Chapter 38
An hour ago, Room A01.
Yan Shiying loosened the knot of his tie. Having stayed at sea for several days, even the air felt salty and damp. The shrimp curry, the seafood buffet, the Michelin restaurant, and even the fruit teas seemed permeated with that briny taste.
Everything was flavorless.
He walked toward the walk-in closet, unbuttoning his shirt. When he slid open the closet door, Yan Shiying’s gaze turned grave.
A “Mr. Beast” was hiding in his closet. Wearing handcuffs and shackles, the youth looked at him with eyes full of killing intent, panic, and a heavy dose of wariness.
The moment he had opened the door, he had indeed heard the faint clinking of chains. Because of this “savage’s” presence, the few shirts hanging in the closet seemed crowded; several strands of seaweed-like black hair strayed out from the gaps.
Yan Shiying returned to the bedroom. There was an emergency call button on the wall connected directly to the hotel’s security department. He pressed it; staff would arrive within three minutes. He then took a handgun from the nightstand and tucked it into the back of his waistband.
He returned to the dressing room. However, the fellow was gone. A sound came from the dining area.
Fast, he cursed under his breath. He walked to the dining table and saw Sand hiding behind the sofa, holding the half-eaten shrimp cake Shiying had left from breakfast.
Sand knew he had been spotted. He looked up, frozen like a statue, his seaweed hair covering one eye and half his face. Shiying approached; Sand held his breath, watching him like a predator in the wild. Despite that, he didn’t strike.
Suddenly, he moved.
Shiying’s hand instinctively went for his gun. However, he saw Sand place the half-eaten cake carefully on the table and push it forward toward him. Sand’s mouth was still full; he hadn’t swallowed or chewed, his cheeks puffed out like a starving squirrel.
Shiying’s hand relaxed. This guy looked much younger than Yan Shizhou—probably around twenty. To be the undefeated champion of the arena at such an age…
The “Beast” had clearly hidden here since last night, yet he hadn’t harmed Shiying while he slept. Aside from vigilance and fear, those eyes were pure. Shiying noticed red welts on Sand’s wrists and a fresh, bright red brand on his chest. He had heard that “beasts” in the arena were punished for mistakes; it seemed Sand was no exception.
The doorbell rang.
Sand had been missing for a day and a night. Without their “star attraction,” the arena was frantic. They had received an emergency call and, guided by the hyenas, were rushing to this room. Sand was undoubtedly inside.
When the door opened, they found a gun pointed at their heads. The “Black and White Striped Hats” (arena guards) had run rampant on this ship for years, but they were stunned. They had heard Room A01 housed the Yan family’s second son and was hard to deal with, but they expected to just offer some polite words—they didn’t expect to hit a wall of steel.
“Mr. Yan, didn’t you press the emergency button?”
“I never pressed it.” Yan Shiying’s voice was as hard as the weapon in his hand.
The guards, wary of his background, could only leave in a huff. Shiying put the gun back and checked the window; the frame was bent and warped, forced open by raw strength. There was a trace of blood on the sill. He could imagine Sand breaking in last night and moving silently past his bed to the closet while he slept, completely undetected.
Shiying’s expression became grim. The arena people would be back soon. Before that, he’d let this poor savage kid eat. He made a call to have steak and fruit salad delivered.
When the food arrived, Sand, who didn’t know how to use utensils, tried to eat with his hands. Shiying resignedly took him to the bathroom to wash his hands and face. He noticed Sand’s nails were filed sharp and lethal, like a feline’s claws. It was clear the arena had intentionally crafted him into a “beast” to maintain the show’s ferocity.
When those hands went under the faucet, the wounds stung, and he trembled slightly, but the little beast made no sound.
“I don’t have time to babysit; I’ll have to send you back,” Shiying said while wiping the boy’s face. Sand understood, shaking his head violently, his hair flying.
Shiying threw the towel into the water. He picked up scissors and cut away the encumbering hair. Sand was indeed just a twenty-year-old; despite being raised among beasts, once his face was washed, he looked clean and youthful. Because he rarely saw the sun, his skin was much paler than a normal person’s.
With his eyes fully revealed, the raw animality and delicate humanity in his dark eyes were striking. His thick black hair made his face look even paler, but there was a faint flush of excitement on his cheeks. Shiying wiped away the loose hair with a warm towel, like wiping a soft cake.
Once finished, Sand picked up the steak with clean hands, his handcuffs clinking against the table. Shiying sat nearby, not correcting him.
Just then, the doorbell rang again. Sand trembled instinctively. The second wave of guards had arrived. Shiying rose to open the door, but the “little cake” grabbed his hand, terrified of being sent back. Shiying tried to break free, only to find the boy’s strength was incredible—no different from an actual wild animal. He was nearly pulled to the floor.
