Chapter 45

Chapter 45

"Congratulations, Mr. Shen, your fever has broken." Uncle Li took the thermometer and smiled warmly at Shen Gali, who was lying in bed.

Although the fever had subsided, his cough still echoed through the mansion early in the morning.

Uncle Li watched Shen Gali take some antibiotics and then insisted he have a spoonful of Fritillaria loquat syrup, claiming it could clear the lungs and stop coughing.

Shen Gali adamantly refused. His bottom line was only tasteless capsule pills. Fritillaria loquat syrup tasted like slightly sweet mint-flavored plastic; after he threw up from a spoonful the night before, he wasn't going to let that crap torture him again today.

Since he wouldn't drink it, Uncle Li kept urging him, and the commotion attracted Nan Liujing.

Today was Nan Feiyao's first day in office. The board of directors and all employees would be present to welcome him, and he would get a tour of the company. So Nan Liujing had gotten up early, and passing by Shen Gali's room, he heard the noise and came in to check.

As he suspected, Shen Gali was being a brat again.

"Are you a child? Do you need coaxing to take medicine?"

Shen Gali buried himself in the covers, his voice muffled by the blanket: "It tastes awful, like plastic."

"How do you know it tastes like plastic? Have you eaten it before?"

"Yeah, I have."

Nan Liujing: ?

He seriously did? He wasn't just talking out of his ass, was he?

"When did you eat it, and how come I didn't know?"

"You made me cook, and I was so pissed I bit the spatula handle to let off steam."

Nan Liujing let out a snort.

Sure enough, his answers were always out of left field.

"Alright, if he doesn't want it, forget it. It's not like it's necessary." Nan Liujing said to Uncle Li.

But as he was leaving, he ran into Bai Wei showing up, and overheard the following conversation:

Bai Wei: "Li Li, look what Mom brought you."

Shen Gali: "Wow, it's Fritillaria loquat syrup! How did you know I like this?"

Bai Wei: "Because you're my child, of course I know you. And this one is homemade by me."

Shen Gali: "Then I'm going to drink it all, no one's allowed to take it from me."

Bai Wei: "Drink it all up, it's good for your cough."

Shen Gali: "See, now that's a mom for you. Nan Liujing just said it was optional."

Nan Liujing: ...

He felt stabbed in the back. So this was the difference between first and last place?

*

At nine o'clock, Nan Feiyao and his crew arrived punctually outside the Huanhai Electronics headquarters. The top brass had been waiting out front for a while. Seeing Nan Feiyao, they greeted him with applause, flowers, and hellos.

Nan Feiyao's expression was indifferent. This COO gig, the one everyone envied, didn't satisfy him at all.

Right after he got out of the car, a black Cayenne pulled up at the entrance. Driver Yang jogged to the back, pulled a wheelchair from the trunk, and helped Nan Liujing get out of the car.

Brothers meeting, with the younger one starting his first day at work, should have been a warm scene of greetings, hugs, and encouragement. But neither brother spoke, and they didn't even look at each other.

All the board members were there, including Yu Jinzhu, naturally. When he saw them, his eyes were only on Nan Feiyao. He greeted him warmly, complimenting Nan Feiyao's good looks, kept hammering on:

"They say a sound body is the foundation of a sound mind. Director Nan, with your handsome face, tall build, and strong legs, just standing there, you are the poster boy for Huanhai Group. I'm sure Director Nan will take Huanhai Group to new heights."

The compliments were dripping with sarcasm, sounding harsh to others, but Nan Liujing's face remained impassive as he calmly straightened his tie, waiting for his secretary to come down.

As he passed by Nan Feiyao, Nan Liujing raised his hand to signal his secretary to pause.

Eyes fixed straight ahead, he said in a standard leadership tone: "At 9:30, come to the meeting room for the autumn product project presentation. By the way, in the company, it's required that everyone wear their employee ID badges during meetings."

With that, he lowered his hand, and the secretary, taking the hint, pushed him in.

Yu Jinzhu watched his retreating figure, letting out a cold laugh, then patted Nan Feiyao on the shoulder: "Director Nan, keep it up. I've got your back."

Nan Feiyao glanced at him indifferently, then led his employees into the company with long strides.

The ID badges were small metal pieces. To distinguish positions, they were made in different colors. The badges for the chairman level were pure gold, the CEO's were platinum, and the COO and CFO levels were silver. Even from a distance, one could tell the position just by the material.

