Chapter 44
For the first two nights after their return, Yan Shiqi had been in the study handling a mountain of backlogged business.
Behind the stack of documents, Yan Shixin sat nearby, turning his octagonal Rubik’s cube. It was rare for the child to seek out Yan Shiqi in the study. He was likely there because Third Uncle and his wife had been busy with the Chamber of Commerce election campaigns over the past few days.
Suddenly, the Rubik’s cube fell off the table. Shixin’s eyes followed it as it rolled toward a pair of leather shoes. The cube—which required both of the boy’s hands to grip steadily—was picked up effortlessly by a large hand.
Shixin looked up. He saw the man’s thumb and index finger flick; the octagonal cube became a sphere, spinning in his palm on a single blunt point. Xie Yunshen leaned over and presented the spinning cube like a prized treasure. “Fun?”
Back when he was a bodyguard for a young prince, he used this trick to amuse him.
The eight-year-old child looked at him with a maturity beyond his years. “Your hand is very steady.”
The smile on Xie Yunshen’s face froze. What a magical point of focus. Wouldn’t a normal kid just think it’s cool?
Yan Shixin walked over, took the sphere, and returned to the desk. Only then did Xie Yunshen realize that Yan Shiqi was staring at him intently from behind the desk.
“?” Xie Yunshen gave his signature look of puzzled inquiry.
Yan Shiqi took the 6.5-billion gold card from the drawer. “In theory, half of this belongs to you.”
At these words, Xie Yunshen lunged toward the desk in shock. “Does that mean you’re giving me half…?”
“Do you want it?” Yan Shiqi’s finger tapped lightly on the card.
Xie Yunshen thought about it and said, “I don’t want it.”
“Why?”
“Who doesn’t want money? But since we agreed I was the Banker on your behalf, the winnings are yours. For example, if I had lost, you would have covered for me, right?”
Perhaps it was the unease of “living someone else’s life,” but this money had no meaning to Xie Yunshen; it was just a string of numbers. Much like the card Third Uncle gave him, he still hadn’t checked the balance.
Yan Shiqi looked at him and smiled slightly. His unmasked curiosity swept over Xie’s soul. Xie Yunshen felt a bit of goosebumps.
“If only… you weren’t Xie Yunshen,” Yan Shiqi said meaningfully.
Xie Yunshen sat in the chair opposite the desk and flicked an eagle ornament, watching it sway. “Shouldn’t this topic be over by now?”
Recently, both Mr. Yan and Old Five had been very strange.
Yan Shiqi opened a work file. “Because having known your current character, it’s hard to imagine that everything from your past actually existed.” He signed the paper and closed the folder, only to find a pair of bright black eyes staring at him.
The man always approached suddenly and quietly, looking at you with incredibly bright eyes like a large dog.
“What was I like before? Is the personality that different?” Xie Yunshen rested his head on the desk, looking at Yan Shiqi.
“It has nothing to do with personality. It’s a completely different core,” Yan Shiqi said, looking directly into his eyes.
Core… A flash of realization went through Xie’s mind. Core—isn’t that the soul?
Xie Yunshen asked with a hint of confusion and unease, “Then, do you want me to change back to the way I was, or is the way I am now okay?”
Yan Shiqi paused for a moment before telling him bluntly: “No one can compare to the you of now.”
It was like a soft arrow hitting its mark, making the last of Xie Yunshen’s insecurities vanish. He smiled, his eyes clearly reflecting Yan Shiqi’s face, and said seriously: “In my heart, you are better than anyone else too.”
Before this, he had protected many people—from foreign royalty to police witnesses, stars to billionaires, the elderly to children, people of all orientations. But only Yan Shiqi gave him a completely different feeling. Perhaps it was the filter of being a character in a book.
Yan Shiqi’s lower eyelid seemed to flicker. Aside from his habitual frown, his calm features rarely betrayed obvious emotion. But Xie Yunshen could still sense a change in his mood. He couldn’t quite put a name to it.
After a long silence, Yan Shiqi asked, “Is that so?” It wasn’t really a question, more like an unconscious polite response while thinking.
“Yes,” Xie Yunshen replied immediately, lest the words fall to the ground.
Yan Shiqi was visibly startled, then broke into a rare smile of relief. Xie Yunshen didn’t quite understand the meaning of that smile.
That evening, after finishing work, Xie Yunshen went to change, planning to have a good session in the training room. He hadn’t been able to properly exercise his muscles while on the ship. Of course, he couldn’t forget Old Five. He had to find him!
Old Five was the legendary perfect work partner—you could chat during work and train after. When doing something bad, he never spoiled the fun, and their professional skills complemented each other. It was a top-tier alliance.
[Sorry, A-Xie. I have plans tonight.]
One can imagine how much of a blow this was to Xie Yunshen. Especially when he saw the Third Young Master behind Yi Wuyi—wearing a white shirt, sitting on Old Five’s bed with his long legs tucked, a cigarette between his lips, looking at him with utter boredom before provocatively blowing a puff of smoke his way!
Xie Yunshen was on the verge of a breakdown.
