Chapter 20: A Night of Exhaustion?
“Are you talking about... the old master?”
Pei Xueyan furrowed her delicate brows in thought, then shook her head, saying, “The old master is devoted to goodness, eats vegetarian food, worships Buddha, and is always gentle to everyone. He doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”
“My dear young madam...” Liu Shen nearly burst out laughing at her words, once again sighing that Pei Xueyan was still too innocent. He smiled and asked, “Do you really think Master Song is some virtuous devotee?”
“Have you ever heard the old saying, ‘The kind shouldn’t command soldiers, and the good shouldn’t manage wealth’?”
“Businessmen become kind only after their business succeeds; it’s always been this way! Think about it, young madam—have you ever seen a virtuous person grow their business into something big?”
“Do you really think Master Song could build such a vast business with clean hands? Hmm?”
“Could someone with clean hands expand their business so far? Would a person with clean hands have dealings with a shady outfit like the Chishui Gang? Would a person with clean hands worship Buddha, eat vegetarian food—and then send people to smash the very Buddha statue they invited?”
“...”
Pei Xueyan was left speechless by his barrage of questions, unable to find an answer.
“My dear young madam, do you understand the principle of ‘all beings have many faces’?”
Liu Shen sighed again, “To you, Master Song is a kindly father-in-law, because you are his daughter-in-law. What he shows you must be the side that is devoted to goodness and gentle. But in the eyes of his enemies? Would he be the same?”
“To him, you’re still young, with a long road ahead.”
“If you believe me, when it comes to matters of methods, go ask Master Song for advice. How he responds will let you judge whether my suspicion is correct.”
“This trick, it’s called ‘let them decide for themselves’.”
“It’s like handing your test paper to the examiner, letting them write their preferred answers, then having them grade it themselves.”
“...”
Pei Xueyan nodded awkwardly...
Facing this man obviously younger than herself, she once more felt the same pressure she’d experienced as a child in school before her teacher... It was a strange feeling...
“That’s all I have to say.” Liu Shen intended to drink some tea to moisten his throat, but, seeing his cup was empty, he let it go and smiled, “Whether you believe me or not, that’s your decision.”
“I do believe you, why wouldn’t I?” Pei Xueyan shot him a reproachful look, stood up to pour him more tea, muttering, “With your kind of talent, how could you be working as a dock laborer?”
“Because I was hungry, because I was poor...” Liu Shen smiled unconcernedly. “And because, at the bottom, there were no opportunities for me to choose.”
“And what about me?” Pei Xueyan, not entirely satisfied, retorted, “I wanted a chance with you, but you never gave me one.”
“How could I not?” Liu Shen suppressed a smile, mimicking her tone, “Isn’t it because the young madam had an eye for talent, that she discovered this hidden gem?”
---
“You... stop copying me.” Pei Xueyan could tell he was teasing her; her cheeks flushed, both shy and annoyed, she gave him another glare.
Seeing the dignified young madam from yesterday now acting like a bashful, angry girl, Liu Shen was even more amused.
And as Liu Shen laughed openly without restraint, Pei Xueyan felt even more embarrassed. She reached out to pinch his waist in protest, but only found firm muscle, unable to grab or twist, and so she turned her face away, refusing to look at him...
“All right, all right,” Liu Shen glanced at the sky outside. “I’ve been here most of the day. If I stay any longer, people might start gossiping.”
Pei Xueyan smiled ambiguously, “What, are you afraid of gossip?”
“What’s there for a grown man to fear?” Liu Shen scoffed. “You, young madam, are precious. I just don’t want rumors to harm your reputation.”
“...”
Pei Xueyan was momentarily lost in thought.
Coming back to herself, she smiled and asked, “So you’re just leaving? After working so hard for me all day, won’t you stay for a meal?”
“I’ll be back tomorrow, won’t I? There’s no need to keep such strict boundaries between friends.” Liu Shen raised his brow with a teasing smile. “Besides, with my build, even if I worked all night for you, I wouldn’t get tired.”
With that, he tossed out a casual, “I’m off,” and walked out.
“Friends...” Pei Xueyan watched his departing figure, murmured the word, then looked at her own hand, rubbing it, but she couldn’t recapture the feeling of that muscular waist...
“With that physique, he really could work all night without tiring... Wait... all night?”
She laughed, clicking her tongue, still savoring the touch. But before she finished her thought, realization struck, and her smile froze.
“This rascal... was that a double meaning?”
---
Liu Shen left the inner hall, intending to check if Xiao Yu Hong had woken up, but found the clinic empty.
“Brother Shen...” Just then Yuan Xiaofei ran over, grinning as he explained, “Not long after you left, Hong woke up. The boss and I helped carry her back to her room to rest. She’s only just fallen asleep again.”
“Hm?” Liu Shen frowned, scolding him, “Didn’t I tell you to call me when Hong woke up? Are you getting bold now, making decisions on your own?”
“No, no...” Yuan Xiaofei hurriedly waved his hands, his face troubled. “I wanted to call you, but the boss said you were busy discussing important matters with the young madam, so he told us to take Hong back to her room. I didn’t want to bother you.”
---
“It’s all right, I’m not blaming you...” Liu Shen patted his shoulder, instructing, “I’m not busy these days, so I’ll visit you siblings often. But I don’t live here, and Hong needs to rest. As her brother, take care of her—and yourself, too.”
“Also, work diligently here. Call older peers ‘brother,’ those senior ‘master.’ Don’t offend anyone with a smile; a sweet tongue never hurts. Got it?”
“I understand!” Yuan Xiaofei nodded solemnly, grinning. “Don’t worry, Brother Shen, I know what to do even without your advice.”
“That I believe...” Liu Shen nodded, laughing, “You look slow, but you’re actually clever.”
“Heh heh...” Yuan Xiaofei scratched his head sheepishly...
Liu Shen glanced surreptitiously around, leaned in, and whispered, “When I’m not here, if you siblings encounter any injustice, don’t act rashly. Tell me afterward—I’ll stand up for you. If the young madam is here, you can also quietly seek her out; she’ll help you, too. Understood?”
“Understood!” Yuan Xiaofei nodded thoughtfully.
“Then I’ll head back.” Liu Shen inclined his head, adding as he left, “And keep this between you and Hong. Don’t go telling others, all right?”
“Got it!” Seeing Yuan Xiaofei nod seriously, Liu Shen finally felt at ease and departed.
Behind the curtain connecting the inner and outer halls, Pei Xueyan watched the two whispering and parting, her hands folded over her chest, a smile on her lips.
Seeing Liu Shen leave in relief, she walked out, beckoning, “Yuan Xiaofei, come here.”
“Huh?” Yuan Xiaofei, hearing the young madam call him, jumped to attention and hurried over. “Young madam, do you have instructions?”
“Nothing much...” Pei Xueyan adopted the airs of the eldest madam, saying, “In the future, if anything happens in Tongda Hall, you can come to me privately for help, understood?”
“Understood, understood.” Yuan Xiaofei nodded rapidly—after all, Brother Shen had just told him the same thing. Recalling his advice to ‘work diligently,’ Yuan Xiaofei replied earnestly, “If that’s all, young madam, I’ll get back to work?”
“Don’t go yet...” Pei Xueyan stopped him, glanced furtively at the door to make sure Liu Shen had left, then quietly asked, “How much do you know about Liu Shen? Tell me everything...”
“Huh???”