Chapter 75 – An Unexpected Sense of Closeness
In City B.
In a brightly lit private hospital suite, many people had gathered.
Almost the entire Liao family was there.
Old Master Liao, leaning on a cane, approached a brown-haired young man.
“Let’s begin.”
The young man with brown hair said, “I need to confirm once more: this drug is highly dangerous. After taking it, there’s a chance he might wake up, but there’s also the risk that he could die immediately. Are you sure you want to proceed?”
Old Master Liao struck his cane firmly on the floor. “At this point, we have no choice but to take the risk. That ungrateful brat has no loyalty to the Liao family. The only person who can stop him now is Ting Wang. As long as he wakes up, we’ll be able to control that little ingrate.”
The young man took out a vial of medicine. “Who’s going to do it?”
The Liao family looked towards Zhou Chanying and Liao Yuan. It would be a lie to say they didn’t feel resentment. If it weren’t for Zhou Chanying and the Zhou family, the Liao family wouldn’t be in this predicament. They were the ones who should bear responsibility.
Old Master Liao said, “Give it to the third daughter-in-law. She’s the one who caused this, so it’s only right that she resolves it.”
Zhou Chanying’s face turned pale. She knew what this meant. If the medicine worked, it would be fine. But if it didn’t and Liao Ting Wang died, it would be as if she had personally killed him.
She was scared, but there was no way out. The things she did in the past had been exposed by Lin Jiu, and with solid evidence, she couldn’t even argue her case anymore. Now, she and the Zhou family were firmly implicated, and with the task force arriving tomorrow, they wouldn’t have the time to do anything further.
Trembling, Zhou Chanying reached out to take the medicine, but Liao Yuan grabbed her hand.
Liao Yuan pleaded anxiously, “Grandpa, why does it have to be my mother? Can’t someone else do it? Or maybe… let the nurse do it. I’ll pay her to take the risk.”
The brown-haired young man chuckled softly but said nothing.
Old Master Liao roared, “Shut up! Do you want to broadcast this to the whole world?!”
Liao Yuan shouted angrily, “Then why not let Uncle’s family do it? You’re just bullying us because we’re a mother and son without support!”
“You insolent brat!” Old Master Liao lifted his cane and struck him, but Zhou Chanying blocked the blow with her arm, causing the cane to hit her arm instead.
“No need to argue. I’ll do it,” Zhou Chanying said, taking the vial and walking to the bedside.
Liao Yuan glared at Old Master Liao, his eyes full of hatred.
The brown-haired young man grinned. “If he survives, don’t forget your promise to me.”
Old Master Liao immediately changed his tone. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure everything is taken care of.”
Zhou Chanying lifted Liao Ting Wang’s head and fed him the medicine.
Everyone stared nervously at the man on the bed, watching his breathing.
“How long until…” Old Master Liao started to ask how long it would take for the drug to take effect, but the brown-haired young man had already disappeared.
No one knew when he had left, and he had done so so quietly that no one even noticed.
—
Lin Jiu woke up early, feeling a little groggy.
So much had happened yesterday, and looking back on it now, it felt both exciting and surreal.
Lin Jiu squinted for a moment, then got out of bed to freshen up. Absentmindedly, he checked his magic points and let out a scream, swallowing the foam from his toothpaste.
“System! Why do I only have 87 magic points left?!”
He had over 400 magic points yesterday, and now there were only a few left, even after recovering some from fish heads and bones!
[Host, did you think gathering evidence was easy? Of course, it’s going to consume a lot of energy!]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu felt a pang in his heart.
After working so hard to accumulate those magic points, now there were almost none left.
Lin Jiu: Do we have any more invisible fish tasks? I need to earn more magic points.
[Host still has one Blue Magic task left to complete.]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: Alright, I’ll finish that tonight. 100 magic points, can’t let that go to waste.
[Host, if you get the chance, we should go search for magic crystals. Just one will make you an instant millionaire!]
Lin Jiu: That place is in international waters. It won’t be easy to get to. We’ll need to find the right opportunity.
After getting ready, Lin Jiu rode his bike to the shop.
He still preferred riding his bike. The flashy black car his grandpa gave him was too eye-catching, and when he bought his house, he hadn’t bought a parking spot. With nowhere to park it, the car was currently in Si Xu’s garage.
