The Scum Gong Villain Returns to Work - Chapter 10

For many days running, Yu Sui did not catch sight of Yu Baihua.

He enjoyed a tranquil ease within the hospital, not only supplied with lavish food and drink daily, but also able to summon 058 to play whenever boredom struck.

“Aren’t you worried about your mission progress in the slightest?” 058 rolled back and forth on the bedside table, venting its indignation.

Yu Sui pressed it in place with his finger. “Not worried at all. If you’re missing Yu Baihua that much, you can lay eyes on him today.”

058 was rendered speechless. “I am doing no such thing.”

Yu Sui smiled genially. “Ah, right, it’s me who’s missing him.”

No sooner had those words fallen than the door was pushed open. Yu Baihua stepped inside enveloped in the hazy morning moisture, his collar damp with lingering water vapor, to say nothing of his mist-veiled eyes, which looked extraordinarily alluring.

Yu Sui curved the corners of his eyes into a smile at him, suddenly feeling a slight dry tug in his throat. Meeting his gaze, Yu Baihua instinctively flinched and looked away.

“Does President Yu have any instructions?” Yu Sui asked, brimming with smiles.

Seating himself nearby, Yu Baihua picked up an apple from the side, took up a small knife, and lowered his gaze to slowly peel the skin.

The crimson rind draped gracefully across his pale wrist, forming a striking and picturesque contrast.

The Star of the Far East was the largest cruise ship under the Yu family’s name; every single year, all prominent socialites connected to the Yu family were invited aboard, and every family member was required to attend a veritable, literal feast of power and luxury.

To untangle the intricate, labyrinthine relations within the Yu family, this was the absolute optimal occasion. For Yu Baihua to pose this question served simultaneously as a probe directed at Yu Sui.

Yu Sui nodded, then asked casually: “Under what guise will I be sneaking aboard? An invited magician?”

The small knife in Yu Baihua’s hand paused for a fraction of a second without reply.

Observing him with thoughtful rumination, Yu Sui altered his words with a smile: “Or perhaps President Yu’s… little canary?”

Having precisely pared away the final strip of peel, Yu Baihua lifted his gaze to look at Yu Sui, and with evident good humor, tossed the freshly peeled apple right into Yu Sui’s hands. “Finish eating and get discharged from the hospital.”

Issuing that concise command, Yu Baihua turned away as his subordinate bent down to murmur a few words in his ear; his schedule evidently demanded immense haste. He rose and departed, though his mood appeared to have lightened considerably.

Yu Sui took a bite of the apple in his hand it was indeed exceptionally sweet.

Private ports were invariably tranquil. Yu Baihua and Yu Sui stood in silence side by side without uttering a word, as though both simply content to wait for the sea breeze to drift in from the distance, experiencing its temperature, scent, or dampness.

In truth, they had witnessed far too many different oceans together.

The pristine white hull of the Star of the Far East gleamed with rippling reflections beneath the rare sunlight, its arched and slanted white steel ribs minimalist yet striking. Invited VIP guests stepped aboard in a steady stream, while Yu Baihua quietly observed each and every individual until a sudden weight settled upon his shoulders.

Yu Sui’s overcoat was draped securely over him.

Since Yu Sui was taller and wore a long-cut coat by default, wrapping it around him made it look as though he were being folded entirely into Yu Sui’s embrace. Reaching out, Yu Sui pulled Yu Baihua back two paces, stating flatly: “Don’t stand right at the front letting the wind whip at you.”

With no alternative, Yu Baihua could only turn his head to look at him.

Nowadays, Yu Baihua invariably dressed in immaculate suits, perfectly tailored from waist to calf with crisp, elegant lines though perhaps it was better to keep him bundled up safely.

Yu Baihua turned back because this exact scene had replayed itself an uncounted number of times, feeling intimately familiar; Yu Sui always seemed to linger a mere step behind him, occasionally reaching out to pull him back to his side.

His Adam’s apple bobbed twice as he abruptly spoke:

“Yu Sui, I took my medicine when I left the house today.”

