Chapter 50

Through the thick metal door of the freezer, the chaotic sounds outside came through the transparent window, muffled and indistinct.

At first, there was the person in charge shouting in alarm. “What’s going on? Why won’t it open?! Quick, quick, quick! Go get the warehouse manager!”

Then there was Lin Yue’s voice, faintly tinged with tears. “What do we do? What do we do? Our Boss Ji Yang’s leg can’t even withstand the dampness on a rainy day. At such a low temperature, if he stays in there too long, something terrible could happen!”

There was also the babble of several Ji Corporation executives.

“Assistant Nie is still inside, too! What on earth is going on? What controls this door? How could it suddenly become impossible to open?”

Including Ji Chengyi’s remark: “I operated it incorrectly.”

The people beside him tried to reassure him.

“President Ji, this is clearly a problem with the processing plant’s own equipment. It has nothing to do with you.”

“It’s not like anyone wanted this to happen.”

…

Inside the freezer, in just two short minutes, Ji Yang had already begun to feel the distinctive pain in his finger joints caused by the freezing cold.

As he spoke of being partners in crime, he was standing very close to Nie Xu, their bodies pressed together.

Hearing Ji Chengyi’s voice, he spared a moment to listen and sneered. “Operated it incorrectly? If Wang Weitao and that other bodyguard in the leather jacket he brought hadn’t secretly tampered with things, I’d be freezing to death in here today.”

Nie Xu’s voice was as cold as the temperature inside the freezer. “Shut up.”

Even as he said that, his brows furrowed, but his hand pressed Ji Yang against his own body.

Ji Yang’s face was forced against the other man’s chest. He offered a straightforward, matter-of-fact assessment. “Your body temperature is actually pretty high.”

Nie Xu’s gaze, which had been surveying the interior, paused. He lowered his head to look at him.

Ji Yang glanced up. “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” Nie Xu said. “Just looking at how thick-skinned you are.”

Ji Yang was just about to retort when he felt Nie Xu’s hand move down along his back.

His spine tingled. He opened his mouth. “Brother Xu, even though sneaking around together is pretty exciting, isn’t this place a little inappropriate?”

Nie Xu didn’t even bother responding. His hand kept moving, reaching all the way down and retrieving a dark checkered handkerchief from Ji Yang’s right pants pocket.

Ji Yang was taken aback. He watched as Nie Xu quickly wrapped the handkerchief around his hand several times and secured it tightly.

Following Nie Xu’s gaze to the device mounted on the wall, Ji Yang understood.

Nie Xu stood up and pushed him aside.

Ji Yang immediately grabbed him and pressed him back against the door. “No.”

“Do you want to die?” Irritation and coldness flashed simultaneously in Nie Xu’s eyes. It was as if whatever patience he had been extending had finally run out. The remaining coldness nearly reached its limit when he saw how easily frost was forming on Ji Yang’s eyelashes.

Despite the threat, he still didn’t forcefully throw Ji Yang off him.

Ji Yang simply assumed that Nie Xu disapproved of what he was planning. But once Ji Yang made up his mind, no one could ever change it.

His teeth were already beginning to chatter, yet the fire in his eyes burned even brighter. He looked at Nie Xu and said, “The low temperature causes my old injury to flare up with severe pain. My medical records are irrefutable proof. All I have to do is send a formal notice to the processing plant, and the surveillance footage will be completely secured. And the bidding committee for the cold-chain route will be the perfect witnesses to this act of harm.”

The more Ji Yang spoke, the more smoothly his words came. He sneered, “As luck would have it, just a couple of days ago, I learned from Lin Yue that Jin Hu Sheng’s company provides security services for the warehouse facilities of Ji Chengyi’s shell company, ‘Yongsheng.’ I’ve already sent this information to Ji Zhonglin in advance. What do you think? Will my eldest brother use the excuse of a safety inspection to hold up the movement of goods?”

Nie Xu’s dark eyes were unreadable. “This is why you’re willing to gamble with your own life?”

