The hospital room was silent as death.

Shi Jin was reading a document while Lian Jun watched him, and neither of them spoke.

After a while, Shi Jin's gaze shifted from the document to Lian Jun's face, and he gave a pleasing smile.

Lian Jun remained expressionless and tugged at his own face, saying, "Deal with your own affairs."

"But I'm just a high school graduate who just graduated. I really don't have the ability to handle something like Ruihang's situation on my own..." Shi Jin used his age as an excuse and tried to please Lian Jun with a smile, "You're so capable, you must have a way to help me..."

Lian Jun still had a poker face, but he released the hand that was pinching his own face. As soon as Shi Jin approached, he clung to him like an octopus with eight arms. He even acted like a treacherous concubine, taking his hand and placing it on his own body, the implication was extremely strong, and the shamelessness was outrageous.

"Where did you learn these slick and cunning things?" Lian Jun hugged him and remained expressionless.

Shi Jin didn't even blink as he lied, "Aunt Lu taught me. She said you like this kind of thing."

Lian Jun looked deeply into his eyes and slipped his hand under Shi Jin's hospital gown, his tone becoming suggestive, "I do indeed like it."

Huh?

Shi Jin froze, looking down at Lian Jun's wandering hand. He had only wanted to tease Lian Jun a little, but now it seemed like things were getting serious. This was a hospital, with people coming and going outside. It wouldn't be good to do anything too outrageous...

As he thought this, he didn't pull his hand away from Lian Jun's, but instead let his own hand wander and touch Lian Jun's waistband.

Lian Jun allowed him to be reckless, but the hand placed on him didn't continue to move. Instead, he said, "My knowledge of company management is based on what Mr. Feng taught me. Get ready to continue taking classes with him once you're better."

"......Huh?" Shi Jin froze, and his wandering hand stopped.

"For now, when it comes to Ruihang's affairs, Shi Weichong is the most familiar with it. You can let him handle some of the major issues and come up with ideas. Keep the situation stable at Ruihang. As for the simple and trivial matters, I will teach you how to handle them. After all, Ruihang is your family's industry, and you should also pay attention to it." Lian Jun gave him some advice, pinched his waist, and said, "Study hard, I believe in you."

But I don't believe in myself!

Shi Jin wanted to howl, but Lian Jun's quick reflexes and waist-pinching technique stopped him from doing so.

"To be honest, I have my own selfish motives for teaching you all this," Lian Jun touched his waist again and said in a gentle tone, "Shi Jin, I hope you can help me."

"Help you?" Shi Jin was stunned, he stopped fooling around and frowned, "Are you in trouble?"

At first, Lian Jun shook his head, but then he nodded and pulled out his hand to straighten his clothes. He motioned for him to sit down and began to explain in detail, "I didn't tell you before, but setting a trap for Xu Jie was a private collaboration between Annihilation and Tarantula. However, this is B City, and any little movement will be noticed. By now, news of the conflict between Tarantula and Annihilation should have spread throughout the underworld.

"In the next one to two months, the situation on the streets will go through a process of suspicion, investigation, testing Tarantula's attitude, considering their options against Annihilation, attempting to form an alliance with Tarantula, and then gradually escalating to small-scale harassment and provocation against Annihilation. After this stage, the harassment and provocation will slowly ferment and expand, leading to the final outcome.

"It's certain that other large organizations will come together and collaborate to target the situation with Annihilation. That's why there's only half a year left for Annihilation to focus on transforming."

As Shi Jin listened, his expression became serious and solemn. He felt a deep sense of self-blame and said, "So it's all my fault...but never mind, there's no point in talking about it now. How can I help you?"

Lian Jun was pleased with Shi Jin's ability to quickly grasp the key points and not dwell too much on what had already happened. He smiled and took Shi Jin's hand, saying, "You hold the power of Ruihang, which is the greatest help to me."

Shi Jin was taken aback for a moment, but then immediately understood and asked, "Do you want to use Ruihang to speed up Annihilation's transformation?"

"No, I won't let your company be associated with criminal organisations," Lian Jun shook his head, pinched his hand, and said, "I hope that Ruihang can come forward and accept some of Annihilation's successfully transformed business."

