Offered as a Stand In

替身相许

offered-as-a-stand-in

Inscrutable

The next day, Huo Mingjun indeed gave Fang Hui the day off, letting her be Xie Guan's local guide. Assistant Fang, while complaining about how hard it was to be the big devil's assistant, happily swiped the boss's card nonstop. Xie Guan didn't have any particular feelings about the city, neither liking nor disliking it, so he let Fang Hui plan the route. He tagged along idly, acting more like a competent conversational partner than Fang Hui herself.


 Fang Hui had been to Hong Kong many times with Huo Mingjun and was very familiar with the place. While explaining the local customs and traditions to Xie Guan, she suddenly had a whimsical idea and said: "I think I could get a tour guide license. That way, if the boss fires me one day, I can still lead tour groups."


 "That's a good idea," Xie Guan said supportively, guiding her to the inner side of the sidewalk. "A different way of life. You can travel and see the sights, and get some exercise at the same time. Most importantly, tour guides don't have to buy tickets for scenic spots. Think of the money you'd save."


 Fang Hui laughed and said, "Hey, that's not the point. We're not short on cash."


 Xie Guan smiled too, the corners of his eyes crinkling, as if all the nearby sunlight was gathered in their depths, making him appear incredibly bright and gentle. Fang Hui was caught off guard, meeting the smile in his eyes directly, and nearly clutched her heart and screamed.


 Heaven knows, for people like them who lived long-term under a "human-shaped, self-propelled, high-efficiency cooling unit," the sudden appearance of such a cheerful, gentle, and approachable handsome man in their cold world was no different from a beam of light in the darkness, a handful of charcoal in a snowy land, or a platoon of liberators in an occupied zone. They instantly felt the world was filled with love, peace, and hope.


 Fang Hui sometimes found it very strange. She had read a bit of Xie Guan's file and knew he was born into an ordinary farming family and his parents were not highly educated. He had struggled in the entertainment industry for seven or eight years without ever making a name for himself. He finally got a rare opportunity, but because he protected a female colleague, he offended a major sponsor and was forced with no other choice into making adult films. How could such a life environment cultivate such good bearing and foster such a patient and gentle temperament?


 "Speaking of which, all my documents were stolen. The procedures for returning will be a bit troublesome," Xie Guan frowned. "Should I let Mr. Huo know in advance?"


 "Ah?" Fang Hui came back to her senses and said with a smile, "Don't worry, the procedures for a private jet aren't that complicated. Besides, the boss had someone urge the police, so your documents will definitely be found after they solve the case."


 Xie Guan was slightly surprised.


 Huo Mingjun had never mentioned these things. In front of Xie Guan, he seemed more content to play the role of a "bad guy" who brought up old scores and had a bad temper. Xie Guan had probably suffered too much; when others were good to him, he would instead become suspicious. Huo Mingjun's impassiveness spared him this trouble. Xie Guan had only learned how to endure malice but was inept at handling kindness. Suddenly being enveloped by this disguised consideration, for a moment, he didn't know what to feel.


 He was silent for a long while before finally, as if every word was precious, revealing a bit of his true thoughts: "Mr. Huo... he's actually a very good person."


 Fang Hui silently accepted the "good person card" on behalf of her boss.


 When Xie Guan returned to his room that evening, he happened to run into Huo Mingjun's other assistant, Lu Ming, in the elevator.


 He had only seen the other man once when Lu Ming came to pick up Huo Mingjun. The two were not familiar with each other. Xie Guan nodded in greeting, but Lu Ming took the initiative to speak: "Mr. Xie, this afternoon, the police in the Deep Water District caught a gang of serial thieves. They found your documents in their hideout. The boss had me bring them to you."


 He handed over a transparent bag, and Xie Guan saw his own wallet and several ID documents inside.


 "Thank you," he didn't show much surprise, only asking, "Is Mr. Huo back?"


 Lu Ming: "He's in his room."


 Huo Mingjun had taken advantage of his free time to work out for an hour. When Xie Guan entered, he had just showered. Beneath the loosely open collar of his bathrobe was a small patch of skin, pale as if it never saw the sun. Xie Guan visually sized up their two body types and suddenly realized that although Huo Mingjun was taller than him, he wasn't much more solidly built.


 He himself had lost seven or eight pounds from the recent ordeals, yet the pampered Huo Mingjun had apparently always been in this state. Thinking again of his incessant cough, for some reason, Xie Guan suddenly felt a groundless panic.


 "What's wrong? You've been staring at me ever since you came in," Huo Mingjun walked over and looked at his expression. "Did something happen? Or were you bullied..."


 Xie Guan suddenly grabbed his wrist.


 He didn't know how to take a pulse and could only feel the faint, regular throbbing under the skin with his fingers. He counted the pulse for a while as if possessed. Not only did he fail to calm down, but his breathing became more and more erratic, and he frantically leaned in to listen to Huo Mingjun's heartbeat.


 Above him, Huo Mingjun noticed his action, and his expression changed drastically.


 "Xie Guan," Huo Mingjun grabbed his shoulder with his free hand and pulled him away from his chest without another word. "Calm down. Look up at me. What are you doing?"


 Xie Guan was forced to raise his head, his gaze unfocused. It took him a long while to break free from the empty, frantic fear. When his consciousness regained control, he was drenched in a cold sweat with a splitting headache. His legs gave out, and he started to fall to the ground. Thanks to Huo Mingjun's quick reflexes, he was caught, saving him from making a full-body prostration on the floor.


