Chapter 26: A Surprising Encounter

Chapter 26: A Surprising Encounter

Ruan Xiaohui had been a private investigator for six years. He had conducted business in cafes and made connections in hotels, but he never imagined that one day he would meet a client at a roadside skewer stall.

The man wore a black baseball cap and was crouched on the ground, enjoying his skewers. For ease of eating, he had pulled down his mask to his chin. If not for their distinct faces, Ruan Xiaohui might have mistaken him for another client he'd met before.

However, this man was known for his introverted nature and generous spending habits. He was clearly someone of means and refinement, someone who would never be caught crouching by the roadside to eat skewers.

Approaching him, Ruan Xiaohui squatted down beside the man and whispered the code: "One, two, three, four, five?"

"Lu."

The man eating the fried skewers calmly uttered a single word before standing up to dispose of his empty bowl in the trash. Lu Yan wiped his mouth with a napkin and finally glanced at Ruan Xiaohui. "Your surname is Ruan?"

Ruan Xiaohui appeared to be in his twenties, with a streak of blond hair dyed into his head, giving off a somewhat delinquent vibe. He wasn't particularly handsome but not unattractive either – a type of person suitable for intelligence work.

Ruan Xiaohui gave a cryptic smile. "That's me, Mr. Lu. Whatever you need, whether it's checking on an unfaithful spouse or investigating an enemy, I'll handle it smoothly and at a reasonable price..."

Mid-sentence, he suddenly found Lu Yan familiar. His voice trailed off as he connected the dots with Lu's surname, his expression subtly altering. "It's you?!"

True to his profession as a private investigator, Yu Zechuan's observational skills surpassed Ze Chuan's significantly.

Lu Yan didn't beat around the bush. He straightforwardly said, "I know someone hired you to investigate me. I invited you here today to ask for your help in keeping it under wraps for a month. Name your price."

Ruan Xiaohui's expression became rather intriguing. Their line of work wasn't legally protected; in harsher terms, they often trespassed on people's privacy. They maintained one-on-one communication with their clients, so he was puzzled as to how Lu Yan had found him.

Ruan Xiaohui chuckled like a slippery ball. "Mr. Lu, although I don't know how you tracked me down, it's not wise to serve two masters. I may not be well-educated, but I do understand the importance of credibility. If word got out, how could I continue working in this field?"

Before he finished speaking, he felt a sudden force on his shoulder as Lu Yan grabbed him and spun him around. Pointing upward, Lu Yan asked with a hint of a smile, "What do you see up there?"

Ruan Xiaohui instinctively looked up and noticed a surveillance camera above his head.

Lu Yan had deliberately chosen this spot for their meeting. His tone was casual, but it plunged Ruan Xiaohui into despair. "Earning a living is understandable, but if it leads to jail time, that's not ideal."

"You've been investigating me for quite some time, which would classify as an invasion of privacy. Suppose I were to report this to the police, do you think they'd take action? Even if I don't, you've been careless enough for me to discover your trail. How incompetent would that make you seem as a private investigator? Would you still have a career in this industry if news of this spread?"

Lu Yan patiently laid out the pros and cons for Ruan Xiaohui. After finishing his speech, he released his grip on the man's shoulder and asked once more, "Name your price, and I promise not to negotiate."

Ruan Xiaohui knew he had met his match this time. Grasping his teeth, he held up six fingers. "Anything less than this won't do!"

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Six thousand? That cheap?"

Ruan Xiaohui's expression froze. "…?"

Was this guy crazy from poverty?

Ruan Xiaohui gritted his teeth. "Sixty thousand! Sixty thousand!"

Lu Yan wondered if the man had gone mad from poverty. "I only need you to cook up a lie. Nothing more. How about I give you a discount and settle for three thousand?"

Ruan Xiaohui was taken aback. "Didn't you say no bargaining?"

Lu Yan lifted his brow. "I said no bargaining, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to be ripped off. I'll give you a discount this time. If there's more work next month, I'll come back to you."

Ruan Xiaohui's face twitched. "Mr. Lu, what you're offering isn't a discount, it's a bone-crushing deal. Even at a ten percent discount, I'd still get six thousand!"

Lu Yan replied, "Then it's settled at six thousand."

Ruan Xiaohui: "…"

Ruan Xiaohui had merely gone out to discuss business, but upon returning home, he inexplicably felt as if he had been plundered by bandits. With a sorrowful heart, he trembled as he retrieved his spare phone and dialed a number: "Hello... Is this Mr. Yu...?"

"The person you asked me to locate, I've found him... quite far away... It's said that he returned home due to the passing of a family member, to mourn in a remote mountainous area..."

"I'm not certain... Perhaps around seven or eight days... Alright... I'll keep a close eye on the situation... I'll inform you as soon as there's any update..."

Though Ruan Xiaohui was unsure about the exact nature of Lu Yan and Yu Zechuan's relationship, he had already botched his assignment with Yu Zechuan. If word got out, he would lose everything. After much deliberation, he decided to aid Lu Yan in keeping it a secret – not for the damned six thousand yuan, but for his own sake.

Yu Zechuan received a call from Ruan Xiaohui, surprisingly without any sign of anger. After cutting off the communication, he tossed his phone aside, yet the words Lu Yan had spoken that day echoed in his mind.

With his wealth and influence, Jiang Boyun could effortlessly crush most ordinary people in this city with just a finger. If that mistress was coerced by him, Yu Zechuan truly had no justification to take his life.

Of course, all these were merely excuses. Though Yu Zechuan didn't want to admit it, he had to say that he was swayed by Lu Yan's words that day.

It was a rare sunny day today. The lingering autumn sun, though not as scorching as summer's, bathed the body in warmth, soothing even one's soul.

Recently, Yu Zechuan somehow lost interest in Jiang Boyun's mistress. The Yinchuan Group's property development project was well underway, and Jiang Boyun also showed intention to invest in island development. All that was left was time, leaving his life suddenly empty and uninteresting.

Recalling something, Yu Zechuan grabbed his phone again. Lowering his gaze, he stared at the WeChat interface, hesitated for a second, then finally tapped on the chat bar labeled "Ayan."

Lu Yan's profile picture was a small, white dog wearing black round glasses, attentively reading a book with its head lowered. How to describe it? It was silly yet adorable, not quite resembling his real-life persona.

Yu Zechuan couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle, the corners of his lips curving into an imperceptible smile that even he didn't notice.

"Are you home today?"

"What are you doing?"

Yu Zechuan's fingertips tapped gently on the keyboard, typing the two questions he most wanted to ask. After much contemplation, however, he deleted them all and sent an unrelated message instead:

"The sun is quite nice today."

At that moment, Lu Yan was sitting across from someone Yu Zechuan would never have expected – drinking coffee. His phone, placed on the table, suddenly vibrated, immediately capturing the attention of the man sitting opposite him.

"Who's messaging you?"

The man in a tailored suit on the other side of the table looked refined and well-mannered – none other than Jiang Boyun, whom Yu Zechuan had killed in the previous game.

Lu Yan had last pretended that a relative was ill and needed his care back in their hometown, so he hadn't seen Jiang Boyun for quite some time and had hung up on his calls multiple times. Acting on a keen intuition, Jiang Boyun sensed that something was amiss and had forcefully arranged this meeting with Lu Yan today.

Lu Yan glanced at his phone screen inconspicuously and manually muted it. "Nothing, just a message from a relative."

Jiang Boyun stirred his steaming coffee with a spoon, then asked cautiously, "Which relative? I don't think you've ever mentioned them before."

Unflustered, Lu Yan took a sip of coffee. "My uncle."

He was so skilled at this that he didn't even need Jiang Boyun to ask. After finishing his sentence, he directly turned on the screen to show him the WeChat interface, where the contact was clearly labeled as "Uncle" with only one chat record:

"Today's sun is pretty nice."

Lu Yan asked, "Believe me now?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Boyun's eyes flickered, and his suspicions faded. Seeing that Lu Yan's uncle's profile picture was a cool rabbit in a black hoodie with its hands in its pockets, he couldn't help but smile. "Your uncle's profile picture is quite trendy. He even tells you about the sun being out."

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow nonchalantly. "With the sun out, it's time to harvest sweet potatoes from the field. Maybe he wants me to help."

After a moment, he suddenly asked, "Did you bring the USB drive with the accounting records from back then, as I asked?"

When Jiang Boyun mentioned this, his expression became slightly more distant. "Why do you need those accounting records?"

Lu Yan thought to himself, what else could he do? If he didn't come up with a plan soon, Xue Jin would snatch it away. "Why not just delete this kind of thing? What if someone discovers it?"

Jiang Boyun sat upright, distancing himself from the desk as he adjusted his posture, indicating his impatience with the topic. "Too many people were involved back then. I still have use for those records, so they can't be deleted yet."

Lu Yan knew it was unrealistic to expect Jiang Boyun to erase the files. He frowned and looked at him. "With so many people coming in and out of your office every day, what if they find out?"

Unconcerned, Jiang Boyun had long since let his guard down due to years of privilege. "Don't worry about that. The computer is encrypted. No one but me knows the password."

Since Lu Yan was an accomplice back then, Jiang Boyun didn't hide anything from him.

"I hired someone specifically to create an encryption program. The computer password changes randomly within a fixed time frame, consisting of a total of twenty-four sets of numbers. Even if someone somehow manages to obtain one of the passwords, it would be difficult for them to crack the computer."

Ironically, Xue Jin managed to crack it in their previous lives.

Lu Yan realized that Jiang Boyun wasn't as harmless as he seemed. He suddenly asked, "But aren't there many computer experts under your command?"

Jiang Boyun instinctively looked up at him. "What are you implying?"

The nutty aroma of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee filled his nostrils, soothing his nerves without him realizing it. Lu Yan took a sip of the coffee, which had a balanced blend of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness, and a rich, lingering aftertaste. However, it tasted bittersweet to him.

Perhaps it was because he felt like he was aiding the enemy?

If Xue Jin's identity were exposed, Jiang Boyun would certainly be on high alert. However, it would also mean Yu Zechuan and their revenge plan would come crashing down.

The name "Xue Jin" almost slipped out of Lu Yan's mouth, but he swallowed it back at the last moment. "It's nothing. I just feel that there are too many tech-savvy people in the company. They might not be trustworthy. If they do discover something, and the police trace it back to you..."

Pausing, Lu Yan pretended to be worried as he looked at him. "Everything you've gained today will be destroyed."

Destroyed.

These three light words made Jiang Boyun's expression uncomfortable, even ugly. He had climbed from the bottom to the top, and what mattered most to him now was all that he possessed. Despite the slim chance, his heart still swelled with unease.

Lu Yan sensed his hesitation and pressed on, "Here's another option. Give me the USB drive with the accounts, delete them from the computer, and when you need the accounts, ask me for it. That way, if anything happens, you won't be implicated."

Jiang Boyun didn't doubt Lu Yan, as they had committed this act together. After a moment of thought, he said, "Alright, but I can only give it to you tomorrow. The USB is locked in the company safe, and I didn't bring it with me."

Lu Yan thought that was acceptable. "Then I'll meet you at the company tomorrow."

Just as he was about to stand up and leave, Jiang Boyun grabbed his arm. With a deep gaze, he spoke cryptically, "We rarely see each other. Are you really leaving like this?"

Implied meaning: Not even a quickie?

Lu Yan: "..."

Lu Yan felt like he had unintentionally grasped some knowledge he shouldn't have. He pretended to clutch his waist, "Uh, I was moving stuff back home recently and I strained my back. So..."

Jiang Boyun understood the hint instantly, retracting his gaze awkwardly. Although slightly disappointed, he didn't say anything. After all, casual partners were not rare commodities. "Let's watch a movie then. There are no meetings this afternoon, so I don't know what else to do."

Lu Yan: "Huh?"

Jiang Boyun had already settled the bill and picked up their items. He stepped out of the door first, "Come on, I have a dinner engagement at seven. Don't waste my time."

In his heart, Lu Yan secretly gave him the middle finger: Waste your time? You really think I'm dying to watch a movie with you?

However, Lu Yan didn't dare refuse. His recent behavior had already been unusual. If he rejected Jiang Boyun again, it might provoke him. With the USB drive arriving tomorrow, it was better to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

Reluctantly, Lu Yan watched a movie with Jiang Boyun.

A new suspense thriller had just been released, full of plot twists and visually stimulating scenes that kept the audience engrossed. Throughout the film, Lu Yan maintained a blank expression, munching on a bucket of popcorn from start to finish, resembling a hamster digging through its food.

It wasn't that Lu Yan enjoyed it, but rather, Jiang Boyun had been attempting to hold his hand in the darkness. If he didn't react, he would be taken advantage of.

Sigh, Lu Yan thought to himself silently. Being too handsome was also a fault.

The movie ended at 6:30 in the evening. Jiang Boyun had a dinner engagement, so even if he wanted to do something, time didn't permit it. Walking out of the cinema together, their driver was already waiting by the roadside in a sleek car that undoubtedly commanded attention with its elegant lines.

Jiang Boyun glanced at his wristwatch. "I have another commitment. I'll be going first. Would you like me to ask the driver to send you home?"

Lu Yan wouldn't accept such an offer. "No need, I'll just take a taxi. It's not far."

"Alright then, be careful on your way."

Jiang Boyun had only made the suggestion out of politeness. Hearing Lu Yan's response, he opened the car door and signaled for the driver to proceed. The dark blue sky signaled the arrival of night, and the streets gradually filled with people, bustling with energy yet noisy.

Lu Yan's apartment was just a short distance away. Seeing the traffic congestion, he decided to walk back. As he climbed the stairs, he pondered what to have for dinner. Little did he expect to be stopped by Yu Zechuan right outside his doorstep.