The Beijing Circle Young Master’s Public Lackey Ch46

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t fight back?”

Chen Zemian collapsed to the ground, panting, and mumbled, “You are a special forces instructor… but you still don’t keep your word.”

Xue Zhengwei came to his senses and said, “Why don’t you say you were hiding your skills on purpose? That move was so beautiful. Who did you learn it from?”

Chen Zemian subconsciously wanted to answer, “My dad.”

After saying the word “I,” Chen Zemian realized something was wrong.

He almost let the cat out of the bag again.

He is an illegitimate child — where does he have a “dad”?

Chen Zemian’s brain worked fast, and he changed his words. “I learned some moves I saw on TV.”

Xue Zhengwei nodded and said nothing else but commented, “You’ve got good potential. Your waist and abdominal muscles are flexible enough, and your strong core strength makes up for the lack of raw power. If you can twist just a bit more than the average person, you’ll generate even greater force.”

Old Tang slammed the table excitedly. “Your fighting skills are on par with the special forces. Which of your parents have served in the army? Which division?”

Chen Zemian shook his head and did not answer.

Old Tang was confused. “Why? Is it confidential?”

Chen Zemian said calmly, “My parents are gone.”

Hearing this, Xue Zhengwei looked at Chen Zemian again.

Lu Zhuonian frowned slightly, his eyes swept lightly, as if he was thinking about something, but also as if it were just a casual glance.

“I made a mistake, I made a mistake.” Hearing this, Old Master Tang waved his hands and said repeatedly, “Good boy, let’s not think about those sad things. Zhengwei hasn’t stretched his muscles for a long time. You can spar with him again.”

Chen Zemian laughed and said, “How could I possibly spar with a special forces instructor? The political commissar was going easy on me the whole time. I just took the hits—I didn’t even fight back.”

Xue Zhengwei looked at Chen Zemian as if he were looking at something else. He looked for two full seconds before saying, “Then I won’t go easy on you. Let’s have a good fight.”

Chen Zemian hadn’t sparred with others for a long time. He couldn’t help but feel itchy when he heard this suggestion.

Xue Zhengwei came from the special forces, and his cold temperament was similar to his father’s.

It was more like that indescribable feeling.

When Xue Zhengwei received his attacks, Chen Zemian could clearly feel that he was being “supported” — guided, even. No matter how strong or weak the move, Xue made sure to catch it smoothly, never letting Chen get hurt.

It was probably because Xue Zhengwei had been an instructor, and when he led recruits to learn fighting skills, he would “support” them in this way.

It is the special care that elders give to the younger generation.

Because of this, Chen Zemian subconsciously felt confused and dazed, as if the person in front of him was his father.

He missed this feeling too much.

After a few seconds of thought, Chen Zemian nodded in agreement and once again took his place across from Xue Zhengwei in the center of the hall.

Old Master Tang called out, “Begin.”

Chen Zemian launched another kick, but this time, Xue Zhengwei didn’t take the hit. Instead, he sidestepped smoothly, evading it with ease.

Seizing the momentum from his evasive move, Xue Zhengwei twisted his body, pivoted at the hips, and used the strength of his core to drive a powerful punch forward. The strike cut sharply through the air.

Hearing the wind whistle past him, Chen Zemian didn’t even look—he ducked low and slipped neatly beneath Xue Zhengwei’s arm

In an instant, the two fought briefly, then distanced themselves.

Elder Tang laughed, “Good! As flexible as a fish, really slippery.”

The two turned around simultaneously, smoothly switching places — standing where the other had just been.

Xue Zhengwei looked at Chen Zemian, a hint of approval in his eyes. “You are better than I thought.”

His punch just now was actually very difficult to dodge. Chen Zemian would have been hit if he had turned his head, but he was able to identify the position by hearing the sound. He didn’t even turn his head to see the angle of the punch and directly bent down to dodge it.

To an outsider, the two people just passed each other, but only experts could understand the hidden mystery.

This kind of real fight can easily arouse the desire to fight.

