Volume One: High School Days Chapter 69: The Young Master of Huayong Group
On the way home, the child in Yagyu’s car sat in silence, not saying a word. Glancing at the boy through the rearview mirror, Yagyu asked, “What’s your name?”
The boy snorted disdainfully, “I won’t tell you anything. If you’ve got the guts, just kill me. If I die, you’ll all follow me to the grave!”
“Hey! You little rascal, I’m the one who saved you. It’d be something if you didn’t even thank me, but why are you speaking to me like that?” Yagyu replied with a helpless smile.
The boy sat hugging his shoulders, looking out the window, and continued, “You saved me? Spare me. This is all just an act! I’m not some country bumpkin who hasn’t seen the world!”
Yagyu felt a surge of irritation. He was always the one giving others a hard time—never had anyone dared speak to him like that, let alone a child.
Suddenly, Yagyu jerked the steering wheel, making a sharp U-turn. The boy, who hadn’t been sitting properly in the back, was thrown hard against the door, his head banging into the window.
Once the car steadied, the boy rubbed his head and cried out, “What are you doing? My head hurts!”
He peered out the window again and asked, “Why are we heading back?”
Yagyu rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and said, “I really regret saving you. I’ll take you back now and let them whip you every day, gouge out your eyes, pull out your tongue, pour acid on you, and finally toss you onto the street to beg.”
The boy was clearly frightened, but he still managed to say stubbornly, “Hmph! You think I’m scared?”
Seeing the kid still acting tough, Yagyu flicked away his cigarette and slammed his foot on the gas. The car sped faster and faster.
Watching the abandoned factory drawing closer, the boy began to tremble, recalling the beatings he’d endured there the past two days. His voice cracked into a plea, “Big brother, it was my fault just now. Please, don’t send me back, alright?”
Hearing the boy finally beg, Yagyu eased off the gas, slowed the car, and made another U-turn, heading back towards home. Seeing the boy fall silent, Yagyu looked at him in the rearview mirror and said, “I’m telling you, if you talk back to me again, I’ll throw you in the river for three days.”
The boy dared not utter another word, terrified Yagyu might really send him back or dunk him in the river.
Seeing the boy so quiet, Yagyu still felt unsatisfied and asked, “Do you know what happens if you soak in a river for three days?”
The boy shook his head silently.
Yagyu continued in a menacing tone, “Your body swells up. First your skin peels, then your flesh starts to rot and fall off in chunks.”
The boy shuddered violently, clamping his mouth shut, terrified even the slightest sound might anger Yagyu.
Satisfied that he had frightened the boy into submission, Yagyu asked again, “What’s your name?”
But the boy, mind still reeling from Yagyu’s threats, didn’t hear the question.
Seeing no response, Yagyu barked, “I’m talking to you!”
“What?” the boy replied, flustered and afraid.
Yagyu laughed at the boy’s reaction, thinking to himself, “Maybe I went too far? He’s just a kid, after all.”
Still, he asked once more, “What’s your name?”
“M-my name is… Hu Sheng,” the boy answered timidly.
Yagyu was startled for a moment, then burst out laughing, “Looks like fate brought us together! I’m Yagyu, and just like you, my name has ‘Sheng’ in it! Hahaha!”
Hu Sheng dared not say another word for the rest of the drive. Soon, they reached the city. Passing by a KFC, Hu Sheng pressed his nose to the window, staring out hungrily. Yagyu, seeing this in the rearview mirror, guessed that Hu Sheng must be starving—he probably hadn’t had a decent meal while in the hands of those traffickers. Yagyu made another U-turn.
Seeing the car turn again, Hu Sheng panicked, “Big brother, I haven’t said anything! Please don’t send me back.”
Yagyu said nothing, just pulled up in front of KFC. Once parked, he turned to Hu Sheng in the back seat and said, “If you’re not hungry, we’ll go home. But if you—” Before Yagyu finished, Hu Sheng had already dashed out and bolted straight into KFC.
Yagyu laughed and followed him inside.
Hu Sheng ran to the counter and shouted, “I want a kids’ meal!”
The staff member, noticing how dirty Hu Sheng was, asked, “Where are your parents, little one?”
“Why do you care? Just hurry up and get me a kids’ meal!” Hu Sheng snapped impatiently.
The staff, mistaking Hu Sheng for a little beggar and worried he wouldn’t pay, offered him a burger from her own pocket, “Here, this one’s on me, you don’t have to pay.”
Hu Sheng slapped the burger out of her hand and yelled again, “I want a kids’ meal!”
As the staff bent to pick up the burger, she scolded, “What a rude child!”
Yagyu stepped forward and apologized, “Sorry, I was parking the car. Please give him a kids’ meal.”
The staff glanced at Yagyu, unimpressed—if the kid had such terrible manners, his brother couldn’t be much better.
When the kids’ meal arrived, Yagyu took it and said sternly to the arrogant Hu Sheng, “Apologize to this lady right now! Or I’ll let you starve!”
Terrified of Yagyu—who threatened to drown him one moment and starve him the next—Hu Sheng reluctantly muttered, “Sorry.”
But Yagyu was unsatisfied and barked, “Say it like you mean it!”
Looking at the kids’ meal in Yagyu’s hand, Hu Sheng gritted his teeth, bowed deeply to the staff, and said with sincere apology, “I’m sorry.”
As Hu Sheng ate, Yagyu thought to himself, “Whose spoiled brat is this? So arrogant and unruly—his family must be helpless to control him. Well, I’ll help them with that.”
