MY WIFE IS A BEAUTIFUL CEO

Chapter 451 - Chapter 460

Chapter 451 - What Matters Most Is

In an office, sat Ning Guangyao whose call was just abruptly ended. He wasn't aware that Lin Ruoxi had fainted as a result of an overload of stimuli.

Ning Guangyao just thought Lin Ruoxi was still mad about Ning Guodong, and him being the father of said rogue, wasn't welcomed. Thus, all he did was shake his head with a bitter smile.

He seemed to have thought of something. Ning Guangyao took out his wallet. This wallet was a little different than most. It wasn't used to contain banknotes, coins or credit cards. It was used to store various commemorative things like pictures, and name cards.

Ning Guangyao took out a laminated picture from the innermost part of the wallet. Over time, the picture had aged and yellowed as a result, but it didn't affect the clarity of the image.

In the picture, a lady, dressed in an old-fashioned skirt, was seated on a stone bench, peacefully reading her book, seeming as though she didn't have a care in the world...

Ning Guangyao stared at the lady for a long time as he got carried away by the memories of the past. Knock! Knock! His door was knocked upon.

Ning Guangyao regained awareness and sneaked the picture back into his wallet before standing up. Smiling, he said, "Cuishan, why have you come to Zhonghai?"

The middle-aged lady with short hair who walked in from the door was dressed in a white, formal western suit and a pair of black high heels. It was obvious the lady took great care in maintaining her outward appearance. Her age couldn't be determined just by the look on her face. She had bright and fair skin and a mature and elegant figure.

She was Ning Guangyao's wife and Ning Guodong's mother—Luo Cuishan.

"Since you and Guodong didn't return to Beijing, all I could do was come over to see what had happened," Luo Cuishan complained as she stared at her husband, but the smile she held was still really warm.

Ning Guangyao behaved much more gentle in front of his wife. His eyes shone with genuine love. "Nothing much happened, don't worry too much. Guodong did something wrong, and I'm here to correct his mistakes. I was planning to fly back to Beijing tonight. I can't afford to be late for the election."

"Yeah, no one ever needs to worry about your work. But please, enlighten me on why you have scolded our son in the way you have" Luo Cuishan said as she felt a heartache. "I went to Guodong's place just now. He looked so dull and soulless. He hadn't appeared this way before in the past."

Anger filled Ning Guangyao's eyes. "Don't mind him. He'll be fine after a while. We made the mistake of spoiling him in the past. He had grown a nasty temper as a result. Go back to Beijing with me in the afternoon. We'll speak of this at a later time."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Guangyao walked out of the office. Evidently, he was still irritated for the matter involving Ning Guodong.

Luo Cuishan turned around to gaze upon his husband's back view while he walked outside, while an incomprehensible light filled her eyes.

... ...

Inside Lin Ruoxi's room, the curtains had been pulled open by Yang Chen, allowing the warm afternoon sunlight to enter the room, shining a dim golden light within.

Lin Ruoxi had already woken up from her slumber, but she didn't get out of bed. She silently sat on the bed. Without making any noise, she had her gaze fixed on the group photo on the bedside table.

It had been half an hour, but Lin Ruoxi didn't look like she was planning to talk, as if she had fallen into realm created by her imagination beyond that of the human one.

Yang Chen walked toward Lin Ruoxi and covered the photo, blocking her from staring at it.

"There's no need to stare any longer. You still have a lot of things to do. Don't think about things or people that you don't need to prioritize on," Yang Chen said as he frowned.

Earlier, Wu Yue and Mo Qianni had made a call to her. Yu Lei International had recently survived a war and struck back after all. Their stock prices had skyrocketed. The press conferences, market seminars, and other meetings had to be led and managed by Lin Ruoxi.

However, Lin Ruoxi had been 'paralyzed' by the events that happened just when Yu Lei needed her most.

Yang Chen didn't put much importance on the operations of Yu Lei International. However, he couldn't bear looking at her lifeless and depressed state.

This woman was usually called a workaholic. Yang Chen felt a trace of terror now that she had remained quiet for so long!

It wasn't known if Lin Ruoxi managed to hear what he said. Quietly nodding, she looked at Yang Chen and asked, "You've known about it for sometime, haven't you?"

Yang Chen didn't understand what he said. However, he felt a little relieved as Lin Ruoxi finally opened her mouth. He asked, "What?"

"When that man died, I remember a doctor asking to speak to that man's family. It was you who had gone with him. If he had a medical record, you'd be the first one to know..." Lin Ruoxi was referring to Doctor Bao whom Yang Chen had threatened at the hospital. "You told me that it wasn't anything important. Did you attempt to hide the truth from me?"

Yang Chen knew that he couldn't hide it from her anymore. Nodding, he said, "That's right. I did it in your best interest. This is something that you could have lived on without knowing."

"Are you mocking me? For whoever gave birth to me doesn't matter, and I'm a child that nobody wants?" Lin Ruoxi asked as she smiled coldly.

Yang Chen shook his head. "You're wrong. In my eyes, none of these things concern me. Whose daughter you were in the past didn't matter. What matters most is... where you are now. You are... now my wife."

Lin Ruoxi was stunned. Having stared at Yang Chen for a while, she didn't notice any insincerity in Yang Chen's words. His eyes were clear and had said it all. He looked incredibly serious, contrary to how he would usually behave in a happy-go-lucky manner, as if he was talking about something crucial.

Lin Ruoxi lowered her head. Her eyes had reddened a little. She bit her lips and remained silent.

Yang Chen sat by the bed and stretched his arm out to hold Lin Ruoxi's delicate chin before lifting it to meet his eyes.

Their gazes met. Lin Ruoxi's eyes were rather watery and reflective.

"Back then, you said that we were both scorpions. The river couldn't drown us. The only thing which could kill us was our own venom which we couldn't control. Since that's the case, why do you look like you've lost everything after merely exposing yourself in the drizzling rain?" Yang Chen asked.

Lin Ruoxi stared at him for a while before saying, "I was just asking how you see me now that you know. Who said I needed a lecture?"

Yang Chen was shocked, but soon revealed a smile.

Lin Ruoxi pouted her mouth while she blushed a little. She wasn't willing to look at Yang Chen anymore. "Don't talk about something so cheesy in the future. Also, who allowed you to sit on my bed? Who let you to touch the picture? Who my parents are is none of your business..."

"I just wanted to comfort you a little." Yang Chen smiled bitterly.

"What?!" Lin Ruoxi gave him an angry stare. "Do you mean that everything you said was fake?!"

"Ah?" Yang Chen quickly waved his hand. "Of course they're real. Why would I lie?"

"Humph. Get out!" Lin Ruoxi's brows finally weren't furrowed anymore.

Yang Chen felt that he would be in danger if he stayed any longer. Thus, he hurriedly rushed out of the room.

After Lin Ruoxi heard Yang Chen's hasty footsteps when he ran downstairs, she finally revealed a smile on her face while tenderness filled her eyes.

Lin Ruoxi took two days to recover before she was her usual self again. After returning to the company, she decisively introduced various policies in preparation for the launch of the new material, and had invested a lot of the funds earned from winning the battle into more projects, boosting the strength of Yu Lei.

Yang Chen wasn't slacking in this period. Although the publicity of Star of Yu Lei was mainly handled by Zhao Teng and Wang Jie in addition to the cooperation of Christen, being the director, the least he could do was show his face and entertain their partners.

Christen's fame made Yang Chen speechless. Ever since she showed up in Zhonghai, it seemed like the population of the place had risen quickly. Her fans came from all directions, causing the transportation department's workload to multiply a few fold.

The usual non-peak periods in Zhonghai started getting traffic jams. Moreover, some of her fans had extraordinary backgrounds which the police didn't dare to provoke.

A lot of Christen's passionate fans even had the intentions of confessing their undying love. The entrance of the hotel she stayed in would be piled up with gifts, roses, and other flowers every day. Some of them even rushed through the human wall of security guards, causing Christen to meet some 'fish that escaped from the net'. While she was surprised at the 'determination' of her Chinese fans, she happily signed autographs for them and allowed them to take pictures with her.

The hotel Christen stayed in was provided by An Xin's father An Zaihuan. He had requested to provide a room from Jade Clouds Hotel which used to belong to the Liu clan. An Zaihuan was also a great supporter of Star of Yu Lei.

Yang Chen didn't think An Zaihuan only did so because of profits. An Zaihuan probably wanted to get close to him, so in turn he just let things play out as they were.

Yang Chen felt the most helpless when it came to the little vixen An Xin. She would do whatever she could think of. From her time as a stewardess, she had developed a new interest—to host the show!

Under An Xin's repeated demand, Yang Chen discussed with the show's producer to let An Xin be the hostess of Star of Yu Lei together with the well-known host from a TV station.

An Xin passed the rehearsal with flying colors. However, the host almost said something wrong, since he heard that An Xin was the young lady of the An clan, causing him to hold ridiculous thought.

The pitiful host behaved really carefully. He was afraid that An Xin might think he had intentions on her.

To Yang Chen's surprise, Wang Jie and Zhao Teng had invited a few VIP guests before the event started due to Christen's arrival.

A few famous Chinese artists even showed up struggling to show their faces at the opening ceremony to give their blessing or request to participate as a judge.

At last, some of the most popular artists were picked to be the judges. They weren't arranged to be on the same stage as Christen in the finals. They would only appear in the knockouts. However, their appearance was more than enough to attract the attention of the general population.

Being a rather new trainee, Hui Lin would be on stage later as well. The people at home were excitedly waiting for the live TV broadcast in anticipation of her performance.

At the same time, Yang Chen who had gotten a little lazy received a call from Liu Mingyu.

Elder Sister Liu sounded rather reluctant. On the phone, she said, "Yang Chen, my parents said... they want to see you tomorrow. Can you come over?"

Yang Chen was surprised. "Of course I can. I would've met them earlier if you weren't this busy."

"Actually... it's fine if you're not free..." Liu Mingyu suddenly said.

Although Yang Chen found her speech weird, he just thought she didn't want to trouble him. Smiling, he said, "It's fine. Don't worry, Babe Mingyu. Tell me what kind of people Uncle and Aunt are so that I can be prepared."

Chapter 452 - Complicated Family

 

Listening to Yang Chen's question, Liu Mingyu remained quiet for a bit before smiling. "My parents are... as average as parents get. My mom is the average housewife. All she does is cook and socialize by playing Mahjong with other middle-aged ladies. My dad runs a business in Beijing and doesn't come home often. Back then, I would only usually manage to see him a couple times a year. I believe he's planning to develop his business in Zhonghai, so he has been home more often nowadays."

"Then what are their hobbies?" Yang Chen asked.

"I don't think they are particularly interested in anything. Also, they don't like to be high-profile. Don't buy them too many gifts. They won't be able to appreciate it," Liu Mingyu reminded.

Yang Chen guessed that her parents would have been ordinary family seniors. He asked, "Have you told your parents about what kind of a person I am?"

"I... I just said I knew you at the workplace and you're the director of the subsidiary company," Liu Mingyu said.

"Didn't they asked about anything else?" Yang Chen didn't believe that anyone's parents would be satisfied with such little information.

"They... they asked when we're going to get married. I... I didn't know how to answer, so I made the arrangements for them to meet you, and for you to answer them," Liu Mingyu said softly. She was usually confident, but she found it hard to speak now.

Yang Chen knew that he had been terrible on this aspect. Evidently, he couldn't just submit a 'wedding date', nor could he promise anything of that kind in the foreseeable future. Thus, he had to think of ways to convince her parents so that they wouldn't oppose their relationship.

An ordinary approach definitely wouldn't solve this problem. Therefore, Yang Chen felt that he might have to use some 'unconventional means'.

But the more he pondered, the less he could come up with. All he could do was cross the bridge when he came to it.

The dinner was booked at a quiet vegetarian restaurant in Zhonghai. He heard that Liu Mingyu's father was a vegetarian, so no meat would be served for the meal.

From this point, her father was placed as the center of the family, which made Yang Chen feel that there shouldn't be a problem as long as he could convince her father.

He drove to the refined and quiet restaurant. When he got off his car and walked to the entrance, Liu Mingyu could be seen waiting there anxiously. Yang Chen couldn't help but smile when he noticed her nervous expression after approaching her. "Are you this nervous? Are you worried that they might eat me?"

Liu Mingyu wasn't in the mood to joke around. "If my father suddenly does something later, please don't do anything reckless. Just talk nicely."

Yang Chen was wondering what she was implying. However, he soon dismissed the thought as he followed her into the private room they had booked for this occasion.

