Sunlight slanted through the air, the shifting patches of light and shadow moving slowly. What had first reflected brightly off the car’s paint now fell upon a pale, slender hand.
A section of cold-white wrist bone was exposed, long fingers loosely holding a cigarette as they rested on the car window. Every so often, the thumb flicked the ash, breaking apart the thin ribbon of smoke that curled steadily upward.
Following the arm upward revealed the profile of a man. It looked as though it had been sketched with charcoal pencil—sharp contours, stern features, half concealed in the alternating light and shadow inside the car. Though his full face could not be seen clearly, it was obvious he was a strikingly handsome man.
The car was parked outside a villa district. Even in winter, the neighborhood displayed wealth everywhere—red walls, green tiles, and meticulous craftsmanship proclaiming affluence.
Suddenly, the gates of a nearby villa flew open. Chaotic footsteps poured out from within, mixed with noisy shouting and crying.
A soft scoff sounded from inside the car. The pale hand that looked as though it might melt beneath the sunlight slowly lifted the cigarette to his lips. As he exhaled the smoke, his fingers flicked away the cigarette butt.
Pushing open the door, he stepped out of the car. The sunlight illuminated his face—indifferent and sharp, yet so handsome it was almost unreasonable.
It was Xue Bao Tian.
With his arms folded across his chest, he leaned against the car and watched the dramatic scene unfold with cold eyes. When the slightly overweight man being escorted away passed by him, Xue Bao Tian parted his lips and called out, “Uncle Qi.”
The man in his sixties trembled. When he recognized who it was, guilt flashed across his face and his gaze darted away. “Y-you… Xue Bao Tian…”
His lowered lashes lifted, revealing dark, piercing eyes. Xue Bao Tian curled his lips into a smile that was not quite a smile. “Uncle Qi, long time no see. Have you almost forgotten about me already? As for me, I’ve been thinking about you day and night.”
He took out a cigarette and offered it over. When the man refused to take it, he held it between his own fingers instead. “You probably never imagined Wei Hua would get caught, did you? Weren’t you absolutely certain back then that you hadn’t secretly colluded with him in the fraud? I heard Wei Hua sold you out pretty fast. He dumped every charge he could onto your head. Though, when you think about it, Uncle Qi’s already halfway in the grave. Whether you live or die, who really cares?”
His tongue clicked several times before he put on an expression of regret. “But your son is the real pity. He’s still so young, yet he’ll have to go to prison carrying the label of a fraudster. By the time he gets out, he’ll probably be about your age. Convenient, really—he can live out all the years you didn’t get to finish living. Isn’t that wonderful?”
The man’s face was still filled with lingering fear, but now anger layered itself on top of it. He hurriedly tried to explain, “Everything was my doing! It has nothing to do with my son!”
Xue Bao Tian let out a careless, mocking laugh. “That’s not something you need to tell me. Tell it to the police and the judge.”
“Oh, right,” he said as though he had suddenly remembered something important. The playful smile vanished from his face, replaced by an expression of heartfelt concern. “Once Uncle Qi falls, what will happen to your family?”
Xue Bao Tian’s frivolous gaze swept toward the young woman blocking the police car door, crying and clinging to the officers. Tilting his chin toward her, he asked the elderly man, “I heard your newly-of-age little wife is pregnant? And isn’t your son’s mistress pregnant too? Double happiness. Congratulations.”
“What are you planning to do?!”
“Considering the deep friendship between our two families, of course I’ll help take care of them for you, Uncle Qi.”
“You bastard!”
Xue Bao Tian patted the man’s shoulder. “I have no interest in women who chase power and wealth.” Leaning closer, he lowered his voice beside the man’s ear. “But I happen to know one of your mortal enemies. He’s about your age and also likes young girls. If your little wife and your son’s little mistress both end up with him, then when the children in their bellies are born, would they both call him Dad?”
Xue Bao Tian looked troubled for a moment. “That would make the family hierarchy awfully confusing.”
“Xue Bao Tian! You despicable bastard! I’ll stake my old life to fight you!”
