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Chapter 61: Some secrets remain buried under the iceberg.
Chen Wengang paused for a moment and then smiled, “No.” He looked at Qi Tongzhou helplessly and humorously and asked, “What messy thoughts are going on in your mind? He’s not a control freak.”
Qi Tongzhou had indeed let his imagination run wild for a moment. He thought to himself that one may know someone’s face but not their heart, especially considering that Huo Niansheng couldn’t be considered a good person on the surface. “Then why doesn’t he come closer? Why does he have to skulk around behind?”
Chen Wengang looked around and told him, “He’s from the security company.”
Qi Tongzhou was not unfamiliar with the term.
Rich people tend to take some precautions. His own family also hired people from such professional security companies—specifically serving the wealthy. In simpler terms, they were bodyguards, well-paid year-round, and once they established trust with the employer’s family, they were unlikely to be replaced easily.
But usually, that was only necessary on special occasions or specifically with his grandfather, father, or uncles.
He couldn’t think of any reason why Chen Wengang suddenly needed protection, “Has something happened?”
Chen Wengang just reassured him, “Nothing happened. He’s just being overly cautious.”
If one had to say, the situation at the Huo family was a bit chaotic right now, but it wasn’t chaotic enough to involve an ordinary person like him. Huo Niansheng had been pestering Chen Wengang for the past ten days or so, and Chen Wengang hadn’t noticed the clues at that time. Then when he left, it was this bodyguard’s turn to take over.
Suddenly, Qi Tongzhou thought of a question, “Did he send someone to follow you, and did he tell you about it?”
Chen Wengang paused for a moment, just smiled, and didn’t directly answer the question.
This made Qi Tongzhou realize, “So he’s acting on his own—how is that different from surveillance?”
They arrived at the restaurant. It was located in a small alley opposite the school, offering good value for money, and was a popular place for students to dine.
Chen Wengang gently said to him, “You guys go up and order first.”
Qi Tongzhou also wanted to advise him: “You really need to think carefully, don’t be blinded, some principles cannot be compromised.”
“Yeah, I know.”
After greeting the waiter, You Ying led the students excitedly to the upstairs private room.
Chen Wengang stayed behind and walked out of the restaurant.
The burly bodyguard, realizing that he had been noticed, approached politely and said, “Mr. Chen.”
Chen Wengang was also polite, extending his hand and asking, “Hello, what’s your name?”
The man hesitated for a moment, shook hands with him, and showed thick calluses on his fingertips, “My last name is Kang, Kang Ming. Or you can call me by the nickname ‘Bald’.” —— This man indeed had a distinctive bald head, making a lasting impression on Chen Wengang.
In his previous life, this man was one of the bodyguards who occasionally accompanied Huo Niansheng. He was occasionally assigned to follow Chen Wengang, but the two didn’t talk much.
Bald said, “I apologize for not informing you in advance. Mr. Huo instructed me not to disturb your normal life as much as possible.”
Chen Wengang smiled and asked, “Have you had your meal? We’re going to gather upstairs for a while, but today I’m not the host, and it’s not convenient to invite you. Can you have a separate meal downstairs? I’ll call you when I leave.”
Bald quickly said, “You don’t need to worry about me; I’ll take care of myself.”
In their line of work, maintaining vigilance at all times was essential. It was not the time to casually enjoy a meal. Especially when aware of the covert nature of the job, Bald was prepared for even greater challenges. However, unexpectedly, the person he was protecting was quite cooperative, which was a good thing and saved a lot of effort.
Of course, he also had to be cautious, as the other party might be pretending to be cooperative to deceive him.
Bald left when Chen Wengang went inside.
Chen Wengang indeed didn’t have any hidden motives; after the students left, he sincerely waited outside.
Bald came back to him and asked, “Do you need me to drive for you?”
Chen Wengang handed him the Lexus key and said, “Thank you. I had some beer, so it’s better not to call a driver.”
