Chapter 63#
Ji Yang sat in Jiang Lei’s car and noticed that after cutting off communications, he directly switched to monitoring Building Four’s interior and exterior on several floors.
Several black government vehicles were parked at the entrance, their license plates all bearing the unified numbering of the Fanzhou Chamber of Commerce.
The personnel on duty at the entrance had been replaced with a new batch of unfamiliar faces—a group of men in tailored suits wearing work badges clipped to their chests, going in and out of the rooms along the corridor.
Documents were carried out in stacks, occasionally spilling mid-way, and the next second someone would step right on them.
Whatever else this was, it looked far more like a takeover than an inspection.
Ji Yang watched for a while. “What exactly are they looking for?”
“Can’t you tell?” Jiang Lei tilted his chin toward the screen. “On the surface, it’s targeted at the Ji family. But actually, they’re rummaging through Building Four and all the years’ worth of correspondence and evidence between Jianyuan and the Ji family. Of course, it’s a show of force—they know the chances of finding anything are slim to none, but they still need to put on a full display.”
Ji Yang had a question that puzzled him greatly.
“If the Chamber of Commerce has stepped in, why doesn’t Nie Xu just leave the Ji family?”
Jiang Lei glanced at him and smiled. “Fourth Young Master, let me put it this way: since ancient times, when have you ever seen someone who knows a family’s secrets walk away unscathed? Especially someone at Nie Xu’s level. If he really were just a bodyguard, if the Ji family were still the Ji family at its peak, someone of his status would typically end up in one of two situations—spending his entire life keeping the Ji family’s secrets under a vow of silence, or… you understand.”
After everything that had happened, Ji Yang was no longer the same as before, the kind who thought such things sounded like tales from another world.
He knew what kind of power and assets the Ji family had originally commanded.
He had witnessed how powerless ordinary people were, like ants trying to topple a tree, under the machinations of great clans.
He was no longer the Ji Xiaoyang of the past.
Occasionally recalling things from his previous life, he found them to be at a distance so remote it was almost untouchable.
The present Ji Yang was still half of the former rich second-generation internet celebrity “Yi Zhi Yang,” while also being one of the bosses of Yiyuan. He dealt regularly with Huang Kai, the manager of the cold-chain factory, and others.
He adapted to everything his current identity entailed, continuously learning how to better adjust to his environment and survive.
On one hand, he thought of what Nie Xu had said—that things with the materials would take a turn in a few days.
On the other hand, he couldn’t help but put himself in Nie Xu’s shoes and imagine his current predicament.
Ji Yang: “Since you let Jianyuan make a move, if you really wanted to leave, it’s not impossible, is it?”
“It’s not that there’s no way to leave now,” Jiang Lei said. “It’s that you can’t leave yet.”
Ji Yang had a vague premonition. “Does it have to do with the shipwreck at Qianlong Bay?”
“You know?” Jiang Lei’s face showed shock, then he relaxed. “That’s right. At this point, him letting you know isn’t a big deal either.”
Ji Yang didn’t say that it wasn’t Nie Xu who had told him.
It was all merely conjecture.
But now, from Jiang Lei, he had learned the fuller version.
The Nie family had once been one of the top shipping magnates in Fanzhou, owning a private fleet in their heyday.
His father was named Nie Yunshan.
His mother was named Shen Yueqing.
His mother came from a wealthy overseas Chinese family in Nanyang; her ancestors had been in the shipping insurance and maritime law business. The two had been brought together by shared ideals.
Jiang Lei: “Back then, the Ji family wasn’t nearly on par with the Nie family’s scale. They joined several other families to do business with the Nie family, and on the surface, there was a period of friendly cooperation—until half a year before the sinking of the Qiming. The cooperation suddenly ended due to ‘differences in philosophy.’”
Ji Yang: “Isn’t ‘differences in philosophy’ too vague a term?”
“You think so too?” Jiang Lei rolled the car window all the way down, speaking with both wry feeling and mockery. “But that’s what the traces left by history say. The shipping industry back then was chaotic—smuggling, clandestine transport, cargo ships carrying contraband—all half-open secrets. The Nie family was a traditional old-guard family; ‘differences in philosophy’ isn’t an unreasonable excuse. But would a senior who keeps saying he wants to take you as an adopted son, who claims to have deep ties to your family, turn your family’s ancestral shipping lanes into a wasteland after disaster strikes your household? Would he seize your family’s shipping rights, suppress your partners, and then tell you, I gave you a lifeline?”