“Who are your parents?” Yagyu asked.
Hu Sheng hurriedly swallowed his food and replied, “They’re dead.”
Yagyu suddenly felt a pang of pity for the boy. After a moment’s pause, he said gently, “Forget I asked. Eat up, have as much as you want. If it’s not enough, I’ll get you some more.”
Now, Yagyu deeply regretted how harsh he’d been. Maybe this arrogance came from having no family. But then he remembered what the traffickers said—that Hu Sheng was kidnapped from a Maserati. Suddenly suspicious, Yagyu snatched away Hu Sheng’s food and snapped, “For a kid, you sure know how to lie! If you don’t tell the truth, you’re not getting another bite!”
Hu Sheng was frightened of Yagyu, but even more afraid of going hungry. Thinking quickly, he burst into tears, wailing, “He’s bullying me! He won’t let me eat! I’m so hungry!”
The entire KFC began murmuring about Yagyu. Some even pointed at him, criticizing him openly. With no other option, Yagyu handed the food back to Hu Sheng, muttering through clenched teeth, “Little brother, eat slowly!” There was a murderous edge to his voice.
Then, in a whisper, Yagyu said, “Let’s see if I don’t deal with you when we get home.”
Hu Sheng considered throwing another tantrum, but when Yagyu glared at him, he dared not cry again.
After the meal, when they returned home, Yagyu glanced at his phone—it was already nine in the evening. He figured that by now, Ren Xiadong and Lele were probably… busy, so he didn’t want to disturb them. Quietly, he fished out his keys and tiptoed inside with Hu Sheng.
In the dark living room, Yagyu led Hu Sheng towards the staircase in the gloom. Suddenly, Ren Xiadong’s voice sounded from the darkness, “You’re back?”
Startled, Yagyu quickly switched on the lights. Seeing Ren Xiadong sitting on the sofa, he barked, “Are you crazy? Sitting here in the dark instead of sleeping? I came in quietly not to disturb you, and you scared the hell out of me!”
Ren Xiadong remained on the sofa, barely moving, and after a soft “oh,” glanced at Hu Sheng and asked weakly, “Who’s he?”
“Picked him up,” Yagyu replied, intending to head upstairs, but noticing Ren Xiadong’s gloomy mood and that all the lights downstairs were off, he asked, “Where’s Lele?”
Ren Xiadong didn’t move and replied, “She’s gone. Do you think she’ll come back?”
Yagyu didn’t answer directly but turned to Hu Sheng and said, “You’re lucky. Tonight there’s a midnight snack.”
He signaled for Hu Sheng to sit beside Ren Xiadong, then went to the fridge and took out every beer he could find, finally calling the barbecue place downstairs for delivery.
Once the food and drinks arrived, Hu Sheng declared, “At home, Grandpa never let me eat junk food. But Grandpa’s not here today, so I’m going to stuff myself!”
Yagyu just smiled, handing him a skewer of lamb, and then said to Ren Xiadong, “It’s just as well she left. Here, I’ll drink with you all night. Worst case, I’ll skip class again tomorrow.”
Ren Xiadong took a swig and replied, “Lele’s gone. I’m not really upset. I just can’t sleep alone.”
Yagyu understood perfectly. Ren Xiadong had never really cared about Lele; they were together only out of loneliness. Now that Lele had left, it was just the solitude that felt strange.
Yagyu said nothing more and simply drank with Ren Xiadong. After eating his fill, Hu Sheng found a room and quickly fell asleep.
They drank until two in the morning, both succumbing to drunkenness and falling asleep on the sofa.
At eight the next morning, a sudden crashing at the door woke them. Still groggy, they watched as a dozen men in black suits and sunglasses burst in, guns drawn and pointed at them. Ren Xiadong sobered up instantly, though he dared not speak, confused and alarmed.
Yagyu thought, “Is this the traffickers coming for revenge? Saves me the trouble of hunting them down!”
Just as he was about to use his eye’s power, an elderly man in his sixties entered, dressed in a gray suit. Though his hair was white, it was meticulously groomed, his mustache neatly trimmed, a white handkerchief in hand, and his posture perfectly straight.
The old man announced, “I am the chief steward of the Huayong Group. I am here for the young master. Hand him over, and I’ll spare your lives!”
Ren Xiadong was even more bewildered, wondering if he was dreaming from too much drink, but still turned to Yagyu to ask, “What’s a chief steward?”
“It means butler,” Yagyu replied, then asked the butler, “What young master?”
Just then, Hu Sheng came out of his room and, upon seeing the butler, cried out, “Butler Jin, what took you so long?”
Butler Jin rushed over to embrace Hu Sheng, inspecting his injuries. Then, turning to the armed bodyguards, he commanded, “Shoot those two dead!”
At this, Hu Sheng shouted, “Stop! Brother Yagyu saved me and gave me food!”
The bodyguards turned to Butler Jin, who quickly signaled them to lower their weapons. Carrying Hu Sheng, he approached Yagyu and Ren Xiadong, apologizing profusely, “I’m sorry, it was all a misunderstanding.”
Yagyu stood and looked at Hu Sheng, saying, “So your grandfather is Chairman Hu of Huayong Group, the world’s richest man?”
Hu Hong—what a name! The world’s richest man, with businesses in every country; even state leaders would show him respect. What did this mean? Yagyu had just picked up a treasure. He had talent and more money than he could spend, but his animation company had never taken off, all because he lacked connections. Now, all his problems were solved!