Chapter 19: Punching the Nanshan Nursing Home

Although Lin Jiangye had never been a proper god of death, even at the peak of his career, he was merely an ordinary trainee employee, just one step away from being granted a lifelong position…

There were many feelings and experiences in this world that employees from every department of the divine realm could deeply empathize with.

In this current autumn night, the back of Lin Jiangye’s neck chilled, and he even could not help beginning to suspect that Yu Wangxiao was, in essence, a very psychologically abnormal human.

Because a god of death only had one weapon. During work, they would also only carry one weapon—the scythe used specifically for harvesting souls, forged from a special material.

That scythe could not even cut an ant to death. It would only instantly pass through all bodies and containers, directly hooking away the soul. Of course, theoretically, it could also kill “ghosts” among humans, as well as all scattered spiritual bodies and energies with similar structures… but that was all.

Things like zombies, which still had physical shells, if they crawled all over his territory, a god of death could only beat them into mush with bare hands, destroy their ability to move, and then hand them over to other departments to handle.

They could not be eaten. Not a single bite.

If living dead were deliberately placed there by humans, then it was simply like mockery and teasing filled with malicious intent. That was right, pure malice.

Looking again at Yu Wangxiao’s stunned gaze, Lin Jiangye faintly sighed.

Was this the legendary cultural shock?

“Forget it, you don’t understand either.” Lin Jiangye hesitated for a moment, leaned back on the swaying swing sofa, calmed himself, and softly said, “My suggestion is to prepare some offerings with textures similar to jelly pudding and marshmallows, and just place them in the fridge. Glutinous rice qingtuan is also not bad. You can add a bursting filling, liquor-filled chocolates…”

Different gods of death liked different flavors, but what everyone preferred was ultimately based on the texture of souls. Lin Jiangye still remembered that back then, the one from the neighboring department in charge of birds and beasts loved eating a kind of round lantern barbecue the most. The filling was stuffed full of sticky, cheese-like fragments of young eagle souls and needed to be cooked at high temperature.

Thinking and thinking, he suddenly became hungry. Lin Jiangye took out the chocolate Li Yushen had used to bribe him from his pocket, tore open the wrapper, and ate two pieces in one bite.

Yu Wangxiao listened very seriously. His warm, focused eyes stared straight at him, and he even personally took notes. The tip of his fountain pen rubbed across the paper, leaving behind beautiful and sharp strokes.

“Thank you. If I only rely on my own thoughts to do things, I can easily walk into misunderstandings, right? So I’ll always need your correction. No matter what I do wrong, you can tell me directly. Don’t feel pressured.”

It had to be said, Yu Wangxiao’s attitude was very good, and he did not dig deeper into more details. This made Lin Jiangye temporarily suppress his guess that he was some evil hobbyist pervert.

In the past, Lin Jiangye had never had such an easygoing superior, nor had he ever made such a good friend.

Lin Jiangye nodded solemnly. “No problem, but you need to pay more.”

Hearing this, Yu Wangxiao laughed softly. In the matter of paying money, he was very straightforward. “Mm. If I ask for your help, I’ll pay double salary. This month, triple. Do you remember the result of the divination you did for me at the Gu family? On the plane, I would receive unexpected wealth stained with someone else’s blood…”

“It was verified?” Lin Jiangye’s eyes lit up. Curious, he tore open another piece of chocolate. “What happened?”

“You’re not allowed to eat more snacks. After we finish talking, you’ll go back and eat dinner immediately.”

“Oh.”

A good friend’s words had to be listened to. Lin Jiangye endured it, and with difficulty put away the chocolate.

Only then did Yu Wangxiao continue. “There was a pregnant lady. When the plane was about to land, she went into premature labor and had an emergency delivery, but there were no doctors among the passengers. Coincidentally, Director Li had taught me some first aid knowledge, so I went to help handle the umbilical cord.

“The child was born safely. As thanks, she specially gifted me a pure gold Buddhist pendant. It’s very beautiful.”

A pure gold Buddhist pendant with no small weight could indeed be called unexpected wealth.

But the image of “stained with blood” probably did not simply refer to the tear from the woman’s delivery, nor only the wet umbilical cord of the fetus.

Recalling the blood-red sauce winding beside the foie gras, Lin Jiangye always felt something was wrong. Perhaps there were some details that Yu Wangxiao had omitted.

“That Buddhist pendant—is it something properly consecrated? Are you sure there are no safety hazards?” He frowned and pressed.

