Chapter 32#

Zhouling’s summer was stickier than Fanzhou’s. The sea breeze pressed against the face with a briny stench, like a wet towel that hadn’t been wrung out properly.

This typical coastal town, with its crisscrossing waterways, served as one of the most important trading ports in the Fanzhou subdistrict. The thriving tourism and marine fishing industries were the local specialties, and more importantly, the primary source of income for the residents.

You Li’s family was indeed as he had described—a three-story white building with a courtyard, and a separate small wooden house on the side. They were considered quite well-off for a family in this town.

They had a large household.

His grandparents had five children in total, most of whom worked elsewhere. Only the second son’s family—you Li’s parents—along with one aunt, remained behind in the town.

“Come in, come in, hurry.” The elderly man opened the door and warmly welcomed them.

Ji Yang followed behind several colleagues, entering the courtyard last.

“Thank you, Grandma,” Ji Yang said. “Sorry for the trouble.”

The short, plump old lady paused briefly in her smile when she saw Ji Yang, then looked him over and said, “So you’re the young master of the Ji family, hm? Lunch is already ready—we’ve been waiting for you.”

That subtle shift in emotion didn’t escape Ji Yang’s eyes.

The book had only mentioned that You Li seemed more like Nie Xu’s younger brother, without detailed background information, and certainly without clarifying the exact nature of his connection to Nie Xu.

If it were merely a matter of him being the young master of the No. 4 building’s household, and not being a particularly good employer, the old lady’s reaction shouldn’t have been this pronounced.

Her displeasure toward him seemed to stem purely from his surname being Ji.

At this moment, Nie Xu came up with the keys after parking the car.

The old lady turned away from Ji Yang and began fussing at Nie Xu as he walked up: “If little Li hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known you’ve been back for two or three days already. And you just had to stay outside—we’ve got plenty of room at home.”

“Official business. Not convenient,” Nie Xu said.

As soon as the old lady heard it was official business, she immediately stopped talking.

Ji Yang noticed that the old lady had just used the word “came back.”

Her words, in every line, carried a sense of closeness—yet within that closeness there seemed to be something separating them. Not estrangement, but rather respect.

This feeling became even more apparent during lunch.

The meal was laid out on the large round table in the courtyard.

You Li’s parents both had outgoing personalities. Seeing their son bring guests back, they bustled around and prepared a whole table of dishes. Most were seafood—steamed grouper, poached shrimp, scallops with garlic and vermicelli, and more—piling the table full.

Ji Yang had thrown up on the boat, so his appetite was mediocre.

He only picked at a bowl of seafood congee in front of him.

You Li sat to his right and said, “Are you a cat? Your appetite is worse than Xiaobai’s.”

“Try getting seasick like me, then we’ll talk,” Ji Yang said.

Just then, Nie Xu came over. Out of the corner of his eye, Ji Yang noticed he had come out of the small wooden house next door. He had also changed clothes—a black short-sleeved shirt and camo pants—a much better fit with the local style of this town.

The moment he arrived, both of You Li’s parents stood right up, greeting him: “Ah Xu, come sit here.”

“Yes, yes, sit here.”

The older generation acted this way, and several of Ji Yang’s colleagues from “Yiyuan” grew flustered, hastily saying: “Assistant Nie, there’s still a seat over here.”

“There’s space next to Young Master Ji.”

“How about I go get another stool?”

Ji Yang whispered to You Li, “Does your family owe Nie Xu money?”

“What do you know?” You Li said, exasperated. “My grandma once said—” He stopped mid-sentence, as if suddenly remembering something, and glared at Ji Yang: “Why should I tell you? Are you trying to pump me for information so you can scheme against my brother?”

Ji Yang: “…Are you out of your mind? If anything, he’d be scheming against me.”

It was the old lady who finally spoke up: “He’s family. No one needs to fuss. Just eat your own.”

The commotion finally settled, and after some hesitant shuffling, everyone sat down.

Nie Xu walked straight to Ji Yang’s side, dragged over a stool, and sat down.

Ji Yang, spoon in hand, turned his head and met the eyes of the person sitting down beside him, asking, “Finished with your official business?”

Nie Xu stated matter-of-factly: “It’s mealtime now.”

Ji Yang lowered his voice: “I won’t feel guilty about this. It was You Li who told you to come. I really didn’t want to trouble you.”

Nie Xu glanced at the bowl in front of him. “Finish your food.”

Ji Yang poked at his bowl. “I can’t leave food uneaten either? Is this the price of ordering you around?”

Nie Xu: “Then that price is a bit too light.”

At that moment, a colleague asked: “Assistant Nie, are you from Zhouling? Are you and You Li really brothers?”