Ji Yang had once thought that if Nie Xu entered the Ji family, there could be no completely untraceable origins.
Auntie Mo had also mentioned that Ji Yansong had once wanted to take Nie Xu as an adopted son.
So Ji Yang asked: “The Qiming was the Nie family’s ship?”
“Yes.” Jiang Lei had already said this much; there was no point in holding back.
Besides, it was evident that even if Nie Xu hadn’t laid everything out, he didn’t treat Ji Yang as a member of the Ji family—and he absolutely trusted him.
Jiang Lei said: “The Qiming was a modified cargo ship backed by the Chamber of Commerce. At the time, it was carrying a batch of goods overseas. Most of the people on board were veterans who had worked for the Nie family for years. Both of Nie Xu’s parents were on the ship.”
The number 1320 surfaced in Ji Yang’s mind once more. So, his parents had been on board as well.
If it really had been an accident, all of this likely wouldn’t be happening today.
Ji Yang: “I’ve seen the official records. It says the ship encountered a sudden storm during the voyage, and the hull broke apart.”
“An official version is all it was.” Jiang Lei’s voice carried a distant quality as he said this.
Ji Yang: “It wasn’t a storm?”
“That night, offshore from Qianlong Bay, the wind was only Force Seven,” Jiang Lei said, looking at him. “Building Four still holds the detailed records from that night. Someone detonated part of the chemicals stored in the cargo hold. The hull broke apart, flames soared to the sky, and rescue efforts were obstructed on shore, unable to reach them.”
Ji Yang once again thought of the painting in Nie Xu’s room, and the desperate, suffocating sea in his own dreams.
He seemed able to hear the weeping and screams.
He saw the blood moon vanish—yes, there had been no moon. It was the fire that had reddened the lanterns on the masts, casting this human tragedy in scarlet.
Ji Yang felt every sound around him receding, yet he still heard himself ask in a very calm voice: “Is this something you found out through your later investigation?”
Jiang Lei’s voice became blurred and indistinct. He said: “Part of it, yes. Part of it, no. No one knew that back then, not everyone perished in that shipwreck. The Nie family’s only son—the one his parents had left on shore but who had secretly snuck aboard—survived the disaster.”
…
“Ji Yang, Ji Yang. Fourth Young Master…”
Ji Yang heard Jiang Lei calling him.
“What?” Ji Yang’s senses gradually returned.
Jiang Lei looked at him with concern. “Are you alright? You look terrible. Too much to take in?”
Ji Yang shook his head. “No.”
“That’s good then. That’s all I’ll tell you.” Jiang Lei said: “As for the twists and turns behind all this, why the disaster happened, what the Ji family did—ask him yourself when you have the chance.”
Ji Yang nodded, still lost in his own thoughts, too absorbed to dwell on the details.
Just then, a conflict erupted on the surveillance feed.
Han Biao was leading Building Four’s side.
Compared to this group of people, the supervision team looked like a bunch of harmless scholars; they couldn’t hold their ground for even two exchanges.
The audio from the surveillance was chaotic and muddled.
First came someone from the supervision team shouting: “What do you think you’re doing?! What exactly do you want? We’re here under orders to inspect—don’t cause trouble!”
Han Biao stood there like a street thug, his massive frame planted in the middle of the corridor, sneering: “We’ve read the transfer orders too. It says ‘assist with coordination.’ You come in and rip the place apart like this—who exactly is causing trouble?”
The other man’s face turned as dark as a cast-iron pot. “If you refuse to cooperate today, you may not be able to bear the consequences.”
“What consequences?” Han Biao leaned against the wall and cracked his neck. “Tell your Grandpa Biao here and let me hear them.”
Inside the car.
Ji Yang said: “If he ever went into protection racketeering as a thug, no one would dare owe him a cent.”
Jiang Lei typed on the keyboard. “Same thing in Building Four—no one dares to owe him money either.”
