Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Xie Yunshen moved quick as a flash, pulling all the curtains in the bedroom shut.

Yan Shiqi didn't tell him that the glass in this room was a special one-way mirror, preventing anyone outside from seeing in.

Xie Yunshen carefully checked all the electrical appliances and cabinets, confirming everything was normal.

From the early hours of last night until now, he'd been busy all day and was finally about to take a shower.

Before going to wash up, he solemnly instructed Yan Shiqi: "Don't leave the bedroom. No matter who comes, don't open the door."

Yan Shiqi didn't agree—or, to be precise, he just glanced at him and remained silent.

This big shot was going through a rebellious phase.

"If you don't promise me, I'll have to leave the door open while I shower," Xie Yunshen said with a righteous expression, not as a threat but an announcement.

Yan Shiqi finally spoke: "Why?"

"Because I'm not at ease leaving you alone in a space, so I need to watch you while I shower." He didn't even seem to think there was anything wrong with this.

"Then leave it open," Yan Shiqi replied, a natural master of controlling the room.

"Alright. If you find it dazzling, you can just turn around." Xie Yunshen, with his remarkable lack of sensitivity, even glanced back at the shower door to confirm he could see Yan Shiqi from there.

As he spoke, he walked into the bathroom compartment.

Upon entering this private sanctuary, Xie Yunshen belatedly paused, feeling the situation was a bit odd.

Turning back, he saw Yan Shiqi sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, one hand on his knee and the other on the armrest, like a duke with a story to tell in a Western oil painting.

Xie Yunshen instinctively pushed the frosted glass door a bit more closed.

"No, then you won't be able to see me," Yan Shiqi directly pointed out, leaving no room for face-saving.

"Mainly, I don't know whether to face you or turn my back to you. How about you turn your head away?"

Yan Shiqi continued to stare without moving: "Either is fine."

"..." Is it me watching you, or you watching me?

"As you wish."

After all, they're both men.

Xie Yunshen shrugged and casually pulled off his hoodie, revealing a sturdy, well-defined back. The curve of his tendons as he moved his arms was strikingly beautiful.

Just as he was about to undo his pants, he noticed Yan Shiqi had come to the bathroom door, hand on the handle, his gaze fixed piercingly on his face: "I promise you, I won't go out."

Before he could react, the bathroom door instantly closed, leaving an echo behind.

Xie Yunshen muttered, "See if you'll be rebellious next time."

Less than two minutes after Xie Yunshen entered the bathroom, the doorbell rang. The video screen showed a man in a vest: "Sir, I am your personal butler. I'm here with the wine you ordered."

"Leave it in the dining room, then you may leave," Yan Shiqi said without getting up.

"Very well."

The hotel butler pushed the dining cart into the dining room, arranging the glasses and gourmet dishes.

As he left, a special adhesive strip on his finger was pressed onto the door's keyhole, jamming it.

From both inside and outside, it appeared to be locked.

In a skyscraper two streets away from the hotel, a bald man stood before a floor-to-ceiling window.

"Kill Yi Wuyi and Xie Yunshen. The others are nothing to worry about."

A voice came through the earpiece: "Are you sure Xie Yunshen is an amateur? Today, he spotted me."

"You're saying he spotted you?" The bald man narrowed his eyes.

"Correct. Amid thousands of workers, he noticed me immediately. I'm certain his professionalism rivals that of an international-level Golden Bodyguard."

"Yan Shiqi has always only had Yi Wuyi as a true expert. Xie Yunshen is just a good-for-nothing raised by the Yan family, not even as good as the security company personnel. Since when has he been comparable to a Golden Bodyguard?"

"That means your intelligence was wrong, Baldie."

"Then let's kill Yan Shiqi first! The bounty on Yan Shiqi is higher."

The other side erupted: "Damn it! Baldie, are you stupid? Yi Wuyi and Yan Shiqi are both with that man! They're in cahoots! What does it matter who we kill first?"

The bald man sneered: "So, people who are afraid to die can't be assassins. In this regard, you'll never match up to Yi Wuyi."

The other side was provoked by the taunt but didn't respond.

The bald man glanced back. In the luxurious living room behind him sat an old man in a wheelchair, his neck tilted. Though unable to speak, his gaze was fiercely intense.

His trembling hand pointed at two portraits on the wall.

Those portraits were of Yi Wuyi and Xie Yunshen.

And this person was none other than Yang Zhongxu, who had recently been reported dead in the hospital.

Half of his body was paralyzed from a stroke, yet his finger kept pointing fixedly at the two figures in the paintings.

A man in a hoodie sat to the side, his face unclear.

The bald man pondered and said, "Perhaps. But after all, we've already taken the deposit from Top Star Gate. Regardless of who it is, they must die."

The phone on the table rang. Yan Shiqi picked it up.

It was the engineering department calling to say the matter had been clarified. The explosives had been buried underground by two workers during the early stages. As for the motive, they were still investigating.

The call was to request that Mr. Yan come to the local police station tomorrow morning to give a statement.

They undoubtedly wanted to know how Yan Shiqi obtained the information that led him to discover the explosives under the construction site.

Yan Shiqi stood up and noticed several thin lines crisscrossing in front of the bedroom door.

Xie Yunshen had set up a small mechanism; unauthorized entry from the outside would immediately trigger it.

Of course, if Yan Shiqi tried to leave, it would also set off an alarm.

He was being treated like the Tang Monk, a prize to be guarded.

Yan Shiqi relaxed his furrowed brows, sat back down on his sofa, and pressed a finger against his silent lips.

