Bai Mu didn't expect to meet Fan Jialuo, who was slowly approaching the community's gates in a car, as soon as he arrived at the Moon Bay Garden Community.

He stood at the side of the road, staring at the youth's face from afar.

Fan Jialuo seemed to look a little more beautiful than before, and his skin was also fairer.

His throat turned somewhat dry.

Yes, he was nervous—all because he did not know what this visit would cost him.

There was no free lunch provided in the world. If you wanted something, you had to either pay an equivalent price or one that was even higher for it.

Just like when his parents had brought Bai Lin into the house to support him as his life pillar—it had been this decision that had cost them one-tenth of the Bai Family's wealth, and eventually even their lives.

Fan Jialuo was a very mysterious person. What his thoughts were and what his heart was like—such things were completely unknown to him.

So, what would he ask for?

Bai Mu had no knowledge of what the other might demand, so he simply brought everything that he could bring. Money was the cheapest thing available to him, followed by contracts, resources and human relations.

However, at the same time, his heart seared with a deeply concealed worry, one which left him tossing and turning in anxiousness.

What if Fan Jialuo didn't want these things?

What if he turned out to be greedier and even more vicious than Bai Lin?

What if Fan Jialuo wanted his freedom, or his life, or even his soul?

Could he afford to make such a deal?

Furthermore, could he refuse?

Since an ordinary person like Bai Lin could push him into desperate straits, then Fan Jialuo should not even be mentioned. His ability made him that much more unpredictable.

In short, Fan Jialuo could do anything to him!

Such were the thoughts that filled Bai Mu's mind as he was on the way to this place.

The world was far darker than what people could see with their eyes. So, contemplating on such matters was only natural.

For the continuation of the Bai Family, for the benefit of his tens of thousands of employees, and also for himself—Bai Mu had no choice but to go to Fan Jialuo.

Seeing Fan Jialuo exit the car and say goodbye to the driver, he reflectively took a few steps back and questioned himself once again—Would he repeat the same mistakes of the past?

Would he end up bringing another 'Bai Lin' to his side, and thereby throw himself into more tragic dire straits?

While Bai Mu struggled with his thoughts and hesitated to step forward even an inch, Zhao Wenyan, filled with curiosity, openly watched him from the other side while secretly guessing his intentions for coming to the community.

—He should be here for Fan Jialuo.

As far as he knew, this man's life was somewhat strange.

He had been repeatedly struck by ill-fated occurrences after cutting ties with his foster brother. The various bizarre events and encounters that befell him had long become a much talked about side dish in the many business gatherings he frequented.

But recently, for some unknown reason, his life seemed to have changed for the better.

One of the overseas branches of his company suddenly discovered an inexhaustible oil field, while his domestic companies managed to re-establish their reputations, making their stock prices soar.

Then, his adopted brother lost his fortune; it was revealed that not only could he not sell the two companies he had founded, it also turned out that he owed billions of yuan in debt.

It had only taken Bai Mu a single week to reverse his situation—going from a person cornered in a dangerous situation to becoming an assassin poised to strike.

Now, everyone could be seen discussing the superb methods he had used to bring about a complete change in fortune.

And after seeing him here, Zhao Wenyan somewhat understood.

It was likely that the other side's change in fate was a result of Fan Jialuo's help.

Despite his numerous thoughts, he didn't probe the person next to him for any details.

Instead, he once again said to Fan Jialuo sincerely, "Thank you. Without you, I probably would have killed myself by now. You already know the whole situation, so even though I don't have the ability to escape from her, I still have the ability to render this body useless to her."

The smile pasted on Fan Jialuo's face faded away upon hearing this, and his expression slowly turned serious.

"By all means, never think of doing such a thing. Death is not the end, but the beginning of all suffering."

The sudden change in Fan Jialuo's mood caused Zhao Wenyan to feel uncontrollably flustered.

