LNTSWJLY Chapter 77

The warm soup slid down his throat, rich and fragrant like fine wine.

“Teacher Yu, is it not to your liking?” Wen Li asked, sounding puzzled.

Yu Zhi came back to his senses and glanced at her. In a gentle voice, he replied, “No, it’s very good.”

In truth, his sense of whether food tasted good was a little vague. He could tell with a single bite if something tasted bad, but when it came to delicious food, he tended to classify it simply as not bad.

Only food prepared by that person could truly be called delicious.

As for this soup… Yu Zhi had gulped it down rather carelessly just moments ago. Now that he paid closer attention to its taste, he supposed it fell into the category of food that ordinary people would consider delicious.

“But just now, you looked as though…” Wen Li trailed off.

As though he was about to cry.

“What is it?” Yu Zhi asked with a faint smile.

Wen Li took another careful look at him. There was no sign that he had been on the verge of tears. He looked just as calm and gentle as before.

She gave an awkward little laugh. “It’s nothing. I must have been mistaken.”

Yu Zhi gave a quiet, noncommittal hum. Then he added, “The soup is very good. Please thank Mr. Sang for me.”

Wen Li smiled and waved her hand. “You’re welcome. Great-Uncle will be happy to hear that.”

Yu Zhi continued to maintain his perfectly composed expression. After lunch, he taught the second lesson of the day, then finally took his leave under Sang Xingyun’s polite farewell.

As Yu Zhi walked through the spacious villa complex, he looked at the several villas scattered around the grounds in a carefully planned arrangement. An idea began to take shape in his mind: he should make money and go into business.

After all, having enough power and a sufficiently high social standing would greatly increase his chances of finding the person he was looking for.

When task agents entered mission worlds, they were subjected to the world’s suppression. The more ordinary the world, the stronger the suppression.

If he were in a cultivation world, for example, even if the body he was using belonged to an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated, he could still use his own power to locate the person he wanted to find in no time.

But this was an ordinary world governed by the laws of physics. The moment he dared to use even the slightest ability that exceeded this world’s power system and its limits, the world would reject him and force him out.

Although that would be a convenient way to leave this place as quickly as possible, Yu Zhi did not want to give up so easily before confirming that the person he was searching for was not here.

First, set a small goal: start a business and make money.

His agreement with the Wen family was to teach two lessons every day during the school holidays, each lasting an hour and a half. The duration had been increased at Wen Li’s request after she experienced the effectiveness of his teaching.

The hourly rate was quite generous, and he was paid weekly. After all, the Wen family was hardly short of money.

Yu Zhi was busy accumulating capital and had recently paid little attention to anything else. He had learned some things about the Wen family only by overhearing Wen Li and the others talking while he was teaching at their home.

The Wen family had begun building its fortune a hundred years ago. It was a genuine century-old family business. Although the family had weathered periods of turmoil, it had managed to preserve its wealth and assets. Then, when circumstances became favorable, it rose to prominence once more.

The Wen family had been revitalized during Wen Li’s great-grandparents’ generation and reached the height of its prosperity during her grandparents’ generation. Since then, it had continued to flourish without interruption, right up to the present day.

By comparison, the Sang family was somewhat inferior. Although its current power and social standing were roughly on par with those of the Wen family, its historical roots and accumulated family heritage were nowhere near as substantial.

The Sang family had begun building its fortune during Sang Xingyun’s grandfather’s generation. Before that, they had been nothing more than farmers scraping a living from the land in a rural village.

They had simply been fortunate enough to live in the right era and seize the opportunities that came their way. Thanks to the foresight, determination, and hard work of several brothers, they had managed to build the family into what it was today.

From the few scattered remarks he had overheard, Yu Zhi learned that the most capable member of the family had not been Sang Xingyun’s grandfather, but rather his youngest brother, Sang Xiyin, who had long since settled into a leisurely, peaceful life.

Sang Xiyin again.

Yu Zhi thought about how many times he had heard the name Sang Xiyin since arriving in this world. In the end, he realized he had lost count.

He had heard it far too many times.

Strangely, he had never heard any of these people discuss Sang Xiyin’s descendants, nor had he ever seen any of them.

Yu Zhi shook his head, feeling speechless at himself for being so bored that he had started caring about a complete stranger he had never even met. He had never been a particularly curious person, after all.

The hand holding Yu Zhi’s water cup suddenly paused, and his eyes widened slightly.

Wait… He had never been a particularly curious person, yet he had developed an interest in Sang Xiyin and even tried to learn more about him. Was it simply because the things these people said had piqued his interest, or was something unseen guiding him toward this man?

