Chapter 60
“Old Five, want to play?”
In the office that day, Yan Shiqi was in the middle of a video conference. On a sudden whim, Xie Yunshen picked up a small wooden stick and poked Yi Wuyi beside him.
“Play what?”
“Dian-Tui (Point-and-Push).”
It was a trial of strength. Each person held one end of the stick, pushing against the other to see who could knock the other down first. The catch: the stick couldn’t break or be damaged. It required high-level skill, the use of internal force, and leverage—much like Tai Chi “push hands.” The stick Xie Yunshen found wasn’t quite straight and was a bit thin, which only added to the difficulty.
As they started their game in the corner of the office, Yan Shiqi sat focused at his computer. Suddenly, the branch manager giving a report on the other end of the call faltered. The voice in his headset stopped, and Shiqi glanced at the screen, only to see the two men occasionally drifting into the frame behind him on the left.
“Continue,” Yan Shiqi said calmly, silently adjusting the camera angle to the right.
At this, several participants immediately muted their mics, likely struggling to stifle their laughter. Yi Wuyi finally noticed that the computer was now at a forty-five-degree angle to the desk edge. He quickly grabbed Xie Yunshen, signaling that they had gone too far.
Xie Yunshen froze, glancing at Mr. Yan, who was indeed frowning at the screen. He quickly dropped the stick. Once the meeting ended, Xie Yunshen said immediately, “Mr. Yan, we didn’t disturb you… did we?” He added the question mark tentatively at the end of what was meant to be a statement.
“You did.”
Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi both felt a jolt of nerves.
“But it doesn’t matter,” Yan Shiqi said gently.
Yi Wuyi watched from the side; the way Mr. Yan treated Xie Yunshen was always so remarkably close. However, considering Xie’s contributions to the family, even without personal feelings, such treatment was only natural.
When the secretary came in with tea, she stared at a potted plant in the corner and suddenly let out a horrified cry: “Heavens! Who cut the branch off the Black Pine?”
On that ancient, elegant bonsai, a section of the branch was abruptly missing.
“What’s wrong?” Yi Wuyi asked.
The secretary walked over to the plant. “This bonsai is decades old. It was a gift from the Bai Group for the old Chairman’s birthday. I heard it cost millions.”
Yi Wuyi immediately turned a horrified gaze toward Xie Yunshen, who looked equally panicked but managed to maintain enough composure to kick the “stick” under the sofa. Before doing so, he made sure to avoid Mr. Yan’s gaze.
But as he looked up, he met Yan Shiqi’s eyes. That dark gaze seemed to say: I caught you.
Xie Yunshen feigned nonchalance and rubbed his ear. Internally, he was screaming: Is the way this Bigshot looks at people enough to make… make one’s breath catch?
“Mr. Yan, should I have someone come to trim it?” the secretary asked regretfully.
“Forget it. It’s fine like this.” Yan Shiqi looked at the broken plant. He seemed to recall something; his gaze sank into a heavy sorrow, yet it also carried a cold sense of relief. “Let it grow this way.”
At that moment, Xie Yunshen was incredibly intuitive. He knew Mr. Yan was thinking of that senior contact he had waited for by the river—the one who never came. A departed senior, to Mr. Yan, was like this ancient tree losing a vital branch. The bonsai had accidentally become a metaphor for fate.
A sense of melancholy and gravity quietly bloomed in Xie’s heart.
That night, Xie Yunshen was still a bit troubled by the incident. He wanted to head to the training room to vent some energy and, as usual, went to find Yi Wuyi. As he came out, he saw Yi Wuyi on a motorcycle, ready to head out.
“Old Five, where are you going?” Xie Yunshen shouted from upstairs.
He vaulted over the railing of the second-floor corridor, using a stone pillar for leverage with his toe. Before Yi Wuyi could even fully look up, a figure landed gracefully on the ground. Compared to the near-fracture he suffered jumping from the balcony months ago, this body had been successfully overhauled.
