Chapter 61 - An Unforgettable Girl
"s.h.i.t!" Huaijun exclaimed with a slap on his thigh. "You are my captain after all! Even the best doctor in the country, the Chen Xuezhi said the same things when my team sent for him!"
"Chen Xuezhi?" Lin Yi had heard the name somewhere before, but couldn"t remember where.
"Yeah, he"s the guy who said I couldn"t survive half a year!" Huaijun said with a laugh. "He told me to give up on healing completely if I wanted to live longer- the painkillers would actually extend what remaining time I had left by a little!"
"What the f.u.c.k?!" Lin Yi frowned at the insanity. "I"ll try to find a solution for your problem, but lemme give you a prescription to replace the painkillers in the meantime- the side effects aren"t as bad."
Lin Yi walked to Huaijun"s desk as he spoke, wrote a prescription down on a piece of paper, and handed it to him. "It"s best if you look for the ingredients yourself- don"t let anyone else know about this. Also, don"t bring up anything about my past again, I don"t want people knowing!"
"Really, Eagle. You keep giving me surprise after surprise!" Huaijun exclaimed as he read over the many lines of text in Lin Yi"s prescription. There was no way the guy just scribbled bulls.h.i.t down; most people wouldn"t even be able to write some of the characters for the Eastern medicine names Lin Yi had jotted down.
"Didn"t we just talk about this? Don"t call me Eagle- I"m Lin Yi." Lin Yi corrected.
"Okay, sure. Lin Yi!" Huaijun nodded as he tucked the piece of paper into his breast pocket carefully. His former captain and warmate had written the prescription, and he was ready to trust it with his life. "You"re really something, honestly- no wonder Ning"s so into you."
The name froze Lin Yi"s smile in an instant. It was a long while before he raised his head again. "She… still remembers me?"
"She was asking about you the last time I met her." Huaijun answered confidently.
"It might"ve… just been a random question that crossed her mind." Lin Yi said with a bitter smile- the two of them were from different worlds. They were simply not meant to be.
There was no equality between people, and that was a fact Lin Yi held immovably in his heart. For now, at least, he had no means to provide for her, or give her a proper future…….
"Running again?" Huaijun"s eyes were burning once more as he glared at Lin Yi.
Huaijun"s abrupt reaction took Lin Yi by surprise, but a sudden realization crossed his mind. "Hey… do you… like her?"
"......" Huaijun went silent at the question. It was a while before he opened his mouth again. "Back then, there wasn"t anyone in the team who didn"t……"
The statement confirmed Lin Yi"s suspicion.
"You two make a good pair." Lin Yi understood Huaijun"s position on the social pyramid- the two were good enough for each other.
"What are you trying to say?" Huaijun jumped, as if his foot had been stepped on. His face blackened as he pointed at Lin Yi. "Who do you think I am, Lin Yi? I"d have to be a special kind of sc.u.m to lay a finger on a friend"s wife!!"
"She"s not my wife anymore." Lin Yi responded dully, shaking his head. "Okay, I"m leaving. That thing Song Lingshan brought me in for- I"ll leave that to you, I"m sure that isn"t a problem."
With that, Lin Yi left.
"I really wanna kill you!!" Huaijun gritted, sending a fist at Lin Yi"s back.
Lin Yi"s palm flew out and grabbed Huaijun"s arm, his head still facing away from him. "As long as you"re able to."
Huaijun understood perfectly well- the difference between him and his former captain was nowhere near small. Unwillingly, he eased the strength in his arm, and Lin Yi loosened his grip in response. Lin Yi opened the door, and stepped out of Huaijun"s office.
His face remained composed, but his emotions put him in a flashback, and he looked back at the days of war… and at that girl fate gave to and took away from him.
LIn Yi would often gasp awake from his training at night the past two years, always smeared with sweat- it was something that never happened when he trained in the Art of Dragon Mastery for the two years prior. That pair of melancholy eyes were like a demon within him, often interrupting his thoughts at night.
He"d always see those eyes, and the resentment and sorrow within them… It also forced him awake from his nightly training sessions.
