Upon returning home, Fan Garo immediately lay down in a bathtub filled with water and fell into a deep sleep. If nothing unusual happened, he would sleep for a day, two days, three days, and even longer until he was awakened by some kind of premonition. The invisible black energy permeating the surroundings of the neighborhood seemed to be gradually converging over building number one and pouring into the small bathtub as if reversing the flow of a river or a sea.
After some time had passed, the clear water in the bathtub had turned black and was emitting white mist, the temperature inside the room had dropped rapidly, and all sorts of creatures, from snakes and insects to birds and beasts, had already kept their distance from the whirlpool of black energy, hiding in the darkness and emitting anxious howls or calls.
In the security booth, the guards playing cards whispered, "What kind of animal is making that sound? It's terrifying!"
"It sounds like an owl."
"Owl calls are not this scary!"
"It's a cuckoo. I haven't heard the cuckoo call for many years. They say that when a cuckoo calls at night, someone nearby either dies or meets with misfortune."
"Stop talking. Is there a shortage of misfortune in our neighborhood?"
"It's really eerie! Have you felt it? The temperature in our neighborhood has been consistently lower than outside in the past few days. I'm sweating like a pig when I come to work, but when I enter the neighborhood, I have to put on an extra coat."
"Yeah, I've felt it too! I even need an extra blanket when I go to sleep at night!"
"What's making that sound again? Hissing, like a snake hissing."
"Turn up the TV, let's continue playing cards!"
"Sure, sure, let's play cards! If you get tired of playing, you can squeeze into the duty room with me. The dorms are far from here, you can't be bothered to make the trip again, can you?"
"That's what we think too. Let's play cards, I'll be the landlord!"
The group of guards stubbornly continued playing cards all night, returning to their dorms with dark eye bags only after the sun rose. Fan Garo's sleep was undisturbed, with no signs of when he might awaken.
---
When Bai Mu returned home, it was neither early nor late, just around nine in the evening. Seeing him driving back by himself once again, the butler, Uncle Li, was frightened and pleaded with him not to take such risks in the future.
"I'm fine," Bai Mu replied as he changed into slippers and walked upstairs, untying his tie and taking off his coat, revealing a shirt stained with blood.
Seeing his distressing state, Uncle Li was alarmed once again and immediately notified the doctor living in the auxiliary building of the villa to come and attend to him. Countless dangers had been encountered by the young master recently - while eating, walking, working, and even during sleep, he faced unimaginable and inexplicable disasters.
In order to ensure the young master's safety to the maximum extent, Uncle Li not only hired bodyguards but also brought in the doctor and a set of medical equipment into the house.
Bai Mu felt helpless in face of Uncle Li’s earnest persuasion but also deeply touched, so he didn't refute anything and obediently sat on the sofa, waiting for the doctor to come and dress his wounds. As he looked around the living room, he noticed that Uncle Li had once again made significant changes to the interior of the villa. All sharp edges were wrapped in soft cotton cloth, fragile objects had been removed, and all knives had disappeared. Uncle Li had made the utmost effort to protect him; otherwise, he might have died hundreds of times by now.
"Master Bai, I've locked the kitchen, and the key is with me. If you're hungry, just let me know, and I'll bring you food. I've already removed the gym; those instruments are too dangerous for you. It doesn't matter if you have a good physique or not; what's most important is your survival. I've added railings to the French windows in your bedroom, so if you fall, you won't tumble down the stairs this time. Oh, I've also installed protective nets outside the windows on every floor, so if you fall, the net will catch you....”
Bai Mu listened very patiently, nodding in agreement from time to time, but deep down, he felt a sense of desolation and absurdity. Had he really come to live such a life? If there really were a god of death, his name would surely be the first on the list. Lurking in the shadows, setting lethal traps for him at every turn, whether he could survive had become the central theme of his life. He couldn't feel happiness, nor could he hold any hope, only boundless worries and fear remained.
For a brief moment, Bai Mu truly felt tired and thought, what am I struggling for? What meaning is there in this kind of life? Maybe I should just die! Yet in the next instant, a shining face and a pair of deep, black eyes suddenly entered his mind, jolting him back to his senses.
He opened his wallet and found that there was only seventy-five yuan left inside, then smiled happily, "Good thing it wasn’t a dream." He sighed softly, feeling a newfound sense of tranquility within.
Just at this moment, the phone placed on the coffee table rang, and a text message popped up on the screen: "[I'm waiting to see when you will kneel down and beg for mercy from me! Compare patience with me, do you have that capital?]" There was no doubt that this message was sent by Bai Lin; he would not let go of the huge fortune of the Bai family, and he firmly believed that Bai Mu would definitely compromise.