“You’re making things worse,” Shiying warned.
“Mr. Yan! Are you alright?! We’re coming in!” Seeing no one answer, the guards used the excuse to force their way in.
As Shiying walked toward the door, he snapped, “Who gave you permission to barge in?”
Seeing Shiying’s composure, the leader, a man with a distinctive small mustache, smiled. “Mr. Yan, don’t misunderstand. A beast escaped the arena; we were worried you might be harmed.”
Shiying recognized the “Mustache” as a high-ranking second-in-command of the guards. Mustache glanced at the messy steak on the table, sneered, and signaled his men to search the room. Shiying blocked them.
“We hope you cooperate. Let’s not make this ugly,” Mustache smiled, his eyes losing their warmth as he pointed toward the door. “Second Young Master Yan, my men respect you as a Yan, which is why we’ve been polite. If you insist on doing this the hard way, we’ll lose our patience! To put it bluntly, do you even have status in the Southern Province anymore? I heard you couldn’t even attend the old Master’s funeral. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to go; it’s that the old man didn’t even mention you, right? Ha… are you even a Yan? Master Yan won billions at the arena a few days ago, didn’t you know?”
Shiying’s face turned ghastly. “You’re saying… my brother is here?”
He couldn’t believe his high-and-mighty brother, the Head of the family, would be in a place like this. Mustache’s eyes were sharp; he knew a single sentence could break Shiying’s composure. He looked at his men as if to say: See, he knows nothing.
“I see Master Yan is very generous to his two bodyguards, living and eating with them. Yet you, the biological brother… I haven’t heard him mention you once.”
The phrase “biological brother” hit a raw nerve. Without warning, Shiying had his gun pressed against Mustache’s neck. Instantly, all the guards aimed their weapons at Shiying.
Mustache wasn’t afraid. He grinned neurotically. “So, if a Yan family outcast is thrown into the sea to feed the sharks, no one would ever know, right?”
Everyone laughed. A flicker of calculation passed through Shiying’s eyes; he knew he had made the mistake he despised most—exposing his weakness to the enemy. In this situation, he couldn’t protect the boy. He was almost ready to lower his gun.
“Who is a Yan family outcast?” a deep voice resonated from outside the open door.
As the sun began to pierce the clouds, a figure stepped in, the light tracing a sharp, lethal silhouette on his face. Everyone turned.
Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi followed behind Yan Shiqi. Yan Shiqi’s gaze landed on Shiying first, then shifted slowly to Mustache. As it moved, the warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a coldness that made people shiver.
“Has it been so long since I’ve been out that people think the Yan family has fallen to the point of feeding sharks?”
Mustache froze, caught off guard by the sudden arrival of such a dominant figure. He laughed hoarsely, “Mr. Yan… ah, it was just a misunderstanding…”
Yan Shiqi looked at Shiying. Shiying looked away and slowly lowered his gun.
“Even if this isn’t the Yan manor, the Second Young Master of the Yan family is not for outsiders to bully,” Yan Shiqi said, his eyes scanning the armed men. Mustache signaled his men to lower their guns.
He smiled bitterly. “How could I dare bully a Yan? I just hope the Second Young Master can make things easy for us. A beast escaped, and we don’t want the Second Young Master getting hurt. Isn’t he being a bit too stubborn?”
Yan Shiqi sat on the sofa by the window, looking at Shiying meaningfully. “Since we are on their territory, we should give them convenience to give ourselves convenience.”
Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi stood behind the sofa. Shiying had no choice but to step aside. Mustache looked pleased. “Master Yan’s words carry weight.”
With Yan Shiqi there, the guards were forced to be polite. They searched every hiding spot in the room but found nothing. Mustache’s face fell as if he’d lost a hundred million. “The kid escaped again! Let’s go!”
“Wait,” Shiying called out as they moved to leave.
Mustache turned back with suspicion. “What is it, Second Young Master?”
Shiying: “Close the door!”
Mustache tipped his hat and smiled. “Goodbye.” Bang! The door slammed shut.
The room fell silent. The rising sun cast a long shadow of the Yan Family Head onto the floor. Then, a figure slowly stood up from behind the sofa—right between Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi.
It was Sand.
Xie Yunshen had spotted him the moment he walked in. He had struggled so hard not to let his eyes wander. Sand’s hiding spot was perfect, the only gap being covered by him and Yi Wuyi.
Shiying sat on the opposite sofa, looking at his brother. “How did you know he was behind the sofa?”
Xie Yunshen realized then: Mr. Yan knew the whole time?
“Since we were kids, you’ve liked hiding things behind your back, just like that gun,” Yan Shiqi said. Shiying had indeed been intentionally facing away from the sofa.
