Breakthrough Point

By the time the plane landed in M province, the sky was completely dark.

s.h.i.+ Jin walked out of the airport with his head spinning. As soon as he and Gua Two got in the car that was waiting for them, he collapsed in the back seat, eyes closed.

Serves you right, for staring at all those densely packed words the whole flight. Now, you havent even met with Xu Chuan yet, and youve already made a mess of yourself. Gua Two took a bottle of water from the cars refrigerator and put it on the teenagers forehead. Here, better now?

s.h.i.+ Jin shuddered at the sudden cold and dodged his head away from the icy bottle. Its not like I did this on purpose, he said feebly. But Xu Chuan is smart, cautious, and very tight-lipped. If I cant find a way to make him crack, then even if I meet with him, it will just end up being a waste of time.

So what? I think youre making this too complicated. Right now, Xu Chuan is in the palm of our hands; you can see him any time you want. If you cant pry the information out of him this time, you can just meet with him againsooner or later, hell let it slip. Dont worry too much, Gua Two rea.s.sured him, uns.c.r.e.w.i.n.g the water bottle and offering it again.

s.h.i.+ Jin thanked him and took a sip of water, then leaned back, stifling a sigh as he looked up at the ceiling of the car. Nothing Gua Two had said was wrong, but Lian Jun was waiting for him back in B City, so he didnt have time to waste here. He had to find a way to make this a short, decisive battle instead of a drawn-out siege.

The car drove to an Annihilation-owned hotel in M province, where Gua Two arranged the Presidential suite for s.h.i.+ Jin to live in.

Gua Five and I will stay in the rooms next to you, and all the staff on this floor are protection personnel Jun-shao transferred here. This place is completely safe, so you can be at ease, Gua Two explained as he led s.h.i.+ Jin to the suite.

s.h.i.+ Jin took a look at the tall cleaners pa.s.sing by in the corridor, and his eyebrows twitched. After thanking Gua Two, he brought his luggage into the room, closed the door, and made a video call to Lian Jun to report his safe arrival.

The phone was answered in seconds. When the call connected, Lian Jun first gave s.h.i.+ Jin a once-over; noticing that the teenager looked subdued, he frowned. {Whats wrong? Was the journey so exhausting?}

No. s.h.i.+ Jin gave his face a quick rub to refresh himself and continued, I just overused my brain. I was trying to figure out how to pry Xu Chuans mouth open the whole way here, but I still have no clue.

He didnt have any kind of information advantage over Xu Chuan. The investigation yielded a lot of information, but it was highly likely the lawyer already knew everything theyd found outafter all, he had been s.h.i.+ Xingruis close confidant and was also one of the people involved; in fact, he probably knew more than s.h.i.+ Jin. s.h.i.+ Jin came here to ask some things about past events and Xu Jie. If Xu Chuan adopted the policy of silent resistance, as he did when he was arrested, then this trip would just end up a fools errand.

Seeing him so upset, Lian Jun drummed on the armrest of his wheelchair unconsciously. Abruptly, he said, {After you left, I examined the reports on s.h.i.+ Xingrui, Xu Chuan, and Xu Jie.}

s.h.i.+ Jin blinked, surprised, then instinctively glanced at Lian Juns desk, visible in the camera. Spotting a stack of doc.u.ments still waiting to be checked and approved, his eyebrows wrinkled. Why did you do that, when you still have so much work to do

After returning to B City, everyone else managed to rest for a while, but Lian Jun still kept busy, dealing with a heap of doc.u.ments every day. s.h.i.+ Jin hadnt asked much about Lian Juns work, but he could guess that Lian Jun had been under a lot of pressure recently. After Nine Eagles and Phantom ceased to exist, the situation in the underworld was turbulent, with the possibility of conflicts breaking out at a moments notice; before everything descended into chaos, Lian Jun had to finish Annihilations transformation, so that everyone could safely survive to greet a peaceful world where underworld organizations didnt exist.

Every time s.h.i.+ Jin went to Lian Juns study, Lian Jun had a file in his hands and more waiting to be dealt with. Whats more, Lian Jun currently spent the mornings exercising and undergoing physical therapy, leaving him less time available for work. And now, he had sacrificed his precious working hours to help s.h.i.+ Jin a.n.a.lyze information, so he would definitely work overtime at night again.

