Chapter 86: When Goofballs Gather, Chaos Ensues

Chapter 86: When Goofballs Gather, Chaos Ensues

After leaving the restaurant, Jing Yi felt his heart racing, kept glancing over his shoulder, terrified that Meng Po or the Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang duo might pop out from some dark corner and catch him off guard.

"Take it slow, the floor's slick," Li Wenzhao followed him, steadying him when he slipped.

Jing Yi clamped his mouth shut and trudged ahead until he got back into the car. Only then did he lightly pat his chest and exhale in relief.

Li Wenzhao: "What did Meng Po give you? What spooked you so much?"

Jing Yi blushed and quickly averted his gaze, shaking his head.

He couldn't speak now, so silence was the best answer.

He thought he would be hit with a seven-day gag order, but Meng Po personally intervened and only gave him a one-hour ban.

This was a silver lining.

Not being able to speak for seven days would be worse than a death sentence.

As for how to explain the little toy to Li Wenzhao after the ban was lifted... he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Anyway, he no longer had any mind-reading issues, so Li Wenzhao couldn't do anything to him.

On the way back, Li Xu called, asking Li Wenzhao and Jing Yi when they would return to the old house. It was almost New Year, and the family should all be under one roof.

Li Wenzhao asked Jing Yi for his opinion and decided to go back home that evening.

The two returned to their downtown home and tidied up for a bit.

An hour passed quickly.

"Ah, oh, hmm," Jing Yi tested his voice: "Eldest young master, I can speak now."

"Hmm," Li Wenzhao listened to his gibberish, "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

"No," Jing Yi giggled, "After all, it was the chief surgeon who took care of it personally, definitely better than Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang. I don't have to be speechless for seven days."

Hearing this, Li Wenzhao relaxed and hummed in agreement, bending over to pack luggage in the wardrobe. The old house had everything, so they only needed to bring some personal necessities.

Jing Yi watched as Li Wenzhao put his pajamas into the suitcase along with his own, blinking, "Eldest young master, are my clothes also packed together?"

Li Wenzhao said, "Hmm, it's convenient this way, and the suitcase has plenty of room."

Jing Yi muttered to himself, "But if packed like this, it'll be a hassle to sort them out later."

Would the eldest young master come to his butler's quarters to get his clothes, or would he go to the main bedroom to fetch the luggage?

Either way would raise suspicions.

Hearing this, Li Wenzhao paused, slowly raising his eyes to look at Jing Yi, "Are you suggesting we sleep apart?"

Jing Yi: "..."

Jing Yi froze for a second.

Oh, right, they were planning to go public.

Jing Yi chuckled a few times, "I forgot, I've been playing the butler role for so long that I forgot about our taboo relationship."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

What’s the taboo between an employer and a butler?

The young butler is acting up again.

After packing up their stuff, Li Wenzhao and Jing Yi officially moved back to the Li family mansion.

It was rare for the entire family to be back, even Li Mingzhi got a long holiday. The kitchen prepared dinner early.

The four brothers of the Li family each had their own tastes, and there were many spicy dishes on the table. Li Wenzhao glanced over the table and looked at Jing Yi on the other side, "Aunt Fang, ask the kitchen to prepare some lighter dishes."

Aunt Fang: "Sure."

The chopsticks, about to grab the spicy chicken, paused: "..."

Then smoothly switched to the stir-fried veggies next to it.

The Li family chef was hired at a high salary by Li Ting, proficient in various major cuisines in the country. Even stir-fried veggies could be turned into a delicacy, but Jing Yi was a meat lover. Eating greens felt like chewing wax, and his expression went blank.

"Jing Yi, why are you starting to eat greens?" Li Mingzhi, sharp-eyed, was the first to notice Jing Yi's discomfort and added several large pieces of spicy chicken to his bowl.

Jing Yi was on the verge of tears: "..."

Boo hoo, the young master is so good to him, but he is destined to disappoint this kindness.

