Chapter 141

Chapter 141

◎ Settling Scores? ◎

As expected of a military officer, Ren Suiwu's brow furrowed, and his aura instantly expanded—it was quite intimidating.

It scared Qu Liang so much that he pulled Zhao Zheyuan along the wall and slipped out, afraid that if he was even a step late, he'd be caught in the crossfire and punished with a five-kilometer loaded march. Even Kuang Hui, who had never served in the military, held his breath, startled by the murderous aura emanating from Ren Suiwu, and quietly hid behind Dong Jiaming.

This is where we have to praise Liang Wenkai. As someone accustomed to being a follower, his danger awareness was top-notch. Ever since the Ren brothers arrived, unless necessary, he had kept to the kitchen, busy helping Elder Gu, and never approached the Ren brothers, directly cutting off any chance of being implicated.

But "Let him be tough, I'll just roll with it." Wang Boyuan simply turned his head away and refused to even look at Ren Suiwu.

Ren Suiwu: ...

How does it feel to punch cotton? It's truly frustrating!

Seeing Wang Boyuan still stubborn as a mule, Ren Suiwu gritted his molars so hard they nearly cracked. His eyes, fixed on Wang Boyuan's back, were practically blazing with fire! To the others in the room, Ren Suiwu seemed ready to explode at any moment—jump up, dash over, and give Wang Boyuan a vicious kick or a beating. After all, this guy was so disobedient, daring to defy the Ren family's crown prince, and a regiment-level leader at that—he was asking for trouble!

If Meng Qi were awake, he would probably be sweating for his unyielding Brother Boyuan.

In reality, though, Ren Suiwu's clenched fists, which he tightened and then loosened, revealed his deep sense of helplessness.

When training new recruits in the military, to get them accustomed to unconditionally obeying superiors, he often used physical force on the troublemakers—yelling and hitting were routine. When he was really angry, he'd order an eight-thousand or ten-thousand-character self-criticism essay to be submitted within an hour, a punishment he could whip out on a whim! But with Wang Boyuan, all his tried-and-true iron-fisted tactics were useless; he couldn't even bring himself to use them. That was his biggest headache.

The man with his back to him was totally closed off—he had no way to handle Wang Boyuan, sigh.

After stewing in frustration for a while, Ren Suiwu began to stir restlessly, tempted to step forward, tie up Wang Boyuan's hands and feet, stuff a thick towel in his mouth, and throw him in front of Elder Dong.

Thinking this, he started slowly rolling up his sleeves, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth, looking like a scheming scoundrel.

Behind Dong Jiaming, Kuang Hui shivered twice.

As expected, his brother knew him best. Just as Ren Suiwu's toes began to shift, Ren Suiyi came over just in time and grabbed Ren Suiwu's arm, saying, "Brother, help me to the next room to sleep for a while. I feel dizzy."

Ren Suiwu hesitated, a flicker of suspicion crossing his face. He tilted his head to glance at Ren Suiyi, silently asking if he was really dizzy or faking it. If faking, then go away and don't interrupt his business.

Ren Suiyi didn't bat an eye and nodded seriously to Ren Suiwu, "I'm serious, Brother. I'm dizzy and want to throw up."

"Should I ask Elder Dong to take a look at you again?" Ren Suiwu panicked, immediately grabbing Ren Suiyi's wrist to lead him toward Elder Dong.

Ren Suiyi frowned and said, "The needles Elder Dong gave me really helped. I’m already much better than before. Now I just want to go lie down for a while. I'll be back tonight to keep an eye on Meng Qi."

Having seen how his brother lost it while searching for Meng Qi, Ren Suiwu had no reason to argue. Logically, after Ren Suiyi said this, he should have immediately helped him to the next room. But the problem was, he had someone else he was worried about... His gaze darted to Wang Boyuan, wanting to persuade him one more time to accept Elder Dong's treatment, since getting this old master to make a house call was no easy feat—a once-in-a-lifetime chance money can't buy.

But the man hadn't even changed his posture since turning his back, clearly refusing to communicate. Stubborn as hell. Furious, Ren Suiwu spun around, grabbed Ren Suiyi, and left...

Ren Suiyi probably wasn't really dizzy; he stumbled along with Ren Suiwu, unsteady on his feet but showing no other reaction. If he were really dizzy, being dragged like that would have made him puke his guts out.

As soon as the Ren brothers left, Li Qingjiang's room felt ten times brighter!

Kuang Hui swaggered out from behind Dong Jiaming, exhaled an exaggerated long breath, and then, like he'd just dodged a bullet, said to Dong Jiaming and Wang Boyuan, "Brother Wu's still got it—he nearly scared me half to death! Hey, Qi Yun, you're a badass! You weren't even afraid, and you dared to go against him! Awesome! Tell me what you've been eating to grow such big balls. Hook me up with some."

Wang Boyuan tapped Meng Qi's arm with his fingertip and called out, "Stop pretending; they're all gone," then turned to glance at Kuang Hui and said seriously, "If you had spent half a year or a year around Ren Suiwu, you'd be just as bold, maybe even bolder than me."

Kuang Hui then remembered that Qi Yun had indeed been on missions with Ren Suiwu for nearly half a year. The closer you are, the easier it is to dispel the mystique. It seemed this principle also applied to the dazzling Ren brothers. He had learned something.

Wang Boyuan ignored Kuang Hui, pinched Meng Qi's nose, and asked again, "Still pretending?"

Only when his face turned red from holding his breath did Meng Qi finally push away Wang Boyuan's hand, his eyes darting evasively to Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming. He greeted his former friends with a weak, "Hey, it's really you two. I thought I was dreaming."