{I dont have many doc.u.ments to approve today, so I didnt have to put anything off, and now that Gua One is back, he can help me out if needed,} Lian Jun appeased, seeing through s.h.i.+ Jins thoughts at a glance. He raised the report in his hand and continued, {Its said that you cant see the forest for the treesmaybe an outsiders perspective will be useful to you as a reference. Of course, its not that Im trying to interfere in your private affairs, Id just like to help you, even if only a little.}

How can there be someone so considerate and thoughtful in this world?

s.h.i.+ Jin looked at Lian Jun, bent over the data, and his heart melted into a puddle. He wished he could go through the screen and give Lian Jun a big hug and a kiss.

Every time, as long as he ran into some kind of trouble, Lian Jun would help him, either actively or in secret. Not only thatwhen giving a hand, he was always very tactful and measured, never interfering with s.h.i.+ Jins decisions or dictating what he should do.

All of a sudden, he wanted to grab his bag and go back to Lian Juns side. If only it werent for all this c.r.a.p.

If youre seeing this notice, youre reading this chapter on pirate site the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations. Read on Betwixted to get the fastest updates!

I miss you, he said, unable to stop himself, his expression collapsing a little.

Lian Jun looked up when he finished arranging the file and saw his face. His voice growing lower and lower, he replied softly, {Me too.}

The two were silent for a moment. s.h.i.+ Jin adjusted his mood and said, Ill come back as soon as possible.

Lian Jun waved the information in his hand and answered with a smile, {So, Im just helping you to come back as soon and possible.}

s.h.i.+ Jin couldnt help but give him a smile in return, the fatigue on his face completely swept away. He walked to the sofa, found a tablet stand to prop up the tablet so it faced himself, and lay down. I spent the whole whole afternoon working out the timeline. Please tell me your guesses, itll help me brainstorm new ideas.

Lian Jun watched him make himself comfortable. Setting his heart at ease, he put down the file and said, {I have three conjectures. First, although Xu Chuan and Xu Jie are relatives, Xu Chuan should not be regarded as Xu Jies long-term ally; second, Xu Chuan was s.h.i.+ Xingruis confidant, but there may have been a crisis of trust between them, and s.h.i.+ Xingrui took precautions against Xu Chuan to some extent; third, combining the two above points, I suspect Xu Chuan doesnt know about the relations.h.i.+p between your mother and Jian Jinwen.}

s.h.i.+ Jin sat up, stunned. How did you come to these conclusions? Theres nothing like this in the data. It was precisely because he didnt know exactly how much information Xu Chuan had and how firm the cooperation between Xu Chuan and Xu Jie was that he was unable to decide where he should attack the lawyers defenses from. If Lian Juns speculation was correct, then werent things simple? He just needed to bombard Xu Chuan with information.

Lian Jun looked at his goofy expression and explained, {Its all about interests and benefits. Ive read not only the audit reports for Ruixing Corporation, but also all kinds of information related to it, dating back to the time of its founding. Judging by the changes in equity and shares of proceeds, the period of absolute trust between Xu Chuan and s.h.i.+ Xingrui lasted from the establishment of Ruixing by s.h.i.+ Xingrui to half a year after Xu Jie gave birth to s.h.i.+ Weichong. After that, Xu Chuan stopped being s.h.i.+ Xingruis business partner and lawyer and became simply his lawyer. To put it in simple terms: before then, Xu Chuan worked with s.h.i.+ Xingruithe two of them were on the same level; after that point, Xu Chuan worked for s.h.i.+ Xingruitheir relations.h.i.+p changed to that of a boss and employee.}

Information about Ruixing?

s.h.i.+ Jin gaped, wide-eyed. How could he forget that Ruixing, the center of interest for nearly everyone involved, could hide many secrets? He had only paid attention to the investigation reports and ignored such a treasure trove of information.

He patted his forehead, gathered his thoughts, and pondered Lian Juns words again. His attention was fixed on one point: the relations.h.i.+p between s.h.i.+ Xingrui and Xu Chuan changed six months after s.h.i.+ Weichongs birth. Wasnt it at that time that s.h.i.+ Xingrui abandoned Xu Jie?

