BF Chapter 10

When Xu Shen entered the house, he ran into Xu Zikang, who was coming downstairs to pour some water, and casually offered a greeting.

 

Xu Zikang then asked him: “Ah Shen, did you also work overtime so late on your first day at work?”

 

“No,” Xu Shen chewed on his candy, his lips curling into a smile, “I just got back from a date.”

 

Hearing this, Xu Zikang smiled, “Really? You have a girlfriend?”

 

Xu Shen said, “I’m still pursuing them¹okay, so in chinese he/she/it sounds exactly the same, so technically XZK doesn’t know if it’s a boy/girl. So, I decided to change the pronoun here from “he” to “them” since it’s ambiguous, XZK still thinks it’s a girl. They have other dating partners too, so they aren’t that easy to win over.”

 

Xu Zikang was left a bit speechless, and Xu Shen continued, “As long as they aren’t married, I still have a chance if I work hard, right? What do you say, Third Brother?”

 

Xu Zikang could only reply, “True enough, I wish you early success in winning her over.”

 

Xu Shen smiled and nodded: “I hope so too, may your wishes come true.”

 

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The next day, Zhan Shili sent over the project materials as promised.

 

The estimated investment amount for the entire project, the project plan, and the proposal were all inside. After spending a whole morning reading through them, Xu Shen had a general idea of what was going on in his mind.

 

At noon, his secretary helped bring over his lunch and informed him that Liao Zhihong had requested leave, saying he had accidentally broken his leg and needed to recuperate for two months.

 

Xu Shen’s expression remained calm: “Then he’s really quite unlucky.”

 

The secretary sighed, “Yeah, he was totally fine yesterday. I heard he has several fractures on his body, I don’t know how he fell so severely.”

 

Xu Shen had no interest in continuing the conversation: “If there’s nothing else, you can head out first.”

 

Half an hour later, a message from Zhan Shili came in.

 

[Have you finished eating lunch?]

 

Xu Shen replied: [Are you inviting me to lunch?]

 

Zhan Shili: [Not today, I have to accompany the boss to meet guests this afternoon. He instructed that you should go too. 1:30, downstairs parking lot.]

 

Xu Shen took a glance at the time; it was already 1:20.

 

After tidying up his desk briefly, he got up, picked up his suit jacket, and went out.

 

Zhan Shili was already waiting in the downstairs parking lot, sitting in the passenger seat, with Xu Shiji’s driver behind the wheel.

 

Xu Shen pulled open the car door and got in, asking him: “Where are we going?”

 

Zhan Shili merely said: “Heading back to pick up the boss first.”

 

Half an hour later, the car drove back to the Xu Family mansion.

 

Xu Shiji’s spirits were a bit better over these past two days, and today he had made an appointment to play golf with an old friend, intentionally bringing Xu Shen along.

 

On the way over just now, Zhan Shili had already informed Xu Shen that Xu Shiji intended to informally bring him into his social circle today, and that he had to make a good impression.

 

Xu Shen didn’t have much opinions about it; as for what Zhan Shili was tagging along for, he would soon find out as well.

 

When it came to playing golf, Xu Shen was an amateur, whereas Zhan Shili’s skills were quite impressive. As a result, Xu Shiji had brought him along specifically to bolster his reputation and add to his prestige.

 

Xu Shen’s gaze fell upon Zhan Shili, whose stroke was clean and sharp, done seamlessly in one motion, possessing a presence not at all inferior to those big bosses, making him particularly pleasing to the eye.

 

Zhan Shili happened to raise his eyes, meeting the undisguised appreciation in Xu Shen’s eyes. He looked at him intently, calmly set his stance, and struck the ball with force.

 

A round of applause broke out all around.

 

After finishing, everyone returned to the sitting room and sat down together to drink tea and chat idly.

 

These old friends of Xu Shiji were all prominent big figures in Hong Kong, and Xu Shen addressed every single one of them as uncles.

 

Xu Shen was a talented young man who bore a striking and refined appearance. This, coupled with the fact that he was brought out personally by Xu Shiji, inevitably drew him quite a few compliments regardless of the old mens’ true feelings, who all flattered Xu Shiji for having such a good son.

 

Soon, the topic turned to business; when Xu Shiji was asked by someone about that project in Mong Kok, he off-handedly mentioned that it was currently being pushed forward, adding that official business was left to the younger generation and that he himself was now in a semi-retired state and didn’t worry about it.