Yu Wangxiao smiled, lowered his eyes, and lightly sipped his red wine. In an extremely calm tone, he gave an extremely ominous answer. “Of course… there’s a major hazard. Tuantuan, you said you’ve never seen a ghost child before, right? When I return to A City on Friday, we can broaden our horizons together.”

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” Lin Jiangye suddenly became a little nervous. “Although I don’t know any spells, I’m also not very afraid of ghosts.”

When he thought that Yu Wangxiao was currently outside his range of contact and might encounter danger at any time, while he himself could not immediately help… Lin Jiangye felt an urgent need to hurry and become stronger.

“It’s fine. It’s just that I won’t be in A City these few days, and I’m afraid you’ll have too much fun with your family and friends and forget about me.” Yu Wangxiao’s voice paused. His dark pupils looked directly at him, his emotions difficult to read. “That’s why I mentioned this, because I wanted you to suddenly worry about me a little.”

“…That’s very bad.”

“Don’t forget, this month you have triple salary.”

“Wangxiao, you’re so good.”

***

The vase shards in the entrance had been cleaned up. The scattered little ornaments had returned to their original positions, and not the slightest chaos could be seen anymore.

When Lin Jiangye sat back at the dining table, he glanced at his phone and only then realized it was already past eight.

For some reason, every time he chatted with Yu Wangxiao, he felt that time passed very quickly. He would also inexplicably relax his guard, ending in a mental state of hunger.

Tonight’s dinner was rather sumptuous. It seemed that several dishes had been urgently added to entertain Chen Ming. In the center of the round table, a sea-fishing platter gave off dry ice mist.

Qiu Zhen had redone her makeup. Heavy foundation concealed the redness around her eyes, and the corners of her lips lifted in a faintly stiff, elegant curve. Lin Bingsheng had his arm around Chen Ming, chatting and laughing. Everyone looked as if nothing had happened, as though the previous fierce and undignified argument had never occurred.

Lin Jiangye was arranged to sit below Lin Yu, very close to Lin Bingsheng… This had originally been Lin Jingyao’s seat.

Lin Yu, whose mind was full of Lin Jingyao, was naturally not too happy. He filled the wine decanter with liquor, endured and endured, but still could not help turning his head to look at Lin Jiangye, accusing him in a low voice. “There’s a guest in the house, yet you ran off alone to slack off. You don’t even know to help entertain.”

Lin Jiangye blinked, picked up a plump piece of pan-fried salmon, and slowly ate it before softly saying, “But before, when there were guests, you would always drive me to the storage room and forbid me from coming out. Because I was a bumpkin from the countryside, and if people saw me, it would damage the Lin family’s image.”

“…”

Lin Yu did not respond for a long while. In fact, he did not know what to say either.

Would he feel guilty? Not necessarily.

Would he be angry because he had been talked back to? Not that either. It was not suitable to flare up now.

He drank a mouthful of liquor and gloomily lowered his head to eat. Occasionally, he stretched out his long arm to pick food for Lin Jingyao and did not provoke Lin Jiangye again.

In the end, it was because circumstances were stronger than people.

Lin Jiangye knew very well that Lin Bingsheng had called him back for dinner, of course, to appease him and inquire about Yu Wangxiao’s mood and recent schedule. Even if he had to lower his posture, it did not matter.

This merchant who put profit above all else could not possibly oppress Lin Jiangye in front of Chen Ming, and he would not allow Lin Yu to commit any excessive impulsive actions.

Therefore, Lin Jiangye quietly ate meat with full concentration, seriously replenishing the large amount of energy his body craved. While his mental state was still good, he looked through everyone’s death scenes.

The amount of information was a little large.

Before Lin Yu died, he had already reached middle age. He was wearing a straight black suit and was pushed by Gu Jiu’an from the top of an office building, instantly falling to his death.

As for the Lin couple, both their hair had turned white. While quarreling and picking through trash, they failed to watch the road and were hit to death by an out-of-control large truck.

Chen Ming was still very strong in his eighties, but he seemed to have a high fever and died in a daze in his sleep… At least there was no pain.

Lin Jiangye pondered, then took a big bite of roasted chicken thigh. Judging by everyone’s endings, the Lin family’s decline was inevitable. It was only a matter of time.

Moreover, death endings could be changed. Yu Wangxiao was the best example. Before everything settled, he still needed to remain cautious.

At this moment, Lin Bingsheng was skillfully urging Chen Ming to drink.

Chen Ming pushed up his glasses and cooperated with a simple, honest smile. The atmosphere at the dining table gradually became lively. Lin Bingsheng was indeed an old hand who had traversed drinking parties. He tried every possible way to coax, flatter, and say pleasant things. He even took out several of Lin Jiangye’s childhood photos and stuffed them to Chen Ming.

These photos were probably provided by the original owner’s adoptive parents, and they were not very thoughtful. In all the photos, the original owner was wearing a school uniform, a thin little thing wrapped in a loose jacket, his expression pale and timid.

Lin Jiangye only lifted his eyes for one glance, then indifferently moved his gaze away and picked the last roasted chicken thigh into his own bowl.

Seeing this, the corner of Qiu Zhen’s eye twitched. Just as she was about to say something, Lin Jingyao hurriedly gave her a look, forcefully stopping her dissatisfied words.

Under the surging undercurrents, everyone had their own thoughts, while Lin Jiangye lowered his head and ate heartily. There was no helping it. Whenever Yu Wangxiao’s favorability rose, he suddenly especially needed to eat, otherwise he could easily fall into a state of malnutrition and might even briefly lose strength and faint.

He had already been somewhat craving that person before, and now he craved him even more… But he could not be ruled by extreme desire. One day, he had to figure out what exactly was going on.

Lin Bingsheng still mentioned him from time to time, praising that he had grown up, become sensible, was obedient and good at studying, and that among the three sons in the family, he was the most likable. If the original owner had heard these words, he would probably have been moved until his eyes reddened on the spot, intoxicated by the happiness of finally being accepted by his family.

But after Lin Jiangye heard it, he only smiled, then continued lowering his head to eat. This father and son pair, who had almost never exchanged feelings, could only barely maintain surface harmony.

He gave Lin Bingsheng this tiny bit of face purely under the premise that Lin Yu did not dare cause trouble, and Lin Jingyao was also very obedient.

This fake young master’s mental state could still be considered normal and communicable. Otherwise, Lin Jiangye would have simply asked Chen Ming to help him overturn the table and forcibly take Lin Jingyao away to some other quiet place for another talk.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, two blushes floated on Chen Ming’s wheat-colored face. With arms around each other’s shoulders, he and Lin Bingsheng went to the basement—singing, foot baths, and billiards. The best bottle of wine in the red wine cellar was also pried open. Classic business entertainment activities, pure green version.

With a dark face, Lin Yu unwillingly followed to accompany the guest.

The living room instantly became quiet, leaving only Qiu Zhen, Lin Jingyao, and Lin Jiangye looking at one another.

Lin Jiangye rubbed his stomach and very naturally went to the fridge to get a bottle of orange juice. He poured one glass for himself and one for Qiu Zhen. Lin Jingyao had stomach problems, so he did not give him any.

Qiu Zhen’s nose stung, and her voice suddenly choked. “Jiangye, in the past, Mom was sorry to you…”

“Stop.” Lin Jiangye was expressionless.

Qiu Zhen abruptly stopped. The breathy sound of wanting to cry but stopping got stuck halfway. Lin Jiangye had never spoken to her so coldly before, so she also felt awkward.

Lin Jiangye held the cold orange juice in his mouth, paused for a moment, then swallowed it. His brows relaxed slightly, but the words he spoke contained not the slightest affection. “The Lin family’s capital chain is about to break. I know. What response does Lin Bingsheng have next? Tell me yourself, and explain it in detail. Only then will I help you.”

After all, there truly was no mother-son affection to speak of. Qiu Zhen had always held a faint resentment toward him. She did not dare blame Lin Bingsheng for weighing pros and cons, so she only dared resent the original owner being recognized back into the Lin family at such an inappropriate time, forcing Lin Jingyao to be sent abroad in high school…

Forcing intimacy would only make everyone awkward. It would be better to directly talk serious matters.

Qiu Zhen hesitated. Under Lin Jingyao’s uneasy gaze, she answered softly, “Actually, I saw long ago that Yu Lin was useless and couldn’t protect our Xiao Yao. Your father also prepared a plan early on. After thinking it over, we realized that the only ones who can clash head-on with the Yu Group right now are the Gu family and the Zhou family. But the Zhou family is in North City, too far away and with no ties to us. They wouldn’t possibly stand up for us.

“So your father and I went to the Gu family’s birthday banquet to probe around, and we discovered that the old madam’s complexion wasn’t right. At a glance, she was close to death. Her grandson is only in his early twenties, and that wild child found halfway through is useless. This family is easy to manipulate. Bald Gu looks glorious and generous on the surface, but actually he’s also… also fond of playing. If he’s played with until he’s happy, until he gets carried away, coax him a little and he’ll dare agree to anything.”

Listening to this strange, twisted speech, Lin Jiangye thought he had accidentally entered the palace-fighting drama Chen Ming secretly watched on his phone.

