Chapter 39

Chapter 39

There was an excellent Western restaurant on the ship.

Yan Shiqi called Yan Shiying to invite him to the restaurant for a meal.

The two brothers had rarely shared a meal at the same table in recent years.

Hearing this, Yi Wuyi remarked, "Ever since you injured your head, I think your appetite has been just fine."

Xie Yunshen gave an awkward chuckle, because the head injury coincided with when he transmigrated into the book.

"After all, I'm still in my growing years."

As Xie Yunshen spoke, he used a clean fork to spear a small sausage, placed it on a plate, fiddled with it a bit, and slid it over to Yan Shiqi.

Yan Shiqi looked at the plate; the small sausage had been shaped into a cute little dog. He couldn't help but smile.

Yan Shiying closed his eyes and tsked. "Really... Did you call me here to watch your domestic bliss?"

Xie Yunshen was taken aback. "Huh?"

Yan Shiqi said, "When we get off the ship this time, you're coming home with me. Shizhou hasn't seen you in a long time either."

Yan Shiying weighed his response. "Let's wait a bit. I still have things to do."

"What things? Do they have to be finished on this ship?"

"..." Silence.

"Can't you tell me?"

Yan Shiying frowned tightly. "It's nothing worth mentioning. Just work-related matters."

"Then, what about that boy? How are you handling him? After I leave, you'll be on your own on this ship." Yan Shiqi's gaze was piercing.

Looking at his elder brother, Yan Shiying came clean. "You know about what happened to Yang Zhongxu recently, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi both stopped eating at the same time and exchanged a glance.

Yan Shiqi asked, "What's his business got to do with you?"

"Before he died, Yang Zhongxu stored a will in a safe at my insurance company. The inheritance included a document. According to the agreement, if he died unexpectedly, the inheritance and document were to be transferred to his son."

Yan Shiqi grew serious. "Where is that document?"

"Big brother, I know what you want to say. But Yang Zhongxu was a cunning fox. The inheritance is in the safe, but I haven't found that document yet. In his will, he said he'd given it to a man named Pi Jiu. That man was last seen on this ship."

Xie Yunshen found it strange. "Beer?"

Yi Wuyi asked, "Xiao Xie, do you know something?"

"I really don't know."

In the novel, Yang Zhongxu doesn't die until much later. But now he died early, so the plot was bound to change.

For example, Yan Shiying appearing on this ship was also not in the original story.

Xie Yunshen knew he could no longer be just an observer. He had taken the Yan family's side, becoming a part of the novel's backbone.

Yan Shiqi asked, "What about his son then?"

"After Black Impermanence's last livestream, that illegitimate son was almost filled with lead by locals abroad. Now, no one knows where he's fled. So, I haven't handed over the inheritance yet."

Yan Shiqi took a sip of tea, looking down at the little dog on his plate. The dog was chubby, like the balloon animals at a carnival.

Yan Shiying put down his napkin and suddenly asked, "Do you know who Black Impermanence is?"

"Why?"

"I watched that livestream too. There's a bounty on him on foreign sites now, and the amount is insane. The rumors about him online are getting wilder. I thought since you're in the South, you might know something."

"You're not interested in the bounty money, are you?" Yan Shiqi prodded.

"I'm just curious about what kind of person he is."

Yi Wuyi glanced at Xie Yunshen, looking to him for a cue regarding the identity issue—whether they should tell the others.

Xie Yunshen picked up a red rice noodle roll, patted Yi Wuyi's shoulder, and said solemnly, "Old Fifth, trust me, this flavor is much better!"

Yi Wuyi was at a loss for words.

"..."

"I've got to go." Yan Shiying stood up. Earlier, he had ordered a portion of beef with cheese and two portions of sausages to go.

There was someone in his room waiting to be fed.

Yan Shiqi suddenly spoke up. "Second Brother."

Yan Shiying turned around and saw Yan Shiqi stand up and walk over to him.

Yan Shiqi placed a hand on his shoulder, studying him for a moment with grave sincerity. "Whether it's Shizhou or you, you tend to act impulsively when you care about something. I believe you can protect yourself, but the situation here is complex. Tell me before you make any decisions. I will always help you."

Because of the warm palm on his shoulder and those heartfelt words, it took Yan Shiying a good while to respond.

This adult who had ventured out alone for years, growing through caution and recklessness, and who was already considered accomplished by outsiders, couldn't help but show an instinctive humility and boyish awkwardness toward his brother.

But he instinctively said, "You should worry about yourself first, big brother."

Then he turned around and walked out of the restaurant with a steady pace, though he was walking a little too fast.

Xie Yunshen was certain that this tsundere younger brother would repeatedly savor his elder brother's words on the way back.

And then wonder if his own reply had been inappropriate.

Yan Shiqi watched him disappear into the elevator before slowly returning to the dining table.

"Mr. Yan, is the shape not to your liking?" Xie Yunshen noticed he hadn't taken a bite and leaned over to look at the little dog.

Yan Shiqi looked at him. "It looks a lot like you."

Xie Yunshen immediately scrutinized it. "...Does it?"

