Eternal International Holding Group is the leading enterprise in Jiangzhou City, ranking among the top one hundred private enterprises in the country, with overseas operations covering more than a dozen countries and regions, and total assets exceeding one hundred billion.
The helmsman of this renowned commercial empire was none other than Du Jiutang.
Aside from high-end real estate development, new energy technology, financial investment, and asset management, the core business sectors of the Eternal Group also exclusively agency multiple international first-line luxury brands, independently built high-end women’s and men’s wear along with light luxury jewelry, while simultaneously dabbling in fashion media and celebrity commercial endorsements, firmly holding the power of discourse in the fashion industry.
Tonight, the Du family was hosting a charity banquet, also known as the money-sending banquet. In order to establish ties with the Du family, those artists in the entertainment industry who made a fortune yet were stingy could only use charitable donations as a stepping stone.
Of course, the big-name stars in the entertainment industry at this banquet could only be considered small fry; the true big fish were the power holders from all walks of life.
For the Du family, the nature of the charity banquet was not about how much money was spent, but rather how much fame and fortune was gathered. Annual, magnificent, and thriving.
However, tonight, this wind turned into a demonic wind, and water even entered some people’s heads.
“I am sorry, but Mr. Du said he does not know this man and this teenager,” the butler said politely to the police. “He will not step forward because of some absurd and unfounded remarks.”
If Du Jiutang appeared publicly before the police, no matter what he said, it would substantiate the fantasy of buying a sex slave.
It was simply the height of absurdity under heaven.
“Steward Xu, you are fired,” the butler immediately said to the manager.
The manager still wanted to beg for mercy, but seeing the butler’s fake smile, he immediately backed down. He figured it was wiser to pack up and run away. Dawei, upon seeing this, was so anxious that he scratched his ears and cheeks. “I did give the manager a little benefit, but that was all for Li Su! Good brothers always help each other out through thick and thin.”
Li Lisu retorted, “Officer, do not listen to his sophistry! If that Mr. Du were not a man of integrity and refused to accept me as a little slave, I would have been violated right now!”
College students speaking really had no sense of propriety.
Several police officers gave a dry cough. Seeing that the cars around were getting more and more congested, one of them said, “Perhaps there is some misunderstanding in all of this. How about this? I will take him back for investigation, and if you are willing to cooperate, you can come back to the police station with us.”
Li Lisu nodded. “I am willing to cooperate.”
Dawei’s full face of fleshy muscles twitched. “Li Su, you cannot bite the hand that feeds you! I brought you to the Du family to find a job, yet you turn around and rake me over the coals?”
Li Lisu frowned. “I just finished the college entrance examination and am going to Jiangzhou University, and I still have two months before I turn adult. Why would I look for a job at this time? You are clearly lying.” Even though he had time-traveled, his age was right there; it was impossible for him to be in a rush to find a job, meaning there must have been something else going on.
This Brother Wei was not telling the truth and had concealed the most crucial matter, giving Li Lisu every reason to suspect that he had been set up.
“College entrance examination? You should take a look at yourself in the mirror. With that vase-like face of yours, do you look like someone who is good at studying? You dropped out of school a long time ago!” Dawei said with a sneer of utter contempt.
Like a bolt from the blue, had he, who had just time-traveled, already dropped out of school? Li Lisu stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning. When he finally came to his senses, he suddenly noticed a yellow Ferrari parked not far away, its headlights shining brilliantly like lightbulbs, with a young man sitting in the driver’s seat.
The young man had decent facial features, but his gaze was gloomy, and he was frowning as he stared fixedly at him.
Li Lisu questioned silently with a symbol.
Immediately afterward, the phone in Li Lisu’s pants pocket vibrated.
Cousin: What on earth are you playing at?
Before Li Lisu could confirm whether that young man was the one who had sent him the message, two figures, one tall and one thin, walked over from the side of the traffic flow. Both were dressed in casual suits with meticulously groomed hair. The tall young man in front was towering in stature, with rugged facial features, sharp brows, and eyes that exuded an elite aura throughout. The young man who followed him possessed natural smiling lips and peach blossom eyes, looking effortlessly romantic and amorous whenever he gazed at someone.
The butler bowed slightly. “First Young Master, Second Young Master.”
Li Lisu estimated their ages to be around twenty or so. “Are you the younger brothers of that Mr. Du? You guys judge this: this bad guy wants to sell me to your older brother as a sex slave.”
Dawei fell silent.
The tall and rugged young man’s expression remained unchanged, but the peach-blossom-eyed young man asked in astonishment, “Sex slave? Is that what I think it means?”
Li Lisu wore a look of utter humiliation, his eyes welling up with tears as he nodded.
