In the following days, Shi Jin became the most cooperative patient in the world. Whatever Lian Jun asked him to do, he did without complaint. He drank water when asked, went to the bathroom when asked, washed his hands when asked, and ate his meals obediently.

After finishing their meal, Lian Jun played a few rounds of mahjong with Shi Jin. He figured that Shi Jin had probably digested his food by now and was ready for a nap. However, just as he was about to suggest it, there was a knock on the door.

Shi Jin immediately looked over, forgetting all about the mahjong game. Lian Jun gave him a quick glance before getting up to help him adjust his blanket and said, "Please come in." 

Number Five entered the room with a light push of the door. When he saw Shi Jin's wide-open eyes, he was momentarily stunned before smiling at him and then turning to Lian Jun. He gestured towards his phone, which was displaying a call from the boss of Phantom, and said, "Phantom's boss wants to talk to you about something."

Lian Jun nodded in understanding and turned to Shi Jin, saying, "I need to take this call. I'll be back soon."

Shi Jin quickly reassured him, "Don't worry about me, go ahead and take the call."

As Lian Jun looked back at him, he couldn't help but notice Shi Jin's dazed expression from the two kisses they shared earlier that morning. With a twinkle in his eye, Lian Jun kissed the back of Shi Jin's hand before placing it gently on the bed and wheeling himself towards Number Five. 

Shi Jin shivered. He immediately covered his right hand with his left and stared at Number Five with a look that said, "Brother, let me explain." 

Lian Jun had left the room, leaving Number Five behind to keep an eye on Shi Jin. 

Shi Jin tried to explain the situation: "Um, just now, Young Master Jun and I...we..." 

"Got together?" Number Five finished his sentence with a warm smile, looking both happy and sincere. "Congratulations! We've been waiting for this moment for a long time. You made us wait, but it was worth it." 

Shi Jin was taken aback. "Huh?" 

"We all knew you had feelings for Young Master Jun, except for you. He's a good person and takes relationships seriously. He'll treat you well...From now on, we'll leave Young Master Jun in your hands, Shi Jin. Thank you." Number Five couldn't help but sigh with satisfaction, looking at Shi Jin with the same affectionate gaze as a proud mother-in-law. 

Shi Jin felt a shiver run down his spine as he desperately wanted to ask what the phrase "we all knew you had feelings for Young Master Jun" meant. However, seeing the nostalgic expression on Number Five's face, he couldn't bring himself to ask. After a moment of contemplation, he forced a smile and tentatively replied, "You're, you're welcome?"

Number Five chuckled at his response, a hearty laugh that filled the room. "No wonder Young Master Jun fell for you, Shi Jin. You're quite interesting," he said.

Shi Jin was taken aback by the compliment, unsure if it was genuine or not. "Uh, thanks. But why does it sound like you're not really praising me?" he asked.

Just as the two finished their conversation, Lian Jun returned with his phone in hand. He noticed that Shi Jin looked even more foolish than before and glanced at Number Five before handing him the phone. 

"Arrange for a car, I need to go out. Have Number Two come and keep Shi Jin company," he instructed. Number Five took the phone and answered with a smile towards Shi Jin before quietly leaving the hospital room.

"You're going out?" Shi Jin's attention was immediately drawn back, and he frowned in inquiry.

Lian Jun slid his wheelchair closer and replied, "I have something to discuss with Old Ghost. I'll definitely be back before dinner, it won't take too long."

However, Shi Jin was still worried. He glanced at the progress bar in Lian Jun's brain, which had already retreated to 500, and felt slightly relieved. 

He couldn't help but nag, "Where are you meeting to talk? Don't go to any secluded places with no one around, it's too dangerous. Remember to bring a few people with you, and don't eat or drink anything outside. Who knows if there's anything strange mixed in there." 

As Lian Jun listened quietly to him ramble on, he suddenly leaned in towards him and called out, "Shi Jin."

"Hmm?" Shi Jin's voice trailed off as he looked at Lian Jun's face, which was now just inches away from his own. His gaze drifted and settled on Lian Jun's lips, and he swallowed unconsciously.

