Shi Weichong left right after Shi Jin made that promise.
Shi Jin accompanied him to the door. After Xu Jie got in the car, he called his brotherâs name, stopping him, and led him two steps aside. âBig Brother, I want to invite you out for dinner in a few days, alone. Is that okay?â
Shi Weichong knew what he meant by âaloneâ. Casting a sideways glance in Xu Jieâs direction, he replied, âOf course. Just let me know the time and place, Iâll be there.â
Shi Jin nodded. He hesitated for a moment, then hinted, âKeep an eye on your motherâdonât let your good intentions go to waste.â
Immediately realizing why Shi Jin would say this, Shi Weichong frowned. âDid she do something?â he asked.
If the issue of Tarantula cooperating with Annihilation to deceive Xu Jie got out, it would affect Tarantulaâs reputation, so Shi Jin couldnât explain anything too clearly. Besides, heâd rather avoid Shi Weichong confronting Xu Jie about it and unwittingly destroying his plan, so he only said, âItâs just that she looked off. Iâm worried that sheâs only pretending to accept it and will still try to make trouble in secret. Big Brother, I told you earlier: as long as she doesnât try to harm me again, I can turn a blind eye to what sheâs done for your sake. However, Iâm not a saintâif she acts against me one more time, I wonât let it go. I only hope that you wonât blame me when the time comes.â
Shi Weichongâs expression became strained once more. âI understand,â he replied. âIf she still refuses to listen to reason⊠I certainly wonât blame you. Thank you, Xiao Jin.â
âDonât thank me,â Shi Jin said, shaking his head, and took the initiative to hug him. âRuixing is still yours, Big Brother, just wait until this is all finished. Donât tell Xu Jie.â
âWeichong!â When Xu Jie saw the two of them hugging, she couldnât stop herself from opening the car door and getting out.
Shi Jin released his brother and stepped back, shooting her an icy glance. Not caring about Shi Weichongâs presence, gave her a direct warning: âI advise you to behaveâIâm no longer that naive kid who was so easy to mess with. Youâd better believe that if you dare try something again, Iâll dare to put a bullet straight through your skull.â Finished speaking, he nodded to Shi Weichong, then turned around and walked back to Lian Jun. He took the handles and began pushing the wheelchair towards the clubâs entrance, not looking back.
Heâd said everything that needed to be said, and told them where he stood as well. How things would develop from then on would depend on Xu Jieâon whether Shi Weichongâs compromise would help her regain some of her conscience as a mother.
Shi Weichong was so stunned by what Shi Jin whispered in his ear that, for a moment, he didnât pay any attention to his threat towards Xu Jie. As he watched Shi Jinâs back move away, his eyes were full of complex emotions: he was moved, felt shame, guilt, wanted to repay him somehow but didnât know how⊠In short, many kinds of emotions were smoldering in his chest. However, when he turned his head and saw what kind of expression Xu Jie wore when she looked at his brother, his heart turned cold once again.
âMom,â he called. He didnât manage to make his face look gentle. âBehind Shi Jin, there stands Lian Jun, and behind Lian Jun, thereâs Annihilation. He isnât someone you have the ability to touch. Just be thankful for the fact that Xiao Jin is still soft-hearted right now, and willing to recognize me as his brother, and stop it. Youâve made enough mistakes already.â
Xu Jie couldnât believe her ears. Nearly mad with hate, she blurted, âAre you really taking his side? Didnât you hear what he said just now? He said heâs going to kill me! You actuallyââ
âYes, he did say that, but the premise is that you try to harm him first. Do you want to? Do you really plan to strike out at him again?â Shi Weichong asked in reply, his voice cold.
Xu Jieâs hands, hidden by the body of the car, clenched into tight fists, but she forced a sad expression onto her face. Looking to the side as if she was hurt, she said, âI⊠how could I? You made the stakes clear yesterday. You even contacted your grandparents and asked them to take back all the assets theyâd left under my name⊠Weichong, Mom loves you very much, and thatâs never going to change.â
Seeing her like that, Shi Weichong felt a little uncomfortable, but he endured and didnât comfort her. âI hope so,â he said. âOnce everything is settled, Iâll go with you to find somewhere nice overseas, and I will accompany you in the future.â
Accompany her? No need, a man should focus on his career instead. Xu Jie opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to lecture Shi Weichong, then remembered the situation she was in at the moment. Swallowing her words, she nodded and got back in the car.
