Realm Walker

Chen Yuanjun strode up to the sports car and rapped his knuckles twice against the window glass. The car, already crawling along at low speed, came to a stop, and the window slid down.

Sports cars sat low to the ground, and Chen Yuanjun had to bend at the waist to peer inside. When he did, his face froze.

”Yuanzi?!”

Two people sat in the car. One was that beautiful woman from the Special Department, the one all the young officers and older staff at the Bureau couldn’t help staring at whenever she came and went. The other, riding shotgun, was a young man.

It was his family’s unlucky little cousin.

Zhang Yuanqing offered an awkward but polite smile. ”Bro, what a coincidence...”

”What are you doing here?” Chen Yuanjun asked as his gaze slid from his cousin to the stunningly gorgeous mixed-heritage woman beside him.

Something clicked, and his expression grew complicated.

”Guan Ya is a friend of mine. I came by today to ask her for a favor, and I’m treating her to dinner afterward.” Zhang Yuanqing threw his cousin a knowing look, then added, ”Help me tell Grandma that I won’t be home for dinner tonight.”

Guan Ya offered a poised, goddess-like smile and dipped her chin in greeting. ”Captain Chen. Oh, I suppose it’s Chief Chen now.”

Chen Yuanjun nodded back, his emotions a tangled mess. So it really was him. It was actually him...

He never could have imagined that his cousin actually knew someone inside the system, let alone the legendary goddess of the Public Security Bureau. A matter this significant had been resolved just like that. Their relationship had to be something more than ordinary. As an excellent public security officer, his mind raced through possibilities. When had they even met? Was it a normal romantic thing, or was he being—

He also remembered a colleague once mentioning that the goddess of the Special Department was frequently seen coming and going with a young man. Could that mysterious young man in those rumors be Yuanzi?

Was it his own cousin?

A van behind them honked. Chen Yuanjun swallowed the flood of questions rising in his throat, stepped back, and gave a slight nod.

The blue sports car glided steadily through the gate and merged into traffic.

Chen Yuanjun stood rooted to the spot, as his thoughts churned about in his head for a long time.

***

At half past six in the evening, Chen Yuanjun arrived home. In the spacious living room, his father was practicing the moonwalk with the shamelessness of a man who refused to act his age, the soles of his shoes scraping against the polished floor with an ear-piercing screech.

”Hey, my son’s home!” he greeted him cheerfully.

Chen Yuanjun gave a slight nod, hung his briefcase on the coat rack, kicked off his leather shoes, and slipped into a pair of cotton house slippers.

His mother poked her head out of the bathroom at the sound. ”You haven’t eaten yet, right? Head out with me in a bit. Your uncle got introduced to someone in the public security system. Your mother didn’t sleep a wink last night. She just can’t accept what happened to you. You work so hard, and you’re so capable, so what’s wrong with being promoted to chief? The Chen family doesn’t have the connections to help you, but your grandfather’s side might.”

His father was immediately displeased. ”Connections my ass. Your dad works in some state-owned enterprise. That’s got nothing to do with the public security system. For small favors, sure, you can ask around, but something this big? Who’s going to stick their neck out for your family? You’ll spend the money, and they’ll just say ’we tried our best’ and send you on your way.”

His wife clearly shared this worry, but she snapped back anyway, ”We still have to try!”

”Go ahead and try, then,” he shot back.

His attitude made his wife’s blood boil, and she ground her teeth. ”You don’t care one bit about your son’s future, just laughing and joking around all day. There’s not a single reliable man in the entire Chen family.”

”What about my dad? Is he unreliable?”

”Your father is too reliable. So reliable that everyone thinks he’s cold and incorruptible!” she huffed, and her husband shut up.

Chen Yuanjun finally found his opening. ”Mom, cancel tonight’s dinner. The promotion went through. The paperwork came down from headquarters. I’m the new chief at the Bureau, and I’m staying in Kangyang District.”

His mother went rigid. She stared at him, stunned, and after a few seconds, asked for confirmation.

”Really?”

