Chapter 50: Heartfelt Mosaic

Chapter 50: Heartfelt Mosaic

Jing Yi blinked. What did that "beep—" mean? Was it a censored word?

What could Li Wenzhao have said that was so shocking that even the thought-reader couldn’t broadcast it? Jing Yi steadied himself against the file cabinet and quickly adjusted his sweater to cover the slightly cold skin on his waist, his heart pounding.

"What's wrong?" asked the person behind him. "Didn't you find it?"

Jing Yi pursed his lips, hugging the file as he approached. "I've got it."

Li Wenzhao’s face betrayed no change in expression as he took it. From his face, he was still the handsome and decisive CEO of the Li Corporation, the novel's antagonist, with no connection to the explicit thoughts from earlier.

So, what was with the "beep—" sound just now?

Was the telepathy broken?

It couldn’t be, right? He had just upgraded this telepathic skill. If there was a problem, he wouldn’t even know who to contact for after-sales service.

Jing Yi pursed his lips and spaced out.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he heard Li Wenzhao’s voice. "Jing Yi."

Jing Yi responded instinctively, "Yes?"

"Why are you staring at me?" Li Wenzhao asked without turning his head. The young butler’s gaze was too intense, his eyes blinking not even once as they remained fixed on his profile.

Li Wenzhao had limited self-control. Being looked at like this by someone he liked made it hard for him to concentrate on work.

"I wasn’t—" Jing Yi began to refute instinctively. He turned his gaze, and Li Wenzhao looked up, their eyes meeting.

The noon sunlight filtered into their line of sight, and Jing Yi slightly squinted his eyes. The man in his vision was bathed in light, his features softened, his brows and eyes more handsome and upright than usual, his dark gaze sweeping over him gently.

...Jing Yi could hear his own heart pounding.

"Damn it... I’m being seduced by his looks again."

"No wonder ancient rulers didn’t turn corrupt overnight. Surrounded by such beauty, I’d be even more corrupted than they were!"

Li Wenzhao couldn’t help but chuckle, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "If you like it so much, feel free to stare all you want when we get home."

Jing Yi: "..."

His face flushed red as he imagined the scenario in his mind, feeling flustered and embarrassed.

"I won't look." Jing Yi muttered as he stood up. He couldn’t stay in the office anymore; he needed to find a place to calm down. "Eldest young master, can I go out for a breather?"

"Where are you planning to run off to again?" Li Wenzhao raised his eyes, his tone teasing. "Is my office not big enough, or is the outside world more attractive to you?"

Jing Yi: "..."

He paused for two seconds and pointed out calmly, "Eldest young master, don’t talk like a jilted lover."

He wasn’t used to this at all.

Li Wenzhao: "..."

He lowered his eyes. "Go ahead; I’ll wait for you to join me for lunch."

Jing Yi: "Okay!"

As soon as he left the office, Jing Yi headed straight for Secretary Fan’s office. He hadn’t spoken to Secretary Fan for half a month, and if he didn’t go find him soon, Secretary Fan might forget how to properly address him again.

In the secretary’s office, Fan Ming was explaining the office rules to a newly hired assistant. The new assistant was a young man who looked earnest and sincere, wearing large, round-framed glasses.

"…Next, you need to familiarize yourself with Mr. Li’s personal habits, both in his life and work. It’s all written in this document. Try to memorize as much as possible, got it?"

The young man nodded hurriedly. "Yes, Secretary Fan."

"Alright, go get settled. Your desk is next door. Ask Xu Mian to show you around."

The young man nodded obediently, turned around, and happened to see Jing Yi standing outside the door. His eyes lit up as he nodded cautiously before heading next door.

After the young man left, Jing Yi turned to Fan Ming. "Secretary Fan."

"Jing Butler has arrived," Fan Ming stood up and pulled out a chair for Jing Yi. "Have a seat. Don’t exhaust yourself."

Jing Yi gave him a puzzled look. "It’s just ten meters from the CEO’s office. Do you think I’m made of glass?"

The kind that would shatter if you walked more than two steps?

