Chapter 64: Reserved for Xu Pei

Translator: Abo Dammen

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Case Four: Sicilian Defense

On Saturday, He Yixun and Xu Pei drove to Vidley Manor.

Unlike the massive crowds during Luo En’s funeral, the ancient manor had regained its usual tranquility. The car rumbled over the cobblestone path, the sound echoing in the quiet morning. Dewdrops hung on the grass on either side, like a moist velvet carpet. The main building stood silently at the end of the path, an enclosed structure whose grey exterior had been tinted ivory-yellow by time.

The two arrived early. Only servants were cleaning the main hall. During Luo En’s funeral, a large white cloth had hung on the wall opposite the entrance. Now, the cloth was gone, revealing the original large oil painting that hung there. 

An old nobleman clad in a velvet cloak stood at the center of the frame. His left hand rested on a knight’s sword, while his right hand held a book. The leather cover of the book was embossed with the family crest, vaguely discernible as the letter “W” formed by intricate patterns.

“Is this the previous owner of this manor?” Xu Pei asked, looking at the painting.

“Yes. The Duke of Vidley,” He Yixun replied.

The crisp sound of high heels on marble echoed. Lin Mei, wearing a black belted coat and holding a tablet, appeared at the end of the corridor. Seeing He Yixun and Xu Pei, she paused mid-step, frowned very slightly, then let out a breath as if it were nothing surprising. She continued scrolling on her tablet as she walked over and sat down on a leather sofa. “What are you two doing here?” 

Twenty years seemed to have been particularly kind to Lin Mei. Her upright posture was no different from her younger days. Only the deep wrinkle lines at the corners of her mouth bore witness to the passage of time.

He Yixun looked at Lin Mei in silence, his upper eyelids naturally lowered. Beneath his aloof gaze lay unfathomable emotions. Not hearing an answer, Lin Mei looked up at He Yixun. Seemingly sensing the strange atmosphere, she asked, “What is it?”

“Oversight,” He Yixun answered her previous question.

“I knew it,” Lin Mei said, setting the tablet aside. Xu Pei glanced at it. It was a personal resume. He guessed correctly—it was probably for the experts coming to attempt the vault. “This money is the Progressive Society’s wealth. If you think there’s a problem, produce the evidence.” 

“Evidence,” He Yixun repeated, his tone carrying a hint of chill. “You simply left none.”

Xu Pei knew clearly that He Yixun was referring to the murder of Si Lei. But confronting Lin Mei about it now was pointless. Firstly, there was no evidence, and secondly, Lin Mei wouldn’t admit it anyway. It would only plunge He Yixun back into a bad mood. So, he subtly tugged on He Yixun’s sleeve where Lin Mei couldn’t see.

He Yixun turned his head, the ripples in his eyes receding, and signaled with his gaze that he was okay.

Lin Mei naturally noticed He Yixun was acting strangely but couldn’t pinpoint why. She could only ask, “Are you here to pick a fight first thing in the morning?” 

The roar of an engine suddenly sounded in the distance. Shortly after, a flashy supercar appeared outside the main building. A young man with dyed blue hair, dressed head-to-toe in designer labels, got out. He took off his sunglasses, whistled at the building, then pulled an envelope from his pocket, slapping it rhythmically against his palm as he walked into the main hall. “Who do I give the invitation to?”

The elderly housekeeper, wearing a black ankle-length dress, came forward to meet him. “To me is fine.”

Clearly, this was one of the “experts” who had passed Lin Mei’s screening and come to crack the vault.

The young man scanned the room, his attention first caught by the tall He Yixun. “Well, well, Sir He, you’re here too.” 

He Yixun responded flatly, “You’re out of prison?”

“Got out ages ago,” the man said, plopping down on the sofa next to Lin Mei. He casually draped his arm over the sofa back behind her and asked familiarly, “Sis, how much is the reward for cracking this vault?”

Lin Mei didn’t even bat an eye at this young man’s antics. She replied indifferently, “It’s written on the invitation.”

“It only says 1%, not the specific amount.” 

While this man tried to pry information from Lin Mei, Xu Pei asked He Yixun, “Who’s that?”

“Cai Jia. A habitual thief, specializes in cracking safes and vaults,” He Yixun explained. “He’s cracked the most advanced vaults at Binshi Bank.”

…Lin Mei really was casting a wide net for talent.

