Chapter 103: Waiting

At noon, after class, Yagyu took Ren Xiadong directly to the meeting place he had agreed upon with Hu Yinghe. When they saw Hu Yinghe waiting alone, Yagyu admired him even more. Hu Yinghe had come without a single bodyguard.

A man of Hu Yinghe’s status would normally be accompanied by personal security wherever he went. Yet this time, he stood alone, a testament to the trust Hu Yinghe placed in Yagyu. The most formidable people are those like Yagyu—possessing many advantages unknown to others, yet humble enough to lower themselves before ordinary folks without any airs. Hu Yinghe was the same. Sitting with a minor character like Yagyu, he too could set aside his identity.

“Yagyu, Ren Xiadong, please have a seat. If the dishes I prepared don’t suit your tastes, feel free to ask the waiter to replace them at any time,” Hu Yinghe said to the two as they sat down.

Once seated, Yagyu replied, “Mr. Hu, how could the dishes you chose not suit two humble people like us?”

Yagyu had wanted to introduce Ren Xiadong, but to his surprise, Hu Yinghe called out Ren Xiadong’s name directly. It was clear Hu Yinghe had made thorough preparations, already knowing Yagyu would bring Ren Xiadong and even recalling his name immediately.

“The relationship between Mr. Yagyu and Mr. Ren is evidently special. No matter the occasion, you two always appear together,” Hu Yinghe remarked again, then gestured to them to begin eating.

Hu Yinghe picked up the largest piece of beef and said to the two, “My old man is getting on in years and wants to retire peacefully. The current Huayong Group is like this chunk of beef, but there are four people fighting over it.”

Yagyu looked at the beef and said, “But it’s in your hands now. Still, you don’t know if you can eat it. Such a large piece needs to be digested slowly. You should eat some of the other dishes first, let your stomach adjust before tackling the big piece.”

He meant that although Hu Yinghe’s power was the greatest, he must not be careless. The other three rivals were formidable, not insignificant players—though they couldn’t match him, they still posed threats that had to be guarded against.

“Yagyu, you are indeed clever. No wonder my old man values you so highly,” Hu Yinghe said, putting the beef back on the plate. “Besides this big piece, there are many smaller chunks left for friends to share. They taste quite good. Yagyu, Ren Xiadong, please try some.”

Ren Xiadong immediately reached for the beef, but Yagyu quickly grabbed his hand and said, “We drank too much last night. We want something light to soothe our stomachs.”

Yagyu then called the waiter and ordered two bowls of rice porridge with pickled vegetables. When the dishes arrived, Yagyu ate the porridge with a few bites of pickles.

“I prefer this,” he said.

“You should think carefully. My power is the greatest. Joining my camp will guarantee you a steadier future. Although the heavy market is important, joining someone else’s camp may never allow you to compete with me,” Hu Yinghe said bluntly, sensing Yagyu’s reluctance to join him.

Wiping his mouth, Yagyu stood up and said, “I’d love to eat that beef, but I don’t want to get it so easily. It’s not as satisfying if it’s not earned. Besides, I don’t want small pieces of meat.”

With that, Yagyu took Ren Xiadong and left.

After they left, an elderly man at the next table said, “Young Master Hu, it seems Yagyu is unwilling to join us.”

A young man beside him added, “What’s so great about a small fry who likes pickles? Even if he joins us, he won’t be of any use.”

“That’s wrong. A 20-year-old student with such ambition isn’t simple. You all need to be extra cautious of Yagyu from now on,” Hu Yinghe said, picking up the largest piece of beef again and putting it into his mouth, thinking, “No one will share this biggest piece with me!”

On the way back, Ren Xiadong asked Yagyu, “Why not join him? In the end, he’ll control Huayong. If you make a move against him, we’re doomed!”

Yagyu asked in turn, “Why will Hu Yinghe control Huayong in the end?”

“The power. His power is so great that no one can compete with him!”

“Then why is his power so great?”

Ren Xiadong thought for a moment. “Because he has many people. Half the administrators nationwide are his men.”

“If we join him, after he succeeds, how much power will he give us?”

Ren Xiadong looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Like you said, he has many people. Even if he shares power, we’ll still be stuck in the heavy market. At best, he might give us a few more cities.”

After hearing this, Ren Xiadong quickly asked, “Then why did you choose Hu Yingqi?”

“Because I’m the only one he has. If I help him succeed, he might split the kingdom with us!”

Ren Xiadong asked again, “What if you fail?”

Yagyu thought, “There’ll be no grave for me to rest in.” But not wanting to scare Ren Xiadong, he replied, “Like you said, we have a base in Xinghai City. We can just go back and live quietly.”