"Young master, my preferences have changed," Jing Yi said, munching on greens like a rabbit, "I’m a vegetarian now."

"That’s not acceptable," Li Mingzhi widened his eyes, "How can I feed you like this?"

Jing Yi was easy to please: "Then just feed me some veggie dishes."

Li Mingzhi firmly refused: "No, that doesn’t fit the Li family’s style at all."

Jing Yi: "..."

Li Mingzhi put down his chopsticks and mimicked Li Wenzhao: "Aunt Fang, tell the kitchen to make some meat dishes with greens."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

Jing Yi: "..."

Young master, when did you start losing it?

Li Ting put down his chopsticks and glanced at Li Mingzhi with a complicated expression, "I told you to hang out less with Jing Butler, look, you’ve both gone nuts."

Jing Yi: "..."

He turned sharply, "Third Young Master, talking like that will cost you friends."

"What do I need friends for, anyway?" Li Ting shook his wine glass and chuckled, "We, the bossy CEOs, just need to sit at the top of the pyramid and command others... Jing Butler, pour me a glass of wine."

Jing Yi: "..." Damn rich people.

Jing Yi muttered under his breath, clearly agitated, cursing incoherently, but Li Ting listened for a while and surprisingly didn’t catch any thoughts.

...What, has Jing Butler lost it?

It had been a while since he heard the mind chatter, and he actually missed it. Hurry up and curse so I can hear it.

Jing Yi: "Alright, Third Young Master."

Jing Yi reluctantly walked over, picked up the decanter, and poured a generous amount of wine for Li Ting, nearly emptying half the bottle.

Li Ting: "..."

He was speechless: "Jing Butler, who told you to pour wine like that? How am I supposed to swirl my glass now?"

"Then sip it into your mouth," Jing Yi suggested, "and shake your head vigorously."

Same difference.

Li Ting: "..."

No wonder I couldn't hear his thoughts; turns out the butler now prefers to curse directly.

The decanter had a unique design, and Jing Yi found it quite amusing. He poured a bit for Li Wenzhao and then asked Li Xu, "Second Brother, would you like some more wine?"

"No need, Jing Butler," Li Xu glanced at Li Wenzhao, "I can handle it myself, thank you."

Li Ting's ears perked up in suspicion: ...Thank you?

Since when did his usually blunt second brother catch the madness?

Jing Yi had already darted away: "young master, this bottle is really cool, the wine it pours must be delicious. Want some?"

Li Mingzhi: "Sure, sure."

At the end of the table, the two little wine enthusiasts took turns sipping from the decanter, giggling non-stop. Eventually, even Li Mingzhi started giggling, and the dining room sounded like a henhouse full of clucking hens.

"..."

Li Xu's gaze subtly shifted back, "Eldest Brother, is it okay for Jing Butler to drink like this?"

He remembered Jing Yi had a flaw—once he drank too much, he'd become loud. With so many people at home, it wasn't a big deal for the brothers, but he worried Aunt Fang and others might see Jing Yi as an oddity.

"It's fine," Li Wenzhao set down his glass, "Third Brother."

Li Ting, still suspiciously eyeing Jing Yi, didn't turn his head: "Hmm?"

"How's the situation with Shen Group?" Li Wenzhao abruptly brought up business.

Only then did Li Ting shift his gaze from Jing Yi, "Almost wrapped up. We've already absorbed over 50% of Shen Group's industries."

"Good, keep pushing," Li Wenzhao said indifferently, "Aim to completely take over their industries before the New Year."

"Oh..." A few seconds later, Li Ting suddenly looked up, "Before the New Year? That's only two weeks away!"

Li Wenzhao: "And?"

"Eldest Brother, you're handing such a tough job to me?" Li Ting paused, then pointed at Li Xu, who was leisurely sipping soup, "Second Brother is more meticulous in his work, why not assign it to him?"

Li Xu smiled without a word.

