HR Chapter 16

It’s either an inside job or outside forces. Shu Xiu hasn’t left Shang Ning City recently, except for that one trip to Shang Shui on Lu Qinyuan’s behalf. Shang Shui City is that person’s territory. If Shu Xiu had really offended that person, he wouldn’t have come back in one piece. Besides, the fact that they’re only thinking about settling accounts after so much time has passed shows that the person wasn’t capable of retaliating immediately and needed time to plot and plan.

Heh, these small fries are getting bold, daring to touch a tiger’s ass. They must think their lives are too long.

“Shu Xiu went to Shang Shui a while ago. Check who he contacted and what he did.” Moving Gui Taizi (Shu Xiu) is like slapping Lu Qinyuan in the face. If he doesn’t find the person and kill them as a warning, people will think they can mess with anyone around him. They’re thinking too naively.

Bai Ze casually grunted in agreement, already taking out his phone to issue orders. Cheng Ruoyu smacked his head. “Oh, right, I have a gift for you. Your coming here saves me a trip.” Cheng Ruoyu got up and walked behind his desk, took out a beautifully packaged gift box, and stuffed it into Lu Qinyuan’s hands, saying confidently, “You’ll definitely like it.”

“Another doll. You’ve given me a pile. I gave them all away to Shu Xiu. They’re all stored in his room.” Lu Qinyuan moved to open it, but Cheng Ruoyu quickly stopped him, saying with a playful smile, “No need to look. This one’s different. You definitely won’t be willing to give it away. Keep it to play with.”

As soon as Cheng Ruoyu said that, Lu Qinyuan guessed whose doll it was, so he stopped. He glanced at Xiao Qi, who was standing on the step ladder, slightly hunched over, looking at that place for a long time without moving. He’d been there for quite a while. Seeing that Shu Xiu should be leaving soon, Lu Qinyuan called out to him, “Come down, it’s time to go.”

Getting up, he went to the bedroom. The situation was indeed frightening, a matter of life and death. Lu Qinyuan’s expression turned serious. He said in a low voice, “I’ll give his work to someone else. Let him recuperate here in peace. Once he’s recovered, he can go back. Cheng Ruoyu, please take care of him. The two of you have never gotten along since you met. If he throws a tantrum, you, as his older brother, have to be more understanding.”

“A’Yuan, why are you being so polite! What’s mine is yours!” Cheng Ruoyu saw Shu Xiu’s trembling eyes open as he turned around to see Lu Qinyuan out. He half-closed his eyes, trying to focus his vision.

Cheng Ruoyu smiled slightly and casually closed the bedroom door. Lu Qinyuan had already walked to the ancestral tablet and respectfully lit three incense sticks. He found a very thin layer of dust on the tablet. Cheng Ruoyu had always been respectful of his second uncle, worshiping him several times a day, so how could he let the tablet be covered in dust?

A thought flashed through Lu Qinyuan’s mind. He looked up and saw that Xiao Qi was still standing motionless on the step ladder. He called out, “Xiao Qi.”

Hearing the urging, Xiao Qi reluctantly looked away and slowly climbed down the step ladder. Lu Qinyuan patted him on the shoulder. “If you like it, have Cheng Ruoyu give it to you.”

Xiao Qi shook his head. He saw the ancestral tablet, noticed the dust on it, and naturally reached out to wipe it. He took two steps back, stood up straight, and bowed respectfully three times before looking at the words engraved on the tablet, surrounded by incense smoke: “The Spirit Tablet of Cheng Family’s Second Lord, Hui.”

Nowadays, few people enshrine ancestral tablets at home, but the Cheng family has always maintained this tradition. Moreover, it’s said that this Cheng family member died very young, and even his body wasn’t found.

“How did he die?” After leaving, Xiao Qi asked with interest, seemingly in a good mood.

Lu Qinyuan was naturally happy to tell him. “That was Cheng family’s second uncle. He died when he was only twenty-five years old. He was a leader in the medical field at the time. Many medical experts were convinced that second uncle would create miracles in the medical world in the future. But heaven is jealous of talent. There was a fire in the second uncle’s research institute. Second uncle was burned alive while trying to save research data. His body was never recovered.”

“Uh, mmm, what a pity.” Xiao Qi was obviously distracted. Lu Qinyuan tugged at his ear. “Did you hear what I said? Still thinking about that doll?”

“It really looks so much like him.” Xiao Qi rubbed the ear that had been pinched, emphasizing, “It could pass for the real thing.” His tone was serious, unusually solemn. Lu Qinyuan couldn’t help but smile.

That doll wasn’t outstanding among the other dolls. It was a young doctor wearing a white coat, sitting at a desk, propping his chin with one hand, tilting his head slightly, his eyes downcast, looking at something. His dense eyelashes softly half-covered the expression in his eyes, carefully hiding his secrets.

Compared to other dolls, the expression on his face was expressionless, but his eyebrows and eyes were very gentle. His slender eyes seemed to contain water. Following the doll’s gaze, you could see that the doll was holding a chestnut in his hand, with half of the shell already peeled off.

Lu Qinyuan didn’t take Xiao Qi directly back. The car stopped near a school.

It was right when students were getting out for lunch. Students wearing school uniforms were walking out in twos and threes, forming groups of five. In the crowded gaps, there were also naughty students chasing and playing, bumping into this one and touching that one, laughing and shouting apologies, nimbly weaving through the crowd, dodging the companions chasing behind them.

The bustling crowd dispersed to the snack shops on the side of the road. The loudspeaker advertisements and music in the shops rose and fell one after another, stirring up a wave of noise.