In the office, Nan Feiyao took the silver badge handed to him by his secretary, his fingers clenched, and then he hurled it to the floor.

Everything in this office was infuriating—the size compared to the CEO's office next door, the title plate on the desk, and especially the words "Chief Operating Officer" glaring back at him.

That cripple Nan Liujing must be feeling real smug now, huh?

The secretary barely dared to breathe. After a long while, she saw Nan Feiyao pick up the badge and clip it on.

At 9:30, the execs filed into the conference room.

As soon as Nan Feiyao entered, the senior managers immediately stood up, bowed, and said, "Good morning, Director Nan."

The meeting room was spacious and empty, with only a long table lined with chairs.

Nan Feiyao let out an annoyed sigh and pulled out the head chair to sit down.

"Um..." A department manager from somewhere below suddenly wiped off a cold sweat, as if he had something to say.

"What?" Nan Feiyao was annoyed just by the sight of his pained, hesitant look. Nothing had gone right all morning.

The person next to the manager elbowed him, lowering his eyes meaningfully as if hinting at something. The manager also lowered his head, mumbled "It's nothing," and sat back down.

Even Yu Jinzhu's expression was ambiguous.

Nan Feiyao didn't feel like dealing with these ugly old geezers. He opened his laptop: "Then, the meeting—"

Before he could finish, the meeting room door was pushed open.

The soft rustle of tires on the carpet.

Nan Liujing arrived, followed by several executives who seemed to be in the middle of a discussion.

The executives instinctively looked toward the head of the long table and froze, their eyes wide with shock.

Again! That same damn expression!

Nan Feiyao barely held back his anger, not understanding if these old farts were deliberately messing with him or what.

Nan Liujing, on the other hand, looked completely at ease, not even glancing at him as he leisurely adjusted his cuffs.

A senior executive scurried over to Nan Feiyao, cold sweat beading on his forehead:

"Director Nan, I'm sorry, I'm the meeting note-taker today. Um... this seat is for the Executive President, as he's the main host of this meeting. Your seat..."

The executive gestured toward the empty seat to the right of the head of the table and said, "It's over here."

Nan Feiyao's mouth twitched uncontrollably as he gripped his pen tightly. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he pulled out the chair and sat down, feeling a mix of irritation and embarrassment.

Nan Liujing, completely at ease, took the seat at the head of the table, placed his folder on the desk, and said, "It's getting late. Let's begin the meeting."

Although Nan Liujing was not favored in the Nan family initially and was underestimated when he first joined the company due to his physical condition, he nevertheless instilled fear in all employees with his ruthless, iron-fisted management style.

Employees had given him a nickname behind his back: they said they'd seen plenty of living Buddhas, but this was the first time they'd seen a living King of Hell.

The main agenda of today's meeting was to acquire the uranium that the Rosand family currently holds and implement rights issue under the "New Four Boards" policy, i.e. offering shares to existing shareholders in proportion to their holdings to raise funds.

To assert his authority, Nan Feiyao directly expressed his disagreement. He didn't want the original shareholders to continue increasing their stakes—once they got a taste of the benefits, they would never let go, which would clearly be disadvantageous to his becoming Chairman.

"A rights issue would drive up the stock price, making it harder for more people to buy our company's shares..."

"So what?" Nan Liujing cut him off coldly. "Are you planning to finance with your New Year's money, or do you have the ability to provide a guarantee that can avoid the cascading risks?"

Nan Feiyao was instantly struck silent, his mouth hanging open.

Nan Liujing was definitely doing this on purpose, deliberately not giving him an out—he wanted him to embarrass himself in front of everyone on his first day!

He pressed his pen, his thumb turning pale cyan, his hatred for Nan Liujing rising by the second. In all his life, he had never hated anyone so much.

He wished Nan Liujing would just die.

But Nan Liujing didn't even bother to glance at him, giving orders without a second thought: "Everyone, proceed with the financing as soon as possible. As for Director Nan, you need to gain hands-on experience to complement your theoretical knowledge. In the next few days, you will be responsible for coordinating the delivery of goods with the Japanese company—a batch of very important precision parts. I hope you stay on your toes."

With that, Nan Liujing tapped the folder, closing it, and said in a quiet voice, "This meeting is adjourned. Everyone return to your posts and continue working."

