Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Yan Shiqi picked up the file, and a piece of paper fell out—it was the "contract" Xie Yunshen had written in the dark back then.

Xie Yunshen, afraid it might blow away, had tucked it under the file.

Since the lights were off, Yan Shiqi couldn’t see what was written on it at the time.

Afterward, he was too busy with work and forgot about the paper.

He picked it up and saw several lines written in large characters with a black gel pen:

"Whenever Party A wants to find Party B, whether Party B is sleeping, eating, or using the bathroom (this line was crossed out), or even in the sky or underground, Party A can come find Party B anytime. Party B will always be happy to oblige. This contract is permanently valid."

"Party A: Mr. Yan, Party B: Xie Yunshen"

There was also a fingerprint Xie Yunshen had pressed by holding his hand.

Perhaps because it was too dark when writing, the strokes were wild and unrestrained, the handwriting somewhat messy—some characters were squeezed together, while others looked like their components had split apart.

Yan Shiqi read it from beginning to end twice, as if he were reviewing an important business contract, and couldn’t help but smile.

Suddenly, as he looked at Xie Yunshen’s signature, he seemed to notice something from the free, forceful strokes of the pen.

He stood up, walked to the other side of the bookshelf, and found a stack of documents. Among them was a contract—a shareholder consent form from a few years ago for the transfer of shares in a subsidiary, bearing Xie Yunshen’s handwritten signature.

He glanced at it and, almost without needing to compare, could tell that the two signatures were completely different.

Yan Shiqi put the transfer contract back and tucked the paper Xie Yunshen had written for him inside a book he often read.

The next morning, in the dining room.

Yan Shiying sat at the dining table, his eyes vacant, looking quite unwell.

"Well, what’s wrong with our successful man today? Looking so listless?" Yan Shizhou teased, amused, as he looked at his second brother beside him.

Yan Shiying, unusually, didn’t bicker back. He stirred the warm porridge in his bowl with a spoon, stood up, and said, "Big brother, I’m full. I’ll head out first."

In reality, he hadn’t touched a single bite of his breakfast.

"What’s wrong with Second Brother today?" Yan Shiqi asked.

"What could make Second Brother so upset? Of course, it’s that Miss Bai Molan not chatting with him anymore. Seems she even blocked him. It’s all about that ‘white moonlight’ of his," Yan Shizhou shrugged.

"Yesterday, Second Brother’s online ‘white moonlight’ asked to meet him in person. He was so excited last night. Judging by today’s situation, it must have been a disaster when they met."

Xie Yunshen remembered.

According to the book’s plot, Lin Jin discovered that Miss Bai had an online friend she had been chatting with for seven or eight years—a close confidant she had never lost contact with, akin to a soulmate.

Lin Jin, that jealous type, immediately flew into a rage and had a huge argument with Miss Bai.

In the middle of the argument, before Miss Bai could even cry, Lin Jin—a grown man—actually cried out of anger.

When Xie Yunshen read this part originally, he was thoroughly amused by the male lead.

Miss Bai, deeply in love, seeing the male lead cry, decided to cut off her online relationship with Yan Shiying. So, she arranged to meet Yan Shiying to explain everything clearly.

Before this, the two had never met in real life.

Yan Shiying, as the devoted male supporting character in the book, naturally had a 100% favorable impression of Miss Bai. However, before he could even feel his heart flutter, he received a "good person" card.

"I’m sorry, and I apologize, but please don’t contact me anymore," Miss Bai said sincerely.

Yan Shiying felt as if struck by lightning.

And so, the pitiful spiritual first love of our Second Young Master of the Yan family, before it could even begin, was drowned alive in Lin Jin’s vat of jealousy, nipped in the bud.

While in the car, Xie Yunshen decided to send a message to mock our male lead.

Since he had thrown his phone into the sea, he had gotten a new one from Mr. Yan.

"Strange," he muttered, flipping through his contacts and finding that Lin Jin’s number wasn’t there.

When the secretary had given him his previous phone, it contained the data from his old phone, including Lin Jin’s number.

But this new one didn’t have it.

"Old Five, do you have Lin Jin’s number?" he asked, looking at Yi Wuyi sitting in the passenger seat.

"No," Yi Wuyi replied, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.

"What a loss," Xie Yunshen said, quite disappointed. He had finally gotten a chance to mock the male lead.

"What’s wrong? Feeling upset?" Yan Shiqi asked.

"Not really, just a bit strange. Could the data have been lost?"

Xie Yunshen looked at him suspiciously, considering a possibility: "Mr. Yan… it couldn’t be that you told the secretary to delete Lin Jin’s number, could it?"

Yan Shiqi rested one hand on the armrest, his fingertip pressing against the center of his lip. "Do you think I would do something so trivial?"

Xie Yunshen thought about it and agreed. Mr. Yan, as a busy and important figure, wouldn’t bother with such a minor detail in his contact list.

He immediately reflected on himself, speaking clearly and with conviction: "Of course not. How could Mr. Yan do such a thing?"

Seeing that Yan Shiqi didn’t respond, Xie Yunshen leaned closer, lowering his head to nuzzle against his shoulder. "I’m sorry, Mr. Yan. I didn’t mean to misunderstand you."

"I know," Yan Shiqi said calmly, raising his hand to gently ruffle Xie Yunshen’s hair.

Not satisfied, Xie Yunshen grabbed his hand and vigorously rubbed his head against his palm.

He was like an exuberant, affectionate big dog.

Sitting in the front, Yi Wuyi watched Mr. Yan’s smiling face through the rearview mirror and silently blinked: A Xie, are you being set up?

