Chapter 49

After returning to the Gong family residence, He Jin was angry at the way the Gong family had completely abandoned Gong Lixin. The desire to take him away then even grew stronger.

However, after returning to the base and seeing Gong Yuanhang's attitude towards the child's well-being, he started to realize that there must be some kind of misunderstanding. He thought that the child had gotten lost himself while Gong Xiangyi stayed at home. But after seeing how Gong Xiangyi treated the child with extreme coldness, it was obvious she didn't treat him as her younger brother that was related to her by blood. If Gong Xiangyi didn't have a hand in this, he would never believe it.

He Jin's impression of Gong Xiangyi had fallen to rock bottom and it could be said that he found her disgusting. He Jin didn't care about her and thus, kept on eating silently. He was too lazy to respond.

Knowing that He Jin was a cold, ruthless, and inaccessible person, Gong Xiangyi didn't care about his indifferent attitude. She continued to smile as she persistently tried talking to him. Fortunately, Lu Yun and Wu Ming were there to help level the field so she was not terribly embarrassed by He Jin ignoring her.

Halfway through the banquet, Gong Xiangyi said that her mouth was dry, but He Jin still didn't lift his head up nor did he get her a drink. Gong Xiangyi secretly gritted her teeth, forcing down the anxiety and anger in her heart. The sweet smile on her face had long distorted and become stiff. If she didn't know so much about the future events and was stubborn at heart, she would never continue to persist.

On the other side, Gong Lixin, who was finally full, picked up a paper towel and elegantly wiped the corners of his mouth. He then used his chopsticks to begin distributing food to the people around him: Father Gong, Grandfather Lin, Song Haoran, and Lin Wenbo; a cute smile on his face throughout the entire meal. The atmosphere was harmonious and it gave good appetites to the few people gathered around.

Seeing their intimate interactions, He Jin felt neglected and squeezed out. His heart couldn't stop hurting and with it, made him feel that Gong Xiangyi was even noisier, making him even more annoyed.

How could he not notice the hidden calculations in this woman's eyes and her deliberate kind attitude towards him? If it was another woman, He Jin would never be this polite. He was not a gentleman and he didn't follow the dogma of 'not hitting a woman'. However, the other party was the daughter of Gong Yuanhang so he had misgivings in his heart. He had to suppress the sullen feelings in his heart and cast a warning glare at her.

Gong Xiangyi was filled with impatience. She felt suffocated as she stayed frozen on the spot. Her face paled and finally, she closed her mouth. He Jin was still a person who was indifferent to the living. What should she do? What moves should she make to win him over? Gong Xiangyi lowered her head and thought hard.

Unexpectedly, the dark tide between He Jin and Gong Xiangyi was cut short as Gong Lixin extended his hand and added vegetables to He Jin's bowl from across the table, saying with a smile, "Brother He, you should eat more."

Right then, He Jin looked at the other people around the child who'd been served one by one. They only smiled and raised their hands, showing that everyone should not restrain themselves. The child's every move revealed the value and importance of He Jin, which was obviously different from the others. This kind of closeness and attitude immediately melted the ice in He Jin's heart, dispelling the cloud that hovered over him.

He Jin lifted his head before lowering it again. The child had placed several vegetable dishes into his bowl. The corner of his cold, hard mouth unknowingly rose as his eyes also revealed a joyful smile.

His mood change was so discernible that Lu Yun and Wu Ming on the other side immediately felt it. The two men sighed with relief and began to enjoy their meal. Recently, Brother He was quite moody and his temper was worse than his normal cold attitude. The two men agreed on this.

In addition to Lu Yun and Wu Ming, Gong Xiangyi, who was sitting on the opposite side of He Jin, also clearly felt his sudden warming attitude. She suddenly groaned as she hesitantly asked, "Do you have a good relationship with Lixin?"