"Not at all. You’ve just come back from the brink of death, and I don’t want you to overexert yourself."

Jing Yi was silent for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes. "Secretary Fan, why do I feel like you’ve been talking more formally lately?"

You weren’t this formal before I fell into a coma.

Fan Ming lightly pushed his glasses up. "I’m mainly afraid that Butler Jing might put in a bad word about me in front of Mr. Li."

Jing Yi blushed slightly. It seemed Secretary Fan knew everything, but he and Li Wenzhao had only recently started dating. He had a strong backbone, and his mouth was even sharper.

"Secretary Fan, if I had known you’d see me as some kind of seductive concubine, I would have filed a complaint in the underworld while I was out cold."

Fan Ming smiled, clearly not buying it. "Did Butler Jing really go to the underworld?"

Jing Yi: "Yes."

"Impressive. How did you get there?"

"Want to go too? Easy." Jing Yi gave a tight-lipped smile. "First, you need extreme calm, then you adjust your mental state from wanting to die to having already died."

Fan Ming: "……"

Jing Yi: "Interesting, isn’t it?"

Fan Ming: "Not really."

Jing Yi hummed twice. "Then why are you still playing along?"

Fan Ming didn’t move and continued, "It’s all because of you, Butler Jing. Before you fell into a coma, you planted a big bomb for me. Out of courtesy, I had to retaliate."

"Ah?"

Fan Ming’s gaze turned deep. "Who was it that told me Zou Ting enjoys reading BL manga?"

Jing Yi: "……"

Oh, it really is him!

Jing Yi touched his nose, his eyes sparkling. "Did you share it with him?"

Fan Ming hesitated, his expression odd.

Jing Yi understood. "Did it hit Secretary Zou's sweet spot? Did he thank you properly?"

Fan Ming's face turned red and then pale. "No, he's been obsessed with comics ever since, can't stop reading them!"

Jing Yi looked up and cackled, truly no one could resist the charm of boys' love comics!

After laughing, he noticed Fan Ming's expression was off and asked suspiciously, "He's into comics, so why is your face red?"

"..." Fan Ming paused, then turned away busily. "It's nothing. The meeting is about to start; I need to prepare the meeting materials."

Jing Yi eyed him suspiciously, feeling that the atmosphere between the two secretaries was getting increasingly sticky.

Just a few seconds later, he suddenly heard a telepathic voice in his ear:

"Damn Zou Ting, after reading boys' love comics, he got curious and insisted on trying the poses from the comics with me. Is this something a straight guy would do? Unbelievable!"

Jing Yi: "..."

Oh oh oh!

·

With Fan Ming busy, Jing Yi was about to return to the office when he received a call from Li Mingzhi.

Five minutes later, Jing Yi knocked on Li Wenzhao's office door with great interest. "Li Wenzhao?"

His voice was warm and gentle, with a playful hint of mischief. Li Wenzhao looked up. "What is it?"

He could already guess that Jing Yi had something to tell him. The young butler only used formal titles when things were serious or when he needed something.

Logically, since they had gotten together, they could be more intimate in their address. Li Wenzhao had thought about this, but every time he heard Jing Yi call him that, the thought was pushed back down.

"The young master invited me to visit the set," Jing Yi said softly as he opened the door.

Li Wenzhao put down his pen and stated calmly, "So, you’re ditching me for that now?"

Jing Yi remembered their agreement to have lunch together and blushed. "Can I still come along?"

"Or, should I bring you something delicious later?"

It seemed like the young butler was treating him like a kid, making Li Wenzhao chuckle. "Do you really want to go?"

Jing Yi nodded. He’d never been on a film set before, and since he was close to Li Mingzhi, it felt natural to check it out.

Seeing Jing Yi's eyes full of longing and anticipation, Li Wenzhao smiled slightly. "Then go. I'll have Uncle Lin drive you. Don’t wander off. I'll arrange for the bodyguards to follow you secretly. Call me if anything happens."

Jing Yi hesitated but nodded, thinking of the accident from half a month ago. "Thank you, eldest young master."

