She had seen her father's face fall when her mother complimented Ruan Sizhe's handsomeness, which made her recall Nan Xiao. Were all men like this, or did her family just happen to produce petty ones?
Ruan Sizhe chatted with the three elders in the living room for a while before being led to the study by Lan Yuxi.
Lan Yuxi handed him an orange. "I heard you telling my mother earlier that you were staying at a hotel?"
"Yes, the school hasn't started yet, so I have to stay in a hotel."
"I'll have Ying help you pack your things at the hotel later and then move in here."
Ruan Sizhe peeled the orange and handed half of it to Lan Yuxi. "I won't be moving in. Your father seemed to dislike me quite a bit."
Lan Yuxi chuckled. "Just talk to my mother less, and he'll like you."
Ruan Sizhe asked with his clear, bright eyes, "Is your dad jealous?"
Lan Yuxi popped a segment of orange into her mouth. "Yeah. Are all you men like this?"
Ruan Sizhe seemed hesitant to meet her gaze and quickly looked away. "I don't have a girlfriend, how would I know."
Lan Yuxi smiled and reached for his hat. "After you get your luggage, dye your hair back. Although they say for life to go smoothly, you need a bit of green, but this color is too flashy."
"Okay, I'll listen to you. Who told you to be my shifu!"
"You're willing to be my disciple now?"
"You've already introduced me to your family as such, wouldn't it be embarrassing for you if I didn't acknowledge you as my shifu?"
Lan Yuxi smiled. "You're much better behaved than your senior disciple brother."
"Joyce?"
"Yes. You know him too?"
"It seems you've truly lost your memory. You were the one who told me back then that you had a disciple named Joyce. I looked him up later and found out he's a wealthy businessman. But don't wealthy businessmen usually have bodyguards? Why would he still need to learn martial arts from you?"
"Personal preference, or maybe he was out of his mind!"
Mentioning Joyce made Lan Yuxi angry. That guy still hadn't called her back, did he really not take her as his shifu seriously? She'd give him another week. If he still didn't call by then, she'd make Ruan Sizhe the senior disciple and demote Joyce to a junior one!
Ruan Sizhe chuckled.
"I called you in because I have something serious to discuss with you."
"Go ahead."
"Bing Yan was built by your father. Although he entrusted you and Bing Yan to me back then, I promised him that I would hand it over to you when you came of age. You've come of age this year, so I am officially returning Bing Yan to you."
Ruan Sizhe popped the last segment of orange into his mouth. "Did Ying tell you this again? But he only heard the first part and not the second. My dad said he thought it was an ordinary business deal, but it ended up offending a major power. Not only did he lose his life, but he nearly dragged me down with him."
Ruan Sizhe's eyes instantly darkened. "If you hadn't saved my father and me, I would have been dead long ago, and my father wouldn't have even had a chance to make his dying wishes. He said he didn't want me to follow in his footsteps. If you weren't afraid, he'd hand Bing Yan over to you, but if you were afraid of suffering the same fate, then disband Bing Yan. But everyone knew that if Bing Yan was disbanded, they would all face certain death. Your computer was hacked by them back then, and everyone begged you not to abandon them, which is why you gritted your teeth and took on the task."
Lan Yuxi scratched her head. "Was I that great?"
Ruan Sizhe nodded heavily. "If you don't believe me, you can go into the Bing Yan group chat and ask."
Lan Yuxi asked suspiciously, "Wasn't Ying by my side at the time?"
"No. My father hadn't even finished giving his instructions when those people came chasing after us again. You asked Ying to hold them off for ten minutes, because you knew my father could only last ten minutes at most."
After Ruan Sizhe finished speaking, his little head drooped.
Lan Yuxi reached out and stroked his green hair. "Alright, don't be sad. From now on, wherever I am is your home. And the money that Zhao Zhao took, I'll keep it for you for now. Tell me when you need it."
Ruan Sizhe suddenly looked up at her. "My dad really didn't misjudge you. But that money isn't mine, it's yours. Bing Yan's business has been getting better these past few years, that's your share."
"What use would I have for so much money? It's better to use it for your future创业. Since your father didn't want you to follow in his footsteps, you should stay away from Bing Yan from now on and do some legitimate business in the future. With me around, you won't go hungry."
Ruan Sizhe's eyes teared up slightly, and he asked with a smile, "Am I finding a shifu, or a mom?"
Lan Yuxi smiled and curved her lips. "A shifu is like a parent."
Ruan Sizhe's voice choked as he said, "Okay, I'll listen to you from now on. Actually, although the people of Bing Yan reacquainted with you through Ying and are now obeying you, I've made them do private jobs for me quite a bit over the past year. But don't worry, I won't do that anymore. I'll definitely stay far away from Bing Yan."
Lan Yuxi cupped her chin and looked at him for three seconds before asking in a deep voice, "Have you been investigating the mole within Bing Yan all this time?"
Ruan Sizhe nodded. "Yes. If there wasn't a mole, my father's and my whereabouts wouldn't have been known to the other party. And you, you lived so secretly, yet someone could still find your residence."
"I know who the mole is, and I've already had him secretly executed. His account is being used by someone else to mislead the enemy and draw out the mastermind."
Ruan Sizhe asked urgently, "Who is that person?"
"Your second uncle!"
Ruan Sizhe's mouth gaped open in shock.
To give him time to process, Lan Yuxi sat aside and sent a WeChat message to Ying.
A moment later, Ying knocked and walked in. "Miss Xi."
Lan Yuxi pointed at Ruan Sizhe and said, "Take him to the hotel to get his luggage. Also, tell him in detail about the matter of eliminating the traitor back then."
"Understood, Miss Xi." Ying quickly walked to Ruan Sizhe's side and gestured for him to follow.
Ruan Sizhe regained his composure very quickly; even Ying didn't notice his emotional change.
As soon as they left, Ying's phone rang.
Ying frowned as he looked at the number on the screen. "Didn't I tell you! We haven't found him yet."
"Sir, I'll pay ten billion. Can you add more manpower?"
"Fine. Transfer the money first, and then I'll send more people."
"Thank you! Thank you..."
Ying let out a contemptuous snort, then said excitedly to Ruan Sizhe, "Sizhe, wait for me for a moment. I need to talk to Miss Xi for a bit and I'll be right back."
Ruan Sizhe smiled and nodded. "I'm not a child, you don't need to mind me. Go ahead and attend to your business."