Shi Jin felt something was off and furrowed his brows, asking, "This doesn't seem right. How is this me helping you? Isn't this you giving me money?" A successful business transformation meant clean and legitimate business, which translated to a lot of money, and all of it without any trouble.

"It's not about giving you money. It's about entrusting you with the financial power to manage our shared assets," Lian Jun kissed the back of his hand and explained, "Transferring part of the business is also part of the transformation. After unloading this burden, I can face future conflicts without any worries. And even if I lose everything in the conflict, at least you have a way out. So, you need to learn well. If you accidentally lose everything we have, we'll be left with nothing."

Shi Jin was stunned. How did things suddenly develop like this? After hearing this, he realized that he couldn't afford not to learn.

Seeing his reaction, Lian Jun continued, "Actually, I was planning to entrust a middleman to establish a new company to slowly take over the successful transformed businesses and separate it from Annihilation. But now time is pressing, so we can only use existing large enterprises to carry out the operation and save the preparatory work. Currently, Ruihang is the best choice, but if you have difficulties, I can look for other options..."

Shi Jin couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had always admired Lian Jun's business acumen, but now he was being given the opportunity to work with one of the top companies in the industry. He knew he had to step up and take on this challenge. "Stop! Let's use Ruihang instead, it's safer. Not only is it more convenient than other existing companies, but its security and confidentiality are also much better," interrupted Shi Jin.

He thought for a moment and said, "I have no problem learning about enterprise management, but when it comes to using Ruihang, I must discuss it with Shi Weichong. After all, it's his thing, and just because he says he'll give it to me doesn't mean it's really mine. I don't really have the right to take things from the Shi family... Anyway, I'll try my best to negotiate, but you should also prepare for other options."

"This matter has already been discussed with Shi Weichong," said Lian Jun. "He mentioned that if you need it, he can help you continue managing Ruihang. However, he will never touch the ownership of Ruihang again in his lifetime."

Lian Jun had to interrupt him and gestured towards the file on his lap. "He knows that you want to return Ruihang to him, so he gave me this file, hoping that I can persuade you to give up this idea."

"......"

Shi Jin's brow furrowed tightly as he said, "I really don't want Ruihang..."

Putting aside the issue of whether it's troublesome or not, the problem lies in his awkward identity. Although he is the son of the Shi family, his core values are not aligned with theirs. From his perspective, taking Ruihang just doesn't feel right. He had accepted it before because he didn't want to cause a rift with Shi Weichong while Xu Jie was still a threat. But now, he's stuck in a difficult position.

Seeing his reluctance, Lian Jun raised his hand and pressed his forehead, saying, "I promised Shi Weichong to convince you to take Ruihang."

Shi Jin was taken aback and looked up at him, remembering what he had said before. He asked, "Is it because the transformation of Annihilation requires the use of Ruihang?" He was suddenly caught in a dilemma. This was the first time that Lian Jun had actively sought his help. If he refused him just because of his own incomprehensible position... it was a difficult decision.

Xiao Si couldn't bear to see him struggling and spoke up, "Jin Jin, you can take Ruihang. It's meant to be..."

"It's not exactly that, but the main reason is that I want to give you even more protection," said Lian Jun, unintentionally brushing off Xiao Si's words. He touched his chin and let out a soft sigh, speaking in a gentle tone, "Everyone has their own selfish motives, and I am no exception. Soon, Annihilation will be pushed to the forefront of the conflict. In the future, there will only be one outcome for Annihilation - to perish alongside all the other criminal organisations and disappear into history.

"Whether it's during the conflict or after it's over, the people around me and I will be targeted by other organizations or the authorities. But they all have power and experience, and have been with me for many years, so their escape routes have already been planned. You, on the other hand, have only been with me for a short time and our relationship is special. I must consider your situation more carefully."

Shi Jin was completely focused on Lian Jun's explanation and didn't even notice what Xiao Si said. After listening, he quickly realized what Lian Jun was trying to do and said with a dark face, "Do you think that becoming the person in charge of Ruihang means that the authorities won't dare to touch me? You're just trying to deceive me with this talk of using Ruihang for transformation. With your level of thoroughness, how could you not have a more detailed plan and preparation for transformation? Are you trying to dump your assets on me and go die yourself?"