“Yeah,” Ji Yang said. “I’ve always been this kind of person.”

Ji Yang recalled another line spoken by the vague teenage boy in that inexplicable dream he’d had before: In this world, no one can save you except yourself.

Ji Yang wholeheartedly agreed.

Looking back on his upbringing, he had always lived by those words.

When I can’t beat you, I’ll resort to trickery, deception, acting cute, and throwing tantrums. Whatever you want to see, I can become that kind of person.

But when I sink my teeth into you, I’ll make sure to bite hard enough to leave you bleeding.

Ji Yang seemed to casually press down on Nie Xu’s wrist before continuing, “I’m betting Ji Zhonglin will make a move. I’m betting Ji Chengyi’s asset transfer will definitely be forced to stop. And I’m betting on you, too—that you’ll seize the opportunity instead of becoming an obstacle in my way. Right, Brother Xu?”

Never before had Nie Xu so clearly realized that he, too, possessed both emotional and rational sides.

His rational side told him that the choice he’d made back then had not been wrong.

Ji Yang had already surprised and delighted him too many times.

Ever since Ji Yang had indirectly brought the water-quality problems with the Lanhai Bay project to light through a livestream, he had gradually become entangled with the entire web of interests.

There had been his carefree audacity when messing with people during the business trip to Huizhou, his decisiveness when establishing Yiyuan and insisting on having it affiliated with Jianyuan, and the sincerity hidden beneath his seemingly casual efforts to help the fruit farmers in Zhouling.

There had been too many such moments. So many that he could no longer remember all the smaller details.

Qi Songqing had once asked him whether he’d gone soft on Ji Yang.

At first, he’d thought so, too. Later, he realized that wasn’t entirely the case.

There was attention and concern he was unwilling to admit, instinctive favoritism, and a certain priority he gave Ji Yang when making many decisions.

His rational side was telling him that Ji Yang had made the right move this time as well.

He had exploited someone’s desire for revenge, starting with a seemingly insignificant incident, yet the result could shake up the entire situation.

But he was too ruthless.

It was a classic suicide-style strategy of killing a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of his own.

Once his rationality faded, Nie Xu realized that he was actually furious.

This emotion shouldn’t have been in his mind, much less at a time like this.

The Ji Corporation’s shipping business was approaching its final stage of division and absorption. Once the last few routes were successfully separated, the full, jagged picture of the Ji family’s deeply buried corruption would be exposed to the world. At this point, Ji Yang’s move was a great help.

What Nie Xu should do was indeed seize the opportunity.

But at this moment, anger had the upper hand.

He was angry that Ji Yang hadn’t discussed this with him beforehand, and at the way he’d handled things.

Nie Xu could have questioned him in his capacity as a business partner.

Instead, he caught the hand resting on his wrist and smiled, his tone almost gritting with frustration. “That’s a gambler’s mentality. Are you so sure you’ll win?”

“So…” Ji Yang met Nie Xu’s eyes. “You’d better make sure I don’t lose.”

Outside, the sound of someone forcefully prying at the door could already be heard.

Nie Xu shot Ji Yang a sideways glance. While the people outside made several unsuccessful attempts to open it, he ignored Ji Yang’s attempt to buy more time and punched the emergency device on the wall.

Immediately, the entire cold-chain processing plant was filled with flashing red alarm lights and piercing sirens.

After a hiss of escaping air, the metal door slowly opened.

As the temperature difference between the inside and outside met, the cold air turned into a cloud of white mist that billowed outward.

The people waiting outside rushed in all at once.

“Are you okay? Are you okay?”

“Quick, quick, quick! Fourth Young Master, get out of there!”

“What’s with the alarm?”

Everyone was making all kinds of noise, but the moment they saw what was inside, they abruptly fell silent.

Although the Ji family’s Fourth Young Master was still wrapped in the bodyguard’s jacket, his handsome little face had turned completely pale.

It hadn’t even been that long, yet frost had already formed on his eyelashes and eyebrows.

