Chapter 909: Chapter 653: The Gift
"Mo Daidai’s sister..."
Yang Xiao didn’t want to have any relation with this woman; like her brother, she was marked with a dangerous signal by Yang Xiao.
But leaving her message unread and unresponded seemed too tactless. Nalan Shuo was right, if he wanted to succeed in Rongcheng, dealing with the Chamber of Commerce was inevitable. Yang Xiao didn’t want to completely sour the relationship, so after careful consideration, he replied with a polite yet distant tone, thanking her for her concern.
Before he could put down his phone, a chat bubble suddenly popped up with a rabbit police officer clad in uniform seductively looking at him with big charming eyes, "Brother Yang Xiao, how will you thank me then?" The reply came almost instantly.
Even through the screen, Yang Xiao could guess what Chi Dan looked like now, but he had no interest in this woman; he just felt danger.
Yang Xiao generously sent a red envelope of 200, with the note: Grateful heart, I’ll treat you to a late-night snack.
After completing this, Yang Xiao closed the chat window. Elder Pu’s case served as a reminder for Yang Xiao. He pondered for a moment, then found a number and dialed. It only rang twice before someone answered—a very steady and young voice.
He called his subordinate in Xiang Ma Town, who was also somewhat a half-disciple, Ling Yanyu, naturally to inquire about Sui’s recent situation.
According to Ling Yanyu, the town had been relatively quiet recently. Sui never went out nor contacted the outside world. Additionally, after some time of recovery, his injuries had largely healed and he also seemed very spirited.
"Autumn of troubles, stay alert. Where is Sui? Pass him the phone." Yang Xiao walked over and sat down by his desk.
Hearing the long-missed voice of Sui, a big stone in Yang Xiao’s heart finally fell to the ground. They chatted briefly, and then Yang Xiao moved on to the main topic, telling him about the recent occurrences in Rongcheng, including Yiling Academy’s raid on the Patrol Station.
Now that Elder Pu had been seriously injured by him, and other members of the team sent from Yiling Academy were also arrested by the Patrol Station, Sui should be safe for a while.
Hearing about Elder Pu and the person behind him, the originally calm Sui Chengguo’s tone instantly ignited. He gasped heavily and told Yang Xiao that it was Elder Pu and the one behind him who had ruined his family and killed his most beloved daughter.
That little beast was not ordinary; he was the current dean of Yiling Academy, Sheng Jingxuan’s own grandson. Relying on his grandfather’s influence, he had been lawless around Yiling City, and was the one who ordered the attack on his squad of guards, resulting in the death of two dozen fellow brothers apart from Sui. If Sui were also removed, there would be no one left to know of this event.
This Elder Pu was one of the Young Master’s henchmen, skilled in flattering and currying favor, and thus regarded as a confidant. The Young Master had him do many unsightly and vile deeds behind the scenes. Both being tarred with the same brush, neither was a good character.
"Sui, don’t get agitated, just heal peacefully, settle down in Xiang Ma Town, and help me watch over a place for me." Yang Xiao briefly skipped over this unpleasant topic, "I’m still busy here; once everything is arranged, I’ll come to Xiang Ma Town for a drink with you."
"Brother Chu, I’ll never forget your life-saving grace. If there’s ever a day I can be of use to you, I will surely repay you!" Sui Chengguo’s words were emphatic.
"Alright! It’s a deal!" Yang Xiao readily agreed. He didn’t really expect Sui Chengguo to do anything for him, but he knew Sui valued his face, and agreeing would make him feel much better.
Huang Guozhao had taken everyone away, which also relieved a lot of pressure for Yang Xiao. The next two days were very calm for him, but staying often in the director’s office was not a solution, and his apartment was no longer safe. Yang Xiao thought it was time to move.
This time he wouldn’t rent; he wanted to buy a house. Given his current financial power, he could afford a villa in a nice area of Rongcheng.
Previously, Beibei and Xi Menxiu had advised him to buy a house as an investment, but he hadn’t paid much attention then. His job had been unstable. Now that everything was stable, as the captain of Lin’an Patrol Office, soon possibly to be promoted to Deputy Director Level Captain, he was quite a figure in Rongcheng. It was time to consider this. Living in an apartment where people come and go was indeed not convenient; he needed a personal space.
Around 2 p.m., Yang Xiao finished his day’s work, handed over the remaining miscellaneous tasks to Ms. Wen and Huang Qiang, and took the elevator down to the underground parking garage._IEnumerator.MoveNext() A black SUV was already parked waiting outside the elevator doors.
As the car window rolled down, Xi Menxiu’s smirk appeared. He was wearing a very wide pair of sunglasses, and his outfit brimming with huge logos made him look like a nouveau riche.
"My acting director, please get in!" Xi Menxiu actively opened the passenger door for Yang Xiao, his grinning expression extremely obsequious.
After getting into the car, Yang Xiao fastened his seatbelt and turned to see the gold chain on Xi Menxiu’s neck which was thicker than his pinky finger, and couldn’t help but comment: "When will your taste improve a bit?"
Hearing this, Xi Menxiu cried injustice. He explained that he hadn’t planned to dress this way, but today he was accompanying him to view houses. Those real estate agents are all snobbish and have a sharp eye; if dressed too casually like Yang Xiao, talking about viewing villas, especially high-end ones, they wouldn’t even bother with you.