"You can go," Li Wenzhao reminded him. "But don’t cause any trouble."

"..."

Jing Yi somehow understood Li Wenzhao's implication and raised his hand. "I promise, no drinking at all!"

·

The location where Li Mingzhi was filming was at a film and television city in the suburbs of the Capital City. This area featured extensive buildings spanning nearly a thousand acres. The city was divided into eastern and western sides. The eastern side showcased modern structures, while the western side boasted ancient architecture, making it versatile enough to meet the different needs of various film crews.

This also explained why there were still many film crews gathered in the television city, lively and bustling, even though winter had already set in.

Uncle Lin dropped Jing Yi off near the filming location. "Jing Butler, the eldest young master asked me to wait for you here. Give me a call when the visit is over."

Jing Yi nodded, thanked him, and told Uncle Lin to find a place to rest. He then headed towards the film crew in the distance.

Unfortunately, he arrived while Li Mingzhi was in the middle of a scene.

Li Mingzhi was playing the omega protagonist in the television series. The alpha actor next to him was tall and handsome. Both of them were strikingly good-looking, standing together like a beautiful painting.

Jing Yi didn’t disturb them and stood quietly on the side, waiting.

After half an hour, Li Mingzhi finished his scene. He had noticed Jing Yi’s presence earlier and, after finally finishing filming, came bouncing over. "Jing Yi, you came."

"Young master," Jing Yi smiled gently.

Li Mingzhi smiled and said, "Call me Mingzhi. I consider you a friend."

Jing Yi smiled and agreed. It was a bit cold outside, and his breath formed visible white mist. Li Mingzhi quickly led him into his personal tent.

"Main actors get their own private tents. Is it warm enough? Want me to turn up the heater?"

The temperature inside the tent was comfortable, and no wind could get in. Jing Yi shook his head. "I’m not cold anymore."

"Did you catch my scene? Wasn’t it interesting?" Li Mingzhi asked.

Jing Yi replied, "Young master, your acting is very good."

This wasn’t just flattery. Li Mingzhi was innocent and pure-hearted, fitting the role of the naive omega in the script perfectly, a natural and authentic portrayal.

"Right?" Li Mingzhi showed a hint of pride and whispered, "Everyone says so."

The two had only been chatting for a short while when Li Mingzhi’s agent arrived. "Mingzhi, the eldest young master sent something over. The car is at the entrance."

Jing Yi looked up, confused.

Li Wenzhao sent something? What was it? Why didn’t he bring it himself?

Outside, they found a van filled with hot pot ingredients and seasonings parked near the set, all provided in Li Mingzhi’s name for the entire crew to have lunch.

In the cold winter weather, where the staff were working against the cold wind, being able to eat a hot hot pot meal with a variety of fresh ingredients made them genuinely happy from the bottom of their hearts.

"Thank you, Mingzhi."

"This is great! The ingredients are so fresh! There’s even lobster and abalone. He’s so generous!"

"And there’s bluefin tuna and wagyu beef too?"

"Wow, so luxurious! Thank you, Mingzhi!"

"Thank you, Young Master Li!"

Li Mingzhi smiled and invited everyone to eat, then turned to Jing Yi. "Did my brother ask you to bring this?"

"No," Jing Yi was just as confused.

Li Mingzhi rested his chin on his hand and murmured, "Strange, I've been in the crew for a month, and my brother has never sent me anything before?"

Jing Yi looked at the truck full of ingredients and murmured, "Maybe the eldest young master wanted to give you a big surprise?"

Since the items were delivered, Li Mingzhi was still very grateful to his elder brother. He happily enjoyed a hot pot meal with Jing Yi, only stopping when his agent reminded him to maintain his figure.

After lunch, Li Mingzhi resumed filming in the afternoon and asked Jing Yi to wait a little longer. He promised to take him to visit some fun nearby attractions later.

Jing Yi nodded in agreement.

Worried that Jing Yi might be cold, Li Mingzhi arranged a seat for him and personally brought over a blanket. Only then did he go to film his scenes with peace of mind.