"Of course not," said Lian Jun, seeing that he was getting more and more agitated. He quickly grabbed his hand and comfortingly squeezed it, saying, "I still have to take care of you. Of course I won't go to my death. Actually, I have another purpose for arranging things this way. In case the authorities still refuse to let me go after everything is over, you, who will have a lot of bargaining chips, can protect me instead. Shi Jin, I won't abandon you on my own. I can't bear to."

Shi Jin was speechless, knowing that what he said made sense, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being manipulated. He lowered his voice and said, "I always feel like you're lying to me."

"If I really wanted to deceive you, I wouldn't have told you all of my plans. Shi Jin, don't you trust me?" Lian Jun looked into his eyes and asked seriously.

As Shi Jin looked at his handsome face, he felt a twinge of despair. No, of course he trusted Lian Jun. He was certain that with Lian Jun's intelligence, he wouldn't even notice if Lian Jun was trying to deceive him.

In fact, he was already convinced. Lian Jun had said something that was absolutely right - only with enough chips in hand could he have the power to protect others. Lian Jun had always been the one protecting him, and he wanted to be able to protect Lian Jun too.

When it came to the safety of his lover, the inner turmoil that he couldn't share with anyone else was like a fragile piece of paper, easily torn apart with just one poke and ready to be trampled underfoot at any moment.

"I can temporarily take in the Ruihang," he said, gripping Lian Jun's hand tightly. "But I will definitely have to return it to Shi Weichong in the end. Once you've dealt with your business on the road and we're both safe, it's best to separate your business from Ruihang and not be tied to it."

Lian Jun saw him compromise and hugged him, patting his back and nodding. "Okay, when everything is settled, I'll find a way to safely and smoothly separate our things from Ruihang."

Saying they're our things, who are you trying to sweet-talk with sugar-coated bullets?

Shi Jin hugged him back and sighed inwardly. "Let's do it this way for now. Although Shi Weichong said that to you, I still have to talk to him about using Ruihang to help you with the transformation and ask for his thoughts."

"Okay, sure thing," said Lian Jun, who was now completely under his command.

Shi Jin, however, felt that he was too cunning and intelligent. Given Shi Weichong's current state of mind, if Lian Jun asked for anything, Shi Weichong would definitely agree unconditionally and might even be overly enthusiastic in helping.

Lian Jun had certainly anticipated this from the beginning of the conversation. He knew he would be persuaded.

......

As Shi Jin had predicted, when he mentioned using Ruihang to legalize and make transparent the clean business that would eliminate the illegal parts, Shi Weichong not only did not show any opposition, but also began to think like a professional manager hired by Shi Jin, offering various suggestions to help him.

Shi Jin didn't dare let him work while undergoing treatment, so he tried to only bring up work-related matters a little bit each day. This way, he could keep himself occupied with something productive, but also have plenty of rest time without getting too bored or tired.

After two days of this routine, Lian Jun arranged for a thorough examination by a doctor to confirm that Shi Jin had fully recovered. Then, he completed the discharge procedures and allowed Shi Jin to return to the club.

During this time, Fei Yujing and others came to visit Shi Jin in batches. They could tell that Shi Jin was not in a good mood, so they tried to avoid talking about the various things happening in the Shi family and instead chatted about everyday life. As for the issue with Shi Weichong's mental state, Li Jiuzheng had already informed everyone. Regarding the forced vacation for Shi Weichong, no one said anything. In fact, so many things had happened during this period that they all needed some alone time to digest it all.

After leaving the hospital, they parted ways without a word and returned to their own lives.

It was then that Shi Jin painfully discovered that from that day on, his phone would receive daily messages of "care" from his brothers. It seemed that overnight, they had all gained a newfound understanding and were clumsily learning how to truly get along with each other without the colored glasses and masks.

And at the forefront of this learning process was none other than Shi Jin himself, who was being used as the prime example. His phone kept buzzing, sometimes with speculations from Li Jiuzheng about his unexplained fever and sore throat, and other times with advice and concern from Xiang Aoting about his studies and health.

