19 Chapter 19

Just like how Ningjui was the beacon of light in the facility, Ningjui's sun was the guidelight at the end of his pitch-dark tunnel for Ningjui. Ningjui never mentioned their name. Lixue never even knew their gender. Their conversation that night was the only time Ningjui mentioned this person. But this person was who made Ningjui gained himself back and took the torch to succeed the role.

"I'm sorry, but where are you taking me?" Ningjui finally decided to ask.

"Lei Weming."

"Huh?" Ningjui blinked in confusion, "Mister, you know Uncle Lei?"

"…" Do I look that old? I'm the same age as you, you know?

"?"

"You can say that."

Noticing that the man in front of him didn't seem annoyed by conversation, Ningjui continued, "Then mister, what should I call you?"

As expected, Ningjui was originally talkative. Although he was quieter in the previous life, he liked telling stories for the younger ones. But in front of the trainers and the people in the mansion they were brought to after, Ningjui's attitude was very reserved and submissive to avoid trouble. In the previous life, in this kind of situation, Ningjui wouldn't even ask where he was being taken to.

"Frost." Lixue lied.

"Then… Mr. Frost?"

"…Whatever you like." Lixue decided to not bother.

"Then, Sir Frost, how did you know Uncle Lei? Do you perhaps, also know my father, Tie Minjui? Oh right, I haven't introduced myself properly," Ningjui straightened his back, "My name is Tie Ningjui. Nice to meet you."

Lixue nodded before looking out the window again, "I only heard about him."

Tie Ningjui realized he was answering his previous question. Along the way to Lei Weming's place, Ningjui kept talking to Lixue who answered necessarily.

Lixue listened to Ningjui's bright voice as he compared it to Ningjui's soft and warm voice in his past life. They were both Ningjui yet the one in front of him was almost unfamiliar to him. What was about to happen next week in his past life clearly broke him as a person. He managed to pick up the pieces, but some parts were already permanently lost.

They arrived at Lei Weming's office at sunset. The people there recognized Ningjui but they didn't recognize Lixue. Ningjui explained to them that Lixue was Lei Weming's acquaintance. Although they were doubtful, since he was brought by Ningjui, they still let them in. Looking at the visitor's outfit, it also showed that he was not a nobody. It's better for them to not offend a possible hidden tiger.

When they entered Lei Weming's office, there were 2 people standing in front of Lei Weming's desk. Lei Weming was frowning clearly pissed off while the 2 people were sweating cold with their heads lowered.

"You useless garbage really can't do anything do you?! More than 100 people vanished, just like that, in one night??? You think I would f*cking believe you shits when you said you can't find their trace anywhere? Huh?!?" Lei Weming stood up and smashed the table in rage.

"Bo-Boss, we really don't know. The factory burned down, and all the surveillance footage was tampered."

"Yes, Boss. The footage was normal until around 2 AM where it suddenly glitched and everything just… disappeared…" the other one added with his voice getting smaller in the end.

"Then find a f*cking expert to–!" Lei Weming saw Tie Ningjui at the door and paused. He took a deep breath to calm himself and exhaled a long sighed, "Go! Find someone to fix the footage. You idiots can at least do this simple matter, right?!" he glared fiercely at the 2 people in front of him.

"Yes, Boss!"

"And send Gu Liyang and his men to the site to investigate more. They're more professional at this than you sloppy pigs. I want the result by tomorrow or else I'll f*cking cut off your legs and throw you to Reig Planet."

The 2 people slightly bowed before hurriedly walked out of the office. Lei Weming irritatedly scratched the back of his head before composing himself and greeted Tie Ningjui.

"Xiao Ning, how come you're back early? And who's that you're bringing with?"

Tie Ningjui was already used to Lie Weming's rough side, and it wasn't the first time he heard Lei Weming threatened his subordinates like that. Though in the end, he never really saw anything happened to those subordinates. He knew it was only empty threats.

