Chapter 70: Stay
When a person cannot answer certain questions, they usually choose silence. Sometimes it's because they don't want to answer; other times, they simply can't. Jin Yue was one who did not wish to reply. With a gentle smile, she quietly gazed into Zhang Xiaoman’s eyes, ignoring the question he posed. She had intentionally or unintentionally mentioned that time, precisely to make Zhang Xiaoman guess, however he liked. Because guessing is also suspecting. Once one relies on subjective speculation, they stray ever further from the objective truth.
The man in sunglasses, who suddenly had a red dot appear on his forehead, kept silent as well. He could not answer the middle-aged man's question—not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t. The middle-aged man exuded a commanding aura, imposing and distinguished.
His distinguished air came from his attire—every piece from head to toe was a limited-edition luxury brand, worth at least six figures. The imposing part came from the sniper rifle he carried, which looked uncannily real. The man in sunglasses had only seen such a gun in movies—deadly accurate, swift as lightning. He worried that before he could utter, “I bet your gun has no bullets,” a real red dot might burst on his forehead.
Catching a glimpse of his own shotgun, used for hunting rabbits in the hills, he sighed softly: compared to the sniper rifle, his gun was nothing but a toy. He’d only ever touched such a sniper rifle in his dreams—never in reality. Firstly, because trading firearms was a serious crime and he had no connections to obtain one; secondly, because he simply couldn’t afford it.
Swallowing nervously, he mentally estimated the rifle’s price—at least six figures. He couldn’t help but sigh again at the world’s disparities: what he yearned for was merely a plaything for others.
“Why so quiet?” Shen Yixia seized the moment to snatch back the small knife, gently slapping the man in sunglasses’ cheek with its blade. “Look at you—such a coward... Pah! Counting to three, huh? I could count to a hundred and you still wouldn’t dare make a move!”
The man in sunglasses glared at Shen Yixia, his eyes blazing, teeth grinding audibly. He snarled, “Don’t push me too far! Don’t forget—there’s a gun pointed at your head too! If it comes to it, we’ll all go down together, companions on the road to the underworld!”
Shen Yixia chuckled, then shouted, “Toad eats boogers!” He shifted his stance, sharply tilting his head to the left, raising his shoulder and slamming his right elbow into the gut of the black-uniformed man behind him, swiftly turning to snatch the shotgun.
“Before, I didn’t know what you had in your hand, so I was wary. Now...” Shen Yixia fiddled quickly with the shotgun, dismantling it in moments and tossing the parts aside. “You thought you could capture me with a shotgun? You’re far too naïve.”
Despite the pain in his stomach, the black-uniformed man got up, face twisted in fury, raising his fist and shouting, “Damn it! You dare dismantle my gun—”
Shen Yixia sneered, pointing at the red dot on the man in sunglasses’ forehead. “Haven’t you figured out the situation yet?” He purposely offered his own face, “I could stand here and let you hit me—do you dare?”
Pointing at the sniper rifle in the middle-aged man’s hand, Shen Yixia added contemptuously, “Country bumpkin, do you know what kind of gun that is? Allow me to enlighten you: the Lee-Enfield AWM/P sniper rifle, known as the AWP, ranked fifth among sniper rifles worldwide, packing the fiercest punch per shot. My advice—be sensible, or if my friend gets upset, fires off by accident, and splatters your boss’s face with blood, it won’t be fun. Unless... you’ve always wanted your boss dead, so you could take his place...”
“Step aside! Useless fool, you can’t even keep your own gun safe. I’ll deal with you later.” The man in sunglasses glared at the black-uniformed man, took a deep breath, forced a smile, and bowed to the middle-aged man. “I’ll remember today. May I ask your esteemed name?”
The middle-aged man’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Do you take me for a fool? If I give you my name, you’ll just come for revenge? I won’t ask who you are, and you don’t need to know my name. After today, we’ll go our separate ways.”
“I don’t mean trouble in the future. I’m just curious—someone of your stature,” the man in sunglasses licked his lips, “should know a gentleman doesn’t stand under a dangerous wall. Why would you wade into these muddy waters?”
The middle-aged man pointed at Zhang Yunxi, who had been quietly observing. “I made a deal with her father. One condition was to protect them in Greenvine City until their business is done and they return safely to City A.”
“Just in Greenvine City?” The man in sunglasses’ eyes flickered, questioning earnestly.
“Of course. I’m not going to be anyone’s bodyguard for life,” the middle-aged man scoffed. “Only in Greenvine City, only for this journey. After that, their fate is their own.”
“Hey, sunglasses, still not giving up?” Shen Yixia spat on the ground. “Still scheming for payback later? Let me tell you, my friends are everywhere. There’s a thousand more after this one. A single mouthful of spit from each could drown you, so best drop those thoughts now.”
The man in sunglasses ignored Shen Yixia, bowed again to the middle-aged man. “If that’s so, may you keep your word. Mountains endure, rivers flow, we’ll part ways here.” He signaled the black-uniformed men around him. “Let’s go!”
