Chapter 145: Let's Have Chicken, Beggar's Chicken

The middle-aged man was somewhat plump, and his smile gave off a kind and gentle impression. However, through this man's gaze, Long Fei could tell that he was also a practitioner of martial arts. Although his internal strength might not be deeply profound, he was still far stronger than an ordinary person—at least ten of the bodyguards recruited from retired special forces in Ye Wantian's villa might not be a match for him.

Ye Qian offered a dry, awkward smile. She truly had no recollection whatsoever of this Uncle Mo. Looking somewhat embarrassed, she said, "Hello, U-Uncle Mo."

The middle-aged man let out a hearty laugh, nearly reaching out to pat Ye Qian's head and praise her for being a good girl. He then turned to Long Fei and smiled, saying, "Ah, my surname is Mo, and you can call me Uncle Mo, or simply Mo Er. I've followed Elder Ye for many years, and thanks to his kindness, he has never once treated me like a servant. Haha, I received a call from the young master this morning instructing me to come and pick you up. Elder Ye is waiting for you at home, so let's go. The car is right outside."

Long Fei smiled and replied, "Then I must trouble Uncle Mo."

Mo Er smiled and led the way. Not far away, an unassuming and low-key ordinary Chevrolet was parked. Aside from the driver, there was no one else inside the vehicle, which made Long Fei nod approvingly in his heart.

Judging by the Ye family's financial resources and influence, they were undoubtedly powerful. Yet, the Ye family maintained such a low profile in Yanjing that even Ye Qian frowned, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed by the modesty.

Long Fei smiled. Ye Qian was still young, after all, and she did not realize that this was precisely Ye Wantian's brilliance. Keeping a low profile was a state of mind. Having lived in Tianhai for twenty years, the political and social forces in Yanjing were intricate and complex. Lying low to protect oneself could be interpreted as a lack of ambition, but it could equally be understood as biding one's time and hiding one's capabilities.

Although the driver was young, his driving skills were quite good. Long Fei noticed that he never accelerated excessively along the way. Furthermore, he was completely unhurried at every traffic light, never running a red light. This actually made Ye Qian feel rather unaccustomed to it. Back in Tianhai, whenever she drove, she completely ignored traffic lights—it was just a matter of paying a fine, and she didn't care about that at all.

Like the vast majority of wealthy and powerful families, the Ye family had resided in the western district for generations. Their original residence was a small courtyard surrounded by traditional gray brick walls, which later became the current villa area due to urban redevelopment. The dignitaries and high-ranking officials who were once the Ye family's neighbors had now become their neighbors once again. In fact, most of the residents in the entire residential compound were still the same old families, only upgraded with modern luxury and much larger living spaces.

The security in this villa district must have been quite good. The security guards at the entrance immediately looked like they came from a military background, rather than just random, brawny fellows recruited from society who looked imposing but were actually fragile. Upon seeing the Chevrolet, the guard at the entrance greeted Mo Er with a smile and smoothly waved them through.

The neighborhood was a purely residential villa area. The car stopped outside a very ordinary-looking villa, and Mo Er turned around from the front passenger seat, smiling at Ye Qian and Long Fei as he said, "Ah, the master has a rather difficult temper. You should be careful with what you say in a moment. His health isn't very good either, so please don't do anything to anger him."

Long Fei nodded, while Ye Qian felt somewhat nervous, resembling a young maiden going on her very first blind date. She grabbed Long Fei's arm and held onto it tightly, which amused Long Fei slightly. Wasn't this just coming home? Such an inexplicable reaction.

A Mercedes-Benz was parked outside the villa entrance, bearing a rather impressive and prestigious license plate. Taking a look at the cars parked outside the neighboring villas, they were even more formidable; at first glance, most of their license plates indicated that they were official transport for government organs or military district commanders. Long Fei sighed inwardly, thinking that the old saying about Yanjing—"Wealth in the East, Nobility in the West"—was truly not unfounded.

Mo Er led the way forward, and Long Fei and Ye Qian followed him inside. There were no bodyguards stationed about, and the domestic staff were very few. Upon reaching the main hall, Mo Er hurried over to an elderly man and said with a smile, "Master, the guests the young master asked me to pick up have arrived."

The living room was furnished in the Ming and Qing dynasty styles, adorned with several calligraphy and painting works by master artists hanging on the walls. The furniture was entirely made of classical Ming and Qing rosewood. On the northern side stood a square table, flanked by two grand armchair-style seats, with two rows of seating arranged below them, somewhat resembling the central command tent of an ancient military camp.

