After finishing his physical training, Shi Jin couldn't stick to Lian Jun all day long anymore. He had to set aside a few hours every day to receive "beatings" from Number One and Number Two.

Perhaps the exercise had an impact on his mood. After a few days of recovery training, Shi Jin's not-so-high spirits slowly returned to normal. Although he still worried about the death progress bar and the plot, he wasn't as heavily affected by the plot anymore.

Seeing him like this, Lian Jun's hanging heart finally settled a bit.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the gathering arrived. Shi Jin said goodbye to Lian Jun at five in the afternoon and, accompanied by Number One and Number Two, headed towards the destination of the gathering. "The dining area has been cleared, so there's no need to worry about safety," Number One reported on his phone. Seeing Shi Jin lost in thought, he called out to him again.

Shi Jin snapped out of it and responded, indicating that he understood.

"What's wrong?" Number Two asked with concern, glancing at him through the rearview mirror. He had overheard Shi Jin's conversation with Xu Chuan and knew how difficult this meal would be for him, so he was worried.

"It's nothing. I'm just worried that Young Master Jun won't eat well tonight," Shi Jin honestly replied, feeling very distressed. "Uncle Long has adjusted Young Master Jun's diet again, and he's not happy with what he's eating. His picky eating habits have resurfaced."

Number Two remained silent for a moment.

An hour later, the car pulled up in front of an elegantly decorated restaurant. This restaurant was recommended by Lian Jun and is his own business. He has already cleared the area in advance to ensure safety. When Shi Jin and his companions got out of the car and entered the restaurant, the person in charge who had been waiting at the door stepped forward and said to Shi Jin, "Young Master Shi, there are already guests here. It's Mr. Shi Weichong, the president of Ruihang. He just arrived five minutes ago."

Shi Jin was taken aback by the title given to him by the person in charge and nodded slightly, feeling a bit uneasy. After thanking him, he gestured for him to continue welcoming guests and led Number One and Number Two inside.

When they turned the corner and made sure that the person in charge couldn't see them, Shi Jin quickly turned his head and asked Number Two, "Why did he call me that? Isn't my code name in the organization Number Four?"

Even if they didn't use code names, the people below would usually call him Mr. Shi, not Young Master Shi. Whenever someone called him "Young Master," Shi Jin felt a bit strange.

Number Two raised an eyebrow and looked at him with amusement. "Of course, it's because everyone now knows and has confirmed your relationship with Young Master Jun. Out of respect for you, they made a slight change to how they address you. It's nothing, just get used to it."

Shi Jin looked confused. "Everyone knows? How did they find out?"

He and Lian Jun's relationship had never been announced to the organization or to the public. Only a few of his closest followers knew, making it a small secret.

"Did you forget about your date with Young Master Jun? Clearing out the movie theater and renting out the amusement park, both of which are our own industries. You and Young Master Jun were so obvious, we're not idiots, just pay a little attention and everyone will know," Number Two said with a "are you stupid?" expression.

Shi Jin didn't expect the truth to be like this. Thinking back to his high-profile date with Lian Jun, he awkwardly cleared his throat and silently looked away, pretending that this conversation never happened.

The private room for dinner was at the end of the hallway. When Shi Jin entered, Shi Weichong was sitting in the lounge area drinking tea, still wearing a very sophisticated suit as if he had just rushed over from an important occasion.

"Why are you here so early?" Shi Jin casually greeted and sat across from Shi Weichong.

When Shi Weichong saw him come in, he quickly put down his teacup and asked, "Did you finish work earlier than expected? Why did you think of having a gathering? Did something good happen?"

He had a gentle attitude and took the initiative to bring up the topic, clearly intending to ease the tension.

Shi Jin noticed his expression and remembered what Xu Jie had done, feeling a bit complicated. However, he didn't want to do anything rash, so he replied, "Yes, something good happened. I received my admission letter and will be going through the registration process at the beginning of next month. I left too abruptly during Third Brother's birthday last time, so I thought I'd invite everyone out again before the holiday ends."