Xue Bao Tian lightly stepped backward and smiled. “Uncle Qi, your old life belongs to a firing squad. I won’t be taking it. Oh, and that watch you gave me as a birthday gift? You can keep those silver bracelets on your wrists this time. They look quite nice on you.”
The fleshy old face flushed red, then turned pale with rage. The handcuffs on his wrists clinked loudly. In the span of only two or three months, the man seemed to have aged decades. His mouth opened and closed, yet he could not utter a single word.
Xue Bao Tian casually glanced toward the noisy crowd nearby. The young woman clutching her stomach and blocking the police car door sniffled, gradually stopped crying and making a scene, and appeared to accept the situation with reluctance.
Once all the suspects involved in the case had been escorted into the vehicles and taken away, the young woman finally stared coldly in the direction the police cars had gone and cursed, “Bastards.”
She snatched the cigarette from Xue Bao Tian’s hand and put it between her lips, then glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Young Master Xue, we agreed I’d stall for three minutes so you could get your revenge. You went overtime.”
Xue Bao Tian laughed, fiddled with his phone for a few moments, and transferred a red envelope to her.
“I added a bonus. Check it. Not bad acting. If you used that talent in the right place, you’d probably have a future.”
He opened the car door and slid into the driver’s seat. Before stepping on the accelerator, he said to the small, lonely figure standing there, “Get rid of the baby. If you don’t love that child, don’t bring them into this world just to suffer.”
The sports car glided away. Xue Bao Tian glanced at the time on the dashboard and took out his phone to call his assistant.
“Have they released him from the detention center yet?”
The voice coming through the phone sounded hollow and distant. After a moment, someone answered quietly, “They’re processing the paperwork now. He should be released soon.”
“Did you buy all that bad-luck-cleansing stuff? Have him step over the brazier. If he gets impatient, tell him I ordered it.”
“Understood, Boss.” The assistant paused before asking, “Boss, aren’t you coming to pick him up?”
Reflected in the rearview mirror, Xue Bao Tian’s eyes looked unusually calm. Turning the steering wheel, he headed in the opposite direction from the detention center. “I’m not going. Bring him to Lavande tonight and tell him I’m throwing him a celebration banquet.”
Brilliant yet strangely unsettling lights illuminated murky liquor. The clinking of wine glasses mingled with the flirtatious laughter of men and women, all of it swallowed by the pounding music.
Inside the most luxurious private room, a bartender carried a carefully crafted cocktail, adjusting his steps with caution as he passed several drunken rich young heirs before delivering the drink into the hands of a beautiful woman.
“Master Xue,” the woman cooed as she nestled against Xue Bao Tian’s chest, “you’re making me drink again.”
Xue Bao Tian chuckled around the cigarette between his lips. “You’re more fun after you’ve had a few drinks. That’s when Master Xue likes you best.”
The woman coquettishly downed the entire glass in one gulp, earning a chorus of cheers from the room. Smirking wickedly, Xue Bao Tian applauded, removed the cigarette from his mouth, and planted a loud kiss on her cheek, triggering another wave of deafening whistles and howls.
The present-day Xue Bao Tian was basking in unprecedented glory, far beyond anything the former Young Master Xue of Ruixiang could have been compared to.
Back then, Xue Bao Tian had possessed nothing more than a title. He held little actual power, owned few shares, and had no voice within the company. Everyone called him “Young Master Xue,” but whether it was a term of respect or ridicule was another matter entirely.
Now, however, Xue Bao Tian had recovered the enormous sum Wei Hua had stolen through fraud and reclaimed the shares that had previously been transferred to two separate companies. In one stroke, he had become the largest shareholder of Ruihua. The current chairman of Ruihua had also expressed his intention to step down, and once the board meeting was convened, Xue Bao Tian would formally assume the position.
The world was cold and fickle, always eager to flatter the powerful and trample the fallen.
