Chapter 61

Chapter 61

"Xie, what are you doing?"

In the corridor, Yi Wuyi stopped beside Xie Yunshen, looking down at him.

Xie Yunshen leaned back, arching his waist against the wall and tilting his head to glance at Yi Wuyi, who appeared at a 90-degree angle in his line of sight.

"Training to take hits."

"You're still practicing that?" Yi Wuyi was somewhat surprised.

As far as he knew, how many people could actually land a hit on Xie Yunshen nowadays?

"That guy in leather with the Eagle Claw Fist last time—when it swished past my eye, do you know how terrifying that sound of tearing air was? It still gives me chills," Xie Yunshen said.

"But you kicked him out in three moves. Wouldn't he be the one who's shaken?" No, the other guy is probably having a total breakdown right now.

Yi Wuyi was speechless.

Xie Yunshen engaged his core, leaning sideways while suspended and pressing his head against the wall. "If he didn't fight fair and had others covering for him, if his hand grabbed our chest or neck, we'd bleed out right there."

Yi Wuyi said, "You're right."

Xie Yunshen always seemed careless in front of enemies, but afterward, he was skilled at summarizing his own shortcomings and tirelessly patching up his weaknesses.

"Old Five, want to join me?" Xie Yunshen invited him as usual.

"I'd love to, but why don't you check behind you?"

Xie Yunshen froze, then turned to look. At the other end of the corridor stood a group of men and women, their eyes gleaming like wolves.

Xie Yunshen pushed off with his lower back and stood up straight. "Even so, Old Five, in our line of work, we could die at any time. Compared to getting stronger, others' weird glances are just an insignificant breeze."

"I know, but do you really understand what those looks mean?"

"..." Xie Yunshen fell into brief contemplation, then quickly gave up. "Well... does it matter? As long as it doesn't affect me."

Yi Wuyi looked at Xie Yunshen: "..."

Indeed, when God opens a door for someone, He closes a window.

"Mr. Yan, about the XM Jewelry Charity Gala, we need to confirm the attendance quota for the Yan Group."

Yan Shiqi looked at his assistant. "For such minor matters, whichever director is interested can attend."

XM's charity events were basically gatherings where the wealthy sucked up to celebrities.

This assistant had been with Yan Shiqi from his time as general manager and knew his way of doing things.

"That's what I thought too, but for this charity gala, a parcel of land on Lanxi Road has suddenly appeared on the auction list."

"You mean the one next to Linzhuang Cemetery?"

"Yes, I heard it was added to the auction list out of the blue."

Xie Yunshen knew about Linzhuang Cemetery—it was where Yan Shiqi's mother was laid to rest. He had noticed the name when Yan Shiqi went to pay his respects last time.

Logically, land next to a cemetery held little commercial value and wasn't worth putting up for auction.

There was likely something fishy going on here.

In the novel, this charity gala was attended by many wealthy individuals. Lin Jin, that braggart, to make a beauty smile, even bid on a legendary top-tier painting for Miss Bai, preparing to make a splash by splashing cash at the event.

But Yan Shiqi did not appear at the charity gala.

Xie Yunshen had originally thought about going to mess with Lin Jin.

"Mr. Yan, are you going?"

"This land has no commercial value. It's clearly Shangguan Hong targeting the Yan Group. He knows I'll be eager to bid on this land and will attend the charity gala."

"What does he want to do?" Yi Wuyi frowned.

"I don't know," Yan Shiqi shook his head.

"Mr. Yan, will you still go?"

"Do you want to go?" Yan Shiqi asked him.

"Can I go?" Xie Yunshen said uncertainly.

"I think he might be targeting you," Yan Shiqi looked at Xie Yunshen, his gaze deep.

Xie Yunshen became interested. "Then... let's go?"

Yan Shiqi frowned.

"Mr. Yan, how about giving me a spot? I'll go alone."

Yi Wuyi, sitting in the passenger seat, thought this was kind of insane.

In the end, Mr. Yan went to the charity gala with Xie Yunshen.

If Mr. Yan went, of course, he had to go too.

Since bodyguards could only wait outside the venue, Yan Shiqi had the two registered as guests of the Yan Group, securing them a seat.

Xie Yunshen had attended many events like this with employers during his time as a bodyguard. But attending as a guest was a first for him.

Having reached the pinnacle of the bodyguard profession, he was long accustomed to the stunning beauty of celebrities and had witnessed the pathetic behavior of idols vying for favor in front of their patrons.

To be honest, sometimes when employers were in a good mood, they'd try to throw one or two his way, regardless of gender. Xie Yunshen always turned them down politely.

He really couldn't muster any interest.

As soon as he sat down, Xie Yunshen spotted Lin Jin.

Lin Jin, as if he had radar, immediately turned to look at him.

Xie Yunshen casually glanced past his figure as if nothing had happened, ignoring his gaze, and began observing the surroundings for any potentially dangerous individuals.

In no time, he had already spotted Shangguan Hong and the two experts by his side—both unfamiliar faces.

That Qing Ao guy was no longer around. These two were several times more formidable than Qing Ao.

Not only that, but there were also other experts scattered throughout the banquet, posing as staff.

The charity auction on stage began.

This charity auction is quite classy, unlike other events that just trot out worthless items as a token gesture.

"The finale of our auction is the final work of Mr. Tian Mobai—'Mountain Rain Across a Hundred Li.'"

A two-meter-long ink painting was unveiled, looking stunning under the charity event's lights.

Although Xie Yunshen couldn't grasp its artistic vision, the composition alone was truly stunning.

No wonder Miss Bai is so fond of it.

