📖 Chapter 2: Winds Rising

Arriving near Fuxing Bar, Wu Yu—who had been keeping watch for hours—finally relaxed as he observed Ji Mu’s steady driving.

Wu Yu had been with Ji Mu for five years. He knew Ji Mu could drive, but yesterday, for some reason, Ji Mu had taken to a secluded lot to practice. At first, his speed had been painfully slow.

Wu Yu had a million questions but didn’t dare ask. What if this was just his boss’s way of blowing off steam?

An hour later, Ji Mu’s driving had normalized. Then, spotting a large truck fifteen meters away, he had suddenly wrenched the steering wheel and slammed into a guardrail, as if triggered by something.

Just as the instructor rushed over to check, Ji Mu silently reversed out. From then on, his driving grew increasingly smooth. After parking perfectly into a spot, he went completely silent.

The instructor, sensing something was wrong, immediately checked on him. Ji Mu was slumped unconscious against the driver’s seat, blood streaming from his forehead from an unknown impact. The two men rushed him to the hospital.

During treatment, the instructor pulled up the in-car recorder used to monitor students. Watching the footage of a man practicing with a steady expression while bleeding profusely, both the instructor and Wu Yu turned pale with shock.

The instructor’s lips twitched, hesitating, before finally blurting out: “Assistant Wu, is President Ji’s brain…?”

Before he could finish, Wu Yu gave him a sharp look. The instructor fell silent.

Wu Yu knew exactly what he was going to say. Of course Ji Mu’s brain was fine. Just yesterday, he’d spotted errors in a financial report at a glance. If Ji Mu’s mind had cracked, their entire office would have collectively lost it.

Ji Mu had high emotional intelligence, meticulous attention to detail, and spoke with a gentle, refined courtesy. Working with him was efficient and stress-free. He often worked until eleven or midnight himself, yet rarely asked his staff to do overtime. When overtime was unavoidable, he always compensated generously.

What employees appreciated most was that whenever a project hit a snag, Ji Mu always led the charge in finding a solution. And when it came time for accountability, he’d lay out every single detail with crystal clarity, leaving no room for argument. Employees respected him completely.

In this day and age, a conscientious boss who shoulders the blame himself is a rare find. The office staff practically wanted to put Ji Mu on a pedestal and worship him like a deity.

But no matter how much they revered him, Ji Mu was still just a man.

Watching his boss, who had only been discharged last night, show up to work as usual this morning, Wu Yu nearly had an out-of-body experience. The man was utterly ruthless to himself.

Wu Yu had never met anyone so brutally disciplined.

To keep his job—and his boss alive—Wu Yu had spent the entire day monitoring Ji Mu closely, trying to keep him from overworking.

Seeing his superior park safely now, Wu Yu’s heart finally settled.

He slipped into the passenger seat.

“President Ji, Fang Kangming went in a few minutes ago. Should we follow?” Wu Yu hesitated.

Ji Mu pulled out a wet wipe and cleaned his hands. “Let’s wait a bit longer. I’ve already arranged someone to keep an eye on him. We’ll avoid running into Ji Xun directly.”

“Understood.”

Wu Yu watched Ji Mu reach for a second wet wipe, mentally noting how meticulous his boss was. Then his gaze drifted upward—and he realized the bandage on Ji Mu’s forehead was gone.

He’d gotten five stitches yesterday. The doctor had said avoiding a concussion was a miracle in itself. What was he doing now, tearing it off?

Noticing Wu Yu’s stare, Ji Mu explained calmly, “I checked with the doctor. It’s safe to remove. Just need to keep applying ointment.”

Wu Yu was a top university graduate, two years older than Ji Mu, steady and fiercely loyal. In his past life, he had followed Ji Mu from an obscure junior clerk to a rising star in the industry. When Ji Mu fell from grace, Wu Yu had refused Guanyi Group’s high-paying retention offer and resigned on principle.

Later, when Ji Mu finally emerged from the shadows, Wu Yu had volunteered to return. Through multiple cycles of rise and fall, he had become Ji Mu’s most trusted assistant.

