Chapter 25

Chapter 25

After finishing the meal, Xie Yunshen immediately found a secluded corner and called Lin Jin.

"Hello."

"Is Shang Guanhong's disappearance your doing?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a chuckle. "Heh, you figured it out?"

"Heh?" Xie Yunshen frowned incredulously. This guy actually had the nerve to laugh.

"I'll be straight with you. Shang Guanhong has always been my mark. I suspect he's connected to my sister's death. But since he's from Top Star Gate, I couldn't touch him."

"Couldn't you have done it yourself?" A vein throbbed on Xie Yunshen's forehead.

Meaning, he and Top Star Gate were the clam and the snipe, and Lin Jin was the fisherman waiting to profit.

"I've wanted to do it for a long time, but Shang Guanhong is always surrounded by top-tier bodyguards. I never had a chance."

"So you were just there to swoop in and pick up the pieces behind me?"

In the early parts of the novel, Lin Jin's attitude towards Shang Guanhong had always been ambiguous. So this was why.

"No, I didn't know beforehand that Shang Guanhong would come to the hospital to see Yang Zhongxu. But since he showed up, I had to seize the opportunity. I guess that led to some misunderstandings, huh?"

"Then you should clarify!"

Lin Jin paused for a moment on the other end. "You want me to... clarify that I'm not Black Impermanence? Or clarify that I'm not Xie Yunshen?"

"..." Xie Yunshen realized he'd said something stupid.

He silently hung up the phone and had a mini-meltdown against the wall. He'd known all along that getting involved with the male lead meant nothing but trouble!

"Early this morning at 4 AM, police found Yang Zhongxu, President of the A City Chamber of Commerce, in the suburbs. Yang Zhongxu is currently being rushed to the hospital for treatment..."

The sun had just risen, and the entire A City was still shrouded in morning mist. An urgent news report blared through the city's streets, the anchor's voice resounding from every TV in homes and on building-side ads.

"Regarding the heated online discussions about organ trafficking and the black orphanage incident, police have stated they will form a special task force to investigate..."

The anchor spoke with perfect enunciation, the background showing the stroke-paralyzed Yang Zhongxu being loaded into an ambulance.

Then, the footage switched to clips from last night's livestream, showing the mysterious figure in black holding papers, like the Black Impermanence of hell pronouncing judgment.

"Simultaneously, the identity of the mysterious figure in the livestream has sparked fervent discussion among netizens. Overnight, the public perception of both sides has completely flipped..."

Xie Yunshen stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in Yan Shiqi's office, watching the news on the screen of the building opposite.

Yi Wuyi stood beside him. "When did you prepare all that evidence?"

Xie Yunshen replied, "I didn't. I was holding blank paper."

Yi Wuyi was taken aback. "What?"

Xie Yunshen himself would never have imagined that at this very moment, experts were staring at those few sheets of blank paper, lost in thought.

Xie Yunshen said, "Actually, I never really expected Yang Zhongxu to be brought down by the law."

Just then, a trending notification popped up on his phone.

"Yang Qingxi, Yang Zhongxu's illegitimate son, was surrounded and beaten by classmates at C National Academy"

There were videos from various angles showing Yang Qingxi being chased and beaten, finally fleeing in a sorry state under the protection of his bodyguards.

It looked like things wouldn't be easy for Yang Qingxi either.

Yi Wuyi glanced at Yan Shiqi behind the desk and whispered, "What are you planning to do about the Shang Guanhong situation?"

Xie Yunshen looked at the sky outside the window and thought for two seconds, as if contemplating his own funeral. "Nothing. Lin Jin wants to investigate his sister's case, and he's the one who captured him. It has nothing to do with us. Let's just act like we know nothing."

At that moment, Yi Wuyi's phone rang.

"We got a call from the bar saying people from Top Star Gate are monitoring nearby. You protect Mr. Yan. I'll go check what's going on."

Xie Yunshen said, "Wait, the Yan family is in the bar business too?"

"You didn't know? Don't you have shares in it?" Yi Wuyi asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"What?"

Xie Yunshen was deeply shocked. So that's why the original owner chose to lie flat.

"I'm leaving. You're alone now..."

"Protect Mr. Yan well, right?" Xie Yunshen cut him off.

Only Mr. Yan's safety could make Fifth Brother this fussy.

"Mm," Yi Wuyi said, satisfied.

————

The bar.

Yi Wuyi looked down at the two cars outside the window.

