Chen Yuanjun strode briskly over to the sports car and tapped his knuckles twice against the window. The car, already creeping along slowly, came to a halt at once, and the window smoothly rolled down.
The sports car sat low to the ground with a low-slung chassis, forcing Chen Yuanjun to bend down to peer inside.
Suddenly, his gaze froze, and he blurted out, "Yuanzi?!"
Two people were seated inside. Besides the stunning woman who routinely drew stares from young rookies and veteran officers alike around shift change at the Public Security Bureau, another young man was sitting in the passenger seat.
None other than the unlucky kid brother from his own family.
"What a coincidence, Bro..." Zhang Yuanqing offered an awkward yet polite smile.
"What are you doing here?" Chen Yuanjun looked back and forth between his cousin and his exquisitely beautiful mixed-heritage colleague.
As if a realization had struck him, his expression turned intensely complicated.
"Guan Ya is a friend of mine. I came by today to ask her for a little help with something, and I'm treating her to dinner while I'm at it." Zhang Yuanqing gave his cousin a knowing look and added, "Do me a favor and let Grandma know I won't be home for dinner tonight."
Guan Ya offered a graceful, demure smile worthy of a goddess and nodded in greeting. "Captain Chen—oh, I should be calling you Inspector Chen from now on."
*It really was him. It was actually him...* Chen Yuanjun nodded, his emotions a tangled knot.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that his cousin truly possessed connections within the system, let alone with the famed goddess of the Public Security Bureau.
To resolve such a massive matter so effortlessly meant their relationship was hardly ordinary. *When did they meet? Is it a normal romance, or is he being...* As an outstanding constable, his mind instantly raced through dozens of possibilities.
Moreover, he recalled a colleague once mentioning that the goddess from the special department often came and went in the company of a young man.
Could that legendary young man be Yuanzi?
My cousin?
Just then, the commercial van behind them tapped its horn. Chen Yuanjun swallowed back the mountain of questions in his throat, stepped back several paces, and gave a slight nod.
The blue sports car smoothly accelerated out of the gates and merged into the flow of traffic.
Chen Yuanjun remained where he stood, his heart unable to settle for a long time.
***
At six-thirty that evening, Chen Yuanjun returned home. In the spacious living room, his irreverent father was practicing the moonwalk, his soles scraping loudly and gratingly against the polished floor.
"Hey, my boy's back!" Uncle greeted him cheerfully.
Chen Yuanjun gave a slight nod, hung his briefcase on the coat rack, slipped off his leather shoes, and stepped into his slippers.
Hearing him, Aunt poked her head out from the bathroom. "You haven't eaten, right? Come out with me in a bit. Your uncle on my side introduced a friend from the public security system. I couldn't sleep a wink last night; I just couldn't accept it. You work so hard and you're so capable, so why shouldn't you be made an Inspector? The Chen family doesn't have the network to help you, but your grandfather's side has connections."
Uncle was immediately displeased. "Connections, my foot! Your father worked in state enterprises—he couldn't be further removed from the public security system. You can ask for favors on minor matters, but with something this big, who's going to give your family that kind of face? Don't go throwing money away only for them to brush you off with 'we did our best.'"
Aunt seemed to share those worries, but snapped angrily, "Even so, we still have to try!"
"Go ahead and try, then!" Uncle shrugged.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, Aunt's temper flared. She ground her teeth and scolded, "You don't care about our son's future at all! Joking around all day long—not a single man in your Chen family can be counted on!"
"Is my father not dependable?"
"Your father is far too dependable! So dependable that everyone thinks he's impartial to a fault!" Aunt huffed.
Uncle was instantly struck speechless.
Only then did Chen Yuanjun find an opening to speak. "Mom, call off tonight's dinner. My promotion went through. The document came down from headquarters. From now on, I'm an Inspector at the Public Security Bureau, still assigned to Kangyang District."
Aunt froze, staring at him in utter disbelief. After several seconds, she sought confirmation: "Really?"
