Li Zhengshen’s brow furrowed tightly, very dissatisfied with Li Yunhui’s reaction.

Just as he was about to say something, Li Shuyun spoke up in time.

While inserting candles into the cake, Li Shuyun smiled at Li Zhengshen and said, “Dad, after I light the candles, it will be brother’s moment to make a wish. When that time comes, will you sing a birthday song for brother with me?”

Interrupted by Li Shuyun, Li Zhengshen’s gaze was also drawn to him. He asked, “A birthday song?”

Li Shuyun’s eyes curved as he said, “Dad, if you don’t know how to sing, you can just hum along with me.”

Li Yunhui watched as his brother very seriously taught Li Zhengshen how to celebrate his birthday. For a moment, he felt as if the chair beneath him was covered in thorns.

Li Zhengshen was really going to celebrate his birthday??

…So strange. So awkward. Such an unaccustomed feeling!

His brother quickly turned off the lights. In the entire dining room, only the light of the candles flickered.

Li Zhengshen and his brother waited together for him to close his eyes and make a wish. Li Yunhui, however, felt like his butt was on fire and his scalp was tingling, wishing he could jump up and flee this place immediately.

However, his brother’s expectant and joyful gaze was like a gentle and lingering cage, holding him tightly in place.

He couldn’t bear to let his brother down, couldn’t bear to see his brother’s expectations fall short.

And so, after a moment of internal struggle, Li Yunhui finally, stiffly and slowly, raised his hands. He clasped them together, closed his eyes, and began to make a wish.

All the awkwardness and discomfort faded by thirty percent the moment he closed his eyes to think of a wish.

When his brother’s clear and gentle singing voice fell into his ears, this feeling of restlessness faded by another sixty percent.

And when Li Zhengshen finally broke his silence, his voice low as he began to hum along…

Li Yunhui’s face was expressionless: …

It’s so bad. Can he just listen to his brother sing the birthday song to him!

As the birthday song neared its end, the atmosphere completely became slow and warm.

Li Yunhui seriously and gently let his wish fall into the song.

Halfway through humming, Li Zhengshen seemed to have finally remembered the tune and began to sing the lyrics very softly.

It was just that the tune of the lyrics was truly difficult to listen to, making one wonder if this person had ever opened his mouth to sing in his entire past few decades of life.

“…Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday to…”

The “you” at the end of the song had not yet been sung.

Suddenly, a muffled explosion, its distance seemingly both near and far, boomed out!

“BOOM!!!”

Li Yunhui: ?!

Li Yunhui’s eyes shot open towards the video, only to see that within the video, the entire frame shook violently.

Li Yunhui: “…What happened?!”

“Beep—Beep—”

A piercing alarm sounded from the other side of the screen.

The frame was stabilized by a large hand. Li Zhengshen stood up with a grim expression, quickly threw on his jacket, and walked hastily towards the door, speaking rapidly into the phone, “I’m going to check the situation. Hanging up first. You guys have fun. Happy birthday.”

Li Yunhui: “Wait…!”

The words didn’t have time to come out.

The video went black. The next moment, what was displayed on the phone was the Green Letter chat page—

The video call had been disconnected.

In the darkness, the birthday candles still flickered brightly.

But the atmosphere suddenly fell silent.

After about half a minute of silence, Li Shuyun finally broke the dead quiet.

Li Shuyun’s voice trembled slightly. “Dad’s side… what happened?”

Li Yunhui: “…”

He didn’t know. But he couldn’t answer his brother like that. His brother was scared, uneasy. He… he had to be his brother’s pillar of support!

Li Yunhui took a deep breath and said with forced calmness, “Don’t worry, Shuyun. It’s always like this where Li Zhengshen is. This little accident is just a routine part of his work… He’s fine, it just takes some time to handle. Don’t worry… I’ll turn on the lights.”

With a click, the dining room was bright again.

Li Shuyun clutched his phone tightly, anxious and uneasy.

He seemed to want to call his dad, but was worried his actions might put his dad in danger.

And so, at a loss, he sat where he was, looking at his brother for help.

Li Shuyun: “Brother, Dad, he… he…”

Li Yunhui forced himself to calm down quickly.

He came to his brother’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t overthink it.”

He paused for a moment, not sure if he was speaking to his brother or to himself. “For Li Zhengshen to be able to gain a foothold in that kind of place and do business for so many years, he must have some strength. This little accident can’t possibly take him down.”

However, his brother was not comforted by these words.

His brother remained uneasy, grabbing the corner of his clothes and asking in a trembling, soft voice, “Brother, is there any way we can contact someone by Dad’s side? I want to know what the situation is over there. Is it… is it very dangerous?”

Li Yunhui thought for a moment, then answered with immediate certainty, “That’s simple. Call Uncle Zhao!”

In the Li family residence, everyone from the butler to the security guards had “retired” from Li Zhengshen’s side.

Among them, Butler Zhao had once been Li Zhengshen’s confidant, holding a not-so-low position in the company. Even though he had been retired in the country for many years now, his network of contacts must still include people who were currently working by Li Zhengshen’s side!

At this time, the butler was still enjoying his annual leave.

He was on a well-known tourist island, relaxing and basking in the sunset.

