As the door opened, a beautifully decorated antique-style dining room was revealed.

Rong Zhouzhong and Shi Weichong, who were sitting on the sofa near the door, turned their heads in unison upon hearing the sound. They then locked eyes with Lian Jun, who had just been pushed to the door by Shi Jin.

"Good evening," Lian Jun greeted politely, holding a shopping bag.

The air instantly became quiet.

Shi Weichong furrowed his brows, while Rong Zhouzhong's lips curled up. The two of them exchanged a glance and then, in perfect harmony, shifted their gaze to Shi Jin, who was standing behind Lian Jun.

"Why do I feel like you guys have a bit of hostility towards the family member I brought?" Shi Jin's expression fell, and he directly stepped back and turned around, supporting Lian Jun's wheelchair. "If you don't welcome us, forget it. Happy birthday, Third Brother. Enjoy your meal. We'll leave first." With that, he took a step and tried to slip away. He was on his way to a date.

Standing by the door, Xiang Aoting became anxious and quickly reached out to grab his shoulder, urging, "Everyone is welcome here, Xiao Jin, don't overthink it. Big Brother and Third Brother were just surprised to see Mr. Lian here." After speaking, he glanced at Shi Weichong and Rong Zhouzhong inside the room.

Shi Weichong also regained his composure, reluctantly suppressing his emotions and expression, and stood up to walk towards Shi Jin, saying, "Xiao Jin, come in first... Mr. Lian, welcome."

"Thank you." Mr. Lian remained polite, but his demeanor was somewhat cold and indifferent, as if whether to stay or leave depended entirely on Shi Jin's decision. As Shi Jin was stopped in his tracks by Xiang Aoting, he glanced over at Shi Weichong walking towards them. Without saying a word, he then looked towards Rong Zhouzhong who was still sitting calmly on the sofa. It was clear that he wanted the birthday boy to make a statement.

However, Rong Zhouzhong was not as dependent on Shi Jin as Shi Weichong was. When he saw Shi Jin looking over, he asked with a dark face, "What did you just say about Lian Jun?"

"Family," Shi Jin replied naturally, reaching out to affectionately pat Lian Jun's shoulder. He then introduced him solemnly, "Let me introduce you all to my boyfriend, Lian Jun, whom I am dating with the intention of getting married. I hope all of you brothers can be friendly towards him."

As soon as these words were spoken, Lian Jun smirked, Shi Weichong's face tightened, Xiang Aoting frowned, and Rong Zhouzhong exploded, asking, "Dating with the intention of getting married? Shi Jin, have you lost your mind?" Shi Jin deliberately put on a stern face and pushed his wheelchair forward.

Rong Zhouzhong choked, feeling the urge to stand up and reason with him.

Shi Weichong quickly turned around and stopped him, while Xiang Aoting once again held onto Shi Jin's shoulder and said, "Xiao Jin, don't go yet. Today, we're not just here to celebrate Old Third's birthday, we also have something to talk to you about. Don't act impulsively."

It was clear that it wasn't just a simple birthday celebration. He had said that Fei Yujing was a busy man, how could he possibly leave his work just to celebrate his brother's birthday?

Shi Jin saw through their true intentions and stopped in his tracks, turning his head to ask, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Xiang Aoting frowned in hesitation, looking back at Shi Weichong and Rong Zhouzhong inside the house before replying, "We want to talk..."

"Why are you all standing outside?" Suddenly, Fei Yujing's voice rang out not far ahead.

Pausing the conversation with Xiang Aoting, he looked towards the direction of the voice. Fei Yujing, still dragging his luggage, walked over from the corridor with a frown on his face. Following behind him was Li Jiuzheng, who still dressed like a casual student.

The two quickly approached, and Fei Yujing glanced at Shi Jin and the hand that Xiang Aoting had placed on Shi Jin's shoulder. Hearing the voices of Rong Zhouzhong and Shi Weichong coming from the private room, he probably understood the situation. Without acknowledging Shi Jin and Xiang Aoting, he looked at Li Jiuzheng and said, "You came at the right time. Today, we have something important to discuss with Shi Jin, and you can help him keep an eye on things. Shi Jin is about to go to university, and he needs some security."

Security? When Lian Jun heard this, his eyes flickered and he called out to Shi Jin beside him.