As his words fell, the executives and shareholders rose and filed out of the room. Nan Liujing also had his secretary push him back to his office, leaving Nan Feiyao sitting in silence, alone in his seat.

After the crowd had completely dispersed, he suddenly lifted his pen and slammed it onto the table. The pen instantly broke in two, and ink splattered, staining the carpet in patches.

He had wanted to throw his weight around, but instead, he was the one being outmaneuvered by Nan Liujing.

At that moment, he finally understood that Nan Liujing was nothing less than a ticking time bomb—he absolutely had to be eliminated, in every possible way.

*

Not long ago, the incident where Shen Gali "poached" the minor celebrity Pei Jing's endorsement had caused an uproar online. Pei Jing's team saw it as a prime opportunity to gain fans. Although they dared not point the finger at Shen Gali, they could use marketing accounts to portray Pei Jing as a poor victim, which would inevitably stir up netizens' sympathy.

But despite the team's fear of Shen Gali's status, the only way to make 'pitiful' truly impactful was through comparison. In the later stages, things got out of control—Pei Jing's extremist fans flooded the internet, boycotting not only Lancer Jewelry but also Huanhai Electronics, and Shen Gali became a tragic scapegoat caught in the crossfire.

This development mirrored the original story: after the original protagonist was sent by the antagonist to the private rooms of some old men, one of them took a liking to the protagonist and offered to bring him into the entertainment industry to make money. In reality, he was just using him as a bed warmer. Few gigs came through, but he was passed around to many patrons, and in the end, his earnings were all split among the shameless old men.

Already notorious, being thrust into the public eye only made matters worse—netizens tore him apart online.

Compared to the original plot, although the dissenting voices online were somewhat weaker, they still existed.

Although Nan Liujing had already sent cease-and-desist letters to trolls a few days earlier, the trolls weren't afraid—the worst that could happen was a fine. What else could anyone do to them? As long as they got their insults out, they were satisfied.

A few IDs were particularly active, spewing extremely foul language, making you wonder how a person could be so vile. They even threatened that Shen Gali should watch his back when going out.

Direct messages: "Huaihai South Road, No. 011, Shen Gali, that's your home address, right? Hehe, just wait and see."

"Shen Gali, I'll show you something fun. [Image]"

At first glance, the image seemed harmless—a long scrolling image that required scrolling down to see the full content. It started with an ordinary photo of a bridge in a scenic area, but if scrolled to the very end, a grotesque and bloody female ghost face appeared, making your blood pressure spike instantly.

These people relentlessly sent disgusting images to Shen Gali's private messages, Photoshopped images of accidents, funeral clothes, and so on.

Fortunately, Shen Gali had no interest in online gossip. He hadn't opened the original owner's Weibo account for half a year, and as far as he was concerned, the curses and abuse in his private messages didn't exist as long as he didn't see them.

Ever since he reunited with his birth mother, Bai Wei had been visiting frequently. If her work ended not too late, she would always come by, bringing homemade desserts or staying up late, fighting off sleep, to work on clay crafts with Shen Gali.

Although when Bai Wei brought out the clay tools, Shen Gali inwardly sighed out of habit, anything done with his mother was never too much trouble. So now the windowsill was lined with a row of clay succulents.

And Bai Wei brought a bottle of chuanbei loquat paste every day. After eating it so often, Shen Gali actually found it tasty.

Because it was made by Mom (he answered without hesitation).

Whether it was due to the chuanbei loquat paste or not, Shen Gali's cough significantly improved, and his voice returned to normal. After resting in bed for a few days, he even gained some weight, and his complexion looked healthy.

Nan Liujing had also consulted with a doctor, who confirmed that Shen Gali had indeed undergone heart bypass surgery, but his recovery looked good so far. The doctor prescribed some common medications and jotted down some precautions.

Today, Uncle Li ran some errands, and Nan Liujing went to the company as usual. After the doctor left, only Shen Gali was home alone.

He sat with his phone watching videos, trying to fall asleep.

Suddenly! He sat bolt upright.

The worst news hit him like a thunderbolt!

The cemetery plot he had his eye on had gone up in price...

Because of a recent news story about a typhoon damaging houses while the cemetery remained unscathed, unscrupulous developers had driven the price of cemetery plots through the roof. Eight million had become sixteen million—a straight doubling of price.