Liu Mingyu held his arm tightly as they walked. He felt her soft body shiver.

Since it was a vegetarian restaurant, it was colored in dark green, causing the place to look peaceful. The restaurant was also decorated with indoor plants, while a few pots of spider plants were hung on the ceiling.

When the door was opened, a man and a woman were revealed seated at the opposite.

Liu Mingyu's mother had a similar look with her daughter. Although she had slight crow's feet, it could be seen that she used to be stunning and elegant. She revealed a complicated expression when Yang Chen came inside, giving rise to confusion within him.

The man seated beside the woman wore a grey striped suit. The hair on his slightly bald head was combed tidily to the back of his head. His eyes stared at Yang Chen, sharp like knives, but he held a faint smile on his face, making the whole scene rather confusing.

When Yang Chen saw Liu Mingyu's father, he finally understood why she was so nervous. He definitely wasn't an ordinary person, as his body contained killing aura.

He was a man who had taken numerous lives. He certainly wasn't the businessman whom Liu Mingyu had described him as.

Yang Chen suddenly found it interesting. He wasn't very annoyed by the matter regarding how he would face the marriage anymore.

"You must be Yang Chen. Please come inside and have a seat," the mother said smilingly. "I've wanted to meet you for some time now, but Yu'er wasn't willing to meet us. She's almost always busy. It's good for young people to be busy, but you can't always delay your marriage, can you?"

It became painfully clear that Liu Mingyu's mother wasn't someone who was easy to convince. He had just sat down for not longer than a minute before she had mentioned marriage.

"Liu Qingshan. Yu'er's father." Liu Qingshan raised his the cup containing apple cider in a toast to Yang Chen.

Yang Chen smiled slightly as he answered, "I should've come to meet Uncle and Aunt earlier, but I had other things to attend to prior to this."

Smiling, Liu Qingshan said, "I heard from Yu'er that you're the director of Yu Lei's subsidiary company. You should be really impressive to sit on such a high position at this young age."

Liu Qingshan's eyes held no praise. This made Yang Chen feel that he was hiding a knife in his smile.

"I'm flattered, Uncle. I just happen to be one of the lucky few."

"Luck plays a role in strength as well," Liu Qingshan replied before turning to Liu Mingyu. "Yu'er, please ask the waiters to commence serving."

Liu Mingyu was overly nervous. She instantly stood up after listening to him. However, she lost balance on her high heels and fell from her wooden chair.

Yang Chen reacted instantaneously and held Liu Mingyu's waist, stopping her from falling on the ground.

Being hugged by Yang Chen in front of her parents, Liu Mingyu felt that her face had gotten a little hot. She then hastily rushed outside, leaving only Yang Chen, Liu Qingshan and her wife there, causing the atmosphere to get a little stiff.

The mother held a smile on her face, but Liu Qingshan's expression turned serious.

"Yang Chen, how long have you known Yu'er for?" Liu Qingshan asked.

Yang Chen calculated for a bit. "Almost six months I guess."

"Then do you plan to get married anytime soon? You know that Yu'er isn't getting any younger, while both of you are successful in your respective work. Marriage shouldn't be a problem for you." Liu Qingshan was really straightforward.

Yang Chen didn't expect to be asked that question so quickly. He couldn't help but smile and say, "I am actually married already."

As soon as he finished speaking, the mother covered her mouth in surprise. She was obviously shocked.

Liu Qingshan, however, held a cold smile on his face. "You're surprisingly honest, Young Man. I thought you were going to bullshit us into thinking otherwise."

"Why did Uncle ask Mingyu to bring me here then, if you already know about it?" Yang Chen asked out of curiosity.

Liu Qingshan wanted to say something, but the door was opened from the outside!

"Dad, Mom! Where's Brother-In-Law?!"

A tall and slim guy dressed in loose hip hop clothing whose hair was dyed yellow and waxed up right suddenly rushed inside. He used his small eyes to sweep across the room before fixing his gaze on Yang Chen. He looked disappointed. "Is this fellow him? Why does he look so mediocre?"

"Minghao, why have you come so late? Did you get in a fight again?" Liu Mingyu's mother asked in dissatisfaction after standing up. She walked toward the guy before pulling her to sit beside her.

Liu Qingshan looked contented when he saw his son. He said to Yang Chen, "This is Yu'er's younger brother Minghao. He used to live with me in Beijing and doesn't come to Zhonghai very often."

Yang Chen felt that Liu Mingyu's family situation was more complicated than he originally imagined. Liu Mingyu stayed in Zhonghai with her mother, while her father and younger brother lived in Beijing. Evidently, Liu Mingyu and her mother were ordinary residents, while Liu Qingshan and Liu Minghao didn't look like good people.

No wonder Liu Mingyu suddenly told Yang Chen that he didn't have to come if he wasn't free. However, didn't she know how her father and brother were like before that?

"Are you finding it strange that Yu'er has such a father?" Liu Qingshan seemed to have seen through Yang Chen's thought.

Yang Chen nodded. "I'm indeed a little bit shocked."

"Shock your ass! How dare you marry my elder sister looking like mold on rotten cheese? You should take a look at yourself in the mirror. You're not handsome or cool at all, and you don't look strong. You definitely can't fight. My elder sister's husband has to be at least listed in The World's Billionaires by Foobs!" Liu Minghao yelled disdainfully.

Yang Chen scratched his nose. "It's Forbes."

"Yes, yes, that one!" Liu Minghao chuckled. "I was trying to say that something Forbes!"

The mother didn't blame her son for talking nonsense. She caressed Liu Minghao's cheeks affectionately as if she was treating a kid.

At this moment, Liu Mingyu returned to the room and noticed her younger brother. Displeased, she said, "Minghao, you got into another fight again, didn't you? Why did you come back so late? You should just live by the streets starting from now!"

After she finished speaking, she turned to Yang Chen. "He's my younger brother who's really playful, but he actually has a kind heart."

Yang Chen smiled. "I can tell. He said I wasn't handsome, but didn't give me a slap on my face."

Liu Mingyu smiled a little. However, when she noticed her father's expression, she started getting worried.

"Yang Chen, the reason I called you here for a meal knowing you're already married is really simple." Liu Qingshan sipped on his apple cider before looking at Yang Chen with a sharp gaze. "I don't oppose you two from getting together."

Liu Mingyu violently raised her head and looked at her father weirdly. Out of everything she expected to come out of his mouth, this wasn't one of them.

The mother, however, smiled helplessly without saying anything, as if she had known about this decision already.

Liu Minghao was most dissatisfied. He wanted to raise objections to his father, but withdrew his intention after Liu Qingshan stared at him furiously.

Yang Chen didn't know what he was feeling. He had prepared a speech tirelessly, but realized everything was in vain. However, he was happy for what had happened as well. Blinking his eyes, he smiled and said, "Uncle is indeed reasonable."

"Are you trying to be sarcastic? Although I'm not a righteous man with only one wife, I don't really like the idea of giving away my only daughter to be a man's lover," Liu Qingshan said. Soon, he smiled and said, "President Situ from Red Thorns Society is your lover as well, isn't she?"

The smile on Yang Chen's face instantly dissipated. He quickly realized something as he recalled what Rose had told him. Frowning, he asked, "Uncle, is it possible that you're... Rose's gang partner?"

Chapter 453 - Desolate

 

Rose had mentioned that a syndicate boss from another part of China came looking to partner up with her to expand his power by taking over small-scale gangs in the south.

The initially cold and bored blood in Rose's body got heated up again after getting Yang Chen's agreement. She then proceeded to plan her gang deployment.

However, Yang Chen hadn't been bothered to understand the situation well, so he didn't know whom Rose was going to partner up with.

Until this moment, Yang Chen finally found out when Liu Qingshan showed the so-what-if-that-is-the-case expression!

Damn it! One of my father-in-laws is the boss of an underground syndicate?! Also, he used to be a 'businessman' in Beijing. Does that mean he controls the largest gang there?

Since Rose controlled the only gang in Zhonghai, the association which she chose to partner up with wasn't weak to say the least. That meant it wasn't surprising if Liu Qingshan was the president of the largest gang in Beijing.

However, since that was the case, why would Liu Mingyu work in a legitimate corporate, while the domineering aura couldn't be found on her at all?

Yang Chen found it weirder that Liu Mingyu only seemed to have found out about her father's background just now. However, her younger brother Minghao clearly knew about it long ago, judging by his actions.

Yang Chen quickly thought of something. He couldn't help but ask, "Then if that's the case, is Uncle behind the annihilation of Qi Kai's clan?"

"That's right. I had hired someone to wipe out their entire clan," Liu Qingshan answered joyfully without trying to hide anything.

Liu Mingyu's eyes widened in shock. She cried, "Dad... you... why did you..."

"Humph," Liu Qingshan snorted scornfully. "That Qi fellow went over the line for so many times. He was sorry to my daughter. It was his blessing that only his clan died. Yu'er, if it wasn't because I hadn't conquered all of Beijing earlier, while the Qi clan was directly under the Tang clan, I would've killed him long ago."

"But... but his family did nothing to me..." Sorrow filled Liu Mingyu's eyes. It wasn't because she missed Qi Kai, but she couldn't bear seeing an entire clan being wiped for the mistakes on one man.

Liu Qingshan put on a serious expression. "Back then when you lived with your mother, we lied to you that I operated a business in Beijing to avoid getting you involved. We were also worried that you'd get contaminated by these filthy things, being a little girl. The situation is set now. You're Liu Qingshan's daughter, so naturally, there isn't anyone that would dare bully you anymore..."

As he spoke, Liu Qingshan turned to Liu Mingyu. Threat obviously displayed in his eyes. "Even if you're not a legitimate wife, I still won't allow you to suffer."

Yang Chen found Liu Qingshan's words blurry. He had no clue on a lot of aspects. Smiling bitterly, he replied, "I definitely won't take advantage of Mingyu. Uncle, can you stop talking about things that I don't understand?"

The mother chuckled. "I'll do the talking. Qingshan, why are you frightening my son-in-law? Yang Chen, this is what happened..."

After listening to the mother's explanation, Yang Chen finally understood everything.

When Liu Qingshan and Liu Mingyu's mother got married, Liu Qingshan was only just a small helper in the clan. He had fallen in love with the mother and married her. However, he was worried that his career would affect his wife and future child.

Thus, when Liu Mingyu was still really young, Liu Qingshan let her and her mother come to Zhonghai, and allowed his daughter to live like an ordinary girl. To avoid getting her involved in the underworld, they rarely met up to keep Liu Mingyu in the dark.

Anyone in the underworld would receive some inevitable pressure. To Liu Qingshan, if Liu Mingyu was a guy, he could naturally bring him along and allow him to inherit everything in the future. However, Liu Mingyu was a girl, so he didn't plan to let her live a life of fear and oppression.

His action was completely different from Rose's father Situ Mingze. Back then, Situ Mingze brought up Rose with the intention of educating her and passing the clan on to her. Although Rose couldn't stand looking at her father's brutality, one must admit Rose's blood was filled with her father's craze in the underworld.

After a few years, Liu Qingshan relied on his competence and went through tons of battles before gradually becoming the leader of one of the largest associations. However, since his wife and daughter were in Zhonghai while he couldn't meet them often, he had an intercourse with another woman when he was still young and strong.

That woman was Liu Minghao's mother who operated a bar in Beijing.

The mother knew that her husband wasn't an irresponsible man, and she was aware of his efforts. When she picked Liu Qingshan back then, she had made various preparations. Thus, when he told her that he had another woman, the mother generously accepted the matter.

After that, following the birth of Liu Minghao, the woman from Beijing became the mother's close friend. One lived in Zhonghai while the other stayed in Beijing. Although Liu Mingyu and Liu Minghao didn't meet often, because their mothers were exceptionally close, they were obliged to treat each other as siblings.

"If Yu'er didn't have a father like me, she wouldn't have chosen you so easily," Liu Qingshan sighed helplessly.

Yang Chen felt really guilty. He felt that this father-in-law of his was his true helper. The old man was the true player in handling women!

Raising two women at different places indeed appeared to be a great idea. However, Yang Chen had so many woman. If he had to separate all of them, he would no doubt die from exhaustion from having to visit so many places and people all at once.

Liu Mingyu looked at Yang Chen with a sour expression. She glanced at Yang Chen and said, "I only found out my father's true identity recently. I was worried that you might feel I had been hiding it from you all this time. I didn't know how to explain it to you. Please don't blame me for it, can you..."

