Chapter Twenty-Three: The Human Shield

Over a decade ago, in the midst of a blizzard so cold that water froze on contact, a ragged little girl huddled in a pile of trash, shivering violently. Just as she was on the brink of freezing to death, a man appeared before her.

“Do you want to have a full meal?” the man asked.

“Yes,” the little girl replied, her body trembling.

“Then from now on, you must do as I say. I’ll make sure you have meat with every meal.”

“All right, I’ll do anything you say, as long as you let me eat my fill.”

A few weeks later, a new member joined the street’s pickpocket gang—a sweet-looking little girl with pigtails. No one ever suspected her, and at the end of each day, her “earnings” were always the highest.

Later, the man was arrested, and she was placed in an orphanage. Unable to endure the abuse and humiliation there, she escaped and wandered the streets. She had knelt for others, been beaten within an inch of her life, starved, frozen; all for a meal, she had sold her body at a young age for a mere two hundred yuan.

Her childhood experiences made her far more mature than her peers. She had only one belief: to survive.

Those self-righteous hypocrites in their fine clothes had clearly never known hunger. Family, love—she understood none of it. She only knew that to be respected and not bullied, one had to climb higher, see farther.

Step by step, she became what she was today—the respected queen of the streets, once a pickpocket on the subway, a scammer on the roads, a fighter defending her turf.

Yang Jiekai paused at the door, suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, and flashed a brilliant, harmless smile. “In some ways, you and I are very much alike. Perhaps, people with our kind of past are simply not meant for love.”

Long Xiaoman and Yang Jiekai—they were not cut from the same cloth, yet they shared the same creed: to survive.

When Yang Jiekai returned home, it was already past ten o’clock. Aunt Wang and Han Ning were both asleep. Only Han Wei, the mischievous girl, was still sprawled on the sofa, sipping a canned drink as she watched a boring TV show, her long, pale legs crossed and swaying.

“Oh, brother-in-law, you’re back!”

Han Wei greeted Yang Jiekai warmly and hurried him to sit by her side.

“Have a banana, brother-in-law,” Han Wei said, grinning as she broke off a banana and handed it to him, even peeling it for him with enthusiasm.

“No one acts nice for nothing—they either want to seduce you or rob you!”

Yang Jiekai didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the banana and began eating it with large bites. “Go on, what do you want?”

He wasn’t a fool. This little sister-in-law, with her fair legs, was clearly waiting up for him.

Han Wei laughed. “Brother-in-law, you’re so sharp. But it’s not about me—it’s about my sister.”

“What about your sister?” Yang Jiekai asked offhandedly as he picked up the remote and changed the channel.

“She has a business cocktail party to attend tomorrow.”

“And what’s that got to do with me?” Yang Jiekai tossed the banana peel into the trash bin and wiped his mouth, suddenly realizing her intention. “Don’t tell me you want me to go as her shield again. No way!”

He shook his head like a rattle drum. Last time, acting as Han Ning’s chauffeur landed him in huge trouble. He wasn’t about to fall for it again.

“My dear brother-in-law, you wouldn’t want to see my sister bullied by other men, would you? She has enough suitors to line up to Mount Everest. But you’re the only one I recognize as my brother-in-law.”

Han Wei was relentless. She truly didn’t trust her sister to go alone to the cocktail party and thought of Yang Jiekai as the perfect shield.

“This is your sister’s idea?” Yang Jiekai asked.

Han Wei nodded. “Exactly. After what happened last time, I noticed my sister’s attitude toward you changed. She’s too shy to ask you herself, so she sent me.”

With that, she pointed to the bananas on the table. “She knows you love bananas—she bought these especially for you.”

“Yeah, right!” Yang Jiekai waved his hand. “If your ice-queen sister bought me bananas, that would be a first.”

Han Wei stuck out her tongue. Truthfully, she had bought them herself. Han Ning would never go out of her way to please Yang Jiekai. Laughing, she admitted, “I knew I couldn’t fool you. But you must go with my sister tomorrow. After what happened at Qingquan Manor, I’m really scared. If a few more guys like He Yuan show up, I…”

“Only if your sister invites me herself.” Yang Jiekai lounged on the sofa, stroking his nose. “Otherwise, it’s like I’m desperate for her attention.”

“Brother-in-law, please, my dear brother-in-law…” Han Wei, seeing that her persuasion was failing, began to whine and plead shamelessly.

Just then, a voice came from upstairs. “It’s indeed my idea.”

