Siheyuan: Domineering life

"Hello, Mr. Yang."

"My name is Zhao..."

Looking at the beautiful girl in front of him, who was about seventeen or eighteen years old, Yang Jun was momentarily infatuated and stared at her intently.

This girl was one of the three beauties that Green Smoke had chosen for himself. He didn't know her name, as it wasn't important to him.

He is no longer the naive young man he was forty years ago. Back then, he was ambitious and ambitious, wanting to enjoy beautiful women while also wanting to leave a good reputation for himself. He took all the women who followed him into his household, which is why he now has eight concubines.

I don’t know when it started, but he stopped focusing on taking concubines. If he wanted to eat eggs, there was no need to buy an old hen. After years of struggling in the officialdom, his conscience and sense of responsibility had long been worn away. To him now, women were just women, no different from food on the table. He could eat them whenever he wanted.

This is the most alluring aspect of power, and it's also the most important reason why people linger in this world: if you're living well, who would want to die?

However, the only thing that has remained unchanged over the years is that he has never mistreated any of the women who have followed him. He may have fun, but he is never stingy with money. For him, anything that can be solved with money is not a problem. He gets the food he wants, and the women get the money they want. It's a win-win situation, so why not?

"Don't introduce yourself yet, let's finish our business first," Yang Jun waved his hand, interrupting the girl's self-introduction.

This girl is very beautiful, especially with the youthful spirit unique to the age of blossoming youth, which is what older people like Yang Jun value most. In particular, her pure and innocent eyes, blinking gently, make her even more endearing.

Yang Jun had never been so direct before, mainly because the girl was too beautiful.

"Is this serious business?"

The girl was completely bewildered, staring blankly at Yang Jun, wondering what he meant by "serious business."

Looking at the girl's innocent and naive appearance, Yang Jun knew that she must be a virgin, otherwise she would know what serious matters were. Of course, Green Smoke would not dare to bring an experienced girl to Yang Jun, otherwise she would be courting death.

Seeing the girl's expression, Yang Jun wasn't angry at all; instead, he found her even cuter.

"What is Green Smoke's purpose in sending you here?" Yang Jun asked, reminding him.

"And who is Green Smoke?" the girl asked again hesitantly.

"Chen Cuizhi".

"Oh, it's Sister Chen. She asked us to come... come..."

The girl's voice grew softer and softer, her face turning crimson, like a ripe apple, a feast for the eyes.

"Understood, Mr. Yang."

After speaking, the girl blushed, turned her back, and walked towards the bedroom...

……

The wind has stopped and the rain has ceased; the spring mud is red with peach blossoms.

At this moment, Yang Jun, who was in a state of enlightenment with a cigarette in his mouth, felt an unprecedented sense of comfort. This was the first time he had played cards since successfully transcending his tribulation for the second time. He could clearly feel that he was stronger than before after successfully transcending his tribulation, and he was also exceptionally gifted in that area.

"Waaah... Waaah..."

A girl's soft sobs came from beside me; she lay curled up, her body trembling with each sob.

Hearing the crying, Yang Jun smiled with satisfaction; there was no sound more beautiful in the world.

"Take a good rest these few days, I'll arrange for someone to take good care of you."

Looking at the girl's thin body enduring the pain, Yang Jun couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing the sound, the girl stopped crying and nestled close to Yang Jun.

Thirty years ago, Yang Jun would definitely have asked the girl her name, where she was from, who her family members were, and her hobbies. But now he no longer cares about such superficial things. No matter what you do, you can't change the fact that he's a scumbag and a womanizer. He no longer cares about having the upper hand. So-called face is bullshit.

In a woman's eyes, you either have power or money; nothing else matters. Talking about feelings is nonsense. Don't you know what era we live in? You have to look forward. Without power and money, you're not even considered a man in a woman's eyes.

Women are very pragmatic. If they don't get anything out of you, why would a pretty girl follow you and have a relationship with you? You don't even deserve her.
"Go to Sister Chen's place to collect your reward later; she won't treat you unfairly," Yang Jun said again.

As a prominent figure, he wouldn't give money directly to the girl to avoid unexpected and uncontrollable situations. With Chen Cuizhi in the middle, he would have a lot of room to maneuver.

Ten years ago, he set a rule that any woman who followed him would receive a monthly allowance of ten million yuan, and if she grew old and lost her beauty, she could receive a one-time subsidy of one billion yuan when she left.