"Humph. Why would he dare to blame you? He's pleased if anything." Liu Qingshan snorted in dissatisfaction. "Am I right, Yang Chen?"

Yang Chen coughed a little. He wondered why his father-in-law was so brutally honest. "Of course I won't blame you. I'm not a good person at the end of the day. I myself am aware about this."

"Alright, alright. What are you guys talking about? Qingshan, it is rare for you to finally finish your work and find time to keep Yu'er company. Now that we have a decent son-in-law, all of us should talk happily instead," the mother complained.

Liu Qingshan treated his wife with much respect. He had nothing else to say anymore.

The waiters soon served the food. As they dined, Liu Minghao had examined Yang Chen from top to bottom repeatedly, as if he was trying to assess Yang Chen's reliability for his sister.

Yang Chen felt helpless for this brother-in-law of his. At that age, he was evidently a highschooler. He should've entered a new school after returning to Zhonghai with Liu Qingshan.

Quickly, Yang Chen thought of a problem. He asked, "Uncle, where is my other mother-in-law?"

Yang Chen was naturally referring to Liu Qingshan's other woman. She was at least his mother-in-law nominally.

Liu Qingshan appear emotional. "She's helping me attend to operations in Beijing. I have spent most of my time in Beijing in these recent years. Now that I finally gathered the powers in Beijing, I can finally accompany Mingyu and her mother more. She offered to help me out in Beijing. When I talk about it, I'm indeed unqualified to find you irritating. I'm no better than you."

Well, at least you are aware of it yourself, Yang Chen thought as he smiled.

"Dad, my mom asked me to watch you tightly. I can't allow you to get more 'mothers'," Liu Minghao said loudly as he chewed the vegetarian meat, causing some of his saliva to land on his father.

Liu Qingshan almost spat out his apple cider. Expectedly, Liu Mingyu's mother gave him an evil stare as well.

Liu Qingshan patted his chest righteously before speaking, "What makes you think your father is that kind of person? I know that I've been sinful in this life. I haven't had any meat for so many years. Can't you tell my sincerity?"

"My mom knew that you would give this exact reason. She asked me to tell you that you used the same tactic to trick her back then!"

Liu Qingshan became completely speechless. Yang Chen felt that Liu Minghao was actually quite adorable.

The dinner with Liu Mingyu's parents was surprisingly complicated. Fortunately, Yang Chen had experienced a lot in life. Although he had no clue how much Liu Qingshan knew about him, he was sure that Liu Qingshan had regarded him highly. Otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to his relationship with Liu Mingyu.

Yang Chen somehow had a gang leader boss as one of his father-in-laws who happened to be a vegetarian. Having had a lot of apple cider and filled his stomach with vegetarian food, he felt a little dizzy.

When he walked out of the restaurant, Yang Chen pulled Liu Mingyu's hand and leaned forward to her ear. "It looks like our matter is dealt with. You can just be my lover for the rest of your life. Do you feel wronged?"

"At least you won't treat me like how my father treats my mother. They only meet up once or twice a year. So I'm fine with this," Liu Mingyu said honestly.

"Why can't you speak more like a woman? You should act like a spoiled princess and scold me or something," Yang Chen said with a smile.

Liu Mingyu rolled her eyes. "This is who I am. I wasn't brought up spoilt."

Yang Chen pouted. "I'll let you meet Rose next time. She's a good friend of Qianni, and they're now living together. No matter what, you're the daughter of a gang leader. You can follow Rose and learn from her. It's even possible for you to inherit your father's position."

"No way. I want to be a white-collar worker. I'll just let my younger brother take over the position," Liu Mingyu said.

"What a great elder sister. You're letting your own younger brother into the underworld." Yang Chen widened his eyes.

"Doesn't he have your help as your brother-in-law?" Liu Mingyu asked with a smile.

Yang Chen felt troubled. Once he started having more women, he was involved in and required to help out more matters. It certainly looked like he should stop recruiting women.

After he bade farewell with Liu Qingshan, the mother, and Liu Minghao, it was already 11 o'clock at night.

Since it was rather late already, there were very little cars on the road when Yang Chen headed home.

He was passing by a cable-stayed bridge when he suddenly noticed a lonely figure standing on the rail without any support, looking exceedingly desolate!

If it wasn't for his incredible eyesight, he wouldn't have witnessed this extremely dangerous scene!

Currently, the figure was facing the cold wind, standing at the very edge of the slim and long rail by the bridge. She looked like she could fall anytime into the violent waves tens of meters beneath!

Even a rock which weighed hundreds of kilograms would disappear instantly after being flushed away, let alone a human being. The force of the impact with the water surface could even blast a person's organs into pieces!

Was someone about to commit suicide?!

Yang Chen blinked his eyes to make sure he wasn't having an illusion. He stepped onto the accelerator forcefully and rushed to the back of the figure before activating the emergency brake and getting off the car!

Even if it was a stranger, while Yang Chen's wasn't Buddha who would save lives, it was simply immoral for him to watch as someone was about to take their own lives.

However, when Yang Chen got off his car and was able to get a clearer view of the persons back, he suddenly found it immensely familiar...

Chapter 454 - Adorable or Horrifying

 

On the rail, was a figure swaying unsteadily in the wind, dressed in a light grey dress. The street lights shone upon her slim and elegant calves, causing her fair skin to look particularly shiny.

Her black hair vaguely revealed her face when blown by the cold wind of the night. It was Yang Chen's first time seeing that woman dressed in such a simple manner, and their first time meeting in a place that they would almost never have had.

"Cai Ning?"

Yang Chen frowned. Cai Ning surprisingly failed to notice that his car was parked behind her, and Yang Chen was walking toward her. That was extremely unusual, but the woman in front of him was indeed Cai Ning.

Cai Ning who was standing on the rail, seemed to have received some form of stimulation. She violently turned around, only to find Yang Chen standing in front of her. In the night, her gem-like eyes were filled astonishment and anxiety.

Surprised at the turn of events, Cai Ning lost her balance and leaned backward, falling off the bridge!

"Hey!"

Yang Chen was shocked. Cai Ning excelled in martial arts and was a member of Group of Eight. He had not expected her to fall just because she was startled for a second.

However, Yang Chen didn't think she was in any danger. Excitedly, before Yang Chen walked to the edge, Cai Ning utilized her lightness skill and relied on the water surface to kick her weight back up to the bridge.

When Cai Ning landed beside Yang Chen, she was apparently still in shock. Blushing, she asked softly, "W—why are you here?"

Yang Chen let out a bitter smile. "I was on my way home when I thought I saw someone about to commit suicide by jumping off the rail, so I rushed over hoping to save a life. I didn't think it was you. But what had happened to you earlier? I didn't conceal my aura. You must've sensed my presence already."

Cai Ning turned around and had her back facing Yang Chen. "It's nothing. I was a little absent-minded as I contemplated over something, so I didn't notice."

Yang Chen wasn't an intrusive man therefore he didn't pry further. That woman had always been quiet and mysterious. If it wasn't because she had come to his assistance a few times before, he wouldn't have talked to her at all, albeit her being an undeniable beauty.

"Your lightness skill is quite decent, isn't it? I wouldn't be able to tap on the water surface and jump back up." Yang Chen couldn't think of anything else to say.

Softly, Cai Ning replied, "You don't need to use lightness skill. You can just fly back up."

Yang Chen smiled awkwardly. It was obvious that she had been shocked by the battle between Yang Chen and Ares back then. "I want to thank you for Zeng Mao's matter. If you're free, how about you let me treat you to a meal as repayment?"

Cai Ning turned her body back. Smiling faintly, she said, "I'm afraid I don't have the time. I have to go back to Beijing tomorrow."

"You're on another mission?" Yang Chen asked gloomily. He thought Cai Ning would always stay in Zhonghai to monitor his activities, although pointless.

Cai Ning held a complex gaze. "You can say so... I have something to deal with in short..."

Yang Chen treated it as a secret in her organization. He then remained in silence as he didn't know what to say.

As he was wondering if he should bid farewell to Cai Ning or not, she suddenly said, "Can you watch the stars with me for a while?"

"Eh?" Yang Chen doubted his hearing.

"It's fine if you don't. It was just a small request," Cai Ning said expressionlessly.

"I have no qualms with it. I was just surprised that you had such a hobby." Yang Chen shrugged his shoulders with a smile.

Cai Ning turned around and grabbed the rail with both her arms before raising her head to stare at the night sky. Although the stars were sparse, they looked peaceful and beautiful as ever.

Cai Ning's hair swept across her face. The contours of her face were fine and calm.

"I didn't always do this, not back then anyway..."

Cai Ning sounded like she was talking to herself. She then remained quiet.

Yang Chen had no clue what she meant. Since she wanted him to watch the stars with her as she could be bored doing so alone, Yang Chen raised his head and started looking at the endless sky.

Spring had just arrived. The temperature difference between the day and the night was vastly different. As the air was rather moist, the wind was frosty and caused a bone-penetrating pain.

Cai Ning placed her arms closer and tighter to her body, as if she had felt the chill, while her body shrank away a little.

Yang Chen noticed this minute action of hers. He couldn't help but find it strange. Although the night was cold, Cai Ning could cultivate internal energy. She could simply circulate energy in her body to fight the cold easily. Why would she allow herself to feel the coldness instead?

Could it be one of her interests or hobbies as well?

Yang Chen realized he had lots of questions in mind for that woman.

After around half an hour, Cai Ning turned her head over. Her lips paled slightly as a result of the weather. She said, "I have to return now. As do you I believe. Thank you for tonight."

"Don't thank me. You of all people know I am a free man. Watching the stars with a friend is no big deal," Yang Chen said with a smile.

"Are we considered friends?" Cai Ning suddenly asked while her eyes shone.

Yang Chen nodded. Smiling strangely, he said, "You've helped me out so much, while I have saved your life as well. Why wouldn't we be friends?"

Cai Ning was stunned for a while. She then smiled before saying, "It does seem to be the case. Something would always happen every time we meet. It is actually quite weird when you think about it."

"Your younger sister is the same as well. Although I have no idea where the much respected Police Chief Cai is now, I'm not very used to not seeing her to be honest."

"My sister?" Cai Ning was shocked."I believe you'll see her very soon."

Yang Chen was confused about her speech. However, he was too embarrassed to ask as she looked like she wasn't in the mood to explain.

Having moved here for a year, Yang Chen honestly felt that Cai Ning and her sister Cai Yan had been his 'warning lights'. Seeing them meant something headache-inducing or a trouble would take place. Now that Cai Yan had gone missing, while Cai Ning was going back to Beijing, Yang Chen believed his life would be simpler from now on.

Cai Ning was going home by foot. Although no one would notice if she had returned using lightness skill, she still chose to walk home regardless.

Yang Chen stared at her slender figure disappear in the dark. He felt an unpleasant and strange, yet unknown feeling. But, he wasn't willing to ponder further.

Having smoked a few cigarettes on the bridge, Yang Chen went back to his car and headed home at midnight.

The next morning, Yang Chen stayed in bed lazily until 10 o'clock. It was a working day, but he wasn't monitored by any superiors, being the CEO and all.

He received a call from An Xin. He wondered why she chose to make a phone call instead of wait for his arrival to the office.

The audition of Star of Yu Lei was taking place in the major cities today. Being the hostess for the opening ceremony, she had been busy preparing for the official event. Hence, she hadn't had time to constantly pester Yang Chen.

"Hubby, save me..." the little vixen An Xin begged. Her voice sounded so pitiful that anyone would melt at the sound of that.

Yang Chen just woke up in his boxers. He suddenly had a biological reaction on his lower body after listening to her voice...

"What are you blabbering about so early in the morning? Get to the point." Yang Chen helplessly touched his little brother to calm 'him' down.

"The empress bullied me. I was almost frightened to death..."

"What are you talking about?" Yang Chen frowned. The empress she was referring to was naturally Lin Ruoxi. "Explain it clearly. Ruoxi isn't a monster, why would she frighten you? Based on your cunning mind, why are you afraid of her? It makes more sense if you're bullying her instead. Tell me, how in the world could she have bullied you"

"Elder Sister Lin, she... she suddenly rushed into my office this morning and pulled me out. She told me that she had been practising the doll game we played in the resort earlier. She wanted to compete with me to see who would hit one first. She dragged me to the playground in central park just to play that game..." An Xin said gloomily.

Yang Chen was stunned. The doll game? he thought. He then recalled that Lin Ruoxi had spent thousands in the resort when they came out with Hui Lin earlier, but failed to hit a single doll.

