"You are?" Lin Kai narrowed his eyes, a frown creeping onto his face as he looked at the boy in front of him. Though he was sure he had never met this person before, something about him felt disturbingly familiar, like an itch in the back of his mind that he couldn't quite place.
"Ji Yan," the boy replied with a smile, his eyes scanning Lin Kai from head to toe as if sizing him up like prey. The intensity of his gaze made Lin Kai feel a slight discomfort, but he tried to brush it off.
"Uh," Lin Kai grunted, his eyebrow-raising slightly at the mention of the surname "Ji." He didn't care if this Ji Yan was part of the Ji family's core members, nor did he have any interest in finding out. From the moment they started talking, Lin Kai had already decided he didn't like this guy. Why bother knowing more about him?
Without bothering to engage further, Lin Kai turned his attention back to the bamboo bench he was assembling. These benches were for the audience in the stadium. Only a select few chairs would be reserved for the elders and key members of the Ji family in the front row.
"What are you doing?" Ji Yan asked, clearly unwilling to be ignored. He moved closer to Lin Kai, so much so that their shoulders nearly touched.
"Tch." Lin Kai clicked his tongue in annoyance, stepping to the side to put some space between them. "I'm working, and you should focus on your own tasks too." He pointed toward the piles of chopped Iron Bamboo lying nearby.
Lin Kai then grabbed a piece of bamboo and resumed his work, trying to block out the distraction. His task was straightforward enough. Warriors chopped the Iron Bamboo into smaller pieces, and his job was to assemble them into benches of different sizes. While others crafted more intricate bamboo chairs, Lin Kai found solace in this simple, hands-on work.
Ji Yan, however, wasn't about to give up. Without waiting for Lin Kai's permission, he stepped forward and picked up one of the newly made benches. He turned it over, inspecting it as if he were some kind of expert.
"..." Lin Kai glanced briefly at Ji Yan but refused to be drawn into conversation. He had no intention of entertaining this guy any further. In fact, despite the task being more demanding than chopping bamboo, he found it the most satisfying one yet. At least he didn't have to stand around, staring at the sky in boredom.
A small smile crept onto his face as he focused on his work. The rhythmic sounds of axes striking bamboo, pickaxes hitting rocks, and warriors shouting as they lifted heavy loads filled the air, creating a lively and productive atmosphere. Yet, amidst the bustling activity, something suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
*BANG!
The sound of something heavy crashing down right beside him jolted Lin Kai from his focused state.
"This..." Lin Kai's stomach tightened with dread as he turned toward the source of the noise. What he saw next almost made him lose his mind.
The bench he had just assembled lay in pieces on the ground, its once neatly connected joints now scattered in every direction. Standing above the wreckage was Ji Yan, looking dazed as if he had no idea what had just happened.
"YOU..." Lin Kai's finger shot up, trembling with barely contained fury. He was about to unleash a string of curses, but before he could open his mouth, Ji Yan raised his hand, feigning confusion. The guilt on his face was as fake as it could get.
"Oops." Ji Yan's voice was filled with insincere regret, but his deadpan expression revealed how little he actually cared.
"What the hell are you doing?" Lin Kai growled through gritted teeth, struggling to keep his anger in check. His fists clenched at his sides, and the sight of Ji Yan's smug face only made the blood boil in his veins.
"I... I don't..." Ji Yan stammered, pretending to be nervous as he took a step back, clearly faking his remorse.
"STOP!" Lin Kai's voice exploded as he realized Ji Yan was about to step into another bench he had just finished assembling. But the shout came too late.
*BANG!
Ji Yan's knee brushed against the bench, and in an instant, he stumbled backwards, landing directly on top of the other benches.
*BANG... BANG... BANG...
In mere seconds, the five newly assembled benches that Lin Kai had spent hours working on collapsed, one after the other, like a row of fragile dominoes. Lin Kai's jaw dropped so wide in disbelief that he felt like he could swallow an egg whole. Every last bench he had painstakingly built was now reduced to a pile of broken wood.
"Oh!" Ji Yan blinked in mock surprise as he scrambled to his feet. He dusted off his clothes with exaggerated motions before turning to Lin Kai, his face plastered with a look of fake embarrassment.
"This... Brother Lin, I... I didn't mean to..." Ji Yan stuttered, glancing between the destroyed benches and Lin Kai. Each word seemed designed to make him appear more helpless as if he were genuinely sorry for what he'd done. But Lin Kai wasn't buying it.
"Get..." Lin Kai whispered, his entire body trembling with rage. His eyes were burning, and his clenched fists felt like they could punch through steel.
"Brother, did you say something?" Ji Yan leaned in closer, practically shoving his ear into Lin Kai's face, as if he hadn't heard the barely audible word.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Lin Kai roared at the top of his lungs. His face turned a furious shade of red, veins popping out from his temples. If they weren't on Ji family grounds, surrounded by countless people, Lin Kai would've punched this bastard in the face without hesitation.
"Don't... don't get so worked up," Ji Yan said, waving his hands defensively. He bent down and picked up a couple of intact pieces of the broken bench. "Here, let me fix it for you."
*Crack!
As soon as he applied some force, the remaining pieces snapped in half. Ji Yan stared at the now broken parts, his face a mask of fake concern.
"This..." He held the two shattered pieces in both hands, his smile awkward. "Let me try the next one."
Before Lin Kai could even stop him, Ji Yan had bent down to grab another piece of the bench.
