Pei Siyuan was incredibly efficient. Before the end of the workday, he had already reached out to Ye Zhen to discuss the matter of mutual shareholding.

At first, Ye Zhen refused. She knew that if Bian Yiqiu were present, he would never agree to such a decision. Although Bian Yiqiu currently held no shares in the company and held no official position, everyone tacitly acknowledged him as the actual decision-maker. Naturally, such a significant matter would need to align with his stance.

Pei Siyuan hadn’t anticipated her refusal. From his perspective, given Jiu’an’s dire situation, Hesheng’s offer to initiate mutual shareholding was practically a gift from the heavens. With Hesheng’s current market value and influence, it was akin to administering a life-saving injection to the struggling Jiu’an. A few well-written PR pieces circulated across major media platforms would suffice to revive Jiu’an’s reputation within days. He simply couldn’t fathom why she would turn this down.

In the end, when things couldn’t be resolved through discussion, Ke Mingxuan had no choice but to step in personally and handle things with Director Ye. Ten minutes later, he told Pei Siyuan that it was sorted and to confirm the process of mutual shareholding with Ye Zhen.

Pei Siyuan asked him what he had said to Ye Zhen, but Ke Mingxuan didn’t answer.

The first thing Ye Zhen said to him was, “Can you save the boss?”

Ke Mingxuan replied, “I can.”

Ye Zhen asked, “Can you guarantee it?”

Ke Mingxuan answered, “I guarantee it. That’s why I don’t want him to come out and find Jiu’an already bankrupt and liquidated.”

Ye Zhen was silent for a moment before saying, “Alright.”

He Sheng’s shareholding structure was relatively simple, with Ke Mingxuan having the final say in the shareholder meetings. When the other shareholders of Jiu’an learned of this news, they naturally fully supported the decision, and the process went smoothly. Within a few days, major media outlets were all running headlines about “He Sheng and Jiu’an’s powerful partnership.”

Industry experts analyzed the pros and cons of the two companies’ “marriage” from all angles, and a so-called “insider” revealed that He Sheng’s CEO, Mr. Ke, had a close relationship with Jiu’an’s former president, Bian Yiqiu. Combining this with the Ke family’s background, the conclusion was clear—Jiu’an’s partnership with He Sheng was like being given a wide, straight, and glittering golden road ahead.

As a result, Jiu’an’s stock price shot up like it was on a rocket, skyrocketing with each passing moment. Clients that Ruiyi and Hongyuan had lost due to recent negative news quickly came knocking, eager to cooperate and hoping to secure even a small connection with He Sheng through Jiu’an.

Of course, not everyone agreed with He Sheng’s recent move. Many voices online openly criticized Ke Mingxuan for being too emotional, claiming that He Sheng’s decision to enter into mutual shareholding with Jiu’an at this time was a serious “strategic mistake.” They argued that it was highly irresponsible to both the company and its other shareholders, believing the future of the two companies’ “marriage” was not promising.

He Sheng, however, chose to ignore such opinions, and soon the public noticed that Li family’s Fengze Trading and Zhao family’s Qitian Construction were both publicly cooperating with Jiu’an. Even Hengya, an entertainment company with no direct business ties to Jiu’an, had its general manager spotted dining with Jiu’an’s legal advisor at an upscale restaurant, hinting at a close relationship.

In no time, Jiu’an Group became the center of attention, with its stock price soaring to new heights. Meanwhile, those who had doubted the partnership between the two companies found their voices drowned out by a flood of positive news.

On Saturday night, Chu Yi gathered a few of his buddies for dinner on Ke Mingxuan’s behalf. The first reason was to thank them for their support of Jiu’an over the past few days, and the second was to ask for their advice on how to bypass his father and get Bian Yiqiu out of the detention center.

Fang Rui listened and said directly, “Getting someone out of a detention center isn’t difficult. The hard part is bypassing your father and your uncle. That’s basically an impossible task.”

Li Ze added, “You probably don’t know, but before any action, Commander Ke had already given instructions to each of our families, telling us that the Ke family’s internal matters are not for outsiders to meddle in.”

Ke Mingxuan genuinely hadn’t known about this. He glanced at the others, and they all nodded, confirming that it was indeed the case. His face immediately turned grim.

“Sorry about that. Do you think helping Jiu’an will cause any trouble for you?”

Fatty replied, “There shouldn’t be any trouble. He only said we shouldn’t interfere in the Ke family’s matters, but he didn’t say we couldn’t help Jiu’an.”

Ke Mingxuan nodded and rubbed his forehead. The road ahead seemed bleak, with no light in sight. His mind was in chaos, and he felt completely at a loss, wishing he could just blow up the detention center and elope with Bian Yiqiu.

Liang Ziyue asked, “What did your mom say about it?”

“My mom probably doesn’t know about this.”

Liang Ziyue was surprised, “She doesn’t know about something this big?”

“This is nothing strange. I’ve been under house arrest for almost two months, and my mom hasn’t come to see me even once.”