At that time, Lin Ruoxi couldn't let her pride down after losing to An Xin, so she bought a basket of plastic balls to practise in her room.

Yang Chen thought that she had forgotten about this matter after dealing with the difficulty faced by Yu Lei. However, she proved him wrong! She even secretly practised just to compete with An Xin again!

Yang Chen couldn't help but feel impressed by his wife's stubbornness. One would not expect her to bring such a small matter to this level! The lines between adorable and horrifying were starting to blur together.

Yang Chen smiled bitterly. "Then try to say something to please her. Ruoxi might let you go after that."

"No... Hubby, Elder Sister Lin is now immune to rejections. No matter what I did or said, she would act like she had heard and noticed nothing. She forced me to compete with her. I had tossed more than two hundred balls in one morning. My hand will be crippled soon. I'm now hiding in the public toilet to make this distress call for help..." An Xin almost cried.

Yang Chen was confused. "Wouldn't the problem be solved if you let her win? Can't you put up such a simple act?"

This time, tears really dropped from An Xin's eyes. As she sobbed, she said, "The problem doesn't lie in whether or not I lose intentionally... It's... it's Elder Sister Lin. She had thrown more than five hundred balls... but none of them hit anything... She even... even stared at me to prevent me from leaving..."

Chapter 455 - I Didn't Scare Her

 

An Xin who was at the other end of the call, sounded like she was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. Yang Chen wondered what kind of impression Lin Ruoxi had given off to reduce the usually bold An Xin to this state.

Yang Chen touched his forehead as he said worriedly, "Share your location, I will come find you now."

Yang Chen felt that the only way to make the stubborn Lin Ruoxi give up, is if he went over to personally convince her to stop this madness.

An Xin heaved a sigh of relief when she heard the news. She told him where she was and added in the end, "Hubby... whether or not I can survive and give birth to a little baby for you will depend on your ability to save me from Elder Sister Lin's clutches..."

Yang Chen nearly fell from his bed after hearing that.

Although Yang Chen had tried his best to reach there as fast as possible, half an hour had passed before he arrived.

The park was mostly filled with joggers and fitness enthusiasts in the morning, but it was nearing lunch hour so there weren't many people around. Yang Chen followed An Xin's directions and found the playground next to an artificial lake.

When Yang Chen looked over, there were two familiar figures nearby.

Lin Ruoxi wore a white blouse with a korean-style jacket draped over her shoulders, with a pair of skin-tight jeans, showing off her flawless curves. She was clearly not dressed for the office.

When he arrived, Lin Ruoxi was standing before the doll-shooting station. Two big baskets of plastic balls were placed in front of her. One by one, the balls were thrown at the dolls on the stair-like racks.

However, it wasn't clear if Lin Ruoxi was deliberately missing the targets or not, as every throw she made flew past the dolls! Not one single ball managed to hit any of the dolls!

It looked like Lin Ruoxi had been throwing for some time as her cheeks reddened significantly while there were visible droplets of sweat on her forehead. She had such an astonishing amount of perseverance that after hours of throwing, her stare was as determined as ever.

Standing next to Lin Ruoxi was An Xin, who was wearing a purple shirt and a light-violet mini skirt. What was once a lovely and attractive lady, was now a haggard looking one. An Xin was dispiritedly massaging her calf and arms due to the pains she was contracting from having to stand and throw plastic balls the whole morning. Yang Chen pitied her painful and helpless state.

The thing that made Yang Chen surprised was the owner of the shooting stall. The owner was a lady who seemed to be in her fifties or sixties. She was resting her head on the table dozing off.

As Yang Chen walked closer to them, An Xin quickly spotted him and rushed over. She sped toward him and pulled him over. She gestured to Lin Ruoxi's direction, "Hubby, quickly persuade Elder Sister Lin to stop. She's going insane!"

Yang Chen patted An Xin's cheek lightly to signal her to keep quiet for now. He walked over to Lin Ruoxi, pouted and said,"Babe Ruoxi, is winning the game that important to you?"

Lin Ruoxi looked at Yang Chen as he spoke. She frowned and shot a look at An Xin who stood with her head lowered in silence. Obviously, she knew that it was An Xin who had informed him. She puffed her cheeks and said, "Did you come to persuade me for your little lover, or did you come by your own free will?"

Yang Chen smiled. "Both, actually."

"I don't think the agreement we made forbids me from playing games with your lover," Lin Ruoxi stated, dissatisfied.

"While it is true that our agreement contains no such term, but for your own sake, you shouldn't be out here throwing plastic balls for the whole day," Yang Chen said.

Lin Ruoxi snorted. "Who said I was going to be here all day... I... when I practised at home I always hit the target on my third throw. I can't figure out for the life of me why I can't replicate it. I was sure to have been able to hit one by now. I'm sure that with a few more throws I'll be able to hit one."

Yang Chen smiled and said, "It's just a game, why are you being so serious about it?"

"I just don't want to lose to her, can't I?" Lin Ruoxi argued before turning her gaze to An Xin who looked sorrowful. "If she is able to hit a target, then so can I."

"But Ruoxi, An Xin is incapable of doing some of the things that you excel in. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. You're already an outstanding person. Not many women can manage such a huge corporation. Must you win in every aspect over everybody?" persuaded Yang Chen.

Yang Chen's words seemed to have brought some realization to Lin Ruoxi. The sharpness in Boss Lin's eyes seemed to have disappeared while her cold expression had softened. She said, "Very well then, let's stop here for today."

An Xin jumped happily after listening to her. She rushed to Lin Ruoxi's side, grabbed her hand and said thankfully, "I knew that Elder Sister Lin wouldn't be so heartless. It's true that you are capable of doing so many other things. Compared to you, I don't even come close. Please don't waste your time and energy on small fry like myself."

Lin Ruoxi strenly replied, "Stop assuming, I only said it's enough for today. We will compete again when I believe that I have sufficient practice."

"..."

If Yang Chen had not given An Xin support, she would've passed out and fallen on the ground.

Since it was already lunchtime, the three of them went to find a restaurant for lunch. Yang Chen brought the two ladies to a quiet western restaurant. He ordered 3 sets of New York steak and started to eat in silence.

Despite the fact that the mistress An Xin was present, there was no tension in the air.

An Xin was so afraid of Lin Ruoxi that she flattered Lin Ruoxi to please her.

Yang Chen pitied An Xin as he watched her flatter Lin Ruoxi, however there was no way he could side so readily with his lover in front of his wife. The fact that Lin Ruoxi was prepared to have a meal peacefully with his lover was a testament to her tolerance.

Therefore, Yang Chen had to turn a blind eye and pretend that nothing had happened.

Suddenly, Lin Ruoxi thought of something. She turned to Yang Chen and said, "I received a message from Yu Lei's Paris branch yesterday, saying that the Paris Fashion Week will be postponed to mid-April. When the time comes, you will be representing us. I have to pass because I still have to deal with some matters regarding the new raw materials and products."

Yang Chen's mind went blank. The Paris Fashion Week? he thought. It was the classiest fashion week when compared to the ones in Milan, New York, etc. Paris Fashion Week had always been ranked the highest. It wasn't surprising for Yu Lei to receive an invitation considering its worldwide influence. However, he thought,Isn't she casting pearls before a swine by asking me, an uncultured man, to represent them at the Fashion Week?

"Why didn't you assign Qianni or Mingyu instead? I am most certain that they would have been better picks than the likes of me" Yang Chen questioned, puzzled at her choice.

Lin Ruoxi shook her head. "Qianni and Mingyu are now my greatest assistant. They have many other important things to do, I can't send them away. I will be assigning people from headquarters to accompany you of course. Your job is just to lead the group. I am not expecting you to benefit from it or conduct any negotiations. I really couldn't find any other suitable candidate. Among Yu Lei's current top executives, you are the only one with the most time to spare."

Yang Chen was embarrassed, realizing that his goofing off was what got him picked.

"Director, just attend it. If not for the fact that I am hosting the Star of Yu Lei, I would've jumped at a chance like this..." An Xin's eyes were filled with excitement. The Paris Fashion Week was obviously a meaningful event for her as she was an active person.

"Even if you were free, you may not attend, unless you attend under your own name," said Lin Ruoxi coldly.

"Oh..." An Xin lowered her head and dared not give anymore opinions.

Yang Chen looked at the pitiful An Xin and couldn't help it. "Why are you scaring her? She's just expressing her thought."

"I didn't scare her," said Lin Ruoxi with a stern expression, "I am giving orders to a branch employee as the CEO of the corporation. Since she is your secretary, she should perform her duties accordingly. I have already given her special privileges by allowing her leave her post to host the event. I'm not targeting her just because of her other identity."

Yang Chen rubbed his nose, knowing that he could not outspeak her regarding regulations and work.

"By the way, how did Hui Lin do in the auditions?" Yang Chen hadn't met Hui Lin recently as he was busy with other things. He didn't know anything about the girl's competing status.

"How can you not know that she has passed the trials when she cares so much for you?!" Lin Ruoxi shot Yang Chen an unpleasant look.

An Xin raised her head. Her sorrow from a moment ago disappeared. She said with a big smile, "The open auditions just ended yesterday. Hui Lin got a pass from all of the three judges, and was qualified to enter the elimination round."

Yang Chen wasn't surprised. Hui Lin's voice was sweet and airy, plus she had undergone professional training and put in much effort already. If she could not even pass the first trial, Lin Ruoxi as the CEO should check for foul play amongst her employees.

"Should we bring the girl to celebrate? No matter what, it is indeed a proud thing for the family to have a singer," Yang Chen suggested.

"We'll celebrate after she gets first place," Lin Ruoxi said calmly.

Yang Chen laughed. "You're so sure that your sister will be the champion?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Lin Ruoxi was proud of her sister.

"She will be. Hui Lin sings better than many famous singers," An Xin also betted for her best friend.

Yang Chen shook his head. Of course he wanted Hui Lin to get the first place, but in the end it highly depended on the professional judges. He was not a fan of bribery. Also, Yu Lei wasn't necessarily in need for cash so there was no need to please anyone.

As they were finishing their steak, Yang Chen's phone rang.

Yang Chen took out his phone and had a look. It was a call from an unknown number. After hesitating for a bit, he answered the call.

"Is this Yang Chen?" the voice at other side of the phone sounded familiar.

Yang Chen replied, " You're..."

"I see that you have already forgotten me even though we have met recently ." There was a polite laugh at the other side of the phone. "I am Cai Yuncheng, the father of Cai Ning and Cai Yan. We've met once before."

Cai Yuncheng?

Yang Chen remembered about the time he went to the Cai clan's mansion to heal Yang Lie where he met Cai Yuncheng. "An unprepossessing, well disciplined but strict man" was Yang Chen's first impression of him. It was hard to judge that man from his looks. It was hard to tell anything when you have nothing to go on. With that in mind, he was someone who was just hard to keep in mind.

"You caught me by surprise so I was unable to answer. Is there anything I can help you with, General Cai?" Yang Chen remembered that Cai Yuncheng had the title, but he didn't remember what rank Cai Yuncheng had.

Cai Yuncheng replied, "I need you to fulfill your promise, that is if you are free to do so today."

Yang Chen contemplated on his words for awhile. He then quickly recalled what Abbess Yun Miao had said. Thus, he stood up and walked to a quiet corner ,ignoring the gazes from Lin Ruoxi and An Xin. He asked, "Am I supposed to congratulate General Cai for becoming the new general of Yellow Flame Iron Brigade?"

Chapter 456 - Why Are You Here

 

Cai Yuncheng didn't sound surprised at his words. He giggled and said, "That is not worthy of a congratulations. Other than myself, no one will ever know the responsibilities I hold. I believe the general position of Yellow Flame Iron Brigade is definitely one of the most strenuous jobs in this world, while it's returns do not reflect it's difficulty."

"I want to make this as brief as possible. I'll do as you please, at your discretion. So, where and when will your training be held?" Yang Chen asked straightforwardly.

"It's lunchtime now. We don't have to meet immediately. Meet me at the area you so courteously destroyed at two in the afternoon," Cai Yuncheng said.

Yang Chen hesitated for a bit before asking, "Are you referring to the nuclear aircraft carrier base, which isn't actually an aircraft base?"

"That's right. It has been remodelled to suit the purposes of a training ground."

During the battle with Ares, they had unsealed their powers leaving a trail of disaster in their wake. It had been destroyed to the point where ruins would've been a better term for site. Yang Chen didn't expect Yellow Flame Iron Brigade to have repurposed the place so quickly.