Shi Jin's eyebrows twitched as he responded to Lian Jun's call and looked at Fei Yujing. He couldn't help but glare at him - this guy really knows how to get to the point. He knows that as long as he convinces Lian Jun, he won't cause any more trouble. How cunning!

Fei Yujing was stared at by Shi Jin, but his frowning expression actually relaxed. He said, "You're quite clever... come into the private room."

After speaking, he took a step forward and walked towards the dining hall.

Shi Jin turned his head and watched him enter the room, feeling a bit disheartened. He turned the wheelchair around with Lian Jun and to be honest, he really wanted to know what these brothers were up to.

Li Jiuzheng quickly caught up to him and looked at Lian Jun before suddenly asking, "Are you receiving treatment?"

Shi Jin was taken aback and turned his head to look at him warily. "You just went to the sanatorium not long ago, and his complexion has changed so much. It's easy to speculate about treatment, after all, I am a doctor," said Li Jiuzheng, as he pulled out a business card and handed it to Shi Jin. "This is my senior brother's business card. He is very good at solving neurological problems and can keep a secret."

It was no secret that Lian Jun had been poisoned by a neurotoxin, and outsiders could easily find out.

Shi Jin hesitated for a moment, but still took the business card and asked, "Why?"

"Because I want to repay you for the spring rolls and dumplings you made for me during the New Year," Li Jiuzheng replied, turning his head to meet his gaze. His eyes no longer held the hidden intent to kill, and he suddenly asked, "I heard that Fourth Brother also ate the dumplings you made with your own hands?" Without waiting for Shi Jin's answer, he quickened his pace and entered the dining hall. Shi Jin turned his head to look at Xiang Aoting.

Xiang Aoting felt a bit embarrassed and explained, "I didn't mean to tell him. I just accidentally mentioned it in the group chat..."

"You guys have a group chat?" Shi Jin couldn't believe it, suddenly realizing what was going on.

No wonder every time something happened on his side, as long as one brother knew, all the other brothers would know. They actually had a group chat! It was so...so gossipy and despicable!

Seeing Shi Jin staring at him with wide eyes, Xiang Aoting became even more uneasy. He took out her phone and said, "What's your account number? I'll add you to the group chat. We can chat more often, communication is very important."

Shi Jin refused directly, expressionless as he said, "No need, I don't have that kind of account." He was already being harassed by phone calls and messages even without joining the group. If he joined, wouldn't he be bombarded with messages every day? It was too scary, he had to stay away.

......

With the coordination of Shi Weichong and Fei Yujing, the six brothers and Lian Jun finally settled down in the dining hall. Poor Number Two was left outside, alone with a table full of delicious food.

As the dishes were served one by one, Shi Jin scanned the selection and noticed that most of them were not suitable for Lian Jun. He called the waiter over and ordered two dishes specifically for him.

Li Jiuzheng saw this and a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.

In the eyes of Dr. Li Jiuzheng, when Shi Jin ordered dishes for Lian Jun alone, it was helping Lian Jun watch his diet. But in the eyes of the other brothers who were unaware of the truth, Shi Jin's behavior was openly showing affection.

Today, the host of the banquet, Rong Zhongzhong, was so annoyed by Shi Jin's behavior that his forehead was bulging with veins. He simply turned his head and pretended not to see, saying, "Thank you all for coming, let's eat." This birthday banquet was just an excuse for Shi Jin to come and discuss business. Although it was indeed Rong Zhouzhong's birthday today, he didn't have any special thoughts about it, so his attitude was not particularly positive. Everyone understood this, so there was no real intention of giving Rong Zhouzhong a birthday celebration.

Upon hearing this, they all picked up their chopsticks and prepared to eat while discussing business with Shi Jin, hoping that the delicious food could ease the atmosphere of the conversation.

"Wait a minute, why are we eating already? What about the cake? What about the birthday gifts? Are there none?" Shi Jin suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence in the room. He had a righteous expression on his face as he said, "Are you guys too casual about birthdays? Third Brother has just turned another year older, this is such an important occasion! Waiter, bring out a cake!"

*click* The chopsticks in Rong Zhouzhong's hand collided, producing an ominous sound. He gritted his teeth and said, "Who are you calling old, you little brat?"