Unfortunately, the young master’s phone call interrupted his travel enjoyment.

The butler: “Eldest Young Master, is there something that can’t politely wait until after I finish my vacation to be discussed? …What? Mr. Li was attacked??”

The butler shot up straight from his sun lounger. He answered with a serious and earnest tone, “I’ll ask about the situation for you right away!”

The butler temporarily hung up the call.

In the three minutes of waiting for the butler to inquire about the situation, time seemed to stretch on infinitely.

Li Shuyun was extremely anxious. He kept asking:

“Brother, why isn’t Uncle Zhao done asking yet?”

“Brother, do you think something really happened to Dad?”

“Brother…”

Li Yunhui tried his best to comfort his brother, but his own mind couldn’t help but speculate on various terrifying possibilities.

…No. No way. Li Zhengshen always acts so capable in front of him. His methods and his life must be very tough!

Finally, the butler’s call came through again.

Before his brother could speak, Li Yunhui couldn’t help but ask, “How is it?”

The butler’s voice sounded steady and calm.

He said, “Mr. Li is currently safe. The company headquarters was indeed attacked. If the speculation is correct, the attackers are a group of drug dealers. They had approached Mr. Li a while ago to discuss cooperation and were rejected by Mr. Li. Today’s attack is most likely not retaliation, but a threat.”

Li Shuyun’s eyes widened, and he let out a low gasp. “A threat!”

Li Yunhui’s eye twitched heavily. “Then Li Zhengshen…”

The butler immediately reassured them, “But don’t worry. This isn’t the first time Mr. Li has encountered something like this. It’s not a big problem. Eldest and Young Master, are you both at home now? I’ll book a flight right away and should be home by the latter half of the night. Wait for me to get back, don’t be afraid.”

The butler acted very efficiently.

As soon as he finished speaking, he sent the flight information to both of them.

This put the two young masters at home a little more at ease. But not by much, at least not enough to support them in continuing the birthday celebration.

The system watched the events unfold, dumbfounded, and stammered, “Ho-Host, Li Zhengshen’s life is even more exciting than your script!”

As it spoke, Lin Chen had already quickly and efficiently destroyed the original plan stored in his mind and grafted the subsequent plan onto the current dramatic event, naturally extending it into a new plan.

Lin Chen quite agreed with this.

He said with a sigh, “Otherwise, why is he called Boss One? He comes with his own funding, his own script. He’s really… so low-maintenance.”

Li Yunhui was somewhat restless.

Every few minutes, he would lean over to look at his brother’s phone—his brother’s phone screen remained on Li Zhengshen’s chat window. Every few minutes, his brother would send a message, asking about Li Zhengshen’s situation.

But four hours passed, and his brother hadn’t received any response.

Li Yunhui grew more and more agitated with the waiting, but he couldn’t tolerate showing any weakness in front of his brother.

Therefore, he said, “I’ll wait for news from Li Zhengshen. you go to sleep first. New student registration is tomorrow, you have to wake up early!”

Li Shuyun lowered his eyes and said softly, “But brother, if Dad doesn’t reply, I can’t sleep.”

Li Yunhui’s face hardened. He said to his brother seriously, “Go to sleep even if you can’t. I’ll take the phone. You go to bed and lie down properly. If there’s any news from Li Zhengshen, I will tell you immediately.”

Li Shuyun hesitated. “Then… brother, you have to keep your word. If there’s news from Dad, you must, must wake me up!”

Li Yunhui agreed. And just like that, he successfully sent his brother to bed.

After he turned off the lights and closed the door for his brother, he returned to the dining room, now all alone.

He could finally, without restraint, grab his hair in frustration and curse a few times under his breath without any regard for his image.

Li Zhengshen’s own business was so dangerous, how could he have the gall to not let him do extreme sports?!

Also, unless a gun was pointed at his head, would it kill him to send a message back so his brother wouldn’t keep worrying and thinking about him?!

Li Yunhui angrily took a large bite of his birthday cake.

Li Yunhui had no mood to go back to his bedroom and lie down.

But time, in the long wait, reached midnight, one o’clock, two o’clock. His brother’s phone still hadn’t received any reply!

Li Yunhui paced back and forth between the dining room and his bedroom three or four times in agitation, finally unable to resist taking out his own phone and personally sending a message to Li Zhengshen.

Li Yunhui: [Alive?]

No response.

Li Yunhui became even more annoyed!

Time passed like this until five in the morning.

There was a sound at the Li family’s front door; the butler had returned home.

Seeing Li Yunhui, the butler was stunned. He took a closer look and saw the heavy dark circles under the eldest young master’s eyes, a clear sign that he hadn’t slept all night.

Butler: “…”

The butler frowned tightly, directly summoned a bodyguard, and ordered, “Carry the Eldest Young Master back to his bedroom!”

Li Yunhui had no energy to resist.

But after getting into bed, he similarly had no mood to close his eyes.

Until his phone suddenly buzzed with a vibration.

Li Yunhui shot up, took out his phone, and saw a small red dot on Li Zhengshen’s profile picture.

He clicked on it.

Li Zhengshen had replied to him: [All is well. Wrapping up.]