Chapter 9#

That evening, Ji Yang naturally didn’t catch sight of the cat.#

He had assumed Nie Xu was just brushing him off with empty words, never expecting there to actually be one.

A pure white long-haired Ragdoll, with one blue eye and one gold eye — extremely beautiful and very aloof, refusing to be held by just anyone. It took Ji Yang three days and a multitude of cat treats before he could barely win it over.

“You can’t just feed it whatever; it’ll get diarrhea.” You Li stood a short distance away, the space between his furrowed brows betraying a thread of disapproving displeasure.

Ji Yang lay on the garden lounger, looking at this boy who had been serving as his temporary bodyguard these past few days yet couldn’t be bothered to say a single word. He asked, “Where’s Nie Xu?” Ever since that night, the man had been nowhere to be seen.

“Why are you asking about my brother?” You Li was very guarded, not wanting to pay him any mind but also wary of the hostage situation they were in. He crouched down and waved his hand. “Little Bai, come here.”

Ji Yang hooked his finger under Little Bai’s chin where the cat was perched on his leg, watching it wear an expression of pure bliss, and let out a couple of laughs.

Ji Yang said, “I’m not trying to do anything. My personal bodyguard has changed — can’t I ask a couple of questions?”

“I don’t know. My brother’s always busy.” You Li answered reluctantly, looking very much like he wanted to snatch the cat right back and scold it for being useless.

Ji Yang’s gaze returned to You Li’s face. He grabbed one of the cat’s front paws and kneaded it, saying, “You might not like it, but there’s nothing you can do. It’s a little cripple just like me — proof that we’re family.”

You Li was rendered instantly speechless.

Wasn’t this young master supposed to be incredibly difficult to deal with? Calling himself a little cripple — what was that supposed to mean? And so obnoxious about it.

Besides, he’d heard the servants in the villa say that ever since this young master had beaten someone up that day, something had short-circuited in his brain. He wasn’t throwing temper tantrums anymore, wasn’t randomly hurling things at the servants either, and the strangest part — he had supposedly gone to work.

You Li thought to himself: Yeah, right.

This young master hadn’t set foot outside the villa these past few days.

Without fail, he woke up at ten every morning.

He’d change his prosthetic leg, walk around the downstairs garden for an hour, then take it off. On clear, sunny days, he’d lay out a spread of fruit and snacks on the stone table in the backyard, and lying on the adjacent lounger, he’d kill a whole afternoon on his phone.

No wonder, after most of the staff had been reassigned elsewhere these past few days, when he went to ask Brother Lei what he could do, Lei told him to just follow this young master.

What he’d said at the time was, “Among the Ji family, it’s this young master whose entourage is never fixed. Whenever your brother’s away, I’m the one in charge of assignments. Not much danger involved — just bear with it these few days.”

“If he hits me, can I fight back?” You Li never forgot how this young master treated people like less than human.

Jiang Lei had rubbed his chin at the time, a somewhat inscrutable look on his face. “The current situation, compared to before, might be a bit… special.” And then he’d warned him, “Keep your personal emotions in check. Violate professional ethics, and even if your brother finds out, he won’t be able to protect you.”

You Li was defiant.

He didn’t understand why Lei Ge’s attitude toward this young master had become so ambiguous. He just thought: Special situation? The entire world already knows the kind of “special” he is — the kind that likes my brother?

You Li watched Ji Yang stroke the cat stroke after stroke, and with a malicious desire to needle him, said, “Little Bai’s leg was deliberately broken by someone. It was Third Young Master who found it and specifically asked my brother to rescue it off the wall.”

Ji Yang saw right through what this kid was thinking.

Wasn’t this just a textbook brother-worshipper? The simplest type of kid. Ji Chengyi probably had no idea what to think of it — that You Li and Nie Xu could possibly have anything going on.

Ji Yang smiled. “Oh? Then I should thank him, shouldn’t I? Without him, I wouldn’t even have known your brother had such a charitable heart.”

You Li was choked into silence, and yet he truly couldn’t stand this lazy, laid-back demeanor.

“Weren’t you supposed to be going to work? Not going out today either?”

Ji Yang shook his head. “Not going out.” He settled back into the chair. “If there were any other choice, who’d want to go to work.”