"Happy birthday, Third Brother! Here's your birthday gift!" Shi Jin suddenly stood up and stuffed a shopping bag into Rong Zhouzhong's arms, effectively shutting down his insult.

Rong Zhouzhong was hit in the face by the shopping bag and, after regaining his senses, the first thing he saw was the brand logo on the bag. It was easily recognizable as the logo of a high-end men's leather goods brand that Rong Zhouzhong happened to be a fan of.

As soon as Rong Zhouzhong heard this, his mood became a bit complicated, and he couldn't quite hide his anger on his face. He pulled down the shopping bag, twisted his expression strangely, and while feeling around inside the bag, he awkwardly said, "I didn't expect you to know what I like. Did you go to my fan site again to find out... Hmm, what is this?"

Knowing the truth, Xiang Aoting lowered his head and focused on counting the sesame seeds on the sesame ball in front of him.

Lian Jun turned his head to look at Shi Jin, who had a serious expression, but his eyes were surprisingly bright. He couldn't help but hold his hand.

The other brothers all looked at Rong Zhouzhong with curious thoughts - they didn't expect Xiao Jin to prepare a gift. But this was something Xiao Jin would do, and they wondered what he had bought... With a look of confusion, Rong Zhouzhong pulled out the items from the shopping bag.

A cartoon rainbow centipede pillow broke free from the confines of the bag and was held in Rong Zhouzhong's hand.

Rong Zhouzhong's expression froze for a second, and the faces of his brothers at the table also froze. Li Jiuzheng even rubbed his eyes and asked, "Is this... a centipede?" Could there really be such a fat and colorful centipede in this world?

As soon as the word "centipede" was spoken, it was as if a switch had been pressed on a robot. Rong Zhouzhong suddenly snapped out of it, his expression changing. He dropped the pillow, covered his mouth, and rushed into the bathroom.

Everyone at the table turned to look at the bathroom in unison. "Fear can be overcome," said Shi Jin with a shake of his head and a sigh, wearing a look of "I'm doing this for his own good." He earnestly continued, "It's just a matter of being crawled on by a centipede while sleeping. It's nothing. He'll forget about it soon enough."

Shi Weichong, Fei Yujing, and Li Jiuzheng looked at each other in disbelief. How could something that could be classified as a childhood trauma be forgotten so easily? Are you a devil?

Xiang Aoting rubbed his forehead in frustration and sighed silently. Perhaps his third brother had forgotten about it before, but with that pillow, he would probably never forget about it for the rest of his life. Fifteen minutes later, Rong Zhouzhong returned with a wet face and an unpleasant expression. He went back to his seat and picked up the centipede pillow from the ground. He looked at Shi Jin and suddenly sneered, saying, "Little brat, your birthday is in a few months. Just you wait."

Shi Jin was fearless and even continued to provoke him, "Third brother, I've already thought of your birthday gift for next year. How about a centipede pendant that can be hung on your phone?"

Rong Zhouzhong's face turned black and he shouted for the waiter, ordering five or six dishes with cucumbers.

Shi Jin coldly snorted and said, "Immature!"

The other brothers thought, "Are you really mature? We're all brothers, can't we stop hurting each other?"

... After all the commotion, the cake that Shi Jin requested finally arrived, and Rong Zhouzhong's cucumber dish also came to the table. The atmosphere at the table inexplicably became a little harmonious.

"Let's cut the cake first," Shi Jin finally had a conscience and gave the birthday boy some face.

Rong Zhouzhong gave him a cold glance, stood up, picked up the knife, and stabbed the cake with force as if he was killing an enemy. Then, with a loud bang, he sat down and said, "It's cut, let's eat! Shi Jin, if you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll post your childhood photos on Weibo!"

Lian Jun frowned and turned his head to look at him.

"He's lying, he doesn't have my childhood photos," Shi Jin quickly turned Lian Jun's face back and let him drink soup. "Hurry up and eat, your meal times must be regular. It's already past six, later than usual."

Lian Jun obediently took back his gaze and obediently took a sip of soup. When Shi Weichong and the others saw this scene, they inexplicably felt that the dishes on the table had become unappetizing.

......

During the meal, everyone tacitly avoided discussing business and pretended to chat, asking about Shi Jin's college entrance exam and his choice of major. Shi Jin talked about it vaguely without targeting them.