Then, as if struck by a thought, she exclaimed with joy, "Did Director Li pull it off? Just yesterday he was saying it would be tricky... Yuanjun, we have to prepare a generous gift to thank him properly."
Chen Yuanjun shook his head. "It was Yuanzi. He asked a friend to take care of it."
Aunt froze once more, and Uncle looked over as well.
"Yuan... Yuanzi?"
Aunt looked dumbfounded. Could a university student really pull off something like this? Besides, Yuanzi was still in school with a very limited social circle; there was no way he could know that caliber of friend.
Chen Yuanjun nodded with a smile. "There's no mistake. I ran into him at the Public Security Bureau just now. He's taking that friend out to dinner tonight."
Aunt beamed with delight. "Really? That kid Yuanzi actually knows someone so capable? Hubby, we must treat Yuanzi to a great meal tomorrow and thank him properly!"
Uncle resumed his moonwalk. "We're all family. What's there to thank?"
Aunt thought it over and nodded, smiling broadly. "True, that would be too formal. From now on, I'll give Yuanzi more pocket money. Hubby, I really didn't spoil that boy for nothing."
She was in high spirits.
Uncle chortled. "Didn't I always say Yuanzi would make something of himself? Nowadays, only people who know how to socialize can get ahead. Those who just bury their heads in work amount to nothing—just look at my dad and Yuanjun. See? Following in my footsteps is clearly the superior path."
***
At the dinner table, Chen Yuanjun said, "Grandpa, the document from headquarters came down. I've been promoted to Inspector, still at the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau."
The white-haired Grandfather paused, visibly moved. "What happened?"
His sharp eyes fixed on his grandson, a hint of tension surfacing on his weathered face.
Grandfather knew that barring an unforeseen turn, it would have been impossible for Yuanjun to be promoted to Inspector. He was all too familiar with how things worked in the public security system.
Jiang Yu'er, who had been shoveling food into her mouth with her head down, looked up, turning her gaze toward Chen Yuanjun alongside her mother.
Chen Yuanjun explained, "When I got off work, I ran into Yuanzi. He knows someone quite influential in the public security system who happened to be able to help. That settled the matter. Yuanzi didn't come home for dinner because he went out to treat her."
Grandfather looked astonished, clearly not expecting such an answer.
Grandmother's jaw dropped. "He really knows someone like that? I thought he was just bragging..."
Overjoyed, Grandmother began gushing endlessly about how promising Yuanzi was, saying she had known all along he would go far because he made friends wherever he went.
Grandfather smoothed the expression from his face and nodded steadily. "Yuanjun, the path you walk is different from Yuanzi's. I've always been strict with you because you are a man of action; you can climb upward one solid step at a time. Yuanzi is different. He's suited for wild growth. So long as he doesn't stray onto crooked paths, he will never turn out poorly."
Pausing, a warm smile touched Grandfather's aged face. "Both of you have bright futures."
***
It was very late by the time Zhang Yuanqing returned home, reeking of alcohol, his breath carrying the sweet fragrance of malt.
He usually didn't drink, but celebrations called for good cheer. Aside from Jiang Jingwei, who was too young to drink, and Guan Ya, who had to drive Yuanshi home and hated designated drivers handling her car, everyone else had indulged freely.
Jiang Jingwei had harbored a certain longing for alcohol, eager to try a beverage reserved only for adults, but the group had firmly shot her down.
The moment Zhang Yuanqing's hand gripped the doorknob, his ears twitched. He caught the faint sound of breathing inside the room.
*Someone's in my room? Jiang Yu'er?* Startled like a bird fleeing an archer's bow, he grew instinctively vigilant, but then relaxed and turned the knob.
*Even Heavenly King Demonic Eye is locked up. What do I have to be afraid of?*
The bedroom door swung open. Under the bright light sat the solemn, dignified Chen Yuanjun by the desk, a cigarette pinched between his fingers.
"You're back?"
His cousin exhaled a plume of white smoke. With his steady posture and mature face, he looked remarkably like a father waiting up late for a wayward son.
