Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Nevertheless, his body's internal clock stubbornly jolted him awake before dawn, while the sky was still dark.

Xie Yunshen got up to wash up and work out; he had always been an early riser.

Recently, the people from Top Star Gate had given up on surveilling him. With no one to mess with, things were getting a bit dull.

The first light of dawn tinged the sky, and the entire manor was enveloped in a gentle, fine mist, like a kindly old man not yet fully roused from a hazy sleep.

Wearing a black casual windbreaker outfit, Xie Yunshen headed alone toward the back hills of the manor, with morning dew clinging to his clothes.

At that moment, it occurred to him to glance back at the manor's study.

The platinum-colored curtains were indeed wide open, and a figure stood by the window.

Mr. Yan stood there in loungewear, standing before a bookshelf near the window, reading something.

His hair was tousled but not unkempt, and his very silhouette radiated a deep, sharp handsomeness.

Xie Yunshen watched, thinking to himself that Mr. Yan was still so diligent. He'd clearly been so exhausted these past two days.

Just then, Yan Shiqi suddenly turned his head, his eyes finding him.

His line of sight was incredibly precise, as if guided by a laser sight!

"!" Xie Yunshen was startled, suspecting that Mr. Yan had grown eyes in the back of his head. He'd make a perfect spy.

He smiled and ran downstairs, looking up and calling up softly, "Mr. Yan!"

Yan Shiqi watched him jog over, his eyes following his movement. He walked to the window and opened the glass pane.

The morning wind rushed in, already carrying a slight chill.

Yan Shiqi leaned out, looking down at him. "What is it?"

Xie Yunshen grinned. "Nothing. Seeing you first thing in the morning warms my heart."

The quiet morning instantly felt more alive.

After saying that, he gave a wave and took off.

Yan Shiqi watched him go until he disappeared into the forest on the back hill.

After his workout, Xie Yunshen went to stand guard in the dining room as usual. He felt a bit off without Lao Wu's familiar presence.

Third Uncle wasn't using his wheelchair today. Although he still walked with a slight limp, he was recovering at a remarkable speed compared to previous days.

After breakfast, Yan Shiqi took some time to look over reports brought by his assistant.

"Shiqi, thanks to that Dr. Lin you found for me—he's something of a miracle worker. He performed acupuncture and did a minor bloodletting a few days ago, and my leg feels much lighter." He patted his leg, the relief plain in his eyes.

Yan Shiqi put down what he was holding and looked at Xie Yunshen, who quickly averted his gaze, acting oblivious.

Yan Shiqi could only accept the credit and let it go without exposing the truth.

Third Aunt put her arm around her son. "Shixin, thank the family head on behalf of your father."

Yan Shixin lowered his head and didn't respond.

Third Aunt smiled bitterly; she hadn't held out much hope. This child mostly kept to himself and didn't pay much attention to others.

"Thank you..." Just then, Yan Shixin suddenly spoke, though his gaze still wandered elsewhere, unchanged.

"Shixin, come here."

Yan Shixin held a hexagonal Rubik's Cube in his hand, not looking up.

Third Aunt felt a pang of anxiety. After all, he was a special child, and she was afraid he'd accidentally show disrespect to the family head.

Nevertheless, Yan Shixin slowly walked over, fidgeting with the cube in his hand.

Yan Shiqi, recognizing the child's innate intelligence and kindness, let his expression soften. "Shixin, you can stay with me and learn about family affairs. The Yan family will need you in the future."

Third Uncle was somewhat surprised. "Is that a good idea? This child, he..."

Yan Shiqi rested a hand on the child's shoulder. "Shixin is different. He's very smart."

The boy lowered his head but then looked up at his parents, as if seeking their approval.

Third Uncle sighed. "We're putting you out, Shiqi. This child isn't like other children, as you know."

He was referring to the child being autistic from birth.

"Actually, a child's world doesn't necessarily need external validation. Don't you think Shixin's perceptiveness is quite extraordinary?" Yan Shiqi said.

Third Uncle paused, almost ashamed. "...Is that so?"

He had never actively tried to discover this child's strengths.

Xie Yunshen watched as the child's heavy gaze lit up.

Now Xie Yunshen understood that perhaps this kind of praise and encouragement was what Yan Shixin had wanted.

After discussing this matter, Yan Shiqi brought up the chamber of commerce chairman election.

Third Uncle said, "Don't worry. Even if we don't win the election, at the very least, we won't let them look down on the Yan family!"

Throughout this entire exchange, Yan Shizhou sat to the side, seeming distracted.

Xie Yunshen thought the young master was depressed again.

The next day at the company, while Yan Shiqi was meeting with a guest, Xie Yunshen waited outside. Suddenly, a hand slapped his shoulder.

"What is it, Third Young Master?" Xie Yunshen didn't need to turn around to know it was Yan Shizhou.

This guy had been acting sneaky all day.

"Where's Yi Wuyi?"

Xie Yunshen chuckled but didn't answer him.

Yan Shizhou seemed to hear a hint of cold mockery in his laughter.

"Where did he go?" Yan Shizhou asked with a dark expression.

"You'll have to ask Mr. Yan about that. Lao Wu isn't under my management."

"Aren't you two as close as brothers, sharing everything?"

Xie Yunshen picked up on a weirdly jealous vibe in his tone.

“Not quite. Our relationship is way deeper than just being pants buddies—that’s too shallow,” Xie Yunshen raised an eyebrow.

“...He’s at the construction site, isn’t he?” Yan Shizhou said coldly.