A flash of excitement flashed in Chen Zemian’s eyes “Let’s go again.”

Xue Zhengwei said, “I won’t go easy this time. Don’t cry if you get hit.”

Chen Zemian waited for the opportunity to move, his footsteps as light as a wild leopard hunting, but what he said was very funny. “Don’t worry, I will definitely cry.”

Xue Zhengwei’s eyebrows moved slightly, and a barely perceptible smile flashed across his eyes. He subconsciously said, “You look a lot like a friend of mine.”

Hearing this, Old Master Tang was a little surprised and asked, “Who?”

Xue Zhengwei said, “It’s my classmate in the police academy. He has never been a soldier. You probably haven’t seen him, Old Master Tang.”

When Chen Zemian heard the word “police academy,” his heart moved slightly.

When he first heard Xue Zhengwei mention the police academy, he was a little suspicious whether the “classmate” Xue Zhengwei mentioned was his father, but the next sentence, “he has never been a soldier,” dispelled his doubts.

His father has been in the army for several years. If he said he had never been a soldier, he would definitely not be the same person.

He probably thought too much.

They are two different worlds.

In this world, Chen Zhe is an illegitimate child. With Chen Zemian’s understanding of his father, his father would not do such an irresponsible thing.

Unless his father died.

But Chen Zhe’s father seemed to be dead.

Even if he died, he should know who his father was. He couldn’t be an illegitimate child. Besides, in Chen Zhe’s memory, there was never a father.

Chen Zemian’s eyes gradually became confused.

Forget it, forget it. Let’s not try to fit the things in his world into this world. They are different in the first place, and the more you fit, the more confused you get.

Xue Zhengwei observed Chen Zemian’s expression, and when he saw that he didn’t continue to ask questions, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

There probably wouldn’t be such a coincidence in the world.

It was after he saw the spinning kick that he thought of his old friend, so he thought everything was similar.

Even calling him “Political Commissar” in a daze was similar.

It’s just that the man said at the time. “Wow, you are the political commissar at such a young age, I’m sorry.”

Thinking of his old classmates, Xue Zhengwei’s eyes flashed with a trace of reminiscence.

The thought flickered through their minds, but in the next moment, both pushed it aside. They bowed to each other in silent acknowledgment, then launched back into the sparring match at the center of the hall.

The two moved swiftly through their exchange. Chen Zemian’s form was both composed and dynamic—taut with focus, yet never stiff; light on his feet, his movements smooth and agile.

After watching for a while, Old Master Tang inexplicably thought of the big civet cat at home that could fly over the eaves and walls, and couldn’t help but smile and shake his head.

He turned sideways and asked Lu Zhuonian, “Xiao Lu, where did you pick up such a treasure? It’s so rare.”

Lu Zhuonian said in a flat tone, “He came to me.”

Old Master Tang said, “Tsk. Look how proud you are.”

Lu Zhuonian lowered his eyelids calmly: “What’s there to be proud of?”

Old Master Tang glanced at Lu Zhuonian speechlessly and asked, “Does Xiao Chen have a job? If he has nothing to do, how about I arrange for him to be a guard by my side?”

Lu Zhuonian declined, “He’s very busy.”

Old Master Tang raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What is he busy with?”

Lu Zhuonian replied calmly, “He works at my shooting range. In his spare time, he also makes games.”

Xue Duo’s curiosity was piqued. “What kind of games?”

“He’s the developer of Re-Conferring the Gods,” Lu Zhuonian said. “These days, he’s working on a shooting game with a counter-terrorism theme.”

Old Master Tang didn’t know much about what was popular among young people, but Re-Conferring the Gods was really popular. His grandchildren all played it. They got up early and stayed up late every day to complete tasks, earn points, and draw cards. They even asked him to help draw cards, saying that because he was “lucky,” he could draw the “Love to Death Star Lord.”

After drawing countless cards himself, Old Master Tang had even come up with a theory — If the character shows up quickly and looks ugly, they’re usually worthless. But if there’s a long black screen before the reveal—they’re probably something special.

