Chapter 48#

In the end, Lin Yue was dragged back to the hotel room by Ji Yang.

Ji Yang had ordered takeout, and Nie Xu went downstairs to pick it up.

Along with dinner, there was also a tube of anti-swelling ointment.

Lin Yue clutched the ointment in a daze, head bowed, tears dripping down onto the carpet, soaking into small dark circles.

Ji Yang opened the takeout and said, “Stop crying. Come eat.”

Lin Yue was still wiping at his tears.

Ji Yang looked up. “Cry one more time and get out.”

Lin Yue immediately held it in. His shoulders were still trembling. He hesitantly glanced at the person who had just come out of the bathroom after washing his hands. Once he saw Nie Xu walk over and sit down beside Ji Yang on the couch, he carefully shuffled forward and settled onto the carpet across from the coffee table.

His voice was barely a mosquito’s buzz. “Thank you, Fourth Young Master.” Then he looked to the side. “Thank you… Brother Nie.”

Ji Yang found this very curious. “Why on earth are you so afraid of him? He’s just a bodyguard, isn’t he? If anything, shouldn’t you be afraid of me?”

As he said this, Ji Yang’s right knee accidentally bumped into the knee next to his.

Ji Yang recalled Lin Yue’s earlier words about how Ji Yang had “taken it all out on him,” and not only did he not pull away, he deliberately bumped again.

Because of the black metal, the sound was rather distinctive.

Nie Xu glanced at him silently.

Ji Yang lifted his chin toward the front. “The kid’s scared half to death. Go comfort him.”

“I remember you were afraid of me before too.” Nie Xu didn’t even shift his gaze.

Nie Xu stared at him, thinking that this fear of his was entirely different from Lin Yue’s terror.

When had it started? Probably after that whipping. Ji Yang’s fear was hidden deep in the bottom of his eyes—not simply the fear of a bodyguard’s retaliation, but more like the fear of having foreknowledge of certain consequences.

Once you decided to pursue the truth of a matter, there were holes everywhere that couldn’t be plugged.

And yet Ji Yang was far too good at rationalizing everything.

“That was before,” Ji Yang said. “Before, I also said the highest form of love is letting go. Now I think it’s possession. Nothing wrong with that, right?” Without waiting for Nie Xu to respond, Ji Yang continued. “You can come and go in and out of this hotel just because the old man said to ‘build rapport.’ Now I’ve been harmed like this, and I’m just borrowing you to put on a show. How could I be afraid of you? Don’t talk nonsense. It’s all sincere.”

Ji Yang had convinced himself.

From the takeout Nie Xu had opened, he picked up a piece of rib and placed it in the other man’s bowl, smiling with deep affection.

Nie Xu picked up that piece of rib, meeting Ji Yang’s smiling eyes. “Should I say thank you?”

“That’s not necessary,” Ji Yang replied. “Even if outsiders think you’re a bodyguard who climbed up the ranks, from height, looks, to abilities… hmm, it’s me who’s punching above my weight.”

Nie Xu: “I wouldn’t dare.”

Lin Yue across from them: “…”

He couldn’t believe what he was listening to.

Ji Yang turned his head and locked eyes with Lin Yue’s horrified expression.

He said, “See? He’s very easy to talk to.”

Lin Yue seemed unwilling to comment on that assessment. He only carefully answered Ji Yang’s original question—why are you afraid of Nie Xu—and said slowly: “For people like us, Boss Jin is already the sky above our heads. He’s unchallenged in the major clubs.”

But Boss Jin, in front of a bodyguard, crumbled like a grandson.

Lin Yue didn’t truly understand what kind of family the Ji family was. He only heard about it from others, from the internet. He had always thought that a wealthy heir like Fourth Young Master was the kind of person who truly could operate above the law.

But actually meeting the man, he found this bodyguard far more frightening to him from the bottom of his heart.

Was he really just a bodyguard?

Lin Yue sneaked a glance.