At a loss, he said, "I'm sorry, I said the wrong thing. In the future, no matter how difficult it is or how difficult it gets, I will persevere, because no one knows when hope will suddenly appear."

...and you are that hope.

Fan Jialuo looked into his eyes deeply before suddenly smiling.

"You're right. Hold on, keep holding on, for hope will surely appear."

Zhao Wenyan breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that the youth was finally showing his former tenderness and had once again returned to a state of harmony.

He didn't know why, but he was afraid to upset Fan Jialuo in any way.

But this feeling was different from his previous experiences. It wasn't like when he was being controlled by another person's feelings and thoughts. This time, his desire to do so came from the depths of his own heart.

He was eager to pay back the life-saving debt he owed to this person.

However, it seemed as if Fan Jialuo couldn't sense his intentions, or perhaps, he felt that there was no need to sense it. He bowed slightly and bid farewell politely.

Seeing this, Zhao Wenyan wanted to pull him back and talk to him some more, but he was unable to find any interesting topics to discuss.

In the end, he could only sulkily drive away.

Fan Jialuo walked towards Bai Mu. The other person nervously backed away a few steps in response before coming to a stop, standing stiffly.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, showing an expression that meant he was somewhat interested in this person's actions.

"Are you afraid of me? Why?"

Bai Mu licked his dry lips and then asked another question instead, "Mr. Fan, can we go inside and talk?"

Fan Jialuo had no intention of inviting him into his house.

There was nothing inside but a bed, a set of chairs and a table, and a bathtub.

He was no longer so out of touch with society and knew that his place was not suitable to welcome guests.

All of a sudden, their surroundings became silent.

From the moment of his appearance, the crickets, which had been buzzing noisily from their spot in the deep soil of the grass, had stiffened and become completely quiet, and all the birds nearby had quickly flown away.

Bai Mu had yet to notice this, but the bodyguards who were in charge of his protection had already begun to survey the surroundings with total alertness.

This kind of silence was beyond common sense. Since the community was located in a mountainous area, its surrounding ecosystem had been well protected throughout its construction.

It was impossible for it to be so desolate and silent, like it would be if the land were a piece of scorched earth.

In the dark, in an area indistinguishable to the naked eye, there must be something terrible hidden.

Not wanting these people to discover any more strangeness in their surroundings, Fan Jialuo urged, "Let's talk here, why are you looking for me?"

Bai Mu unconsciously touched the back of his hand that had been cut by a paper cutter.

Fan Jialuo suddenly seemed to realize something, and then apologized, "I'm sorry, I seem to have squandered too much."

But the thing he had squandered was not mentioned at all.

Bai Mu was ready to ask about this thing, but before he could do so, Fan Jialuo spoke once again, "Do all these cases contain cash? Don't you think it's dangerous to bring them around like this? Isn't there a convenient invention nowadays that seems to be called 'a bank card'?"

Bai Mu was silent for a moment before he said dryly, "I thought you'd prefer cash."

Fan Jialuo chuckled at the thought of their last meeting where he had asked for two thousand yuan in cash.

His hearty laughter completely drove away the surrounding silence, but also made the early summer night suddenly feel colder.

He waved his hand. "No, I don't like cash. Mr. Bai seems to have misunderstood something."

Instead of feeling reassured by this admission, Bai Mu felt himself tense up and become short of breath.

This—not wanting money—was precisely the worst situation that he had imagined.

Because the remaining items he had brought with him were more precious than money, and by actually bringing them, Bai Mu had already touched the bottom line he had set for himself.

If he couldn't afford the price demanded by Fan Jialuo, all of his recent achievements would once again encounter bad luck and fall into ruins.

He hated his own unfathomable fate, but he didn't have the power to change it at all.

His pale face crumbled at a speed visible to the naked eye even as his hoarse voice sounded out—

"What do you want?"

At that same time, his brain was racing around trying to find a bargaining chip or two that he could use in the negotiation.