Yan Shiqi forked the dog's tail and put it in his mouth.

"Is my tail tasty?" Xie Yunshen raised an eyebrow.

Yi Wuyi immediately started coughing violently, as if he had choked. "I beg you..." Don't say anymore.

Xie Yunshen gave his back a practiced pat: "..." Old Wu is being way too dramatic.

A smile, long absent, touched the corner of Yan Shiqi's lips.

A somewhat sharp voice came from behind: "Isn't this Mr. Yan? We meet again."

Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi immediately stopped and watched the approaching man warily.

It was the trust fund kid from the Arena earlier.

This guy's eyes always held a shrewd, calculating glint, and he always spoke in a deliberately loud, emphatic tone: "And the bodyguards are here too, I see."

Yan Shiqi looked at him, managing only the barest polite nod: "Mr. Choi."

At that moment, Patriarch Bai also appeared: "Mr. Yan, since we've run into each other, would you be interested in playing a round on the golf course?"

"Golf course?"

Xie Yunshen sensed that Yan Shiqi was probably interested.

"Yes, we've been playing there the past few days. Today's rules are Las Vegas style, stroke play or match play, whichever you prefer. How about you and I team up?"

"Patriarch Bai, you're betting on the game, aren't you?"

Patriarch Bai also knew that Yan Shiqi generally disliked gambling and smiled: "Not much, just a million a stroke."

Seeing Yan Shiqi unmoved, Patriarch Bai's gaze shifted and landed on Xie Yunshen.

He leaned over and whispered in Xie Yunshen's ear: "I can't stand this kid. He keeps mocking us people from A-country. Have your boss take him down a peg."

"?" Xie Yunshen thought Patriarch Bai was a bit baffling. Why was he telling a bodyguard this?

The trust fund kid waved his hand dismissively: "Patriarch Bai, let's go. No matter what help you find, to me, A-country nationals playing golf are like sparrows fighting a rooster—utterly overestimating themselves!"

Xie Yunshen said: "You really are both flashy and pretentious, born a cucumber."

"What do you mean?" The trust fund kid narrowed his eyes cautiously.

"Begging to be smacked."

The trust fund kid wasn't angered; instead, he laughed: "Just a coward who doesn't dare to play! All talk, no action!"

"Mr. Yan, look at him?" Xie Yunshen looked at Yan Shiqi incredulously.

Yan Shiqi lowered his head and rubbed the space between his brows.

Behind them, Patriarch Bai, having subtly achieved his goal, smiled faintly: Mission accomplished.

A fancy straw poked into the icy orange juice. Xie Yunshen sat by the seaside golf course and took a big sip through the straw.

He had heard that this cruise ship was almost as big as a small island, but having a golf course on board was something he never in a million years would have imagined.

Being from families in the same Southern Province, Patriarch Bai naturally teamed up with Yan Shiqi.

The pot-bellied middle-aged man from the VIP lounge earlier and that arrogant trust fund kid formed the other team.

"Old Wu, who is this second-generation heir?" Xie Yunshen handed a cup of iced watermelon juice to Yi Wuyi beside him.

Yi Wuyi took the juice: "He's the youngest son of the major Choi chaebol in B-country. He's also a frequent guest on this ship. I hear he's very skilled at betting on golf too."

"What about Mr. Yan?"

"Why do you think Patriarch Bai invited Mr. Yan to team up?"

"So, Mr. Yan is quite good then." Xie Yunshen raised an eyebrow.

Yi Wuyi nodded and said: "When the old patriarch was alive, he loved taking Mr. Yan golfing with other patriarchs and took great pride in it. Although I haven't seen this heir's skills, I think his fidgety and impatient demeanor can't possibly be a match for Mr. Yan."

Xie Yunshen didn't play golf and didn't understand the rules. In his impression, golf was a game for middle-aged businessmen and elderly chairmen.

To get the ball in, they would bend over, constantly adjusting their angles—not particularly elegant.

It looked so effortless.

But he approached everything with utmost seriousness, his brow furrowed, etching a shallow crease between his eyebrows, yet his movements were fluid and decisive, without hesitation.

This created a sense of beauty that was both conflicting and harmonious.

He hadn't changed clothes, just rolled up his sleeves, revealing his slightly pale forearms. As he walked on the soft turf, his white shirt was left slightly loose around the waist where it was tucked into the black belt.

This way, as he moved, the curve of his waist was subtly accentuated.

The black trousers and white shirt were perfectly proportioned under the sun.

No matter what, whether it was the curve of his waist and hips, the arc of his swinging arms, or the slight frown when he tilted his head back.

Every curve was beautiful, glowing under the sun.

Xie Yunshen slowly put down his juice.

For some reason, the more he drank, the thirstier he felt.

Could it be that he really had such a strong filter in favor of Mr. Yan?

"Has Mr. Yan ever been in a relationship, had a girlfriend?" He suddenly asked this question.

Yi Wuyi shook his head: "I can't imagine what Mr. Yan would be like in a relationship."

Xie Yunshen tried to imagine a scene of Mr. Yan on a date with a girlfriend whose face was pixelated, and couldn't help but get goosebumps.

No, not good.