Just a moment ago, he had finished scolding Rong Zhouzhong that little brat via text message, and now Fei Yujing had volunteered to help him with managing Ruihang. After all that settled down, Shi Weichong sent over his thoughts on Ruihang's acquisition of the legalised businesses.

Everyone spoke cautiously, even Rong Zhouzhong that little brat seemed unsure of himself, making Shi Jin uncomfortable with his cold response. He felt overwhelmed and couldn't keep up, so he sent out a group message to seek peace: "I am focusing on learning how to manage Ruihang, please do not disturb."

Then, five text messages came in one after another. The content roughly read: "Xiao Jin has grown up, I am relieved; if you have any questions, you can message me; just you? I don't believe it; remember to balance work and rest, take care of your health; if studying is too tiring, you can come over for a vacation."

So, do they not understand the meaning of the words "Do Not Disturb"?

Shi Jin threw his phone aside, checked the time, and resignedly picked up his tablet to connect to Mr. Feng's remote classroom.

Lian Jun watched his every move, flipping through the file sent by Shi Weichong's confidant in Ruihang's, and signed his name on it.

......

The takeover of Ruihang by Shi Jin was done in secret. On the surface, Shi Weichong was still the president of Ruihang, but he was only shown as being on vacation. He only made decisions for the company in a general sense, while all the other trivial matters were handled by Shi Weichong's confidant, the current vice president of Ruihang.

Of course, behind this vice president was actually Lian Jun and Shi Jin, who was learning how to manage the company. In addition to learning how to manage the company, Shi Jin also had a hobby - recording Lian Jun's progress bar every day.

The last time Lian Jun's progress bar went down, it really surprised him. He secretly hoped that this kind of surprise could continue, but it was disappointing that from that day until now, Lian Jun's progress bar has remained unchanged.

"Is it because I was sick and caused too much trouble for Lian Jun to take care of me, delaying his recovery?" Shi Jin couldn't help but think and feel guilty.

Xiao Si was also very nervous, but it comforted him, "No, that's not it! It's always the hardest at the beginning of the recovery process, but once all the body's data is balanced, it will quickly get better!"

This seemed to make sense, and Shi Jin suppressed his impatience and continued to observe for two more days.

......

Lian Jun noticed that Shi Jin had been stealing glances at him recently, with a strange look in his eyes and a certain meaning behind them. He calculated the last time they were intimate and realized the truth.

Although Shi Jin was still young, and the two had just experienced an unpleasant conversation, they needed to do something to ease the tension. After catching Shi Jin's gaze once again, Lian Jun covered the file and casually looked back at Shi Jin, saying, "Let's have an early dinner today. I want to rest early."

Hmm, rest? Shi Jin's ears immediately perked up, wondering if Lian Jun had been too busy with work these past few days. He nodded and said, "Okay, let's rest early today." After all, early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise!

Why so eager? Lian Jun's eyes flickered as he looked at Shi Jin's serious expression, and he couldn't help but smile.

That day, the two of them were very tacit and had an early dinner, then immediately went back to their rooms to wash up. It was not even eight o'clock yet, but the two of them were already lying in bed. When Shi Jin got into bed, he sat up and conscientiously began to massage Lian Jun's legs. A pre-sleep massage can help improve the quality of sleep.

However, Lian Jun immediately misunderstood his intentions and allowed him to put his hands on him. He even proactively lifted his leg and let his robe slide down, then beckoned him over and said, "Come here."

"What's wrong?" Shi Jin was puzzled but obediently moved closer.

Lian Jun reached out and pressed his shoulder, then leaned down and pressed him underneath him, kissing his lips.

At first, Shi Jin was surprised and widened his eyes, but then he felt Lian Jun's excitement and instantly understood his intentions. He cooperatively placed his hand on Lian Jun's waist and closed his eyes - it turned out that Lian Jun had been thinking that an appropriate release could help with physical conditioning, so they could have some fun.

It seems like he was really in a hurry.

As Lian Jun felt Shi Jin's hand impatiently reaching for his waist, the kiss deepened and Shi Jin's hand slipped under his pajama top.

"Uh...ahem," coughed Xiao Si.

