Chapter 3023: Stubbornly Tamed 40

Chenshu silently opened his eyes.

It's so noisy here, with shouting and questioning; the antidote injected has long worn off, and I'm not a pig—how could I still be asleep?

He blinked, poked his head out of his coat, looked around, and thought to himself, "No wonder I'm having nightmares; this place feels like a horror movie set."

His gaze fell again on Chu Yi, who was hanging there; Chenshu's heart stirred, he widened his eyes sternly, and turned his head to look at Jin Chen.

"How do you know Chu Yi isn't?"

He hadn't figured out how to expose Chu Yi's loophole yet, but Jin Chen already knew.

Jin Chen lifted him slightly from his embrace, shifted to a more comfortable hold, reached up to tousle Chenshu's messy hair, and chuckled, "Little liar, you've got so many flaws—did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

Chenshu pursed his lips, didn't respond to that; it seemed the old man already had it figured out.

Chu Yi was still struggling uselessly there, trying to break free of the rope, making unwilling grunting sounds.

Chenshu frowned, his gaze turning cold and sharp as usual, and said, "Actually, Xiao Mao is already dead."

Chu Yi's struggling motion jerked to a halt, and he stared at Chenshu in shock.

Chenshu stared at him and continued, "Xiao Mao is the child that Uncle Nine adopted overseas."

"He wants to avenge Uncle Nine, refuses to return to Yicheng. I helped him, but... in the end I couldn't save him."

That was his biggest regret in this matter.

Xiao Mao didn't want to inherit anything; before his death, Chenshu happened to need a legitimate way to enter Yicheng and find patronage, so Xiao Mao imitated Uncle Nine's handwriting and wrote another entrustment letter.

The letter's content was almost unchanged, except that Xiao Mao's traits were replaced with Chenshu's birthmark; they each got what they needed.

This was Chenshu's biggest secret, buried deep in his heart after entering Yicheng.

"But..." Chenshu shifted his tone, his eyes growing sharper, "I'm really curious—who exactly are you? Or rather, why do the people behind you know the details of the token so well?"

While speaking, Chenshu rose from Jin Chen's embrace, slowly walked up to the hanging Chu Yi, ignored his murderous glare, reached out and firmly pressed down on the back of his neck, pulling open his collar, already soaked with sweat and blood.

On Chu Yi's nape, near the shoulder blade, there was a tattoo exactly like those of the men who had chased them at the airport.

"So that's how it is." Chenshu nodded thoughtfully, released his grip, and looked at Chu Yi, "You're from the same organization."

Perhaps, after being completely exposed and realizing there was no way out, Chu Yi's eyes flashed with a hint of mad ruthlessness!

He summoned unknown strength and jerked violently, ignoring the excruciating pain of his wrists being rubbed raw, pushed off with his falling momentum, lunged at Chenshu, and fiercely went for his delicate, fragile neck!

"Watch out!" Yan Rui exclaimed from behind!

Sensing danger the instant Chu Yi's eyes changed, Chenshu stepped back half a step, ready to kick him in the chest!

A bullet came from behind his shoulder and struck Chu Yi squarely in the forehead.

Chu Yi's lunging motion froze, he crashed heavily onto the wet, filthy ground, twitched twice, and then fell silent.

Chenshu froze for a second, then turned around.

Jin Chen clicked his tongue, casually tossed his gun to Yan Rui, walked up to Chenshu, flicked his forehead, and said, "Your reaction's so slow—are you still not awake?"

Chenshu touched his forehead where the flick landed, suddenly broke into a dazzling smile that was blindingly bright.

He took a step forward, lunged back into Jin Chen's embrace, buried his face in his chest and inhaled deeply, taking in the comforting scent, then brushed his lips against Jin Chen's ear with a very soft kiss.

"Papa, I'm not the person you originally wanted to marry—do you still love me?"

"Don't say nonsense." Jin Chen held him, stood up, and walked outside.

Stepping out of the cabin, the corridor outside was relatively bright and clean. Sea breeze blew in through the porthole, bringing a fresh salty tang.

Jin Chen held Chenshu as they walked back slowly, and a thought suddenly flickered through his mind.

Perhaps, that day at the dock, if what he received was truly Uncle Nine's entrusted person—or someone else—he might not have made the decision to marry.

—

As for what happened that day on the ferry, the invited guests all tacitly pretended to know nothing. These old foxes who had spent decades navigating the mall were best at finding a safe harbor before the storm hit.

Xie Chang was placed under soft confinement in his own cabin; he tried to have staff secretly reach out to former good partners for help, but those people wouldn't even grant him a meeting.

Ridiculous—this is the open sea! Xie Chang and Peng Wenqiang are clearly doomed, having offended Jin Chen, that killing god. If they try to get involved, what if Jin Chen thinks they're colluding with the Xie family and just tosses them into the sea to feed the fish?

Besides, the merchants of Yicheng all know in their hearts that cooperating with Jin Chen is a sure-profit venture.

Jin Chen's methods may be harsh, but he follows the rules, keeps his word, and never shortchanges the benefits owed.

Xie Chang fell, Peng Wenqiang fell, and the industries swallowed by the whale will soon be reshuffled—who gets a slice in the new order depends entirely on Jin Chen's favor. To oppose him now, is one tired of living?

Having screwed over two old-timers and swallowed most of their lifelong wealth and industry, Jin Chen still has plenty to keep him busy.

Chenshu slept until noon, then got up with a sore back and waist.

No choice—the previous night, that old man who claimed he wasn't angry, using the excuse of checking his recovery and punishing the little liar for lying again, kept flipping him over, examining him inside and out repeatedly, tormenting him until late at night until his voice went hoarse.

He slowly shuffled to the ship's restaurant, eating while sighing, holding up his head with a worried, grim face.

The old man said he wasn't angry, but in the end he still wore him out completely.

Just that—seeing Jin Chen's attitude, he hasn't been fully appeased yet.

Presumably, once he finishes dealing with the Xie family's mess, he'll still have to catch him later to settle accounts—there's no avoiding another scolding.

Truly worrisome. Chenshu poked at the rice in his bowl, feeling that even the sweet and sour pork in it wasn't appetizing.