From a distance, Lin Jiu saw two golden heads at the shop’s entrance, one tall and one short. The tall, slender teenager was holding hands with a little girl, no older than five or six. When the blond teenager spotted Lin Jiu approaching, he waved enthusiastically from afar.
Lin Jiu rode up on his bike, one foot on the ground, looking at them.
Both of them were extremely good-looking. The little girl looked just like a real-life doll, with big, beautiful green eyes. Her long, golden hair was braided in a circle around her head, decorated with small flowers, making her look adorable.
“Hi, Lin, this is my sister, Hailey. She’s five and a half years old. I mentioned coming here to enjoy some great food, and she insisted on tagging along. Is that okay?”
The rules at the Mo Yu were quite strict, and Lottie was worried Lin Jiu might refuse, so he quickly added, “We just need a place to eat. We’ll cover all the costs ourselves.”
Little Hailey looked up at Lin Jiu with her face tilted, speaking fluent Mandarin with a serious tone, “May I come into the restaurant to enjoy the food? I heard the food here is really delicious.”
“Of course you can, please come in.” Lin Jiu got off his bike, pushed it to the wall, and led the siblings into the restaurant.
There was something different about these two; instead of feeling like strangers he had only met once or twice, Lin Jiu felt a strange sense of familiarity, which puzzled him.
It wasn’t yet time for the restaurant to open, but luckily, they had arrived early, so they could sit wherever they liked.
Lin Jiu planned to prepare some food for them first, and by the time they finished eating, it would be lunchtime.
Lin Jiu asked, “Is it alright if I prepare the food for you now?”
“Of course, thank you.” The siblings entered the restaurant and took their time admiring the décor.
Today, Lin Han was back again, this time with Chang Beimu. Si Xu must have wanted Chang Beimu to improve her skills quickly, so she had been sent over more frequently. Her uneven short hair had been trimmed, making her look much more presentable, though it was still very short.
Lin Han, who was quite chatty, would start gossiping the moment he found an opportunity.
He explained to Lin Jiu why the siblings had been standing outside. It wasn’t that they weren’t allowed in; they had simply chosen not to enter.
Lin Han remembered the blonde boy and knew he had made an appointment to dine at the restaurant. When the boy arrived, Lin Han invited them in, but they refused, insisting on waiting outside for Lin Jiu to arrive.
Lin Han couldn’t quite figure out why they did this. Was it supposed to be more polite? He had no idea.
Little Hailey walked up to the kitchen counter, but she was too short to see over it. She patted Lottie beside her, signaling for him to pick her up.
Lottie dutifully lifted her, and finally, Lailei could watch Lin Jiu as he worked.
She observed with great focus. “Lin, can I come into the kitchen?”
Lottie quickly intervened, “No, no, you can’t. That would be very impolite, Hailey.”
Hailey crossed her chubby little hands. “I was just asking, Lottie, if Lin agrees, then I can go in.”
Lin Jiu was curious about them. “I’d like to know why you want to come into the kitchen. This is where the chefs work.”
Lailei’s big green eyes were serious. “I want to be closer to you. It makes me feel very comfortable.”
Lin Jiu was stunned. He hadn’t expected that response.
He held up a piece of fish for her to see. “Are you saying you want to eat seafood?”
Hailey shook her head. “Of course not. A lady would never betray her senses for food.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Hailey was still waiting for his answer. “So, can I?”
Under normal circumstances, Lin Jiu would have refused without hesitation, but this time he almost wanted to agree. However, he still said no.
“No, the kitchen is dangerous. It’s off-limits to children.”
Hailey looked disappointed, gazing longingly at Lin Jiu. “Lin, you are truly a gentle person.”
Lin Jiu: “Thank you.”
Worried that his sister was disturbing Lin Jiu’s work, Lottie took her away and found a place for them to sit.
In a low voice, they started talking in their native language.
“Hailey, you’re not usually such an impolite child.”
Lailei sighed with a hint of exasperation. “Lottie, you’re just too slow.”
Lottie whispered even more quietly, “Are you underestimating your brother’s intelligence?”
Lailei spread her chubby hands. “He gives me such a good feeling. I like him a lot. Lottie, can you tell me why? Is it love at first sight, or do we have some sort of family connection? Didn’t you feel it too?”
Lottie froze, then whispered, “But he’s a boy, and the age doesn’t match. Plus, he doesn’t look like us at all. He’s a full-blooded Asian.”