Is it happening again? This time, he'll do his best!

"Thank you." But instead of kissing him, Lian Jun wrapped his arm around Shi Jin's shoulder and pulled him close for a hug.

Shi Jin's heart tightened and then relaxed as he felt the weight of Lian Jun's body against his chest. He quickly hugged him back, feeling his heart soften as he looked at Lian Jun, who had tilted his head and lowered his eyelids. 

Gathering his courage, Shi Jin leaned down and planted a kiss on Lian Jun's forehead, saying, "Come back soon, I'll be waiting for you to have dinner together." 

Lian Jun was taken aback, he stood up and looked at him, raised his hand to touch his forehead, then suddenly curved his eyes and smiled. He took his hand and kissed it, then helped him tuck in the blanket and said, "Be good, I should be back when you wake up from your nap."

What a smile it was, like a pearl that had been covered in dust suddenly being washed clean by clear water. With just a gentle roll, it emitted a gentle halo of warmth in the sunlight that made people unable to resist wanting to be forever immersed in it.

Shi Jin was stunned, his heart beating faster and faster. Suddenly, he felt a bit jealous of Long Shi who was lying there. The Lian Jun that Long Shi had known back then, was probably this gentle and smiling Lian Jun.

Too blissful, and too fortunate. 

Out of nowhere, he mustered up the strength to sit up from the bed and embraced Lian Jun, tilting his head to affectionately rub his face and earnestly promising, "Lian Jun, I will treat you well."

Although he was still a bit confused about their relationship, his unwavering determination to treat Lian Jun well was crystal clear in his heart.

This person deserved the best.

Lian Jun hugged him back, feeling the strength of his embrace and closing his eyes in contentment, his voice soft and low, "I know, you've always been good to me."

......

When Number Two arrived at the hospital room, he saw Shi Jin lying paralyzed on the bed, hands folded over his chest, staring blankly at the ceiling. 

He furrowed his brow and looked up at the ceiling, which was adorned with a row of unartistic and unappealing drop ceilings. There wasn't even a pretty light to be found. 

He leaned in and poked his head, asking, "What's wrong with you, are you stupid?"

Shi Jin turned his head to look at him, his expression serious as if he were announcing something very important. He said, "I can't sleep."

Number Two rolled his eyes impatiently, sat down on the chair next to the hospital bed, and picked up a banana from the cabinet. He started peeling it and said, "All you do is eat and sleep all day long. It's strange that you can even fall asleep. Don't sleep, let's chat."

"Eating a patient's banana, doesn't your conscience hurt?" Shi Jin let go of his hand and grabbed a banana to peel himself. He asked, "What's our situation now? Tell me." 

Number Two saw him struggling to peel a banana while lying down, so he decided to adjust his bed up and make him more comfortable. As he ate, Number Two explained, "It's no surprise. Zhuo Yang ran away, and the authorities are going after Nine Eagles. We're going to be busy again."

Shi Jin frowned as he listened, but he handed Number Two another banana as a bribe to keep talking.

So, the storyteller Number Two leaned back in his chair and began to tell the story.

During the naval battle that night, Nine Eagles's ship was nearly destroyed by the tactics of the Phantom, who kept switching ships. Zhuo Yang realized the situation was dire and abandoned his subordinates to escape to another ship. 

His whereabouts are currently unknown. 

The next step for everyone is likely to be a trip to the southeast region, because the authorities want to deal with Nine Eagles, but they can't directly take action. They need a legitimate reason to stabilize the situation. 

Now the official stance is that this reason needs to be found by Annihilation. The authorities will only send people to help in secret. Therefore, after preliminary discussions, Lian Jun decided to go to the southeast region to dig up evidence of Nine Eagles's collusion with foreign forces and use this as an excuse to deal with Nine Eagles.

This time, Old Ghost and Fei Yujing will also follow, because they want to help rescue their people. In addition, everyone is also prepared to go to the place where Long Shi has been hiding for these years, to see if they can find more clues about the toxin's base.

When Shi Jin heard this, he quickly asked, "Where is Long Shi? What is the situation now?" 