In his shallow, impoverished understanding, at the very least a young master wouldn’t interact with a bodyguard like this.

They were sitting side by side on the couch.

The young master ate ordinary takeout with complete ease. Halfway through, feeling hot, he sat cross-legged on the couch and patted the bodyguard’s knee to have him turn on the air conditioning. He leaned over the person next to him to reach a dish of scrambled eggs with wood ear mushrooms on the far side, and nearly tumbled right off the couch.

True to his profession as a bodyguard, the man planted a foot against the table to brace him.

“Sit properly.”

Just three simple words, and Lin Yue somehow heard a tone of reprimand.

The young master didn’t even think there was anything wrong with this. He just said “oh” and lowered his leg back down.

The meal left Lin Yue not only forgetting the pain of his wounds but not even daring to ask—what did Ji Yang ultimately picking him back up actually mean? Or did he have some other arrangement?

Ji Yang didn’t know about the chaotic thoughts in Lin Yue’s head.

Since he had relented and let the boy stay, there was no reason to send him back again.

Moreover, this Lin Yue wasn’t very old. According to himself, his parents had both been low-level laborers in clubs like those, and they had passed away when he was very young. He had been shuffled from one so-called buyer to another until he was finally taken in by Jin Husheng.

If it weren’t for Huang Kai, he might never have had the chance to get in touch with Ji Yang.

But precisely because of this chance, he grasped it desperately.

When Ji Yang heard his backstory, he showed no reaction on the surface, but afterward he didn’t sign Lin Yue into Yiyuan directly. Instead, he gave him the password to his account.

“Be my assistant for now,” Ji Yang said. “Start by learning how to operate things.”

Lin Yue was ecstatic, then second-guessed himself. “Can I do it?”

“If you can’t, I have another assistant.” Ji Yang pointed at the person already preparing to leave, threatening Lin Yue. “That’s my chief assistant. I even have a backup named You Li. If you don’t do well, I’ll replace you in a heartbeat.”

Lin Yue’s face instantly lost color, then seemed to summon tremendous courage.

Seriously: “I will definitely work hard.”

“Good boy,” Ji Yang said with a smile.

At this moment, the person holding the takeout trash in his hand hooked a finger at Lin Yue: “Let’s go.”

“Huh?” Lin Yue instinctively stepped back. “Where to?”

“Take you downstairs to get a room.” Nie Xu glanced at the person sprawled on the couch and continued. “Or do you want to stay with your boss?”

Ji Yang was the first to object, raising his hand. “No way! I want to enjoy the big suite alone.”

Lin Yue cowered: “Th-then I’ll go get another room.”

Ji Yang: “I’ll reimburse you.”

From that day on.

Ji Yang began living a life where every detail was attended to.

This guy Lin Yue, it turned out, was incredibly perceptive—from bringing an umbrella when going out, to arranging schedules, to a level of comfort that even gave Ji Yang the illusion that he really was some big-shot boss.

Even the two most recent posts on his account had been posted by Lin Yue on his behalf.

One was of him squatting by the roadside petting a stray cat, with the caption: Miss that little lame cat.

The other was a back-view photo of him standing behind a cold-chain truck.

Ji Yang didn’t even know how Lin Yue had taken that photo for him. At the time, Peng Jiaying had mentioned that the company had its eye on a “Zhounan—South Island” cold-chain shipping route. The per-trip profit on this route wasn’t large, but the frequency was high and stability strong—exactly matching the logistics support needs of Huang Kai’s cultural tourism project.

If Yiyuan could secure the operating rights, they could cross the threshold from a pure “content marketing company” into “industrial support.” This aligned perfectly with Ji Yang’s vision and also fit the company’s goal of acquiring investment from Jian Yuan for industrial upgrading.

But to fight for that route, you couldn’t bypass the Ji family.

After Ji Chengyi took over the shipping division, he publicly announced plans to “reform outdated practices and open up operations.” In reality, he restructured the shipping channels and reclassified qualifications. He bundled several currently profitable routes into “franchise operation rights” and released them for external bidding.

