NOVPUB
Chapter 94: Chapter 94: An Expendable Cousin
In the sweltering afternoon, Yan Xiao lay on a bamboo lounge chair, lounging as he fanned himself with a banana leaf.
The weather was becoming increasingly abnormal. At night it hovered around twenty degrees, but during the day it soared close to forty. Perhaps it was the heat, but there hadn’t been many missions lately. Even the military seemed quiet, so Yan Xiao, Xiao Jian, and Bai Kairui had also become idle.
Although there was air conditioning at home, it required installation and was too conspicuous; being seen using it wouldn’t be easy to explain. So, they just took a few electric fans from their space to cool off. Even then, they couldn’t use the fans whenever they wanted because as more people moved into the base, electricity was rationed. It used to be twelve hours of power from seven in the morning to seven at night, now it was only from ten to six, just eight hours. There were rumors that this time would be reduced further.
Buried in the refrigerator inside the cool hall, Bai Kairui fumbled around and found two cans of yellow peach, handing one to Yan Xiao.
Yan Xiao sat up, scooped a couple spoonfuls from the can, and the chilly fruit slid down his throat, making him feel much more comfortable. He said, "Kerry, do you know what I was just thinking? Wind Type Abilities are awesome. Imagine, with this kind of weather, just release a cyclone inside the house. How cool would that be? And it wouldn’t even use electricity."
As he spoke, something seemed to dawn on him, and he turned and shouted upstairs, "Jiaojiao! How about you scatter some water around the house to cool it off?"
The voice of Han Jiaojiao floated down from upstairs, "Making everything damp and uncomfortable, ugh."
"Little mistress, I’m not afraid of dampness, it’s the heat that I can’t stand."
After a while, the sound of footsteps came thumping down the stairs. Han Jiaojiao trotted down, her mouth pursed as she complained, "You’re such a bother."
She went to the kitchen, fetched a basin of water, and brought it to the living room, splashing it around haphazardly.
Yan Xiao was first stunned, then burst into wild laughter!
"Hahahaha!!—I meant using your Ability to sprinkle the water, you switched to manual mode, hahaha..."
"You!" Han Jiaojiao, embarrassed, huffed and said, "I just didn’t think of it... you didn’t say to use the Ability just now!"
Once Yan Xiao had his laugh, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, he apologized to her, "No harm done, I get it, you just always forget you’re a Superpower User, right? I was the same in the beginning. The first few times Lu Ge asked me to light a cigarette, I reflexively looked for a lighter too. Take it easy, no rush..."
Han Jiaojiao snorted, "I wasn’t rushed, to begin with."
She just hadn’t used her Ability much, so for many things, it didn’t even occur to her that she could employ it.
"Hey, are Han Ge and Lu Ge still chatting upstairs?"
Han Jiaojiao nodded, "Lu Ge said there’s a new mission from the base, they’re discussing it now."
Yan Xiao acknowledged with an "Oh," not too concerned, and bowed his head to continue scooping fruit from his can. After all, those two were sharper than him, all he needed to know was the outcome of their discussion.
"Han Yi! You come out here!—"
A roar suddenly erupted from outside, startling Han Jiaojiao, Yan Xiao, and Bai Kairui as they quickly stepped outside to see a young man in a camo T-shirt barging in, full of aggression.
Normally, their yard gate was bolted from the inside, but this man had pushed it open without a problem. Han Jiaojiao’s heart skipped, realizing he must definitely be a Strength Type Superpower User.
As the man approached, a look of surprise crossed Han Jiaojiao’s face—Han Rui?!
Han Rui was the only son of Han Chenfeng and the eldest grandson among the three grandchildren of Old Master Han. At the sight of him, Han Jiaojiao should have called out "brother," but with his hostile appearance, she kept silent, her face rigid.
Recognizing Han Rui, she also realized that he certainly recognized her.
"Han Jiaojiao, where’s your brother? Tell him to come out and see me!" Han Rui’s shout was full of anger, his body drenched in sweat, obviously having rushed over in a hurry.
