BF Chapter 11

At nine in the evening upon returning to the estate, Zhan Shili was summoned to the study by Xu Shiji and did not come out until half an hour later.

 

Xu Shen was drinking coffee beneath the porch when he spotted him walking over and he offered him the cup of coffee: “Want some?”

 

Zhan Shili didn’t take it: “No need.”

 

Unappreciative.

 

Xu Shen smiled and let it go: “What did my dad say to you?”

 

Zhan Shili said, “Matters regarding the project’s progress.”

 

“That project in Mong Kok?” Xu Shen asked curiously, “Isn’t the person in charge my second brother? Why doesn’t he ask my second brother directly, does my father really not trust him?”

 

Zhan Shili didn’t answer, and Xu Shen continued: “That makes sense too. It’s almost ten o’clock, and these people in the family haven’t even shown a shadow, all out having fun. If it were me, I’d also think these people are unreliable.”

 

Zhan Shili said, “I don’t know about the others, but Second Young Master has a business reception to attend tonight.”

 

“What about Third Young Master then?” Xu Shen shifted the conversation’s focus, “You’re not going to care about him even a little?”

 

Zhan Shili glanced at him and said, “Third Young Master is at the art gallery, he probably hasn’t come back yet.”

 

Xu Shen tsk-ed: “You’re going to pick him up?”

 

Zhan Shili didn’t feel like saying more. “I’m leaving.”

 

Xu Shen, a little upset, called out to stop him: “Nic.”

 

Zhan Shili, who had already walked down, stopped once more and turned to look at him: “Is there anything else?”

 

Xu Shen asked, “Want to go for a late-night snack? Dinner wasn’t filling.”

 

Eating dinner together with those old friends of Xu Shiji, listening to them flatter and compliment one another, or compete with hidden daggers behind their smiles, was truly very pointless—or rather, nauseating.

 

Zhan Shili withdrew his gaze: “Let’s go.”

 

Just as they reached the carport, they bumped into Xu Zikang.

 

He had only just returned, helped out of the car and into his wheelchair by the driver; as soon as he raised his eyes and saw Zhan Shili, a smile appeared on his face: “Nic!”

 

Zhan Shili stepped forward and exchanged a few words with him. Xu Zikang saw Xu Shen who came out with him and asked, “Are you going out together?”

 

Zhan Shili said composedly, “I need to go to the company. There are some matters to handle, and the boss instructed Young Master Shen to come with me.”

 

Xu Zikang, unsuspecting, said, “Then you two go ahead, don’t work too late.”　

 

Zhan Shili nodded: “Mn.”

 

Xu Shen stepped forward and said, “Don’t worry, Third Brother, I’ll keep an eye on Mr. Zhan and make sure he doesn’t work too hard.”

 

Xu Zikang felt quite helpless being teased by him: “You too.”

 

Xu Shen said obediently, “Understood. Mr. Zhan wouldn’t have the nerve to make me work too late into the night either, right?”

 

His gaze turned to Zhan Shili, his eyes brimming with an amused smile.

 

Zhan Shili ignored him, telling Xu Zikang, “Go upstairs and rest early.”

 

Xu Zikang went into the estate first; Zhan Shili walked to the side, gesturing for Xu Shen to get into the car.

 

It was only after seeing Xu Shiji at noon that he had specifically driven over to the company to pick up Xu Shen, so his own car was parked right here, making it rather convenient to drive off now.

 

Xu Shen pulled the car door open and sat in the passenger seat, turning back to blink at Zhan Shili: “Liar.”

 

Who isn’t.

 

Zhan Shili started the car and reversed out.

 

“The liar’s taking you out to eat late-night snacks.”

 

As it turned out, they didn’t end up having this late-night snack—just as they arrived in the busy downtown area, Zhan Shili received a phone call, with a panic-stricken voice coming from the other end, “Brother Nic, save me!”

 

Zhan Shili briefly inquired about the details and the location before hanging up.

 

Xu Shen asked, “What?”

 

“Xu Tianlang got mixed up in a scandal and wants me to go help sort it out.”

 

Xu Shen genuinely hadn’t expected this: “Oh?”

 

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the hotel room. The moment they rang the doorbell, the room door was yanked open from the inside, a miserable Xu Tianlang rushing in, crying, “Brother Nic, save me! They want to blackmail me!”

 

This kid was Xu Ziren’s son, just twenty years old, an utterly good-for-nothing wastrel.

 

Zhan Shili broke free from his grasp smoothly, while a woman’s crying and a man’s scolding echoed from inside the room: “You little beast, you raped my girl and you still dare to call for help?! Believe me or not, I’ll call the police right now!”

 

Zhan Shili and Xu Shen stepped inside; the room was a mess, a woman with disheveled clothes sat crying on the sofa, while the man beside her showed off a tattooed arm, glaring at them fiercely.

