Those words, "Much better than your life," stabbed straight into Lin Yushan's heart.
He had an older sister who outshone him in everything, leaving him feeling almost like a dependent living under someone else's roof in his own home. His parents had also raised him as a girl since childhood, and he had always believed they had ruined his entire life.
Lin Yushan lunged forward like a madman, trying to claw at Xia Shule.
Before Yan Zhiyi could step in to shield him, Xia Shule had already whipped out a powerful slap at lightning speed.
Xia Shule said, "Go fuck yourself!"
Ka-boom!
The blow nearly knocked Lin Yushan off his feet. Only the lackey beside him kept him from falling.
"Aah!!"
"What the hell are you screeching for?!" Xia Shule roared.
Lao Zhu hurried over at the commotion to find one man clutching his face and crying, one furious Xia Shule, and one... man with his hand halfway raised.
Lao Zhu: "?" Was this World War II?
"What happened, Xiaxia?"
"A fly kept buzzing in my ear, giving me a headache here. I raised my hand and gave a smack, and sent him blooming with the whack!"
Lao Zhu looked solemn. He understood that poem. "Sir, please don't cause trouble in the shop, or I'll have to ask you to leave."
"You..." Lin Yushan pointed at Xia Shule, then at Lao Zhu.
Then a tear rolled down his cheek from the pain. Next time. He would definitely win next time!
"Just you wait, Xia Shule!" Lin Yushan turned to leave, viciously stomping on his lackey's foot as he spun around.
The lackey: Aah!! What did I do to deserve this...?
Once outside, he began berating his lackey for not helping him. Xia Shule vaguely heard the lackey explain that he couldn't afford to mess with Young Master Xia.
Then Lin Yushan called him useless and stomped on his other foot...
Seeing someone who opposed him in a bad mood put Xia Shule in a good mood. He felt great. Everyone else's feelings were none of his concern.
He turned back happily, his face brimming with the smug satisfaction of victory. "Let's go, Mr. Gardener. Anyone who dares insult you is getting a cannon blast from me!"
"You don't think I'm shabby?"
Xia Shule gave him a sincere answer. "Your clothes are clean, and they smell of soap, so they must have been freshly washed. You're neat and well-groomed, too. I've seen you work, and you take it seriously. There's nothing shabby about that. Nothing at all."
Xia Shule's eyes held a pool of clear spring water, pure and transparent, revealing his wholehearted sincerity. These weren't polite platitudes or empty pleasantries. Every word came from his heart.
"Thank you. It's been a long time since I've felt what it's like to have someone stand up for me." Yan Zhiyi, too, spoke from the heart.
"A long time? Stick with me, and you'll feel it every day!" Xia Shule grinned, showing his neat little white teeth and looking rather goofy.
Yan Zhiyi thought he couldn't keep hiding the truth from him. Would this earnest young man bristle when he found out Yan Zhiyi had lied to him?
He would have to speed things up with Jiang Gechen once he got back. "Do you have time tomorrow?"
Xia Shule wanted to say no. He was planning to visit the Yan Residence tomorrow to get into the Yan Family Old Master's good graces. But... This is your benefactor, Xia Shule. Can you really bear to turn him down?
"...Yes. Why?" Fine. I'll go along with him, whatever it takes.
"Meet me at the Yan Residence tomorrow morning. I'll be in..." The back garden wouldn't do; Xia Shule would have an allergic reaction. "I'll wait for you in the main hall."
"?"
Why was he suddenly asking him to meet at the Yan Residence? Why would a gardener arrange to meet him there? Ever cautious, Xia Shule couldn't figure out what he was up to.
"What's it about?"
"Something important. See you tomorrow."
With that, Yan Zhiyi left without looking back, his solid figure receding into the distance. Xia Shule remained rooted to the spot, petrified. With such a decisive manner, this gardener was practically born to be a leader.
Xia Shule shook his head. He was his benefactor, after all. Might as well indulge him. Then he got into his car and left.