Yan Xiao also recognized Han Rui. Working for Han Yi, he inevitably made trips to the Han Family home from time to time, and was familiar with the several young masters of the family. Seeing Han Rui somewhat out of control at this moment, he pushed Han Jiaojiao behind him and said, "Jiaojiao, go back to your room."
Han Jiaojiao didn’t want to talk more with this person; since she was little, Han Rui had never shown her a kind face. Not only did he never acknowledge her as his cousin who appeared halfway through his life, but even upon seeing her mother, he acted as if she was invisible and never once called her aunt.
As Han Jiaojiao was walking upstairs, Han Yi happened to come down, evidently having heard Han Rui’s voice.
Han Yi, in a comforting manner, touched the top of her head and told her to go back to her room first before he went downstairs himself.
Han Jiaojiao felt somewhat uneasy. After all, Han Rui was a Strength Type Superpower User. What if he lost his temper and decided to hit her brother?
If anyone else knew what Han Jiaojiao was thinking, they would laugh themselves to death. They would tell her, "You’re really overthinking it. The person capable of bullying Han Yi probably hasn’t been born yet."
"What do you think you are?! My dad told you to see him; why didn’t you go?! Huh?!"
Han Rui’s roaring voice came through intermittently, and Han Jiaojiao simply lay at the side of the stairs to listen.
"What, getting a Superpower and you no longer regard my dad with respect? My dad spares you because of the family bond! I, Han Rui, have never been afraid of you!" Han Rui was very emotional, a vein throbbing on his forehead. "Don’t think I don’t know, was it you who messed with the last order from Libya?! Is that batch of goods with you?! Han Yi, you actually screwed me over!"
Upon hearing this, Han Yi’s lips curled slightly, but he didn’t deny anything.
Han Rui, seeing him smile faintly, became even more enraged. "What are you laughing at?! I’m telling you! Don’t provoke me, I have plenty of ways to deal with you!"
Han Yi was unfazed by the threats in Han Rui’s words and responded indifferently, "With your brain, you probably cannot figure out it was me who took that batch of arms. Someone must have reminded you, let me think... that person, could it be Aheng?"
Han Rui’s face stiffened.
Han Yi’s smile deepened. "Such a good dog. My father has placed many spies around me, and he’s the only one I didn’t remove. You think I really didn’t know he’s one of your people?"
"You!!"
"Han Rui, you can disown your family, but I am someone who values family ties. I leaked information to Aheng because I wanted him to remind you, to have you take a good look at yourself and see just how... stupid you are!"
Bang! —
The moment Han Rui exploded in anger, his body seemed to hit an invisible force and was harshly bounced back, crashing against the courtyard wall, stirring up a layer of dust.
"Han Rui, don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting. If your side at the base wants you to act as an intermediary, you need to show a bit of an intermediary’s demeanor. You and your dad playing good cop, bad cop, it only makes me look down on you even more."
... 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
The people outside continued talking, and their voices gradually grew softer. Han Jiaojiao was listening intently, but Han Yi had already come back. Seeing Han Jiaojiao crouched at the edge of the stairs, her petite body huddled up, her clear black-and-white eyes lighting up with laughter upon seeing him, looked so endearing like a curious baby. Han Yi felt his heart rate quicken suddenly, a tightness in his lower abdomen. Without thinking too deeply, his body bent down and picked her up like a child, heading into the room.
Downstairs, Yan Xiao and Bai Kairui glanced at each other, then immediately understood and turned their heads, pretending they hadn’t seen anything.
Han Jiaojiao wrapped her arms around Han Yi’s neck and asked softly, "Has Han Rui left? What did he come here for?"
"Don’t worry about him. Be good and draw the curtains," Han Yi said as he set her down, his voice growing husky.
Contrary to what he had hoped, Han Jiaojiao obediently drew the curtains on both sides, and Han Yi had already turned and locked the room door...
