Jin Shaoyan said naturally, "I don't have a brother." I tugged at him hard, and Jin Shaoyan stammered, "Oh, that's good."
Baozi smiled and said, "You two brothers are really having a fight?"
Jin Shaoyan, quick-witted as ever, said repeatedly, "No, no, we're as close as family."
Baozi laughed and said, "That's right, brothers are brothers, money and houses are all just empty words—don't go, let's eat together."
Jin Shaoyan said, "No, I... have other things to do."
Baozi stood at the corner of the stairwell and said, "Don't you like our simple family food? Your brother doesn't have such high and mighty attitudes." Then he went upstairs.
Jin Shaoyan asked me with a pained expression, "What do you suggest we do?"
I said gloatingly, "Figure it out yourself. But if you offend Baozi, it's like offending your mother-in-law. She's closer to the group of five than I am."
Jin Shaoyan suddenly made up his mind and actually started walking upstairs. I asked, "Are you really going up?"
As Jin Shaoyan walked, he said, "Anyway, I've already dealt with Shishi. I don't believe I can't eat this meal. Liu Bang even dared to attend the Feast at Hongmen back then—by the way, where's Brother Liu?"
"Stop worrying about it. Be careful not to let anything slip. Didn't you tell Shishi the truth the other day?"
Jin Shaoyan sighed: "It's too late to say anything now."
Just then, Jing Ke returned from outside. Jin Shaoyan took his hand affectionately and said, "Kezi, you..." I quickly whispered in his ear, "You can't tell him the truth!"
Jin Shaoyan had no choice but to let go of his hand and politely said, "Hello."
Ersha stared at one of us with each of his eyes and grinned wickedly, "You two are hiding something from me!"
We all said in unison, "No!" I introduced him, saying, "This is Jin Shaoyan's younger brother."
Ersha suddenly leaned close to Jin Shaoyan, sniffed hard, and chuckled, saying, "You guys think I'm an idiot, don't you?"
Jin Shaoyan and I: "..."
“You smell just like Xiao Jin,” Er Sha said. “Also, you like to rub your fingers together when you’re nervous.”
We were all taken aback. We never expected that this fool would be so observant. Maybe it has something to do with his past as an assassin?
Jin Shaoyan grabbed Jing Ke's arm and shook it, saying, "Brother Jing, you absolutely can't say that when we go upstairs. Just consider it helping your brother out."
Ersha glanced at us and said ambiguously, "Are you guys plotting something?"
Jin Shaoyan was about to deny it when I immediately said, "Yes, we have a conspiracy!"
Ersha waved his hand magnanimously, "Then I won't say." Then he ran upstairs.
Ultimately, I know Ersha better than you do. You only need to tell him the truth and then ask him for a favor, that's how it works. That's probably what they call righteous conduct.
Jin Shaoyan wiped away his cold sweat and said, "I think I'd better leave; it's too much of a mental drain!"
Just then, Baozi from upstairs asked loudly, "Xiao Nan, are you still in contact with that Jin Shaoyan?"
Jin Shaoyan immediately darted up the stairs: "I need to hear what Shishi has to say."
Li Shishi remained silent for a long while. Then Baozi said again, "You haven't fallen for his younger brother again, have you?" Jin Shaoyan, hearing this, nervously took a few steps closer. Li Shishi still didn't speak, but Baozi said in surprise, "Huh, I was just talking about you, and you're back again?" It turned out that Baozi had discovered Jin Shaoyan…
With things having developed to this point, Jin Shaoyan and I had no choice but to awkwardly go upstairs. Li Shishi was quietly helping Baozi wash vegetables. When Xiang Yu and the others saw Jin Shaoyan, they didn't know what to say and just chuckled.
Chapter 85 The Most Chaotic Dinner in History (Part 2)
I went upstairs and saw Jin Shaoyan standing there looking very uncomfortable, while Xiang Yu, Qin Shihuang, and Jing Ersha sat in a row on the sofa opposite, like three judges.
I could only say, "Mr. Jin, please have a seat."
Jin Shaoyan said, "Thank you, Mr. Xiao."
Baozi suddenly stood at the kitchen doorway, resting her chin on her hand and looking at us for a while. She muttered to herself, "Something's not right." Then she turned to Li Shishi and said, "Jin Shaoyan's younger brother seems a bit difficult to get along with." Baozi pushed Li Shishi out, saying, "Go and keep them company. I'll take care of things here." But a long time passed and Li Shishi still didn't come out.
The five of us men looked at each other, none of us daring to speak. I took out a cigarette and offered one to Jin Shaoyan, then looked at his outstretched hand and whispered a rebuke: "Don't take it!"
Jin Shaoyan asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
Ignoring Xiang Yu and the others' presence, I said, "Have you forgotten who you are? You're not the Jin Shaoyan who used to get along with us!"
Jin Shaoyan suddenly realized, and he deliberately said loudly, "Tch, I would never smoke such cheap cigarettes!"
I was so angry I yelled, "Can't you speak like a human being?"
Jin Shaoyan said, "Didn't you tell me to do this?"
After watching from the sidelines for a while, Qin Shi Huang smiled and said, "That's overacting—"
Xiang Yu couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is going on here?"
I whispered to them that Jin Shaoyan was my client, and kept doing so until I knocked him unconscious. Suddenly, Ersha shuddered and said, "Little Jin is a ghost!"
Jin Shaoyan said awkwardly, "You can't say that. I'm completely human now."
Xiang Yu asked, "And then what happened? How did he remember those things from before?"
I said, "You know about the Eight Heavenly Kings, right? They all took the same kind of medicine..." I briefly recounted what happened next, but unexpectedly, Xiang Yu suddenly grabbed my collar and said in a deep voice, "Do you still have that kind of medicine?"
I said, "What do you need that medicine for? Being Xiang Yu in this life would be great!"
Xiang Yu shook me vigorously: "I want to give it to Zhang Bing!"
I slapped my forehead—I should have thought of this sooner! But that medicine was so hard to obtain; Xiang Yu shouldn't have known about it. But now it's too late.