Chapter 70

Chapter 70

The online uproar and volcanic explosion of reactions were no longer his concern.

By the time Xie Yunshen returned to the Yan residence, the sky was just beginning to lighten. He leaned his head against the wall as cold water poured down.

He felt as if the heavy stone in his heart had found a slight release, loosening the tension in his emotions.

Afterward, he went to the back mountain to complete his daily training regimen.

The sun had yet to rise, and the woods were cold and damp. A figure stood on the hillside. Xie Yunshen lit up with a surprised grin, "Old Five, you don't usually come to the back mountain for a workout."

"I was waiting for you here."

"What's up?" Xie Yunshen unzipped his jacket.

"I watched last night's livestream," Yi Wuyi said, looking at him.

Xie Yunshen began his warm-up and let out a self-deprecating laugh, "Do you think I was too impulsive?"

Yi Wuyi replied calmly, "No, you did the right thing. If I were you, I'd have made the same choice."

Xie Yunshen paused for a moment, then patted his shoulder. "Man, you're... awesome."

"Does Mr. Yan know about this?"

Xie Yunshen shook his head. "I didn't dare tell him. I can't keep troubling him with my messes."

Yi Wuyi said, "You mentioned something about 'relationship problems.' I'm not in a relationship at all."

Xie Yunshen was amused by his serious expression. "Don't sweat it. No one knows who I was talking about anyway."

A cold wind rustled through the fallen leaves as Xie Yunshen's voice floated over from a distance, "Old Five, whoever reaches that pond first wins."

They both worked up a good sweat in the freezing cold before returning to the manor. After showering and breakfast, they arrived at the dining room right on time.

Yan Shiqi sat at the head of the table, his expression calm.

Xie Yunshen held onto a sliver of hope, thinking Mr. Yan probably didn't know about last night's events yet.

However, Yan Shiying was eating while staring at his phone, and Yan Shizhou beside him was craning his neck to see.

Yan Shiqi looked at his two younger brothers. "Don't look at your phones while eating."

Yan Shiying and Yan Shizhou simultaneously put down their breakfast and focused on their phones.

"Big Brother, aren't you going to watch?"

"..." Yan Shiqi gave him a dismissive look.

Yan Shizhou picked up his phone to show him. "No, Big Brother, are you celibate? This is Black Impermanence we're talking about. How can you resist watching?"

The phone was playing the replay of last night's livestream.

Xie Yunshen thought, *It's over. Mr. Yan must know about this now.*

Yet, looking at Mr. Yan, he showed no reaction at all, not a trace of emotion stirred.

Yan Shiying looked at Yan Shizhou with an expression that said, "You're hopeless." "You damn gay, in your eyes, is lust the only thing that matters?"

Yan Shizhou sneered. "Don't be a hypocrite. Is there anything in this world more entertaining than male beauty?" As he finished, he subconsciously glanced at Yi Wuyi.

Yi Wuyi: "..."

Xie Yunshen, sitting nearby, lowered his head, barely containing his laughter.

"A mere three-minute livestream attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers, and it was past two in the morning. If it had been day, I estimate at least several million simultaneous viewers," Yan Shiying remarked.

"This Black and White Impermanence might be from City A, perhaps even from one of the Five Great Families."

Yan Shiying was spot-on, hitting close to the mark with his guess.

"You might as well say they're from the Yan family. Which of the Five Great Families isn't worldly and calculating? Who among them would do something like this?" Yan Shizhou couldn't resist pouring cold water on his brother.

Yan Shiqi stood up. "Alright. In a few days, it's the Qin family's business banquet. I've received the invitation. Both of you will attend as well."

Yan Shizhou said, "Do I have to go too?"

Yan Shizhou rarely appeared at such important occasions. This Third Young Master had previously been the subject of unfavorable rumors, which were detrimental to the group's image.

Yan Shizhou himself had a fiery temper and disliked socializing with others.

Even when the old master was alive and doted on him, he never took him to formal business gatherings or cocktail parties.

So, hearing his eldest brother say he would take him to the Qin family's banquet, Yan Shizhou thought he had misheard.

Yan Shiqi walked over to his seat and pressed a hand on his shoulder. "It's time to rein in your temper and learn a bit about social graces."

Yan Shizhou watched his retreating back, a puzzled look on his face.

Once in the car, Xie Yunshen gazed out the window, deliberately avoiding Yan Shiqi's gaze.

"Why aren't you looking at me?" his boss across from him asked.

Xie Yunshen immediately turned his head to "look" at him, but his eyes were unfocused, essentially ignoring everything. This way, it was as if he hadn't seen the other person at all.

Years of experience as a bodyguard had made him adept at this trick. Especially when important employers would urgently engage in activities not suitable for children in front of their bodyguards, Xie Yunshen would let his gaze go vacant like this.

"What's wrong?" Yan Shiqi asked, perfectly composed.

"Did you sleep well last night, Mr. Yan?" Xie Yunshen smiled.

"Quite well."

"So you're not angry, are you?"

"Angry about what?"

"About the things I took it upon myself to do last night."

"Forget whether I should be angry or not, I was in the study last night and already knew what you were planning to do."

