Chapter 16: The Great Minefield Explosion
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Jing Yi nervously shrank behind Li Mingzhi, silently wishing that Li Wenzhao wouldn’t notice him.
“Butler Jing.”
Oh no.
Jing Yi revealed his face like a timid cat: “Young master.”
“You were supposed to bring me a change of clothes, yet you ran off to the banquet…” Li Wenzhao noticed cake crumbs at the corner of the butler’s mouth and his brow twitched sharply. “Sneaking cake?”
Jing Yi hurriedly wiped his mouth. “Not sneaking.”
“Eating openly, then?”
Jing Yi shook his head and began to babble. “It’s poison testing. I was worried someone might have secretly infiltrated the Li family, trying to harm the young master. So I risked myself to test the poison, to help you avoid trouble.”
He gestured grandly. “After my brave and fearless trial, I found all these cakes are harmless. Young master, would you like to try some?”
Li Wenzhao: Heh heh.
Yeah, right.
Jing Yi swallowed nervously, his curious gaze lingering below Li Wenzhao’s waist like a little rascal.
Li Wenzhao’s mouth tightened. “Butler Jing, what are you looking at?”
Embarrassed, Jing Yi rubbed his nose and looked away, whispering, “Young master, are you… wearing nothing underneath… uh…”
Li Wenzhao raised his hand and stuffed a piece of cake into Jing Yi’s mouth. “Shut up.”
Jing Yi muffled, “Mmm, mmm.”
Though Li Wenzhao looked displeased, the little cake he shoved over was delicious.
Jing Yi chewed rhythmically, his cheeks puffed like a squirrel hiding food, his eyes scanning the table for the next victim cake.
Are they really that tasty?
After watching Jing Yi for a while, Li Wenzhao frowned; the little butler was getting bolder. At the crucial moment, he had left him waiting in the dressing room for half an hour. If not for the phone he had brought and the house staff delivering his things, he might still be there, half-dressed, waiting for someone who wouldn’t come back.
“Oh, big brother went to change clothes,” Li Mingzhi said, holding a takeout bag and noticing Hua Dian. “This set isn’t as good as the previous one.”
Li Wenzhao gritted his teeth. “No choice. A crazy bird just kicked a wine glass onto me.”
“Crazy bird at the banquet hall?” Li Mingzhi asked.
The gluttonous “crazy bird” froze slightly. Hm?
Did he just insult me? (munch munch) Never mind, filling my stomach is the priority. That grilled bird over there looks good too; I’m tired of cake, time for a change of flavor. (smack smack)
Jing Yi clapped his hands, eyes fixed intently on the new delicacy.
Next moment, an arm appeared out of nowhere, taking away both meat and plate.
Jing Yi: “...!!!”
Who is this marauder! Stealing food and carrying it off!
Following the arm upward, he saw Li Wenzhao’s cold, pensive face.
Seeing the little butler defeated, Li Wenzhao felt pleased. He wasn’t interested in the banquet food, but if it upset the butler, that was satisfaction enough.
The little butler looked at him with longing eyes.
Li Wenzhao grabbed a skewer of grilled bird and bit into it.
Jing Yi pursed his lips, muttering grievances silently.
[...]
Eating barbecue at a banquet? Li Wenzhao is absolutely not a domineering CEO.
Li Wenzhao sneered, noticing the things in Li Mingzhi’s hands. “What’s that?”
Li Mingzhi raised his hand, “Takeout packed for Butler Jing.”
Li Wenzhao snatched the bag, opening it to find it filled with snacks. “Eating and carrying off—Butler Jing, you’re quite resourceful.”
He retaliated by confiscating the cake, placing it back on the table.
Jing Yi froze instantly.
His glare at Li Wenzhao’s palm was fierce.
[How bold! Daring to touch the boss’s rations!]
[Li the ruthless truly lives up to his villain reputation, not even letting the butler eat small cakes to his fill... Silence the world and listen to my broken defenses!]
Though cursing inwardly, Jing Yi remained calm and courteous, maintaining the butler’s respectful demeanor: “Young master’s admonition is noted. I was wrong. No takeout.”
Li Wenzhao: “...”
If he couldn’t hear thoughts, he might have believed his nonsense.
The banquet continued. With Li Xu absent, Li Wenzhao had to take charge and had no time to bicker with the butler. He shot a warning glance, then turned and left.
