Yama Reborn
Chapter 46 - 44 "Learn Mandarin Well

Chapter 46: Chapter 44 "Learn Mandarin Well

Chapter Forty-Four: Learn Mandarin

The next day was Friday.

Chen Nuo went early in the morning to deliver money to Brother Lei. By the time he circled back to school, it was already noon.

There was no movement from Li Qingshan’s end for the time being.

After Chen Nuo’s power play yesterday, the old fellow needed to ponder things first. The more one experienced the complexities of their world, the more cautious they became.

Facing such an unknown tough character, one had to investigate before doing anything else.

Let Brother Lei deal with him for now.

「 」

During the noon break, Chen Nuo intentionally avoided others.

Facing another canteen Asura Field... there might not be a Zhang Linsheng to come to the rescue again.

Besides, aren’t the stir-fried dishes at the little diners outside school delicious?

After a satisfying meal, picking his teeth, Chen Yanluo swaggered back to the classroom.

In the classroom, Li Yingwan had just returned from eating when she saw her desk covered with several envelopes. There were even two boxes of chocolates inside her desk, plus a bouquet of flowers.

The long-legged girl didn’t even glance at them. She took out a plastic bag, swept everything into it, carried the bag to the classroom door, and dumped it all into the trash can there.

Many people in the hallway and inside the classroom were watching.

When the long-legged girl saw Chen Nuo approaching, she promptly went up to him.

The icy expression on her face instantly melted. She smiled sweetly and grasped Chen Nuo’s arm. "Oppa, where have you been?"

Chen Nuo sighed. "Speak Mandarin."

Li Yingwan hesitated a bit. "You... go... where... did?"

Seeing the surrounding classmates looking over, Chen Nuo discreetly withdrew his arm. "I went to eat."

"Can I... eat with you? In the future? Together?"

Chen Nuo looked at Li Yingwan, then sneaked a peek at the classroom—School Belle Sun wasn’t there; she had probably gone home during the midday break.

Dragging this on isn’t the solution, Chen Nuo thought. I need to sort this out.

He tilted his head. "Follow me."

Chen Nuo turned and left. Li Yingwan’s face lit up with joy as she quickly followed.

They didn’t leave the school but instead turned towards the stairs of the academic building, heading all the way to the top.

「 」

The rooftop terrace was supposed to be locked.

But at some unknown point, a few upperclassmen had managed to get their hands on the key.

Since then, the rooftop terrace had become a place where some boys secretly hung out and smoked.

At noon, Zhang "Retired Haonan" Linsheng was gloomily leaning against the rooftop railing, smoking a cigarette and reminiscing about his past days in the Jianghu.

He had just pinched out his cigarette when he heard a creak behind him.

The iron door to the rooftop was pushed open.

The face from his nightmares appeared.

Zhang Linsheng froze.

Chen Nuo saw Brother Haonan, raised a hand, and waved.

Zhang Linsheng, as if he had seen a ghost, shrieked, dashed past Chen Nuo, burst through the iron door, and raced down the stairs, nearly tumbling in his escape.

Chen Nuo cleared his throat twice, scanned the rooftop to ensure no one else was there, then pulled the long-legged girl to a sheltered spot out of the wind.

Li Yingwan was flushed with excitement. She watched as Chen Nuo led her to the rooftop, where no one else was around.

Her heart fluttered, and the girl couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild.

In an instant, scenes from TV dramas—like being pinned against a wall or forcefully kissed—flashed through the long-legged maiden’s mind like a roaring train, one image after another.

But she waited, and to her surprise, Chen Nuo didn’t make a move.

Li Yingwan looked up and saw Chen Nuo watching her, his expression composed, his gaze tranquil.

"Oppa..." Li Yingwan called out softly, her voice weak.

Chen Nuo sighed inwardly. He had wanted to say some harsh words, but he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to utter them. The face before him was all too familiar. She was the one who had followed him the longest, the earliest in his previous life, and the most devoted. Looking at the young, delicate face before him, his mind conjured the image from that night in his past life: Li Yingwan, her great vengeance achieved, fists clenched, wailing and weeping tears of blood as if she had gone mad. He remembered how he had bundled her into a quilt to restrain her, and the scene of that bundle hanging just outside the window ledge. He remembered leaving her in the mountains with a gun, a knife, and military rations, forcing her to learn wilderness survival—how she stood there alone, yet with a stubborn look on her face. He remembered the night her revenge was complete, when she begged him to sit beside her and watch her sleep. Because... she feared that if she woke up and didn’t see Chen Nuo, she would want to kill herself. A thousand words ultimately dissolved into a sigh. The harsh words remained unspoken.