 

Someone laughed in response, saying, “How come I heard people say you guys started this project a while ago already, and right now it’s still stuck on the acquisition of the industrial building and can’t be pushed further? That nouveau riche family named Ma doesn’t play by the books and is hard to deal with, and the head of that Ryder Fund is a fake foreigner who doesn’t give your Zhaoqi any face whatsoever. This matter looks tough to handle.”

 

Xu Shiji’s face looked somewhat displeased, but he quickly concealed it: “It’s not quite at that point yet; Ziren has always had people communicating with them, it’s just a matter of spending a bit more effort.”

 

The person beside them smoothed things over: “Old He, listen to what you’re saying, are you deliberately looking to make Brother Ji uncomfortable?”

 

“How could that be? I was just concerned about Brother Ji’s company.”

 

He Mingzheng was the chairman of Zhuosheng, the one with the least seniority among their group, but was a latecomer that outdid his predecessors, possessing vast financial power and liked to handle his business boldly and unconventionally. He liked to say others didn’t follow the rules when he himself was the one who least followed the rules, which was why Xu Shiji had always looked down on him.

 

Xu Shiji drank his tea and ignored him, while He Mingzheng smiled and didn’t seem to mind much.

 

Xu Shen saw that their tea was nearly empty, so he took the initiative to offer to brew another pot.

 

“Brother Ji said you grew up abroad since childhood, yet you still know about tea brewing and such?” a certain uncle asked him with a smile.

 

Xu Shen said, “I’ve learned the basics.”

 

The others teased him as well: “Listening to us old guys chat idly must be boring enough for you, right? You can really sit still.”

 

Xu Shen maintained a natural expression: “As I should.”

 

He got up to go to the tea room in the back to ask for tea leaves and saw Zhan Shili who had just finished clearing up the gear and came over. Xu Shiji liked to bring his own clubs when playing, and Zhan Shili had just finished packing away all the equipment and putting it back in the car at this moment.

 

“My dad is drinking tea and chatting with people, and you’re just doing these trivial things beside him?” Xu Shen raised an eyebrow and asked him.

 

Zhan Shili answered calmly, “Isn’t an assistant supposed to do this work, Young Master Shen? Aren’t you also personally coming over to help them brew tea?”

 

Xu Shen raised his hand and tapped him on the chest, saying nothing.

 

Would Zhan Shili be willing to do these running-errands and menial duties for people forever? He certainly didn’t believe so.

 

When they delivered the tea, Xu Shiji told the two of them that they didn’t need to stay here and could go pass the time elsewhere on their own.

 

After walking some distance, Zhan Shili asked Xu Shen what he wanted to do. Xu Shen narrowed his eyes, saying in a low voice: “I seem to have heard gunshots.”

 

Zhan Shili told him: “There’s a skeet shooting range over here, want to check it out?”

 

Ten minutes later, they appeared on the shooting range; Xu Shen had already changed into a shooting vest and put on safety goggles, touching the shotgun in his hand, his gaze fixed on the front for a brief moment.

 

Beside him, Zhan Shili asked him, “Ever went to a shooting range before?”

 

Xu Shen said, “I went often when I was abroad.”

 

Zhan Shili nodded: “Give it a try.”

 

Xu Shen loaded the gun, stepped forward, and calmly raised the gun.

 

Skeet targets were thrown one after another from the target houses on both sides, drawing intersecting parabolic curves in the air as Xu Shen adjusted the gun to rapidly shift angles, pulling the trigger repeatedly.

 

Bang! Bang! Bang!—

 

Each time, he caught that exact split second when the target was thrown to its highest point to hit it, and Zhan Shili saw those eyes behind his safety goggles, exceptionally composed, harboring an endless darkness capable of easily swallowing everything he was aiming for.

 

After it was over, Xu Shen put down the gun, took off his safety goggles, and turned to look over at Zhan Shili.

 

Zhan Shili asked him, “You like this?”

 

Xu Shen didn’t deny it. “It’s like hunting; very exhilarating.”

 

Zhan Shili recalled his gaze just now. Perhaps this was how he was when he targeted prey, excited yet also steady enough to be capable of striking true with one shot effortlessly.

 

“Actually, this is nothing,” Xu Shen said with a smile, “I’ve even killed people with a gun before, and that’s even more exhilarating.”

 

Zhan Shili’s brow twitched slightly: “Really?”

 

Xu Shen didn’t answer directly, “Guess.”