 

Zhan Shili asked calmly, “Shall I call the police for you?”

 

The man’s eyes blazed with anger as he slammed his phone onto the coffee table: “Look closely, this little bastard forced himself on my girlfriend; if you don’t give ten million, then this isn’t over!”

 

Xu Shen stepped forward unhurriedly, picked up his phone, and took a look: it was a secretly recorded video of Xu Tianlang having had too much to drink, pressing down on the woman, groping her while the woman shouted no and pushed him away.

 

Xu Tianlang argued: “She was the one who hit on me in the bar herself! She was the one who wanted to open a room with me! I didn’t know when she turned on her phone camera, and I thought when she said ‘no,’ she was playing flirtatious games with me. This man came knocking on the door as soon as we finished! They deliberately set me up!”

 

In short, he was scammed.

 

“Bullshit!” the man cursed, “You dragged my girl into your room, ravaged her, and now you dare to play the victim and complain! I’m not finished with you!”

 

After watching the video, Xu Shen tossed the phone back without saying anything, firmly resolved to watch the show.

 

Zhan Shili spoke indifferently: “Is your girlfriend a prostitute? Asking for ten million as soon as you open your mouth, is she worth this price?”

 

The man’s face flushed red as he said gruffly, “Five million works too, as long as we get the money, we’ll delete the video!”

 

“Let’s still call the police,” Zhan Shili ignored him, “I’ll call to have a lawyer come, and we can talk after the police arrive.”

 

Hearing this, Xu Tianlang felt a bit anxious—he had called Zhan Shili over to solve the problem precisely because he didn’t want the family to know: “Brother Nic…”

 

The man grew anxious as well: “Don’t you use a lawyer to intimidate me, he’s a prominent young master! If this gets out, it’s him who loses face!”

 

Zhan Shili said: “The police really should investigate thoroughly… filming secretly without consent plus extortion, I’m really curious to know how long you two will be locked up for.”

 

“You’re talking bullshit!”

 

“Nic,” Xu Shen suddenly spoke up to remind him, jutting his chin towards a corner underneath the coffee table.

 

Zhan Shili looked over. Padding his hand with a tissue, he bent down to pick up the object on the floor: a leftover packet of ketamine made specially for snorting.

 

“Where did this come from?”

 

“She brought it,” Xu Tianlang said immediately, “We both snorted it.”

 

The woman who was sobbing just now changed her expression slightly, her gaze flickering with guilt, her crying ceasing as well. The man cursed, “Stop talking nonsense! This is your own stuff, you forced her to snort it!”

 

“Let the police come check the fingerprints then,” Zhan Shili raised his eyes to look contemptuously at the other party, “I’m guessing that besides your girlfriend, your fingerprints are also on this—the stuff was probably given to her by you, right? With this, neither of you can escape. I advise you two to find a lawyer as soon as possible, too.”

 

The man and woman slunk away in disgrace, but were stared down by Zhan Shili, only allowed to leave after he had ensured they completely deleted the videos on their respective phones and the cloud.

 

Xu Tianlang had an embarrassed look on his face, completely sober now.

 

“Don’t tell my father, and don’t tell my grandfather either…”

 

Zhan Shili gave a curt “mn,” and Xu Tianlang let out a sigh of relief, quickly pulling on his pants, finding an excuse, and getting the hell out of there first.

 

“Runs faster than a rabbit,” Xu Shen sneered disdainfully, asking Zhan Shili, “You really don’t intend to tell my family? Him snorting ketamine here, shouldn’t he be taught a lesson?”

 

Zhan Shili tossed the thing in his hand into the trash can: “It’s none of my business. I’m only responsible for helping solve the problem; he isn’t my son, and it is not my place to discipline him.”

 

Xu Shen applauded: “You, this assistant, are truly dutiful and conscientious; not only do you have to work for my dad, you even have to serve the rest of the family! It’s too much of a loss to just earn one salary.”

 

“Well, didn’t I serve you as well?” Zhan Shili tossed out this sentence, stepping forward first.

 

Xu Shen followed with a smile: “Hey!”

 

After getting back into the car, Zhan Shili asked, “Still want late-night snacks?”

 

Xu Shen looked at the time; it was already past eleven.

 

“Forget it. If I eat I won’t be able to fall asleep tonight, just give me some more candy instead.”

 

Zhan Shili glanced at him and opened the armrest compartment.

 

Xu Shen, with his sharp eyes, noticed the wrapped watch box stored inside and asked him: “Is that a gift for someone?”

 

“For your Third Brother, it’s his birthday in a couple of days.”

 

Zhan Shili grabbed two candies and handed them over. Xu Shen took them, slowly rubbing them between his fingertips.

 

Zhan Shili asked: “Not eating?”

 

“Another birthday,” Xu Shen looked at him, “Nic, do you know when my birthday is?”

 

Zhan Shili averted his eyes and started the car: “It’s on your ID card, I’ve seen it.”