Yet, before he could think of anything, the answer that came out of Fan Jialuo's mouth caused him to think that he had heard something wrong.

"Are you going to buy luck from me? The last two thousand yuan was just a joke, Mr. Bai. In fact, you don't have to pay me anything."

"What do you mean?"

His throat continued to tighten as his voice turned even hoarser.

Fan Jialuo chuckled again before he explained, "So, Mr. Bai, it's like this. You know how discarded garbage can be changed from 'waste' into 'treasure' and other valuable commodities after it enters the garbage treatment plant?

"Similarly, what Mr. Bai regards as a disaster—your bad luck— is nothing less than a treasure to me. The outcome of our trade will be that we will both actually get what we need. It's not a matter of who owes who, but rather one of what turns into what."

Bai Mu was silent for a long time before he managed to speak.

"Mr. Fan, in fact, you can just tell me what you want frankly. You can grasp this chance and ask for a lot from me. You must know that, under the control of fate, I am nothing more than a lamb at the brink of being slaughtered."

Such words were not something the usual sharp-witted Bai Mu would ever utter.

It was clear that the most important and beneficial action he could take would be to immediately agree with Fan Jialuo's words. Then, he could calmly ask the other to help him change the trajectory of his life again.

However, when he looked into the other party's deep and dark eyes, which were also extremely bright and clear at the same time, he chose to be frank and so stated his thoughts, because this person deserved such honesty.

"I dislike the feeling of being manipulated by fate. No, it's not just not a mild dislike, I utterly detest it. Since this is the case, then why should I treat others in the way I hate the most?" Fan Jailuo asked this question seriously.

Bai Mu was taken aback.

Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself.

Simply put, it was a principle. Anyone and everyone who knew this could easily recite it with their mouths, but how many would actually abide by it?

This person, who had even seen 'him' during his most poverty-stricken and distraught time, could still act and follow a belief with such firmness of mind...

Bai Mu's cheeks slowly heated up, going from a pale white to a blushing crimson. He was ashamed of his own narrow and dark thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I..." Before he could finish his words, Fan Jialuo came forward and caged him against the community boundary wall with his arms.

Because of his height being 180 cm, Fan Jialuo had to tilt his head up to look up at Bai Mu, yet the aura he emitted at this time was more imposing than that of an emperor.

"Don't resist!" Fan Jialuo whispered.

He opened his thin red lips and slowly approached the other man, as if... as if they were going to kiss.

Bai Mu stiffened from head to toe, but he could feel faint heat stirring within his heart.

Logic told him that he should struggle, but his body faithfully followed Fan Jialuo's order. He didn't resist, nor did he retreat.

The bodyguards, who were still carrying the heavy metal cases, were dumbfounded.

They looked at each other and asked silently, "What should we do? Do customers need our protection even in such a situation?"

The answer, of course, was no. So, they formed a semi-circle around the two and turned their backs on the pair.

All Bai Mu could do was watch as Fan Jialuo slowly closed the distance between them.

The back of his head was being held by the youth, and his fingers had carded themselves into his hair.

The other party gently pressed against his scalp to bring his head down, in order to make their lips draw closer and closer, bringing their faces closer than an inch, so close that even their breathing and body temperature had started to blend together.

"Are you ready?" Fan Jialuo asked again.

The puff of warm air made Bai Mu blush.

"Ready," Bai Mu replied hoarsely.

Although he said so, the fact was that he had no idea what he should be prepared for.

Was it to get ready for a kiss?

He seemed to be a straight man, but why was it that he couldn't resist?

The very next second, Fan Jialuo took a deep breath.

And at that very instant, the dark substances and miasma filled with misfortune that had always shrouded and infested Bai Mu began to violently whirl. They slowly formed a steady stream and headed towards Fan Jialuo's nose, upon entering which they became the much-needed nourishment required for enriching his body and strengthening his divine sense.

...