Just then, Nie Xu’s figure appeared on screen.
He led a group of people down from the upper floors, with a middle-aged man from the supervision team at his side.
The moment they appeared, the hostile standoff between both sides seemed to freeze slightly.
“Han Biao,” Nie Xu spoke. “That’s enough. Be courteous.”
The middle-aged man opposite also signaled to his own people. “Keep the noise down. We’re here to assist with an investigation, not to brawl.”
After speaking, he turned to Nie Xu with a smile. “Mr. Nie, we’re also following President Chu’s orders. If any of our people have given offense, I hope you’ll forgive them.”
“How polite,” Nie Xu said mildly. “If President Chu has any concerns, we’ll cooperate fully at any time.”
The other man’s eyes appeared friendly, though there was a subtle dissatisfaction beneath.
He continued: “Then over the next few days, Mr. Nie and the men of Building Four will have to make do staying here. It’d be best if you didn’t go out.”
Han Biao shot to his feet, his face dark with fury. “Are you trying to put us under house arrest?”
“That’s a bit harsh, brother,” the middle-aged man said with a helpless smile. “The main thing is, if this gets blown out of proportion, not only the Ji family, but the Chamber of Commerce, Jianyuan—none of us would come out looking good, you see.”
The middle-aged man turned to Nie Xu. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Nie?”
Nie Xu looked at the middle-aged man and smiled. “Han Biao—cooperate fully. Starting today, apart from daily activities, all outdoor training programs are suspended. All affairs in Building Four are on hold. We’ll wait for further notice on when to resume.”
The middle-aged man’s expression shifted slightly.
He wanted to say something more, but Nie Xu had already turned and left with his people.
On the third day after Nie Xu lost contact, Ji Yang received word from the Peng family. The issue with the material review had taken a favorable turn due to the series of new announcements Jianyuan issued after coming to power.
One of them concerned the route from Zhouling to South Island.
Although the asset transition was still underway, the bidding party, now with Jianyuan’s involvement, confirmed that their documentation was in order.
Yiyuan’s position, at this point, had become crystal clear.
And rather conspicuous.
Wen Yu contacted him again.
He expressed a desire to participate in Jianyuan’s new round of outsourcing bids through Ji Yang.
When Ji Yang answered the call, he was once again standing in front of the wall painting in the Burman apartment.
Wen Yu’s voice was very clear. “I learned through certain channels that Building Four of the Ji family has become a focal point where various powers converge. I hear that while Fourth Young Master was at the Ji family, you did quite a few so-called outrageous things for a bodyguard. If you’re willing to agree, how about I smooth things over with the Chamber of Commerce on your behalf?”
“Mr. Wen is remarkably well-informed.” Ji Yang kept his eyes on the painting. “Surely you know who that bodyguard really is?”
Wen Yu chuckled. “You really are hard to please.”
“It’s not that I’m hard to please,” Ji Yang said. “It’s that I know what I can do is very limited.”
Wen Yu was quiet for a few seconds. “Do you trust him that much?”
Ji Yang walked to the window and pushed it open.
It was raining again tonight.
Rain beat against the window frame, building into a torrential downpour.
Watching the rain, Ji Yang softly murmured an “mm.”
After hanging up, he stood leaning against the window for another five minutes.
Every word he had said to Wen Yu was true.
His trust was true as well.
But when a faint ache surfaced from beneath his knee, he abruptly bolted out of the room.
The housekeeper stared at him in surprise as he snatched up the documents from the sofa. “Xiao Yang, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going out.” Ji Yang slipped the documents into a waterproof pouch. “You can head home after you’re done tidying up. Oh—no, it’s raining too hard today. Just stay here. Don’t wait up for me.”
The housekeeper followed behind him, fussing. “It’s pouring out there! What documents are so urgent? Lin Yue could come pick them up tomorrow, couldn’t he?”
Ji Yang paused at the door.
Then he said: “No.”
“Tonight it has to be.”
A three-party receipt that happened to need Nie Xu’s signature had been sitting on the table for three days already.
The plan wasn’t born at this very moment.
Nor was it a matter of distrust.
It was simply that, right now, he had an urgent need—one that left him no choice but to see someone tonight.