When Fan Jialuo returned home, he laid in his bathtub full of water and fell asleep. If nothing happened in the near future, he expected to sleep for a day, two days, three days, or maybe even for a longer period, but that would only be until a certain premonition woke him up.

The invisible black air that circulated throughout Moon Bay Garden Community seemed to be attracted by something. It gradually condensed over Building 1, and then flowed into the small bathtub, just like the way water ebbs and flows in the rivers and the seas.

An unknown amount of time passed, during which the originally clear water in the bathtub had turned black, and wisps of white mist now slowly rose from its surface. The temperature in the room quickly fell below normal, and the snakes, the rats, the ants, the birds, and other animals in the surroundings had long fled to avoid the whirlpool formed by the black miasma. They crouched hidden in the dark, involuntarily sounding out uneasy roars and chirps.

Several security guards had gathered to play cards in the security booth and upon hearing the echoing cries, they whispered, "What kind of animal is that? It sounds really weird!"

"It sounds like an owl."

"How can an owl's cry be so terrible!"

"It's the Asian koel. I haven't heard such a loud cuckoo for years. They all say that when a cuckoo shouts into the night, its a sign that there are either dead people or disasters nearby!"

"Don't talk about it any more. Is there not enough disaster in our community?"

"It really is strange though! Do you feel it? In recent days, the temperature in our community has obviously become lower than the temperature outside. I come to work sweaty, but I have to add another layer and wear a coat after entering the community."

"Yes, yes, I feel it too! I have to add a quilt to my bed at night!"

"What's this sound? It seems to be hissing, like a snake spitting out its tongue."

"Turn the TV volume up, let's just play cards!"

"Okay, good! Let's continue playing cards! You can squeeze in with me in the duty room when you get tired. The dormitory is far away from here, and you don't want to have to run all the way there, do you?"

"That's what we meant of course. Let's play cards, call me landlord!"

These security guards played cards all night long, and they only returned to their dormitory the next day, under the light of the morning sun, bearing prominent dark circles.

On the other hand, the sleeping Fan Jialuo showed no movements, and no one knew when he would wake up.

-

It was neither early nor late by the time Bai Mu arrived home, it was just past nine o'clock at night. Upon seeing him drive himself back again, Uncle Li, the housekeeper, was frightened and repeatedly begged him not to take any more risks in the future.

"I'm fine." Bai Mu changed into indoor slippers and strode to the second floor. As he walked, he tore of his tie, took of his coat and exposed his shirt stained with blood.

Seeing his tragic appearance, Uncle Li was once again left flustered. He immediately informed the doctor who lived on the second floor of the residence to attend to Bi Mu.

Recently, the young master had been encountering more and more dangers. Whether it was while eating, walking, working, or even just sleeping, he would always end up encountering inexplicable disasters that a mere bystander couldn't hope to even imagine.

In order to ensure the safety of his young master to the greatest extent, Uncle Li not only hired bodyguards, but also brought the doctor and a complete set of medical equipment home.

Bai Mu felt helpless at his nagging persuasions, but it also gave him a very warm feeling, so he didn't retort at all and simply sat on the sofa, waiting for the doctor to bandage his wounds.

Taking a glance around the living room, Bai Mu realized that Uncle Li had once again renovated the interior decor of the house. All the edges of walls and pieces of furniture which had sharp corners had been wrapped in soft cotton cloth, fragile items had been removed, and even knives were nowhere to be seen. In order to protect him, Uncle Li had truly done his best, otherwise he might already have died hundreds of times earlier.

"Young Master, I have locked the kitchen door. The key is with me. If you are hungry, please tell me and I will help bring over some food. I've also removed the gym equipment because it's too dangerous for you. It doesn't matter whether or not we are in good shape. The most important thing is to be alive.

"The window walls in your bedroom have been fitted with rails to make sure you don't fall down. In addition, I also had a protective net installed under the windows of each floor. Even if you do fall, the netting should be able to catch you..."

