20

After a long, exhausting day of work, Lin Kai limped his way back to his room, his face dark with frustration. All day long, his teeth clenched in anger as the memory of that wretched bastard haunted him. What he had hoped would be a simple task to relieve his boredom had turned into a nightmare.

The more he thought about it, the more his fury grew. He wanted to tear Ji Yan apart. Thankfully, for both of them, he hadn't been able to find him again. For now, all he could do was return to his room.

Along the way, a few servants gave him strange looks as they saw him limping, but they quickly went back to their duties. Lin Kai wasn't surprised. The servants here were always busy—too busy to chat, let alone make friends with a newcomer. If it weren't for the fact that he and Bo Qin entered the Ji family together and lived next to each other, they might still be strangers as well.

When he finally reached his room, Lin Kai sat on his bed, staring up at the roof, trying to distract himself. But no matter what he did, his thoughts always returned to the incident earlier in the day. His anger flared up again, and his teeth ground together in frustration. It was the first time since arriving in this world that he had felt this furious.

"Let's hope tomorrow is a better day." Lin Kai patted his cheeks, forcing himself to cheer up. "Maybe today was just a test... Maybe the Ji family wanted to see how I'd handle it." Consoling himself with these thoughts, he could only hope for a peaceful day tomorrow.

But alas, the more one wishes to avoid trouble, the more likely it is to find them.

And Lin Kai was no exception. The very next day, as he stepped into the field, his hopeful thoughts were shattered. There, standing in the middle of the field, was that same familiar white face who grinned and waved at him from afar.

"....."

"Relax..." Lin Kai muttered to himself, forcing his emotions down. Without a second thought, he turned around and walked in the opposite direction. He couldn't do anything to Ji Yan here, so the only solution was to avoid him.

However, Ji Yan wasn't about to let him off that easily. The moment he saw Lin Kai turn his back, a mischievous smile spread across his face, and he hurried to catch up.

"Brother Lin!" Ji Yan called out, his voice cheerful. "Brother Lin, wait up!"

"....."

Lin Kai tried to ignore him at first, but the strange looks from the warriors nearby made it hard to pretend he hadn't heard. Reluctantly, he stopped and waited for Ji Yan to catch up, his heart sinking.

"What the hell do you want?" Lin Kai hissed under his breath, barely controlling his anger. He didn't want to make a scene, so he kept his voice low, almost a whisper.

"Me?" Ji Yan pointed to himself, feigning innocence before giving an embarrassed smile. "I'm here to repent for my mistake yesterday."

Patting his chest, he added, "Don't worry, Brother Lin. Today, I promise I won't embarrass myself like before."

The more Ji Yan spoke, the stronger Lin Kai's sense of dread became. He clenched his fists, struggling to suppress the urge to punch him. Instead, he said nothing, letting his cold, silent stare do the talking. His gaze was sharp, enough to make most men uneasy.

But not Ji Yan... He met Lin Kai's stare without hesitation, his eyes filled with sincerity—or at least a good imitation of it.

"Do as you wish." Lin Kai finally broke the silence, walking away with those words. As he left, he couldn't help but wonder why Ji Yan seemed so familiar. Despite wrecking his brain, he couldn't remember where he might have seen that face before.

"Maybe the previous body owner knew him..." Lin Kai mused. It was the only explanation that made sense. After all, a large portion of the previous owner's memories were missing. Maybe Ji Yan had been a part of his past.

"Heh..." Ji Yan smirked as he watched Lin Kai's retreating figure. Clearly amused, he followed after him, as if their little game had only just begun.

Lin Kai soon reached a pile of bamboo and bent down to start his work. He carefully picked a few long pieces, held them together, and glued them to form the base of a bench. His hands worked meticulously, attaching the legs, smoothing the edges with a knife, and inspecting each part for mistakes. For the first time, he was trying something new, and he was determined to do it right. Occasionally, he glanced at Ji Yan who was fiddling with a few bamboo pieces, but as the day wore on, he grew accustomed to his presence. At least this time, the bastard wasn't causing any trouble.

Time passed quickly, and by evening, Lin Kai had finished his tenth bench. He wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead and let out a deep breath, satisfied with his work. Today had been productive, and he had learned a lot. In his past life, all he had done was sit at a computer, typing line after line of code. This was the first time he had ever done real, hard labor, and strangely, he felt proud.

Smiling at his completed bench, Lin Kai almost forgot about Ji Yan.

He carefully picked up the bench and moved it to join the others. But the moment he turned around, the bench slipped from his grasp, crashing to the ground. His eyes went wide with disbelief.

"This..." His heart sank as he looked at the benches he had worked so hard on. Pieces of bamboo were glued to their surfaces, sticking out like thorns. Cold sweat trickled down his back as he frantically reached for the pointy piece, hoping to fix it. But when he pulled out a piece, it ripped away a large chunk of wood, leaving a jagged hole.

