This time, Yu’s company’s charity gala was a grand event, well-known throughout the business circle. For those who wanted to collaborate with Yu’s or build connections, it was a great opportunity. Rumors spread that whoever could take a picture of the private collection donated by Yu’s young master at the charity gala would have the chance to invest in Yu’s company.

Once the news was out, the number of people attending the charity gala at Yu’s company was particularly spectacular, and even major business newspapers and media outlets were involved. The two main points of anticipation were who would win the bid and how valuable the private collection that the young master was auctioning off would be.

At this moment, in Shen Jue’s office, Chu Shangluo had just pulled out a cigarette when he sneezed. He had woken up with a slight cold, probably due to taking a cold shower last night. After returning late from the company, he noticed that the water heater hadn’t been turned on, and he couldn’t be bothered to heat up the water, so he took a lukewarm shower. Chu Shangluo lit the cigarette and thought to himself that he had hoped that once the burden of the Chu family was handed over to Yu’s, he could take things a bit easier. However, the reality was that his out-of-season fruits were selling like hotcakes. Every day he had to sign orders, run to the market, and go to the greenhouses. With all this busyness, he barely had any time left. Lin Zhi had suggested hiring a few more people to share the workload, and while he had hired some, he still couldn’t resist running around himself. It was probably just in his nature.

Shen Jue watched Chu Shangluo for a moment, then poured a cup of hot water for him and asked, “Mr. Chu, are you catching a cold?”

Chu Shangluo flicked the ash off his cigarette and waved his hand. “It’s nothing serious, won’t infect you.”

“Have you taken any cold medicine?”

“No, it’ll be fine in a couple of days, no need for medicine.”

As he finished speaking, Chu Shangluo sneezed again.

Shen Jue glanced at his assistant, who immediately brought over some cold medicine. “Mr. Chu, take this, it works fast.”

A cold might be small, but the discomfort was great. Chu Shangluo rarely accepted medicine so readily, but today he did. He swallowed the pill with a glass of water and immediately felt somewhat better. The assistant placed the medicine box on the desk, and Shen Jue said, “Take this box of medicine with you. You’ll need it to last until the day after tomorrow. Take it three times a day, and you’ll be fine by the time you go back.”

The Yu charity gala lasted for two days. Among the attendees, some people took out their own collections for auction. Today was the registration for the auction items, and tomorrow was the official auction. People could begin leaving the island the day after tomorrow.

Chu Shangluo received the medicine, and Shen Jue said, “I found it for you. There’s someone named Zhou Si on the guest list. Do you know what he’s here for?”

“It’s nothing. I have other matters to attend to, I’ll be leaving now.” Chu Shangluo stood up and headed toward the door. The assistant said, “Mr. Chu, the young master invites you to join him for dinner tonight.”

“Mm, I’ll see how things go,” Chu Shangluo replied, pushing the door open, only to run into a middle-aged man walking toward him.

Chu Shangluo immediately coldened his expression. Wen Zhengyang’s eyes flashed with a faint smile, and the assistant greeted him with a smile, “Mr. Wen, the young master has been waiting for you for a long time. Please, come in.”

Wen Zhengyang was led into the office, and the door was tightly closed behind him.

Chu Shangluo watched for a moment before leaving. Shen Jue never mentioned what he intended to do, and similarly, Chu Shangluo didn’t ask. He didn’t want to get too deeply involved with Shen Jue.

Chu Shangluo was now headed to the bar to find Zhou Si, the offline contact who sold drugs for the Wen family. Last time, Chu Shangluo had stolen a bottle of medicine from the nursing home, but only one bottle was available, and it was difficult to analyze the ingredients from just that. He needed another bottle. However, since the nursing home had been investigated, the Wen family had moved all the drugs, so if Chu Shangluo wanted to get more, he would have to buy it. He slowly walked toward the hotel. It was December, and the island was very cold. Not long after he left, the biting sea wind struck him.

In the distance, a figure quickly ran toward him. Chu Shangluo stopped as the person came closer. The figure, a woman, was wearing a thin nightgown and shivering in the cold wind. When she reached Chu Shangluo, her slippers slipped off, and she fell to the ground. She lay there, mumbling something incoherent. Chu Shangluo hurried over, took off his coat, and draped it over her, pulling her up. As he removed his coat, the cold wind completely enveloped him, and he realized that his cold was now much harder to recover from.

The woman grabbed his hand, and her mouth moved as if she were trying to say thank you. Chu Shangluo looked at the middle-aged woman in front of him, whose hair was half-white, and rubbed his sore nose. “Where do you live? I’ll take you back.”

As he spoke, Chu Shangluo began to move again, since if he didn’t, he would freeze to death. The woman seemed confused and didn’t appear to understand his words.

“Forget it, I’ll call Shen Jue for you.” Chu Shangluo sneezed. “I’ll take you back to the hotel first.”

Chu Shangluo quickly began walking back with the woman. Just then, several security guards from Yu’s company appeared, running toward them. They stopped in front of the woman, and one of the guards shouted, “Manager Song, over here, we found her!”

A man walked up. “Quick, get the lady back.”

Chu Shangluo shivered as he put on his clothes. The man turned to Chu Shangluo and thanked him, “Thank you so much. This is our boss’s sister. She’s been unwell, and the caregiver wasn’t paying attention, so she ran out. You’re freezing. Let us know if you need any compensation…”

Chu Shangluo looked up, and as soon as Song Yuchu saw him, he fell silent. He saw Chu Shangluo struggling to fasten a button and immediately stepped forward to help him. He gently asked, “You seem to have caught a cold. Let me take you to the hospital.”