Of course, from Qiu Zhen’s inexplicably guilty expression, he also saw more clues.

“You wanted to send me to the Gu family, to have me sleep with the Gu family head, so you never stopped my dad’s plan. Unexpectedly, my dad hid it from you and chose to send Lin Jingyao out instead.” Lin Jiangye was thoughtful. “Is that all? Only defecting to the Gu family?”

“…How could that be? You’re both Mom’s sons. Mom couldn’t bear for either of you to suffer that kind of bullying.”

Lin Jiangye raised his eyes and stared at her. After not speaking for a long while, he suddenly kicked over the glass of orange juice in front of her.

“Ah!”

The icy orange-yellow juice spilled all over the floor, landing on the beige sofa, on the formal dress Qiu Zhen had specially changed into, and on Lin Jingyao’s increasingly dazed, empty face.

This could be considered a small venting of anger on behalf of the original owner. The original owner had not dared disobey his parents, much less harbor resentment, but Lin Jiangye dared.

“Continue. How exactly did you offend Yu Wangxiao? He wouldn’t inexplicably give up a clean business cooperation just for me alone. No one in this world likes losing money… Did the Lin family do something illegal? How serious is it?”

The more Lin Jiangye thought about it, the more he felt it was possible. After all, in the original book, the culprit behind Yu Wangxiao’s car crash death had never been explained later. And in this life, the cup of highly poisonous milk he received at the Gu family birthday banquet had originally targeted Yu Wangxiao too, but after the police investigated for a week, there was still no follow-up.

After being splashed with a glass of juice by her biological son and then questioned repeatedly, Qiu Zhen’s expression gradually stiffened, and inexplicably, she felt like crying very much.

She was actually someone who had been spoiled rotten and was very emotion-driven. Although her parents were traditional and forceful, fortunately, Lin Bingsheng had coaxed her into marrying early. From then on, she peacefully married over and stayed at home, almost never suffering even a little.

In earlier years, the Qiu family had been powerful, and Lin Bingsheng was capable. She had not needed to do any “madam diplomacy” at all. Being a gentle mother was enough. The only blow Qiu Zhen had suffered in this life… was probably this matter caused by the true and fake young masters.

However, precisely because she had truly immersed herself in marital happiness for so many years, Lin Bingsheng gradually lowered his guard against her. He basically did not deliberately hide the dirty things he did in secret from her. Of course, Qiu Zhen had never cared either.

As long as it did not affect the children or her comfortable life, those actions of her husband were equivalent to being skillful and capable.

Only today did the consequences of being emotion-driven begin to madly backlash.

The more Qiu Zhen thought about it, the more upset she became. She could not help her eyes reddening. She raised her hand and wiped the juice off Lin Jingyao’s face, her originally weakened voice rising again. “Jiangye, do you hate Mom this much, hate our Lin family this much? Ever since you were recognized back, we fed and clothed you well, sent you to the best schools, gave you the best clothes. I endured pain like having flesh cut away, watching helplessly as your father drove Xiao Yao abroad…”

“Stop.”

Lin Jiangye interrupted her again, quickly glancing toward the stairs leading to the basement and lightly frowning. “Don’t waste time. I still need to return to school tonight. If you don’t tell me something useful, I won’t help your son.”

“What kind of words are those! You…” Qiu Zhen wanted to get angry, but in order to protect Lin Jingyao, she could not flare up. “Ai, Jiangye, just resent Mom alone. Resent your father too if you want. Don’t hate Xiao Yao. He was spoiled by Ah-Yu from childhood to adulthood and was raised delicately, but he really doesn’t have a bad heart. Wait here. I’ll immediately give you something useful.”

Her words were earnest. Seeing that Lin Jiangye did not object, she struggled in her heart for a moment, then gritted her teeth and got up, walking toward the walk-in closet in the master bedroom.

She first took a silk shawl and wrapped it around herself, covering the dirty hem of her dress. Then she rummaged a few times through the cabinet where fabric hats were stored and took out a USB drive.

It was a very ordinary little USB drive. These days, very few people used it to store files. Even if it fell on the ground, no one would pick it up. But because it was small enough, once hidden, no one could find it. Lin Bingsheng had placed it here for a long time. She had also only discovered it by chance while looking for a hat and had never said anything.

Qiu Zhen left the bedroom, tightly gripping the USB drive in her palm. Her knuckles turned pale as she silently felt the pain soak into her flesh. She wanted to get used to this feeling.

There was no helping it. Tonight was too unbearable for her. Lin Bingsheng’s concealment and betrayal, Xiao Yao’s precarious future… and also, also Lin Jiangye’s cold and distant expression, his attitude of treating her like a stranger. It was like an ice awl stabbing into her heart.