In the afternoon, when he went over the data again, he found that in fact, Xu Jie could be considered special among s.h.i.+ Xingruis many women. Not counting Yun Jin, hed abandoned all of them right after they had a baby, but Xu Jie was differentafter giving birth to s.h.i.+ Weichong, the three of them lived together for half a year, like a normal family.

He had never doubted this before, thinking that it was s.h.i.+ Xingrui still having a little conscience when he became a father for the first time, but now it seemed that wasnt it.

So something must have happened at that point, something which led to s.h.i.+ Xingrui abandoning Xu Jie and demoting Xu Chuan. However, it must not have been serious enough to cross s.h.i.+ Xingruis bottom line or he wouldve completely discarded both of them.

But what could it have been He couldnt help but look up at Lian Jun.

Lian Jun quietly waited for him to finish thinking. Once s.h.i.+ Jin looked at him again, he explained, {As for the relations.h.i.+p between Xu Chuan and Xu JieXu Chuans att.i.tude towards s.h.i.+ Weichong is no different from that towards your other brothers, and he also had a clear opportunity to manipulate s.h.i.+ Xingruis will to favor s.h.i.+ Weichong, but he didnt do it. Judging from this, even if he and Xu Jie cooperated in a certain period of time because they were relatives and their interests happened to coincide, they certainly hadnt become long-term allies. In business, Xu Chuan could be regarded as having been completely loyal to s.h.i.+ Xingrui. Putting aside their possible cooperation at the very beginning, if Xu Chuan does work with Xu Jie now, that cooperation mustve been established after s.h.i.+ Xingruis death.}

His words immediately engulfed s.h.i.+ Jins attention. He thought back on Xu Chuans actions over the years, and agreed with this speculation. Indeed, Xu Chuan put his heart and soul into working for my dad before he died.

{But s.h.i.+ Xingrui did not completely trust Xu Chuan,} Lian Jun said with a tone of certainty. He raised several pages of information to show them to s.h.i.+ Jin. {Xu Chuan is not only an excellent lawyer, but also an excellent businessman. During the expansion period, Ruixing underwent restructuring many times. s.h.i.+ Xingrui had such a talented person like Xu Chuan at hand, but instead of using him, he chose Xu Tianhua, someone he knew wasnt loyal to him, as the deputy chairman. Later, after Ruixing was stabilized, though Xu Chuan was given some dividends and position, it was empty, without any real power. If it was like this even in business matters, then s.h.i.+ Xingrui certainly wouldnt have revealed too much information about his personal affairs to Xu Chuan; they were much more important.}

s.h.i.+ Jin looked at the data in his lovers hands, full of various charts and statistics. Feeling dizzier the longer he looked, he hurried to turn his gaze away. So you concluded that Xu Chuan shouldnt know the relations.h.i.+p between my mother and Jian Jinwen?

Lian Jun nodded, putting the information down. {Yes. Mind you, this is just a guess, without any proof.}

s.h.i.+ Jin was inclined to believe this guess was the truth. He closed his eyes and continued thinking, speculations whirling around his mind.

It was nearly impossible to discover the relations.h.i.+p between Yun Jin and Jian Jinwen. Jian Jinwen was s.h.i.+ Xingruis obsession; after experiencing the stimulus of all the subst.i.tutes he found turning out to be failures, he wouldve absolutely attached tremendous importance to the young Yun Jin, the perfect double. He definitely wouldnt disclose the truth about her to Xu Chuan, a subordinate who was already flawed in his eyes.

When making the timeline this afternoon, s.h.i.+ Jin had come to the conclusion that Xu Chuan should have truly regarded Jian Jinwen as a friend. This could be inferred from Xu Chuans violent reaction to seeing s.h.i.+ Jin after hed lost weight. He even had a faint suspicionperhaps Xu Chuan had also fallen in love with Jian Jinwen? However, he wasnt really certain about this; he had never heard about someone who would continue to work faithfully for his love rival after the death of the person they both loved.

But if all their speculations were trueif Xu Chuan didnt know about the blood ties between Yun Jin and Jian Jinwen, if he really didnt think of Jian Jinwen as just a friend, and if the cooperative relations.h.i.+p between Xu Chuan and Xu Jie wasnt as solid as he originally thoughtthen if he told Xu Chuan that he was Jian Jinwens blood-related nephew

Unable to stop himself, he punched the sofa cus.h.i.+on and looked at Lian Jun, excitedthis was the perfect information to breach Xu Chuans defenses!

