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Chapter 409 - 409: His Life

“You’re right, I’ll never gamble someone’s life with the fate of the Triad dark web, no one is that important!” Including himself!

So he never allowed Gu Ci to go to great lengths to save him, and when he returned to China, he was prepared to face death.

“Brother…” Gu Ci coughed lightly, and Jiang Junlin turned his head to see Gu Ci and Ji Chi standing under the flowering vines.

Ji Chi’s face was very calm.

He had always had a sword hanging over his heart, not knowing when it would fall and cut him in half. This sword was always held in Jiang Junlin’s hand, and Ji Chi lay on the guillotine, smiling and looking at the executioner Jiang Junlin with joy in his eyes. He always fantasized that if this sword never fell for the rest of his life, it would be fine, always hanging over his heart, it wouldn’t be too bad.

Today, this sword finally fell.

This sword that had been hanging over his head for several years had left him battered and bruised. He had imagined how painful it would be, optimistically thinking that it wasn’t a big deal, as it wasn’t the first time he had gone through it.

But the dull pain was sharper than he had imagined.

Ji Chi calmly accepted the fact that he had never been that important in Jiang Junlin’s heart. He had once tried everything to win all of Jiang Junlin’s attention.

During the craziest times, Jiang Junlin would even compliment a roadside rose. After Jiang Junlin left, he would pluck the rose and throw it in the trash. In Jiang Junlin’s eyes and heart, there was no room for living things, not even inanimate objects.

After their reunion, Lu Zhiyuan saw through his thoughts and deliberately arranged for him to be in Europe. He did not forbid him from coming to City A. When he had just come of age, he had been extremely crazy, and because of this decision, he had almost fought with Third Master, and had been held down and beaten by Rong Li.

During the initial period of their reunion, he was at his craziest. He wanted to defy Lu Zhiyuan’s orders. Back then, Third Master looked ruthless, but deep down, he was very lenient. He made a bet with Ji Chi that Ji Chi had to manage the European business, and if he became the Asian CEO within three years, he could do whatever he wanted, and Lu Zhiyuan would not stop him.

Moreover, if Jiang Junlin took the initiative to speak up and if he was willing, he could leave with Jiang Junlin. Both conditions were indispensable.

Ji Chi climbed up with all his might, wanting to gain the recognition of all Black Hawk members as soon as possible. He had gone from being a clueless little wolf cub to a well-rounded Ji Chi. Step by step, he firmly established his foothold in Black Hawk, and his yearning and desires had all turned into motivation.

However, Jiang Junlin had never taken the initiative to ask him to leave Black Hawk, not even once!

Three years had passed, and Ji Chi had become the true Asian CEO, in addition to the empty title of CEO. He had achieved it, but Jiang Junlin had not expressed his desire to take him away as he had hoped.

Ji Chi was willing to bet and accept the outcome!

In truth, making this bet was a wild idea that had grown in his mind. Even if Jiang Junlin suggested taking him away, Ji Chi had no intention of betraying Black Hawk or Third Master.

But the fact remained that Jiang Junlin had never brought it up.

“I can live without this orange,” he thought, “but you can’t withhold it from me!”

Ji Chi couldn’t leave Europe unless Jiang Junlin took the initiative to see him. Otherwise, they wouldn’t meet. Promised commitments always seemed to fall through, and every time Jiang Junlin met him, it was to inquire about Third Master’s affairs, though it was discreet. Ji Chi wasn’t naive.

Over the long years and his fulfilling rise to power, his pent-up desires had been suppressed. Ji Chi understood that waiting would only lead to a repeat of the past, so he had to take the initiative, and for that, he needed to hold power.

In the face of Jiang Junlin’s broken promises and his ambivalence, Ji Chi lost patience and grew tired of waiting, which eventually led to his imprisonment.

However, the act of imprisoning him only pushed them further apart.

Ji Chi had always known that he would never be first in Jiang Junlin’s heart, and he couldn’t understand why, especially when he saw how Lu Zhiyuan always prioritized Gu Ci’s matters. He was even more puzzled.

If Third Master could be prioritized, why couldn’t he?

It wasn’t until Jiang Junlin’s true identity was exposed that Ji Chi finally understood why Jiang Junlin hadn’t turned back to find him all those years. He realized why during those three years, Jiang Junlin never once said, “Ji Chi, leave Black Hawk and come with me!”

He understood that no matter how much Jiang Junlin liked him, he could be discarded at any time for the sake of the Triad. Understanding this truth only deepened his pain.

Gu Ci looked at Lu Zhiyuan and said, “Lu Zhiyuan, 1 need to talk to you!”

Lu Zhiyuan understood that Gu Ci wanted to give Jiang Junlin and Ji Chi a chance to speak privately. He heard every word of their conversation and had a clear idea of what he needed to decide.

After Gu Ci and Lu Zhiyuan left, Jiang Junlin and Ji Chi remained in silent confrontation. It was like a tug-of-war, and Ji Chi approached, sunlight filtering through the vines and dancing on his shoulder. Ji Chi followed the dancing rays of sunlight, his gaze landing on Jiang Junlin’s face.

The twenty-year-old Jiang Junlin and the twenty-eight-year-old Jiang Junlin overlapped in Ji Chi’s eyes. Time had been kind to this handsome man, leaving no traces behind. He was still the stunning Jiang Junlin who could take your breath away with a single glance.

“Brother, were you really lying to me back then?” Ji Chi’s voice trembled, finally willing to face the question he had been avoiding.

Jiang Junlin had never lied to him. He had genuinely wanted to turn back and find Ji Chi, but the condition was that he had to handle the matters of the Triad first, which were weightier than Ji Chi’s concerns.

Now that things had come to this point, there was no need for explanations. They were ultimately going to part ways, so there was no need to give Ji Chi any false hope.

“Yes, I lied to you,” Jiang Junlin said softly. “Ji Chi, I’m never alone. So, I won’t risk the lives of a group of people just for you, and 1 won’t accompany you to die in the Pentagon.”

Ji Chi finally got the answer he had been waiting for, as expected. The pain in his heart was like a tearing sensation, something he had always considered overly dramatic. How could the heart hurt like this?

But it really did hurt!

“When we reunited, were you indulging me because you wanted to gather information about Third Master?” Ji Chi looked at him with a heartbroken expression. “If you never intended to turn back and find me, why lie to me? Do you know that 1 waited for many years just for a single word from you? After the Pentagon was razed to the ground, I would go there every summer. I even fantasized that you remembered there was someone waiting for you in the Pentagon. But it turns out you had long forgotten, and when we reunited, you were so surprised. Did you not expect that I was still alive?”

Ji Chi had hit the nail on the head with this one!

Jiang Junlin had ordered the destruction of the Pentagon and completely annihilated the organization. He had also seen the recordings of the young men from that time. He had thought Ji Chi was dead. He had to study, manage the Triad dark web, balance the power structure within the Triad, and be on the frontlines. He didn’t have time to dwell on the past, and those years had become a regret for him.

When he went on missions, he had passed by the Pentagon the following summer, but he hadn’t thought about going to take a look. He felt uneasy about getting close. As soon as he got near, he remembered that he had once stood someone up, which had led to that person’s death there.. How could he be willing to get closer again?