Chapter 45

 

The lively atmosphere of the barbecue stall gradually faded into the night.

By the end, Peng Jiaying was sprawled across the table, completely unconscious from drinking. Every now and then, he’d mumble a few words in his sleep, all of them related to work.

In the end, Nie Xu paid the bill.

“I told you I’d pay. Old Peng is definitely going to complain about me when he wakes up,” Ji Yang said as he watched Nie Xu walk back.

Nie Xu pulled two tissues from the box on the table and wiped his hands. “Complain about what?”

“That I’m even mooching off your money.” Ji Yang found it amusing. “In his eyes, you’re a professional wage earner, an elite individual at the very top of the industry. You’re completely different from a genuine rich second-generation heir like me.”

Nie Xu tossed the tissues away and raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that right?”

“No.” Ji Yang looked him up and down. “Let’s not even talk about how you earn a bodyguard’s salary that’s at the very top of the industry in this country. Building Four has had an independent operating structure for a long time. It’s not as if you’re really doing under-the-table work for the Ji family. The revenue it generates every year is already substantial. And that’s only what’s visible on the surface.”

A couple of days earlier, Ji Yang had come across an analysis by an experienced stock trader online. Jian Yuan had been mentioned in it.

The man’s excitement when talking about Jian Yuan was much like that of an online scammer trying to trick people. He said that if you didn’t pay attention, you wouldn’t know, but once you did, you’d be shocked. This company, which appeared to be a stable enterprise relying on leverage and structure within a freely competitive economy, had no less than tens of billions in liquid cash flow on its books alone.

What did cash flow mean? This figure didn’t even include Jian Yuan’s underlying assets and businesses. At the same time, it meant that Jian Yuan had already completed a leap to an entirely different level without anyone noticing.

It was no longer simply a matter of participating in or managing the market. It had reached the point where it was designing the market itself.

At the end, the man even added something in a mysterious tone:

“I don’t know whether the people behind Jian Yuan are simply too capable, or whether some of the business owners throughout Fanzhou lack the necessary foresight. I predict that within three months, the entire Fanzhou economic market will definitely experience a major upheaval. Don’t believe me? Just wait and see.”

Ji Yang had even gone to check the comments section.

There were some genuinely impressive people in the comments, analyzing all kinds of data.

Among them, someone brought up the Ji Group’s Haicheng.

They said that Jian Yuan’s speed in devouring and seizing the Ji Group’s resources was astonishing, and that its approach was highly targeted. Some people speculated that Jian Yuan intended to enter the shipping industry, which was why it had chosen Haicheng. Others said that even if Haicheng were swallowed whole, it was because the company had long been burdened with accumulated problems. There was no reason to blame a newcomer for overtaking it. The market was simply a game of big fish eating little fish—a war of business where people were killed without spilling blood.

While Ji Yang marveled at how he now dared to concern himself with whether these people had made tens or hundreds of billions, he also vaguely sensed that this upheaval was steadily moving forward, unwaveringly.

Jian Yuan had finally shown itself.

As a result, that video grew increasingly popular. Later, plenty of people who knew nothing about the subject, just like Ji Yang, flocked in simply to watch the excitement.

At the height of its popularity, the video suddenly disappeared.

Even the stock trader who had made the analysis casually started posting other content, and when people asked him about it, he refused to say a word. He only left behind one deeply suggestive remark:

“I just got a visit from the authorities. The people behind this aren’t ordinary. Those who know, know.”

Ji Yang found it particularly strange.

Here he was, eating barbecue by the roadside in the middle of the night with someone this powerful?

“What kind of look is that?” Nie Xu asked with a frown.

Ji Yang propped his chin on his hand. “A look that sees money. Boss, are you short of money?”

Nie Xu lowered his head and looked at him. “No.”

Ji Yang said, “Then how about investing a little in me? Otherwise, once President Huang’s project is over, I’ll have no choice but to go to your house and clean the toilets.”

Nie Xu scoffed. “My house doesn’t need a cleaner.”

Ji Yang was surprised. “You own property in Fanzhou?”

Nie Xu looked at him again. “I thought you were more concerned about cleaning toilets.”

