CH 42

Bo Yueming and his party returned to the underground parking lot, but the driver, Lao Zhang, was not in the car.

Lin Zhong and Uncle Kai were each carrying a bunch of wine, and the weight was really a bit much. The former quickly put his burden on the ground and said, “Mr. Bo, Lao Zhang isn’t here, I’ll call him and ask.”

Lao Fu, the original driver from the Imperial Capital, did not come to Wencheng with them. The current driver, Lao Zhang, was recruited by Song Yuanyuan for Bo Yueming.

He was under the age of fifty, had excellent driving skills, and was honest.

Bo Yueming had originally planned to take him to today’s Lingshui Pavilion dinner, but the other party refused.

He said that he was just an ordinary person and was really not interested in such a high-end place. Looking at the expensive dishes, he feared he wouldn’t be able to sit still, so it was better to eat at some homestyle restaurant on the side of the road.

Bo Yueming didn’t force it. He only said that he would reimburse the dinner expenses, and let him make his own decision.

Lin Zhong’s phone call went through quickly. “Lao Zhang, where are you? Boss Bo and Little Sir are already waiting by the car.”

“What? You’re buying medicine?”

“Okay, come back as soon as possible.”

Lin Zhong communicated with him briefly, and after hanging up the phone, he explained to Bo Yueming, “Mr. Bo, Lao Zhang said he went to buy some medicine, and he is already on his way back.”

Bo Yueming was not in a hurry. “It’s fine.”

Pei Yi had eaten enough to fill his stomach, and was pacing back and forth with his head bowed.

Taking advantage of the height difference, Bo Yueming gazed at the hair on the back of his head and smiled unknowingly. 

Uncle Kai and Lin Zhong might not be able to see it, but Bo Yueming knew—

The wine that Pei Yi “purchased” tonight was either not in his wine cabinet, or there was only one bottle left, and each bottle was highly valued in the wine circle.

He had spent hundreds of thousands, as a conservative estimate.

If he had lived in the Pei residence since childhood and was maliciously belittled by the Pei couple, how could the kitten have learned so much?

Because of this, he was even more curious about Pei Yi’s real experience hidden under the mask of “foolishness.”

In less than three minutes, anxious footsteps came from far to near, and the driver Lao Zhang ran over panting. The plastic medicine bag in his hand rustled.

“Boss, Boss Bo, I’m really sorry.” 

Lao Zhang looked a little cautious. “I thought you guys would call before you came down, so I just ran out for five or six minutes. I will definitely pay attention to the time in the future.”

Uncle Kai knew Bo Yueming’s character best. As long as it was an important matter, he was always tolerant of his subordinates.

He handed over the packaged dessert in his hand. “Lao Zhang, don’t be nervous, a delay of a few minutes is fine. I recall that your little daughter loves desserts? Second Young Master specially asked the restaurant to pack one for her.”

Lao Zhang was stunned for a moment and then took it, flattered. “Thank you, Mr. Bo. I made you spend money.”

Lin Zhong lifted the wine bottle. “Lao Zhang, open the trunk first.”

Lao Zhang quickly did so.

Pei Yi stared at the medicine bag tightly clutched in his hand, thinking to himself—

Where is Lao Zhang feeling uncomfortable?

If there was anything wrong with his body, they must have a different driver. After all, Bo Yueming had been in a car accident before, so they couldn’t be careless when it came to travel.

Pei Yi considered these things on behalf of Bo Yueming, and pretended to be curious, pointing out, “Medicine? Uncomfortable?”

“Little Sir, I am in good health and I’m not feeling sick.” Lao Zhang opened the bag while explaining, “I bought some anti-bruise and antiseptic cream for someone else.”

After Lin Zhong put the wine away, he asked casually, “Someone else?”

Lao Zhang didn’t hide it, either. “I was just about to say, Boss, I saw Chairman Chen of the Shuntian group just now!”

These days, he drove Bo Yueming back and forth, and although he didn’t quite understand the business affairs of the other party’s conversations, he happened to read the information that Lin Zhong had investigated.

There were photos of Chen Shun and others.