……

Xie Yunshen finished washing up quickly, put on a hotel-provided loungewear set, and came out after a quick towel-dry.

Seeing Yan Shiqi was indeed still sitting on the sofa, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

“You could have dried your hair properly before coming out,” Yan Shiqi said, noticing a water droplet fall from his hair and dampen the collar at the back.

Xie Yunshen checked the trap at the bedroom door and smiled with satisfaction. “Mr. Yan, I’ll get the wine for you.”

Clearly, he had heard everything from the bathroom.

Xie Yunshen picked up the bottle of wine, confirmed it was safe, then brought a glass into the bedroom without touching anything else.

He placed the glass on the table.

Yan Shiqi poured himself a drink.

Xie Yunshen rarely saw him drink, except when socializing at banquets where he had no choice.

Yan Shiqi took a couple of sips.

“What’s really bothering you?”

Even though Yan Shiqi didn’t say, Xie Yunshen knew he must be deeply troubled to be drinking.

Yan Shiqi said, “Drinking helps me sleep.”

“What?” Xie Yunshen gave him a resentful look.

He felt as if his wrist exercise ball had been utterly betrayed.

Seeing his expression, a rare hint of amusement flickered in Yan Shiqi’s eyes.

“Get some rest early, Mr. Yan.”

The city lights gradually dimmed, and Xie Yunshen’s voice faded into the night.

Late at night, a faint, mosquito-like “click” sounded.

Two figures, using adhesive tape placed earlier, easily pushed open the suite door, creating a narrow gap in the darkness.

Outside Yan Shiqi’s bedroom in the suite, two professional security guards from the agency were still on duty.

Before they could react, sharp objects pierced their throats.

They fell heavily to the ground.

The two assassins entered the suite’s living room, exchanged a glance, and signaled the man on the left to go to the secondary bedroom to kill Yi Wuyi.

A voice came through the earpiece: “Kill Xie Yunshen first, then focus on dealing with Yi Wuyi. Yi Wuyi is too difficult to handle.”

“Of course, if we can kill Yan Shiqi along the way, we’ll get triple the bounty. But the client’s intention is to kill Xie Yunshen first.”

The two assassins had no choice but to change course toward the master bedroom.

One of the men was the assassin from the construction site earlier.

He still harbored some wariness toward Xie Yunshen.

So, he deliberately slowed his pace a little.

The master bedroom door was easier to open, and the lead assassin pushed it open first.

He stepped slowly into the room.

The man quickly retreated, his gaze sharpening.

In the darkness, the male assassin’s neck and arms were already crisscrossed with bloody cuts.

Despite his quick and decisive reaction—risking having his arm severed, he frantically twisted and cut the wire around his neck to avoid being fatally slashed.

But blood still pooled on the floor, and his tendons were severed.

The assassin tried to struggle free from the wires, but his legs were still entangled, leaving him trapped. He collapsed at the doorway, crying out in agony to the man.

“Help me!”

“If you move again, the tendons in your hands and feet will be completely severed,” a voice spoke from the darkness.

At the same time, the lights turned on, revealing a figure standing at the door.

The man looked closely and saw several fine wires set up at the entrance. As soon as someone pushed the door open, the mechanism was triggered, and the wires were abruptly tightened by a machine.

Even an ox would be sliced through.

What a cruel wire trap!

He stared at the young man before him.

Who is this guy?

More terrifying than a professional BKB assassin. A chilling thought flashed through the man’s mind.

Xie Yunshen had already stepped toward him, delivering a sweeping kick with astonishing force.

So fast! The man narrowly dodged the first strike but couldn’t avoid the second, taking a solid hit.

Panic surged in the man’s heart—this guy’s strength and ferocity completely contradicted his relaxed appearance.

He wanted to fight desperately but soon realized.

He had no chance!

This place was not safe at all!

Baldhead had completely misjudged the situation. Why would they think of targeting Xie Yunshen first? Going after Yi Wuyi might have offered some chance of survival!

Baldhead’s voice came through the earpiece: “Old Qu, how’s it going?”

The man, Old Qu, had no time to respond. He used every move and ounce of strength from his lifetime just to barely withstand Xie Yunshen’s relentless assault.

At the critical moment, he threw out an assassin’s lifesaver—a smoke bomb!

Xie Yunshen was enveloped in the mist.

Old Qu turned and fled, not even sparing a thought for his companion.

Only then did he realize that someone had appeared behind him at some point—it was Yi Wuyi.

It’s over.

Inside the skyscraper.

Baldie could no longer get through to his two partners.

The guy in the hoodie said coldly, "Looks like your mission’s a bust."

"Impossible! Even if they failed, it couldn't have been this fast! They only went in three minutes ago! Old Qu and Black Cat are top-tier BKB assassins! You know how many pros they've taken down together!?"

At that moment, a faint voice finally came through the earpiece: "Baldie, you've screwed me and Black Cat..."

Baldie was startled but didn't dare to speak.

That dying voice said it all.

They had failed.

Then, a harsh, grating noise came through the earpiece—likely the sound of Old Qu hitting the floor.

After a while, an unfamiliar voice followed: "Old Five, look, these assassins even wear earpieces to listen to music while on a mission."

"That's their handler," came Yi Wuyi's voice.

"I thought they were from BKB. Turns out, it's just those old-fashioned guys from Top Star Gate. If I'd known, I would've let you handle it yourself."

Baldie’s face went pale and hard: This guy...

The man in the hoodie remained expressionless.

Behind him, Yang Zhongxu's face contorted with fury; he almost passed out.