Late at night, lying in bed, he looked back on everything since transmigrating into the book — it was as though he’d been shoved onto a high-speed train with absolutely no room to brace himself, because the timeline had landed him at such a critical juncture.

Going to work was a forced move under the circumstances — not because he genuinely wanted to live a 9-to-9, six-days-a-week grind.

At least it wasn’t all for nothing.

He didn’t know whether Nie Xu had made any other moves, but these past few days he hadn’t seen hide or hair of the Ji family people, and the police had issued an official notice — a formal investigation into Wei Qiming was underway. The irritating people and irritating matters had suddenly vanished, and he could finally enjoy a few days of peace.

He certainly preferred this kind of life.

At this point, the Ji family showed no outward signs of decline.

Ji Zhonglin’s mother — that is, the matriarch of the second branch — was a sociable woman, and Ji Yang frequently saw her hosting gatherings at home. A crowd of wealthy matrons would come through the door to chat and play mahjong, every word laced with flattering, fawning intent.

Ji Yang could understand.

Ji Yansong had stepped back behind the scenes two years ago, and the Ji Corporation now operated primarily under Ji Zhonglin’s leadership.

The Ji family had a whole pile of uncles, aunts, nephews, and nieces, but very few who were actually part of the direct line. That was precisely why Ji Chengyi, despite being an illegitimate child, could still be acknowledged by someone like Ji Yansong, who valued reputation above almost everything else.

Maid Mo came out carrying a glass of warm water and handed it to Ji Yang in the garden.

“Young Master, time for your medication.” Mo Qiu handed over the tablets in a small plastic cup and took special care to explain, “These are the new prescriptions — they’re for long-term management, so the side effects won’t be as severe as before. But the doctor did say that the next time phantom limb pain flares up, you can’t use strong painkillers again. You’ll just have to endure it as best you can.”

“Got it.” Ji Yang took the pills, furrowed his brow, and swallowed them dry.

You Li went quiet.

He stared at Little Bai nestled in Ji Yang’s arms, slightly dazed.

Little Bai really was a scratcher — it rarely warmed up to anyone. Even though Third Young Master had been the one to find it, when he’d come to Building Four that time to help Brother Xu, the cat had been right there. He’d reached out to hold it and gotten his hand covered in blood on the spot.

Now look at it — ever since sneaking over here three days ago, it had been shadowing this Fourth Young Master’s feet day after day.

What’s so great about a sickly wisp of a person! You Li thought darkly.

That medicine looked really bitter.

Ji Yang wasn’t particularly afraid of taking medicine. His body in his previous life hadn’t been the frail, drug-ravaged thing he inhabited now, but he’d lived with inverted days and nights and an irregular diet for so long. Later, when a friend had dragged him in for a checkup, he’d turned out to have problems all over. He’d felt he was still fairly healthy, taking his medication haphazardly — skip a day, take one, whenever he remembered, dry-swallowing two pills without even needing water.

Who could have predicted he’d suddenly transmigrate into a book?

The only upside of this death was that it was probably fast enough that you barely felt anything.

This body, though, was constantly reminding him that he had ailments. Even if he couldn’t remember his leg was shot, one look would bring it right back. The Ji family was a man-eating cage, and before he broke free, he needed to take proper care of himself.

Just then, a servant came over.

“Young Master Fourth, someone here to see you.”

Ji Yang was a little surprised. “Me?”

“Yes. The visitor said his surname is Peng.” The servant looked at him and added, “He seems quite angry.”

Peng Jiaying?

So impatient already?

Five minutes later, Peng Jiaying appeared in the Ji family’s garden, briefcase in hand.

Presumably the walk in from the road had given him pause — the environment had pressured him, and all the indignation he’d accumulated along the way had completely evaporated by the time he reached the garden. He stood like an uneasy, out-of-place intruder, gazing in a daze at that young master lounging in a rocking chair, idly stroking a cat.

How could I have believed the words of this kind of pampered, silver-spooned young master?

And here I was, getting angry over not hearing back for so long.

Ridiculous.

“Peng.” But the sound of that “Peng” was enough to reignite a flicker of hope in Peng Jiaying’s chest, reminding him of Ji Yang at the police station that day.

