Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Yan Shiqi walked through the vaulted living room, went around the screen, and entered the room.

The man inside had probably just taken his pants off. Startled by Yan Shiqi's entrance, his face went visibly pale. He slumped onto the bed, his voice trembling.

"Mr. Yan—it wasn't me... it was Third Master who insisted..."

Yan Shiqi sat down on the black sofa by the window, with Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi standing beside him.

Seeing Yan Shiqi take no further action, the man felt as if granted a reprieve and fled the room.

The Yan family's Third Young Master seemed to still be in the bathroom.

After a while, the bathroom door opened, and a man walked out wearing a white bathrobe, steam still rising off him.

Xie Yunshen mentally drew a dotted line above his head, estimating that Yan Shizhou was at least six foot one.

He and Yan Shiqi were half-brothers, sharing the same father, which explained their significant height difference. However, in terms of presence, the two were in completely different leagues.

After all, Yan Shiqi alone, just sitting there, was enough to make your scalp prickle.

The Third Young Master had striking, cold features and a well-proportioned figure. Every strand of his hair oozed wealth.

He then sat down on the sofa, putting his feet up on the coffee table. Wearing disposable cotton slippers, the bathrobe revealed the clean, muscular curve of his legs.

Yan Shiqi's gaze followed him, his lips forming a cold, straight line. There was neither anger nor sorrow in his expression, only an impassive stare fixed on his younger brother.

"I want a glass of water," Yan Shizhou suddenly said.

Xie Yunshen wasn't sure who he was ordering to fetch water. Among those present, the most likely unlucky candidate was himself.

But as an elite bodyguard, he wasn't about to fetch water for anyone.

So he didn't move.

"I said I want water!" Yan Shizhou's gaze lifted, blazing with intensity.

Xie Yunshen realized that his venomous glare wasn't directed at Yan Shiqi or himself.

It was aimed at Yi Wuyi.

Yi Wuyi's eyes flickered as he prepared to step forward.

"He is not a servant of this household," Yan Shiqi stated.

Yi Wuyi paused briefly but still poured him a glass of water.

"Right, he's not a servant of this household. He's just a tool for doing the dirty work."

In the silent room, the crisp metallic click of a lighter sounded. Yan Shizhou lit a cigarette, took a deep drag into his lungs, and didn't even glance at Yi Wuyi, who stood beside him holding the water.

"Who killed Ah Qiu?" he asked.

Xie Yunshen remembered: Ah Qiu, Han Yuqiu—the name of the dead gold-digging cannon fodder from the novel.

Yan Shiqi leaned back fully against the sofa. "A dead person holds no significance."

Xie Yunshen, standing behind him, thought with a jolt: Wait, you're talking about this right in front of people...

Yan Shizhou said with a cold smile, "Look at that, I really asked a pointless question. Besides Yi Wuyi, who else is big brother's most loyal dog? Who else would big brother go to such lengths to protect?"

He viciously flicked the cigarette butt from his fingers into the water glass.

Yi Wuyi's expression remained unchanged; the water in the glass didn't even ripple.

Yan Shiqi stood up. "Enough. Return to work tomorrow. Don't let me hear you've been with any more men. I'll have someone keep an eye on you."

His jawline tightened, revealing the force of his clenched teeth. His cold, stern gaze was enough to chill anyone who saw it.

With that, he turned and left.

"All I want is Yi Wuyi!" Yan Shizhou declared. "Hand Yi Wuyi over to me."

Yi Wuyi, following behind Yan Shiqi, kept his head lowered. A shadow fell across his forehead, obscuring his expression.

Yan Shiqi didn't look back. "Your biggest misconception is thinking you and Yi Wuyi are on equal footing. You have no right to make demands of me. Without you, the Yan clan has dozens of other descendants who could replace you—it's only out of respect for Grandfather that I'm giving you this chance."

Yan Shizhou simply sat there. Yi Wuyi turned his head to glance at him, his gaze deep and unreadable, before leaving.

Before leaving, Xie Yunshen saw Yan Shizhou flash a triumphant smile.

He felt this Third Young Master seemed to have ulterior motives.

Exiting the hotel, the driver was already waiting outside with the car running.

Yi Wuyi got into another vehicle.

At this moment, Xie Yunshen once again took his seat beside Yan Shiqi.

Arriving at the company, Yan Shiqi didn't even enter his office, heading straight to the conference room.

Outside the conference room, Xie Yunshen took off his jacket and performed a round of bodyweight exercises.

Now, the strength in his wrists and legs was a bit stronger than when he first transmigrated, but it was still far from his previous level.

Especially his resilience—it was still too weak.

Midway, he even managed to shock Yi Wuyi, who had just returned, by performing a human flag hold using the railing by the window.

Watching his effortless display, Yi Wuyi said, "Xie, when did you advance to this level?"

"It's progress..."

"'Progress' is an understatement."

"Wanna join me?"

