LRPB Ch1

Edited

Midsummer afternoon, Jinmao Tower.

A red Ferrari tore through the main street like wind and lightning, then executed a beautiful drift, tires screeching “skreee—” as it came to a smooth stop at the entrance. A young man in jeans and a baseball cap stepped out, idly twirling his car keys between his fingers, striding through the revolving doors on long legs beneath the curious, envious gazes of passersby.

This commercial tower, built in the bustling heart of the city center, was magnificent and resplendent. The moment he entered the lobby, air conditioning flooded over him as if it cost nothing. The young man stood before the card-activated security gate, patting his pockets, then rubbing at the goosebumps racing across his arms. He turned to the receptionist and said, “Hey, beautiful, forgot my card. Come swipe me through!”

The receptionist was clearly new. She blinked and said, “I’m sorry, sir. Visitors must register first. Who are you here to see?”

The young man lowered his sunglasses halfway, giving her a half-smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

He was quite tall, definitely over six feet, and handsome to boot. Though his face wasn’t fully visible, those half-raised brows and deep eyes were enough to set any heart racing.

The receptionist’s face flushed involuntarily. Before she could say anything, he turned around and pulled out his phone. “…Hey, bro? I’m here to see you. Forgot my card. Tell that pretty little receptionist of yours to swipe me through!”

He didn’t even wait for a response before hanging up and lighting a cigarette.

“S—sorry, sir, smoking isn’t allowed in the lobby—”

“Just two or three puffs, don’t worry, beautiful.”

“B-but…”

Just then, the elevator dinged and slid open. A man in a black suit stepped out.

The receptionist turned, and her face went pale. “C-CEO!”

Though addressed as “CEO,” Chu He was actually quite young, appearing to be just over thirty. His well-exercised frame was lean and wiry, dressed in a tailored black suit and white shirt. His features lacked the sharp, cutting handsomeness of his younger brother; instead, he was paler, more ordinary. When he wasn’t speaking, he seemed remarkably low-key—nothing about him suggested he was the renowned helmsman of a group listed on the wealth rankings.

He swiped his card, walked through the glass security door, and stood before his brother.

The brothers locked eyes for a moment. Chu He reached out, plucked the cigarette from his brother’s mouth, and handed it to the receptionist.

“No smoking in the lobby,” he said flatly. Then he instructed the receptionist, “His name is Zhang Shun. He’s my brother. Let him through directly from now on.”

Incongruous with his plain appearance, his voice was quite pleasant—low, husky, and remarkably steady, carrying an air of unflappability. The receptionist was so nervous she forgot to blush, hastily accepting the cigarette and bowing repeatedly. “Yes, CEO! I’m sorry, I’ll remember!”

Chu He nodded at her and turned toward the elevator.

Zhang Shun followed, waving at the receptionist as he left. “Sorry, beautiful! I’ll treat you to tea later!”

The receptionist stumbled, hurriedly checking that no one was around, then rushed into the duty room and frantically shook awake her colleague napping in the back. “Sister Wang, Sister Wang! Our CEO has a brother? Did you know?”

Her colleague raised her head blearily. “Oh, Second Young Master Zhang. He’s here again? Don’t forget to swipe him through…”

The receptionist couldn’t contain her excitement. “But our CEO’s surname is Chu. How does he have a brother surnamed Zhang? And he’s as handsome as a movie star, you know, Sister Wang!”

Her colleague immediately gestured for her to lower her voice. “Are you trying to get yourself killed, girl? Do you want the whole building to hear?!”

Being two years older, her colleague first checked that the front desk was empty before whispering, “Our former chairman’s surname was Zhang. That Second Young Master Zhang is his only biological son. The current CEO took his mother’s surname. They say back then, Chairman Zhang remarried, and his wife brought him in from outside…”

The elevator rose smoothly, the full-length mirrors gleaming under the magnificent lighting.

In the cramped space, only the two of them. Zhang Shun removed his sunglasses, staring provocatively at Chu He’s reflection in the mirror. His older brother showed no intention of speaking, merely gazing straight ahead, his face as calm as still water, devoid of any expression.

“Aren’t you going to ask why I’m here?” Zhang Shun couldn’t help but speak first.

“Money.”

“Tch—can’t I just be here to see my dear older brother?”

“How much?”

Zhang Shun’s expression stalled. After a moment, he said, “…Five million.”

Chu He finally turned his head to look at his brother. “What for?”

His skin was extremely pale, almost translucent under the lights. His lips were thin, giving him a cold, heartless appearance. Unlike Zhang Shun’s universally appealing handsome face, this kind of looks should make it difficult for anyone to feel close to him.

