Chapter 42

Chapter 42

At noon the next day, Yan Shiqi and his companions went to the outdoor dining area for lunch.

Yan Shiying was also nearby.

The sea breeze drifted by, and the relaxed, carefree faces of the young travelers behind them formed a stark contrast to Yan Shiqi’s characteristic composure and restraint.

Yan Shiqi looked at Yan Shiying across the table. “Since Pi Jiu is already dead, there’s no need to investigate that document further. We’re disembarking tomorrow. I hope you’ll come back with me.”

Yan Shiying frowned. “Why stop the investigation? It likely holds significant secrets of Top Star Gate.”

Giving up halfway was not Yan Shiying’s style, nor was it the approach Yan Shiqi would have taught him.

“Among all the insurance companies, why would Yang Zhongxu entrust his secret to the company you run? Didn’t he investigate who owned this company before entrusting it?”

Yan Shiying said, “That’s exactly what makes me more curious. This secret might be related to the Yan family. Aren’t you curious, Brother?”

This keen and very logical reasoning surprised Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi, who were sitting nearby.

Perhaps this matter was indeed connected to the Yan family.

On the other hand, Yan Shiqi’s attitude at this moment was rather suspicious.

“Why not consider it could be a trap? It’s dangerous here.” Yan Shiqi raised his eyes to look at him, his gaze openly warning.

Whenever they appeared in public, people in black and white hats would appear around them periodically.

Yan Shiying rubbed his brow. “So what? Just keep hiding? This is just like you—wary, detached, constantly second-guessing and overanalyzing. That’s why the Yan family is always passive!”

Yan Shiqi stared at him, a trace of self-mockery flickering at the corner of his lower lip, then lowered his gaze and said nothing more.

Xie Yunshen looked at Yan Shiqi with concern. He could tell something was off about him today. In the past, if anyone dared to contradict him like this, even his own brother would’ve gotten a harsh warning—as seen with Yan Shizhou before.

But today, Yan Shiqi was surprisingly calm, even carrying a touch of inscrutable melancholy.

How to describe this feeling? It strongly resembled the state of the big shot he had seen through the glass door on the day he first transmigrated—isolated and quiet.

And Yan Shiying became more flustered: Why hadn’t Big Brother scolded him with his typically intimidating, nuclear-deterrence-like manner?

In truth, he just didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Perhaps this was the only chance he had to help his brother and the Yan family.

He didn’t actually want to contradict his brother, but he’d invariably lose his composure in front of him, letting his demeanor become unchecked and placing himself in an inappropriate position.

His heart, tempered through repeated trials, felt a subtle, long-absent twinge of guilt and remorse.

The atmosphere turned icy in an instant. Seeing the relationship between the two, which had just begun to thaw, about to freeze over again, Xie Yunshen silently groaned. He really wanted to shake some sense into Yan Shiying: *You stubborn fool, your brother is only thinking about the entire Yan family!*

He had previously asked Yan Shiqi to praise this younger brother more, but now he didn’t blame Yan Shiqi. With Yan Shiying being so pigheaded and single-minded, who could bring themselves to praise him?

Both brothers were skilled at shifting topics and defusing tension, yet they remained at a stalemate, neither deliberately breaking the silence.

In this atmosphere, Yi Wuyi proactively shifted the topic. “Second Young Master, what about that child from before?”

Yan Shiying said, “Before that, I’ll have him leave this place.”

Calling Sand a child was because most kids his age were still in college. Sand, being half-feral and dependent, wasn’t much different from a child.

“Call him Six O’clock. When I found him, it was exactly six in the evening, so I gave him that name. ‘Sand’ doesn’t sound nice.”

The name Six O’clock was actually even worse than Sand… Xie Yunshen silently complained while chewing on his bread.

Yan Shiqi finally spoke up. “How do you plan to get him to leave?”

“Every half month, the freshwater delivery ship comes here. There’s a window of several hours during that time.”

“When?”

Yan Shiying looked out at the sea. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow is the water delivery day. Coincidentally, a group of tourists will be disembarking tomorrow. The Arena’s attention will be on the disembarking passengers. I’ll have Six O’clock leave on the water ship.”

The sea and sky gradually darkened again.

Night fell once more. Yan Shiqi sat alone on the sofa, his serene gaze penetrating the black sea, landing on a distant, anchorless void.

Xie Yunshen stood at the bedroom door, watching Yan Shiqi’s reflection in the glass.

He had been sitting like that for a long time.

Yesterday, in this very spot, Yan Shiqi had been in a rare mood to discuss philosophical questions with them.

Yi Wuyi patted Xie Yunshen, signaling with his eyes.

“What?”

“You should go check on Mr. Yan,” Yi Wuyi whispered.

Xie Yunshen gave him a big question mark look.

*Are you kidding? If it’s a problem troubling the big shot, would my going over there help?*

Even though he transmigrated into the book, his understanding of the key plot points was completely superficial.

Yi Wuyi pushed him inside.

The push was quite forceful, sending him straight to the sofa.

Yan Shiqi lifted his dark eyes to look at him.

*Damn it, Old Five, pushing me in here like this—what am I supposed to say? At least give me time to prepare a draft!*

Xie Yunshen struggled for a moment before blurting out: “…You can do it!”

