Chapter 4, Section 003: Feng Zhi's Childhood (2)

While the old man spoke, his gaze occasionally flickered toward Li Ruo, who stood off to the side. At this moment, Li Ruo’s eyes blazed with a murderous fury, as if she might kill with a glance. Flames of anger burned within her as she glared at Ye Chen, saying, “Since you’ve joined the Tianya Group, you must strictly adhere to the company’s rules. From today onward, you are a bodyguard of Tianya Group. As a bodyguard, you must fulfill the responsibilities of your position!”

“I understand…” Ye Chen drawled, his tone thick with impatience. “A bodyguard’s job is just to risk his life for others, take a bullet now and then, isn’t it?”

“Hmph, as long as you know!” Li Ruo snorted coldly and turned to her assistant. “Ziwen, give him a letter of appointment.”

“Right away!” The female assistant quickly drew a sheet of paper from the desk, filled in several fields, then pressed the company’s personnel seal down with a crisp snap. Handing it to Ye Chen with a smile, she said, “Mr. Ye, please bring this to the personnel department on the fifteenth floor tomorrow at 9 a.m. to register, collect your uniform, and report to President Li’s office.”

“Got it!” Ye Chen nodded.

Ye Chen had never intended to come back tomorrow; today was just a performance, a way to escape that little demon Yao Yue’s relentless pursuit. The match earlier had merely been a means to vent his pent-up rage. Ye Chen took the letter, folded it, and slipped it into his pocket.

“You’re still here?” Li Ruo shot him a glare, her tone half-irritated, half-teasing. “What, expecting us to invite you to stay for lunch?”

“Uh…” Ye Chen was momentarily taken aback, then asked, “Don’t you provide meals here?”

His words nearly made everyone burst out laughing.

Leaving Tianya Tower, Ye Chen took care not to run into Yao Yue. He reversed his jacket and pulled it over his head, keeping it down as he slipped outside. The line at the entrance was still long, and when people saw him in that getup, a buzz of conversation broke out.

“Hey, looks like we have a better shot now. See? That guy probably got his face beaten to a pulp!”

“I think so too! Look at him, covering his head with his coat!”

“Haha, with that sorry look, he dared apply to be President Li’s bodyguard? Talk about not knowing your own limits!”

Though Ye Chen seethed with anger, he dared not give himself away. With just his dark eyes peeking from beneath his jacket, he slunk back to the Xinhai Residential Complex. Ye Chen knew that the most dangerous place was often the safest. Right now, that little terror Yao Yue would never expect him to sneak back home.

Gazing at his messy living room, Ye Chen tossed his coat onto the sofa, then grabbed a can of beer from the fridge. He took several long gulps, letting the cold liquid burn away the heat surging through him, before stretching out comfortably on the couch. Staring at the blazing sun outside, he cursed, “Damn you, Yao Yue. I must owe you from a past life. All I did was accidentally grab your chest, and you’ve hunted me for a year!”

The thought of Yao Yue brought a bitter smile to Ye Chen’s lips.

She might only be twenty-three, but that girl was already head of the Ghost Organization, the most feared force in the Golden Triangle. Their acquaintance began with a partnership. Ye Chen had spent more than a year navigating the Golden Triangle, trafficking arms and building his own intelligence network. But because of one incident, a powerful warlord suddenly turned on him. Caught off guard, Ye Chen was crushed by overwhelming force; his men were killed or wounded, and the influence he’d painstakingly built for over a year was wiped out in an instant. The memory left Ye Chen sighing with regret.

Afterward, Ye Chen sought help from Yao Yue. She agreed, but only if he could defeat her in a duel. All the major powers in the Golden Triangle watched with interest—Ye Chen, of course, didn’t back down. During the competition, he used the legendary Dragon Claw technique. By accident, he grabbed Yao Yue’s ample chest, instantly enraging the so-called Tyrannosaurus of the Golden Triangle.

And so began Ye Chen’s year-long life on the run.

