Zhang Zhen immediately turned to go out to assist. They were only here in South City for a birthday celebration and would be leaving after attending the banquet tomorrow at noon. San-ge didn’t have the time to take care of this matter and wouldn’t even if he did. It had nothing to do with him and there was no need to.

The Shen family was different from other prominent families. Madam Shen had been practicing vegetarianism and Buddhism for many years and placed great importance on the concept of supernatural beings and fate. The members of the Shen family were not allowed to bloody their hands and any such tasks were handled by the servants. Not only did they need to dissociate themselves from these matters, they also had to spend time in the temple.

If the young man in the surveillance footage truly was possessed, the situation would be serious.

Qi Yilao called out to Zhang Zhen, who was almost at the door, “Change the bedding, all of it.”

Zhang Zhen scratched his head. Earlier, when he was about to carry Wang Chuqiu, San-ge stopped him and told him not to touch dirty stuff so he suspected that Wang Chuqiu had done something on his own initiative that made San-ge dislike him. Now he was even more convinced of this. He sighed inwardly. It was San-ge who wanted to keep Wang Chuqiu tonight so everyone thought that San-ge could finally relax. They never expected that this would be the result.

“Yes,” Zhang Zhen said.

The next moment, he heard his master say, “And the jar of tea leaves on the table, throw that away too.”

.

After half past one in the morning, Jiao Bai returned to Diye and stood in the room filled with the strong scent of chestnut blossoms. On the left was a dishevelled large bed and the unconscious Little Hot Pepper. Directly in front of him was Shen Ji, who was still fully dressed with only two buttons undone. He was nearly forty, a few years older than Qi Yilao. With his cold, handsome features and long legs paired with a slim waist, he was quite striking.

【Your friend Shen Ji has come online.】

His profile picture was Pikachu.

A bright yellow-orange round figure with ears standing upright, short little arms tucked in front, a flat, lightning-shaped tail sticking up high, and two small circles of blush on its cheeks.

After Jiao Bai confirmed that he hadn’t seen wrong, he took a deep breath, and the little voice inside him shouted excitedly, So cute, I want to inhale it!

But after he glanced at the old man, who reeked of the typical old-school CEO vibe[1]...

Pikachu immediately lost its appeal. Bye bye.

In the comic, Shen Ji was quite renown. The author arranged several highlight moments for him, making him the most important supporting character. Outside the comic, his super topic ranking[2] and fan-work popularity[3] were second only to Qi Yilao. The only reason he lost was because he was officially paired up with someone later on.

“Sir,” Jiao Bai greeted. The old man's hair was as uhfnqntr as his khahcn, showing no signs of thinning.

Shen Ji’s voice carried the laziness of a male animal after a conquest. “Go get my shoes.”

Jiao Bai was speechless.

The original Wang Chuqiu had to do this sort of work as well?

Jiao Bai loved reading dog-blood scum-cheap type comics with bad endings. He remembered many of them were about wealthy ozsqnmr and their young knudqr, and some of them interacted like this too.

After a few seconds, Jiao Bai chuckled inwardly. No, it wasn’t the same.

Not only did this old man want him to bring him his shoes, he also wanted him to help him put them on.

Jiao Bai gritted his teeth and half-squatted to place the leather shoes on the ground. Suddenly, his calf was kicked. Caught off guard, he fell to his knees with a thud.

Old dog Shen! You’re etbjhmf cdzc!

Jiao Bai's knees hurt so much they felt like they were going to split open. He gritted his teeth and knelt on the ground to ease the pain. Above him, a cold and unsettling gaze scrutinized him. Clearly, Qi Yilao had already handed the surveillance footage over to this old man.

“Shoes,” Shen Ji said impatiently and coldly.

Jiao Bai really wanted to grab the leather shoes and slap Shen Ji hard across the face with all his strength, adzshmf the bqzo out of him until he cried and screamed for his parents, but his situation didn’t allow him to do so. He had to endure for now.

There will be a chance. I will beat Shen Ji up until he has a pig head. Jiao Bai comforted himself by imagining it. The moment he touched Shen Ji's calf, he didn't even have to worry about what to do next. His body’s muscle memory took over and helped him complete the task of putting shoes on Shen Ji.

It was done in one go.

Jiao Bai almost laughed out loud.

For the original Wang Chuqiu, a man’s knees are where the gold lies. He couldn’t reach while standing and had to kneel down to pick it up. He knelt so much he couldn’t get up anymore[4].

“What are you thinking about?” Shen Ji leaned down, and the minty scent from his collar mingled with the cloying sweet fragrance left by Little Hot Pepper wafted out.

Jiao Bai lowered his eyes. “I'm not thinking about anything.”

“Raise your head and look at me when you talk,” Shen Ji ordered sternly.

Jiao Bai, who was struggling to resist the urge to obey, “…” Etbj, had the original Wang Chuqiu been subjected to OTZ tactics[5]?

Jiao Bai was going to get up, but Shen Ji suddenly grabbed him by the back of his neck. His hand was cold and broad, gripping his neck like one would pinch an ant. Jiao Bai started struggling from the discomfort.

Shen Ji gripped Jiao Bai's neck with one hand and snqd nee his shirt with the other. His dry and long fingers sqzbdc downwards, stopping an itch above his tailbone.

This body’s tailbone had been injured before, exactly where Shen Ji’s fingertips stopped.

Jiao Bai was kneeling and sprawled in front of Shen Ji's legs, goosebumps rising all over his back. The sense of danger made his limbs tremble, and his breathing became rapid. Just as he about to leap up and fight back, Shen Ji tightened his grip on Jiao Bai’s neck. The moment Jiao Bai started suffocating, the fingertips on his tailbone suddenly pressed down with a terrifying and brutal force.

Jiao Bai’s face turned blue from the pain, and he convulsed uncontrollably.


[1] The vibe of the CEOs in the early era/earlier/older AL/Xznh mangas or novels.

[2] In Weibo, a 超话 (super topic) is a discussion thread that is created for fans to gather and discuss a particular subject, often related to celebrities, TV shows, or other popular culture topics. In this context, it means a dedicated space for fans to follow and engage in conversations about Shen Ji. These super topics are ranked by the level of engagement, discussion, and popularity.

[3] Fan-work popularity - refers to the level of interest, attention, and activity surrounding fan-created content, such as fan fiction, fan art, and other derivative works based on a particular character, series, or celebrity. It indicates how much fan engagement and enthusiasm there is for the fan-created content.

[4] 男儿膝下有黄金 (nán'ér xī xià yǒu huángjīn) “A man’s knees are where the gold lies.” This is a traditional saying implying that a man should respect his own knees and not kneel unless absolutely necessary. Kneeling is viewed as submission or being of lower status. Jiao Bai is saying that Wang Chuqiu has interpreted this saying in the exact opposite way.

[5] OTZ tactics: using verbal belittling, behavioural denial, and psychological pressure to manipulate and control the other emotionally and mentally.