"Host, host! The third gong, Luo Bai's neighbor big brother, is back. Luo Bai went to pick him up."
The system suddenly popped up, and Luo Beishi, half asleep in the middle of his nap, almost failed to react.
Oh, right. He was a cannon-fodder villain, he had a system attached to him, and he had a vegetative husband who was currently in his arms.
"Tongtong, is Luo Bai all covered up?" Luo Beishi asked the system groggily in his head, while thinking, Ah, this peaceful life feels wonderful. What am I supposed to do when having money and a husband to cuddle makes me want to be a salted fish?
"Yes, host. Luo Bai is covered from head to toe. There's no way to get pictures."
"It's fine, there's no rush. Wait until they go out for a meal or something. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Let them make their move. Let's see what tricks they can come up with these days."
"Okay, host. Tongtong is off to watch TV."
Luo Beishi had already gotten used to the system's fondness for watching movies and TV.
Systems these days were so humanlike that they even watched TV. He chuckled, nuzzled his doll husband's head again, and found that cuddling a real person really did make sleeping more comfortable.
The sensitivity of his ears was driving Huo Cixiao mad.
How was his insta-wife this clingy... He was even rubbing his face against Huo Cixiao's ear. Huo Cixiao could tell it was his face because Luo Beishi's nose had touched his ear.
His insta-wife had said earlier that he wanted a nap. Huo Cixiao had thought it would only be a nap, never expecting him to push his luck this far...
If he divorced his insta-wife in the future, it was genuinely hard to imagine how his insta-wife would live without him.
For the first time, someone cared about him this much... It was an experience unlike any other in his life.
Besides, even though his grandfather cared about him, he still treated everyone equally at the old residence.
Even when Huo Cixiao fought or argued with others of his generation in the family, his grandfather had never taken his side unconditionally. He would only tell them to resolve things peacefully themselves.
With his insta-wife treating him this way, Huo Cixiao's heart wasn't made of iron, and he was a tiny bit moved. But what was he supposed to do when he couldn't return his insta-wife's feelings?
Huo Cixiao had been thinking about this question lately, and with increasing frequency.
It wasn't until mealtime that Luo Beishi slowly got up.
A-Niu, outside the door, was impressed too. The young madam could actually stay home with the young master all day. He certainly couldn't have done it himself.
When he could have been free, he insisted on staying beside the silent young master, around whom even the air was cold.
The day's routine proceeded as methodically as ever. Luo Beishi's massage skills had improved considerably, and he actually felt that Huo Cixiao waking up might be just around the corner.
"Hubby, recording for Night Ghost Procession will finish tomorrow. Postproduction will probably take some time too."
Luo Beishi's voice had turned languid and soft, making Huo Cixiao wonder whether he was like this around other people too. He soon dismissed the thought.
Whenever anyone else appeared, his insta-wife acted cold or distant toward them.
Only by his side did he lose his thorns and become gentle...
For some inexplicable reason, he actually found himself hoping his insta-wife would only treat him this way. Why was that?
Huo Cixiao couldn't figure it out, no matter how much he thought about it.
At an upscale restaurant.
Luo Bai and Song Yachao were having French cuisine. It had been a long time since Luo Bai had enjoyed such a relaxing meal.
Song Yachao had promised to help him get the Luo Corporation back on its feet, and Luo Bai was certain he could help.
The reason he hadn't been willing to draw on this connection before was that he had wanted to save it for later...
But he hadn't expected his father's business to run into one problem after another, dragging him down too. If they didn't resolve things now, the company really would be beyond saving.
"Baibai, what's wrong? Still thinking about things?"
Song Yachao's gentle voice brought him back to his senses, and he looked at Song Yachao in a daze.
Song Yachao was a top student at A University, with good character and a good family background.
He was glad Song Yachao had lived next door to the Qin Family during that period. The house next door to the Qin Family belonged to Song Yachao's maternal grandmother.
Their connection had begun when he accidentally bumped into Song Yachao while going out one day.
The corners of Luo Bai's lips lifted slightly, and he felt he now had someone to rely on. "Brother Yachao, thank you for coming back to keep me company. I'm really happy."
Song Yachao looked at Luo Bai's face, noticeably thinner than when they had last met, and felt rather upset.
It seemed he couldn't put off taking revenge on Luo Beishi for too long, lest delays lead to complications.
The next day.
News that the Luo Corporation had paid off its taxes and fines appeared on all major platforms, accompanied by an announcement of an injection of foreign capital.
Netizens who saw it could only marvel. The Luo Corporation really was like an unkillable cockroach. Even this hadn't finished it off.
[God, I give up. Even this worked out for them.]
[Which blind idiot helped them?]
[This company's already been blacklisted, and it's still refusing to give up?]
[I want to know which poor sucker helped them.]
[It couldn't be... It couldn't be the Shen Family, could it? But I heard the Shen Family's eldest young master has already been locked up, with ten bodyguards watching him every day. He can't even get out.]
[Looking forward to what happens next. I don't think it's that simple.]
Luo Beishi also found it rather amusing when he saw the news, but he was in no hurry. He would let them feel smug for a few more days.
When Huo Cifeng received the private investigator's photos of Luo Bai and Song Yachao, his expression immediately darkened.
Had he been treated as a backup too? He couldn't believe Luo Bai could smile so happily in front of someone else...
There really was no smoke without fire. He hadn't dared be certain that Luo Bai was that sort of person before, but now his chest felt unbearably tight.
"Young master, are you all right?" Assistant Zhang asked worriedly beside him.
"I'm fine. Take a look yourself." Huo Cifeng tossed the documents and photos in front of Assistant Zhang.
Assistant Zhang picked them up and looked through them, his brows lifting slightly. He even felt a trace of satisfaction, and discreetly suppressed the corners of his mouth, which were threatening to rise uncontrollably.
"Could there be some misunderstanding... Young Master Luo Bai usually seems quite innocent. Surely he wouldn't..."
Huo Cifeng sneered coldly. "A misunderstanding? If this were a few weeks ago, I could have forced myself to believe him once. But the evidence is right there. A-Ze, weren't you so clever when you threatened me? Why are you speaking up for him now?"
Zhang Ze shook his head, pursed his lips, and sighed helplessly. "After all, ten billion went into this. I find it hard to believe it's true too."
Huo Cifeng's face grew even longer and darker at that. The point was, that ten billion hadn't fallen from the sky. He had gone to enormous lengths to borrow it, and now, with the Luo Corporation's stock plunging off a cliff, its shares were practically worthless.
He forcibly suppressed the fury in his chest. "Go draw up a plan. Dump that entire forty-percent stake in the Luo Corporation. Have people sell every day, starting at ten percent of the current market price and dropping it day by day."
Huo Cifeng might as well abandon what he couldn't recover. What he wanted to see now was the Luo Corporation smashed to pieces.
Since Luo Bai had the nerve to treat him as a backup, he had better be able to bear the consequences.
No wonder he had kept saying he only thought of him as an older brother. It turned out he had so many backups that he didn't care about Huo Cifeng's efforts at all. Just thinking about how the Luo Family's two brothers had played him, Huo Cifeng, for a fool infuriated him.
He couldn't get a handle on Luo Beishi for the moment, but bringing down the Luo Corporation would still be a piece of cake.