The reason was that their informants had turned traitor, so everyone bore some responsibility.
However, things were still at the stage of deducting 100 yuan from everyone.
After the deductions, Chi Mo had the finance department draft a team-building plan and budget.
” Moran Technology” held a team-building event every quarter, with all expenses covered by the company, and every employee was required to attend.
Chi Mo had said he didn’t want to see anyone who had been working too long without exercising, or staying up late playing games, suddenly drop dead at their desk.
He was a capitalist, but he didn’t drink blood.
The team building wasn’t just about eating; it included hiking, trekking, rock climbing, surfing, and skiing.
Chi Mo was a very disciplined person who worked out regularly. In past team buildings, he only joined everyone for a simple meal and never participated in the sports.
He worried that his presence would make the employees hold back and not enjoy themselves fully.
But this time, he decided to go.
It was a perfect chance to take Li Ran along for some fun.
Every employee had closer friends they preferred to room with at night in the hotel.
Two to a room.
Everyone in the group chat was signing up.
Li Ran, who had already warmed up to his big brothers and sisters, was in the group too.
He saw how lively the group was, with everyone eagerly signing up and telling the organizer who they wanted to room with.
“Bro, can I sign up in the group too? Should I sign us up together? Do we both have to go?”
Chi Mo had already privately told the organizer that he and Li Ran would attend, and arranged two rooms for them.
Sharing a room might make Li Ran uncomfortable. That kid was so resistant to homosexuality; it had to be taken slow.
But Chi Mo was handling an urgent document and only caught Li Ran’s last sentence. He replied curtly: “Yeah.”
Then Li Ran signed up in the group.
Li Ran: [My bro and I are going too. One room.]
Once the document was done, Chi Mo glanced at his phone. It was almost time to clock out for lunch.
The group messages, muted at “88,” went silent for a few seconds before exploding like rockets.
Instantly 99+.
Chi Mo was curious.
The boss’s curiosity was something even absent subordinates could sense. The person in charge of the team building immediately sent Chi Mo a screenshot and a message.
Li Ran: [My bro and I are going too. One room.]
Question: [Boss, listen to you or the kid?]
Meanwhile, Li Ran had abandoned his summer homework for a brighter future, playing on his phone right in front of his guardian without a care.
He was playing hard.
He even asked, “Bro, what does ‘shipping us’ mean when the big bro and big sis keep saying it? So many messages like that.”
“Put the phone down and do your homework.” That was Chi Mo’s cold reply. He extended his left hand. “Confiscated.”
If he didn’t stop it now, the kid would look it up online and pick up all sorts of useless trivia.
Li Ran had just opened the browser when he was stopped. Though regretful, he handed over the device without complaint.
Chi Mo replied to the organizer.
[Listen to my kid.]
For Li Ran, a hardcore homophobe, sharing a room wasn’t a big deal.
Chi Mo was obviously straight.
Two straight guys sharing? No issue.
And it saved money.
The team building was set for a week later. Two days after, Chi Mo would fly abroad for his defense.
His school had fixed defense dates each year, but if a student had a business and couldn’t make it, they could arrange their own time.
Just contact the school ahead, confirm with the professor and committee.
“Want to go abroad?” After work on the way home, Chi Mo asked Li Ran as he removed the Bodhi Beads from his left wrist and casually set them on the coffee table.
A faint red indentation in the shape of the beads marked Chi Mo’s wrist. Li Ran said, “Can I go too?!”
“You’re my personal secretary, of course you can.” Chi Mo thoughtfully gave him a legitimate role. “I thought you’d guess when I got you the temporary visa last week. Didn’t expect you wouldn’t.”
Li Ran froze.
So dumb and stunned, cute enough to make someone want to ruin him, inside and out.
Chi Mo held back a laugh. “Is this the power of scoring only 380 on finals?”
The longer they lived together, the more Li Ran’s changes stood out.
Now he even dared to glare at Chi Mo.
On the day they left for abroad, Li Ran only packed a change of clothes, then followed obediently with his compliant brain and body, sticking close to Chi Mo.
From security to boarding, to being sweetly led by the flight attendant to first class—once the country bumpkin sat down, he looked around furtively, not too obviously, afraid others would see him as a hick and embarrass Chi Mo—mostly himself.
At 17, face mattered most.
Chi Mo: “Seatbelt.”
Without waiting for Li Ran to fumble, he leaned over and buckled it for him.
Li Ran nervously said, “Bro, I’ve never flown.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“Will the plane explode?”
“You sure know how to jinx it.” Chi Mo laughed speechlessly, pinching Li Ran’s mouth shut without thinking to stop more nonsense, then cracked a dark joke himself. “If it does explode, I’ll die with you. Not born on the same day, but dying together—perfect. You won’t be a lonely ghost.”
Terrifying words, but Li Ran wasn’t scared. Instead, he strangely relaxed.
At takeoff, Li Ran felt weightless, his soul floating up uncontrollably. He instinctively grabbed Chi Mo’s arm.
Chi Mo paused, then naturally flipped his hand over, pressing and holding Li Ran’s hand, thumb rubbing soothingly. “Don’t be scared. It’s fine.”
Outside the window, the sky grew higher, bluer, until massive white clouds floated right there. Li Ran stared dreamily.
He’d unlocked a new view of the sky.
Only when he almost snapped out of it did Chi Mo let go.
“Bro.”
“Yeah?”
“Why didn’t Uncle Shen come with you? Didn’t you say he’s your bodyguard?”
After a month at the company, Li Ran noticed Uncle Shen didn’t work. He had his own office and just played games upon arrival.
Not even Parallel World.
If there was trouble downstairs, security wasn’t first in; Uncle Shen handled it in a blink.