Bai Mu listened patiently, and nodded from time to time, but his heart was filled with sadness and absurdity at the circumstances surrounding him.

Was this how he had been living all this while?

If there was a God of Death in the world, his own name must be at the very top of their list. Such a god lurked, hidden in the darkness, and kept arranging countless deadly traps for him. Whether or not he would live had become the theme his whole life revolved around. There was never time to experience any happiness or hope, he only suffered endless worries and fears.

For a moment, Bai Mu felt very tired. He thought to himself- what must I struggle with next? Is there any meaning of living such a life? In that case, it's better to die!

This morbid thought surged intensely but in the next second, a pale white face with a pair of bottomless black pupils suddenly burst into his mind, and he found that he was sober.

He opened his wallet and looked inside it to see that there was only seventy-five yuan left in it. He smiled happily.

"Fortunately, it wasn't a dream," He sighed in a low and inaudible manner, and gradually felt an unprecedented peace settle in his heart.

Ah that moment, the mobile phone on the coffee table tinkled, and a text message appeared on the screen:

[I'll wait to see you kneeling down and begging for mercy! Do you have the guts to test my patience?]

Without doubt, that message was from Bai Lin. He had no intention of ever letting go of the Bai Family's large amounts of property and assets, and firmly believing that Bai Mu would have no choice but to compromise.

Uncle Li glanced at the text message displayed on the mobile phone, and all his admonitions abruptly turned into a seething rage.

"Xiao Bai, there are many ways to solve the problem. We don't have to comply with his scheme of eradicating the root of all the trouble..."

Bai Mu suddenly grasped Uncle Li's withered hands and said cautiously, "What is the family motto of the Bai Family? Do you remember it Uncle Li?"

Uncle Li was silent for a long time before he replied, "Stand up and stay upright, never go astray."

Bai Mu nodded. "So, even if I'm in a desperate situation, I must remain upright. It's not a big deal to lose, at worst, what I'll be facing is death. What's more, I may not lose anything now."

The current Bai Mu really had the confidence to say such things. He felt that his body and mind were back to their peak condition, or maybe, even better than before. After all, he felt that his body was stronger and when thinking, his mind was clearer. He also didn't feel tired or hungry, even after he had been busying about outside for the whole day.

After getting the wound bandaged, he headed to the study to deal with the pile of official duties that had accumulated over the past few days. Bai Mu found that even for the lengthy and complicated documents, he only needed to read them once to fully grasp the key points and note down the corresponding instructions. He even ended up revising many of the previous decisions that he had already made, holding several international conferences to rectify the latest investment projects undertaken by the subsidiaries overseas.

He used to be a genius of the business industry, and without the obstacle of 'bad luck', every action of his was smooth. He was acutely aware that today's 'paper-shell safety helmet accident' had brought the company more than a simple change of the construction team.

If properly utilised, not only could Moon Bay Garden Community be revitalized, even Dingsheng International Company might be able to successfully survive the crisis formed by the rupture in the funding chain.

He thought for a moment, then called his confidants and friends one by one.

"Ye Wei, you go to the major construction sites in the city on an unannounced visit, see which manufacturer's safety facilities they use, and make a statistical table for me."

"Editor Fang, are you free recently? Shall we have a meal together?"

"Mr. Qian, I called because I wanted to ask you something..."

Bai Mu was busy until 5:30 in the morning. However, the fatigue and suffocation that always soaked every pore of his and disabled him from thinking about anything never appeared.

He was in the prime of his life. He had maintained a habit of keeping fit, going to bed early and waking up early. His physical condition should be very strong simply on the basis of these habits.

Staying up all night once in a while should then expectedly have little effect on him, so his current condition was actually 'normal', and this was in direct contrast to the past, where the sense of an approaching death, which was mostly seen in old men, had become a constant existence in his life-something that was obviously strange and 'abnormal' for a man his age.

