Chapter 43: Yan Ruoxun

Another peaceful night passed without incident. The following morning, Shuisheng called Yan Ning to inform him that he needed to go out to buy a mobile phone and daily necessities.

Yan Ning did not dare to make the decision on his own, so he went to report to Yan Ruobing. Moments later, he received the young lady's reply: Follow closely, tight on the outside and loose on the inside, leave no trace, and report immediately if anything happens.

Well, this instruction had turned into a jingle. He called Shuisheng back and said, "Going out is fine, but you must be accompanied by guards from the Yan family. I will contact the corresponding personnel now, and I'll accompany you out in half an hour."

Shuisheng had already packed up. While waiting, noticing that the flowers and plants in the garden showed signs of withering, he picked up a bucket and watered them bucket by bucket.

Just as he was busy with his work, an uninvited guest rang the doorbell, even though the front gate on the ground floor was wide open.

Shuisheng walked out to check and saw a young girl standing on the steps outside, wearing overalls and sporting two short braided ponytails. She had a round face, big eyes, and two shallow dimples on her cheeks. Her fingernails were all elaborately manicured, giving her a very sweet and cute appearance.

"I live at Number 15. I saw you move in from my balcony. Are you the new neighbor?" The girl's eyes held a clear, curious look.

"For now... I'm just living here temporarily," Shuisheng repeated Yan Ning's exact words.

"My name is Yan Ruoxun. What's your name?" the girl asked.

"My name is Shuisheng," Shuisheng replied.

"Shuisheng... why would someone be named that? It sounds so tacky," said the young girl, Yan Ruoxun.

Shuisheng felt a bit gloomy; she was the second person after Mei Yulang to say such a thing. Was this name really that tacky? It was given to him by the village chief, and the village chief was the most cultured person in the entire village—he had even completed a college degree.

"I think it's pretty good. The village chief picked me up from the sea, so it's very practical," Shuisheng defended himself with a mental self-consolation. "As for you, Yan Ruoxun—Yan Ruoxun, smoke comes wafting over, wouldn't people have to run far away?"

Yan Ruoxun stared with wide eyes:?

The character for *xun* (薰) in her name was intended to evoke gentleness, fine virtues, and a good reputation, and it was also the name of an aromatic herb mentioned in ancient texts. Such a beautiful name was interpreted by him as "smoke wafting over, causing people to flee"?

For the very first time in her life, she genuinely doubted whether her parents had given her name any serious consideration back then.

A moment later, she snapped out of her daze and caught the main point of his words: "Then... you don't have parents? You're an orphan?"

That statement was far too blunt and hurtful, big sister. Shuisheng almost shed internal tears, but he had no choice and could only nod.

"That's strange," Yan Ruoxun said, seemingly talking to herself. "Only captains of the Yan family guards or officers of a higher rank, along with their families, are entitled to live in these villas. How could you..."

***

How was he supposed to explain this to her? Should he recount the whole story between Mei Yulang, the Yan family, and himself? As if that could be made clear.

"Captain Yan Ning brought me back," he said. "Actually, I didn't want to come either. I was fishing just fine in Wang'ao Village, having a great time every day. He happened to spot me and insisted that I was an unparalleled genius with peerless talent—once in a century—so he pestered and badgered me until I came here. This house is what he arranged for me to live in."

"Oh!" Yan Ruoxun nodded, suddenly enlightened.

Shuisheng thought to himself that children in the city were really easy to fool. Just as he was about to make up another paragraph, he heard Yan Ruoxun say, "You're lying!"

When she said this, her eyes widened. Her already round, bright eyes sparkled even more like pearls, as if she felt she had been subjected to a colossal deception.

Shuisheng gave an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "Just kidding. It's true that Captain Yan let me live here, but the reasons behind it are a bit complicated and not really suitable for young girls, so it's hard to explain."

"Not suitable for young girls?" The light in Yan Ruoxun's eyes seemed to grow even brighter.

"What about you? What's the reason you're able to live here?" Shuisheng hurriedly steered the topic away from himself.

"Oh, my dad is the deputy director of the logistics support department for the Yan family guards," Yan Ruoxun said. "All the financial expenses, vehicle dispatching, procurement of goods, and things like that for the Yan family fall under their department."

"Oh!" Shuisheng thought about it in his mind and immediately found a rough equivalent in terms of functions: "That's a very lucrative position! You could make a lot of money just by making a few moves!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Yan Ruoxun got angry, putting her hands on her hips. "My dad is extremely upright and has never embezzled a single penny that doesn't belong to him! He has never taken advantage of his official position for even the slightest benefit!"

Heh. Shuisheng chuckled inwardly. There were countless officials in the news who were on stage talking grandly about integrity one second, only to be hauled away by disciplinary and legal authorities the next second. Crows are black the world over; where did she get that kind of confidence?

***

"Deputy Captain! Deputy Captain! Someone has entered that kid's residence!"

This was the report from his subordinate coming through Yan Ning's earpiece. Judging by the voice, it was the subordinate monitoring the movements of Building 19 from the neighboring building.

Yan Ning's spirits instantly perked up, and he asked eagerly, "Who is it?!"

"It's a young girl... uh..." The subordinate's voice hesitated. "Deputy Captain, why does she look like Miss Ruoxun from Building 15..."

"What is this little brat meddling in!" Yan Ning muttered. "Understood, continue monitoring!" Then he looked back at the row of monitor screens in front of him. "Monitor D4, adjust the angle a bit more to the northeast! Aim right at it! Leave no blind spots!"

***

"Come in and sit down."

Perhaps feeling that it was impolite to keep a guest standing at the door talking, Shuisheng made an inviting gesture, asking Yan Ruoxun to step inside.

"It's just that I just arrived, the place hasn't been fully cleaned yet, and things aren't complete either... Captain Yan Ning said he would send people over to tidy up and deliver things," he said somewhat self-consciously.

Yan Ruoxun walked in, glanced casually around the room, and finally let her gaze land on the study. The study was clean and tidy, with books of all sizes, both new and old, neatly arranged on the bookshelves like soldiers awaiting inspection.

"You brought this many books?" she asked.

"Mmm, books are good things," Shuisheng led her into the study. "Every book is a realm, and every book is a history."

"In modern society, who even reads paper books anymore, especially these old ones that look so worn out?" Yan Ruoxun said. "The hard drive of a single computer can hold an entire library, and you can find the electronic version of any book you want to read. Furthermore, with today's advanced internet systems, you can search for whatever book you want online. It's truly as vast as the sea."

"Indeed," Shuisheng nodded. The primary school classroom he attended had a computer, and he often went to Zhou Yushux's house to play on the computer, so he understood the basic operations. Moreover, among the old books he bought, there were a few related to computers and the internet.

"Miss Ruoxun, the books on the internet are indeed numerous, vast as the sea, but do you read them?"

***

Yan Ruoxun instantly stalled.

She thought about it; she didn't have any electronic books stored on her computer at all. What she had the most of were movies, animations, and music programs. Ever since she began her education, aside from extracurricular and designated school readings, she had basically never read any other books. All she consumed were various types of fast-food film, television, and music.

Her teachers had recommended some Donghua classics and world classics, but after flipping through a few pages, her head started spinning... She basically gave up after reading two pages of each, tasting things only superficially.

Read them carefully? Read a ghost!

Shuisheng pointed to his books with a sense of pride, as if pointing out the rivers and mountains: "I have read every single book here, either thoroughly or skimming through them. Some of the really good ones, I've read over and over again. They are my wealth, and they are my best friends."

Yan Ruoxun, who had always been eccentric and clever, found herself utterly speechless at that moment.