My father's inheritance is my mortal enemy.

Without giving it much thought, Sun Shengyang took the disinfectant and bandages back to his seat: "Brother Shao, I checked them for you. They're medical grade, so you can use them."

"Hmm." Zhou Yanshao took over and skillfully treated the wound.

The waiter came over with disinfectant swabs and alcohol, and also had painkillers in his hand, but Sun Shengyang stopped him, saying, "No need."

After the waiter left, Sun Shengyang asked, puzzled, "Brother Shao, was there something you wanted to say to... Li Bo?"

When Li Bo and Ning Zhi walked together, Zhou Yanshao's words were clearly directed at Li Bo, but he was interrupted by cutting his hand with a knife and fork.

For some reason, Sun Shengyang always felt that there was something strange between Zhou Yanshao and Li Bo...

Logically speaking, Shao should have been angry long ago after Li Bo's repeated exploitation, severed ties, and used the connections between the Zhou and Wan families to take back the Zhihuai shares from Li Bo.

Betrayal does not deserve forgiveness.

Once trust collapses, it is very difficult to rebuild and repair.

"It's alright now."

"Oh..." Sun Shengyang wanted to sit down and continue eating, but suddenly noticed Li Bo's jacket and the chili sauce Ning Zhi had given him hanging on his seat. "Hey? Did Li Bo forget his things when he left?"

Zhou Yanshao raised his eyelids, glanced at Li Bo's coat, and remained silent.

After the two finished their meal, when they left, Sun Shengyang didn't touch Li Bo's coat or chili sauce. He figured the receptionist would probably put them away and wait for the guests to come back for them. If they weren't put away properly, that wasn't his problem.

Sun Shengyang strode out.

As Zhou Yanshao passed by Sun Shengyang's location, he casually took the chili sauce and Li Bo's jacket.

Sun Shengyang turned his head: "????"

What's going on?

Could it be that Brother Shao has forgiven Li Bo again?

Oh no! What a disaster! Li Bo is really good at using witchcraft!

Brother Shao is quite ill; he really should find a master to exorcise the evil spirits from him!

When Sun Shengyang drove Zhou Yanshao back to Xizi Bay, he kept advising him on the way: "Brother Shao, although Li Bo's background is pitiful, we are not on the same path after all. It's better to have less contact with him in the future. Don't let your sincere feelings be trampled on... As the saying goes, there is always something hateful about a pitiful person."

Zhou Yanshao frowned deeply, closed his eyelids, and slowly said, "I know."

Three years ago, when Zhou Yanshao was abroad, he overheard Li Bo making a phone call to Zhou Huiyuan. He wondered why Li Bo had such a close connection with his father. A few months ago, his father passed away, leaving his estate to Li Bo, who became the only legacy his father left him.

Besides the contract, Zhou Huiyuan also gave Zhou Yanshao a letter containing only one sentence.

—Xiao Shao, be nicer to Li Bo.

It's not an explanation, it's more like a request.

Zhou Yanshao didn't understand. He didn't understand the meaning of those words. He didn't understand when the two of them had started contacting each other. He didn't understand why his father trusted Li Bo so much, and was even willing to entrust Zhihuai to Li Bo's management.

But Zhou Yanshao knew that Zhou Huiyuan was a very competent businessman.

Zhou Huiyuan likes to link everything with interests, and Li Bo may have obtained this huge inheritance in exchange for something.

When he returned to China, he was still angry about Li Bo's disappearance when his life was in danger; it was hard for him not to feel resentment. But when he saw Li Bo at the cemetery, Zhou Yanshao's heart skipped a beat, and he hesitated repeatedly, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Li Bo's lack of explanation and indifference were like a knife piercing his heart. When Li Bo offered to let him vent, Zhou Yanshao softened and even suppressed his temper, taking the man back to Xizi Bay.

Li Bo's reason for the deal: to be included in the family genealogy so that his mother would no longer be criticized or ridiculed, and so that he would no longer be nameless and without status.

This reason is reasonable and flawless, because Li Bo has been doing this for years.

Zhou Yanshao knew that this was Li Bo's unresolved issue.

Zhou Yanshao simply refused to believe it.

Zhou Yanshao always felt there was another reason. He was waiting for Li Bo to speak up, and he even went so far as to chase after him to Australia Island to act as a guarantor for Wan Gong and take away his mother's shares.

But things seem to be exactly as Li Bo said at the beginning: he wants to enter the Li family, wants to move his mother's grave back to the Li family, and doesn't want to be an illegitimate child anymore.