If Lei Weming's subordinates heard his thought, they would probably doubt the meaning of the word 'empty' in their dictionaries.

What surprised Ningjui was the latter question.

"Huh? You don't know him, uncle?" Tie Ningjui asked confusedly.

Lixue in the back closed the door behind him. He used Lulu to lock the door and disabled all alarms inside the building without alerting anyone.

"I'm here to pay off Tie Ningjui's debt. In other words, I'm here to buy him." Lixue stated as he walked towards the sofa.

Tie Ningjui was shocked while Lei Weming raised an eyebrow. Tie Ningjui quickly caught Lixue's arm, "What do you mean by buying me?? I'm not a thing! And I can–"

Lixue swiftly pressed Tie Ningjui's acupoints. He caught the falling Tie Ningjui and laid him on the sofa. Lei Weming watched the whole process silently from behind his desk. His hands were already hovering on the emergency button and weapon under his desk.

Lixue pretended not to notice it and sat down on the single sofa with his back facing the desk, "So, are we going to talk or not?"

Lei Weming hesitated for a while before walking slowly to the sofa on Lixue's left, facing the sleeping Tie Ningjui on the sofa opposite him. He was already in touch with the underworld since he graduated secondary school. His honed instinct told him that the man sitting next to him right now is very dangerous. His skin crawled with goosebumps while his hair stood up in alarm. The closer he got to the mysterious man, the more his skin tingled.

He sat down and looked up at Lixue with a composed face. He was often exposed to many powerful individuals in his line of work who have killed many people and were full of bloodlust. It was a necessary skill for him to learn how to control facial expressions so as to not leak any of his thought.

"You said you want to buy him? You don't really expect that I will heartlessly sell off my friend's son just like that, right?" Lei Weming asked solemnly.

Lixue glanced at him lazily for a brief moment before retracting his gaze back, "I don't have time to listen to you dragging nonsense. I'll pay off his 5 million credits debt and I'll add another 5 million as his price. You can choose whether to take it or not."

A/N: 5 mil credits = approx. 771,000$

Lei Weming was stunned by Lixue's glance for a moment before his instinct kicked in. Somehow, he felt ominous hearing the man's last sentence although he himself didn't know why. But he persistently stood his ground.

"5 million for my friend's son? Are you joking? And his debt is still around 7 million including the interest."

Obviously, he was lying. A brainless rich man wanted to buy Ningjui practically for 10 million when Tie Ningjui's debt was only around 3 million. If he didn't take this opportunity to milk some credit from this guy, his surname is not Lei!

"So you won't take my offer?" Lixue tightened his gloves leisurely.

"A half-hearted offer like that, who would want to–"

Lei Weming wanted to continue his bluff when he shuddered as shivers ran down his spine. The man was looking at him with a very dangerous glint in his eyes while his previously flat mouth was opened with a grin. His mind blared alarms at him. He quickly took his gun out of reflex and immediately shot towards the man's head.

BANG!!

"To suddenly shoot your gun like that in the middle of a conversation is not very polite now is it?"

Lei Weming watched with cold sweat as Lixue slowly moved his clenched hand away from his face. When he opened his palm, the bullet Lei Weming just shot laid silently on it.

Lei Weming hurriedly stood up and ran towards the door intending to run away. Before, he already pressed the emergency button to alert his men to stand guard outside. They could surely hear that gunshot.

But before he could reach the door, his feet tripped on the completely clear ground, and he fell down unsightly.

"I gave you a choice to take the credit obediently, but you just insist on pretending even though I already put Tie Ningjui to sleep." Lixue shook his head with a sigh.

He dragged Lei Weming by his feet to the table in front of him. Although it was wide enough to put Lei Weming's body, it wasn't long enough, only enough until his knees. As such, he was laid down on the table with his hands restrained on his side and his knees bend down with his feet on the ground.

Lixue excitedly wore his glasses, "It's playtime!"