Hearing that, the amber-glazed pupils in Yu Sui’s eyes darkened instantly. Lowering his gaze to look at the upward-gazing Yu Baihua, he gave a slow hum of assent to indicate he understood.

Without speaking further, Yu Baihua simply stared up at him.

In the end, Yu Sui couldn’t help breaking into a smile. Hooking his arm around Yu Baihua’s shoulder, he lowered his head to linger briefly against the corner of his lips.

Yu Baihua found the act of kissing to be profoundly addictive he craved it in his dreams, replayed it in his memories, and yearned for it in every waking moment. Finding himself unsatisfied, he took the initiative to part Yu Sui’s teeth.

Whatever transpired next slipped entirely beyond his control; Yu Sui’s kiss escalated into an unstoppable, gentle yet unyielding torrent. The sea breeze was damp, and what proved even damper than the ocean wind were Yu Baihua’s eyes.

A foggy, mist-drenched sea.

When Yu Sui finally drew back, his words carried a profound subtext: “Yu Baihua, you’re still just as skilled at acting spoiled.”

Receiving no verbal reply, Yu Sui nevertheless felt the pinky finger of his right hand lightly, hesitantly grazed by another hand, as though afraid to make contact yet unwilling to pull away.

His chest felt as though it had been warmly, gently brushed by a passing breeze, softening into an absolute mush, prompting him without a sound to curl Yu Baihua’s hand back into his own palm.

“Yu Sui,” Yu Baihua spoke abruptly, a question resting upon the tip of his tongue, on the verge of spilling forth.

Did you… ever truly like me?

Not phrased as Do you like me? nor Are you still trying to deceive me? What Yu Baihua stubbornly sought was simplicity itself, yet he still dared not voice it aloud, for he lacked the courage to hear the reply.

Regardless of what answer Yu Sui might give, he did not dare hear it.

In the end, he uttered nothing, letting the sentence dissolve completely into the wind.

Yu Sui asked nothing in return. He merely used his fingertips to brush away the bangs from Yu Baihua’s forehead, lowering his head to kiss him once more.

“Yu Baihua,” he murmured, “are you an idiot?”

The boundless, expansive ocean and rolling white waves invariably lifted one’s spirits. In the distance, small vessels and sailboats bobbed up and down, while seabirds wheeling across the sky suddenly circled downward and, for reasons unknown, landed in unison upon Yu Sui’s shoulders.

Such a sight naturally commanded a multitude of gazes: a handsome, slender young man smiling amidst the pristine feathers of seabirds taking wing, his affectionate eyes seemingly brimming with countless unspoken thoughts.

Yu Sui’s hair had grown considerably longer, prompting him to gather it into a high ponytail that lent him a sharp, crisp edge, while the surrounding scenery tempered him with an added layer of gentleness.

He allowed a seagull to perch upon his outstretched palm so he could present it to Yu Baihua for inspection, then suddenly executed a blocking motion with his left hand before sweeping it away to reveal Yu Baihua’s cat’s-eye cufflink, while the gull lazily flapped its wings and took flight.

Chuckling softly as he fastened the cufflink back onto Yu Baihua’s sleeve, he leaned down to murmur quietly: “President Yu, it looks like someone up on the upper deck has been staring at you this entire time.”

Lifting his gaze upward, Yu Baihua offered a meaningful smile: “Perhaps the person they wish to look at… is you?”

The news of Yu Baihua bringing someone aboard the Star of the Far East was neither massive nor trivial, yet it rippled through the entire cruise ship in an instant. Countless individuals burned with curiosity to discover what sort of peerless beauty could capture the fickle favor of a madman like Yu Baihua.

Case in point: Yu Wei the son of the Yu family cousin who had previously been sent on his “final journey” now swaggered over with an armful of beauties. Though his father had been disposed of by Yu Baihua, Yu Wei wined and dined with zero psychological burden, flashing a thumbs-up to Yu Baihua at present: “Little Uncle, I always took you for someone completely ascetic and desireless, never expecting you to play things on such a massive scale the moment you stepped aboard. You have to admit, this one’s a genuine stunner. When you have the time, let’s swap pointers guarantee you’ll be… even more satisfied.”