"Ah, Bro, why aren't you asleep yet? Looking for me?"
Though Zhang Yuanqing asked aloud, he had already guessed his cousin's intent.
Chen Yuanjun adopted a stern face. "Did that Guan Ya drive you home?"
"Yeah!" Zhang Yuanqing nodded.
Chen Yuanjun's expression grew even graver, his tone heavy. "How do you know Guan Ya, and what's your relationship?"
"We met online, and after meeting in person, we got along really well, so we became friends..." Zhang Yuanqing spun a lie as he spoke.
Before he could finish, Chen Yuanjun cut him off with a wave of his hand. Exhaling a silent breath, his cousin said earnestly, "Say no more. I understand.
"Yuanzi, I know young people nowadays are open-minded and constantly spread twisted values like 'rich older women are the best' or 'Auntie, I don't want to struggle anymore.' Maybe to you, that's just the social climate, and everyone is just letting themselves go—lying flat, giving up. Yes, 'lying flat,' just as you young people describe it.
"But as your brother, I have to tell you that this is wrong. A man needs to keep his feet on the ground and not take crooked shortcuts or stray onto devious paths. If your grandparents and your eldest aunt found out you were being kept by a woman, how do you think they'd feel?"
*K-K-Kept?!* Zhang Yuanqing stared blankly at his cousin.
Chen Yuanjun pressed on. "That Guan Ya is not of low status. Either her family is immensely powerful, or her boyfriend—or husband—is. Getting involved with a woman like that will bring endless trouble.
"If her family or her husband ever finds out she's keeping a pretty boy on the side, they won't let you off easy. Our family isn't destitute, but we're just ordinary folk. Yuanzi, you have to think about the consequences."
*You've already let your imagination run that wild? I'm no Cao Cao; I don't have a thing for married women...* Caught between tears and laughter, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Bro, we really are just ordinary friends. Fine, I know that sounds unconvincing, but please rest assured: I'm definitely not being kept, Guan Ya doesn't have a boyfriend, and she certainly isn't married."
"Not married?" Chen Yuanjun's expression softened considerably. "Well, if you've merely hooked up with a single wealthy woman, that's slightly better."
*Right, right, right...* Zhang Yuanqing nearly buried his face in his hands.
Having obtained a satisfactory answer, Chen Yuanjun stood up. "Get some rest early, then. And about today... thanks."
***
The next morning, Grandmother took the handbag standard for any homemaker and prepared to head to the wet market outside the residential complex.
As the most upscale neighborhood in the area, it was not only in a prime school district, but also flanked by a wet market, with a shopping mall just a kilometer away, making daily shopping exceptionally convenient.
Passing by the community's resting area, Grandmother's ears twitched. She overheard several elderly neighborhood ladies engrossed in juicy gossip.
"I saw it with my own eyes last night! He came back in a sports car, and the driver was a gorgeous woman, though definitely not young."
"That boy is quite handsome. You don't think he snagged a rich older woman, do you?"
"Oh my, heaven forbid he's being kept. Such a fine young man, too..."
*Sports car? Boy? Kept?!*
Grandmother suddenly decided grocery shopping could wait. She scurried over eagerly to enjoy the juicy gossip.
"What are you all talking about?" Grandmother asked enthusiastically.
Seeing Grandmother approach, the old women's expressions shifted, and they fell silent at once.
One of them, who had a close relationship with Grandmother, hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Ah Mei, it looks like your grandson is being kept by a wealthy woman. Here's what happened..."
Grandmother had rushed over to feast on gossip, only to find the gossip was about her own family. The smile instantly vanished from her face.
***
Meanwhile, Zhang Yuanqing was lying in bed, holding his phone in both hands as he opened the official forum.
*#Taiyi Sect Announces Participation in This Year's Arena Tournament#*
*#Prizes for Arena Tournament Announced: Unexpected Stakes for This Year's Transcendent Stage#*
Chapter 176