After calming down Lian Jun for a while, he looked back at Uncle Long and asked, "Do I need to take the medicine as soon as possible?"

Without hesitation, Uncle Long replied, "The sooner the better. I know what you're thinking, but it's impossible. I won't use medicine to temporarily suppress the toxins in your body, that's just harming you. Young Master Jun, the right time for treatment is not like picking vegetables, you can't just grow them whenever you want. Your body is not made of rubber, you can't just keep messing around and expect it to reshape itself."

At this point, it seemed like there was only one option left for Lian Jun.

"Then let's treat it as soon as possible." Shi Jin made the decision on behalf of Lian Jun, with a serious expression and a tone that couldn't be refused. "Uncle Long, you go arrange it. If Lian Jun can't make it to the April meeting, I'll go in his place."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room was stunned.

"Shi Jin!" Lian Jun rarely raised his voice towards Shi Jin.

Shi Jin turned his head to look at him and firmly said, "It's no use calling me. If you were in my position, I believe you would do the same. Lian Jun, you personally confirmed my position as the deputy leader of the Annihilation, and my identity is enough to represent you at the meeting. Don't try to stop me."

Shi Jin has many virtues, including keeping his word and persistence. Lian Jun looked at Shi Jin's serious expression, and various words of dissuasion rolled in his chest, but he couldn't say a single one - he couldn't resist Shi Jin, and he was very clear about that.

In the end, he only held onto Shi Jin's hand tightly and said, "Shi Jin, I regret pushing you into the spotlight back then, letting everyone know your worth to me. This year's conference is different from before, we will definitely be targeted by the other four families. You have no experience, I can't--"

"Then teach me," Shi Jin interrupted him, gripping his hand in return. "Teach me, and you're so smart, you must have a way to ensure my safety from behind. I trust you, and besides, there's Aunt Lu here, nothing will happen."

Lian Jun fell silent, frowning and not saying a word.

Shi Jin also remained silent, showing no signs of backing down. Uncle Long looked at them and thought that Shi Jin's suggestion was actually quite good. From a personal perspective, he believed that Lian Jun should rely more on Shi Jin. Shi Jin was not a delicate flower that needed protection. On the contrary, in certain matters, he showed more responsibility and reliability than most people in this world.

"Are you trying to shorten Mr. Lian's treatment time as much as possible?"

As the tense atmosphere lingered, Li Jiuzheng, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, suddenly spoke up.

Everyone was stunned and turned to look at him. Uncle Long noticed Li Jiuzheng and his eyes flickered as he looked him up and down.

Li Jiuzheng bent down to pick up the tablet that Shi Jin had dropped and placed it on the coffee table. He stood up and said, "I am a doctor. Although my specialty is not in neurology, my senior brother is. Perhaps I can be of some help."

"Fifth Brother..." Shi Jin called out to him in surprise. Li Jiuzheng smiled at him and reassured him, "Don't worry, I'll help you."

He then approached Uncle Long and asked, "Can I see Mr. Lian's medical records and physical examination report?"

Uncle Long did not answer, but instead looked at Lian Jun.

The physical condition of a criminal organization leader is usually only known in detail by the leader's personal doctor. No matter how excellent an outsider doctor is, they cannot pry too much. Li Jiuzheng is indeed very capable, but whether or not to let him help is not something that Uncle Long can decide on his own.

Receiving Uncle Long's questioning gaze, Lian Jun frowned, tightened his grip on his pen, and said, "Let him see."

"Thank you for your trust," said Li Jiuzheng, turning to look at Lian Jun. He noticed that Shi Jin, who was standing next to Lian Jun, was still staring at him in a daze. Li Jiuzheng then took a step forward and reached out to touch Shi Jin's head, reassuring him, "Don't be afraid, everything will be okay."

"Fifth Brother," Shi Jin looked at him, suddenly at a loss for words.

Li Jiuzheng touched his head again, his movements a bit awkward and clumsy, but very careful. Seeing that Shi Jin didn't shy away, Li Jiuzheng's smile deepened. He nodded at Lian Jun and then turned back to Uncle Long, saying, "Let's go, I need to see the detailed medical records. Time waits for no one."