"Starting bid, ten million."

The moment he said it, someone immediately raised their paddle, pushing the price to fifteen million.

"Mr. Lin, twenty million."

Lin Jin entered the bidding.

Typical male lead, rolling in it.

In the novel, Miss Bai is especially fond of Tian Mobai's work. Lin Jin is bidding to give it to her as a birthday gift.

Yi Wuyi looked at Xie Yunshen in surprise as he raised his paddle.

The auctioneer glanced at the nameplate in front of Xie Yunshen, initially puzzled, but upon seeing Yan Shiqi beside him, smiled understandingly. "Remarkable. Mr. Xie, thirty million."

Lin Jin's gaze immediately shot over. Xie Yunshen turned his head, pretending not to notice.

"Mr. Lin, thirty-five million." Lin Jin continued bidding.

Xie Yunshen raised his paddle again.

"Mr. Xie, thirty-six million."

Yi Wuyi looked at him. "Are you really going to spend that much money on a painting?"

Xie Yunshen smiled. "Of course." *Of course not.* He was just driving up the price to make the male lead bleed a little.

That guy Lin Jin definitely wouldn't give up.

Lin Jin gritted his teeth and raised his paddle.

"Mr. Lin, thirty-seven million, once." The auctioneer smiled slightly.

Xie Yunshen knew he couldn't go any further, or he'd become the sucker.

Xie Yunshen closed his eyes. Nothing was more satisfying than taking the protagonist down a peg. This was the joy of being in a book.

"Mr. Lin, thirty-seven million, twice."

"Mr. Yan, forty million, once."

"Mr. Yan, forty million, twice."

Wait...

Xie Yunshen opened his eyes, stunned, wondering if he'd heard right.

"Mr. Yan, forty million, three times. Congratulations, Mr. Yan!" The auctioneer seemed honored himself. "It's rare for Mr. Yan to bid."

Xie Yunshen looked at Yan Shiqi beside him with utter disbelief.

"What are you doing, Mr. Yan?! Why spend forty million on a painting?"

Yan Shiqi said, "I thought you liked it."

"I... I... yes." Xie Yunshen stammered.

His insincerity was so obvious that Yi Wuyi almost laughed beside him.

Xie Yunshen had no way to explain his predicament. A cannon fodder character shouldn't oppose the protagonist, or they'll lift a rock only to drop it on their own foot.

He hurriedly picked up his phone, checking his bank balance for the first time.

It's fine, it's fine. He could still sell it to Lin Jin at a discount.

At most, he'd lose a few million...

Digits flashing by: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands, hundred-thousands...

Xie Yunshen was stunned. Why did he have so much money in his account?

His salary card had over twenty million. Another card, from his third uncle, had 180 million. His third uncle was really rich.

There was also a dividend card he hadn't checked yet.

The staff sealed the painting on the spot.

Just as Xie Yunshen was about to take out his card to pay,

"The money has already been deducted from my account," Yan Shiqi reminded him.

Xie Yunshen looked at him in a daze, deeply touched. "Mr. Yan, you're too good to me. Actually, I..."

For once, Xie Yunshen hesitated and didn't finish his sentence.

Forget it. If he said he just wanted to trip up Lin Jin, it would disappoint Mr. Yan, who had kindly given him the gift.

He'd just have to grit his teeth and accept it.

"Thank you, I really like it." Xie Yunshen lowered his head, looking dejected.

Because his head was down, he didn't see the amused glint in Yan Shiqi's eyes.

After the painting came the auction for the Lanxi land parcel.

"This land parcel is located in the center of the upcoming subway commercial district... 6,577 square meters. Starting bid, 200 million."

A few thousand square meters of land in the suburbs. They call it the center of the district, but it's actually several blocks away.

To fetch a starting price of 200 million, this was clearly targeting the Yan family.

Xie Yunshen glanced at Mr. Yan, who remained completely unfazed and didn't place a bid.

From start to finish, only Patriarch Chen and Patriarch Bai were bidding against each other.

Speaking of which, aren't the Chen and Bai families supposed to be on the Yan family's side?

Xie Yunshen began to suspect this might have been arranged by Mr. Yan.

He glanced around and looked at Shang Guanhong, who hadn't made any moves so far.

"Oh no!" Suddenly, his pupils constricted, and he quickly lowered his head, grabbing the jewelry magazine on the table to cover his face. He also tugged at Old Wu beside him: "Old Wu, get down quick..."

Yi Wuyi glanced over, his expression changing instantly. He snatched the magazine from his hand—two A4-sized pages were barely enough to cover the heads of these two legendary fighters.

Only Mr. Yan remained, calmly picking up a glass of red wine and taking a sip under the heir's wildly murderous glare.

"Wait, we can't leave Mr. Yan alone under the devil's watchful eye."

Yi Wuyi suddenly remembered his duty as a bodyguard and quickly put down the magazine, sitting up boldly.

"You're right, but he's not a devil—he's a villain stacked with buffs."

"At worst, he'll just strip our pants off." Yi Wuyi wore a look of serene resignation, as if already six feet under.

"You're nuts." Xie Yunshen really wanted to pry open Yi Wuyi's head and see what was inside.

The billionaire's son wore a "gentle" smile on his lips as he swiftly pushed through the crowd, his eyes firmly locked on them.

He plowed through lavishly dressed guests and celebrities, moving in a straight line toward them. The madness in his eyes was like that of a rabid dog, refusing to take any detours.

"Look at him now—what's the difference between him and some crazed relic from the Spring and Autumn era?" Xie Yunshen remarked.

Yi Wuyi felt helpless that he still had the mind to joke at a time like this.