Kuang Hui sat down boldly on the edge of the bed, nostrils flaring, and said to Meng Qi, "From your tone, it sounds like you're not happy to see me and Mingming? Right, Mingming and I can't compare to Qi Yun's place in your heart. He's been here for who knows how long, while we only found this place through Grandpa Dong's connections. I kinda wish this was a dream, and I'd kick your ass in it."

Meng Qi sat up in bed, hugged the pillow to his chest, and smiled sheepishly at Kuang Hui, "Even if it's not a dream, you can beat me. I won't fight back."

Kuang Hui snorted, "How dare I beat you? You've got bodyguards everywhere..."

Dong Jiaming curled his middle finger and flicked Kuang Hui's forehead, interrupting him with a laugh, "Who's been worried sick about Meng Qi? And now you're acting tough," then turned to Meng Qi and continued smiling, "Don't listen to him. You have no idea, he was over the moon when he heard you were here. He insisted on tagging along. He's always been worried about you; he wouldn't actually hit you."

Meng Qi's eyes reddened slightly, and he apologized earnestly to Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming, "I'm sorry. Because everything happened so suddenly, I couldn't even take care of myself, so I didn't manage to say a proper goodbye to you two. Actually, I didn't even say goodbye to Bo... to Qi Yun. After coming here, I didn't dare to casually give this address to anyone. Information spreads too fast; I couldn't take the risk..."

Wang Boyuan placed his hand on Meng Qi's head and ruffled his hair to comfort him.

Kuang Hui glanced at Wang Boyuan, then turned back to Meng Qi and asked, "I'm curious—how did you two get in touch? When you left, Qi Yun was already on a mission with Brother Wu. He probably didn't have the energy or time to find you, maybe he didn't even know when you left the capital... Don't tell me it was telepathy; I don't buy it."

Meng Qi exchanged a look with Wang Boyuan, then first told Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming about Wang Boyuan's plan to enter the entertainment industry and his name change. After that, he began explaining how he and Wang Boyuan had reconnected.

Kuang Hui clicked his tongue in amazement and sincerely gave Wang Boyuan a thumbs-up, "That idea of posting a missing person notice is crazy, and you actually thought of it. You're a genius."

Wang Boyuan smiled, "It was just a fluke, not exactly smart."

"You look way older now, like some ancient egghead. It makes me wanna call you 'bro,'" Kuang Hui looked Wang Boyuan up and down, then turned to Elder Dong with a puzzled expression, "Grandpa, can getting hit on the head change your personality?"

Elder Dong chuckled, "The human brain is a delicate thing. Even if you just poke one brain cell with a needle, it can drastically change a person's personality. So you'd better protect your little head and try not to dye it those weird colors."

After hearing Elder Dong's words, Meng Qi and Wang Boyuan both breathed a sigh of relief. This provided an official endorsement for Wang Boyuan's personality change. They wouldn't have to worry about people asking anymore; they could just say, "Elder Dong the medical master said so, blah blah blah..."

Kuang Hui scratched the top of his head twice, laughed, and said to Elder Dong, "Thanks, Grandpa, I'll remember that."

After sitting for a long time, Elder Dong's knees began to ache. He knocked on them with a loose fist to stimulate his joints and blood flow. After just two knocks, Dong Jiaming and Kuang Hui both crouched beside him simultaneously, one on each side, helping him continue.

With his hands free, Elder Dong patted their heads like a proud dad, then turned to Meng Qi and said, "Now that there are no outsiders in this room, let's talk about your condition."

Meng Qi's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Is it very bad?"

Wang Boyuan also looked panicked and asked, "Is it serious?"

Elder Dong quickly waved his hand at Meng Qi and Wang Boyuan, smiling, "Don't panic, don't panic. It's not serious. That's the first thing I want to tell you. When something comes up, don't panic; everything has a solution. Panic just makes you screw up. Keep your cool; the cooler you are, the more likely you'll have the last laugh."

Pausing briefly, Elder Dong looked at Meng Qi and said, "At first glance, your stomach pain seems to be from that perfume bottle. But the real issue is that you're not mentally steady."

Meng Qi nodded silently.

He knew his mind was indeed unstable. He gets spooked easily, and whenever that happened, his stomach would hurt. In fact, this has happened a few times before, but the pain hadn't been severe and had subsided quickly, so he hadn't mentioned it to Li Qingjiang.

This time, first Ren Suiyi came looking for him, causing him to panic. He hadn't even calmed down when Ren Suiwu showed up, hinting that Wang Boyuan might be seriously ill. How could he not panic? All that worrying just upset his stomach, and the pain wouldn't stop.

Sigh, the little guy must be feeling neglected. Dad's mind is on everyone except him...

**Author's Note**

“Let him be tough, I’ll just roll with it” is from the mantra in *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*'s Nine Yang Scripture. The full verse: “Let him be strong, let him be strong; the breeze blows over the hillside. Let him be fierce, let him be fierce; the bright moon shines on the great river. Let him be cruel, let him be evil; I’ll draw on my true breath and be at ease.”

Hope you all practice hard and master the Nine Yang Scripture soon, and conquer the world!

Recently I revised *The Unseen Father*. Man, I kept sighing while editing—young me was so sharp, daring to write anything, making up any joke. Reading it made my eyes go dark then bright, then dark again—mostly dark, so dark I kept screaming like Munch’s *The Scream*... Changed it all. After revising, I feel both relieved and not. Good old days. After all these years as a workhorse, my brain’s worn down to a pebble.