Chapter 997: Chapter 967:
The next day, Ye Chen walked out of the Heavenly Reversal Gang. Last night, after returning from Bath City, he ate, drank, and played with the brothers at headquarters. This ruckus lasted all night, and he only rested at 3 AM. It was already 12 noon when he got up.
"Brother Chen, you’re up?" King Guangmu came in, covered in sweat.
"Whoa, did you actually go exercise?" Ye Chen chuckled.
"Yeah, gotta exercise, otherwise how could I have a strong physique?" King Guangmu laughed. He had been practicing all morning, sparring with a few younger guys in the battlefield, as they often trained combat techniques together. Just as King Guangmu was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and quickly said, "Brother Chen, I almost forgot, when I went out this morning, I ran into two elders at the door who said they were looking for you."
"Looking for me? What kind of elders?" Ye Chen asked, puzzled.
"Oh, quite tall, quite stout!" King Guangmu didn’t know how else to describe them, and finally hit the main point: "But they had a heavy murderous aura. Just like people who’ve been on the battlefield!"
"Damn, are you trying to mess up my important matters?" Upon hearing this, Ye Chen immediately understood that it must be Elder Pang looking for him.
After speaking, he hurriedly rushed out. Outside, two elders were actually sitting in the courtyard playing chess, surrounded by more than ten chess-loving younger brothers watching. It’s said that watching chess without speaking is a true gentleman, yet those more than ten younger brothers pointed and gestured as if they were in the game themselves. The two elders were unmoved by this, taking each chess move with deep consideration and caution.
"Move the horse, then directly checkmate him!"
"No way, don’t you see the heavy artillery set up there? If you move the horse, you’re courting death! I’d say bring the chariot up first!"
The onlooking younger brothers were chattering, all young men who enjoyed playing chess. Usually, when there’s nothing to do, they’d cause a ruckus at headquarters. Today, encountering two masters playing chess made them seem a bit overwhelmed. True masters could foresee five moves ahead, but these younger brothers found it very difficult just to foresee two moves. Often, while playing chess, spectators hadn’t understood yet, and the game was already over because the last few moves didn’t even need to be played.
"Draw the stick, move the horse, check!" Elder Pang laughed heartily.
"Damn, you little punk, you’re playing dirty with me?" Mr. Liu immediately felt discontent.
"Haha, in war, all’s fair. How could you not understand this? How else are you going to fight on the battlefield?!" Elder Pang laughed heartily and said, "Alright, enough, the person is here!"
The two elders stood up from the chessboard and looked at Ye Chen, who was walking out of the house. Seeing them, Ye Chen’s complexion changed slightly. Shit, it really was two big bosses coming for a visit in plain clothes. Ye Chen’s mind whirled, quickly understanding the situation. It must be about something he did wrong, likely regarding Minister Zhang’s matter.
"Ye Chen, do you know your crime?" Before Elder Pang could speak, Mr. Liu was already a bit furious.
"Ah, I... what crime?" Ye Chen was taken aback, clearly pretending to be ignorant.
"Hmph, whether you’re guilty or not, you know it in your heart!" Mr. Liu glared at Ye Chen and asked sternly, "Let me ask you, who killed Zhang Bufen?"
"This..." Ye Chen’s eyes were spinning, and his gaze swept to Elder Pang. Elder Pang blinked at him, and he immediately understood: "It was... me!"
"Good that you acknowledge it was you who killed him!" Mr. Liu snorted coldly, then continued to ask, "What about Zhang Bufen’s father? Who killed him?"
"This..." Ye Chen continued looking at Elder Pang. With the same look from Elder Pang, Ye Chen could only lower his head and say, "It was also me!"
"Bastard, who let you touch him?" Mr. Liu was fuming.
"He was too much of a bastard, not only embezzling but also harming the people!" Ye Chen said righteously, "I was most intolerant of him going after Tianya Group. I hate people who secretly sabotage others, and I absolutely won’t allow knives in my back!"
"Hmph!" Mr. Liu snorted, "You could have called the police or asked us to solve the problem. Who allowed you to resort to violence? Were we supporting you too much from behind, making you unable to restrain your fox tail from wagging to the heavens?"
"Okay, okay!" Mr. Pang immediately interjected, "I told you, speak nicely, what kind of attitude is that?"
"I’m just so mad, this kid is getting outrageous!" Mr. Liu exhaled a puff of turbid air.
"Yes, yes, I admit my mistake, okay?" Ye Chen’s expression immediately changed dramatically, from being very angry initially to now looking rather comical. He quickly stepped forward to support Elder Liu, who, still not appeased, said, "Go, go, who needs you to help me!"
"Oh, Elder Liu, I’ve admitted my mistake, what more do you want!" Ye Chen showed a smile and said, "Hehe, don’t you agree? You can do whatever you want with me, but before you kill me, I have to serve you well. I have to fulfill the duties of a dry grandson, don’t I?"