On the second floor of the club, Gua Two watched Shi Weichongâs car drive away. He took out his phone and made a call. âKeep watching Xu Jie, report any of her movements without delay.â
One day later, the surveillance team reported that Shi Weichong had shut Xu Jie in her home and called several elders of the Xu family to come to talk to her. He also began to make arrangements for sending Xu Jie abroad.
With that news, Shi Jin instantly understood that Shi Weichong had listened to his warning the day before and intended to send Xu Jie away as soon as possible so that she wouldnât get the chance to make trouble, butâŠ. He glanced at his progress bar, firmly stuck at 970, and let out a heavy sigh.
It was uselessâXu Jie still hadnât given up.
That evening, under Lian Junâs instructions, Tarantulaâs branch head contacted Xu Jie. He informed her that after consideration, they decided they could allow her to participate, but she would be required to listen to their orders and would not be allowed to mess around.
That was the last chance that Shi Jin would give Xu Jie. If she withdrew the commission and honestly stopped trying to harm him, then, under provision, he could let her off for Shi Weichongâs sake.
Unfortunately, Xu Jie seemed extremely pleased with Tarantulaâs answer. In order to avoid any uncertainty, the branch head once again made to confirm whether she wanted to place the order. Xu Jie said yes without an ounce of hesitation and urged Tarantula to act as soon as possible.
{âŠSo thatâs the situation,} Lu Shan concluded on the other side of the phone. {When do you want to start?}
Lian Jun didnât reply but looked at Shi Jin instead.
Shi Jin lowered his head as he thought. Rather than answering, he turned to Gua Two, who was in Lian Junâs study as well. âAccording to what Shi Weichong arranged, when is Xu Jie supposed to go abroad?â
âIn four days. It wasnât hard to find out, Shi Weichong didnât hide what he was doing,â Gua Two replied.
In four days⊠Shi Jin tapped his finger, thinking. âLetâs do it a week later. Iâll find some excuse to go out so they can catch me.â
Not four days later, but in a week? With that much of a time gap, was Shi Jin giving Xu Jie yet another chance to give up? If Xu Jie left the country four days later and broke off all contact with those inside, then Tarantula could unilaterally cancel the commission on the grounds of them not being able to reach the customer.
Gua Two touched his chin, giving Shi Jin a thoughtful glance, but kept silent.
âSo the time is setâone week later,â Lian Jun said decisively, finalizing the matter. âMake your people be careful not to hurt Shi Jin.â
Lu Shanâs tone immediately turned disgusted. {I know, I know, youâve only told me that a thousand times,} she drawled. {Okay, Iâll contact you later. By the way⊠Xiao Jin, right? Xiao Jin, Iâll let you in on a secret: Lian Jun wet his bed until he was 15.} And with that, she hung up.
The study sank into dead silence.
Gua Two let out a cough. Forcing himself not to look at Lian Junâs suddenly dark face, he got up. âIf weâre done here, thereâs still something Gua One needs my help with⊠I need to go now, Iâll leave you to your work.â He slipped out of the study without glancing back, considerately closing the door after himself.
âThat, umâŠâ Holding back a smile, Shi Jin placed his hand over Lian Junâs on the armrest of the wheelchair and said seriously, âActually, when I was a teenager, I would also wet my bed from time to time. Donât worry, something like thatâs perfectly normal.â
Lian Jun cast him a sideways glance and asked evenly, âYou believed in Lu Shanâs nonsense?â
This time, he didnât call her âAunt Luâ like usual, but went straight to using her full name; apparently he was really angry.
Shi Jin shook his head at once. âNo, of course not. Lu Shan is the leader of an enemy organizationâshe just said that to smear your reputation and destroy your prestige in Annihilation. Donât worry, weâre all too smart to fall for it!â
Lian Jun refused to swallow his âsugar-coated bullets.â He glanced three inches under Shi Jinâs navel and slid the wheelchair to behind the desk. âWait until we get to bed tonight,â he said, voice flat.
Instinct sent a shiver running up Shi Jinâs spine, then his heart fluttered, and his mood, which had been cloudy because of Xu Jie, cleared up in an instant. Shameless, he scooted up to Lian Jun and stuck to his side, looking forward to the evening.