“Thanks, but if the toilets aren’t made of gold, I’ll pass.” Ji Yang sighed. “I’m more inclined to freeload. Whether ‘Yiyuan’ can generate even more revenue depends on how generous the boss is.”

Nie Xu looked at the person who had just said he wanted to freeload. “Do you have a new plan?”

“Not exactly. Just a new idea.” Ji Yang said, “Right now, the Zhouling project is in its window of opportunity. The most important thing is still to get this project done well. After that, we’ll need to operate both online and offline. Online, we’ll maintain the buzz. Offline, we’ll still have to turn it into something tangible.”

The idea had come from a colleague who had returned from Zhouling earlier.

Ji Yang was someone who had grown accustomed to benefiting from the internet.

Once people had spent too long in this line of work, it was difficult for them to settle down and focus on something substantial. Ji Yang had seen far too many such people.

He hadn’t used to think about things this way, either. As for the exact moment when he’d begun wanting to do something real, Ji Yang couldn’t actually say.

But the memories of Zhouling were still vivid.

The last time, he’d asked You Li to give the fishermen at the dock some money. They had specially sent him a large bag of dried goods as thanks, and it was still sitting in a corner of the hotel.

What happened to the Ji family had nothing to do with him.

From the very beginning, he had been the Ji Yang who grew up in a slum, relying on the help of his neighbors. Later, after entering society, he had relied on the owners of several shops where he worked part-time to become the person he was today.

In his previous life, after becoming famous, he had sent gifts every year to the old woman who had initially rented him a room. He had helped promote the businesses where he’d worked part-time, and paid the school fees for children in the neighborhood whose families couldn’t afford their education.

He had also cheated people.

And those who had cheated him had all eventually been paid back in kind.

What he was doing now wasn’t really any different. Only his identity had changed, his influence had changed, and naturally, the things he did had changed along with them.

He thought that people didn’t necessarily need to have a clearly defined purpose for everything they did.

Once he had broken free from the simple instinct to survive, he’d realized that a person could only go on living with a clear conscience. One had to please oneself first. That was what it meant to truly live.

It was almost midnight.

The excitement at the neighboring tables had yet to die down.

Nie Xu stood there, watching Ji Yang. The jacket had pressed his hair against the back of his neck, and he was looking up as he spoke about this matter. Unlike his usual nonchalant manner, there was a sincerity in his expression.

Nie Xu said, “Have someone draw up a proposal and go through the proper investment procedures. As long as it passes approval, there’ll be no upper limit on the budget.”

A flash of delight burst into Ji Yang’s eyes, but he was still doubtful. “Seriously? Are investors always this generous?”

“Then you’d better not lose money.” Nie Xu bent down to help Peng Jiaying, who was sitting nearby, to his feet, and glanced at Ji Yang. “If you do, you’ll have to pay compensation.”

Only then did Ji Yang realize he needed to get up from his chair. He followed behind Nie Xu. “You’re not going to make me sign some exploitative contract, are you? Something like paying back ten times the amount if I lose money?”

“Hard to say,” Nie Xu replied.

Ji Yang: “…Heh. The face of a capitalist.”

That night, since they didn’t know where Peng Jiaying lived, Ji Yang booked him a room at the hotel where he was staying. Nie Xu helped get him upstairs. As soon as Nie Xu left, daylight came the next morning, and Peng Jiaying expressed profound remorse over his drunken behavior the night before.

Ji Yang went to the office with him.

But the moment he heard that Jian Yuan might invest in Yiyuan, he was so shocked that he nearly jumped out of his seat.

“When did this happen? Why didn’t I know?” Peng Jiaying paced around the office. “The Zhouling project is certainly good, but surely it’s not good enough to attract investment from Jian Yuan, is it?”

Ji Yang sat in his office chair and slowly said, “You actually had a chance to find out.”

“What do you mean?” Peng Jiaying asked.

Ji Yang replied, “I mean, next time, try drinking less.”

Ji Yang still didn’t like working regular office hours.

However, President Huang’s side did indeed finally give way. The proposal was smoothly approved, and Ji Yang followed up on the matter for several days as well.

While Yiyuan was working overtime late into the night for this project and finalizing the investment plan, news of Haicheng Group’s latest developments was spreading everywhere.