“Are you on a mission for Mr. Yan?”
“No. I’m going ‘home’ for a look.”
Xie Yunshen was surprised. Isn’t Yi Wuyi an orphan?
“Let’s go together,” Yi Wuyi said, sliding down his visor.
The sun must have risen in the west; the cool guy Yi Wuyi had actually initiated an invitation. Xie Yunshen nodded, pulled another bike from the garage, and hit the road. From a window in the annex, Yan Shizhou watched the two motorcycle silhouettes disappear out the gate, his expression dark before he slammed the curtains shut.
“This is the ‘home’ you mentioned…” Xie Yunshen looked at the noisy children. It made sense; an orphan’s home is an orphanage.
Yi Wuyi held a bottle, expertly feeding an infant in his arms while maintaining a flat expression. “Where else would I go?”
The director was a woman in her seventies. Though aged, she looked healthy. Seeing Yi Wuyi, her face filled with pride and affection. “Xiao Wu, working at the Yan Group is a good job, but you don’t need to send so much money every month. The children here are already subsidized by the Yans. I’ve saved some for you so you can use it when you get married.”
“Director, no need. I have money.”
Xie Yunshen, who was playing with the kids nearby, leaned in gossipingly. “Director, what kind of partner do you want Xiao Wu to find?” If Old Five married the Third Young Master, would the old director be shocked into getting more wrinkles?
The Director smiled. “Anyone is fine, except for that Third Young Master of the Yan family.”
Xie Yunshen froze. What? Did that guy Yan Shizhou come here too?
“That Third Young Master is handsome, but his temper is too much. Our Xiao Wu would definitely suffer.”
“…” Xie Yunshen, with his years of reading novels, sensed a plot point of angst.
The Director then asked about Xiao Ding and another person named Xiao Bing. Yi Wuyi simply said Xiao Ding was in security at the Yan house.
“And… has Xiao Bing contacted you lately?” she asked.
“Yes,” Yi Wuyi lied. “He’s abroad. The time difference is too large for calls, but he told me to tell you not to worry.”
Xie Yunshen saw right through the lie. As they walked away from the orphanage, Xie asked, “Who is Xiao Bing?”
“A senior brother from the orphanage. I haven’t seen him in years.”
“Where did he go?”
Yi Wuyi shook his head. “I can guess, though. Most of the evidence for Top Star Group’s grey-market deals was gathered by him.”
Xie Yunshen was amazed. “So he’s the person Mr. Yan was waiting for that night?”
“I can’t think of anyone else. There are only a few people Mr. Yan truly trusts.”
No wonder Mr. Yan was so sad. Xie Yunshen sighed. Yan Shiqi was always rational and decisive, but he was also deeply loyal.
“Still, with you here, Mr. Yan will have it a bit easier,” Yi Wuyi said, patting his shoulder.
Xie Yunshen paused. “Really? I don’t feel it.” He often felt like his attempts to cheer Mr. Yan up were counterproductive.
Yi Wuyi hit the nail on the head: “You should give Mr. Yan a warm hug.”
Just as Xie Yunshen was about to say that was a great idea, the roar of an engine erupted. A heavy motorcycle surged straight toward them at a speed that felt like it was about to take flight. They both vaulted aside as the bike sped past, followed by several more bikes emerging from all directions.
“Targeting us again,” Xie Yunshen said.
Several men got off the bikes, empty-handed, but clearly trained in martial arts. Xie Yunshen counted them. “Wait, this isn’t right. Why are there seven?”
“What? You scared, kid?” the leader in a black leather jacket asked, eyes cold. Before coming, his boss had warned him repeatedly to be careful of the one named Xie. Now, it didn’t look like much.
“Seven people… how do we split them?” Xie Yunshen asked Yi Wuyi.
“…” The leather-jacketed man was speechless.
“I’ll take four, you take three,” Yi Wuyi replied.