"Long Shi is also in this hospital, under the personal care of Number One. His condition has stabilized and he even woke up yesterday, asking for food and drink. He's in great spirits," Number Two replied, his tone mocking.

Upon seeing his expression, Shi Jin knew that Long Shi was in trouble. He asked, "If Long Shi woke up, how is Uncle Long doing?"

Number Two's mocking expression faded and he sighed, saying, "Uncle Long seems to have adjusted his mood and has told everyone that he won't be involved in anything related to Long Shi anymore. He's now focusing on studying the syringe and information on the toxin's origin you got from Long Shi. With something to do, he should feel better." 

As Shi Jin listened, he felt a twinge of sadness. After a moment of silence, he continued to ask, "Is the part of the toxin's origin that I extracted useful?" 

The day after he first woke up in Lian Jun's bed, he immediately told him about the toxin's base, afraid that he would forget the difficult medical terms if he waited too long. As Number Two heard his question, his eyebrows and eyes unconsciously relaxed, even tinged with a hint of excitement. 

He couldn't help but lean forward and pat his shoulder with force, saying, "It's useful, very useful. Although the toxin's base you found out is only a portion, combined with several components we already know, it should only be a matter of time before we piece together the original toxin. According to Uncle Long's estimation, even if we don't get any new clues about the maternal source in the future, we only need to use the stupid method of permutation and combination, and it will take no more than a year to research the results."

No more than a year.

Shi Jin was overjoyed, then he leaned back on the pillow with a twisted expression.

Number Two was stunned and asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you?"

Shi Jin held his shoulder that was patted and shook his hand while gesturing a middle finger at him, unable to speak due to the pain. 

"Oh no! I forgot that you're fragile like a porcelain doll and can't be touched," exclaimed Number Two as his expression changed. He quickly rang for the doctor to come.

......

When Lian Jun returned, he noticed that Shi Jin had another bandage on his shoulder. He turned his head expressionlessly to look at Number Two.

Number Two quickly apologized and retreated, his face full of embarrassment and guilt.

"He just lightly tapped me, it wasn't intentional. Don't be fooled by how the doctor wrapped me up, it's not that serious," explained Shi Jin, trying to ease the tension.

Lian Jun withdrew his gaze and approached Shi Jin, opening his collar to examine his shoulder. "Does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't hurt. How did your talk with Old Ghost go? When are we leaving for the southeast?" Shi Jin quickly changed the subject. 

Lian Jun helped him straighten his collar and said, "The conversation went smoothly. The departure date is still being discussed. Currently, the plan is to have everyone go in two groups. Number Two and Number Three will be in the first group. They will go ahead and prepare, get a feel for the situation. We will go with Number One and bring Long Shi along with us."

Shi Jin was surprised, "Long Shi is going too?"

"Yes, he has been hiding in the southeast region for many years and understands the situation there very well. He can lead us there and, if necessary, he can be a good bait." Lian Jun answered. 

Seeing Shi Jin's furrowed brow, he explained, "I only saw Long Shi as a subordinate back then. I never had any other thoughts about him." 

Shi Jin was taken aback for a moment before realizing that he was explaining himself. A strange mix of emotions washed over her - curiosity, joy, satisfaction, and a slight itchiness. 

"I never doubted anything. Long Shi is the kind of person who always has bad intentions. How could you possibly be interested in him?" Shi Jin replied, feeling pleased inside but maintaining a calm exterior. 

Lian Jun glanced at him but didn't say anything, instead pulling out a tablet and handing it to him. 

Shi Jin quickly waved his hands and said, "I don't want to play anymore. It's almost dinner time. Let's just talk." 

Lian Jun helped him turn on the tablet and said, "It's not for fun, it's for information. We had some transmission problems at sea, so Shi Xingrui's data couldn't be fully delivered. Now that we're back on land and the transmission is back to normal, we can receive the data. Take a look."

Shi Jin suddenly remembered the data and took the tablet, but hesitated before opening it. Instead, he put it aside and said, "Let's eat dinner first. I'll look at it after."

Lian Jun knew he wanted to spend more time talking with him, so he couldn't help but lean over and kiss the corner of his lips.

...... 