Flanked by men and women alike, the only person among them wearing an expression of stark terror was the young girl tightly clutched in his embrace. She still wore a school-style pleated skirt and an argyle sweater, appearing exceedingly young. At this moment, she cast a helpless, pleading look toward Yu Baihua and Yu Sui, desperately hoping for rescue from her living hell.

Casting a single glance, Yu Baihua wrinkled his nose in disgust. “One minute. Disappear from my sight immediately.”

Yu Wei hurriedly complied, chirping eagerly: “You got it, Little Uncle! You’re our God of Wealth; if you tell me to scram, I’ll scramble for you right this second.”

With that, he vanished at lightning speed, leaving only Yu Sui staring thoughtfully in the direction of his departure.

Yu Baihua hooked the corners of his lips. “What, have your eyes caught someone?”

Still turning matters over in his mind, Yu Sui smiled and countered Yu Baihua: “How does President Yu plan on being ‘even more satisfied’? Care to instruct me?”

Yu Baihua actually began to ponder the question seriously. Conjuring up who-knows-what imagery in his mind, his expression warped into something decidedly peculiar.

Too lazy to correct Yu Baihua’s bizarre train of thought knowing full well that when that day truly arrived, Yu Baihua wouldn’t have a spare second for thinking Yu Sui let it go.

The plush carpeting beneath their feet swallowed all excess noise, leaving the ship’s corridors deathly still. A passing steward pushed a service cart laden with exquisite pastries. With an impeccably polite smile, he knocked upon a guest suite’s door to inquire whether they required tea service at present.

In truth, this steward was none other than Yu Sui in disguise. He had walked all the way from the stern to the top-floor luxury suites, crossing paths with numerous individuals along the way.

Beneath Yu Wei’s disheveled collar, Yu Sui had caught sight of an intriguing detail: a cross tattoo identical to the one on Tang Jue’s wrist. This naturally sparked his curiosity just how many guests aboard this cruise ship bore such an obvious marker, and what purpose did such an emblem serve?

None of the other observed guests displayed the marking. The door Yu Sui was currently knocking upon yielded no response; recalling the guest manifest tossed to him by Yu Baihua, this room belonged to Yu Wei’s estranged, reclusive illegitimate half-sister, Yu Ning.

Suffering from severe ultraviolet hypersensitivity, possessing a reclusive temperament, and universally ostracized, she practically never showed her face in public.

Yu Sui inquired softly: “Miss Yu Ning, do you require assistance?”

At that moment, a voice finally responded from within: “Apologies… I was sleeping just now.”

“Very well,” Yu Sui’s tone remained mild. “President Yu prepared these pastries for everyone; I’ve brought a portion for you. Will you be partaking now?”

Since it ostensibly carried Yu Baihua’s endorsement, virtually no one dared refuse. The door cracked open a tiny sliver, and a hand reached out to snatch a few pastries inside.

Refraining from prying or looking around, Yu Sui turned and departed the instant Yu Ning retrieved the items. Descending the companionway stairs, he tossed the tray into a waste receptacle, slipped off his steward’s jacket, and washed away his facial disguise. As his coiled-up long hair tumbled down, he transformed back into Yu Sui.

“Send a message to Yu Baihua: tell him to hold off on starting the upcoming gambling match for a moment I’m joining in as well.”

Standing before the mirror in the washroom, Yu Sui re-secured his high ponytail, his expression turning as cold and sharp as a honed silver blade.

Complying with his instructions, 058 immediately dispatched a message to Yu Baihua before asking with cautious apprehension: “Yu Sui, did something happen?”

“That wasn’t the real Yu Ning,” Yu Sui stated flatly. “A patient suffering from severe ultraviolet hypersensitivity must strictly avoid photosensitive foods like figs, yet the bag of pastries she just snatched inside contained an entire pack of dried figs.”

“Everyone is about to gather together shortly; if Yu Ning herself is missing, something is definitely wrong.”

Simultaneously, right behind Yu Sui, a figure slowly stepped out of the shadows and came to a halt.