Dawei broke down completely. “Li Su, I am begging you to stop saying those two words! God damn it, even if I jumped into the Yellow River, I could never wash myself clean now!”
Li Lisu stated firmly, “You are a bad person and should be arrested and shot by a firing squad. I am still a minor.”
Dawei failed to catch his breath and was so angry he almost fainted on the spot.
The traffic remained jammed, and it was not only Du Family’s First Young Master Du Zhuo and Second Young Master Mu An who were growing impatient; some celebrities had already stepped out of their cars, walking over in a seductive manner in hopes of establishing connections with them. Du Zhuo only gave a cold, perfunctory nod before reaching out toward Li Lisu. “Let me see your ID card.”
Li Lisu was puzzled. “Why do you want to see my ID card?”
“My father’s conduct is upright and honest; he would never buy a sex slave. If you are slandering him today, I will take you to court. I need to know your name.”
Li Lisu’s reaction was half a beat slower. “Your father?”
“Du Jiutang is legally my adoptive father.”
“Is that Mr. Du that old? You truly cannot tell at all.” Li Lisu had thought Du Jiutang was only around twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
“Your ID card.”
Mu An curved his peach blossom eyes and smiled. “What, are you afraid?”
Generally speaking, applying for a job required bringing the original ID card. Upholding the attitude that an upright person had nothing to fear, Li Lisu rummaged through his backpack and took out a stack of documents wrapped in kraft paper, figuring this must be his own job application resume.
Li Lisu could already imagine that under the skills section, it probably read: Bed climbing.
This was a supreme humiliation!
Li Lisu glared fiercely at Dawei. “Where is your ID card? I want to confront you in court.”
Dawei had nothing to say.
The police officer demanded, “Hand it out for registration.”
Dawei hesitated. “I did not bring it.”
“Recite your ID number.”
“I do not remember it.”
“No worries, once you arrive at the police station, you will remember it.”
While they were speaking, Du Zhuo had already taken the file bag and pulled out a stack of paper documents. The ID card was nowhere to be seen, but the bold heading DNA Paternity Test Opinion Report came strikingly into view.
Du Zhuo flipped through it quickly until reaching the final page, reading the conclusion aloud in a low voice: “After testing, it is supported that a parent-child relationship exists between Du Jiutang and Li Su (99.99%+).”
Mu An asked, “What does that mean?”
Du Zhuo turned back to question Li Lisu. “Your name is Li Su?”
Li Lisu wanted to say no, but since his current identity was Li Su, he nodded.
“You are my father’s illegitimate child?”
“Ah?”
Mu An looked at Dawei and then back at Li Lisu. “Delivering an illegitimate child to your biological father to act as a sex slave, now that is explosive material.”
Dawei’s already collapsed face looked as though he had just swallowed a pound of fatal poison, and his knees trembled so violently that he dropped to his knees right on the spot. “Your Honor, I am wronged! This humble person was blind and had no sense of Mount Tai, never knowing that Li Su was actually Mr. Du’s illegitimate child!”
His booming voice, loud as a broken gong, could be heard from ten miles away.
“Young master, you have harmed this humble person so bitterly! It turns out you did not come here to apply for a job, but rather to acknowledge your relatives!” Dawei wailed miserably, putting on a pitiful act.
Li Lisu was horrified. “Whose ancient villain has been reincarnated and reborn? Could your past life be Zhao Gao who pointed at a deer and called it a horse?”
Du Zhuo glanced at the dramatically exaggerating Dawei and said calmly, “Whether he is an illegitimate child remains to be seen. By making such a loud fuss, it rather looks like you have ulterior motives.”
Dawei’s eye twitched as he forced a flattering smile. “I would never dare. I truly did not expect Li Su to be here to acknowledge his family. If Li Su had said so earlier, there would have been no part for me to play.”
“I am only afraid that this test is fake and that the two of you are in cahoots.”
Just as Li Lisu was about to clear his name, he heard the butler, who had just finished his call, say, “Pardon the interruption, but Mr. Du is already aware of this paternity test report. Please invite this young friend inside to speak face-to-face.”
The only person present who could possibly be called a young friend was the underage Li Lisu.
Li Lisu widened his eyes as a flash of doubt crossed his mind. Could the paternity test not be groundless after all? After all, he had just transmigrated and was not entirely clear about his true identity.
The butler exchanged a few words with the police to reach a consensus, then turned to Li Lisu with a polite gesture. “Please.”
Li Lisu gripped his backpack straps tightly, looking at the slowly opening gates of the estate. Though glittering and magnificent, it felt like a ferocious beast.
Dawei, on the other hand, was eager to try, asking with twelve parts of excitement and careful cautiousness, “Then I…”
“This way, please.” The police officer opened the police car door for him.