Li Bo used him time and time again for the sake of so-called family ties.

Now Zhou Yanshao completely believed Li Bo's reasoning.

Li Bo values ​​profit and only loves power.

Zhou Yanshao tightened his grip on Li Bo's coat, crumpling the jacket beyond recognition.

Seeing that Zhou Yanshao had closed his eyes, Sun Shengyang didn't continue the conversation and focused on driving, but silently prioritized finding a master for Brother Shao above all else.

When the car arrived at Xizi Bay, Zhou Yanshao went into the villa. Sun Shengyang asked the butler to open two bottles of aged wine and drank a little with him. He couldn't appease Zhou Yanshao and ended up getting drunk himself. In the end, the butler drove Sun Shengyang home.

In the evening, the chef prepared the dishes, but Zhou Yanshao sat at the table for more than ten minutes without touching his chopsticks.

The chef was extremely nervous, terrified of losing his job, and his breathing became rapid.

Zhou Yanshao went upstairs, took out the chili sauce, unscrewed the cap and tasted it. It was very spicy, with a strong chili aroma, and went very well with rice.

But Li Bo doesn't like spicy food.

……

After Uncle Liu dropped Ning Zhi off at home, he received a call from Li Bo. He came back to pick Li Bo up, and as Li Bo got into the car, Uncle Liu asked, "Hey? Mr. Bo, where's your coat?"

Li Bo then remembered that he had left his coat at the store. He found the store's contact information online and called. The restaurant's receptionist said, "I'm sorry, sir, we haven't seen your coat. Would you like me to check the security footage for you?"

Li Bo rubbed his temples: "No need."

Not only did he not take his suit jacket, he also didn't take the chili sauce.

Li Bo simply sighed softly and went home.

Ning Zhi sent a message: [Xiao Bo, are you alright?]

Li Bo: [It's nothing.]

Ning Zhi: [Are you home yet?]

Li Bo: [Hmm.]

Ning Zhi: [Are you busy tonight? I have something I want to talk to you about.]

Li Bo: [Okay.]

We had originally planned to have dinner together, but Ning Zhi's client made a last-minute change of plans, so we met at a coffee shop. Li Bo arrived quite early.

Li Bo ordered himself a hot latte, and Ning Zhi arrived shortly after.

"Sorry I'm late, there was a traffic jam."

"It's nothing." Li Bo looked at the raindrops on Ning Zhi's coat. It was only drizzling outside, not that wet. Ning Zhi had obviously run all the way here.

Ning Zhi handed a business card to Li Bo.

Ning Zhi is now a lawyer at an international law firm.

Li Bo looked at the business card in front of him, somewhat puzzled.

Ning Zhi took a deep breath: "I've heard about what happened between you and the Zhou family."

"..."

"Li Bo, I don't believe there's any familial affection between you and Li Yao. I know you stayed in the capital for him... but you don't owe anyone anything. Can't you think about yourself?"

"Didn't you used to love freedom the most? Leave the capital, it's too dangerous here."

"I can come up with some money right now. You can take this money and lay low for a while. When the time is right, you can go back to China and go to a second-tier city. I will invest in you there."

Ning Zhi spoke these words like an older brother. This business card was Ning Zhi's source of confidence and his determination to protect Li Bo as he had when they were children.

Ning Zhi was the only one who knew how difficult it was for Li Bo when he was beaten as a child.

He knew better than anyone how much Lin Yi'an wanted to escape when she was young.

Li Bo didn't run away; he couldn't run away. If he did, he wouldn't survive. He had to stay, he had to live, and leave the mountains intact.

Li Bo succeeded, but now he's trapped.

Beyond the mountains, the bustling capital city feels more like a giant cage.

Li Bo smiled as he looked at the business card in front of him: "I have no familial affection for Li Yao, but I owe her a lot. I just moved her back to the ancestral grave."

Li Bo looked at Ning Zhi with a somewhat defeated expression: "Ning Zhi, you don't understand."

No one can understand what Li Bo went through.

Words are simpler than deeds.

Before leaving, Li Bo lit a cigarette at the entrance of the coffee shop. He looked at Ning Zhi and said, "Ning Zhi, I forgot to tell you, thank you for the chili sauce, but I don't actually like spicy food. Don't make Auntie work so hard in the future. Send me the address; there's a nice tea and snack shop in Beijing. I'll buy some for Auntie and send it over."

Li Bo doesn't like chili sauce or spicy food. He used to eat it to survive and to mask the sour taste of the food.