Peng Jiaying walked over, sat down by the stone table, and weighed his words carefully. “I was out on business today, so I thought I’d drop by and ask. I know I hold the director’s title, but if you — the manager — come back, who exactly is the new media department supposed to listen to?”

Ji Yang peeled an orange and handed it to him. “You.”

Peng Jiaying’s face went ashen. He accepted the orange, deflated.

The next second, Ji Yang said, “The new media department listens to you. And you — listen to me.”

“What does that mean?” Peng Jiaying suddenly looked up, reaching out to grab Ji Yang’s hand in his agitation, words tumbling out incoherently. “Do you actually have a plan? The project department has been putting pressure on us every single day, we —”

Peng Jiaying let out a pained grunt and abruptly released his grip.

Only once he saw the man retreat did You Li let go of Peng Jiaying’s wrist, saying, “Please maintain a safe distance.”

Ji Yang glanced at You Li. “Couldn’t tell you were that strong.”

“I just can’t compare to Brother Lei and the others.” You Li snorted coldly. “I started practicing boxing in high school. Over a month of intensive training isn’t exactly for show.”

After his huff, You Li looked at Peng Jiaying, who was pale as a ghost, and frowned at Ji Yang. “This person…”

“It’s fine.” Ji Yang gestured for him not to be so on edge. “My friend.”

The word “friend” made Peng Jiaying look up at him.

Ji Yang’s hand stroked Little Bai’s neck in gentle, rhythmic passes as he said to Peng Jiaying, “The reason I haven’t contacted you these past few days isn’t because I’m going back on my word. It’s because I’m still working on a name.”

“A name?” Peng Jiaying didn’t understand.

Ji Yang nodded and lazily murmured, “The name for your company.”

Peng Jiaying was completely baffled. “What company of mine?”

Ji Yang tapped his phone twice and said without looking up, “You’ll have one.”

“You want me to resign?!” Peng Jiaying stared at the resignation compensation deposit he’d just received on his phone, his face ashen.

Ji Yang: “You’ll definitely have to resign — just not now. The group wants to gut the entire new media department. Quitting right now would mean leaving with your tail between your legs, admitting you’re incompetent. We need to wait for the right moment.”

A moment when the Ji Corporation would want desperately to keep them but could do nothing except send them money and personally usher them to the negotiating table.

Peng Jiaying was bewildered.

Yet somewhere deep in his gut, he faintly sensed that this Ji Fourth Young Master, who appeared so nonchalant, actually had a very firm set of plans.

On the sharp edge of his instincts, he caught a faint whiff of something: a seemingly useless rich young master, sidelined by the group, was dissatisfied with the decision and appeared poised to flip the entire negotiation table right off its legs.

How is that possible?? Him? Peng Jiaying figured his brain was malfunctioning.

Peng Jiaying stayed at the Ji family’s residence until very late that day.

It was probably hard for anyone to believe that he hadn’t actually done a thing — he’d spent an entire afternoon accompanying a certain young master in stroking a cat. There was even a young bodyguard glaring daggers the whole time. But it was a case of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” and at Ji Yang’s suggestion, they had even exchanged friend requests on their public social media accounts.

Peng Jiaying looked at the account called “One Yang,” whose profile picture was identical to the private account he used at work. It was only a few days old, and while the content posted wasn’t a lot, the follower count had already breached the astonishing ten-thousand mark.

The bio was something else entirely: Real name Ji Yang. Male. Attracted to males. Voice con, hand con, detail con. Don’t insult me — I will hop over and hit you on one leg.

He tapped into one of the videos.

He’d discover that this person used the account as a personal daily journal.

He’d roasted Western breakfasts, posted a photo of the day he first met Little Bai — captioned, Hey, found a cute little cripple. The most recent upload was a black-and-gold prosthetic limb made of realistic metal.

The caption read: Supposedly some high-tech neural interface contraption. But honestly, I still prefer something that looks good. Shame it’s a bit heavy.

The comments numbered over two thousand.

“??? This thing is super expensive!!! Mid-six-figures to almost seven-figures. One-to-one restoration of the original limb contours. If you adapt well, it’s practically indistinguishable from a real leg! The main thing is it’s cool — brain-controlled metal. One kick and you can send someone flying.”

