DLRAS Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Some secrets remain buried under the iceberg.

Chen Wengang paused for half a beat and laughed. “No.” He looked at Qi Tongzhou with helpless amusement. “What kind of nonsense is running through your head? He’s not a control freak.”

For a split second, Qi Tongzhou had indeed let his imagination run wild. He thought to himself that you can know a person’s face but never truly know their heart—not to mention Huo Niansheng didn’t exactly look like a good guy on the surface, either. “Then why doesn’t he come closer? Why does he have to sneakily trail behind?”

Chen Wengang glanced left and right, telling him, “That’s someone from a security firm.”

Qi Tongzhou wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the concept.

Wealthy people always had a few precautionary measures. His own family hired personnel from those professional security companies—the kind that exclusively serviced the rich. In layman’s terms, they were bodyguards, retained year-round on high salaries. Once they established a foundation of trust with the employer’s family, they weren’t easily replaced.

But they were generally only needed for special occasions, or exclusively assigned to tail his grandfather, his father, or his uncles.

He couldn’t fathom a reason why Chen Wengang suddenly needed protection. “Did something happen?”

Chen Wengang simply used a comforting tone. “What could possibly happen? He’s just overthinking things.”

If he really had to say, the current situation in the Huo family was a bit chaotic, but no matter how messy it got, it wouldn’t trickle down to an ordinary person like him. For the past couple of weeks, Huo Niansheng had constantly been pestering Chen Wengang, and Chen Wengang hadn’t noticed any clues at the time. Then, as soon as he left, it was this bodyguard’s turn to fill the gap.

Qi Tongzhou suddenly thought of a question: “Did he tell you he was sending someone to follow you?”

Chen Wengang paused, offering only a smile, and didn’t answer the question directly.

This made Qi Tongzhou realize: “So he did take it upon himself—how is this any different from surveillance?”

They arrived at the restaurant. Tucked into a small alley opposite the school, it offered great food at cheap prices, making it a top choice for student gatherings.

Chen Wengang told him gently, “You guys go on up and order first.”

Qi Tongzhou still wanted to persuade him: “You really need to think clearly. Don’t let yourself be blinded; there are some matters of principle you cannot compromise on.”

“Yeah, I know.”

You Ying greeted the waiter and led the swarm of students up to the private room on the second floor.

Chen Wengang stayed behind, pushed the door open, and stepped out of the restaurant.

The burly, towering bodyguard knew he had been spotted. He walked over step by step and politely lowered his head. “Mr. Chen.”

Chen Wengang was equally polite, extending a hand. “Hello, how should I address you?”

The man froze for a moment before shaking his hand; his fingertips were coated in thick calluses. “My surname is Kang, Kang Ming. Or you can just call me by my nickname, ‘Baldy’.” This man indeed sported a signature bare scalp, which was why Chen Wengang had such a deep impression of him.

In his past life, this was one of the bodyguards who had worked for Huo Niansheng. He was occasionally dispatched to shadow Chen Wengang, though the two had rarely spoken.

Baldy said, “I apologize for not informing you in advance. Mr. Huo told me to try my best not to disrupt your normal life.”

Chen Wengang smiled and asked, “Have you eaten yet? We’re going to be gathering upstairs for a while, but it’s not my treat today, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to invite you along. Would you mind eating separately downstairs? I’ll call you when I leave.”

Baldy hurriedly replied, “You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll take care of it myself.”

In their line of work, they had to remain vigilant at all times; swaggering in, ordering a couple of dishes, and eating leisurely simply wasn’t done. Especially knowing this job required a covert escort, he had braced himself for a higher level of difficulty. Unexpectedly, the target was highly cooperative. This was a good thing that would save him a lot of effort.

Of course, he still had to remain guarded in case the target was just putting on an act to lower his defenses.

Baldy waited downstairs for an hour until he heard the chaotic clatter of footsteps descending the stairs. The students were dispersing, so he stepped out the door first.

Chen Wengang truly had no intention of ditching him. After the students from the gathering had all gone back, he honestly waited by the side of the road.

Baldy walked over again. “Do you need me to drive?”

Chen Wengang handed him the keys to the Lexus. “Thank you. I happened to have some beer, so this saves me from calling a designated driver.”

The drive was incredibly silent. Baldy maintained his professionalism, refusing to chat idly, though he answered whatever was asked of him.