“Right! Yagyu, I understand your thinking. Either go big or don’t go at all. We have to show others what we’re capable of!” Ren Xiadong wanted to prove himself too. He knew that staying by Hu Yinghe’s side meant remaining a nobody forever.

Although Yagyu once had endless money and lived comfortably in Xinghai City, from the day he entered Huayong, he was like a guest under someone else’s roof. But he didn’t want to follow anyone’s orders, so he chose the weakest Hu Yingqi. If he helped Hu Yingqi succeed, he would have enough power to stand on equal footing with him.

When they reached the school gate, Ren Xiadong finally asked the question weighing on his mind: “What do we do next? We can’t just wait, right?”

“You’re right. We wait!” Yagyu answered directly.

Ren Xiadong smiled smugly and said, “I knew it. Waiting to reap the benefits!”

Yagyu shot Ren Xiadong a glare. “You don’t know a damn thing! I’m not just waiting to reap benefits. I’m waiting for someone—someone who can help me take down Hu Yinghe!”

As they walked toward their dorm, a group of students suddenly ran up to them, surrounding them menacingly.

“Did you cause trouble again?” Yagyu looked at Ren Xiadong, suspecting he had gotten into trouble again.

Ren Xiadong was stunned, then said, “I haven’t caused any trouble since coming to university. You’re the one who’s always in trouble. I haven’t even asked you, yet you’re asking me!”

A bespectacled male student stepped forward and said, “I’m the president of the Literature Club. That article about you and Tang Xin was written by me.”

The club president spoke with an arrogance born of the school’s favoritism toward the Literature Club. The administration was tolerant as long as they didn’t cause major trouble, which only emboldened the club members.

Yagyu felt uneasy. This guy had offended him and now had the audacity to claim credit for the article about Tang Xin. His anger flared, but before he could respond, another person stepped out from the crowd, walked behind the president, and slapped him hard on the back of the head.

“This is your way of apologizing!?” he said.

The president turned, then quickly bowed, “Young Master Yang, what are you doing here?”

Yang Yu immediately slapped the president again and said, “If I didn’t come, how could this many people show up pretending to apologize? You’re all crazy!”

Yagyu stepped forward and slapped the president twice hard. “I usually don’t get angry and tolerate a lot, but I can’t stand people like you! You write nonsense with your pen, ruining people’s reputations. Once you leave school, you’ll be a menace. You might destroy many stars’ futures with your lies!”

Luckily, the matter with Tang Xin only appeared in the school newspaper. If it had spread beyond, Tang Xin’s career would have been ruined. The entertainment industry was unpredictable; fortunes could change overnight.

“Apologize now!” Yang Yu shouted in anger.

The president hurriedly bowed repeatedly, apologizing profusely.

Yagyu said, “I don’t accept any apology, and you don’t need to apologize. What you need to do is recall all copies of the school newspaper with the article about Tang Xin and me. If I ever hear anyone gossiping about us again, I’ll make you my kite and let you fly!”

The crowd saw the president bowing and apologizing, so they parted to make way.

After Yagyu and Ren Xiadong left, the president said to Yang Yu, “Young Master Yang, isn’t Yagyu just Tang Xin’s kept man? I know you like Tang Xin, but helping Yagyu to win her favor is just degrading yourself!”

Yang Yu smiled and said, “Our relationship is our business, but I’m not helping Yagyu for Tang Xin.”

“What? If not for Tang Xin, then what do you want? If you don’t care later, I’ll deal with him myself!” The president was furious. He was determined to take Yagyu down.

Yang Yu’s smile vanished. Coldly, he said, “You’d better not offend Yagyu. He treats me like a golf ball. If you’re not afraid of him treating you like a kite, do as you please. I’ve said all I needed to.”

The president was the child of a vice president at Yang Yu’s company, raised alongside Yang Yu from childhood. A book lover, he joined the Literature Club at university. He had written that article about Yagyu and Tang Xin to attract attention and, relying on his family’s wealth and Yang Yu’s connections, had started twisting facts and fabricating stories.

Back in the dorm, Yagyu watched Lao Jiu and Xiao Jia playing games and thought, “Spending every day like this is a waste of time. We need to find something useful for the future.”

Pulling Ren Xiadong aside, he whispered, “We have a lot ahead of us, and there’s a real chance our lives will be at risk. We need to learn some skills to protect ourselves.”

“What skills? Where do we learn them?” Ren Xiadong asked eagerly.

Yagyu pointed to Lao Jiu. “Isn’t he already here?”