Could it be… that the person he was looking for had some connection to Sang Xiyin? Perhaps… he was Sang Xiyin’s son or grandson?

The moment this thought occurred to him, Yu Zhi abandoned his usual reluctance to become too involved with the people he tutored. In a rare departure from his usual behavior, he asked Wen Li, “Why don’t your Great-Uncle’s children look after him?”

Wen Li was glad she hadn’t been drinking water at the time. Otherwise, she might have been so startled that she spat it out. She burst into laughter.

“Teacher Yu, you didn’t know? Great-Uncle has never married and doesn’t have any children!”

Her answer completely shattered Yu Zhi’s speculation. His expression froze for a brief moment before he murmured, “Is that so…?”

It seemed he had been overthinking things.

Wen Li didn’t seem to mind that he had asked an inappropriate question. Instead, she said, “That’s right. But we’re his children, too. We’re no different from his biological children. Teacher Yu, I thought you’d look up Great-Uncle after our last conversation.”

Yu Zhi smiled. “I’ve been too busy. I’ll definitely do it another day.”

That was what he said, but he had no intention of doing so. Now that his guess had been disproved, Sang Xiyin was nothing more than an irrelevant stranger to him. Unless there was a particular need, Yu Zhi had no habit of prying into other people’s personal lives.

At Yu Zhi’s request, his three hours of lessons were scheduled every day from 2 to 5 in the afternoon. He needed to concentrate his work into a fixed block of time to make better use of it.

After a full week of lessons, Yu Zhi finally met other members of the Wen family.

They were a middle-aged man and woman who had taken such good care of themselves that they looked barely over thirty.

“Dad! Mom!” Wen Li called happily as she came downstairs.

The three embraced and kissed one another, clearly sharing a close, loving relationship.

Yu Zhi didn’t interrupt them. Having finished that day’s lessons, he quietly left the Wen family’s home. The voices of the family members still drifted faintly into his ears from a distance.

“This one is for you, this one is for your brother, and this one is for your grandparents.”

“Who’s going to deliver them? You take Grandpa’s gift. We’ll take Grandma’s. Sigh, it’s such a hassle when we don’t live together… Hey, hey, all right, all right! I won’t say anything else…”

Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow. It seemed the Wen family wasn’t quite as harmonious and peaceful as it appeared. Still, that was perfectly normal, so he didn’t give it much thought.

He returned to the place he had recently rented: an apartment near the university. It was neither flashy nor luxurious, fitting the original owner’s circumstances and personality.

“Xiao Yu, I heard you’ve been looking for people to build a team with and are planning to get into biopharmaceuticals?” Professor Wang asked, stopping Yu Zhi after one of his classes.

Yu Zhi wasn’t surprised that Professor Wang had heard the news. He had never tried to keep his plans a secret, after all. He nodded. “Yes, I’ve been considering it.”

This was a way to make money without revealing his true identity. Starting with biopharmaceuticals would also leave him room to expand into related industries in the future, making it easier for him to transition from a biologist to a businessman.

Professor Wang took off his glasses and wiped them. Then, in a grave, fatherly tone, he said, “I know your circumstances aren’t great and that you urgently need money to improve your living conditions. But, Xiao Yu, you need to keep your feet on the ground. If you try to take too big a step, you might end up pulling something you shouldn’t. I’ll spare you the rest of that saying. I just hope you’ll think this through carefully.”

Yu Zhi understood what Professor Wang was getting at. However, he knew exactly what he was capable of. He wouldn’t fail, suffer setbacks, or lose his way. So he smiled politely and said, “Thank you for your concern, Professor. I know what I’m doing.”

Professor Wang nodded and left.

Yu Zhi was busy establishing his business. Although he could still manage his tutoring work alongside it, once he had accumulated enough startup capital, he no longer needed the income from tutoring quite so much.

Nor did he think he needed the Wen family’s connections, which might or might not prove useful to him.

The thought of resigning began to take shape in his mind.

However, Yu Zhi was a responsible person. He decided that he would leave only after bringing Wen Li’s proficiency in both subjects up to the level of an average top-performing student. After that, the family could always hire someone else to tutor her.

After the monthly exams, Wen Li returned home and excitedly announced her scores. She had actually scored above the cutoff for admission to a key university! Considering that she had previously been such a poor student that she could barely compete with Sang Liushui, she had now surged hundreds of places ahead of him in the rankings.

“Mom, Dad, Teacher Yu is amazing! You absolutely have to give him a raise!”

Mother Wen said happily, “Give him a raise, give him a raise! My daughter is amazing too! She’s just as good as your older brother!”