It was a pity the game had been sold. If Chen Zemian still held the copyright, maybe he could get a few “Love to Death Star Lords” for his granddaughter.

Thinking of this, Old Master Tang couldn’t help but wonder, “Why didn’t he just develop it himself?”

Lu Zhuonian fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, “He doesn’t have the right connections, so he can’t make it big on his own.”

Old Master Tang looked at Lu Zhuonian. “He doesn’t have the right connections, so you don’t have the right connections either?”

Lu Zhuonian was about to say something but saw Chen Zemian had just finished his spar with Xue Zhengwei and was walking back, so he said nothing else.

A light sheen of sweat clung to Chen Zemian’s forehead, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. He sat down and gulped down a cup of tea. Still feeling thirsty, he poured another cup and drank it down to the last drop.

Seeing both Old Master Tang and Lu Zhuonian looking at him, Chen Zemian was slightly puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

Old Master Tang asked someone to bring a few bottles of mineral water. “Speaking of the game you made, my grandchildren are all playing it.”

Chen Zemian said indifferently, “Oh, that was sold. It’s because the game company is doing well. It has nothing to do with me.”

When Old Master Tang heard this, he immediately understood why Chen Zemian ignored Lu Zhuonian’s connections and sold such a promising game instead of building it out himself — he never thought of using Lu Zhuonian’s network.

Old Master Tang had brought up the game himself, yet Chen Zemian didn’t even follow his lead. If he wouldn’t pick up a conversation so readily handed to him, how could he possibly be trying to build connections through Lu Zhuonian?

He thought the two got along well and didn’t want to get involved in those conflicts of interest.

It was rare to see such sincerity in someone so young. Old Master Tang liked him more and more.

Perhaps it was natural to admire other people’s children—especially when his own grandchildren were still in school, while Chen Zemian was already out there figuring out ways to make a living. If the younger generation of the Tang family were left to fend for themselves, he feared none of them would measure up.

Old Master Tang pondered, “You work for Xiao Lu during the day, and you make games in your free time. You also have such good fighting skills. How do you manage your time?”

Chen Zemian: “…”

Old Master Tang truly was a man of experience. He hit the nail on the head and pointed out the unreasonableness of these three things coexisting in one person.

There are people who can design games, master fighting skills, and work part-time at the same time, but they should not be a 19-year-old high school dropout.

Whenever he didn’t know how to answer properly, Chen Zemian instinctively switched into nonsense mode.

“Working for Lu Shao is very leisurely, and the work pressure is not high,” he explained one by one. “I create more games on holidays and when I stay up late at night. As for fighting skills, I practice them when I work out.”

Old Master Tang showed a distressed look. “Isn’t this too hard? Staying up late just because you’re young is very harmful to your health.”

Chen Zemian said, “It’s not bad. I don’t feel tired.”

Old Master Tang sighed, “Young people are full of energy.”

Lu Zhuonian agreed, “Indeed.”

Old Master Tang asked with interest, “Why do you say that? From your tone, is there a story behind this?”

“There are plenty of stories,” Lu Zhuonian said, glancing at Chen Zemian. “Like the time he made me get up at four in the morning to watch the flag-raising ceremony. I came back and slept straight through until the afternoon. Then I woke up in the middle of the night—completely alert again—and he made sure I stayed up, watching me like a hawk.”

Chen Zemian looked back angrily.

Honestly, why did he have to turn it into a complaint!

Fortunately, Elder Tang was very perceptive. He didn’t blame Chen Zemian when he heard this. Instead, he laughed and said jokingly, “That’s because you want him to endure it. If you, Lu Shao, don’t want to, who can control you?”

Lu Zhuonian: “…”

Xue Duo never dreamed someone would dare to torture Lu Zhuonian. At this moment, his heart was in turmoil, and the shock was no less than hearing Chen Zemian call his uncle ‘Zhengwei.’

But if it was Chen Zemian, everything seemed to make sense.

