"Hmph. Hand over another four hundred." Fang Yu rolled his eyes dismissively, his voice cold and unyielding.
"I truly have nothing left. What little remains is barely enough to get by."
"Refuse, and I'll go tell Widow Wang in the village exactly who's been peeping at her while she bathes." Fang Yu pressed on, unrelenting.
"Don't you dare! I swear this is all I have." The old man broke out in a cold, clammy sweat.
"Give me the four hundred, or I'll have a nice little chat with the village chief instead. I'll tell him all about how you've been spying on his daughter-in-law while she nurses her baby." Fang Yu drawled with a lazy, insouciant chortle, as if he were merely commenting on the weather.
At that, the old man's weathered face flushed scarlet. He opened his mouth to retort, only to snap it shut again. The thought of this little bastard running his mouth to the village chief made his blood run cold—where on earth would he hide his old face if that happened?
Alas, what sin had he committed in a past life to deserve this? Ever since he'd taken the little hellion in, the boy had done nothing but land him in trouble. He remembered clear as day the time he'd snuck a peek at Widow Wang from the next village bathing, only for the little brat to follow right behind him, holding forth with a running commentary about how Widow Wang had wide hips, a thick waist, and breasts that were starting to sag. It was that very incident that had nearly gotten him caught red-handed.
Then there was the other time, when the little bastard had shattered the window of the village chief's house with a rock, right as he was drinking in the sight of the chief's daughter-in-law nursing her child. The shock had been so great he'd nearly had a heart attack on the spot.
…
All in all, so long as this little hellion stayed, he would never eat in peace, never sleep soundly… and never again get to watch Widow Wang bathe in peace.
Thankfully, his chance to shake off this burden had finally arrived. His old friend Yan Huaimin, chairman of the Yan Group—one of the three major conglomerates in City A—had sent someone to beg him to come out of retirement and work as his personal bodyguard. But he was well over seventy years old; to return to the fray now would only make him a laughingstock. What's more, he wanted no part in the trivial affairs of the mortal world. And so, his thoughts had turned to the little bastard. To hand this errand off to him—what better way to kill two birds with one stone?
Besides, for all the ungodly trouble the boy stirred up in his daily life, he possessed extraordinary skill. He was shrewd, quick-witted, and endlessly adaptable—born to be a bodyguard, if truth be told.
"Fine. I'll give you the four hundred." The old man ground his teeth, steeling his resolve. He fished another four hundred yuan out of his pocket in an instant, slapped it down in front of Fang Yu, and all but fled the room before the boy could demand more.
"Tch. If I'd known he'd cave this easy, I'd have asked for more." Fang Yu stacked the two wads of cash together, a twinge of regret pricking at him. Still, something nagged at him. This old man, who was normally stingier than a miser with every last copper, had just handed him a full thousand yuan without much of a fight. The journey to City A cost less than a hundred yuan at most. Had the old fool suddenly grown a conscience?
Fang Yu shrugged off the thought, not bothering to dwell on it, and promptly fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Fang Yu was roused before dawn by the old man's nagging, forced to rise and cook breakfast for him.
He cursed the old coot under his breath, seething with resentment. Today of all days, the day he was finally leaving, the old man still made him cook. What a heartless, ungrateful old wretch.
"Alright, I'm off. Nothing you want to say to me?" Fang Yu shoveled a few hasty mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, watching as the old man slowly pulled out a wine cup and poured himself a drink, his tone flat and unreadable.
"Bon voyage." The old man mumbled around a sip of wine, not bothering to lift his head to look at him.
"See you never." Fang Yu flipped him a sharp, venomous middle finger, snatched up his luggage in one swift motion, and strode out the door.