Right in front of his two bodyguards, Ji Yuntian fell out of his wheelchair and crashed heavily to the ground.
He looked utterly pathetic.
Having done his dirty work, Jiang Xun took off running.
The two bodyguards hurriedly helped their young master off the ground and back into his wheelchair, then moved to chase after Jiang Xun.
Ji Yuntian said, "Don't bother."
His expression darkened as he lowered his gaze to the scrape on his palm. Pressing a fingertip hard against the wound, he calmly said, "Go back."
"Yes, sir."
Only when Jiang Xun saw that no one was chasing him did he stop. He was still wearing his café uniform, his chest heaving beneath his black shirt.
Remembering how pathetic Ji Yuntian had looked, he couldn't help laughing again.
Serves you right for repaying my kindness by screwing me over!
Jiang Xun was laughing merrily when he caught an inadvertent glimpse of someone standing ahead of him. His heart lurched-
The smile froze on his face.
He opened his mouth, and it took a long moment before he heard his own strained voice. "Fu... Uncle, what are you doing here?"
More than five meters ahead, Fu Yanli stood in a dark suit, tall and poised, with an air of distinction.
As soon as Jiang Xun looked up, he met Fu Yanli's eyes, as deep and still as an ancient well.
He glanced behind him and could still see the Ji Family's luxury car parked in the distance. A moment later, it drove away.
Had Fu Yanli seen all of that?
As though he had read Jiang Xun's mind, Fu Yanli was silent for a moment before saying, "My eyesight isn't good."
Jiang Xun was speechless.
He gave an awkward laugh. "Uncle, you still haven't told me why you're..."
He trailed off as he noticed the building behind Fu Yanli. Dozens of stories tall, its striking architectural design alone made it look extraordinary.
Most importantly, several conspicuous words were displayed on it-Zhongyu Group.
Zhongyu Group was the company Fu Yanli had founded himself, a leading enterprise in City A and one of the top companies in the country.
Jiang Xun used his hand to push his gaping mouth shut, his toes curling with enough embarrassment to dig out an entire enchanted castle. "So this is your company..."
Ugh... Of all the places I could have run, I had to end up right outside his company.
Fu Yanli gave a quiet acknowledgment. Looking at the young man in his work uniform, he asked seemingly offhandedly, "Is your part-time job nearby?"
"Yes, it's..." Jiang Xun narrowed his eyes and scanned the area before pointing toward the café, only a hundred or two hundred meters away. "Over there."
"Uncle, you should stop by for coffee when you have time. I just learned how to do latte art."
Their conversation went no further, because the driver pulled up in front of Fu Yanli just then. He came around to open the rear door and said respectfully, "President Fu, please get in."
Jiang Xun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Standing at attention like an elementary school student, he waved cheerfully. "Then I won't keep you from your work, Uncle."
Fu Yanli glanced at him, then bent down and got into the car.
Only after the car had driven away did Jiang Xun sprint back toward the café.
Inside the car, Fu Yanli withdrew his gaze from the rearview mirror, leaned back comfortably in his seat, and closed his eyes to rest.
The scene he had witnessed in the rooftop garden at the banquet came to mind, along with what had just happened...
His nephew's young fiancé had a rather complicated relationship with the Ji Family's young son.
Last time, he had helped him. This time, he had kicked him straight onto the ground.
Fu Yanli mused idly that the young man certainly acted well-behaved in front of him.
He was an expert at playing nice.
Back in the café, Jiang Xun took advantage of a lull in customers to try spreading rumors to Lin Jian.
"Lin Jian, how did you meet Ji Yuntian?"
Jiang Xun was currently Lin Jian's closest friend, and Lin Jian wasn't the calculating type, so he answered honestly:
"My mom worked as a nanny for the Ji Family when I was eight. I stayed at their house for two months during summer vacation."
"Back then, I always saw Ji Yuntian sitting by himself. No one wanted to play with him, and his older brother was always bullying him. I felt sorry for him, so I went up and talked to him. After a while, we got to know each other."
"Later, I went back to my hometown for school and never saw him again."
"Then, just last week, I happened to run into him while handing out flyers on the street. He recognized me right away."
Jiang Xun nodded in understanding. "So that's how it happened."
There was nothing coincidental about it. This had clearly been planned for ages. Ji Yuntian had never stopped thinking about his childhood love, and had probably sent someone to follow Lin Jian long ago.
Jiang Xun looked fondly at Lin Jian, whose eyes were full of pure, innocent cluelessness. He cleared his throat, his eyes shifting as an idea formed.
Then he launched into a frenzy of slander and rumor-mongering.
"Lin Jian, there's something I'm not sure I should tell you."
"Huh? What is it?"
"I did meet Ji Yuntian at that banquet. His brother was bullying him, and I couldn't stand watching, so I helped him out of kindness."
"But instead of thanking me, he repaid my kindness with cruelty. He locked me in a dark room and released venomous snakes to bite me. Luckily, I escaped, or you might never have seen me again."
Lin Jian looked stunned. "B-but Ji Yuntian is such a gentle person."
"You haven't seen each other in ten years. You can know someone's face without knowing their heart." Jiang Xun pressed on. "Ji Yuntian's mind became twisted a long time ago."
"Not only that, he abuses animals. He tears the wings off butterflies and tortures kittens and puppies to death. He's terrifying."
Jiang Xun spoke with animated conviction, making it all sound perfectly credible.
Still, his words were a mixture of truth and falsehood, not entirely made up.
Lin Jian didn't doubt him in the slightest. Frightened and rattled, he lost every bit of affection he had felt for Ji Yuntian.
"How could he do something so cruel? That's horrifying!"
Jiang Xun said, "That's why you'd better stay away from him. Who knows if he'll suddenly go crazy? I'm really worried about you."
Lin Jian said, "Okay. Jiang Xun, you're so good to me."
Jiang Xun said, "You're my best friend. Of course I'm good to you."
Forget romance. Building a career is what matters. Men can't be trusted.
Jiang Xun affectionately patted Lin Jian's head, his voice as gentle as a doting father's. "Kiddo, if anyone else deliberately tries to get close to you, don't trust them. They're all after your body."
Lin Jian nodded obediently. "Okay, I understand."
Suddenly, as though sensing something, Jiang Xun turned to look behind him and came face-to-face with Chu Xingye's handsome but thunderous expression.
He had clearly heard their conversation.
Before Jiang Xun could speak, Lin Jian hid behind him, his voice carrying a hint of distaste. "Chu Xingye, why are you here again?"
Chu Xingye's expression darkened further.
Just then, a customer came in, and Jiang Xun quickly sent Lin Jian away. "Lin Jian, go take the customer's order first."
Once Lin Jian was out of earshot, Chu Xingye glared fiercely at Jiang Xun and practically forced the words through gritted teeth. "Little Black Egg, is this how you used to spread rumors about me to Lin Jian?"