Clear chants of Buddhist scriptures pierced through the temple walls, fading in and out.
Lai Li showed no hesitation as he pressed a wooden stick against Xiao Zhou’s throat. He scrutinized him for a moment before suddenly asking, “What’s your full name?”
“Xu…” Xiao Zhou was forced to lift his chin, his tears not yet dry. “Xu Yanzhou.”
“Alright, tell me what you know.”
Xu Yanzhou sniffled and softened his wording a bit. “Young Master Tang said your brother is a pedophile and has that kind of relationship with you. Although President Tang didn’t quite believe it, he thought there might be something ambiguous between you two, so he found me—someone who looks a bit like you—to seduce President Dai and get him to invest more money…”
Lai Li shifted the stick downward a little. “Do I need you to tell me that?”
“I’m not finished!” Xu Yanzhou jolted in fear. “President Tang has always maintained in front of President Dai that he only wants funding to enter the deal, not to be acquired—it’s actually just to exploit business instincts and lure your brother into the trap! He wished your brother would sign the acquisition agreement right away!”
Lai Li cut straight to the point. “Does Jiang Feng have accounting issues?”
Xu Yanzhou shook his head. “It seems even more serious than that. I don’t know the specifics, but their plan is that as long as President Dai takes over, he won’t discover the problems for at least a year or two. By the time he does, Jiang Feng will have become leverage to control President Dai—or even enough to send him to prison…”
Lai Li didn’t get angry. He spent three seconds reviewing Xu Yanzhou’s words, then suddenly smiled. “Who wants to control my brother?”
Xu Yanzhou’s vision blurred with tears, and Lai Li’s smile seemed filtered, transforming him instantly from a vicious villain into a handsome young man.
He suddenly thought that Lai Li might not be as clueless as outsiders believed—only caring about eating, drinking, and playing.
Lai Li said amiably, “Why aren’t you talking? Don’t tell me it’s that old fool Tang Xueda.”
Xu Yanzhou knew he had no room to negotiate, but he only knew half the story. “It’s really not President Tang. That person promised to send President Tang and his son safely abroad after success, along with a winery worth over a hundred million. That’s all I overheard during their phone call. I only know the other party is a man… I really don’t know anything else.”
Xu Yanzhou’s voice grew smaller, fearing Lai Li wouldn’t be satisfied and would continue tormenting him.
Lai Li casually swung his wrist, the wooden stick tapping against his chest one after another, as if knocking on his heart through flesh and blood.
Lai Li mused thoughtfully, “Jiang Feng had issues half a year ago.”
Xu Yanzhou let out an “ah” and replied reservedly, “Yes.”
In half a year, they hadn’t resolved the funding crisis or sold the company. Instead, they dragged it out until now, as if specifically waiting for Dai Linxuan’s return.
But half a year ago, even Lai Li hadn’t known that Dai Linxuan would return this year or plan to join the Dai Corporation’s board.
Could it be someone from the Dai Family? They might have gotten wind of Dai Linxuan’s return in advance.
If it was them, they feared him fighting for the family assets. But there were many ways to block him from the board—did they need such a roundabout scheme right off the bat?
Moreover, it seemed the person behind it only wanted to keep a handle on Dai Linxuan, not destroy him in one blow.
Once Dai Linxuan joined the board, he wouldn’t have spare energy for new ventures, so acquiring Jiang Feng would be under the Dai Corporation’s name.
The rest of the Dai Family had no reason to self-sabotage by introducing such a massive landmine just to trap him.
If not the Dai Family, then who?
“I’ve told you everything I know,” Xu Yanzhou said tremulously. “Can you let me go…”
Lai Li lifted his eyelids, pointing the stick straight at his throat. “What did they promise you?”
“Money… ah!” Xu Yanzhou recoiled in pain but had nowhere to retreat. “And a normal life!”
“Oh.” Lai Li narrowed his eyes and asked softly, “You’re only eighteen, right? How abnormal was your previous life? Tell me about it.”
A flash of stubbornness appeared in Xu Yanzhou’s eyes. “That’s my privacy.”
Lai Li scoffed and was about to step closer when an exaggerated voice came from just beyond the wall. “Guess how much Lai Li’s pants today cost?”
Song Zichu gave a conservative figure. “Three thousand?”
“Times ten—thirty-eight thousand!” Huang Hao raised his voice. “Bet you didn’t expect that!”
Jiang Xiao crossed the arched doorway, not yet noticing the two figures in the corner. “His family is so rich; thirty-eight thousand for pants is normal. Your tone made me think it was three hundred and eighty thousand.”
“I have money, not stupidity.”
“Spending thirty-eight thousand on pants is pretty stupid too…” Jiang Xiao hadn’t finished when he sensed something off. He whipped around and realized the voice belonged to Lai Li.
He dry-coughed. “What a coincidence.”
Being caught talking behind someone’s back was a bit awkward. Huang Hao scratched his head and looked at the boy behind Lai Li. “Is this your friend?”
Just as Xu Yanzhou thought Lai Li would say “Does he deserve it?” or “Someone trying to climb into my brother’s bed,” Lai Li actually hummed in affirmation.