Building the same tacit understanding and trust from their past life would take time, but some things—and some decisions—were harmless to share early.

“Wu Yu, are you familiar with Ji Xun’s assistant?” Ji Mu’s tone was casual, almost offhand.

Wu Yu thought for a moment. “I know him. Name’s Fang Kangming. Heard he’s capable, though rather strict with his subordinates.” Actually, Wu Yu wanted to add that the guy was a notorious social climber who treated people according to their status, but he held back, knowing it was a common workplace survival tactic.

“Mm. It’s him.” Ji Mu nodded. He paused for two seconds before adding, “Fang Kangming is my second uncle’s illegitimate son, a few months older than Ji Xun. While investigating the theft of Professor Zhang’s design, our private detective found he was involved from start to finish. Following that trail uncovered his background.”

Of course, that was just a cover story. Without his rebirth, Ji Mu wouldn’t have known about his second uncle’s hidden son so early, nor would he have known Fang Kangming had been using Ji Xun to target him from the very beginning.

Hearing about wealthy family intrigue so abruptly left Wu Yu momentarily stunned, but he regained his composure within seconds.

This was precisely what Ji Mu appreciated most about him: steady, without overstepping.

“So Fang Kangming wants to use you to eliminate Ji Xun? He’s trying to get back into the Ji family?”

“Possibly.” Ji Mu’s voice was gentle, but his expression remained completely blank. Clearly, he had no interest in the second branch’s domestic drama.

His second uncle was a smiling tiger—outwardly devoted to his wife, but secretly keeping a mistress for over twenty years. The illegitimate son, Fang Kangming, was even the same age as Ji Xun.

In his past life, Ji Xun died young. Shortly after, the second uncle brought Fang Kangming home.

If Ji Mu exposed the truth early in this life, he wondered whether his second uncle would dare acknowledge the son while under such intense scrutiny.

But regardless of whether he acknowledged him, the fact that he’d let Fang Kangming work as Ji Xun’s assistant meant the second aunt would likely cause a massive scene once she found out.

“So tonight, is Fang Kangming targeting Ji Xun directly, or does he plan to use Ji Xun against you?” Wu Yu’s speculation wasn’t unfounded. Fang Kangming clearly harbored ambition. If he wanted to return to the Ji family as a legitimate young master, Ji Mu’s presence would naturally pose a far greater threat than the exiled, foolish Ji Xun. Since Fang Kangming couldn’t approach Ji Mu directly, he had to go through Ji Xun. Either way, if Ji Mu or Ji Xun fell, Fang Kangming stood to gain everything and lose nothing.
Ji Mu was a man of few words, making his thoughts hard to read. But he was transparent in his dealings, gave orders with crisp clarity, and never hoarded credit or knowledge. Over time, he had shaped the staff around him into equally direct and straightforward people.

In his past life, tonight was when Fang Kangming had slipped drugs into Ji Xun’s drink. The drugged Ji Xun had crashed his car on the way home, sustaining severe injuries. Half a year later, he died despite emergency treatment.

Afterward, no one knew what Fang Kangming had said, but Second Uncle Ji Quan had firmly believed Ji Mu was the mastermind behind Ji Xun’s death.

But bringing that up now would be baseless. Better not to tell Wu Yu directly. Instead, Ji Mu said, “It’s unclear. But we were in the same high school class. He’s not the type to let things go. Best to be cautious.”

“President Ji, should we look deeper into Fang Kangming?” Wu Yu pressed.

Ji Mu considered it, then nodded. “Yes. But don’t tip our hand. If you find nothing, it’s fine.” If he hints at it to the right people, they’ll dig on their own.

In his past life, Ji Mu had been too busy. He had built the Ji Group’s empire while wolves circled unnoticed in the shadows.

To avenge Ji Xun, Ji Quan had bribed a truck driver to stage a car accident. Ji Mu survived, but his legs were crippled. He spent nearly half a year in a hospital bed.