Phew—
Jing Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
“Butler Jing.” Li Mingzhi carefully approached and secretly hung a heavy bag on Jing Yi’s hand. “Don’t be sad. I also secretly packed a bag with all flavors, didn’t let big brother notice. You can sneak some in the bed at night.”
“You’re so kind, young master,” Jing Yi was touched.
Li Mingzhi smiled shyly, “Glad you like it, Butler Jing.”
· · ·
The banquet hall was brightly lit. Qiu Minzhi wandered inside pale-faced, unable to leave or contact her lover who had stolen the seal. She was anxious and panicked, feeling as if she existed in a different dimension from the lively feast.
Somehow, her attention finally landed on Jing Yi.
“Butler Jing,” Qiu Minzhi spoke softly and weakly.
At that moment, Jing Yi was pondering the possibility of Li Xu encountering the seal thief back at the company, slightly distracted.
[Hmm, wonder if the second young master suddenly returning to the office will run into the stealing mouse. That would be quite a scene.]
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[If only there were a live broadcast.]
[Would be so entertaining.]
Li Mingzhi nodded enthusiastically.
Exactly.
He also wanted to see it.
“Butler, Butler Jing.” Qiu Minzhi tried again, getting no response.
Is that the surname? Why no reaction?
Jing Yi finally came to his senses, turning to see Qiu Minzhi and startled himself. “What?”
Qiu Minzhi had no patience for the butler’s careless attitude; she had urgent matters. “I’m feeling unwell. Could you help me make a call from the car, ask my family to pick me up?”
Jing Yi pointed far away. “There are bodyguards at the main gate. They can run errands.”
“…”
If that worked, she wouldn’t be wandering around like a headless chicken.
The Li family seemed alert. Li Wenzhao watched her closely. Among the bodyguards, at least three pairs of eyes locked onto her, allowing no small movement.
She had to notify her lover to leave immediately, or next time they met, it would be through iron bars.
“Butler Jing, please help me,” Qiu Minzhi grasped his hand, slipping a translucent jade bracelet into his palm.
Li Mingzhi’s eyes widened.
He had seen jade and antiques since childhood and could tell this was very valuable.
Qiu Minzhi was truly desperate for her lover.
Butler Jing wouldn’t…
Jing Yi looked at the bracelet. “Miss Qiu, are you bribing me?”
“No, no,” Qiu Minzhi said hurriedly, “It’s a tip for the errand.”
“Our butler does not accept bribes,” Jing Yi shook his head vigorously. “Miss Qiu, you’d better be careful.”
Qiu Minzhi stiffened.
Li Mingzhi’s eyes sparkled suddenly.
The butler is wonderful! Such a righteous and perfect butler!
[Cough, do you take me for a fool? What good could a scammer carry? Probably glass, worthless even as scrap. Trying to trick me, huh?]
[I’m not so easily fooled, I’m Kudo Shinichi after all.]
Li Mingzhi: “…”
Turns out the butler just doesn’t recognize value.
Qiu Minzhi almost fainted in despair.
Jing Yi held his cake, wanting to move to another spot to continue eating wildly with the innocent young master, but Li Wenzhao suddenly appeared out of nowhere and gave him extra work.
Jing Yi puffed his cheeks. “…”
[Working at a banquet, so unlucky.]
[So unlucky, not even allowed to take cake home. Life is hard…]
Li Wenzhao: “…”
He cleared his throat and handed Jing Yi a thick notebook, preparing to conduct a thorough risk assessment in the banquet hall.
What a great opportunity.
All the expected and unexpected guests were here; the butler could use elimination to avoid risky partners in future social and business dealings.
“Write down the guest information from today’s visit,” Li Wenzhao said, afraid the butler might give up, and quickly added, “There’s a reward after finishing.”
Li Mingzhi paused, then realized what big brother was up to—cheating! They were about to cheat!
Sweeping away evil, returning to their true selves!
Big brother was truly big brother!
Jing Yi transformed from a wilted bean sprout to a lively cabbage in a second. “Re…ward?”
Li Wenzhao: “Ten thousand yuan.”
[Nice!]
[Yahoo!]
[Even landlords have moments of generosity, happy, excited, might even set off two firecrackers to celebrate, hehe.]
Li Wenzhao: “…”
Greedy little butler, too much inner drama.