Uncle Li caught a glimpse of the text message on the phone, and all of his advices turned into boiling anger. "Xiao Mu, there are many ways to solve problems, we don't necessarily have to use underhanded means. We can directly eliminate the root of the problem…"
Bai Mu suddenly grabbed Uncle Li's much thinner hand and said solemnly, "Do you remember the family motto of the Bai family, Uncle Li?"
Uncle Li remained silent for a long time before replying, "Upright conduct, staying away from the wrong path."
Bai Mu nodded and said, "So even though I have reached a dead end, I must uphold my dignity. At most, I will lose, but that's no big deal, and besides, I might not lose now."
Bai Mu indeed had the confidence to say such things now. He felt that his body and mind had returned to their peak state, even better than before—his body was stronger, his mind clearer. Even after a busy day outside, he didn't feel hungry or tired at all.
After bandaging his wounds, he entered the study to handle the large amount of official business that had accumulated over the past few days. No matter how lengthy and complex the documents were, he only needed to read them once to fully grasp the key points and give appropriate instructions. He even modified many decisions he had made earlier, convened several international conferences, and made adjustments to the latest investment projects of the overseas subsidiaries.
He was originally a business genius, and after removing the obstacles of bad luck, everything went smoothly for him. He keenly perceived that the changes brought to the company by today's "paper helmet safety incident" were not as simple as changing a construction contractor. If handled properly, not only could the Moon Bay neighborhood be revitalized, but even the Dingcheng Group could successfully navigate through the crisis of the broken financial chain.
He pondered for a moment and then called his confidants or friends one by one: "Ye Wei, go to the major construction sites in the city and investigate which manufacturer produces the safety equipment they use, and make a statistical table for me."
"Chief Editor Fang, are you free recently? Shall we have a meal together?"
"General Qian, I want to ask you something…"
Bai Mu was so busy that it was already half past five in the morning, but the exhaustion and suffocation that once permeated every pore of his body, making it impossible for him to think about anything, had not appeared. He was in his prime, and with his habit of exercising and getting up early, his physical condition should have been very strong. Staying up all night occasionally had only a negligible impact on him, so his current feeling was normal, while the sense of impending death, like that of an elderly person, was abnormal and unusual.
Is this the real me? Bai Mu walked to the window, looked at the faint morning light emerging from the gap in the distant mountains, and laughed with an incomparable ease.
Three days later, a major news broke in Beijing—Dingsheng Group unexpectedly discovered a large number of counterfeit safety equipment on its own construction sites, including safety helmets thinner than paper, safety nets not much stronger than nylon ropes, and safety ladders with missing screws, etc. Upon discovering this, instead of concealing it, Dingsheng Group immediately conducted self-inspection and rectification on the spot, and terminated cooperation with the construction contractor.
But the matter did not end there. Dingsheng Group found that the vast majority of construction sites in Beijing were using safety equipment from this unscrupulous manufacturer, even including several water conservancy projects and several interstate bridges, which had employed tens of thousands of construction workers.
In other words, this incident not only damaged the interests of Dingsheng Group, but also involved the lives of tens of thousands of construction workers! Dingsheng Group immediately reported this situation to the relevant authorities. Once the news was disclosed by the media, the highest leaders of Beijing immediately issued strict inspection instructions and dispatched a special investigation team for surprise inspections.
The unscrupulous manufacturer could monopolize the entire business in Beijing, naturally relying on something. The ins and outs had long since been thoroughly investigated and utilized by Bai Mu. The officials involved in the incident were investigated that day, and a few businessmen also kept their heads down and dared not show themselves. Coincidentally, these officials and businessmen were the same group who advocated for suppressing or even dividing the Dingsheng Group.
The situation continued to escalate, and Dingsheng Group had already turned the tide. The questions about why there were frequent accidents at the Moon Bay neighborhood finally obtained an answer—it was not due to bad Feng Shui, but the unscrupulous construction merchants! Dingsheng had been falsely accused!
In an instant, the reputation of the Moon Bay neighborhood was reversed; the construction company paid a huge breach of contract compensation, immediately making up for the losses caused by the delay in construction period by Dingsheng Group. Without the manipulation of corrupt officials, several bank loans were approved, immediately mending the fractured financial chain of the group. This commercial giant, which had seemed to be on the verge of sinking, obtained a new beginning from the disaster.
Waiting eagerly for Bai Mu to come and beg for forgiveness, Bai Lin looked at the favorable news about Dingsheng Group that kept popping up on his phone, and almost exploded with anger on the spot. He fiercely slammed the phone to the ground, and unwillingly roared, "Why can Bai Mu turn the tables? Why? Isn't he a born jinx?"