With Ji Chengyi having partially taken power, the media began reporting on him one after another:

The Ji Family’s New Helmsman: Twelve Years from Illegitimate Son to Man in Power.

For a time, he was in the limelight.

After taking power, Ji Chengyi launched a series of sweeping reforms.

It seemed as though everything was moving in a positive direction. This should be what people called a period of stability.

Ji Yang hadn’t contacted Nie Xu for several days.

However, that night, he had divided the local specialties that could be stored at the hotel and given half to Nie Xu. Later, he came across a post about it on Jiang Lei’s Moments.

Caption: Is this world going crazy or what? Someone actually brought back a bag of dried little fish. First time in ten years. I was almost moved to tears.

Ji Yang had added quite a few people from Building Four as friends, but it was rare for him to see such an ordinary, everyday side of them.

Deng Jiao: Save some for me!

Han Biao: Someone else must have given them to him. Our boss doesn’t look like the type who’d buy this stuff.

Another roommate of Jiang Lei’s, whom Ji Yang had also added: I can confirm. Someone else gave them to him.

Jiang Lei: Who? I asked him, but he wouldn’t tell me.

The other person: Brother Lei, didn’t you notice that when you took all of them, the boss told you not to waste them? If he hadn’t intended to give them to someone, who would care whether you wasted them or not?

You Li barged into the conversation: These little dried fish look kind of familiar…

Qi Songqing joined in too: Don’t just say they look familiar. I got some as well. Fourth Young Master sent them to me by same-city delivery.

Ji Yang: Don’t be shy, everyone! My colleagues brought back a lot too. If anyone wants some, send me a message.

Deng Jiao: …Don’t tell me none of you have blocked this young master?

Ji Yang: Sister Jiao, I can see your posts too.

Deng Jiao: …………

NX: I believe all of you have work today.

And then the Moments post fell completely silent in an instant.

The next time Ji Yang received a message from Nie Xu in their private chat, it was the weekend of that week.

He had originally made plans with Peng Jiaying to go look at houses that day.

NX: Come downstairs.

Ji Yang happened to be holding his phone at the time. He asked: Are you downstairs at the hotel?

NX: Mm.

Ji Yang knew Nie Xu wouldn’t look for him without a reason, so he casually changed into a sweatshirt and went out.

Nie Xu was sitting in the car wearing a formal suit, looking as though he was about to attend some important event. Ji Yang got into the car and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Nie Xu started the car. “Tao Jisheng has a flight abroad today.”

“Tao Jisheng?” Only then did Ji Yang remember the matter he’d previously asked Nie Xu to help him investigate. He asked again, “Today?”

Nie Xu said, “I had someone investigate his background. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with his origins or work history. Someone has been following him during this period, and they discovered that he’d obtained permanent residency abroad six months ago. He’s been handling the relevant procedures ever since. As for why he’s leaving today, the Old Master has a flight overseas at ten thirty this morning.”

Ji Yang frowned. “So this was the Old Man’s doing?”

Nie Xu turned his head to look at him. “Tao Jisheng is very careful in the way he does things. His past medication records don’t contain any evidence that anyone could use against him. The medicine you asked You Li to have tested can’t prove where it came from, either. He chose to leave the country today for two reasons. First, he’s using the chaos within the Ji family as cover. Second, he wants people to think exactly that.”

Ji Yang’s head was spinning from all the information. “If it wasn’t the Old Master, then does that mean we can’t find out who it was?”

“I lean toward Ji Yansong knowing about it and simply going along with the situation.” Nie Xu continued, “Originally, it wasn’t easy to investigate. The problem lay with that permanent residency certificate. The person behind him has recently become somewhat impatient and has been urging Tao Jisheng to leave as soon as possible. That’s how we followed the trail and found the clue.”

At the mention of impatience, Ji Yang had a vague premonition.

“Ji Chengyi?”

Nie Xu gave a quiet acknowledgment. “We can basically confirm it, but we still need to meet Tao Jisheng in person.”

So Ji Chengyi had arranged for someone to switch his medication?

Ji Yang was so angry he almost laughed.

That made sense. They both came from the Main Branch, and the woman who was now the head of the Main Branch was his biological mother. Naturally, it was more convenient for him to act than it was for the others.