"Have they been watching from here the whole time?"

"Yes. Ever since Shang Guanhong disappeared, Top Star Gate operatives have been searching everywhere."

Yi Wuyi said, "Ignore them."

As he was heading downstairs, the manager suddenly said, "By the way, why have you been hanging out with that useless kid from the Xie family lately?"

He was referring to Xie Yunshen.

Yi Wuyi glanced at him sideways.

The manager's face stiffened, his hairs standing on end. He carefully forced a smile. "Ah, look at me, a fool, saying the wrong thing again."

Yi Wuyi said, "One should know manners. In the Yan family now, even ten of you aren't worth a single hair on Xie Yunshen's head."

The manager was inwardly horrified. When had he ever heard Fifth Master describe someone in such exaggerated terms? And since when did the Yan family change like this?

Yi Wuyi added, "I'm not even worth as much as he is."

The manager let out a frightened "Huh?" and broke out in a cold sweat, desperately trying to recall if he had shown any disrespect towards Xie Yunshen earlier.

Yi Wuyi did not return that night.

Xie Yunshen thought there was something going on, but he didn’t pay it much attention.

Suddenly, just before bed, Xie Yunshen bolted upright, his face pale with fear.

Wait—right after Lin Jin treats Yang Zhongxu’s cancer is when something happens to Old Wu.

He didn’t even bother changing clothes, charging straight into Yan Shiqi’s study in his pajamas. In the pitch-dark room, like a spacecraft docking module, he accurately latched onto Yan Shiqi’s shoulders.

“Mr. Yan, where’s Old Wu? Have him come see me,” he said urgently.

“A Shen…” the man in the darkness spoke slowly.

“Huh?”

“First, Old Wu isn’t my personal hidden guard. He doesn’t have invisibility powers to lurk around, waiting for me to call him out.”

“…He doesn’t??” Xie Yunshen was confused. He’d always thought Yi Wuyi could turn invisible.

Also, was it really in character for the big boss to explain things so seriously to him?

“Second, it’s off-duty hours now. Not just Old Wu’s off-duty hours, but mine too.”

“…Oh.” This was the first time Xie Yunshen had heard an employer emphasize off-duty hours to a bodyguard.

“So, Old Wu hasn’t gone to the construction site yet, right?” That was all he needed to confirm.

“Mhm,” Yan Shiqi replied in a low voice.

So, Xie Yunshen gave his shoulder a gentle pat. “Well then, Mr. Yan, good night.”

He prayed the big boss wouldn’t drag him off to shake the wrist exercise ball today.

Xie Yunshen waited at the door for most of the night, finally running into Yi Wuyi.

The other man returned along the garden path, damp with night dew, and paused when he saw Xie Yunshen. “Admiring the moon out here?”

“Old Wu, do you have any plans for the next couple of days?” Xie Yunshen suddenly grabbed him.

Yi Wuyi was a bit baffled but answered anyway, “The [Phase Three] project has started. In a couple of days, I need to go check on the construction site.”

Xie Yunshen’s heart tightened—this was it!

In the novel, Old Wu dies at the “Phase Three” construction site.

Top Star Gate meticulously orchestrates an “accidental explosion.” The incident kills over a dozen workers, and Yi Wuyi is killed there too.

For such a major infrastructure project to suffer a severe explosion right after construction begins—the contractor, the Yan family, also faces public outcry and significant losses.

His poor, dear brother, Old Wu… probably wouldn’t even leave a whole corpse behind.

Yi Wuyi said, “While I’m away, you need to protect Mr. Yan.”

The sentence itself was nothing out of the ordinary, but to Xie Yunshen, it sounded exactly like last words.

He grabbed his arm in a panic. “Old Wu…”

The words caught in his throat. Rather than reminding Old Wu to be careful of this or that, wouldn’t it be better to just prevent him from going to the site altogether?

“I’ll go beg Mr. Yan not to send you to the construction site.”

Right, he also needed to remind Mr. Yan to take extra precautions against safety hazards at the site.

“What, did you dream something again?” Yi Wuyi chuckled.

Xie Yunshen froze. Old Wu was being disturbingly perceptive today.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine…”

Xie Yunshen immediately clapped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t say it, Old Wu!”

All the death flags were stacking up!

Author’s Note:

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The next chapter happens to be a VIP chapter. The first half contains side CP content; please skip the next chapter if you don’t like side CP.