Chapter 9: A Stolen Kiss
1391 Words
“Liu Kun, my time is running out.”
“Master, the doctors said you’re—”
“I pay those doctors. They’ll say whatever I tell them to,” Nan Rong Yong glanced at Liu Kun, his voice deepening. “You’re the one I trust most, so I’ll be honest with you. The doctors think I have less than two years left. I didn’t tell Wanqing because I don’t want her to worry. She’s only been running the company for a few years—her position isn’t stable yet. If the others in the family find out about my health, who knows what they’ll do? In families like ours, interests matter more than blood ties.”
“Don’t worry, Master. I’ll never tell anyone about this.”
Nan Rong Yong nodded, then changed the subject. “I heard someone sent a clock while I was seriously ill?”
“Yes… we haven’t found out who it was yet.”
“Hmph! No need to check—I can guess who’s behind it. They dared to send a clock so openly, which means they’re in a hurry to make their move. Liu Kun, from now on, stay by Wanqing’s side and protect her. I don’t want the tragedy from last time to happen again.”
Liu Kun knew what “tragedy” Nan Rong Yong was referring to. A few years ago, Nan Rong Wanqing had been in a car accident on her way to work. The driver had fled, and no one had been caught yet.
It was that accident that left Nan Rong Wanqing paralyzed from the waist down, confined to a wheelchair for life. The Nan Rong family was certain the accident had been plotted by their rivals.
“Master, protecting the Young Lady is my duty. But if I stay with her, with her sharp mind, she might guess what’s going on.”
“You’re right to worry,” Nan Rong Yong frowned slightly. “But besides you, no one else in the Nan Rong family is capable of protecting her.”
Liu Kun’s eyes lit up, and he suggested, “Master, if there’s no one at home, we could hire someone from outside. I actually have a good candidate in mind. I fought him once and lost. If we can hire him, the Young Lady’s safety will be guaranteed.”
“Oh?” Nan Rong Yong looked interested. “If even you can’t beat him, what’s his background?”
“I checked—his name is Ling Chen.”
Liu Kun then told Nan Rong Yong what had happened that day.
“To be so young and able to beat you… he’s really talented. But ability is one thing; reliability is another.”
“Shall I test him first?”
Nan Rong Yong thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. If he’s as good as you say, we can give it a try.”
……
After finishing their meal, Ling Chen patted his full stomach and walked out of the restaurant. He held a toothpick in his hand, picking at his teeth, his face flushed from the alcohol. “Haozi, I won’t see you off—go back on your own.”
After a meal together, their relationship had grown much closer—Nan Ronghao had gone from “Young Master Nan Rong” to “Haozi” in Ling Chen’s eyes.
“Brother Chen, Brother Hao, I’ll head back first. Let’s meet up again sometime!”
“Sure thing.”
After seeing Nan Ronghao off, Ling Chen and Jiang Hao walked down Wuli Street, chatting casually.
“Brother Chen…” Jiang Hao opened his mouth, then hesitated.
“Just say what you want to say.”
“You mentioned at dinner that you got fired by your boss. Do you have any plans for the future?”
“Why do you ask?”
Jiang Hao hesitated, then said, “Brother Chen, you’re so good at fighting—how about joining us?”
“No way, not interested,” Ling Chen cut him off, knowing exactly what Jiang Hao was going to say.
He’d finally escaped the world of fighting and violence—he was tired of that kind of life. Besides, bickering with a bunch of gangsters was way beneath him.
“Brother Chen, I was just saying—it’s fine if you don’t want to. But… I hope you can teach us.”
Jiang Hao spoke seriously, “I’ve recruited a lot of guys, but most of them are just putting on a show. They’re good for making up numbers, but when real trouble comes, they’re all cowards who switch sides. In this line of work, strength matters. I have the basics now, but my foundation isn’t solid. So I want to ask you to help train a group of core members. That way, we can handle things on our own in the future and won’t have to trouble you anymore.”
Hearing this, Ling Chen looked at Jiang Hao in a new light. This guy was good—he had ambition and ideas.
No matter what you do, you need a sharp mind—and that was true even for gangsters.
Jiang Hao’s words were well-reasoned, which showed he’d thought carefully about it.
Everyone liked people with ambition, and Ling Chen was no exception. Jiang Hao was his friend, so he was willing to help when he could. Besides, he was curious to see how far Jiang Hao could go.
Thinking this, he nodded. “Alright, I’ll help you one more time.”
“Really?”
Jiang Hao had thought Ling Chen would refuse—he’d asked many times before and been turned down. So when Ling Chen agreed, it was a pleasant surprise for him.
“Brother Chen, thank you!”
“Don’t mention it. Alright, I’ll head back first. Let’s get in touch another day.”
When Ling Chen got home, he took out his keys and was about to open the door when Tang Shiyun came running down the hallway like a gust of wind, her face full of excitement.
“Brother Ling!”
“Shi—”
Before he could finish speaking, Tang Shiyun suddenly reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
Ling Chen froze, staring at Tang Shiyun in shock.
What was this girl thinking? If she liked him, she didn’t have to be so bold about it!
He quickly gently pulled her hands away and said, half-scolding, “You little rascal—if you want to do that, do it inside. What if someone sees us outside?”
Tang Shiyun realized her action had been too impulsive. Her face turned red, and she explained, “It’s not like I wanted to kiss you—I was just so happy!”
“Happy to see me?”
“As if!” Tang Shiyun giggled. “I have good news to tell you! The college entrance exam results came out—I got into Donghai University!”
“Oh,” Ling Chen replied faintly, feeling a little disappointed.
He’d thought the girl had a crush on him, but it turned out he’d been getting his hopes up for nothing.
“Hey, what’s with that reaction?” Tang Shiyun pouted. “Donghai University is one of the top universities in the country! They only accept less than a hundred students each year. Aren’t you happy for me?”
Afraid of offending the little girl, Ling Chen quickly said, “Of course I’m happy! You got into a top university—I’m proud of you as your brother!”
“Since your sister made you proud, how are you going to reward me?”
Ling Chen teased, “You know I’m poor. The only valuable thing I have is myself. How about I ‘offer myself’ to you?”
Tang Shiyun stuck out her tongue. “No way!”
“Then what do you want?”
Tang Shiyun’s eyes lit up. She hooked her arm around his and said affectionately, “Brother Ling, take me out to play tonight, okay? Mom always says it’s not safe at night and won’t let me go out.”
“In my mom’s eyes, I’m even less safe than the night,” Ling Chen joked.
- Writer