What made him laugh was that this problematic medication had been accumulating in his body for two whole years. In other words, Ji Chengyi hadn’t started doing this only after he transmigrated into the book. It had begun before he transmigrated.

Ji Yang couldn’t help wondering whether Ji Chengyi had also been behind all those scandals that the original Ji Yang had been involved in every few days.

With these thoughts weighing on his mind, Ji Yang arrived at the airport.

The last time he’d come to the airport had been for a business trip to Huizhou.

This time was completely different from when he’d been surrounded by reporters. They entered the airport discreetly through the underground parking garage and parked the car in a secluded corner near the edge.

Ji Yang had thought Tao Jisheng would be in the parking lot.

But when Nie Xu told him not to move, Ji Yang realized that Tao Jisheng wasn’t there. Less than twenty meters ahead of their car was the luxury vehicle that had brought the Old Master to the airport.

Among the people who had helped him out of the car was Lu Li.

“This won’t be easy, will it?” Ji Yang looked ahead and said, “Lu Li brought people with him. Are we really going to make a big show of searching for someone at the airport like this? Tao Jisheng really did choose his timing perfectly.”

Nie Xu leaned back in his seat and tapped the steering wheel. He wasn’t in a hurry.

“Let’s wait a little.”

Ji Yang suddenly remembered that night they’d gone out for barbecue. He glanced around. “No one’s following you today, right?”

“No,” Nie Xu said.

Good. Ji Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

After waiting in the car for about twenty minutes, Nie Xu took him straight into an elevator in the parking garage. After getting out, they took several winding turns and eventually reached a lounge built by the airport itself.

They didn’t even run into anyone along the way.

“Are we allowed to come here?” Ji Yang asked curiously, looking around.

There were people standing outside the lounge. When they saw Nie Xu, they spoke to him in low voices and reported something. As Nie Xu pushed open the door, he turned back.

“Come in. Tao Jisheng is inside.”

Ji Yang had thought they’d have to find the man themselves. He hadn’t expected it to be this easy.

Ji Yang stepped inside and immediately spotted a man sitting nervously in a lounge chair.

When Tao Jisheng saw that the person entering was him, his faintly pale face went blank for two seconds. Then his expression relaxed somewhat.

He forced a smile and stood up. “Fourth Young Master? What a coincidence.”

“It’s no coincidence.” Ji Yang looked at him. “You’re exactly the person I’m looking for, Doctor Tao.”

Tao Jisheng was still fairly composed at this point. He asked in confusion, “Looking for me? Airport staff suddenly informed me that I couldn’t leave the country because my documents were incomplete. Was that Fourth Young Master’s doing?”

Ji Yang glanced at the person who had been standing silently by the door with his arms folded ever since they entered.

Then he turned back.

“That’s right. Doctor Tao, you’ve been doing perfectly well as the Ji family’s personal physician. Yet suddenly, you decide to leave, and you just happen to choose the same day as the Old Master. My leg has been in your care for over two years. I’m rather reluctant to see you go.”

Tao Jisheng froze. For some inexplicable reason, the unease in his heart intensified.

He had originally thought this trip would go very smoothly. But it wasn’t until he received the airport’s notification that he felt a moment of panic. During the time he had been stuck in the lounge, unable to leave, he’d considered all kinds of possibilities. The one thing he hadn’t expected was that the person coming would be Ji Yang.

Why had this Fourth Young Master suddenly gained so much power?

Hadn’t people said that after leaving the Ji family, he’d merely started a small company that was still in its early stages?

Or was someone in the Ji family helping him?

All kinds of thoughts flashed through his mind. He told himself that this Fourth Young Master was nothing now, so there was no reason to panic. After barely steadying himself, he spoke as usual.

“Thank you for thinking of me, Fourth Young Master. But the Ji family’s power structure has changed considerably lately, and I have new career plans of my own. Besides, my wife and children are all overseas. I’d like to spend more time with them, too.”

Ji Yang nodded and smiled faintly. “So Doctor Tao turns out to be a devoted family man.”

At this point, his tone suddenly changed.

“Then I wonder if Doctor Tao knows that violating professional ethics and killing someone with medication can cost you your life.”

