As soon as the figure known as the Right Shadow stepped through the door, with his
back foot yet to touch the ground, his sharp gaze swiftly scanned the faces of everyone in the hall, rapidly assessing who held sway.
You ying gave a formal bow, "Might you be Su Yin, Young Master Su?"
(Kipzi - You ying is the right shadow)
Xiao Bao was seething with frustration. Right Shadow hadn't given him as much as
a direct glance, making him feel his efforts were utterly wasted.
With a slight upturn of his lips, Su Yin smiled, "Indeed, it is I."
"I've come specifically to retrieve my brother who has been troubling your household for several days, to spare you any further inconvenience."
"It's indeed been quite the hassle, you've no idea how much of our premium medicine he's used up during this time. I had to assign three servants to attend to him round the clock, and yet, his demands and aloofness know no bounds, claiming ignorance to every question," Su Yin scoffed.
Already frustrated from getting nothing out of the Left Shadow and now being
blatantly ignored by the right, Xiao Bao let loose a barrage of spiteful remarks the
moment he opened his mouth.
Turning his head, You ying glanced at him, cheeks bulging with suppressed anger.
The refusal of the Jin household to release the person had been a source of irritation
throughout his journey, and now having to endure the pointless barbs of this useless
scion was truly infuriating. However, recognizing the bigger picture, he managed to quell his anger and respectfully performed a bow, "Young Master Jin, it's been a while. I hope you've been recovering well?" His glance, though seemingly casual, was loaded with meaning.
Xiaobao's face was struggling to maintain composure, a mix of embarrassment and
anger, along with a fear that Su Yin, cunning as a ghost, might discern something.
This fear caused the previously sharp resentment to dissipate significantly.
After dealing with him, You ying continued negotiating with those who kept their
word. He knew that the person before him was not someone to offend at the moment,
but he couldn't fathom why this person insisted on holding onto his brother without
releasing him. Not understanding made him even more impatient.
"You're called You ying." Su Yin, confident and unafraid, took a sip of tea, "Let's
dispense with the formalities and get straight to the point. Your brother is staying
with me because there are things I need to know. Since he won't talk, I have to find
someone who will."
"What does Su Yin want to know?"
Su Yin nodded towards Xiaobao, "Our Xiaobao mysteriously disappeared for three
days and came back injured. I need to know who's responsible."
Xiaobao's face turned deathly pale in fright, glaring fiercely at You ying, mentally
threatening him that if he dared to tell the truth, he would kill his brother.
You ying naturally didn't take his threat seriously, but he had his considerations.
After a few seconds of deliberation, "It was the Five Eccentrics of Konggu."
Su Yin nodded, which matched the intelligence he had received, but he sensed the man was holding back.
"Why did the Five Eccentrics of Konggu appear in Jiangnan, and why did they injure
Xiaobao?"
"Their target was our master. Young Master Jin was injured trying to save our
master. As for why they appeared in Jiangnan, why they attacked our master, and who our master is, these questions are more important than our lives." Meaning, Su Yin might as well stop asking.
Su Yin raised an eyebrow, not satisfied with the answer though it was expected.
He chuckled coldly, his eyes filled with icy intent, then shifted his tone, "I heard
from Xiaobao that your master is a rare beauty, praised by Jiangnan's renowned Jin
Gongzi as unparalleled. Naturally, I am quite curious and would like to see for myself."
You ying clenched his jaw, barely containing his anger, "Our master is not for show.
If Su Yin wants to see beauties, I, as an outsider, can name the top three famous
brothels in Suzhou. Please, as you wish."
His tone was quite unfriendly, but Su Yin's demeanor remained as carelessly indifferent as ever.
You ying, unlike his brother, was not one to keep his cool. Seeing Su Yin's seemingly
amused gaze, unable to grasp his thoughts, was infuriating.
"I'll take my brother and leave now. It's getting late and not good to find lodging!"
He threw down these words stiffly, staring at Su Yin for a reaction.
Flashing a grin, Su Yin casually uttered two words, "Not releasing."
This truly infuriated You ying to the point of steaming anger, while Xiaobao couldn't
help but gloat secretly on the side.
"What exactly do you want?"
"I've said it, I wish to behold the beauty's countenance, and it just so happens that
Xiaobao has been unable to eat or drink thinking about him."
"Hmph, unable to eat or drink, Jin Gongzi really is commendably courageous."
Su Yin narrowed his eyes, sensing he caught onto something, "What do you mean by that?".
Though the question was directed at You ying, his gaze was fixed on Xiaobao.
Xiaobao was at a loss, having always been unable to keep secrets from Su Yin; he
couldn't hide anything, yet how could he voice such a ridiculous and embarrassing
matter.
"Umm...he...Su Yin, let's just release him, it's all been specially..." The words at the
tip of his tongue were swallowed back under Su Yin's sharp gaze, leaving him
standing aside, too scared to speak.
Xiaobao has been afraid of Su Yin since he was young, lacking in spirit, but there
was nothing he could do about it. Su Yin was always stronger and more correct in
everything; obeying Su Yin had become a habit for him.
You ying, having calmed down after his initial anger, realized that a direct
confrontation was impossible. He couldn't beat Su Yin, and a stealthy approach would
be difficult too, given the stringent security at the Jin residence and the numerous
miscellaneous visitors, not all of whom were experts, but their sheer number made
them formidable. Moreover, with Zuo Ying still recovering from serious injuries,
moving stealthily was not feasible.
After much consideration, the only option left was to return and devise a new
strategy.
Thus, without lingering, he bowed, "Please convey my regards to my brother for me,
Master Su, and ask him to take care of his health. I shall return to visit him another
day." With that, he left.
Xiaobao watched You ying disappear, then glanced nervously at Su Yin, only to find
Su Yin sizing him up with narrowed eyes.
Not good!
"What are you hiding from me?"
"Nothing…"
Su Yin raised his voice, "You say nothing?"
"…Nothing…" Xiao bao avoided his gaze.
Su Yin stood up, his taller stature imposing an invisible pressure on Xiaobao. He
grabbed Xiaobao's ear, "Speak up!"
Panicking, Xiaobao tried to pry his hand away, but the harder he tried, the more it
hurt. "What are you doing?! You're not my mom!! I don't have to report everything to
you!!!"
Su Yin tightened his grip, causing Xiaobao to cry out in pain.
"Growing wings?"
"Su Yin, you bastard, let me go, ah ah, it hurts, let go!!"
Xiaobao, displaying his steadfast and indomitable spirit for once, refused to speak
even though his ear was nearly torn off.
Seeing Xiaobao like this, Su Yin felt both annoyed and amused but managed not to
laugh, eventually releasing his grip.
Xiaobao, holding his ear, gasped for air, glaring at Su Yin as if wanting to burn holes
through him.
"One month, no going out."
"What??" He couldn't believe his ears! "Do you realize this is my house?! You can't
forbid me from going out, what right do you have?"
"Let's see if I can make it happen." Without waiting for Xiaobao's indignant protests
and stomping feet behind him, Su Yin waved his hand dismissively and walked away.
True enough, that very afternoon, whatever Su Yin had said to his (Xiaobao's) father
worked; his dad unwaveringly grounded him and instructed everyone in the house to
supervise him.
For someone as restless as Xiaobao, being cooped up all day in the house was torturous.
He had made much progress since his childhood. Back then, he could only silently
resent Su Yin's domineering and tyrannical behavior. Now, he could voice his anger,
but it didn't solve anything. The situation left him feeling wronged, but Su Yin was
just too cunning. Even if he cried to his mother, she wouldn't help him. Instead, she
would blame him for being unreasonable.