Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Lin Jin and Miss Bai had arrived as well.

The two of them were seated in another pavilion not far away.

Miss Bai was probably there to watch her father play golf, and Lin Jin, that little tag-along, was of course sticking to her.

Lin Jin, holding sunglasses, waved at him with a smile as bright as a sunflower.

Since Yan Shiqi had just made it clear he didn't like Lin Jin, Xie Yunshen didn't dare make a big show of it. He simply nodded casually, acknowledging him half-heartedly.

Lin Jin was the type—the more someone acted indifferent toward him, the more eagerly he'd try to cozy up.

Sure enough, he immediately stood up, walked behind Xie Yunshen, put his hands on his shoulders and gave them a squeeze, laughing, "Brother Xie, did I do something wrong? Are you giving me the cold shoulder?"

The over-the-top, suck-up act from a straight guy made Xie Yunshen's skin crawl with disgust.

"Nah, just scram and go keep your girlfriend company," he said, shrugging his shoulders to signal him to stop.

Lin Jin tsked. "Don't be a stranger. You still sore about me saying last time not to bother me and Jinyan?"

Xie Yunshen realized Lin Jin was particularly prone to reading too much into things. He turned his head and hissed, "Does the word 'inferiority' even exist in your dictionary?"

He simply didn't want Yan Shiqi to see this, lest the big shot think his bodyguard had some shady business with his love rival.

"Why should I feel inferior?" Lin Jin was taken aback.

That was true. Lin Jin did have every reason to be arrogant.

"Just go, go," Xie Yunshen urged him.

"I just wanted to ask, can you teach me that move from last time?"

"What move?" Xie Yunshen frowned.

"The one at the theater last time, when I had you in a hold from behind. How did you break free so easily?" Lin Jin even demonstrated as he spoke.

That simple move Xie Yunshen made last time had left Lin Jin blown away. He had spent the whole night trying to figure it out but still couldn't replicate it.

Xie Yunshen said "Oh." So he had a favor to ask. No wonder the usually proud male lead was brown-nosing today.

Suddenly, a round of applause came from over there.

Xie Yunshen looked over and saw several people gathered around Yan Shiqi.

"Patriarch Yan, that eagle shot was absolutely brilliant!" Patriarch Bai exclaimed with a refined, old-money chuckle while clapping.

The greasy middle-aged man also expressed admiration. "Skills like Mr. Yan's are rare. Old Bai, looks like you're going to coast to victory today."

Xie Yunshen instantly felt like he had lost billions. "Look! You made me miss the best part."

Lin Jin was completely baffled. "You're not seriously getting obsessed with watching golf, are you?"

Just then, Yan Shiqi, who was in the crowd, suddenly turned his head and looked in their direction. Under the brim of his hat, those intimidating eyes narrowed slightly.

Xie Yunshen's heart skipped a beat. He roughly pried Lin Jin's hand off his neck where it was locked in a mock hold.

Lin Jin was stunned. "That's not the move!"

Xie Yunshen said, "Just go keep your girlfriend company!"

When he looked again, Yan Shiqi had already turned back to speak with others, looking perfectly normal.

Xie Yunshen let out a small sigh of relief. But the calmer Yan Shiqi appeared, the more he felt an illusion of being "caught in the act."

Yan Shiqi and Patriarch Bai's team had already won one round.

The tycoon heir sneered mockingly, "Mr. Yan, don't the bodyguards from your Southern Province lack professionalism? You, the master, are still here basking in the sun, while they sit in the pavilion drinking juice? Look at my bodyguards..."

He pointed his golf club toward the distant lawn, where a row of bodyguards in suits stood at attention. "They are all battle-hardened top-tier bodyguards."

Yan Shiqi glanced casually at the row of bodyguards in the distance, giving him face but clearly not impressed in the slightest.

Patriarch Bai looked meaningfully at the tycoon heir. "When it comes to extensive experience, your men probably can't compare to the two experts Mr. Yan has with him."

He had witnessed the skills of those two Yan family bodyguards, especially that young man surnamed Xie, whose abilities were truly formidable.

Seeing Yan Shiqi's indifferent attitude toward him, the heir's eyes turned cold.

Especially after Yan Shiqi won the first round, by the start of the second round, the heir became restless and failed to sink the ball in three strokes.

Although he could beat Patriarch Bai and the others, Yan Shiqi's golf skills were indeed better than his.

Back at the Arena, before Yan Shiqi arrived, he had been in a steady winning streak, racking up over a billion in winnings.

Yet Yan Shiqi only needed one round to sweep that billion away. If it was luck at the Arena, how could he possibly lose at golf, which he had always prided himself on?

Another swing, another miss.

Patriarch Bai laughed. "What's wrong today, Young Master Cui? Is the sea wind too strong, affecting your performance?"

The tycoon heir gritted his teeth and sneered.

When changing clubs, the caddy was a little slow in handing over the club. The heir took the club, looked at the golf stick in his hand, and suddenly swung it violently, hitting the caddy in the leg.

This sudden act left everyone speechless.

The caddy fell to the ground trembling and was taken away by the golf course staff, who seemed accustomed to such incidents.

Another caddy, pale-faced, took his place.

"That guy is a real piece of work," Xie Yunshen said coldly.

Yi Wuyi replied, "This is actually him showing restraint."