A few days ago, she had always one-sidedly resented him, because deep down, she had not dared resent Lin Bingsheng. She could only shift the blame and resent a powerless, skinny child. A child who had come from the village and been raised by a pair of criminal nannies.

Therefore, she had coldly watched him suffer grievances at home, watched him shrink back and humble himself. No matter what, she could not give birth to even half a bit of maternal love in her heart. She only thought this child did not seem like her own, was not likable, and could not become anything. But she had not abused him either, so she had not felt guilty about being a little distant in ordinary times.

Now it was the opposite.

She knew Lin Jiangye definitely had some resentment toward her favoritism, but she had never thought about it before, nor had she experienced it—being truly rejected and kept at a distance by her own flesh and blood was actually this painful.

After all, the coldness from Lin Jiangye was being directly revealed in front of her for the first time.

Perhaps Xiao Yao also resented her powerlessness, so, so just now, Xiao Yao had not helped her say even a single word. Her most beloved son had remained silent the entire time, his face deathly pale and pitiful, sitting on the sofa without moving at all.

There was heartache, and there was also regret. She was thinking about what she had done wrong. How had such a good family walked to this point? Was it her problem? Had she chosen wrong?

This was reflection that had never appeared before. But for a while, she could not think of a true, concrete answer, and she had no time to review this half of her life and exactly what wrong choices she had made.

Qiu Zhen took a deep breath and handed the warmed USB drive to Lin Jiangye. Then she hurriedly went to the dining room, opened the wine cabinet, poured herself a full glass of red wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

Only at this moment did her breathing stabilize. Her voice was hoarse. “Jiangye, Mom has lived heartlessly for so many years, and my brain has long since rotted. I can’t remember things, can’t distinguish priorities, and I also don’t like that life-and-death business arena set. So I can’t explain everything clearly.

“Whether it’s fraud or bribery, if I say it with this mouth of mine, it won’t count as ironclad evidence. If you want to see your father’s bottom line, there should be some in the USB drive. There’s also a big hard drive in his office safe, but I can’t open that. You can only think of a way to get the password yourself.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

Lin Jiangye put the USB drive into his pocket and decided that he would call Yu Wangxiao later to ask how to safely use it, and to check Yu Wangxiao’s safety situation as well.

He originally would not have had such a poor attitude toward Qiu Zhen, but he was in a bad mood right now.

Because he was worried. He was very worried that the jade pendant Yu Wangxiao had received had a problem. In fact, while eating dinner, he had also been unable to stop thinking about it several times. If it really caused trouble with ghosts in the middle of the night and he could not rush over to save him, that would be troublesome.

The more he thought about it, the more irritable he became. This was a very unfamiliar emotion.

Perhaps it was out of an instinct to protect delicious food. From the bottom of his heart, he could not accept Yu Wangxiao being injured. At least not… damaged by something other than himself.

Thinking of food, Lin Jiangye suddenly sniffed. He always felt that a fragrance was spreading around him.

It was not the fresh orange juice scent from the glass, but the special smell of a human soul.

After coming to this world, he had entered a human body to rest and recover, so his power had naturally mostly disappeared, and he had almost never smelled any proper delicacies again. Only Yu Wangxiao had been so fragrant that he could not sleep.

But Yu Wangxiao was not here, and the fragrance here was not that tempting and sweet either. It was more like a half-cooked pork chop, clearly lacking heat.

Lin Jiangye’s black eyes narrowed slightly. He put down his cup and stared at Qiu Zhen, getting up and walking toward her step by step until his face was almost pressed against hers. Then he inhaled deeply.

Qiu Zhen was stunned. She stood in place without moving, staring blankly at him. She was still immersed in the stabbing pain in her heart and could not come out. She did not understand what he wanted to do.

She suddenly realized Lin Jiangye had become extremely unfamiliar. This silent confrontation at this moment made her feel even more unfamiliar than those cold words from before. She instinctively felt the unfamiliarity.

Was this her son? Of course he was. They were connected by blood. Those almond eyes Lin Jiangye had inherited from her were so beautiful, moist and pretty like obsidian soaked in water. The ends of his eyes drooped slightly, and his black lashes were long and curled, bringing out a harmless, simple, pitiful appearance.

But as she looked, a chill suddenly surged in Qiu Zhen’s heart. She even wanted to turn and run. Otherwise, it seemed she would fall into the strange pool of light at the bottom of his eyes and have her soul slowly drawn out and chewed clean.

