Chapter 57: Is the Little Speaker Acting Up Again?

Chapter 57: Is the Little Speaker Acting Up Again?

Too hungry to wait, Jing Yi skipped the pig trotter restaurant Li Wenzhao had reserved and dragged him into a random, decent-looking Jiangnan restaurant instead, like a man on a mission.

The restaurant offered a variety of delicacies, small portions but beautifully presented. Jing Yi ate happily, barely looking up, too busy eating to chat.

Li Wenzhao, not very hungry, stopped eating when he was about eighty percent full and poured tea and soup for Jing Yi.

For a moment, it was hard to tell who was the butler.

When Jing Yi was almost full, he glanced at Li Wenzhao, "Young master, are you full?"

Li Wenzhao: "Hmm."

Jing Yi buried his face in the soup bowl: "Don’t you have anything better to do?"

Li Wenzhao raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"

Jing Yi, with his head down, mumbled: "You’ve been staring at my mouth for ten minutes straight... That’s rude."

Being stared at like that, he didn't even know how to position his hands.

Don't think that just because he was focused on eating, he didn't notice. His senses were sharp.

Caught in the act, Li Wenzhao wasn't embarrassed. He sat there openly, his gaze deepening, "Staring at someone else's mouth is rude, but staring at your boyfriend's mouth is perfectly reasonable."

Jing Yi: "..."

So slick! Always has a comeback.

Li Wenzhao remembered something: "Did the mute sound kick in again?"

Otherwise, Li Wenzhao couldn't think of anything else that would catch the attention of a food-obsessed young butler.

Jing Yi was startled, surprised: "...No, it didn't."

After saying that, he opened his eyes wide in surprise, indeed, why wasn't there any beeping sound?

Li Wenzhao was equally surprised. He had been staring at Jing Yi's moist lips for a while, recalling their intimate contact from a few days ago, his thoughts far from innocent, so why didn't the mute sound kick in?

Is the little speaker acting up again?

Jing Yi also couldn't figure it out. Forget it, the priority now was to finish the soup quickly. It was delicious, shouldn't be wasted.

Jing Yi buried his head in drinking the soup.

Li Wenzhao's curious and thoughtful gaze fell directly on Jing Yi's tilted neck, the small Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed.

Li Wenzhao paused, his gaze sliding down the young butler's thin shoulders and back...

"Beep beep—beep beep—"

Jing Yi looked up in astonishment.

Li Wenzhao curled his lips: "It went off again?"

Jing Yi pursed his lips, his face red and heart racing as he explained: "Why did you violate the rules again?"

Li Wenzhao pondered for a moment, a speculation forming in his heart: "Looks like getting close helps bypass the minor control mode."

Jing Yi: "...Cough, cough."

How did you even come to that conclusion, I wonder?

And how can something from the underworld have such a mundane, everyday setup?

Li Wenzhao answered his question: "I just tried it. Previously, everything below the neck was sensitive, but now the threshold has dropped to the waist."

Jing Yi: "..."

Li Wenzhao reminded him: "Want me to give it a try?"

Jing Yi was stunned: "H-how to try?"

"Intimate contact," Li Wenzhao said casually, as if asking if he'd had enough to eat. "Further, if there are no more blocking signals from now on, it means my guess is correct."

Jing Yi's brain short-circuited for a second.

They'd already kissed, so more intimate contact could only mean one thing...

Cough.

Jing Yi looked away, pretending to sip soup, only to find his bowl empty. He grabbed his chopsticks, randomly picked up a piece of spare rib, and stuffed it into his mouth, only to find it was old ginger.

Jing Yi's eyes darted around the dining table: "..."

He was flustered and fidgety, though he had no idea why.

"What are you thinking about?" Li Wenzhao seemed to smile. "I mean, we can get closer in the future, have more physical contact. Where did your mind go?"

Jing Yi: "..."

Alright, alright, in the end, it was only him who was overthinking things.

In the dead of winter, Jing Yi turned beet red in five seconds, practically steaming in front of Li Wenzhao.

The real world was too complicated; he'd rather be alone, blowing bubbles in a cozy soup pot.

Li Wenzhao's lips curled in amusement. The young butler's thoughts were an open book, his emotions plain as day.

Li Wenzhao said, "Just messing with you, don't get upset. You full?"

Jing Yi wiped his mouth: "Not mad, I'm full."

