'll have another way to make a living?"

Li Wenzhao: "What?"

Jing Yi, smiling brightly, said, "I can become a fashion blogger!"

"Setting the trend for mixed fashion!"

Li Wenzhao glanced at him. "Are you trying to help others avoid fashion disasters?"

Jing Yi: "..."

What sharp words. He was almost rendered speechless, powerless, and helpless.

He tightened his lips, looked down at himself, and moved his limbs. "Is it that ugly?"

Li Wenzhao chuckled and looked him over carefully, finally finding a compliment. "It's actually not too bad."

Jing Yi smiled. See, he knew it.

Li Wenzhao added, "Like an overcooked baked potato."

Jing Yi's smile froze. "..."

"Overcooked," plain and simple.

·

At lunchtime, Li Wenzhao took Jing Yi out for lunch; once the private kitchen was fired up, there was no turning back.

Jing Yi bundled up like a black coal ball, round and bouncy, trailing behind Li Wenzhao. When they went downstairs, Li Wenzhao led him to the parking lot.

Jing Yi asked, "Is the restaurant far from here?"

"It's not far."

"Then why drive?"

Li Wenzhao's eyes softened. "You're not cold?"

Jing Yi pursed his lips, feeling the unspoken favor Li Wenzhao had for him, his heart warming softly.

A sigh suddenly fell on his head, and his hair was gently ruffled. "What are you dazing at? Get in the car, will you?"

The car smoothly pulled out of Li Corporation and headed into the rain. After a short while, they arrived at the entrance of a high-end mall, with several international luxury brand logos hanging on the wall.

Jing Yi leaned against the car window, confused. "There’s a restaurant here?"

Li Wenzhao spoke. "I'll buy you some clothes first. The temperature will drop even more tomorrow."

The mall's AC was cranked up. As soon as Jing Yi entered, he felt his face warming up, and his eyelashes became damp.

It wasn't Li Wenzhao's first time here. He led Jing Yi directly upstairs to familiar stores.

"They have all kinds of styles here, pick out what you like..." he started, then suddenly paused, looking at Jing Yi's straightforward fashion choices, and swallowed the rest of his words. "I'll pick, you try."

Jing Yi: "..."

He squinted and peeked. "Are you dissing me?"

Li Wenzhao lightly raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm just worried people might avoid you like they’re dodging landmines."

"..."

Jing Yi stood at the store entrance, looking at the expensive logos inside. "Aren’t these clothes a bit too high-end for someone of my background?"

Li Wenzhao calmly looked down. "The clothes you're wrapped in are from this brand."

Jing Yi: "..."

Oh, it looked like he was about to level up.

Jing Yi buried his head and slipped into the store. It was filled with business-appropriate styles. Li Wenzhao, with a clear goal, bypassed the mature Korean-style coats and even more mature men's suits, selecting a few soft winter casual pieces.

"We’ll take these."

"Alright, I'll check you out right away." The waiter took the clothes to the front counter to pack.

Jing Yi followed closely, peeking over. "Why these?"

Li Wenzhao lightly lowered his eyes. "What's wrong with these? Don't they match your aesthetic?"

Jing Yi suspected Li Wenzhao was dissing his taste again. "They're great. The eldest young master's taste is the fashion trendsetter!"

Li Wenzhao: "..."

The waiter had packed the clothes, and Jing Yi reached for his wallet. Just when he had finally fattened up his wallet, it was about to get slim again after buying just two outfits.

Out of the corner of his eye, an arm swept past. Li Wenzhao said, "Use this card."

Jing Yi was momentarily confused. "Eldest young master, I can pay for myself."

"I have money."

"Living at the Li family's place with free room and board, plus a monthly salary of 100,000, I'm practically a small-time millionaire now. Buying a few clothes won't bankrupt me."

Hearing him rattle off his earnings, Li Wenzhao gently advised, "Keep your money."

Jing Yi pursed his lips, "Not spending money makes me feel like I'm committing some sort of... zero-dollar heist."

"Then panic away."

Li Wenzhao stated flatly, "That way, when you realize you haven't fallen for me yet, it'll push you to get through the cooling-off period faster."

The cashier glanced up in surprise, "..." Oh wow!

Jing Yi, "..."

·

With the new clothes, as soon as the payment was done, Jing Yi couldn't wait to slip into them. The cozy fabric made him feel instantly at ease, and he couldn't help but revel in the comfort.