The journey was silent, with Bald maintaining his professional demeanor, not engaging in much conversation but answering when asked.
It wasn’t until Chen Wengang asked, “Do you need to report my whereabouts to Huo Niansheng?” that the atmosphere became tense. Bald tightened his grip on the steering wheel, focusing on the road.
He hesitated, each word coming out slowly, “If you don’t allow it… I should, in principle, respect your decision
After speaking, he glanced at Chen Wengang’s expression, but there was no sign of anger. Instead, it seemed more like contemplation.
After thinking for a moment, Bald added, “Mr. Huo is just worried that you might be subjected to some violent attacks.”
Chen Wengang turned his gaze back, “What do you mean? Does he think I’m in danger?”
Bald only followed orders, “I’m not sure about the specifics, but I will protect your safety within my duties.”
They arrived at Zheng’s house. Chen Wengang unbuckled his seatbelt and said to Bald before getting out of the car, “Thank you for your hard work.”
Bald hesitated again, “You’re welcome; don’t mention it.”
Chen Wengang could understand the decision to assign a bodyguard, but he didn’t know what Huo Niansheng’s real intentions were.
If there were truly any upheavals in the Huo family, Huo Niansheng might be better off keeping a couple of reliable people for himself instead of assigning them to him—Huo Niansheng’s private security team likely consisted of more than just one person, and from his brief encounters in his past life, Chen Wengang vaguely heard that Bald was the most skilled among them.
He had the most stable personality, even appearing a bit introverted, but had been a mercenary overseas and seen blood.
However, when asked about it, Huo Niansheng evaded the question with a kiss.
If Huo Niansheng didn’t want to talk about it, Chen Wengang wouldn’t force him.
Perhaps Huo Niansheng liked him because of his ability to know when to advance and when to retreat without getting entangled in trivial matters. Chen Wengang knew that his relationship with Huo Niansheng was entering a stable equilibrium, but sometimes he still felt suspended.
He knew that this balance was temporary, and he wanted to grasp something quickly, but he couldn’t rush things.
Some things he could say, some things he couldn’t.
And some secrets remained buried beneath the iceberg.
For the time being, Chen Wengang has tentatively accepted the presence of Bald.
To say they coexisted, having bodyguards actually didn’t affect his life much. Sometimes Chen Wengang even wondered if the person was still around. If it weren’t for deliberate surveillance, he and Qi Tongzhou might not have noticed Bald’s presence from the beginning.
After the live broadcast of the welcome event, several senior students who had appeared on camera became somewhat famous among the freshmen. They were easily recognized wherever they went, and they enjoyed the enthusiastic greetings from their juniors.
Of course, the limelight only lasted for a while. By the time they reached their senior year, students preparing for graduation began attending job fairs.
The autumn job fair organized by the admissions office was in full swing. There was one seminar after another in the conference hall, but these had little to do with Chen Wengang.
His clock seemed to be ticking in reverse compared to others. While other students were busy looking for jobs, he was waiting to resign.
Of course, there was another serious matter to attend to—serving as an interviewer for others. The recruitment of teaching staff at Houren Special Education School had been ongoing throughout the summer, and Chen Wengang had been involved in the entire process of personnel work.
In such management work, encountering various routine and unexpected situations was normal. He had enough experience to handle them, and sometimes colleagues would tease him, joking that he must be from a wealthy family or something along those lines.
Opinions varied, and some things could never be explained clearly, so he let them say what they wanted.
As the recruitment work was coming to an end, another strange incident occurred.
There was a middle-aged woman applying for the position of janitor. She was said to be a single mother, struggling to support herself and her daughter under significant financial pressure. Although her urgency to start work was understandable, she kept delaying the pre-employment medical examination and did not have a health certificate.
After various evasions, she finally provided a medical report. However, all signs pointed to deception. When the report was examined, the acting head of the school, Luo Suwei, discovered the forgery immediately, and naturally, the woman’s job offer was revoked.