Xie Yunshen shrugged. Watching Yan Shizhou leave, he looked up at the sky with a silent sigh. *Old Five, when are you coming back?*

Standing guard alone these past two days had been really boring.

When Yan Shiqi stepped out of the meeting room, he saw Xie Yunshen looking totally dead inside.

“What’s wrong?”

“Mr. Yan, when can Old Five return?” Xie Yunshen tagged along right behind him.

Yan Shiqi walked into his office. “Oh? You miss him that much?”

“I do.”

Yan Shiqi turned to look at him straight in the eye.

Thinking he was being asked to confirm, Xie Yunshen met his gaze firmly. “Really, really miss him.”

Yan Shiqi’s smile faded. He studied him for a long moment. “In another two days, once the construction site matters are resolved, Old Five will be back.”

Xie Yunshen felt like he had something more to say but held back.

*Since when did the boss become so hesitant?*

“Mr. Yan, if you have something to say, just say it.”

Yan Shiqi said, “Old Five isn’t suitable for you.”

“How is Old Five not suitable for me?” Xie Yunshen drew a mental question mark.

Without Old Five, where would he find a work partner who was so perfectly on the same wavelength?

Yan Shiqi’s expression turned serious; he wasn’t comfortable with this kind of emotional talk. “Then you’re likely getting your hopes up for nothing, or worse, having a one-sided crush.”

Xie Yunshen let out a long, confused pause. “Un… unrequited? Mr. Yan, what does that have to do with me and Old Five… We’re not going to become love rivals.”

Yan Shiqi fell silent for a moment. “Never mind.”

Xie Yunshen planted both hands on the desk. “Mr. Yan, don’t worry. Old Five and I have completely different personalities. There’s no way we could become love rivals.”

Seeing his earnest expression, Yan Shiqi turned his head away, revealing an utterly speechless smile.

“I have some documents here. Take a look.” He pulled a file from the safe beneath the desk.

Xie Yunshen gave him a puzzled look, taking the file as he did.

Opening it, he saw an ultrasound image and some hospital test reports.

All the reports belonged to one person.

“Lin Wanchu… Isn’t that Lin Jin’s sister?” Xie Yunshen was taken aback.

“You remember last time you mentioned that Lin Jin came to the Yan family looking for clues about his sister? After that day, I specifically sent someone to investigate.”

Xie Yunshen picked up a photo. It showed Lin Jin in his teens, standing next to an elegant, pretty girl—clearly a sibling photo.

Another photo showed Lin Wanchu with another man, but the man’s face was unclear due to the angle against the sunlight.

“His sister was pregnant?”

He recalled that in the novel, the male lead’s sister wasn’t married and there was no mention of her being in a relationship.

Yan Shiqi tacitly confirmed it. “These records no longer exist in the hospital archives. Someone deliberately destroyed the evidence. There’s only a death certificate—no cause of death, no reports.”

“Then how did you find this?”

After all, in the novel, even the male lead with his protagonist's halo took a long time to uncover such detailed information.

Yan Shiqi looked at him. “Money. Connections.”

So concise and clear.

Xie Yunshen: “…”

“How is Shang Guanhong doing now?”

“According to Lin Jin, that guy is shrewd. He won’t talk no matter what. He won’t die anytime soon.”

“You can show this photo to Shang Guanhong and see how he reacts.”

Xie Yunshen took another careful look at the man in the photo. He also wore glasses, was tall and slender—indeed very similar to that guy Shang Guanhong.

“Here’s footage from half a year ago of Miss Lin buying baby supplies at a Yan Group mall, and a man picking her up when she left.”

Yan Shiqi turned his laptop around for him to see.

Outside the mall entrance, a man sat in the driver’s seat of a black SUV. The angle only showed a side profile—it was Shang Guanhong.

Watching the footage, Xie Yunshen felt a chill run down his spine. If that man really was Shang Guanhong, then Lin Wanchu’s death was undoubtedly linked to Top Star Gate as well.

“Let’s hold off for a bit.”

That cobra Shang Guanhong was still with Lin Jin. He’d probably need two days to recover.

Xie Yunshen only took the two photos and the ultrasound report.

Yan Shiqi looked at him. “A-Shen.”

Xie Yunshen looked back, sensing it was the first time Yan Shiqi had looked at him so gravely, and the first time he had so clearly called him by his name.

Yan Shiqi’s voice was clear and firm. “After these matters are resolved, don’t go picking fights with Top Star Gate again. Their power is beyond your imagination.”

Xie Yunshen asked, “Then why are you going against them?”

Yan Shiqi leaned back in his chair, his gaze sharp. “I’m merely not doing what they want. It hasn’t reached a point of no return. But if you do this, you’ll draw all their fire onto yourself. I hope you won’t wade into these muddy waters.”

It was rare to see him speak so candidly. Xie Yunshen smiled. “Too bad, I'm doing it anyway.”

“…”

Yan Shiqi lowered his head, rubbing the faint furrow between his brows.

“Mr. Yan, has anyone ever told you that even if you're not the tallest, you’re really handsome?” Xie Yunshen leaned forward, elbows on the desk, his pitch-black eyes gleaming as he looked at him.

Yan Shiqi gave a small smile. "No."

"It must be because you're too detached from everyone else," Xie Yunshen offered as an explanation.

"I mean, no one has ever told me to my face that I'm short."

Even someone as cocky as Lin Jin could only ever drop hints about it.

"...Oh." Xie Yunshen covered his face.