Startled, Shi Jin accidentally bit Lian Jun's tongue and quickly pulled away, using his mental powers to clear his mind. He reached out to grab Lian Jun's shirt, almost forgetting about Xiao Si, the little voyeur.

"I know what you want, don't rush," Lian Jun comforted him, rubbing his waist.

Wait, who wanted what?

Shi Jin was confused and about to ask, but then his sensitive spot was teased and a rush of heat flooded his brain, making him forget everything.

......

After a dreamless night, Shi Jin woke up early and found that Lian Jun had already gotten up. He lazily stayed in bed for a while longer before sitting up and stretching, activating the progress bar and asking in a mumble, "Lian Jun, how's his progress bar--"

"Ah ah ah ah ah--!" Xiao Si screamed loudly.

Shi Jin was instantly awakened by the scream, and he rubbed his head in pain, saying, "I thought you were used to it by now, it's just a kiss..."

"No!" Xiao Si's voice was so excited that it became distorted and blurry. It shouted, "Jin Jin! Baby's progress bar has dropped again! It's 498! It dropped by 1 point!"

"What?!" Shi Jin quickly looked at the progress bar in his mind that belonged to Lian Jun. After confirming that the value had indeed dropped to 498, he couldn't help but exclaim and forcefully slapped the blanket. "This damn bar finally moved again! Is it because I helped Lian Jun vent last night?"

Xiao Si was very excited. "How did you help your sweetheart vent?"

"I used- Wait, do you want to be locked up in the little black room again?" Shi Jin realized halfway through his answer and immediately shut up, no longer chatting with Xiao Si. He lifted the blanket, got up quickly, washed up, and ran to the study. His eyes scanned Lian Jun's body like a searchlight.

After being scrutinized by Shi Jin's gaze like a puppy eyeing a bone, Lian Jun felt very pleased. He remained calm and put down the documents, asking, "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Let's just eat something." Shi Jin replied, seeing that he was no longer busy. He leaned over and reached out to touch his chest, pinch his arm, and even tried to lift his robe to see his legs.

"No fooling around, let's eat breakfast first." Lian Jun held his hand, thinking he was up to something.

But Shi Jin's attention was on his legs. He couldn't tell if it was just his imagination, but he felt like Lian Jun's leg muscles had become a bit stronger than before. Unable to contain his happiness, he kissed him on the face and said, "I'm not fooling around. Your morning exercise hasn't started yet, right? I'll accompany you?"

Lian Jun felt his good mood and, although he didn't know the reason, his own mood improved as well. He kissed him back and said, "Okay."

......

On this day, after his workout, Shi Jin became extremely positive. He quickly completed his training tasks and rushed to Lian Jun's training room to watch him exercise.

At this point, Lian Jun had already completed the first phase of his training plan and was transitioning to the second phase. The exercise went from stable walking to fast walking without the aid of support, while also starting to take medication for treatment.

When Lian Jun finished his workout and went to take a shower, Shi Jin found Uncle Long and asked eagerly, "Since he's already started medication treatment, does this mean that Young Master Jun can start directly using medicine to detoxify soon?"

Uncle Long took a glance at his overly excited expression and poured cold water on him: "He still has a long way to go. This treatment is not the same as other treatments. The medicine used here is only for relieving exercise pain and is used as an aid for exercise. What are you thinking?"

Is that all there is to it?

Shi Jin's expression fell, but he still asked hopefully, "So, based on this progress, how much longer does Young Master Jun need to wait before he can officially use the medicine?"

"If you want a painless process, you'll need at least another six months of recovery. If you want a faster treatment, three more months of training should suffice," Uncle Long estimated, furrowing his brow. "Young Master Jun will definitely choose the latter... You young people always seek quick solutions, but the most important thing in treating an illness is to be cautious and steady. Why don't you understand?"

With that, he collected his exercise records and shook his head as he walked away.

Six months? Isn't that the time when conflicts may erupt in the underworld?

Shi Jin was stunned, and his good mood quickly plummeted.

Uncle Long was right. Given Lian Jun's personality, he would most likely choose the faster option and start taking medicine to detoxify his body as soon as his physical condition reached the qualifying line. But this would definitely come with risks... He looked towards the direction of the bathroom, furrowing his brow deeply.