“Is the blogger a rich second-gen? Only cares about whether it looks pretty?”

“First time I’ve seen wealth flexed this effortlessly and elegantly.”

And some confused ones: “Ji Yang? Wearing a prosthetic leg? Don’t tell me you’re that Ji, from the Ji family in Fanzhou?”

Those below started getting curious too. The nested replies piled up and up, and the eventual conclusion was that someone was building a follower account using a rich young master’s name — and they’d happened to pick one of the most notorious.

You Li, however, was different. Amid all those angry comment threads, he zeroed in with laser precision on the few that Ji Yang himself had replied to.

“Shameless account builder — putting someone else’s pain online. Are you just deeply insecure?”

One Yang replied: “I don’t see you being insecure about your delusional episodes.”

“Dare to post a full-face photo?”

One Yang replied: “What would you do with it? Kowtow?”

“Voice con and hand con? And you like guys?”

One Yang replied: “So what if I like guys? I also like them good-looking with plenty of moves in bed.”

You Li felt as if he’d been struck by lightning: No wonder this guy had the nerve to go around telling everyone he likes Brother Xu — he was utterly lawless online!

You Li very much wanted to push the account to Brother Xu so he could see this young master’s wicked face.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have time before something else happened.

One by one, the friends of the Second Branch’s matriarch began to leave, departing arm in arm.

When they caught sight of Ji Yang from afar, their compliments toward the Second Matriarch sounded all the more genuine.

“It’s your Zhonglin who’s really something — working from dawn to dusk, honestly it must be exhausting.”

Second Matriarch: “Sigh, can’t be helped. He was raised under his grandfather’s guidance since childhood, so naturally he has more responsibilities.”

“That’s Fourth Young Master Ji Yang, isn’t it? He’s got it good too — with a dependable eldest brother propping him up.” She continued with a voice pitched just so: “Don’t go feeling sorry for your own son’s heavy responsibilities. I heard the First Branch’s son is quite capable as well, can share some of the burden.”

Second Matriarch, two shades cooler: “As for that woman the First Branch remarried — I’ve never thought much of her. And as for the son she gave birth to, heh, if you ask me, he’s not even as good as Ji Yang.”

Peng Jiaying felt the distinct discomfort of having witnessed a wealthy family’s private affairs, and stood to the side with an embarrassed expression.

As for You Li, his feelings were more complicated.

He actually had quite a good impression of that Third Young Master — especially after what happened a few days ago, when he learned that the man had known Brother Xu for a long time. You Li knew that Third Young Master’s origins made him disliked within the Ji family, and figured it wasn’t his fault. Because of that, he felt the gap between them — a person like himself, just an ordinary person — wasn’t so insurmountable after all. But these past few days, getting to know this Fourth Young Master had revealed another difference from what he’d expected. The difference was quite substantial.

He squinted sideways at him.

Then he noticed that the young master hadn’t given a damn whether it was the Second Matriarch or some other Matriarch walking past. On his phone’s chat screen was an account identical to the one he’d just opened himself.

Wasn’t that Brother Xu’s account?

You Li stepped closer.

Ji Yang: My new account just hit 9 friends. You sure you don’t want to help me break the double-digit barrier?

Ji Yang, with complete sincerity: Switching accounts is a hassle.

Then he sent a photo of Little Bai being scruffed by the neck, tossing it into the chat window.

Ji Yang continued: Where are you? Haven’t you come back yet? I need you for something serious.

You Li muttered quietly from the side: “Threatening him with the cat isn’t going to work either.”

The way they operated had always demanded concise communication and directness. Such a childish threat.

Besides, how many days had it been since you beat someone up?

Did you have any self-awareness of what you’d done?

Then he saw a new message pop up on Ji Yang’s phone.

“Tomorrow morning, ten o’clock, training ground on the right side of Building Four. We’ll talk then.”

Ji Yang shook his phone and turned around. “See? Worked like a charm?”

You Li was fuming. He crossed his arms and snorted. “If anything happens to this cat, Third Young Master will definitely ask about it. What exactly do you have to be so smug about?”

Ji Yang rolled his eyes.

Stupid kid — like you’re the only one who knows!