Yue Shi reached out and picked up the cup of poisoned tea.
【Jian Lai】 watched as the cup of tea drew closer and closer to Yue Shi's lips. His gaze was glued to the cup, his pupils tracking its every movement. His lips trembled, and his heart pounded frantically against his ribs.
In the corridor outside, his co-conspirators were waiting for him to give the signal.
The people waiting in the stairwell, the Bureau members hiding at the corner of the second floor, the novices in the first-floor lobby—everyone was waiting.
As soon as the poison took effect, he would send the agreed signal, and the operation would begin. The novices would charge in, and the Bureau would deliver the finishing blow at the critical moment.
Everything was going according to plan.
But Yue Shi was offering so much!
A vice presidency, a massive cut of the profits, and no need to risk his life fighting—the benefits would just fall into his lap naturally.
【Jian Lai】 stared at the cup of tea, his heart wrenching.
Why? Why did he have to give me all this right now? What the hell am I even doing?!
The teacup suddenly stopped.
Yue Shi's lips had already touched the rim, but he didn't drink. With a slight frown, he reached up to scratch his neck, as if simply scratching an itch.
【Jian Lai】's heart leaped, and he could feel his chest vibrating from the force of it.
Yue Shi set the teacup down and looked at 【Jian Lai】, his tone as gentle as ever. “Don't be nervous. I still have something to say to you.”
【Jian Lai】 sat up stiffly, straightening his back even more, but his eyes uncontrollably drifted toward the cup of tea.
“Yes, Boss.”
Yue Shi's eyes crinkled with a smile, carrying a touch of elder-like affection. “Xiao Jian, I've seen all the hard work you've put in lately. Work hard with me, and I will absolutely make sure you're well taken care of.”
He reached out to pick up the teacup again.
【Jian Lai】's eyes tracked the cup's movement as it rose, Yue Shi's lips parting slightly.
【Jian Lai】's brain was screaming, and his heart bled. He knew it wasn't too late to stop this. As long as he said, “Don't drink the tea,” everything could still be undone.
But he couldn't bring himself to speak.
I can't stop him. The moment I personally served him that poisoned tea, my relationship with Yue Shi was completely severed.
Even if I stop him from drinking it now, he'll never forgive me. And if I stop him, the Bureau won't let me off, nor will the players involved in the operation.
I'm completely screwed either way! I threw away a fortune for pennies, ahhhh!!!
The teacup stopped once more.
Yue Shi seemed to remember something and placed the teacup back on the desk.
The sound of the cup clinking against the desk was very soft, but to 【Jian Lai】's ears, it was no different from a bomb going off.
“Oh, right, Xiao Jian. I think you're a talent, so I plan to bring you into my core team. Because of that, it's necessary to let you know my true identity.” Yue Shi's expression was dead serious.
“What true identity?” 【Jian Lai】 asked, utterly distracted, his eyes still glued to the teacup.
“I am an Outer God from the Central Cosmic Palace, an entity that transcends the multiverse. Work hard with me, and in the future, if the seniors of the Central Palace give you even a tiny bit of guidance, you'll become a peerless powerhouse dominating this world.” Yue Shi spun the lie effortlessly.
【Jian Lai】's head buzzed. It felt as if something had exploded before his eyes, white spots flashing across his retinas.
An Outer God, the Central Cosmic Palace, a peerless powerhouse dominating the world... These terms spun in his head, faster and faster, until they were a complete blur.
Is this true? If it is, then what the hell am I doing right now? Burning my own bridges?
Am I the biggest idiot in the entire world?!
He had never expected that the commission and the vice presidency were just the appetizers. This Central Cosmic Palace was the real feast!
【Jian Lai】's heart bled, and his stomach churned with immense regret.
He looked at the cup of tea on Yue Shi's desk as if staring into an abyss—an abyss he had dug with his own hands.
If Yue Shi wasn't lying, if everything he said was true, then 【Jian Lai】's assassination attempt today was the single biggest mistake of his life!
He had thrown away a golden ticket to the heavens!
The words that the person from the Bureau had once said to him echoed in his mind.
“Yue Shi is highly dangerous, an unstable terrorist. We have a responsibility and duty to eliminate him.”
【Jian Lai】 had believed them back then. He felt that the Bureau, as an official agency, wouldn't lie.
But now, he wondered: did the Bureau really not lie?
They were an official agency, but they were also human. And humans had their own agendas and schemes.
A vice presidency, profit cuts, guidance from an Outer God, and becoming a peerless powerhouse... 【Jian Lai】 was pushing all of these away with his own hands.
He closed his eyes. Despair rose like a tide from beneath his feet, making it hard to even breathe.
Fuck, I'm completely screwed either way. I'm so exhausted.
【Jian Lai】 suddenly snapped his eyes open, a flash of irritation crossing his gaze.
It's all the Bureau's fault! If they hadn't enticed me, I would never have ended up in this position!
They gave me the poison, they fed me empty promises—how could I have been so stupid to believe their bullshit?!
At this moment, 【Jian Lai】 completely forgot that he was the one who had planned and initiated this entire operation. It was because he wanted to kill Yue Shi and take his place that the Bureau had seized the opportunity to intervene.
【Jian Lai】's gaze landed on Yue Shi's face, then darted away. Gritting his teeth, he made up his mind.
“Boss, you can't drink this tea!”
Yue Shi wore a strange expression, his brow furrowing slightly. “Why?”
“Because it's poisoned!” 【Jian Lai】's lips trembled, his teeth chattering as his eyes welled with tears, instantly slipping into drama-queen mode.
The office fell into a dead silence.
The Snow Leopard shifted its position and continued to purr, while the occasional honk of a car horn drifted in from the street outside.
The smile slowly faded from Yue Shi's face. He looked at 【Jian Lai】 calmly, his pitch-black eyes devoid of any emotion.
【Jian Lai】 stood up from his chair, his legs shaking and knees weak. Not daring to look Yue Shi in the eye, he began to confess everything at a frantic pace.
“Boss, I deserve to die. I shouldn't have colluded with outsiders to harm you.”
“This is all the Bureau's fault! They approached me first, threatening me and forcing me to do their bidding.”
“The Bureau also said you were an unstable, dangerous element and wanted to eliminate you, promising me rewards afterward.”
“The Bureau provided the poison. It's colorless and odorless, and drinking it only gives you a few seconds to live. They also recruited a bunch of novices to act as cannon fodder, planning to wear you down before they make their move.”
“I know that the moment I poisoned the tea, our relationship was ruined. But I really couldn't bear to watch you get schemed against like this, Boss. Even if it costs me my life, I have to tell you the truth to keep you safe from harm!”
【Jian Lai】 painted himself as a coerced, innocent victim, shifting all the blame onto the Bureau.
He raised his head, his eyes red as tears rolled down his cheeks one by one, giving him a distinct “white lotus” aura.
“Boss, you can do whatever you want with me. I only ask that you don't let the Bureau have their way. None of them are good people—they just wanted to use me!”
Having said his piece, 【Jian Lai】 slumped into his chair as if all the air had been let out of him. His shoulders sagged, his head hung low with his chin nearly touching his chest, and his arms dangled lifelessly over the armrests.
He was playing the pity card, defecting at the critical moment to win sympathy.
Rate on N.U.
