Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The vast memorial hall was crowded with guests, hung with white drapes and filled with the soft, mournful strains of funeral music.

Xie Yunshen noticed a man behind a large pillar. His physique and bearing, coupled with his funeral attire, marked him as the male lead disguised as a member of the funeral procession, currently playing his part in the plot.

At this moment, the male lead was also glaring darkly at Yan Shiqi.

Although the novel was marketed as a male-oriented power fantasy, it was renowned for its "pure love" theme. The male lead was the reincarnation of a jealousy vat, so possessive that he would even want to castrate a male fly buzzing around the female lead.

Now, seeing the Bai family trying to set up the female lead with Yan Shiqi, he had likely already plotted how to deal with the Yan family.

At this point, the Bai family's young lady stepped forward and looked at Yan Shiqi. "Mr. Yan, thank you for attending my grandfather's funeral."

"Miss Bai, please accept my condolences," Yan Shiqi nodded.

Miss Bai offered her hand first. It seemed the two were about to shake hands.

Just then, the elder seemed to wobble, lurching forward suddenly and blocking the space between them.

Fortunately, Yan Shiqi caught him, saving him from embarrassment.

The Bai family elder regained his breath. "My leg... it suddenly wouldn't obey me..."

"Second Elder, are you too grief-stricken?" The Bai family young lady supported the elder.

With this commotion, the matter was finally sidetracked, and the handshake came to nothing.

"I feel like something hit me behind the knee..." The old man glanced back at the spirit tablets in the hall in fright.

Yan Shiqi looked down and saw the tough piece of beef jerky on the floor, stepping on it with his leather shoe.

Xie Yunshen walked to Yan Shiqi's side, a spot that conveniently blocked the male lead's line of sight.

Their eyes met. Clearly, the male lead also recognized Xie Yunshen as the bodyguard he'd fought at the Yan residence.

"Heh!" He looked at Xie Yunshen and sneered coldly.

"Heh! Heh!" Xie Yunshen sneered twice in return.

As if anyone couldn't sneer.

At this moment, Yi Wuyi caught up from behind. He had seen firsthand Xie Yunshen striking the elder behind the knee with the beef jerky.

Although he didn't know why Xie Yunshen did it, he had also noticed the suspicious man behind the pillar and naturally felt threatened, staying close behind Yan Shiqi.

Yan Shiqi frowned and glanced at the two guys behind him.

The Bai family elder was still persistent. "Jinyan, don't worry about me. Mr. Yan is an honored guest; we must not neglect him. Please take Mr. Yan to the backyard flower hall to rest for a while."

It seemed this old man was truly determined to secure a marriage alliance, refusing to give up until the bitter end.

Xie Yunshen stared at the back of Yan Shiqi's head, thinking, *Please don't agree.*

After all, in the novel, almost all of the male lead's romantic rivals ended up dead.

But Yan Shiqi didn't move a muscle.

In the adult world, not refusing meant agreeing!

Perhaps no matter how the plot changed, Yan Shiqi was simply a part of the novel, destined to become an NPC stepping stone on the male lead's path to success.

Thus, Miss Bai and Yan Shiqi walked at the front, with Yi Wuyi and Xie Yunshen following behind, and the male lead trailing far behind.

Before they reached the flower hall, Yan Shiqi suddenly said, "Miss Bai, could you please take me to the dining room?"

Bai Jinyan was taken aback for a moment. "Of course."

So, the group changed course and headed to a nearby dining room.

Xie Yunshen saw the sneaky figure following behind. The male lead must be mentally tearing Yan Shiqi to pieces right now.

Upon entering the dining room, they saw a table already set with desserts, pastries, and various exquisite dishes, apparently prepared for the funeral guests.

Miss Bai politely excused herself and left.

Yan Shiqi looked at Xie Yunshen. "Go eat."

Xie Yunshen looked confused. "What?"

"Weren't you hungry on the way here? Also, don't litter at funerals."

The implication was clear.

Yi Wuyi lowered his head in shame. Although he wasn't the one who did it, and Yan Shiqi hadn't singled him out, he naturally considered himself an accomplice.

Xie Yunshen's eyes shone with moved emotion. *I actually just thought of Yan Shiqi as an NPC in my mind.*

How could this be an NPC? This was his brilliant, loyal, and righteous boss.

Yan Shiqi sat on the sofa and closed his eyes, probably unable to bear Xie Yunshen's overly direct expression.

"Old Five, hurry up and eat." Xie Yunshen didn't forget to shove a plate towards the stern-faced Yi Wuyi.

The male lead had followed the female lead away. With the only dangerous element gone, they didn't need to stay on high alert.

Yi Wuyi looked at Xie Yunshen and suddenly asked, "You—who exactly are you?"

Xie Yunshen almost choked, his throat nearly blocked.

Yi Wuyi immediately said, "You eat first. We can talk after you finish."

Xie Yunshen: "..."

He shifted his gaze to Yan Shiqi beside him. The latter sat as steady as a mountain, without a ripple of emotion, his eyes thoughtful and fixed on him.

A slightly absurd thought suddenly surfaced in Xie Yunshen's mind: *Patriarch Yan is using his precious time to watch a bodyguard eat breakfast.*

Yi Wuyi walked to Yan Shiqi's side. "Mr. Yan, there's something I don't know if it's true or not... Xie Yunshen said the old Mr. Bai's death is fake."