"Hmph." Not far away, a guy sucking on a straw sneered, "People assume Li Mingzhi has made it this far because of his family background. But now, look at him. He's fawning over someone; it's really embarrassing."

The sweet-looking girl next to him said, "You shouldn't speculate like that. Li Mingzhi is actually a nice person and doesn't seem like that kind of person."

The guy snorted, "What do you know, kid? That's all just his persona. Who knows, maybe he's not even the real young master of the Li family. Maybe he's just some fool who relies on a sugar daddy to get famous."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Jing Yi.

The fact that Li Wenzhao had sent the items, and they arrived right after Jing Yi, under Li Mingzhi's name, made it easy for people to jump to conclusions. Many began to wonder privately what the relationship between Jing Yi and Li Mingzhi really was.

The two were both actors in the same crew, though they were supporting actors with few scenes and little dialogue. Seeing Li Mingzhi's rising popularity, the boy couldn't resist badmouthing him behind his back.

In a corner behind them, the alpha actor, who had been reviewing his script, briefly lifted his eyes and glanced at Li Mingzhi. Then, he shifted his gaze to Jing Yi.

In one corner of the set, Jing Yi sat in a soft chair, his gaze curiously fixed on something in the distance. The plot had entered an intense phase where the alpha and omega were having a misunderstanding, leading to estrangement and quarrels.

While Jing Yi watched intently, a shadow suddenly appeared beside him. "Hello."

Jing Yi looked up to see a gently smiling man. Li Mingzhi had quietly introduced him to the crew members, so he knew this man was the second male lead of the drama, named Ke Minghua.

He didn’t remember interacting with this person before, so he responded politely but reservedly, "Hello."

Upon receiving the response, Ke Minghua's eyes lit up with interest. "Are you here to visit the set?"

Jing Yi glanced at him.

Ke Minghua's mind stirred slightly. "This sugar daddy is quite good-looking, not like those pot-bellied, toothless old men at all. Li Mingzhi is really lucky to find a sugar daddy of this caliber."

Jing Yi found the man unlikable; his slanted eyes and drooping eyebrows gave off a harsh impression. He withdrew his gaze, took a sip of his hot tea, and said nothing.

A moment later, he heard a strange thought in his mind—

"This is what a sugar daddy should look like. Those old men are ugly and disgusting. This gentleman is handsome and generous. If I can win his favor, I could be showered with resources and easily rise to the top. How wonderful would that be?"

Jing Yi: "…………"

Generous.

(Note: The last word "Generous" seems out of context and may need further clarification or removal.)

Given the context, the final sentence appears to be extraneous and unrelated to the narrative flow. Therefore, it is omitted in the revised translation.

He ah???

What do you mean by 'generous'? Does it mean he swings harder when hitting people?

“As for Li Mingzhi…… Once I win over the sponsor, I’ll snatch this drama too. No matter how much he films, it will all be in vain. I’ve been annoyed by him for a long time. I hope this time we can ruin his reputation!”

“What I set my eyes on, he doesn’t stand a chance to compete with me for it in his entire life!”

“May I ask your name, sir?” Ke Menghua revealed a standard eight-tooth smile. “You seem a bit familiar to me. I’ve been in this circle for a long time; perhaps we’ve crossed paths before.”

That’s such an old trick; are you really still using it to embarrass yourself?

Jing Yi smirked, put down his cup, and coldly said, “I don’t know you.”

Ke Menghua smiled slightly, “Sir, don't you get it? I’ve actually fallen for you at first sight.”

Jing Yi: “…………”

Is this guy really not embarrassed at all?!

Seeing Jing Yi stunned, Ke Menghua thought his confession had some effect and continued, “Not sure if you have a boyfriend, but if you don’t, maybe I could……”

As he spoke, he sat down in the empty spot next to Jing Yi, clearly intending to persistently pester him.

However, before he could finish, Jing Yi interrupted, “My destiny is incompatible with marriage, so I don’t dare to find a partner.”