“Gege, calm down. Don’t do anything. Don’t scare Mom…”

A weak plea bloomed beside his ear. Lin Jiangye immediately closed his eyes, gently exhaled, and looked toward Lin Jingyao. “Do you have anything to eat?”

“Ah?”

“Give me all your snacks. I’ll pack them and bring them back to school to eat.”

“…Okay, Ge.”

Lin Jingyao felt genuinely bewildered by this request, but he did not dare refuse. He slowly walked up the stairs, his hand resting beside the icy railing. He turned his head and worriedly looked back at Qiu Zhen several times. Then, suppressing his unease and concern, he quickened his pace.

At the same time, Qiu Zhen collapsed back onto the sofa as if she had been pardoned, clutching her chest and gasping.

Her palms were scalding, and her temples inexplicably tightened. Her heart pounded wildly, giving off an unprecedented liveliness and intense heat, as if electric currents were darting through her body, quickly activating every blood vessel. It made her own body almost unable to withstand it, nearly about to explode. She sat there at a loss, unable to speak.

Because she could not understand what this feeling was, as if some change beyond the scope of her understanding was inevitably happening and growing.

It was frightening, extremely frightening.

Of course, for Lin Jiangye, the scene before him was actually even more frightening.

He had watched helplessly as Qiu Zhen, his nominal biological mother, inexplicably turned into a… living person who looked especially delicious.

Although everyone was a living person, at this moment, Qiu Zhen seemed fresher than Lin Bingsheng and Lin Jingyao, emitting an aura that could truly attract a god of death.

To give an example, her soul had originally been stored inside a human shell, like a bottle of strictly sealed, dried-up jam. Lin Jiangye knew this bottle of jam existed, but in the past, he had not been interested in it, nor did he like the dry texture, so he had no desire to pry it open and taste it.

However, this bottle of jam suddenly began to ferment. Inside the small sealed bottle, it rapidly swelled, becoming full, sticky, juicy, and colorful. It almost completely pushed open the lid, causing that delicious, rich fermented fragrance to rush straight to his brain…

Lin Jiangye lowered his eyes and stared at the floor, not looking at her. In his mind, he repeatedly recalled Yu Wangxiao’s appearance—the warm and deep brows and eyes, the lips that looked very soft, the cold and firm left shoulder and gorgeous blood-colored wound, the black hair that hung down lightly after bathing with moisture clinging to it, the chest muscles and abs that had only been fully revealed once…

A gluttonous feast.

He still craved that kind of watery, blood-and-flesh-filled main dish more.

Although logically speaking, he should not smell the fragrance of any living person’s soul at all. This matter was indeed wrong.

Previously, only Yu Wangxiao alone had seemed special, which had already been very strange, but he could still endure it. But if the whole world started smelling like freshly cooked braised pork, it would be very difficult for Lin Jiangye to judge whether he could maintain a high moral standard long-term.

Lin Jiangye restrained the delusions in his heart, distanced himself from Qiu Zhen, and once again fixed his gaze on her for careful observation.

Then he realized the most crucial change.

He actually could not see how Qiu Zhen would die anymore.

He had just seen it once during dinner, but now he could not see it at all. Invisible energy gathered above her head into a frame, then disappeared instantly.

It was very subtle. This was unlike when he looked at Yu Lin and Lin Jingyao, where there was a vague sense of obstruction interfered with by the world’s rules. Instead, his vision had been cleanly and decisively cut off.

Lin Jiangye was very studious. He had read many pieces of related knowledge, explanations, and descriptions about special situations. Even if he had not encountered many before, he knew how to match them one by one.

Just like in cultivation worlds, there were great powers who could sever karma by themselves, jump out of reincarnation, and even could no longer have their souls hooked away by Black and White Impermanence, so gods of death could not see their time of death.

Qiu Zhen’s connection with this world had suddenly become very faint. She was close to no longer being governed by its rules.

But she was only an ordinary person and had no extraordinary ability at all, so she did not know that her soul had lost its traction and was escaping outward from its shell. Yet precisely because she had no ability, it could not escape at all.

Only strands of fragrance scattered from the gaps, making Lin Jiangye hungry again despite having just eaten his fill.

Fortunately, as long as he could endure and not eat people, the problem was not too big. As for the reason Qiu Zhen had suddenly changed, there were probably many possibilities, and Lin Jiangye could not draw a conclusion at once.

After all, even ghosts had appeared in this world. Perhaps it was walking toward complete collapse. And the process of a world’s complete destruction was actually incomparably long, even long enough for human civilization to reincarnate once or twice more.

Having too many debts made one numb. Lin Jiangye chose not to make it public for now. Worrying was useless. Only when he himself became stronger could he solve the problem.

