Jiang Jingtong could sense that ever since his junior brother had that accident, Shi Yuanbai had been showing him more care.
Sure enough, Gu Siyuan’s move worked well.
He had previously told Gu Siyuan that Shi Yuanbai didn't seem to like one of his junior brothers. In response Gu Siyuan suggested that if the junior brother doesn’t mind being bothered often, Jiang Jingtong should just interact with him more.
Unexpectedly, Shi Yuanbai actually got jealous.
Of course, Jiang Jingtong knew exactly what kind of intentions that second-year junior had. But since this junior could actually help him improve his relationship with Shi Yuanbai, Jiang Jingtong didn’t mind suppressing the disgust and putting on an act with him.
If Shi Yuanbai had stayed cold and indifferent like before, Jiang Jingtong wouldn’t mind having a pointless romance with that junior brother. But since Shi Yuanbai had already softened toward him, there was no need to waste any more time on the other guy.
Concealing the disgust in his eyes, Jiang Jingtong coaxed the bedridden junior to rest.
“That’s enough for today. You should rest well. I’ll head off now and come back tomorrow.”
The junior lying in the hospital bed was called Xiao You. After watching Jiang Jingtong leave, Xiao You called Chen Xuyao.
“I did everything you asked… but you promised you’d protect me. You meant that, right?”
“Of course. As long as you keep following our instructions, you won’t face any more beatings or danger to your life. And your family will also be completely safe.”
Xiao You’s eyes widened in shock.
"What are you talking about! What have you done to my family?"
Chen Xuyao calmly replied.
“It’s not what I did to your family. It’s what they were planning to do to your family.”
Xiao You said in disbelief, “Impossible. That’s illegal. How could they dare to do such a thing?”
“It’s not a matter of daring or not. If they want to do it, you won’t even find any evidence.” Chen Xuyao continued.
Collapsing, Xiao You pleaded weakly. “Please… help me.”
He was on the verge of a breakdown. Jiang Jingtong was the one who had pursued him, giving him hope. If Jiang Jingtong hadn’t said, ‘stick with me and you can get anything you want’, Xiao You would never have done this.
Moreover, Jiang Jingtong had told him he was single.
Every sweet word, every moment of tenderness, all of it turned out to be fake. Jiang Jingtong’s heart only ever held Shi Yuanbai.
So what did that make him? Even though he had been with Jiang Jingtong first.
If it weren’t for Chen Xuyao’s words, and the surveillance footage he dug up, Xiao You would never have known that Jiang Jingtong had been secretly watching as he got beaten.
Now, Jiang Jingtong’s daily hospital visits were nothing more than a show to make Shi Yuanbai jealous.
Xiao You laughed like a madman, alternating between crying and laughing. Finally, he told Chen Xuyao, who had been silently waiting on the other end.
“I’ll work for you. As long as you guarantee nothing happens to me or my family.”
“That’s easy. Don’t worry, I’ve already sent people to protect your parents. In a few days, I’ll have them switch jobs. Those people won’t find them. As for you, just keep yourself in check.”
Xiao You whispered, “I understand. Thank you.”
Originally, Xiao You was someone Wu Siyuan had found. In the original plot, Xiao You had always been Jiang Jingtong's lover. Even after Jiang Jingtong married the original Gu Siyuan, he and Xiao You continued their shady entanglement.
However, at that time, Xiao You was Shi Yuanbai's person. He was someone Shi Yuanbai had planted beside Jiang Jingtong. When Shi Yuanbai came back, Xiao You’s ending wasn’t any better than Gu Siyuan’s.
So when Wu Siyuan found out that Shi Yuanbai had already taken action against Xiao You, he reached out first. He hadn’t expected Shi Yuanbai to be so fast and so direct. Wasn’t Shi Yuanbai supposed to be maintaining his white lotus1 persona right now?
But the plot seemed to be correct. After Xiao You was beaten, perhaps Shi Yuanbai had already taken control of Xiao You's family. Otherwise, why would Xiao You help Shi Yuanbai? Wu Siyuan had previously assumed it was because Shi Yuanbai paid Xiao You a lot of money to buy his loyalty.
Contacting Xiao You was just a test, but the results came out surprisingly smooth.
Thanks to Chen Xuyao’s quick moves in monitoring Shi Yuanbai’s people, Xiao You’s parents had been saved in time. If Chen Xuyao’s men had been even a little late, Xiao You’s parents would’ve already been forced to sign shady contracts like the ones those predatory loan sharks always use.
Now, Xiao You had become one of them. But they never intended to exploit him long-term. Once their current goal was accomplished, Wu Siyuan wouldn't care about Xiao You's future plans.
Wu Siyuan prepared for several scenarios. Jiang Jington seemed like the type to use someone one moment and discard them the next, so Xiao You being dumped was certain, it was just a matter of when.
It was unclear whether Shi Yuanbai knew that Jiang Jingtong was actually fooling around with all those so-called lovers behind his back?
Both of them put on this pure and innocent act in public, but behind closed doors it was a different story. Shi Yuanbai probably thought that it was others who threw themselves at Jiang Jingtong, trying to seduce him.
When in reality, every single one of them was someone Jiang Jingtong had personally approached.
