Chapter 875: Chapter 850:
Da Hei scratched his head, feeling that Feng Zhixiao’s words had some merit. So, he immediately fell silent. Ye Chen chuckled lightly and said, “Actually, Da Hei got one point right. Of course, that point is not the main factor. It’s rather a secondary factor. Gathering information about Kong Haoran’s whereabouts is just one part of it. The most important part is to gain the friendship of the Chaikefu family.”
“Ah?!” Feng Zhixiao and Da Hei were both stunned. The two couldn’t see any trace of friendship between Ye Chen and Bragsky. All they saw was the two at odds with each other all the time. Ye Chen hadn’t even offered Bragsky a cigarette and had playfully mocked him a bit. Feng Zhixiao asked in confusion, “Brother Chen, pardon me for saying this, but I don’t think you have any friendship with that guy Bragsky!”
“Haha, that’s something you wouldn’t understand!” Ye Chen laughed heartily as the three of them approached the airport, entered inside through the presidential passage, climbed the spiral steps onto the plane, and sat in the first-class cabin, waiting for takeoff. Ye Chen continued to explain to the two, “When masters interact, they never need weapons to face each other. True masters communicate through their eyes, expressions, and the aura of their words and actions!”
“Never mind, you better not say any more, because we wouldn’t understand!” Da Hei immediately shook his head, then said, “If it were me, fighting is just fighting, and friendship is just friendship. Why use the momentum of fighting to deal with so-called friendship? Between brothers, we should be drinking heartily, eating heartily, and speaking joyfully. If it’s an enemy, blades should clash, killing every three steps, leaving no survivor within ten steps!”
“Exactly!” Feng Zhixiao immediately nodded and then said, “I think so too.”
“Well, it seems you just don’t get it!” Ye Chen shook his head and then said, “In short, to put it simply, this trip is really about establishing a friendly relationship with Bragsky!”
“If it’s about building a friendly relationship, why not visit him personally?” Da Hei asked curiously.
“That’s because of the Church Court!” Ye Chen’s lips curled up slightly as he looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window and then said, “Right now, Bragsky relies heavily on the Church Court, so we can’t give them any leverage. I believe there are Church Court spy eyes within the Chaikefu family, so I intentionally made things difficult for Bragsky, which greatly reduced his pressure. Otherwise, why would he personally come to visit?”
“Oh, I understand now! Brother Chen is indeed meticulous in thinking things through!” Da Hei and Feng Zhixiao immediately had a sudden realization and then started to flatter Ye Chen continuously. Unfortunately, Ye Chen just closed his eyes and rested, paying no attention to their compliments.
…
Meanwhile, Bragsky was also heading back in a car. The road was very clogged, and the assistant had a stomach full of anger but only dared to be angry and not verbally express it. Bragsky’s face continued to beam with a smile, seemingly as happy as if he’d eaten honey. Bragsky asked with a laugh, “Say what you want. I see you’re holding it in, and it looks so uncomfortable!”
“Right!” The assistant immediately looked at Bragsky and then said angrily, “Clan Leader, even though Ye Chen is formidable, he’s just a clan leader. Why should he walk all over you? I just couldn’t stand it and had to say something!”
“Haha…” Bragsky started to laugh heartily and then asked, “So tell me, in what way was Ye Chen disrespectful to me?”
“First of all, why should he have you personally visit him?” The assistant objected.
“This…you wouldn’t understand!” Bragsky shook his head, gazing at the snow-covered world outside the window, and then he laughed and said, “Some things can only be understood, not spoken. Speaking it out would leak secrets.”
“Alright, then why did he mock you?” The assistant snorted softly and then said, “Ye Chen wouldn’t even give you a cigarette, and he still made fun of you!”
“Haha, that was just to liven the mood a bit!” Bragsky laughed and said, “Those are just small matters. As long as Ye Chen agrees to help me with that thing, it’s all good!”
Just like Feng Zhixiao didn’t understand Ye Chen, the assistant also didn’t understand what Li Jie Bragsky was saying! However, not everyone comprehends certain things. Bragsky retrieved a pure Cuban cigar from his pocket and said, “Ye Chen is quite interesting. This cigar triggered a wave of nostalgia in me, awakening those buried memories in my mind!”
“This cigar?” The assistant looked at Ye Chen in confusion.
“Haha…this cigar was borrowed from Ye Chen!” Bragsky smirked.
“I get it now!” The assistant quickly turned his head. It was obviously stolen, so why say it was borrowed? It was the first time the assistant discovered that Bragsky had learned to lie. The assistant took a deep breath, then forced himself to calm his emotions.
…
Back in Shanghai, the sun was brilliant. Ye Chen felt for the first time that Shanghai’s weather was so warm, compared to Moscow it was simply a paradise versus Hell. Moscow’s cold was like a kind of torture, and without strong central heating systems, Ye Chen couldn’t truly understand how people got through winter.