Fatty exclaimed, “That’s not possible! Out of all of us, your mom spoils you the most.”

Ke Mingxuan gave a bitter smile. “That’s exactly why Commander Ke won’t let her come see me.”

Fang Rui said, “He’s afraid your mom will soften up and let you out.”

Li Ze thought for a moment. “Well, that’s easy then. You just need to convince your mom to handle your dad.”

“That won’t work. Even though my mom dotes on me, for things like this, it’s always my dad who calls the shots. Besides, she wants grandkids even more than my dad does.”

Fatty howled, “Isn’t there anyone who can control Commander Ke?”

Chu Yi, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, “There is someone who can control him.”

Fatty asked, “Who?”

Chu Yi looked at Ke Mingxuan, and suddenly, Ke Mingxuan had a flash of inspiration and blurted out, “My grandfather?”

Chu Yi nodded, “Do you want to give it a try?”

Ke Mingxuan was silent for a moment before shaking his head. “My grandfather isn’t like your grandfather. And I’m not like you.”

The words were spoken with a sense of helplessness, but everyone understood what he meant.

The Chu family was large and prosperous. In addition to Chu Yi, the old master of the Chu family had four or five grandchildren, many of whom were already married with great-grandchildren in preschool. Chu Yi felt no pressure to carry on the family bloodline. Moreover, his parents didn’t have a significant political career, which allowed for a relatively relaxed and open-minded approach to his upbringing. As a result, Chu Yi came out with little resistance.

However, the Ke family had only one heir across three generations—Ke Mingxuan, the sole successor. The greatest regret of Old Master Ke before his death was not seeing his grandson married and having children. That was why Commander Ke was so forceful. Not to mention whether his grandfather could accept the idea of him being with another man, even if his grandfather agreed, he couldn’t possibly force Commander Ke to accept it. After all, the bloodline Ke Mingxuan had to continue was the Ke family’s, not the Feng family’s. No matter how influential his grandfather was, he could never become the head of the Ke family.

The group fell silent. Finally, Fatty spoke up, “Why not just agree to marry your dad’s choice first? Once Bian Yiqiu is out, you can find a way to divorce.”

Li Ze gave him a look of disbelief. “Can you come up with an even worse idea?”

Fatty wasn’t convinced. “How is that a bad idea? Right now, Commander Ke is clearly using Bian Yiqiu to threaten you. The case files at the prosecutor’s office for Bian Yiqiu’s case are already prepared. They don’t even need a trial, they can just convict and sentence him directly. By the time that happens, it’ll be too late to do anything.”

“And how do you guarantee you can get a divorce after that? Not to mention whether Commander Ke will use the same method to threaten you, but who do you think is going to marry into the Ke family? Someone from an ordinary family? The woman’s been messed with for no reason, do you really think she’ll just let it go?”

“…” Fatty opened his mouth and stared at Li Ze for a long time, then slumped back in his chair in defeat. “You’re right, Commander Ke definitely wouldn’t just pick any woman to be his daughter-in-law.”

“So, this is a deadlock.” Ke Mingxuan stubbed out the almost finished cigarette in the ashtray and sighed. “If this issue isn’t solved at its root, it will always be a ticking time bomb. If he can use Bian Yiqiu to threaten me once, he can threaten me with him for the rest of my life.”

“The root of the problem is the Ke family bloodline?” Fang Rui frowned, seemingly deep in thought. “What if Commander Ke had a grandson?”

Chu Yi shook his head. “I don’t think that method is reliable either. Even if you go abroad for surrogacy, it won’t be a quick fix. By the time the child is born, it’ll at least be a year later. Plus, I don’t think the root issue is just the Ke family bloodline. Right now, Uncle Ke believes Mingxuan is on the wrong path. He genuinely feels that his son should marry and have children—that’s the right way. That’s the real root.”

“Exactly. Even if I get married and continue living my life recklessly, he might not see any problem with that. But not marrying? That’s absolutely not acceptable.” This was the crux of the matter, and it couldn’t be changed.

“Then, how about…” Fatty swallowed and glanced around at everyone before continuing with his bad idea, “You get married, then keep being with Bian Yiqiu?”

“Shut up,” everyone said in unison.

Making Bian Yiqiu suffer as Ke Mingxuan’s secret lover? Even a fool could tell that was impossible. Ke Mingxuan wouldn’t do something that would hurt both him and Bian Yiqiu. That idea was just rotten beyond belief.

After talking for a while, they still hadn’t made any progress. Every path seemed blocked. For the first time in his life, Ke Mingxuan regretted not choosing a career in the military or politics. If he had the kind of power to rival his father’s, he wouldn’t be so passive in this situation.

Normally, the officials who were polite and respectful to him weren’t doing it because of Hesheng’s reputation, but because of the Ke family’s background. His father only needed one phone call to strip away all the privileges attached to his name, turning him into an ordinary person with no special status. No, worse than an ordinary person. If an ordinary person committed a crime, they could still go through the normal judicial process, apply to visit the detention center, and hire a lawyer for defense. But right now, he couldn’t do any of that.