The elderly man sitting in the seat of honor slowly opened his closed eyes, making the wrinkles on his forehead appear even deeper. Although he had not yet spoken, the old man exuded an overwhelming sense of solemn dignity. His hair was entirely gray and thinning on top, and the pair of hands resting on the armrests were as thin as his emaciated body, nothing more than skin and bones.

The old man coughed continuously several times, hurriedly covering his mouth with a handkerchief. He then looked at Long Fei and Ye Qian, nodding quite blandly to the two of them as he said, "Good, you're finally here."

Long Fei felt a bit surprised. It was fine for the old man to be cold toward him, but Ye Qian was clearly his granddaughter. Having not seen each other for so many years, could it be that he felt no desire to see her at all? Or perhaps he held no emotional attachment to Ye Qian whatsoever? Or could it be that he was deliberately giving Ye Qian the cold shoulder because of his conflict with Ye Wantian?

Meanwhile, Ye Qian's heart sank deeply. Fortunately, she had already anticipated such a scenario when she decided to come, so she did not utter a single word. Lowering her head, she wondered what thoughts were swirling in her mind.

Long Fei quietly nudged Ye Qian, signaling her to step forward and offer her greetings. Hesitating for a moment, Ye Qian finally took two steps forward and, with a mixture of reluctance and unwillingness, called out, "Grandfather." The moment she uttered those two words, her emotions became exceptionally complicated, and she was suddenly overcome by an urge to burst into tears and cry aloud.

"You are Wantian's daughter, Xiaoqian?" The old man raised his gaze to look at Ye Qian, as if he were only just noticing her now. Moreover, his question left a rather unpleasant taste in Long Fei's mouth. What was that supposed to mean? Surely a different greeting would have been far more appropriate!

Equally sensitive, Ye Qian took a deep breath and said indifferently, "Yes—Grand—fa—ther!"

"Ah, good, good, very good," the old man nodded.

"Mo Er, take her away to rest," the old man instructed, turning his head to look at Mo Er, who was standing beside him.

Mo Er glanced briefly at Xiaoqian, then at the old man, hesitating several times as if he had words on the tip of his tongue. However, seeing the frown furrowing the old man's brow, he ultimately kept his mouth shut. Walking over to Ye Qian's side, he said in a low voice, "Young Miss, please come with me to rest. The master still has matters to discuss with Mr. Long!"

The implication was crystal clear: the matters the two men were about to discuss were not meant for Ye Qian's ears.

Showing good sense, Ye Qian gave Long Fei a meaningful look and reluctantly followed Mo Er out. Only Long Fei and the old man remained in the room. At that moment, the old man finally smiled at Long Fei and said, "Please sit down, Mr. Long."

Long Fei took a seat below, and for a moment, neither of them seemed to have anything to say. To be honest, Long Fei did not hold much affection for the old man. Although his relationship with Ye Qian was not yet deeply romantic, seeing the way the old man treated her inevitably made Long Fei feel a sense of injustice on her behalf.

"Elder Ye, the purpose of my trip to Yanjing this time—I presume President Ye has already discussed it with you?" Long Fei broke the silence between them. He simply wanted to get straight to the point, wrap things up quickly, and then leave with Ye Qian. Since Ye Qian had no desire to live with the Ye family, he wouldn't mind playing the villain and whisking her away directly. Yanjing was full of grand hotels, and he didn't mind booking a room for her—well, two rooms, naturally.

The elderly patriarch of the Ye family nodded, coughed a few more times, and sighed, "I am growing older by the day, and I don't carry much weight in Yanjing anymore. However, your matter has finally been arranged for you. Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, someone will come to pick you up and take you there. Since the people at the very top have expressed a desire to see you, you must exercise caution. Keep in mind that opportunities to meet them are exceedingly rare. I hope you can seize this chance and take care of yourself."

Long Fei thought to himself: They're just central government leaders, aren't they? It's not as if I'm desperately dying to meet them anyway.

"Very well, thank you for your help, Elder Ye," Long Fei said with a smile.

The old man shook his head. "You needn't thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Wantian. I handed the Ye family over to him twenty years ago. I simply never expected his temper to be so stubborn; all these years, he has refused to turn back. Sometimes I think the ancients were truly right—a beautiful woman is a curse, truly a curse. If not for that woman from the Qi family, I imagine our Ye family wouldn't have fallen into such decline!"

Hearing this, Long Fei immediately felt displeased. Wasn't this a direct attack on Qi Yufei, the supreme beauty who held a place in his own heart?