The base was located by a bay so the weather was rather erratic, while the waves were strong and violent, not forgetting the secrecy, all of which made it suitable for a training camp to be built there.

After talking with Cai Yuncheng, Yang Chen returned to the dining table and said to Lin Ruoxi and An Xin who were both silent, "I had something serious to deal with. Why weren't you guys chatting while I was away? You could deepen your friendship eh."

"And why must we?" Lin Ruoxi glanced at him fiercely.

An Xin pouted her mouth before she continued sipping on her lemon juice. She was really afraid of Lin Ruoxi after the events prior. Other than the obvious pressure of being a mistress, she feared the thought of being forced to compete with Lin Ruoxi in the doll-hitting game again. Despite being fearless, active, and wily, she couldn't endure the burning-hot gaze Lin Ruoxi gave her when faced with the game.

An Xin felt that if Yang Chen hadn't come to her rescue, Lin Ruoxi would've forced her to play the game for the remainder of the day!

An Xin was all the more resentful when she dared not piss Lin Ruoxi off, as if she had been pressured by Lin Ruoxi's aura.

Yang Chen's body stiffened a little. Smiling awkwardly, he said, "Look at you, why not we change the topic and not dwell on something so terrible when the people we are speaking about is in our company."

"I was just being honest," Lin Ruoxi said.

Seeing that Yang Chen was about to retort, An Xin quickly kicked him under the table lightly to signal him to shut his mouth.

Yang Chen was surprised at just how afraid An Xin was of Lin Ruoxi. Shrugging his shoulders, he switched the subject and said, "Ruoxi, send An Xin back later, I have something to deal with in the afternoon."

Lin Ruoxi had noticed all the little interactions between An Xin and Yang Chen. She felt rather sour in her heart, because... she realized that she was much less intimate with her own husband than his lover. She had never had similar interactions with Yang Chen before.

Lin Ruoxi lost her appetite, having eaten only half of her steak.

"Are you done eating?" Lin Ruoxi suddenly asked An Xin with her ice-cold stare.

"Ah?" An Xin had her mouth half opened. She was about to eat a small piece of medium-rare steak, but dropped it after listening to Lin Ruoxi's question and receiving her bone-penetrating gaze.

"I... I think i've had enough for now," An Xin said as she put her knife down. She instantly understood the situation.

Yang Chen frowned. "Why are you suddenly full? Does it taste bad?"

An Xin smiled as she acted like everything was fine. "I have a small appetite and I have to appear on TV soon. Maintaining my figure right now, would be one of my top priorities."

Lin Ruoxi stood up and took her white Gucci bag. "Let's go if there's nothing else then. I have a meeting later."

"Oh..." An Xin instantly stood up and waved at Yang Chen before following Lin Ruoxi out of the restaurant.

Yang Chen was left seated on the table alone. He smiled as he shook his head. He had no clue what Lin Ruoxi had in mind. However, judging from the situation, it was best for him to act confused and go with the flow.

An Xin had at least interacted with Lin Ruoxi for a while. They would get along sooner or later as they got to know each other more, which would then change how they looked at each other.

Yang Chen placed the two leftover steaks on his plate and started chewing away...

At two o'clock, in his BMW, Yang Chen arrived at the place which he had promised to meet Cai Yuncheng at. It was nearby the entrance of the previous aircraft carrier base.

Following its reconstruction, a military base with a number of troops were situated there. One would not expect anything special there.

When Yang Chen came to the entrance outside the base, a black, huge Jeep arrived as well. The people who came down from the car were Molin and his female teammate Adeline.

"Your Majesty Pluto, why have you tasked us with such a boring job?" Molin scratched the back of his head, distressed. He then smiled and said to Yang Chen, "I think that I'd prefer staring at a screen, monitoring people all day, than training a bunch of people with poor foundation. It has more meaning."

Yang Chen slapped the back of Molin's head. "You haven't even seen them yet."

"Hehe," Adeline chuckled. She wore a tight-fitting black leather jacket which revealed her alluring curves. "Leader Molin is just reluctant to leave his Chinese girlfriends at the bar."

Molin coughed awkwardly. "That's actually a small part of the reason. It's mainly because I've seen the power levels of Dragon Group before. Even they are inferior to us, so what do you think I can infer from their recruits?"

"If you were at the same level as them, you'd be having a duel instead of providing training." Yang Chen shook his head. "You find no interest in this task only because every member of Sea Eagles is a handpicked best-of-the-best elite from all over the world. You guys were already acknowledged as part of the top class before even having entered the team. But you need to know that not everyone has the chance to battle venomous scorpions in the Middle East deserts, and not everyone has experience in fighting wolf packs in the Northern European snowlands."

Molin nodded. It was logical after all.

"Also, do you expect me to take care of them every day if you guys refuse to do so?" Yang Chen stared at Molin.

Molin immediately lowered his head. "I can't let Your Majesty Pluto handle this alone after all. I'm more than willing to be of your service."

At this moment, a dark-green, bullet-proof SUV came out from the military base. Cai Yuncheng and Tsunami from Dragon Group got off the car together.

Tsunami wore golden-framed spectacles as usual and was dressed like an office worker in his western suit. He even had a tie on his white shirt, causing him to look like an educated man instead of the leader of Dragon Group.

Cai Yuncheng was dressed similar to how Lin Zhiguo used to look. Since he had a larger build than Lin Zhiguo, while being much younger, he looked rather heroic.

"Haha! Welcome, welcome. These two must be the members of Sea Eagles that you mentioned," Cai Yuncheng said as he shook hands with Yang Chen before doing so with Molin and Adeline.

Tsunami followed behind and nodded at Yang Chen with a smile as his form of greeting. Yang Chen had saved the entire Dragon Group after all. They were considered old acquaintances, but they hadn't met in a long while.

Molin and Adeline also greeted Cai Yuncheng in Mandarin and introduced themselves.

"You don't mind that I'm asking Sea Eagles to provide the training instead, do you?" Yang Chen asked with a smile.

"Of course not," Cai Yuncheng answered. "Sea Eagles is one of the two strongest mercenary groups in the world. Every single member has been through combat and experienced more than any one of my recruits. Compared to fighting abilities, our new recruits lack experience more than anything. I'm glad that you're selflessly asking Sea Eagles to help. Furthermore, your competence doesn't make you a suitable trainer. There's an overly large gap between you and the recruits. They'll only get discouraged quicker this way."

Cai Yuncheng managed to please Molin and Adeline with solely his speech, causing them to quickly develop some interest for this job.

Yang Chen too felt that this man had a way with words. Cai Yuncheng is indeed a lot different from Lin Zhiguo. He looks more like a diplomat than a general. His aura is also a lot more domineering than Lin Zhiguo, he thought.

After that, Tsunami led the way in front, while Yang Chen brought Molin and Adeline to discuss about the mission in detail with Cai Yuncheng while walking inside the base.

The aircraft carrier base had become a ruin after the destruction caused by the divine powers of Yang Chen and Ares. Thus, it was easy to clean up the aftermath. A portion of the trash was cleared and thrown into the ocean, forming a spacious empty land.

Concrete floors of different levels were built by the ocean waves crashing against the mountain, allowing different levels to performing their training on.

Since they didn't have much time, most of the buildings were constructed with wood. It was a temporary training base after all. There shouldn't be much else that they required.

There was a dedicated section with a shooting range for gun training, nearby a long stretch of the seaside, causing the place to be extremely suitable for field-battle training.

At this moment, Yang Chen and the two finally met the new recruits for the training. They were currently running over from the beach not far away.

There were two teams consisting of around twenty people in total. It was a lot less than most would expect taking account the fact that China has the largest population in the world.

"Don't look so surprised. These twenty-three people stand out the most from a group of almost a thousand elites. Among them, the ones who can pass the final real-combat test will enter Dragon Group," Cai Yuncheng explained. "The recent events made us realize just how much room of improvement there is for Dragon Group. Being the general of Yellow Flame Iron Brigade, I don't want to see us being useless, although... we have a final trump card. So, after I took over the position, I made a reselection for the new recruits. From the original sixty or so people, I've expelled more than forty of them."

Yang Chen smiled and said, "Ancient Rome wasn't built in one day. It's not good to be so impatient. Whether they're great seedlings will have to be determined later."

At this moment, the twenty-three recruits finally ran back to the training camp and lined up tidily, looking extremely energetic.

Most of them were male. When Yang Chen noticed the outermost member, he was instantly stunned. He opened his mouth and wanted to speak, but the words that were coming out got stuck in his throat. His expression also looked twisted.

"Why are you here?!"

You won't believe what happens next! -not Buzzfeed

Chapter 457 - All Bullshit Talk

 

That person was a female soldier with black, short hair. Her looks were such that she would have been more suited to be a model than a soldier.

She had a well-defined nose bridge, apricot-like eyes and a slight tan from the exposure from the sun. However, the sharp look of her face coupled with her well-curved chest, waist and hips made her seem filled with vigor. She could easily instigate the lust of most normal men.

Cai Yan?! Why is she here?!

Cai Yan who was standing in line, had also noticed Yang Chen's arrival. However, this woman who had confessed everything to him before acted as if she didn't know him at all. She didn't say anything and kept her gaze looking forward.

Cai Yuncheng acted like he didn't know his daughter was there and told the members, "This is Mister Yang Chen, the chief trainer this time around. As he is occupied with other matters and won't have enough time to deal with each of you personally, he will be having his two competent subordinates train you over the next two months."

"Instructors Molin and Adeline are from the strongest mercenary group in the world—Sea Eagles. They will let you know what it means to be among the strongest military personnel in the world in the following two months. All you have to do is to obey, obey, and obey!" When Cai Yuncheng finished, he shot Tsunami a glance.

Tsunami stepped forward and said, "During this time, they will be focusing more heavily on combat in the practical sense. As the leader of Dragon Group, I will only be training you in the theoretical sense. Dragon Group doesn't need cowards, only team-spirited warriors. I and the two instructors will provide each and everyone of you with the most comprehensive training in preparation of your test to enter Dragon Group."

Just as Tsunami was going to let Yang Chen say something, he suddenly realized that Yang Chen had made his way to the female soldier standing at the sidemost part, gazing at her intently.

"Did you not hear me or are you only pretending not to? I'm asking you why you are here," said Yang Chen with a furrowed brow.

Ever since Cai Yan left, his emotions would occasionally spiral out of control. The annoying female police inspector that caused her so much trouble had said that she hated seeing Yang Chen during one afternoon within that restaurant.

That really made Yang Chen wonder whether he had masochistic tendencies. Why would he keep thinking about her? Apart from her stunning looks and amazing figure, that woman didn't seem to have any other qualities that attracted him.

Apart from... that time when she showed her gentle side when she helped Zhenxiu.

And today, Yang Chen would not have expected her out of everyone he knew to show up at that kind of place to undergo harsh training to become a special forces soldier. He was assailed with a complex stream of emotions.

At first, he felt joy, but it wasn't the kind of joy one felt after seeing an old friend.

It was worth noting that when he realized that she was the only woman standing among so many beast-like men, he felt a kind of dissatisfaction and discomfort alongside the joy. It left a sour taste in his mouth.

Yang Chen soon came to the realization that he was jealous!

That was a woman who sounded so melancholic when she confessed and left without saying a word for so long. All of a sudden, she showed up amidst a bunch of men, and that made him jealous!

So, Yang Chen had to question her. He wanted Cai Yan to give him an answer and it had to be a good enough one instead of ignoring his existence!

Yang Chen's expression was grave when Cai Yan finally met his gaze. Without the slightest bit of emotion, she replied in an almost robotic voice, "Dragon Group Recruit No. 21, Cai Yan, greets her chief instructor!"

She said it coldly like it was the first time she met Yang Chen.

Feeling his heart burn with rage, Yang Chen really didn't understand what was going on.

"What kind of tantrum are you throwing? We haven't met in months since you left and now you're joining this training session because you have nothing better to do? Isn't a police officer supposed to care for the people? Why are you here to become a special forces soldier?! Don't you know that I... and the others have been exceedingly worried about you?!" Yang Chen really didn't want to look at that woman who pretended not to recognize him.

Cai Yan remained silent and stood there ramrod straight like an unmoving pillar.

Yang Chen suddenly recalled to the time he met Cai Ning yesterday, she had said that he would soon meet her again. So it would seem that Cai Ning was aware of where her sister was and what she was up to!

Back then during that winter night, Cai Ning had suddenly rushed into the villa in Dragon Garden and said something along the lines of 'if anything happens to my sister, I won't forgive you!'. It was obviously referring to her trying to join Dragon Group and the dangers that followed.