Li Wenzhao stood nearby, watching Jing Yi try on the new outfit. The vibrant colors highlighted Jing Yi’s radiant complexion and sparkling smile, making him even more charming than usual.

"Nice."

Jing Yi smiled demurely, "Mostly because the eldest young master has great taste."

Li Wenzhao looked at the young butler with soft, excited eyes and didn't contradict him, "Hmm."

The two were going to eat, so Li Wenzhao had the store deliver the clothes to the Li family villa.

Out of the mall, Jing Yi didn't feel cold at all, "Eldest young master, let me pay for the meal later."

Li Wenzhao looked down, "In such a hurry to repay my favor?"

"You shouldn’t take without giving back," Jing Yi shook his head. "Spending so much of your money makes me nervous."

His relationship with Li Wenzhao hadn't progressed further, and once feelings involved money, it would change the dynamic.

"Don’t worry; maybe one day, my paycheck will be all yours."

Jing Yi was stunned.

As he tilted his head, he caught Li Wenzhao’s tender gaze, seeing only himself reflected in those dark, loving eyes. Jing Yi's heart pounded, and he averted his eyes, "I... I'm not ready yet..."

Li Wenzhao didn't rush him, nodded, and thoughtfully changed the subject, "What do you want to eat?"

Jing Yi thought for a moment, "I want to eat that hot mushroom pot, but not at the same restaurant."

"I don't want to socially die again."

Li Wenzhao, "..."

·

To prove his resolve to pay, Jing Yi picked a health-focused restaurant with Li Wenzhao, ordering hearty soups and seasonal dishes. After the waiter served all the dishes, Jing Yi headed to the front desk to settle the bill.

The receipt came out, with the total almost reaching four digits, but with some savings and Li Wenzhao's example before him, he didn't feel much pain.

After lunch, they headed back to the office. Li Wenzhao resumed work, even joining an international video conference. Jing Yi, having just eaten, felt a bit full and couldn't stay in the office.

As Fan Ming arrived to give his report, Li Wenzhao piled on more tasks. Leaving, Fan Ming let out a quiet sigh.

Jing Yi thought for a moment and stood up. "Mr. Li, can I go out for a walk?"

Li Wenzhao looked up. "Not feeling cold anymore?"

Jing Yi nodded. "The office is warm. I just plan to go next door to see Secretary Fan."

Hearing this, Li Wenzhao paused for a moment. "You really like Secretary Fan, don't you?"

Jing Yi instinctively nodded, but then, seeing Li Wenzhao's expression, he added, "He's been very caring towards me, and I want to help him out."

Lately, things had been chaotic at the top of Li Corporation. With no one in charge, many important documents were being managed by Fan Ming personally, turning his office into a document warehouse.

Li Wenzhao checked his watch, about to speak, but another international conference call was starting. He nodded. "Go ahead."

Jing Yi quietly slipped out.

·

"Secretary Fan, I'm here to help."

In the secretarial department, Fan Ming was sitting, chin in hand, staring into space. Hearing this, he looked up. "Help with what?"

Jing Yi asked, "Help with organizing documents?"

"Oh, no need." Fan Ming patted the computer in front of him. "I've already sorted everything and sent it off to each department ten minutes ago."

Jing Yi widened his eyes. "That quick? But I just saw you shaking your head and sighing."

Fan Ming pouted. "Oh, that was because I was exasperated with someone else."

Jing Yi paused for a few seconds, a strange feeling flashing in his mind. "Secretary Zou?"

Fan Ming was surprised. "How did you know?"

Jing Yi smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You and Secretary Zou seem to be getting pretty close lately."

"Not exactly." Fan Ming said. "I've been thinking about how to get back at him."

Jing Yi: ?

Fan Ming said, "How about I rent the place next to him and show up every day for free meals?"

Jing Yi: …

Seeing his expression, Fan Ming knew that idea wasn't going to work, so he suggested another. "Or pretend to sign up for the civil service exam and then hand in a blank paper?"

Jing Yi: …

Secretary Fan and Secretary Zou, quite the dynamic duo.

Jing Yi narrowed his eyes. "Secretary Fan, I'm really afraid you and Secretary Zou might suddenly start dating."

After all, love-hate relationships are pretty common.

"!!!"

Fan Ming's neck turned red from anger, glaring at Jing Yi. "Manager Jing, Secretary Zou and I are straight!"

Jing Yi shot back, "Oh, 'straight' is missing two dots."

Fan Ming: "......"

While he was having a playful back-and-forth with Fan Ming, Jing Yi's phone vibrated.

