Lu Zhixing blinked, then slowly broke into a smile. There wasn’t the slightest trace of helplessness from being restrained. He looked at Huai Xi with the disgust and coldness one might show when looking at a rabid dog.
Even when Huai Xi acted against him, he didn’t dare use too much force. He was afraid of leaving marks on Lu Zhixing’s neck.
In a certain sense, Huai Xi was the same as him.
Both of them loved with extreme caution.
But there was only one Master in this world. They were destined to fight to the death.
*
Xi Yu had originally planned to go see Old Dog and Aunt Lan under the overpass when he had some free time that afternoon.
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. After lunch, the clouds began to sink lower and lower, the gloom pressing down toward the earth and bringing with it a heavy rain.
There was no way he could go out now.
He calculated that the gloomy, rainy weather would last for several days, so he simply decided to stay home and occasionally go check on Lu Zhixing.
Lu Zhixing’s condition that day had been especially strange, and Xi Yu was a little worried.
Normally, Lu Zhixing seemed quite smart, but whenever it came to something important, he somehow managed to drop the ball.
He was afraid Xi Yu would find him annoying, so he endured the pain without even calling for him.
So Xi Yu made several extra trips over there.
Luo Cheng’an, meanwhile, had been unusually clingy these past few days, practically wanting to stay with him twenty-four hours a day.
Xi Yu had no choice. He simply brought Luo Cheng’an along when he went over to visit.
Luo Cheng’an gave an enthusiastic welcome to the fact that Lu Zhixing lived next door.
Xi Yu felt that Lu Zhixing’s parents were completely different from Lu Zhixing himself. They were especially hospitable.
They had even specifically brought gifts over before.
For some reason, though, Luo Yuan had been keeping a cold expression on his face the entire time.
Luo Cheng’an was a social butterfly. After Xi Yu took him over to the Lu residence twice, he had Jiang Shuhe and Lu Zheng smiling whenever they saw him.
Later, when they got bored, the three of them sat together playing cards, getting along remarkably well.
Xi Yu was very pleased.
It was a good thing for Lu Zhixing and Luo Cheng’an to spend more time together.
Merit, ah~
After the rain stopped, the temperature dropped somewhat.
On the day of the Shen family’s dinner party, Xi Yu put on a suit and no longer felt hot.
The two families now lived close to each other, so they had agreed to go together.
“Bro, my tie isn’t tied properly. Help me fix it.”
At the hotel entrance, Luo Cheng’an got out of the car, tilted his neck up, and called out to Xi Yu.
Lu Zhixing got out of the car a step behind him. Seeing this, he smiled and walked over, squeezing Xi Yu aside as he said to Luo Cheng’an, “I’ll help you.”
Xi Yu was pushed to the side, but he was quite happy about it. He didn’t know how to tie a tie anyway, which was why he wasn’t wearing one.
Lu Zhixing wore a perfectly polite smile the entire time, like a gentle, warm-hearted older brother. After straightening Luo Cheng’an’s tie, he even patted him on the shoulder.
“There. All done.”
Luo Cheng’an’s eyes curved into a smile.
“Thanks, Brother Lu.”
“You’re welcome.”
Jiang Shuhe wrapped her arm around Shen Qing’s and said coquettishly, “Ever since I came back to the country, you haven’t been affectionate with me anymore~ What’s wrong with you~”
Luo Yuan immediately pulled his wife away and warily looked at the Lu couple.
They weren’t old family friends anymore. Now this couple was trying every possible way to steal his son.
Absolutely not!
His precious son had only just come back. He couldn’t possibly let him marry out of the family.
And of course, he definitely couldn’t let Lu Zhixing marry into their family either!
In the past, Luo Yuan had looked at Lu Zhixing as an exceptionally capable junior.
Now, he saw Lu Zhixing as nothing more than a brat trying to run off with his precious son!
Lu Zheng caught Luo Yuan’s gaze and secretly leaned toward Lu Zhixing’s ear.
