threaten
"What exactly do you want?" Wen Xubai frowned.
"Nothing much, just came here to find some peace and quiet." Ruan Xing sighed and put the pen back in the pen holder. "You know how many things bother me every day."
At this point, Ruan Xingping's usually brows furrowed slightly, and a fleeting look of weariness crossed his eyes, which was quickly concealed.
"Is it because of Ruan Yun?" Wen Xubai guessed.
“Ha,” Ruan Xing shrugged, “I knew I couldn’t hide it from you.”
Ruan Xing approached Wen Xubai step by step, "It's been like this since the first time I saw you..."
"What?" Wen Xubai frowned and stepped back.
The bookstore was small, and Wen Xubai soon found himself with nowhere to go, bumping into the counter behind him.
The man's hand slowly slid across his eyes, and he chuckled softly, "It seems like nothing can be hidden from you. No matter how deeply hidden your desires or sins are, you can see right through them with just one glance."
He first met Wen Xubai at Ruan Qing's funeral. Amidst the solemn black-clad figures, a small figure in white stood out, his tear-filled eyes revealing an overly clear gaze…
Now, a shadow of gloom has fallen over those eyes...
“Come back and help me,” Ruan Xing said.
Wen Xubai: "?!"
He shoved the person in front of him away and said angrily, "Are you threatening me?"
There was still a layer of anger in those eyes.
Ruan Xing was pushed so suddenly that her tall figure staggered for a moment, but she quickly realized what he meant and laughed, "It's not a threat, it's an invitation."
Wen Xubai still glared at him angrily.
Obviously, no one would believe a businessman's words, and Ruan Xing understood this, so he offered his own bargaining chips.
"Wen Xuyuan is a troublesome fellow. He wants to swallow up the entire Wen family and drag the Song Group along with him, but he still has his concerns and is just a paper tiger. But Wen Xushi... you should have experienced his methods firsthand."
Wen Xubai's eyes darkened.
Ruan Xing continued, "A person who lives in the shadows, merges with the shadows, and is even good at using the shadows, is like a snake that is waiting for its chance to strike. It is impossible to detect it until it is too late."
“It was alright before. No matter how powerful he was, he was just a lone snake. But now he has the Chang family as his backer... We have suffered a lot at his hands and stumbled a lot..." Ruan Xing looked at him with deep eyes, “And you... are the one who understands Wen Xushi the most.”
Wen Xubai clenched his fists and sneered, "What makes you so sure? There is no kinship in the Wen family. He can kill his own brothers, so how could he possibly treat me, a brother with no blood relation, with sincerity?"
Ruan Xing put his hands in his pockets, a deep smile on his face. "Is that so? Only you know whether he ever truly loved you."
Glancing at the tightly closed window, Ruan Xing tilted his head. "It's getting late, I'll be going now. Anyway, you don't seem to be very welcoming to me."
As he spoke, he slapped a card-like object onto the edge of his table, and as he passed by him, he whispered, "Helping me is helping him too, isn't it?"
But before leaving, he called out, "Oh right, I think you've lost what I gave you, so here's another one. Don't lose it this time!"
With that, Ruan Xing lifted the curtain and went out.
Wen Xubai was left alone, his hands trembling.
Wen Xushi is dealing with Qi Zui.
He slowly turned his head and looked at the thing Ruan Xing had placed next to him. It was a business card that was exactly the same as it had been three years ago.
For many days afterward, Wen Xubai did not see Ruan Xing again.
In the first few days, he was uneasy, worried that Ruan Xing would expose his whereabouts because of his unwillingness to cooperate, but now it seems he had worried too much...
Life went on peacefully, day and night changing again and again...
Perhaps spurred by Ruan Xing's words that day, Wen Xubai has been frequently searching for entries related to Wen Xuchi these past few days, paying attention to all possible news accounts, and the Tagore poetry collection that he had half-finished reading half a month ago has not been opened again.
"Boss, boss?"
A pair of slender hands waved vigorously in front of Wen Xubai, and it took a long time to bring the dazed man back to his senses.
Wen Xubai looked up abruptly and saw that it was the same two girls from last time.
During this time, the two girls came to his store more and more often, spending most of their time reading, occasionally buying a few books they particularly liked, and taking the opportunity to chat with Wen Xubai.
During the conversation, Wen Xubai learned that the two were both sophomores at the nearby normal university. The one with long hair was called "Bai Lin," and the one with her hair in a bun was called "Chu Ying."
This wasn't the first time they'd noticed Wen Xubai spacing out. Although the handsome man's absent-mindedness had its own charm, Chu Ying couldn't help but ask, "Boss, what's wrong? Why have you been so distracted lately?"
"It's nothing..." Wen Xubai quickly concealed the panic in his eyes and reached for the book the girl handed him.
The two girls read a wide variety of books. Last time it was "Brokeback Mountain," a book about homosexuality, and this time it was a melodramatic ethical story—"Thunderstorm." To express his apology, Wen Xubai still gave them a bookmark, this time with a maple leaf on it.
Since Bai Lin already had a bookmark, she gave it to Chu Ying this time.
Chu Ying was amazed the moment she received it, her eyes widening as she asked, "Boss, did you make this yourself?"
Wen Xubai nodded.
Chu Ying exclaimed even more dramatically, "So skillful?! Do you often make handmade gifts for your girlfriend?"
Wen Xubai was stunned.
Bai Lin quickly tugged at her friend's sleeve and said, "Hey, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Chu Ying blinked, not realizing there was anything wrong with what she said. "Did I say something wrong?" After a moment, she realized what she had said and quickly covered her mouth. "Boss, you don't have a girlfriend, do you...?"
