Chapter 27#

The raid on Ji Yiming’s bachelor party hit Fanzhou’s already turbulent circles like boiling oil splashed into scorching water — it exploded.

When Officer Wu personally saw Ji Yang off the dock, the muggy night wind off the riverbank, laced with the briny tang of salt, swept under the hem of his T-shirt, sending a shiver through him. He must have kicked a little too hard earlier; his leg tingled with mild discomfort. Dizzy besides, Ji Yang leaned against the dock railing and wanted to squat down to rest a moment.

“Don’t squat down, not with low blood sugar.” Officer Wu moved fast, steadying him with a firm grip. He studied Ji Yang’s face. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Ji Yang watched a long line of men and women, wrists cuffed, being escorted down the deck by police. He turned and leaned his back against the railing, smiling. “Go ahead, Officer Wu. Don’t worry about me.”

“That won’t do,” Officer Wu said with a frown. “If anything happens to you, how do I answer to Mr. Nie?”

That remark made Ji Yang’s teeth itch slightly.

“Don’t worry — I’m the boss here. You don’t need to answer to him.”

Officer Wu didn’t take the words seriously. Last time at the station, he’d told Mr. Nie that the young master had finally mellowed out. But it turned out the kid hadn’t exactly gone lawful — he’d switched sides and started catching lawbreakers instead.

When he said “answering to,” he really just meant he didn’t want to put Mr. Nie in a difficult position. After all, Mr. Nie had specifically mentioned that the Fourth Young Master’s health hadn’t been great lately — clearly, serving a master like this was no easy task.

Just then, Ji Mingyue caught up.

“Why are you standing out here?” Ji Mingyue asked, stepping forward.

Ji Yang looked at her. “Aren’t you going in for your statement?”

“Miss Ji doesn’t need to,” Officer Wu said immediately. “She may be Ji Yiming’s fiancée, but she’s also the one who guided us onboard — that’s why the arrest went so smoothly.”

Ji Yang nodded, then spoke up at the right moment. “Someone’s here with me now. Officer Wu, I won’t hold up your work any longer.”

This time, Officer Wu didn’t refuse. He nodded. “All right. I’ll arrange for someone to take you.”

Ji Mingyue declined. “No need. We have someone coming to pick us up.”

Hearing that someone from the Ji family had come, Officer Wu didn’t insist. After telling them to call if they needed anything, he turned and left.

“Who’s coming?” Ji Yang asked.

Ji Mingyue looked at him. “Nobody. You just said that because you didn’t want to trouble the police.”

Ji Yang let the night sea breeze wash over him. “If the police favor me, Ji Yiming might seize the chance to bite back.”

Ji Mingyue nodded. “True. I heard Second Aunt boasting to someone before that the second branch spends a fortune every year just on greasing those wheels. Now that Big Brother’s been investigated, no amount of dredge will help. But that police officer did seem pretty friendly to you.”

Ji Yang’s eye twitched. He thought to himself: that’s not because I deserve credit for reporting — it’s purely because I’ve got a bodyguard with connections everywhere.

After resting for about ten minutes, Ji Yang and Ji Mingyue left the waterfront.

No sooner had they reached the parking spot than a swarm of reporters came rushing toward them.

Ji Yiming’s party had always been showy, and one guest had brought another — a fair number of mid-tier influencers and even C-list celebrities had slipped in. Now that everything had gone sideways, these reporters swarmed like hounds catching a scent.

Ji Yang remained fairly composed — he’d anticipated this. Ji Mingyue, on the other hand, looked terrible.

“What’s going on?” she asked, face tight.

“Don’t ask.” Without another word, Ji Yang pushed her into the car, raised the convertible top, then leaned against the driver’s door and said in a low voice: “If you want to come out on top in this marriage alliance, don’t speak, don’t come out — just cry.”

“Cry?” Ji Mingyue stared at him as if he’d spoken Martian.

Ji Yang pressed her head down gently. “Fake cry. If you can’t manage it, just lean on the steering wheel and don’t lift your head.”

Ji Mingyue complied, face down, unmoving. Only her hands — white-knuckled on the steering wheel — betrayed her speechless bewilderment.

The moment Ji Yang finished speaking, he turned and found microphones shoved in his face, nearly pinning him against the car.

At the last second the convertible top locked into place, reporters swarmed him.

“Fourth Young Master, were you here for Mr. Qi’s bachelor party too?”

“As the future brother-in-law of the Qi family, do you know the specific details of tonight’s events on the yacht? Could you fill us in?”

“We hear Mr. Qi has been arrested. At such a critical juncture for the Ji family, with incidents piling up on both the Qi and Ji sides — will this affect the marriage alliance?”

Someone was pounding on the car window.

“Is that Miss Ji inside? Can she come out and say a word?”

“Miss Ji!”