 "Sorry, I might be a little weak." Xie Guan was half-dragged, half-carried to the sofa by Huo Mingjun. Realizing he was still gripping the other's wrist, he quickly let go. "Sorry, sorry... Holy shit, how did it get bruised?!"


 There was a clear circle of bruises on Huo Mingjun's wrist. Xie Guan was startled and stood up to get him some medicine, but was pushed back down by a raised hand. Huo Mingjun casually flexed his wrist, pulling down his sleeve to cover the mark: "It's nothing, it'll be fine in a couple of days. But you, what was that all about just now?"


 Xie Guan's gaze was still fixed on his wrist: "I think I just spaced out for a moment, got a bit panicked. It's nothing." He frowned, trying to suppress his headache: "Sorry for causing you trouble again."


 Huo Mingjun ignored his self-reproach: "I said it's fine. Xie Guan, are you sure we've never met before?"


 Xie Guan, not understanding, grunted an "En." "My hometown is in S Province. After coming to B City, I was busy running around to different gigs. I wouldn't have had a chance to run into you."


 Huo Mingjun's brows were tightly furrowed. After a long time, he finally said, "It's nothing. Go back to your room and rest."


 "I'm sorry," Xie Guan said, remaining seated on the sofa. "And thank you."


 Huo Mingjun was about to leave, but he paused upon hearing this.


 Xie Guan reminded him: "The documents."


 Huo Mingjun left without another word.


 The plane landed at the B City airport. A car specifically sent to pick them up was waiting outside. Xie Guan declined Huo Mingjun's offer to take him home and walked alone with his luggage down a passageway towards another door.


 After that night, the atmosphere between the two became a little strange. Huo Mingjun's attitude grew colder, but he didn't seem to want to get rid of him. On the contrary, he seemed to treat Xie Guan with more caution... so much caution that even Fang Hui didn't dare to come and chat with him anymore.


 Huo Mingjun wouldn't tell him what he was thinking, and Xie Guan was unwilling to speculate about his intentions. So it was better to retreat to their original distance. He would remember Huo Mingjun's kindness but would no longer attempt to build a friendship.


 Xie Guan took a taxi back to the residential complex where he used to live, found the apartment he used to rent, and knocked on the door, but there was no answer.


 He found the landlord's contact number online. He called, explained who he was, and asked if he could renew the lease. The location was average, so the landlord was happy to rent to someone familiar. The two agreed to meet the next day to get the keys, which solved his most pressing problem of finding a place to stay.


 Xie Guan went to the bank to change his PIN. He discovered that all the liquid savings in his account had been withdrawn, but luckily, before he left, he had put most of his savings into a fixed-term deposit, and that money was still safe and sound in the bank.


 He withdrew ten thousand yuan, found a small motel nearby to stay at temporarily. To avoid worrying so much that he couldn't sleep later, he decided not to think about anything and get some sleep first.


 Huo Mingjun, on the other hand, was not so relaxed. He rested in his office for half an hour, then immediately called a meeting with the senior management to arrange the next steps.


 By the time the meeting ended, it was already completely dark outside.


 His assistant, Zhong Heguang, gathered the meeting materials and brought them back to the office. He asked Huo Mingjun, "Are you leaving for the day? If you're going to continue working, I'll have Fang Hui order dinner for you."


 Huo Mingjun casually loosened his tie, mentally and physically exhausted: "No, I'm going home."


 Zhong Heguang: "Alright, I'll go get the car."


 The evening rush hour in B City was still tapering off. The Rolls-Royce was stuck in traffic. Zhong Heguang looked in the rearview mirror. Huo Mingjun was in the back seat with his eyes closed, resting, a faint vertical line creased his brow, and the corners of his mouth were turned slightly downwards. He didn't seem to be in a very good mood.


 Huo Mingjun had three assistants under him. Personal assistant Fang Hui was smart and quick-witted. Second assistant Lu Ming was capable and proud. Only the first assistant, Zhong Heguang, was meticulous and decisive, his work style closely matching Huo Mingjun's, and he was his most trusted and capable subordinate. Zhong Heguang had been by Huo Mingjun's side ever since he took charge of the group, from serving tea to now handling major responsibilities on his own. When it came to understanding Huo Mingjun, no one could surpass him.


 For instance, right now, the boss had probably encountered something troubling.


 Zhong Heguang quickly ran through the events of the past few days in his mind. The boss had been fine before he left, and the group's operations had been running normally these past few days. The only possibility for trouble was during the boss's trip to Hong Kong. The acquisition issue was discussed in the meeting just now, and Longfeng Group's interest was quite positive, so it could only be the boss's personal affairs.


 He recalled how Fang Hui and Lu Ming had been scrambling over each other to report back from Hong Kong, as if their worldviews were shattering. Thinking of the person Huo Mingjun had told him to investigate a month ago, he had a rough idea of what was going on.


 Huo Mingjun in the back seat suddenly opened his eyes and asked him directly: "This person, Xie Guan, what do you think we should do with him?"


 While paying attention to the road conditions, Zhong Heguang answered thoughtfully: "If you still have suspicions... why not put him somewhere within reach and observe him for a while? Whether he is the one or not, he'll eventually show some clues. It won't be too late to make a decision then."


 Huo Mingjun seemed to have taken his words to heart. He thought for a moment and asked, "Our group isn't involved with the entertainment industry. Where would we put him?"


 Zhong Heguang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


 The question had returned to his area of expertise, which was, indeed, much easier than guessing the emperor's heart.

Offered as a Stand In

Offered as a Stand In

Chapter 9 - Inscrutable

Windwalker