Yan Shiqi was stunned for a moment, then seemed to find it too absurd and laughed.

Yi Wuyi asked, "What would you like me to do?"

"No, there's no need to do anything. This little trick might fool others, but how could it fool them?"

Yi Wuyi realized that Mr. Yan hadn't even questioned the truth of the matter.

Ten minutes later, a member of the Bai family came to the dining room and approached Yan Shiqi. "Mr. Yan, Top Star Gate has sent representatives to attend the funeral. My master asked me to inform you."

Yan Shiqi nodded, his brows furrowing darkly. He stood up, fastened his buttons, and walked out of the dining room.

Xie Yunshen's heart clenched: So they've really come, the people from Top Star Gate.

In the novel, Top Star Gate was the most mysterious organization in Country A, renowned for its prophecies and feng shui fortune-telling.

Half a year ago, the leader of Top Star Gate prophesied that Patriarch Bai would pass away on July 5th of this year.

However, in the plot, this prophecy actually failed. To avoid offending Top Star Gate, Patriarch Bai decided to fake his death to pass it off as real.

Thus, today's funeral came about.

Though absurd, the deterrent power of Top Star Gate was evident.

The few of them arrived at the mourning hall and saw a young man in a white suit standing before the altar, offering incense.

Guests attending the funeral, including members of the Bai family, stood quietly on both sides.

After offering the incense, the young man walked to the ice coffin and looked at Patriarch Bai lying inside. He then took out a talisman drawn with gold powder.

"This is a gold talisman personally written by my master. Place it on Old Mr. Bai's body."

A member of the Bai family placed the talisman on the old man's chest.

The Bai family members were somewhat flattered and honored. After all, a gold talisman personally written by the leader of Top Star Gate was priceless and impossible to obtain.

Only Xie Yunshen whispered behind Yan Shiqi, "That thing is poisonous."

Yan Shiqi showed no reaction.

Shangguan Hong—a purely sinister and despicable villain in the novel. He participated in every conspiracy, fueling the flames step by step to complete the murder of Yan Shiqi.

Even the male lead in the early stages was used as his pawn.

And the talisman he brought today was not some rebirth talisman, but a deadly talisman laced with potent toxins.

Old Man Bai was originally faking his death, but after inhaling the poisonous gas from the talisman in the ice coffin, he actually died.

So, in a way, Top Star Gate's prophecy still came true?

However, this was a male-oriented power fantasy novel. The male lead would inevitably make a timely appearance, save Old Man Bai, become the family's savior, and gain favor with the female lead.

Later, the male lead even relied on the Bai family's help to acquire many of the Yan family's assets.

But now that he had told Yan Shiqi this information, he didn't know if Yan Shiqi would choose to do a favor and win over the Bai family.

After finishing everything, Shangguan Hong's gaze swept over the crowd.

"Mr. Yan, it's been a while." His eyes fixed on Yan Shiqi as he smiled.

"Mr. Shangguan, long time no see." Yan Shiqi's lips curved into the faintest possible smile.

"I heard that the old master of the Yan family unfortunately passed away two months ago. I happened to be abroad and couldn't attend the funeral in person. I hope you'll forgive me." Shangguan Hong appeared very humble.

"The Yan family has already received the condolence couplet personally written by your master. There's no need for self-reproach, Mr. Shangguan."

Shangguan Hong's eyes turned colder, seemingly dissatisfied with Yan Shiqi's attitude.

At that moment, Shangguan Hong suddenly shifted his gaze to Xie Yunshen.

"What's going on, Mr. Yan? From the very beginning, your man has been looking at me with such a menacing look. I wonder where I've offended him."

"Perhaps you're being too sensitive?" Yan Shiqi's voice turned slightly cold.

Is he really standing up to him so directly? Xie Yunshen was so excited he almost shouted "Long live the boss!"

Among the over hundred people present, no one spoke. Everyone held their breath and watched Yan Shiqi.

The Yan family was the leader of the Five Great Families of Southern Province. The previous head of the Yan family held Top Star Gate in great respect, even to the point of obeying their every word.

However, this reverence changed after Yan Shiqi became the new head of the family. His attitude toward Top Star Gate was vastly different from his grandfather's.

In truth, the other great families also held a mix of respect and fear toward Top Star Gate.

Shangguan Hong's smile stiffened for a moment before he laughed. "Fair enough, I am being too sensitive. That person probably isn't from the Yan family. I suppose some low-class riffraff has snuck in with the funeral company."

He glanced behind him. "Qing Ao, throw those low-class scum out. Don't disturb Old Mr. Bai's funeral."

From the crowd emerged a dark-skinned, cold-eyed bald man wearing a black tank top, with limbs proportioned beyond the ordinary.

His gaze was murderous as he walked toward Xie Yunshen.

Xie Yunshen's heart tightened with alarm: The killing intent in this guy's eyes was clearly aimed at taking a life.

In the blink of an eye, there was no time to react. An arm, long as an ape's, was already striking toward him.

Everyone gasped, silently mourning for Xie Yunshen.

This man called Qing Ao was ranked among the top hundred on the expert list.

Although the Yan family had economic power, they were severely lacking in trained experts. The bodyguard by Yan Shiqi's side was known to others as essentially a total hack.

Author's note:

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