He was mainly just embarrassed.

Jing Yi secretly glanced at Li Wenzhao, wondering how this person could say such things without batting an eye.

·

The restaurant wasn't far from home. Jing Yi was too full, and Li Wenzhao hadn't driven, so they decided to walk back slowly.

Under the neon lights of the night, the streets were bustling with people as Li Wenzhao and Jing Yi strolled along.

"By the way, I haven't asked you yet," Li Wenzhao suddenly asked as they walked. "How did you end up here?"

Jing Yi answered without thinking: "The underworld messed up and took the wrong soul."

"And what was your identity in your original world?" Li Wenzhao asked.

Jing Yi paused for a second: "I probably died. After graduation, I went on a trip with my roommate and got caught in a mudslide. Then I was taken away by the Grim Reaper."

Li Wenzhao stopped in his tracks.

Jing Yi took two steps and noticed the person beside him was gone. He turned around, puzzled. Li Wenzhao stood a few steps away, his eyes dark and deep, not even lit by the streetlights.

Jing Yi didn't have much memory of the moment of his death in his previous life. He closed his eyes and opened them again, finding himself in the underworld without much suffering. But as he observed Li Wenzhao's gaze from a distance, he seemed to detect a faint trace of heartache.

Li Wenzhao paused for a long time before asking, "Did it hurt?"

Jing Yi shook his head: "I don't remember that part."

Li Wenzhao concealed the emotions in his eyes, walked closer to Jing Yi, and looked down at him: "I feel like filing a complaint against them."

Jing Yi, sensing Li Wenzhao had more to say, waited quietly.

"But if it weren't for their mistake, I might not have met you."

Jing Yi pursed his lips, unsure of what to say. He wasn't good at sweet talk, and talking about his feelings made him a bit shy. But seeing Li Wenzhao's heartbroken expression, he stood on his tiptoes and patted Li Wenzhao's head, "Alright, alright, I'm fine. The Grim Reaper compensated me with a lot of money."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

The emotions he had just gathered were scattered by Jing Yi's patting.

Moreover, Li Wenzhao found his actions somewhat familiar: "Are you petting me like a dog?"

Jing Yi's hand paused: "It's a habit. Want me to switch it up?"

"..."

Before Jing Yi could speak, he was pulled into an embrace. The familiar scent enveloped him, and Li Wenzhao remained silent. Jing Yi could only hear the steady thumping of Li Wenzhao's heartbeat.

After a moment of silent embrace, Jing Yi patted Li Wenzhao's arm: "Eldest young master, how long are we going to stand here hugging in the cold?"

Li Wenzhao's voice was emotionless: "Are you cold?"

Jing Yi peeked out from Li Wenzhao's shoulder with two eyes, glancing at the passersby: "Not cold, just a little too noticeable."

The people passing by were curiously observing their embrace, and Jing Yi felt like he was about to turn into a giant panda.

Li Wenzhao: "..."

This goofy young butler totally ruined his somber mood.

Forget it. The young butler is now lively and active by his side, occasionally a bit erratic, so vivid that it's hard to describe.

It seems he wasn't affected at all, so why bring it up again?

Li Wenzhao released the person in his arms, "Let's go, let's go home."

"Quick, quick," Jing Yi actively took Li Wenzhao's hand and walked forward: "If we don't leave now, we'll really turn into pandas, and not even the kind that can charge admission."

"..."

After returning home, Jing Yi had a good night's sleep, dreamless and peaceful.

The next morning, Jing Yi was awakened by the ringing of his phone. He groggily opened his eyes—it was only 7:30 a.m. It was a call from Li Mingzhi.

"Hello, young master?"

"Wuwuwuwuwu... Jing Yi, what should I do? So many people are blocking me."

Jing Yi was still groggy when he heard Li Mingzhi sobbing, "This morning, some media took photos of me and Chu Yuanjiu from the unreleased drama stills, and now the internet is going wild with rumors that we're in love. Some even dug up my past with Ning Jiang, and now so many people are cursing me."

Jing Yi opened his eyes, "Who is Chu Yuanjiu?"

Li Mingzhi sniffled, "The alpha actor I'm working with."

Jing Yi immediately woke up, bolted out of bed, "Young master, don't worry, I'll go find the eldest young master to figure something out."

Li Mingzhi: "Okay."

Jing Yi didn't even put on his shoes and ran to Li Wenzhao's door, knocking urgently, "Eldest young master, are you awake?"