After finishing the meal, it was already past seven o'clock. Shi Jin was thinking about his date and took the initiative to ask, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

The brothers finished their meal and, with Shi Weichong taking the lead, called over a waiter to clear the dishes and bring some drinks. Once the waiter left, Shi Weichong organized his thoughts and said, "Here's the thing. Last time, I wanted to transfer some shares to you, but you didn't want to accept them. At the time, I didn't think it through and thought I was doing it for your own good, but instead, it caused you some trouble. So, I thought about it and contacted Yujing and came up with another plan."

Fei Yujing cooperatively opened the suitcase by his feet and pulled out a thick stack of documents, saying, "I rushed to get these and they can be signed right away."

The expressions of the remaining brothers also became serious, and they sat up straighter.

Shi Jin furrowed his brow and looked at the large pile of documents that Fei Yujing had brought out, asking, "What is this?"

Fei Yujing replied, "It's a transfer and gift document for all of Father's real estate and personal savings. In addition, my older brother and I took the lead and all five of us brothers jointly invested to establish a trust fund for you. In the future, you can use the money from the fund for your education, employment, property, and other needs."

Unexpectedly, it was a trust fund!

Shi Jin was surprised, and his brows furrowed even tighter as he asked, "Why are you giving this to me? I don't need it."

"This isn't from us, it's from Father," Fei Yujing explained as he pushed the document towards him. "When you divided the inheritance equally among us five, we only accepted the equity portion at the time. The real estate and savings were left untouched, so they still belong to Father."

"Do you think I'm a fool? I don't want it," Shi Jin refused.

Fei Yujing looked at his resistant expression, suddenly took off his glasses and leaned back in his chair, asking a question he had always wanted to ask, "Shi Jin, what are you afraid of?"

"Fei Yujing." Lian Jun called out to him in a deep voice, making it clear that he didn't like his current attitude of talking to Shi Jin.

Shi Jin reached out to stop Lian Jun and directly met Fei Yujing's gaze, replying, "I'm afraid of many things. These are not the kind of money that can make me worry-free, but rather the death warrants that can shatter me to pieces. I'll be blunt, I'm not afraid of you guys anymore, but I'm afraid of your mother, or anyone related to your interests."

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned. Shi Weichong, who had heard this kind of talk before, darkened his face and tried to calm the situation by saying, "Xiao Jin, you're being too sensitive. These things won't harm you."

But Shi Jin stubbornly refused to cooperate, adopting a "I won't listen, I won't listen" attitude.

The atmosphere became tense, and Rong Zhouzhong couldn't help but speak up, saying, "Shi Jin, have you gone crazy from love? My mom runs such a big company, she's rich and has nothing to do all day but pamper her boy toy. She doesn't have time to bother with your little life."

Li Jiuzheng also spoke up, "My mom won't either, because she's already passed away."

Everyone was silent.

Xiao Si trembled and said, "Jin Jin, is Li Jiuzheng telling a cold joke? It's so cold."

"Anyway, I don't want these things," Shi Jin insisted, refusing to sign the documents. When Xiang Aoting saw him, he looked guarded and defensive. It was clear that he had been hurt in the past and was afraid of being hurt again by them. Xiang Aoting felt a pang of sympathy and was about to say something to comfort him when a phone rang.

Everyone turned to look at the source of the sound. Shi Weichong frowned and pulled out his constantly ringing phone from his pocket. He glanced at the caller ID and chose to hang up.

Fei Yujing showed an unusual expression of dislike and asked, "Is it her again?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to her," Shi Weichong replied. As soon as he finished speaking, the phone rang again. He seemed helpless and apologized to everyone, saying, "Sorry, I have to take this call outside."

Shi Jin had already guessed who the caller was based on Shi Weichong's reaction. He glanced at the progress bar in his mind and suddenly stood up, saying, "Brother, as long as you answer that call here, I'll sign these documents. However long you chat, I'll sign for that long."

Shi Weichong stopped and turned to look at him.

"Do you agree?" Shi Jin pulled over the documents and picked up a pen.

Shi Weichong looked deeply at him, tightened his palm, took out his phone, and answered the call.

"Hello, Weichong, where are you?"

In his amplified hearing, Xu Jie's voice was particularly clear. Shi Jin made up his mind and opened the first document, letting Xiao Si quickly scan the contents and confirm that there were no traps before signing his name.

