Chapter 37: I Really Don’t Understand
Chapter 37: I Really Don’t Understand
Ling Yi sat on the freshly cleaned marble floor, legs crossed. Next to him was a small opened bottle of liquor. He was chatting with the clear, smiling photo of the Old Principal on the tombstone.
The old man’s alcohol tolerance had always been average. Normally, someone who came out of the army and had fought on the battlefield shouldn’t have such a low tolerance.
But the old man was an exception. Baijiu, at most half a jin, and usually just two or three liang on normal days.
Even though his tolerance wasn’t great, he loved to drink.
The old man didn’t like beer. He thought it tasted bland, and honestly, he couldn’t drink much of it anyway.
He had stopped being a match for Ling Yi long ago.
Luo Xue stood quietly to the side, a touch of sadness in her eyes. She watched Ling Yi, who sat there with a calm face, muttering to himself, and felt a bit of heartache.
The cemetery had good feng shui. It backed against a mountain and overlooked water, presenting a grand and magnificent view.
“Dad, I listened to your advice, but not completely. A lot of things turned out different from what I imagined.”
“Some things I can control, but others… I can’t.”
“That group of people has taken several losses recently. They’re probably unwilling but helpless about it. I’m quite happy, but also a little worried.”
“I’m afraid of dragging Qingqing and Xiaomei into trouble, so I try my best to avoid direct conflict with them. Of course, I know that if we clash head-on now, I’d be the one to suffer.”
“But if they keep pushing and won’t let go, then I have no choice. I’ll have to fight them.”
“I’ve made many new friends recently. In Spring City, I met senior Gu Tong, who also graduated from Zongwu. He spoke very highly of you, which made me really happy.”
“And there’s President Qin from the September Group, a very pretty older sister. We met by a strange twist of fate. How to describe her… she’s alright, I guess. Yeah, the kind you can chat with.”
“Last night, I also met a really interesting older lady. She was truly interesting, unlike anyone I’d met before. I’ve found that after entering society, while there are more troubles, you also encounter more interesting people and things.”
“Oh, right, Dad, and I accidentally became a super billionaire. Haha, you’d never guess how it happened.”
“But I donated sixty billion of it. Fifty billion went to the military. You’d approve of what I did, right? I really wish I could hear you praise me in person, tell me I did great!”
“Also, Dad, in Spring City, I took out a Golden Body Expert who came to hunt me down. He was probably Lu Qingming’s underling.”
“Cutting off one of their claws so early was actually quite unexpected.”
“In the future, I’ll strip them all down, one by one, leaving them as lone commanders, isolated, and then deal with them!”
“Everyone who had a hand in harming you, I won’t let a single one get away!”
“Now I’ve cleared my name, and I’m about to attend the Graduation Ceremony soon. I owe a lot of that to Luo Xue and He Qin…”
Ling Yi sat there alone, chattering on, talking about whatever came to mind, as if he wanted to tell the old man about everything that had happened recently.
When his Adoptive Father was alive, the two of them rarely talked like this.
The only deep conversation they had after Ling Yi grew up was that time at Black Mountain…
That was also his last conversation with his Adoptive Father.
In the eyes of many sci-fi fans, time might be nonlinear, but in Ling Yi’s eyes, time was a straight line.
Like an arrow shot from a bow, it kept moving forward, with no way back.
He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there. Luo Xue, who had taken a stroll around the cemetery, walked back. Looking at Ling Yi, she said softly, “It’s time to go back.”
Ling Yi picked up the small liquor bottle and poured the remaining half onto the grave. Holding the empty bottle, he nodded at Luo Xue. “Let’s go.”
Luo Xue bowed deeply three times towards the Old Principal’s grave. She tilted her head to look at Ling Yi, smiled lightly, and said, “Let’s go.”
On the way down the mountain, both of them stayed silent.
There were many rumors about how the Old Principal died.
But for those like Luo Xue who knew the inside story, they all held a deep resentment in their hearts. They all dreamed of the day they could get revenge for the Old Principal.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Luo Xue blinked her pretty eyes and glanced sideways at Ling Yi. “Shall we walk back?”
Ling Yi raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? It’s dozens of kilometers!”
As he spoke, he walked towards the parking lot.
He walked straight towards a car.
Luo Xue was stunned for a moment, feeling confused. What was he doing?
Equally confused was the person inside that car who was responsible for tailing them.
Ling Yi, holding the small liquor bottle, walked up to the car and tapped on the window with his finger.
The person inside didn’t dare to open it.
He was only here to tail them, not to assassinate anyone.
He thought his following was stealthy enough and his hiding spot was good enough. He never expected to be discovered, let alone have someone approach him directly.
Ling Yi raised the small liquor bottle in his hand towards the person sitting inside.
He tapped on the window again gently.
The person inside still didn’t open it.