"People can’t be judged by their appearance, just as the sea can’t be measured with a cup." Yang Xiao shook his head. He knew Ximen Xiu made sense, but he didn’t agree.
"Okay, big director, save your outdated cliches. People rely on clothes and horses on saddles, even the Buddha needs a golden body. Last time I drove my clunker to the temple to pray for a marriage match, the big monk guarding the parking lot flat-out refused to let me park, saying those good spots were reserved for the destined."
"I asked him how one qualifies as ’destined,’ hey, guess what he said—a hundred bucks for a merit contribution, just donate ten thousand in merits and you’re considered destined by the temple." Ximen Xiu stepped on the gas and the car left the underground parking lot, soon merging into the traffic outside.
For most of the afternoon, Ximen Xiu took him to 4 villa complexes. It was evident that Ximen Xiu was quite familiar with these places, some of which Yang Xiao was quite satisfied with, but he thought about looking at more for comparison.
In the evening, Yang Xiao initially planned to invite Beibei, Big Bear, and Yu Shu for dinner, But given the recent events and the tense atmosphere pervading the entire Lin’an Patrol Division, he decided against it after deliberation.
After a quick meal with Ximen Xiu, Yang Xiao caught a glimpse in the corner of his eye of a festively dressed little boy sitting at the table diagonally across from them, laughing "giggling" at something, very charming.
The memories in his mind were instantly awakened. He had been too busy lately and completely forgot about Mirror Ghost. So many days had passed, and Mirror Ghost must have grown up, probably around 4 or 5 years old.
It’s best to cultivate relationships early. Using the guise of buying gifts for a friend’s kid, Yang Xiao pulled Ximen Xiu into the mall to pick out gifts for Mirror Ghost.
Soon, Ximen Xiu, tagging along, was baffled by Yang Xiao’s actions. Yang Xiao entered a children’s clothing store, and whenever he saw something suitable, he bought it—all boys’ clothes, the same style in 4 or 5 pieces, buying every size available.
Ximen Xiu, holding bags of various sizes, felt the odd looks from the people around, feeling like they weren’t merely shopping but stocking up. "Captain... don’t you know how old your friend’s child is?"
"I don’t remember exactly," Yang Xiao dodged.
"Can’t you just call to ask?" Ximen Xiu thought it was just a call, not troublesome, and buying something that didn’t fit could be annoying since these clothes weren’t from the same store and returning them would be a hassle.
Hearing this, Yang Xiao didn’t explain much, just shook his head and said in a low voice, "Too much hassle, not convenient."
"Not convenient..." These three words completely ignited Ximen Xiu’s gossip soul. Buying something for a child and even feeling it inconvenient to ask for a size, and considering the captain’s demeanor, it was obvious there was something unspeakable.
Moreover, who shops for children like this? Buying expensive designer brands, spending thousands or tens of thousands, along with various high-end toys, all imported. In Ximen Xiu’s view, Yang Xiao was not someone who spends money lavishly; today was very unusual.
Ximen Xiu, well-known in Rongcheng’s paparazzi circles for his "eagle eyes," sensed a faint scent of gossip. This child’s relationship with the captain was anything but ordinary, he would be the first to not believe if one said this was not his own son.
Moments later, Ximen Xiu concocted a melodramatic scenario in his head: Years ago, Yang Xiao and a girl were in love, but her family looked down on Yang Xiao, thinking a young man who wrote lousy scripts had no future, and forcefully separated the star-crossed lovers.
But what they didn’t know was that the girl was already pregnant with Yang Xiao’s child before she left. After marrying the man her parents chose, she hid it from her family and had the child.
Now, as the captain of the Rongcheng Patrol Division, Yang Xiao, knowing all this, wanted to make up as much as possible for his child, compensating for the missing childhood and the fatherly love he had never provided.
This also explained why the captain suddenly wanted to buy a house. He wasn’t buying it for himself, but for his never-met son, providing the child a wealthy and stable future.
The logic was complete, everything fitting tightly together. At that moment, Ximen Xiu read a subtle, complex mix of sadness, hesitation, and deep-seated guilt in Yang Xiao’s eyes.
Feeling sure about his conclusion, he was so moved that he pulled out his wallet, extracting a stack of red notes, tears in his eyes as he shoved them into Yang Xiao’s hands, "That... Captain, don’t take it the wrong way, this is for my never-met grand-nephew, don’t think it’s too little, it’s just a little something from me as an uncle."
Yang Xiao: "???"
"Captain, I’m all mouth and no trousers, you can rest assured, I won’t talk about today’s events," Ximen Xiu solemnly promised.
"What are you talking about?" Yang Xiao was stunned, wondering if buying a few clothes had violated some taboo of the Patrol Division—do patrol officers not allow the purchase of children’s clothing and toys?
After a pause, Ximen Xiu leaned in and whispered in a mysterious tone, "Captain, only heaven and earth, you and I know about you giving someone cuckold hats. How about this, you don’t have to show up personally, I’ll take people to drive that blind man out of Rongcheng, guaranteeing he won’t dare to come back for a lifetime."
"After I handle it here, you go and bring your sister-in-law and grand-nephew back, let’s buy a big villa and live a good life as a family of three."
