The whole damn department is full of Crown Princes and Eldest Princesses. Who would dare mess with them?
I just beat up seven Crown Princes and Eldest Princesses. The first thought that shot through Mu Lin's mind was, 'I'm in trouble...'
If these seven go back with faces like this, all they have to do is open their mouths and I'll have to trouble Grandmaster Li again.
His old man hated owing favors, and he was the same way.
Mu Lin thought for a moment, then asked Chen Xi without hesitation.
"Did that brat Li Xue send you to take care of me?"
"Yeah—ah? No, no, no, how could that be? I just didn't like the look of you."
"This is the first time we've met, isn't it?"
"Ye-yes, it is."
"So what was your reason?"
"Well, uh, this is our department's special welcoming ceremony for new recruits. Right, only after receiving a warm welcome from everyone in the department can you understand the essence of our group and truly fit in."
Heh.
Mu Lin scanned the young men and women squatting on the ground as if they were a bunch of idiots. 'Who the hell would believe that?'
Mu Lin let out a breath and looked at them grimly. "You all have powerful backgrounds. If any of you are spineless enough to go tattling to your parents and grandparents, Grandmaster Li will have to clean up my mess. To be honest, his health isn't good, and I'd rather not worry him…"
"Tattle? About what?" Chen Xi shouted hastily. "Don't I have any pride? Seven of us ganged up on one guy and still got beaten so badly our own mothers wouldn't recognize us. How humiliating would it be if they found out?"
Mu Lin just stared at Chen Xi without a word. Chen Xi felt his skin crawl under the intense gaze and shivered.
"B-Big Bro, dear brother, I'm serious! I definitely won't tattle, and neither will they. I can guarantee it."
Mu Lin let out a low chuckle. "It's a small matter. It doesn't matter to me whether you tattle or not. At worst, I'll just have Grandmaster Li smooth things over. But… I'll be at the company for at least another year. There will be plenty of opportunities for me to help you boys 'exercise' again."
Hearing this, Chen Xi couldn't help but shake his head vigorously.
"We won't tattle! We won't tattle! We absolutely will not tattle!"
Just then, Chen Xi's phone rang.
"Take it out. Let's have a look," Mu Lin said, his eyes narrowed.
"Right away."
Like a bootlicker, Chen Xi quickly pulled out his phone. The caller ID read: Sister Xiaoxue.
Mu Lin didn't even have to guess who it was.
"Do I have to tell you what to do?" Mu Lin said in a low voice. 'So these Crown Princes and Eldest Princesses really were following Li Xue's orders to come and pick a fight with me.'
'It would be better to let her mistakenly believe that Chen Xi and his crew beat me up badly, rather than have her find someone else to bother me.'
Chen Xi nodded frantically and pressed a finger to the speakerphone button.
"Xi-Xi, how did that thing I asked you to do go? I heard you guys threw another party in the office."
Chen Xi secretly glanced up at Mu Lin and wiped the blood from his nose.
"Heh, goes without saying! When have I ever let you down, Sister Xiaoxue? He's in a miserable state right now, squatting obediently in the corner with his hands on his ears! HISS!" Chen Xi replied, pretending to be relaxed and proud.
"Oh, and don't worry, Sister Xiaoxue. I had the boys 'take care' of him in places where no one will see the bruises."
"Good work. I'll treat you all to karaoke later."
"You got it, you got it," Chen Xi said, looking completely deferential.
"I've got something else to do, so I'll hang up now."
"Okay, Sister Xiaoxue, you take care."
After Chen Xi hung up, Mu Lin gave him a strange look. 'What a complete suck-up.'
Chen Xi asked cautiously, "Dear brother, were you satisfied with my answer?"
"You're a smart one." After saying this, Mu Lin flicked out several needles, and the bruises and swelling on their faces slowly began to fade.
Chen Xi and his crew stared at this miraculous scene, looking at each other in bewilderment. Their eyes widened as they gazed at Mu Lin in adoration. 'Big Bro really is Big Bro! This is too fucking awesome!'
"Dear brother, you and Sister Xiaoxue are…"
Chen Xi bowed, holding a cup of tea. He bootlicked—ah, no, he respectfully presented it to Mu Lin and asked cautiously.
"It's best if you don't ask about my business." Mu Lin remembered his agreement with Li Xue. 'That brat isn't a bad person at heart, she just has a spoiled rich-girl temper. Then again, she *is* a spoiled rich girl.'