"=It looks like our family will soon have a little police officer. That's great," said Shi Weichong, his eyes and brows relaxing as he genuinely felt happy for Shi Jin. Compared to being in the underworld, going to a regular police academy and becoming a government-paid police officer would definitely make people feel more at ease.

However, Shi Jin felt a little uneasy seeing how sincere Shi Weichong was towards him. His current behavior could be seen as using Shi Weichong to provoke Xu Jie. The more sincere Shi Weichong was towards him, the more uneasy he felt.

"Jin Jin..." Xiao Si called out to him worriedly.

"I'm fine," Shi Jin snapped out of his thoughts and replied to Xiao Si in his mind. He then took the initiative to pour a cup of tea for Shi Weichong and casually chatted about other topics.

Shi Weichong thought that after their last unpleasant encounter, he would never have the chance to sit down and chat with Shi Jin in such a calm and peaceful manner again. So when Shi Jin took the initiative to start a conversation, he couldn't contain his joy and relaxation, and happily went along with the topic.

After chatting for a while, Xiang Aoting arrived. He clearly rushed over, still wearing his training clothes. When he arrived, he was afraid that his dirty clothes would affect the appetites of Shi Jin and the others, so he brought some clean clothes to the restroom to freshen up before changing into them.

By the time he came out, it was almost time for dinner. Shi Jin led the two of them to the private room, ordered some dishes, and also called Li Jiuzheng, who hadn't arrived yet, to ask where he was. Li Jiuzheng had just parked his car at the entrance of the restaurant, and replied with a quick "coming soon" before hanging up the phone. Five minutes later, Li Jiuzheng entered the private room. With everyone present, he was about to ring for the kitchen to start serving when the door suddenly opened again.

"What kind of restaurant did you book? It's so far from the airport and the traffic was unbearable," Rong Zhouzhong walked in with a black face, wearing a hat and a mask. He sat down next to Shi Jin and pushed him, "Get me a glass of water, I'm thirsty."

Shi Jin was surprised and asked, "How did you come here?"

"I happened to have some free time, can't I come?" Rong Zhouzhong's expression was fierce, his face was haggard, and the dark circles under his eyes were so obvious that they looked like he had applied smoky makeup. It was unclear how long he had gone without sleep. His clothes were wrinkled, but the style was trendy, and he exuded a strong scent of men's cologne.

Shi Jin wrinkled his nose in disgust. As soon as Rong Zhouzhong saw the expression on his face, his heart skipped a beat. He was so angry that he reached out and pinched his shoulder, shaking him hard.

"Don't make that face! This smell is from the advertisement shoot. I don't usually spray myself like a mobile air purifier. Is it really that bad? Is it really that bad?"

Rong Zhouzhong's lack of sleep had clearly worsened his temper and made him more childish.

Shi Jin was dizzy from being shaken and quickly grabbed his arm, saying, "It's not bad at all. The stronger the scent, the better it is for stimulating the appetite."

But Rong Zhouzhong became even angrier after hearing this. He grabbed Shi Jin's face and spoke in a menacing tone, "Stimulating the appetite? Are you saying that this perfume is meant to stimulate the appetite? What kind of appetite are you trying to stimulate? This is a perfume from the Intense Passion series. What kind of appetite do you think it's meant to stimulate?"

Shi Jin couldn't take it anymore and grabbed a dessert from the table, shoving it directly into Rong Zhouzhong's mouth. The world fell silent as Rong Zhouzhong chewed on a soft and sweet pastry, glaring straight at Shi Jin with his beautiful peach blossom eyes that somehow managed to twist into a fierce expression. He even reached out his claw-like hand towards Shi Jin.

"Fourth Brother!" Shi Jin crouched down and called out for help.

Xiang Aoting quickly reached out and grabbed Rong Zhouzhong's shoulder, pulling him back. He helplessly said, "Third Brother, you're scaring Xiao Jin."

