Chapter 272: Random Encounter (2 in 1)
Translator: Lonelytree Editor: Millman97
A rich people’s private club was something that was common to every city. However, the standard of the whole circle was normally decided by the leader. For example, Lu Shaoyue in Jing Hu City preferred quiet and silent activities, so when people were trying to approach him, they would follow his interest when they gathered at the clubs. Other clubs were noisy and rowdy, but there, everything would be filled with grace and silence, books and culture.
Zuo Yuanhang was a direct man of action, and his schedule was filled to the brim with no s.p.a.ce for anything else. Therefore, the private clubs in Chaohai seemed to have a central character, and their existence was like a mirage. Instead, the annual cruise party organized by the Si Hai Organization was the part that was famous and large in scale.
Shanghai was a large international city, and no one dared to say they were the sole leader, so the clubs were of many different variations.
As for San Lin City…
With a leader like Yao Zhixing who went down the rampage route, under his influence, the style at San Lin City could only be the types that were similar to him. At the city’s center of power, unless it was those who were very shy and reserved, every one of them would have one or two hobbies that were rather bold and unrestrained. The most popular one was car-racing, followed by horse-racing, archery, rock-climbing, and so on, and lastly, it would be the arts.
Therefore, one could imagine how happy the mayor of San Lin City was when he heard that the city had managed to produce a Go player in Ye Shuang, who was the student of the legendary Go player, in such an environment.
For example, it looked like the gathering of a local gang at the beach, but upon closer inspection, those in the know would realize that every character who was present there came from a powerful, influential family.
“There is a local coal baron’s son who has recently arrived at San Lin City. Some time ago, he even went to the department of business to register a translation company… Ha, in the end, he was rejected when he was in the process of preparing the proof of company address. Then he got into an altercation with another group of people, and I heard it got physical. Have any of you heard about that?”
Among the group of racers, someone was happily sharing the latest news. “I hear it’s because the office has been sold twice already, and the actual owner has already prepared all the doc.u.ments to start his own business. In other words, that young master was unlucky enough to be scammed quite a large amount of money. If it was me, I’d question why a local rich man would enter the cultural business. He had a family business that he could inherit, but he insisted on jumping city and even jumping business field—being tricked is just something that was expected, is it not?”
Ye Shuang listened to the stories with interest, and she could not help herself from chiming in. “If he wants to start a new business, then either he has to know someone local who can help him grease some palms, or he has to be from the business and know how things are supposed to operate. Otherwise, the gap will be too big, and he even came to a place that he was not familiar with… this was just looking for trouble. Then again, how come this person sounds fairly familiar?”
She scratched her head, and then Ye Shuang asked, “What is the name of this coal kid?”
“His name is w.a.n.g Xueyu,” the person answered easily. “Sister Shuang, have you heard about him before?”
Oh yes, she had heard it before. Ye Shuang felt a headache coming. This was someone that she had to be familiar with. Way back when, she had accepted the case from w.a.n.g Xueyu. Initially, she had only meant to help his girlfriend from a local family pretend to be a socialite so that she could get his family’s approval and permission to get married.
However, the girl by the name of Qiu Yu had a backbone. The case was completed, but she had also clearly seen the chaotic state of w.a.n.g Xueyu’s family. In the end, she had followed Xu Jian to come back to San Lin City and made the request of hiring Xu Jian to stand in on her behalf and return the jewelry that w.a.n.g Xueyu had given to her over the years, at the same time informing him of her desire for a break up.
Even though the situation now actually had nothing to do with her, people had a habit of blaming others. It was one thing if w.a.n.g Xueyu did not come to San Lin City, but now that the man had chased his girl back to this place, if they had a chance encounter one day, then an explosive confrontation would only be seconds away.
“Then, what happened to the coal kid? Is he still in San Lin City?” Thinking about the possible tragedy in the future, Ye Shuang resisted the urge to ma.s.sage her temple.
The man laughed loudly. “Of course, he’s still at San Lin City. He’s on the verge of exploding, and the issue of the company still needs some work… From how I see it, we at San Lin City will have something to enjoy for quite some time.”