As a native of Wencheng, Lao Zhang was familiar with this well-known big boss.

“……..”

Bo Yueming’s eyes narrowed. “You saw him?”

Lao Zhang answered truthfully, “Yes, ah, wasn’t he wearing blue or black clothes? It was a bit of a distance away, and this underground parking lot is a little dark.”

Lin Zhong felt this was very odd. “Mr. Bo, didn’t Chen Shun leave before we ate?”

Pei Yi nodded imperceptibly, also feeling that the timeline was a bit wrong.

Bo Yueming said bluntly, “Tell me in detail.”

Lao Zhang did not conceal anything from them. “I returned after eating outside. Since it was still early, I planned to walk around the parking lot to refresh myself, and then inadvertently heard the sound of fighting.”

Rather than saying it was a fight, it was better to say that it was someone’s muffled sounds of pain.

Out of curiosity that only middle-aged men had, Lao Zhang followed the source of the sounds and walked over, and then he saw—

In the corner of the parking lot, two security guards were holding batons as they unilaterally beat a thin young man. And Chen Shun stood nearby, watching indifferently with a thick cigar dangling from his mouth.

Lao Zhang was hesitating over whether to rush forward to help, but Chen Shun said, “Don’t beat him to death, it’s unlucky and troublesome.” This signaled the two guards to stop.

The thin, beaten young man lay on the ground and was unable to get up. Chen Shun tossed the cigar that was about to burn out into his face with a clear warning—

“If you don’t want to end up like your brother, then get the hell out of Wencheng.”

“Otherwise, if I see you again, just forget it.”

After speaking, he just walked away.

“After they left, I hurried to check on the situation. That young man looked the same age as Little Sir, ba. His body was oozing blood, swollen and bruised, so pitiful.”

“He can’t stand on two legs, and he dragged his immobile left leg to huddle in a corner, not making a sound. I think the bone is probably broken!”

Lao Zhang thought about everything he had witnessed and couldn’t help but sigh.

As a father himself, he couldn’t bear to see young children suffer like this.

“I questioned the child for a while, but I couldn’t figure out the cause of the incident. I thought to call the police and an ambulance, but he insisted on refusing and said that the police would not care about it, and he had no money to see a doctor.”

Lao Zhang lifted the bag of medicine in his hand. “I couldn’t bear it, so I wanted to rush and buy him some medicine before you returned.”

After all, he was just a passer-by who bumped into him by accident, and didn’t have the power to help much.

After hearing Lao Zhang’s statement, Pei Yi became more suspicious—

Why did Chen Shun have the security guards beat a young man? And his verbal threat mentioned the other party’s brother?

Everything happened for a reason.

There must be something strange going on here!

Bo Yueming also felt that this was not a simple matter. “Lao Zhang, don’t you intend to deliver the medicine to him? Take us there to have a look.”

He shouldn’t miss any clues that were sent to him about Shuntian Group, one of their strongest opponents in the bidding.

Lao Zhang tightly gripped the medicine bag in his hand. “Ai! Mr. Bo, I’ll take you there right away!”

. . . . . . .

In the northernmost corner of the underground parking lot.

Pei Yi saw the figure curled up in the corner at a glance. The blue T-shirt was washed white, and the cropped shorts he wore also looked very old.

The incandescent lights in the underground parking lot were always covered in a layer of dust, but even under such lighting conditions, bruises of different sizes could still be seen on the exposed skin of the other party’s hands and feet. Some abrasions were still wet with blood.

Likely hearing their footsteps, the young man with his head buried in his knees slowly raised his head. His hair was rather long, and must have remained uncut for a long while.

Through the gap in the other’s hair, Pei Yi vaguely met his eyes—

His eyes were very red, as if he had been crying, and there was unwilling hatred and anger in them, along with vigilance and defensiveness against their group.

“Who are you?”

In a word, he was ready to bite.

Driver Lao Fu approached and handed over the medicine bag, quickly explaining, “It’s me, ah, Little Brother. I bought medicine for you!”

“Oh! This is my boss, Mr. Bo Yueming. He heard me talk about your injuries and wanted to see if you need help.”

“…….”