The middle-aged man slowly put away his sniper rifle, secretly wiped his sweaty palm, and said, “Safe travels!”
Shen Yixia made a face at the retreating man in sunglasses as he gathered his men by the car. “Pah, what an act—coward!”
With the crisis resolved, Sun Tiantian gently stroked the green snake’s head, letting it retreat into her jacket pocket. Curious, she asked Zhang Yunxi, “Who is that uncle? From his words, it seems he knows Uncle Man.”
Zhang Yunxi squinted at something on the middle-aged man’s right ankle, shaking her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard my dad mention any friends in prison...”
“Prison?” Sun Tiantian was puzzled. “You mean he’s been to jail?”
“I mean he’s currently serving time,” Zhang Yunxi nodded toward the middle-aged man’s right ankle. “See? He’s wearing an electronic shackle. Such devices are only found on one kind of person—prisoners on temporary release.”
The middle-aged man clapped his hands as he walked over to Zhang Yunxi and Sun Tiantian. “Truly, a tiger father breeds no dog daughter. Surrounded by so many just now, you remained calm—that’s courage. After the crisis, you stayed vigilant and noticed what was on my ankle, analyzing rationally—that’s wisdom. You have both. Zhang Xiaoman has done plenty of despicable things in his life, yet he managed to raise a daughter like you. The heavens certainly play favorites.”
Zhang Yunxi frowned, coolly replied, “Though you helped us just now, I’d prefer you not speak ill of my father in front of me. It’s not polite.”
The middle-aged man laughed heartily. “Even your loyalty is cut from the same mold... I’ve known your father for many years. Even in his presence, I’d say the same, and guarantee he wouldn’t be angry—he’d only feel more proud.”
Zhang Yunxi bit her lip, coldly asked, “Who are you?”
“Have you ever heard a nursery rhyme?” The middle-aged man’s gaze grew distant, as if returning to a long-ago restaurant. “Little mouse climbs the lampstand, steals oil to eat, can’t get down...”
“Rolls down with a rumble!” Shen Yixia, suddenly appearing, grinned. “I know that rhyme. Not just that one—I know hundreds. When I was bored in the hills, I memorized over three hundred nursery rhymes...”
Zhang Yunxi shot Shen Yixia a look, then studied the middle-aged man’s face for a moment, her eyes brightening. “You’re Han Yuan!”
Han Yuan nodded, gave a thumbs up, smiling broadly. “Smart!”
“Never heard of him...” Sun Tiantian whispered to Zhang Yunxi. “Is he some big deal?”
“It’s normal you haven’t,” Zhang Yunxi said, face odd. “You deal with homicides, but his crimes are all in finance. In four words—deceiver of the world.”
Han Yuan puffed out his chest, proudly declared, “A fitting description. Seems even though I’ve been in prison for years, my reputation lives on.”
Sun Tiantian pouted. “So basically, a swindler. I hate swindlers most—cheating people out of a lifetime’s hard-earned money, leaving families ruined...”
“That’s not quite right,” Han Yuan defended himself. “I never swindled the poor. I only collected ‘intelligence tax’ from those capitalist fat cats who harvest from the masses. They covet even the last coin from the poor and make money shamelessly—so I simply fought fire with fire. Besides, if a lie can be believed for a lifetime, it’s hardly a lie. Many of them still believe what I told them, worshipping me in shrines to this day.”
Seeing Sun Tiantian’s questioning look, Zhang Yunxi gently nodded. “It’s true. Many financial tycoons still revere Han Yuan. Also, much of the money he took from the rich was given to the poor who suffered from those tycoons’ predatory actions. Because of this, though his fraud total is astronomical—he should have been sentenced for life—but after some pleaded with the judge, his sentence was halved.”
“There’s honor among thieves!” Shen Yixia’s eyes sparkled, staring at Han Yuan’s sniper rifle, drooling. “Brother Yuan, I have a shameless request... Can I touch your treasure? I’ve only seen it in movies—never thought I’d get to see the real thing.”
Han Yuan handed the sniper rifle to Shen Yixia, cleared his throat, and glanced at the not-yet-distant man in sunglasses. “You can touch, but don’t mess with it...”
“This weight feels off...” Shen Yixia took the sniper rifle, inspecting it. Suddenly, he noticed a red button on the left side of the gun and asked in surprise, “What’s this?”
Han Yuan’s eyelid twitched, and he shouted, “Don’t touch—!”
Before he finished, Shen Yixia pressed the button. Instantly, loud music blared from the sniper rifle:
“The boundless horizon is my love, beneath the rolling green hills flowers bloom, what rhythm swings the most, what song brings the greatest joy... You are the most beautiful cloud at my sky’s edge, let me keep you in my heart (keep you in my heart)!”
Zhang Yunxi and Sun Tiantian stared dumbfounded at Shen Yixia, whose hands held a sniper rifle flashing with colorful lights and singing loudly. They were utterly stunned.
“I told you not to mess with it...” Han Yuan glanced at the man in sunglasses, who had suddenly stopped and turned around, his face stiffening as he squeezed out two words, “Run!”