On the surface it was fair and open, but the thresholds were set extraordinarily high—only companies directly controlled by the Ji family’s direct lineage could qualify.

Most importantly, there was a rule in the bidding conditions: The actual controller of the bidding party must provide a personal certificate of five consecutive years without major disciplinary violations, and must have joint recommendations from two or more members of the Ji family.

From the moment he saw this rule.

Ji Yang knew that the so-called bidding was specifically designed to block him.

Ji Chengyi was baiting him into a trap.

Peng Jiaying, considering Ji Yang’s position, had asked whether he should simply withdraw.

Why should he?

Now, facing Ji Chengyi’s blatant targeting, Ji Yang’s mindset was no longer what it used to be. He was simply asking: why should I? Both sides had drawn their blades. Conflict was inevitable.

So came the second photo Lin Yue had taken for him.

It was at the cold-chain source.

Ji Yang had been here the past few days.

Behind the enormous loading vehicle, Ji Yang was rarely dressed in a proper suit—white shirt tucked into dress pants. In the distant, zoomed-out background was a massive cold-chain processing plant, with people in ordinary workwear passing back and forth around him.

The tone in the comments section now was vastly different from the wall of criticism in the past.

【Fourth Young Master has gone grassroots? Just a bit conspicuous though.】

【Can’t we get a front-facing shot?】

【Ever since the last post I’ve wanted to say—this account’s been acting weird lately. “One Ji Yang” isn’t cursing anyone out anymore, occasionally replying to one or two comments in a careful tone. Been possessed or something?】

【He must’ve handed it over to someone around him to manage. As long as it’s daily content, I’m happy to read it.】

【True, if you don’t follow financial circles you wouldn’t know—this young master has basically nothing to do with the Ji family right now. Seems like he started his own business or something. The second-generation crowd was pretty mocking at first, all thinking he’d lose money. Who knew one livestream would boost Zhounan’s local KPIs. Forget losing—even if the small projects he attracted don’t make big money, it’s enough to live off for half a year.】

Ji Yang stood in the open area in front of the processing plant, talking with the person in charge.

Lin Yue finally found a gap and came over. He no longer called him Fourth Young Master, following the others at Yiyuan in calling him “Little Boss Ji.” Anxiously: “These netizens have figured out I’m not the real person. What do I do?”

Ji Yang glanced at his phone screen and said, “Just admit you’re the assistant.”

“Is that okay?” Lin Yue asked.

Ji Yang: “Just don’t post ugly photos of me. If things blow up, I’m coming after you.”

Lin Yue had been with him these days and his courage had grown a bit. He felt Ji Yang was sometimes just trying to scare people on purpose.

Muttered: “With that face of yours, where could it possibly blow up?”

Just then, Ji Yang looked up at the iron gate of the processing plant, at the several vehicles that had pulled up outside.

He said, “And acting crazy is also not allowed.”

Lin Yue also noticed the cars outside at this point.

Whispered: “Who is it?”

Ji Yang: “The bidding committee.”

Three cars, seven or eight people stepping out front and back who looked like members of the Ji Group’s leadership. Compared to the old shareholders from before, this group averaged under fifty—a new generation of backbone.

Ji Chengyi walked at the front, just past twenty—an exemplary young prodigy of the family.

Two seconds later, Lin Yue, shocked: “Why is Brother Nie here too? He’s become one of the bidding committee?”

Ji Yang watched the figure walking almost in step with Ji Chengyi—who couldn’t quite tell who was truly leading—as the man discussed something quietly with someone on the other side.

He said: “Yes. He always has been.”

“Then, then you two?” Lin Yue was very hesitant.

Ji Yang said slowly: “Crossing the river under cover of darkness. Illicit affair without a matchmaker. What do you think?”

Lin Yue: “…”

At this critical juncture of the bidding process, though it sounded like it had no regard for fair play— but, but it was kind of thrilling?