The other party’s vigilant eyes swept over Bo Yueming and Pei Yi, and he slowly took Lao Zhang’s bag. “Thank you.”

Uncle Kai saw that the other party’s injuries were a little severe, so he asked with a frown, “This gentleman, where do you live? We can send you back along the way. Or have your injuries seen to.”

“No need!”

The other party decisively refused.

He supported himself against the wall on his right side and tried to stand, his figure wobbly and very unstable.

Pei Yi’s eyes dropped down—

The other party’s left calf was so red and swollen at the bottom that it had turned purple, and the sole of his foot was puffy. It was clear that he could no longer step on it.

Trying his best to hide the pain, he thanked driver Lao Zhang again for delivering the medicine, then dragged his immobile left leg and moved away little by little.

It seemed that he could fall down at any time.

Pei Yi looked at the young man who was about his same age and height, and thought for some reason about the original owner’s suffering at the Pei house. He couldn’t bear it.

“Wait a minute!”

“Why did Chen Shun have someone beat you?”

The voices of Pei Yi and Bo Yueming rang out almost simultaneously.

The young man in the blue T-shirt paused, and then turned his gaze toward the two of them again. “How do you know that person was Chen Shun?”

Bo Yueming felt the tug at the corner of his clothes and accurately grasped Pei Yi’s hand.

Pei Yi was taken aback, and before he could react, Bo Yueming analyzed without a change in expression, “What grievances did Chen Shun have with your brother before that could cause you to disregard your own safety?” 

He heard Bo Yueming’s further inquiries, which even mentioned his brother.

The young man in the blue T-shirt suddenly became emotional. “Who the hell are you? Why are you asking questions!”

“…….”

The more agitated his emotions were, the fishier this became.

Normally, Bo Yueming wouldn’t “meddle in someone else’s business.” After all, there were so many people suffering in the world, and not everyone’s lives could be meddled with by him.

But the current situation was different—

They were competing against Shuntian for a major project. Apart from their regular abilities on the surface, they also tried to understand each other’s “unusual” situations in private.

Not for malicious competition, but in order to be prepared.

There was a possibility that a seemingly insignificant thing or person could be strong evidence to bring down the opponent.

Even if the other party had nothing, the kitten had seen him now, so it was fine to help.

“I heard that you are seriously injured? I can have my subordinate take you to the hospital first, don’t worry about the cost.” Bo Yueming paused tactically for two seconds, and said bluntly, “But I want to hear what happened between you, your brother, and Chen Shun.” 

The young man in the blue T-shirt frowned. “Why should I tell you?”

“Since finding the police won’t work, then that means you have tried it before. If you want to get justice from a real estate tycoon like Chen Shun, do you think you can do it yourself?”

If it could be done, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.

“Of course, you could choose to refuse and remain silent.” Bo Yueming pointed out, “But when you are not capable enough, it is best not to push away a helping hand.”

“……”

The young man’s expression changed slightly.

Looking at his terribly painful left leg, he remembered the irreconcilable grievances between his family and Chen Shun, and finally made his choice. “My, my name is Qiao Dong.”

No matter who the other party was, he really couldn’t refuse this help.

Bo Yueming simply said, “Lin Zhong, make the arrangements.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Lin Zhong responded quickly and walked to Qiao Dong’s side. “Don’t move around. I’ll call the ambulance at once.”

Bo Yueming trusted his assistant, so he didn’t waste time. “Uncle Kai, Lao Zhang, let’s go.”

After speaking, he turned around first.

“…….”

His arm was pulled suddenly.

Pei Yi lowered his head and at once remembered that they were still holding hands, so he hurriedly followed. “ Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming asked knowingly, “En?”

“Hand.”

Pei Yi tugged back slightly.

Bo Yueming didn’t let go, but pulled even harder. “Yes, we’re holding them.”

Pei Yi looked up at him and hummed, “Why?”

Bo Yueming’s expression didn’t change. “Because I’m afraid a ‘little fool’ like you will get lost.”

“…….”

Pei Yi was blocked and could say no more, but he felt it was very strange—

A blind man, afraid of a fool getting lost?