Han Ning descended the stairs in a beige business suit, looking at Yang Jiekai. “We agreed before that you’re obliged to act as my shield when necessary.”

Yang Jiekai thought for a moment. That was true. He grinned at Han Ning. “Heh, I was just joking with your sister. Of course I’ll do it—how could I let my wife be bullied out there?”

As he said this, he was making his own calculations. He needed Han Ning to become successful so he’d have a chance at the family assets in the future. Besides, he recalled their agreement when they got married—if he broke his promise, it would only give her leverage against him. If he wanted to live comfortably in this villa, he couldn’t afford to sour their relationship.

Han Ning’s sudden request for him to attend the cocktail party as her husband was part of her own plan. Though the event was a proper business gathering, the last incident at Qingquan Manor had left a shadow in her heart. And Han Wei was right—several of her suitors would be present.

Now, with Han Ling in a rising phase and starting over from scratch, she couldn’t afford to reject people as bluntly as before. She needed a shield, and Yang Jiekai was the best candidate.

The cocktail party was scheduled for noon the next day. Yang Jiekai refused to wear a tuxedo with a bowtie, opting instead for his beloved Zhongshan suit.

Han Ning didn’t insist, so they drove together to the venue.

Such business parties were essentially high society’s way of networking and sharing resources. Even when Han Ning had been the powerful head of the Han Group, she attended these events regularly—now, even more so.

The party was held at a private club on the city’s outskirts, attended exclusively by the wealthy and influential.

As Han Ning—the most beautiful woman in Anhai’s business circles—entered with Yang Jiekai on her arm, she instantly became the center of attention.

“There you are, Ning! I was getting worried you wouldn’t come.” A young man in a brown suit strode over, eager to greet her with small talk and pull out her chair. It was obvious to Yang Jiekai that this must be one of Han Ning’s many suitors, just as Han Wei had said.

“It’s been a while, Ning. You’ve grown even more beautiful. Please, take a seat.”

The man in the suit warmly invited Han Ning to sit, deliberately ignoring Yang Jiekai’s presence.

Yang Jiekai didn’t mind. He pulled out a chair and sat down right next to Han Ning without a care.

The suited man frowned, then turned to Yang Jiekai with a forced smile. “You must be Ning’s driver. I’ve reserved a private room at the teahouse downstairs—you can wait there.”

Yang Jiekai spotted a banana on the table, grabbed it, and started eating, saying, “Are your eyes on your ass? I’m Ning’s husband.”

He turned to Han Ning and added, “Isn’t that right, my dear Ning?”

Though she found the endearment disgusting, she couldn’t lose her temper in public. Smiling, she introduced them, “This is my husband, Yang Jiekai. And this is Zhao Jie, young master of Zhonghai Group.”

Seeing Zhao Jie’s puzzled look, Han Ning quickly adopted a demure posture, clinging to Yang Jiekai’s arm. “It was all rather sudden, so we didn’t have a wedding banquet, just the paperwork. We’ll make it up in the future, and you’ll be the first to know, Mr. Zhao.”

Zhao Jie’s lips twitched. In fact, he’d already guessed Yang Jiekai’s identity. Han Ning’s marriage was no secret in Anhai’s business circles, but as someone who’d been pampered all his life, he refused to accept it and only wanted to embarrass Yang Jiekai.

“Oh, so it’s Mr. Yang. Pleasure to meet you!” Though displeased, Zhao Jie maintained his composure, politely extending his hand to shake.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Yang Jiekai replied, shaking his hand. The moment their hands met, he sensed something was off.

“I’ve long heard that the most beautiful woman in Anhai’s business circles married a young and talented man. Seeing you now, Mr. Yang, you truly cut a fine figure!”

As Zhao Jie spoke, he tightened his grip on Yang Jiekai’s hand discreetly.

Unlike ordinary rich heirs, Zhao Jie had studied martial arts from a young age. Though he appeared refined, he’d trained his hands with iron sand palm techniques. He’d already looked into Yang Jiekai’s background and knew he had no connections or support, so he didn’t hold back.

“Mr. Zhao, you’ve got quite a grip!” Yang Jiekai continued eating his banana with one hand, letting Zhao Jie squeeze the other. Zhao Jie’s strength was far above average, but to Yang Jiekai, it was nothing—like being tickled.

Still, Yang Jiekai didn’t exert any force to crush the other man’s hand; he simply let Zhao Jie squeeze. The longer Zhao Jie did, the more uneasy he felt. He was using all his strength, but this fellow didn’t seem to be in any pain at all.