"What are you thinking? It's not that you did anything wrong. Why do you have to be so cruel on yourself?" Yang Chen had a feeling that it was because he rejected her back then that she made a decision like that.

Cai Yan bit her lip and remained silent. She cast her gaze elsewhere.

"Chief Instructor, please don't treat Cai Yan like that! It's obvious that she doesn't want to speak to you!"

All of a sudden, another recruit next to Cai Yan stepped forward. He was exceedingly well built and he also had a scar that traced across his forehead and had a beard. He gave off an aura that could rival a steel blade in sharpness.

Just as Yang Chen was stifling his anger, he turned his gaze to the man who was trying to play the hero.

That huge man felt a chill run down his spine, though he didn't shirk back and struggled to resist Yang Chen's chilling aura.

Yang Chen breathed a long sigh and knew he had crossed the line. But for some reason, he felt a sudden urge to rush up to Cai Yan and give her a slap after seeing how she dressed, her sun-tanned skin and cold expression.

There were originally one thousand elites from the nation! 69 of them were picked out and 23 of them were eliminated!

That was an exceedingly low admission rate. How many trials must she have overcome and hardships she must've endured to have come to that point?

Even though that woman had rather decent abilities, she was only an elite in the police force. For her to be able to make it to become a special forces soldier, the amount of effort that went into it must have been unimaginable.

Yang Chen was all the more familiar with that kind of training. Cai Yan must've been filled with determination that wouldn't waver even in the face of death for her to make it that far!

It was her act of not treasuring her life that infuriated Yang Chen so much!

After shutting his eyes for a moment and reopening them, Yang Chen smiled relaxedly and said, "Who are you and how has my talking to someone else bothered you?"

"Chief instructor, I am Dragon Group Recruit No. 16 Balgler. I don't believe that you can force my comrade to engage in personal interaction with you, Sir!" said Balgler loudly.

Upon hearing that name, Yang Chen realized that the man was a Mongolian. That would explain the burning, searing look in his eyes.

Cai Yuncheng, Tsunami and the rest wore complicated expressions. They had no idea what had led to the current events. Molin and Adeline on the other hand looked rather excited.

Cai Yuncheng looked at her daughter and looked back at Yang Chen before sighing slightly.

"What would you do if I insist upon it?" asked Yang Chen with a smile.

Balgler felt his very being, being provoked. Even though he knew that he wasn't a match for the lanky man before him, he still took a step forward.

"On the plains, a wild horse would have to engage in forceful combat to protect its herd! I wish to challenge you, Instructor!"

"Do you think that you stand a winning chance against someone who was able to become an instructor?"

"Even if I don't, I won't step back. I'm only doing what I should!" After Balgler finished, he got into a wrestling stance.

Yang Chen furrowed his brow and turned to Tsunami to ask, "He's using his own moves. You guys don't restrict the close combat styles they use when you recruit members?"

"We don't. Each one of them possesses a unique fighting style that has proven to be quite useful. So, we only focused on developing their own personal traits without standardizing. It is far more effective and quicker this way," explained Tsunami.

Yang Chen nodded. "Wrestling is one of the earliest forms of sport in the world. However, I believe the wrestling you do is the kind one uses to kill others. I really haven't experienced it before, so don't hold back. Come at me with all you got."

At that moment, the stoic Cai Yan finally reacted. She gave Yang Chen a complicated gaze and looked worriedly at her comrade Balgler.

Balgler had shifted his image to that of a rampaging bull. After a loud grunt, he lashed out with both his claws and clamped them on Yang Chen's shoulders!

Yang Chen remained unmoving with a light smile on his face. He stood there with an indifferent expression, in anticipation of the attack Balgler was about to perform.

Feeling as though he was looked down upon, Balgler tensed up both his hands angrily and tried to pin Yang Chen down while raising his knee. He sent a sharp knee jab towards Yang Chen's abdomen!

"Watch out!"

Cai Yan saw that Yang Chen wasn't going to avoid or resist and instead chose to take Balgler's heavy strike head on. She couldn't help but call out.

A dull thump could be heard, but the supposedly kicked Yang Chen remained unmoving. His body didn't budge the slightest from Balgler's attack.

Everyone there could see that Yang Chen was completely unaffected despite Balgler having not held back the slightest!

Yang Chen turned to the panic-stricken Cai Yan and said, "Ah so she speaks."

The moment he finished, he raised his hand and stretched out two fingers to give a slight tap on Balgler's forehead.

Though it looked unimpressive and even seemed like a joke, Balgler's body was blown back as if struck by a great force!

His body lost balance as he fell backwards to the ground right on his rear!

Nobody was able to comprehend what they had just saw before them. How could that giant have fallen to the ground with but a tap from two fingers?!

Even though Cai Yuncheng had read about Yang Chen's abilities from some files before, it was the first time he had seen such an unorthodox method being used. He couldn't help but widen his eyes with shock.

If Cai Yuncheng was aware and still shocked, what more the recruits? This was something that should've been impossible for them. Balgler was considered to be one of the best among them, yet he was so easily sent crashing to the ground by two fingers!

Balgler himself seemed like a pile of ash on the ground. His tiger-like eyes were widened with disbelief.

Yang Chen knelt down and stretched his hand out to Balgler. With a smile, he said, "I appreciate your bravery and frankness, but please remember that you're a human, not a horse. A horse won't shrink back because it's a beast. You're a human, so don't go around bullshitting about your morl duty. If you know that you're not a match for an enemy but choose to get yourself killed anyway, then you're even less than a beast."

Balgler sat there for a while in stupor before stretching out his hand and held Yang Chen's in his own.

Yang Chen gave him a pull and patted the man on his shoulders as he said, "Get back to your team."

Balgler stepped back into his rank with his head lowered, no longer in the speaking mood.

Sighing, Yang Chen shot Cai Yan a glance. She was also looking at him and the tears in her eyes were apparent. It was as if she knew that Yang Chen was criticizing her for not knowing how to take good care of herself.

He didn't force her to say anything else. Instead, he loudly addressed all the recruits, "I won't be participating in the daily training sessions because frankly, you are all ants to me. Don't feel frustrated nor feel that you're insulted or being looked down upon. However, even I am but an ant in the eyes of some too. That's nothing to be ashamed about. If you hope that one day, you won't be struck down by two fingers like Balgler had been, then go through with your training diligently."

He then pointed to Molin and Adeline. "I will give you a set training routine. The rest will be taken over by the two of them. From today onwards, you will start your first training segment. It isn't endurance, weight nor combat or weapons training. Instead, the first thing that you will learn, is how to escape!"

The moment his words fell, all the serious-looking recruits including Cai Yuncheng and Tsunami almost fell straight to the ground.

Only Molin and Adeline, who remained smiling, knew what was about to happen next.

Chapter 458 - I'm not Afraid of you!

"Don't look at me like that. You heard me. Before anything else, you will be learning how to escape. Victory will be awarded to those who manage to escape death. As long as you are still alive, you will have a fighting chance." Yang Chen pointed to the beach in the distance. "You have the privilege of having a rather good facility built over there. 

In the next few days, Molin and Adeline will be enemy and they will hunt you on this beach. You're free to do anything. Your only objective is make it to the other end of the beach without being caught by Molin and Adeline," said Yang Chen with a smile.

"Chief Instructor, I must protest to this unprofessional form of training. We have 23 people to your two instructors participating. You couldn't possibly believe that they would be enough to stop us," said a slender man with dissatisfaction.

The other teammates also seemed to have come to a general consensus. They were able to defeat hundreds to thousands of people to get to where they were and were naturally proud of their own abilities.

This time around, Yang Chen chose to remain silent. He merely glanced at Molin and Adeline, who proceeded to step forward.

"Hi, my Mandarin isn't that good, but I'm sure you'll have no trouble understanding what I'm going to say," Molin said to the students with a bright smile, "As your instructor, I'm initiating the training effective immediately. Begin."

The moment his words fell, none of the trainees moved an inch. Most of them looked disdainfully at Molin and Adeline as if they were trying to say, 'what can the two of you do to me?'.

They didn't believe that people like Yang Chen who could strike down Balgler with only two fingers were so common that they were practically all over the streets.

However, all of them were shocked at what was to come!

Adeline, who was three meters away from them, had leaped forwards with lightning speed and landed her elbow on the nearest trainee!

"Argh!"

With a cry of pain, that seemingly tough-looking man was knocked two meters away by a huge force!

Adeline, the tall woman with a smoking hot figure, merely snickered at the trainees nearby. "It has begun. Haven't you heard?"

Ten of the remaining 20 or so people instantly chose to run. The ones who remain, teamed up and attempted to take down Adeline and Molin!

After a moment's hesitation, Cai Yan turned to retreat to the other end of the beach. She turned back to stare at Yang Chen before continuing her dash to the opposite end of the beach.

Soon, those who stayed immediately realized that their plan was a futile one!

Molin and Adeline barged into the crowd and didn't fight like Yang Chen had. Instead, they evaded more than 20 strikes coming their way and launched their counters!

The Sea Eagles were able to fight Ares's bionic warriors and come out as equals. This alone proved that they had tactics and knowledge far beyond the ordinary soldier. Even against foes as strong as they were, they were able to win thanks to their immense experience.

Although the two held back when dishing out their counters, they did use their tactics and were easily able to strike down those arrogant trainees!

Within half an hour, the ten plus trainees had already fallen to the ground. Molin and Adeline gave chase to the rest without hesitation. The ran at speeds much faster than that of the trainees!

Cai Yuncheng, who had been observing the changes, furrowed his brow. He sighed heavily and said, "This kind of speed and combat ability far eclipses those of the formal members of Dragon Group..."

"If Dragon Group didn't train in the ancient martial arts and internal energy, then they wouldn't be considered elite agents," said Yang Chen casually.

"It would seem that the students might require more time than anticipated to escape successfully," said Tsunami as he shook his head and smiled.

"That isn't strictly so. It'll depend on how hard they work," said Yang Chen.

Cai Yuncheng nodded in agreement. He stepped forward to give Yang Chen a pat on the shoulder before he said, "There's something I wish to discuss with you in private. Would that be alright?"

There was no way Yang Chen would refuse after seeing how polite that respected and powerful middle-aged man was being.

He followed Cai Yuncheng to a quiet location. Tsunami and the other guards didn't bother to follow them. Yang Chen had a feeling that Cai Yuncheng was going to have a word with him about Cai Yan.

As expected, Cai Yuncheng sighed and said, "I know you're curious about why I allowed Yanyan to participate in this recruitment plan."

"Say what you must. Don't state the obvious," said Yang Chen, unhumored.

"You young people really are..." Cai Yuncheng didn't feel the least bit awkward after his intentions were discovered. He merely chuckled and said, "Actually, I more or less know what went on between Yanyan and you."

"You're her father, so it's no surprise."

"You're wrong," said Cai Yuncheng with a tinge of guilt, "It's how I found out about it which has made me regret some decisions I have made. I didn't ask her about this myself. Instead, my eldest daughter Cai Ning was the one who gave me the gist of the situation."

Yang Chen couldn't help but smile bitterly when his mind wandered to the scene of the woman watching the stars yesterday night. It turned out that she did secretly know something of his private matters.

Cai Yuncheng smiled lightly and explained, "My daughter Cai Ning is, and has always been an exemplary child. So some may say that Yanyan grew up in her shadow. Yanyan had a goal which she had made from a young age. 

It was to follow in the footsteps of her elder sister and become an expert that could come and leave without anyone noticing. Even though she had only found out about her sister's line of work, that didn't stop her from adoring her sister.

"Perhaps because the status of our Cai family is relatively high to begin with, and the fact that we produced someone like Ning, Yanyan had always been prouder than most which tended to offend people. 

As she grew older, I've had to clean up after the the messes she had made. However, Yanyan at her core, is a gentle and kind person. However, the standards she sets on herself are far too high. Given how badly she wanted to catch up to her sister, she became somewhat of a workaholic.

"I knew that Yanyan had been entangled with you quite often ever since you returned to the country. It was probably then when Yanyan started to mingle with you. Then again, I still find it rather weird that she had managed to fall in love with someone who was so different from herself. I find it hard to believe it myself even as her father."

After hearing what Cai Yuncheng had said, Yang Chen couldn't help but scratch his nose. Cai Yuncheng aside, Yang Chen himself found it quite the mystery too. However, he began to feel rather awkward after recalling Cai Yan's confession back then.