Ling Yi lifted the small liquor bottle and smacked it against the car window.
Crash—
The window shattered instantly.
The liquor bottle remained completely intact… a truly conscientious merchant.
The person inside looked terrified. “What are you doing?”
Ling Yi bent down, reached inside through the broken window, opened the car door from the inside, and hauled the man out from the driver’s seat.
“Pick up every single piece of glass on the ground and throw it in the trash can. Clean it all up. If I see even one piece left, I’ll beat you to death today.”
As he spoke, Ling Yi shoved the small liquor bottle, which had completed its mission, into the man’s hand. “And this, throw it away too.”
The man stared blankly at Ling Yi, his eyes full of innocence and fear.
“Hurry up,” Ling Yi said expressionlessly, looking at him. “My patience is limited.”
The young driver, utterly bewildered, bent down and silently started picking up the shattered window glass.
Over ten minutes later.
The area was finally clean.
Ling Yi looked at the young man standing there, unsure what to do. “Too scared to even do this? Don’t do this kind of thing next time. Also, go back and tell the person behind you: if they want to know something, come ask me in person. If they send someone to tail me again, even if it’s a coward like you, I won’t be polite.”
He glanced at Luo Xue. “Get in the car.”
Luo Xue: “…”
The car with one missing window soon drove out of the cemetery, turned a corner, got onto the intercity highway, and quickly disappeared.
Only the original tailing young man was left standing there, utterly bewildered in the wind.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
How did this happen?
Wasn’t it said that guy was especially mild and lazy, really easy to bully?
This is what you call really easy to bully? Who said that? Come out and say it to my face, damn it!
…
“Won’t this cause problems?” Clearly, Luo Xue wasn’t quite used to Ling Yi’s straightforward and rough way of solving problems either.
“What problem could there be? Sue me for stealing the car?” Ling Yi smiled.
“Couldn’t they?” Luo Xue asked.
“Don’t worry, they won’t do that.” Ling Yi sighed lightly while driving. “They’ve suffered losses several times already. Unless they’re sure they can finish me off, they won’t provoke me easily.”
Luo Xue looked at Ling Yi thoughtfully. After a long pause, she chuckled softly. “You’ve changed.”
“And then?” Ling Yi asked.
Luo Xue laughed, saying very naturally, “And then of course you’re becoming more and more likable!”
Ling Yi: “…”
This car was pretty good, a 3.0T government vehicle. Stepping on the gas gave a powerful push against the back.
The only drawback was that the broken window let the wind in.
But it was nothing. After all, with a great beauty sitting beside him, he could just think of it as taking a girl for a ride.
They returned to Capital City.
“Let’s go get something to eat,” Luo Xue suggested.
“Okay,” Ling Yi said. Driving the car, he went to the busiest area of Capital City, found the most expensive paid parking lot, and parked the car in a spot.
“You’re so mean. That private detective will probably have psychological scars for life,” Luo Xue said, utterly speechless at Ling Yi’s bold move.
“Private detective? Which private detective would be that stupid? You’d be surprised if you knew his real identity, but I’m not telling you…”
“…”
“Figure it out yourself,” Ling Yi said with a laugh. Then, as he walked, he added, “Anyway, there’s a type of person born just to please others. That coward is one of them. Don’t even ask me how I know.”
“You mean he’s…” Luo Xue found it a bit hard to believe.
“Look at his cowardly appearance, clueless when problems arise? Yet he carries a strangely confident air, as if everyone will indulge him. Is such a person’s identity really hard to guess?”
Luo Xue looked at Ling Yi. “But, having someone like that tailing you… isn’t it a bit…”
“Actually, having such a person tail you makes them the hardest to notice,” Ling Yi replied.
“Then how did you spot him? I didn’t see you look back once the whole way?” Luo Xue felt a bit puzzled.
Ling Yi revealed a mysterious smile and didn’t answer her, because he couldn’t.
It was discovered by the Enchantress!
And from the moment he got into the taxi, the demoness had already noticed the other party.
“So mysterious…” Luo Xue muttered, but didn’t ask further.
While they were eating, Ling Yi received a call from Old Lin.
“Do you have news already?” Ling Yi was somewhat surprised.
“Haha, I have an old friend in the jade business. It’s quite a coincidence; he recently found a quite large, good-looking raw stone. It’s been checked already, no cracks at all, and he’s looking for a buyer!”
“That sounds good. Where is he?”
“He’s already on a plane, will arrive this afternoon. How about you name a place, and I’ll pick him up and bring him directly to you?”
“That works…”
Ling Yi thought it over. The place he was at now seemed fine, so he simply decided to meet there, saving everyone from running around.
After hanging up, Ling Yi saw Luo Xue looking at him and explained with a smile, “Bought a piece of jade.”
Luo Xue found it strange. “What for?”
“Learning carving recently,” Ling Yi said.