Soon, another car approached the main building. This time, an old acquaintance stepped out: Zhou Ye, He Maohu’s legal advisor. 

He was still in his suit-and-tie attire, but unlike the first time Xu Pei met him, when he carried an air of the underworld, today he carried a briefcase, looking rather like a refined scoundrel.

Alright, Xu Pei admitted he was biased. Zhou Ye actually looked perfectly respectable, but since he worked for He Maohu, Xu Pei always felt he wasn’t a good guy.

Seeing He Yixun and Xu Pei, Zhou Ye was quite surprised. “Sir He, Professor Xu, you’re here too?”

Xu Pei was the surprised one now. “You know how to crack vaults?” 

“Of course not,” Zhou Ye shrugged. “I’m Mr. Luo You’s lawyer. Part of the vault’s contents are his late grandfather’s personal property. I’m here to handle the inheritance matters for him.”

So that was it.

With He Maohu washing his hands of the business, Zhou Ye was presumably out of a job. But it seemed he had landed this lucrative gig instead.

“And Mr. Luo?” Zhou Ye looked around. Right on cue, the sound of a servant greeting someone good morning came from the corridor. Xu Pei followed the sound and saw Luo You walking over, yawning. 

He was wearing a light blue sweater, his slightly curly hair unkempt with one lock sticking up on top, looking lazy and casual. Probably still waking up, his eyes were half-closed. Hearing the servant say “Good morning, young master,” he showed little reaction. But when he saw He Yixun, his eyes snapped open, and he shuffled over in his slippers with small, quick steps.

“Yixun-ge!”

Lin Mei, sitting on the sofa, let out a sigh, her displeasure tinged with a hint of resignation. “I knew it was you who notified him.”

“Let Yixun-ge join the fun too!” Luo You linked his arm through He Yixun’s. “He’s so good at solving puzzles, he’ll definitely crack the vault!” 

Watching their linked arms, Xu Pei’s mouth twitched, and a vein throbbed at his temple.

—He really wanted to get a sticky note, write “Reserved for Xu Pei” on it, and slap it on He Yixun’s arm.

Just then, Luo You noticed Xu Pei beside them and asked He Yixun, “You brought your colleague again?”

“Not a colleague,” He Yixun said, withdrawing his arm and declaring matter-of-factly. “He’s my wife.” 

The throbbing in a certain someone’s temple instantly stopped.

The others looked over. Lin Mei raised an eyebrow, seemingly not very surprised. Cai Jia was purely there for the show. Zhou Ye was startled for a moment, then said, “Congratulations.” Only Luo You widened his eyes in shock. “You betrayed me!”

“What betrayal?”

“You didn’t tell me you were in a relationship!” 

“I’m telling you now.”

“You didn’t invite me to the wedding!”

“We haven’t had one yet.”

“Then why ‘wife’?” 

“If I say he is, he is.”

Luo You looked absolutely furious and wanted to argue further with He Yixun when the sound of another car arrived outside. A middle-aged man with rugged features, wearing a leather jacket and Martin boots, walked in and asked, “Is this the place for the vault cracking?”

“Yes,” the elderly housekeeper came forward to welcome him inside. “Please present your invitation.”

“Who’s that one?” Xu Pei asked He Yixun quietly. 

He Yixun didn’t know this man either. Luo You proactively moved to Xu Pei’s side and said, “His name is Xing Yong. He used to be a private investigator, now he runs a security company.”

Having said that, Luo You shifted his gaze from Xing Yong and looked at Xu Pei, asking, “When did you and Yixun-ge get together?”

He was very close. Xu Pei could even see the freckles on his cheeks. Someone who grew up in Nucheng wasn’t accustomed to this social distance. Xu Pei leaned back slightly and said, “Recently.”

“Did you pursue him?” Luo You asked seriously. 

Xu Pei thought about it. “No.”

During his heat, he certainly needed He Yixun, but He Yixun was the one who first said he was his destiny. So, shouldn’t it count as He Yixun pursuing him? Although there wasn’t much of a process, given they had been sleeping together for many days.

“Oh my god,” Luo You showed an expression of disbelief. “That iceberg actually pursued someone?”

“To be honest, he’s not very good at it either,” Xu Pei said objectively. 

He Yixun shot a faint glance at Xu Pei. Just then, a man and a woman walked into the main hall.

