Chapter 78 Murky Waters

Chapter 78: Murky Waters

As for why there was no chance, Bu Qiran hadn’t even considered what kind of relationship could have developed between him and Yan Zhoubai. For the past decade or so, he had been preoccupied with making a living, leaving no room for such thoughts.

Upon returning home, Bu Qiran found the same second uncle he’d met before in the living room. This time, not only his elder brother but also his parents were there to greet him.

However, the atmosphere seemed tense. As soon as Bu Qiran entered, he overheard his father saying, "Second Brother, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but the company isn’t solely mine. I can’t abuse my authority for personal gain."

Huh? What happened? He recalled that the last time this second uncle visited, his elder brother’s expression wasn’t pleasant either. It sounded like he was here to freeload.

"Yan Ren, if I weren’t truly at my wit's end, why would I come to you? I’ve exhausted all my friends. This funding gap is substantial. If the capital chain breaks, my company will be ruined, and I’ll be saddled with massive debt. You can’t just stand by and watch your second brother walk into a dead end."

Bu Qiran watched his second uncle "pleading with tears in his eyes," begging his father for help, almost on the verge of kowtowing right then and there.

Yet, despite this emotional display, his father, mother, and elder brother remained unmoved. It seemed this second uncle had indeed landed himself in serious trouble.

"Second Uncle, please have a glass of water."

Bu Qiran saw Yan Anxuan hand a glass of water to his second uncle, seemingly suppressing his anger, before speaking:

"Last time you came, I made things very clear. The board of directors has already discussed and voted to reject the proposal to inject capital into your company. There’s nothing we can do about this matter. Although the Yan Group operates under the Yan family name, it’s not a dictatorship. Major decisions require the collective approval of all board members."

Bu Qiran couldn't help but marvel at Yan Anxuan’s cold, unfeeling demeanor. Aside from Yan Zhoubai, his elder brother spoke very directly to everyone else, showing no mercy to this second uncle. Still, everything he said was reasonable, leaving no room for criticism.

When the second son of the Yan family heard his eldest nephew’s blunt words, his expression immediately soured. The last time he came to the Yan family seeking funding, this eldest nephew hadn’t agreed, but his attitude had been somewhat acceptable. This time, however, he showed absolutely no respect for his elder.

And then there was Yan Ren—after all, he was his cousin. Upon his arrival, Yan Ren had been polite and hospitable, but as soon as money was mentioned, he immediately transformed into that sly old fox, deflecting everything without giving a clear answer. The refusal was clearly written all over his face.

He was now so cornered by this family that he didn’t know how to save face. Just as he was feeling awkward, he saw his rescuer arrive—his youngest nephew, who had only been recognized by the family a few months ago, had returned.

So, the second son of the Yan family quickly shifted the topic to the newly returned Bu Qiran, who naturally joined the conversation.

This was clearly a murky situation. This second uncle was nothing but trouble, but Bu Qiran was quite eager to hear the details of this predicament. After all, it had nothing to do with him—he was just there for the drama.

…

Yan Zhoubai called Bai Rong. The first time he dialed, no one picked up. Yan Zhoubai found it strange—it should be her free time now, so why wasn't the call going through? So he called again.

This time, the call connected, but the sound on the other end was somewhat noisy. He couldn’t make out the details clearly; it seemed like several people were discussing something.

"Hey, what’s wrong? Is something the matter?"

Bai Rong’s tone was hurried, as if she was in the middle of something important and had taken a moment to answer Yan Zhoubai’s call, hoping to get useful information quickly.

"I’m not coming home tonight. I have something to take care of outside…"

Before Yan Zhoubai could finish, Bai Rong interrupted him, "Alright, then send me your location. I’m a bit busy here."

"Okay, sure."

Yan Zhoubai hadn’t expected his mother to agree before he even explained what was going on. It seemed she really was dealing with something urgent.

"Take care of yourself. If anything happens, remember to call home."

After giving this instruction, Bai Rong hung up the phone, leaving Yan Zhoubai standing there, still holding his phone in a daze.

"What’s wrong? Did your family not agree?" Zhan Jiayu asked, seeing his expression.

"They agreed, but I feel like something might be going on at home. It sounded chaotic on the other end."

Actually, Yan Zhoubai wasn’t afraid of Bai Rong disagreeing. If she disagreed, so be it. He had only called to inform his family. As an adult, it was normal for him not to stay home overnight, and it was his freedom.

"If they didn’t tell you, it probably doesn’t concern you much. Even if you rushed back, you wouldn’t be able to handle it. Your family can definitely manage on their own."

Yan Zhoubai thought that made sense. Going back wouldn’t solve anything, so he stayed overnight at the Zhan family’s old residence without a second thought.

He didn’t forget to send the location of the Zhan family’s old residence to his mother’s phone, but unfortunately, Bai Rong really didn’t have time to check her phone at that moment.

