Lu Shan had been exhausted lately.

Ever since the authorities started monitoring the Tarantula, she hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep. Every day was filled with busyness, from managing the Tarantula's affairs to guarding against the Snake Fang, Meridian Gate, and Thousand Leaves.

She also had to deal with the authorities and clean up the mess in Province G. Now that the crisis had finally passed, she had to muster up the energy to engage in psychological warfare with the leaders of the other three families. There was no rest for her.

"Without your help, I would have been at my wit's end," Lu Shan said wearily over the phone. Suddenly, her tone changed and she continued, "But your subordinates are truly invaluable. Number Three and Number Five are reliable and capable, they don't talk too much and make things easy for me. Although Number One and Number Two have their flaws in personality, one being too introverted and the other too loud, their abilities are truly outstanding. And then there's Number Nine, who is simply amazing at gathering information. Xiao Jun, since I'm so exhausted, why don't you lend them to me again..."

But Lian Jun cruelly refused, "No, the Meridian Gate and Thousand Leaves factions are definitely sending people to secretly watch you. To avoid arousing suspicion, from now on, you must keep a safe distance from my people."

Lu Shan's plan was foiled before she could even finish it. She cursed in frustration and shifted the blame, "Damn Meng Qing and Qi Yun, they're both so scheming. They're like dog poop that you can't shake off. How come I didn't realize how difficult they are to deal with before!"

"Any leader who can survive until now in an organization is not easy to deal with," reassured Lian Jun. "Since the alliance is formed, you can take a break for a while. You stood out too much before, so it's best to appear more passive now. Show that the alliance is only to buy time and create a better environment for the Tarantula to recover. This will make Meng Qing and Qi Yun less suspicious of you."

Lu Shan calmed down and listened carefully to his advice. "You can back off, but Meng Qing and Qi Yun dare not continue to pressure you. When you are 'passive', Yuan Peng will definitely start thinking and take the initiative to contact Meng Qing and Qi Yun. Then, naturally, their attention will shift away from you. Between the Tarantula and Snake Fang, Meng Qing and Qi Yun are more inclined towards the Tarantula, there is no doubt about it. Once they have dealt with Yuan Peng, they will definitely turn back to you and show goodwill. At that time, you can go with the flow and regain the initiative and choice in your hands."

With this analysis, Lu Shan's mind immediately became clear and she felt much better. She said, "Okay, I'll do that. There have been too many things happening recently, and I do need time to deal with internal affairs."

Lian Jun responded with a sound and prepared to hang up the phone. "By the way, isn't your little partner's birthday coming up soon?" Suddenly, Lu Shan asked.

Lian Jun's hand paused as he hung up the phone, and he glanced at Shi Jin, who was sitting on the sofa, reading a document attentively. He replied softly, "Yes."

Lu Shan breathed a sigh of relief. "Luckily, I didn't remember wrong. Consider it a thank-you gift from me. I've sent him a birthday present, so make sure you guys receive it." After speaking, she hung up the phone directly.

Lian Jun muttered the words "birthday present" to himself, put down his phone, and slid his wheelchair over to Shi Jin for another look.

Shi Jin was completely absorbed in reviewing documents, unaware of anything else. Ever since he gained recognition from Lian Jun, he made it a point to come back every weekend and help him with some of the more tedious and basic tasks. At first, he made occasional mistakes and ended up making Lian Jun spend more time checking and correcting them, but after two weeks, he became more proficient and made fewer errors.

The more he worked on these documents, the more he realized one thing - Lian Jun needed an assistant to help him "lighten the load," but... Shi Jin finished reviewing the document in his hand, picked up the next one with the Ruihang logo, and let out a sigh.

However, whether it was the transformation of Annihilation's business or the integration of Annihilation and Ruihang's business, these affairs were not suitable for too many people to know. Lian Jun had an assistant, Number One, but Number One had many other things to do.

It was too hard, no wonder Lian Jun was so hard to fatten up.