Frustrated, Li Ting stomped on Li Xu's foot under the table.

Li Xu coughed lightly, "Eldest Brother, I'm free before the New Year, you can assign it to me too."

Li Wenzhao: "No need, it's Third Brother's task."

Li Ting: "...On what basis?"

"Didn't you say that I only need to stand at the pinnacle and command the view?"

Li Ting: "..."

Li Xu chuckled and buried his head in his soup.

The eldest brother never lets a grudge last overnight. Fortunately, he had already noticed the clues and restrained himself from acting up in front of the eldest brother.

Let the third brother make his own blunders.

The meal was consumed with everyone lost in their own thoughts.

Only Jing Yi and Li Mingzhi were blissfully unaware, eating and drinking without noticing the undercurrents among the other three.

After the meal, Li Mingzhi dragged Jing Yi off to play, sharing amusing anecdotes from his time on set. Jing Yi listened, thoroughly engrossed.

"...Isn't he hilarious? There are so many stories, I could go on forever." Li Mingzhi drank some water, "Why don't you stay over tonight? I'll keep telling you more."

Jing Yi was taken aback, his gaze involuntarily shifting towards Li Wenzhao.

Coincidentally, Li Wenzhao overheard his younger brother's words, raised an eyebrow, and fixed his gaze directly on Jing Yi.

Jing Yi's heart skipped a beat. For some reason, he suddenly recalled the entire night he was dominated two days prior. He did like Li Wenzhao, and he enjoyed being close to his boyfriend, but the thought of the oversized bed in the master bedroom made Jing Yi's backside ache faintly.

Never mind. He'd better steer clear for now.

With Li Mingzhi as an excuse, he wouldn't have to fumble for explanations in front of Li Wenzhao.

Jing Yi turned back, "Sure."

As soon as he answered, Jing Yi noticed the distant gaze shift momentarily, and Li Wenzhao set aside the tablet he was holding.

Jing Yi pursed his lips, suddenly feeling a twinge of nervousness.

Would Li Wenzhao declare their relationship right then and there?

He had considered going public, but not in front of three people simultaneously. Gradually, one at a time, the impact would be far less.

"Great. I've always wanted to share a bed with you," Li Mingzhi said gleefully. "You have no idea, my first, second, and third brothers all prefer to sleep alone. I've never had the joy of sharing a bed with a brother, but Jing Yi, you're the best. I'll get the finest, softest bedding for you."

Jing Yi felt as if needles were pricking his back, "...Thank you, young master."

Li Mingzhi grabbed his hand, "Let's go then, I'll show you to my room. I've brought plenty of gifts for you too."

Hearing this, Li Ting clicked his tongue, "You brought gifts for Jing Butler, but what about us, your brothers? Little brother, when did you become so partial?"

Li Mingzhi shot back without hesitation, "The gifts I brought, you wouldn't appreciate. Only Jing Yi gets it."

Jing Yi: "..."

No, no, young master, I don't get it either.

Glow-in-the-dark necklaces—one scare is enough; more would be lethal.

Li Mingzhi said, "Aunt Fang, my bed needs to be redone. Use that velvet blanket, the fluffy one, and the bed needs... never mind, come to my room, I'll show you how to arrange it myself. Jing Yi, let's go..."

"Wait," Li Wenzhao spoke up.

Jing Yi stiffened.

Li Mingzhi: "What's going on, bro?"

Li Ting also glanced up with suspicion. Only Li Xu wore a smug smile, as if he had already figured out the answer.

"Jing Yi can't stay with you," Li Wenzhao said.

Li Mingzhi: "Why?"

Jing Yi interjected: "Maybe two idiots together will trigger some special effect and disappear?"

"..."

Even though Jing Yi was rambling nonsensically, Li Wenzhao wasn't going to let him or the others off the hook. The next second, his flat voice rang out in the living room, leaving the three Li brothers completely dumbfounded—

"Because he's sleeping with me tonight."

"…………"