Afterlife Department

Hospital. 

Jonathan Baurne slowly opened his eyes and what he first saw was the white ceiling. "Jonathan!" it was a woman's voice. 

Jonathan Baurne blinked his eyes and slowly turned his head. He saw Qiu Xi sitting beside his bed holding her newborn child. "Xi Ningxi… no. You're now Qiu Xi." He muttered as he held his head. 

"Don't move too much." Qiu Xi said. "You're heavily wounded. It is a miracle that the bullet didn't reach your heart.. Lu Si pulled you just in time." She explained. 

"Lu Si… Lu Si. Where is he?" Jonathan Baurne asked. 

"He's in another room, being treated. His injuries are heavier than yours, fighting against so many people…" she sighed. "Don't worry. My husband is with him. Lu Si is tougher than you are. He'll be fine." She told him when she saw he's about to get off his bed. 

Jonathan Baurne sighed and could only give up. "Have you called Lao Xie?" he asked. 

"Yes." Qiu Xi nodded. "They are currently looking for Jason." She said. 

"Jason… that child…" Jonathan Baurne sighed. Qiu Xi looked at him before she smiled. "What?" he asked. 

She shook her head. "I just noticed, not only do your face look similar." She said. "But, you also look similar in character." She told him. 

"What do you mean?" Jonathan Baurne asked. 

She just chuckled. "Lao Xie said not to worry about Jason being not found." She changed the topic. 

"Why?" he asked. 

"Because Yi Ling, that guy you newly-hired, he is really not simple." She answered. "When Gu Shi called Yi Ling's friend, Xiao San, Gu Shi thinks that Xiao San and Yi Ling might have a method on finding Jason Baurne." She said before she paused. "Lao Xie said that although they are not allies, but they are also not enemies. And – " she took a deep breath. " – Lao Xie said, they seemed to be looking for something. Don't you think so?" she asked and looked at him. 

Jonathan Baurne fell silent. "When I hired him, I knew I didn't make a mistake." He said. "He really has a relation with xiao Ling." 

Qiu Xi bit her lip when she heard her late nephew's name. She looked at her child, then decided to name him 'Ling' of feathers. "Lao Xie also said – " she said. " – that what they are looking for must be on Jason. What do you think it is?" she asked. 

Jonathan Baurne heard her question and he shook his head. He really doesn't know, and now realized that his relationship with his nephew seemed to be growing more distant. 

…

The door opened and a tall and handsome middle-aged man walked inside. He looked around before his gaze fell on the unconscious person tied in the pillar in the middle of the room. "Wake him up." He told the guards. 

"Yes!" the guards answered and immediately kicked the unconscious person. 

The unconscious person groaned before he opened his eyes. His gaze fell on the tall and handsome middle-aged man. "Who are you?" he asked. 

The tall and middle-aged man answered in perfect English. "Xi Zhengteng." Xi Zhengteng answered. "How is your sleep, Mr. Jason Baurne?" he asked and signed with the guards through his eyes. They then left closed the door, leaving them inside. 

Jason Baurne slightly frowned, and his frowned became deeper when he felt he couldn't move his arms. It was then that he realized he was tied. "Untie me!" he yelled. 

Xi Zhengteng was unmoved and took his time to walk to a seat. A guard immediately poured him tea. "You don't recognize the person contacting you all those times?" he asked and smiled as he sipped his drink. His eyes brightened when he tasted it was good. 

"The person who… it was you?!" Jason Baurne was shocked as he stared at Xi Zhengteng with widened eyes. "I thought… I thought – " he muttered, a look of confusion in his eyes. 

"You thought it was Xi Zhengting?" Xi Zhengteng sardonically smiled. "That guy knows only business and pleasure. He can't even go up against a mere Lin family." He laughed. 

Jason Baurne looked at him. "You… you – " he muttered. 

"Yes. You think Xi Zhengting hated the Baurne family? No." Xi Zhengteng shook his head. "It is I. It is I who hated them! I hate you!" he said as he viciously glared at Jason Baurne. "Xi Zhengteng is a dull man. He doesn't care about the family. It is I!" he said as he rose from his seat and harshly placed down his cup and saucer on the table, causing the drink to spill on the saucer. "They ruined her… they ruined her!" he yelled. 

"'her'?" Jason Baurne spoke. 

"'Her'… 'her'…" Xi Zhengteng muttered, his eyes are bloodshot. There is a look of madness in his eyes. "Ningsu… no. Su… Susu…" he muttered with a look of bewilderment now in his gaze. 