*Crack!
"Hehe..." Ji Yan forced an embarrassed laugh and dropped the pieces on the ground. "Next one, definitely the next one."
"STOP!" Lin Kai's patience had finally snapped. The blue veins bulging on his forehead were about to burst. He stormed forward, hand outstretched, aiming to grab Ji Yan by the collar and teach him a lesson.
But before Lin Kai could get within reach, Ji Yan had already backed away several steps, putting some distance between them.
"You little shit!" Lin Kai cursed under his breath, his fists clenched tightly. If Lin Kai hadn't realized by now that Ji Yan was messing with him on purpose, then his modern-day instincts would've been a complete joke. Every fibre of his being screamed to punch this smug little bastard in the face.
Just as Lin Kai was about to act, a stern voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
"What are you doing?"
Lin Kai spun around, startled by the stern voice. A lean, middle-aged man in a long blue robe stood there, his expression sharp and disapproving. His eyes flickered over Lin Kai and the pile of wrecked benches at his feet.
"Are you here to work or to play?" The words were spoken calmly, but Lin Kai could feel the simmering anger behind them.
"It was this guy..." Lin Kai started, raising his hand to point behind him, ready to explain everything. But as he turned around to face Ji Yan, his heart sank. The boy was gone. Vanished, like he was never there.
"..." Lin Kai's eyes darted around in disbelief, searching for any sign of that little bastard, but he found nothing. It was as if the ground had swallowed him up.
"If you're done fooling around, get back to your work," the man snapped, his voice laced with annoyance, cutting through Lin Kai's rising frustration.
"Ah... yes, sir." Lin Kai swallowed his pride and nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue. He clenched his teeth, forcing down his anger. He hated situations like this—trouble that he didn't ask for, and now he couldn't escape it. But right now, he had no choice. With a deep sigh, he bent down and started picking up the scattered pieces of the benches.
"What's your name?" The man's sudden question caught Lin Kai off guard. He paused mid-motion, a lump forming in his throat. His face twisted into a grimace that was more painful than a smile, but he answered nonetheless.
"Lin Kai."
"I see." The man's eyes narrowed, burning into Lin Kai with a gaze so intense it made him feel like a bug under a magnifying glass. "I will remember this name." With that, the man turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Lin Kai standing there, his shoulders heavy with regret.
Lin Kai's heart sank even further. For someone like him, who hated drawing attention and wanted nothing more than to keep a low profile, this was a complete disaster. He never wanted to make waves, especially not in front of the higher-ups of the Ji family. And now, thanks to that bastard Ji Yan, he had left a very bad impression—one that he was sure would stick.
"Just great... Fuck me," Lin Kai muttered under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief. He crouched down, carefully gathering the broken pieces of the benches, his mind still racing with thoughts of that annoying bastard. His eyes darted around as he worked, half hoping, that Ji Yan might show up again. But the only thing left behind was the mess he had caused.
-----------
On the other side of the Ji Mansion, the figure Lin Kai was desperately searching for was standing in the middle of his backyard, laughing uncontrollably.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Ji Yan's sinister laughter echoed through the small house, almost shaking its walls. Inside, a startled maid rushed out as soon as she heard the crazed laughter. When she saw it was him, she let out a sigh of relief, her heartbeat slowing down. But her curiosity quickly replaced her fear. She had never seen him laugh like this... not since they left their old city. She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to approach him or stay silent.
Ji Yan's laughter lasted for a while, his shoulders shaking as tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He finally took a deep breath, wiping his face before turning to the maid with a mischievous grin.
"Do you want to know what's so funny?" He didn't even need her to ask him the question. Instead, he directly offered to tell her everything, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
The maid's curiosity only grew stronger. How could she resist? She nodded eagerly, like a chicken pecking at grains, stepping closer to him, her eyes fixed on his face, waiting for him to spill the story.
"It's like this..." Ji Yan barely contained his laughter as he began explaining what had just happened, a huge grin stretched across his face.
As he spoke, the maid's face slowly turned pale. The more he revealed, the more nervous she became. By the time he finished, she was sweating, her hands trembling slightly. Her eyes darted around as if expecting someone to appear out of nowhere and catch them.
"This... Young master..." she stammered, her voice shaky with fear. She couldn't believe the trouble he had caused. "Please stop making trouble," she pleaded, grabbing his arm. "Master has already warned you once. If he finds out again..." She didn't finish her sentence, but the unspoken warning hung in the air, heavy and clear.
"Relax," Ji Yan said, patting her on the shoulder with an amused smile, as though her worries were trivial. His gaze drifted toward the direction of the construction site, a wicked glint in his eyes.
"No one's going to find out. Besides..." He smirked, looking back at her. "I need your help."
"NO! Absolutely not!" The maid immediately backed away, shaking her head in panic. But before she could escape, Ji Yan reached out and grabbed her hands, pulling her closer. His grip was firm, and the maid, despite her resistance, was pulled inside the room.
"There's so much to prepare," Ji Yan whispered, his voice low and teasing. "We're going to have a lot of fun. You'll see."
The maid's heart pounded in her chest as her mind raced. She knew better than to get involved, but Ji Yan's eyes gleamed with a mixture of amusement and danger. He wasn't about to let go of his newfound source of entertainment—not after being bored for so long. With a sly grin, Ji Yan laughed again, the sound echoing through the small house, bouncing off the walls as his plans began to take shape.