Every time he called someone, their opening line was, “Young Master Ke, this matter is really difficult. How about you go home and have a good talk with Commander Ke?” The unspoken message was clear: whatever issues you two have, solve them internally, don’t make it our problem.

The common people think that being a second-generation heir is glorious, that you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth, with wealth and power. You can be arrogant, reckless, live like a crab, walking sideways with your claws out. But sadly, that’s a huge misconception.

Heaven is fair to everyone. If it gives you something, it will take something else away. You enjoy all the privileges that come with being a second-generation heir, but you also have to fulfill your obligations to the family. Love, marriage, freedom, happiness—don’t even think about them. Otherwise, you’ll sink into a pit of misery that you can never escape from.

He had never expected any of those things in the first place. But who would have thought that someone like Bian Yiqiu would come into his life?

Ke Mingxuan couldn’t remember when he started liking this person. Maybe it was when he felt an uneasy discomfort knowing how close Bian Yiqiu was to Ruan Chengjie. Or perhaps it was when he saw his extremely confident and bold smile in the racing video sent by Li Ze. It could have been that night during the off-road trip, when he saw him by the campfire, holding Liang Ziyue’s phone, showing a tenderness he had never seen before, while looking at the two-year-old girl. Or maybe it was every time he was thoroughly fucked, feeling weak and drenched in pleasure, hearing him bluntly and shamelessly shout, “Feels fucking amazing…”

No, it must have been earlier. It was last autumn, in the misty night of Yuelong Bay, when the two of them walked back to the villa together; it was last summer, when they were at odds due to a misunderstanding involving a kidnapping; it was the first time they formally met, with their stupid and awkward self-introductions.

“Mr. Qiu, my last name is Ke.”

“Mr. Ke, my last name is Bian.”

A flash of lightning split the sky, followed by a rumble of thunder and a torrential downpour, interrupting Ke Mingxuan’s thoughts.

At three in the morning, in the holding cell ten kilometers away at the second detention center, Bian Yiqiu woke up from his dream.

He had just dreamed of Old Master Jiu, who had pointed at his nose and scolded him for being so absorbed in his romance that he had lost his mind.

Bian Yiqiu smiled. Old Master Jiu was still as insightful as ever, hitting the nail on the head.

Thinking of Old Master Jiu inevitably made him think of Uncle Shi and Madam Mei. He wondered if they knew he had been caught. He didn’t want them to worry too much, especially Uncle Shi. If something happened to him, he truly wouldn’t have the face to see Old Master Jiu again. Then he thought of Jiu’an, of those brothers who had fought alongside him and finally settled into a stable life. He thought of Zhou Ming and wondered if He Xu had found him, if he had handed him over to Ke Mingxuan…

Thinking of Young Master Ke, his thoughts spiraled out of control, chaotic and all over the place, until he realized it was already dawn. The next day, during the morning break, this person who couldn’t survive without enough sleep almost collapsed to the ground while standing.

Qian Ying, as usual, came over at this time every day to smoke with him. The two of them leaned against the basketball hoop, puffing out clouds of smoke. Others, wary of their status, didn’t dare approach. Halfway through their smoke, they saw the prison guards escorting two heavy criminals, both wearing handcuffs and shackles, passing by Bian Yiqiu. The sound of the shackles dragging on the ground was heavy and distinct.

One of the criminals glanced over here, his gaze sweeping over Bian Yiqiu before he expressionlessly turned his eyes away.

Qian Ying squinted his eyes. “Do you know him?”

Bian Yiqiu glanced at the criminal’s retreating figure. With his sharp memory, he was certain he had never seen this person before.

“I don’t know him, he looks unfamiliar.”

“He’s a ruthless, cold-blooded drug lord who kills without a second thought. He’s been active along the border for a long time and has had two dealings with my dad. He doesn’t follow the rules of the trade, so we didn’t work together. He got arrested this time because of a profit dispute and was betrayed by his subordinates. He’ll be facing trial and execution at the Second Prison soon. If you run into him, keep your distance.”

Bian Yiqiu took a drag of his cigarette, a playful smile creeping onto his face. “Young Master Qian is actually afraid of something?”

“I know you’re tough, but these crazed drug dealers aren’t our kind of people. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”

Bian Yiqiu lazily smiled. “You make it sound like we’re some kind of good people.”

Qian Ying exhaled a smoke ring towards the sky. “Bad people come in different levels, you know. We’re the kind of bad people who follow the rules.”

Bian Yiqiu deliberately teased him. “What rules did you follow when you tried to kill me?”

Qian Ying looked innocent. “I never wanted to kill you. I just wanted to work with you, but you insisted on seeking death. What could I do?”

Bian Yiqiu, cigarette in mouth, glared at him for a while. To his surprise, he actually found Qian Ying’s reasoning somewhat convincing.