By the seaside.
The two of them rarely walked and chatted peacefully, even though they both held high positions in the underworld and had many dealings in business. However, Yang Huaijin had been deliberately avoiding Feng Zhi for years, so it could be said that Feng Zhi had never truly ‘met’ this young master of the Qingyan Gang.
Feng Zhi wore sunglasses, giving off a lazy demeanor, but his strong Alpha aura was powerful, indicating that he was not someone to be messed with. Yang Huaijin, on the other hand, was completely opposite, gentle and smiling, with a scholarly air. He was polite and humble to everyone, and no one would ever think that he was the influential figure in the underworld who called the shots.
Feng Zhi looked at Yang Huaijin and asked, “What would you do if you didn’t enter the underworld?”
Yang Huaijin thought for a moment. “Maybe continue studying? Perhaps become a bookworm. I quite liked my major, and during college, I had many ideals about changing people’s lives through urban development. So maybe I would pursue a PhD and then work in a planning and design institute after graduation?” He smiled at himself. “Young people always think they can do a lot of things.”
“You have indeed done a lot.”
Feng Zhi was referring to the Sixth District Docks under their feet. Without Yang Huaijin, this prosperous new district would still be a dilapidated fishing village. However, he also felt somewhat regretful. Yang Huaijin was the true driving force behind the Sixth District Docks, but his identity as a member of the underworld meant he could only ever stay hidden in the shadows. With Yang Huaijin’s abilities, he should have had a bright future if he hadn’t entered the underworld.
“You shouldn’t belong to the underworld,” Feng Zhi said.
Yang Huaijin, being clever, understood what Feng Zhi meant from just a few words. He remained calm and replied, “Feng Zhi, I don’t know how much Teacher Fang and Lao He have told you, but they care about me and would definitely speak in my favor. You don’t have to believe everything they say.”
“Indeed, initially, I joined the Qingyan Gang to find you, but no one lives solely for emotions. Over these years, I’ve also lived quite well in the Qingyan Gang, haven’t I?”
“…”
Feng Zhi remained silent, and Yang Huaijin didn’t speak either. He hadn’t intended to steer the conversation in this direction, but it seemed that there was always a barrier between him and Feng Zhi, rooted in the past.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
In the end, Feng Zhi sighed, rubbed his chest with his hand, and said, “Ah… It turns out it wasn’t me who changed my heart, but my wife whom I married at eighteen in the countryside.”
“…”
“Vb, mjc kf ufa ab xcbk fjmt batfg jujlc?”
“…”
Ktf ufcaif rfj ygffhf iloafv atflg tjlg ragjcvr. Ktf ajii jcv tjcvrbwf Ciqtj wjc rilutais yfca vbkc, jqqgbjmtlcu atf qfgrbc lc ogbca bo tlw. Llr fsfr kfgf rlcmfgf, yea tlr abcf mjgglfv j tlca bo qijsoei kjgwat, cba kjcalcu ab qgfrregf atf batfg. Lf rjlv, “Zjrafg Alc, ktfc mbcrlvfglcu j qjgacfg, tbk jybea ulnlcu wf j atbeuta?”
“What… what do you mean by ‘my wife whom I married at eighteen changed her heart’?”
Yang Huaijin stood frozen in place, unsure of how to respond to this person’s pestering.
Feng Zhi didn’t have any particular strategy; it just so happened that every move he made caught Yang Huaijin off guard. While Yang Huaijin was trying to distance himself, Feng Zhi brought up ‘my wife changing her heart.’ If Yang Huaijin spoke harshly, Feng Zhi would immediately soften and not engage further. He wasn’t usually someone with a good temper, but when facing his Omega, he wouldn’t mind Yang Huaijin’s heartless words as if he hadn’t heard them. And Yang Huaijin wasn’t naturally assertive; after a while, when Feng Zhi approached again, he couldn’t suddenly use harsh words to push him away. So it went back and forth, entangled in a mess.
In this world, some people are like two gears that fit together. Each has their flaws and grievances, but somehow they suit each other, able to mesh together and roll forward.
Yang Huaijin was ‘rescued’ by a phone call; coincidentally, there was something that required his presence at Zhuque Hall, allowing him to escape from Feng Zhi’s relentless approach.
As Yang Huaijin was escorted away by his subordinate, Feng Zhi remained by the seaside, gazing at the sea. He walked slowly in the direction where he had strolled with Yang Huaijin earlier, his eyes fixed on the distant sea. After the events of the past two days, it seemed that he had also made a clearer decision in his heart.
…
The matter at Zhuque Hall wasn’t actually urgent, and Yang Huaijin’s presence wasn’t necessarily required. He hurried away simply to avoid Feng Zhi. However, as soon as he finished dealing with the issue and returned to his apartment, he encountered Feng Zhi again, the Second-in-Command who he couldn’t seem to escape.