Those not short on cash had already started checking the situation. The number of plots was shrinking, and with the developers' scarcity marketing, prices would only keep rising.

Shen Gali was feeling emo.

In total, he only had three million on hand. What if, by the time he died, the price had shot up to two hundred million? And if he didn't renew his cemetery plot lease, they'd dig him up when the time came.

He looked up darkly, his mind filled with images of annoying people sitting on his grave, crying and pouring out their longing. Even in his grave, he could hear their non-stop buzzing like a gathering of flies.

It hurt way too much.

No, he had to expand his cash reserves.

After lounging around for a few days, Shen Gali opened his contact list and fell silent.

So, what number was Nan Liujing in the idiot list?

No choice, he opened WeChat, found Nan Liujing, and slowly typed a few words:

"Give me money to buy ingredients for dinner."

Nan Liujing seemed very busy; it was a long time before he replied:

"How much?"

Shen Gali: "Whatever you think is right."

A moment later, Nan Liujing forwarded the dinner recipe that Uncle Li had sent him to Shen Gali: "It's a fasting day today. Based on the recipe, calculate the market price of vegetables. Fifty yuan should be enough."

Shen Gali: …

Suddenly he didn’t want to reply.

He tossed his phone aside and buried his face in the pillow.

On the other end, Nan Liujing waited for Shen Gali’s reply, but it never came. Though he was at work, he kept glancing at his phone every few seconds.

Half an hour later, the chat history still ended at “fifty yuan.”

Nan Liujing smiled helplessly. This guy was truly pragmatic—no reply for small change.

But he had no choice. After all, his ranking in Shen Gali’s heart was even lower than a plunger’s.

Nan Liujing: “[Transfer 50,000 yuan], today’s single‑day limit.”

It wasn’t that he wanted to please him, and he definitely didn’t care about him. It was just that he couldn’t stand being ranked below a plunger.

Yes, it was purely unwillingness.

Shen Gali’s WeChat still used the original owner’s avatar and chat background, simply because he was too lazy to change them. The only exception was the special notification sound for transfers.

He picked up his phone, accepted the transfer in a second, and without a word got up to change clothes.

Nan Liujing saw that the money was taken without a single reply, shook his head with a helpless smile.

Money grubber.

After waiting a long time without any response from Shen Gali, Nan Liujing turned off his phone and opened his work documents.

A while later, he suddenly lifted his head with a strange expression, pondered for a moment, then opened a new document, typed a long string of text at lightning speed, printed it, signed it, stamped it with his personal seal, and then called Driver Yang to come pick him up.

Driver Yang asked where he was going. Nan Liujing, tucking away the freshly printed document, said, “Notary office.”

*

Shen Gali returned from the market, having spent a total of 20.3 yuan, with a net profit of 49,979.7 yuan.

He carried a few stalks of bok choy and two shiitake mushrooms. Just as he reached the door, he saw a familiar figure.

Annoyance No. 1.

He wanted to dodge, but it was too late.

Shen Lanqing had been waiting by the door for a long time. Though his back was to Shen Gali, it was as if he had a radar sensor—he instantly sensed Shen Gali dozens of meters away.

“Brother… you’re back. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

Unlike their previous meeting, Shen Lanqing had lost his usual sunny cheerfulness; instead, a shadow of gloom hung over him. He tried hard to maintain a smile, but it was forced.

Probably ever since he saw his brother leave with Nan Liujing in full view, his state of mind had changed. He could no longer deceive his own heart.

Shen Gali knew he couldn’t avoid this. He entered the house, took off his coat, casually placed his phone on the table, and carried the vegetables into the kitchen.

Shen Lanqing followed him in, took the vegetables, and forced a smile: “Brother, you’ve just recovered, you shouldn’t overwork yourself. Let me help you.”

Shen Gali silently took the vegetables back, his silence telling him to go back where he came from.

To be honest, he didn’t dislike Shen Lanqing, but he also didn’t like having his private time encroached upon by outsiders.

Shen Lanqing saw his indifference, felt a pang of loss, but didn’t dare to press further. He could only say, “I’ll wait for you outside. If you need help, just call me.”

When he reached the living room, Shen Lanqing sat down on the sofa, and his gaze suddenly fell on Shen Gali’s phone on the table.