Ke Menghua froze, his butt hovering awkwardly mid-air: “……”

Jing Yi glanced at his stiff back, “Is your life hard enough?”

Ke Menghua: “……”

Not long after, Ke Menghua left, his face turning green as he walked away.

Jing Yi quietly snorted, grateful for his new ability. With this power, no one with ill intentions can get close to the Li family anymore. Hahahaha.

Li Mingzhi’s filming continued until 3 PM. There were no more scenes for him that day. He quickly removed his makeup, changed his clothes, and came to find Jing Yi, “There’s a small waterfall nearby, and it’s home to several red pandas. I haven’t been there yet. It’s a good time today; let’s go check it out together.”

Jing Yi nodded in agreement.

He originally wanted to tell Li Mingzhi about Ke Menghua’s malicious intentions and warn him to be careful, but before he could speak, the tall alpha actor walked over, “Mingzhi.”

Li Mingzhi immediately turned around and greeted him respectfully, “Mr. Qu.”

The man nodded slightly, glanced at Jing Yi, and noticed their intimate posture before asking softly, “Are you leaving?”

Li Mingzhi nodded, “I’m taking my friend out for a bit.”

The man said, “There’s a cast gathering later, aren’t you joining?”

Li Mingzhi was surprised, “I didn’t know about that.”

The man’s gaze fell on Jing Yi, “It was a last-minute notice.”

Li Mingzhi hesitated, “Then should I……”

Jing Yi sensed something from this male actor’s eyes and immediately said, “You go and have fun, young master. I’ll come to see you next time.”

The man was slightly stunned.

Li Mingzhi involuntarily changed his address: "Butler Jing, I'd like you to join me."

After a few words, the alpha actor understood their identities and smiled. "Oh, you're Butler Jing. The crew dinner isn’t too formal—you can bring someone along. Why don’t you come with us?"

·

·

Thanks to Li Mingzhi’s persistent invitation, Jing Yi ended up going to the nearby restaurant with them.

On the way, Li Wenzhao sent a message asking what time he would be back. Jing Yi sheepishly stood up his boyfriend again.

Li Wenzhao sent a string of dots...

Jing Yi immediately fired off a barrage of pleading, shoulder-rubbing, and leg-massaging emojis, which finally appeased Li Wenzhao, who then told him to be careful.

Only then did Jing Yi feel at ease to continue hopping around outside.

The restaurant had been pre-booked by the production team. All the attendees were the main cast of the TV series, including Ke Minghua, whose face didn’t look too good, and his expression was uncertain while talking to the director.

Jing Yi didn’t care about him and followed Li Mingzhi into the private dining room. As he stepped onto the threshold, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of two familiar figures at the end of the corridor.

……It was Shen Shubai and Qin Ningning.

The two were dressed to the nines, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, holding hands, looking particularly sweet and in love. The elevator stopped in the corridor, and Shen Shubai led the female lead inside, quickly disappearing from view.

Jing Yi’s footsteps stopped.

"What’s Shen Shubai doing here?"

"The hotel, the banquet, happening after the kidnapping case... I remember now!"

Li Mingzhi also stopped in his tracks, smoothly pivoting back toward the door just before they reached the table. "Jing Yi, what are you doing?"

Jing Yi turned back. "Young Master, I need to take care of something. I’ll catch up with you later."

Li Mingzhi grabbed him. "I was thinking of taking a walk too. I'll keep you company."

Jing Yi was too eager to find out Shen Shubai’s purpose and didn’t notice the loophole in Li Mingzhi's words. He nodded and walked toward the other side of the corridor.

Jing Yi figured he’d have to search for Shen Shubai, but then noticed a banquet notice inside the elevator. The hotel had marked the 18th floor button.

The two of them effortlessly went upstairs.

It was an open banquet, no invite required. They were both dressed appropriately for the occasion and fit right in.

At the center of the banquet, Shen Shubai stood on a platform, presenting the latest technology product developed by their company, aiming to raise funds at the banquet to make up for the losses incurred when Li Corporation poached opportunities from them during his time abroad.

