Although Lu Zihao was in a precarious situation deep within his consciousness, he was still able to project an impassive appearance as if nothing was amiss and he just chose to remain silent. 

Jin Liwei and Bacon didn't notice anything wrong with him, as the father and son continued talking with each other.

"I gave you permission to assist your Uncle in his work, but we still need to inform your mom about this," Jin Liwei said. "She's the one doing your configurations after all and you can't start working until she's done."

"I understand, Father," Bacon replied. "But will Mother agree to me working for Uncle Zihao?"

"Your uncle is your mom's brother. I'm sure she'll agree."

"Okay, Father. I hope so."

"Now be good and don't run off again without telling us first. I'm not happy with this behaviour. You're grounded for three days."

Bacon's face didn't show any expression but his swishing tail drooped. "I'm sorry, Father. Bacon won't do it again."

"Let's not disturb your uncle anymore," Jin Liwei said with a sigh. "When your mom has given her approval and finished your configurations, then I'll help you negotiate a fair salary with your uncle."

"Yes, Father. I understand." Bacon was very cute and polite while agreeing to all his father's words.

Jin Liwei made a sound of approval. He paused for a few seconds before addressing Lu Zihao. "Brother-in-law Nikolai, my wife Evelina and I will be waiting for you till you're ready to meet and talk with us in person. You're always welcome in our home. That's all I want to say. Good night."

A beep sounded indicating that the voice call ended. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! Also follow me on Instagram @arriacross]

Bacon stayed on the TV screen and stared at the motionless Lu Zihao sitting on the couch. His golden eyes glowed before he spoke with great politeness. "My apologies for disturbing you tonight, Uncle Zihao. And thank you for considering my sudden offer to work for you as a freelancer. Bacon hopes that we'll be able to finalize my work agreement soon. I bid you good night. Please take care."

With that, the TV screen flickered off and the living room descended to total darkness once again. Now that the annoying father and son were finally gone, Lu Zihao let go of his control and roared a pained battle cry as he fell down from the couch and landed on all fours.

Huge drops of sweat splattered on the cold floor. Veins popped out all over his body. His muscles tightened and trembled. He presented a frightening sight on the floor, as if he was about to transform into a demonic monster.

A few hours later, the living room was a total wreck. An exhausted Lu Zihao lay splayed on the floor. He was completely drenched in sweat to the point that he looked like he took a dive in a pool with all his clothes on.

He stared at the ceiling with dull eyes. If not for the rise and fall of his chest, someone might mistake him for a dead person upon seeing the sorry sight.

"Damn you," he whispered, cursing at the remnant who just went berserk inside him.

In the end, he won again and subdued the remnant as usual. However, he knew that this was only temporary. The remnant felt like it was getting stronger the more times it clashed with him. The length of time between clashes also grew shorter while the duration grew longer. 

He covered his eyes with his arm and sighed. Jin Liwei's invitation to meet and talk in person together with his sister played in his mind. 

Should he agree?

No, not at this time. 

He needed to find a way to stabilize the remnant inside him first, or much better yet, to completely eliminate the irritating existence once and for all. If he didn't do this first and went ahead and met with Jin Liwei, the remnant might go berserk again. He couldn't afford to risk losing control in front of other people and most especially not in front of his sister. He didn't want to worry her. 

'Maybe you can ask her about her experience.'

Although she didn't expressly mention it, he knew that she also battled with her remnant last year. He saw with his own eyes how the original Long Xiulan's remnant took over her body to exact revenge on Fan Luo and tortured the Alarm Girls. His pure and kind sister would never exhibit such maliciousness without an external, or in their case, internal factor. 

Perhaps asking her on how she was able to deal with Long Xiulan's remnant and gain total control of her body would help him solve his own issue with the original Lu Zihao's remnant.

'No, that won't work. The remnants inside us are different. Hers went berserk due to a powerful grudge resulting from the original Long Xiulan's death. I don't sense any grudge from the original Lu Zihao's remnant at all. All I sense is a deep attachment to his sworn brothers and the old man.'

He thought long and hard about all the similarities and differences of his and his sister's situations regarding the remnants inside their bodies. In the end, he made his decision.

'I'll solve my own problem by myself. If my sister can do it, I can do it too. There's no need to make her worry about me. That's my job as the elder brother—to worry about my younger sister. Not the other way around. I'm Nikolai Vetrov. A mere remnant won't be able to defeat me.'

Therefore, before he was able to stabilize the remnant inside him in some way, he wouldn't meet his sister and her man in person. Besides, he was pissed off at Jin Liwei because the man was the main reason why the remnant went berserk ever since the confrontation and the disintegration of their brotherhood.

It wasn't only Jin Liwei. He was also pissed off at his sister for telling her man about their secret. Although he admitted that it was him who dropped the hint first during the confrontation with Jin Liwei, she didn't need to follow it up. 

What was she thinking? Did she lose all her rationality because of her love for her man? Had she forgotten how dangerous their identities as members of the Vetrovs were? 

Even though he felt assured that Jin Liwei loved his sister and would protect her, that was only right now. Would the man still feel the same way once he learned that the woman he loved and her brother were direct scions of what was once the most powerful and nefarious criminal family in the international underworld? 

His forehead creased as a painful headache assailed him. Mental and physical exhaustion prevented him from maintaining his composure. 

Right at that moment, the image of the sweet and shy Miss Prim and Proper Long Jinjing appeared in his mind. He wasn't surprised anymore when his groin stirred and in just a few seconds, he sported a rock-hard erection. 

If he could only fuck her again right now, all his troubles would temporarily go away from his thoughts. He would also feel more relaxed and balanced. 

"Fuck! What the hell, Nikolai?!"

Now he treated Long Jinjing in the same way as the remnant—annoying pests in his mind.

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