Ye Shuang was instantly speechless. w.a.n.g Xueyu was still in San Lin City. With his personality, the loss of his girlfriend and now the problem with his business… It looked like it was better if she retained her female ident.i.ty for a few more days. Thankfully, she had only used her male form when she interacted with w.a.n.g Xueyu back then. Now, she only hoped that Xu Jian would not be so unlucky as to appear before the man.
…
Ye Shuang had no idea that she had the wonderful ability of jinxing others and herself. The following day, when she called Xu Jian out to talk to him about some business, just as Ye Shuang arrived at the café and turned to look out the gla.s.s window, w.a.n.g Xueyu’s shadow just so happened to walk by.
Immediately, Ye Shuang silently searched for her phone to make the call. “Turn back. Just wander around the place near the café. I’ll find you in a bit.”
Xu Jian was confused. “But I’m already at the parking lot, and I’m going up the elevator…”
“w.a.n.g Xueyu is also here, and don’t think I will save you when you run into him,” Ye Shuang told Xu Jian directly. She watched w.a.n.g Xueyu being led by the waitress to his seat. “He is now sitting two tables away from me. If you’re not afraid of death, then feel free to come.”
As she finished, Ye Shuang heard the sound of the elevator door closing on the other side, and other than that… Qiu Yu’s voice was transported through the telephone line. “What’s wrong? Is it not so convenient to meet Miss Ye? Does she have something else to do?”
Xu Jian felt like crying, and he whimpered into the phone, “Xiao Shuang…”
“That’s enough, I have already understood everything.” Ye Shuang grabbed her bag, stood up, and went to the counter to clear her bill. “You… enjoy your journey to the underworld.”
“Don’t be like that, Xiao Shuang!” Xu Jian begged for mercy. “For the sake of our years of relations.h.i.+p.”
The café was on the second floor, so it was only a short elevator ride from the underground parking lot. Therefore, just as they finished exchanging these few words, Ye Shuang had just reached the counter when she heard the elevator door opening coming from Xu Jian’s end.
Relations.h.i.+p? Pfft! First loves are like birds in the same forest—when there’s a fire, they would split up and fly their separate ways. Take care of yourself!
Ye Shuang hung up immediately. She looked at the bill and took out the money to pay it.
“You’ve ordered a black coffee and one set of fries. That will be thirty-six RMB, thank you.” The cas.h.i.+er had a sweet smile, and her voice was mellifluous. Ye Shuang pa.s.sed the young woman the money and then turned to look in the direction of the elevator.
From here, she could only see the profile. The elevator door was open, but Qiu Yu was the only one who walked out from the elevator. She still had their pure and understated style of dressing. She walked into the café like she did not know what was happening. When she met w.a.n.g Xueyu, who lifted his head and then got stunned, she also halted in her steps and then nodded with a smile. “Xueyu? Long time no see.”
w.a.n.g Xueyu stood up rather nervously. His lips opened and then closed. After some time, he finally managed to voice his thoughts. “Xiao Yu, are you meeting someone?”
Qiu Yu looked around the café, and when her eyes scanned the counter, they settled on Ye Shuang, who was playing dead for a few second, before pulling back her gaze naturally. “No, I came alone.”
“Since you came alone, why don’t we can share the table?” w.a.n.g Xueyu extended the invitation rather awkwardly.
Ye Shuang originally wanted to stay longer to listen to some gossip, but the cas.h.i.+er had already finished processing her bill. “This is your change. Thank you for visiting us today, please come back soon.”
Ye Shuang collected the change slowly, put it into her purse slowly, and then turned back to walk out the café. She used a surprising half a minute to walk such a short distance. Unfortunately, the two did not say anything in these thirty seconds, and Ye Shuang failed to hear anything or grasp any valuable information.
What is the meaning of a coward? This is the meaning of a coward!
If you really want to win back your girlfriend, you have to start talking love.
When she reached the door, Xu Jian’s phone call came. He sounded like he had been given a new lease on life. “Xiao Shuang, are you out of the place yet? I’ve returned to the parking lot, and I’m now inside the car. Are you coming down, or do you want me to go out to fetch you?”
“…I’ll wait for you outside.” Ye Shuang thought about it and eventually could not help but ask, “Earlier, did Qiu Yu cover for you?”