The debt-ridden stray dog of yesterday had transformed into an industrial tycoon controlling a leading enterprise. Opportunists swarmed around him, trying to establish connections. Besides the wealthy heirs who had once fawned over him, there were also plenty of genuinely capable elites from the business world.
At gatherings like this, there was never a shortage of people eager to curry favor. One such person was Huang Song, the second son of Wangchuan Chain Restaurants. He and Xue Bao Tian had once been bitter enemies, yet now he wore nothing but a flattering smile.
He offered a cigar. “Master Xue, care for one?”
Xue Bao Tian glanced at it and shook his head. “Not my habit. Second Brother, help yourself.”
Huang Song set the cigar down and filled Xue Bao Tian’s glass first. “I always said Master Xue was destined for greatness. Even if life throws a few storms your way, you’ll always turn danger into safety. After that, it’ll be smooth sailing and success in all things.”
Xue Bao Tian had heard variations of this speech so many times over the past three months that his ears had practically grown calluses. The corners of his lips lifted lazily as he replied without much sincerity, “Then I’ll borrow your auspicious words, Second Brother.”
“So how did you catch him? I heard it was quite a legendary story.”
The smile faded slightly from his lips. Xue Bao Tian answered in a flat tone, as though responding to an incredibly boring question. “Wei Hua came from a poor family. Back in high school, he convinced his girlfriend to work and support his education. Later, as he became more successful academically, he attached himself to a rich young lady. The two went abroad to study, and naturally he dumped the ex-girlfriend who had neither money nor influence.
“The breakup hit her hard, and she became a little unstable mentally. For a period of time, Wei Hua must have had a sudden attack of conscience because he sent her money several times. Later, when he couldn’t escape and ran out of cash, he didn’t dare touch the money in his own accounts, so he tricked his ex-girlfriend into handing over her bank card and planned to withdraw some cash just to survive.”
A trace of ruthlessness flashed through Xue Bao Tian’s eyes. “The moment he withdrew money over there, we picked up the trail over here. We pinned him down that very night.”
“Impressive!” Huang Song applauded. “Then why didn’t Wei Hua run away sooner?”
Xue Bao Tian scoffed. “The man’s paranoid. He contacted several snakeheads, but he suspected every one of them of wanting his money or his life. So he kept hesitating and hiding near the border.”
Growing interested, Huang Song shifted forward in his seat and continued asking, “Your bodyguard’s skills are incredible. How did he end up getting himself thrown into detention over catching such an easy target?”
For a brief moment, Xue Bao Tian’s gaze seemed to drift. Then he raised an eyebrow and looked over coldly. “Second Brother asks an awful lot of questions. Want me to arrange a ginseng fruit for you? Might soothe your throat.”
Having been assigned the role of Pigsy, Huang Song awkwardly shut his mouth. The area around Xue Bao Tian finally became quieter. He glanced at the time and was just about to call his assistant when the private room door opened.
Elio’s Notes: Xue Bao Tian jokingly offers Huang Song a ginseng fruit (人参果), a famous magical fruit from the Chinese classic Journey to the West. The joke compares Huang Song to Zhu Bajie (Pigsy), the gluttonous “Second Brother” of the pilgrimage party. By suggesting a ginseng fruit, Xue Bao Tian is essentially teasing him for talking too much and implying that he should occupy his mouth with food instead of questions. This is why the narration later says Huang Song has been assigned the role of “Second Brother” (Pigsy).
The bright light from the corridor clashed harshly with the chaotic colors inside the room. A tall man stood at the threshold. The brightness behind him cast his features into shadow, while the neon lights before him made him seem difficult to read. Even the faint look in his eyes carried an unfathomable depth.
Removing the cigarette from his mouth, Xue Bao Tian leaned back against the sofa and lazily crooked a finger toward the doorway.
The man walked over, weaving past a couple dancing cheek to cheek, and stopped in front of Xue Bao Tian.
It was Yan Ye.
Xue Bao Tian lifted his eyes and studied him for a long moment before finally straightening his back and saying, “You’ve lost weight.”
Women sat on either side of him. He nudged one with his elbow, and she tactfully stood up, vacating her seat.