[Unknown number]: Jing Yi, you dare to block me?

[Unknown number]=> Do you know what happens when you mess with me? I %@#$%?@#&*……

Jing Yi: "......"

He didn't need to guess to know it was Shen Shubai. Recently, this guy had been acting crazier and crazier. Ever since Secretary Zou started that company-wide exam initiative, Shen Shubai had been harassing him non-stop, and his blacklist was almost full.

This time, there were a few more insane messages.

It was the same old crap over and over, and Jing Yi was getting sick of it.

[Unknown number]: You Jing bastard! Don't think that just because you don't speak, I can't do anything to you. You think a little attention makes you something special?

[Unknown number]: While I still want to talk nicely to you, you better behave...

[Jing bastard]: You must have two tongues to curse like that.

After a brief pause, his phone buzzed non-stop, shaking in his hand.

Even Fan Ming noticed. "Did your phone get hacked or something?"

"No virus, just a psycho," Jing Yi said.

Fan Ming: "Ah?"

Jing Yi buried his head and typed away. When Shen Shubai sent a few more insults, he lightly replied with two letters—

GTFO.

The phone buzzed again, and Shen Shubai completely lost it, hurling insults left and right.

"See? It's going off again," Jing Yi said, unfazed.

His hand was numb from it.

Fan Ming glanced at the phone, his expression serious. "This is Mr. Shen... Why is he obsessed with you?"

Jing Yi shrugged. "He's just being nuts. No big deal, I'll block him."

He moved his fingers and dragged the contact into the blacklist.

"I don't think it's that simple... There's more to this than meets the eye," Fan Ming said.

Fan Ming looked at Jing Yi, who was oblivious to the situation, and suddenly stopped talking.

?

Jing Yi peered over. "Secretary Fan, why did you suddenly go quiet?"

Fan Ming smiled lightly. "Butler Jing, I'll report this to Mr. Li on your behalf."

Jing Yi had a sudden realization. "You want Mr. Li to take a bite of this madcap situation too?"

"No." Fan Ming said, suppressing his excitement. "I want to see Mr. Li fly off the handle for his blue-blooded friend.*"

(*Footnote: "Blue-blooded friend" refers to a close, loyal companion, often with an implied noble or elevated status.)

Jing Yi: "……"

He still had no idea how Fan Ming had imagined his relationship with Li Wenzhao.

·

However, Fan Ming's reminder did make Jing Yi realize that Shen Shubai had indeed been unusually idle lately, not at all like someone who was supposed to be overwhelmed with work at the company.

There's always a reason when things are out of the ordinary!

The moment Jing Yi got back to the office, he relayed this to Li Wenzhao.

Upon hearing this, Li Wenzhao put down his fountain pen, his expression unusually somber. Jing Yi was startled. "W-what's wrong?"

"Shen Shubai has been abroad recently. I just received news that the area is in a war zone with no signal. How could he have sent you messages?"

Li Wenzhao's eyes darkened, as if recalling something, and he stretched out his hand toward Jing Yi.

Jing Yi reacted after a second and immediately understood.

……He poured a cup of tea for Li Wenzhao.

He was now a competent butler, knowing to offer a cup of soothing hot tea when his employer was tired from work.

Li Wenzhao raised an eyebrow slightly. "What are you doing?"

"I thought you wanted me to serve tea?"

Li Wenzhao smiled slightly. "I meant for you to hand me your phone."

"Oh." Jing Yi pressed his lips together, a little embarrassed. "I misunderstood."

He quickly pulled out his phone and handed it over respectfully.

Li Wenzhao had Fan Ming find employees from the cybersecurity department to decrypt and trace the messages on the phone.

The person who came to operate the computer was a newly promoted young employee. Though very young, his actions were precise. His ten fingers danced quickly across the keyboard, then with great momentum, he slammed down the enter key.

"Done, Mr. Li."

Quite the impressive operation, though Jing Yi only grasped the last step.

Li Wenzhao stood by. "What's the situation?"

"It was set to send ten messages a day just a few minutes ago, but now it’s up to five hundred."

Jing Yi: "?"

It took him a few seconds to realize. "Shen Shubai is using some kind of bot to spam me with messages?"

Knowing I was going on a business trip, Shen Shubai had set the harassment to automatic, and in a fit of rage, he ramped up the harassment from ten to five hundred messages.

Li Wenzhao looked at him for a moment. "What do you think?"

Jing Yi was silent for two seconds.

"How does he have so much free time?"