Ji Yang caught the wrist of the reporter hammering the window, smiling as he spoke. “She’s in a really bad place right now. Could you give her some privacy?”

The reporter he’d grabbed turned and met his crescent-shaped eyes, momentarily stunned.

Perhaps his attitude was too courteous, because the reporters grew excited — as if they could pull some explosive scoop out of him. Microphones were suddenly thrust beneath his chin.

In every camera lens, people watched the Ji family’s Fourth Young Master — dressed as clean as a college student, with a pale face and a fresh scab on his forehead — open his mouth slowly.

“We didn’t come for the party.”

“We only found out what was happening on the yacht tonight once we arrived.” Ji Yang’s voice wasn’t loud, but as he stood there, slender and pale, everyone instinctively fell silent and heard him say: “When Ji Yiming was courting her, he spoke so sweetly. My sister is naive. Everyone in Fanzhou knows he plays around — but she wouldn’t believe it. She was determined to marry him.”

Among the reporters, someone murmured quietly, “Miss Ji has it rough, running into a scumbag like that.”

“I thought it was just another emotionless business marriage. Turns out it’s true love.”

“She’s the only girl among the Ji family’s younger generation. How can they just let the Qi family bully her like this?”

“If I were her, why wouldn’t I call off the engagement?”

“Exactly.”

Across the street, a black car had been parked there for a while.

Jiang Lei frowned. “Is this playing the sympathy card for Miss Ji?”

The passenger-seat figure gazed over. “The Qi family’s oil extraction license expires within the year. To get it renewed, they need the Ji Group’s maritime shipping channels as a backer. Ji Yansong won’t surrender this card easily. But at the most critical juncture, the last thing he can afford is the label of ‘selling his daughter for gain.’ He’s buying as much time as possible.”

Jiang Lei’s eyes lit up in sudden understanding.

In this marriage alliance, the one who appears weaker at the right moment gains the advantage.

A pampered young lady from a wealthy family, ruined by a man unworthy of her love — that stirs public outrage far more than a cold-blooded commercial marriage where someone’s sacrificed as cannon fodder.

Jiang Lei clicked his tongue twice. “This young master really knows how to play the media.” He sighed. “Who would have thought he’d be the one to step up at a time like this? And he’s the only one from the Ji family who did.”

Nie Xu stared out the window.

“Too much empathy.”

Jiang Lei glanced over. “You think he’s still better off being the way he was before?”

Nie Xu withdrew his gaze without answering.

He checked the time. “Lu Li should be here soon.”

“We’re just leaving?” Jiang Lei said with a laugh. “Speaking of which, this kid — of all the places to be, he’s practically next door to us. Lu Li’s been driving in circles trying to find that warehouse we used last time, absolutely fuming. Then mid-trip he gets the call to come and apprehend this kid. He’s probably about to lose his mind.”

Nie Xu, half-hidden in shadow: “Once we’ve gathered most of the loose shares on the market, we can stop. Let’s start with logistics and transport. Jian Yuan should be making an appearance soon.”

Jiang Lei acknowledged the order, unsure for a moment whether to start the car.

And in that instant of hesitation —

He realized the passenger-seat figure had already gotten out. The car door shut with a resonant thud.

Jiang Lei was completely thrown. “Wait, you —”

Ji Yang was being jostled badly by the crowd. He didn’t know which careless reporter had stepped on his right foot; he nearly lost his balance.

At the critical moment, a strong hand seized his arm.

Every reporter stared at the tall man who had appeared out of nowhere and silently took a step back. The man wore a full suit, sunglasses, and an expressionless face radiating an imposing, domineering aura.

Ji Yang looked up in surprise. “When did you get here?”

Nie Xu rapped his knuckles against the car window, signaling Ji Mingyue: “Go.”

Ji Mingyue, who had been dutifully pretending to cry, was on the verge of breaking character. Seeing Nie Xu appear out of nowhere, she felt like she’d been granted a pardon. She stomped the gas and shot straight out of the encirclement.

The reporters hadn’t even reacted. Two seconds later, they refocused on Ji Yang.

Before they could ask another question, they watched the young master himself get swept up and rapidly guided across the street, then settled into a waiting car.

One reporter’s camera swung to the man who had just appeared.

Just as the man rounded the front of the car to reach the passenger door, he braced one hand on the roof and glanced over in their direction.

From that distance, the single look was enough to make the reporter slowly lower the camera.

Bodyguard, right?

Terrifying.

Jiang Lei had driven a full ten meters before he thought to ask the passenger in the back: “You handled those reporters pretty well back there. What made everything go sideways?”

“Couldn’t be helped.” Ji Yang rested his chin on the back of the front seat, trying to ease the throbbing at his temples from all the camera flashes. He sighed: “They kept asking about the cut on my forehead. They also said I falsified data and dragged the Ji family to the brink of ruin, and that I hid after causing trouble, too afraid to face my millions of followers. I couldn’t exactly say I’d been grounded — that would be directly challenging family authority, wouldn’t it? I’m not that brave.”

