QTEBS Chapter 31

Wanting to catch the action on-site, Zong Yuan and Jiang Shengyan wiped their mouths after lunch and rushed down the mountain.

It was just the two of them. With a borrowed bike, they walked the steepest section. Zong Yuan patted the bike’s back seat. “Come on, sit.”

Jiang Shengyan obediently sat down, but ten minutes later, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Stop, stop, stop! It hurts!”

The bike rolled over stones, bumping and jolting. The seat made of twisted iron wires was painful. Jiang Shengyan covered his rear, looking utterly frustrated. “It’s too painful! I’m not sitting anymore.”

Zong Yuan told him to turn his back. “Let me see.”

“See what?!” Jiang Shengyan turned around, facing away, and obediently dropped his hands. “What can you see with my pants on?”

Indeed, there wasn’t much to see.

Without waiting for Jiang Shengyan’s reaction, Zong Yuan reached out and gently rubbed his rear in concern. “Does it still hurt?”

His palms were calloused and rough, yet his fingers were long, easily enveloping half of Jiang Shengyan’s backside. The sensation was soft and comforting.

The way he rubbed felt like kneading two fluffy, tender steamed buns.

In an instant, Jiang Shengyan’s face flushed bright red. He didn’t dare move and stammered, “A little… still a little painful.”

Zong Yuan crouched down, blowing gently on Jiang Shengyan’s backside from a distance of five or six centimeters. “It doesn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt.”

A tingling warmth surged from Jiang Shengyan’s feet upwards. “Y-you shouldn’t do this…”

He could hear the sound of his own heartbeat, even the slight trembling of Zong Yuan’s hand, with the summer fabric emphasizing every heartbeat.

Zong Yuan felt it was about time. With a swift motion, he slapped Jiang Shengyan’s backside, producing a crisp “smack” sound. “Alright, that’s enough. Let’s go; we’ll get on the bike again when we reach the paved road.”

He pushed the bike forward for about ten meters when Jiang Shengyan ran past him, his face as cold as water, shooting him a fierce glare and stirring up a gust of wind.

Hah, men.

Aunt Lin hurriedly got off the bike, nearly tripping. Uncle Wang steadied her. “Take it slow, don’t rush.”

“Can I not rush?” Aunt Lin said, flustered and cursing. “What did he mean by what happened last night? He must know that I said no! But he insisted on doing it anyway. I asked the college student next door and this is illegal! He could end up in jail! If something goes wrong, are you going to take the blame, or am I?”

They hurried into the hotel toward the elevator when the front desk attendant stopped them. “Sir, Ma’am, where are you going?”

Aunt Lin’s face was cold. “We’re looking for Mr. Lin in room 316.”

The attendant smiled. “Good thing I stopped you! Mr. Lin checked out last night and told us to pass along a message. He said he was drunk when he talked to you and may have said something impolite. He hopes you won’t hold it against him.”

Uncle Wang looked puzzled and asked, “What does he mean? When did I drink with him?”

Aunt Lin chimed in, “Exactly! Sounds like a lie to me! They’re just trying to brush us off! I need to go upstairs and check. Just because he left doesn’t mean he really left. How do we know if what you’re saying is true or not?”

She pushed past the receptionist, nearly knocking the young girl over. The front desk attendant was annoyed now, her face stern. “Why are you still pushing people?”

Aunt Lin pulled Uncle Wang towards the elevator. “You little girl, too young to be learning to deceive people!”

The front desk was so infuriated that she almost shouted when a young man with bleached hair ran in from outside the hotel. “A’Lian, what’s going on?”

The receptionist replied, “I told them Mr. Lin has left. They still don’t believe it. Didn’t you see him leave last night? You need to back me up here!”

The young man with the yellow hair said, “They’re looking for that Mr. Lin.”

He immediately picked up the phone and said a few words.

Just then, Zong Yuan and Jiang Shengyan had just arrived at the edge of town when Jiang Shengyan noticed a young man in ripped pants approach Zong Yuan and say, “Hey, Brother Yuan, why are you only just getting here? That guy you had us watching left last night and now a middle-aged couple is looking for him.”

Jiang Shengyan stood nearby, listening openly. “Assistant Lin left last night.”

What a coincidence.

Zong Yuan asked the young man, “Are they at the hotel?”

“Yeah, they still don’t believe it.”

Zong Yuan squinted slightly and turned to Jiang Shengyan. “Those two are feeling guilty. Boss Jiang, you can handle this, right?”

Jiang Shengyan raised his chin. “Isn’t this just a small matter?”

As they walked towards the hotel, they coincidentally encountered Aunt Lin and Uncle Wang, who were angrily cursing after failing to find anyone.

Seeing them from a distance, Aunt Lin and Uncle Wang’s hearts sank. “Hey, Boss Jiang, what are you doing here?”

Jiang Shengyan looked down on their attempts to negotiate. “So, who sent you to install a camera on me?”

Uncle Wang timidly replied, “What camera? I didn’t know anything about that.”

Jiang Shengyan’s expression turned cold. “Then I’ll call the police to investigate.”

Aunt Lin was startled. “No, no, Boss Jiang, we didn’t mean it! It’s all that Mr. Lin! He threatened us, saying if we didn’t set it up, he’d report us!”

Zong Yuan suddenly asked, “What did he threaten you with?”

“What else? He said if we didn’t set it up, he would expose our little secret!”

Aunt Lin suddenly fell silent.

She instinctively took a step back. “I didn’t say anything!”