Hailey reached out her little hands to pat her brother’s head. “I’m passing my smart genes to you. Are you receiving them?”
Lottie: “…”
Lottie: “I think I shouldn’t have brought you out today.”
Hailey shook her head. “No, you should be glad you brought me. From the moment you praised someone so sincerely in front of us, I knew I had to come and see for myself.”
Lailei said seriously, “Lottie, we don’t usually have such an unexplainable affection for strangers. If we do, there must be a reason.”
Lailei continued, “Lottie, this is our great-grandfather’s lifelong regret, and it’s been a source of heartache for our grandfather. Father came all this way to fulfill grandfather’s wish. We need to be more careful, more attentive.”
Lottie spread his hands. “But no matter how careful or attentive we are, we can’t get the age or gender wrong.”
Lailei sighed, “According to the timeline, our aunt should be close to 50 years old. Do you think a woman of that age might meet a handsome man, fall in love, and have a cute, beautiful child? How old would that child be?”
Lottie: “…”
Hailey: “Admit it, I’m just smarter than you.”
Lottie shook his head. “No, no, I just fell into a trap of assumptions…”
Lottie suddenly fell silent, his eyes widening in shock. “If your theory is correct, then wouldn’t that mean our aunt is no longer alive?!”
Lottie had been keeping up with the news online. He knew about the things happening to Lin Jiu.
He knew that Lin Jiu’s biological mother was Vera, and Vera had passed away when Lin Jiu was just over three months old…
Lottie slammed his fist on the table, gritting his teeth as he spat out two words, “Liao family!”
Lottie scooped up little Hailey and dashed out.
Hailey let out a frightened yelp. Even though she had analyzed everything with confidence, she didn’t know about the things online, nor did she know that Lin Jiu’s mother had already passed away. If her speculation was correct, they wouldn’t be able to find her anymore.
Speculation was still just speculation. Now that they had a direction, they just needed to investigate Vera’s identity and background to find clues.
Lottie reached the door, then realized he hadn’t said goodbye to Lin Jiu. He quickly rushed back, saying, “Lin, we won’t be eating today. I’ll come back another day!”
With Hailey still in his arms, Lottie sprinted out of the shop and disappeared in a flash.
Lin Jiu: “…”
Both Lin Jiu and Lin Han were left staring in bewilderment.
Lin Jiu glanced at the unfinished food he was preparing… Oh well, it could be his own lunch.
Shortly after the siblings left, Lin Jiu’s phone rang.
It was a call from Si Xu.
Last night, Si Xu had taken Lin Jiu home. Lin Jiu had thought he might stay the night, but Si Xu only gave him a gentle kiss and told him to rest early before leaving.
At the time, Lin Jiu had wondered if there was something wrong with his own charm or if Si Xu had some kind of hidden health issue.
Everything Lin Jiu thought was written plainly on his face, which left Si Xu both amused and helpless. He had pulled Lin Jiu close for another round of kisses.
Si Xu cared deeply about him and couldn’t bear to tire him out after such a long day. Besides, Si Xu thought Lin Jiu wasn’t fully ready.
Lin Jiu answered the call, and Si Xu immediately asked, “What were those foreign siblings doing at the shop just now?”
Lin Jiu instinctively looked toward the door.
It was as if Si Xu knew his reaction. “They have a special status and are under the observation of the ‘Special Security Department.'”
Allowing them entry into the country meant the authorities wouldn’t just let them wander around without being prepared. They were definitely keeping track of their movements.
This was a matter under Si Xu’s jurisdiction, so he was curious why the siblings had come to see Lin Jiu. If it had been during a meal hour, it could be explained as simply coming for food, but the timing didn’t fit.
Lin Jiu responded, “They came to eat.”
Si Xu asked, “At this time?”
Lin Jiu then explained how he had invited Lottie to the shop for a meal previously.
In the end, it was all about repaying a favor.
The bandits who had escaped were cornered by the police, and several of them went berserk, either being shot or dying of exhaustion.
But they had made some progress. One berserk bandit, on the verge of death, had his life saved when a member of the reinforcement team painfully poured some flower red wine down his throat. They brought him back for questioning, though they hadn’t gotten any useful information yet.
Now, only one enhanced person was still at large — the one who could create thick fog. He was particularly cunning.