He's always been generous and willing to spend money on women; he's the kind of person who can afford to have fun and would never go so far as to not give them money.

Over the years, he has been with at least 80 to 100 women, for varying lengths of time, the longest being 15 years and the shortest being just a few days. Even if he didn't like a woman he had never met before, he would still give her a billion yuan in compensation when she left.

His main point is that he's not short of money and can't let women talk behind his back.

"Thank you, Mr. Yang," the girl said, her eyes still wet with tears.

Yang Jun never asked the girl's name because he felt it was unnecessary. To him, it was just a transaction, a mutually beneficial arrangement, much like going to the market to buy vegetables—would you ask the vendor's name? The girls would never know Yang Jun's identity from beginning to end. They only knew they were serving a big shot, and Sister Chen had already prepared them mentally, so they ignored the questions and did what they were supposed to do.

“Since you’re not feeling well, why don’t you stay and rest tonight and leave early tomorrow morning?”

Yang Jun gave the girl a few instructions and then left.

The girls couldn't stay in the villa. They usually had separate accommodations in Taiping Town. Yang Jun would never have brought them here unless he needed them urgently.

After leaving the villa, Yang Jun returned to the air-conditioned room by the pond. He first took a shower on the second floor, then changed into clean clothes and went downstairs to drink tea.

Just as a pot of tea was brewed, an uninvited guest arrived in the air-conditioned room.

"plum?"

Upon seeing who it was, Yang Jun was also shocked.

The person who came was none other than his younger sister, Yang Mei.

He clearly remembered that Yang Mei had gone back to attend Shi Tou's funeral, so how did she end up in the South in the blink of an eye?

"When did you arrive?" Yang Jun asked.

After sitting down, Yang Mei first gulped down several mouthfuls of cold tea, then picked up the fan next to her and fanned herself while saying, "I just arrived not long ago. I took a plane yesterday afternoon, and then rode a roller coaster all night. The ride was so bumpy that my bones feel like they're going to fall apart."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun suddenly realized that, after calculating the time, excluding flight time, the hundreds of kilometers of mountain road would indeed take a whole night.

"Why didn't you wait for me to come back together? You wouldn't have had to suffer like this."

His plane was a private, direct flight that went directly to the airport of the shelter, but Yangmei's was not. She did not have a private plane and could only take a civilian plane and then transfer to a vehicle to travel along mountain roads, so she suffered more of this ordeal.

Yang Mei rolled her eyes at him and said, "Who do you think has a private jet like you?"

“You…you can buy your own plane, it’s not like you can’t afford it,” Yang Jun muttered.

"What's the use of me being able to afford a plane? Do I have my own flight routes? Do I have the right to use those routes?" Yang Mei rolled her eyes again.

"You call yourself a high-ranking leader, yet you don't even understand this."

Yang Jun smacked his lips a few times after hearing this and said, "I am a big leader, that's true, but I can't know everything, can I?"

He has a private jet and can go wherever he wants without ever considering whether he can fly or whether he has the right to use the routes. Yang Mei didn't say anything, but gave him another mothball.

"Okay, wherever you want to go next time, I'll take you there by private jet."

"That's more like it."

The two then began to drink tea and chat.

"Why didn't you stay home a few more days after attending the stone's funeral?" Yang Jun asked.

Yang Mei took a sip of tea and then said, "I deliberately concealed my whereabouts and waited for you here."

"You came all this way just to wait for me?" Yang Jun asked, puzzled. "Couldn't you have said something in Beijing? Why did you have to do it here?"

Yang Mei didn't say anything, she just sighed.

"Brother, I came here specifically to ask you for a favor."

"Do we, as siblings, need to use the word 'ask'?"

Seeing Yang Mei so serious, Yang Jun couldn't help but take it seriously. He knew that Yang Mei had rushed over to find him overnight, so it must be something important.

"Um……"

Yang Mei hesitated for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Yang Jun.

"Big brother, it's about fifth brother."

"Fifth brother?"

Upon hearing the name of the fifth brother, Yang Huai, Yang Jun's heart skipped a beat.

Since his younger brother went to jail, he hadn't visited him for a long time. If he counted carefully, it had been almost twenty years. Today, when he suddenly heard Yang Mei mention the fifth brother, Yang Jun felt a bad feeling welling up in his heart.

"What happened to the fifth brother?"