The older brother she was referring to was Wen Li’s cousin. He had lost his father at a young age, and his mother had remarried. Wen Li’s paternal grandparents felt deeply guilty about his situation, so they had decided to leave the family business to him.

“So what if they feel guilty? What gives them the right to hand over something that belongs to my daughter to him? Your grandparents’ own actions were what caused your uncle to die so young. What does that have to do with you? Do you owe him anything?” Mother Wen said sharply.

Wen Li found it difficult to respond, so Father Li intervened. “Enough. Xiao Yue has had a hard time too. He’s still so young, yet he lives like a little old man. As long as our family is doing well, that’s all that matters.”

Mother Wen gave a soft snort but ultimately said nothing more.

She rubbed Wen Li’s head and spoke gently. “That’s right. We’ll just live our lives well and stop getting dragged into their nonsense. My darling, make us proud and become a top student. Dump that boy from the Sang family and let him cry about it!”

From this, it was clear that Mother Wen deserved no small amount of credit for Wen Li’s ability to joke around so freely in the past.

Yet Wen Li now began defending her boyfriend. After thinking it over, she said, “Mom, I can’t do that! If I dump him, wouldn’t I lose Great-Uncle too? That would be a huge loss!”

Mother Wen immediately agreed. “You’re right!”

“But my precious daughter can’t settle for some ugly, good-for-nothing man either.” Mother Wen thought for a moment, then slapped her thigh. “How about this? Let that boy from the Sang family take extra lessons too. If he doesn’t improve, we’ll make sure he gets pushed to work harder!”

Wen Li’s eyes lit up. “I think that’s a great idea!”

She could already picture her boyfriend being tortured by all those extra lessons!

However, when the proposal was made, the first person to object wasn’t the lazy Sang Liushui. It was Yu Zhi.

“I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Wen, but I’m afraid I don’t have the extra time or energy to tutor two students.”

Yu Zhi had already been planning to take his leave after a little while longer. How could he possibly agree to tutor another person at a time like this? Even if he taught both students together and received an additional student’s worth of pay, he still wasn’t willing to do it.

“Ah…” Wen Li’s face fell. She had already been imagining the miserable look on Sang Liushui’s face, only to suffer a crushing defeat at Yu Zhi’s hands.

“Teacher Yu, is there really no way you can make an exception? Wouldn’t it work if he took lessons together with me?” Wen Li pleaded.

Yu Zhi smiled and shook his head, politely but firmly refusing her request.

“I’m sorry.”

“All right, then…” The young girl lowered her head in disappointment.

Although Yu Zhi had turned down the Wen family’s request, Wen Li had achieved such good results that her parents still warmly invited him to stay for dinner that evening.

Mother Wen had the kitchen prepare a generous spread of delicious dishes. The couple were very hospitable, and since Yu Zhi had already turned down one of their requests, it would have been awkward to refuse them a second time. Besides, having dinner with them was hardly a bad thing, so he accepted their invitation.

At seven that evening, dinner at the Wen residence finally began. Yu Zhi received a warm welcome at the table. Throughout the meal, he never once felt neglected or left out. On the contrary, he found the couple genuinely pleasant and kind.

However, Yu Zhi understood perfectly well that this was simply the impression the two of them wanted him to have.

They could make people feel as warm as a gentle spring breeze, or as cold as the depths of winter. It all depended on whether they wanted to.

His calm and composed demeanor also won him the favor of Mr. and Mrs. Wen. Their attitude toward him became a little less formal and a little more sincere.

After dinner, Yu Zhi politely took his leave. He declined their offer to have a car drive him home. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet, and the sky outside had not grown completely dark. He could simply call a taxi himself.

However, things did not go according to plan.

As soon as he left the Wen residence, he received a phone call. It was from the students he had recruited to help him, calling to report on their progress. Their voices were brimming with excitement, enthusiasm, and delight. Although Yu Zhi felt that they were still progressing too slowly, he knew he ought to encourage them.

As he walked along, talking on the phone, he suddenly felt something cold and slippery strike his body.

He reached out his hand. When he drew it back, he immediately realized what was on it.

Water. Rainwater.

Once he came to his senses, he hurriedly ended the phone call and quickly booked a ride through a ride-hailing app. Unfortunately, even the nearest available car was still several kilometers away.

He quickened his pace and headed toward the exit.

But the rain was fierce. He had barely walked any distance when the sky opened up, unleashing a torrential downpour.

The roar of the rain filled his ears, and his clothes were soon soaked through. Even holding his bag over his head did little to protect him from the relentless rain.