The sound of engine starting came through, and Xu Jian’s reply soon followed. “Yes, Xiao Yu said that it’s definitely too late to start hiding, so she had me pretend to forget something and then turn back to the parking lot…”
Ye Shuang was impressed. “To let a girl help clean up your mess, you sure is impressive… But wait, when have you gotten so close to Miss Qiu that you can call her by her nickname.”
“Cough, cough! I’ll talk to you about that in a bit.”
Holding the phone, Ye Shuang stood by the roadside with a burning hunger for gossip in her heart. It did not take long for a small car to stop before her. She bent down to look into the car, and the car window rolled down on its own. Naturally, it was Xu Jian who was sat in the driver’s seat and waved at Ye Shuang. Opening the door to enter the pa.s.senger seat, Ye Shuang put on the seatbelt and commented with a smile, “This is the new babe magnet that your uncle has given to you, is it?”
The embarra.s.sed Xu Jian started the car. “You have no idea what happened after we went our separate ways at the restaurant. When my uncle saw that it was you who drove me home, the expression that he had could not be described. He has not only given me this car, he also helped me update my phone to the latest Apple model. If not for the fact that we already knew each other from beginning, he might even have given me a full make-over, like before, wearing gold-rimmed spectacles and so on.”
“I remember it was a girl who helped to set up your image last time, right?” Ye Shuang asked casually. “The female partner who followed you as your a.s.sistant when you first infiltrated An family.”
Xu Jian was silent for half a minute and then sighed. “Now that I think about it, the individual that I felt the most regret for was An Zixuan, but she was a close second… Originally, she already planned to leave the group, but it was because of my desire for glory and money that she stayed to help me with the preparation. I knew that she liked me, but as you know, she is not that good looking. So, at the time, I pretended not to notice anything until I lost everything that I had…”
Ye Shuang did not have much thoughts of her own. No matter how saintly this woman was, one, she was not familiar with her, and two, she was not sacrificing on her behalf. It was enough that Xu Jian felt sorry for what he had done, why should she lament her loss as well?
Therefore, Ye Shuang only answered with a grunt. Then she continued this casual conversation. “What about Qiu Yu? I heard from your conversation with her today, things are not that simple between the two of you. Furthermore, when did you two meet up? It has not been so long since we last met, but you’re already calling her Xiao Yu.”
Xu Jian coughed violently, and his gaze swept Ye Shuang. He looked at Ye Shuang with a guilty conscience and then quickly turned back to the road. He stammered with embarra.s.sment, “Xiao Yu… I mean Miss Qiu helped me with a small favor, and to thank her, I invited her out for dinner a few times… As you know, other than the old university mate that introduced her to the job at the foreign affairs department, Xiao Yu doesn’t know anyone in San Lin City other than you, me, and Brother Han.
“You and Brother Han have been missing, and even though the old friend kept trying to ask Xiao Yu out, she could not tell him about w.a.n.g Xueyu’s family, so after some back and forth, we talked a few times… and then we became close.”
Once Xu Jian finished, he used his cough to hide the awkwardness before focusing fully on the road ahead.
“Became close?” Ye Shuang scratched his chin. “Are you sure you two are just ‘close’? Then, what did your uncle say?”
Xu Jian laughed drily. “My uncle told me to be careful not to be discovered by you.”
That old b*stard! Ye Shuang gritted her teeth. She listened for some more elaboration and finally understood the relations.h.i.+p between Xu Jian and Qiu Yu. Technically speaking, they could only be considered in an ambiguous relations.h.i.+p, one step before becoming a couple.
One had a special job and was working for his first love. The other had just gotten out of a relations.h.i.+p, and there was a former boyfriend who was putting pressure on her current pursuers. Temporarily, neither of them should have the intention to form a new relations.h.i.+p. However, even if they did fall for each other on a certain day in the future, they would have to think long and hard about it before they decided to hold each other’s hand.
Yet, even though Xu Jian and Qiu Yu had not decided to go one step further with their relations.h.i.+p, it was undeniable that both parties had a good impression of each other. To put it simply, they were a match for each other. Therefore, with the shared acknowledgement that it was not the time to push things further, they would often go out to have dinner or watch a movie. The relations.h.i.+p had improved quite a bit compared to before.