Si Xu’s voice softened, “You’ve worked hard.”
Lin Jiu didn’t feel that way. All the losses that day were covered by Si Xu, and Lin Jiu hadn’t lost anything. He had gained a good reputation form his creek fish and received a large sum of “pocket money” from Si Xu.
Speaking of which, Si Xu frequently transferred him money. The last time Lin Jiu had prepared a few boxed meals, he received a big red envelope and several transfers in return.
Si Xu said it was pocket money from his grandparents, and Lin Jiu had to accept it. If he didn’t, he’d have to return it to the elders himself.
Afterward, Si Xu had made several more transfers, each time in the millions, saying that the money would be used to cover meals from now on.
Lin Jiu had originally thought about selling Black Star Pearls for money, but he wasn’t even given the chance. He frequently had large sums of money deposited into his account, so he never had to worry about not being able to afford meals.
By now, Lin Jiu had gotten used to seeing his account balance jump by a few million from time to time. It wasn’t even surprising anymore.
Lin Jiu thought about the strange sense of affection he had for those siblings and wanted to ask Si Xu about their special status. However, he held back, thinking it might be part of Si Xu’s mission, and it wasn’t appropriate for him, an outsider, to know too much.
Si Xu then asked, “They didn’t end up eating, right? Do you know why they left in such a hurry?”
Lin Jiu replied, “I don’t know. I was preparing food for them when, out of nowhere, the brother picked up his sister and ran out. He came back briefly to tell me they weren’t eating today and would return another time.”
Lin Jiu recounted the details of the event for Si Xu.
But Si Xu’s focus was on Lin Jiu preparing food for them ahead of time and then making another meal for the lunch crowd.
Si Xu asked, “You prepared lunch for them in advance?”
Lin Jiu responded, “Uh… yeah, is something wrong?”
Si Xu replied, “I thought you’d have asked them to come back another time or wait until there were open seats after the first round of customers had eaten.”
That would have been Lin Jiu’s usual approach. Even when Si Xu and Jiang Ge visited, they had to wait until Lin Jiu was finished with other customers to enjoy his cooking.
Even Fu Jiao had to share a meal with Lin Jiu and the others when there was no space available.
Lin Jiu hadn’t thought much about it at the time. “The timing was just right, and I didn’t want to make them wait too long, so I decided to prepare their meal first… Maybe I should reserve a private room for times like this, so it’s not awkward when friends come over, and there’s nowhere for them to eat.”
Si Xu was silent for a moment before saying, “So, you already consider them friends?”
Lin Jiu was taken aback. “Not really. It’s only the second time we’ve met.”
Si Xu said, “Xiao Jiu, you’re making me feel like you have a close connection with them.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
That was exactly the feeling he had in his heart.
Lin Jiu said, “They’re both really easy to get along with. Lottie is bright and cheerful, and Hailey is very pretty and adorable. She speaks like an adult, with clear thoughts and a serious expression, which is quite amusing…”
Lin Jiu trailed off into silence.
Si Xu also went quiet.
After a long pause, Si Xu finally said, “This is the first time I’ve heard you speak so highly of someone.”
Lin Jiu was always indifferent to everyone, even with Ling Chen and Huo Wei, who were close enough to be considered friends. Si Xu could tell that Lin Jiu didn’t feel particularly close to them.
Even with Jiang Ge and Jiang Xiwen, Lin Jiu’s interactions always seemed to maintain a certain distance.
Si Xu was special to Lin Jiu, which fueled Si Xu’s confession and pursuit. Si Xu could feel that special connection.
Now, Lin Jiu had someone else he treated as special.
Si Xu didn’t believe Lin Jiu’s “special” feelings towards this new person were the same as those for him, especially since the little girl was only five or six years old. There had to be some other reason behind it.
Si Xu asked, “Xiao Jiu, what are you thinking?”
Lin Jiu shook his head but realized he was on a call, so Si Xu couldn’t see him.
Lin Jiu said, “I don’t know. I just have a bit of fondness for them. They seem really cute… I’m sorry, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not like love… well, maybe I do like them, a little… but it’s not the same kind of love. What I feel for you is different. I love you.”
Si Xu: “…”
The jealousy that had been bubbling up was suddenly interrupted by this confession.
It was the first time Lin Jiu had ever told him, “I love you.”
…and it happened over the phone!
—