The nearby security guards exchanged glances. Who was this man? Why would Manager Song personally fasten his buttons and speak to him so humbly?

Chu Shangluo pushed Song Yuchu aside, hands in his pockets, his expression indifferent. “No need.”

He turned and walked away, not giving Song Yuchu a chance to respond. Song Yuchu was the only person among all those who had deceived him that he hadn’t taken revenge on. He had been swindled out of fifty thousand, not more, not less. Taking revenge was too exhausting, and he couldn’t be bothered to act, so he preferred to let Song Yuchu live with guilt. That was the most fitting form of retribution.

Back at the hotel, Lin Zhi had prepared some disguising clothes for Chu Shangluo. While Chu Shangluo was changing, Lin Zhi, worried, said, “Mr. Chu, maybe I should go instead?”

“No need, I’ll go myself,” Chu Shangluo replied, putting on sunglasses and a fake mustache. “It’s fine. My friend has developed an antidote. I took it earlier. You and Chu Zong wait for me outside. Nothing will happen.”

Chu Shangluo finished his disguise, and it was difficult to recognize his original appearance. He didn’t want Lin Zhi to go because he didn’t want Lin Zhi to take the risk for him. No one knew whether the drug was harmful or not. If something really happened to Lin Zhi, it would be his fault. It was better for him to go himself; if anything happened, he would be able to handle it more easily.

When Chu Shangluo stepped outside, Chen Tianyun, who had been waiting by the door, laughed when he saw him. He slung his arm around Chu Shangluo’s shoulder and said, “Xiao Ge, that beard looks so awkward on you, haha.” Then, with a lecherous look, he glanced up and down Chu Shangluo’s body and whispered in his ear, “If you feel uncomfortable after taking the medicine, come find me. I’ll make sure you feel good.”

Chu Shangluo knew Chen Tianyun hadn’t changed his lecherous ways. He smiled and asked, “Should I get your little lover to watch the live broadcast of the scene?”

“Don’t, don’t, I was just joking. You’re not being fair, you don’t have any brotherly loyalty!” Chu Shangluo pushed him away and gave him a disapproving look. “Do you want to sleep with your buddy?”

“No,” the voice wasn’t Chu Shangluo’s but Lin Zhi’s, who had really had enough of listening to him. After speaking, he shot Chen Tianyun a sharp glare.

The group quickly arrived at the bar’s VIP room. Chu Shangluo glanced at the time and said to Lin Zhi, “The young master invited me to dinner. If nothing happens, I’ll make it in time. You tell him I’ll be there shortly.”

After saying that, he exchanged a look with Chen Tianyun before pushing the door open and entering.

Inside, the lights were dazzling, and the loud music was deafening. As soon as they entered, the music stopped, and the lights dimmed slightly. Chu Shangluo could vaguely see couples sprawled on the sofas, doing shameful things. The sight of pale, exposed flesh made him feel disgusted after just a glance. The man sitting in the middle was dressed neatly, drinking, but didn’t lift his head to acknowledge them.

Chen Tianyun said, “I brought a friend to buy some medicine. Zhou Si, I’m a regular, so don’t beat around the bush. Take out the medicine. I’ve already explained the rules to him. Let’s wrap this up quickly; I’ve got other things to do.”

The man called Zhou Si slowly lifted his head and looked at them. His gaze lingered on Chu Shangluo for a long time, as if trying to pierce him with his stare.

Chu Shangluo watched him silently, thinking that he didn’t recognize Zhou Si from his memory, so it should be fine.

Zhou Si stood up and pointed at Chu Shangluo. “Follow me.”

Chen Tianyun also tried to follow, but was stopped by the bodyguards at the door. Chu Shangluo patted him and said, “It should be fine, wait here.”

Chu Shangluo followed Zhou Si into the inner private room. Zhou Si opened the door to the room, and to Chu Shangluo’s surprise, it led outside. It turned out that this private room had two exits. Zhou Si continued walking for a while, then opened another door to a private room and entered. Chu Shangluo looked into the dark room and frowned slightly, but still followed him in.

Zhou Si sat on the sofa and took out two bottles of medicine. “Please, go ahead.”

Chu Shangluo glanced at the door nearby, then took the medicine and swallowed it in one gulp. The cold liquid slid down his throat without any discomfort. He took the other bottle, turned, and walked toward the door.

“The money, Chen Tianyun will give you,” he said.

Just as his hand touched the doorknob, a familiar voice came from behind. “Mr. Chu, don’t leave so quickly, take your time. I’ve missed you.”

A man slowly emerged from the dark corner of the private room, limping as he walked, which made it uncomfortable to watch. Chu Shangluo frowned, realizing that Chen Ran knew Zhou Si. No wonder he needed to meet him alone to buy the medicine. It seemed he had been waiting for him here.

He immediately pushed the door, only to find it blocked from the outside. His breath quickened, his face flushed, and waves of heat surged through his body. The drug was clearly taking effect.

Chen Ran walked out of the shadows, his gaunt face exposed in the light, resembling a ghost. He limped toward Chu Shangluo with slow, deliberate steps. His voice was cold and eerie as he spoke, “Chu Shangluo, you’ve ruined me, turned me into a shadow, forced me to hide like a rat. Today, I’ll make you experience the same thing.”

Chu Shangluo pressed his hand to his chest, breathing heavily, and reached for his phone. But before he could, Chen Ran grabbed the phone out of his hand, and his fake mustache was violently ripped off. A huge camera lens was pressed against his flushed face.

Chen Ran smiled. “What a beautiful face, so wild, so eager to be conquered. Your video will definitely be popular.”