Dawei was rendered speechless.
Next came family business, which no one else could easily interfere with. Li Lisu followed the butler through the gates, leaving behind a cacophony of noisy voices and a serpentine procession of luxury cars, each eager to tunnel into the paradise of the Du family to scoop up a basket full of wealth.
And that very basket of wealth was currently hidden inside that paternity test report.
Did pies really fall from the sky in this world?
Li Lisu suspected he was being set up again. However, soldiers would be blocked by generals and water blocked by earth; at worst, he would simply confess to that Mr. Du that the paternity test was fake and leave the exact same way he came in.
In the vast front yard of the estate, the lawn was trimmed as neatly as a vibrant green velvet carpet. Standing in the center of the fountain was a snow-white stone sculpture of a goddess holding a vase, with a gentle stream of water flowing from it, surrounded by four little angels in varying poses.
The milky-white pitched-roof main building featured arched floor-to-ceiling windows that reflected the shimmering ripples of the setting sun.
Though it looked close, Li Lisu followed behind the steadily pacing butler and walked for a full four to five minutes. On the other side, the wealthy elites were being guided toward a banquet hall hidden inside the rose garden on the other flank of the estate, each looking glamorous yet acting like restless ghosts.
Li Lisu looked around and mentally grasped the situation. It seemed that this Mr. Du was the stellar figure of this world, with everyone revolving around him.
Such a person should hardly have a shortage of people trying to climb into his bed.
Could that be why he had an illegitimate child?
Something felt off somewhere, prompting Li Lisu to ask, “Pardon me, how old is Mr. Du?”
The butler replied, “I apologize, but I cannot disclose that.”
Mu An casually chimed in, “Just turned thirty.”
Li Lisu was left speechless.
Doing a quick calculation, Du Jiutang would have had an illegitimate child at age twelve. Was that even possible?
Entering the main building, one was greeted by a lavish yet classic and elegant interior: black-and-white marble mosaic floor tiles, high-ceilinged grayish-beige spaces, a curved staircase winding upward, and brass crystal chandeliers sparkling brilliantly above the fireplace. Fresh-cut irises bloomed beside the carved armrests of the high-backed sofas, complementing the purplish-gray oil paintings on the walls.
“Please wait a moment.” The butler went upstairs to announce their arrival.
Leaving the sofa on the eastern side of the main seat vacant, Du Zhuo and Mu An naturally took their seats. Mu An picked up the paternity test and quickly scanned through it. “Jiangzhou Yonghui Hospital. A certificate issued by this kind of non-tertiary hospital has a credibility that is heavily discounted.”
Li Lisu thought: Heavily discounted? It was probably completely fraudulent.
“Little brother, do not just stand there,” Mu An said, patting the sofa beside him like calling a cat or dog. “Come over and sit.”
Li Lisu could not possibly sit down. He shook his head and offered a shy smile.
Noticing the teenager’s obedient and handsome facial features, Mu An teased, “Even if you are not my dad’s illegitimate child, you can still recognize me as an older brother. I will teach you how to cheat at cards.”
“Ah?”
“First Young Master, Second Young Master, Mr. Du invites you to go to the rose garden first.” The butler materialized like a ghost coming down the stairs.
Mu An raised an eyebrow slightly, patted his pants, and stood up. “Fine then, let me know when there are results.”
Du Zhuo said nothing further and stood up, heading to the banquet hall a step ahead.
The spacious living room quieted down. A servant brewed a pot of black tea, and the butler stood rigidly by the fireplace like a telephone pole before offering a sudden warning: “Mr. Du is in a rather bad mood.”
Anyone who was first rumored to be buying a sex slave and then inexplicably saddled with an illegitimate child would be in a bad mood.
Twiddling his fingers apologetically, Li Lisu said, “I will apologize.” Although he was also an innocent victim of trafficking.
The butler smiled. “Mr. Du is broad-minded and certainly will not hold it against you.”
Then, Li Lisu heard steady footsteps. Leather shoes landed on the thick carpet almost silently, but the stature towering far above the staircase banister, the tall and upright pine-like height, and that deeply striking face carrying overwhelming pressure made it impossible to ignore.
Du Jiutang did not possess a purely Eastern appearance. Although his brows and eyes were a rich black, his rugged facial features contained a scholarly restraint. Yet one could still catch glimpses of barbarian genes from his high brow ridge, prominent slightly hooked nose bridge, and thin lips.
Especially when his eyes, hidden beneath thick and long eyelashes, lowered to look down, it felt as though he were gazing at mere ants.
Li Lisu suddenly could not remember what Du Jiutang had looked like during their initial encounter in the car. The man before him wore a face full of impending storm and heavy dark clouds, practically radiating a murderous aura.