Rong Zhouzhong's expression twisted and turned, but eventually he reluctantly calmed down. He shook off Xiang Aoting's hand, finished the pastry in three bites, straightened his collar, and said, "This little brat has skin thicker than an armadillo. He wouldn't be scared... Let's eat, I'm hungry!"

Seizing the opportunity, Shi Jin sat up straight and looked at Shi Weichong and Li Jiuzheng, who were sitting in what could barely be considered a safe zone. He decisively got up and sat next to Li Jiuzheng, pressing the call button to order food.

The brothers glanced at his changing seat. Shi Weichong lowered his head and turned his cup, Rong Zhouzhong coldly snorted and turned to Xiang Aoting as the peacemaker, while Li Jiuzheng helped Shi Jin move the tableware over.

......

The dishes were served one after another, and everyone began to eat and chat. Surprisingly, the atmosphere was not bad.

Shi Jin pulled everyone into a random topic and chatted away, silently observing Shi Weichong's side. As expected, when the meal was about halfway through, Shi Weichong began to frequently look down at his phone.

"Do you have work to attend to?" He looked at Shi Weichong, knowingly asking.

Shi Weichong, seeing his inquiry, quickly hung up the phone, shook his head and replied, "No, a friend was looking for me. Everything's fine now. Where were we just talking about?"

"Whether I should take the civil service exam in B city and stay as a police officer after graduating from the police academy," replied Shi Jin, calculating that it was about time, so he shifted the topic according to plan and said, "Let's not talk about staying in B city for now. The police academy is a four-year program, so we can consider this matter in two years. Actually, I asked you guys out today to talk about something else."

As they listened to Shi Jin, Rong Zhouzhong, who was bored out of his mind, and Li Jiuzheng, who was focused on eating, both paused and looked up at him with understanding in their eyes - they knew that Shi Jin wouldn't have called them out for something as trivial as an "admission letter". The real topic was finally coming.

Shi Weichong and Xiang Aoting were momentarily stunned. They remembered the unpleasant end to their last dinner together and furrowed their brows, thinking that he might bring it up again. They looked at Shi Jin, hesitant to speak.

"I'm not here to talk about the last dinner," Shi Jin spoke up, interrupting the thoughts that were almost written on Shi Weichong and Xiang Aoting's faces. He turned to his backpack and pulled out his tablet, dialing Fei Yujing's video call as he continued, "I want to talk about something else, something that concerns all of us."

Everyone was puzzled by his actions. What could it be that concerned all of them? Was it related to Ruihang? After a while, Fei Yujing finally answered the video call. He looked visibly tired, having just finished a day's work. When he saw the group of people on the other end of the video, he frowned and said, "You've already eaten, why did you specially eat in front of me?"

"You can watch us eat if you want, but before that, I have a few things to say. You can listen," replied Shi Jinbian as he set up his tablet. After scanning the group, he waited until everyone's attention was on him before speaking slowly and deliberately, "At the end of June, I went to M Province and met Xu Chuan."

Upon hearing Xu Chuan's name, both Shi Weichong and Fei Yujing's expressions immediately turned serious. Even Xiang Aoting furrowed his brow and asked, "Xiao Jin, why did you go see him?"

"I won't discuss the reason why I went to see him now, but I'll play a recording for you first," replied Shi Jin. He took out his phone and played the pre-cut audio.

【But surprisingly, Shi Xingrui was more rational than I had imagined. He didn't rush to find that woman, but instead began investigating her situation. Only when he was fully prepared did he 'accidentally' encounter her and make a deal with her. He wanted that woman to have a child, and it had to be a son.】

Xu Chuan's voice filled the room, and the word "deal" was incredibly jarring. Everyone's expressions changed, and even Xiang Aoting couldn't help but stand up.

In this recording, Xu Chuan was clearly referring to the mother of several people present, but who was this "she" and who... was the product of this deal? Shi Jin paused the recording and turned to look at Li Jiuzheng, who had a blank expression beside him. "I checked and found out that there was no transaction between your mother and father. She was simply deceived by your father."