Lian Jun leaned back in his chair and waited for s.h.i.+ Jin to finish thinking. Seeing the teenagers eyes brighten, he knew that he had figured it out. {So, now, will you sleep well tonight?} he asked, the corners of his mouth pulling up.

I will, I will, I will sleep super well! s.h.i.+ Jin pounced at the tablet and gave the screen an exaggerated smooch. Youre so smart, baby! he said happily.

Lian Juns eyebrow rose. {Baby?}

Baby! s.h.i.+ Jin replied without shame, turning this question into a declarative sentence, then changed the subject. Youre not allowed to work overtime todayif youre not done with all those doc.u.ments today, leave them for tomorrow. You have to go to sleep on time.

Lian Jun took a look at the time. No longer teasing him, he said, {You shouldnt stay up late either.}

All right! s.h.i.+ Jin promised. They chatted for a moment longer, then he reluctantly hung up the phone.

The next morning, after breakfast, s.h.i.+ Jin got in a car and headed to the prison.

Seeing that his expression was relaxed, and that he was even in the mood to play mahjong, Gua Two asked with surprise, How come you arent worried about the meeting with Xu Chuan anymore? You decided to give up?

Why would I? Im not worried because I got some outside help and Ive already figured out how I should attack, s.h.i.+ Jin replied without raising his head, drawing a tile with a great momentum and completing a winning hand.

Gua Two didnt need to think about who s.h.i.+ Jins outside help was. He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat, whispering, You shouldve asked him before nearly killing yourself yesterday. You know your brains no good

s.h.i.+ Jins ears p.r.i.c.ked up, and he unleashed a lightning-quick Foshan shadowless kick on him.

If youre seeing this notice, youre reading this chapter on pirate site the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations. Read on Betwixted to get the fastest updates!

The prison was in the outskirts of M province. The car arrived at its gates after about an hours drive.

Gua Five took out his phone and made a call; soon after, a uniformed man came out and personally escorted them inside, then guided them to the visitation room.

Xu Chuan is quite an odd prisoner. Since he was brought here, hes always kept to himselfhe doesnt talk with other prisoners, doesnt accept visits, refuses to answer phone calls or accept letters from outside, and rejects the once-a-week chance to access the internet In short, he resists anything even close to a social activity. Hes very silent and spends all of his free time reading books. As a prisoner, hes very easy to manage, but impossible to get close to as a person, the prison officer explained, frowning, as they walked. This time, he has no choice about your visit, but he himself resisted it vehemently. Youd better be preparedhes forced to see you, but he definitely wont cooperate and talk with you.

s.h.i.+ Jin didnt expect that Xu Chuan would act like this in prison. Eyebrows knitting, he thanked the man for the heads-up, then looked towards the visitation room that had already appeared before them. He touched the photos in his pocket and let out a shallow breath.

The iron door opened with a squeak. s.h.i.+ Jin stepped into the room and looked at the only person inside.

Xu Chuan raised his head at the sound. Seeing s.h.i.+ Jin, he fell into a daze for a moment, but quickly recovered and lowered his head again, looking down at the table under his handcuffed hands. As the saying goes, The victor becomes a king and the loser an outlaw. What, you came to whip this pitiful losers corpse?

s.h.i.+ Jin walked over to sit across the table from him. I dont have a hobby of whipping corpses. Besides, I dont really hate you. I came here to ask you something and to tell you something.

Not looking at him, Xu Chuan replied coldly, There is nothing to say between me and you.

If I told you that Jian Jinwen is my uncle, would you still think we have nothing to say to each other? s.h.i.+ Jin asked straight out, closely watching Xu Chuans face, observing his expression.

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment, then raised his head and tried to stand up. What did you say? he asked, shocked. Whose name did you just say? Who did you say is your uncle?! You dont have the right to speak his name, you third-rate imitation

s.h.i.+ Jin took out several photos and pushed them over. These two people are Wei Ming and Guan Jiajia, the biological parents of Mr. Jian and my mother. This is a picture of Mr. Jian as a child. This is a picture of my mother as a child. Xu Chuan, if they are not related by blood, do you really think there will be two children in this world that look as identical as this?