"What are you thinking about?"

Suddenly, the back of his head was touched.

Shi Jin was startled and turned his head to look at Lian Jun. He glanced at his hand and saw that he didn't have his phone. He asked, "Did you finish talking to Aunt Lu?"

"Yeah. Take a break. Do you have any place you want to go? I'll take you out tomorrow." Lian Jun took the file from him. He remembered that Shi Jin often did this to him, and suddenly felt sorry for him. He got up and sat next to Shi Jin, hugging him in his arms.

Shi Jin leaned against him and lazily stretched, saying, "I don't want to go out. The recent cold air is getting harsher and harsher, and I don't want to freeze outside."

"We can go to an indoor place with heating, like the movie theater we went to in the summer," he suggested.

But Shi Jin quickly covered his mouth with his hand and said seriously, "We can't go to crowded places, especially now that it's so cold outside. There are definitely a lot of people with colds and fevers. If you catch something, what will we do? Uncle Long said that you're in an important stage of physical recovery. As long as you stay safe and healthy without any accidents, we can start using medicine. We have to be careful."

The official use of medication was only concluded by Uncle Long after a week of studying Lian Jun's medical examination results, which he had just completed. When Shi Jin heard the news, he was so happy that he ran several laps around the school playground. Everyone at the club was excited too, with Number Two and the others almost tearing the place apart with their enthusiasm.

After that, everyone became extra careful with Lian Jun's daily life, trying their best to prevent him from getting tired or sick. They would pick up and drop off Shi Jin for school every week, and if they could avoid Lian Jun going out, they would do so, being extremely cautious.

Lian Jun felt touched yet helpless, and he pulled Shi Jin's hand and said, "You don't have to be so nervous, I'm not that fragile." Shi Jin looked at him disapprovingly, about to say something when his phone suddenly rang. He took out his phone and saw that it was Liu Yong calling, so he answered it without thinking.

"Shi Jin, do you want to come out and play tomorrow? You ran off right after school today, and I didn't get a chance to tell you that Luo Donghao found an amazing real-life shooting club. Let's go out and relax!" Liu Yong sounded excited, his voice a little loud.

Lian Jun was standing very close to Shi Jin and could hear him a little better. Upon hearing the invitation, Lian Jun frowned and then seemed to be lost in thought.

Real-life shooting was an activity that Shi Jin would enjoy, and if Shi Jin wanted to go, he could perhaps let Number One and the others accompany Shi Jin for a day of fun...

Shi Jin refused without hesitation, "No, I want to spend time with my boyfriend. You guys go have fun, maybe next time..."

"Again! You're such a guy who values love over friendship. Forget it, let's just see each other at school on Sunday." Liu Yong felt both jealous and envious, deliberately putting on an angry face before hanging up the phone.

After rejecting him so many times, Shi Jin was starting to feel a little embarrassed. He rubbed his nose and put his phone back in his pocket.

Lian Jun remained silent for a few seconds, then tightened his grip on Shi Jin's arm and said, "Go out and have fun. I'll have Number Nine and the others keep an eye on me. It's not good for you to keep rejecting your friends like this. They'll start to distance themselves from you."

As a young person under twenty, it's not normal to stay cooped up at home every day during the holidays. Although he felt a little reluctant and concerned, Lian Jun didn't want Shi Jin to sacrifice his social life and relationships for him.

"Don't worry, Donghao and Liu Yong are not petty people," said Shi Jin as he flipped over and hugged Lian Jun's waist, relaxing his body and pressing against him. He closed his eyes in satisfaction. "My eyes are sore from reading the documents. I'll rest for a bit, and then we can take a shower and go to bed. You're not allowed to work anymore."

Lian Jun looked down at him. Although he knew Shi Jin was changing the subject, he couldn't bear to continue bothering him. He adjusted his position to make him more comfortable and held him, accompanying him in a short nap.

......