He looked around. The villas in this residential compound were still some distance away. If he turned back to the Wen residence now, he would probably be drenched like a drowned rat before he even got there. He might as well head outside the villa compound and wait for his ride.

Having made up his mind, he changed direction and walked toward the nearest villa.

He did not seek help from the homeowner, whose identity he did not know. Instead, he took shelter beneath a small canopy that extended over the area outside the villa, intending to wait there until his car arrived.

Standing beneath the canopy, temporarily sheltered from the downpour, Yu Zhi finally had the leisure to pay attention to his surroundings.

He turned his head and looked to the side. The canopy extended toward the villa, and beyond a fence, he could see a riot of colorful flowers blooming inside the grounds.

The tulips, in a dazzling array of colors, gave off a rich fragrance that filled his senses. There were roses, baby’s breath, lilies, various prized varieties of chrysanthemums, and many other kinds of flowers. Yet, at a single glance, Yu Zhi’s attention had been captured by the tulips, which seemed to overwhelm all the other flowers by sheer numbers.

Not only were the tulips the most numerous, but they also came in the greatest variety and appeared to receive the best care. It was clear that their owner had a particular fondness for them.

Beautiful.

He marveled inwardly.

“Sir! Sir?!” A voice pierced through the layers of rain and reached his ears.

Yu Zhi turned around and saw someone standing in the rain, holding a large black umbrella and calling out to him.

“Our master would like to invite you inside to shelter from the rain!”

Yu Zhi looked up. The villa’s main gate stood wide open, and light spilled out from inside the house. Just moments earlier, he could have sworn he had seen a figure disappear through the doorway.

At that very moment, his ride-hailing driver called him.

“Hey, man, are you in a hurry? The roads are slippery here, so I don’t dare drive too fast. It’ll probably take me a little longer to get there.”

“I’m not in a hurry. Safety comes first.”

After ending the call, Yu Zhi looked at the middle-aged woman standing opposite him with the large black umbrella. He walked over and politely said, “Sorry to trouble you.”

The woman waved her hand and hurried to reassure him. “Oh, it’s no trouble at all! Our master specifically asked me to do this. I suppose he couldn’t bear to see you standing out there getting soaked.”

“Wait here a moment. I’ll go find a dry towel so you can wipe yourself off.”

With that, she went inside and returned with a fresh, dry towel.

Yu Zhi accepted it and began drying himself as he asked, “I saw the flower garden outside. I take it the owner of this house really enjoys gardening?”

“You bet! Not only does he love flowers, but he’s also really good at growing them. Even those expensive, delicate varieties that are usually difficult to keep alive bloom like they’re jumping around full of life once they’re in our master’s hands!”

It was obvious that the middle-aged woman greatly admired the homeowner.

Yu Zhi, however, was rendered speechless by her description of flowers blooming ‘like they’re jumping around full of life.’

It was simply too vivid.

“Our old gentleman often travels to all sorts of places, too. He knows so much about everything, and everyone likes him!” the middle-aged woman said with a hint of pride.

Old?

Yu Zhi turned the word over in his mind and tried to guess how old the homeowner might be.

Old, popular, knowledgeable…

Various clues came together in Yu Zhi’s mind.

A strong premonition rose within him.

“May I ask if the old gentleman’s surname is Sang?” he ventured, unable to suppress his curiosity.

The middle-aged woman glanced at him. “How’d you know that?”

Then she seemed to realize something and added, “Oh, I suppose plenty of young people like you know him, too. The old gentleman is a wonderful musician. He’s still composing music even now, and he’s very popular with young people like you!”

The corner of Yu Zhi’s mouth twitched. He had never expected that, after once deciding to stop paying attention to Sang Xiyin, he would end up crossing paths with him today.

Yu Zhi had made all sorts of baseless assumptions about the man, yet Sang Xiyin had still offered him help. He felt a little guilty about it.

“May I ask what the old gentleman is doing now? Would it be possible for me to thank him in person?”

“The old gentleman goes to bed early, so he’s probably already gone back to his room. Oh, he also asked me to prepare some ginger soup for you. It’s simmering in the kitchen. I’ll bring you a bowl right away.”

“You young people these days have weaker and weaker constitutions. The Second Young Master was sick for several days just the other week…”

As she spoke, the middle-aged woman ladled the ginger soup into a bowl.

Watching her from behind, Yu Zhi frowned slightly. He found it hard to believe that this elderly gentleman, who was practically deified in the eyes of Wen Li and the others, would show such consideration to a complete stranger.

Inviting him inside to shelter from the rain was one thing. But going so far as to prepare ginger soup for him?

There was only one possible explanation: the old gentleman knew who he was and knew that he was Wen Li’s private tutor.