After dinner, Lian Jun left the ward to discuss the arrangements for the first batch of personnel going to the southeast region with Number One and others, leaving Number Five to guard the ward. Number Five sat quietly on the side, using his computer to flip through files and check information without disturbing anyone.

At that moment, Shi Jin picked up his tablet.

In fact, after the emotional changes with Lian Jun, Shi Jin no longer cared too much about Shi Xingrui and the affairs of the Shi family. If it weren't for the progress bar and his identity as the original owner binding him, he wouldn't want to care about anything related to the Shi family.

But reality obviously wouldn't let him be so willful. He glanced at the progress bar in his mind that had already dropped back to 490, thought of Lian Jun, patted his face to perk himself up, and opened the information. 

There were two sets of documents, one thicker than the other. Shi Jin opened the thinner one first.

As he looked through the documents, a hospital record for a miscarriage caught his eye. The patient's name was Xiang Qing, and the reason for the miscarriage was listed as "due to systemic illness in the pregnant woman, which would be detrimental to the development of the fetus."

Systemic illness? 

Shi Jin was taken aback and quickly flipped through the rest of the documents. 

They were all records of medication and treatment. According to the information, Xiang Qing had contracted a severe case of the flu during her first pregnancy and had to take medication. However, the medication could have caused fetal deformities, so she ultimately chose to have a miscarriage.

It seemed like it wasn't intentional after all. Shi Jin furrowed his brow, closed the document, and opened the other one. A very old black and white family photo jumped out. The person collecting the information was very thoughtful and drew a red circle on the photo of a young child in the front row on the right, indicating that this person was a young Shi Xingrui.

Shi Jin didn't expect the person checking the information to be so thorough, not even missing the information about Shi Xingrui's childhood. He couldn't help but admire and looked at the appearance of Shi Xingrui and his family when he was a child, but didn't find anything special, so he continued to flip through the information.

Shi Xingrui's information was very long, with more than ten pages just for his childhood to middle school period. Most of them were certificates and award-winning essays, showing that Shi Xingrui was always an outstanding child. 

Shi Xingrui's original family was not wealthy, in fact, they were quite poor. His father had a total of seven siblings, making it a large family. However, his father only had one child, Shi Xingrui. His mother was not in good health and could not do heavy work, so the family's livelihood relied mainly on his father.

Perhaps due to the lack of offspring and his mother's poor health, Shi Xingrui's family was not very popular in the old family. They lived in the most remote house, and it seemed that Shi Xingrui was often bullied by his cousins.

Shi Xingrui spent his time in his old home before graduating from elementary school. In the year he graduated, he became the only child in the village to be admitted to a high school in the county. 

This was also the beginning of a change in fate for him and his parents. In those days, it was very expensive to attend junior high school, and Shi Xingrui's father couldn't afford it. He wanted to borrow money from his siblings, but they all refused. 

Finally, Shi Xingrui's father, with an unknown determination, sold his newly built house and all his land, and took his family to the county with all their belongings.

In the county, Shi Xingrui's father, who had no education or skills, struggled for a while. Fortunately, Shi Xingrui was determined and won a scholarship to attend high school, helping his father through those difficult times. 

During that era in China, opportunities were abundant everywhere. By chance, his father met a small business owner and began working with him, gradually becoming more financially stable. Meanwhile, Shi Xingrui smoothly integrated into the local middle school, continuing his glorious status as the "child of someone else's family*".

*T/N: The child of someone else's family is always better, and used as a comparion to one's own child. 

Middle school passed by smoothly, and his father saved up enough money to buy a house in the provincial capital. He planned to move his business there and focus on accompanying him in his studies once he passed the entrance exam.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. The day after he received his middle school exam results, his mother passed away inexplicably while visiting his grandparents in their old family home. 

It was said that she suddenly fell ill and couldn't be saved. No one knows for sure what happened back then. All they have are records that show after his mother's death, Shi Xingrui's father never returned to their hometown or sent any money back. He closed all his businesses and settled down in the provincial capital, running a small shop and focusing on raising his son.