Had he truly forgotten about her? Evidently not- it was a gaze no man would ever forget, not in the entire span of his life… But Lin Yi knew his place, as always… Those radiant eyes were not for him, not in this lifetime.
The seventeen year old Lin Yi might"ve found it hard to accept, but the current him grasped the blatant cruelty of society. Going after her would only cause trouble for the people around her- their houses weren"t on the same level; he"d be a n.o.body climbing up after a princess! That bulls.h.i.t only had a place in fairytales.
Director Chen"s phone never stopped ringing from the moment the police got their hands on Lin Yi- first it was Ding Binggong, Songshan"s First School"s princ.i.p.al. The director took the princ.i.p.al"s phone call quite seriously, and he"d promised to look into the matter personally.
The phone calls following that, however, spiralled out of control! Chu Pengzhan"s most trusted Li Fu called, and then the chairman himself!!
Helpless, Director Chen dialed Song Lingshan up, intending to ask her to speed things along and handle the case with absolute justice, so as to prevent any rumors from spreading.
Yet Lingshan told him that Huaijun had taken over things, and so the director rang Huaijun"s number up.
"What? Lin Yi"s been let go?" The director was astonished- Wasn"t this Yang Huaijun a little too efficient?
"Yeah, it was just a group of gangsters barging into school grounds in the first place- Lin Yi didn"t have anything to do with it at all. I sent him back after some questioning." Huaijun reported, his tone composed and diligent as usual.
"I see, that"s good news." The director sighed in relief- he"d really rather not be under pressure from Ding Binggong and Chu Pengzhan.
Song Lingshan was a little startled at how fast Huaijun let Lin Yi go, as well, but she"d been prepared for that the moment she took him in- Lin Yi wasn"t really responsible for anything at all. She"d been interrogating Heibao Bro"s lackeys, as well, and both of them admitted to going at Lin Yi to give him trouble. Lin Yi had only hit back in self defense.
Chapter 62 - Private Discussion
Song Lingshan couldn"t help herself as she looked at the now composed Yang Huaijun. "Cap", do you know Lin Yi?"
"I mistook him for a friend of mine- got a little overexcited back there." Huaijun said with a laugh. "Hope I didn"t give you too big of a shock."
Lin Yi had asked him not to reveal who he was, after all, and Huaijun respected his friend"s wishes.
"No, I"m fine…" Lingshan said, shaking her head. She had her doubts, however- what kind of friend was it, to make even Captain Yang lose his composure like that? She decided not to prod into Huaijun"s business.
Lin Yi was just about to stop a taxi when he saw Li Fu"s car drive up to him. Li Fu lowered the window and poked his head out in greeting. "Mister Lin, please, get in."
Lin Yi nodded, accepting the invitation. He pulled open the door on the front pa.s.senger seat and got in the car, noticing a man sitting at the back as he did so- It was Chu Pengzhan.
"Uncle Chu." Lin Yi greeted politely.
"Are you okay, Yi?" Pengzhan greeted back, a kind smile on his lips.
Chu Pengzhan"s smile reminded Lin Yi of that troubling att.i.tude the chairman had with him. The man was treating him way too nicely, what was up with that..? Lin Yi decided to let it be a little while longer, since Chu Pengzhan himself didn"t seem particularly keen on explaining the detail. "It"s nothing, just a couple of thugs breaking into school grounds. I punished them a little- the cops let me go after understanding that."
"As long as you"re fine." Pengzhan said with a nod. "I had heard from Li Fu what you did for Yao Yao, back at the bank. You have my sincere thanks."
"Just doing my part, no worries." Lin Yi didn"t think much of the incident- he"d been paid to protect Mengyao; he was just doing his duty.
"Right, about Yao Yao… How are you getting along with her? She"s not still trying to get you kicked out, is she?" Pengzhan"s head started hurting a little at the thought of his troublesome daughter.
