Chapter 97 Rise to Power

Chapter 97: Ascending to Power

"What are you muttering about?"

Hearing Yan Zhoubai whisper with his head bowed, Zhan Jiayu couldn't resist pinching his cheek, gently lifting his entire head.

Yan Zhoubai was debating whether to tell Zhan Jiayu. Getting caught badmouthing someone to their face was just too awkward.

"Not going to tell me? That won't do."

Seeing Yan Zhoubai had no intention of explaining, Zhan Jiayu's hand slid from his cheek to his chin, gripping it.

With that pinch, he noticed there was still some flesh on his face, though it certainly couldn't compare to before.

Ever since bringing Yan Zhoubai into his life, Zhan Jiayu's former restraint had gradually dissipated. Like now, he couldn't tolerate Yan Zhoubai muttering to himself right in front of him without sharing his thoughts.

He wanted to know everything on Yan Zhoubai's mind.

"Well... I was thinking, since the main operations of your company are handled by the elite staff you've hired, it sounds like you, as the boss, don't actually need to do much?"

The phrase "seems like I can't learn much from following you" was something Yan Zhoubai ultimately kept to himself. The preceding words could barely be considered objective facts, but adding that last bit would truly border on a personal attack.

Truth be told, Yan Zhoubai was already quite bold. If this were when he first met Zhan Jiayu, he definitely wouldn't have dared to say such things.

Now he dared, because he knew Zhan Jiayu wouldn't fly into a rage and discreetly "dispose" of him.

"Oh, so after I explained the company's current situation, the key takeaway for you is that I, the boss, am incompetent?"

Zhan Jiayu let out an exasperated laugh. He wasn't truly angry; he just found Yan Zhoubai amusing, his thought process particularly interesting.

"No, no, I didn't mean you're incompetent," Yan Zhoubai quickly denied. "It's just that I don't know what I should be learning from you. I don't really have a clear idea yet."

Zhan Jiayu was truly speechless—Yan Zhoubai was indeed quite the eager learner.

He released Yan Zhoubai's chin and sighed softly. "It's not that I don't understand anything; it's just that my primary focus isn't on this domestic company. There are still many matters in Country A that require my daily attention."

"Then if your main focus is still in Country A, why did you come back? Handling business across countries with such a significant time difference seems quite troublesome."

Zhan Jiayu: "..."

He wondered what Yan Zhoubai had been reading lately. Why had he suddenly turned into a complaining machine?

"I came back to meet you. If I hadn't returned, we wouldn't have met, would we?"

Zhan Jiayu ruffled Yan Zhoubai's hair, feeling a frustration with no outlet. If anyone else dared speak to him like this, Chen Chu would have had them dragged out by now. Only Yan Zhoubai received such special treatment.

Besides his own desire to return, another reason he came back was that the old man's three brothers were causing trouble, and he had to deal with it.

"Ah, oh, alright."

Hearing Zhan Jiayu's reply, Yan Zhoubai suddenly felt cornered, and his complaining skills immediately vanished.

Seeing Yan Zhoubai's critical remarks fizzle out after just a few sentences, Zhan Jiayu added, "Or do you think there's nothing to learn in an investment company? Would you prefer to learn what an arms dealer does every day?"

Zhan Jiayu was nearly a head taller than Yan Zhoubai. Leaning in to speak, he effectively backed Yan Zhoubai into the corner of the elevator.

Yan Zhoubai hadn't realized it yet, but he looked very much like a little quail being eyed by a lion.

"No, that won't be necessary."

Yan Zhoubai shivered slightly. Why did it feel like Zhan Jiayu was hinting at something?

He'd crossed a line. He was a local subordinate; he couldn't be a subordinate in Country A, as that wouldn't even be legal domestically. So, he'd better not touch upon the boss's core business secrets.

"Alright."

Zhan Jiayu didn't mind discussing the arms trade in Country A with Yan Zhoubai, but if Yan Zhoubai didn't want to hear it, that was on him.

Yan Zhoubai now regretted ever bringing up such a topic. When would the elevator arrive?

He glanced aside and saw the elevator seemed to have been stopped on the twenty-eighth floor for quite a while, but the doors hadn't opened.

"We're here."

Zhan Jiayu pressed the door-open button, and the elevator doors slowly parted.

Yan Zhoubai followed Zhan Jiayu directly to his office.

To be honest, Yan Zhoubai felt Zhan Jiayu's office was a bit "humble" compared to his elder brother's—the decor and everything were quite simple. But Zhan Jiayu didn't seem to mind these things.

"Where's my workstation?" Yan Zhoubai asked.

Following Zhan Jiayu, he hadn't seen any empty desk that looked like it was prepared for him.

"Coming right up."

