Chapter 81: Rescue at Sea

After finishing his meal and making the necessary arrangements for Pei Xi, Fang Yuan decided not to accompany her to the police station that afternoon, leaving her to go on her own. He himself found an excuse to leave.

As he was about to go, he saw someone approaching him in the lobby on the first floor.

“Hello, Mr. Fang. We met the day before yesterday. I’m here to collect the car. Our young master especially instructed me that if I met you, I must properly apologize to you on his behalf. This is a token of our young master’s sincerity. He deeply regrets that he cannot come in person, and hopes you won’t take offense.”

Hearing him mention the young master, Fang Yuan immediately understood who had sent him. Recalling the childlike young master he’d thrown into the pool, Fang Yuan felt no anger at all.

“The car isn’t with me at the moment. If you’re not in a hurry, I’ll deliver it to you myself once I’m done. If you need it urgently, you can collect it from an address—just say Miss Pei Xi sent you.” Fang Yuan had other matters to attend to and didn’t want to explain further.

“We’re not in a rush. Whenever it’s convenient for you, Mr. Fang. Here’s my number—just call me when you’re free, and I’ll come to fetch it myself. Please don’t trouble yourself further.” As he spoke, the man handed Fang Yuan his business card with both hands.

Fang Yuan recognized him—he was Xiaobao’s driver, the one who had stopped him from driving that day. The man seemed refined and scholarly, quite out of place among Xiaobao’s usual entourage.

“Guo Dahua?” Fang Yuan read the name on the card. Only one character different from Guo Xiaohua—he wondered if there was any relation. But the thought passed quickly; standing before him, this cultured Guo Dahua bore no resemblance to Tiger.

“All right, I’ll call you when I’m finished here.” Fang Yuan turned to leave, but after a few steps, he paused. “By the way, how is your young master? He wasn’t too frightened, was he?”

“Uh... You mean our young master? Oh, he’s fine. He just couldn’t accept the death of the great white shark he’d raised for so long. Sorry for worrying you, Mr. Fang.” Guo Dahua was surprised by Fang Yuan’s question.

Guo Dahua hadn’t known much about what had happened. When their people arrived, they had found their young master clutching the corpse of the great white shark, his eyes wild and fierce.

Xiaobao hadn’t spoken of it, and those who had witnessed the whole affair dared not say a word. They feared no one would believe them anyway—who would believe a man could kill a great white shark with his bare hands?

“That’s good to hear. Also, just call me by my name in the future. I’ll be off.” With that, Fang Yuan left, leaving the bewildered Guo Dahua standing there.

Guo Dahua was a meticulous and reliable man; otherwise, Chairman Zhang would never have trusted him as Xiaobao’s driver. He’d served Xiaobao since the young master was ten, and knew his temperament well. Xiaobao had always been withdrawn and prone to violence due to his physique, and his actions as an adult only proved how severe his violent tendencies were.

However, Xiaobao never vented his anger on those around him, which explained the later incident with Fang Yuan. In the past, Xiaobao would have his victims compensated generously, though his attitude toward them was never friendly. Guo Dahua was always the one tasked with escorting these victims home; most returned in poor spirits, and the more timid ones even wet themselves in his car.

But this Fang Yuan behaved with the utmost composure afterwards, and even Xiaobao’s attitude toward him was unprecedented. In all his years with Xiaobao, Guo Dahua had never seen his young master treat someone with such respect and humility—not even Chairman Zhang or his wife had been accorded such treatment.

Before he came, Xiaobao had specifically instructed Guo Dahua to be especially polite to Fang Yuan. He had even prepared a gift for Fang Yuan, but Fang Yuan hadn’t so much as glanced at it, let alone accepted it.

In Guo Dahua’s hands was an exquisite little box containing a pearl the size of a pigeon’s egg—a gift personally given to Xiaobao by the chairman of Black Sail on his birthday. Although pearls are less valuable than other gemstones, this one was wild and gold-hued, making it truly rare.

Yet Fang Yuan had refused to look at it, let alone accept this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was the first time in all these years that Guo Dahua had delivered a gift on his young master’s behalf, and it hadn’t even been received. He wondered if the young master would be angry to learn his gift hadn’t even been glanced at.

Manager Xue returned after settling Pei Xi, just in time to see Guo Dahua leaving. Puzzled, he hurried to the front desk to inquire.

Though Guo Dahua was only a driver, his attire was remarkably refined. Manager Xue made a point to pay attention to such visitors. The receptionists hadn’t caught much of the conversation, only that the man had tried to give Fang Yuan a small box, which Fang Yuan refused to accept.

Another one bearing gifts? Could this be related to the Longmen Security Bureau?

After observing the past few days, Manager Xue concluded that everyone who came looking for Fang Yuan either wanted to pick a fight or deliver something to him. He wondered what kind of life Fang Yuan was leading outside, to know so many people from all walks of life.

“Chong Chong, it’s time for us to put our skills to use,” Fang Yuan said grimly upon returning to the workshop. “I want to see exactly where those people are hiding Ke Bei. Anyone who tries to take my life—I won’t let them off.”

“Master, do you really intend to risk offending those ruthless people for Ke Bei’s sake? The ones we’ve met so far are just a small part of their organization. Who knows how many more are behind the scenes?” Chong Chong was truly unwilling for Fang Yuan to take such a risk for someone else.