Chapter 59: The Yan Family

"Wait... wait! Just now... just now was... a misunderstanding! Right, a misunderstanding! It was just a joke between me and my little brother!"

Yan Yang panicked completely, stammering an explanation to the camera in the woman's hands.

At the same time, he shot a look at the surrounding bodyguards. His meaning was self-evident.

But Yan Jing kept the tip of his spear pressed against Yan Yang's throat and glanced at the crowd.

"Don't move."

For a moment, the burly bodyguards hesitated.

However, Yan Yang suddenly roared, "Get him! Even if I die, you can't let her send that out!"

His eyes were bloodshot. He hadn't been this frantic even when the spear in Yan Jing's hands pierced the skin of his neck.

After all, if a video like this leaked, there was no telling what kind of uproar it would cause.

The Yan Family wasn't the only power in Ling'an!

When the time came to eliminate the video's impact, how many favors would they need to call in? How much money would they have to spend? How much of a fuss would the other families make over this? All of it would ultimately be blamed on him!

Just thinking about his fate in that scenario made him shudder from the inside out.

Because of this, he had to destroy the video even if it meant betting that Yan Jing wouldn't dare kill him.

But right then, the woman smoothly whipped out her press pass.

"Nobody move. Lin Xiaoran, Third Level reporter for the Rainbow Newspaper Ling'an Branch, officially certified reporter of the Public Security Association in Ling'an City, and one of the Top 500 Youth Reporters of the Fifth Ring Domain."

The moment those words fell, the bodyguards froze in place.

Although they didn't know the exact weight behind all those titles, the official certification from the Public Security Association alone meant she wasn't someone ordinary folks like them could afford to provoke.

'How is this possible?'

Hearing Lin Xiaoran's words, Yan Yang's face turned ashen.

The bodyguards might not understand, but he knew perfectly well that any single one of those titles represented countless connections and resources.

With all three combined, even the Yan Family's Master Household would have to tread carefully.

His back was already drenched in cold sweat as he looked up at Yan Jing in disbelief.

He had no idea where Yan Jing had found such a person.

In truth, Yan Jing didn't know either.

But anyway, Shen Youran's explanation was simple.

She was hired with money.

"Second Brother, are you alright?"

Yan Jing lowered his head and smiled at the pale Yan Yang.

"Jingzi, Second Brother was wrong before!"

Without any hesitation, Yan Yang suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of Yan Jing's pants, his voice trembling.

"Jingzi, ask yourself honestly, wasn't Second Brother the one who treated you best back at the house? Jingzi, I'm begging you."

No one could have expected that Yan Yang, a man over 1.8 meters tall, would actually have tears welling up in his eyes right now.

All because he was terrified of this incident leaking out and being seen by the family.

Yan Jing watched this scene with calm eyes.

The Yan Family. So this was the Yan Family.

Or rather, this was the Eight Major Families.

"It's fine, Brother. Anything can be discussed."

Yan Jing smiled.

"I didn't actually invite Reporter Lin here to record our sparring session. It's mainly because I haven't been home in so long, so I wanted her to document my return."

"Makes sense."

Lin Xiaoran nodded vigorously. A Video Camera materialized in her hands. She hoisted it onto her shoulder and chuckled secretly, "The Return of the Yan Family's Abandoned Son! I've got my headline for the day after tomorrow!"

"A few more shoots like this and I'll be transferred back to the Central Municipality in no time!"

Hearing Yan Jing say this, Yan Yang scrambled up from the ground and hurriedly dusted off Yan Jing's pant legs.

"Right, right, right! Today is a joyous day, my little brother is coming home! You lot, hurry up and bring the cars around!"

"And prepare a separate car for the great Reporter Lin!"

As he spoke, he didn't forget to flash a few smiles at the camera to show off how close he and Yan Jing were.

Once in the car, Yan Jing sat in the back while Yan Yang took the passenger seat.

The wound on his arm had been treated and covered with a jacket.

"Jingzi, want some water?"

Yan Yang handed a bottle back to him.

"It's not poisoned, is it, Second Brother?"

Yan Jing laughed.

Faced with Yan Jing mocking him right to his face, Yan Yang subconsciously clenched his fists, but ultimately forced a smile.

"Jingzi, you've gotten more humorous after being away from home for a few years. This is the Surface World, after all."

Taking the water, Yan Jing didn't drink. Instead, he asked, "Are we going back to the Master Household or our immediate family's house today?"

"Our house first."

Yan Yang said with an awkward smile, "It's better for our immediate family to make a decision on certain matters first before announcing them at the Master Household."

In reality, Yan Yang was thinking that they absolutely couldn't go back to the Master Household.

The fewer people who knew about what happened today, the better.

Because of this, he felt increasingly uneasy.

He could sense that this younger brother of his—whom he had always considered trash—had become entirely unpredictable.

"Is everyone at home?"

Yan Jing asked casually, his gaze fixed on the scenery blurring into lines outside the window.

"Little Brother isn't here."

Yan Yang was now answering every question obediently.

"As you know, Jingzi, Little Brother usually studies in the Central Municipality."

"Although Eldest Sister often trains outside, today... she should be back."

"Mom and Dad are both there."

Yan Jing nodded.

"What about Grandmother?"

He asked about an existence that no one in the Yan Family would ever mention.

What Yan Yang had just told him—'wasn't Second Brother the one who treated you best back at the house'—was actually true in a sense.