Xie Yunshen's surprised gaze focused on his face. "So, do you think it was right?"

"I don't know. But if it made you feel better, that's enough," Yan Shiqi said.

Xie Yunshen smiled. He moved to sit beside Yan Shiqi, like a dog that could finally lean against its owner, and let out a sigh of relief. "I can only really relax if you're not angry."

Yan Shiqi turned to look at him. "Do I scare you that much?"

"Of course not. Getting angry means you'll have negative feelings about me, and I don't want that," Xie Yunshen said.

Yan Shiqi looked up, met his sincere eyes, and gave a faint smile.

Outside the car window, screens on tall buildings were broadcasting the latest morning news, with Black Impermanence's live stream clips playing in the background.

Black Impermanence's presence had not only swept across the entire internet but also dominated the attention of the northern region of South Province.

Word was that quite a stir had been raised on overseas platforms as well.

Xie Yunshen himself wasn't too bothered by it.

If it weren't for necessity, who would want to attract such frenzied attention?

Arriving at the company entrance, he saw Lin Jin waiting for him at the main door.

He was clearly here to confront him.

As soon as Xie Yunshen stepped out of the car, he met Lin Jin's eyes, which were filled with resentment.

"What brings you here?" Xie Yunshen took the initiative to greet him first.

"I called you a hundred times," Lin Jin said flatly, holding up his phone to show him.

Xie Yunshen's phone had been thrown into the sea last night, so of course, he hadn't received any calls.

"Uh... is something wrong?" he asked, playing dumb.

"Didn't we agree that I'd handle this kind of grandstanding? Why did you go and do it all by yourself without saying a word?" Lin Jin grabbed him by the nape, feigning fierceness.

"Look, even if you went live to clarify things, you'd need credibility. You don't know any of the details," Xie Yunshen shot him a look, knowing he was in the wrong, and didn't try to dodge.

Of course, Lin Jin didn't want to, nor did he have the right to blame Xie Yunshen, because Xie Yunshen was the real Black Impermanence. But Shang Guanhong was someone he had provoked himself—he had a deep-seated grudge against him, and all this trouble today was because he'd gotten Xie Yunshen involved.

Now that Xie Yunshen had silently stepped up to shoulder the responsibility, Lin Jin's feelings were complicated. He felt a twinge of guilt but also a simmering resentment toward this guy.

Xie Yunshen understood what Lin Jin was thinking and didn't mind his rough handling.

If this went on any longer, Mr. Yan was bound to get mad.

Xie Yunshen was still talking to Lin Jin when his gaze met Yan Shiqi's pitch-black eyes, and his heart instantly tightened.

There was something off about the look in Mr. Yan's eyes.

"Let go," he tilted his head and broke free from Lin Jin's arm.

The move was exactly like the one on the cruise ship last time.

Lin Jin stood frozen in place, unmoving. "What's the deal?"

He hadn't even blinked. "Do you have some kind of bone-shrinking skill?"

When he looked up, he saw Xie Yunshen smiling as he walked over to Yan Shiqi. "Mr. Yan, let's go."

This guy only showed that kind of smile when he was around Yan Shiqi.

If it weren't for the fact that Xie Yunshen didn't seem like a gay man, he'd suspect he had a crush on Yan Shiqi.

Lin Jin called out again, "At least tell me your new number!"

"I'll let you know when I have time," Xie Yunshen replied without looking back; he'd already snapped his SIM card.

Xie Yunshen looked at Mr. Yan's profile reflected in the shiny elevator.

"It seems you and Lin Jin have gotten quite close recently," Yan Shiqi remarked.

"Not exactly close. I just borrowed his car last time and ruined his surprise trunk setup. So I feel bad about giving him attitude..."

Yan Shiqi didn't say anything more.

During the lunch break, Xie Yunshen, without a phone, got Yi Wuyi to go online and check the latest updates.

He had intended to look into Ai Linghui's father's situation but ended up seeing another trending topic.

"Bai Le Bai has escaped," Yi Wuyi said with a grave expression.

"Bai XX killed a detained suspect at the C City detention center and fled under the cover of darkness. Authorities are currently conducting a full-scale manhunt. Citizens are reminded to stay safe, and those with relevant information are encouraged to report it."

Xie Yunshen looked incredulous. "Is this guy even human? How could he escape?"

"His entry into the detention center was likely just part of a mission," Yi Wuyi said.

"You mean the suspect who was killed was his target?"

"Most likely. We absolutely cannot cross paths with him again," Yi Wuyi replied.

Xie Yunshen shuddered at the thought. "Last night during my live stream, I mentioned that White Impermanence had romantic troubles. He wouldn't go on a rampage after hearing that, would he?"

The two exchanged a glance, their hairs standing on end simultaneously!

Xie Yunshen quickly patted his back to reassure him. "Just kidding."

The next day, an official announcement was released. Due to insufficient evidence, Ai Linghui's father's suspicion was cleared.

Meanwhile, Shang Guanhong was caught in a storm of public opinion.

Many people supported the idea that Ai Linghui's father should file a lawsuit to charge Shang Guanhong with false accusation.

So far, Shang Guanhong had not made any public response.

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Author's Note: