-87- Can we still be friends?

"Over these years, what have you been up to?"

"I've been doing some things in Shurima, looking for materials, exploring ruins, oh, and making some new friends."

"That sounds nice, but why haven't you called back on the Hextech phone for so long?"

"You have to know, the place I went to has no signal at all. It's in the depths of the desert, a no-man's land, you know?"

"You make it sound like nobody has ever been to Shurima."

The two inside were conversing.

Outside, Kai'Sa was sitting alone on the balcony chair, enjoying the cool breeze. However, she wasn't discontented. In front of her was an exquisite and incredibly beautiful cake stand, adorned with various-colored mini-cakes. Each cake had a different texture – some soft, some hard, and some even looked like liquid.

Kai'Sa hadn't seen anything like this before.

"Are these for me to eat?!"

Grabbing one, inspecting left and right, Kai'Sa hesitated to take a bite but ended up yelling toward Linwin inside the room.

Because it looked so good.

What is this?!

Is this also something to eat?

Do people here not only live well but also eat well?

"Yes, those are all for you to eat!"

Linwin shouted back toward the balcony.

Hearing Linwin's affirmative answer, Kai'Sa tentatively put the cake into her mouth. The cakes were about half the size of her palm, so Kai'Sa thought she needed to open her mouth wide.

"Ah--Mph!"

Opening her mouth as wide as possible, she swallowed the cake in one go. Then, Kai'Sa's eyes squinted in an instant.

A gulp!

Inside the room —

"Hasn't she ever eaten these things?"

When Linwin turned around, Jayce asked him in amazement.

Linwin nodded, "Definitely not. You should have noticed. She has some small differences from humans, and her origin is quite complicated."

"Never mind, I don't want to know about those things. There are already enough troublesome things on my mind."

Jayce quickly spoke.

"I actually wasn't planning to say anything."

Linwin shrugged. Under Jayce's threatening gesture, he quickly added, "How is Viktor doing now?"

"Thanks to you, he's living a very comfortable life now."

Jayce reminisced about Viktor, saying with a smile, "He's in good health now and has no mental stress. He spends his days tinkering with Hextech technology in the lab."

"Isn't he demanding investments from the big families in Piltover?" Linwin teased.

"With you, the wealthiest person in Zaun, supporting him, does he still need investments from the big families in Piltover?" Jayce rolled his eyes.

Linwin couldn't deny that and chose not to argue with Jayce's words.

The conversation between the two shifted from Shurima to Piltover and then to Zaun. Linwin and Jayce talked a lot for half an hour, showing no signs of stopping.

At this moment, a voice came from the balcony.

"Linwin, I've finished eating."

Kai'Sa called from outside.

Hearing Kai'Sa's words, Linwin immediately said to Jayce, "Is there more to eat?"

Jayce looked surprised, giving Linwin a questioning look, "?"

"We do have more, but with so many cakes, isn't it enough for her to eat alone? And Linwin, are you sure her statement means she wants more?"

"This is our understanding, Jayce."

"Over there, help yourself."

Following Jayce's gesture, Linwin found the place where the snacks were placed.

"Don't worry, they're all fresh. They prepare snacks and tea for me every day at the same time, even though I don't like those things."

"You're living a luxurious councilor's life."

Jayce retorted, "If you want, you could live as luxuriously as I do. Your wealth is no less than mine."

"Just for now." Linwin carried the food and went to the balcony, passing by Jayce. He said, "After all, the Hextech phone is a one-time purchase for a lifetime, and the energy is not worth much. The construction cost of the base station is just like that. If you really want to make money, your Hex Gate would be more profitable."

Transportation and trade are big money-making ventures. Hex Gate dominates both.

As the founder of this technology, Jayce's wealth has reached an immeasurable amount.

"But now they're dividing up Hex Gates, and Hextech phones belong only to you and Zevi."

"That's true." Linwin pushed open the balcony door and saw Kai'Sa sitting there obediently. When she saw him appear, her gaze didn't focus on Linwin's face but on the plate he was holding.

Kai'Sa quickly pointed at her face, asking, "All for me?"

"Otherwise?"

Placing the plate in front of Kai'Sa, Linwin said, "We agreed that I would take care of your daily life."

"But I didn't expect to eat such delicious things. I thought beef jerky was the best thing ever."

"There are many delicious things."

Linwin finished speaking, returned to the room, and closed the balcony door to avoid Kai'Sa overhearing their conversation.

"Where were we just now?"

"Hextech."

Jayce said, "Making money with Hextech."

Linwin touched his face with his index finger and then sat opposite Jayce.

"How about some wine? What do you want to drink?" Jayce got up and went to the liquor cabinet.

"I can't tell the quality of wine, so any wine will do." Linwin quickly said. Then, looking at Jayce fetching the wine, Linwin said, "I remember you don't have a good tolerance for alcohol."

"I'm not good with others, but it's different with you."

"I can drink with you even if it costs me my life, drink until I vomit."

After handing a bottle of wine to Linwin, Jayce opened the bottle cap and took several big sips. Then he wiped his mouth and looked at Linwin, saying, "Just drink directly from the bottle, no problem, right?"

"If you want to drink like that, I have no problem, but are you sure you can handle it?" Linwin joked, "I don't want to get the Councilor from Piltover drunk. If you mess things up, I might get arrested."

"Don't say that, it might really mess things up. But if I don't do this, there are some things I won't be able to ask."

After handing Linwin a bottle of wine, Jayce opened it, took several big sips, and then wiped his mouth. He looked at Linwin and said, "You came to find me, it's definitely not just to see me. You've been avoiding me for several years and now you appear in front of me."

Linwin put away his previous smile.

He's back, and some things need to be resolved thoroughly.

He looked at Jayce and said, "The method to create Hextech gems, I stole it from you and gave it to Zaun."

"I know that," Jayce shook his head.

He didn't care about the manufacturing process of Hextech gems. This is now entirely under the control of the Ferros family, and Jayce can't intervene, even though it was originally his creation.

And this is all about capital.

"What I want to know more is." Jayce stared into Linwin's eyes and asked seriously, "Linwin, were you here to meet me for this purpose from the beginning you appeared in front of me?"

Upon hearing Jayce's words, Linwin immediately shook his head and said, "No, believe me, Jayce, that was really just an accident."

"I just wanted to see if there was anything useful. Unexpectedly, I encountered you and Viktor, and after seeing Viktor, my focus changed."

"So, the group of kids who stole from my lab back then, you actually know them?" Jayce took another sip.

Linwin remained silent for a moment, also taking a sip of his drink, and said, "They are my brothers and sisters."

"No wonder."

There was a long, long silence.

"How do you see me?" Jayce asked after a while.

Linwin looked at Jayce, "We are brothers."

"Brothers?" Jayce self-mockingly smiled, saying, "But what you did doesn't seem like something a brother should do."

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize. If it were before, I would definitely be angry with you, but now I understand why you did this."

"Positions, huh." Jayce looked at Linwin and whispered, "What we do has no right or wrong."

"If I were you, maybe I would want to change everything too."

Linwin remained silent, not saying anything.

To Jayce, Linwin only felt guilt.

Because Jayce had really treated him as a brother.

Looking at the silent Linwin, Jayce suddenly said:

"But you're back, so can we still be friends in the future?"