Although Yan Yang's attitude toward the original owner of this body couldn't be considered good, it was already the best in this family.

But the reason Yan Yang could say that was because he had excluded one person.

That was the maternal grandmother of the three siblings.

The mother of the original owner's biological mother.

Ever since the original owner's parents divorced, his grandmother had been left behind at their house.

And in the original owner's memories, his grandmother was the only one in that house who actually showed him any familial affection.

Whenever the original owner was punished and denied food, that hunchbacked little old lady would sneak out of her small cubicle to give him whatever little food she had saved for herself.

Hearing Yan Jing say the word 'Grandmother', Yan Yang clearly froze for a moment before saying, "Grandmother... she died two years ago."

"Don't worry, Jingzi. Although the family didn't hold a funeral for her out of tradition, she went peacefully, without any pain."

"Oh, I see."

Yan Jing nodded and said no more.

He couldn't say he was terribly sad, as he had never met this grandmother himself.

It was just a little regrettable. He had originally wanted to experience some genuine familial love.

Still, it was good that she hadn't suffered.

Soon, the car pulled up in front of a sprawling manor.

Figures dressed as butlers ran over to open the doors. Yan Jing and Yan Yang walked side by side, followed by Lin Xiaoran, who was busily recording everything with her Video Camera.

No one dared to block their path.

Pushing open the white doors of the manor, they were greeted by a spacious living room. Unlike the stereotypical straight staircases, a Chinese-style winding staircase spiraled up in the corner. Flowers, insects, fish, grass, and stones were scattered about as decorations in every nook and cranny of the room.

At a natural wooden table sat a man who commanded a natural authority. He had short hair and a square face, looked to be in his fifties, and had deep nasolabial folds.

He was wearing a tracksuit, seemingly having just finished exercising, and was looking down as he drank his tea.

By his side was a woman in a qipao, looking around thirty years old. She had a tall figure and a pair of phoenix eyes that gave off an oppressive feeling.

Finally, there was a young woman sitting next to the man, playing on her phone.

She had short hair cut to her ears, looked to be in her twenties, and wore an oversized jacket paired with tight sweatpants.

These were Yan Jing's 'family members'.

"Dad."

Approaching the wooden table, Yan Yang lowered his head, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Yan Jing, however, smiled at this 'father' he was meeting for the first time and said, "It's been a long time, Father."

As those words fell, Yan Yang couldn't help but hold his breath. The address 'Father' was entirely too distant.

Yan Mu didn't say a word.

But an inexplicable pressure descended upon the living room, making the air feel as if it were gradually growing heavier.

That was until Lin Xiaoran smiled from behind them and spoke up.

"It's a pleasure to be a guest in your home, Mr. Yan Mu. My name is Lin Xiaoran, a Third Level reporter for the Rainbow Newspaper Ling'an Branch. I was invited today to conduct a real-time recorded and uploaded exclusive interview on Mr. Yan Jing's return home."

Lin Xiaoran laid out her most impressive title right away and dropped a massive bombshell.

"Real-time recorded and uploaded" meant it was being uploaded to the internet even as she recorded.

The oppressive pressure vanished.

Yan Mu looked up at Lin Xiaoran.

"This is our family's private business. We do not need a reporter recording it."

"Mr. Yan invited me here."

Facing Yan Mu's gloomy stare, Lin Xiaoran showed no sign of fear. She smiled and said, "I believe Mr. Yan is also a member of the Yan Family, is he not?"

Yan Mu took a deep breath, his voice suddenly rising in volume.

"Tell her to turn the recording off!"

He didn't look at Yan Jing, nor did he mention anyone by name, so Yan Jing simply didn't answer.

"I said, tell this Reporter Lin to turn the recording off!"

Yan Mu's voice grew even louder.

But Yan Jing smiled and replied, "I came home full of joy, but it seems you don't really welcome me, Father. Since that's the case... Reporter Lin, let's go. What you've recorded so far should be enough for you to upload."

"..."

The atmosphere in the living room grew even more suffocating. Just as Yan Jing and Lin Xiaoran reached the door, Yan Mu finally spoke up.

"Wait."

Yan Mu wasn't worried about public opinion brewing in the outside world.

But he had to complete the task handed down by the Master Household.

He looked up, giving Yan Jing a deep stare, and said, "Why haven't you come home for three years?"

"If I remember correctly, you kicked me out yourself. Furthermore, I heard that a while ago, you declared in front of a crowd that I was no longer your son."

Yan Jing replied with a smile.

"I did no such thing."

Facing the Video Camera, Yan Mu flatly denied it before saying in a deep voice, "Besides, even if I did say that, are you really that obedient to me?"

As he spoke, a sudden, inexplicable anger laced his words, his volume rising higher and higher.

"If you were truly that obedient, I also told you to go die back then. Did you?"

It seemed he actually had.

Yan Jing recalled that cold, gloomy basement when he first woke up. He remembered the Computer screen displaying the chat windows for 'Dad' and 'Mom', and those half-typed messages. A smile crept onto his lips.

The original owner was too stupid. How could begging and wagging one's tail ever earn this kind of parental 'love'?

He had to flip it around. Only by doing the exact opposite would it work.

"Let's cut straight to the chase. What exactly did you call me home for this time?"

Yan Jing asked with a smile.

He was just here to squeeze them for money, anyway.