Yama Reborn
Chapter 45 - 43: Simple

Chapter 45: Chapter 43: Simple

Chapter Forty-Three: Simple and Easy

The last class of the afternoon finished, and the students lazily packed their bags.

Li Yingwan, her face cold, meticulously copied down the teacher’s notes from the blackboard.

"Hey, Li Yingwan," the class monitor said, grinning cheerfully as he sidled over. "Do you live far from school?"

Li Yingwan looked over with an indifferent gaze but didn’t say a word.

Faced with her silence, the class monitor lost his nerve and sheepishly withdrew his gaze.

Exiting the classroom, she immediately encountered two boys from the neighboring class. One of them was somewhat good-looking, despite a few pimples on his face.

The boy, rather bold, stuffed a letter into Li Yingwan’s hand right there in public.

"I don’t understand it," Li Yingwan said coldly, glancing at the envelope.

The boy opposite her adopted what he thought was a carefree smile. "I wrote it in English."

But his smile froze halfway.

RIP!

In the tall girl’s hands, the envelope was torn in half.

Li Yingwan stepped half a pace closer, still fixing him with an indifferent gaze. Her Mandarin was a bit stiff, but her tone was very firm. "When I said I didn’t understand, I was being polite."

As the torn envelope fluttered to the ground, Li Yingwan swiftly walked away, leaving the stunned boy behind.

Well, he was probably heartbroken.

By the time she reached the school gate, two other boys from her class were lingering. One, apparently from a wealthy family, was pushing the latest high-speed mountain bike but dawdled, making no move to leave.

Seeing Li Yingwan emerge, he approached her. "Li Yingwan, we were lab partners in biology today, remember? Where do you live? If it’s on the way, shall we go together?"

Li Yingwan took a deep breath, looked the boy straight in the eye, and bluntly asked, "Do you like me?"

"Uh..." The boy’s heart leaped, and a thrill of surprise shot through him. Are girls from South Korea always this direct?

Just as he was struggling to come up with a cool and witty reply...

"But I don’t like you," Li Yingwan stated coldly.

A Hyundai sedan slowly pulled up to the school entrance and stopped. The driver got out, jogged over to open the car door, and Li Yingwan got in. The driver glanced at the boy at the school gate, then, his face emotionless, returned to the car and drove away.

School Belle Sun and Luo Qing, walking towards the school gate, witnessed the entire scene.

Luo Qing sighed. "Alas, another wounded little heart."

He turned to look at School Belle Sun, whose expression was a bit sour. "Sun Keke, you’ve got to step up your game."

School Belle Sun took a deep breath. Her face, which had been overcast, suddenly lit up with a smile. She glanced at Luo Qing and then bounced off to the bike shed to get her bicycle. _{fre.eweb novel\.c om}

"How can you still be smiling?" Luo Qing asked, puzzled.

"Her popularity has nothing to do with me," School Belle Sun replied, pushing her bike out and straddling it confidently. "Besides, isn’t she trying to cling to Chen Nuo? But right now, she doesn’t even know where Chen Nuo is."

"..." Luo Qing scratched his head.

"She doesn’t know, but I do," School Belle Sun winked and rode off.

Luo Qing’s interest was piqued; the direction School Belle Sun headed wasn’t towards her home.

Wait a minute, that’s not right. Her home isn’t far from school, so she usually doesn’t ride a bike.

Chen Nuo was eating noodles.

A large bowl of deluxe fried pig skin noodles.

Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, flavorful pickled mustard greens sliced thinly, a handful of wood ear mushrooms, and fresh green vegetable shoots.

Red broth, wide noodles, with an extra serving of small pork ribs.

There was no soft-boiled egg, but rather a hard-boiled egg that had been simmered in master stock, peeled, scored several times with a knife, and then deep-fried until the surface was crispy—a "tiger skin egg."

Both the white and yolk were thoroughly infused with the master stock, and the frying gave the exterior a delightful crispiness. The texture upon biting into it was incredible.

Thick pieces of fried pig skin were cut up, boiled, then soaked in the broth until plump and saturated. He picked up a piece with his chopsticks, and with one bite, the soft texture, combined with the chewiness of the pig skin, filled his mouth with the savory flavor of the broth.

An explosion of umami in one bite!

Riding that wave of flavor, he slurped down a large mouthful of noodles, which slid smoothly into his stomach.

It was a warmth that spread from his belly outwards.

Chen Nuo and Brother Lei each held a large bowl, eating with great relish.

Brother Lei, especially, had endured a lot today—soaked in cold water for the better part of the day, he was exhausted and famished.

He ate as if he wanted to bury his face in the bowl.

Neither spoke, finishing their noodles in one go. Brother Lei lifted his bowl to drink the soup, then peeked at the young master beside him.

"Full?"

"Full!"

"Then let’s talk," Chen Nuo said with a smile, pushing his bowl aside.

Brother Lei immediately put down his bowl and reached into his pocket for a cigarette, only then remembering he had been soaked earlier and had changed at home, forgetting his cigarettes.