Li Wenzhao opened the door, still looking sleepy, "What's wrong?"

Jing Yi waved his phone, "Your brother is being targeted with slander."

Li Wenzhao's eyebrow raised slightly.

In the next few minutes, Jing Yi watched as Li Wenzhao made several calls and gave a few instructions. When Jing Yi checked online again, the slanderous posts were gone.

Jing Yi widened his eyes in surprise, "As expected of the villain boss, handling things so swiftly and efficiently!"

Li Wenzhao looked at him, "I'll consider that a compliment."

"Of course, I'm complimenting you." Jing Yi made a heart shape with his hands, "Sincerely."

Li Wenzhao chuckled lightly, "Is your sincerity that small?"

"Just get the idea." Jing Yi retracted his hand, "Size isn't the point; it's about seeing the big picture in the small details."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

Although Li Wenzhao had already resolved the issue, Jing Yi was still worried. He asked for leave from Li Wenzhao, packed some delicious snacks, and headed straight to the filming location where Li Mingzhi was.

Li Wenzhao couldn't stop him; the young butler was off on his own again.

·

The filming location was still at the same film city Jing Yi had visited before, but this time, Jing Yi noticed that the area was swarming with reporters, all equipped with cameras, eager to dig up something big for headlines.

"Uncle Lin, let's take a detour," Jing Yi said.

"Alright."

The film city was vast, and it took Jing Yi half an hour to circle around to the other side.

The crew had paused filming due to the harassment from the paparazzi, and Li Mingzhi was hiding in the hotel. Jing Yi followed the room number and found that Li Mingzhi's door was also surrounded by reporters.

"Jing Butler, it's not suitable for us to go over now. Let's have the bodyguards clear the area first," Uncle Lin worriedly suggested.

"No need," Jing Yi smiled, "No need to use heavy artillery for a small problem."

Uncle Lin: "?"

Jing Yi thought for a moment, "Uncle Lin, do you have paper and a pen?"

Five minutes later, Jing Yi stepped out calmly from around the corner, making his presence known to everyone.

Among the group of reporters, a few were burly and fierce-looking, seemingly capable of a fight. The leader spoke in a deep, gruff voice, "Who are you?"

His tone was anything but polite. Jing Yi gave him a disdainful look and ignored him.

The crowd parted slightly as Jing Yi stood firmly in front of Li Mingzhi's door. The reporters began to stir, "Are you Li Mingzhi's assistant?"

Jing Yi nodded lightly, "Are you all here for a press conference with our Mingzhi?"

"Yes."

"Exactly."

"We know he's inside. Can you get him to come out and say a few words?"

"Since you're his assistant, you must know about Li Mingzhi's past relationship with the scam artist Ning Jiang, right? Can you tell us how far their relationship went? Was Li Mingzhi involved in Ning Jiang's scams? Did he participate in any fraudulent activities?"

"And also..."

Once one person started, the rest followed with their own questions. Jing Yi felt overwhelmed, "Everyone, please quiet down for a moment."

Thinking he was about to drop some news, the hallway fell silent as if a pin had dropped.

Jing Yi tilted his head back slightly, almost getting a saliva-covered microphone shoved into his mouth.

He turned his head away in disgust and slapped a numbered ticket into the leader's hand, "Hold onto this, it's yours."

The man: "??"

"What is this?"

As Jing Yi spoke, he handed out numbers to the others, "Right now, criticizing Li Mingzhi is all the rage, so of course, we need to take numbers. Everyone, keep them safe. Someone will come to invite you in shortly."

This operation was so bizarre that the reporters were momentarily taken aback, feeling as if they had encountered something entirely new.

After a while, someone from the group asked, "Why do the numbers start from 100?"

"Yeah, shouldn't we be first, second, third?"

"As I said, it's a hot topic," Jing Yi replied. "Do you think getting a spot is that easy? These are given to you out of consideration for your hard work in staking out. Keep them safe. If you miss your turn, you'll have to start over. No exceptions will be made."

The reporters: "..."

For some reason, they felt a vague sense of being scammed, as if they had been subtly manipulated.

But the feeling wasn't strong. They needed to think about it more, to ponder it further.

"Really?" someone asked suspiciously.

"Yes, everyone, please wait downstairs. A staff member will bring you up shortly."