His leg was completely unable to support him. He could only stand with the bodyguard’s arm around him.

Although the person in charge had been mentally prepared, he was still badly startled by Ji Yang’s condition. He even began to wonder whether someone might really have died if they’d waited as long as Fourth Young Master had originally suggested before opening the door.

Lin Yue had already rushed forward, his voice choked with tears. “Boss Ji Yang, how are you?”

Nie Xu handed Ji Yang over to him. “Take him straight to the hospital. I’ll have someone meet you along the way. Everyone else stays here.”

“Okay, okay.” Lin Yue nodded repeatedly, as if he’d finally found someone to rely on. He instinctively asked, “What about you, Assistant Nie?”

Nie Xu pulled the handkerchief off his hand and called over the person in charge.

In front of the several Ji Corporation executives, he said directly, “The temperature was abnormal, and the door mechanism was jammed. Effective immediately, the entire cold-chain processing plant is to suspend operations and await an investigation by headquarters.”

“Assis… Assistant Nie,” one of the executives began. “It was just an accident. Isn’t this going a little too far?”

“Exactly,” someone beside him chimed in. “There aren’t many profitable shipping routes left in the Ji Corporation now. The losses from doing this would be immeasurable.” As he spoke, he sought support from Ji Chengyi. “President Ji, please talk to Assistant Nie. Even if he works for the Old Master, he can’t make such a hasty decision, can he?”

Ji Chengyi suddenly became the center of attention among the leadership team.

“Nie Xu,” he said with a frown. “Their concerns aren’t unreasonable.”

Nie Xu put the handkerchief, which was stained with tiny spots of blood, into his pocket. He calmly swept his gaze over everyone present before letting it settle once again on Ji Chengyi’s face.

“President Ji,” he said, “my responsibility is to ensure the stable operation of the Ji Corporation’s existing core assets. No uncertain factors, nor anyone with ulterior motives, will be allowed to undermine that.”

Ji Chengyi’s expression shifted slightly. “I’m the one actually taking over the Ji Corporation’s shipping business.”

Nie Xu repeated the same words. “The Old Master’s instructions apply to everyone, including you, President Ji.”

For a moment, the atmosphere at the scene turned so cold it seemed as though everything might freeze solid.

The Ji Corporation executives wore all kinds of expressions.

Ji Yang had already been helped away by Lin Yue.

He’d caught the tail end of the exchange.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

Ji Chengyi was probably feeling guilty right now. He must have realized that Nie Xu had already seen through his asset transfer scheme. And even if there was some doubt as to whether Nie Xu’s final statement was true, Ji Chengyi wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to verify it at a time like this.

All he could say was that Nie Xu was still far too direct.

That wasn’t how one was supposed to treat the story’s shou protagonist.

However, by this point, Ji Yang no longer dared to rely on the book he’d read, The Young Master’s Personal Bodyguard.

There were certainly parts that matched.

But there were far too many that didn’t.

“Boss Ji Yang, Boss Ji Yang…” Even after leaving the factory, Lin Yue kept calling out to him.

Ji Yang drawled lazily, “Stop calling me. I’m not dead.”

“You scared me to death.” Lin Yue supported him as they walked. “I thought you’d already lost consciousness.”

Ji Yang said, “It’s not that bad. Even if someone deliberately lowered the temperature, it wouldn’t be enough to actually freeze someone to death in such a short time.”

Even so, he didn’t forget to give Lin Yue credit. “The information you provided will be very useful. I’ll give you the top credit for this.”

Lin Yue sniffled. “I don’t want any special credit. It’s enough if the information turns out to be useful.”

“No one’s journey is ever wasted,” Ji Yang said, enduring the discomfort gradually spreading through his leg as his body began to warm up again. “Just like the time you spent working for Jin Hu Sheng. That wasn’t wasted, either.”

Lin Yue nodded firmly.

Lin Yue was very thin. By the time he’d helped Ji Yang to the roadside, he was already struggling. Just as he was looking around for the car that was supposed to pick them up, two vehicles bearing special markings suddenly pulled up beside them.

