Chapter 2 – 002

As the most favored heir of Old Master Xie, Xie Yunjing’s room was located on the fifth floor.

Most of the guests had already arrived, and the Xie family’s close relatives and friends had gone downstairs to entertain them. Gu Xian and his two companions moved unimpeded along the way. Occasionally, they encountered passing attendants, who merely assumed they were guests authorized by the hosts.

However, their target wouldn’t be so easily deceived.

Zhang Hejie, worried, said, “Xie Yunjing will probably just have us thrown out.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Xie Yunjing is definitely alone right now,” Gu Xian said as he walked toward the window.

Daishan Villa, a European-style building from the last century, had corridors with outer walls almost entirely composed of tall arched windows. The Xie family, wealthy and extravagant, chose not to install convenient remote-controlled curtains. Instead, they employed staff to manually draw the heavy drapes every day, solely to preserve the uniformity of the interior style.

Gu Xian removed two curtain ties adorned with tassels and handed them to Li Yuqiu and Zhang Hejie. “Do exactly as I told you, understood?”

Gu Xian’s assertion that Xie Yunjing was alone matched with his insistence on waiting until most guests had arrived, but what Gu Xian planned to do next made Zhang Hejie extremely uneasy.

“Isn’t this too much?”

“Scared?”

Zhang Hejie followed closely behind Gu Xian. “This is, after all, my personal matter…”

“I’ve been at odds with Xie Yunjing for years. Have the Xie family ever retaliated against the Gu family?” Gu Xian chuckled, a hint of ridicule in his raised eyebrow. “Young Master Xie’s distinction between public and private matters is quite reliable.”

“But this is Xie Yunjing’s engagement banquet, and the Xie family has invited everyone they could.”

The room was filled with prominent figures. If Xie Yunjing, the main character of the evening, were to be abducted, it would undoubtedly trample the Xie family’s reputation. Even if Xie Yunjing maintained his composure, the Xie family wouldn’t let it go easily.

“Do you think there’s a big difference between taking Tao Ranran and taking Xie Yunjing?”

“Both actions disrupt the engagement banquet. Whether you take Tao Ranran or Xie Yunjing, it’s just like slapping the Xie family on one cheek versus the other. By taking Xie Yunjing, at least you can avoid implicating the Tao family and prevent your future father-in-law from resenting you for life.”

Gu Xian turned on his heel, looking sideways at Zhang Hejie. “Are we going or not? If you’re really scared, there’s still time to back out.”

“…”

Zhang Hejie remembered the negotiations with the person in front of him, opened his mouth soundlessly, and finally gritted his teeth, “Let’s go!”

Gu Xian quickly stopped in front of a door.

“Move quickly when the time comes, understood?”

Zhang Hejie and Li Yuqiu nodded.

Gu Xian withdrew his gaze and raised his hand to knock on the door. However, just as his hand was about to fall, the door swung open from the inside.

As the protagonist of tonight’s engagement banquet, Xie Yunjing wore a tailor-made silver-gray suit. His already perfectly proportioned figure was made even more upright by the suit, and his handsome and refined features, though only slightly groomed, stood out even more prominently.

Gu Xian’s hand, which was about to knock on the door, hovered in front of Xie Yunjing’s chest. He and Xie Yunjing stared at each other in shock, while Zhang Hejie and Li Yuqiu held their breath, completely stunned.

“You…” Xie Yunjing’s lips moved slightly.

Gu Xian suddenly lunged forward, pushing Xie Yunjing back into the room. At the same time, he grabbed Xie Yunjing’s arm and held him tightly.

Gu Xian’s “embrace” left Zhang Hejie and Li Yuqiu even more bewildered.

“Ow!—” Xie Yunjing tried to break free, causing Gu Xian to let out a pained cry and then angrily shout, “Hurry up and do it!”

Zhang Hejie and Li Yuqiu snapped out of their daze and rushed into the room, using the curtain ties to bind Xie Yunjing’s wrists.

The door closed again, and Xie Yunjing was tied to a chair with his arms restrained.

The heavy curtains that covered the tall arched windows had strong and sturdy ties, making escape impossible. With four hands against his two, Xie Yunjing had no chance of getting away.

Gu Xian grimaced and rotated his arm, his shoulder nearly dislocated from Xie Yunjing’s struggle. Looking at the outline of Xie Yunjing’s chest muscles visible through his shirt, Gu Xian cursed, “Damn, are you a wild bull or something?”

Xie Yunjing showed no signs of panic despite being restrained. “What are you doing here?”

“Geez, how heartless can you be?” Gu Xian finished massaging his shoulders and nodded towards Zhang Hejie, “You stole his girlfriend, and I’m here to set things right.”

“You?” Xie Yunjing sneered and finally looked at Zhang Hejie, “How much did he pay you?”

Zhang Hejie hesitated, unsure if he should respond.

Gu Xian, however, was unreserved, “What’s wrong with taking money? Doing business and getting paid for it is perfectly normal. It’s a lot better than stealing someone’s girlfriend.”

“Tao Ranran told me she had a boyfriend,” Xie Yunjing ignored Gu Xian’s mockery and continued addressing Zhang Hejie, “This engagement banquet is just a stopgap to placate the elders. I have no interest in Tao Ranran and no intention of fulfilling this engagement.”

