Chapter 55: Protecting You Is an Instinct of Mine
Yue Ping had just come out of a bar. Blown by the cool night breeze, his head cleared up quite a bit. In the afternoon, he hadn’t been able to reach Shen Yanzhou, which made him anxious. He couldn’t help but worry that his bossās sudden disappearance might be related to the troublemaking young master. He knew their relationship as uncle and nephew had become subtle and fragile; it could no longer withstand any external pressure. If the young master did something to pierce Shen Yanzhouās heart again, the two would likely fall apart in an instant.
He didn’t want to see that happen. Yu Yiāan was still young. Because he lacked maternal love from childhood and had seen much bloodshed following his powerful father, his psychology was somewhat distorted and morbid. He had no other relatives in this world. If Shen Yanzhou gave up on him too, given his temperament, there was no telling what extreme things he might do. His life would be ruined. Thus, Yue Ping had often worried about him these past few days.
In the evening, Yu Yiāan had proactively called, asking if he had time for dinner. Yue Ping agreed without thinking. The two met at a restaurant and ate. Yue Ping indirectly checked on his recent psychological state. The feeling Yu Yiāan gave him was that in just a few days, he seemed to have moved on from the pain of his unrequited love. This made Yue Ping feel even more uneasy, because based on his understanding, this was nearly impossible.
However, Yue Ping confirmed one thing: the bossās abnormality today had nothing to do with Yu Yiāan. After dinner, Yu Yiāan insisted on going to a bar. Yue Ping was someone who liked peace and quiet at heart, but having been in the business world for a long time, he could navigate any occasion. So, all night, he kept the young master quite happy.
At this moment, walking along the road of the bar street, Yu Yiāan beside him was very drunk, unable to walk steadily. It just so happened that a young lady passed by with a small dog. Yu Yiāan, who was always afraid of dogs, turned pale instantly. With a leap, he jumped onto Yue Ping.
“Alright, Young Master, the dog is far away. Come down!” Yue Ping coaxed him softly.
Yu Yiāan shook his head and muttered, “No, I’m scared!” He then clung to Yue Pingās neck like a sloth, refusing to let go.
Yue Ping could only smile bitterly. A master who dared to kill someone was actually afraid of a small dog. He thought of something and asked, “Hey, do you have any medicine for liver protection or sobering up at home?”
Yu Yiāan shook his head haphazardly. “Not sure…”
Yue Ping looked around and saw a pharmacy across the street not far ahead. He decided to buy some medicine to take back; it would be a problem if he didn’t have any at home. He carried Yu Yiāan to a bench. “Young Master, sit here for a while. Iām going over there to buy some sobering medicine; Iāll be back soon.”
After much persuasion, he finally detached the person and placed him gently on the bench. “Wait here nicely, don’t move.” Yue Ping reminded him again before turning to walk toward the pharmacy.
He bought the medicine quickly and hurried back. From afar, he saw Yu Yiāan leaning against the back of the bench. His long legs were casually crossed, his arms spread out over the backrest, and his head was tilted back slightly as if he had fallen asleep. He was wearing a well-tailored burgundy casual shirt and black trousers. This color scheme, which wasn’t easy to pull off, was easily mastered by the young masterās looks. His collar was casually open, and his legs were straight and long. Coupled with his flowing gray semi-long hair, he exuded a vibe that was both sinister and refinedāthe classic “scholarly scum.”
The corner of Yue Pingās mouth lifted slightly. Just then, three drunken men walked over and stopped in front of Yu Yiāan. They looked thuggish, smirking and gesturing, though their words were indistinct.
Yue Pingās heart tightened, and he ran toward them.
“Hehe, there’s a pretty little sister here!”
“Eh, wait, it’s not a sister? It’s a little brother! Holy shit, he’s really something!”
“Little baby, do you want us brothers to show you a good time? Hahaha!”
From ten meters away, Yue Ping heard the menās foul language. He frowned deeply and rushed over in three steps. “What are you doing! Get away, don’t touch him!” he shouted, pushing one of the men in a floral shirt away with force.
The floral-shirted man turned and saw Yue Ping, but instead of getting angry, he laughed. “Hehe, another handsome guy! Hahaha, weāre in luck tonight!” As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Yue Pingās arm.
“Let go, you bastard!” Yue Ping was both angry and anxious as he slapped the man across the face.