Something seemed to dawn on her, and excitement flooded her face. ”Was it Director Li who pulled it off? He said yesterday it would be difficult... Yuanjun, we need to prepare a proper gift to really thank him.”

Chen Yuanjun shook his head. ”It was Yuanzi. He asked a friend to handle it.”

His mother froze again, and his father looked over as well.

”Yuan... Yuanzi?”

His mother’s expression was one of pure disbelief. How could a college student pull off something like this? Yuanzi was still in school. His social circle was limited. There was no way he could know someone with that kind of influence.

Chen Yuanjun nodded, a smile spreading across his face. ”No mistake. I just saw him at the Bureau. He’s taking his friend out to dinner tonight.”

His mother’s face lit up with delight. ”Really? That kid actually knows someone who’s that capable? Honey, we have to treat Yuanzi to dinner tomorrow to properly thank him.”

His father continued practicing his moonwalk. ”We’re family. What’s there to thank?”

His mother considered this, then nodded with a beaming smile. ”You’re right, that would be too formal. From now on I’ll give Yuanzi more pocket money. Honey, I really didn’t spoil that boy for nothing.”

She was over the moon.

His father let out a self satisfied hum. ”Didn’t I always say Yuanzi would make something of himself? In this day and age, people who know how to work a room are the ones who get ahead. The ones who just keep their heads down and grind away? They get nothing. Just look at my dad and Yuanjun. My teachings win out in the end.”

***

At the dinner table, Chen Yuanjun spoke up. ”Grandpa, the paperwork came down from headquarters. I’ve been promoted to chief. I’m staying at the Kangyang District Bureau.”

Grandpa, his hair streaked with white, blinked in surprise, visibly moved. ”How did this happen?”

He fixed his grandson with a sharp, searching gaze, his weathered face taut with something close to tension.

Grandpa knew that there was no way Yuanjun could have been promoted to chief without some unexpected development. He knew the ways of the public security system all too well.

Jiang Yu’er, who had been silently shoveling rice into her mouth, looked up sharply. She and Grandma both turned to look at Chen Yuanjun.

He said, ”When I was getting off work, I ran into Yuanzi. He knows someone fairly important in the public security system, and that person happened to be able to help me. So it worked out. Yuanzi’s not coming home for dinner because he’s taking her out to eat.”

Grandpa looked utterly astonished, as though he hadn’t expected this answer at all.

Grandma’s jaw dropped. ”Does he actually know people like that? I thought he was just blowing hot air...” 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

She was immediately delighted, gushing on and on about how Yuanzi had really made something of himself, how she’d always known he would, because wherever that boy went, he made friends.

Grandpa composed his expression and gave a steady nod. ”Yuanjun, you and Yuanzi walk different paths. I’ve always been hard on you because you’re the type who does the work. You can climb the ladder one solid step at a time. Yuanzi is different. He’s more suited to a wild life. As long as he doesn’t stray into crooked dealings, he’ll do just fine no matter what.”

He paused, and a smile crept across his aged face. ”You’ll both make something of yourselves.”

***

Zhang Yuanqing didn’t get home until late. He reeked of alcohol, every breath carrying the malty fragrance of beer.

He normally didn’t drink, but the whole point of a group dinner was having fun. At the table, the only ones who’d stayed sober were Jiang Jingwei, who was too young to drink, and Guan Ya, who needed to drive Yuanshi home and refused to let any other designated driver touch her car.

Everyone else had drunk with abandon.

Jiang Jingwei harbored a certain longing toward alcohol and had been eager to sample this drink reserved for grown ups, but the others had shot her down unanimously.

The moment Zhang Yuanqing’s hand closed around the handle of the door to his room, his ears twitched. He caught the faint sound of breathing from inside.

Is someone in my room? Is it Jiang Yu’er? His first instinct was the wary reflex of a man who’d been bitten before, but he relaxed almost immediately and turned the handle. The Demon Eye Heavenly King himself is locked up. What am I still afraid of?

The bedroom door swung open. The light was on. Chen Yuanjun, ever serious and composed, sat at the desk with a cigarette pinched between his fingers.

”You’re back,” his cousin said.