Luo Suwei had a strong and uncompromising demeanor, and her facial expression suggested a personality that was extremely difficult to approach. The middle-aged woman nodded obediently and left.
As usual, Chen Wengang was the last to leave that day. The sky had completely darkened, and as he walked a few steps past the school gate, a shadow suddenly lunged at him. For some reason, the woman hadn’t given up yet, perhaps thinking he was young and soft-hearted. She even knelt down in front of him.
Chen Wengang was startled, and the woman grabbed onto him, refusing to let go, behaving as if she were acting in a melodramatic scene. Many passersby stopped to watch, but it was Bald who suddenly appeared and pulled her away.
Chen Wengang wasn’t incapable of dealing with her physically. On the contrary, the woman looked pale and weak, visibly frail, but her legs were trembling. During the interview, some had hesitated due to her poor health. In this situation, he couldn’t resort to force.
Finally, they found a dumpling shop nearby, and the three of them sat down in silence.
The steaming chicken soup had seaweed torn into it, sprinkled with dried shrimp. The thin, translucent dumpling skins were filled with pink stuffing, emitting a tantalizing aroma.
The woman spoke, “I’m sorry for getting emotional. I just really need this job. Can’t there be any flexibility?”
Chen Wengang said calmly, “I understand. But no matter what your difficulties are, you must tell the truth first.”
The woman looked at him, her lips moving for a while.
The truth was, she had uremia. Because of her illness, it was difficult for her to hold down a stable job, and now without any income, she had to support her teenage daughter, who was in high school. She only received a small government subsidy and felt desperate, reaching the end of her rope.
Chen Wengang left her with a contact number and sent the middle-aged woman away.
Bald sat there, giving him a glance.
Chen Wengang asked, “What’s wrong?”
Bald shook his head, “Nothing.”
Chen Wengang said, “Regardless of whether we sympathize with her or not, concealing her condition is not a reason for joining the company. I cannot make decisions on my own regarding this matter.”
Bald responded somberly, indicating no intention to delve deeper into the topic beyond their official duties.
Chen Wengang was simply speaking to himself, “Please wait for me again later. I need to go back and write an email.”
Bald certainly wouldn’t have any objections.
Whether it was due to being unable to eat street food or for another reason, the woman didn’t touch her dumplings. The two men finished their own bowls of dumplings, considering it their dinner. Chen Wengang returned to the school office, using his computer to write an email to Ma Wen and Luo Suwei to report the situation.
When he stepped out again, the sky was dotted with stars, signaling that summer was about to end, as the scent of the air hinted.
Chen Wengang looked up at the sky full of stars and suddenly felt something. He withdrew his gaze and saw a figure leaning against the wall across from the school gate.
Huo Niansheng was leaning against the wall at an angle, his hands in his pockets, staring at him with an indiscernible expression in his eyes.
Chen Wengang was somewhat surprised but approached him and asked, “Why did you suddenly come? Didn’t you say you had something to do today?”
Huo Niansheng looked at him for a while before touching his face and saying, “I suddenly missed you.”
With drooping eyelids, his cold expression resembled that of a sculpture, hiding some thoughts beneath the calm surface.
Unaware, Chen Wengang gladly embraced him, resting his head on his shoulder.
Half an hour ago, Bald had called Huo Niansheng to report the incident with the middle-aged woman and admitted to a lapse in his duties.
He had made a mistake that a bodyguard shouldn’t have made. Chen Wengang’s social circle was simple, or perhaps he didn’t actually value it as much, leading to negligence. If the person who had lunged at them had malicious intent, it could have resulted in harm to the protected individual.
Of course, fortunately, nothing had actually happened. However, this didn’t reassure Huo Niansheng. Instead, he inexplicably felt restless.
He heard himself coldly say, “Kang Ming, what if the other party had weapons? Or brought something else?”
Bald apologized once again.
Huo Niansheng said, “Forget it.”
Then he came here after leaving the banquet.
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