When November arrived, continuous rain fell over City B, turning the weather damp and cold. Fei Yujing, whose injuries had long healed, departed from the resort villa to tend to his own affairs, leaving the villa feeling increasingly desolate.

Shi Jin stood by the pond outside the small building holding an umbrella, gazing at the withered lotus leaves on the water, and let out a soft sigh.

“What are you sighing about?” Rong Zhouzhong’s voice suddenly rang out nearby.

Startled, Shi Jin looked up in disbelief.

Rong Zhouzhong stood on the wooden bridge across the pond holding an umbrella. He wore a mid-length casual camel coat over a black turtleneck sweater, his hair dyed black, cut somewhat short, and combed back, giving him a rare air of mature composure.

“I asked my manager for a few days off and came here,” Rong Zhouzhong answered. He stepped closer, closed his umbrella, joined Shi Jin under his, draped an arm over his shoulder, and looked out at the scenery-less pond alongside him. “Did you miss me?”

Shi Jin turned his head to stare at him blankly, then chuckled, nudged him with his elbow, and said, “How could I?”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Rong Zhouzhong laughed, glancing around the resort villa. “What is there to do here? I’ve been working continuously for months and desperately need a break.”

Shi Jin’s mood visibly brightened as he said, “What fun could there be here? Plus it’s raining. If you had come a week earlier, we could have dragged Second Brother into playing landlord with us, but he’s gone now too… Have you eaten? Should I cook something for you?”

“Haven’t eaten, starving to death,” Rong Zhouzhong held his stomach and demanded, “I want steak.”

“No steak, only noodles.” Shi Jin rolled his eyes, grabbed his arm, and pulled him towards the building.

Upstairs, by the study window, Lian Jun withdrew his gaze from below and finally deigned to give a bit of his attention to Zhang Zhuoyuan on the phone.

{…What on earth is going on? Didn’t you say you’d first destroy the overseas businesses of the other four factions? I even helped you handle all the overseas connections and fulfilled everything you asked for. But what’s happening now? Just because a subordinate died on your end and leaked some data, your entire overseas setup collapsed? Annihilation is being pressed and beaten by those major organizations, with large chunks of territory being torn away! Are you trying to fatten them up?! What are you actually doing?!}

Zhang Zhuoyuan’s voice grew louder and his attitude became more aggressive. The call was on speaker, and both Gua One and Gua Two in the room heard every word; their faces instantly turned dark.

{Lian Jun? Say something, Lian Jun! I just don’t get it—how could you have such useless subordinates? Dying is one thing, but leaking data on top of that? If I had known earlier, I would have—}

“Would have what?” Lian Jun walked back to his desk, picked up the list Tarantula had sent earlier, and asked calmly into the phone, “What would you have done, Director Zhang? I can understand your anxiety, but I hope you can also understand how I feel after losing an important subordinate who lived and worked beside me day and night.”

His tone was quiet and flat, devoid of explicit threats, yet the rush of anger in Zhang Zhuoyuan’s head cooled instantly. Realizing belatedly that he had crossed too many lines, Zhang Zhuoyuan moderated his voice slightly and said, {I didn’t mean anything by it, Lian Jun. I’m just truly anxious. Now even Snake Fang has stabilized, and I’m worried…}

Lian Jun interrupted him, saying, “Snake Fang’s current stability is merely an illusion. The more business they swallow now, the more severe the backlash will be later. Director Zhang, remain calm.”

Having finally gotten a clear answer that Lian Jun was deliberately dangling profit to trap the four alliances, Zhang Zhuoyuan’s heart settled. His tone lowered completely as he said, {Lian Jun, if you have plans in the future, it’s best to tell me in advance so I can be prepared and better help—}

“You only need to do what I ask you to do,” Lian Jun interrupted him again, a chill finally breaking through his voice. “I lost one subordinate, and I may lose many more in the future. My mood will not be good for quite some time. Director Zhang, do not let me hear you say anything like ‘you only lost a subordinate’ ever again. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee what I might do.” With that, he hung up directly.

Gua One immediately glanced at the instrument on the side and said, “As expected, Zhang Zhuoyuan is trying to trace our location.”

“Tsk, how worried is he that we’ll slip away? We’re right under his nose. Luckily he doesn’t know this resort villa belongs to Lu Shan, or we’d have to deal with his wild paranoia again,” Gua Two remarked mockingly.

Lian Jun put down the list in his hand and asked, “Where has Gua Five reached?”

Gua One replied, “He has led the team to the vicinity of the first target-person and can move at any time.”

“Have him strike tonight,” Lian Jun commanded, sitting back down behind his desk. “Seize the time. Once the overseas matters are concluded, it will be time to shift our focus back home.”

Hearing this, both Gua One and Gua Two felt their hearts tighten. They agreed in unison and tactfully withdrew from the study.

Gua Three was waiting outside. Seeing them come out, he asked abruptly, “Is it me?”

“Jun-shao didn’t mention who the next person to go out will be,” Gua One answered.

Gua Three breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression dimmed shortly after. “Though… it should be me. You and Gua Two definitely have to stay until the end… So it can only be me. Can I still celebrate New Year’s with you guys this year?”

It was only November, and New Year’s fell at the end of January—more than two months away. Clearly, Gua Three could not stay that long.

Neither Gua One nor Gua Two spoke. Finally, Gua Two stepped forward, patted Gua Three’s shoulder, and said, “Tomorrow, you take Shi Jin back to school.”

“What kind of offer is that?” Gua Three gave a bitter smile, wiped his face, and agreed, “Alright, I’ll take him.”