 

Zhan Shili stared into his eyes, attempting to see through which sentence of what he said was true and which was false while Xu Shen calmly tilted his head and asked: “Nic, do you want to try?”

 

“Forget it.”

 

Zhan Shili had no interest in trying, so the two of them didn’t stay over there for too long, heading back once again.

 

Xu Shiji’s gathering with old friends hadn’t ended yet; they strolled along the vast golf hill as dusk fell, red clouds scattering across the distant skyline basking under the glow of the sunset.

 

Xu Shen suddenly stopped, turned around to face Zhan Shili who was an arm’s distance away from him, and said, “Nic, what I said just now was true. I really have killed.”

 

Zhan Shili also stopped. “Willing to talk now?”

 

“It’s nothing, really,” Xu Shen said light-heartedly, “When I was in school one night on my way home I was stalked by someone, a man nearly two meters tall. He had a gun in his hand, and I gave him all the valuables on me, but he still wasn’t satisfied.”

 

“And then?”

 

A bizarre smile appeared at the corner of Xu Shen’s mouth: “He wanted to sleep with me, told me to pull my pants down. I fought back desperately, grabbed his gun, and fired a shot straight at his forehead. Bang! Brain matter and blood sprayed all over my face.”

 

Zhan Shili knitted his brows slightly, frowning.

 

Xu Shen continued, “Later, my godfather hired a very impressive top-notch lawyer over there for me. It was ultimately classified as self-defense and I was acquitted in court.”

 

Zhan Shili looked at him and asked, “Why tell me this?”

 

“I just felt like saying it,” Xu Shen said slowly. “After that day, I became obsessed with the feeling of shooting. It’s like being electrocuted, almost, very thrilling. Unfortunately in our society ruled by law, killing people isn’t allowed, so I can only play with other things.”

 

Zhan Shili said, “It’s all in the past.”

 

Xu Shen listened to his slightly different tone, seemingly perceiving something: “Nic, are you comforting me?”

 

Before Zhan Shili could answer, he laughed first: “It’s really nothing, though it did leave behind some aftereffects. I became somewhat homophobic after that incident.”

 

Zhan Shili’s gaze stagnated, roughly thinking he was speaking nonsense again: “Truly homophobic?”

 

Xu Shen said with certainty: “It’s true, but on that evening in Manhattan when you came to find me, I took one glance at you and thought that if it’s you, pulling down my pants probably wouldn’t really be unacceptable.”

 

Confirming that he was being verbally provocative again, Zhan Shili refused to fall for it: “Not acceptable.”

 

“I knew you’d say that,” Xu Shen complained about his lack of romance, “If it’s not acceptable then it’s not acceptable.”

 

Zhan Shili nodded: “Mn.”

 

Xu Shen fished out a gold coin from his pants pocket, pinching it between his fingers: “This is my lucky gold coin. I picked it up on the street the day I walked out of court—every time I want an answer, asking it always gives me one.”

 

He tossed the gold coin upward lightly, catching it back in his palm and gripping it.

 

Zhan Shili observed his series of actions: “What did you ask?”

 

“Asked if the feeling I had when I first saw you that I just mentioned was real.”

 

He opened his palm, and the gold coin in his hand was heads up.

 

“See? It’s real. I didn’t lie to you.”

 

Zhan Shili’s gaze fell over, pausing for a second.

 

Xu Shen’s eyes brimmed with smiles as he handed the gold coin to him: “You flip it once too.”

 

The gold coin was taken by Zhan Shili and spun around with between his fingers before casually tossed it upward and promptly caught by Xu Shen.

 

This time, he didn’t open his palm immediately, so Zhan Shili asked: “What did you ask this time?”

 

Xu Shen looked back at him, saying softly: “Asked if you, Mr. Zhan, actually has a heart.”

 

A moment of silence passed, and Zhan Shili didn’t pick up where he left off. “Let’s go.”

 

“Aren’t you curious about the answer?”

 

“No need to look, I know.” Zhan Shili had already turned around and left.

 

But I don’t know, Xu Shen said in his heart.

 

He stuffed the gold coin back into his pocket, ultimately choosing to not look at that answer, and quickly followed after him.

 

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• 1
  okay, so in chinese he/she/it sounds exactly the same, so technically XZK doesn’t know if it’s a boy/girl. So, I decided to change the pronoun here from “he” to “them” since it’s ambiguous, XZK still thinks it’s a girl