"You..." Mr. Liu was just about to get angry, but he found that his inner urge to be angry quickly calmed down. He couldn’t get angry because Ye Chen’s words touched his soft spot. As a man in his seventies, what did he most hope for? Surely to have a big family and enjoy the blessings of children and grandchildren. Wasn’t that what he thought when he acknowledged Zhang Bufen as his dry grandson? Unfortunately, that brat was disappointing, bullied the good and feared the wicked, and did all sorts of evil. Later, Ye Chen took care of him.
Now, Ye Chen seemed much more promising than Zhang Bufen, not only bringing pride to himself but also being a filial child. Thinking about this, Mr. Liu suddenly realized he might have been unfair. He had been very accommodating to Zhang Bufen, but now with Ye Chen, also a non-biological grandson, he had two different attitudes. Mr. Liu sighed, "Fine, I won’t hold you accountable. But, I’m planning to stay here for a few days, and you have to serve me well, let me enjoy being a grandfather. Otherwise, it won’t end well for you!"
"Sure, no problem!" Ye Chen nodded immediately. What’s so hard about acting like a grandson?
Beside them, Elder Pang smiled and gave Ye Chen a thumbs up, impressed at how this guy managed to settle the difficult old man so easily. In this, Elder Pang was completely convinced.
In the following days, Ye Chen and Li Ruo played the part of grandson and granddaughter-in-law, inviting the two elders to villa No.1, where they served them warmly. During the day, Ye Chen accompanied the two elders for seaside strolls, chats, and chess games. At night, they would visit Jianghuai City’s night market or observe the struggles of the lower class. Occasionally, they would go fishing, running, or act as referees for the two elders’ playful brawls.
Life was carefree, but the news from Ottawa was becoming increasingly unclear. With the support of the Americans, Ottawa was now adopting an absolutely exclusionary policy towards the Heavenly Reversal Gang — evicting, harassing, arresting, and a series of other measures were being implemented. This posed a great obstacle to the Heavenly Reversal Gang’s development. Ye Chen grew increasingly worried; Feng Zhixiao and the others couldn’t negotiate with the Ottawa Government, so they retreated back to Japan Fukuoka with the group.
"Kid, why do you look more and more listless these days?" Mr. Liu asked curiously.
"No, I don’t!" Ye Chen held a rod, sitting on a rock by the sea, the three of them fishing in a row.
"Don’t say no, look, you’ve got a fish on the hook!" Mr. Liu pointed at the float Ye Chen was eyeing.
"Oh, I really do!" Ye Chen hurriedly reeled in a fish that weighed a solid four to five pounds, the biggest catch of the day. Ye Chen exclaimed excitedly, "Damn, it’s so big, today’s catch is huge!"
"Stop showing off!" Mr. Liu looked at Ye Chen with an annoyed glance and said, "Tell me, what are you thinking about!"
"Sigh..." Ye Chen sighed, "You probably know about my plans to build Sunset City in Ottawa, right?"
"Of course, I do!" Mr. Liu nodded immediately.
"Well, that’s it..." Ye Chen explained the situation to the two elders, and after a slight pause, they too fell into contemplation. Their previous concerns vanished entirely, fearing that Ye Chen would break away from China after building the city and declare independence in Sunset City. But now it seemed Ye Chen wouldn’t do that.
"Actually, I think you understand yourself that the biggest reason in all this is the US!" Mr. Liu looked seriously at Ye Chen and said, "Obama is the most crucial factor in whether you can establish your city. Sunset City’s geographical location poses too great a threat to the US, and he cannot allow Sunset City to exist."
"That’s right!" Ye Chen nodded and said, "But regardless of who stops me, nothing can deter my determination to establish Sunset City!"
"Haha, that depends on your relationship with Obama!" Elder Pang laughed.
"Fight him!" the battle-loving Mr. Liu encouraged, "Find someone to secretly deal with Obama, and then interrogate him harshly to see if he dares to obstruct your city building!"
"You two are really..." Ye Chen said with a wry smile. These two guys couldn’t come up with proper ideas, only nonsensical ones.
"Forget it, let’s not argue with you!" Mr. Liu and Elder Pang exchanged glances and then looked at Ye Chen. "Ye Chen, I have to tell you, your real enemy is not Japan, not the US, and not even Ottawa, but the Church Court!"
Elder Pang also nodded gravely, "Although I’m quite dissatisfied with Old Man Liu, I agree with him on this statement. Ye Chen, your real enemy is the Church Court; they are your parents’ murderers. And whether it’s Japan or Italy, they’re all being manipulated by the Church Court from behind the scenes. So, don’t jump around like a monkey; strike directly at the enemy’s vital point!"