He exhaled a thin stream of smoke, the very picture of gravitas. With that ”mature” face of his, he looked exactly like a father waiting up late for his son to come home.

”Yeah. Why are you still up, bro? Did you need something?”

Although Zhang Yuanqing said it casually enough, he’d already guessed why his cousin was here.

Chen Yuanjun’s expression turned stern. ”That Guan Ya. Did she drive you home?”

Zhang Yuanqing nodded. ”Yeah!”

Chen Yuanjun’s expression grew even more serious, and he lowered his voice. ”How did you and Guan Ya meet? What’s your relationship?”

”We just met online, then met up in person. We hit it off, so we became friends...” Zhang Yuanqing said, thinking on his feet and making it up as he went.

Before he could finish, Chen Yuanjun waved him silent. His cousin let out a silent breath and spoke with the heavy gravity of a man delivering life advice.

”You don’t need to say any more. I understand. Yuanzi, I know young people today have open minds. You’re always spreading these twisted ideas online, things like ’rich women are great’ and ’ma’am, I don’t want to try anymore.’ Maybe from your perspective, that’s just how society is. Everyone giving up together. Yes, giving up. You young people put it well.

”But as a brother, I still have to tell you, this is wrong. A man should stand on his own two feet. You can’t take shortcuts, or walk a crooked path. Your grandpa, your grandma, your mother... If they found out you were being kept by a woman, how do you think they’d feel?”

K-k-kept? Zhang Yuanqing stared at his cousin in utter bewilderment.

Chen Yuanjun pressed on. ”This Guan Ya, she’s of a high status. Either her family is powerful, or her boyfriend or husband is powerful. Getting involved with a woman like that will come back to haunt you. If her family finds out, or her husband discovers she’s keeping some boy toy on the side, they won’t let you off easy. Our family isn’t poor, but we’re just an ordinary household. Yuanzi, you need to think about the consequences.”

Zhang Yuanqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Did you really let your imagination run that far? I’m not Cao the Thief, I don’t go after married women...

”Bro, we really are just ordinary friends,” he protested. ”I know that doesn’t sound very convincing, but trust me, I’m really not being kept. Guan Ya doesn’t have a boyfriend, and she’s definitely not married.”

”She’s not married?” Chen Yuanjun’s expression immediately softened. ”If you’ve just latched onto a single rich woman, well, that’s not as bad.”

Sure, sure. Sure. Zhang Yuanqing nearly buried his face in his hands.

Having gotten a satisfactory answer, Chen Yuanjun rose to his feet. ”Then get some rest. And about today... Thanks.”

***

The next morning, Grandma grabbed her trusty housewife’s handbag and set out for the farmers’ market just outside the residential compound.

As one of the most upscale communities in the area, the area wasn’t just home to a premium school. It also had a farmers’ market right next door and a shopping mall within a kilometer’s radius. Living and shopping couldn’t be more convenient.

As she passed through the compound’s rest area, Grandma’s ears perked up. A cluster of her old lady friends were deep in animated gossip.

”I saw it with my own eyes last night. He came home in a sports car, and the woman driving was very pretty, but she wasn’t young.”

”That boy’s quite handsome. You don’t think he’s latched onto some rich woman, do you?”

”Oh dear, what if he’s being kept? Such a fine young man, too...”

Sports car? Young man? Being kept...? Grandma decided the groceries could wait. She hurried over to get in on the gossip.

”What are you all talking about?” she asked, bustling over with excitement.

The cluster of women spotted Grandma. Their expressions flickered, and they went silent.

One of them, an older woman who was close with her, hesitated for a moment before leaning in and whispering, ”Ah Mei, I think your grandson is being kept by a rich woman. Here’s what happened...”

Grandma had walked over brimming with excitement, ready to feast on someone else’s drama. Instead, she discovered the drama was about her own family. The smile vanished from her face.

***

At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing was lying in bed, phone held in both hands, scrolling through the official forum.

【#Taiyi Sect announces participation in this year’s Tournament#】

【#Tournament prizes revealed. This year’s Transcendent tier reward is a surprise#】