Jiang Lei’s mouth twitched.

“You stirred up all this fuss about Miss Ji — isn’t that also challenging family authority?”

Ji Yang pressed his cheek against the back of his hand. “That’s completely different. If there were a fire pit in front of you, I’d grab you out of it too.”

Jiang Lei paused. “About what happened before — I never properly thanked you to your face.”

“It’s nothing.” Ji Yang smiled, his eyes curving, as he looked at the back of the head just inches away.

He was certain.

If anything had happened to Jiang Lei back then, they would absolutely never be sitting in the same car like this — with this kind of atmosphere.

Nie Xu hadn’t spoken a single word since Ji Yang got in.

His hair at the nape was cropped short. The collar of his black shirt pressed creases into the skin. As he tilted his head to review some documents, the spinous processes of his vertebrae nudged against the skin, the curve tightening where neck met shoulder, veins moving silently beneath the surface in the shadows.

A slight movement from Ji Yang’s hand would have been enough to brush the back of his collar.

Ji Yang also noticed a tiny black mole at the base of his nape, just below the collar — so small you’d never spot it if you weren’t looking.

“What were you doing at the dock? You didn’t come all the way just to pick me up, did you?” Ji Yang stared at the mole as he asked.

Jiang Lei: “Someone else came to pick you up — not us. The dock is one of the Ji family’s harbor operations. For years, the Old Master has had Nie Xu managing the day-to-day affairs. We happened to be at a nearby dock on business when we got the call.”

Ji Yang nodded. “Busy man.”

Then added: “Please don’t tell me the one the Ji family sent to catch me is that guy Lu Li again.”

Jiang Lei snapped his fingers. “Congratulations. You’re correct.”

Ji Yang: “……”

Nie Xu finally spoke — the first words since Ji Yang had boarded the car: “I thought that after pulling a stunt like tonight’s, you’d have been mentally prepared.”

Ji Yang wore the same nonchalant expression. “I was just being optimistic, wasn’t I? I thought — what if the one who came to catch me was you? I might even have gone willingly.”

Jiang Lei coughed twice beside them.

Nie Xu turned his head, gave Ji Yang two passing glances, then let his gaze settle on the arm draped over the seatback.

“Sit properly.”

“I’m not in your way,” Ji Yang muttered.

He didn’t pull his arm back. Instead, he said without preamble: “The drug test report is already sitting in my scheduled-send drafts folder. And before I kicked Ji Yiming, I also emailed a copy to the Old Master’s secretary’s inbox.”

This was his genuine response to Nie Xu’s remark about being “mentally prepared” — proof that his brazen confidence was warranted.

Nie Xu fixed him with a stare. “You had far better opportunities to do this.”

“I could wait. Ji Mingyue couldn’t.” Ji Yang said.

Some desperate situations, once they fully collapse, leave no path back.

Ji Yang simply couldn’t stand by and watch.

He didn’t claim to be a good person. The person was Ji Mingyue — if he did nothing, his conscience wouldn’t rest.

Nie Xu paused for a barely perceptible second, offering no comment on the matter. But as the car pulled into the estate grounds and encountered the roadblock of Fang Qi, one of Lu Li’s subordinates — Nie Xu had no intention of the careful maneuvering he’d employed before. He said flatly: “Drive through.”

“Really? If something happens, whose fault is it?” Jiang Lei asked.

Nie Xu: “If he’s not smart enough to get out of the way, it’s his own fault.”

From the back seat, Ji Yang heard this unhinged exchange: “……”

Almost involuntarily, he poked the little mole at the base of Nie Xu’s neck and said, “You’re a bit on edge tonight, Brother Xu.”

So short on patience.

It wasn’t a question — it was a statement.

The next instant, his hand was caught. Nie Xu’s voice dropped low, carrying a clear warning: “Don’t breach the safety distance of someone who maintains high-alert readiness year-round.”

Ji Yang couldn’t even break free on the first tug. He rubbed his wrist. “What happens if I do?”

Jiang Lei added, deadpan: “A few years ago, someone on the team tried it while he was asleep. He got a shoulder throw — broke two ribs.”

Ji Yang: “……Well, you should’ve paid his medical bills at least.”

Jiang Lei laughed out loud. “He can afford that much.”

The car advanced to the roadblock, and sure enough, the people blocking the way didn’t dare stand their ground — they parted to let it through.

But almost immediately, Nie Xu’s phone rang.

Lu Li’s voice came through the car speakers, crystal clear.

“You could explain yesterday’s warehouse incident. What’s today about?”

Nie Xu: “It’s a Qi family matter. The Old Master won’t pursue it. Is that reason enough?”