'Otherwise, she wouldn't have prepared a high-quality, soft silk quilt for me last night.'
'Since that's the case, there's no need for a grown man like me to ruin a young lady's reputation.'
Once he repaid the favor his old man owed, he could leave. He could go back to his thatched hut and wait for the old man to return.
That place might not have the city's dazzling lights and decadent lifestyle, and the food might only be simple vegetables and plain congee, but it was his best and most peaceful home.
"You got it."
Chen Xi was deeply impressed by Mu Lin. First, Mu Lin was an incredible fighter—they had experienced it firsthand and had the most right to say so. Second, Mu Lin had just demonstrated his miraculous medical skills by making the bruises and swelling on their bodies disappear. Aside from a lingering ache all over, they were fine.
They guessed Mu Lin had deliberately left them with a bit of pain as a lesson.
They were just a bunch of poor saps with nothing but money, abandoned by their elders. Otherwise, why would a special department for well-connected washouts have been created just for them?
Therefore, they held Mu Lin in extremely high regard.
"So, what exactly does this 'special group' of yours usually do?" Mu Lin felt it was necessary to understand these rich kids a little better.
Chen Xi scratched his head, looking embarrassed as he explained, "Bro, to be honest, our special group is what everyone else calls the 'trash group.' Sigh, we're all used to it by now."
"None of us are only children. As the saying goes, a dragon has nine sons, and each is different. We're not just bad at school, we're not athletic either. We're useless at everything… except for causing trouble. We're the best at that."
Mu Lin nodded. 'So, the special department's only business is to keep to themselves, screw around, and wait for death?'
"Is there really not a single thing to do?"
"It's not that there's absolutely nothing… Just every now and then, when we're short on spending money, we'll volunteer to help Sister Xiaoxue for a small bonus—you know, bring her a cup of tea, deliver a contract, or run other easy errands."
Right. 'So it really is just a group of washouts.'
"Are there any problems at the Li Group that need to be solved but can't be?"
Chen Xi shook his head with a pained expression. "Brother Lin, do you think us trash would know about secret, high-level stuff like that?"
'That's true.'
Mu Lin sighed. 'I was being naive. There's a world of difference between a Crown Prince and a useless Crown Prince.'
'It seems Li Xue and Uncle Li really did just shove me here to appease Grandmaster Li.'
Suddenly, Mu Lin's phone rang. It was a call from Zhao Ling'Er.
"Brother Mu, are you free right now?" Zhao Ling'Er's voice was full of clear anticipation and excitement.
"I am."
"That's great! My grandfather would like to invite you to the Medicine Hall."
'Elder Zhao?'
"I'll head over right now," Mu Lin replied.
"Then we'll be waiting for you at the Medicine Hall," Zhao Ling'Er said cheerfully before hanging up.
"I have to go out for a bit." Mu Lin glanced at Chen Xi.
"Don't you worry one bit, Brother Lin. I'll handle things with Sister Xiaoxue," Chen Xi said, patting his chest confidently.
Mu Lin nodded and stood up to leave.
"Brother Xi, are we going to sneak over and find Sister Xiaoxue now?" Sun Lele sidled up and whispered.
"Do what? What are you trying to do?" Chen Xi smacked Sun Lele on the head.
Sun Lele rubbed his smarting head sheepishly. "Are we just going to take this? He's just a new guy. We don't have to be afraid of him, do we?"
Chen Xi's mouth twitched. 'As stupid as ever.' "You idiot. Do you really think anyone who ends up in the special group is a normal person? Sister Xiaoxue told us to take care of Brother Lin, but she also specifically warned us not to leave any obvious marks."
"Besides, from what Brother Lin said, he can get the old chairman to step in directly. Do you think our grandfathers would be willing to have a falling out with the old chairman for the sake of a few worthless grandsons like us?"
"If you're so capable, what are you doing in this trash group?"
Zhou Yu looked like she was about to cry from grievance. "Bro, can we please stop calling it the 'washout group' and 'trash group' all the time? It sounds so awful."
She was actually quite pretty, with delicate features, but she dressed up like a delinquent, which just made her look awkward.
Chen Xi couldn't be bothered to say any more.
In any case, he absolutely wasn't going to make another move before Mu Lin left the special projects department.
Otherwise... he was afraid he'd end up bruised and swollen every single day.