In the conference room, only Lu Zhi dared to mock Shen Qi so unreservedly.
Jiang Shi stared at Lu Zhi, who was gasping for breath with laughter, his gaze peculiar. He then subtly glanced at Shen Qi, who had not shown the slightest hint of displeasure throughout the entire ordeal, and finally believed that Lu Zhi's claim of him being a 'boyfriend' was not just idle talk.
"Alright, it's time to discuss business," Lu Chengxuan felt that if Lu Zhi continued laughing, he would be in trouble.
Lu Zhi finally managed to stifle his laughter, but still provocatively nudged Shen Qi's arm with his elbow, saying, "Hey, isn't this a highlight moment of your life? Being forced by a girl, and a beautiful one at that—rich, influential, with a great figure and looks. You're not at a disadvantage."
Shen Qi tugged at the corner of his lips, "Oh? You mean I shouldn't have 'resisted to the death' and should have 'happily accepted' this 'good fortune'."
Lu Zhi's heart skipped a beat. He quickly glanced at Shen Qi's eyes, sensing that the latter seemed displeased by his joking remark. He hurriedly tried to salvage the situation, "I didn't, I don't, I didn't mean that, I..."
However, Shen Qi placed his index finger on Lu Zhi's lips, halting his 'excuses'. He smiled with gentle eyes, "Shh... darling, so you've always felt insecure about me. Should I take some practical action to reassure you?"
Practical action? What practical action?
Lu Zhi plastered a fawning smile on his face and grasped Shen Qi's hand, "Um, let's talk business, business first."
Shen Qi readily agreed with an "mm," which only made Lu Zhi more uneasy, fearing that Shen Qi might have a big move waiting for him when they got back.
Lu Chengxuan and Jiang Shi decisively averted their gazes from the two. They began their 'discussion,' with an atmosphere that was somewhat tense, but overall, more 'peaceful' than fighting outside.
In truth, Lu Chengxuan didn't dislike Jiang Shi. After all, Jiang Shi was Jiang Nuannuan's older brother. From a familial perspective, Jiang Shi's actions were not wrong; everything he did was to protect his sister, even if some methods were a bit extreme.
Similarly, Lu Chengxuan hiding Jiang Nuannuan was also not right. The root of their opposition stemmed from protecting their loved ones (or family). The most peaceful way to resolve it was to jointly discuss Jiang Nuannuan's whereabouts while she was still unconscious.
Lu Chengxuan: "Nuannuan was cursed while protecting me. I've already found a way to break the curse on her. It should be safest for Nuannuan to be with me."
Jiang Shi sneered: "If you hadn't found a way to break the curse, do you think I would still be sitting here talking to you? Safest by your side? Bullshit! Our Hua Rong Guild, whether it's core member protection or medical facilities, is top-tier in the country!"
Lu Chengxuan: "Can the top-tier medical facilities break a curse? Heh... do you know He Jiu?"
Jiang Shi's eyes flickered, "The witch doctor He Jiu?"
Lu Chengxuan: "That's right. I saved his life, and He Jiu is the one who found the method to break the curse. Yet your people, at this critical juncture, came to cause trouble and almost harmed Nuannuan!"
Jiang Shi's expression darkened slightly, "Lu Chengxuan, if you had explained the situation from the beginning, none of the subsequent events would have happened."
"Jiang Shi!" Lu Chengxuan's face was also not looking good, "It's you who never trusted me. Even if I had said more, would you have listened?"
No!
From the very beginning, Jiang Shi was dissatisfied that Lu Chengxuan couldn't protect his sister, so how could he believe that Lu Chengxuan could enlist He Jiu's help?
It was all based on mutual distrust.
"Then where is Sister Nuannuan now?" Lu Zhi asked, having listened to them for a long time without getting to the point, "Haven't all the items needed to break the curse been gathered?"
Over the past ten years, Lu Chengxuan had traveled the world to gather the items necessary to break the curse on Jiang Nuannuan. The most crucial element, the divine essence, had already been obtained.
"Breaking the curse isn't that simple. Just preparing the formation will take three months," Lu Chengxuan rubbed his temples. "It was supposed to be seven days left, but now it's all ruined."
Lu Zhi asked in confusion, "What formation requires three months of preparation?"
Lu Chengxuan simply explained, "The revival formation drawn by He Jiu requires a massive amount of mental power to be injected. With my current mental power, even if I depleted it every day, it would take three months for the formation to activate."
Lu Zhi finally understood why Lu Chengxuan had been injured by the foreign apostle that time; he had been ambushed successfully because his mental power was too depleted.
Jiang Shi pursed his lips, "What about the conditions?"
Injecting mental power wasn't exclusive to Lu Chengxuan; other people should logically be able to help as well.
Lu Chengxuan's eyes flickered, "Contractual medium."
Jiang Shi's expression showed understanding, and he said calmly, "Count me in."
Lu Chengxuan's response was brisk, "I'll take Nuannuan back. The revival formation is very difficult to draw."
Jiang Shi gritted his teeth, then stood up with a dark expression, "Alright, I understand." With that, he strode out of the conference room.
Lu Chengxuan smiled triumphantly and waved at Jiang Shi.
"Brother, what is a contractual medium?" Lu Zhi asked. Lu Chengxuan's smile faded, and he said nonchalantly, "It's nothing. Brother is going to pick someone up. You and Shen Qi can go back first. Don't worry about me."
He then left the conference room, but his hurried footsteps gave the impression of fleeing.
Lu Zhi narrowed his eyes, "My brother is hiding something from me again."
Shen Qi wasn't very interested, "Perhaps."
Lu Zhi pouted. Glancing at Shen Qi's inscrutable gaze, his heart began to race uncontrollably. Oh no, oh no, oh no, he felt like Shen Qi was going to settle accounts later.