En, it was hard to say which was more unreliable for a moment.

Uncle Kai at the side suppressed his smile and tried his best to assist and cover for his young master. “Second Young Master, go a little to the left.”

Bo Yueming stopped walking and pretended to be uncertain, slowly changing his course to follow Uncle Kai’s guidance.

Early the next morning, Pei Yi learned of Qiao Dong’s physical condition at the breakfast table—

The scrapes and bruises on his body were minor, and would heal on their own with some medicine.

The serious thing was his fractured calf. When he was first sent to the hospital, he had an X-Ray taken and was treated with a cast, but it was conservatively estimated that it would take two to three months for him to walk on the ground.

“Mr. Bo, after he was settled in the hospital last night, I asked him a few indirect questions, and that kid’s mouth is quite tight. He refused to say anything.”

Lin Zhong took a bite of salted tofu pudding and swallowed contentedly. “However, I can be sure of one thing.”

Bo Yueming asked, “What is it?”

“His brother is probably dead. Combined with what Lao Zhang heard last night, I suspect that his brother’s probable death is associated with Chen Shun and the Shuntian Group.”

Bo Yueming had expected this possibility the night before, so he calmly nodded. “You focus on checking the news related to Shuntian Group in the past year, especially the suppressed gossip that may have the potential to take a life.”

“Also, you should go to the hospital and talk with him more. Try to gain his trust, this person may be useful in the future.”

Listening to Bo Yueming’s instructions, Pei Yi silently took a bite of boiled egg.

He could understand the other party’s intention to “help” Qiao Dong in this way.

Real commercial struggles and things involving interests were often complicated.

It was a normal method to grasp all the flaws and weaknesses of the opponent, then launch an attack at the most suitable time.

If Shuntian Group and Chen Shun really suppressed news of a death, then the relevant departments would also be careful in their selection in terms of this international project.

In any case, everything was still unknown at the moment, but Bo Yueming’s help to Qiao Dong was real.

Pei Yi understood clearly, and Lin Zhong, who had been at Bo Yueming’s side for a long time, was equally convinced. “Okay, Mr. Bo. What about the bidding work?”

Bo Yueming could handle the work alone, and almost forgot about his “vision.” He added calmly, “Song Yuanyuan is also very helpful.”

However, his eyes hidden beneath the lenses contained a rare guilty conscience, and he quickly took a peek at Pei Yi.

Pei Yi swallowed the other half of the egg. He was immersed in thought just now, and didn’t have time to catch Bo Yueming’s flaw.

Bo Yueming was relieved, and after a moment of silence, he said, “Uncle Kai, a house has been found. You pack up the luggage these two days, and we will move there the day after tomorrow. If there is anything missing in the new house, you can make up your own mind about what to get.”

When Uncle Kai heard this, he glanced at Pei Yi. “Okay, Second Young Master.”

He thought, didn’t his young master want to stay in the hotel these two or three months in order to sleep in the same room as Little Sir? Anyway, it was not bad in terms of money.

Why did Bo Yueming not want to?

It was because he knew that Pei Yi’s “foolishness” was all a disguise.

Using the excuse of “being unable to find a house” for eight or nine days was long enough. If this continued, he feared that the kitten would become suspicious sooner or later.

What’s more, although this suite was very spacious, it was depressing to live in for a long time. At any rate, there was a garden-style villa over there, so Pei Yi should live in a more comfortable house.

Pei Yi heard the words “found a house” and breathed a secret sigh of relief while drinking milk.

The wait was finally over.

Although this week, he and Bo Yueming slept in the same bed peacefully each night, they had no practical relationship, after all, and it was inconvenient to sleep together for a long period of time.

The most terrible thing was that he had to “obediently” go to bed early every night at ten o’clock, which was really too difficult for him, a night owl!

. . . . . .

In the evening two days later, Pei Yi finally got his wish and moved into the new house.

The garden-style duplex bungalow had a very attentive and exquisite layout, including the decorations outside and inside, and monitoring and security measures were also in place around the entire villa.

The two bedrooms on the first floor were assigned to Uncle Kai and Lin Zhong respectively.