Three days passed. During that time, except for Shi Weichong, the other brothers all called Shi Jin to say that they had managed to squeeze out some free time and would soon visit B city to come see him.
Shi Jin said okay, but didnât set a specific meeting time yet.
Then, the fourth day came, that is, the day when Shi Weichong was going to send Xu Jie abroad. Not so unexpectedly, Shi Jin got the news that Xu Jie had tried to commit suicide by taking sleeping pills, but the housekeeper found her just in time. Right now, she was hospitalized. Of course, the move abroad had to be postponed.
Shi Jin put down his phone and looked at his progress bar, which was still stuck at 970. He raised his hand and pressed it into his forehead, obscuring the cold expression in his eyes.
Some people, it seemed, simply refused to give up, come hell or high water.
If so, there was no longer any need to be lenient.
He lowered his hand and picked up the phone again, then sent his four brothers a group text inviting them to Nightlight for dinner. He chose the day heâd scheduled for the start of the operation with Tarantula.
Time seemed to pass in a flash. On the morning of the action day, Shi Jin called Shi Weichong, mentioned that the other brothers were coming to the club for dinner, and invited Shi Weichong to come over as well.
{Somethingâs happenedâI donât know if Iâll be able to make it this evening,} Shi Weichong said, exhaustion evident in his voice.
Shi Jin knew exactly what had happened, but he still pretended to be surprised. âSomethingâs happened? Is it serious? Do you need any help?â
{No, itâs not a big deal, Iâll take care of it. You donât need to worry,} Shi Weichong replied with forced cheer. {Is Yujing coming too? Iâve been a little busy these days, and I havenât been in touch with the four of them. How long will they stay in B city? Iâll invite everyone out for a get-together some other day, maybe?}
âI donât know. Fourth Brother is on leave and should stay for a few days, and Fifth Brother is his own boss, so his schedule is quite flexible. Second Brother and Third Brother, though, are busy and probably wonât stay for long. You really canât make it today, Big Brother?â
When Shi Weichong heard the expectation and hope in Shi Jinâs voice, he hesitated. Finally, he said that heâd try his best, and that heâd call in advance if he would be able to come.
Shi Jin said okay and hung up, exhaling lightly, then got up and grabbed his backpack. After saying goodbye to Lian Jun, he left with Gua Two, heading to a supermarket to âbuy groceriesâ for tonightâs dinner.
If youâre seeing this notice, youâre reading this chapter on pirate site â the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations.
Once the car had left the club, Gua Two couldnât help but ask, âWhy did you call all your brothers over? Arenât you afraid that youâll just bring yourself more trouble in the end?â
âNot really. I just want them to see with their own eyes what will happen to those who try to harm me, and completely eliminate the possibility of them ever making a move against me or becoming my enemy,â Shi Jin replied, not concealing his plan at all.
Gua Two shook his head, speechless. âWhen you kept giving Xu Jie chances again and again, I thought your way of handling things was too soft, and that you werenât sharp enough. But now you go and say something like that and it turns out youâre actually so cold-blooded itâs almost scary, and youâve planned for this situation to serve as a warning to your other brothers. I really canât make sense of you, Shi Jin.â
Shi Jin gave him a meaningful look. âSo youâll be better off if you donât provoke meâbe careful that I donât brush off Jun-shao one of these days and off you!â
Gua Two was taken aback, then sneered in contempt. âYou and what army?â He shook his head again, with an expression of not being willing to talk to someone with a mental handicap anymore.
Shi Jin let out a contemptuous snort of his own, then quieted down, turning his attention to his phone. He looked through the text messages from Fei Yujing and the rest, stifling a sigh.
It wasnât that he was cold-blooded, but that he was afraid of the progress bar going up again. The reason heâd called the other brothers to witness Xu Jieâs fate wasnât to deter them but to deter the mothers behind them. After all, he was just an ordinary person; he wasnât strong enough to keep enduring no matter what came his way. He really didnât think he could bear it if another person like Xu Jie appeared.
In addition, he wanted Shi Weichong to see for himself how much malice Xu Jie hid inside. That way, Shi Weichong should be able to accept him dealing with Xu Jie without harboring resentment towards him.
The human heart was fickle. He needed as much insurance as possible, even if it was a bit too cruel to Shi Weichong.