Of course not, Ji Yang thought. His surname is Nie; theirs is You.

Then they heard Nie Xu reply: “Distant relatives.”

His answer was concise, and the question about being from Zhouling was directly glossed over.

No one minded. They were all working professionals; no one would truly press the issue.

The atmosphere at the table stayed lively throughout.

Ji Yang eventually finished the half bowl of congee.

Afraid the sour, reflux feeling would come back, he didn’t eat any more.

He sat in his seat, listening to the colleagues chatting with You Li’s parents.

You Li’s father ran a seafood wholesale business. When he heard they were here for Zhouling’s cultural tourism project, he smiled bitterly: “The higher-ups are just making noise, nothing more. It can’t actually get off the ground. In recent years, the Ji family’s shipping monopoly has taken over more than half of Zhouling’s economic dealings. It only looks prosperous…”

You Li’s father looked considerably younger than the fishermen who went out to sea from the docks.

But you could still see at a glance—he was just an ordinary, honest man.

He was about to say more when the old lady abruptly cut him off.

The old lady’s tone turned sharp: “Second son! Have you lost your mind? Two cups of wine and you’re spouting nonsense!”

The table fell quiet for a moment.

Everyone caught on and looked awkwardly at the only Ji family member present.

Being stared at, Ji Yang said calmly: “Grandma, Uncle You—I can’t represent the Ji family, and the Ji family certainly can’t represent me. I’m here purely for a company project. Whether that project succeeds matters far more to me than anything else.”

Nie Xu said nothing, which made the old lady seem half-convinced and half-skeptical.

You Li’s father awkwardly rubbed the top of his head and laughed: “We’re all just rough folk. Young Master Four, please don’t mind us.”

“Just call me by my name.” Ji Yang asked proactively: “Uncle You, when I arrived today I saw a lot of fishing boats sitting empty at the docks. Is that also because of the Ji family?”

You Li’s father instinctively glanced at Nie Xu. Seeing that the other still hadn’t spoken, he took two swigs of rice wine before saying: “Shipping has stalled. Everything in Zhouling—seafood, produce, tourism—is affected. The Ji family shipping lines grip the lifeline of the entire waterway, and toll fees pile up layer after layer. The seafood we haul out of town barely earns us anything. Small workshops that want to use the waterways have to pay tribute, street-side fish stall rents keep climbing month after month, and many fishing boats can only sit covered in dust at the docks year-round.”

Wasn’t this outright abuse of power—crushing the livelihood of ordinary people?

Ji Yang leaned sideways and asked Nie Xu: “Are there Ji family people in the Shipping Association?”

Nie Xu glanced at him and said: “Association Vice Chairman Zhu Guangsheng—the Second Madam’s own brother.”

Ji Yang understood in a flash.

It hadn’t been long since the Ji family was handed to Ji Zhonglin, but the Second Branch’s foundations had been laid a generation ago. That Second Madam had always been an ambitious, scheming sort; it wasn’t surprising she’d get her own people into the Ji family’s core business.

The real problem was the Ji family’s tacit allowance.

Perhaps not even allowance—it was tacit approval.

Ji Yang had nothing to say.

The way the Ji family operated, a major incident was only a matter of time. Or perhaps it had already happened.

Otherwise, Nie Xu wouldn’t have shown up in Zhouling.

Sure enough, after lunch, Nie Xu left.

Ji Yang’s group had just arrived, and work didn’t need to start immediately. They set down their luggage and arranged their accommodations.

You Li took him upstairs.

Pushing open the leftmost room, he said: “You can stay here.”

“All by myself?” Ji Yang asked.

You Li’s eyes went wide on the spot: “Who else did you want to stay with?”

Ji Yang: “…Can your brain think of something normal for once? I was just asking whether a room to myself was available. What did you think I meant? That I came all the way to Zhouling to find your brother?”

You Li muttered: “Who knows if you did.”

Ji Yang raised a foot as if to kick him.

You Li dodged, impossibly fast.

Ji Yang missed. He asked: “Is the small wooden house next door where your brother stays?”

“You mean over there?” You Li leaned on the railing and looked that way. “I guess so. My grandma said it was reserved for him, but I’ve never run into him there.”

Ji Yang gave him a puzzled look: “What do you mean you’ve never run into him there?”

“Is that weird?” You Li said, annoyed. “My brother stays at the Ji family compound year-round. He’s busy, okay? He might not make it to Zhouling even once a year, and I’ve been in school the whole time. I’ve barely seen him. Even in the two times he was here, Grandma wouldn’t let me go bother him.”

You Li’s grandmother reminded Ji Yang of Aunt Mo.