That was until he heard Chen Wengang ask, “Do you need to report my whereabouts to Huo Niansheng?”

This question was lethal. Gripping the steering wheel, Baldy instantly perked up.

He hesitated, forcing the words out one by one: “If you do not permit it… in principle, I am supposed to respect your privacy.”

After saying this, he sneaked a peek at Chen Wengang’s expression; he hadn’t lost his temper yet.

However, neither joy nor anger was visible on his face—it was more of a thoughtful contemplation.

Baldy thought for a moment before adding one more sentence: “Mr. Huo is simply worried that you might be subjected to some form of violent assault.”

Only after hearing this did Chen Wengang shift his gaze back. “How so? He thinks I’ll be in danger?”

Baldy was just following orders. “I’m not clear on the specifics, but I will protect your safety within the scope of my duties.”

They arrived at the entrance of the Zheng family residence. Chen Wengang unbuckled his seatbelt and told him before getting out, “Thanks for your hard work.”

Baldy hesitated again for a moment. “Not at all. Don’t mention it.”

Chen Wengang could indeed understand the deployment of a bodyguard; he just didn’t know what kind of scheme Huo Niansheng had up his sleeve.

If the Huo family was truly facing an upheaval, rather than assigning them to him, Huo Niansheng would be better off keeping a couple of capable men for his own use. His private security team naturally consisted of more than just one person. During their brief interactions in his past life, Chen Wengang had vaguely heard that Baldy was the most skilled fighter among them.

His temperament was the steadiest, even appearing a bit wooden, but he had actually served as a mercenary abroad and had seen real blood.

Yet, when asked about it, Huo Niansheng had used a kiss to gloss over the answer.

If he really didn’t want to talk, Chen Wengang wouldn’t force it out of him.

This ability to know when to advance and retreat, avoiding clinging or pestering, was perhaps one of the reasons Huo Niansheng liked him. And Chen Wengang knew that his relationship with Huo Niansheng was currently entering a balanced, stable state—it was just that sometimes, he still felt a sense of floating suspense.

He knew this balance was temporary. He wanted to anchor himself to something as quickly as possible, but he couldn’t rush for success.

Some things he could say out loud, while others he couldn’t.

And some secrets remained forever buried beneath the iceberg.

For the subsequent period, Chen Wengang provisionally accepted coexisting with Baldy.

Though he called it coexisting, having an extra bodyguard didn’t actually disrupt his life. Sometimes Chen Wengang even doubted if the man was still around. If he hadn’t been deliberately trailing them that day, he and Qi Tongzhou might not have even discovered Baldy’s presence from the start.

After the live broadcast of the orientation event, the few upperclassmen who had shown their faces practically blew up in popularity among the freshmen. They were easily recognized wherever they went, enjoying enthusiastic greetings from their juniors.

Of course, the glory was fleeting. Entering their senior year, students preparing for the workforce began their grueling days of running from one job fair to another.

The admissions office’s autumn recruitment was in full swing, with information sessions playing out one after another in the conference halls, but none of this had much to do with Chen Wengang.

His clock seemed to run backwards compared to everyone else; while other students were busy hunting for jobs, he was actually waiting to resign.

Naturally, there was another proper matter keeping him busy: acting as an interviewer. The recruitment of teaching staff for Houren Special Education School had spanned the entire summer, progressing steadily, and Chen Wengang had participated in the relevant HR work the entire time.

In this kind of management work, encountering various routine and unexpected situations was perfectly normal. He had plenty of experience handling them. Colleagues would sometimes tease Chen Wengang, joking that he truly lived up to the pedigree of a prominent family, or making similar remarks.

Tongues wagged, and some things could never be fully explained, so he just let them say what they wanted.

Just as the recruitment work was drawing to a close, they encountered another rather strange incident.

A middle-aged woman had applied for a janitorial position. She was said to be a single mother raising a daughter, burdened by immense financial pressure, and she desperately pleaded to start work immediately. All this was understandable, but after passing the interview, she dragged her feet, perpetually avoiding the pre-employment physical exam and failing to provide a health certificate.

Unable to stall any longer, she finally handed in a medical report.

Various signs undoubtedly indicated she had a guilty conscience. When the report was presented, Luo Suwei, the acting head of the school, immediately spotted that it was forged, and naturally, her employment qualification was instantly revoked.