An hour later, Shi Jin and Gua Two finished shopping and drove back to the club. On the way, they encountered a wave of ambushes, eventually ending with Gua Two being âseriously injuredâ and Shi Jin going missing. As in the plan, Shi Jin left behind his phone, and after saying goodbye to Gua Two who was covered in blood from a blood bag, he was âforcedâ into a car by members of Tarantula and taken away from the place they were ambushed.
Another hour later, in front of Gua Twoâs operating room, Lian Jun used Shi Jinâs mobile phone to call Shi Weichong.
âShi Jin was kidnapped on his way back from a supermarket,â Lian Jun said directly after the call connected. His voice was quiet and without any trace of emotion, but for some reason it made people feel a sense of danger. âIt better not have been done by your mother, or sheâll beg for death before Iâm done with her.â He hung up, not waiting for a reply.
In front of him, there was a tablet with an open video call. On the screen, Shi Jin put down the cue board and applauded his loverâs acting skills: {Very good, I have nothing left to teach you.}
Lian Jun looked at him somewhat helplessly. âI will pick you up as soon as possible,â he said, putting away the phone.
All of a sudden, Lu Shan appeared next to Shi Jin, leaning into the frame from the side. She waved at Lian Jun in disgust. {Oh, please, youâre making it sound as if your boyfriend is going to be bullied here. Iâm hanging up, Iâll call if anything happens.}
Gua Three looked at the dark screen, surprised. âLu Shan is in B city?â
âThe friendly relationship between Annihilation and Tarantula has to be kept secret from the rest of the worldâitâs only natural that sheâd want to come and keep an eye on this operation in person to make sure that nothing goes wrong,â Lian Jun replied, then turned to Gua One. âGo back to the club, then call Fei Yujing and the other brothers. Tell them that Shi Jin was âkidnappedâ and ask them to come to the club.â
Gua One acknowledged the order and immediately left to carry it out.
Shi Weichong was in a hospital as well. He stood still for a moment after he received Lian Junâs call, shocked, then rushed back to the ward behind him and looked at Xu Jie, who was sitting in bed and reading a magazine. âXiao Jin is missingâare you behind this?â he demanded. âWhere is he? What do you want to do?!â
Xu Jie was surprisedâshe didnât expect Tarantula to move so fast. She was ecstatic inside, but on the surface, she looked confused and hurt. She turned her head away, her eyes reddening. âWeichong, I didnât realize you had so little trust in me,â she said with a quaver in her voice. âIâve barely returned from knocking on the gates of death, but something happened to Shi Jin and Iâm the first person you suspect? You yourself said that Shi Jinâs man is a gangsterâisnât it normal for them to get in some kind of trouble? I⊠Never mind. Iâve said that I realized the error of my ways, but since you donât believe me, then thereâs no point in me living.â As she finished speaking, she moved to get out of bed, trying to get to the fruit knife on the side table.
Shi Weichongâs heart tightened a little, and he hurried to stop her; in the end, he didnât want to believe that she really was the one behind the kidnapping. Once heâd ushered her back to the bed, he frowned at her and said, âMom, Iâll believe in you one last time. I hope it really wasnât you, or even I wouldnât be able to save you this time.â Releasing her, he turned to take the fruit knife from the side table. He threw it into a garbage can in the corridor and called the nurse to watch Xu Jie, then walked away without looking back.
Xu Jie watched him leave. As she recalled how hard heâd worked these past few days, sparing no effort, her heart wavered⊠but it soon stabilized again. She ran her hand through her hair, pushing it back, and looked at the nurse coming in. âMy stomach has started to hurt all of a sudden, please help me call the doctor,â she said.
Not doubting her, the nurse nodded and left to get the doctor.
Xu Jie threw open the blanket and got out of bed. Taking out her mobile phone and making a call, she walked out of the ward.
If youâre seeing this notice, youâre reading this chapter on pirate site â the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations. Read on Betwixted to get the fastest updates!
By the time Shi Weicong arrived at the club, Fei Yujing and Li Jiuzheng were already there.
âWhatâs the situation?â he asked as soon as he walked in, his face anxious.