Seeing this, Shi Weichong picked up his phone and started chatting with Xu Jie, lying that he was out discussing business with someone and would be back later. One after another, Shi Jin quickly signed all the documents. He looked up at Shi Weichong and said, "I'll take all these properties and money. If you want to establish the fund, go ahead. I can't stop you. As long as you're happy." He then put down his pen and pushed the documents back to Fei Yujing.

Fei Yujing glanced at him and then at the phone in Shi Weichong's hand, lost in thought.

Shi Jin's voice was neither loud nor low, but very clear in the quiet room. Xu Jie on the other end of the phone clearly heard what he said.

Her voice immediately rose, and she sternly asked, "Where are you, Weichong? What did you give that bastard?"

Xiao Si nervously reminded him, "Jin Jin, your progress bar has gone up to 800!"

Jumping directly from 600 to 800, Xu Jie was definitely suspicious! Shi Jin looked at Shi Weichong with a blank expression.

Shi Weichong closed his eyes tightly and hung up Xu Jie's phone directly. He looked at Shi Jin and asked, "Is this what you wanted?"

"Yes, this is what I wanted." Shi Jin replied affirmatively and said, "Big brother, you said that these things wouldn't harm me, so I'll let you see if they will harm me in the end. Third brother, thank you for your hospitality, I'll take my leave." After speaking, he pushed Lian Jun's wheelchair and left the private room without looking back.

Number Two outside saw them coming out and hurriedly followed.

The room fell silent, and Fei Yujing looked at Shi Weichong and asked, "Do you have something to hide from us? Why does Xiao Jin have such strong hostility towards your mother?"

"It was my mother who first showed hostility towards Xiao Jin," said Shi Weichong as he dragged a chair and sat down, holding his forehead with a gloomy expression. "It's my fault... Yujing, you're right. I shouldn't have insisted on going to see Xiao Jin that time."

Everyone frowned at him, thinking of Xu Jie's personality and Shi Jin's stubbornness. Suddenly, they all felt that this dinner party was a bit foolish.

"Such a hassle," sighed Rong Zhouzhong as he leaned back in his chair and glanced over at the centipede pillow that had been stuffed back into the shopping bag. He reached in and pulled it out, but then noticed a small, understated box at the bottom of the bag. Curious, he took it out and opened it to find a sleek and simple men's wallet inside. He paused for a moment, looking back at the centipede pillow, before running his hand through his hair in frustration and muttering, "You guys really are...such a hassle."

......

Shi Jin helped Lian Jun into the car and then got in himself, closing the door and looking over at the entrance of the restaurant.

Suddenly, Xiao Si spoke up. "Jin Jin, your progress bar has dropped again. It's at 790 now." Shi Jin was taken aback and his mood became complicated. He sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, looking at his progress bar and asking himself, "Xiao Si, do you think what I'm doing is right?"

After guessing that Xu Jie had called Shi Weichong, an idea immediately popped into his mind - instead of avoiding the danger of unknown speculation, why not find a way to intensify the conflict and force the danger to expand?

It was too tiring to guard against thieves every day. If he wanted to solve these problems quickly, he needed to find a way to force the thief out and clean up everything at once. But if he did that, Shi Weichong would definitely bear a lot of negative consequences.

Xiao Si clumsily comforted him, "There's nothing right or wrong, Jin Jin. Just wait for the progress bar to finish and everything will be okay. Everyone will be fine."

But will everything really be okay in the end? As Shi Jin's gaze unconsciously fell on Lian Jun's progress bar, he thought of the steady treatment plan that Lian Jun was undergoing, and his expression softened - it seemed like he really would get better...

"Shi Jin." Lian Jun suddenly took hold of his hand, his voice soothing.

Shi Jin snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at him. Thinking of the date plan that he hadn't completed yet, he slowly rallied and returned the grip on Lian Jun's hand, asking, "You'll listen to me all day today, right?"

Lian Jun reached out and touched his face, nodding. "Mm, I'll listen to you." As long as you're happy.

Shi Jin smiled and pulled out a bag from under the seat like magic, eagerly saying, "Then change into this outfit first."

Lian Jun was taken aback, looking at the bag of clothes in his hand, suddenly feeling like he had fallen into a trap.