Jing Yi nodded slightly, joy shining through his eyes. “Willing to serve the young master faithfully.”
Li Wenzhao scoffed.
No need for dog or horse, but bull or horse might do.
Li Wenzhao scanned the banquet hall, his gaze flickering as if activating a cheat code: “Ma Chushen.”
Since the name might lack reference, he added some details: “Li’s biggest partner, family business, years of dealings with Li family…”
Jing Yi nodded but forgot how to write. “Young master.”
“Yes?”
“How do you write ‘chushen’?”
“…”
“Butler Jing, don’t worry about details.”
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It was just a risk assessment game; who cared if the characters were written correctly?
Jing Yi: “Oh.”
[Got it, here we go.]
Li Wenzhao nodded in satisfaction, watching Jing Yi write diligently, his heart at ease. He glanced aside.
[Ma beast.]
“…”
Li Wenzhao waited quietly and finally heard the little butler muttering.
[Who names their child that…?]
[But Li’s partner, surname Ma, there is such a person…]
Li Wenzhao held his breath.
[I didn’t write it wrong—this guy’s a beast. Outwardly a powerful entrepreneur, but behind the scenes involved in illegal surrogacy. The factory is so large a single prison cell can’t hold it all. Soon to be legally punished, rot in jail.]
[His parents really had a knack for naming!]
Li Wenzhao noted it secretly and mentioned another name.
All were influential figures with important business ties to the Li family, all polite on the surface, but who knew what was hidden beneath their calm masks.
[Oh, this one! The notorious old man chasing young girls, married a 20-year-old beauty at 68, lived a wild life, died at 68 from excessive indulgence, indirectly causing the Li family’s financial chain to break, with huge compensation payouts… inhuman.]
“…”
[This one loved rare wild animals, died from bacterial infection.]
[This one had a scandalous private life, even fancied young master Li Wenzhao but failed.]
[This one is a spy sent by a rival company to steal Li Wenzhao’s new project.]
[This one… has killed someone!]
[So many, so many, help… so many achievements, why am I not a cop?!]
Li Wenzhao’s expression darkened.
With the little butler’s few words, half the banquet guests were gone without a trace.
The risk assessment uncovered a minefield of scandals, too many to fill in, rendering years of Li family efforts wasted.
Li Wenzhao, a staunch skeptic for over twenty years, began to wonder if divine punishment really existed.
Otherwise, how to explain all the trash around them?
“Young master,” Jing Yi squeezed his pen, hinting, “I feel like I’m the grim reaper.”
Li Wenzhao: “?”
Jing Yi looked at the notebook. “This is my book of life and death. Whoever I write about will die.”
“…”
[Is my hint too subtle?]
Jing Yi’s hand went numb from writing. He thought for a moment. “Young master, can I borrow your phone?”
Li Wenzhao handed it over.
Jing Yi fiddled with it for a while, then returned it.
Li Wenzhao looked closely and noticed a new anti-fraud app icon.
[Beep beep beep beep beep beep!]
The phone suddenly rang wildly.
All call records were marked in red, warning of significant risks.
Li Wenzhao: “…………”
Jing Yi sneakily peeked and was shocked.
No… this anti-fraud app is that powerful?
He nodded quietly; his hint was on point. “Young master, do you understand now?”
[My hint is so obvious, even a fool should get it.]
Li Wenzhao seemed a bit withdrawn. “Mm, you go rest.”
“All right.”
Jing Yi ran off without looking back.
Worried about being made to do hard labor again, he went nowhere and dove into his dumpling nest.
Just as he closed the door, a muffled thunderclap shook the windows, soon followed by lightning and heavy rain.
Jing Yi wrapped himself tightly in blankets, trembling as he nibbled on his packed late-night snack amid the thunderstorm.
Writing all night made him hungry.
The night grew late. Jing Yi finished washing, yawned, and sleepily buried himself in the dumpling skin.
Soft breathing.
…
After an unknown time, moisture flooded the room; the ceiling light flared brightly.
Jing Yi, sleeping soundly, was suddenly grabbed from the bed. Without a word, the other party tossed a heavy object to him.
Li Xu, dripping wet, stood in his room. “You’ve been doing well lately. This is a reward.”
Jing Yi, with messy hair and sleepy eyes: “...Huh?”