He got up, went to the counter, and bought a pack of Jinling cigarettes from the noodle shop owner. He tore it open, offered one to Chen Nuo first, lit it for him, and then lit one for himself.

He sat down properly, looking at the young master before him.

"First, tell me what happened today."

Brother Lei nodded and recounted the events in detail.

It wasn’t complicated. Li Qingshan coveted his shop. Negotiations had failed, so today Li Qingshan had resorted to harsher methods.

It was just Brother Lei’s rotten luck that his backer had fallen.

Ordinarily, Li Qingshan wouldn’t have been able to take down Brother Lei so easily.

Brother Lei had been around for several years. Although he didn’t command a large force, he dealt in fencing stolen goods and had a few men working for him.

On any other day, it wouldn’t have been so easy for Li Qingshan to make a move on Brother Lei.

But...

Just a few days ago, hadn’t Chen Nuo raided Brother Lei’s shop?

All his capable fighters had been taken down!

Half of them were still recovering from their injuries.

Today, Li Qingshan had caught Brother Lei completely off guard. The few men still able to work were out collecting vehicles. Only Brother Lei and a young apprentice were at the shop, and they were completely overwhelmed.

After listening, Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "Do you have any ideas?"

"..." Brother Lei blinked.

Chen Nuo laughed.

He tapped his fingers on the table. "Your boss is in prison. Without him, your men are leaderless and have scattered. Don’t you have any ideas yourself?"

An idea suddenly struck Brother Lei. He ventured, "The big brother I used to rely on was good at fighting and had a crew, but he wasn’t business-savvy, so he didn’t have much of a foundation. He only left behind a restaurant."

"Hmm, go on," Chen Nuo said.

"Originally, there were quite a few guys, but they were mostly brawlers, good at fighting but not at making money. Now that the boss is locked up, no one else has his kind of prestige to hold them together. Most importantly, the restaurant was shut down... That’s why everyone scattered. They still need to find a way to eat, right?"

Chen Nuo smiled and looked at Brother Lei. "So, can you rally those men?"

Brother Lei suddenly felt a flush of heat. He thought for a moment. "I don’t have that kind of influence, and I’m short on money."

The bald man’s mind raced, quickly doing the math. "I still have over a hundred thousand in savings. Including the shop’s cash flow... I can probably free up another thirty to fifty thousand this month. But it’s still not enough. From the old boss’s crew, the ones who can fight, are reliable, and whom I know well... at most, I could pull together about a dozen. I don’t have the clout for more. Supporting that many people costs hundreds of thousands a year. And... you can’t just feed them. They need a livelihood, something that makes them feel there’s a future in following you. You can’t just go around fighting all the time. My current business can’t support that many people."

Chen Nuo nodded. "Continue. Anything else?"

Brother Lei hesitated, then said in a low voice, "Actually, I was planning a big venture this year."

"What kind?"

"Dealing in stolen vehicles all the time isn’t sustainable. The money comes fast, but it’s risky. Who knows when a crackdown could land me in jail. So, I was actually planning to secure an electric bicycle dealership this year..."

"Hmm, that’s a viable path," Chen Nuo nodded.

Around the turn of the new century, the market for electric bicycles was rapidly expanding. This Brother Lei, it seemed, wasn’t brainless; he knew how to plan for the future.

"Getting a dealership, selling electric bikes, and then expanding the shop—ideally taking over the adjacent storefronts... I wouldn’t have enough money. If I tried to recruit more men at the same time, I wouldn’t be able to manage it."

Chen Nuo nodded. "I’ll give you five hundred thousand. Can you handle the business then?"

"..." Brother Lei was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. "I can! Five hundred thousand! I’ll add my own savings, making it seven hundred thousand in total. That’s enough to take over the shop next door and get an electric bike dealership. Hmm... I could also bring over some of the old boss’s men... Let me see, not too many, just eight or ten would be enough to establish a presence! Though I still can’t beat that old mutt Li Qingshan, if he wants to mess with me again, he’ll have to think twice!"

Chen Nuo sighed.

This was early 2001. In the heart of Jinling City, a decent apartment cost no more than two hundred thousand.

In Jinling, a white-collar worker at a respectable company earned just over a thousand yuan a month. Annual income wouldn’t exceed twenty thousand.

Two hundred thousand was enough to have seven or eight street youths follow you for a year.

Of course, there were other expenses. If there were serious fights, medical bills, compensation, and such would be extra.

Chen Nuo nodded. "Alright, I’ll bring you the money tomorrow. Consider it settled."

"Great! From now on, I’ll work for you! In this business, you’re the boss, and I’m the employee."

"No." Chen Nuo smiled and shook his head. "The money isn’t an investment; consider it a loan. Pay me back when you can."

Hearing this, Brother Lei felt even more relieved.

But he couldn’t help feeling a little puzzled.

This young master doesn’t want to be a shareholder or the boss... Doesn’t he want to make money? What’s he after?

Suddenly, he thought of Old Sun.

But I don’t have a daughter as beautiful as a flower.