That closeness laced with restraint—it was like class deferance carved into the bone.

Ji Yang pretended to comfort him: “Someone like you managed to get into the No. 4 building. That just proves your brother still has a soft spot for you.”

You Li’s fists cracked.

Through gritted teeth: “I really, really want to beat you up.”

Ji Yang chuckled softly and gave him a sidelong look: “Even your brother wouldn’t dare hit me right now, and you want to?”

Then, with You Li’s flushed, fuming face as his backdrop, he walked into the room in a perfectly good mood.

The You family’s house was far from the old city center—quiet amid the bustle. The surroundings were lovely too. From the front gate of the You house to both sides of the road, flowers bloomed everywhere.

Several colleagues had originally talked about going out for a walk.

But the afternoon sun was blazing, and those plans evaporated completely.

In the end, they brainstormed in the courtyard. Promoting a cultural tourism project essentially meant mining local features, branding, and regional culture for marketing and dissemination.

Someone suggested they look for local trending topics.

So they searched online.

A hot news item that had popped up half an hour ago:

“Major clash erupts in Yunan Lane, Zhouling; alleged ties to local business consortium scandals.”

The small-town coverage didn’t attract much attention.

Even the photos in the report were blurry and indistinct.

Ji Yang was about to look more closely when he saw You Li rush out of the house with car keys in hand.

His father shouted after him: “Little brat! What do you need my pickup truck keys for?!”

“Dad! I’ll be right back!” You Li shouted as he bolted for the door.

Ji Yang’s instincts screamed danger. He grabbed him.

“What are you going to do?” Ji Yang asked in a low voice.

You Li glanced at his leg, apparently holding back out of caution, and didn’t struggle hard. Finally, with no other option, he said quickly: “The people sent by the association above—they violently cracked down and got into a fight with the locals! Sister Jiao told me before that my brother didn’t bring many people this time. He’s definitely on the scene. I need to go see!”

Ji Yang’s brow furrowed tight.

The association people were from the Second Branch. Ji Chengyi was along as the representative of the First Branch.

This clash wasn’t just a public outcry caused by the Ji family’s actions.

It was also an internal power struggle within the Ji family.

No wonder Nie Xu had said Zhouling was very messy right now.

The old patriarch had sent him here for essentially two things: quell the local resentment, or clean up the mess the Second Branch had stirred up. Ji Zhonglin’s philosophy ran counter to the old patriarch’s. Ji Yansong might no longer be willing to tolerate the Second Madam letting her own people meddle in the core business.

And what about Nie Xu himself?

Zhouling was a place he knew well. Any changes here—he should have noticed them early.

The book said Ji Chengyi was the one who discovered the clues in Zhouling. Nie Xu wasn’t someone this careless.

So—he was doing it on purpose?

What exactly did he want to gain from the Zhouling affair?

Or perhaps, by this point in time, he no longer even bothered to hide it from Ji Chengyi.

Ji Yang said: “Don’t go. Even if you go, it’ll be for nothing.”

You Li: “What do you mean?”

Ji Yang: “The news is already out. You can’t do anything by going. Plus, I’m psychic—your brother will probably be fine.”

Even if something went wrong, it would be Ji Chengyi’s problem.

He’d forgotten the exact details, but in the book, Ji Chengyi had been stabbed in the side—it seemed to be here in Zhouling. He’d taken the blow for Nie Xu.

You Li stared at him: “…Psychic? You didn’t get seasick—your brain is broken???”

…

Zhouling at dusk: the sky was streaked with broad swaths of red and a touch of blue along the horizon. The heat had come down a notch, leaving only the muggy warmth rising from the ground.

Ji Yang sat in the passenger seat of You Li’s pickup as they drove along the road to the scene of the news incident.

By the time they arrived, the streets had already darkened.

Yunan Lane, as it turned out, was Zhouling’s largest seafood market.

Ji Yang looked out from the pickup’s passenger side. All that remained was a scene of devastation—the ground was littered with overturned crates and all manner of refuse, and a foul stench of fish hung in the air. The tires splashed through roadside puddles; it was impossible to tell whether the blood in them belonged to a person or to the seafood.

Several residents passed by on the street, pointing and commenting.

“Those thuggish students causing trouble again?”

“No—it’s Chen the Scab, the one who always supplies the seafood area. He led the charge. A whole group went up against the association’s fee collectors. You didn’t see it—absolutely terrifying.”

“Did the police come?”

“Nobody called them. Everyone’s got a grudge. They’d rather see them beaten to death.”

“Though later another group showed up—a different sort of crowd. The one leading them looked pretty young, said he was the Third Young Master of the Ji family, and promised everyone would get an answer.”