Song Zichu handed over a pack of tissues and asked with concern, “You don’t look so good. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine!” Xu Yanzhou jumped as if startled, then waved his hands nervously after realizing. “I just thought of some sad things…”
Lai Li glanced at him and told his two roommates, “Head back once you’re done playing.”
Jiang Xiao asked, “Aren’t you coming down the mountain with us?”
Huang Hao elbowed him. “Lai Li’s definitely spending Mid-Autumn with his brother.”
They had passed the donation site on the way and naturally saw Dai Linxuan. Though they’d met him once before, that face was unforgettable.
“Your brother actually remembered us!” Huang Hao grew more excited. “We only donated five hundred yuan, but he came over especially to shake our hands! He carefully asked if we had enough living expenses and said to take care of ourselves before doing good deeds…”
Lai Li’s face darkened instantly. “He shook hands with all of you?”
“Yeah.” Huang Hao draped one arm over Song Zichu and the other over Jiang Xiao, beaming. “Your brother’s a master at balancing— he shook hands with Xiao Chu even though he didn’t step forward.”
Lai Li’s gaze fell on Song Zichu’s hand, and he asked word by word, “Which hand?”
Huang Hao replied, “Both of mine, of course.”
“…” Song Zichu shook off Huang Hao’s arm and said reluctantly, “I just touched with one hand.”
“Your brother is even more approachable than the reports say,” Jiang Xiao sighed. “No wonder so many netizens like him. If the crowd hadn’t been so big, I’d have wanted a photo with him. He’s so damn handsome.”
Dai Linxuan had quite a few online fans. If today’s event had been promoted in advance, the temple gates would probably have been trampled flat.
Successful in his career, good-looking, and impeccable character—any one trait was notable, but together, they created an unimaginable crowd-drawing effect.
Building a god was hard; destroying one was easy.
If the public learned Dai Linxuan was gay and liked his useless playboy brother…
“Xiao Li.” A call came from behind.
Dai Linxuan walked over along the sunlight. He had changed at some point into a Chinese-style suit, the well-tailored black fabric hugging his waist and long legs. Two embroidered green bamboos draped from his left shoulder, giving him an elegant, ascetic, and noble air.
Lai Li felt a bit irritated.
Dai Linxuan stopped beside Lai Li and pinched his shoulder. “You rubbed your sweat on me earlier. Luckily, my assistant brought a spare set.”
A normal person wouldn’t think much of it—maybe that Lai Li had done it on purpose, showing close brotherly bonds. But Song Zichu quietly clenched his fist before quickly releasing it.
Jiang Xiao and Huang Hao were oblivious and stammered, “Hello, brother.”
Lai Li glowered darkly at them. Some mouths needed sewing shut.
“You all haven’t eaten yet, right?” Dai Linxuan checked the time. “The vegetarian cafeteria in the back mountain has started serving. Let’s go together.”
Lai Li furrowed his brows. “No—”
Huang Hao and Jiang Xiao nodded eagerly like chicks pecking rice. “Sure, sure.”
Dai Linxuan then looked at the pitiful Xu Yanzhou. The kid’s eyes were tinged red, tear tracks still on his face, and a red patch near his underdeveloped Adam’s apple, as if ravaged by something—maybe lips and hands, or something else.
His smile faded a bit. “What about Xiao Zhou?”
“I’m not going, thank you, Mr. Dai.” Xu Yanzhou didn’t dare meet Dai Linxuan’s eyes, fearing Lai Li would lose it again. “My family is waiting for me to come home for dinner. I’ll head out first.”
He kept his head down and shuffled toward the stairs, moving hand and foot awkwardly.
Wangshan Temple’s vegetarian cafeteria was a major draw, always crowded with lines for ordering and pickup. Dai Linxuan took them to a small, non-public canteen, saving the wait.
“No need to be so tense. Sit anywhere.” Dai Linxuan brought two bowls of vegetarian noodles, giving the one with more toppings to Lai Li. “How has school been so far?”
“Pretty good! Way more relaxed than high school.” Huang Hao ate as he spoke. “But military training was brutal—no break before classes started.”
Dai Linxuan smiled. “At least it strengthened your bonds with classmates.”
“True. Cursing the instructors together every day really brings you close.” Jiang Xiao scratched his curly hair and took a bite of a vegetarian bun. “Lai Li became famous during training.”
Dai Linxuan feigned ignorance. “Oh? What did he do?”
Jiang Xiao briefly recounted the incident, omitting Lai Li’s daily tardiness and mentioning only that he’d been targeted for a hundred push-ups.
“Lai Li just kept going without stopping, super standard. It got our blood pumping! He’s so damn…” Huang Hao swore before coughing violently and changing tack. “Really impressive. Now he’s the male god of the freshman circle, with a bunch of little fangirls.”
Dai Linxuan asked naturally, “No little fanboys?”
Lai Li, who was stirring his noodles, stabbed his chopsticks into the bowl bottom.
“There are probably some, but they wouldn’t be as enthusiastic as the girls.” Huang Hao didn’t catch on. “Wouldn’t want to be mistaken for gay…”
Jiang Xiao elbowed him.