After all, they were siblings from the same mother. Even though his younger brother had made a big mistake and they didn't get along, he still couldn't help but worry.

"Late-stage lung cancer."

Yang Jun paused for a moment after hearing this, then silently lit a cigarette without saying anything.

Seeing that Yang Jun remained silent, Yang Mei continued, "The doctor said he doesn't have much time left and suggested that the family seek medical parole, but they... won't release him, so I came to ask for my brother's opinion."

Yang Mei was telling the truth. Without Yang Jun's orders, Yang Huai would not be released, no matter who it was. Yang Mei couldn't bear to see her younger brother grow old inside like this, so she rushed over to beg Yang Jun to make an exception.

Faced with Yang Mei's request, Yang Jun did not impulsively agree.

He knew Yang Huai too well. After being imprisoned for decades, his mentality had become twisted, especially the incident at his mother's funeral, which he still remembered vividly. At that time, Yang Huai not only showed no remorse towards his mother, but also threatened to kill his entire family.

It wasn't that he released Yang Huai out of filial piety, but rather that he dared not gamble. He now had a happy family with many children and grandchildren, and he couldn't guarantee that Yang Huai wouldn't retaliate against his family after his release. He dared not take the risk.

He hadn't seen Yang Huai for almost twenty years, and he had no idea what he was like now, but he knew that a person who had been imprisoned for decades would have a mindset that was twisted beyond recognition.

But it wouldn't be right not to let him go, after all, he didn't want to leave Yang Mei and his sisters with the impression that he didn't care about family ties, that he wouldn't even let go of a person who was about to die.

"Brother, the doctor said that Lao Wu doesn't have much time left, at most a month. Are you really willing to let him spend his last month inside?"

Seeing that Yang Jun remained silent for a long time, Yang Mei began to persuade him: "No matter what, we are brothers and sisters from the same mother. We are all so old now, and Lao Wu has been punished for decades for his mistakes. He is about to die. You..."

“Okay!” Yang Jun suddenly said.

"what?"

Hearing Yang Jun's answer, Yang Mei was a little skeptical that her brother would agree.

I said yes.

Yang Jun paused slightly, then continued, "However, I need to verify first whether he is sick, and after he comes out, he must be accompanied by my people 24 hours a day until he..."

"no problem."

Yang Mei said, "As long as we can get Lao Wu out, I'll agree to any of your conditions."

Yang Mei also thought Yang Jun's suggestion was good. After all, she was worried that Lao Wu might do something outrageous, since a person who was about to die might do something reckless.

"plum."

Yang Jun cried out, then murmured, "It's not that I'm heartless, it's that I have no choice but to do this. For the sake of this family, I..."

"Brother, please stop talking. I understand. This is not your fault. It's Lao Wu's own mistake. It has nothing to do with you," Yang Mei interrupted.

"You just understand."

After a moment of silence, Yang Jun said, "I'll have Xiao Jun verify it later. If it really is late-stage lung cancer, I'll release him in the next few days."

"Okay, big brother, I hope you can hurry up, after all... Fifth Brother doesn't have much time left."

"I know."

Then, Yang Jun picked up the phone and gave Luo Xiaojun a few instructions.

After hanging up the phone, Yang Jun asked the kitchen to send over some food.

The brother and sister hadn't eaten together in a long time, so they specially opened a bottle of wine to celebrate their rare get-together.

"Brother, thank you for taking care of me all these years. Because of you, we have this family. I... thank you."

Yangmei raised her glass and sighed.

"Why say all this? This is what I should do."

The brother and sister clinked glasses and then continued chatting.

"Oh, brother, I really envy you," Yang Mei suddenly exclaimed, looking at Yang Jun's young face with eyes full of envy.

"Envious of my face?" Yang Jun pointed to his own face with a self-deprecating smile.

"Yes." Yang Mei nodded and said, "Although my brother and I are only a few years apart, we look like we are decades apart, at least fifty years apart."

"Don't envy me. Being young isn't all good. Otherwise, I wouldn't be hiding in this remote mountain village," Yang Jun sighed.

To be honest, everyone envies him for getting younger and younger, but they don't know his hardships. If being young were all good, he wouldn't be hiding in this godforsaken place.

“I understand your predicament, but… I still envy you,” Yang Mei said with a smile.

"Fine, be envious if you want. No matter how young I get, I'll always be your brother."

"Absolutely, you'll always be my brother." (End of Chapter)