The man had a thick beard and emitted a faint scent of orchids. His eyes were bleary with sleep and his expression was lazy, clearly indicating he had only just woken up. Upon seeing Lu Yubai clearly, a look of impatience surfaced on his face.
“You knocked on the wrong door, did you not?” the man said, preparing to close the door.
Lu Yubai pushed against the door to stop him. Because he used too much force, the wounds on his palm and wrist were pulled, causing a sharp sting. Lu Yubai’s face paled slightly, but his gaze remained steady and determined.
“You are Mr. Yang Zhi, correct? I have not come to the wrong place.”
Inside the house, Yang Zhi brewed a cup of tea for him.
“I wonder what brings Young Master Lu all this way to find me?” Yang Zhi sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. He exuded a rough, rebellious aura, lacking any of the composure or elegance associated with Yang Shu.
“It is like this. I have two matters to discuss with you.” Lu Yubai took a letter from his suit pocket and pressed it onto the coffee table. “This is the first matter.”
Yang Zhi instinctively leaned forward. Seeing the familiar handwriting, a hint of danger flashed in his hawk-like eyes, and the scent of orchids in the air grew heavy. Unfortunately, his orchid scent posed no threat to Lu Yubai, whose S3-level red wine pheromones were far superior.
“Mr. Yang Zhi, this is the suicide note Old Mr. Yang Shu left for you. I obtained this letter by accident and brought it to you since I was heading this way.” Lu Yubai kept his fingertips on the note, a polite smile on his face. “I once heard that when you were young, the Old Gentleman played a game with you to temper your character. Your father would paint the furnishings in the house, and you had to find the missing items in the paintings.”
Lu Yubai withdrew his hand and picked up his teacup. As he sipped the tea, he glanced at Yang Zhi. Yang Zhi’s expression was complex.
How did Lu Yubai know about this?
Confusion and wariness intertwined in his heart, but he quickly suppressed them. He smirked. “What? Does Young Master Lu want to play a game with me too?”
Yang Zhi’s eyes were dark and cold. These were nothing more than trashy games Yang Shu used to pass the time. Memories of the past suddenly surged in his chest. He remembered clearly that when his mother died, she was still clutching that mobile phone tightly. She had used the last of her strength to dial twice, but the result was always “no answer.”
On the ground was blood-red rice, an ultrasound report, a prestigious university admission notice, and a woman with a smiling face and disheveled hair. Just thinking about it caused Yang Zhi’s chest to throb with pain. He closed his eyes as the bloody scene played out once more in his mind. He could never forget that day, and he could never forgive Yang Shu. His closed eyelids trembled slightly.
Suddenly, a cold voice pulled him back to reality. “I do not have time for boring games.”
Lu Yubai set down his teacup and handed the suicide note to Yang Zhi. As Yang Zhi took the letter, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in Lu Yubai’s mind.
“Congratulations to the host for completing all tasks. The glands will be automatically repaired in one hour.”
Lu Yubai’s consciousness returned to the present, and a flicker of joy crossed his eyes. After three years, he had finally reached this day. Amidst his happiness, Yang Zhi, who had just taken the letter, tore the paper into pieces without a second thought and threw them into the trash can.
Lu Yubai was surprised. He thought Yang Zhi would at least read it. According to Yang Shu’s letter, the Old Gentleman knew Yang Zhi was involved in dangerous activities. Lu Yubai did not know exactly what they were, nor was he interested. However, those activities might be related to Yang Shu framing Jinghua. This meant that Yang Shu’s reason for posting that video was not for personal gain, but for Yang Zhi.
Yang Zhi was a person who had refused to arrange his own father’s funeral on the pretext of being abroad. Lu Yubai could not say who was good or bad; he only wanted to identify the person targeting Jinghua and understand their intentions.
“Mr. Yang, I will now move on to the second matter. I heard you have been dealing in jadeite recently?” Lu Yubai crossed his legs and leaned back lazily against the sofa, looking every bit the businessman.
“Yes, is Young Master Lu interested?” At the mention of business, Yang Zhi’s eyes lit up, and his previous displeasure vanished completely.
“I am looking to commission a batch of jadeite cufflinks recently. Does Boss Yang have the stock?” Lu Yubai asked calmly.
Yang Zhi immediately took a box of cigarettes from the coffee table and offered one to Lu Yubai. “Young Master Lu, I have as much stock as you need. It just depends on what quality of jadeite you are looking for.”
Lu Yubai smiled and waved it away. “I quit.”
“As you know, Jinghua has always focused on high-end luxury. Not just any broken stone can be used as jadeite. I still need to see the goods first.” Lu Yubai’s expression was somewhat arrogant. His narrow eyes were slightly squinted, his dark brown pupils held a trace of indifference, and the mole under his eye glinted coldly.
“Naturally, naturally. I just received a new batch of jadeite slabs, freshly cut! They are on the way. The quality is crystal clear and incredibly beautiful! I spent a fortune on them.” Yang Zhi stroked his thick beard, greed surfacing in his eyes.
Lu Yubai’s thin lips curled. “When do the goods arrive?”
“The day after tomorrow. They will be here the day after tomorrow.” Yang Zhi rubbed his hands together, looking at Lu Yubai expectantly.
“How about this: in six days, bring the goods to Jinghua to find me. I want to inspect them personally. You had better not be fooling me.” After saying that, Lu Yubai stood up.
Yang Zhi understood and immediately rose to see him out. When Lu Yubai left the villa, Yang Zhi was all smiles, his eagerness a complete contrast to the coldness he showed when they first met.
After getting into his car, Lu Yubai first went to a restaurant for dinner. While eating, he sent a text to Yan Chi.
Lu Yubai: Image of dinner Lu Yubai: “Starving to death, Wifey! I miss your braised fish!” Lu Yubai: “Is Wifey off work yet?”
Yan Chi replied almost instantly: “…”
Lu Yubai continued to share his life, telling him about Yang Zhi tearing up the letter, but he mentioned nothing about the second matter. Yan Chi did not reply again.
In truth, Lu Yubai’s palms and wrists hurt quite a bit while he was typing; his hands were even shaking. But because he was messaging Yan Chi, he did not feel the pain at all. However, while eating, he had to leave early because his wrists hurt too much to continue.
As he left the restaurant, he saw the driver waiting by the car. Before getting in, Lu Yubai sensed several figures in the corner. His pupils constricted. He stopped and said coldly to the driver, “You are off duty.”
The driver was confused, but Lu Yubai’s gaze was sharp and commanding. After handing the keys to Lu Yubai, the driver left. Once inside the car, Lu Yubai skillfully took a painkiller from his suit pocket. He unscrewed a bottle of water and swallowed the pill. He wiped the water from his mouth onto the silk scarf wrapped around his wrist. The deep red on the inner side of his wrist began to dissolve slightly in the moisture.
Before starting the car, he made a phone call. After hanging up, he looked through the rearview mirror at the dark corner. Amidst the swaying leaves, those dark figures were like moles hiding in the shadows, never to see the light, behaving utterly suspiciously.
They had finally come.