Half an hour later, the rain eased a little. Yu Zhi received a call from his driver announcing that the car had arrived, so he said his goodbyes and prepared to leave. Yet, right up until the moment he departed, he never saw the old Mr. Sang even once.

As he walked out of the villa, a strange feeling suddenly came over him. He turned around and looked back.

The curtains of a lit window on the second floor had just been drawn shut. Behind the glass, a slender figure stood in the lamplight, but Yu Zhi could not make out the person’s face.

The rainy night stretched on into the darkness. Only after the young man had disappeared into the curtain of rain did the person behind the window finally furrow his brow slightly.

What’s wrong with me?

He wondered.

Surely I haven’t developed a heart condition over a young man I’ve only just met, have I?

Next Day

Yu Zhi hadn’t fallen ill. He arrived at the Wen residence on time for his tutoring session as usual, but when he was leaving, he encountered an unexpected guest.

Sang Xingyun smiled politely and said, “There are a few things I’d like to discuss with you, Teacher Yu. I wonder if you’d be willing to spare me some of your time?”

Yu Zhi smiled back. “Of course.”

Yu Zhi hadn’t expected Sang Xingyun to want him to tutor Sang Liushui as well. What surprised him even more was that, in an attempt to persuade Yu Zhi to agree to teach Sang Liushui, Sang Xingyun offered terms that most people would find difficult to refuse.

“I understand that commuting back and forth every day is inconvenient for you, Teacher Yu. We can arrange accommodation for you in a nearby villa. If getting around is a problem, we can also provide you with a driver. We’ll double your salary and reimburse your daily living expenses as well.”

Yu Zhi grew more and more confused the longer he listened. Unable to understand, he asked, “Mr. Sang, you could easily hire other tutors who are more qualified and more capable than I am. Why insist on hiring me? And why go so far as to offer me such generous terms?”

Sang Xingyun smiled. “First, my younger brother is probably a student who will require a great deal of patience and understanding from you. Second, I’d like to make friends with you, Teacher Yu.”

Of the two reasons, Yu Zhi was more inclined to believe the latter. After all, Sang Xingyun had shown his appreciation for him from the moment they first met.

If Sang Xingyun had learned about what Yu Zhi had been doing from Professor Wang, then this explanation made even more sense.

“Your offer is certainly tempting, but I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’ll still have to decline,” Yu Zhi said firmly.

Sang Xingyun looked rather helpless. He hadn’t expected Yu Zhi to be so difficult to persuade.

“Teacher Yu, you…”

Halfway through his sentence, Sang Xingyun abruptly changed course.

“Great-Uncle!”

He smiled and waved toward someone standing ahead and above them, seemingly trying to attract that person’s attention.

The sudden change of direction was difficult to ignore. Yu Zhi usually had little interest in other people’s affairs, but when he heard Sang Xingyun’s form of address, something stirred in his heart. He couldn’t help looking up as well.

In the next instant, his pupils contracted…

The sunlight was warm and gentle, yet to him, it was unbearably bright. It hurt his eyes and seemed to make his head ache, bringing him to the verge of tears!

His heart clenched. A sudden, crushing pain seized his chest, forcing him to bend forward despite his desperate reluctance.

A single droplet of water fell silently to the ground and quickly evaporated.

Yu Zhi’s handsome face had turned deathly pale.

Sang Xingyun was startled by his reaction and hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong?”

As soon as he spoke, he felt a sudden, tight grip on his wrist. Yu Zhi was clutching him fiercely, as though he were holding on to something precious that he absolutely could not let go.

Sang Xingyun felt a chill of discomfort. He was just about to shake Yu Zhi off when he saw that Yu Zhi had already straightened up.

His expressionless face was highly deceptive, making him appear as calm and composed as ever.

But the hand gripping Sang Xingyun’s wrist was trembling slightly, and beneath the scorching sunlight, a storm of emotions raged in his deep, dark eyes!

His voice, hoarse and heavy with difficulty, reached Sang Xingyun’s ears.

“What did you just… say?”

“T-that I want you to tutor Sang Liushui!” Sang Xingyun replied, his voice trembling slightly. For some reason, at that very moment, he felt a little afraid of the Yu Zhi standing before him.

Yu Zhi parted his lips and spoke in a low, solemn voice.

“I accept.”

So it wasn’t that his star had left.

He was the one who had arrived too late.

Thirty years too late…

Thirty years…

Yu Zhi squeezed his eyes shut. He tried again and again to hold himself back, but in the end, he could only grit his teeth and let out a soft, bitter laugh.

“Heh!”

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