RMM -Chapter 176 A Certain Colonel Forced into “Depravity”

Liu Qi chatted with Xi Yuechen for a while and then left, saying there were still many things to take care of. This time they couldn’t afford to be as careless as last time—who knew whether another accident might happen? In short, it was never wrong to take precautions.

Liu Qi’s caution this time was indeed well-placed. A catastrophic disaster was quietly approaching them. As for how things would ultimately turn out, the world was unpredictable; guessing in advance would only be a waste of time. They would just have to wait and see when the time came.

After what happened last time, Bai Xiong’s next outing would certainly be protected by extremely tight security. Ordinary surprise attacks were unlikely to succeed.

What’s more, there was the Zhao family, along with other factions. No side would go alone—especially since Bai Xiong demanded that the “delivery” be made on the spot. Security at the scene would have to be absolutely foolproof.

Seen this way, Xi Yuechen’s action team wouldn’t have an easy time this round. It would be a tough battle, with a very high level of difficulty.

An army is raised for a thousand days and used for one. After finally waiting for such an opportunity, how could Xi Yuechen possibly let it slip? If he missed this chance, who knew how long it would be before the next one came?

Besides, after such a long period of training and preparation, the members of the action team couldn’t wait any longer either.

That night, after returning home, Xi Yuechen spent a full hour on the phone with Gao Yunxiao, talking about many things.

Of course, an hour was nowhere near enough to discuss the strategic deployment for the apology banquet five days later. Xi Yuechen merely briefed Gao Yunxiao on the situation; the two exchanged ideas casually.

After so much contact over time, the two had developed considerable tacit understanding. Many of their thoughts aligned, so whenever Xi Yuechen had something on his mind, he would discuss it with Gao Yunxiao and seek his opinion.

In short, they could now truly talk things through. With an opportunity like this coming only once, it was always better to listen to more viewpoints and pool collective wisdom.

Before hanging up, Xi Yuechen asked Gao Yunxiao to get ready, saying that they would be holding remote conference calls over the next few days. Given the current conditions, this was the only way to make do.

Starting the next day, Xi Yuechen became busy. He was dragged around all day by Long Ge, Liu Qi, and the others. Since he was someone the Yanmen boss had taken a liking to, he had to carry himself like a “big shot.” Otherwise, when he went out with the boss, looking small-time would only embarrass Yanmen.

As for how they trained Xi Yuechen to cultivate this so-called “big-shot demeanor,” it almost drove him to the brink every single time—so much so that he nearly couldn’t keep up the act anymore.

“Cheng Yue, come on—let’s go. Big Brother Liu will take you out to have some fun.”

Xi Yuechen had just arrived at Bai Xiong’s villa when he heard Liu Qi’s booming voice. In an instant, his face darkened noticeably.

“Brother Liu, I’m really sorry. I honestly can’t adapt to those kinds of places. Please, just spare me,” Xi Yuechen said with a bitter smile, clearly troubled.

“Hey, that’s not right,” Liu Qi replied. “It’s because you’re not used to those places that we’re taking you there. Go a few more times and you’ll get used to it. Then you’ll understand the benefits.”

Helping himself to Xi Yuechen’s shoulder like an old buddy, Liu Qi grinned and coaxed him along, his face full of determination.

Xi Yuechen’s expression stiffened; his smile became strained. “Brother Liu, to be honest with you, I really don’t like those kinds of occasions. Besides, my wife is pregnant—I truly can’t do anything that would betray her.”

Unexpectedly, Liu Qi remained unmoved. Instead, he said dismissively, “You’re a man—how can you not have some necessary social engagements? If you want to do big things, you can’t be so timid, or people will look down on you. And anyway, it’s just going through the motions. Your wife is far away in S City—how could she possibly know?”

Xi Yuechen genuinely felt the urge to fling his sleeves and walk away. The smile on his face was about to crack.

Such “high-society” socializing was truly eye-opening. Perhaps only a place like Yanmen could produce this sort of thing—a bunch of people utterly unfit for any respectable stage.

So what kind of “social engagement” was it that nearly made the usually unflappable Colonel Xi lose his composure?

Yesterday, Long Ge and Liu Qi had dragged Xi Yuechen out, insisting on cultivating his “big-shot demeanor.” He was no longer who he used to be—when he went out now, he represented Yanmen’s image, and he couldn’t afford to look stingy.

They drove him straight to Huangcheng.

Then they ordered a large amount of cigarettes and alcohol.

Then they called in several hostesses.

They said that Xi Yuechen was capable and could handle big things, but his personal life was far too plain—like an ascetic monk. How could someone who prided himself on staying “clean” survive in their world? When dealing with people, everything was settled at the drinking table and on the dance floor.

Long Ge and Liu Qi truly treated Xi Yuechen as one of their own, calling him “brother” and even trying to teach him the ways of social conduct in their circle.

Under the combined pressure of the two, Xi Yuechen couldn’t leave, nor could he openly fall out with them. He could only force a smile and endure it.

He couldn’t refuse the cigarettes and alcohol either, so he followed along, smoking and drinking with them. Later, they wanted the hostesses to throw themselves into his arms—that, of course, was absolutely unacceptable.

No matter what they thought, this kind of “favor” was something Xi Yuechen simply couldn’t bear.