“Sit.” Xue Bao Tian patted the sofa beside him, then put the cigarette back between his lips while pouring a drink. As if making casual conversation, he asked, “Did you step over the brazier?”
Yan Ye sat down. “I did.”
At that moment, Xue Bao Tian’s assistant arrived with a document that needed signing. Having overheard part of the conversation, he laughed and said, “General Manager Lin said it was feudal superstition, but in the end I had to bring up you, Boss, before General Manager Yan agreed to do it.”
The pen moved smoothly across the document as Xue Bao Tian signed his name. Without looking up, he asked Yan Ye, “Lin Zhi Yi went to the detention center to pick you up?”
After receiving confirmation, Xue Bao Tian laughed. He handed a glass to Yan Ye and clinked it against his own. “Good. At least he’s reliable.” After a pause, he added in a low, hoarse voice, “Thanks.”
Yan Ye had cut his hair short. Even with his gentle expression, his aggressively handsome features could no longer be hidden. Sharp, ruggedly masculine, and strikingly attractive, he immediately drew attention. One of the women beside Xue Bao Tian gave him a thorough look from head to toe before leaning forward and asking, “Master Xue, who’s this? He’s so handsome.”
The woman was practically sprawled across Xue Bao Tian’s lap, supporting herself on his leg in an exaggerated display of sweetness.
Xue Bao Tian stroked her hair and asked casually, “Want an introduction? Then let me introduce him.”
He topped off his drink and raised the glass. Someone perceptive immediately lowered the music volume.
Once everyone’s attention had turned toward him, Xue Bao Tian threw an arm around Yan Ye’s shoulders. Lifting his chin slightly, he smiled and said, “Let me introduce someone. The General Manager of Yanyue Security, the man chiefly responsible for helping me recover the fraud money this time, and also a brother who’s gone through life-and-death situations with me—Yan Ye!”
Several whistles erupted throughout the room, accompanied by soft sighs of admiration from the women.
Xue Bao Tian patted Yan Ye’s stiff shoulder and continued, “If any of you or your companies ever need anything related to security services in the future, you can’t go wrong with our General Manager Yan.”
His pale, slender fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop. In a lazy drawl, Xue Bao Tian dragged out his words, “To our ridiculously fucking awesome General Manager Yan—bottoms up?”
“Come on, come on, bottoms up!”
Turning his head, Xue Bao Tian’s gaze collided with Yan Ye’s. Smiling brightly, he slowly drained the strong liquor from his glass.
At last, everyone understood what was going on. It turned out that the real guest of honor tonight was this man named Yan Ye.
As a friend whom Xue Bao Tian openly championed, and with Yan Ye’s own impressive status, people naturally crowded around to flatter him and offer toasts.
The room was lively with clinking glasses when the private room door opened a crack once more. A head poked inside and looked around. Upon spotting Xue Bao Tian, the newcomer happily called out, “Brother!”
It was Feng Jia, the top male escort of the club.
Xue Bao Tian waved him in. “Finished working?”
“My client had an emergency and left early,” Feng Jia hurriedly explained. “Brother Xue, don’t think I neglected you. This regular client of mine is really difficult to deal with.”
“It’s fine.” Xue Bao Tian waved it off. “What kind of relationship do we have? No need to be so formal.”
As though suddenly remembering something, he draped an arm over the back of the sofa and smiled with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Feng’er, how about Master Xue buys out your contract and redeems you? Let’s stop suffering through this kind of work.”
“Who are you redeeming?” Yan Ye, who had apparently returned after being subjected to a round of drinks, spoke up. His solemn gaze swept over the handsome Feng Jia before settling on Xue Bao Tian’s face. “Who is Master Xue planning to redeem?”
Feng Jia turned toward the man who had spoken and froze. The words slipped out instinctively: “Brother-in-law? No, wait—brother’s husband!”
“Fuck!” Xue Bao Tian nearly jumped out of his skin. “Feng Jia, shut the fuck up!”
Next
Futile Devices Scans 
Leave a comment