The woman had shoulder-length, deep brown hair, slightly curly, with ends that looked a bit frizzy. She wore a camel-colored turtleneck sweater and straight-leg pants, paired with a fitted blazer. There were fine lines at the corners of her eyes, but they didn’t make her look old, instead adding a touch of steadiness.

The man was lean, with slightly greying temples, a slightly receding hairline, and prominent forehead wrinkles. He wore a grey casual suit, with a pen in his chest pocket, and carried a worn leather tool bag.

The two probably didn’t know each other and had just arrived on time, entering together after meeting. 

“That woman is Zhong Qiaoyi, a cryptographer. She’s probably the most capable person here to crack the vault,” Luo You introduced. “That man is Gu Yan, a building structure expert. It was his team that previously scanned and determined how much gold is in the vault.”

“All the experts invited to crack the vault are here now.”

Habitual thief, private investigator, cryptographer, building structure expert. It seemed this was the team of experts Lin Mei had screened.

…Something felt slightly off, but he couldn’t pinpoint what. 

“Do you really give 1% of the vault’s wealth as a reward?” Xu Pei asked.

“Of course, a promise is a promise,” Luo You declaired. “I estimate it’s probably around a million.”

Zhou Ye, standing nearby, interjected, “To be precise, Mr. Luo You, that’s before tax.”

“Alright, everyone is here.” Lin Mei stood up from the sofa, still speaking with the demeanor of a mayor. “Thank you all for coming today. This cracking event will last for two days. I hope someone succeeds. Please follow me to the study now.” 

Lin Mei and the elderly housekeeper led the way. Zhong Qiaoyi and Gu Yan followed most closely, looking confident of success. Cai Jia, lazily holding the back of his neck, tried sporadically to chat with the taciturn Xing Yong. Zhou Ye wasn’t very interested in the vault and walked beside Luo You, but Luo You persistently stuck close to Xu Pei.

“Are you two living together now?

“I still can’t believe Yixun-ge is actually in a relationship.”

“I thought he’d spend his whole life with his little elf.” 

Xu Pei paused mid-step. “Little elf?”

“Yixun-ge was kidnapped when he was little. He said a little elf from the forest led him out. After that, no one else could catch his eye. He was always thinking about that non-existent little elf of his.”

He Yixun grabbed Luo You by the scruff of his neck and pulled him aside, taking his place next to Xu Pei to stop Luo You from harassing him further.

Xu Pei burst out laughing. “Little elf?” 

He Yixun: “Don’t take what children say seriously.”

The study was located in a separate wing, requiring them to traverse a long corridor. During Luo En’s funeral, in order to question Lin Mei about the Zhen Li case, He Yixun and Xu Pei had already been here.

However, unlike last time, the genuine leather rug that had covered the floor was now rolled to the side, revealing a recessed square space beneath it. Inside this space was an approximately two-meter by two-meter international chessboard. The pieces were exquisitely carved, looking incredibly lifelike. The white and black pieces had each made a few moves, but it didn’t seem to form any recognizable pattern.

“I’ve already had chess experts look at this. It’s the Sicilian Defense opening, a very open game in chess,” Lin Mei explained. “The experts tried many possibilities but couldn’t solve it. It probably isn’t about placing the pieces in the correct position, but rather continuing the game from here. Not a single move can be wrong until a certain situation is formed, which will then open the vault.” 

Xing Yong crouched beside the chessboard and casually flicked the King’s crown. The piece moved with resistance, indicating magnets were installed beneath.

“Can’t we just break it open?” Xing Yong asked.

“No,” the building structure expert, Gu Yan, replied with a look of disdain, as if looking at an uncouth person. “This manor is a historical building. It cannot be altered.”

“Correct,” Lin Mei agreed. “Not a single brick can be damaged.” 

“Playing chess… seems a bit difficult,” Cai Jia said, picking up a Pawn and weighing it in his hand. “Do any of you know how to play international chess?”

“Whether we know how to play isn’t important,” Zhong Qiaoyi surveyed the surroundings. “What’s important is finding the chess manual.”

Xu Pei followed Zhong Qiaoyi’s gaze and saw the entire wall of bookshelves filled with books of various colors. He randomly pulled one out and flipped through it, somewhat surprised to find it was a monograph on biology.

Seeing Xu Pei looking so intently, He Yixun asked, “Do you have an idea?” 

Xu Pei shook his head. “No.”