With a trace of coolness in his voice, he replied, "I'm afraid I must respectfully disagree with Elder Ye on that point. From where I stand, I don't think President Ye did anything wrong. As for the decline you mentioned, Elder Ye, I don't believe it's quite that absolute. I know a thing or two about President Ye's current situation. Although it might look like your Ye family has slipped from the first tier to the second tier in Yanjing, your actual strength is not a whit weaker than those first-tier families. Furthermore, I reckon President Ye will make a triumphant return to Yanjing very soon. When that day comes, the Ye family's influence and power will likely surpass many of the current first-tier families!"

A flash of sharp light glinted in the old man's eyes. He looked at Long Fei earnestly once more and sighed, "It seems you are no ordinary person either. No wonder Wantian entrusted you to be that girl's bodyguard. Ah, well, I suppose it's a blessing. It allows this old bag of bones to live long enough to see Wantian return to Yanjing; if I can witness that, I will die with no regrets!"

"Your Ye family has endured hardship and humiliation for all these years with great forbearance; I can deeply understand Elder Ye's feelings," Long Fei also sighed. According to intelligence reports, the old man's illness had been brought on by sheer fury following that great battle twenty years ago. Additionally, he had a second son who, reportedly, had been crippled in that very same conflict and had never shown any signs of recovery all these years.

"No, you don't understand. It hasn't simply been a matter of forbearance all this time. There is also that hatred—an indelible, bone-deep hatred," the old man said, his eyes burning with intensity. "I, Ye Xiaozhi, only have two sons. My eldest son walked away for the sake of a woman, while my second son ended up crippled. Tell me, what hope does our Ye family have left? Yet, the fact that this old life of mine has managed to hold on until now is nothing short of a miracle. Wantian is coming back? Good, wonderful! I only hope he won't disappoint me this time! A true man should set his ambitions across the four seas; how can he let matters of romance delay his proper duties?"

A faint gleam flickered in the old man's eyes—it was the spark of renewed hope.

Long Fei said indifferently, "Everyone has the right to choose how they live, and perhaps the value of each person's life varies. In this world, which of our affairs can ever truly be detached from matters of the heart?"

The old man remained silent, neither supporting Long Fei's viewpoint nor directly refuting it.

Mo Er re-entered the living room and reported with a smile to the old man, "Master, the young miss is currently in the second young master's room."

"Has that young man from the Bai family not left yet?" the old man asked indifferently, seemingly showing no appreciation for Bai Yaowu's frequent visits. Perhaps in his heart, only Ye Wantian was capable of arousing his excitement and concern.

"Yes, he is currently chatting with the young miss," Mo Er said, casting a deliberate yet subtle glance at Long Fei as he spoke in a low voice.

With a brief "Ah," the old man said nothing more.

Long Fei originally intended to take his leave, but upon hearing that Bai Yaowu and Ye Qian were actually together, he felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort. Although he had not yet fallen in love with Ye Qian, nor had he ever met this Bai Yaowu character, Ye Qian was pursuing him, and their relationship had been acknowledged under her forceful persistence. At that moment, he felt a somewhat possessive urge, thinking that Bai Yaowu was attempting to poach his territory. How could anyone dare to poach his turf? If anyone was going to poach territory, it should be him poaching someone else's!

With a smile, Long Fei said, "Ah, Elder Ye, I'd actually like to go over and take a look as well. Would that be alright?"

"You?" The old man seemed less than willing.

Long Fei cursed a few times internally, but maintained a smiling facade as he replied, "Actually, I've heard President Ye talk quite a bit about the situation concerning Uncle Ye. As it happens, I know a thing or two about medicine, so perhaps I might be of some assistance."

Damn it, I've suddenly acquired an uncle out of thin air, Long Fei muttered in his complaint.

"Are you serious?" The old man was pleasantly surprised, though not quite as emotionally stirred as Long Fei had imagined. What Long Fei did not know was that over the years, the old man had poured considerable effort into treating his second son, scouring the country and overseas for famous doctors, only to be met with repeated disappointment. His heart had gradually grown cold, and every time a renowned physician made claims similar to Long Fei's, hearing it so often meant the surprise had worn thin.

"I'll have to see the patient first before I can say for sure; I wouldn't dare make a hundred percent guarantee," Long Fei did not make reckless promises. In truth, he didn't know the first thing about medical treatment. Though his late, eccentric master had passed on some medical knowledge to him, it was only slightly superior to that of ordinary physicians, and his expertise lay primarily in traditional Chinese medicine, which was mostly helpless against cases of hemiplegia and paralysis. Besides, the man had been paralyzed for twenty years; even a curable condition would be exceedingly difficult to remedy at this stage, as the meridians had already withered—restoring them was no easy feat.