How had someone like this managed to find people willing to die for him, seizing the group from his own father’s hands in a boardroom coup?

Zhang Shun pondered this distractedly, saying offhandedly, “For fun. That cellist from the Central Orchestra—I sent her a car last time, blew through all my New Year’s money. Now she’s making a fuss about some auction. Mayor Huang’s nephew and a few others will be there. I figure it’ll take at least a few million this time…”

Chu He said flatly, “What about Fu Ya?”

“Who?” Zhang Shun paused before reacting. “Oh, that professor’s daughter you set me up with—damn, she’s got something wrong with her brain. Carries a book everywhere she goes. Doesn’t know how to have fun, can’t let loose. I can’t handle that type. Honestly, I think she’d suit you best. The two of you can wrap yourselves in a quilt every night and discuss life and ideals, hahaha…”

Chu He stared at his brother without moving, his eyes as transparent as glass beads under the lights.

Zhang Shun still didn’t know fear, casually draping his elbow over his brother’s shoulder with a wicked grin. “I’m just saying, bro, she wasn’t someone you kicked out of your own room, was she? Do me a favor and take her back. Your brother really isn’t short of people to serve him—oh, and don’t say I’m disrespectful. I haven’t laid a single finger on that girl. Saving her for you, haha!”

Chu He raised his hand and pushed his brother’s arm away.

Just then, the elevator stopped at the finance department floor. The doors opened, and Chu He walked out with a face like still water. Even then, Zhang Shun didn’t know when to stop, chasing after his brother and teasing, “You two must have so much to talk about! If talking isn’t exciting enough, your brother can lend you a couple of ‘educational films’! And if that doesn’t work, we can find a doctor. I mean, you’re so young but you look like you’re suffering from kidney deficiency all day…”

Chu He arrived at the finance office, not bothering to look at the colorful expressions of the accountants outside, and directly knocked on the finance manager’s door. “Give him five hundred thousand. Charge it to my account.”

The manager immediately stood up. “Yes, CEO. Check or transfer?”

“Check.”

Just then, Zhang Shun sauntered in. Hearing this, he asked, “Wasn’t it five million? How did it become five hundred thousand?”

Chu He didn’t answer. The manager only felt the air pressure in the room drop sharply, a prickling sensation between his shoulder blades. In the time it took to write the check, his back was soaked with cold sweat, layer after layer.

A moment later, Chu He took the check and tossed it into his brother’s chest.

“Keeping the other four point five million to find a doctor,” he said coldly. “Don’t you know medical bills are expensive these days?”

Ten minutes later, Zhang Shun hummed a tune as he came down, whistling at the receptionist as he passed the front desk.

“Beautiful, didn’t get much this time. I’ll treat you next time!”

The receptionist had no fondness for such frivolous, slick young men, but seeing how handsome he was, her young face flushed involuntarily. Before she could duck away, Zhang Shun had already strolled off on his long legs.

That night, when Chu He returned home, he could hear deafening music from the villa from far away.

He handed his suit jacket to the butler and asked, “What’s the Second Young Master up to now?”

The old butler, having watched Zhang Shun grow up in this house over the years, naturally felt some protectiveness. He said carefully, “The Second Young Master is with friends… having a gathering with some friends…”

Chu He shook his head. Whether it was mockery or amusement, he said softly, “…Friends.”

He was wearing a white shirt and black suit pants, no tie, unbuttoning his collar as he walked toward the main hall. The old butler, eager to divert his attention, followed closely behind and asked, “By the way, Eldest Young Master, I’ve looked into that rumor you asked about this morning—it was Aunt Liu from the kitchen. She got up in the night and saw a white shadow wandering outside the Second Young Master’s door. She got frightened and screamed…”

Chu He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows as he asked, “What did she see?”

The old butler didn’t dare bring up anything supernatural, so he said cleverly, “Aunt Liu’s eyes are failing her. It’s easy to see things wrong. I’ll go to the servants’ quarters and put the fear into them. I’ll make sure no one spreads rumors anymore.”

Chu He nodded. “I know what it is.” As he passed through the main hall, he leaned against the railing and saw a small dance floor below, neon lights shimmering with decadent glamour, several young men and women shaking their heads wildly. Zhang Shun sat lazily on a small sofa, a boy with snow-white skin and a delicate, petite figure nestled against him like a little bird.

Chu He leaned out and shouted, “Zhang Shun!”

Several people below looked up. Chu He asked sharply, “Who did you bring home to stay over last night? Don’t go running around the corridors naked in the middle of the night!”

