Free Web NovelChapter 186: THAT SOUNDED CONCERNING
The phone screen read 9:04.
Liuxian stared at it for a moment before turning his head toward the empty side of the bed. The pillow still held the shape of a head, and half the blanket had been kicked aside during the night, one corner hanging off the mattress like it had been abandoned mid-argument.
His gaze lingered there for a second before a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
For someone committed to sulking, Guiying had slept remarkably well.
His phone buzzed in his hand before he could dwell on it any longer.
"The new team has arrived," Zhang Wei said after he answered. "Ten personnel. If you’d like to brief them yourself, now would be a good time."
"I’ll be down shortly."
Liuxian ended the call and sat up, only to freeze halfway through a stretch when his lower back let out a series of alarming cracks. He lowered his arms slowly and pressed a hand against the offending area.
Thirty-three wasn’t old.
He would continue insisting on that until reality became impossible to argue with.
After standing under a hot shower long enough to convince his back to cooperate, he changed into a white textured pullover and cream linen trousers before slipping into his slippers and heading downstairs.
Wang Chengli was already waiting at the bottom of the staircase.
Liuxian had never figured out how the man always managed to appear exactly where he was needed. At this point, he had stopped trying.
"The garden, Young Master," Wang Chengli said. "It’s more suitable for a private discussion."
Liuxian nodded and followed him outside.
The garden was already bright with morning light. Dew clung to the grass in scattered drops that caught the sun whenever the breeze moved them, while birds hopped through the branches near the eastern wall before disappearing again just as quickly.
Ten people waited near the far end of the lawn. Most were men, two were women, and all of them carried themselves with the quiet alertness of people who made a living noticing danger before anyone else did.
As Liuxian approached, nobody shifted unnecessarily. Nobody fidgeted. Nobody looked away.
Good.
Professionals were always easier to work with.
He stopped in front of them and slipped both hands into his pockets.
"Good morning."
The greeting came back in unison.
"I’ll keep this brief since you’ve already received the details."
His gaze moved across the line.
"Five of you will join Luo Cheng and form a dedicated close-protection unit for my spouse. The remaining five will handle surveillance, threat assessment, and perimeter security. The teams will operate separately, but reports will move through the same chain of command."
The group remained silent.
"Anything involving close protection goes through Luo Cheng. Anything involving perimeter security comes to me through Zhang Wei."
He paused before continuing.
"The most important rule is also the simplest one. My spouse does not feel watched."
Several expressions sharpened slightly.
"He doesn’t feel followed, managed, or crowded. If he notices the security presence before I’ve had a chance to explain it personally, you’ve already failed your assignment."
A few people exchanged brief glances.
"He’s observant," Liuxian continued. "Much more observant than people assume, so don’t make the mistake of underestimating him."
One of the women near the end of the line met his gaze.
"And if he objects?"
"Then you should inform me." He said with a matter of fact tone.
"And then?"
"You stay anyway. I shouldn’t be telling you how to do your job."
The corner of her mouth twitched.
She nodded once and stepped back.
Liuxian nodded back.
"Any other questions?"
Nobody spoke.
Exactly the answer he wanted.
"Luo Cheng arrives at noon. Wang Chengli will show you around the property before then. And if you don’t know who Luo Cheng is, he will introduce himself when you see him."
With that, Liuxian turned and headed back toward the house, leaving the team behind him.
As he crossed the lawn, he found himself feeling mildly sympathetic toward them. Protecting Guiying wasn’t particularly difficult, but protecting Guiying without letting Guiying realize he was being protected was an entirely different challenge.
---
Liuxian walked back through the mansion with his hands in his pockets and his thoughts fixed on a problem that was somehow more complicated than managing a security detail.
Guiying was still sulking.
The sulk had started before dawn, and Liuxian had honestly assumed sleep would deal with it. Sleep dealt with most problems eventually, but apparently Guiying’s determination to remain offended had developed a resistance to common solutions because several hours later it was still alive and seemed to be gaining strength.
A direct apology wouldn’t work.
Reasoning definitely wouldn’t work.
Trying to explain responsible decision-making to Guiying after he’d already decided to be annoyed was like trying to negotiate with weather.
He was still considering possible strategies when he heard a voice coming from the end of the corridor.
The sharp tone made him slow his steps.
Guiying was on the phone.
Liuxian stopped outside the room for a moment before quietly pushing the door open.
Guiying stood by the window with a phone pressed against his ear, one hand resting against the frame while tension sat visibly across his shoulders.
"It’s not normal to read a will while you’re still alive," Guiying said. "And what do you mean the original isn’t even in the country anymore?"
Liuxian’s brows lifted slightly.
That sounded concerning.
Guiying fell silent as he listened to the response, his fingers tightening briefly against the wood.
"What could he possibly be thinking?"
The question seemed directed as much at himself as the person on the other end of the line.
After another pause, he sighed.
"Fine. Thank you for telling me. I’ll take care of it."
The call ended.
Guiying remained standing there, staring out the window for several long seconds while sunlight spilled across the garden below. Whatever he had just heard had clearly settled somewhere unpleasant.
"I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered.
Then he turned around.
His eyes landed immediately on Liuxian.
The room fell quiet.
"How long have you been standing there?" Guiying asked.
"I just got here."
Guiying narrowed his eyes immediately, while Liuxian arranged his features into an expression of complete innocence that fooled absolutely nobody.
"But you seem troubled," Liuxian added.
Guiying looked at him.
Then he remembered.
The phone call faded into the background.
The will faded into the background.
The mysterious family drama faded into the background.
Because standing in front of him was the real problem.
This shameless man had ruined his plans before mood for daybreak, refused to buy more condoms, refused to proceed without them, and somehow still had the audacity to stand there looking perfectly calm about it.
Guiying stared at him for several seconds.
Then he turned back toward the window.
"Humph."
Liuxian closed his eyes briefly.
Ah.
The sulk was not only alive.
It appeared to be thriving.
