32

Chapter 32: This Scoundrel is Vicious

Duan Mingyu straightened his expression and said, "Brother Xu, these fifty or sixty people are the foundation of our survival. We must ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Xu Zuye patted his chest, guaranteeing, "Young Master, please rest assured. I was once the head escort of the Yangwei Escort Agency; I can certainly manage these few men. Besides, you are brilliant, martial, and heroic. I believe that under your leadership, we will soon achieve our grand ambition and dominate the world for generations to come."

*What is this dog barking about?* Duan Mingyu thought. *Does he think I’m Dongfang Bubai or Ren Woxing? Can those two bundles of malice even compare to a top-ranking scholar like me?*

After letting out a boastful roar, Xu Zuye looked at him with anticipation. "Young Master, did you manage to uncover anything at the Wan residence today?"

Duan Mingyu broke into a cold sweat—a literal waterfall of sweat. He hadn’t exactly done anything noble today; he certainly couldn't admit that he had spent the day flirting with the mistress and the young lady of the house!

Thinking quickly, Duan Mingyu pulled a metal box from his robes and said mysteriously, "When I take charge, can anything go wrong? After some arduous effort by Lady Ji and myself, we finally found this in the master’s study."

"What is this?"

"I have no idea."

Xu Zuye: "..."

Ignoring Xu Zuye’s look of disdain, Duan Mingyu pulled out a key. It was a rather peculiar key. Why peculiar? Because it was a key he had brought with him from the twenty-first century. Back when he was a child, Duan Mingyu would lose his house keys every time he went out to play, leaving his mother in a state of constant anxiety, terrified that a thief would break in. Eventually, she had resorted to hanging the key around his neck—a habit he kept until the moment he transmigrated. But since he had only transmigrated in soul, where had this key come from?

Duan Mingyu suspected that his soul must have slipped into the key, which had then carried his spirit across mountains, rivers, and time, eventually landing on this unlucky scholar.

The moment he saw the keyhole on the box, he felt it looked remarkably similar to his own key, so he decided to try and open it.

Seeing the strange key, Xu Zuye’s eyes widened with surprise. "Where did you get that key?"

*Ah, it’s just the key to my apartment’s security door,* Duan Mingyu thought. He was forced to lie again. "If I told you I won it in a lottery, would you believe me?"

"No."

"If I told you the truth, would you believe me?"

"No."

"Then what the hell am I supposed to say!"

It was hopeless. Why was it impossible to explain any of the bizarre things that happened to him?

Duan Mingyu glared at Xu Zuye and shoved the key into the lock. Suddenly, both their eyes went as wide as copper bells. *Could such a coincidence really exist?* Apparently, yes.

Duan Mingyu gave the key a gentle twist, and the stubborn, immovable iron box clicked open on its own.

Duan Mingyu and Xu Zuye leaned in together, their expressions more intense and captivated than if they were looking at a naked beauty.

Inside the box lay a piece of brocade, looking quite aged. Given that Wan Yongchang had been dead for nearly ten years, this made sense to Duan Mingyu. Besides the fabric, there was another intricately crafted key, even smaller than the one Duan Mingyu held.

Xu Zuye picked up the small key. "This key is preserved so carefully; it must contain a monumental secret."

He looked at the pitiful-looking Duan Mingyu and handed it over. "This is the Young Master’s fortune; I would never interfere."

Duan Mingyu coughed and patted Xu Zuye’s shoulder. "Old Xu, I was right about you. You are a great man!"

Xu Zuye rolled his eyes at him, a gesture so coy and feminine that Duan Mingyu took a few steps back in disgust. He looked at Xu Zuye with sudden suspicion. *Could this guy have been imported from Thailand?*

*I didn't expect this. I thought I was the one hiding secrets, but I realize now that I’ve been too modest.*

Xu Zuye, unaware of the wild thoughts racing through Duan Mingyu’s mind, asked, "Young Master, do you know how much wealth Master Wan truly possessed?"

Duan Mingyu nodded. "I know. Didn't Lady Ji inherit his estate?"

"Wrong, Young Master, you are completely wrong. What Lady Ji possesses is not even a drop in the ocean of what he owned. Though I don’t know the exact figure—and likely no one in this world does—if I had to describe this fortune, I would use four words: wealth rivaling a nation."

Duan Mingyu asked, puzzled, "If he was so wealthy, why did Lady Ji only end up with a mansion and a restaurant? Did he have a mistress on the side?"

Xu Zuye stroked his beard and adopted a profound air. "Not at all!"

Duan Mingyu: "Then did he have a sudden change of heart and donate his industry to children in disaster zones?"

Xu Zuye: "Still, not at all!"

"Then he must have committed some heaven-defying crime and had his assets confiscated by the authorities! If you say 'not at all' one more time, I swear I’ll smash my head against the wall right in front of you."

Xu Zuye’s eyes lit up, and he nodded like a pecking chicken. "That’s a fine proposal. Go ahead and smash away."

Duan Mingyu: "..."

Duan Mingyu’s pupils contracted slightly. *This scoundrel is vicious; he is no ordinary man...*

Xu Zuye mimicked Duan Mingyu’s arrogant tone. "Haha, I won't tell you. What can you do about it? Come on, hit me if you dare!"

Duan Mingyu’s eyes glowed red, and he decisively grabbed a stool...

A series of wails echoed through the room, lingering in the air, chilling to the bone and endless.

"I’ve never heard such a masochistic request in my life," Duan Mingyu said, rubbing his sore arm. He looked down at the bruised and battered Xu Zuye, then took a deep breath of the night air with a satisfied expression, as if he had just finished an opium pipe. "A request like that, I must fulfill."

A moment later, Xu Zuye stood up miserably. "Why? Why did you have to hit my face?"

Before Duan Mingyu could answer, the door was kicked open. Wang Aiqing rushed in with a group of men. "Someone is threatening the Fourth Brother! Brothers, charge! Oh, wait, Brother Xu, why is it you?"

Xu Zuye quickly waved his hands. "A misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding!"

Before he could finish, Old Man Yang Yanguang and little Yang Zhaoniang walked in. Yang Zhaoniang waved her fists. "It’s the middle of the night! Can’t a person get any sleep?"

Everyone looked at Duan Mingyu and Xu Zuye with suspicion.

Duan Mingyu smiled kindly. "You’ve all arrived, haven't you? You want to ask what this scene is all about, right?"

The group nodded in unison. "Yes."