Uncle Long glanced at Lian Jun and Shi Jin, and seeing that Lian Jun didn't stop them, he nodded and led Li Jiuzheng away.

Shi Jin watched as Li Jiuzheng left, and he tightly grasped Lian Jun's hand.

......

The New Year holiday suddenly came to an end, and Li Jiuzheng changed into his white coat and plunged into the laboratory. He put all his thoughts of leisure aside and dragged Lian Jun to a meeting to prepare for class.

Although Lian Jun had not yet spoken, news of his upcoming treatment quickly spread. The relaxed atmosphere on the island was swept away, replaced by an invisible tension.

"The process of the annual meeting is always the same. You attended once last year, so I won't go into too much detail about that. Attending the meeting is not difficult, but what's difficult is dealing with the officials and playing games with the leaders of various organizations. They are all shrewd people, so you must be careful not to be fooled by their words. If there is a conflict during the meeting, or if you are tracked and attacked after the meeting..." Lian Jun explained with concern, then suddenly stopped when he saw Shi Jin taking notes seriously across from him. Shi Jin looked up at him in confusion.

"Shi Jin, I will never let you replace me in the meeting." Lian Jun closed the documents in front of him, an unusual lack of composure in his voice. "Zhang Zhuoyuan and Lu Shan are okay. They may not be able to help you, but at least they won't make things difficult for you. But Meng Qing from Meridian Gate and Qi Yun from Thousand Leaves are not easy to deal with. And Yuan Peng from Snake Fang is an uncontrollable hothead. This year is different from previous years. If we fail this time, we will become targets. If they suddenly make things difficult for you, then you..."

"Lian Jun," Shi Jin leaned in and grasped his hand, speaking earnestly, "You know, those people won't be foolish enough to make a move against me right under the government's nose. And besides, they just formed their alliance. The main purpose of this meeting should only be to test us, they won't directly attack me.

"Don't even think about sending Number One to represent you at the meeting. Meng Qing and the others won't recognize him, and they will definitely make trouble over the fact that the leader of Annihilation is not attending the meeting, demanding that the government revoke the Annihilation brand. The business merger is not over yet, Annihilation cannot be revoked. So, I have to go. I am your partner, the deputy leader that you publicly acknowledge. Besides you, they will only recognize me."

Shi Jin's analysis was very thorough, but Lian Jun didn't feel happy at all. He wouldn't feel happy no matter who pushed his lover onto the dangerous stage. He gripped Shi Jin's hand tightly and remained silent with a stern face.

Shi Jin stood up decisively, leaned in to hold his face, and forced him to make eye contact. He earnestly said, "Lian Jun, I want you to be healthy and accompany me for a lifetime. Even if it's just for me, can you pay more attention to yourself?"

Lian Jun looked at him, his fingers tightening and relaxing, relaxing and tightening again. Suddenly, he stood up and forcefully pulled him into his arms.

Shi Jin hugged him back, comforting him silently. After a while, Lian Jun's tense body relaxed a bit. He took a deep breath and forced himself to regain his composure. He let go of the face he was touching and said, "I will contact Aunt Lu and ask her to spend more time with Meng Qing, try to get through this meeting smoothly."

Finally, he spoke.

Shi Jin felt relieved and nodded obediently, saying, "Okay, actually this meeting is not really dangerous. You don't have to be too nervous. Besides, there's also Number One and the others. They will help me too."

Lian Jun looked at Shi Jin, who clearly breathed a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but hug him again - he was too useless. His body was too useless. Shi Jin was not even twenty years old, why should he go through all of this on his behalf? Shi Jin felt the grip around him tighten and he quickly patted the person, saying, "Don't worry, I'll come back safely."

"There won't be a next time," Lian Jun whispered, his fingers turning white from the tightness of his grip. "There absolutely won't be a next time."

......

A day later, Uncle Long confirmed the timing for the medication - one week later. For the next week, Lian Jun had to follow a strict diet and receive regular injections of supplementary medicine to prepare for the official treatment.