Unexpectedly, his refusal only strengthened Long Ge and Liu Qi’s resolve to “help” him. What kind of man aiming to do great things couldn’t even handle a woman? Wouldn’t people laugh at that? And if you couldn’t even fake it for appearances, how could you hope to accomplish anything major?

So today, Liu Qi came again, patiently and persistently trying to guide him—determined to teach Xi Yuechen how to navigate the world of neon lights and smooth social maneuvering.

No matter how Xi Yuechen refused, Liu Qi simply wouldn’t give up, insisting that he accompany him to Huangcheng.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, Bai Xiong slowly walked out of the villa. Hearing their argument, he couldn’t help but approach out of curiosity.

Cheng Yue, getting into an argument with someone? Since when was he anything but gentle and courteous?

“What’s going on?” Bai Xiong asked. “Why are you arguing so fiercely?”

Liu Qi had been earnestly persuading Xi Yuechen, inwardly cursing how stubborn the kid was. I’ll drag you onto the right path no matter what.

Suddenly hearing Bai Xiong’s voice, he shut up at once, turned his head, and said, “Big Brother.”

Xi Yuechen quietly breathed a sigh of relief at finally having a way out, then smiled and greeted Bai Xiong as well.

“Mm.” Bai Xiong responded, his eyes sweeping over their expressions. In a deep voice he asked, “What are you talking about that’s got you so worked up? Come—tell me too.”

Hearing this, Xi Yuechen wasn’t nervous at all; he actually felt more at ease. There was no way Liu Qi would tell Bai Xiong about encouraging someone to indulge in debauchery. If Bai Xiong found out, he would surely refuse as well.

Xi Yuechen’s hopes were rather optimistic—but he never expected Liu Qi to open his mouth and confess everything in detail.

“Big Brother, I just think Cheng Yue is too stiff in some areas. If he goes out like that, won’t people laugh at him? So I wanted to take him out to have some fun, get used to socializing. Even learning to put on an act would be good.”

What Xi Yuechen hadn’t expected even more was that Bai Xiong seemed intrigued. “Oh? I didn’t realize Cheng Yue’s lifestyle was like this.”

At that, Liu Qi launched right into it. “Big Brother, you don’t know—don’t be fooled by how clever Cheng Yue looks. There’s a lot he doesn’t get. He doesn’t smoke, drink, gamble, or hold women. You’re not a monk—why make your life so dull? How are you supposed to survive in our world like that? If word got out, wouldn’t people laugh at Yanmen? Yesterday, Long Ge and I took him to Huangcheng—Big Brother, you should’ve seen him. Asking him to hold a woman was like sending him to the execution ground. He was timid and refused no matter how we tried to persuade him. If others saw that, wouldn’t they start wondering if there was something wrong with him?”

At this point, Xi Yuechen’s face turned completely black. In all his years, who had ever dared to criticize him like this? And to even imply that he was “not capable”—what man could tolerate such words, let alone the proud Colonel Xi?

His hand clenched tightly as he fought the urge to kick Liu Qi to death on the spot. The total absence of any smile on his face made it clear just how foul his mood was.

In truth, his mood was far worse than merely “bad.” His heart was already aflame with anger, yet he had to suppress it forcefully—so stifling it was almost unbearable.

Bai Xiong burst out laughing after hearing this, and seeing Xi Yuechen’s darkened expression only made him laugh harder.

Seeing Xi Yuechen’s face, Liu Qi gave an awkward chuckle and only then realized his words had gone too far. How could he say something like that? That was a direct blow to a man’s dignity. So he didn’t take Xi Yuechen’s gloomy expression too seriously—this reaction was already quite restrained. If it were him, he would’ve rolled up his sleeves and started a fight long ago.

Embarrassed, Liu Qi rubbed his nose and looked helplessly at Bai Xiong, who was still laughing. “Big Brother, please stop laughing.”

Can’t you see Cheng Yue looks ready to hit someone? At least give the guy a bit of face.

Bai Xiong finally reined in his laughter. Looking at Xi Yuechen’s dark face, he sighed. “Cheng Yue, you’re usually quite clever. Why are you being so muddle-headed about this? Do you think people in our world just magically make it? Who didn’t come up this way? Since you’ve chosen this path, you should’ve thought it through already. This circle is like this by nature. If you want in, you have to throw away what you shouldn’t have—otherwise, you won’t adapt, and sooner or later you’ll be kicked out.”

Xi Yuechen was rendered completely speechless by Bai Xiong’s earnest lecture. Inwardly, he felt genuinely relieved that all of this would be over in five days. Otherwise, who knew how many more messy, absurd demands Yanmen would try to impose on him?

Bai Xiong truly valued Xi Yuechen now, and there was a touch of cherishing talent in his attitude. Since he had brought the man to his side, he felt obliged to teach him properly—especially considering Xi Yuechen had once risked his life to save his.

Now that Bai Xiong had status and power, the deals he discussed were all major ones. Respectable figures didn’t conduct business by indulging in debauchery at such places—but he couldn’t deny that he had come up that way. He knew the rules one had to follow to stand out in this circle.

To want to make money like Cheng Yue without touching anything at all—where in the world did such a good deal exist? Besides, it wasn’t as if he was being told to take drugs. It was just having fun. Why be so coy about it?

Thus, Bai Xiong also developed the urge to “help” Xi Yuechen. This was a promising seed—he couldn’t let him be held back by such trivial matters.

But could this kind of thing really be forced on someone?

It was like “forcing a good person into vice”—how could coercion ever be right?