Lu Li was quiet for two seconds, then let out a sharp scoff: “Before, everyone said it was the Fourth Young Master who kept chasing you, Nie Xu, refusing to let go. Could it be you actually have feelings for him — some protective instinct kicking in?”

Nie Xu’s tone hadn’t changed from start to finish: “Lu Li, letting personal feelings cloud your judgment has cost you the most basic ability to assess a situation.”

Lu Li laughed twice, then abruptly veered off-topic: “Personal feelings? You say that as if you’re above personal feelings. Let’s not even bring up the past. Xiao Yi has gone to his grandfather multiple times on your behalf — can you truly say you don’t see it?”

Lu Li’s questioning echoed through the car.

Ji Yang processed it for a moment. The “Xiao Yi” Lu Li had referred to was Ji Chengyi.

From Lu Li’s standpoint, using that familiar address was already a breach of propriety. Yet he was now saying it to Nie Xu’s face.

Ji Yang asked Jiang Lei in a low voice: “Were you guys close, back in the day?”

“When we were kids, before any of us knew better.” Jiang Lei smiled. “We’ve all grown up since.”

These details were actually alluded to in the books.

It seemed that right after Ji Chengyi’s identity as an illegitimate son of the Ji family was exposed — but before Ji Changshou brought him home — his leaked identity made him a kidnap target. That was when he first met Nie Xu and Lu Li.

They had gone through an escape together. After returning to the Ji family, Ji Chengyi’s life was no easier than Lu Li and the others; he was frequently subjected to Ji Yang’s hostility and bullying.

The nickname “Xiao Yi” was born of mutual support — of having seen each other at their worst and growing up side by side. It was an intimacy unique to their shared past.

Given Ji Chengyi’s everyone’s-favorite status in the story, it wasn’t surprising that Lu Li used that nickname behind closed doors.

Lu Li continued pressing: “How can you sit there without a flicker of expression while letting him get close to you? Have you considered how Xiao Yi feels?”

Nie Xu issued a warning: “Lu Li, don’t lose your mind.”

Ji Yang was still draped over the seatback. He leaned toward the phone by Nie Xu’s ear and spoke up at just the right moment: “I’m right here, you know.”

Lu Li went silent for a second, then gritted out to Nie Xu: “You actually let him listen to this?”

Nie Xu: “If you didn’t have a habit of acting deranged, you wouldn’t have said anything worth hearing.”

Compared to the Lu Li who’d earlier called him “Brother Xu” so readily, the Lu Li on this phone call struck Ji Yang as far closer to his true colors.

Ji Yang continued, right by the phone: “Afraid I’ll hear you defending him? Or afraid people will find out that you’re nominally carrying out my grandfather’s orders while harboring private loyalties — biding your time to strike back on someone’s behalf?”

Lu Li: “It has nothing to do with anyone else.”

“How selflessly admirable,” Ji Yang sighed with feeling.

Just then, the car approached a fork in the road.

Ji Yang: “Don’t go back to the main building.”

“Where, then?” Jiang Lei asked.

Ji Yang considered. “Building Four — what do you think?”

Jiang Lei froze. The car jerked to a stop at the junction.

Ji Yang spoke slowly, his tone deliberately ambiguous — but in truth, he was addressing the phone: “Brother Xu, why don’t you just give in to me? Consider it a favor to Lu Li — fulfilling his devoted feelings.” Ji Yang placed deliberate emphasis on the words “Xiao Yi,” leaning over the seatback with feigned sincerity. “I know I’m not as outstanding as Xiao Yi, not as considerate, not as gentle.” Ji Yang’s voice turned earnest. “I’m not asking for much. Just being able to stay by your side — that would make me content.”

Lu Li: “……Nie Xu. How long are you going to let him run wild?”

Nie Xu: “Lu Li. This is my final reminder: don’t bring your personal emotions into your work.”

Nie Xu leaned slightly away, took the phone from his ear, and ended the call in one motion as he turned his head.

Ji Yang’s eyes met his — and he suddenly remembered the safety distance Nie Xu had warned him about. He immediately leaned back.

Jiang Lei, from the front: “……So where are we actually going?”

Nie Xu held Ji Yang’s gaze for a moment, then looked away. “Take him home.”

Jiang Lei pressed a hand over his mouth to stifle a cough. He was beginning to suspect he was going through some kind of trial by tribulation tonight.

He spoke up: “So, uh, Fourth Young Master — Nie here doesn’t have a place of his own. When he’s not on leave, he stays in the team dormitory.”

“So?” Ji Yang hadn’t yet recovered from whatever impulsive idea had struck him a moment ago.

Jiang Lei: “So, even if you really were gentle and considerate, pure as a white lotus — you still couldn’t get him to give in to you.”

Let alone a white lotus that’s snarling and all but radiating black energy…