Li Ran had seen a burly, fierce-looking man storm into the Moran Technology lobby, only to break down sobbing at the sight of countless Parallel World timelines on the glass walls.
Screaming to revive and start over.
Chi Mo’s game was ruthless and inhumane.
One account per person, one chance only.
But there was a trial play before the real one, identical to the actual game.
Meaning, if you died in trial, you unlocked the real play.
No regrets after that death.
Second chances were never cherished.
Uncle Shen had seen it all, even less humane. Without a word, he grabbed the man’s collar from behind and tossed him out.
The strong man was like a chicken in Uncle Shen’s hands. Fierce, but useless.
“You care about Uncle Shen a lot?” Chi Mo didn’t answer, asking back.
Li Ran shook his head. “Just asking.”
“He steps foot in Britain, he might not come back.” Chi Mo said.
“Why?”
“He’d die.”
“…”
Flat tone, blank expression—Li Ran couldn’t tell truth from lie, just felt a chill down his spine. “Oh.”
The flight was over ten hours. Li Ran’s first time flying, he was excited and wouldn’t sleep soon.
Chi Mo let him be.
“Bro.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re so awesome.”
Chi Mo’s vanity swelled. “How so?”
On Chi Mo’s barely 20-year life, Li Ran piled every compliment he could think of, sincere and fervent. Calling him a genius of geniuses, top IQ among top IQs. Any longer, and it’d be gala lines like fighter jet of fighter jets.
“Alright, alright, take a break.” Chi Mo couldn’t take it, poking open a Coke with the straw and holding it to Li Ran’s mouth. “Drink.”
Li Ran had never talked so much; his tongue and throat quit from overuse, parched as fire.
Straw offered, he took it for granted, lazily grabbing Chi Mo’s wrist instead of the cup, sucking hard on the ice-cold Coke.
Blissfully squinting.
Chi Mo looked down.
Li Ran’s lips pursed slightly around the straw, the plump central bead of his upper lip prominent. Sucking hard hollowed his cheeks like dimples.
“…Bro? Why stare?”
“I’m not that awesome,” Chi Mo waited till he finished, setting the Coke on his table, honest. “Parallel World launched fully three years ago after two years beta, building a fixed player base. My little uncle helped behind the scenes—not just me.”
“You can’t say that. Everyone starting a business gets help—money, resources. That’s what they say online.” Li Ran countered, then sighed realistically. “And… if your little uncle helped me, it’d just prove I’m the dummy.”
The tone and conclusion amused Chi Mo; he chuckled low for a while.
He patted Li Ran’s head, instilling confidence. “You’re not dumb, just lacked systematic learning. If teachers matched students one-on-one, tailoring methods, there’d be no dummies. I’ll teach you when we get back.”
Li Ran’s foreign knowledge came from scant movies. Off the plane, he wanted to see the sights, compare to home.
But excitement on the flight left him sleepy near landing. Chi Mo, fearing he’d get lost, offered his hand. Li Ran grabbed tight without hesitation.
Yet he still worried about losing Chi Mo.
Britain dawned early; perfect for sleep. Li Ran could barely open his eyes, mumbling, “Bro, I’m holding your hand tight—you hold mine too. Don’t lose me. I’m unfamiliar here, don’t speak the language. Lost, I’d have no clue where to find you. You’re all I know…”
First-time abroaders lacked security, needing gentle reassurance. Chi Mo walked ahead, responding to every word while savoring Li Ran’s total dependence in a foreign land—it fulfilled some desire.
“Yeah, you only have me.” He said.
By the time Li Ran woke in the hotel, groggy, it wasn’t yet 11 a.m.
Chi Mo headed to school that afternoon; Li Ran went with. He wouldn’t leave the kid alone.
Li Ran saw messages on his phone from Bai Qingqing.
Asking if work was busy lately, when he had time off, when he’d visit for dinner—both little sisters missed him.
Before summer break, she’d asked his plans; he said cashier at the supermarket. But Chi Mo’s pay beat it by 100 yuan, so he chose Moran without telling her.
He didn’t check timestamps, replying: [I’ll ask the boss when I get time off, then come over.]
Added a heart for Mom.
Hours later, Chi Mo’s defense went smoothly. Li Ran got Bai Qingqing’s scolding voice message.
“Li Ran, you’ve learned to stay up late? Work days, no sleep nights? Iron body? What were you doing up in the dead of night? Gaming addiction? Replying twice now—no more pretending. Grown wings, huh? Can’t control you anymore, flying free…”
Li Ran stopped it quick, not embarrassed Chi Mo heard but aggrieved: I sent it daytime.
No staying up.
“This is Britain. Time difference.” Chi Mo suddenly said.
“…!” Li Ran perked up. “Oh!”
But he couldn’t explain to Bai Qingqing.
Say he was in Britain? She’d explode.
Surely think kidnapped.
To spare her worry, Li Ran planned a white lie. Apologize sincerely first, promise no more late nights.
Bai Qingqing wouldn’t let him off easy.
Another voice: “You aren’t dating, are you?” At his age, teen angst—falling for someone was likely.
Bai Qingqing’s voice suddenly rose eight degrees. “Is it a boy or a girl?! Is it a classmate from your class? It can’t be a boy, right?!”
“Auntie, you’re so open-minded?” Chi Mo, who had overheard everything, raised an eyebrow and asked.
Li Ran hurriedly said, “It’s not…”
“Then do you like boys or girls?”
“I don’t…” Li Ran didn’t know how to answer. His mind drew a blank, and he blurted out, “What if I don’t like either?”
“You have to pick one.”
Li Ran didn’t want to choose and insisted, “What if… what if I don’t want to like either?”
Chi Mo lowered his gaze to look at him, as if gazing at some obedient prey that was already within his grasp. Calmly and meaningfully, he said, “You’d better be willing.”