"Oppa," Li Yingwan’s gaze flickered as she looked at Chen Nuo, and she suddenly whispered, "Have I... caused you trouble?"

"..." Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "Not exactly trouble. It’s really nothing, as long as you don’t tell anyone about me saving you that day."

"I’m sorry!" Li Yingwan bowed deeply, bending low at the waist. When she straightened up, her face showed some anxiety. "Oppa, I’m sorry. I know I’m very willful! But... but I really couldn’t stop myself from coming to find you."

"Since that day, I’ve been having nightmares every night! Every night I dream of those evil men, those terrifying people, coming to take me away again, along with Mom and my brother. Only when I think of you do I feel a bit safer. I drew a portrait of you and keep it under my pillow; only then can I fall asleep. Oppa, please let me stay, alright?" Towards the end, Li Yingwan’s voice carried a hint of pleading.

Chen Nuo didn’t speak.

"After you left that day, I later found out that Dad had been killed by those people..." Li Yingwan’s eyes reddened. "Many people have been coming to our house since then—people from Dad’s company, relatives, and even the police. Mom cries every day. I’m always scared. I hide in my room, afraid to go out. Only by looking at your portrait can I feel slightly less terrified. Please, just let me stay by your side, okay?"

After thinking for a moment, Chen Nuo nodded slowly and said, "You just want to follow me, is it that simple?"

Li Yingwan’s face flushed, and she whispered, "I..."

Suddenly mustering courage, she asked, "Oppa... that School Belle Sun, is she your girlfriend? Are you two dating?" _{f\ree webn ovel(.)com}

"...No," Chen Nuo shook his head.

"Then, can I date Oppa?" Li Yingwan whispered. "I’ve been listening to you. I haven’t started smoking, I haven’t been drinking, I haven’t cursed, I don’t have any tattoos... I’ve also been revering Brother Guan! Oppa! I’ve been seriously doing everything you told me to do! If... if you’re willing to date me, I’ll listen to whatever you say!"

Such a child, Chen Nuo sighed inwardly. Forget it. If I can’t drive her away, I can’t bring myself to do or say anything too ruthless... So...

Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "I don’t like people who can’t speak Mandarin properly."

"I’ll work hard to learn! But... Oppa, how do I know if I’ve learned Mandarin well?"

Chen Nuo pondered for a brief moment... Got it!

He cleared his throat. "Listen carefully."

Lord Yanluo took a deep breath. "Eight hundred standard-bearers are rushing up the northern slope, artillerymen run side-by-side to the north. Artillerymen fear hitting the standard-bearers; standard-bearers fear bumping into the artillerymen!"

"..." Li Yingwan’s eyes were wide. "Wha-? What was that??"

Chen Nuo patted the long-legged girl’s shoulder. "Alright, take your time learning."

With that, Chen ’Shameless’ Nuo, hands in his pockets, ran off.

Yep, that should keep her busy for a while... Even if she masters that one... there’s no need to worry! A lama coming from the south? Eating grapes without spitting out the skins? The carrying pole is long, the bench is wide? If all else fails, there’s still "the red carp and the green carp and the donkey," right? As for a weapon of mass destruction like "black fertilizer will volatilize," let’s not torment a foreign girl with that. That would just be too cruel.

「 」

Jiang Yingzi massaged her tired brow.

The company driver parked the car and got out to open the door for her. Jiang Yingzi alighted, looking at her house.

Her son probably wasn’t back yet. As for her daughter... Thinking of Li Yingwan’s stubborn gaze, Jiang Yingzi smiled helplessly. Although she didn’t know why her daughter insisted on going to that city in Hua Country, Jiang Yingzi had a vague guess. She was actually curious about that remarkable young man herself, but... if her daughter really could get close to him, it probably wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Entering the house, Jiang Yingzi changed her shoes.