"Now?" Yi Wuyi glanced at the surroundings.

"Workout time is like flavor packets in ramen—you can always squeeze out more. —Xie Yunshen."

Spurred on by this, Yi Wuyi took off his jacket and joined him.

Two hours later, even in the air-conditioned hallway, sweat was streaming down both their foreheads and backs.

At that moment, the conference room door opened. Xie Yunshen blinked away sweat dripping from his chin and saw a group of executives standing frozen in the doorway.

Yan Shiqi stood at the forefront, looking at Xie Yunshen and... Yi Wuyi, who were performing handstand push-ups against the wall.

"No wonder he's Mr. Yan's bodyguard; he certainly looks extraordinary."

"You must feel really safe with a bodyguard like him."

Yan Shiqi closed his eyes.

The two immediately scrambled to their feet, smelling strongly of sweat, their soaked shirts clinging to their upper bodies and leaving little to the imagination.

Employees passing by in the distance, regardless of gender, were all looking on excitedly.

After all, in a lifeless office, when do you ever see a sight like this?

"Go wash up."

Inside the office, Yan Shiqi pressed a button, telling his secretary to bring two sets of clean clothes.

There was a shower room in Yan Shiqi's office.

"Just one shower. Should we go together?" Xie Yunshen looked at Yi Wuyi.

Yi Wuyi was about to speak.

Yan Shiqi suddenly snapped, "One at a time!"

Xie Yunshen understood; Yan Shiqi had probably been traumatized by the incident with Yan Shizhou and was worried about ending up with two more gay men around him.

But there was no need to worry; both he and Yi Wuyi were 100% straight.

Even stark naked, nothing would happen.

The only gay man in the entire book was Yan Shizhou.

————

"No issues?"

In the study, the curtains were half-drawn, and the dusk light fell on the DNA test report in Yan Shiqi's hand.

"Yes, Xie Yunshen's DNA matches the previous sample. It's the same person."

The doctor who had bandaged Xie Yunshen's wounds earlier stood before the desk.

"So, what do you think could cause such a drastic change in a person?"

The doctor pondered, "This isn't unheard of in medicine. For example, the sudden emergence of a split personality or a hidden genetic mutation... although such phenomena are extremely rare worldwide."

"And what could suddenly make him an expert in close-quarters combat?"

"He told the butler that he learned it all from online tutorials."

Yan Shiqi slid the report into the shredder. "You weren't there to see it. That kind of reaction speed and sensitivity is not something achievable in just weeks, let alone days."

The doctor smiled. "Mr. Yan, if Xiao Xie is so talented, isn't that a good thing for the Yan family?"

Summarizing this as talent might have been an attempt to ease Yan Shiqi's doubts.

Yan Shiqi said nothing more, and the doctor left.

He sat alone behind the desk, took a folder from the safe, and pulled out the documents inside.

He stared intently at the documents.

Bathed in the evening glow, his eyes reflected a faint golden hue.

Until the sun set and the room plunged into complete darkness, making it impossible to see anything.

Yan Shiqi leaned back in his chair. The file in his hand bumped against a decorative item on the desk—a metal eagle mobile flapping its wings.

"Who's there?!"

The study door was suddenly pushed open, and the dark study was abruptly lit up.

In the eyes of Xie Yunshen, a dedicated reader of this book, the Yan family's study was like the Shaolin Scripture Depository—the very core of the clan's fortune. No one except Yan Shiqi was allowed to intrude, especially not the male lead or the antagonist.

Thus, Xie Yunshen, who had just returned from swimming outdoors, with his perfect 5.3 vision, noticed that the study door upstairs was ajar.

He heard strange, suspicious sounds from outside the door, and so he ended up in this awkward situation.

He kicked the door open, one hand still on the light switch, and saw Yan Shiqi sitting behind the desk.

"...You don't turn the lights on when you're working?"

Yan Shiqi calmly gathered all the documents. "Did you go swimming in the back?"

"Back" referred to the deep pond behind the estate. Xie Yunshen often swam there, and his hair still held a hint of dampness.

"Yeah."

The air conditioning in the study was on full blast, but Xie Yunshen noticed sweat beading on Yan Shiqi's forehead. His face was calm, but his hands were trembling. His breathing was like the sea before a storm—steady yet noticeably turbulent.

"Are you okay?" Xie Yunshen sensed something was off, but he didn't step forward.

Because the documents Yan Shiqi had placed on the desk weren't fully organized yet.

Yan Shiqi didn't answer him, just placed the stack of documents into a bag and then into the safe.

Xie Yunshen noticed his condition worsening, with sweat becoming more evident. One more second, and he would have pulled out his phone to call 120.

After tidying up the documents, Yan Shiqi leaned his weight against the chair, looking pale as he stared at him. "I remember you couldn't swim since childhood."

"..." Xie Yunshen felt like shaking him unconscious right then and there.

Author's Note:

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