Jing Yi remembered this app. In the original storyline, it was indeed a beneficial tool for the country and the people, even gaining government support for nationwide implementation.

Even employees of Li Corporation started using the app.

But this was just a trap set by Shen Shubai to target Li Corporation. A month after the app launched, it was revealed that the backend had been used for money laundering, bribery, smuggling using public resources, and illegal lending—all sorts of shady operations.

This led to Li Corporation being investigated and temporarily shut down by the government. During this time, employees fled, funds were cut off, and the corporation was on the verge of collapse.

Thinking about it just made Jing Yi even angrier.

"Is being the protagonist amazing? Everything they do is legal and compliant. What did Li Corporation do to deserve this? They get blamed for everything!"

"Shen Shubai, the mastermind behind the kidnapping and murder, how can he still stand under the spotlight, showing off his lavish lifestyle so shamelessly…… This is unfair!"

Li Mingzhi heard everything. He didn't know much about the company's business, but from Jing Yi's words, he realized that Li Corporation was heading for a huge hurdle. He instinctively said, "Jing Yi, we should inform Big Brother first. He should be able to handle it."

Jing Yi: "It's too late for that."

On the stage, Shen Shubai had finished presenting the core functions of the APP. The highlights were eye-catching, novel, and rare, winning over many attendees.

Li Wenzhao was still within the city, but he was too far to help immediately.

"But there's no way we can stop this," said Li Mingzhi. "No one will believe what we say."

Jing Yi glanced at the confident Shen Shubai on stage and then around the banquet hall. "Hey boss, are you strong?"

"……" Li Mingzhi, startled: "You're not thinking of asking me to rush up and attack him, are you?"

"Of course not," Jing Yi said. "But I might need your help carrying me back after this."

Li Mingzhi: "…………” What?

Jing Yi mysteriously turned his head. "Hey boss, want to see me morph into something else?"

Li Mingzhi: "?"

Before he could process what Jing Yi meant, he saw Jing Yi grab a bottle of wine and chug it without a word.

Li Mingzhi: "!!!"

·

·

On stage, Shen Shubai was speaking fluently, raving about the new APP like it was the best thing ever. His invited investors were nodding approvingly.

More than ten CEOs had already expressed their investment intentions.

Shen Shubai, after days of frustration, finally felt a ray of hope. He waved his hand, and his newly appointed female secretary approached in her small high heels. "Mr. Shen."

"Prepare the contracts," Shen Shubai said. "Tonight, we'll seal the deal."

The secretary, expressionless, said, "Yes."

"Mr. Shen." Several investment staff approached, their faces full of smiles. "With such a profitable opportunity, you must bring us along."

Shen Shubai smiled. "Of course, this investment meeting was held for all of you."

The CEOs were very satisfied and were about to sign the contracts immediately.

Shen Shubai's beautiful secretary stepped forward with the contracts, and both parties were ready to sign.

Just then, a clear and smooth male voice echoed throughout the venue—

"What cutting-edge APP, supposedly unmatched in design and development, is actually just a breeding ground for illegal activities!"

"……"

"It looks promising, but later on, this APP will run into serious issues, leaking user privacy, selling user information, and the biggest investor is from Myanmar. Think about it, think carefully!"

"If you dare to invest in this, then you're really bold, not afraid of losing everything. Go ahead and invest! One investment, and you'll lose everything without a sound…… (burp——)"

Shen Shubai: “……”

His face turned black; this familiar voice was unmistakable, and he didn’t need to discern it to know who it was.

Wasn't Jing Yi supposed to be dead?

How could he appear at his investment banquet?!

Damn it, Li Wenzhao must be pulling the strings behind the scenes! Bastard!

The female secretary hurried over, “Mr. Shen, we didn’t find any issues with the sound system. We don’t know how this voice appeared for now.”

Hearing this, several CEOs immediately cooled off. Although they couldn’t tell if the voice was telling the truth or not, when it comes to investment, they were afraid of putting money into a failure. It could result in funds going down the drain, or worse, losing everything.