 

Xu Shen said, “Fair enough. After all, before I returned to the Xu Family, everything you could investigate had already been investigated.”

 

Zhan Shili took him for a spin around the city, eventually parking near the pier.

 

The sunroof overhead rolled back slowly. Zhan Shili appreciated the night view of Victoria Harbour ahead for a moment before his gaze shifted over: “Young Master Shen, your background isn’t that easy to investigate, is it?”

 

Xu Shen tilted his head: “What do you mean?”

 

Zhan Shili met his eyes: “Who is that godfather you mentioned this afternoon? You said you got mixed up in legal trouble abroad, but none of these things were in the materials Assistant Liu investigated. In that file, you were taken to New York by your second uncle, adopted by a local middle-class Chinese family, and had a smooth sailing life all the way to your graduation from university and entering Wall Street. It seems a bit different from what you said yourself?”

 

Xu Shen let out a soft “ah,” his face entirely devoid of the guilt of being exposed: “Alright, you figured it out.”

 

Zhan Shili saw the frivolity in his eyes: “Didn’t you tell me on purpose?”

 

Xu Shen refused to admit it: “Not at all.”

 

Zhan Shili continued: “The boss acknowledged you because the eldest young master was too incompetent and he unintentionally found out that you, the illegitimate son who was turned away at the door by him back then, was very successful, and so developed an intention to bring you back. How was it such a coincidence that he heard news about you over there? Were those materials he asked Assistant Liu to investigate also prepared by you in advance?”

 

Xu Shen said dully, “Nic, do you really have to be this smart? You’ve found out everything.”

 

Zhan Shili asked, “Who is helping you behind the scenes?”

 

“My godfather passed away,” Xu Shen was not in the mood to talk about it. “My godbrother is still around, next time I get the chance I’ll introduce you guys.”

 

Zhan Shili, however, didn’t let him off the hook so easily: “You deliberately schemed to return to the Xu Family—what do you want to achieve?”

 

Xu Shen was unwilling to continue: “Mr. Zhan, it’s not good to get to the bottom of everything, alright? What obligations do I have to answer you? On the contrary, how many secrets have you hidden? On the day Xu Zijie died, why were you there?”

 

Zhan Shili said frankly, “The eldest daughter-in-law’s younger cousin had previously drunk too much and boasted to people that his cousin gave him a chance to make a fortune, which happened to be heard by my friend, so I had someone follow him. That night, I received news that he went to the hotel the eldest young master frequently visits, so I simply went over to check it out.”

 

“Simply checking it out and nothing else?” Xu Shen didn’t believe it, “That person disappeared in Vietnam later on. What did you do?”

 

Zhan Shili neither admitted nor denied it: “As soon as I spoke, you knew who the person I was talking about was, and even knew he went missing; the insider knowledge you possess doesn’t seem to be any less than mine.”

 

Xu Shen smiled: “You care this much about my big brother’s affairs, too? Makes sense. I heard that although my dad suspended his duties, it was only temporary, and he originally intended to let him return to the company after a while, even arranging for you to go help him. Xu Zijie was stupid, so gaining his trust was child’s play for you; when the time came, my big brother would listen to you and my Third Brother would listen to you as well, which would be more than enough to deal with my second brother. As long as you helped my eldest brother take over the throne, wouldn’t you be able to control a puppet leader and do whatever you pleased?”

 

Zhan Shili’s expression remained calm: “He is already dead, so saying all this now is meaningless.”

 

Xu Shen mocked, “So now you intend to use me to replace my eldest brother’s role?”

 

Zhan Shili retorted, “Seren, you think I can control you? The eldest young master was stupid, are you too?”

 

They stared at each other, the exchange of glances a silent confrontation. Suddenly, Xu Shen turned and leaned close to the driver’s seat.

 

As if having already anticipated it, Zhan Shili pushed the seat back as Xu Shen leaned over, wrapped his arm around his waist, and pulled him in close.

 

Xu Shen fell face-to-face with him onto his lap, barely held steady.

 

Zhan Shili’s hand rested on Xu Shen’s back, and Xu Shen’s breath drew close, lowering his voice as he said: “I was blinded by lust.”

 

Zhan Shili asked, “Are you?”

 

Xu Shen looked closely into his eyes, seemingly having already obtained the answer he had wanted to ask this afternoon—this person had no heart.

 

“Don’t even think about using the same set of tricks you used on Xu Zikang on me,” Xu Shen said with a heavy emphasis, “Don’t disgust me.”

 

Zhan Shili’s finger pressed against the corner of his eye: “You’re much more clear-headed than he is, and I wouldn’t treat him like this either.”

 

Their breaths mingled, growing hotter and hotter, until their lips almost touched when this time, it was Xu Shen who spoke that word first—

 

“Nope.”

 

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t/n: ah, here it comes again. like before, the “nope” is in english.

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