Getting off the plane, Feng Zhixiao stretched lazily, then took off the thick down jacket outside and shouted, “Damn, over these past few days I almost lost the function of my little brother due to freezing!”
“Zhi Xiao, you’ve packed a lot of information into that sentence!” Da Hei gave a thumbs up.
“What do you mean?” Feng Zhixiao was puzzled.
“From what you said, I gather that you’re missing the days when you were being pushed to your limits!” Da Hei flashed a sly smile, then added, “Hehe, I’m guessing Fang Qin is already in the room waiting for you!”
“Damn it!” Feng Zhixiao’s eyes widened, and then he quickly chuckled, “It’s been a while since the last time, I actually kind of miss it!”
“Then hurry up and let loose!” Da Hei flashed a mischievous grin, and continued, “Last time you were totally under Fang Qin’s thumb, this time you ought to show her what a real man can do!”
“Heh, no need for your advice!” Feng Zhixiao snorted.
Outside the airport, Li Tieniu stood at the entrance with a full beard, and he spotted Ye Chen and the others as they came out. He eagerly waved at them. Feng Zhixiao said to Da Hei, “Heizi, your good buddy is here, go on!”
“Get lost, you jerk!” Da Hei glared at him, then disdainfully said, “If I’m looking for a buddy, it’s definitely not going to be some beardless guy. Hehe, Zhi Xiao, you’re looking all fresh and tender, quite to my taste. How about being my buddy?”
“…” Feng Zhixiao shuddered and spat on the ground, “Don’t push me, or I’ll explode!”
They all got into the car, with Li Tieniu driving, and headed towards the Liu Family. Ye Chen and the others had been staying with the Liu Family for quite some time. During this period, they relied heavily on the Liu Family for their food, accommodation, and transportation, which were significant expenses because of the large group. Consequently, Ye Chen had been pondering how to repay the Liu Family.
Some things, people are doing, but the heavens are watching.
Upon arriving at the Liu Family, this time, the clan leader didn’t come to greet them personally; instead, the family butler handled the reception. This left Feng Zhixiao slightly displeased. As the car stopped, Feng Zhixiao was poised to open the car door for Ye Chen, but this time he didn’t get out. Instead, he asked the Liu Family’s butler, “Where’s your clan leader?”
“The clan leader… The clan leader is busy!” The butler replied hurriedly.
“Nonsense, what could be more important than welcoming Ye Clan Leader?” Feng Zhixiao exuded a commanding presence, leaving the butler momentarily stunned. The butler said humbly, “That’s true, but the clan leader really has something urgent that he can’t leave. Otherwise, he would definitely come to greet Ye Clan Leader personally!”
“Hmph, have your clan leader come here now!” Feng Zhixiao snorted lightly.
“Well…” The butler was immediately in a dilemma; he didn’t know what to do and cast a sidelong glance at Ye Chen. The butler was savvy enough to know that Ye Chen was the decision-maker here; if Ye Chen insisted on seeing the clan leader, he would have no choice but to comply. Ye Chen, keenly aware of the butler’s look, understood his thoughts immediately.
“Alright, let’s get out,” Ye Chen waved his hand, “Since they’re busy, let’s not be too demanding!”
“Yes!” Feng Zhixiao nodded, but still didn’t give the butler a friendly look. The old butler could only accompany them humbly, as Ye Chen was essentially his master. If he failed to accompany him properly at this moment, future relations with the clan leader could only become more difficult.
All along the way, the old butler suffered through disdain and cold stares. However, he had no choice but to endure it, as a butler, he needed not only to be adept at reading expressions but also to know how to endure. He had to bear the pressure from above while suffering through others’ disdain. Did such humble accompaniment eventually make Feng Zhixiao feel somewhat embarrassed.
“Alright, alright, just go, I’m all talked out!” Feng Zhixiao said irritably, “You’re making me anxious standing there, if it wasn’t for your age, I would’ve lashed out!”
“Yes, yes!” The old butler felt relieved, he couldn’t leave without the owner’s permission. Now he finally had the command. The old butler wiped the sweat off his forehead, then turned and bowed out of the room. Off to the side, Li Tieniu slapped his coat and shot Feng Zhixiao a disgruntled look, “No sense of respecting the old and cherishing the young, funny how you even graduated from school, didn’t your teachers teach you about the traditional virtues of the Chinese?”
“Uh…” Feng Zhixiao paused, aggrieved, “You bunch, if not for standing up for Brother Chen, I wouldn’t bother spewing so much nonsense!”
“Alright, everyone quiet!” Ye Chen waved his hand.
“Shh… Brother Chen has something to say!” Li Tieniu spilled all the melon seeds on the table, then sat upright, almost like a soldier awaiting orders, and the others also sat up straight, lining up on the sofas.