Zhang Hejie looked surprised.

He had pursued Tao Ranran for nearly five years, and it was only recently that she finally accepted him. Before they could formally acknowledge their relationship to the Tao family, the Xie family announced their arranged marriage. To climb up the social ladder, the Tao family completely denied his relationship with Tao Ranran.

Out of fear of implicating his family and facing pressure from the Xie, Tao, and Zhang families, they chose not to go public and instead planned to elope to avoid the storm.

Xie Yunjing understood, “You should know your girlfriend. If she hadn’t agreed with me, she wouldn’t have told me about you, nor would she have agreed to cooperate with today’s engagement banquet.”

Zhang Hejie looked at Gu Xian, who stood with one arm crossed and flicked his little finger with an indifferent expression.

He could only ask Xie Yunjing, “What do you mean by telling me this?”

“What I mean,” Xie Yunjing glanced at Gu Xian, “is to advise you not to follow certain idle people and go astray. Even if you manage to disrupt today’s engagement banquet, what about the next time and the time after that? The engagement was arranged by the elders, and as long as they don’t relent, no amount of struggle will help. Instead of risking angering both the Xie and Tao families by listening to someone else’s reckless plans, you’d be better off trusting me. Once the Xie family elders are appeased, I’ll immediately dissolve my engagement with Tao Ranran.”

The Xie family was not to be trifled with. If they got serious, they could easily bring the Zhang family to ruin. If Zhang Hejie openly contested the Xie family, even his parents would chastise him for his imprudence and force him to give up on Tao Ranran.

Disrupting the engagement banquet was not without pressure, but seeing the woman he loved about to become someone else’s fiancée was unbearable.

Xie Yunjing saw his hesitation, “I can assure you that Tao Ranran is just a shield for me. Neither now nor in the future will I ever have any interest in her.”

If what Xie Yunjing said was true, all the problems could be solved. He wouldn’t lose Tao Ranran, and his family wouldn’t face the wrath of the Xie and Tao families.

Zhang Hejie took a step towards Xie Yunjing. Although he didn’t immediately respond, his actions showed he had made a choice.

“Gu Xian…” Seeking help and now considering betrayal, Zhang Hejie felt embarrassed.

Gu Xian maintained his posture, only slightly lifting his head to smile at Zhang Hejie, “It’s not my girlfriend anyway. I want the reward you promised, but I don’t need it. The choice is yours.”

“…”

Zhang Hejie opened his mouth, then pressed his lips together in a determined manner, “I won’t go back on my word. After all, you brought me here. This time… this time, thank you, Gu Xian.”

He then moved to untie the curtain ties binding Xie Yunjing.

Xie Yunjing, however, showed no signs of relief. He raised an eyebrow at Gu Xian.

What game are you playing now?

The curve of Gu Xian’s lips deepened. As Zhang Hejie reached for the curtain ties, Gu Xian blew on his little finger and said, “Since you’re so sincere, let me remind you of something.”

He walked over to Zhang Hejie, draping an arm over his shoulder and pointing at Xie Yunjing, “This person, right now, is in our hands. He’d say anything to get free. Even if he really has no interest in Tao Ranran, if he can engage her now for convenience, how do you know he won’t marry her or even have kids for the same reason in the future?”

Zhang Hejie’s body instantly tensed.

Gu Xian patted him, “Xiao He, do you still need my help?”

The relief on Zhang Hejie’s face turned to anxiety. He found himself caught in a dilemma, “But like he said, even if we disrupt this engagement banquet, there will be a next time and the time after that…”

“I have a way to solve that problem.”

Zhang Hejie hesitated for a moment, then suddenly withdrew his hand from the curtain ties, “I’m counting on you!”

Gu Xian chuckled lightly, gave Xie Yunjing a triumphant look, and waved for Zhang Hejie to step back.

As he approached Xie Yunjing, Gu Xian pulled something from his pants pocket. Bending down to meet Xie Yunjing at eye level, he said, “Young Master Xie, next, we need to get you out of the villa. For safety reasons, I need to keep you quiet. So, do you want to be knocked out with a blunt object, or—”

He opened his hand to reveal a small transparent plastic bag containing a tiny, cut pill. While dangling the bag in front of Xie Yunjing’s eyes, Gu Xian continued, “—or do you plan to take this?”

Xie Yunjing ignored the pill, staring directly into Gu Xian’s eyes. “Despicable.”

Gu Xian wasn’t offended and kept smiling. “Despicable or not, as long as it works on you, Young Master Xie, it’s a good method. Don’t worry, this isn’t anything strange. It’s a regular sleeping pill, and this dose won’t keep you asleep for long. Will you take it or not?”

Compared to the risk of being knocked out and getting injured, the sleeping pill was the better choice.

Xie Yunjing closed his eyes briefly. “I’ll take it.”

Gu Xian had Li Yuqiu pour a glass of water, then took out the pill, holding Xie Yunjing’s cheeks to ensure he opened his mouth.

“Young Master Xie, time to take your medicine.”

Author’s Note: 

Please consider adding this story to your favorites _(:3JZ)_