Xue Duo turned his head and asked Chen Zemian in a low voice, “Isn’t Lu Shao mad at you?”

Chen Zemian said matter-of-factly, “Lu Shao often suffers from insomnia at night, and it’s just right for us to keep each other company.”

Lu Zhuonian glanced at Chen Zemian again. “There were a few times when I fell asleep and you woke me up.”

Chen Zemian smiled awkwardly. “But every time I went to find you, you were awake.”

Lu Zhuonian asked back, “Someone suddenly comes into the room in the middle of the night—wouldn’t you wake up?”

The more Old Master Tang listened, the funnier he found it. “Xiao Chen, you don’t sleep in the early hours at all—you’re practically a cat. If you ever want to watch the flag-raising again, come find me. Don’t keep dragging Xiao Lu along. I’m old, I don’t sleep much. Four or five in the morning is just right for my morning exercises.”

Chen Zemian agreed, “Okay, then I’ll invite you to go hiking next time to watch the sunrise.”

Old Master Tang sighed, “Wow, you have a lot of activities in the early morning.”

More than a lot—it’s too much.

Hiking, watching movies, and eating supper are all common things. The most outrageous was once when Chen Zemian said he was going to Houhai to light lanterns, but halfway through the car ride, he wanted to see the real sea, so he turned onto the highway and drove Lu Zhuonian to Bohai Bay.

The bodyguards behind saw that Lu Shao’s car suddenly deviated from the route and headed onto the highway out of Beijing. They thought Lu Zhuonian had been hijacked and kidnapped by criminals, plunging everything into chaos.

It takes about four or five hours from Beijing to Bohai Bay. There are few cars on the highway in the early morning. Chen Zemian drove all the way. It was not even seven o’clock in the morning when they arrived at the beach.

It was very cold in winter, and there was no one at the beach.

The sea breeze was biting cold, filled with a cold and salty smell. It hurt like a knife when it blew on the face. Even the golden beach was covered with a layer of white frost. It was not soft when stepped on but rather a bit brittle like broken ice.

The distant sky was split between darkness and light, a faint wash of fish-belly white just beginning to appear on the horizon.

The world was vast, cold, and solemn, as if it had reached the end of the earth, and only an icy, boundless sea remained.

Chen Zemian was afraid of the cold but couldn’t resist the thrill of exploration. So, without even glancing his way, Lu Zhuonian leapt onto the reef after him.

The cold was biting, and the reef beneath Chen Zemian’s feet was slick with moisture. He stood on a high ledge, swaying slightly with the wind.

Lu Zhuonian wanted to call out, to urge him down—but he held back, afraid that a sudden shout might startle him.

Chen Zemian studied the sea quietly for a moment, gauging the tide. From the look of it, the reef would soon be swallowed by the rising water.

Lu Zhuonian extended a hand toward him. “The tide’s coming in—come down.”

The moment Chen Zemian’s fingers touched his palm, Lu Zhuonian seized him firmly, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him down from the reef. Without so much as a pause, he led him straight back to the car.

Lu Zhuonian drove the highway back to Beijing.

Chen Zemian sat in the passenger seat and was scolded by Lu Zhuonian all the way.

If he had known earlier, he might as well have jumped into the sea directly.

Chen Zemian was indignant and had a thousand ways to argue, but he was too ambitious and spineless, so he caved with nothing more than a reluctant word of agreement.

“The reef is very low to the sea surface, and you did bungee jumping and skydiving, which are more dangerous than this. Why do you care about me?”

Lu Zhuonian’s voice slightly deepened. “If you fall into the sea, I won’t save you.”

Chen Zemian retorted, “It’s impossible to fall in. My sense of balance is top-notch!”

Lu Zhuonian turned his head to look at Chen Zemian. “You promised the same thing before.”

Chen Zemian promised eight hundred times a day and had long forgotten what he promised, so he asked, “Which time?”

Lu Zhuonian retracted his gaze and said lightly, “The time you fell into my bathtub.”

*****

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