Water too clear holds no fish. Guanyi Group had grown massive over the years, with vast capital flows and complex financial channels. Given enough time, gray areas and black ledgers were inevitable. While Ji Mu was hospitalized, Ji Quan took the opportunity to pin all the company’s illicit accounts on him. After months of public and judicial investigation, he was sentenced to three years in prison for occupational embezzlement.

It had been the darkest period of his life. Nowhere to defend himself. Nowhere to turn for help.

No one knew that the reborn Ji Mu had once survived a car crash that left his left leg permanently disabled. Since then, he had long resisted riding in cars, let alone driving them. Yesterday’s practice session wasn’t just for future convenience—it was to overcome the lingering shadows of his past life.

He hadn’t told Wu Yu that he had also driven himself to work this morning.

Honestly, the timing of his rebirth was ideal. The hidden players were restless but hadn’t made their move yet. The person he had failed to protect in his past life was still breathing in this world.

Everything was just beginning.

After being reborn, Ji Mu finally saw through the truth: the profound gratitude he had once clung to was nothing but calculated manipulation all along. After all these years, he considered the ledger settled. He was tired. He no longer wanted to struggle in the murky waters of the Ji family.

He wanted a clean exit. Which meant Ji Xun couldn’t die yet.
As for what happened to the Ji family afterward? He didn’t care.

Shifting his thoughts, Ji Mu asked, “Have you looked into the Si family’s recent situation?”

Wu Yu instantly snapped back into reporting mode. “I’ve gathered some information. Currently, the Si family built their empire on liquor. The current head is Si Ying. He took traditional Chinese liquor international while importing world-renowned brands, creating a diverse portfolio across all price points. By capturing consumers across different age groups and economic classes, the Si family’s liquor business ranks among the top nationally. He’s a generational figure in the industry.”

“Si Ying and his wife share a deeply affectionate marriage and have two sons. The eldest, Si Dingyuan, is 35, married, and like his father, exceptionally capable. He’s the widely acknowledged head of the Si family’s next generation. The second son, Si Zhuxing, is 23. A typical rich heir, quite similar to Ji Xun.”

Following doctor’s orders to let his forehead stitches heal faster, Ji Mu had kept a completely expressionless face all day. Now, at the mention of Si Zhuxing, surprise made him instinctively frown. A sharp sting shot through his wound. But he barely registered the pain.

“What do you mean, ‘typical rich heir’? Similar to Ji Xun?!”

In his memory, Si Zhuxing’s peach-blossom eyes held a captivating gleam. Beneath that elegant, gentlemanly exterior lay a mind so sharp it could read anyone. In business, he could smile while outmaneuvering every opponent. At home, he’d be lazily sipping goji berry tea from a thermos, utterly content with doing absolutely nothing.

Remembering Ji Mu was also from a wealthy background, Wu Yu quickly clarified: “‘Typical rich heir’ is just how ordinary people view them—kind of a playful stereotype, not meant to apply to excellent second-generation heirs like you, President Ji. This Second Young Master Si loves drinking and partying. Despite his family’s wealth, he doesn’t focus on the family business. He apparently started a gaming company, but it got caught in a plagiarism scandal a year ago. Haven’t heard of any major successes since. He fits the ordinary person’s idea of a spoiled heir pretty well.”

Actually, people like that were what most envied. Born into wealth, with endless money to burn on extravagant hobbies, living completely freely and recklessly.

For the first time, Ji Mu found Wu Yu’s judgment completely unreliable.

People were always prone to bias. Clinging too tightly to stereotypes only trapped you. Though it wasn’t really Wu Yu’s fault. Ji Mu was just instinctively defensive. Privately, he couldn’t stand hearing negative remarks about Si Zhuxing.

“Si Zhuxing is not inferior to his brother,” Ji Mu explained instinctively.

Hearing this, Wu Yu sighed inwardly. As expected, the wealthy still tend to produce exceptional people.

Noticing the faint smile on his boss’s lips, Wu Yu asked curiously, “President Ji, do you know the Si family’s second young master?”

Ji Mu gave a light nod, his gaze softening noticeably. “I do.”

His only true friend. The one person who had given him his heart and soul, impossibly good to him.
And in his past life, the only person he had ever truly failed.