With that, he walked away.

The gazes of his pack of cronies all snapped to Zhang Shun—Zhang Shun had been splashed with the dirty water of midnight naked running for no reason. After a long moment, he said baffled, “…I didn’t?”

Chu He returned to his study, called for a bowl of sweet soup on the internal line, and pulled out a yellowed copy of Baoshizi from the bookshelf to read.

He hadn’t been reading long when the study door was lightly knocked upon twice.

Chu He turned a page and said, “Come in.”

The door clicked open, followed by light footsteps entering, then the door was shut again from the inside. The visitor seemed quite cautious, taking a while before reaching the wide desk, voice soft and fresh: “Eldest Young Master, your sweet soup.”

Chu He looked up. The boy who had been nestled against Zhang Shun downstairs was now standing before him.

No wonder Zhang Shun, who had seen countless people since childhood, had brought him home. The child was indeed beautiful. His large eyes were so seductive they seemed ready to drip water at any moment. His figure was like a girl who hadn’t yet begun to develop, soft and boneless. Just standing there, an endless stream of fox-like allure radiated from every inch of his skin, intoxicating enough to make one lose their mind.

Chu He’s gaze returned to his book. “Set it down.”

The boy set down the bowl, hesitated a moment, then smoothly dropped to his knees, crawling on his knees a few steps to the armchair, looking up with a soft voice: “Eldest Young Master.”

Chu He’s face showed no sign of welcome or unwelcome; he didn’t even spare him a sidelong glance.

The boy steeled himself and said, “Eldest Young Master, my name is Xiao Hu. I’ve only been with the Second Young Master a few days. I’ve come to pay respects to the mountain stronghold.”

These words were quite artful, covering several points at once—first, I’m not here to disturb you for no reason; I’m being very polite and indirect in paying my respects. Second, my respects aren’t late, because I’ve only been with the Second Young Master a few days, and I’ve come right away, which shows I hold you in great esteem.

A half-smile that wasn’t quite a smile floated at the corner of Chu He’s mouth. “Do you know who I am?”

“I don’t.”

“And you kneel anyway?”

Xiao Hu smiled with pursed lips and said, “Though my eyes are poor and I cannot recognize your true form, I can still recognize the demonic aura on you. You have already transcended our race of demon creatures, having more or less cultivated into a demon. What harm is there in accepting my kneel?”

Now Chu He found this truly interesting. He set down his book, leaned forward slightly, and stared into Xiao Hu’s soul-stealing large eyes, asking with curiosity, “Your Fox Clan—I know one of your seniors. Honestly, he wasn’t much less beautiful than you. How is it he wasn’t as smooth-tongued as you?”

Xiao Hu said with a grin, “If you can still barely appreciate my willow-like figure, I would naturally be willing to serve you, Eldest Young Master, with all my heart…” As he spoke, he moved half a step closer. A snow-white, delicate hand gently covered Chu He’s chest, then slid downward, unbuttoning the shirt buttons on the expensive fabric one by one.

Chu He didn’t stop him, didn’t even move, simply leaning back against the wide armchair and watching the fox spirit busy himself. After a long while, he sighed leisurely, whether in mockery or sentiment: “Your Fox Clan has a thousand faces for a thousand individuals, almost like humans. There are those as obedient and sensible as you, and there are those who are unruly and sharp-tongued by nature…”

Xiao Hu smiled beautifully. “Might I ask which senior offended you in the past?”

Chu He said leisurely, “Oh, that was before I had fallen into demonhood… Do you know Hu Qing?”

Xiao Hu froze.

In the very next second, his face turned deathly pale, as if all the blood in his body had been drained.

Right at this moment, a mass of red-and-black aura slowly rose behind him, rapidly condensing in mid-air, vaguely forming a human shape. The form grew clearer and clearer, until finally a foot stepped out from the aura mass—a man entirely in black, appearing out of thin air as if tearing through space itself!

Xiao Hu turned back, trembling.

The crushing pressure, heavy as a mountain, forced him to bend over; even lifting his head was exceptionally difficult. The oxygen in the room was instantly sucked away. In the extreme suffocation, the fox spirit even forgot his innate charm technique. He only heard his ears roaring, his eyeballs nearly bulging from their sockets—

He saw the curse-like red markings on the man’s face.

“Demon…” He heard the clear clattering of his own teeth. “Demon Venerable…”

Chu He casually buttoned up his shirt and said, “I forgot to tell you—if you want to become a demon too, coming to me is useless. Going to him would be much faster.”

Support me on Ko-fi