"Not at all, Yao Yao and I are actually getting along pretty nicely." Lin Yi said with a smile. He wouldn"t do something as cla.s.sless and stupid as telling on Mengyao- the girl could be as much of a pain as she wanted, but Chu Pengzhan would never cease to shower her with his love; he"d always take her side. One wrong step from Lin Yi and he"d get fired. With that in mind, he"d decided to drop in a little praise for Mengyao.
Li Fu opened his mouth in response to Lin Yi"s words, but decided not to say anything…….
"Haha, that"s nice to hear." Pengzhan smiled gladly upon hearing the news. "Yao Yao"s actually a good kid, she"s just a bit of a handful- just let her have her way a little once in awhile."
"No worries there, Uncle Chu. I will." Lin Yi promised. He recalled Baldy"s words back in the SUV yesterday, and he decided to tell Chu Pengzhan about it, after some hesitation. "Uncle Chu, there"s something I need to discuss with you."
"Oh?" Pengzhan smiled. "What is it, please tell."
"It"s about the bank robbery yesterday……" Lin Yi said.
"I see… Let"s talk about this in detail somewhere else. Li Fu"s no outsider, but he"s driving- I wouldn"t want him to be distracted." Pengzhan said with a nod.
"Okay." It didn"t seem like he was returning to school anytime soon, so Lin Yi decided to just skip the whole day.
"Mister Chu, are we going home?" Li Fu asked.
"Yes. Home, back to Seabay Villa." Chu Pengzhan confirmed.
Seabay Villa was Chu Pengzhan"s personal villa, but it remained mostly empty due to the chairman"s often and extended business trips. Mengyao, on the other hand, lived in the Pengzhan Villa District near the school for convenience.
The Pengzhan Villa District, naturally, was under Pengzhan Industries, though Mengyao choosing to live there was mostly due to Yushu, who resided there as well. The two had been inseparable since primary school.
The villa Chu Pengzhan lived in was in the outskirts of the city, and it covered a huge patch of land, surrounded by flower fields and plains. There was only a single road that led to the main building.
It also went without saying that they"d entered private property- outsiders weren"t allowed in here without a permit. Li Fu had scanned his card on the main gates" laser before they opened for them.
Lin Yi glanced at the brand name of the system- it was probably the most up to date rolling code lock system: No copies could be made, since the door system had a unique code that corresponded with the card"s code, generated to match the card"s own generated code.
The system, however, wasn"t foolproof. Naturally, Lin Yi kept his mouth quiet about it- the area was highly safe as it was already. The events from yesterday were still a mystery, and Lin Yi intended to upgrade the security measures in Mengyao"s villa because of that. He couldn"t guarantee Mengyao"s safety every hour and minute, after all.
Li Fu parked in front of the villa, and got out of the car to have Lin Yi and Chu Pengzhan"s doors opened. He stepped back into the car shortly after the two had exited.
"Is Li Fu not coming in with us?" Lin Yi remembered what Chu Pengzhan had said, about Li Fu not being an outsider and all.
"He"s parking the car in the garage, he"ll join us shortly." Pengzhan understood Lin Yi"s intentions, smiling as he gave the kid a pat on the shoulder. "Li Fu"s been with me for more than ten years, Yi. You can always go to him if I"m not around; he"ll help you out no matter what!"
Lin Yi nodded in response- Chu Pengzhan"s words put Li Fu in a very trustable position.
The villa"s interior wasn"t luxurious or extravagant at all- not in the sense of golden ceilings and marble pillars. It leaned towards more of an elegant antiquity and cla.s.s; Chu Pengzhan was evidently a man of taste.
"Sit wherever you want, Yi- treat the place as home." Chu Pengzhan said as he got Lin Yi a pair of slippers, placing them in front of him.
The gesture overwhelmed Lin Yi- Chu Pengzhan was clearly treating him as more than just an employee or subordinate, it was almost as if he were family!
"Thanks Uncle Chu." Lin Yi kept the thoughts internal as he put the slippers on.
Lin Yi"s collected composure, in turn, impressed Chu Pengzhan. He wasn"t familiar with Lin Yi"s past, but it seemed that the kid had a wealth of experiences under his belt- someone who"d seen the world.