"I, I knew it..." Li Jiuzheng's stiff body slowly relaxed, he pulled the corners of his mouth and suddenly lowered his head to cover his face, not wanting others to see his expression.

When everyone heard Shi Jin's confirmation of the "transaction" speculation, their expressions became even uglier.

Fei Yujing's voice came from the opposite side of the video, asking directly, "Who is the woman Xu Chuan mentioned?"

Shi Jin looked at the screen and replied, "It's your mother, but there is more than one person who has made a transaction with our father."

He was practically telling everyone straight up that, except for Li Jiuzheng, they were all children bought by Shi Xingrui. This fact directly negated their biggest reason for hating Shi Jin before. If Shi Xingrui didn't owe or deceive their mother emotionally and never treated them as his own sons, then they had no right to blame innocent people for the so-called "abandonment".

To be even more cruel, how should one treat a "commodity" that was bought? It seems like it's the buyer's freedom, and the "commodity" has no right to express their opinion. The air was deathly silent.

Finally, Rong Zhouzhong was the first to break the silence. "Shi Jin, even if it was a transaction, what's the point now that the old man is dead? We finally have the chance to sit down together peacefully. We can settle accounts or apologize if we need to. Why bother digging up the past and adding unnecessary trouble?"

Shi Jin remained silent and played another recording.

"I want to know who ordered you to buy the Werewolf. Don't tell me it was Xu Tianhua. I don't believe it."

"It wasn't Xu Tianhua."

The recording was short, only a few seconds, but the group fell silent once again. "This is why I went to talk to Xu Chuan. I suspect that it wasn't Xu Tianhua who wanted to harm me," Shi Jin put down his phone and glanced at everyone before saying, "This is Xu Chuan's response to me. The person who wanted to harm me is indeed not Xu Tianhua. So, it's not that I want to dig up the past, but I have to dig up these things clearly and find out who exactly wanted to harm me in order to save my life."

A sudden realization brought Xiang Aoting's attention back. He frowned and asked, "If it wasn't Xu Tianhua, then who could it be? The other shareholders of Ruihang? Or perhaps your father's old enemies?"

Rong Zhouzhong's expression changed and he suddenly snorted, saying, "Old Fourth, have you become stupid while doing missions? This little bastard invited us out to eat today and specifically told us all this. Who he suspects is crystal clear, isn't it? Shi Jin, let me say it again.

"My mom and I are not good people, it's true that they exchanged resources for giving birth to me. I also believe my mom is capable of doing that, but we're not so bored as to ruin our lives by taking your life when we have everything. You can come to me for revenge, but you can't suspect me of wanting to kill you. If you dare to falsely accuse me, I'll post all your ugly photos on Weibo, unilaterally announcing that you've debuted, and annoy you and that Lian Jun!"

As expected of Rong Zhouzhong, his threat was quite vicious. Shi Jin's serious face almost couldn't hold back, and he looked at him without saying a word.

"It wasn't me," said Li Jiuzheng, turning his head to look at Shi Jin. Perhaps because his emotions hadn't fully settled, his gaze was strangely gentle as he continued, "My mother has already passed away. She won't harm you, and I won't do anything foolish either. But you remind me of my mother, and I like you..."

Shi Jin's hairs stood on end behind his back. He silently grabbed the chair and shifted it to the side, giving a dry smile as he replied, "Let's just forget about it. We're brothers..."

"...your eyes," Li Jiuzheng finished his sentence with a gasp, and even managed to smile like a saint.

Shi Jin: "..."

Although you have a nice smile, your way of speaking is quite frightening.

"...Actually, your eyes are even more beautiful," Shi Jin quickly turned his head to avoid Li Jiuzheng's gaze, feeling that sitting next to him was a huge mistake. He glanced at the others at the table and decided to skip the theatrics and get straight to the point.

"Actually, Xu Chuan has already told me who really wants to harm me, but considering he lied to me once before, I called you all here to avoid being manipulated by him."

Looking at Shi Weichong's puzzled expression as he kept his head down, Xiang Aoting furrowed his brows and asked, "Xiao Jin, what do you want to do?"

