Chapter 184 Another GTR

Last night, after downing over half a liter of liquor and pulling an all-nighter, Chu Yuxuan felt utterly drained, his head pounding, and his eyes bloodshot. He had no energy left to put on a show for Zhao Yanan at the company.

After a moment's thought, he sent a WeChat message to Xiaowei, telling her he'd go to the office in the afternoon and asking her to inform all department heads not to disturb him in the morning. He then put his phone on silent mode and took the opportunity to catch up on sleep.

By the time he woke up, it was already noon. After a quick wash, Chu Yuxuan leisurely made his way downstairs.

It was a rare sunny day. Lao San and Yao Liang were washing cars in the courtyard, Lao Si was, as usual, chanting Buddhist scriptures to Guan Er Ye, and Lao Wu, a night owl by nature, had only slept for two hours before heading out to get a new computer.

Stretching lazily, Chu Yuxuan first paid his respects to Guan Er Ye by lighting three sticks of incense, then brewed a cup of tea and strolled into the kitchen.

Xiaoqing was busy preparing lunch. Seeing her young master enter, she turned and smiled, greeting him, "Young master, you're up."

"Yeah," Chu Yuxuan replied with a faint smile, leaning casually against the refrigerator. He asked offhandedly, "What's for lunch?"

Xiaoqing replied, "Stir-fried celery and beef, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, mapo tofu, boiled fish, and seaweed pork rib soup... Are you hungry? It'll be ready soon."

"No rush, take your time," Chu Yuxuan raised an eyebrow. "Having you here is a blessing for all of us."

After a pause, he added, "Especially for that fool."

Xiaoqing's face flushed as she lowered her head, murmuring, "Young master..."

Taking a small sip of tea, Chu Yuxuan casually asked, "How was the movie last night?"

"Mm," Xiaoqing responded softly without elaborating.

"Heh, my silly brother—taking a girl to the movies for the first time," Chu Yuxuan chuckled, then shifted the topic. "Tell me honestly, girl, what do you think of Lao San?"

Xiaoqing's cheeks reddened even more as she stammered, "Lao San... he, he's great. He takes good care of me. I've always seen him as a big brother..."

"Is it because he's ugly?"

"No, no, it's not that..."

"Too bulky? Too slow-witted?" Chu Yuxuan pressed.

Xiaoqing shook her head furiously, like a rattling drum. "No! How could I possibly dislike Lao San..."

The word "dare" caught Chu Yuxuan's attention. He chuckled and said, "What's there to be afraid of? You're already part of this family. I'm like your own family now. Don't count on your father taking you back once he's out of jail... Not just you, I'm not returning his daughter either. You've boarded my pirate ship now, and none of you are getting off. Just stick with me and be a pirate."

Xiaoqing looked up at him, her eyes slightly misty.

With a faint smile, Chu Yuxuan continued, "So, stop saying you're afraid of this or that. If Lao San ever bullies you, I'll help you teach him a lesson. And if you two end up together, well, I won't be his big brother anymore—I'll be his brother-in-law."

Xiaoqing, unsure of how to respond, simply lowered her head and nervously picked at her fingers.

Satisfied that he had said enough, Chu Yuxuan leisurely left the kitchen, figuring that matters of love required personal "insight."

Out in the courtyard, he gave Lao San, who had no such insight, a playful slap and grumbled, "Taking her to see Transformers? What were you thinking?"

Lao San grinned sheepishly, "I realized later it was a mistake... There's this other movie, Lost Her, that's really popular right now. I'll take her to see that in a few days."

Chu Yuxuan: ...

"Why not take her to an amusement park? I bet Xiaoqing's never been to one. Or take her out for a candlelit dinner, maybe even some fireworks. Heck, rent a yacht and take her for a spin on the ocean—or buy one, if you want. My money's all with you, so spend it! And if you're clueless about how to spend it, just ask Lao Wu—he's a pro at it."

Lao San nodded repeatedly, muttering to himself, "Amusement park... fireworks... yacht... My Buddha! How much will all that cost?"

Amused by Lao San's goofy expression, Chu Yuxuan shook his head with a smile. Then he turned to Yao Liang, who was standing nearby, grinning. "Lao Liu, had too much to drink last night?"

Yao Liang chuckled awkwardly, "A little... Big brother, you sure can hold your liquor."

"Not really, I got drunk last night too," Chu Yuxuan took a sip of tea before saying, "By the way, Lao Liu, I need you to do something for me."

Yao Liang straightened up. "Just tell me what you need, big brother."

"I ordered a car that's being customized at the dealership. Go check on the progress, make sure they don't slack off or swap any parts. I want everything to be original, no used parts."

Yao Liang nodded. "Got it. I'll go change first."

As Yao Liang headed into the villa, Lao San scratched his head and mumbled, "Big brother, what's the point of keeping him around? I thought you'd deal with him last night..."

Chu Yuxuan's lips curled into a wicked smile. "If he doesn't die today, then he'll be of great use."

Lao San: "Oh, I see... Wait, what do you mean?"

After dangling bait for two days, how could Tianji Society not notice him by now?

There were only two possible outcomes: Yao Liang either gets killed, or he continues working for Tianji Society.

But the latter seemed far more likely.

Without explaining further to Lao San, Chu Yuxuan asked, "How's the other GTR I had you modify coming along?"

"Almost done. I called this morning. The bodywork's finished, and the glass just arrived. It'll be ready by tomorrow at the latest... But big brother, with all the changes, can it still go fast?"

"I never needed it to go fast," Chu Yuxuan replied. "Just remember, don't let Yao Liang know about this car."

"Got it. It's at a different shop, so there's no way he'll find out."

At 8 PM that night, Jin Shuhan, who was with her father at the hospital, nervously looked over the expense report the doctor had just given her. She planned to call Chu Yuxuan to explain the situation, hoping the company could advance the funds to cover the costs.

Sending a WeChat message for such a matter would be rude, but she wasn't sure how to broach the topic over the phone either.

After a few deep breaths, Jin Shuhan rehearsed what she wanted to say in her head and then mustered the courage to make the call.

However, at that moment, Chu Yuxuan was in his study reading, with his phone left charging in the bedroom. Plus, he'd forgotten to turn off the silent mode from the morning. As a result, Jin Shuhan's two calls went unanswered.

"He must be busy..." she thought to herself, deciding not to call again, assuming he would get back to her once he was free. Just then, her class president, Zhou Jie, happened to call her.

Jin Shuhan frowned, her face turning grim. Since her father was awake, she quietly stepped out of the room and closed the door before answering the call.

Half a minute later, she returned to the room, looking even more upset than before.

Seeing this, her father tightly closed his eyes, silently cursing himself for being not only useless but also a burden. He said, "Shuhan, did you borrow money from your company? Please, just listen to me. Let's not go through with the surgery. I'm crippled, I'd rather die than be a burden!"

"Dad, what are you talking about?" Jin Shuhan scolded, "Stop saying such things!"

"Sweetheart, I'm really holding you back. You mustn't borrow money from the company. You've only made progress in your career because of him. We can't keep bothering him, or he'll think you're just trouble too, and that won't be good for you."

Holding back her tears, Jin Shuhan choked out, "Dad, don't worry, I won't borrow money from him... I, I have to go shoot a scene now. You rest well and don't think too much..."