Feng Zhi approached with a bouquet of flowers, smiling warmly, with an oversized suitcase behind him.
Seeing the suitcase behind Feng Zhi, Yang Huaijin couldn’t help but understand—the man had packed his luggage and was prepared to ‘move in.’
Behind Yang Huaijin, Zhou Qing appeared torn between wanting to punch someone and having to control his emotions, while Lao He opted for selective blindness, as if he hadn’t seen anything.
Feng Zhi stood very close to Yang Huaijin, forcing the bouquet into his arms. In a volume only they could hear, he said, “I thought Master Jin might ‘need me,’ so I’ve come to disturb you for a while. Master Jin, do you mind accommodating me?”
“…” Of course, Yang Huaijin couldn’t possibly kick Feng Zhi out, especially since he did indeed ‘need’ him.
After Zhou Qing and Lao He left, Feng Zhi followed Yang Huaijin home with a smile. They thought they were about to embark on a sweet cohabitation, but as soon as they entered the door, this career-oriented Omega spoke the first words about ‘business.’
“When is Xing Tian planning to make a move against Anelli?” Yang Huaijin asked.
Feng Zhi hesitated for a moment, then shook his head with some helplessness. “You’re something else…” He pulled Yang Huaijin to sit on the sofa and commented, “Excessively boring!”
While criticizing Yang Huaijin for being boring, Feng Zhi sat across from him, his expression turning serious as they delved into the ‘borin’ matter together. He was usually unruly, but now he spoke with clarity and conciseness about the task at hand. The Anelli family wielded considerable power in Europe, and shaking them was no easy task. Xing Tian had been planning for years and was still waiting for the perfect moment, which was why he had been so adamant in obstructing Yang Huaijin…
Feng Zhi spoke at length, analyzing the situation, weighing the pros and cons, and not avoiding any sensitive topics. Yang Huaijin occasionally asked questions. This was the first time they had sat down together formally to discuss matters like this. Feng Zhi had shed his usual casual demeanor, reminding Yang Huaijin of ‘another person’ — A-jiu.
It’s said that memories are stored in different areas of the brain, so even if someone loses their past memories, they don’t lose their language skills or ability to read and write. Since Yang Huaijin hadn’t interacted much with Feng Zhi before, he hadn’t noticed. But now that they were spending more time together, Yang Huaijin noticed many familiar aspects of Feng Zhi’s language and behavior.
A significant portion of a person’s personality is shaped by their life experiences. Feng Zhi had a difficult childhood, so in his teens, he was very guarded against the outside world. Later, after experiencing amnesia and facing life and death, he forgot his past. Though plagued by headaches for many years, his nature was somewhat indifferent to life and death, displaying a fearless and open-minded side when facing life. Just like when ‘A-jiu’ was beaten half to death by Chen Qi but still laughed recklessly, blood staining half of his cheek. He said, ‘Yes, I did it, I marked him.’
In reality, Feng Zhi was correct — it was Yang Huaijin who had changed. He had indeed entered the underworld for Feng Zhi, believing in their relationship at the time and seeking answers — why hadn’t A-jiu come to find him? But after so many years had passed, Yang Huaijin had already prepared himself to bid farewell to the past. Now, being pulled back into their former trajectory, he wasn’t even sure if he had the strength to invest in this relationship again.
‘Love’ is a shallow yet profound word. The attraction of youthful hormones can be called love, as can a lifetime of mutual support. But what about him and Feng Zhi now? Is it a ‘love’ connected by pheromones?
Yang Huaijin’s life is stacked with too many complex emotions. He can’t see clearly what his feelings for Feng Zhi are now. Even after all these years, if ‘A-jiu’ were to stand in front of him again, he couldn’t be sure if he could still give himself over to the same reckless emotions as before.
“What’s wrong?” Feng Zhi asked.
“…”
“You’ve been staring at me for a while.”
“Sorry, I zoned out a bit,” Yang Huaijin said.
“Are you tired today? Actually, we can talk about these things any day. How about taking a break for now?”
“It’s okay,” Yang Huaijin shook his head. “You mentioned earlier that Xing Tian lacks support from Russia?”
“Yeah, the Anelli family has deep connections in Russia. Xing Tian has made some arrangements, but he still needs some support from the military.”
“The military power in Russia…” Yang Huaijin pondered for a moment, then hummed lightly. “Isn’t that easy to handle?”
Later in the evening, Yang Huaijin made a phone call.
“San-ge, get me in touch with Ilya. I have something to discuss.”
Is Ilya a common name in Russia, why does it seems like that’s always their name 😆