Shi Xingrui also never went back to his hometown. Even after becoming successful, he refused the requests for help from his hometown and instead chose to support his mother's family. He seemed to be deliberately trying to upset someone.

He smoothly finished high school, maintaining his reputation as a top student. He scored high on the entrance exam and was accepted into one of the best universities in B city, studying finance. It was also the year his father passed away, leaving Shi Xingrui alone in this world. 

After his father passed away, Shi Xingrui sold his family's house and shop in the provincial capital and used all his belongings to start a life of studying and entrepreneurship. This marked the beginning of his glorious and legendary life.

In just two years, he invested in various businesses and completed his first wave of capital accumulation. Then, during his second year of college, he founded Ruihang. While balancing his studies and career, by the time he graduated from university, Ruihang had already become a well-known and innovative enterprise in B City. 

Once he was free from academic distractions and able to focus solely on managing the company, Ruihang began to develop at an astonishing speed. In less than five years, it had firmly established itself in B City and carved out a place of its own.

As time flew by, when Shi Xingrui was 27 years old, he met Xu Jie, the mother of Shi Weichong, and hired her as his assistant. As Shi Jin read this part, he paused for a moment and went back to review Shi Xingrui's life trajectory. The more he read, the more he felt a strong sense of unease.

Although the world has never lacked geniuses or lucky individuals who succeed in whatever they do, he had never seen someone like Shi Xingrui who had been outstanding since childhood and never made a wrong move, even when his parents had an accident. His grades remained stable.

Moreover, was Shi Xingrui's investment vision too accurate? He never lost money in business and always made a profit. All the competing companies that tried to stop his development eventually failed, and he managed to avoid all the crises that could have harmed his business. He even seemed to have foreseen some of the sudden changes in official policies that affected certain businesses.

It was too incredible. This must be what they call the halo effect of the protagonist. Is there really such a person in this world who is both outstanding and lucky?

As Shi Jin furrowed his brows, he couldn't help but wonder if Shi Xingrui was also a man with a golden finger or someone who had been reborn like himself...

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he refocused his attention and flipped through the legendary story of Shi Xingrui. He clicked on the section about his interpersonal relationships and began scanning through the numerous pre-arranged photos, scrutinizing every male and female face for any resemblance to himself.

After searching high and low, Shi Jin's eyes were strained and tired, yet he still couldn't find anyone who looked like him. Doubts began to creep into his mind.

Was there really no one? 

In this file, even the photos of Shi Xingrui's classmates from elementary school are included, but why isn't there any of her? 

Could it be that his previous speculation about Shi Xingrui having an unattainable white moonlight* is wrong?

*T/N: An unrequited love.

Feeling a bit skeptical, he scrolled through the photos again and added a new condition - "chubby" - to his search. But once again, he came up empty-handed.

Shi Jin began to question the meaning of life, but as he was pondering, he noticed a straw in his mouth. Without thinking, he took a sip and realized it was his favorite mango juice. He couldn't help but praise, "Mmm, it's sweet."

"Is there something you don't understand?" The person who handed him the juice asked kindly.

Shi Jin smacked his lips and looked over at Lian Jun, who was so beautiful that he could almost burst with bubbles. He smiled and asked, "When did you come back?" 

"Just now," Lian Jun replied, his expression relaxing with a smile. He asked again, "Your brow has been furrowed, have you encountered any difficulties?"

Shi Jin was delighted to have someone to analyze with, so he quickly moved over and showed him the data. He explained his guesses and troubles, sighing, "I'm starting to doubt if I guessed wrong, but my intuition tells me that the guess about the white moonlight should be right. I'm really conflicted."

"Perhaps Shi Xingrui has unrequited love, and he hasn't had any interaction with this white moonlight on the surface," Lian Jun offered his thoughts and comforted him, "Don't doubt yourself easily. When all the clues point to one thing, no matter how impossible it may seem, that thing is likely to be the truth." 

As he listened to him speak, Shi Jin felt a little more at ease in his heart. He buried his head and continued to sift through the photos and information, tapping his forehead as he pondered. So where exactly did that white moonlight, whom Shi Xingrui couldn't forget, intersect with Shi Xingrui?