Chapter 13

The River God gave a cold laugh and did not bother arguing with him. Then he said to the dejected Qi Xiaoyuan, "I can't be sure whether what happened to your parents was an accident or deliberate. That will require a careful investigation later."

"But your car accident was not an 'accident.' The Corrupting Miasma around you was far too dense before. In that state, forget getting hit by a car—even walking down the road, you might have fallen out of nowhere and killed yourself. The fact that you've survived until now means you've had quite a bit of luck."

"But that is precisely where the problem lies." He Qinglan looked at Qi Xiaoyuan. "Unless normal people have committed some heinous evil or gone somewhere exceedingly foul and shadowy and been tainted by Corrupting Miasma, they should not have such heavy Corrupting Miasma surrounding them."

"The Corrupting Miasma on you was man-made."

He Qinglan looked at the somewhat dumbfounded Qi Xiaoyuan. "Because this Corrupting Miasma has been following you for at least two years and is already close to contaminating your body, I have no way to completely remove it for you at the moment. All I can do is grant you the River God's protection at fixed times every day and keep your life safe. Remember not to stray too far from the Qinglan River. After all, the Qinglan River now..."

He Qinglan did not continue, but Qi Xiaoyuan already understood.

"I'll come help you pick up trash every night from now on!! I can even bring a little cart!"

"And my grandfather—he's still unconscious. Could you, could you...?"

He Qinglan nodded. "Tonight, I'll go take a look at your grandfather with you."

Qi Xiaoyuan was so excited that he did not know what to do. Apart from picking up trash even faster, he solemnly swore, "Thank you so much! I'll pick up trash properly and take good care of the Qinglan River!!"

"Although I don't have much say in the Lineage now, I still have quite a lot of money saved from before. I—I'll buy you a feast tomorrow!"

"Ah! Do you need clothes or anything else? I can..."

Just as Qi Xiaoyuan was excitedly declaring his loyalty, he suddenly heard the roar of engines. His body stiffened instinctively as he looked toward the riverbank, only to see a luxurious convoy. From it emerged over a dozen attendants dressed in formal attire and white gloves, like high-class butlers. Every one of them carried a pile of things—

There were expensive-looking custom-made clothes, delicious dishes served on exquisite silver platters, carved crystal fish tanks like works of art, and even two tall attendants carrying an executive chair that looked absurdly comfortable?! They all headed this way.

Then Boss Water, Huazhou's richest man, first let out a mocking snort at the dumbstruck Qi Xiaoyuan. Then he turned and gave the expressionless River God a wickedly charming smile before sitting down in the executive chair placed behind him.

At the same time, the attendant to his left held up a new outfit, while the attendant to his right carried a plate of food. Raising his brows and chin, he extended his middle and index fingers toward He Qinglan and crooked them.

"Come on~"

The richest man was delivering warmth. Hurry over and weep with gratitude!

He Qinglan: "..."

He finally knew why this guy had called him.

Fuck.

Author's note:

Shui Wuyuan: Foolish mortals are not worthy of touching him!

Shui Wuyuan: My instincts tell me not to court death.

Shui Wuyuan: A mere mortal wants to compete with me in spending money?

Shui Wuyuan: Wife, look at me! Come on~

He Qinglan: Don't touch me.

Chapter 13

At six in the evening, the sun was setting. It was rush hour, when everyone was getting off work.

Even though this stretch of the Qinglan River was the most heavily polluted, it did not stop people from driving and walking through it on their commute.

In other words, there were a lot of people right now.

And once there were more passersby, there were naturally more spectators. Though Boss Water's dazzling convoy and the dozen tall, muscular, handsome men in black—who looked more like bodyguards than attendants—made onlookers afraid to get too close, there was no problem with secretly coming over for a look, filming a short video, and posting it online.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! Are we sure this isn't filming a show? I have truly never seen such an ostentatious display!"

"If it were anyone else, it would either be filming or putting on a show. But that sitting there is Shui Wuyuan!" A cool-looking guy wiped his face. "He isn't showing off or putting on a performance. He's displaying his truest self."

Once the cool guy pointed out that the person doing this was Shui Wuyuan, the crowd of curious onlookers all showed expressions of understanding and agreement.

"So it's Boss Water. Then it really is something he would do. Heh, getting to see him show off in person once—cough, getting to see him display his true self in person—I absolutely have to post it on my Moments and brag!"

Thus, even more people raised their phones.

No one could blame everyone for being so shamelessly biased. The person known as "Shui Wuyuan" was simply rather extraordinary—

He was a boss who had single-handedly crushed the entire entertainment industry's top stars until they could not lift their heads. Ever since he had publicly announced five years ago that he was inheriting the Shui Family business and becoming Huazhou's richest man, his hot searches had never stopped.

Expanding businesses in every direction, participating in reforms to major national scientific research projects, taking on ten companies alone at the International Chamber of Commerce and signing the best cooperation agreements—those were merely ordinary actions for him as a domineering CEO.

Yet what fascinated and lingered in the minds of all Huazhou's people were the little things surrounding him—

Catching thieves in the street, knocking a robber unconscious with a brick, directly flinging away a female celebrity who threw herself at him, helping two girls deceived by a scumbag get back onto the right path and surge forward...

It could be said that Boss Water was a very down-to-earth big shot.

And if that big shot was exceptionally handsome and especially rich, then there was really nothing wrong with the entire nation having a favorable impression of him.

What? You said Shui Wuyuan was arrogant and conceited, loved to run his mouth, spoke in barbed insinuations, and loved throwing money around to crush people?

Ah! Nobody was perfect!

How could you demand that a big shot who was handsome, rich, had a great body, and was willing to help the nation develop also have a good temper?!

Besides, being rich was not his fault. That was his talent!