He Jin lowered his head and ate his vegetables as he heard Gong Xiangyi's words. Lu Yun took the opportunity to respond, saying in a hurry. "That's right! Him and Young Master Gong get along as if they would live and die together. My brother's life was even saved by Young Master Gong!"

Wu Ming also echoed, "In fact, not only Brother He, the rest of our lives were all saved by Young Master Gong. Without Young Master Gong, we don't know how many times we would have died."

Father Gong heard their words of gratitude and replied with modest words for his son, his old face showing a smile. He had heard from Lin Wenbo yesterday that his son's ability and strength was exceptional, reassuring him. His son had the ability to protect himself, so he could become independent as soon as possible without the care of his daughter. However, the materials they had gathered were in his daughter's hand. He would need to take back parts of them so he could leave some of it with his son. Only then, could he be completely assured of his safety.

At the same time, Gong Xiangyi's mood was the exact opposite of Gong Yuanhang's. Listening to Lu Yun speaking about how Gong Lixin earned He Jin's favor, it felt like she had fallen into an ice cave that had been carved out due to the chilling winds; this chill spread deep, to the point the chill could be felt in her bones.

Gong Lixin had only climbed a small ladder in Song Haoxuan's base in her previous life, yet he was still able to drag her into the pit of fire along with Lin Wenbo and Song Haoran. If he relentlessly climbed up with his sinister intentions this time, it wouldn't take long before the word 'dead' became synonymous to her.

Gong Xiangyi was too aware of He Jin's capabilities. If He Jin wants to deal with someone, then that person had better run away as soon as possible. This way, they can die with their whole body left intact since falling into his hands would definitely be a hundred times worse.

Gong Lixin was an ability user in this world and would not be easy to deal with. If he had a powerful ally like He Jin, Gong Xiangyi can't imagine how the future would turn out to be. Perhaps her tragedy will repeat itself, or be even worse than her previous life.

'No, no, it can't repeat itself!' Gong Xiangyi whispered in her mind as she chewed her vegetables.

With her experience from her previous life, Gong Xiangyi didn't believe that Gong Lixin would leave her alone even though he had said that as long as she didn't make a move against him, he wouldn't move against her. She had already made the first mistake, and now she could no longer do anything to Gong Lixin, otherwise it would provoke public anger and rebellion from the many individuals that were currently around her. For the sake of her present life, she could only try her best to prevent her life from spiraling out of control too early.

Time passed as Gong Xiangyi mulled in her cranky thoughts. When she returned to the present, everyone had already eaten their fill and were ready to leave and go back to their room to rest.

Song Haoran, Lin Wenbo, and He Jin looked at Gong Lixin, as they all wanted to return to the child's room to talk for a while. However, they didn't expect Father Gong to interfere with a strong hand, putting an arm around the boy's shoulder as he led them towards his office, preparing to talk with his son.

In He Jin's dark eyes, there was a trace of loss and the expressionless faces of Song Haoran and Lin Wenbo also showed the same as they strode away. Lu Yun and Wu Ming bitterly followed along. How, after so long, Brother He was finally in a good mood, but why was he unhappy again? Was it that time of month for Brother He? That can't be true!

Seeing that He Jin was gone, Gong Xiangyi was stunned. After a while, she broke out of her daze and quickly went to catch up with him.

Lin Wenbo stared at Gong Xiangyi's back as she rushed out and refused Song Haoran, who was going to the command post, before quietly following her. He knew that his behavior was extremely strange, but he had to do this when facing Gong Xiangyi who was increasingly becoming abnormal.

Gong Xiangyi chased He Jin until his room's door and stood in the hallway to consider her words before the door was slammed open.

"Why is it you?" He'd anxiously opened the door and saw Gong Xiangyi standing outside. He Jin's face turned heavy and cold at the sight of her. "What do you want?" He had hoped it would be Lixin on the other side of the door. Realizing it was not, the light in his eyes quickly faded.

"Can you come out for a bit? I have something to tell you." Gong Xiangyi saw Lu Yun and Wu Ming in the room, hesitated a little before asking.