He stared at it for a long time, then, almost as if possessed, picked up the phone, tapped the screen lightly, and found it had no password lock. After a moment’s hesitation, he opened WeChat.

The most recent chat was the transfer message between Shen Gali and Nan Liujing just now.

Shen Lanqing glanced stealthily toward the kitchen, made sure his brother wouldn’t come out anytime soon, and then rapidly scrolled up through the chat history.

There was almost no interaction between Shen Gali and Nan Liujing in the chat app, and every time Shen Gali replied to Nan Liujing, it was no more than ten words.

As Shen Lanqing flipped through the records, he became more convinced that his brother and Nan Liujing were forced together by circumstance. How could two people with real feelings end every conversation so hastily?

He closed WeChat and browsed through other apps on Shen Gali’s phone. The countless red notification badges showed that the owner rarely opened these apps. The Weibo icon had an accumulated 99+ unread messages.

Shen Lanqing suddenly remembered that the last Lancer shoot had pushed his brother into trending topics. Without hesitation, he tapped to open Weibo’s private messages.

Instantly, a torrent of abuse and curses flooded in, mixed with large numbers of inhumane, bloody images.

Shen Lanqing felt his blood pressure spike. Those disgusting, terrifying images sent chills down his spine.

So this was the cyberbullying his brother had been enduring. Although there were kind netizens’ private messages offering comfort, a single malicious comment was enough to ruin the entire day’s mood.

No, this couldn’t go on. His brother had to remain pure, had to receive only praise and adoration.

Shen Lanqing’s fingers gripping the phone gradually tightened, veins of suppressed anger bulging on the side of his neck.

Suddenly, the electronic sound of the door’s fingerprint lock echoed from the front door. He quickly put the phone back and adjusted his clothes.

When Nan Liujing and the driver entered, they immediately saw Shen Lanqing sitting upright on the living room sofa.

Seeing there was a guest, the driver said, “I’ll be off then.”

Shen Lanqing lowered his eyes, stood up, and said in a choked voice, “Brother Jing.”

Nan Liujing didn’t even glance at him. He casually untied his tie and said nonchalantly, “Isn’t the company busy? Operating under debt must be tough, yet you find time to come here every few days.”

Shen Lanqing said softly, “Yes, it’s busy, but I’m worried about brother’s health, so I came to check on him.”

His hatred for Nan Liujing was no less than his hatred for Nan Feiyao, but he also understood that power was paramount. Facing this disabled Nan Liujing, he had no advantage.

The only comfort before had been his brother’s cold attitude toward him, but since the banquet, even that seemed to have subtly changed.

He suddenly felt deeply pathetic—he should have been the closest person to his brother, yet because of this ridiculous marriage, he had become the most distant.

Nan Liujing didn’t seem interested in talking to him. His gaze swept past him, then he picked up Shen Gali’s phone from the table and went to the kitchen.

Shen Gali was still picking vegetables in the kitchen. The lovely fresh bok choy had been mangled by him: tops and bottoms removed, leaving only the stems of irregular lengths soaking in a basin.

Nan Liujing put the phone aside and reminded him, “Keep your phone safe, especially when there are outsiders around.”

After a moment, he took the vegetables from Shen Gali’s hands: “Let me.”

Although he had never done this kind of work before, at least for now he needed to surpass the plunger and earn a place in Shen Gali’s heart.

Shen Gali was more than happy to hand over the vegetables and went to sit and rest.

This was the first time he had seen Nan Liujing tackle vegetables. His movements weren’t skilled, and the result was similar to Shen Gali’s own—he removed everything that could or couldn’t be eaten.

Watching, Shen Gali suddenly laughed out loud.

Nan Liujing glanced at him and silently counted in his mind: the third time.

Although Shen Gali had laughed three times, he was the only one who had ever seen him laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Nan Liujing asked, pretending to be serious.

Shen Gali turned his head away, using his fingers to cover the smile at the corner of his mouth: "I think you're stupid."

Nan Liujing: ...

He realized that Shen Gali only laughed when he made a fool of himself.

Nan Liujing cleared his throat, his gaze falling on the small jar that held salt, which Shen Gali had just taken out to wash the bayberries.

"This, you've used it up?" he asked, holding up the small jar.

Without even looking, Shen Gali kept his eyes closed and replied dismissively, "Mm."