Of course, Long Fei was not completely out of options. If he asked the Dragon Girl to take a look... though he had never asked whether she could handle it, he firmly believed that the Dragon Girl would definitely find a way, for he had yet to encounter a problem she could not solve. Such seemingly impossible situations were the kind where only a "divine being" like the Dragon Girl possessed the miraculous ability to bring the dead back to life. However, whether he would actually offer this favor depended on the circumstances. Even if it were curable, he would need to consult the Dragon Girl in private first, making it quite necessary to assess the situation beforehand.

"Very well, Mo Er, take him over to have a look," the old man finally consented. He then coughed a few times, closed his eyes once more to rest, and made his intention to dismiss the guests abundantly clear.

Without offering any formal bow to the old man, Long Fei followed Mo Er upstairs. The interior of the villa was surprisingly spacious. Reaching a certain bedroom door, Mo Er politely knocked. Receiving a call to enter from within, he led Long Fei inside and introduced him to the emaciated middle-aged man lying on the bed: "Second Young Master, this is Mr. Long. He and the young miss are the guests the eldest young master asked me to pick up."

"Alright, you may step outside first. Come, Mr. Long, please have a seat," Ye Xiangxiang—the man on the sickbed—bore a striking resemblance to Ye Wantian, confirming they were born of the same mother. Though his vitality was extremely poor, he treated Long Fei with considerable politeness.

Two rows of chairs flanked the head of the bed. At that moment, a person was seated on either side: on the left sat Ye Qian, and on the right was naturally the legendary Bai Yaowu, the elite scion of Yanjing's upper crust.

Long Fei took one look and felt immediately displeased. The reason was simple: Bai Yaowu was far too handsome, handsome enough to make even Long Fei feel a twinge of jealousy. However, after scrutinizing him for a moment, Long Fei managed to pick out a few flaws in Bai Yaowu's appearance. For instance, Bai Yaowu's hair wasn't cropped as short as his own; as the old saying went, long hair equals short wit, so Bai Yaowu must be less astute than him. Furthermore, Bai Yaowu's skin wasn't as weathered as his own, meaning he lacked true masculine vigor. Additionally, Bai Yaowu's skin was fairer than his, indicating a lack of physical exercise and a physique less solid than his own.

Taking a seat, Long Fei smiled and said, "Ah, Second Uncle Ye is being too polite. My primary purpose in coming to Yanjing this time was simply to escort Xiaoqian back to visit you both. Moreover, President Ye mentioned that it won't be long before he returns to see you himself, so you should set your mind at ease and focus on recovering."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiangxiang immediately grew agitated on the bed. "Elder Brother is really coming back? That's wonderful, simply wonderful! After waiting all these years, our brothers can finally be reunited. Ah, it's been so long, I wonder how Elder Brother has been doing?"

Long Fei smiled. "He's doing far better than you are. He eats five bowls of rice per meal, three baskets of steamed buns for breakfast, and washes it all down with several bottles of milk—haha, I'm just joking. He's doing very well and told you not to worry. By the way, who is this?"

Pointing at Bai Yaowu, who was watching him with a polite smile, Long Fei feigned ignorance.

Ye Qian's expression had not been looking particularly pleasant, but upon seeing Long Fei arrive, she felt an unexplainable wave of happiness. Moreover, seeing him choose to sit right beside her filled her with joyous delight, prompting her to lean in close and whisper, "That's that annoying Bai Yaowu."

"Ah, so you are the renowned Young Master Bai! A pleasure, a pleasure, haha!" Long Fei's smile was somewhat insincere, while he cursed inwardly: *Damn it, trying to poach my turf? I'll make you pay for this another day!*

Bai Yaowu's smile was equally complex. Seeing Long Fei and Ye Qian acting rather intimately, his brow furrowed slightly before smoothing out instantly. "Mr. Long is too kind. I hear you are a capable aide under Uncle Ye. It's been quite a while since I last went to pay my respects to him; I wonder how Uncle Ye and Aunt Qi are doing with their health?"

Complimenting someone halfway while essentially offering no real praise—calling him a "capable aide"? No matter how capable an aide was, it was still a subservient position of working for someone else. This style of flattery made Long Fei feel rather uncomfortable.

"They are doing very well. If Young Master Bai ever happens to make a trip to Tianhai, I will personally play host and treat you to beggar's chicken. The beggar's chicken in Qibao, Tianhai, is quite famous, you know." Long Fei dropped the courtesy of calling him "Young Master Bai." Even though he was slightly younger than the other man, he unilaterally promoted himself to "Elder Brother" and certainly didn't mince words. Inviting Bai Yaowu to eat chicken—specifically *beggar's* chicken, no less—hehe...