"Yang Chen, back when Yanyan brought up how she wanted to join the recruitment for Dragon Group, her mother and I opposed the idea heavily. Even her sister Cai Ning tried to stop her. But with how stubborn she was, even a hundred oxen wouldn't be able to budge her. 

Yanyan was even willing to cut off all ties with us to worm her way into this recruitment. Her mother and I was at a loss as to what she was thinking," said Cai Yuncheng with a shake of his head. "After that, Ning told us about her and you and only then did we realize that she had thrown herself in such a different environment to forget her emotional wounds."

Yang Chen was stunned. Was he the reason that all the events leading up to now had been set in motion?

"I bet you have a hard time swallowing this too" Cai Yuncheng said with a smile, "Actually, it's nothing but escapism. Perhaps you think that Yanyan isn't a good match with you. Indeed, her abilities are far too distant from your own. In her eyes, true ability is far more important than money, status, or power. So, subconsciously, she did this to close the gap between you guys just a little bit more.

"Did you know that throughout the selection process, she managed to become the sole female member of the 23 people without the slightest bit of support or help from any of us?

"Even though Yanyan didn't have the best foundation, she had endured the training which many consider a death sentence only to appear before you today."

Hearing Cai Yuncheng's sincere explanation, Yang Chen felt a bit of regret. Thinking back, he had been a little too cruel. Even if he couldn't accept Cai Yan back then, he shouldn't have ignored her and cut her off completely.

As an expert agent instructor himself, he knew how hard it was for Cai Yan to get to where she was today. This woman actually suffered so much just so she could get closer to me, even if it is only a little bit?!

Seeing Yang Chen ponder in silence, Cai Yuncheng felt both frustrated and satisfied at the same time. He slowly said, "I am Yanyan's father. Since I wasn't able to stop my daughter from making that kind of perilous decision, I can only support her with the best of my ability. Yang Chen, could I ask something of you?"

Raising his head, Yang Chen nodded. "What is it?"

"No matter what, make sure Yanyan survives. My deepest fear is that our Cai family would lose one of our two daughters in the final combat test," Cai Yuncheng said solemnly, "I don't say that as the head of the Cai family, the head of the military, nor the general of Yellow Flame Iron Brigade. This is only a request as a normal father. No matter what you decide, don't let us lose our daughter."

Yang Chen stared at Cai Yuncheng for quite a while before he asked, "Do you really trust me that much? You of all people should know that I have many other women outside these walls."

"But you've never treated a single one of them badly, have you?" Cai Yuncheng said, "Since Yanyan can no longer fall in love with any other man, getting a small piece of love back from the man she loves isn't the worst thing."

Yang Chen didn't think that Cai Yuncheng would be such an open-minded person to the point that he could say that it was still rather decent for his daughter to be someone's paramour.

"You are indeed more charming that Lin Zhiguo. He had his eyes glued onto me like a freaking hawk. You on the other hand actually sent your daughter straight up to me," said Yang Chen with a laugh.

Cai Yuncheng didn't respond. He only looked to the distant beach. Molin and Adeline were already on their second hunt. The training had already launched into full force.

After a while, Cai Yuncheng turned back with a smile and said, "Lin Zhiguo monitors you so closely to make sure you don't cause him any losses because he's afraid of you. She knows that the final decision lies in your hands.

"I'm different from him. I already know that the seniors in Hongmeng have your back. I can trust the fact that you are not hostile to us. Since I'm not afraid of you, there's no need for me to overthink and do things that I may regret later. To me, working with you is my best bet."

Yang Chen narrowed his eyes. It seemed that the higher-ups had considered it deeply before choosing Cai Yuncheng as the new head of Yellow Flame Iron Brigade. It seemed that the brigade's revival was only a matter of time.

Just as Yang Chen was going to ask about whether Cai Ning would cause him trouble for that, the phone in his pocket rang. He took it out and saw that it was Zhao Teng from the company that called him.

As it was the eve of the Star of Yu Lei elimination round, there was much to do. Yang Chen took the call.

"Director, can you return to the company immediately?" asked Zhao Teng a little anxiously and hurriedly over the phone, "There's a VIP that wants to meet you."

Chapter 459 - Where the Heck Did She Come From?

 

Yang Chen stopped to think about it for awhile. Christen should've already been managed by now, so what other VIP would there be for him to meet?

"Is it someone I know?"

Yang Chen asked the question with an answer already in mind, no. There were only so many people that he knew and nobody who didn't have a high enough status was granted an audience with him this easily.

Zhao Teng laughed bitterly and said, "It's one of the most important people in the Star of Yu Lei's elimination round. She's the new Queen of Asia from Korea, Miss Yoo Yeonhee."

Yoo Yeonhee? Yang Chen shut his eyes and gave it some thought. Nothing, he didn't recognize that name at all.

Although he wasn't actively involved in the entertainment industry, knowing the names of one or two super famous people shouldn't be too difficult. Why does this Yoo want to see me?

Being able to understand Yang Chen's personality, Zhao Teng added, "Miss Yoo Yeonhee is the Queen of Asia that rose to fame in the past five years. She was nominated for best female singer for the Grammy as an Asian artist but she was defeated by Miss Christen instead. However, her fame in Asia is comparable to Miss Christen's. She was planning to have her concert here at Zhonghai. The unfortunate thing is that it happens to clash with our Star of Yu Lei's judging date.I've discussed it with Wang Jie and sent Miss Yoo Yeonhee's management company an invitation. They've already agreed to it."

"I'm still not quite sure what you are getting at. Since you said she's a VIP, what does she need me for?" asked Yang Chen.

"It's the first time Miss Yoo will be visiting our company, and as the director, you have to personally answer her questions about the show as a sign of respect," whispered Zhao Teng.

Yang Chen smiled. She sounds like an arrogant woman.

She must have been held up on a pedestal all this time. People all over China coming to see her and she thought that since she had taken the trouble to participate in a talent show, there's no reason for her to do it if she does not get to speak to the one in charge.

"Alright, I got it. I'll get back soon." Yang Chen said with a sigh. It was only human nature for them to care about their pride. Even though celebrities appear polite and reasonable, many of them were actually huge narcissists. After all, why would one go through great pains to become a celebrity if they didn't want to be worshipped by the masses? It was only natural that a famous celebrity wants to act a little arrogantly, so Yang Chen could understand that it was their nature that compelled them to do so rather than a fault in their personalities.

After hanging up, he said to Cai Yuncheng, "I have been called back to the company, something has cropped up. I can't promise you about what you said, but I can make sure that your daughter won't be in any danger. I will make sure Cai Yan returns to you unharmed and in one piece."

Cai Yuncheng chuckled. "It'll be fine as long as she's alright. My daughter's already matured and using her parents as shields is a thing of the past. As long as she's living a fine life, we can accept it no matter where she goes and what she does."

Yang Chen sighed. Those prestigious families really are something. He's practically asking for me to take Cai Yan as a mistress and they can't be bothered to stop it.

He had to admit that he started to feel a little odd after meeting Cai Yan once more. However, he still wasn't exactly sure what he felt about her, whether it be love or plain liking.

After bidding farewell to Cai Yuncheng and the others, Yang Chen drove for half an hour back to Yu Lei Entertainment and went to his office.

There were four suit-wearing bodyguards outside his office. All of their faces looked rather squarish; they seemed Korean on first glance. A female celebrity who had to bring four bodyguards around definitely wasn't one who was of a low status. They were in a company building, not the streets.

The bodyguards didn't stop Yang Chen from entering. They had lots of experience and could naturally tell who to let in and who to stop.

When he opened the door, he was blasted with a wave of awkward tension that filled the room.

Zhao Teng was seated quietly on the sofa in the corner while Wang Jie had an expression of disbelief with her brows tightly furrowed.

On Yang Chen's spinning chair was a stunning woman wearing a low-cut, black-striped blouse and a light brown pleated skirt and long white socks. She had her back facing the door as she listened to her songs through her earphones.

The woman looked incredibly feminine and attractive from the back. Perhaps she was a frequent dancer as her curves were graceful and soft. Her long black hair curled up at the ends which gave her an air of a mature woman.

Seeing Yang Chen enter, Zhao Teng and Wang Jie looked much more relieved. They stood up to greet him.

After waving them away, he stepped forward and smiled. "Would you be Miss Yoo Yeonhee?"

The woman gradually turned back to look at Yang Chen.

He realized that she was wearing sunglasses that basically covered up half her face. Not only that, he could more or less make out her looks. Unlike most female Korean celebrities, the lines on the woman's face didn't show any signs of being operated on surgically. Each one of her facial lines seemed naturally formed.

Her almond-shaped face seemed intricately chiseled and her nose line was high. She sported a pair of eyes with single eyelids and the deep and mesmerizing shine in them shone through the sunglasses. Her skin was as smooth as fresh tofu. It was as if it would let out moisture when squeezed.

Even though he didn't know how old that woman was, Yang Chen felt that it wouldn't be too far off from around that of high school girls.

"Are you Director Yang?" Yoo Yeonhee spoke fluent Chinese, much to Yang Chen's surprise.

"Yes, I am. I was dealing with some urgent matters, so I was late as I didn't know you would be visiting, Miss Yoo. Apologies," said Yang Chen with a smile.

Yoo Yeonhee's lips curved into a sweet smile. "You don't need to apologize to me. I'm sure Director Yang is wondering why this unreasonable woman here requires to meet you. It must be just to stroke her ego, right?"

Yang Chen almost agreed as he didn't expect that she would say that. However, he quickly responded, "Of course not. I should've made a personal visit to thank a queen like you for participating in our show."

"Oh?" Yoo Yeonhee asked curiously, "Why would you call me that, Director Yang? Don't you know that I hate the term "queen"? That makes me sound proud and arrogant." Her eyes behind the sunglasses narrowed with provocation.

Yang Chen thought, Who's the unhappy one here? Here I am trying to make you sound important only to manage to piss you off? But work was work. He couldn't just give her two slaps on the face just because he wasn't happy with her posturing.

"Since Miss Yoo doesn't like it, I'll refrain from it in the future," said Yang Chen plainly with a smile.

Yoo Yeonhee laughed and said, "Oh? Director Yang, are you angry? You're thinking of how hard to please I am, aren't you?"

Yang Chen merely laughed without replying. He turned to the sweating Zhao Teng and said, "Let's talk business. Dinner would arrive before we are finished if we drag this any longer."

Zhao Teng wanted to end the situation after seeing how it was devolving. So, he hurriedly stood up and said, "Should we talk about it here or at the meeting room? The director of the show has already informed me of the gist of it. There shouldn't be much to discuss so it;ll be quick."

"Over here then---"

"Wait!" Yoo Yeonhee interjected. A cold glance could be seen from her almond-shaped eyes. "I didn't say I wanted to talk about work yet. I'm starting to doubt the attitude of your company. I don't feel like you're giving me, your partner, any due respect."

Even a saint had a limit to his patience. Yang Chen didn't feel like dabbling with this troublesome one any longer. He clicked his tongue and asked, "Then, what would you like, Miss Yoo?"

"I want to meet the CEO from your headquarters," said Yoo Yeonhee as she stood up and approached Yang Chen with a glare without backing down one bit. Even though she exuded a scent of wisteria, she seemed to be giving off the sinister smell of the poppy plant. "You're only the director of the branch company and therefore do not possess the qualities or status to talk to me."

The one Yoo Yeonhee wanted to meet was Lin Ruoxi. Naturally, it didn't matter to her who the CEO of the main branch was. All she wanted was to talk to someone other than Yang Chen.

Taking in a deep breath, he said, "Miss Yoo, don't you know that our work will be delayed if you keep on doing this? Or have you always been this unreasonable?"

"I do what I like. I don't care about you not being able to proceed with your work. The only reason I'm here is to prepare for my concert. What can you do about it?" Yoo Yeonhee said with a contempt-filled smile.

Yang Chen took in a deep breath but he didn't break out with rage. Instead, he squinted and looked closely at Yoo Yeonhee's flawless face.

Eventually, she caved from Yang Chen's unveiled lewd stare. With her cheeks flushing red, she said, "You... you think I'll be afraid of you or feel awkward just because of that? No matter what, I want to see the CEO of your main branch. Otherwise, I'm not participating."

"Tsk tsk, where did you get your face done? That plastic surgeon really has some commendable skill on them. You must've spent quite a bit of money for it, huh?"