“Your~ fa~ther-in-law~ doesn’t~ like~ you~.”
Lu Zhixing pressed his lips together and smiled.
“Has Grandfather agreed to let you spend New Year’s at the old residence this year?”
Lu Zheng’s heart shattered instantly. He ran over to his wife.
“I told you we should have another daughter. Sons aren’t affectionate at all!”
Jiang Shuhe rolled her eyes.
“Then you give birth to one.”
Xi Yu looked left, then right.
This was nice.
Human couples really did have such wonderful relationships.
Still, standing around blocking the entrance wasn’t exactly appropriate.
Xi Yu was just about to call everyone inside when he saw Shen Linchuan approaching in long strides.
“Mr. Xi.”
Shen Linchuan came straight toward Xi Yu. Only after greeting him did he acknowledge everyone else.
Xi Yu’s gaze fell on Shen Linchuan.
The demonic aura had grown fainter.
Under these circumstances, there were only two possibilities. Either that demon had already left, or its life force was fading away.
Xi Yu leaned toward the latter possibility.
The seating inside the banquet hall had already been arranged.
Xi Yu and Luo Cheng’an sat together, while Lu Zhixing and Jiang Shuhe switched seats and sat on either side of Xi Yu.
Shen Qing and Luo Yuan exchanged a glance. Sure enough, they didn’t see Liu Tanghuan.
At this time last year, Liu Tanghuan had still been here.
Xi Yu didn’t sense any demonic aura in the banquet hall. The only person carrying demonic aura was Shen Linchuan.
As the organizer of the charity gala, Shen Linchuan was constantly chatting with people.
But Xi Yu could clearly sense that his mind was elsewhere.
The banquet was held in the form of an auction. Shen Qing and Jiang Shuhe symbolically contributed a piece of jewelry each.
At gatherings like this, most people came to make connections with influential figures. The auction itself was little more than a gimmick.
Shen Linchuan held a wineglass and dealt with everyone, but his gaze kept drifting toward Xi Yu’s arm.
When he saw that Xi Yu wasn’t wearing the Gold-and-Jade Bracelet, his brows furrowed slightly.
A business executive sitting opposite him failed to notice anything unusual and said ingratiatingly, “I never thought even President Lu would come. This is his first banquet since returning to the country. Linchuan, that variety show of yours really worked out well.”
…………………….
Aside from this man, everyone else at the banquet thought the same thing. Everyone felt that Shen Linchuan had gotten incredibly lucky.
He had gone on a variety show, made friends with Lu Zhixing, and gotten connected with the Lu family.
Some people even thought that Shen Linchuan had gone on the variety show from the very beginning specifically to get close to Lu Zhixing.
But regardless of which theory they believed, they were all envious and jealous.
It wasn’t just the Lu family that had come. The entire family of four from the Luo family had also attended, which was enough to show how much importance they placed on him.
The Lu family’s businesses operated in markets around the world.
Although the Luo family didn’t have quite as much influence, they were in A City now.
The Luo family’s headquarters were in A City, and over the years, their businesses had spread throughout the city. Anyone who wanted to establish a foothold here first had to build a relationship with the Luo family.
Shen Linchuan had only made a name for himself in A City over the past two years, so some of the older, established families had looked down on him.
But now that both the Lu and Luo families were at the banquet, even those who had previously dismissed Shen Linchuan began reconsidering him.
“Impressive. The younger generation is truly formidable.”
Someone raised a glass to Shen Linchuan.
Shen Linchuan gave a reserved smile. He hadn’t expected the Lu family to come.
But naturally, having them there was a good thing. Even if he couldn’t cooperate with the Lu family, simply having this connection would allow him to leverage their name in the future. Once others knew he had been connected to the Lu family, they would be more willing to give him face.
However, business was not what occupied his thoughts tonight.
After dealing with one round of guests, Shen Linchuan walked over to Xi Yu.