“Get lost.” Jiang Shengyan, having not anticipated this, was completely enraged, trembling with anger. “Expose our little secret!”

The old house of Jiang Shengyan was the most beautiful memory he had with his grandfather when he was a child.

The only memory connected to family.

Zong Yuan embraced him, supporting him as Jiang Shengyan held onto his hand. “How dare you!”

Uncle Wang stammered, “I made a mistake with you and Aunt Lin.”

Aunt Lin sighed, “Look, Boss Jiang, we’re doing this for your own good. You hired us to clean regularly; cleaning can’t replace living there. Why are you so angry? Look, the old house is still in good condition. Don’t take it to heart; Uncle Wang and I truly made a mistake.”

The bed I sleep in is the one you’ve slept in. When I’m not present, my house is called yours.

Jiang Shengyan was so provoked by these words that he nearly rushed over to hit someone, but Zong Yuan held him back, casting a cold glance at Aunt Lin and Uncle Wang. “So, you mean to say you’re doing this out of kindness?”

Aunt Lin and Uncle Wang exchanged looks. Although they felt there was nothing wrong in their hearts, they couldn’t find the words to express it.

A nearby young man, who had been watching the drama unfold, suddenly snapped back to attention and pointed at Aunt Lin and Uncle Wang in surprise. “So you two are the landlords from Pear Village!”

Aunt Lin and Uncle Wang felt a chill in their hearts.

“Don’t spout nonsense; you’re insulting people!”

The young man dodged Aunt Lin’s reaching hand, adding fuel to the fire as he spoke to Zong Yuan and Jiang Shengyan. “Brother Yuan, you probably don’t know this, but they rented out an old house in town. The rent was quite high; there were people willing to pay, but they were still unsatisfied, saying the money was too little. If no one inquired, how could they even have such a house? Guess what they said!”

Zong Yuan’s expression remained unchanged. “What did they say?”

“They were particularly arrogant, claiming it was left to them by their deceased father. When asked for the title deed, they cursed people out! In the end, no one dared to rent from them.”

“This became quite the issue at the time. No one knew who they were since they always operated in the shadows. I never thought it was them!”

“Damn!” Jiang Shengyan cursed, not knowing what to say, his face turning pale with anger. “I’m going to make sure you pay for this!”

Zong Yuan said directly, “Call the police.”

He restrained Jiang Shengyan, fearing he would lose control and lash out. His gaze was icy as he looked at Aunt Lin and Uncle Wang, slowly revealing a smile. “Don’t worry, a minor offense can become a major one.”

Jiang Shengyan wished he could devour these two. The beautiful memories he cherished were being desecrated and he had no idea.

The thought that his bedroom, bathroom, study, and kitchen had been used by these two disgusted him. Who knows if their so-called “tenants” might come to visit his old house?

Aunt Lin put on a brave front. “Don’t scare us! The worst that can happen is I pay a fine. If you say that, I can also sue you for threatening me!”

Uncle Wang tugged at her sleeve, but Aunt Lin waved him off. “Don’t bother me!”

Zong Yuan replied, “Very well.”

He pulled out Jiang Shengyan’s phone and whispered in his ear, “Stay calm; don’t let them provoke you.”

Seeing him dial, Aunt Lin panicked, sitting down on the ground and crying out, “Passersby, come and see! These cruel young men are going to kill this old lady!”

“Is there any justice left? Are they trying to kill us? Poor people have no rights!”

Passersby slowly formed a circle around them. “What’s going on?”

“Just another family mistreating an old lady.”

“Another ungrateful child.”

“Who are these people?”

The crowd pointed and whispered, while the young man looked bewildered. “Don’t listen to her! They’re just scammers!”

As he spoke, someone else recognized him. “Isn’t that the punk who loiters around on the streets all day?”

“Yeah, that’s him! Anyone who hangs out with punks can’t be a good person, ugh!”

“Even worse than a beast; look at how they’re crying on the ground. What kind of bullying have they endured?”

Jiang Shengyan was so furious that he tried to break free from Zong Yuan’s grip. “You don’t know anything!”

The emotions of the crowd grew even more intense.

“Such a lack of upbringing!”

“Ungrateful descendants should just die! Let them abuse the elderly and then get run over!”

Zong Yuan was very rational. He lowered his head and asked Jiang Shengyan, “Where’s your wallet?”

Jiang Shengyan, trembling with anger, handed it to him.

Zong Yuan pulled out a thick wad of cash and waved it a couple of times in the air. People’s eyes were immediately drawn to the money, like a cake that silenced their chatter.

Zong Yuan casually held the wad in his hand. “I’m in a good mood today; anyone who satisfies the requirements can take a bill from this stack.”

The crowd that had been pointing and whispering suddenly fell silent.

All eyes were focused on him.

There was no need to explain anything to this group of people. Zong Yuan was direct. “Anyone who points at these two and shouts an insult gets a bill. Spit at them and you get two bills. First come, first served.”

No one spoke up; everyone exchanged glances.

Suddenly, the young man sprang into action. He ran over to Aunt Lin and spat on her, feeling satisfied. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time!”

Zong Yuan chuckled and directly handed him two bills, his gaze slowly scanning the crowd. “Anyone else?”

The crowd fell silent for a second, then a chorus of spitting sounds erupted.

It was as if everyone who had pointed fingers and cursed at them just a moment ago had vanished.

After a long silence, Jiang Shengyan finally said, “Damn it, I’ll have my men reclaim my honor!”

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