But post-kidnapping, his state was awful. All his energy went into pretending to be normal around Dai Linxuan—no room for other thoughts.
It wasn’t until Song Zichu’s appearance that he revisited those memories and started rethinking.
Song Zichu had grown up in the Slum District too, with nearly identical experiences.
The difference: Lai Li met Dai Linxuan at ten. Song Zichu vanished into government relocation after the slums’ redevelopment.
Song Zichu surviving was normal; seeking him out, normal… What wasn’t? Song Zichu entering university the same year as him—even the same dorm.
No coincidence. It forced thoughts of someone pulling strings behind Song Zichu.
What was the goal?
Lai Li knew very well that the only thing on him worth plotting for was his identity as Dai Linxuan’s younger brother, spoiled without limits.
Tracing back to the kidnapping three years ago from there made it all the more intriguing.
Those four fugitives had faked their deaths and lain low for years. If it was just for money, they wouldn’t have chosen to kidnap someone like Dai Linxuan, a scion of the top elite family— no amount of cash was worth spending if you ended up dead.
Kidnapping Dai Linxuan was too risky to wrap up cleanly, and after faking their deaths for so long, where did they even get foreign accomplices from? Back then, after Dai Linxuan paid the ransom, the process they followed outside was an eerily proficient “money laundering” scam routine.
So those guys definitely had other motives, and there had to be someone behind them pulling the strings.
But Lai Li had seen their faces, so they had no choice but to turn it into a real kidnap-for-cash-and-kill scheme, covering up the true purpose and the mastermind behind it—
Pretending it was just an ordinary kidnapping.
When Lai Li escaped gravely injured, and they collided with that big truck while chasing him, it might not have been an accident at all—very possibly the mastermind behind the scenes silencing them.
And the mastermind behind the scenes was most likely the same person who helped them fake their deaths twelve years ago.
If they could help those guys fake their deaths, could they do the same for more criminals?
…
Once you had a starting point, a whole series of chilling associations followed.
Most importantly, if the current Lai Li could think of these things, had Dai Linxuan sensed something off a few years ago?
After the police closed the case, did Dai Linxuan investigate on his own?
If so, how far had he gotten? How much had he uncovered?
Just thinking about it made Lai Li unable to bear it. Those were the filthiest things in the world—they absolutely could not touch his brother even a little.
Jing Zixiao couldn’t help but think of Zeng Wenzhi, who had falsely accused Dai Linxuan of pedophilia. That guy came from the Slum District too.
“Fuck!” Jing Zixiao’s scalp tingled. “Do you remember our last theory? Zeng Wenzhi might have a big shot behind him who took care of the rapist who killed his daughter, and he framed your brother out of gratitude!
If Zeng Wenzhi really had someone like that backing him, and those four fugitives who kidnapped you had their own mastermind behind the scenes, could it be the same person?
Before Lai Li could respond, his phone buzzed twice. A new friend verification from Song Zichu, who hadn’t gotten through before—
[Got a bit out of control last night. A reunion after so long should be more dignified.]
[Long time no see, little Cricket.]
Lai Li stared for a long time, his pupils dark and bottomless.
He approved the request and sent a photo of an IOU, captioned: Pay up.
[Get lost and bark somewhere else]: If the money isn’t in my account in three minutes, you’ll get a court summons.
Then he blocked him without hesitation.
Jing Zixiao didn’t see any of this and first thought it was Dai Linxuan finally sending a caring message, but Lai Li’s reaction didn’t match, so he asked, “What’s up?”
The phone buzzed again—
[Xu Hui]: You here yet?
[Get lost and bark somewhere else]: At the door.
“No big deal.” Lai Li paused before getting out of the car and glanced back slightly. “Be careful lately. Don’t go alone, and don’t take stuff from strangers.”
Jing Zixiao was stunned. Lai Li had always been reluctant to talk about the kidnapping from three years ago, but today he’d suddenly said so much. He couldn’t help reading into it—
“So you dragged me out early in the morning not because you couldn’t sleep so no one else could, but because you were worried about your bro?”
Jing Zixiao felt smug and wished he could pull all their mutual friends into a group chat to show off.
Lai Li immediately doused him with cold water: “If you died, I’d have to fight a bunch of lawsuits just to get back the assets you’re holding for me.”
“Fine.” Jing Zixiao clicked his tongue and muttered to himself, “There’s definitely one percent concern in there.”
Lai Li ignored him: “Did you find the list of LPs for your brother’s overseas VC fund?”
Jing Zixiao shook his head: “LP identities don’t need to be public anyway, so it’s a pain to check. Right now I only have the list for one fund period. I skimmed it—zero connection to domestic stuff, let alone the Dai Family. All local businesspeople from over there.”
Lai Li frowned briefly before smoothing it out: “Figure out a way to get me a depression diagnosis certificate first.”
Jing Zixiao’s eyelid twitched: “What are you up to now?”
Lai Li said coldly: “Taking a leave of absence.”
Even with bodyguards around Dai Linxuan, Lai Li wasn’t reassured. He needed to stick close personally.
Jing Zixiao: “…Your brother will agree to you taking leave?”
“I’m an adult now. The household registry only has one page.” Lai Li’s eyes drooped slightly at the corners, casting a small shadow. “And he’s not really my guardian anyway.”