Nan Liujing subtly observed the change in his expression, and when he seemed about to open his eyes, he said in a low voice, "Put things back after using them."

He straightened up, reached out to open the wall-mounted cabinet, and with a sidelong glance to confirm that Shen Gali was looking his way, he used the salt jar to silently sweep the other small seasoning jars off the shelf.

With a clatter, the small jars fell one after another, each landing squarely on Nan Liujing's head before rolling to the ground.

Then, he rubbed his head and muttered a low curse, "Damn it."

Now, he waited for Shen Gali's mockery.

But he waited for a long time, and the person beside him remained silent.

Nan Liujing's Adam's apple moved as he slightly turned his head to look.

And so he met Shen Gali's gaze.

Shen Gali looked at him expressionlessly, blinking indifferently.

...

Awkward. The atmosphere was indescribably awkward.

Then, two voices spoke at once:

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"Not funny?"

Shen Gali didn't think it was funny at all, and countered, "Would you mock someone who's injured?"

Nan Liujing: ...

A miscalculation.

He felt as if a ranking chart materialized beside Shen Gali's face, and the name "Nan Liujing" had dropped another spot from below "plunger," landing miserably behind "foster mother," with a parenthesis and two bold Song-font characters next to his name:

"Trash"

Nan Liujing let out a soft sigh. Forget surpassing the plunger; now he wasn't even as good as the foster mother.

The way he had just acted must have looked so foolish in Shen Gali's eyes.

Nan Liujing lowered his gaze, his tone turning awkward and uneasy: "I'll go out first."

Just as his hand touched the wheelchair's auxiliary ring, the top of his head suddenly felt warm.

He instinctively looked up, meeting Shen Gali's downturned eyes. It seemed like he was looking at him, or maybe not—just that his gaze landed on him.

The two hands covering his head were slightly warm and gentle, with no force applied, merely resting lightly on the surface.

When Nan Liujing realized it was Shen Gali's hands on his head, every inch of his body slowly stiffened, bit by bit.

In that instant, a storm of thoughts raced through his mind, starting from the Big Bang:

When did I wash my hair? Is there anything dirty on it? What's the shape of my skull? Is it weird anywhere?

Thinking over these bizarre questions, the warmth from the palms on his head seeped through his hair and into his scalp, rapidly enveloping every cell with a tingling numbness.

Nan Liujing was certain: He's concerned about me.

"What is it?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer—he wanted Shen Gali to admit it himself.

Shen Gali's voice was faint, revealing no emotion:

"It feels like it might swell up like in a cartoon. If I press it, maybe it won't."

If a lump actually popped up on Nan Liujing's forehead, Uncle Li would definitely be nagging him by his bedside all night! On and on and on!

Should he stick a band-aid on his head? Like the ones in cartoons with an "X" mark.

Forget it, he didn't know where the band-aid was, and finding it would be a hassle. He'd just press it like this for now.

He kept pressing, and Nan Liujing stayed perfectly still, until Uncle Li returned. After greeting Shen Lanqing on the sofa, he walked into the kitchen and saw this intimate yet somewhat odd scene.

Uncle Li was moved to tears.

Though to others it might seem like a perfectly normal physical contact, for the young master who usually hated anyone close to him, rounding it up made it practically a home run... you-know-what!

The young master had finally grown up. This old man would die a happy man.

Uncle Li rubbed his hands together, feeling that such a good atmosphere shouldn't just stop here. He had to think of something to push their relationship further.

"Young master and Mr. Shen should go rest now. I've got it covered here." Uncle Li tied his apron and urged them.

Shen Gali pressed for a while. When the lump didn't seem to form, he grew tired of holding it and decided to lie down for five minutes. He let go and walked away.

The instant his hands left, Nan Liujing felt an inexplicable, intense sense of loss. This uneasy emotion clouded his mind, causing his body to issue strange commands.

Nan Liujing urgently reached out a hand and grabbed Shen Gali's wrist.

Shen Gali pulled his hand back, looking at him warily: "It didn't swell up. Don't try to milk this for sympathy."

Nan Liujing: ...

Watching the two of them, both too cautious to take another step closer, Uncle Li clenched his fists and silently vowed:

Young master, I'll do my best. You've got to be determined too. So it's settled—I'll give it my all to help you. Tonight, I'll make sure you safely reach home base.