The next day, the club was bustling early in the morning. Shi Jin stood in the small living room, still groggy from waking up, watched Number Two and the others holding various decorative items, and asked, "What are you guys doing?"

"I've prepared a birthday feast for you," Number Two replied, frowning as he twisted the long, thin balloon in his hand. "Your birthday happens to fall on a Wednesday this year, and everyone can't just rush to your school to celebrate with you. So, we decided to have the party earlier."

"Young Master Jun said we've been too tense lately, so it's a good opportunity to have some fun," Number Nine added as he dismantled the colorful lights. Seeing that Number Two couldn't even handle a balloon, he reached out and popped it for him.

Number Two was stunned when the balloon exploded in his face, but he quickly got up and went to choke Number Nine. He dodged skillfully and retaliated by trying to poke his eyes. The two of them started a childish fight.

As Numbers Three and Five looked on with indescribable expressions, Number One stepped forward and gave one of them a push. Then, turning to Shi Jin, he said, "They got a little too excited. Don't worry about them. Uncle Long changed Young Master Jun's training program for today. Go have breakfast and we'll meet at the shooting range later."

The shooting range? Shi Jin was puzzled. Were there physical training exercises at the shooting range?

......

An hour later, in the simulated battle map at the shooting range, Shi Jin held a gun and stood guard in front of Lian Jun, nervously and excitedly watching the outside. He never imagined that he would one day fight alongside Lian Jun, and against their opponents, Number One and his team!

Indeed, Uncle Long had actually shown some mercy and changed up Lian Jun's training routine, allowing him to come play at the shooting range. Even though they only had a short three hours, just seeing Lian Jun standing there with a gun in his hand walking beside him made Uncle Long feel so happy he could faint.

"Young Master Jun, I will protect you!" Shi Jin said firmly, his fighting spirit growing stronger as his expression remained calm.

Lian Jun's lips curved up slightly as he got used to the weight of the gun in his hand and asked, "Do you want to win?"

"I do!" Shi Jin nodded without hesitation. After all, the loser would have to do the dishes, and he couldn't let Lian Jun do that!

"Then don't treat me like someone who needs protection." Lian Jun surveyed the environment and walked over to a blind spot, motioning for Shi Jin to come over. "I am your comrade-in-arms. Will you listen to my commands today?"

Shi Jin watched as Lian Jun, dressed in a black combat suit, remained calm and collected with a confident and handsome demeanor. His heart raced with excitement as he quickly and nimbly maneuvered through obstacles to stand by Lian Jun's side, nodding vigorously. "Good, today you are my captain, and I am your soldier."

Lian Jun's eyes flickered as he reached out and pressed his hand against the back of Shi Jin's head, leaning in to kiss him deeply.

In the observation room, Number Two winced and covered his face in pain. "Did Young Master Jun forget that there are cameras all over the simulation area?"

Number Three remained expressionless as he replied, "No, Young Master Jun just forgot about our presence."

Number Two: "......"

As the preparation time ended, the battle began. Number One and Number Nine were on the opposing team. As soon as they received the signal to start, they stepped into the simulated map and worked together seamlessly. Number Nine was responsible for analyzing the map, while Number One surveyed the surrounding area. As they watched the ongoing game, Number Two couldn't help but express his envy, "Why are we only playing 2 vs 2? It would be so much better if we played 4 vs 4."

Number Three poured cold water on the idea, "But we only have seven people, including Young Master Jun. How can we play 4 vs 4?"

"Okay, then how about 3 vs 3?" Number Two suggested, not wanting to give up. "Number Nine is useless at playing, so let him sit out and watch."

Number Three gave him a sly look and said, "Hmm, if we leave one person out to watch, then we could try 3 vs 3."

On the battlefield, Number Nine quickly analyzed the map and led Number One to the best spots for hiding. Meanwhile, Shi Jin suddenly left Lian Jun's side and ran towards a safer location.

"What is Shi Jin doing? Is he trying to distract the enemy and protect Young Master Jun alone?" Number Five asked.