Ultimately, she had to take over management of her husband’s company. Jiang Yingzi had been very tired lately, but fortunately, the most difficult times had passed. With He Zhengyu’s disappearance, no one in the company could really oppose her. The exhaustion came from reorganizing everything and getting the business back on track. It was tough at first, but after Jiang Yingzi mustered the courage to fire two stubbornly resistant individuals, things ran much smoother. After all, it was a capitalist country. With the other major shareholder, He Zhengyu, absent, Jiang Yingzi was the primary capital holder. As long as she suppressed her softer side and found her courage, she could hold her position.

Once inside, Jiang Yingzi first went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. As she turned to walk back to the living room...

"AHH!!"

A scream tore out, and the glass in her hand clattered to the floor.

In the living room, a man sat quietly on the sofa.

A foreigner, Caucasian, dressed in a black coat. He wasn’t particularly handsome, but he wore a smile that seemed condescending.

Jiang Yingzi was certain that just moments before, when she had gone into the kitchen, there had been no one in the living room!

"Ms. Jiang," the man said slowly, "I suggest you don’t attempt to scream or call the police. My visit may not be with ill intent, but if you make any drastic moves, I can’t guarantee what might happen." As he spoke, the man pointed to another sofa opposite him. "Now, why don’t we sit down and have a proper talk?"

He spoke standard South Korean.

Jiang Yingzi hesitated for a moment.

After all, after the upheaval that night, after her husband’s death, after restructuring the company... she was no longer the fragile housewife she once was.

Although somewhat anxious, Jiang Yingzi still sat down.

"Good. I like dealing with sensible people." The man smiled. "Let me introduce myself. You may call me Anderson. My purpose for today is actually quite simple. The company and assets you are now operating—no, to be precise, the assets you inherited from your deceased husband—essentially belong to us."

Anderson looked at Jiang Yingzi, his tone calm and collected. "That is to say, your husband, Mr. Li Donghe, was, during his lifetime, an asset manager for our organization. Over several years, he received multiple forms of financial support from our company, along with preferential access to certain resources. Our investments greatly aided his company’s growth. In fact, Mr. Li Donghe formally joined us two years ago. Well, we call them... ’Gold Diggers’."

"Gold... Gold Digger?" Jiang Yingzi was bewildered, but anger soon followed. "What nonsense are you spouting?! My company, your property? Ridiculous!"

"No, no, no." Anderson smiled very politely. "It is a fact. Of course, I can provide evidence, but that’s not the main purpose of my visit today. We are very pleased to see you managing the company so well. If possible, we are willing to offer you new support in the future... which means, we can allow you to take over your husband’s position and become our company’s new ’Gold Digger’. However, that’s not what I’ve come to talk about today. I have a few other questions that I need you to answer."

"What... what questions?"

"According to my investigation, the one who killed your husband, Mr. Li Donghe, our company’s ’Gold Digger,’ is supposed to be He Zhengyu. It’s quite embarrassing, frankly. Allowing an outsider to harm our company’s ’Gold Digger’ indicates a lapse in our protection of members. Following normal procedure, I would investigate this matter and personally carry out vengeance. However, I regret to inform you that, after my investigation, I discovered that He Zhengyu, the murderer of our company’s ’Gold Digger,’ is already dead. Do you have anything you can share with me about this matter?"

"...No! I don’t understand any of what you’re saying!" Jiang Yingzi said angrily. "No matter who you are, if you don’t disappear from my home immediately, I’ll call the police!"

Anderson sighed. "It seems you aren’t willing to cooperate." He suddenly smiled. "However, I have ways to make you provide the information I need. It’s just... I apologize, but my next actions might be somewhat offensive to you."

The smile on his face sent a chill through Jiang Yingzi’s heart.

Anderson took a small case from his coat. Opening it, he revealed a syringe filled with a light blue liquid.

Jiang Yingzi immediately stood up and stepped back, trying to scream while frantically fumbling in her handbag for her phone.

But just then, a hand clamped over her mouth from behind.

Behind Jiang Yingzi, a woman in a tight leather suit, a sinister smile on her face, leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don’t worry, we’ll be very quick..."

「 」

BANG! BANG! BANG!