The reporters hesitated for a moment, unsure which of Jing Yi's words had convinced them, but they eventually left together.

One photographer even earnestly asked Jing Yi, "Can you call out the numbers loudly later? I'm afraid I might not hear you."

"..." Jing Yi gave a standard, insincere smile, "Of course."

As soon as the reporters left, Li Mingzhi opened the door, "Jing Yi, you're amazing. How did you manage to trick them like that?"

"I doubt it will last long. We should leave quickly," Jing Yi said.

But Li Mingzhi seemed a bit hesitant: "Jing Yi, well, I can't leave now..."

Jing Yi: "?"

Footsteps came from the room behind, and a tall figure stood behind Li Mingzhi. Jing Yi recognized him at a glance—it was an alpha... no, it was Chu Yuanjiu.

The male lead of the gossip actually appeared in the same room. Jing Yi was stunned.

Looking back at Li Mingzhi, his cheeks were slightly flushed.

Jing Yi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Gossip or confirmed?"

Li Mingzhi: "..."

His face turned even redder.

"Thank you, Mr. Jing, for coming all this way, but I will handle this matter. The reporters will be back soon, so you should head back first," Chu Yuanjiu spoke up.

Li Mingzhi thanked him awkwardly and closed the door. Jing Yi mechanically took two steps forward, then snapped out of it, turned around in confusion, and pulled out his phone.

[Your Jing Grandpa]: Eldest young master.

[Your Jing Grandpa]: Your little treasure seems to have been snatched.

[Li]: ???

After some thought, Jing Yi added: [It's already been snatched.]

[Li]: ...

Jing Yi didn't realize his message was ambiguous. Li Wenzhao called shortly after, but Jing Yi's phone was on silent, so he didn't notice. Just as the elevator arrived, he looked up and saw Ke Minghua, whom he had met once before.

Both of them were stunned.

Jing Yi looked at the camera hanging on Ke Minghua's shoulder: "What are you going to shoot?"

Ke Minghua was startled and instinctively replied: "Li Ming... no one."

Jing Yi narrowed his eyes: "I clearly heard you say Li Mingzhi just now."

Ke Minghua: "Then why did you ask?"

Do you have to have such sharp hearing?

"Better not shoot it." Why do something so foolish? Jing Yi didn't understand.

"Why should I listen to you?" Ke Minghua proudly lifted his chin, arrogantly looking down at Jing Yi: "After so many years in the business, I don't take orders from anyone."

Jing Yi's gaze lightly fell on him, thinking: "..."

Young and not very capable, but with a double chin. Quite the character.

However, his arrogant demeanor reminded Jing Yi of a minor plot point from the original story—just a few lines in a million-word novel, not part of the main storyline, so Jing Yi hadn't remembered it until now.

In the original story, the female lead Qin Ningning had a minor character who didn't get along with her. This minor character didn't have many scenes but was jealous of Qin Ningning's success and always tried to sabotage her behind the scenes.

Qin Ningning, furious, told Shen Shubai.

Shen Shubai followed the clues and dug up some scandalous information on the minor character, finally bringing some peace and quiet.

And that minor character’s surname was Ke.

Jing Yi couldn’t remember his exact name; the role was so minor it barely made an appearance before disappearing. Jing Yi only recalled one scandal about this minor character—Ke had committed donation fraud.

He never actually did any charity work but loved to flaunt his supposed noble character everywhere.

How could someone like him dare to badmouth Li Mingzhi?

"Mind moving? You’re in the way," Ke Minghua snapped.

Jing Yi didn’t budge, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Ke Minghua, exasperated, said, "Do you even understand words?"

"You really don’t want people finding out about your little donation scam, do you?" Jing Yi suddenly spoke up.

Ke Minghua froze, his face white as a sheet: "How did you..."

Jing Yi, mimicking Li Wenzhao’s stern look, warned, "Try badmouthing Li Mingzhi again, and your little secret might just slip out."

Ke Minghua: "..."

Jing Yi gave a cold snort, stepped into the elevator, and left without another word.

Jing Yi went straight down to the underground parking lot, where Uncle Lin was just stepping out of the driver’s seat while on the phone, "Yes, got it, eldest young master, I’ll go look for... Oh? Jing Butler’s here."

Jing Yi hurried over: "Uncle Lin, you needed me?"

"Not me, it was the eldest young master," Uncle Lin said anxiously. "Jing Butler, why aren’t you answering your phone?"