“Mr. Xi, could I borrow you for a moment?”
Xi Yu had been chatting with Lu Zhixing. Hearing this, he raised his eyes. After a brief pause, he smiled.
“Sure.”
Xi Yu stood up. Luo Cheng’an stared longingly at his retreating figure.
Lu Zhixing blinked, then let out a cold scoff through his nose.
Only then did Luo Cheng’an withdraw his gaze. His eyes toward Lu Zhixing were somewhat cold.
Lu Zhixing met Luo Cheng’an’s gaze.
Across the empty seat where Xi Yu had been sitting, the two silently confronted each other.
In the garden, clusters of little flowers were blooming brightly.
Shen Linchuan lowered his eyes and pleaded with Xi Yu.
“As long as Mr. Xi is willing to part with it, I’ll agree to any request you make.”
Xi Yu said, “I remember I’ve already refused you.”
“But the Gold-and-Jade Bracelet is extremely important to me, so I have no choice but to shamelessly ask again.”
Shen Linchuan’s attitude could almost be described as humble.
Xi Yu chuckled.
“What if I wanted the Shen Corporation?”
Shen Linchuan’s pupils contracted. He stared at Xi Yu, unable to tell whether he was serious.
He couldn’t determine whether Xi Yu was joking or genuinely making the offer.
But even if he was serious…
“Fine.” Shen Linchuan gritted his teeth. “As long as you’re willing to give me the Gold-and-Jade Bracelet, I’m willing to hand the Shen Corporation over to you.”
He still had savings.
As long as he obtained the Gold-and-Jade Bracelet, he wouldn’t need to buy those expensive medicinal ingredients anymore.
He had resources and connections. He could always start another company.
But there was only one Gold-and-Jade Bracelet, and he could no longer afford to wait.
Xi Yu studied Shen Linchuan. Lu Zhixing had shown him Shen Linchuan’s background before.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Shen Linchuan valued money above his own life.
Especially in recent years, as long as something could make money, Shen Linchuan would pursue it without discrimination. He had devoted almost all his time to making money.
Yet now, for Liuyun’s sake, he was willing to hand over the Shen Corporation without hesitation.
Still, this was within Xi Yu’s expectations. Lu Zhixing had discovered that Shen Linchuan had spent an enormous amount of money purchasing all kinds of precious medicinal ingredients.
While he was making money, money was also flowing out of his hands like water.
Most likely, all of it was for that demon.
Unfortunately, after taking over someone else’s fate, the Heavenly Dao would inevitably impose a punishment.
That wasn’t an injury that mortal medicinal ingredients could heal.
The spiritual power within Liuyun could repair the soul.
Shen Linchuan’s line of thinking wasn’t wrong. If there was anything in the mortal world that could heal wounds inflicted by the Heavenly Dao’s punishment, it would be Liuyun.
Xi Yu shook his head.
“I don’t want your company. The Gold-and-Jade Bracelet is important to me as well. I can’t give it to you.”
Shen Linchuan froze and was about to speak again, but Xi Yu didn’t give him the chance.
“But I can point you toward a solution.”
Xi Yu walked over to Shen Linchuan’s side and turned his head.
“As long as everyone returns to their proper place, your wife will be able to live a healthy and peaceful life.”
The Heavenly Dao’s punishment was certainly severe, but it wasn’t severe enough to take a life.
Shen Linchuan was so desperate to obtain the Gold-and-Jade Bracelet that the demon’s body must have reached the point of complete exhaustion.
This was because, after the Heavenly Dao had imposed its punishment, that demon had still refused to let go of its obsession, which had led to the situation now.
As long as the demon was willing to return Liu Tanghuan’s identity to her and properly recuperate, its life would not be in danger.
Shen Linchuan was unwilling to say anything, and Xi Yu didn’t want to ask.
Everything in this world had its own cause and effect. It was simply a matter of what choice Shen Linchuan would make.