Anger flashed through Yoo Yeonhee's eyes in that instant. She took two steps back and said with a serious look, "Stop staring at me, Dog! I haven't ever gotten any cosmetic surgery since birth! How is someone like you qualified to talk about surgery anyway? You don't sound the least bit professional and you obviously don't know about the entertainment industry or understand the trends. How are you the director of an entertainment agency? You, your superiors, everyone in this company is equally as blind!"

"I don't really care whether you've gotten any surgery or not. What can you even do to me? So you don't want to talk business, huh? Well, you think I want to work with a fugly like you who just got surgery to look better?!" After saying that, Yang Chen looked to Zhao Teng and Wang Jie and said, "Come on, let's ignore her. I'll treat you to dinner!"

He then ignored the dumbstruck Yoo Yeonhee and left the room first.

Wang Jie was the first one to react to it. She secretly praised her director's guts and pulled the mummified Zhao Teng and left.

They weren't robots no matter how efficient they seemed. It was natural for them to feel quite flustered with unreasonable people too. Since Yang Chen was responsible for it, they didn't bother to wait and face the aftermath of his actions.

Only Yoo Yeonhee was left in the office. She watched with stupor as the few left the room without giving the slightest glance at her!

"He... he dared to call me a fugly?" murmured Yoo Yeonhee before she couldn't hold it in anymore and broke into a loud wail.

The three who were not too far from the office shifted their expressions as they heard the crying.

Zhao Teng seemed really worried about it. He asked out of concern, "Director, is that really fine? She is the Queen of Asia, you know! She has tens of millions of fans and her influence is nothing to sneeze at! I heard that her background isn't one of a simple person. If we really piss off the person who has her back, won't that just make our lives more difficult?"

Yang Chen furrowed his brow. That was why he didn't like to be a superior. He felt that with a position so high, came an even higher responsibility to deal with complex matters like this one. With a sigh, he smiled and said, "We'll do what we should. If she keeps that pathetic act up, don't bother with her. I'll be responsible for anything that happens. Let's go. I'm sure you must've had it quite hard over the past few days, so I'll treat you to a good meal! Wonton noodles and xiaolongbao it is!"

Zhao Teng and Wang Jie felt their legs soften. A pained look surfaced on their faces. That superior of theirs was turning more cheapskate as time went on.

Chapter 460 - An Even Tighter Relationship

 

After treating his subordinates to a meal, Yang Chen felt like a true leader. He was humming all the way home given his good mood.

When he arrived home, the women had already finished their meals. Guo Xuehua was watching a serial with Wang Ma that aired at eight while Hui Lin laid on the sofa with a small notebook in her hand, muttering something to herself as if trying to memorize it.

"Where's Zhenxiu?" asked Yang Chen when he realized that the youngest one wasn't there.

Guo Xuehua seemed really absorbed in her show. She simply replied, "She's working on her homework. Her high school finals are coming up in three months."

Yang Chen nodded and went to the second floor to knock on Zhenxiu's door.

After a while, she opened it. Upon seeing Yang Chen, she was started slightly before she sweetly asked, "Why are you home so early, Brother Yang?"

Ever since she moved there, Zhenxiu's face looked much more lush and healthier compared to the pale look she had when they first met. Her balanced diet helped her develop the way a teenage girl should. Since she was at home, she had her hair pinned up with a pink hairclip and wore a white, cotton sleeping gown. However, the curves on her chest were rather pronounced.

"I had a meal with my colleagues just now and came back after," said Yang Chen with a smile, "How are your revisions going? Are you confident in acing the tests?"

Zhenxiu pouted and said, "I think I'm fine with the languages, apart from English with regards to listening since I don't get exposed to it much. I still find myself troubled over the analytical subjects and I'll have to work on lots of exercises to get up to speed."

"Analytical subjects can be polished up in a relatively short time. It's great that you're doing well in languages," said Yang Chen. "If you think English is hard, you can get Sister Ruoxi to read it to you. Perhaps I can help you too. However, I haven't studied much personally and I can only feel my way through blindly. That's why I feel Rouxi would make a better coach for you."

"Is that okay though?" said Zhenxiu hesitantly, "Sister Ruoxi is really busy. She always leaves early and returns late."

"She's looking for things to do where there aren't any. Just keep her occupied. Perhaps she'll stay at home more now that she has a reason to," said Yang Chen nonchalantly.

Zhenxiu blinked a number of times before she smirked. "You're really sly, Brother Yang. You're getting me to hold her back because you can't."

However, Yang Chen didn't feel the slightest bit bad despite being exposed. He merely snickered and said, "Well aren't you a sharp one?"

At that moment, Wang Ma's shout could be heard from downstairs.

"Zhenxiu! You have a classmate looking for you!"

Classmate?

Yang Chen looked curiously at Zhen Xiu and didn't think that she would have a classmate coming to look for her so soon. He didn't peg her as the approachable type.

Zhenxiu's expression however changed quickly as if she had thought of something bad. She stomped on the ground and clutched her hair with her hands, making her look rather cute even though she was troubled .

"It can't be that fellow, can it?"

"Who? Which fellow?" asked Yang Chen.

Zhenxiu blushed immediately and dashed into her room. By the time she ran back out, she had already put on her outerwear and rushed downstairs.

Who would have thought that the uninvited guest would've started shouting the moment he arrived. "Xu Zhenxiu! I love you, like a cat that loves huge rice grains!"

......

Yang Chen thought that the voice sounded familiar. When he looked at the gate, he was shocked to find that the one shouting was none other than his 'brother-in-law', Liu Minghao!

He was as he seemed that day. His hair was dyed yellow and he was dressed like someone who did hip hop. He also wore some crystal earrings and a few neckties around his neck which didn't match up at all. His average looks were made gangster by all the things he wore!

Behind Liu Minghao were two huge, young men who looked to be around his age. Both of them held up a large red banner with yellow and black wording that proclaimed 'Liu Minghao loves Xu Zhenxiu'.

At that moment, Zhenxiu stood before the gates with her face completely flushed with embarrassment. She was both shy and angry at the same time as she glared at Liu Minghao's beaming face with hate as if she couldn't wait to tear him into little pieces!

Wang Ma and Guo Xuehua came out and Hui Lin was startled by the loud roar. She put the lyrics in her hands down and came out to look in a gossipy fashion.

"Oh, so that boy that likes Zhenxiu is here. Kids these days are truly unpredictable. Imagine if that happened to us back in our day..." said Wang Ma with a giggle. She saw it as kids interacting harmlessly with each other.

Guo Xuehua shook her head and said, "You can't treat Zhenxiu like a little girl forever you know. She's already a grown maiden. It's about time she started falling in love."

Hui Lin watched on like she would a show. "Zhenxiu doesn't seem to like that boy and why is he dressed so weird?"

"Youngsters these days are all about those trends. It's no wonder we don't understand them," said Wang Ma.

Hui Lin clicked her tongue. She was quite troubled that Wang Ma was treating her as one of them -- old people.

At that moment, one of the followers said to Liu minghao, "Boss, I think the lyrics are 'like a rat that likes huge rice grains' instead."

Liu Minghao waved him away and said, "Who cares if it's cats or rats? I like Zhenxiu and that's all that matters!"

"Boss is so wise!" said the other follower.

Liu Minghao didn't care about them in the slightest and he approached the side of the iron gate. With a smile, he said to Zhenxiu, "My beloved, can't you see that my love is true? I said that I follow you back to your house to confess my love if you won't become my girlfriend, right? Do you believe me now?"

After hearing that, Zhenxiu flared with anger to the point her lips turned white. Her whole body was shivering with rage as she screamed at the top of her voice, "Scram! I don't want to see you!"

Stunned by the sudden sound waves, Liu Minghao took a few steps back in a hurry with a stiff expression on his face.

"Boss, it looks like she rejected you," said one of the huge followers.

"Rejected my ass! My baby is just playing hard to get! I happen to like that sort of play. Didn't you hear that women only get angry at those that they like?" said Liu Minghao seriously.

The huge youth gave it some thought and honestly said, "No I don't believe I have."

Slap! Liu Minghao clobbered his follower's head and said, "Now you have."

"Boss is so wise!" praised the other huge youth.

Yang Chen felt like bursting out in laughter as he listened on from the yard. He didn't think that his brother-in-law had such a thing for thearetics. However, Zhenxiu didn't reciprocate those feelings at all. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that she felt like killing Liu Minghao.

"Zhenxiu, my love, open the gates and let me in. I really want to hug you," said Liu Minghao, lovestruck as he clutched onto the gates and gazed at Zhenxiu.

The girl was no longer able to hold it in. Gritting her teeth, she kicked Liu Minghao's fingers with all the strength she could muster!

"Ouch!"

Liu Minghao retracted his hands from the pain and looked at Zhenxiu resentfully.

"Boss, she just hit you," said the huge youth with shock.

"My ass!" Though Liu Minghao had wanted to refute it, he couldn't think of what else to say, so he only said, "She hit me!"

"Boss is so wise!"

"Wise your ass!" Liu Minghao gave the other huge youth a slap.

Yang Chen couldn't take it anymore and he slowly walked to the gates. He patted Zhenxiu on her shoulder to try to surpress her rage and said to Liu Minghao, "I think it's time to leave now. Zhenxiu doesn't like this."

Liu Minghao was surprised to see Yang Chen there. "Brother-in-law! Why are you here?"

"Zhenxiu is my sister, so I live with her," said Yang Chen with a laugh, "Won't you go back for my sake? It's already quite late. If you stay, you're just going to be kicked again"

Zhenxiu was completely shocked when she heard Liu Minghao address Yang Chen as brother-in-law. She forgot her anger and looked at him with confusion.

Liu Minghao on the other hand seemed like he had just heard a startling revelation. His eyeballs spun a few times before he shot Yang Chen an understanding expression. "Oh... hehehe, so that's what it is. It seems that our relationship will grow even tighter in the future! Hehe... Well then, since Brother-in-law has already so kindly asked for it, I'll leave for now! Haha! Please look after Zhenxiu for me, Brother-in-law! I already have dibs on her!"

"To hell with you! W-who said you had any?!" roared Zhenxiu with anger once more.

Liu Minghao merely laughed without a single care in the world and left with his followers tailing behind.

Even after Liu Minghao left, Zhenxiu was still breathing heavily. It looked like she had a hard time controlling her emotions. Her anger for Liu Minghao must've run deep.

Yang Chen laughed and casually said, "It seems that our Zhenxiu is quite the charming one! Look at how smitten he is with you. How pititful."

"Bro. Ther. Yang! If you continue to bring that up, I'll get mad!" snapped Zhenxiu.

"Alright, fine. I'll zip it," said Yang Chen with a shrug. "Come to think of it, how do you even know that guy? Are you in his class?"

"That's not it," said Zhenxiu, troubled. "He had transferred here from Beijing not long ago. However, with his arrival came the 'Green Dragon Society' delinquent group he formed with his wealth. Many strong delinquents don't dare to mess with him. He's from another class and I don't know why, but he passed me by when we were in the canteen one day and suddenly asked me to be his girlfriend... I hate delinquents the most! You should know that, Brother Yang!"

Yang Chen did know about it. Zhenxiu was referring to the point when she was a delinquent girl herself. That was a time filled with hurt and it was hard for her to accept it. It was no surprise that she came to hate delinquents.

"Since you don't like him, I'll tell him to not harass you the next time I see him," said Yang Chen as he stroked Zhenxiu's head and nodded.

Zhenxiu asked curiously, "Brother Yang, why did he call you brother-in-law? Did you... with his sister..."

Yang Chen cracked a smile and stroked his nose. "Well... you know that I... Hehehe..."

Zhenxiu humphed audibly and glared at Yang Chen. "You big radish."

Yang Chen gave her head a poke and said, "What are you saying? How dare you say that to me? What makes you think I won't marry you off to someone tomorrow?"

"I don't want to marry anyone. Brother Yang will definitely miss me too much," said Zhenxiu with a giggle as she relaxed.

Yang Chen pouted and said, "It's only normal for man and woman to be wedded together. What's there to miss about?"

Zhenxiu's expression changed at that instant. She quietly asked, "Brother Yang, do you really want me to marry someone else?"

"Huh?" Yang Chen was surprised. He didn't know why Zhenxiu would ask that.

Zhenxiu seemed like she had gotten the confirmation she was looking for. With a pained look, she stomped on the ground and snapped, "Brother Yang is the worst!"

After that, she didn't care about the odd look Yang Chen was giving her and dashed back into the house.

Here marks the milestone where I've translated exactly the same number of chapters as the previous translator already, using 1/3 of the time, and it's only possible with all your support. Like the consistent releases? Your support would be much appreciated! Click here