Yan Shiqi: “…”

Yi Wuyi outside the door: “…”

Xie Yunshen also felt rather speechless himself. He paused, then spread his arms open. “Or… how about a mommy hug?”

His expression was one of solemn, death-defying resolve.

“No.” Yan Shiqi slowly smiled, the curve of his lips spreading to his eyes.

But the furrow between his brows seemed to remain tightly locked.

Xie Yunshen pressed down on his shoulders again, their faces drawing very close, their gazes almost touching each other’s souls. Yan Shiqi looked at him in surprise.

Then, Xie Yunshen abruptly pulled him into a tight embrace against his chest and said, “Mr. Yan, no matter what happens, Old Five and I will always support you.”

The person in his arms didn’t move. Xie Yunshen froze for a moment, then released him. He saw Yan Shiqi’s brow deeply furrowed, his breathing slightly rapid.

"Old Five, get over here! Did I give Mr. Yan a heart attack or something?"

Yi Wuyi hurried over at the sound of his voice.

Yan Shiqi was already back to normal. "I'm fine."

"Did I go too hard?" Xie Yunshen muttered as he rubbed Yan Shiqi's back, though he was sure he had used just the right amount of force.

Yi Wuyi, with his typical bluntness, chimed in, "Did you use the kind of force you use in a fight?"

Xie Yunshen opened his mouth, speechless. "...Am I that stupid?"

Yan Shiqi pressed down on his hand, signaling, "I'm fine."

Guiltily, Xie Yunshen buried his head in Yan Shiqi's chest and nuzzled. "Mr. Yan, I'm sorry..."

Yan Shiqi closed his eyes. "Don't seduce me."

"...Huh?" Xie Yunshen jerked and snapped his head up.

Yi Wuyi couldn't help but laugh.

The next day, the tour boat had arrived alongside the cruise ship to pick up this batch of guests.

Before leaving, Yan Shiqi needed to retrieve the card from the safe deposit box at the storage area.

From the moment they stepped into the storage area, many people in black and white hats were moving about.

Xie Yunshen saw restraint and suppressed desire in their eyes.

They were eyeing the 6.5 billion but were held back by the ship's rules.

The man in charge of the storage area was the one with the mustache who had previously clashed with Yan Shiying.

He deliberately smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits. "Mr. Yan, congrats on becoming the biggest winner in Arena history. That kid beside you is really lucky."

His gaze fell on Xie Yunshen, not hiding the bitterness in his eyes.

Yan Shiqi said, "Actually, it's a win-win. Isn't this 6.5 billion great publicity for the ship and the Arena? I believe after today, the Arena's traffic will surge."

The man with the mustache was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, getting the point. "You have a point."

He placed the gold card on the counter.

Yan Shiqi took the card. "Thank you."

Everything seemed peaceful.

They left the storage area and headed to the tour group's assembly point to disembark.

However, Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi didn't dare relax for a second, as the other side held the "truth."

At the gangway leading to the tour boat, Arena personnel were patrolling everywhere, staring intently at everyone, afraid that Sand might try to escape.

There, Yan Shiqi saw Yan Shiying.

He was holding a briefcase.

"I'm going back with you," he said, looking at Yan Shiqi.

"What about Sand... no, Six O'Clock?"

"I've already sent him to the water supply ship. That ship left half an hour ago. For a stranger, I've gone above and beyond. What happens next is up to him."

Yan Shiying gazed toward the other end of the sea, at the ship that had faded from sight.

Yan Shiqi didn't look at him or speak, just patted his shoulder.

Xie Yunshen thought to himself that this development was too different from the original story.

In the original, Sand stayed with the male lead for two years before being recognized by the Qin family as the young master.

Now, alone out there, could Sand still become that Northern Border young master?

"XIE! YUN! SHEN!" A terrifying roar suddenly pierced the sky.

The roar startled almost everyone.

Xie Yunshen turned to look and couldn't help but frown in disdain. It was the tycoon heir.

He was sitting in a mechanical wheelchair, with several bandages wrapped around him.

This guy had been in the ship's hospital for a few days and was already out of bed so soon?

Although they had treated him like a ball, he and Old Five hadn't actually kicked his head; they had kicked places like his butt and shoulders.

Behind him stood several black-clad bodyguards, each holding a... "truth."

The tycoon heir pointed at Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi, his voice sharp and trembling as he gnashed his teeth. "Kill those two! One billion for a head! Twenty million for a limb, fifty million for an eye! Don't touch their torsos; I'm keeping them for whipping!"

Clearly, he had gone mad.

"Second Young Master, take Mr. Yan and disembark first," Xie Yunshen said.

No one responded.

Looking back, Yan Shiying had already taken Mr. Yan and blended into the departing crowd, having gone quite far.

Xie Yunshen: "..."

Yan Shiqi kept looking back at them, while Yan Shiying threw the briefcase to them from a distance.

Yi Wuyi caught the briefcase and opened it. Inside were two "truths."

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Author's Note: Years later, in the Northern Border Qin family's CEO office, a tall, handsome man stood by the window. "Has that man still not been found?"

Haha, just playing around, doesn't represent future plot developments [dog head].