In the distance, a Rolls-Royce Phantom was parked by the roadside.
Li Changbin had no idea why his boss had told him to wait so far away. Bored out of his mind, he was slacking off...
As his boss's tall, slender figure approached, Li Changbin hurried out of the car to greet him.
"How are things going with Jiang Gechen?"
"The testing is still underway."
"All right. Back to the Yan Residence."
Meanwhile,
Xia Shule returned home and discovered that his doctor, Xu Wenchuan, was actually there, chatting and laughing with his parents.
"What are you doing here?"
At the sound of his voice, Xu Wenchuan turned around. Doctor Xu wasn't wearing his white coat today, and his casual clothes gave him a different sort of charm.
Xu Wenchuan smiled gently. "A house call to change your dressing."
Xia Shule's eyes widened. Did First Hospital offer service this good? They even made house calls to change dressings? "You can do that at home, too? Thanks for going to the trouble."
Like a smiling tiger, Xu Wenchuan pushed up his glasses, his smile still as gentle as water. "Of course. I called you, but you didn't answer, so I had no choice but to come here."
Xia Shule: "..."
Mr. and Mrs. Xia laughed awkwardly on the sidelines and quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.
He really knows how to get a dig in... Xia Shule reluctantly held out his injured wrist. His phone showed that the call had come half an hour ago, when he had been busy battling someone!
Xu Wenchuan's brows knitted tightly. "The wound has reopened a little. What have you been doing?"
Xia Shule felt a little guilty. Impossible. I hit him with my other hand. How could the wound on this hand have reopened?
"I don't know. I didn't do anything. I really don't know."
"..."
Xu Wenchuan had a feeling that this hand was going to give him endless headaches.
Early the next morning, Xia Shule rubbed his lower back and cradled his wrist as he shuffled into the bathroom like a zombie. The one-handed warrior needed half an hour just to finish washing up.
He had only recently been reborn, and had barely gotten out of bed after his injury before going out to argue and fight again. His aching muscles howled in protest, Xia Shule's spirits wilted, and the dark circles under his eyes nearly reached his heels.
After hastily covering them with some concealer, Xia Shule set off for the Yan Residence.
Breakfast? If he wasn't hungry, he wouldn't eat!
Just as Xu Wenchuan had said, Xia Shule never learned his lesson. His wound had reopened only yesterday, yet today he was going to drive himself.
Xia Shule picked a gorgeous bright-red sports car, his favorite. In the story that unfolded after his death in his previous life, Jiang Gechen had sold his beloved car as scrap metal. Just thinking about it hurt.
Vroom!
He cut what should have been an hour's drive down to half an hour. Not only had he saved time, but Xia Shule had also enjoyed himself immensely.
As soon as he reached the Yan family's gates, they let him in without the slightest surprise, as though everyone knew he was coming. The butler, Old Zheng, was already waiting at the entrance.
Could it be...?
Could the gardener have secretly arranged a meeting with President Yan for me? Nice work, Mr. Gardener! He's such a good guy!
The moment he got out of the car, Xia Shule adopted the air of someone arriving for business negotiations, lifting his hands as he stepped forward for a handshake. "Hello, Old Zheng. Long time no see!"
"Long time no see, Young Master Xia. You're even more handsome than you were two days ago." Old Zheng was quite fond of this young fellow, too. He was sweet and adorable. "Please come inside. The master is waiting for you."
The master!?!?!? The gardener really did get me a meeting with President Yan! Amazing!
Xia Shule's eyes sparkled, his surprise completely unconcealed and his delight written all over his face. "The master-is that President Yan?? Is it? It is, right! Why is he waiting for me? Did a little gardener put in a word for me? Can you give the gardener a raise?"
Old Zheng barely understood any of that barrage. It left his head spinning. A youngster could be too energetic, too; sometimes, when he asked questions, you had no idea which one to answer.
Old Zheng picked an easy one. "Yes, it's President Yan."