Lian Junâs gaze skimmed over him briefly. He said, âShi Jin was ambushed and snatched on his way back from grocery shopping. Gua Two, who accompanied him, was seriously injured; right now, the doctors are still trying to save his life, and he canât give us any information for the time being. There were no useful clues left at the site of the ambush, and the surveillance cameras in the vicinity were damaged in advance. The enemies came prepared.â
In other words, the situation was very bad.
Fei Yujing, who was barely keeping his calm, scowled at Lian Junâs explanation. ââGrocery shoppingâ?â he asked with disapproval, trying not to explode. âHave you suddenly forgotten your identity? You actually let Shi Jin go shopping for groceries, and guarded by only one person? Shi Jin really had to do those kinds of chores?â
âOf course not, the club purchases everything we need. He wanted to personally buy groceries to cook for the dinner he invited you to,â Lian Jun hit back. He paused for a moment, then continued, âIt is indeed my negligence, to let him go out with only one person. I promise to get him back safely. And no matter who they are, Iâll make whoeverâs responsible pay the price.â After another glance at Shi Weichong, he turned his wheelchair around and rolled out of the room.
Struck by the wariness and cold indifference in Lian Junâs eyes, Shi Weichong stiffened, and his hands slowly clenched into fists.
After Lian Jun left, Fei Yujing looked at Shi Weichong with a frown. âYour motherâŠâ he began.
âShe said it wasnât her,â Shi Weichong interrupted him with a strained expression, as if he was trying to convince himself as much as the others. âSheâs been in the hospital for the past few days, and Iâve been watching her personally. It was impossible for her to do anything,â he emphasized.
âBut she didnât have to do it herself,â Fei Yujing replied coldly. âThe last time your mother wanted to hurt Shi Jin, she asked Xu Chuan to hire a criminal organization and let them do it.â
Shi Weichongâs face sank. He couldnât say anything in reply.
âItâs all my fault. I told Xiao Jin that I wanted to eat the food he made, so of course, he would go to buy the ingredients himself. If it werenât for me, he wouldnât have gone out, and those people wouldnât have gotten the opportunity to kidnap him,â Li Jiuzehng said out of nowhere, lowering his head. It was impossible to make out his expression at that angle.
Fei Yujing stiffened. He thought of the texts heâd sent back and forth with Shi Jin and squeezed his eyes shut. In a rare indulgence, he let his emotions get the better of him and spat out a curse under his breath.
Suddenly, a phone began to ring. Shi Weichong froze, then pulled out his phone and answered the call. After listening for a moment, his expression went through a violent change. âYou said my mother disappeared? Are you sure? Would she go for a walk⊠Damn it!â
He hung up and ran outside.
Realizing that something was wrong, Fei Yujing and Li Jiuzheng jumped to their feet and rushed after him.
The âkidnappedâ Shi Jin sat safe and sound in the back seat of the van, eavesdropping on Lu Shan and her subordinatesâ phone calls.
âSheâs coming? Then take her to warehouse no. 1, but detour a little, drag it out,â Lu Shan said, then hung up. She turned to look at Shi Jin and raised her eyebrows. âKid, it was you who came up with this scheme, wasnât it? Arenât you clever.â
Shi Jin couldnât tell whether she was praising or mocking him, so he ignored her remark and asked with familiarity, âAuntie Lu, whatâs the situation with Xu Jie?â
âWhat a sweet talker.â Lu Shanâs lips curled up in an unreadable smile, but she didnât stop him from calling her aunt, following Lian Junâs example. âXu Jie has slipped out of the hospital, and now sheâs on the way to warehouse no. 1. How do you want to play with her?â
How come that sounded so ambiguous?
Continuing to ignore her strange choice of words, Shi Jin replied seriously, âXu Jie isnât normal. Physical threats wonât work on someone like herâwe have to break her mind.â
Intrigued, Lushan asked, âSo?â
âSo, Iâm going to let her take the lead role in a show,â Shi Jin said. He still looked innocent and harmless. âSheâs crazy, but she hasnât entirely lost her reason just yet; before my brothers arrive, I have to find a way to help her completely descend into madness.â
Lu Shan looked at his youthful face and listened to his equally youthful voice, and suddenly felt the little hairs on the back of her neck rising. She realized sheâd let herself be deceived by Shi Jinâs appearanceâas it turned out, Lian Junâs oh-so-honest-looking little lover was just as vicious as Lian Jun.