A few days ago, when Mr. Yan asked the secretary for a new phone, he had indeed instructed that all contacts with the surname Lin be deleted. Yi Wuyi had been standing right there and heard it clearly.

At the time, he was also puzzled. What was the point of Mr. Yan doing this? After all, even if Xie Yunshen didn’t contact Lin Jin, Lin Jin would still reach out to him.

What was the use of deleting a number?

Now, seeing this, Yi Wuyi felt his own mind was far too simple.

The day before the Qin family’s business banquet, the Yan family’s private jet applied for a flight route, heading north to Beijie.

Although they had checked the weather forecast in advance, upon landing at the airport and stepping off the plane, they were still stunned by the freezing, icy weather.

P City was the commercial center of Beijie. Located in the north, it was perpetually cold, completely different from A City, which had four distinct seasons.

They arrived in the evening, with snow falling from the sky. Walking on the road, they could feel the chill shooting right through them.

Xie Yunshen exhaled, tugging at Yi Wuyi’s sleeve to watch the vapor turn into mist and rise into the sky. "Wow, Old Wu, look, it's coming down even harder than in City C."

Yan Shizhou was instantly speechless. "What kind of kid stuff are you up to now?"

Xie Yunshen said, "Third Young Master, you're not getting jealous, are you? Don't worry, I'm not trying to steal Old Wu from you."

Yan Shizhou shot him a cold look.

Yan Shiqi said, "This time is different. The Qin family has found their long-lost son, so the country's top hundred companies have all received invitations. The Yan family wants to expand in the Northern Realm, and this is a great opportunity to network."

The Qin family has stood firm in the Northern Realm for a century, creating iconic global brands. Their family influence is at the pinnacle of the Northern Realm.

Upon hearing this, Xie Yunshen immediately perked up. "The Qin family's youngest son has been found?"

According to the novel's plot, the Qin family finding their youngest son should take at least another year.

However, the current plot has long since veered off from the book, so the timeline being bumped up is no big surprise.

But Yan Shiqi caught his slip-up. He deliberately slowed his pace, dropping back.

Xie Yunshen and Yi Wuyi followed him.

Yan Shiqi suddenly said, "How did you know it was the youngest son?"

The Qin family has been secretly searching for their lost child all these years, never revealing to the outside that they were looking for a son. Even Yan Shiqi had only just found out.

Yet Xie Yunshen sounded as if he already knew and offhandedly said it was the youngest son.

Xie Yunshen said, "Come on, Mr. Yan, haven't you ever noticed? In TV dramas, when rich people lose a child, it's usually the youngest one."

Yan Shiqi replied, "Is that so?"

"Yes, if you don't believe me, ask Old Wu."

Phew, that was close—almost gave myself away.

Yi Wuyi thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

Yan Shiqi didn't respond.

Xie Yunshen's gaze shifted left, then right, and finally settled in the middle, meeting Yan Shiqi's eyes.

Today, to be precise, from the morning until now during the lunch break, every chance he got, Mr. Yan had been staring at him.

"Mr. Yan, did I get more handsome today? Why do you keep looking at me?" he said with a smile.

Yan Shiqi asked, "Do you think you look better now than you used to?"

"Oh, not really. Although I look fine now, I still prefer the way I used to be..."

Wait, Xie Yunshen slammed on the brakes, almost slipping up again.

Today, Mr. Yan had been trying to catch him in a mistake all day.

"What about your old self did you prefer?" Mr. Yan's eyes remained fixed on him.

"What about the past isn't really important," Xie Yunshen tried to brush it off. "Because people always get nostalgic, don't they?"

Yan Shiqi continued to watch him, his powerful, deep eyes unblinking and inscrutable.

Xie Yunshen leaned closer to Mr. Yan. "Mr. Yan, aren't your eyes getting dry?"

As soon as he leaned in, Mr. Yan stopped meeting his gaze, instead looking down with a slight smile, as if knowing he was changing the subject, and didn't ask any more about it.

That evening, the group stayed at a chain hotel owned by the Yan Group.

The local hotel manager was already waiting for them. "Mr. Yan, there's a newly developed hot spring nearby that just opened. If you're tired, a soak can be very refreshing. It works wonders. I've already reserved the best spots for all of you."

Yan Shiqi took note but didn't commit.

"Mr. Yan, let's go soak with Old Wu!" Xie Yunshen, however, was very interested.

Yan Shiqi turned to the manager. "Alright, make the arrangements."

The manager was momentarily stunned, then smiled. "It's available now, Mr. Yan."

Strange—just moments ago, he had been enthusiastically promoting it, but Mr. Yan showed little interest. Yet as soon as this unfamiliar face of a bodyguard spoke up, arrangements were made.

Still, just by observing the distance between him and Mr. Yan, it was clear his status was anything but low.

Yan Shizhou looked at Xie Yunshen, finding it ridiculous. "Are you sure?"

"It's fine, I don't mind Old Wu."

Yan Shizhou twitched the corner of his mouth. "As if it's up to you to mind..."

Xie Yunshen suddenly realized: Right, in the eyes of this Third Young Master, him soaking in the hot spring with Yi Wuyi would be like the two of them cheating right in front of Yan Shizhou.

"No, he has to soak with me." Yan Shizhou pulled Yi Wuyi to his side, his face darkening.

Xie Yunshen wrapped an arm around Yan Shiqi's shoulder. "Whatever, I'm soaking with Mr. Yan anyway. I have to protect Mr. Yan."

"You all go ahead. I'll head back to rest first."

Yan Shiying was still immersed in the gloom of his "heartbreak" and went to his room alone to rest.