Because a fight had broken out.

The second son of the Yan family had actually attacked a younger family member because of a sarcastic remark from Bu Qiran.

And Bu Qiran wasn’t one to take it lying down. He fought back on the spot, and soon they were brawling. Even Yan Ren and Yan Anxuan together couldn’t pull them apart.

This was the first time Bai Rong truly witnessed the ruffian-like spirit in her youngest son, who had been away from home for over a decade. He showed no mercy when hitting someone. Yan Anxuan had also trained in martial arts, but he would never beat this second uncle so severely.

Bai Rong had a very poor impression of the second son of the Yan family, so when Yan Ren and Yan Anxuan stepped in to intervene, she didn’t even move. It wasn’t until the servants came over to pull the two apart that she symbolically shouted a few words.

The second son of the Yan family only interacted with their family during holidays, but he and his entire family harbored a deep-seated jealousy towards them. Whenever they caught the slightest fault, they would immediately blow it out of proportion, as if they wished all their relatives would gather to witness their misfortune.

Bai Rong couldn’t be bothered to argue with them. But now that his company was struggling and he needed money, he thought of asking the Yan family for an injection of funds, as if he had completely forgotten his usual attitude.

Yan Zhoubai had no idea what had happened at the Yan family today. He was quite comfortable staying at the Zhan family’s old residence.

He could eat whatever he wanted. Although Zhan Jiayu couldn’t cook, money talks. When Yan Zhoubai said he was hungry, Zhan Jiayu was already prepared to summon a five-star chef to the house. But to his surprise, Yan Zhoubai only wanted some simple things.

Fried chicken, burgers, skewers, malatang… and some street food.

Seeing Zhan Jiayu’s surprised expression, Yan Zhoubai explained, "My family never allowed me to eat these things before. I didn’t taste spicy gluten strips until I was almost ten, and it felt like a revelation. So now I enjoy these kinds of 'junk foods.'"

After hearing this, Zhan Jiayu felt that Yan Zhoubai’s childhood had been truly pitiful. Even he, who grew up in Country A constantly competing with his siblings, had eaten spicy gluten strips as a child.

So Zhan Jiayu waved his hand, and all these foods were delivered to the Zhan family’s old residence.

When Yan Zhoubai saw the table piled high with so much food, his first reaction was to swallow his saliva. Then he said it was too much—he couldn’t finish it all. What he had told Zhan Jiayu was just a selection, but Zhan Jiayu had brought every single item to the coffee table.

He loved lounging in front of the coffee table, eating while watching TV. He found it the most comfortable. All the rules he had to follow at home were nonexistent at Zhan Jiayu’s place. It was pure bliss.

After his evening shower, Yan Zhoubai wore Zhan Jiayu’s pajamas. Since there were only Zhan Jiayu’s clothes there, Zhan Jiayu found him a new set of his own pajamas.

Zhan Jiayu was built larger than Yan Zhoubai, so the sleeves and pants of the pajamas were too long for him.

"It’s a bit long."

Yan Zhoubai didn’t mind; he actually found it amusing. He had never worn ill-fitting clothes before.

Zhan Jiayu watched as Yan Zhoubai tugged at the long sleeves and then the pant legs before suddenly looking up at him with sparkling eyes and saying, "Does this mean I can perform in an opera now?"

Then Yan Zhoubai playfully flicked his sleeves a few times.

Of course, Zhan Jiayu’s pajama sleeves were only slightly long—nothing like the flowing sleeves used in opera. But the extra length in the pant legs was enough to trip him up.

In a moment of carelessness, Yan Zhoubai stumbled straight into Zhan Jiayu’s arms.

"What? I didn’t know you liked opera?"

Zhan Jiayu pulled the stumbling Yan Zhoubai into his arms, preventing him from falling, and said, half-jokingly.

"No, it's just that I was too careless," Yan Zhoubai stuck out his tongue.

Zhan Jiayu didn't say anything and simply scooped Yan Zhoubai up into his arms.

Yan Zhoubai's head immediately rested against Zhan Jiayu's chest, and he could clearly feel Zhan Jiayu's chest rising and falling with his breath. He was enveloped by the faint scent of cologne from Zhan Jiayu.

It was only then that he remembered he could only smell the fragrance on Zhan Jiayu when they were in close contact; at normal social distances, it was completely undetectable.

Apparently, he is not someone who likes strong scents.

Yan Zhoubai doesn't like it either; he doesn't even like perfume. If he had to say what scent he has, it would probably be the sandalwood that had permeated his being from years spent in the Taoist temple.

But he had left Cangru Temple several months ago, and the scent of sandalwood had long since faded from him.

In fact, Zhan Jiayu had noticed long ago that Yan Zhoubai was like a little kitten, having no scent at all.

Zhan Jiayu placed Yan Zhoubai sitting on the edge of the bed, then held his lower leg and lifted his foot onto his own thigh.