Luo Suwei possessed a tough administrative style; her very appearance suggested someone who was exceptionally difficult to deal with. The middle-aged woman left submissively.

That day, Chen Wengang was the last to leave, as usual. The sky had turned completely dark. He hadn’t taken many steps out of the school gates when suddenly a shadow lunged out. For some reason, the woman hadn’t given up yet. Likely assuming he was young and soft-hearted, she dropped to her knees right in front of him with a thud.

Chen Wengang was startled. The woman clung to him relentlessly, transforming the scene into a melodramatic soap opera.

Quite a few pedestrians out for an evening stroll stopped to watch. It wasn’t until Baldy suddenly appeared and peeled her away that the situation was contained.

It wasn’t that Chen Wengang lacked the physical strength to overpower her. On the contrary, the woman had a sallow complexion and was withered and frail, looking visibly like a strong gust of wind could knock her over. Her legs trembled unsteadily. Even during the interview, some had hesitated due to her poor health. Under these circumstances, he absolutely couldn’t use force against her.

Finally, they found a wonton shop nearby, and the three of them sat down in silence.

Shredded seaweed and dried baby shrimp were sprinkled into the steaming chicken broth, and thin wrappers enveloped pinkish fillings, emitting a mouthwatering aroma.

Only then did the woman speak: “I’m sorry, I was too agitated. It’s just that I really need this job. Can you really not make an exception?”

Chen Wengang said faintly, “I can see that. No matter what your difficulties are, you have to tell the truth first.”

The woman looked at him, her lips trembling for a long time.

The truth was that she had uremia. Because of her illness, it was nearly impossible for her to hold down a stable job anywhere. Now she had no income and still had to raise a teenage daughter in high school, surviving on nothing but a meager minimum living allowance. She felt deeply desperate and was on the absolute verge of a dead end.

Chen Wengang left her with a contact number and sent the middle-aged woman on her way.

Baldy, sitting in his chair, shot him a glance.

Chen Wengang asked, “What is it?”

Baldy shook his head. “Nothing.”

Chen Wengang said, “Whether I sympathize with her or not, it’s no excuse for concealing medical information during onboarding. I can’t take it upon myself to authorize a decision on this matter.”

Baldy gave a muffled response. He had no intention of delving into topics outside his primary duties.

Chen Wengang was just thinking aloud anyway: “I’ll have to trouble you to wait a bit longer shortly. I need to head back and write an email.”

Baldy, of course, had no objections.

Whether it was because she couldn’t stomach street food or for some other reason, the woman hadn’t touched a single bite of her wontons. The two men finished their respective bowls for dinner. Chen Wengang then returned to his school office and used the computer to write an email reporting the situation to Ma Wen and Luo Suwei.

When he stepped outside again, the sky was dusted with stars. Summer was on the verge of ending, and you could smell the shift in the air.

Chen Wengang looked up at the star-filled sky. Suddenly sensing something, he withdrew his gaze. A figure was leaning against the wall opposite the school gate.

Huo Niansheng lounged diagonally against the brickwork, both hands stuffed lazily in his trouser pockets, squinting at him with an inscrutable look in his eyes.

Chen Wengang was slightly surprised but immediately closed the distance to greet him. “Why did you suddenly come by? Didn’t you say you had things to do today?”

Huo Niansheng looked at him for a long moment before reaching out to touch his face. “I suddenly missed you.”

His eyelids drooped, and his frosty expression made him look more like a sculpture; beneath that placid surface, a tangle of heavy thoughts and intentions writhed.

Oblivious to the undercurrents, Chen Wengang happily embraced him and rested his head against his shoulder.

Half an hour earlier, Baldy had reported to Huo Niansheng over the phone, recounting the incident with the middle-aged woman and admitting a lapse in his duties.

He had made a mistake a bodyguard should never make. Chen Wengang’s interpersonal relationships were simple, or perhaps deep down, Baldy hadn’t taken the assignment seriously enough, leading to gross carelessness. If the person who lunged out had harbored malicious intent, it would have been more than enough to get his VIP injured.

Of course, fortunately, nothing had actually happened. Yet, this didn’t put Huo Niansheng at ease; instead, it made him feel a surging, inexplicable anxiety.

He heard his own frigid voice say, “Kang Ming, what if the other party had a weapon? Or brought something else?”

Baldy apologized once again.

Huo Niansheng said, “Forget it.”

Then, he walked right out of the banquet venue and drove straight here.

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