Yi Wuyi, however, looked calm. One couldn’t read any surprise, embarrassment, pain, or shyness on his face. His distant gaze seemed to say: It is what it is. As you can see.
Then, the door closed.
“What a sin!” Xie Yunshen had a three-second mental break right there in the corridor.
He ran back to Yan Shiqi’s study, slammed the door open, and rushed to the desk. “Mr. Yan! Did you know Old Five is gay?!”
“…”
Yan Shiqi, who was working, slowly raised his hand to support his forehead. Overtime was annoying enough, but lately, his brain had been under siege by the word “gay.” Yan Shizhou and Yan Shiying spent all day sniping at each other with that word. Now even Xie Yunshen had started.
“You saw them.” Yan Shiqi didn’t even need to guess. Certain things only clicked for Xie Yunshen once he saw them with his own eyes. His insensitivity to these matters was legendary.
Xie Yunshen felt hurt. “Wait, you all knew?” So I’m the only one out of the loop?
Yan Shiqi looked at his files and didn’t respond. Suddenly, Xie Yunshen said solemnly, “Mr. Yan, do you think Old Five is being forced?”
He couldn’t be blamed for thinking this; Yi Wuyi was a total “straight man” in front of him. Besides, Yan Shizhou had been obsessed with him, so doing this might just be a way to torment him. Yi Wuyi was so loyal to the Yans that it was highly possible he was sacrificing himself!
Yan Shiqi said, “They are adults. Who can force anyone into something like this?”
“…” Xie Yunshen fell silent.
Yan Shiqi put down his documents and leaned back in his chair. Seeing Xie in a rare state of deep thought, he stopped working. “Whether Old Five likes men or not, will it change his place in your heart?”
Xie Yunshen said without hesitation, “Of course not. He’s Old Five.” Then he fell silent again. After a long while, he stood up and left without looking back. “I’m going, Mr. Yan.”
Yan Shiqi watched his back until he disappeared. Xie Yunshen spent two hours in the training room, took a shower dripping with sweat, and picked up the milk his grandfather had sent to the room.
He frowned at the glass. “Old Five is out there doing that, and I’m here drinking milk from Grandpa!” Then he downed it in one go and lay on the bed.
Just as he was about to sleep, he snapped his eyes open. “I forgot to ask Old Five something!”
The next day.
Xie Yunshen went to the dining room as usual and saw Yi Wuyi on duty. Both froze for a second. Xie Yunshen stood beside him; neither spoke at first, and the atmosphere was subtle. Yi Wuyi looked down, expressionless.
Yan Shizhou held his coffee cup, watching them out of the corner of his eye. It annoyed him that there was someone besides the Yans who Yi Wuyi cared about this much.
However, Xie Yunshen leaned toward Yi Wuyi and whispered, “Old Five, between you and Yan Shizhou, who’s the Top and who’s the Bottom?”
The question had tortured him for five minutes before he finally fell asleep last night. Yi Wuyi was stunned; he never expected that question.
“He likes being on top,” Yi Wuyi said.
Xie Yunshen’s eyes widened in disbelief, feeling like he’d bet on the wrong outcome.
“But I’m the ‘1’ (Top),” Yi Wuyi added.
Xie Yunshen relaxed, then realized with a knowing look: Ah, so the ‘yandere’ Third Young Master likes the ‘cowboy’ position.
“What do you think?” Yi Wuyi asked.
“About what?”
“Last night.”
“As long as you weren’t forced, the rest is none of my business,” Xie Yunshen said with a lifeless gaze.
“Hm.”
“…” Yan Shizhou watched them, speechless. Although he couldn’t hear the conversation, seeing Yi Wuyi’s expression soften, he realized the two had resolved their tension in less than a minute. Are they really that close?!
The Election Day.
The Five Families were all present. The three Yan brothers, Third Madam, and Yan Shixin all attended. The location was the grand auditorium of A-City University; the student body would also be voting on-site.
The back rows were already filled with students. Initially, Xie Yunshen planned to find a strategic spot in the aisle to perform his bodyguard duties. But Yan Shiqi suddenly looked back at him. Having been with him so long, Xie understood the meaning of every pause. It meant he should follow.
They moved toward the reserved seats. Each Family Head had a specially arranged seat with a name tag. Yan Shiqi’s seat was in the first row on the left. Behind him and to the side was a seat for an assistant. But Yan Shiqi hadn’t brought an assistant today.
“You sit here.”
Xie Yunshen sat down. Wait—Yan Shiying and Yan Shizhou were both here. He thought Yan Shiqi had left the assistant behind to give the seat to Yan Shiying.
Yan Shiqi offered no further explanation. The others had to sit in the rows further back. Xie Yunshen felt a prickle on his back. He looked back to see Shiying, the “brother-con,” staring at him from behind.
“…” Xie Yunshen decided to ignore him.
Yan Shiying looked at the nearby Yan Shizhou. “What exactly happened while I was away?”
Yan Shizhou gave him a calm look. “To quote Uncle Zhao: ‘Little Xie is a gift from heaven, sent to save the Yan family.’ Do you understand now?”
“…” Yan Shiying was too shocked for words.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!