After moving to another café, the two walked in together after Xu Jian parked his car. They found the corner and ordered some stuff. After the waitress left, Ye Shuang sighed. “If you really think she’s not bad, then I’d advise you go after her. However, your current situation is rather troublesome; Miss Qiu still has w.a.n.g Xueyu, which is a giant problem. Therefore, even if you really get together, I suggest you temporarily keep the relations.h.i.+p on the down low. By the way, I remember that w.a.n.g Xueyu seems to know a thing or two about fighting. Even though he is self-taught, he has been in many rumbles before… Have you trained in any fighting skills? If you really need it, why don’t you go to Anthony to learn some boxing?”
“I don’t think that’s really necessary, right?” replied Xu Jian as sweat began forming on his brow.
“He he…” Ye Shuang looked at Xu Jian meaningfully. “Meaning, you’ve not trained anything before?”
Then, she thought about it and added, “One hit KO?”
Xu Jian’s sweat was pouring, and he laughed awkwardly. “This…”
Ye Shuang understood everything when she saw this expression. She patted Xu Jian on his shoulder with pity as she reached across the table. Then she advised him with sincerity and solemnity, “I think you should go for some training. If you really can’t do that, at least learn some female self-defense—that should be the easiest. And that should be enough to deal with someone of w.a.n.g Xueyu’s standard.”
Definitely not!
After making some jokes, Ye Shuang dropped the topic as she was not that interested in other people’s relations.h.i.+ps. If she really thought about it, if they really wanted to be together, they should move to a different city. Other than the stubborn w.a.n.g Xueyu, who had been tailing Qiu Yu, there was still the debt that Xu Jian owed An Zixuan.
Just because he had not gone after Xu Jian did not meant that An Zixuan had forgotten everything. That was because An Zixuan was too busy following Brother Shuang’s star and learning how to snipe from Anthony. After everything had settled down and people started to have time on their hands, if Xu Jian really was on the road with his girlfriend one day and he ran into his former flame, An Zixuan… Well, one could just imagine how that would go down.
Putting Xu Jian’s complicated relations.h.i.+p aside, Ye Shuang started to talk business with the man. During this period of time, Xu Jian’s work result was getting more and more brilliant. Even though Xu He only had access to 10,000,000, it did not mean that Xu He did not know the other representatives within the country.
Since he had already applied for his nephew to enter the organization, other than telling Xu Jian the truth about the money-laundering organization, he also took some time to take Xu Jian to get to know the parts of the operation that only the insiders had access to. So far, Xu Jian had already confirmed the name list of a few employees, but there were a few important figures that Xu He had not revealed to Xu Jian.
Therefore, based on Han Chu’s prediction and Ye Shuang’s own opinion, there was no need to pull up this fish yet. At least, they had to know the names of a few more representatives first. This would make Ye Shuang’s target of making them squander 110,000,000 much easier.
“One driver, one business agent, and one accountant… Anthony has been following their internet footprint, but temporarily, he has not come across any worthwhile information.” Xu Jian briefly reported his work progress, and then he frowned anxiously. “Based on my information, these people do not seem to know each other very well either, so the names that we might be able to dig up from following this trail might not be that useful. And if we wrap this up, what will happen to my uncle?”
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth… I can promise that he will not be sent to jail or something like that, but f he has harmed people in the past, then once he loses his backer, your uncle will probably be in some trouble,” Ye Shuang said honestly. She did not hide or try to console the man.
It was best to reveal these things at the beginning. Otherwise, Xu Jian might be revolted by their cruelty later.
“Of course, we will try our best to make sure we clean up your uncle’s mess nicely. Even if we are unable to follow him closely, at least you’ll be there to observe him. But Xu Jian, you have to really think about this. The key problem might not even be others seeking revenge from your uncle. The key issue is, will your uncle be satisfied with being a normal person who only earns 3,500 a month after the whole thing collapses and he has gotten used to tactics like this that can make him a billionaire over night?”
Xu Jian was silent for a long time. “I will look after him.”