Then Yan Zhoubai watched as Assistant Chen brought in a few people carrying a desk, placing it right inside Zhan Jiayu's office and setting up a computer for him.

Yan Zhoubai: "..."

Right here? Wouldn't that make slacking off completely impossible? Isn't this a bit too close to the boss?

"What? Not satisfied?"

Seeing Yan Zhoubai hesitate to sit down, Zhan Jiayu asked with a smile.

"No, no, I just thought secretaries usually have their own cubicles."

Sitting directly in the boss's office was still a bit strange. Fortunately, Zhan Jiayu's office was spacious enough that adding his desk didn't make it feel crowded at all.

"As you can see, my company is still in its nascent stage and relatively modest. I'll have to trouble Young Master Yan to share an office with me."

Whether it was an inconvenience or not, Chen Chu didn't know. He only knew there wouldn't be another available spot in the company for this Young Master Yan; he had to sit here.

"It's fine, it's fine."

With his direct superior saying so, what else could Yan Zhoubai say?

Yan Zhoubai turned on the computer and began his secretarial career. But in truth, on his first day, there wasn't much for him to do. He spent the time secretly observing Zhan Jiayu and realized he was genuinely busy.

Zhan Jiayu was constantly handling affairs. Yan Zhoubai couldn't quite follow; sometimes he heard him on the phone speaking their native language, other times a foreign language, likely dealing with matters related to Country A.

The only thing he felt he somewhat understood all morning was the issue with those uncles of his. He remembered those uncles had caused him a lot of trouble back in Jiangshi, even injuring him. He still didn't know what had happened to them afterward.

"What's the situation with those uncles of yours?" Yan Zhoubai seized the moment when Zhan Jiayu finally took a break to ask.

"They're coveting the influence and assets the old man left behind. They believe that as an illegitimate son, I ascended to power unfairly and am not qualified to inherit the old man's legacy."

Zhan Jiayu loosened his tie, his face still maintaining that effortlessly competent elite demeanor, but the gesture of loosening his tie revealed a hint of fatigue.

Dealing with these matters was far less satisfying than fighting it out with those people on the training ground; the mental strain irritated him much more than physical exertion.

Every now and then, he needed to find an outlet to vent; otherwise, who knew what shape these pent-up emotions might take?

However, with Yan Zhoubai by his side now, this situation should ease considerably. It would be even better if he could hold Yan Zhoubai and take a few deep breaths after work.

Speaking of "unjust succession," Yan Zhoubai remembered the system mentioning that Zhan Jiayu supposedly killed Old Man Zhan to seize the Zhan family's inheritance. However, this claim was unverified, as the system noted the original plot never explicitly confirmed it.

So he was curious but didn't dare ask directly.

"Unjust succession? How can they say that? Weren't you chosen by Old Man Zhan as the heir because you were the most outstanding among your siblings? As for being an illegitimate child... well, Old Man Zhan didn't care about that, did he?"

In that last sentence, Yan Zhoubai actually wanted to say that Old Man Zhan's promiscuity was well-known, and most of his children were born out of wedlock, so it shouldn't be used to criticize Zhan Jiayu's status.

"Xiao Chuaner, the old man's way of raising us was like raising fighting insects—only the strongest survives. I can say that all my siblings were outstanding; any one of them could have taken over without letting the Zhan family decline. But in the end, the one who ended up in this position was the most ruthless."

Zhan Jiayu had no issue discussing his background and upbringing in depth with Yan Zhoubai; he was more than willing to share. But in the process, he couldn't help but feel a mischievous urge to playfully tease Yan Zhoubai a little.

There was no helping it—Yan Zhoubai grew up in a completely different environment. Although Yan Zhoubai's upbringing wasn't entirely spotless, he himself was genuinely pure-hearted, while Zhan Jiayu was the exact opposite—the embodiment of darkness. The two of them formed a stark contrast.

Perhaps that was why he was instantly drawn to Yan Zhoubai when they first met back at Cangru Temple.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Yan Zhoubai felt that Zhan Jiayu's gaze at that moment was very intense. Could it really be true that he killed Old Man Zhan to become the heir? Would he be forced into silence for knowing something like this?

After all, his uncles were already making a big deal out of his status.

Seeing Yan Zhoubai's slightly frightened expression, Zhan Jiayu chuckled. His laughter made Yan Zhoubai even more uneasy, feeling that he shouldn't have learned how Zhan Jiayu came to power.

"You... stop right there. I don't want to know."

"But I want to tell you," Zhan Jiayu said, a smirk playing on his lips.

Yan Zhoubai watched as Zhan Jiayu rose from his office chair and walked toward him, step by step.

Author's note: Here it is [dog head emoji].