Sand walked to Shiying, his shackles clinking. Xie Yunshen looked at the twenty-year-old’s face, unable to believe this was the guy who had fought a lion days ago. He curiously poked the boy’s arm; it was terrifyingly hard. Sand immediately hid behind Shiying.
Xie Yunshen’s lip twitched. No way… the ‘fledgling imprint’ object changed to Yan Shiying?
“Shiying, what are you doing here?” Yan Shiqi asked.
Shiying rested his elbows on his knees. “Brother, I should be asking you that. I don’t believe you don’t know the dangers here. Don’t tell me you came for a vacation.”
Xie Yunshen sighed. Why do these brothers turn mutual concern into a confrontation?
Yi Wuyi thought: It actually is a vacation.
Yan Shiqi said, “In fact, it is a vacation.”
“…”
Yan Shiying suddenly pointed at Xie Yunshen. “Even so, why did you bring him?”
Xie Yunshen, being suddenly called out: “…” In Shiying’s mind, Xie’s reputation was still stuck years in the past.
Yan Shiqi said, “Have you forgotten the house rules? The Xie family are always honored guests of the Yans. Moreover, A-Shen has saved me and helped the family many times. In my heart, he is more important than many people.”
The words hit Xie Yunshen like a physical blow. His heart skipped a beat, and his head felt like it was steaming. That was too… too direct…
Shiying frowned, a sneer touching his lips. “Just a waste who lies flat on the Yan family’s dime!”
Yan Shiqi stood up, his expression cold. “If you lack manners, go back to kindergarten and start over!”
Shiying lowered his head. “Yes, I’m the one who grew up outside. I’ll never be ‘presentable’ in terms of etiquette. The family has no room for me, and you only remember me when you need me,” Shiying thought bitterly.
Xie Yunshen could feel Shiying’s hurt. He didn’t understand why both of Yan Shiqi’s brothers felt the need to compare themselves to the people by Shiqi’s side. Yan Shizhou competed with Yi Wuyi, and now Shiying was clashing with him. Are they ‘Brother-cons’?
As they left the room, Yi Wuyi paused. “Second Young Master, many things have happened in the family that you don’t know about. And Little Xie has changed a lot.”
Out on the deck, the sea breeze was howling. Yan Shiqi squinted at the shimmering water. Xie Yunshen stood beside him, not daring to speak. When the Master was in a bad mood, the pressure was immense.
“Don’t take what Shiying said to heart.”
Xie Yunshen was startled. He was just a bodyguard; he wouldn’t be arrogant enough to hold a grudge against the Second Young Master. Besides, he knew Shiying was just a “tsundere.”
“Actually, the Second Young Master… he seems like a child who just wants recognition from his elders.”
Yan Shiqi gazed at the horizon. “Since he followed his mother to the manor, Grandfather always had a prejudice against him. He was always biased. Even in his will, he didn’t mention Shiying’s name. That’s why he doesn’t want to come back. Perhaps he still hates the family.”
Xie Yunshen said, “No, I think he wants your recognition more.”
In the novel, Shiying’s attitude toward the Top Star Sect was much like Yan Shiqi’s, whereas the Old Master had been a believer. Shiying likely had no feelings for the late grandfather, but he respected his elder brother—the one who had treated him fairly despite the different mothers.
Yan Shiqi laughed. “You think everyone sees me through a filter like you do?”
Xie Yunshen froze for a long time. What does that mean? Has my ‘Bigshot filter’ become that obvious?
“If you don’t believe me, you could try praising him in the future. His ‘rebellious phase’ would probably vanish. And as for the filter… everyone has one for the people they care about. I have one for Old Five, Uncle Zhao, and even Lin Jin.”
“Lin Jin?” Yan Shiqi’s gaze, which had softened, turned cold as he looked at the sea.
“Yeah. Even though he’s a show-off, he’s actually okay sometimes.” Like when he treated Third Uncle. Xie Yunshen noticed the tension between Yan Shiqi and the Male Lead was worsening, and he just wanted to lessen the hostility. He didn’t realize he had stepped on a landmine.
“He’s ‘okay’?” Yan Shiqi’s voice was as cold as the sea spray.
Xie Yunshen realized his mistake. He really shouldn’t have mentioned that name. “Uh, actually, he’s quite average.” He shook his head solemnly.
“I don’t like him,” Yan Shiqi said bluntly.
!!!
That one sentence completely overturned Xie Yunshen’s understanding. Yan Shiqi never spoke with such subjective bias. He remembered Yan Shiqi’s previous evaluation of Lin Jin was positive!
Xie Yunshen’s heart sank. From a certain perspective, Lin Jin was Miss Bai’s boyfriend—Mr. Yan’s love rival. He felt the road to saving the Bigshot was becoming long and difficult.
And what is this bitter feeling in my heart?
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