“Ge, the snacks you wanted.”

Lin Jingyao dragged two suitcases downstairs, panting lightly. He had clearly never done any hard work. His face was even paler than before. When he handed the suitcases to the Lin family driver, even the driver asked after him with concern several times.

But Qiu Zhen was abnormally silent. She sat on the sofa, somewhat dazed as she looked at Lin Jiangye, then poured herself another glass of wine.

“Remember what you promised me.” Lin Jiangye reminded him in a low voice.

The feeling of being ignored by his mother was very unfamiliar to Lin Jingyao. And whenever he felt uneasy inside, he would very decisively look for another support. So after hesitating for a moment, Lin Jingyao somehow said to Lin Jiangye, “Mm… are you leaving? Say hello to Dad and Big Brother. Otherwise, they’ll say you’re impolite again. Just one sentence is enough.”

He had actively provided interpersonal advice, and his tone faintly carried a bit of fawning…

Lin Jiangye looked at him in surprise. His steps stopped at the entrance to the stairs leading to the basement. Listening to the pounding music from the KTV room, he fell into thought.

Indeed, he should say hello.

He had not beaten Lin Yu yet.

“Uncle Chen, I’m going back to school. I’ll just take the family car back. Take your time playing, and drink less. Lin Yu, come upstairs for a moment. I have something to talk to you about.”

“Hah?!”

Lin Yu’s face darkened, but under Chen Ming’s smiling gaze, he swallowed his curse back down.

He clenched his fists and strode upstairs. After confirming the music covered his voice, he viciously stared at Lin Jiangye and gritted his teeth. “You have something to say to me? I’m already very annoyed today. Don’t force me to—”

Bang!

Lin Jiangye punched him in the face. There was not much force, but Lin Yu’s left eye instantly darkened.

Completely unprepared, Lin Yu grunted and fell sitting onto the ground. If he had not had an athletic foundation, he might have rolled straight down the stairs.

“Lin Jiangye, you little son of a—”

Bang!

Before his words fell, the second punch drifted over again. The force was neither too much nor too little, just enough to darken his right eye too.

Lin Jiangye rubbed his reddened knuckles and nodded in satisfaction. “Symmetrical. It looks more comfortable this way.”

Lin Yu’s head buzzed from the beating, and his vision blurred. He was furious, but no matter what, he could not get up from where he sat on the floor. After struggling for a long while, he instead could not help laughing from anger, gritting his teeth. “Damn you. Are you sick?”

“You cursed me in several hundred messages. I only hit you twice. You’re the one who’s sick.” Lin Jiangye was serious, stating facts and reasoning with him. “Don’t harass me. Find something to do, or I’ll beat you again.”

After saying that, he turned and left. Under the Lin family driver’s gaze that looked at him like he was a lunatic, he gracefully sat in the back seat of the sedan.

“Let’s go. Back to A University. Just send me near Nantong Building.”

“…Alright, Young Master.”

The black sedan, draped in the dark night, drove away from Donggang No. 1.

Lin Yu really wanted to chase after him, but he was stopped by Lin Jingyao. His most beloved younger brother cried as he threw himself into Lin Yu’s arms, his face pale as he sobbed lowly in grievance. Who would still have the mind to seek revenge?

“Xiao Yao, don’t cry. It’s fine, it’s fine. Big Brother will buy you a car. From now on, we won’t ride in any dirty car Lin Jiangye sat in.” His comfort was clumsy and only knew how to give money, but usually, it was very effective.

But this time, Lin Jingyao’s tears were hard to stop. “Big Brother, I’m so scared. Can you stay with me all the time? I really don’t dare go out anymore. I’m scared…”

The feeling of being relied upon was wonderful. Lin Yu suddenly felt comfortable in his heart. He focused entirely on coaxing him happy, even forgetting that he had two huge black eyes.

“Okay, I’ll stay with you. Wherever Xiao Yao goes, I’ll go. Gege wishes he could stay with you all the time.”

“Then next Saturday…”

“I’ll go with you!”

****

When Lin Jiangye returned to the dorm, the room was extremely noisy.

Li Liang and Jin Long were playing games as usual, enthusiastically holding their phones. They had even pulled Li Yushen, who lived next door, over to play together.

Gu Jiu’an wore noise-canceling headphones, calmly sitting in front of his computer doing homework. His style was completely different from the other three.

Hearing the door open, all three heads turned toward him in unison. After a brief silence, Li Liang shouted loudly again. “Old Lin is back? Come, come, come! Hurry up and log in for four-man queue!”