"Restraint?" Xie Yunshen was taken aback.

"You know how it is. The tycoons in Country B run the show. Even if they kill someone, they can just pay their way out of it. He's infamous. It's just that on this giant cruise ship, there are plenty of people more powerful than him, so he doesn't dare to act as arrogantly as he does back home."

The tycoon heir didn't even glance at the scene, smiling as he spread his hands. "Let's continue, Mr. Yan, Mr. Bai!"

Yan Shiqi frowned, while the middle-aged man and Patriarch Bai took it in stride, as if they were used to such behavior.

Yan Shiqi tossed his golf club to the caddy beside him and said to Patriarch Bai, "Patriarch Bai, we'll pick this up next time I'm back in Southern Province. I'm a bit tired today."

Patriarch Bai smiled. "Sure, Patriarch Yan. Next time you're back in City A, let's invite Patriarch Chen and Patriarch Huang along."

"Wait!" The Cui heir placed one hand on his hip and the other on his golf stick, smiling. "What's going on? Mr. Yan, tired before we've even had our fill of fun?"

Yan Shiqi turned around and looked at him. "I never play with people who can't handle losing."

Yan Shiqi's bluntness toward the man surnamed Cui surprised Mr. Bai.

But then again, considering the Yan family's current power and the fact that this was just the younger son of a foreign tycoon with no significant business ties, why would Yan Shiqi need to be polite?

The heir blinked, staring at Yan Shiqi, his mouth slightly agape in disbelief. "Excuse me, are you saying I'm a sore loser?"

Yan Shiqi didn't even grant him a proper glance. "Who among everyone here do you think fits the description best?"

The chaebol heir blinked, tilting his head to look at the others, then let out a nervous, brittle laugh. "What is he talking about!?"

He had expected everyone to back him up.

Mr. Bai looked away coldly, and even Boss Zhou, his playing partner, averted his eyes.

The two middle-aged foreign businessmen who had been chatting with him earlier now stood behind Yan Shiqi, giving him icy stares.

After all, one was just a tycoon's son who only knew how to gamble and play, while the other was the helmsman of a leading corporation. No one was stupid enough to pick the wrong side.

In the eyes of these businessmen, the once-flattered tycoon heir instantly lost his aura of superiority.

He nodded with a sneering laugh, his tongue pushing against his cheek, then glanced at the scenery behind him. His eyes suddenly turned fierce.

He abruptly raised his golf club and swung it down at Yan Shiqi.

The attack came out of nowhere. Everyone watched in horror, their eyes wide.

The club was snatched out of the air by a bare hand. The heir's face was struck by a sharp elbow—the sound of cracking bone was audible—and he was thrown backward. Before he could hit the ground, a side kick connected.

"Old Wu, catch!"

The force of the kick sent the heir's body flying to the left, where he rolled twice.

Like a soccer ball, his head was stopped by another man's foot. Blood gushed from his nose.

Before he could even open his eyes to see the man above him, he was booted away, rolling across the lawn and leaving a trail of blood.

Mr. Bai watched from the side, his brow furrowed tightly, flinching in sympathy at the brutality.

The whole sequence took only about two or three seconds. By the time the bodyguards rushed over, their master was already lying on the ground, his face covered in blood, more dead than alive.

Xie Yunshen walked over, nudging the heir's limp body with the tip of his shoe, looking down from above. "With a mouth that tough, I thought you'd have some backbone. How come you fold after a few kicks?"

The heir's face was visibly misshapen. He trembled once and blacked out from the agony.

When Xie Yunshen turned around, he found several bodyguards in suits sprawled on the ground behind him.

All of them had been laid out by Yi Wuyi.

He shot Yi Wuyi a thumbs-up, wordless praise. "Old Wu!"

The others present gasped in shock.

They had actually kicked the tycoon's youngest son around like a soccer ball.

The course staff loaded the heir onto a stretcher and sent him to the ship's emergency hospital.

As for Yan Shiqi, he simply stood there, watching it all unfold with detached calm.

The Yan family was truly formidable. Even their two bodyguards were this terrifying. No wonder their position remained unshakable and they dared to openly clash with Top Star Gate.

Everyone had the same thought: they must do everything possible to get on the good side of the Yan family!

The caddies on the course were almost moved to tears. At least for a while, they wouldn't have to work in constant fear.

Every time the tycoon heir came to the course, one or two caddies would end up in the hospital. Their superiors forbade them from leaving, so they had to suck it up and do their jobs.

Lin Jin, who had witnessed it all, couldn't help but sigh. "That Xie Yunshen is getting more and more terrifying."

The last time he had seen his skills was during the hospital incident, but this time, his speed was clearly faster and his angles more vicious.

He then looked at Bai Jinyan. "Jin'er, I heard the Yan family has a lazy bodyguard also surnamed Xie. It couldn't possibly be him, right?"

Bai Jinyan was also surprised. "I think he's also called Xie Yunshen. But isn't it a good thing that someone as responsible as Mr. Yan has such a skilled protector?"

Lin Jin felt as if struck by lightning, unable to recover for a long time. "How can you praise another man in front of me..."

Bai Jinyan smiled helplessly, her dimples showing. "Alright, forgive me then."

What else could he do? Lin Jin immediately forgave her.

At the same time, he secretly swore to himself: Yan Shiqi, you are my lifelong rival in love!