“Damn!” Ye Chen crushed the empty can in his hand, flattening it with a single squeeze. The past year had been an endless nightmare: assassins from the warlord’s organization on one side, Yao Yue’s relentless pursuit on the other. It was enough to drive anyone mad.

Bang!

Ye Chen hurled the can against the wall in frustration.

At that moment, the door swung open. A young man with brown, wild, unruly hair poked his head in—just in time for the can to fly past. He dodged quickly, and the can slammed into the wall behind him.

“Hey, Brother Chen, who got on your bad side today?” The youth, a cigarette dangling from his lips, wore a wrinkled shirt and threadbare jeans. Grinning, he walked straight to Ye Chen’s fridge, grabbed a beer, and said, “Brother Chen, what’s up? Want me to round up the boys and get revenge for you?”

“With your scrawny frame? You think you can avenge me?” Ye Chen shot him a look.

This was Feng Zhixiao, a student at Jianghuai Vocational College—a born troublemaker, never cut out for study. He spent his days running with a gang of students, collecting protection fees and causing minor havoc, but his future was bleak. He lived in Xinhai Complex with his mother after his parents divorced; his mother was often away on business, so he mostly fended for himself. Once, he’d been cornered by a gang at the entrance of the complex—if Ye Chen hadn’t intervened, he might have lost an arm.

Since then, Feng Zhixiao had attached himself to Ye Chen, popping by whenever he pleased. He was forever boasting about his “army,” but at most, Ye Chen had seen him bring along three followers—one of whom was a sixth-grader.

“Brother Chen, you don’t get it!” Feng Zhixiao grinned. “This is called ‘aesthetic physique.’ Who are you calling scrawny? I took third place in our school’s runway contest!”

“Yeah, right!” Ye Chen shot him a glance. “There were only six contestants—one first place, two second places, and three thirds. You were dead last. That parade of mismatched stripes—looked more like a seizure than a fashion show!”

Feng Zhixiao wasn’t the least bit embarrassed by being exposed. “Brother Chen, you’re wasting your talents! If you ask me, you should try out for the Tianya Group’s bodyguard recruitment. With your skills, you’d have a real shot! Do you know what the salary is? Ten thousand! I’m so jealous I could die!”

This guy was always dreaming of getting rich, though Ye Chen had never seen him with money. Feng Zhixiao drifted between third-rate schools with his little gang, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Whenever he scraped together some protection fees, he’d lose it to bigger fish.

“That’s got nothing to do with you!” Ye Chen eyed him. “So, what brings you here today?”

“Heh, well… actually, nothing much.” Feng Zhixiao scratched his head awkwardly, rummaging in his pocket. “I’m a bit short on cash lately. I was wondering, Brother Chen…”

“Damn it, here to borrow money again, huh?” Ye Chen glared at him and fished out three hundred yuan. “I already spent two hundred this morning applying to Tianya Group, and now you’re here to squeeze me too. Do you think this is easy for me?”

Feng Zhixiao sucked in a cold breath, his eyes wide. “Brother Chen, did you get the job?”

“Of course! With me, one man’s as good as two!” Ye Chen shot him a look.

Feng Zhixiao grinned, snatching up the three crisp bills. “Brother Chen, you make money fast! You gotta look after your brothers. My guys haven’t eaten for days!”

“Nonsense!” Ye Chen snapped. “I’m so broke, all I’ve got left is my body!”

“Heh, you could always work at a nightclub as a gigolo! Shake that moneymaker, and the cash will come rolling in!” Feng Zhixiao hopped off the sofa and dashed for the door.

“Damn you!” Ye Chen grabbed the half-finished can of beer on the table and hurled it at him.

“Brother Chen, that might pay well, but take care of your health!” Feng Zhixiao stood at the door, hand on the knob, and flashed a grin back at Ye Chen. “Stay healthy, Brother Chen! Take care—I’m off!”

Bang!

He slammed the door behind him.