Meanwhile, Li Jiuzheng remained holed up in the laboratory, poring over Lian Jun's extensive medical records and various materials. No one could expect him to suddenly turn the tide and shorten Lian Jun's treatment time to one month, after all, he wasn't a doctor specializing in neurology. So, Shi Jin prepared to attend the meetings in Lian Jun's place.

After making his decision, Lian Jun's efficiency immediately increased. He called a meeting with his subordinates and instructed them to start preparing for this year's conference in advance. Then, he urgently contacted Zhang Zhuoyuan and informed him that he would be absent from the conference due to health reasons.

Zhang Zhuoyuan was shocked and asked for details about Lian Jun's condition. After learning that it was just an illness and not a life-threatening one, he breathed a sigh of relief. He then politely asked if Lian Jun needed any medical assistance.

Lian Jun declined the offer and instead requested that Zhang Zhuoyuan take care of Shi Jin, who would be attending the conference in his place, and ensure his safety.

In Zhang Zhuoyuan's heart, Lian Jun was now a revered ancestor. He readily agreed to Lian Jun's request and promised to take good care of Shi Jin. After dealing with the official side of things, Lian Jun contacted Lu Shan and explained that he would soon begin treatment and that Shi Jin would attend the meeting in his place.

Lu Shan's reaction was similar to that of Zhang Zhuoyuan. She was stunned for a moment before raising her voice and saying, "Wait, are you sure you're going for treatment and not because something has happened? Don't you dare lie to me, the consequences will be severe."

"I'm not lying to you. Shi Jin will attend the meeting in my place. Please take care of him," Lian Jun softened his tone and said seriously, "Aunt Lu, Shi Jin is important to me. He can't have any accidents."

After a moment of silence, Lu Shan's tone became calm and she said, "I understand, with me here, you don't have to worry too much. Relax and focus on getting better... You, boy, after all these years, you finally gave me some good news. I've been worried sick that you would leave me behind..."

Her voice became hoarse towards the end, clearly trying to suppress her emotions.

Feeling touched, Lian Jun whispered, "Aunt Lu, you've worked hard all these years."

"Don't talk about hard work. If you want to live, you have to work harder," Lu Shan quickly adjusted her emotions and promised, "You focus on getting better, I'll keep an eye on Shi Jin. I guarantee that Meng Qing and the others won't dare to touch him."

"Thank you, Aunt Lu. Please take care of yourself too," Lian Jun thanked her sincerely. After ending the call with Lu Shan, Lian Jun put down his phone and looked over at Shi Jin, who was sitting on the couch, buried in various documents. He stood up, walked over, and reached out to touch Shi Jin's head.

Shi Jin snapped out of his focus on the files and looked up at him, smiling as he asked, "Did you hire a good bodyguard for me?"

"Mhmm," Lian Jun bent down and hugged him, saying, "I'll get better as soon as possible... and then come pick you up."

Shi Jin responded with a sound and hugged Lian Jun's back, gently patting him.

......

That night, Lian Jun received his first injection of the auxiliary medication, marking the official start of his treatment. He didn't sleep well that night, as the long-lost pain in his legs tormented him all night long. Shi Jin stayed up with him, experiencing the feeling of exhaustion for the first time.

"Only a supplementary medication for now, but what will happen when he starts taking the actual medicine..." Shi Jin muttered to himself, his eyes fixed in a daze.

Xiao Si tried to comfort him, "The progress bar for our baby noticeably decreased after the injection, that's a good sign..."

"I know," Shi Jin covered his face and closed his eyes, "He hasn't trembled in pain for a long time... I just feel so useless, like I can't do anything to help."

Xiao Si didn't know how to console him, so it repeated, "It will get better, the beginning is always the hardest, but it will get better..."

Shi Jin knew that everything would be okay, but as he looked at Lian Jun lying in bed, even though he was asleep, his brow remained furrowed and his hands clenched tightly. The process of getting better was just too painful, lasting three months, or even half a year or a whole year. It was too difficult. For the first time, he had a malicious thought of wanting to dig up Long Shi's body and whip it in anger.