Xiao Qi was lying on the car window, looking out. When the students had dispersed, Lu Qinyuan opened the car door and got out, saying to Xiao Qi, “Let’s go in and take a look.” He said to Bai Ze, who was about to get out of the car, “You stay in the car. Don’t follow.”

“Lu-ye, it’s not safe.” Bai Ze was worried.

“Stay and rest.” Lu Qinyuan’s attitude was firm. Bai Ze could only sit in the car and helplessly watch the two figures walk into the school.

As soon as they entered the school gate, they saw a hundred-year-old apricot tree, as thick as five or six people could hug. The old and stout branches were angrily spread out, and the lush greenery supported a huge shade in the center of the small square, as if it were the guardian of this campus. The apricot tree was surrounded by iron railings, and a sign stood next to it, introducing the tree’s age, variety, and related knowledge.

Scattered red ribbons hung between the majestic branches and leaves, probably hung by students making wishes. Those that were hung too high became lofty survivors.

Xiao Qi didn’t believe in gods or Buddhas, but he was only interested in the sign. He stared at it for a long time before moving away at Lu Qinyuan’s urging.

Leaving the small square and walking east, they soon walked into the shade of the plane trees. The wind blew, the leaves moved, and the swaying sunlight cast mottled shadows on the ground, like fallen stars twinkling, beautiful and pleasant.

Occasionally, one or two couples could be seen on the benches under the trees and on the grass behind the trees, secretly tasting the tart fruit of love under the pressure of strict teachers, heavy regulations, and mountain-like homework. They huddled together, saying unknowable whispers, and the girls’ ears turned red, and they ate a mouthful of the bento carefully prepared by their parents. But the boys still had thick skin, saying witty words to try to make the girls laugh.

Xiao Qi walked in front, Lu Qinyuan followed behind at a leisurely pace, silently guarding him. His state of mind had never been so peaceful as it was at this moment, as if only he and Xiao Qi existed in this world, accompanied by the gentle breeze of the plane trees.

Passing through the plane tree path was a small artificial lake. Water lilies were in full bloom in the lake, like flames floating on the water, dyeing the lake surface with bright colors, like rouge sprinkled in the lake, shimmering with light.

The lake of water lilies looked like a rolling fire from afar, and Xiao Qi standing next to the fire was like warm sunlight, embracing and absorbing it.

For a moment, Lu Qinyuan thought that Xiao Qi was standing in a field of Lycoris radiata flowers, his eyes full of red, shocking, and the enchanting red seemed to be like a flame that would devour Xiao Qi.

“Xiao Qi, come over here!” Lu Qinyuan quickly walked over and pulled Xiao Qi into his arms. After he came back to his senses, he was surprised at what he had done. He didn’t hide it and hugged Xiao Qi even tighter. “Let’s go back. Are you hungry? It’s time to eat.”

“A-Lu?” Xiao Qi could feel Lu Qinyuan’s anxiety. Lu Qinyuan let go of Xiao Qi and kissed the top of his head. “It’s nothing. Let’s go. Your Brother Bai must be worried.”

While waiting in the car, Bai Ze wasn’t idle either. His phone kept ringing. With Shu Xiu down, all sorts of problems arose. Even a group fight required a phone call to ask if they should fight or not. He really didn’t know how Shu Xiu had managed these people before.

Bai Ze’s personality was meticulous and thoughtful, but not in terms of managing people, but he also had his own set of methods. Bai Ze asked three questions.

“Your Xiu-ge isn’t around, and you don’t even know how to fight anymore, is that right?”

“Did your Xiu-ge used to listen to your nonsense about every little detail like this too?”

“I’m now wondering, are you all just brainless, or are you trying to fish in troubled waters?”

The other side fell silent. Bai Ze continued, “The territory is big, and even with the strictest rules, there will be places that can’t be taken care of, which inevitably gives people the illusion that they can take shortcuts.”

Seeing Lu Qinyuan and Xiao Qi come out, Bai Ze smiled and reminded him, “It’s rumored outside that the Weak Yama King has ten halls of Yama Kings and a hundred ghosts at his disposal. It’s exaggerated, but it may not be entirely unbelievable.”

Otherwise, how could Lu Qinyuan be able to recuperate in Lan Yuan so comfortably? And for almost a month? Even Lu Jianwei was wary of the ten halls and a hundred ghosts, otherwise Shang Ning City would have changed long ago.

“Lu-ye, Young Master Jian, you’re back.” Bai Ze opened the car door and waited for the two to get in. He closed the door and sat in the passenger seat, ordering the driver to drive, and the car behind followed slowly.

“Let’s go eat first, then go to the company.” In recent years, Lu Qinyuan had been gradually whitewashing his industries in secret. On the surface, he was the president of Zhang Yue Group, but in the dark, he was the Weak Yama King of the underworld.

“I booked a seat at Qianwei Restaurant, which is also close to the company.” Bai Ze recounted what had just happened. “There must be someone instigating them. If you don’t clear out these small fries in time, they will become a hidden danger in the long run. This time, who are you planning to have take over Xiu-xiu’s work?”

Lu Qinyuan asked, “Do you have any good candidates?”

“Mi Shengfei can handle it.” Bai Ze guessed that Lu Qinyuan’s mind was set on this person as well. Sure enough, Lu Qinyuan didn’t object. “Yeah, he’s quite capable.”

Qianwei Restaurant is a catering enterprise under the Zhang Yue Group, located in a prime location with convenient transportation. It focuses on traditional Chinese cuisine, high-quality standards, and a retro and elegant style. It is crowded with customers every day and is currently planning to open a branch. The person in charge of Qianwei Restaurant, Fang Yiwei, was extremely busy. Suddenly, he received a call from Bai Ze saying that the big boss was coming to eat. He immediately put down his work, personally supervising the arrangement of the VIP private room, and stood at the door waiting.