He could just give the school some excuse. The only issue was the counselor having Dai Linxuan’s contact info.
Lai Li sorted through his tangled thoughts as he walked into Xu Hui’s psychological counseling office… and slept the whole morning.
When he woke up, Dai Linxuan still hadn’t called, not even a single message.
Lai Li left the counselor with a gloomy, irritable view of the back of his head and walked out without looking back.
When Lai Li was in a bad mood, someone usually had to pay for it.
He kicked Jing Zixiao out of the car, drove to the neighborhood where He Shuxin usually stayed, parked on an internal road by the building, reclined the seat, plugged in his earphones, and started watching the video he’d copied from the camera.
At the tenth-floor window, He Shuxin was going crazy, roaring at a friend urging him to head out: “That dog Lai Li is blocking me downstairs!”
“I didn’t see the guy, but his limited-edition SUV is parked right by my building! It’s so flashy, I’m not blind!”
“This building only has three exits. What if he’s got people staking them all out!?”
“No use. Even if you bring guys, has he ever failed to beat someone when he wanted to?”
He toughed it out from afternoon until six or seven in the evening. No housekeeper at home, he didn’t even dare order takeout for fear of poisoning. He sneaked a peek by parting the curtains—that damn SUV was still there!
Rage surged in He Shuxin—
He dialed 110.
Ten minutes later, the police knocked on Lai Li’s car window: tap tap.
The real-world knock overlapped with the voice in his earbuds: “Little dog…”
Lai Li took a moment before lifting his eyelids, pulling out his earphones, and lowering the window: “What’s up?”
The police flashed his badge: “Are you a resident of this neighborhood?”
Lai Li’s gaze passed by the officer’s side. A few meters away, He Shuxin, bundled up in a hat and mask, didn’t dare get too close to Lai Li’s car or too far from the police.
Coward.
Lai Li withdrew his gaze: “No. What’s the problem?”
“What are you doing parking here the whole time?”
“Is there a law against it?”
The police choked: “No, but this neighborhood doesn’t allow outsiders to linger too long.”
Lai Li propped his chin with one hand, tilting his head slightly: “Can’t you just call property management for this? Why waste police resources?”
The police actually found it reasonable and nodded subconsciously… It was just that the caller behind him had described it so dramatically, like a terrorist was lurking downstairs.
Lai Li added: “Besides, I have a viewing scheduled with a realtor. Already cleared it with property management ahead of time.”
The police blinked: “…When’s your appointment with the realtor?”
Lai Li: “Tomorrow.”
The police’s mouth twitched: “It’s still over ten hours until tomorrow morning. You planning to camp out here overnight?”
“Yeah.” Lai Li lowered his eyes. “My family doesn’t want to live with me, so I have to make do for now.”
The police instantly imagined a dramatic story of being kicked out and sleeping in the car, but one glance at the emblem on the hood snapped him back—
This guy’s ride was eight figures. Even kicked out, he could buy a mansion. No need for pity.
The police asked a few more questions, subtly warning him not to intimidate others, then decided Lai Li didn’t seem like a troublemaker. With some impatience, he turned to He Shuxin and explained: “He didn’t do anything. We can’t force him to leave.”
“No worries, I’ll ride in the patrol car out.” He Shuxin hadn’t expected the police to remove Lai Li anyway. He lowered his voice: “Just drop me at Begonia Park, five hundred meters away.”
The police: “…”
What a pain on duty, dealing with these two.
Lai Li curved his lips and gave He Shuxin a smile. He revved the engine with a vroom, yanked a sharp U-turn, and He Shuxin paled in shock, thinking Lai Li was bold enough to run him down in front of the cops. He bolted straight into the nearby bushes—
The police yelled in exasperation: “Hey! What are you doing?”
Lai Li had only made a show of starting up; the car moved slowly and pulled up leisurely beside the police: “On second thought, I decided to go back and sweet-talk my family.”
The police: “…”
Sweet-talk? What family—more like his girlfriend.
He brushed it off: “Yeah, head home. What can’t a young couple talk out openly? Overnighting in the car is no way to go.”
A flicker of hidden pleasure crossed Lai Li’s eyes: “You’re right.”
At the Manor.
Dai Yi lounged on the sofa eating grapes. She heard Cai Bo call out cheerfully: “Young Master Linxuan’s back?”
She glanced over and called to her big brother: “Where’s Lai Li?”
Dai Linxuan changed shoes while asking: “You two made up? You ask about him every time you see me.”
“When were we ever on good terms?” Dai Yi said wistfully. “You’ve only been back in the country a month and he’s already lost his novelty? Won’t even bother with you on weekends?”
Dai Linxuan: “…”
Footsteps suddenly approached from behind, followed by a familiar voice: “A lifetime’s worth of novelty. Don’t stir things up.”
A warm hand lightly rested on Dai Linxuan’s side waist, looking from afar like an intimate embrace. Its owner spoke in a deliberately soft tone: “Bro, grab my slippers for me.”
Dai Linxuan paused, bent to pull out a pair of slippers, without turning: “Didn’t you say you had no time?”
Lai Li murmured lowly: “If you’re here, I have time.”
Dai Yi looked away, popped a grape in her mouth, and huffed a laugh to herself: “Dog thing.”