Xu Chuan looked at the pictures on the table and his eyes widened. His hands, cuffed to the chair, struggled desperately, trying to pick up one of them.

In addition to the photos, I also have the detailed information about the circ.u.mstances of Mr. Jian and my mothers birth. If you want to see them, I can show them to you. s.h.i.+ Jin reached out and gathered all the pictures on the table, deliberately leaving Jian Jinwens for last.

Xu Chuans gaze was glued to Jian Jinwens photo, the expression in his eyes a bit frightening.

s.h.i.+ Jin stifled a sigh, in a complex moodsure enough, Xu Chuans feelings for Jian Jinwen were more than just those of a friend.

Now, do you still think there is nothing to say between us? s.h.i.+ Jin said, his voice cold, turning the photo face down and putting it in the stack with the rest. He looked at Xu Chuan, whose gaze followed his hand, and pointed to his own face. When I saw you last time, you said I didnt deserve this face, and that the lips are the most similar. At that time, I thought you meant my mother but now, I think you were actually talking about Mr. Jian.

As Xu Chuan looked at s.h.i.+ Jins face, his expression tightened bit by bit, and a shudder ran through his body. Abruptly, he fell back into his chair and said, I have nothing to say to you Even if youre blood-related to Jinwen, youre not him and you never will be.

s.h.i.+ Jin frowned. It seemed he had to raise the stakes or fold his hand.

Of course Im not Mr. Jian and never will be Mr. Jian. He leaned back in his chair, interlacing his hands on his abdomen; there was a shadow of Lian Jun in the posture. But Im Mr. Jians nephew, his last relative in this world. You know, while investigating all this, I went to see Mr. Jians adoptive father. Hes a kind, admirable old man. He has always been very grateful to you. Alas, he never knew that in reality, you were just a liar, a swindler who helped the devil monitor Mr. Jian.

Xu Chuans body shook and his hands clenched into fists, but he still didnt speak.

I promised to help him learn Mr. Jians origins and his relations.h.i.+p with my mother. I also promised that if we turned to be blood relations, I would go tell him in person and accompany him to offer Mr. Jian incense.

Xu Chuan snapped his head up to look at s.h.i.+ Jin and said through clenched teeth, Youre not worthy.

s.h.i.+ Jin stood up with a sneer. Asking Xiao Si to give him some buffs, he said, Why am I not worthy? My mother was a victim, and Ive never done anything that I would have to apologize to Mr. Jian for. Of course I can call him uncle with a clear conscience! Go and light incense at his grave! But you, youre different. Youre a liar who approached him with false motives, deceived him, an accessory who helped the devil imprison him! Youre the one whos really unworthy! You even tried to help someone kill me, kill Mr. Jians only living relative! Lets see, if Mr. Jian knew that his friend wanted to kill his nephew, what would his reaction be? Disgust? Hate? Ah, thats unlikelyMr. Jian was a truly kind person, he wouldnt feel such a negative emotion. He would probably only be disappointed in you, and heartsick, and would never want to see you again.

Xu Chuans expression became more and more terrifying as s.h.i.+ Jins words began to grow faster and faster. As he looked at s.h.i.+ Jins aggressive appearance, somehow, he seemed to see Jian Jinwen watching him with sadness and disappointment. His heart tightened and he jumped up, yanking at the handcuffs on his wrists again, shaking his head violently: No! No, I didnt, I

Shut up! s.h.i.+ Jin snapped, interrupting him. Looking into Xu Chuans eyes, he lightened his voice to almost a whisper, and said, Xu Chuan, Mr. Jians adoptive father is already old and will probably live for another ten years at most. Ten years later, you will still be in prison. The only remaining person who would be able to go sweep Mr. Jians grave and offer him incense will be me. Do you really want me to die?

Xu Chuans pupils constricted sharply. He stared at s.h.i.+ Jin for a long time, his chest heaving; suddenly, he raised his head and took a deep breath, then sat back in his chair and said in a hoa.r.s.e voice, Photo I want Jinwens photo. All the pictures I had were taken away when I was sent to prison.

A flicker pa.s.sed through s.h.i.+ Jins eyes. He sat back in his chair as well, pulled Jian Jinwens photo from the stack on the table, and pushed it towards Xu Chuan.