This was hardly meeting an illegitimate child; it looked more like meeting a sworn enemy of eight lifetimes.
Du Jiutang’s gaze was so cold it looked like a demon crawling straight out of hell, lacking even the pretense of acting.
Li Lisu shuddered violently all over, a chill sweeping across his scalp. Would his little life really end right here today?
The butler was also startled, having never witnessed such a stern and severe expression on Du Jiutang before. “Mr. Du, are you feeling unwell? Shall I call a doctor?”
Du Jiutang remained silent, walking slowly and closing in on Li Lisu.
Li Lisu stepped backward; a half-grown teenager would still feel panicked when facing absolute oppression.
Du Jiutang felt his head splitting with a pounding pain as countless memories pierced his mind like shards of broken glass. Every single projected scene featured this seemingly pure and good-natured teenager:
“Dad? I called you dad, and you actually took it seriously? How laughable.”
“My family consists only of my cousin; everyone else is merely a stepping stone.”
“The protagonist of this world is my cousin, Long Ling, while you, Du Jiutang, are just a villain. What future does a villain have? Of course I choose the Overpowered Protagonist.”
“As for Du Zhuo and Mu An, blame them for choosing the wrong camp and standing opposite the protagonist as your sons. If they had surrendered at Long Ling’s feet earlier to become his underlings, they wouldn’t have died.”
“Du Jiutang, your run as a villain has been worth it. Playing to the very end, everyone else got eliminated or died, and yet you were still the only one able to go toe-to-toe with Long Ling. Unfortunately, you were never the protagonist in the end.”
“For the sake of our time as father and son, I will leave you with one final sentence: do not cross paths with me in your next life.”
The yacht was swallowed by howling gales, driving rain, and turbulent waves on the high seas. Rushing seawater poured into Du Jiutang’s limbs, bones, soul, and visceral organs with bone-chilling coldness.
A brief dream of millet cooking, and in the blink of an eye, the stars reversed and time flowed backward. The present moment was Du Jiutang’s next life.
And once again, he had encountered his youngest son. Fate always loved playing tricks on people.
“Mr. Du, this is the paternity test.” The butler retrieved the appraisal report from the coffee table and handed it directly to Du Jiutang.
Du Jiutang did not take it. His gaze did not deviate by a fraction, and his nearly one-and-a-half-meter-tall imposing figure created an overwhelming pressure that made the mere one-meter-seventy-five Li Lisu feel diminutive by comparison.
An animal’s instinct was to fear creatures stronger than itself. Li Lisu’s knees grew weak and he collapsed onto the floor, his palms pressing against the cold, smooth tiles while his fingertips and complexion turned pale together.
That tender, fair face featured crystal-glass-like transparent eyes blinking in panic, while the tall figure of the man before him enveloped him like the cover of night.
Du Jiutang looked down at the teenager from above, murderous intent surging wildly through his blood, scorching his visceral organs and causing him to lose his composure. Being reborn meant that strangling this traitorous youngest son in the early stage was the best choice.
His custom-made oxford leather shoes struck the black-and-white floor tiles with a dull, solid thud, closing in step by step on a pair of slightly dusty, ordinary white canvas sneakers.
Li Lisu felt a chill run down his spine, his brain buzzing with white noise. Unable to think of anything else, he twisted his waist purely on instinct, scrambled up, and bolted.
Before he could fully rise, a large hand pressed down like the Mountain of Buddha.
Though agile, the teenager could not compare to the Monkey King, darting forward like an agile rabbit.
Du Jiutang immediately reached out and yanked hard.
With a tearing sound, Li Lisu felt his buttocks go cold, and his movement instantly froze.
That snow-white, delicate skin and the plump, full expanse of one buttock looked like a juicy peach, abruptly slicing a flash of spring color through the stern and chilling atmosphere.
Du Jiutang’s slender fingers, which had been hooked around the teenager’s waistband, also came to a dead stop.
The butler’s pupils dilated in shock. He immediately averted his gaze, practicing non-interference, and offered a heartbroken piece of advice: “Du… Mr. Du, he is still a minor! Please show mercy and refrain from destroying such a delicate flower.”
Du Jiutang loosened his fingertips, letting the teenager’s waistband snap back and strike sharply against his perky buttocks.
Due to its fullness, it even seemed to wobble slightly.
Gripping his pants tightly, Li Lisu widened his eyes in horror, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes from sheer anxiety. In a youthful, immature voice, he cried out in extreme shame and anger, “Pervert! Degenerate! I will never agree to be your sex slave!”
Du Jiutang fell completely silent.
Everything had gone totally off the rails.