“Fuck! You dare hit me!” The floral-shirted man raised his hand to attack Yue Ping.
Right at that momentā
BAM! A fist shot out unexpectedly from the side, landing hard on the manās jaw.
“Ouchāwho the fuck hit me?”
Before he could turn his head, fists fell like raindrops. Not just the floral-shirted man, but the other two men were also beaten until they were reeling, clutching their heads and wailing. Although Yu Yiāanās eyes were hazy with alcohol, it didn’t affect the speed or power of his punches at all. With a few moves, he beat the three lecherous creeps until their faces were bruised and they were seeing stars.
“A bunch of… trash! Get lost!” he growled with a drunken slur.
The three men never expected that such a refined-looking pretty boy would be so ruthless. They didn’t dare stay another minute and scrambled away.
Yue Ping looked at the tall, murderous-looking Yu Yiāan and felt a moment of daze. Five years ago, he had been sold by his bastard adoptive father to pay off gambling debts. While he was running away, cornered by those people, he had been saved by the passing Shen Yanzhou. The figure of Yu Yiāan before him seemed to overlap with the Shen Yanzhou of that time.
Yu Yiāanās body swayed, and he was about to fall. Yue Ping came back to his senses and quickly supported him, carefully placing him on the bench. “Young Master, are you alright?” Yue Ping was full of concern.
Yu Yiāan squinted and smiled. “What could happen to me? Assistant Yue… you forgot, I… know Muay Thai? So in the future… don’t try to… play the hero saving the beauty… heh!”
Yue Ping pursed his lips. Although Yu Yiāan liked to cause trouble normally, he rarely went out to fight. Compared to direct combat, he preferred using his brain and schemes to kill without a trace. Thus, Yue Ping had nearly forgotten that he was very good at Muay Thai.
Yue Ping lowered his head. “I can’t help it. Protecting you is probably an instinct of mine.” His eyes were very gentle. “When I first met you, you only reached here on me.” He gestured at his chest level. “Now you’re a bit taller than me.”
Yu Yiāan chuckled. “Assistant Yue, you’re a bit… weak. How about… I teach you… how to box sometime?”
Yue Ping shook his head. “Forget it. Iāve never been able to fight; I won’t learn it.” As he spoke, he took out the bottle of medicine. He poured two pills into his palm and handed them to Yu Yiāan. “Take these; youāll feel better.”
Yu Yiāan obediently leaned his head over and, using Yue Pingās hand, extended his tongue to lick the two chewable tablets into his mouth. Yue Ping felt a warm, wet sensation in his palm and quickly withdrew his hand.
“Letās go, it’s late. Iāll call a designated driver to take you home.”
Yu Yiāan grabbed Yue Pingās arm. “I want you to take me back!”
Yue Ping smiled and patted his shoulder. “Iāve been drinking too.”
Yu Yiāan didn’t speak, just looked at him.
Yue Ping: “Fine, Iāll go with you, alright?”
Yu Yiāan gave a hum and fell groggily into Yue Pingās arms.
While the driver headed toward the Mingyue Garden Villa, Shen Yanzhouās call came through. Yu Yiāan was leaning on Yue Pingās shoulder. He was a bit worried that the bossās last words might have been heard by the young master. Fortunately, Yu Yiāan was fast asleep, his ears automatically closed.
Yue Ping took the young master back to the villa, handed him over to Uncle Zhang, gave a few instructions, and then left. He took a taxi straight to the Longsheng Group building. Back in his office, he immediately began arranging the investigation as Shen Yanzhou had ordered.
Yue Ping sighed in his heart. His CEOās little baby was truly ill-fated. It seemed he wouldn’t reach a successful conclusion without going through eighty-one tribulations! He also offered a silent prayer for the people who had harmed the little baby. They didn’t have many days left to live!
Translatorās Note: “Scholarly scum” (ęÆęč“„ē±» – sÄ« wĆ©n bĆ i lĆØi) is a popular archetype in Chinese web novelsāa character who looks refined and polite but is actually ruthless or dangerous. Yu Yiāan fits this perfectly. Also, the “eighty-one tribulations” (ä¹ä¹å «åäøé¾) is a reference to Journey to the West, used here to mean a long, difficult journey. Yue Pingās relationship with Yu Yiāan is also shifting; the “instinct to protect” hints at a deeper bond.
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