Unfortunately, Li Qingshan was a solitary man with no family, unlike Boss Xiao, who had a wife and children.

If Chen Nuo tried to use the same tactics on him as he had on Boss Xiao, they probably wouldn’t work.

Besides, he couldn’t actually kill him.

Li Qingshan was an established figure, influential in his own right, and ran a large business. If he suddenly disappeared, people from both legitimate circles and the underworld would investigate.

It wasn’t about fear, but about necessity.

Does he think the police are incompetent? If Li Qingshan were killed, the trail could easily lead from Brother Lei back to Chen Nuo. It wasn’t worth forcing Chen Nuo to abandon his current life and small family, to become a fugitive, just to deal with Li Qingshan, was it?

Huh? Speaking of Boss Xiao, I wonder if he’s back yet. He must be tired of drinking Southeast Asian coconuts by now.

After finishing their noodles, the two men returned to Brother Lei’s vehicle shop.

Brother Lei tidied up the shop and then called a few of his men who were recovering at home to come over and discuss matters.

Chen Nuo was about to leave when he saw School Belle Sun wobbling over on her bicycle.

"I guessed you skipped class to come here," School Belle Sun said, wrinkling her nose prettily.

Chen Nuo looked at the young girl.

Her face was slightly flushed, and she was a little out of breath.

She must have been cycling for about an hour, all the way from Jiangning.

The early spring weather was still a bit chilly, and the evening wind was considerable.

The poor girl.

Thinking this, Chen Nuo’s heart softened. He sighed and turned to Brother Lei. "Find me a coat, a thick one."

Brother Lei quickly ducked into the back room and reappeared in less than a minute, holding a zip-up jacket.

"Jeanswest. I just bought it a few days ago, haven’t worn it yet. It’s cotton-padded, thick, and windproof."

Chen Nuo took the jacket and couldn’t help examining it.

I wonder if this brand still exists twenty years from now?

Holding the jacket, he walked over and draped it over the young girl.

School Belle Sun, aware of Brother Lei’s presence, blushed and tried to resist, but Chen Nuo held her firmly and said with a stern look, "Don’t move!"

"...Okay."

She obediently stayed still, allowing Chen Nuo to put the jacket on her, even meekly raising her arms to slip them through the sleeves.

Chen Nuo zipped it up for her.

Leaning in for a closer look, Chen Nuo saw Sun Keke’s pretty face, her skin as smooth as porcelain. Her peach-blossom eyes seemed to shimmer, looking at him with a mixture of shyness and timidity.

Chen Nuo’s heart stirred, and he instinctively reached out and gently pinched the girl’s cheek.

"Get off, I’ll ride."

"Okay!" Sun Keke dismounted with a wide smile, handing the handlebars to Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo straddled the bike. School Belle Sun cheerfully hopped onto the rear seat, settled in, and gently wrapped her arms around Chen Nuo’s waist, resting her head against his back. As they rode, her legs swayed leisurely.

After dropping School Belle Sun off at her apartment building, as they were saying goodbye, Sun Keke tugged on Chen Nuo’s arm.

"What’s wrong?" Chen Nuo asked with a smile, looking at her.

School Belle Sun hesitated, then said in a low voice, "I’m going to say something, and you can’t get mad, okay?"

Chen Nuo nodded. "Go ahead."

"...I, I don’t want to control you," School Belle Sun whispered. "But my dad said that Brother Lei is a gangster. I... well, I know you like to have fun, but please don’t hang out with them all the time, okay? These gangsters are really scary. I... I’m really not trying to control you. I’m just worried. I get worried."

The girl’s voice was soft, and the concern in her eyes was genuine.

The moon was in the sky, and the night was still.

Chen Yanluo felt that the steely resolve forged through two lifetimes, through battlefields, flashing blades, and flying gore... wavered ever so slightly. The girl before him, her eyes—they could be described in one word: pure. Untouched by the complexities of the world, unmarred by life’s hardships, uncrushed by cynicism... Just that pristine clarity. At that moment, Chen Nuo suddenly realized that Old Sun had raised his daughter to be very much like himself. Just a simple person. Living a simple life. Thinking simple thoughts. And loving someone... just as simply.

Chen Nuo thought for a moment, suppressed the stirring in his heart, and said seriously, "Yeah, I understand. I’ll be careful."

The girl’s face lit up with a smile. She gave Chen Nuo another deep look, then turned to leave...

"Wait!"

Chen Nuo suddenly grabbed Sun Keke’s hand, holding her small hand in his.

He looked quietly at Sun Keke, who lowered her head shyly.

Chen Nuo knew that if he wanted to do something at that moment, whether it was to kiss her or hug her... the girl wouldn’t resist.

But after a moment’s hesitation, Chen Nuo simply reached out, patted Sun Keke’s head, and smiled. "Sleep early tonight."

Finally, watching Sun Keke go upstairs, Chen Nuo stood in place and let out a breath before turning to leave.

Why flirt if you don’t intend to marry? Well, I just did! Bite me?

Chen Yanluo gave the moon a defiant middle finger.