They might want to reconsider.

Seeing the CEOs put down the contracts, Shen Shubai became anxious. “Everyone, this is slander from a rival company aimed at our Shen Group! I swear, this app is absolutely without any issues!”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk... You actually dare to tell such a lie? Dare you say there aren’t any Burmese partners?”

“Do you dare to say you’re not consolidating funds to patch up the company’s financial hole? (A smile) Ha!”

Shen Shubai: “……”

Seeing his silence, the investors bolted faster, disappearing in no time.

Shen Shubai's face flushed with rage. “Find him! I want you to find him! Dig three feet if necessary, but find him! I’m going to kill him today!”

The female secretary was stunned. “Mr. Shen, who are we looking for?”

Shen Shubai: “Li family’s butler, Jing Yi.”

The female secretary: “……”

Why in the world is he looking for a butler? She suspected the CEO had been driven mad by anger.

·

·

In a corner near the main door of the banquet hall, Li Mingzhi, seeing the chaos, quickly supported Jing Yi’s shoulders and helped him toward the door.

Jing Yi was already heavily drunk, his vision blurred. To make sure his amplified message spread fast, he didn’t hold back and drank an entire bottle of high-proof alcohol.

“I’m not done yet...”

Li Mingzhi was anxious, where was his older brother?!

Despite his discomfort, Jing Yi frowned but felt satisfied that he had disrupted Shen Group’s deal. “Young master, do you think what I said was right...”

“Yes, yes, yes, what you said is all right.” Li Mingzhi struggled to hold him up, pressed the elevator button, and guided him inside.

As soon as they entered the elevator, Shen Shubai and his men surrounded the banquet hall, checking the identities of everyone leaving.

“Not good!” Jing Yi’s half-open eyes, with lips stained red from alcohol, showed a strange allure. “Most of what I said was made up... I just wanted to sabotage his funding...”

Li Mingzhi fumbled to support him. “I know, Jing Yi, you're the best for our family. You're smart and clever. Let’s go home, alright?”

Hearing this, Jing Yi paused for a few seconds, then suddenly began to struggle. “No, I can’t go home... I can’t return.”

Li Mingzhi: "Why not? Home is the safest place."

"I drank, and I messed up." Jing Yi mumbled blankly, "...They'll get mad."

"Who will?" Li Mingzhi was confused.

At that moment, the elevator dinged open, revealing Li Wenzhao's stern face on the first floor.

The moment Li Mingzhi saw his older brother, he felt like he'd found a lifeline. "Big bro, you’re finally here!"

Jing Yi stumbled, and Li Mingzhi pushed him forward, but Li Wenzhao caught him easily.

Li Mingzhi carefully observed his elder brother's expression. "Big brother, Jing Yi didn’t mean to. I’ll take him away."

But surprisingly, the usually stern Li Wenzhao pulled Jing Yi close. "I’ll have Fan Ming take you home."

Li Mingzhi: "What about Jing Yi?"

Li Wenzhao glanced at him lightly, and Li Mingzhi shrank back. "Okay, I’ll go. But Jing Yi did this for our family’s sake—don’t punish him."

Not daring to defy him, Li Mingzhi left with many reluctant looks back.

Jing Yi felt a bit lightheaded from the impact with the hard chest in front of him. He blinked and said, "Young master, your shoulder’s rock solid..."

Li Wenzhao helplessly supported him. "You promised not to drink at all. Were you just setting yourself up to break that promise?"

Jing Yi looked up blankly.

His eyes were red and watery from drinking, his cheeks flushed, and the smell of alcohol clung to his breath. His collar was damp, exposing the pale skin of his neck.

Li Wenzhao: "..."

"BEEP BEEP BEEP—"

"BEEP BEEP—"

The noise made Jing Yi’s head throb. He looked up at Li Wenzhao and waved his hands frantically. "Stop that beeping!"

Jing Yi then pressed his hands against Li Wenzhao’s chest and scolded him, his wide eyes staring accusingly. "You’re not listening, are you?"

Li Wenzhao just stared, saying nothing.