Old Lin…

The corner of Lin Jiangye’s lips twitched. “No, I’m going to the balcony to make a call.”

“Yo, missing your boyfriend?” Jin Long squeezed his eyes.

“Mm.”

Lin Jiangye openly nodded, put down the suitcase, unzipped it, and took out several bags of puffed snacks, casually distributing them to everyone.

Amid shouts of “Foster Father,” he silently picked up two small cakes and fled to the balcony. Just as he was about to call Yu Wangxiao, Gu Jiu’an silently followed him over like a ghost.

“…Something wrong?” Lin Jiangye tightened his grip on his phone. Toward this male second lead with an unclear personality, he instinctively felt a little guarded now.

After all, today he had just foreseen the miserable scene of Lin Yu being pushed off a tall building by Gu Jiu’an.

Gu Jiu’an leaned against the balcony door, his brows and eyes tired. He drew a cigarette from the pack, lightly bit it but did not light it, and said softly, “Be careful these next two days. Yu Lin escaped from home. He might come looking for trouble with you.”

“Thank you. I have bodyguards.”

Confirming that he had no malice, Lin Jiangye relaxed and tore open the small cake wrapper, taking a big bite.

“The bodyguards are also Yu family people. Are you sure there’s no problem?”

“Mm. Right, you should also be careful.” Lin Jiangye thought for a moment. “Your dad likes men. He’s quite likely to offend people.”

Gu Jiu’an froze and almost thought Lin Jiangye was insulting him. But after thinking carefully about his only-son status, his expression gradually became serious.

“Lin Jiangye, this is the second time you’ve helped me. What return do you want?” His tone was solemn, clearly not joking.

Lin Jiangye also did not stand on ceremony. “I want information. At your grandmother’s birthday banquet, who exactly poisoned that cup of milk for us? Did you know about it?”

The balcony was quiet for a while.

Gu Jiu’an was silent for a long time, then lit the cigarette and took a deep breath. “…It was my dad. The police can’t arrest him. There’s no evidence.”

“…Ah?” Lin Jiangye almost choked on the cake. “Did he want to poison me to death, or Yu Wangxiao?”

“Either was fine. If Yu Wangxiao died, everyone would be happy. If you died, he would think of a way to make Yu Wangxiao become the murderer.” Gu Jiu’an spoke lowly, his voice hoarse. “Sorry. I only found out about all of this afterward. I couldn’t stop it beforehand.”

“Thank you. I’ll tell Yu Wangxiao about this.” Lin Jiangye looked at him. “I’ll also explain clearly on your behalf that you didn’t know.”

But why?

Yu Wangxiao and Old Madam Gu had a decent personal relationship. At least before she became living dead, they had been friends despite the age gap who could discuss antiques and jewelry together.

The Gu family and Yu family also currently had no commercial competition. Occasionally, they even had some cooperation projects, and everyone made money. Lin Jiangye could not think of a motive enough to make the Gu family kill him.

Moreover, if the Gu family head really poisoned a very important guest to death in his own home, at Old Madam Gu’s birthday banquet, it would definitely cause many negative effects.

Doing this was very strange, like someone acting recklessly in desperation.

To be cautious, Lin Jiangye put down the small cake and seriously asked him again, “Do you know? Some time ago, someone tampered with Yu Wangxiao’s car. The brakes were completely broken, and he almost had an accident in the middle of the night.”

Gu Jiu’an shook his head, his voice light and cold. “That wasn’t done by my dad.”

“You’re that certain?”

“Mm. My dad can’t find anyone else to confide in. Every time he wants to harm someone, he comes to me. If he succeeds, he brags. If he fails, he complains and vents. He uses shares and my mom’s ashes to threaten me not to say anything.”

What a perverted bald man. Lin Jiangye frowned, still puzzled. “But you’re telling me now. Aren’t you worried your dad will find out?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. You probably don’t understand… I suddenly discovered I’m a fucking idiot. Because ashes have no meaning. My mom is already dead.”

“Ashes are indeed useless. Your mother’s soul won’t stay on the ashes.” From a professional perspective, Lin Jiangye objectively affirmed this.

Gu Jiu’an looked distantly at the night sky, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and laughed self-mockingly. “She definitely wanted me to be happy, not to pretend to be a grandson in front of a scumbag for her ashes and that stinking money.”

The scent of smoke gathered and curled around the balcony, then was wrapped by the evening wind and drifted into the deep starry night.

Lin Jiangye curiously inhaled, then exhaled. He had originally only wanted to smell the scent of humans’ addictive products, but his expression gradually became strange.

How odd.

Gu Jiu’an was smelling more and more like smoked bacon…