Just like Shi Yuanbai, he would deny everything. But he was even more ruthless than Shi Yuanbai, as he had slept with all of them. And when things went south, he’d gather people to silence anyone who wanted to expose him.
As for Xiao You’s beating, did Jiang Jingtong know Shi Yuanbai was the one behind it?
Wu Siyuan pretended to be unaware and asked Jiang Jingtong.
— Shixiong, I’m curious. Our campus is usually so safe. How did Xiao-shixiong end up ambushed and beaten?
Jiang Jingtong replied quickly, which made Wu Siyuan was very satisfied. It seemed like he was idle, holding his phone all day, able to reply as soon as he got a message.
— Honestly, I don’t know the details. When I arrived, Xiao You was already on the ground. I was the one who asked him out, so I feel responsible.
PS: Don’t overthink. My heart belongs only to your Shi-shixiong. I asked Xiao You out because he had helped me with a few things and I just wanted to thank him. Who could’ve expected this would happen? I feel so guilty.
Wu Siyuan looked at Jiang Jingtong's insincere reply and sneered.
— So that’s how it is. Still, it doesn’t look like an accident. Did you call the police?
— I did, but it was useless. Those people had already fled. Those guys were masked, the CCTV didn’t catch much. All we know is it was a premeditated ambush. Yuanbai even helped me look for clues afterwards. He really worked hard. Even though he felt uncomfortable, he was willing to help me.
Jiang Jingtong even shamelessly bragged about how attentive Shi Yuanbai had been lately.
Wu Siyuan thought that as long as they sped up the process of cleaning out the fish in Shi Yuanbai's pond, things would move forward soon.
Now, they could actually move on to the next step.
Although he had recently taken over the original protagonist's body, Wu Siyuan had already multiplied the original protagonist's personal assets several times over. Through recent investments, not only Chen Xuyao, but also the friends of Gao Minda and Feng Jiachen, were now aware of Wu Siyuan's existence.
In business, making money together made you friends.
For some reason, due to Shi Yuanbai, Zhang Lianyue had been keeping in touch with him frequently lately. It was as if she wanted to know Shi Yuanbai's every move. Because of this, Wu Siyuan had become familiar with her brother, Zhang Lianze. They exchanged investment insights and industry opinions, and Wu Siyuan gained a deeper understanding of his own family’s company. The suggestions and opinions he occasionally provided to his father, Gu Yingzhuo, were all accepted by him.
But Wu Siyuan didn't become complacent. Their company was still just starting out. No matter how smoothly things went, his family's company's development wasn't as smooth as Jiang Jingtong and Shi Yuanbai's relationship.
Meanwhile, Xiao You proved to be a skilled actor. Once he knew his family was safe, he performed perfectly in front of Jiang Jingtong.
Jiang Jingtong even started spending more time at the hospital. He claimed he had no feelings for Xiao You, yet he soon moved him into a newly bought apartment near campus under the excuse of better care, and this care turned into sleeping with him.
His mouth said “I don’t like you,” his eyes held no love, but his body was very honest.
Shi Yuanbai, of course, remained completely in the dark.
Jiang Jingtong even outright told Xiao You.
“I don’t love you. We won’t have a future. My heart belongs to Yuanbai. But if you stick with me, I won’t mistreat you. It’s just that Yuanbai hasn’t agreed to be with me yet and won’t let me touch him, so I can’t vent my needs… that’s why this happened.”
Wu Siyuan and Chen Xuyao almost puked listening to this. He already had backup plans and people tailing him, yet he shifted the blame onto Shi Yuanbai?
And if one day Shi Yuanbai really did accept him, what excuse would he use to keep Xiao You around? That Shi Yuanbai wasn’t enough? Maybe this was Jiang Jingtong’s idea of love.
Shi Yuanbai, on his end, seemed to have stopped his playboy ways and focused on building loyalty with Jiang Jingtong and some mysterious person. The famous idol he used to be close with was apparently gone now.
This mysterious person seemed to be abroad, but that wasn't a problem. Shi Yuanbai spent a lot of time every day video chatting and studying with him.
Shi Yuanbai's birthday was in February, Jiang Jingtong's was in January, and Wu Siyuan was already planning their marriage registration date in his notebook.
The small fry didn’t matter, and neither did the foreigner as long as he didn’t return to the country.
More importantly, Shi Yuanbai's greatest pressure wasn’t losing his fish. Chen Xuyao and his family had already begun quietly eating into Jiang Jingtong's family business. On the surface, it was hard to see, but when the time came, it would have far-reaching consequences.
Meanwhile, Wu Siyuan had secretly contacted Shi Yuzhe. Yes, Shi Yuanbai’s older brother, the ultimate cannon fodder in the plot. He had been drugged, crippled in a car accident, distrusted by his family, spiraled into despair, and finally died after being pushed down the stairs.
Wu Siyuan directly sent a screenshot to Shi Yuzhe.
— Do you know? This is the reason you’ve been feeling so physically weak.
The first message was a brightly colored picture, then this sentence was added.
It's unknown how long it took, but eventually Shi Yuzhe replied with a single text.
— Why should I believe you?
— You can take your daily food and have a doctor you truly trust, test it first.
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White lotus: a person who pretends to be pure, kind, innocent, but is actually manipulative, two-faced, or scheming.