Is this the real me?

Bai Mu walked to the window and watched as dawn broke, with the sun rising from behind a distant mountain. He smiled with great ease.

-

Three days later, a big piece of news broke out in Beijing. Dingsheng International Company had discovered a large number of fake and shoddy safety equipment at its own construction site, which included a helmet thinner than a paper shell, a safety net less powerful than nylon rope and a safety ladder without screws installed, among other shocking items.

After realizing the existence of such a situation, not only did Dingsheng International Company not conceal it, but it also implemented self-inspection and self-correction measures with immediate effect, thus resolving the issue and retaining their cooperative relationship with the labour contractor.

But it was not over yet.

Dingsheng International Company's investigations also revealed that most of the construction sites in Beijing were using the safety equipment produced by this black-hearted manufacturer. This included several water conservancy projects and cross-provincial bridge projects, and the news attracted the attention of tens of thousands of construction workers.

In other words, this incident not only damaged the interests of Dingsheng International Company, but it also affected the lives of tens of thousands of construction workers!

Dingsheng International Company didn't hesitate to immediately share this information with the relevant parties. Then, after the news was disclosed by the media, Beijing's top leaders immediately issued instructions for a strict examination to be conducted, even sending out a special investigation team to carry out surprise inspections.

The fact that this black-hearted manufacturer could monopolize the supply for the entire city's construction industry was naturally due to his reliance on a hidden backer. The identities of the people in that 'reliance' had been made crystal clear to Bai Mu and he could make use of this information.

The involved officials were subjected to double regulation on the very same day, and a few businessmen involved in it shrunk their heads, not daring to stand out. No one knew if it was simply a coincidence, but in the list of officials and businessmen involved, were the names of the main force that had sought to suppress and even divide Dingsheng International Company.

And as the situation continued to ferment, Dingsheng International Company had ushered in a turnaround. The question of why accidents happened frequently in Moon Bay Garden Community was finally answered by the outside world-It wasn't caused by bad feng shui, but by the black-hearted manufacturer! Dingsheng had just been the one carrying the black pot!

Not long after, Moon Bay Garden Community's reputation was reversed; the black-hearted safety equipment manufacturer had to compensate a large amount in liquidated damages, which instantly recouped the losses suffered by Dingsheng International Company due to the delay in construction.

Without the unscrupulous officials who had ulterior motives-wanting to gain a stranglehold over the company-several bank loans were approved, which forthwith made up for the deficiency in the company's funding chain, one that was about to break. The giant business ship that was initially on the verge of sinking to the bottom finally made a gain from the setback, and could finally start sailing again.

Bai Lin, who was waiting for Bai Mu to kneel down and beg for his help, almost exploded on the spot after reading the news articles that were popping up on his mobile phone one by one-all good news for Dingsheng International.

He threw his cell phone to the ground, shouting, "How is it possible for Bai Mu to be able to turn the situation around? Why? Isn't he just a broom star?"

An old man in a Taoist robe sat beside Bai Lin and pondered, "Yes, why indeed? It shouldn't be long before he dies. When I saw him last time, his body had been covered by so much bad luck that I couldn't even see his face clearly."

"Wrapped in bad luck? Just look at him. Does that look like someone who is supposed to be wrapped in bad luck? Ha?!"

Bai Lin shouted himself hoarse as the tablet in his hand pushed up a new piece of breaking news-Dingsheng International's subsidiary company in Mexico has discovered a very rich offshore oil field, and has now reached a cooperative development agreement with the Mexico government.

Just a few minutes after this piece of news was released, the stock price of Dingsheng International, which had already been on the rise, immediately jumped up in a sharp spike, and directly led to Bai Lin's acquisition plan being ruined, as the billions of yuan he had embezzled from the Bai Family had now been fully recovered.

Just who was the broom star and who was the lucky star?

Now, it was no longer certain.

...