Tao Jisheng’s eyes suddenly widened.

He looked at Ji Yang.

Still trying to put on a brave front, he managed to say, “I’m not quite sure what Fourth Young Master means.”

“It’s good that you don’t know.” Ji Yang glanced around the lounge, walked over, and picked up a glass of plain water from the low table. In front of Tao Jisheng, he dropped a small white pill into it. He held the glass up and watched as bubbles formed around the pill and it slowly dissolved. Then he swirled the water and held it out toward the other man.

“This is a stronger version of the medicine Doctor Tao gave me. According to what you told me before, it’s nothing more than a higher dose of painkillers. Here. All you have to do today is drink this glass of water, and I’ll believe that you really don’t know.”

From the moment Ji Yang dropped the pill into the water, Tao Jisheng’s expression had changed. There was resistance in his eyes, along with a trace of panicked fear.

The smile he’d forced onto his face disappeared, and his expression turned serious.

“Fourth Young Master, there’s no need to joke around.”

Ji Yang said, “Then you can find out for yourself whether I’m joking.”

Ji Yang called out, “Nie Xu, since Grandpa asked you to stay by my side, why don’t you help me offer Doctor Tao this glass of water?”

Ji Yang had deliberately brought up Ji Yansong.

Nie Xu’s gaze shifted away from the back of Ji Yang’s head. He stood up and walked over.

The moment Tao Jisheng saw Nie Xu, his pupils trembled. He hurriedly asked, “Was this the Old Master’s idea?” Then, as though he’d thought of something, he laughed coldly and spoke excitedly. “Fourth Young Master! Do you really think the Old Master is doing this for your sake? He also gave his tacit approval to this medication! Now that Third Young Master Ji has taken power, the Old Master is simply trying to eliminate me, a tainted witness, for the sake of the successor he personally groomed!”

Ji Yang raised an eyebrow inwardly.

He hadn’t even needed to say much. Tao Jisheng had already imagined an entire dramatic conspiracy by himself.

But Ji Yang had already gotten the answer he wanted.

It really was Ji Chengyi.

Ji Yang had always thought that, at most, the conflict between them was just some love-hate drama between the “legitimate wife” and the “mistress.” As it turned out, they were playing a game of Werewolf.

When exactly had the Old Master chosen him as his true successor?

So even “benevolence” had merely been another part of the act.

Ji Yang was surprised, but at the same time, an anger he’d never felt before rose within him.

Ji Yang spoke coldly, continuing what he’d said earlier.

“Nie Xu, give him the medicine.”

“Okay,” Nie Xu replied.

He took off his jacket and casually tossed it onto the sofa before accepting the glass of water from Ji Yang.

Tao Jisheng retreated step by step. He shouted, “Fourth Young Master! This is an airport! You can’t just do whatever you want here! If you keep this up, I’ll call—Mmph!”

Ji Yang hadn’t even seen exactly how Nie Xu had done it.

He only knew that Nie Xu had kicked the man to his knees. Before Tao Jisheng could even cry out, Nie Xu had gripped his chin so tightly that he couldn’t break free, leaving his face contorted. The entire glass of water was quickly forced down his throat.

Afterward, Nie Xu casually put the glass back on the small table.

Tao Jisheng lay on the floor, clutching his throat. He coughed until his face turned red, the front of his pale blue shirt soaked through. He kept rasping, “I don’t want to become insane. I don’t want to become insane…”

Ji Yang pulled up his trouser leg and crouched down in front of Tao Jisheng.

In a soft voice, he said, “So doctors know how to be afraid, too.”

Nie Xu looked down at the man on the floor.

“Ever since the Old Master hired you, there’s been a man named Joey living in the building next to your son’s school overseas. Third Young Master Ji probably promised to protect you and gave you quite a few academic favors, but he might not actually be able to protect you—or your son.”

Tao Jisheng stopped struggling.

He went completely limp on the floor.

Two seconds later, he suddenly propped himself up again and stared hard at Nie Xu.

“You’re not the Old Master’s man? Who are you? What do you want?”

The more he spoke, the more terrified he became.

If this wasn’t the Old Master’s order, how had they managed to have the airport detain him directly?

And this Fourth Young Master…

Why didn’t he seem surprised at all?