“That’s clearly unfair,” Xie Yunshen countered.
“…” The enemies looked at each other, confused.
Xie Yunshen pointed at the leader. “Three each. This one who looks a bit tougher—we’ll split him at the end.”
“Fine,” Yi Wuyi said reluctantly.
What do you mean ‘fine’?!
“What the hell is wrong with you two?” one man exploded.
Yi Wuyi launched a sudden side-kick to the gut followed by a whirlwind kick, taking one down in a flash. Seeing he was a step behind, Xie Yunshen engaged the others. A high whip-kick hit one, followed by a sharp elbow to the right-rear to repel a pincer attack. His strikes were heavy and ruthless.
Though the opponents were experienced, they couldn’t last a few rounds against such overwhelming power and speed. Xie Yunshen shattered the last man’s jaw with an elbow strike. Meanwhile, Yi Wuyi dropped his final man with a heart-piercing kick.
With three down each, they both looked at the man in the leather jacket. A sudden, inexplicable competitive urge flared between them.
The man didn’t flinch. He shed his jacket, his muscles rippling as he assumed an Eagle Claw stance. One exchange and Yi Wuyi knew this guy was a specialist; his hands were explosive and lethal. He was at least a top-thirty fighter.
“Old Five, my turn,” Xie Yunshen said.
Yi Wuyi kicked out and retreated to Xie’s side. “Yours.”
Xie Yunshen stepped forward. The Eagle Claw man took a deep breath. Finally! His boss had told him to bring out this guy’s full strength.
Xie Yunshen stared at him, walking forward slowly. Then he frowned. “This isn’t exciting enough. Old Five, let’s race. Whoever gets back to Mr. Yan’s study first and grabs the eagle ornament on his desk wins.”
“…” The leather-jacketed man had had enough. He launched a lethal Heart-Plucking Claw.
But within three moves, he was sent flying by a simple back-kick. Xie Yunshen pursued with an aerial flip-kick and a head-shattering elbow. The man lay on the ground, bleeding and unconscious. Xie Yunshen didn’t bother continuing; he had a race to win. He turned to find Yi Wuyi already running toward the bikes.
“Hey! Old Five! That’s unsportsmanlike! Wait for me!”
In a nearby high-rise, a man in a hoodie lowered his binoculars. Shangguan Hong, standing next to him, asked, “Well? Can you tell?”
“It’s hard to say. In the hospital elevator, Black Impermanence used raw strength without any distinct style. Here, Xie Yunshen’s technique and speed are very obvious. However, in terms of build and aura, they are very similar.”
“Whether he is Black Impermanence or not, he cannot be allowed to live,” Shangguan Hong said, his eyes cold behind his glasses.
At 11:00 PM, the two motorcycles roared back into the Yan manor. They scrambled up the stairs, jostling for the lead. Xie Yunshen vaulted over the railing to reach the landing first. Uncle Zhao watched them with a kind smile. Yan Shixin stared, wide-eyed. Yan Shizhou sat on the sofa, looking at their “scuffling” with utter boredom.
The door to the dark study was thrown open. A familiar figure burst in like a gust of wind. Xie Yunshen swept past Yan Shiqi and grabbed the gold eagle ornament from the desk.
“Old Five, I won!”
Yi Wuyi entered behind him and immediately stood straight upon seeing Mr. Yan sitting on the sofa. “Mr. Yan.”
Yan Shiqi looked at their disheveled states. “What are you ‘playing’?”
The word “playing” instantly made Yi Wuyi realize he had indeed been infected by Xie Yunshen’s maturity level.
Xie Yunshen ran to Yan Shiqi’s side. “We were racing! First one to the study to grab the ornament wins.”
Yan Shiqi looked at him. Those black, excited eyes were brilliant in the dark, and he could smell the lingering scent of the night wind on him. “I see. Congratulations on your victory,” Yan Shiqi said with a faint smile.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!