Jing Yi took out his phone and looked, "Sorry, it was on silent."

He signaled Uncle Lin to hang up, then called back with his own phone: "The matter with the young master has been resolved, no need to worry."

"I’m not worried about Li Mingzhi," Li Wenzhao said sarcastically on the other end, "I’m just worried my boyfriend might get swept off his feet by someone else."

???

Jing Yi accused him, "Where did the eldest young master get such a fallacy?"

Li Wenzhao: "Who are you referring to as the little cabbage?"

Jing Yi was stunned, then understood, and let out a series of giggles, "It’s the young master, the omega and alpha have finally come together."

They are truly a match made in heaven.

Li Wenzhao: "..."

·

The consequence of his loose talk was that Jing Yi was directly sent back to the company by Uncle Lin.

His newly taken carefree vacation was confiscated, and Jing Yi returned to the company full of routine. He didn’t go to find Li Wenzhao immediately; passing by the secretary’s office, he caught a glimpse of Fan Ming laughing foolishly inside, and his steps veered off course.

"Secretary Fan, did you win the lottery?"

Fan Ming snapped back to reality in a second, quickly composing his expression: "No, Jing Butler, I was just... daydreaming."

Jing Yi eyed his smirk: "You don’t look like you’re just daydreaming."

Something's definitely up.

"Secretary Fan, has the workload driven you crazy?" Jing Yi patted his shoulder with the demeanor of someone who's been through it all: "Working isn’t so bad. Sure, you don’t make much, but at least you’re not wasting your time—you’re definitely putting in the effort."

Fan Ming: "..."

Totally annoyed.

Fan Ming sighed: "Jing Butler, you’re so motivated—why don’t you handle these tasks?"

"No need." Jing Yi felt physically uncomfortable just looking at the towering pile of documents: "These are Mr. Li’s expectations for you. I won’t steal your spotlight, Secretary Fan. Keep it up, but don’t forget to balance work and rest."

Fan Ming: "..."

Back in the day, life moved slowly, and you might never meet a lunatic in your lifetime. But now, Jing Butler alone is worth a hundred of them.

"Jing Butler, you’re starting to look like a greedy capitalist."

Jing Yi retorted instantly: "How could that be!"

He’s still a good socialist at heart, not one to exploit others.

Secretary Fan seemed off today. After chatting for a bit, Jing Yi got ready to leave, but as he turned around, he suddenly noticed something behind Fan Ming's ear and exclaimed in surprise: "Secretary Fan, do you still have mosquitoes around this time of year?"

Fan Ming was startled: "What?"

Jing Yi pointed to his ear: "It's swollen here from a bite."

"..."

Fan Ming reacted strongly, covering the affected area.

Jing Yi: "??"

Fan Ming stammered and nodded: "...Yeah."

Jing Yi said: "No wonder you look so worn out."

Fan Ming nodded gently again: "Yeah, I was fighting mosquitoes all night, so I didn't sleep well."

Jing Yi lowered his gaze, then suddenly revealed a strange smile: "Secretary Fan, do you think I believe that?"

Fan Ming: "..."

Jing Yi paused his gaze, then chuckled: "Secretary Fan, you’re turning red—did you have some Yunnan mushrooms for lunch?"

"..."

Fan Ming squirmed under the teasing. Jing Yi chuckled, savoring the rare joy of messing with someone so earnest, leaning on the desk to get closer to Fan Ming, his round eyes staring intently: "Secretary Fan, I've seen through you, this mark is clearly... uh?"

The back of his neck was gently grabbed, his collar buttoned just below his Adam's apple, cutting off all his unfinished words.

Jing Yi was sanctioned, pitifully straightened up by Li Wenzhao.

"Did I bring you back to the company just to tease Secretary Fan?"

Jing Yi protested: "I didn't!"

He was so close to cracking the case—let me go!

He struggled a couple of times in Li Wenzhao's grasp, to no avail, then looked at Fan Ming, frustrated.

Fan Ming observed Jing Yi's struggles without any sympathy and said to Li Wenzhao, "Mr. Li, Jing Yi mentioned he’s into wearing a ruby necklace."

Jing Yi was utterly confused.

"What the hell does that mean?"

Li Wenzhao chuckled coldly and hauled his unruly subordinate, who was always trying to escape, back to the office.

Jing Yi was left speechless.