"I want to give you all a chance to know the whole truth," Shi Jin glanced at everyone and tapped on his phone, "The recording I just played for you was only a few selected clips. I have the complete version in my hand, and if you want to listen to it, I can send it all to you. In addition, besides the recording, I have a lot of investigation materials about the Shi family and my father. If you want to see them, I can provide them, but you better be mentally prepared. These things will definitely not make you feel happy.

"Also, I am taking a risk by telling you all this. After you finish reading the materials, I hope you will come and tell me your stance. If you don't take the initiative to explain, then I will assume that our brotherhood is over, and we will only meet on the playing field in the future."

He left no room for doubt with his words, and everyone's expression became serious. They were all intelligent people, and when Shi Jin spoke to this extent, if they still didn't understand, they would truly be fools. Shi Jin was forcing everyone to take a side, and also giving the person who was truly connected to the mastermind behind the scenes a chance to choose their stance.

"Of course, you can also choose not to record or collect any information. Ignorance is bliss, and when I catch the real culprit behind the scenes, I won't play the blame game. However, I won't consider anyone who stands by the side of the murderer as my brother. Let's just be strangers from now on and avoid any conflicts."

Shi Jin stated his position and then raised three fingers, saying, "You have three days to consider whether you want to know the truth or not. After the information is sent out, you still have three days to decide your stance after reading it. I will then decide my next move."

There are three options: take the information and stand with Shi Jin, take the information and oppose Shi Jin, or don't take the information and remain strangers with Shi Jin in the future. Shi Jin laid out everything and even gave them the power to decide the future of their relationships. He was both candid and cruel.

For those who believed in themselves and their mothers, the choice was easy. They didn't need to confront Shi Jin, they could just sit back and watch. But for those involved with the behind-the-scenes manipulations, the choice was difficult.

Should they take the information and enter a dilemma, or should they remain ignorant and wait for a potentially disastrous outcome?

Fei Yujing was the first to break the silence, saying, "Shi Jin, send me a copy of all the information you have."

"Send me a copy too," Rong Zhouzhong chimed in, his brow furrowed with annoyance. "You're really troublesome."

"I want a copy too," Li Jiuzheng declared, making his stance clear. After hesitating for a moment, Xiang Aoting glanced at Shi Weichong and hesitated again before deciding to contact him privately later. Shi Weichong did not express his opinion either. He lowered his head, his hands in his pockets, lost in thought.

Shi Jin agreed with the others' words and said, "I will send you the information one by one after returning to the club. Let's eat first, the dishes are getting cold."

But who still had the appetite to eat now?

Everyone's thoughts were surprisingly unanimous. They all had a feeling that Shi Jin was trying to force someone to take a stand today. His attitude at the last dinner party was already clear enough.

......

The meal began lively, but ended quietly. At the end of the meal, Rong Zhouzhong was the first to leave. Li Jiuzheng followed, but not before packing a box of the same snacks that Shi Jin had previously stuffed into Rong Zhouzhong's mouth. Xiang Aoting and Shi Weichong stayed until the end, and the three of them walked out of the restaurant together.

"Aoting, you go ahead. Be careful on your mission and don't get hurt," Shi Weichong said, trying to muster up some energy to give ` some advice.

Aoting looked back at him and Shi Jin, hesitated for a moment, and said, "We're all brothers in the end." With that, he tactfully left the two of them alone and got into his car and drove away.

Now only Shi Weichong and Shi Jin were left at the door. Shi Weichong held his phone in his pocket and turned to look at Shi Jin.

He spoke his first words since Shi Jin had played the recording of Xu Chuan, his tone hesitant: "Xu Chuan said that the person who wants to harm you is not Xu Tianhua. Could it be...?"

"Big brother," interrupted Shi Jin, looking at him seriously. "I believe that during the time you 'used' me in the past, there were also times when you truly treated me as your little brother... Think about it, I'll wait for your call." After speaking, he took the initiative to hug him, stepped back, got into his own car, and resisted the urge to look back.