Tao Jisheng’s thoughts were in turmoil. Finally, he grabbed Nie Xu’s trouser leg and swore, “I can testify. I’ll provide a statement and explain everything I’ve done over the past two years. Can you help me?”

Nie Xu’s expression remained indifferent.

“You’re asking the wrong person.”

Tao Jisheng immediately turned toward Ji Yang, practically ready to kowtow to him.

“Fourth Young Master, I was blinded by greed. I was in the wrong. I’m not human. Please help me.” As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something. “There’s one more thing I can tell you. That street-racing accident more than two years ago wasn’t entirely an accident.”

Thump!

Ji Yang heard the sound of his heart dropping.

“What do you mean?” Ji Yang asked.

Even Nie Xu glanced at Ji Yang’s leg, his brows drawing together sharply.

Tao Jisheng said, “I only found out by accident. There were actually two roads along that mountain route where you were street racing back then. Didn’t they say one of them was under construction at the time? Later, I accidentally discovered a payment record from Third Young Master Ji to someone. Oh, and the only son of the Fu family should know about this, too.”

“Fu Cheng?” Ji Yang said.

He’d almost forgotten that person existed.

Back when the water quality problem first emerged in the Lanhai Bay project, that guy had gone on a furious tirade against him, all because of his factory. Later, he’d indeed said that he had some secret about Ji Chengyi to tell him. Could this be what he meant?

Ji Yang’s thoughts raced. He stood up from the floor.

Perhaps he’d been crouching too long, because he nearly lost his balance.

Nie Xu caught him in one swift movement.

“Let’s go. We’ll get out of here first.” Nie Xu clearly didn’t intend to stay any longer. He supported Ji Yang with one hand and picked up his jacket from the sofa with the other.

Ji Yang looked at the man on the floor. “What about him?”

Nie Xu replied coldly, “Someone will come and deal with him.”

The meaning of their conversation was obvious: they intended to leave him there and do nothing more for him. Tao Jisheng immediately panicked.

He staggered to his feet.

“Fourth Young Master!”

Ji Yang had already reached the door. He turned back and looked at the man whose carefully styled hair had become disheveled. He smiled.

“There are other things I can’t help you with, but I can tell you one thing.”

“What?” Tao Jisheng asked in a daze.

Ji Yang said, “You won’t go insane. The medicine I gave you was fake. It was nothing more than an ordinary vitamin B tablet.”

It was also one of the supplements Ji Yang took regularly now, which was why he’d had one on him.

He just hadn’t expected Nie Xu to play along so seamlessly, especially since they hadn’t discussed it beforehand.

The two of them left the dazed man behind for good.

After leaving the lounge and walking down the corridor, they passed a huge glass wall beside the passageway. Beyond it lay the airport’s expansive runway.

Blue skies, white clouds, and blazing sunlight.

Nie Xu said, “You didn’t have to tell him.”

Ji Yang stopped there. “Otherwise, he might end up thinking that losing his mind would actually be a relief.”

Wouldn’t it be better to remain clearheaded throughout the process of suffering and fear?

Ji Yang turned his head to look at the person beside him.

Then he suddenly asked, “Are you really sure no one’s following you today?”

“What are you planning to do?” Nie Xu looked back at him.

Ji Yang flashed a smile, baring his teeth, but there was a chill in his expression.

“Nothing. I just suddenly feel that whatever Ji Chengyi cares about, I really want to make him lose it now. And that includes men.”

Nie Xu draped his jacket over his arm. “You think that person is me?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Ji Yang took a step forward, grabbed Nie Xu’s clothes, and looked him up and down. “No wonder some people become habitual homewreckers. Stealing someone else’s man is naturally more exciting than throwing yourself at someone.”

He’d previously thought it was all just an act.

Now his thinking was evolving from that of a vicious villain into that of a genuine scumbag.

Nie Xu raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, he reached out and slowly brushed his thumb across Ji Yang’s lower eyelid.

Ji Yang was displeased. “What are you doing? Are you trying to tell me you’re a modern-day Liu Xiahui?”

Nie Xu plucked an eyelash from the corner of his eye and said nonchalantly, “Then that depends on how good your seduction skills are.”