Luo Xue shot him an eye-roll, clearly not believing him, but couldn’t be bothered to ask more.
Then Luo Xue also got a call. After hanging up, she looked apologetically at Ling Yi. “Sorry, I can’t stay with you. Something came up that I need to handle.”
Ling Yi nodded.
After they finished eating, Ling Yi turned and entered a nearby teahouse, while Luo Xue said goodbye and left.
Not long after, Old Lin entered the teahouse with a middle-aged man in his forties and a young man carrying a case.
After exchanging greetings, they got straight to the point.
The young man opened the case and took out a heavy piece of jade, placing it on the tea table.
The middle-aged man explained, “By a stroke of luck, my apprentice obtained this large piece from an old herdsman.”
“I heard it has been passed down for several hundred years. If the son wasn’t trying to buy an apartment in the big city, the family wouldn’t have reluctantly parted with it.”
“I was previously worried. Such a large piece would be a terrible waste to cut up, and as a whole, the price is too high for many to afford.”
“The family was also in a hurry to sell it. Putting it up for auction at Lin’s auction house would take a while. I didn’t expect you to come looking right at this time. It really is fate!”
This middle-aged man was very cheerful and talkative, with expressive gestures that gave a refreshingly pleasant impression.
Inside Ling Yi’s mind, however, the Enchantress sneered, “Fake.”
Ling Yi reached out and gently stroked the stone. Its surface had a yellowish tint with a soft, glossy sheen. It felt cool and smooth to the touch, exceptionally comfortable.
If the Enchantress hadn’t said it was fake, he definitely wouldn’t have noticed.
“It looks pretty real!” Ling Yi communicated to the Enchantress.
“Fake is fake, it can never be real.” The Enchantress’s tone was full of disdain.
Ling Yi looked at Old Lin. “I don’t understand this stuff very well. How about you take a look for me, Old Brother?”
Old Lin readily nodded. “No problem. Such a large, top-quality white jade, I’ve never seen anything like it myself. I’d love to get a good look…”
He glanced at the young man. “Have you got a strong flashlight?”
The young man handed over a strong flashlight, and Old Lin began to carefully examine the large stone, bit by bit.
As time passed, his expression gradually turned serious.
About five or six minutes later.
Old Lin looked at the middle-aged man. “Tell me the truth. Where did this stone… come from? Did you examine it carefully yourself?”
The middle-aged man was stunned. “Master Lin, what do you mean…”
At that moment, Ling Yi noticed the young man was clearly nervous, his face somewhat stiff.
The middle-aged man then frowned and looked at the young man. “Xiao Liuzi…”
“Ah, Master, are you calling me?” The young man responded, a bit flustered.
“What’s going on?” the middle-aged man asked calmly.
“Master, I…” The young man’s face was full of embarrassment.
The middle-aged man nodded with a calm expression, then looked at Ling Yi and Old Lin. “My apologies, gentlemen, for making you watch this farce. It’s my fault! Alright, I have another piece passed down from my ancestors back home. That one is guaranteed to have no problems at all! If it’s acceptable, I’ll go back now and bring that stone over tomorrow. As for the price, Master Lin can decide. Is that okay?”
Old Lin, having been in this circle for many years, could tell almost immediately that the middle-aged man had genuinely been unaware. He nodded and said, “Okay, we’re in no hurry!”
After speaking, the middle-aged man ignored the young man, stood up, gave a nod to Old Lin, and headed directly outside. “My apologies for today’s event. Another day, I will definitely give you both a proper explanation and host a dinner to make amends!”
The young man hastily put the jade back into the case and called out, “Master… listen to my explanation!”
After the two of them left, Old Lin, looking apologetic, said to Ling Yi, “Brother, I was careless in this matter. You spotted it at a glance, didn’t you?”
Ling Yi shook his head. “Where would I know about this? What, judging by the looks, is there a problem with this stone?”
Old Lin looked at Ling Yi with some helplessness and forced a bitter smile. “Little Brother, stop pretending with Old Brother. There’s no one else here. Someone who can recognize a Supreme Spirit Stone hidden inside a raw stone at a glance—how could they not see this jade had problems? Even daring to try such tricks in front of you… they’re absolutely moronic!”
Ling Yi shrugged, looking innocent. “I really don’t understand it!”
Outside, the middle-aged man walked quickly. The young man carrying the case finally caught up and whispered, “Master, what should we…”
The middle-aged man sighed lightly. “That young man is indeed impressive.”
The young man asked, “What do we do now…”
The middle-aged man said, “Go back and get the real one.”
The young man froze. “We’re really going to bring that one out?”
The middle-aged man looked at him. “In business, you need integrity. It’s not like they won’t pay. Also, don’t follow me for now. For the next while, go wander around anywhere you like, just don’t show up in Capital City…”
As he said this, the middle-aged man got into an approaching luxury car.
They swiftly drove away.