"Shit!" Lin Kai cursed under his breath, his panic rising. It didn't take long for him to realize who was behind this mess. Gritting his teeth, he turned around, searching for Ji Yan.

"WHERE IS HE?" Lin Kai's fists clenched in fury, but Ji Yan was nowhere to be found.

"That bastard..." Lin Kai muttered. He wanted to chase after him and teach him a lesson but now wasn't the time. His priority was fixing the benches before anyone noticed. He was certain this mistake would cost him dearly.

He grabbed his knife, ready to salvage whatever he could, but before he could begin, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"Really?" It was the same middle-aged man from yesterday, standing there with a stern expression. He looked down at the mangled bench, his face growing darker by the second. "Is this your idea of a bench?"

The man's anger was palpable, his eyes burning with frustration. He had already warned Lin Kai once, and now this? For a brief moment, it looked like he might explode in rage, but instead, he clenched his fists, forcing himself to stay calm.

"Good... very good," he muttered through gritted teeth, nodding as if trying to hold back his fury.

"It wasn't me!" Lin Kai blurted out, desperate to explain. He couldn't take responsibility for someone else's actions.

"Get out." The man's tone left no room for argument. He waved Lin Kai away, unwilling to listen to any excuses. Then, without another word, he turned and walked off.

As the man's figure disappeared, Lin Kai felt no relief—only a sinking sense of dread. There was no way he would escape the consequences of these blunders, whether he was truly at fault or not.

With a heavy heart, Lin Kai made his way back to his room. So much had happened in just two days that it felt like a bad dream. From being assigned here due to his injuries to encountering someone he couldn't remember, to this mess... it all left him confused. Was Ji Yan an enemy of the previous body's owner? Or was he just someone playing a twisted joke? But even if they had been friends, what kind of friend pulls such twisted pranks?

Standing in front of his room, Lin Kai didn't enter right away. He paused, lost in thought, before finally deciding to wander around. Other than this building, where twenty servants lived in small rooms, there were several other similar buildings nearby. Maybe Ji Yan was hiding in one of them.

Determined, Lin Kai made up his mind and headed toward the first building.

---------

"Are you really sure about this?" Inside the main grounds of the Ji mansion, the white-robed maid stared at Ji Yan with a questioning gaze, asking once more if he was certain about his decision.

"Hehe... Absolutely." Ji Yan didn't hesitate. His response was immediate, a confident grin tugging at his lips.

"But..." The maid's voice faltered slightly as she continued with uncertainty. "If Master finds out..."

"Oh, come on!" Ji Yan's patience was wearing thin. He waved his hand dismissively, clearly annoyed. "He's my father, not yours. Even if something happens, I'll take full responsibility. Just do what I told you."

"..." The maid's pleading eyes lingered on him, silently hoping he might reconsider. But the sternness in Ji Yan's gaze told her there was no point in arguing further.

"Fine then." She muttered under her breath, giving up. With a resigned sigh, she turned and made her way out of the manor, her footsteps soft yet steady as she headed toward the other building.

It took a little time, but after about ten minutes, she found herself standing before a small, exquisite building nestled in the corner of the Ji family grounds.

"Elder," she called softly, her voice respectful as she stood in front of the door.

"..."

Silence.

A few moments passed, and then the door creaked open. A middle-aged man in blue robes stepped out, but the moment he walked out of the door, his eyes widened with surprise when he saw who had come to visit.

"Yulan?" he said, his voice carrying a note of disbelief. He clearly wasn't expecting to see her here.

"Senior." Ji Yulan gave him a graceful bow, her demeanour shifting into something more gentle and refined. She hesitated for a moment before offering him a soft, almost shy smile, a side of her rarely shown, especially not around Ji Yan.

With an elegant gesture, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her movements slow and deliberate.

"What brings you here?" The man, though in his mid-forties, couldn't help but feel a flicker of excitement seeing her. Despite his age, she still had a way of making his heart race. It wasn't just him—many within the Ji family longed for her and dreamt of making her their wife. If it weren't for her prestigious status, several elders might've already proposed marriage. But even with all the courage in the world, none dared cross that line. She wasn't just any maid...

"The beast pen needs someone to manage it. With the Lunar Months upon us, many of the beasts have been acting up," she explained, her tone soft, each word carefully chosen. "I was hoping you could allocate a servant to help."

"Umm..." The man frowned at her request. While it was true that elders oversaw both stewards and servants, he was already short-staffed. The family competition was only seven days away, and preparations were far from complete. Lending her a servant now... he hesitated. Besides, sending someone to the beast pen? It could easily turn into a death sentence. The beasts weren't something mere servants could handle. If things went wrong, death might even be the best outcome.

"Is there no one?" Ji Yulan asked again, her voice even softer this time, almost pleading.

"Aah!" Suddenly, a thought struck him. A sneer crept onto his face as he glanced at her, the corner of his mouth curving upward. Clearing his throat, he straightened his back and responded with a subtle yet knowing smile.

"I know just the person..." As he spoke, the image of a young boy flashed vividly in his mind.