“Chen the Scab’s bunch had gone blood-crazy, and so had the association people. They wouldn’t listen—big scene. Luckily, among that last group there was a man who broke the association leader’s wrist with one twist of his arm. The screams were like a slaughtered pig. Lots of people gathered to watch.”

“They even pulled knives. You didn’t see the sight…”

Ji Yang caught snippets of it all, then patted the dazed You Li on the shoulder: “I told you not to come. You can’t even show up for the drama in time. Let’s go back.”

You Li came back to his senses.

But instead of turning around right away, he made a phone call.

His brow furrowed almost immediately.

“What?” Ji Yang asked.

You Li started the engine. “They’re at the clinic.”

The clinic You Li mentioned was actually just around the corner from the market, on the next street.

That street was relatively quiet, with only scattered shops still lit up.

From a distance, Ji Yang could see seven or eight people huddled or standing outside the clinic entrance.

The moment the truck stopped, You Li jumped out and ran inside.

Ji Yang didn’t even get out of the car, thinking: If you didn’t know better, you’d think you loved my Third Brother more than I do.

He leaned against the door and asked the few people waiting outside—all unfamiliar faces: “Are the injuries serious?”

They exchanged glances. Finally, one of them shook his head: “Nothing major. Just needs stitches.”

Needs stitches, and Nie Xu hadn’t taken Ji Chengyi to the hospital?

Ji Yang had no intention of going in. About five minutes after You Li went in, everyone came out together.

You Li was still griping: “It’s all Ji Yang’s fault. If he hadn’t dawdled, I would’ve been here ages ago.”

“Shut up.” Jiang Lei smacked him on the back of the head. “Good thing Young Master Four stopped you. What did you think you were going to do?”

After the smack, Jiang Lei clutched his waist and hissed in pain.

Ji Yang’s gaze fell on Ji Chengyi, who walked behind, seemingly uninjured.

Ji Chengyi also glanced at him.

Then he walked over to Jiang Lei and said, with genuine regret: “I’m sorry. I was too impulsive just now. If you hadn’t stepped in to help in time, the one hurt would’ve been me.”

“You flatter me, Third Young Master. It’s just part of the job.” Jiang Lei waved his hand. “You were only worried about Brother Nie getting hurt.”

Though the chances of that were infinitesimally small.

But here was the Ji family’s Third Young Master rushing to take a knife for a bodyguard—who could say he was wrong?

Ji Yang heard this exchange: …Isn’t there something a bit off about this??

Ji Yang then looked toward the person who was just now lifting the plastic door curtain and stepping out in boots.

Nie Xu was still wearing the same outfit he’d changed into at the You family’s house—black short-sleeved shirt and camo pants. Between his fingers, he held a dagger. Having evidently been through the clash, he carried a kind of raw, savage silence. He paid no attention to what the people at the entrance were saying. He walked straight over to the pickup, pulled open the rear door, and yanked out a tool bag.

He turned and tossed it to someone by the roadside. “Fix the previous car,” he ordered.

“Got it, Brother Xu,” the person catching the bag replied.

Only then did Nie Xu seem to have a free moment. He stopped at the front passenger door, frowned at Ji Yang: “Why did you come along too?”

They were quite close. Ji Yang caught the faint scent of blood on him, masking the familiar scent he was used to. It sent a chill through his body.

Ji Yang noticed Ji Chengyi was looking over this way again.

“I came to scout for a hot story topic?” Ji Yang said hesitantly.

A wealthy young master bravely stepping in to save the day—a touching scene, and it could conveniently whitewash Zhouling’s bad reputation. Let President Huang transfer the deposit first.

But that was all ruined now.

Jiang Lei had picked the wrong time to take a knife.

Was this karma for the time he’d saved him?

Ji Yang, completely unbothered, offered a perfunctory: “Sorry about that.”

Ruined your golden chance to deepen your bond. So tragic.

Nie Xu gave him a look.

He walked around the front of the truck, opened the driver’s side door, got in, and casually tossed the dagger onto the seat beside him. It landed with a ding.

“Let’s go.” Nie Xu called to the people outside.

Ji Yang could feel one person after another jumping into the truck bed behind them. In the evening streets of a small town, it was somewhat conspicuous.

Ji Yang looked at the person beside him, recalling his cold, taciturn demeanor at the Ji family compound and his polished courtesy in Huizhou.

“Fighting, wielding knives—you came to Zhouling to be a gangster?” Ji Yang asked.

Nie Xu turned his head to look at him.

The corner of his mouth tugged lightly. “Young Master Ji—good little boys should stay obediently at home. They shouldn’t be running around at night.”