"I'm not familiar with Miss Gong, so there's nothing to say." He Jin raised his brows and his expression showed nothing, his tone cold.

"I have seen your future. Don't you want to hear it?" Gong Xiangyi whispered in a low voice.

He Jin squinted his eyes as his brows rose higher. He looked Gong Xiangyi up and down with contempt, making the other nervous. He Jin finally relented, "Alright, where do you want to go?"

Gong Xiangyi let out an invisible sigh of relief before pointing towards a vacant room at the end of the corridor and said: "Let's go there." He Jin took the lead, Gong Xiangyi following behind him. His dark eyes quickly slipped passed the shadow of a man.

The two walked to the end of the corridor and disappeared into the room.

Lu Yun waited a beat before saying to Wu Ming, "Wasn't that big brother Big Brother Lin's fiancé and Young Master Gong's sister, Gong Xiangyi? Abandoned and widowed woman, did she come to find brother to do it? Is brother that good-looking? No, I have to go see! Are you coming or not?"

Wu Ming repeatedly waved his hand and said that he was not that bored. Lu Yun shrugged smugly and walked towards the room. He crept up to the door and pressed his ear to the closed door but before he could hear any noise, he felt a shadow over his head.

Lu Yun looked up and immediately became surprised. However, Lin Wenbo, who had been quietly standing behind him and was listening to the movement in the room, saw Lu Yun's surprised expression and placed his index finger to his mouth, making a 'be quiet' gesture. The beautiful face didn't show the slightest of expression.

The more Lu Yun saw the expressionless face of the man, the more shocked he became. Lu Yun nodded stiffly to ensure that he would not utter a sound. He turned his face away while in his mind, he began to wildly pray, hoping that Brother He and Gong Xiangyi didn't engage in something they should not. Otherwise, as Lin Wenbo's vinegar was so strong, it would become a point of no return.

In the room, He Jin leaned against the wall and stared at Gong Xiangyi with a blank expression. His posture was quite casual, but the muscles in his limbs hid an infinite explosive power. This standing posture that seemed idle could allow him to attack at any time, causing instant death. Even if Gong Xiangyi was only a woman with no strength, he was subconsciously prepared.

Only in front of his team members could he really relax. Of course, now there was Gong Lixin added to the list. Although the time spent together was only two days, when the child had saved him in his time of despair, the trust towards the other party was given without reservation.

"What's the matter? Talk." He Jin spoke and raised his eyes to look at Gong Xiangyi, unscrupulously exuding an aura of resentment that he had deliberately suppressed for days.

Gong Xiangyi swallowed hard, slightly lowering her head, not daring to see the other's cold expression and the scar on the left side of his forehead. In her last life, people like He Jin, she only looked at from afar and never dared to come in contact with. Thus, she did not personally experience the power exuding from the other's body.

When this matter came up, she realized how difficult it was to face this kind of deep pressure and talk directly to the other party. However, it didn't matter. She had extremely important information in her hands, important enough to save He Jin's life. After listening to her, he would be grateful to her! Gong Xiangyi quietly cheered herself on and finally, slowly opened, "I want to tell you that Zhao An, your most dependent man, has betrayed you and turned to Song Haoxuan. You're throwing yourself into their trap if you head back."

The contempt and sarcasm in He Jin's eyes dissipated in an instant. He straightened up and approached Gong Xiangyi and asked in a cold tone. "Song Haoxuan? The current son of the Song family? How do you know?"

Seeing his cautious attitude, Gong Xiangyi resisted her strong desire to retreat, stood upright, and met head-on his sharp knife-like eyes that made her heart jump to her throat.

The person named He Jin had a soft spot and this Zhao An was this soft spot of his. He and He Jin were raised in an orphanage. When they were still young, they decided to live and die together. They had deep feelings, and he and He Jin were close to each other. It was because of his betrayal that caused the other to become cruel and ruthless in the future. So regarding that person's affair, how could He Jin not be interested?