Several people dressed in full tactical gear jumped out.

Lin Yue was startled. “Who are you?”

Two of them approached. “We’ve received a report that an accident occurred here and someone was injured. A few of us have been assigned to handle the situation. Come on, we’ll arrange for someone to take you to the hospital.”

Two minutes later.

Ji Yang was leaning against the side of the vehicle, sitting on a stretcher, while Lin Yue crouched beside him looking rather timid. He muttered under his breath,

“Were they sent by Assistant Nie?” He glanced around at the people sitting with such rigidly upright postures and wondered aloud, “Why do I feel like I’ve done something illegal and am riding in a prisoner transport van?”

Ji Yang replied calmly, “What are you feeling guilty about? You’re doing perfectly legal work now.”

Lin Yue said, “That’s not what I mean.”

“I know.”

The cold-chain processing plant was already in a remote location. The only people who could have arrived so quickly were almost certainly from the nearby security training area.

Whether or not these people had been sent by Nie Xu, Ji Yang’s earlier remark about Nie Xu being involved with both the legitimate and underground worlds had been more or less a joke.

He now thought he shouldn’t joke about it anymore.

Nie Xu really was involved in both.

The news that the Ji family’s Fourth Young Master had been unexpectedly hospitalized soon spread everywhere, like a scrap of paper carried off by the wind.

Ji Yang was admitted to a VIP room.

The hospital confirmed that he was experiencing an acute episode of phantom limb pain triggered by low temperatures. Even after three days in the hospital, he still required regular pain medication to alleviate the discomfort caused by the episodes.

And quite a lot had happened outside during those three days.

The freezer incident became the fuse that set everything off. Rumors that the illegitimate son had tried to kill someone without getting his own hands dirty spread like wildfire.

The Ji family’s second branch seized the opportunity to strike back.

Taking advantage of his position as the still-not-yet-retired “current president of the Ji Corporation,” Ji Zhonglin submitted an internal audit request to the board of directors. He demanded a comprehensive investigation into all related-party transactions in the shipping division over the past three years.

The investigation quickly uncovered something serious.

A company privately owned by Ji Chengyi called “Yongsheng” had recently been transferring shipping assets under the guise of capital injections, partnerships, equipment leasing, and other arrangements.

For a time, the whole spectacle reached its climax.

At the hospital.

Quite a few people had come and gone from Ji Yang’s hospital room over the past few days.

A few young nurses loved gathering together to gossip about the young master in the VIP room, who was sweet-tongued and always greeted everyone with a smile.

They even fought over who got to go in and give him his injections.

“Quite a lot of people have come to visit him these past few days,” one nurse said. “He’s nothing like the rumors about him at all.”

“He never was,” another nurse replied. “He’s ‘A Little Yang.’ He even said himself that he’s not some Fourth Young Master of the Ji family. Looks like he’s really cut ties with his family.”

“I wonder if the rumors online are true, that his episode was caused by the Third Young Master of the Ji family’s main branch plotting against him.”

“I don’t think anyone from the Ji family has visited these past few days.”

“Who would come? The Ji family has had more than enough trouble on their hands these past few days.”

The two nurses chatted as they walked toward the hospital room. But when they reached the door, they suddenly stopped.

They discovered that two tall, burly bodyguards were standing outside today. The sight was rather intimidating.

The nurses hesitated, unsure whether they should approach.

They exchanged glances and whispered, “Did someone from the Ji family come?”

“No idea.” They murmured among themselves.

Just as the words left their mouths, a series of loud crashes suddenly erupted from inside the hospital room, as if things were being thrown around and smashing against the floor.

Then came a shout:

“Nie Xu! Are you trying to murder me?!”

A man’s calm voice replied, “I thought you didn’t know what pain felt like.”

Nurse One: Pretty calm in there.

Nurse Two: Wait, no. Why does it feel more like someone came here to settle an old score?