"'Su'… Xi Ningsu?" Jason Baurne said. 

Xi Zhengteng sharply turned to him. "Yes… Xi Ningsu… my Susu…" he muttered. 

Jason Baurne looked at him weirdly. "Aren't you two half-siblings?" he asked. 

"'half-siblings'? Hahahahaha!" Xi Zhengteng roared in laughter. He looked at Jason Baurne as if he is looking at an idiot. "Who said we're half-siblings? How can Xi Zhengtian bore another child?" he asked. 

"Xi Zhengtian… what is wrong with him?" Jason Baurne asked. 

The corner of Xi Zhengteng's lip curled up. "Xi Zhengtian is a homosexual. I, Xi Zhengting and Xi Ningxi were born through in vitro fertilization. How can he have another child, Xi Ningsu?" he sneered. 

Jason Baurne was stunned. Xi Zhengtian is… a homosexual? He looked at Xi Zhengteng with widened eyes. 

"Yes. My Susu and I could have been a couple. However – " Xi Zhengteng gnashed his teeth in anger when he remembered something. "That bitch Lin Yuxiu is meddling! So, what if she already adopted Susu?! Isn't it better to marry within the family?! We're not blood-related!" he said. 

Jason Baurne stared at Xi Zhengteng before he suddenly laughed. "Ahahahahaha!" he doubled over in laughter. 

Xi Zhengteng glared at him. "What's funny?" he said. 

"Hahahaha – " Jason Baurne laughed before he finally calmed down. "You're not half-siblings just because Xi Zhengtian is incapable of impregnating a woman?" he said as he looked at Xi Zhengteng, ridicule in his gaze. "If Xi Zhengtian can't, then why Lin Yuxiu also can't?" he asked. 

It took a long while before Jason Baurne's words have been processed in Xi Zhengteng's mind. As soon as Xi Zhengteng realized the meaning of his words, it was his turn to be stunned. "You – " he muttered under his breath. 

"Haven't you thought why is it Lin Yuxiu who is vehemently against your feelings towards Xi Ningsu and not Xi Feng, the acting head of the family?" Jason Baurne asked. "It is because Xi Feng already knows his elder brother's sexual orientation, and Lin Yuxiu's cheating." He smugly smiled at Xi Zhengteng. 

"You bastard!" Xi Zhengteng finally lost his calm and punched Jason Baurne. However, Jason Baurne just laughed. "Bastard! Bastard!" he continued to punch Jason Baurne. "Susu and I aren't sibling's! We're not blood-related!" he continued to deny while punching Jason Baurne. 

Jason Baurne coughed out blood. However, it didn't stop him from ridiculing Xi Zhengteng. "Won't you ask me how I knew all these?" he asked. "It is because of your good, full-blooded sister Xi Ningxi." He told him. 

"Xi Ningxi… that bitch!" Xi Zhengteng cursed. "If it wasn't for her, I could've taken Susu away!" he said. 

Jason Baurne just laughed at his delusion. "Xi Ningxi has long hated Xi Ningsu. No matter how Lin Yuxiu tried to let her daughters be close to each other, she can't. It's because she has known Xi Ningsu isn't her full-blooded sibling." He explained. "After Xi Ningsu eloped with Joseph Baurne, she replaced her in marrying David Lee. But what did she get? Instead of love, she got physical abuse!" he laughed like a madman after his speech. 

Xi Zhengteng hatefully glared at him. Suddenly, he thought of something. "Don't you hate Huo Ling? I hate him, too. Wasn't that why we have become partners in killing him?" He asked. 

Hearing the name, Jason Baurne suddenly froze. He lowered his head, and so he missed the gleam in Xi Zhengteng's eyes. "So?" Jason Baurne asked. 

"Why do you look like you're opposing me?" Xi Zhengteng asked. 

"Do I?" Jason Baurne said and grinned when he finally recovered his calm. He raised his head and looked at Xi Zhengteng in the eye. "Won't you also get mad after being deceived?" he asked. "And being tied up?" he added. 

Xi Zhengteng's lips curled up in appreciation of Jason Baurne's calm temper. "You're good. It is a pity Jonathan Baurne has no eyes." He said as he returned to his seat. He didn't see loathing flashed in Jason Baurne's eyes, although only for a second. 

"Yes." Jason Baurne said, agreeing to his words. "He really doesn't have eyes." He said. He is thankful Jonathan Baurne doesn't have eyes, since the eyes can be deceived. 

What's important is the heart, and, fortunately, that's what his uncle have the most.