There was a study between the master bedroom and second bedroom on the second floor. As for who lived in each, the answer was quite clear.

Compared to the one in the Imperial City villa, this bedroom was more private, and there was a computer on the desk.

Although it could not be used for coding programs, it was more than enough for game text structure.

The three-day bidding auction for “Tracking Pros and Cons” had ended. The Youtu forum sent a system message right away—

[Congratulations to user Will. The copyright buyout action you set up has been successfully completed. The final bidding price is 660,000 yuan, and the bidder is “Nebula Fun Tour.” Both parties are requested to further confirm the transaction within 72 hours.]

[If any party reneges maliciously, 3% of the auction price must be paid to the other party.]

Looking at this string of words, Pei Yi couldn’t help but admire the Youtu website’s protection measures for the users’ rights and interests.

660,000.

Combined with the game IP itself and the architect’s reputation, this was within the reasonable price range.

Sure enough, it was the most professional game forum in China. It was filled with knowledgeable people, and there was no random price quotation.

“Nebula Fun Tour?”

Pei Yi felt that the name of this studio was familiar, so he clicked on a webpage to search, and soon found something.

Nebula Fun Tour was one of the studios under the top game company in China — “Weiyi.” It was located in Haishi, which had the fastest growing game market nationwide.

Although Nebula had only been established for three years, as the saying went, it was good to lean against a big tree to enjoy the shade. 

Not all of their games were popular, but the overall development was not bad, and there weren’t many negative comments about the studio.

In general, it was prosperous and reliable.

Ding-dong!

There was movement on the project chat page, which turned out to be a message from Nebula Fun Tour.

“Mr. Will, hello. I am the person in charge of Nebula’s copyright team, surnamed Gu. Do you have any objections to the current buyout offer?”

“Hello, Team Leader Gu.” Pei Yi typed back with a straightforward attitude, “I am very satisfied with the quote from your studio.”

Team Leader Gu on the other side chatted further, “If there is no problem with the price, then let’s talk about the contract details?”

Pei Yi pursed his lips. “Okay.”

The two sides chatted about the cooperation agreement for a long time, and when the general discussion was completed, it was almost ten o’clock in the evening.

There was no rush to formally sign the deal. Pei Yi and Team Leader Gu made an appointment for the next two days to continue to move closer.

Thinking of the large sum of money that would hit his account soon, the corners of Pei Yi’s lips twitched upwards.

He didn’t force himself to perfect the other levels of “Tracking Pros and Cons,” but picked up a towel and pajamas and went into the bathroom. 

Balancing work and rest was very important.

After a while, Pei Yi lay on his new bed in a new house.

Although the bed and environment were unfamiliar, at least the quilt with a familiar scent was still there. He thought he wouldn’t suffer from insomnia tonight.

In the dark bedroom, Pei Yi twisted and turned, unable to fall asleep. Not only that, but he also got hot and felt like something was missing.

Pei Yi slightly lifted the tightly-wrapped quilt and stretched out his hand, opening it.

The right side of the bed was empty, and seemed too spacious no matter how he touched it.

For some reason, there was a trace of discordant loss in his heart. Pei Yi simply turned on the light and sat up.

His phone indicated that it was past one o’clock.

“…….”

Pei Yi looked at the locked door, and an impulse flashed through his mind. He pursed his lips, persuading himself—

It must be because I’m thirsty and can’t sleep!

It wouldn’t be too much to go out and pour a glass of water, right?

Having made up his mind, Pei Yi lightly unlocked the door and went out.

The ceiling light fixture in the hallway emitted a faint yellow light, enough for people to see the path clearly in the dark.

It was agreed that he would go downstairs to pour water, but his steps didn’t take him to the stairs at all. Instead, he unknowingly walked through the study in the middle and to the inner master bedroom.

It wasn’t until he stopped at Bo Yueming’s bedroom that Pei Yi became aware of his inexplicable behavior. He took a breath and lowered his head, only to find a faint light coming from the crack at the bottom of the door.

Pei Yi’s eyes lit up with joy that even he didn’t notice.

Huh?

Bo Yueming still wasn’t asleep at this time?