Chu Ying has always been a straightforward person, and Wen Xubai had already noticed this in their conversation a few days ago. He didn't mind and simply nodded.
"I...I didn't mean to...Boss, please don't be angry..." Chu Ying was a little annoyed, and Bai Lin seemed a little nervous as well.
Wen Xubai chuckled softly and said gently, "It's alright."
The two girls finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Remembering that she had class in the afternoon, she quickly grabbed her bag and waved goodbye to Wen Xubai.
Wen Xubai lowered his head and calmly tidied up the books he had accidentally knocked over.
The wind chimes by the door rang again and again. Wen Xubai was a little surprised, but without looking up, he asked, "Did you forget something?"
But the person in front of him didn't speak. The cold air brought in from outside blew onto Wen Xubai, dispelling all the warmth in the shop.
Wen Xubai looked up in surprise and saw an unexpected face.
Ruan Yun.
The two stood there in silence for a long time before Wen Xubai finally spoke, pointing to the chair opposite him and saying, "Sit down."
Ruan Yun didn't go over, but instead grabbed his wrist as he was about to pour water, her eyes urgent, "My dad came looking for you, right?"
Wen Xubai was taken aback by his words, straightened up, looked at the man's delicate face, and smiled, "You know perfectly well what I'm asking. Since you were able to find this place, isn't the answer obvious?"
Ruan Yun choked for a moment, her red lips parted but no sound came out for a long time.
"Ruan Xing sent you?" Wen Xubai shook off his hand and said calmly, "Don't waste your time, I won't go back with you..."
"No!" Ruan Yun's answer surprised him.
Ruan Yun tugged at Wen Xubai's sleeve again, her urgency deepening, "My dad doesn't know I'm here to see you."
This surprised him a bit.
Wen Xubai frowned slightly, waiting for him to continue.
Ruan Yun's eyes were filled with pleading, "I've come to beg your help, please... save Brother Yuan... As long as you're willing to save Brother Yuan, I'll give you anything you want!"
Wen Xubai was stunned. "What do you mean?"
Ruan Yun bit her lip, her eyes flashing with hatred. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "That Chang family is a two-faced scoundrel. On one hand, they sided with Wen Xushi, and on the other hand, they leaked the information they got from getting close to Brother Yuan to my father. They want to use my father to... take revenge on Brother Yuan."
No wonder.
Wen Xubai's heart sank.
He had found it strange before that the Chang family wanted to rely on the Wen family, so from the beginning, they chose to attach themselves to Wen Xuyuan, who was most likely to be the heir.
Ke Wenxu was unwilling to be controlled by them, and even at the cost of weakening his own power, he was determined to draw a clear line between himself and them.
The Chang family wasn't stupid. He had already openly pledged allegiance to the Wen family. So many powerful families outside who had grudges against the Wen family were watching him closely, just waiting for this parasite who depended on others to fall from the tree, which would be the moment he was completely devoured. So the Chang family chose to defect.
In the past, if the Chang family had thought Wen Xuyi was hopeless and wanted to side with the more promising Wen Xushi, that would have been understandable. But now that Wen Xuchi has returned, in terms of status and power, he should have been the obvious choice in the competition. Yet, they still chose Wen Xushi…
So that's how it is...
Ruan Yun said anxiously, "Wen Xuchi is unwilling to help them get rid of Brother Yuan, but Wen Xushi is willing, on the condition that the Chang family must unconditionally obey him..."
"Heh." Wen Xubai couldn't help but sneer.
Among the young masters of the Wen family, Wen Xushi, being an illegitimate son, was inferior to the others in every way, but there was one thing in which he was a hundred times better than them, and that was—ruthlessness.
"Wen Xubai, I beg you, please help Brother Yuan..." Ruan Yun's eyes were already red. "Brother Yuan fell into their trap a few days ago, and the company is suffering serious losses. If this continues..."
"You can leave now."
"What?" Ruan Yun was taken aback.
Wen Xubai coldly said, "I have no connection with the Wen family anymore. I don't have any now, and I don't want to have any in the future. I won't help you. You can leave."
As he spoke, he prepared to see the guests off.
Ruan Yun was neither as tall nor as strong as him. She was pushed all the way to the door, and no matter how much they tried to persuade her, she wouldn't stop. It wasn't until Ruan Yun was about to be pushed out the door that he grabbed the door frame tightly, glared at Wen Xubai, and said, "What about Wen Xuchi? Aren't you going to take care of him either?"
"Don't you want to know how he's been doing at the Wen family these past few years?"
As if under a spell, Wen Xubai slowly released his grip.
"What did you say?"
Ruan Yun seemed unconvinced and angrily straightened her disheveled hoodie, saying, "In front of outsiders, Wen Xushi and Wen Xuyuan are still 'brothers' born of the same mother. If Wen Xuyuan really falls from grace, what do you think he will do?"
Wen Xubai's brows furrowed, and his heart began to race. He urged, "Get to the point."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Yun glared at him unhappily before crossing her arms and saying, "No! Very bad! Do you really think Wen Tingyi treats him like a son, or that the Wen family members treat him like a brother? How could a guy who grew up in the streets possibly fight against Brother Yuan and the others?"
"Wen Xuchi is currently relying on Wen Tingyi and my father, who still need him. If one day Brother Yuan and those others all fall, he will be a discarded pawn. It would be good if he could die with a whole corpse!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com