At present, you won't even thank him, and yet you are aggressively casting aspersions on his character! I don't understand what you've gone through to turn into such a villain. Or is this your true nature?"
Ye Tiance's pupils constricted slightly. "Do you really think I'm a villain?"
Xiao Qingcheng replied as if it were a matter of course: "What else would you call it?"
Ye Tiance was taken aback by her retort. He then shook his head and gave a bitter laugh: "Believe what you will, President Xiao. Just a reminder—don't forget that we are going to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow morning to collect our divorce certificate!"
Xiao Qingcheng was about to nod in agreement when Ji Boduan spoke up: "I'm afraid that will have to wait two days."
Zhang Huilan asked, bewildered: "Young Master Ji, why wait? My Qingcheng only needs to get that divorce certificate with that loser so you can..." As she spoke, she gave Ji Boduan a look that implied he understood.
Ji Boduan explained: "The reason I asked you to wait two days is that Qingcheng has more important things to do."
Xiao Qingcheng asked, puzzled: "What things?"
Ji Boduan said mysteriously: "My father's 60th birthday is the day after tomorrow. Rong Meiyan, the eldest miss of the Rong family, will be attending in person as the representative of the Rong family to wish my father a happy birthday! During her visit to Jiangnan City, she plans to select one or more business partners for in-depth cooperation and offer them the support of the Rong family. My father's birthday banquet is the perfect opportunity to make contact with her. If you, Qingcheng, can leave a deep impression on her at the banquet, and with our Ji family mediating, I believe there will certainly be a spot for you as a business partner. An opportunity like this is no less significant than winning that 10 billion order from the Tianlong Group!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked and excited! Even Ye Tiance's expression revealed a hint of surprise.
Rong Meiyan, the eldest daughter of the Rong family—wasn't she also his fiancée? He had originally planned to go to the provincial capital in a few days to call off the engagement. How had she come to Jiangnan City?
Xiao Qingcheng said excitedly: "I have long heard of Rong Meiyan's reputation. She is a standout of the new generation of the Rong family and has achieved many legendary feats in business. To be honest, I have taken her as my goal all these years; I want to become a woman like her!"
Assistant Sun also said excitedly: "I didn't expect her to come to Jiangnan City! This is wonderful! For various reasons, Rong Meiyan has never appeared in public; no one knows what she looks like. Now we finally have a chance to see her in person!"
Ji Boduan smiled: "Qingcheng, in order to become a business partner of the Rong family, you must prepare well over the next two days and prove yourself at my father's banquet."
Xiao Qingcheng nodded excitedly and thanked him: "Thank you! I will definitely seize the time to prepare and won't waste a single second!"
Then, she turned her head and said coldly: "Ye Tiance, you've heard the reason. Let's go to the Civil Affairs Bureau after I attend the banquet!"
This cold attitude was not a discussion at all; it was a complete command. Ye Tiance had long since become accustomed to this. He sneered: "Heh! President Xiao is truly a busy person. Whether it's picking a date for a divorce or the day to finalize the papers, everything must make way for your work!"
Xiao Qingcheng's eyes trembled slightly; she could naturally hear his complaint. But she was unwilling to explain!
Instead, Zhang Huilan said unhappily: "You ingrate! Don't be so sarcastic. What's wrong with delaying you for two days? What's the big deal? You're just a useless loafer anyway; it's not a pity to waste your time!"
Ji Boduan mocked: "A loser who can't be helped, he's probably just jealous because he heard Qingcheng will gain the favor of Miss Rong Meiyan at my father's banquet, so he's picking a fight on purpose!"
Ye Tiance said meaningfully: "I am not only not jealous, I am actually looking forward to this banquet. Perhaps something very interesting will happen then!"
Ji Boduan didn't catch the double meaning in Ye Tiance's words. He laughed dismissively: "Heh! Whether it's interesting or not has nothing to do with you! The doors to our Ji family's banquet are not open to just any loser!"
At this moment, Ye Tiance stood up from his chair and walked slowly to Xiao Qingcheng. "Since you have decided, then we will collect the divorce certificate in two days!"
After saying this, he stepped forward and brushed past Xiao Qingcheng without the slightest intention of staying!
Zhang Huilan spat on the floor: "Pah! Just a loser who causes trouble! Qingcheng, stay away from him in the future!" She then asked Ji Boduan expectantly: "The day after tomorrow is your father's banquet. Besides Qingcheng attending, do you think Xiaonan and I..."
Ji Boduan immediately smiled: "Our Ji family naturally welcomes you, Auntie Zhang, and brother Xiao Nan. Everything will be handled with VIP treatment. Together, we will witness Miss Rong Meiyan coming to offer her birthday wishes and announcing that the Ji family and the Xiao family will become joint business partners of the Rong family! At that time, the status of our two families in Jiangnan City will soar into the sky. What are Lord Hu, Lord Long, or that 'big shot' compared to us? Won't they be under our feet?"
Hearing this, Zhang Huilan, Xiao Nan, and Assistant Sun all looked expectant and full of excitement. Xiao Qingcheng, however, felt an inexplicable sense of panic in her heart, as if the outcome of this banquet might be even more unexpected than the bidding conference tonight...
...
No. 1 Zijin Tiangong Villa.
Ye Tiance sat on the sofa, scrolling through messages on his phone. With his master traveling abroad, he was in Jiangnan City, and all matters regarding the City of Fallen were left to the jailers. They would regularly summarize news from the prison or send messages that the inmates wanted to convey to Ye Tiance.
Today, those criminals were trying to curry favor again: "Young Master, you are my idol. I have three undeveloped gold mines in the Philippines; I can give them to you at any time!"
"If it weren't for your protection, Young Master, I would have died in prison long ago. I have two nuclear warheads hidden in the Bear Country to give you. The address is..."
"There isn't much I can do to help you, but with a single word from you, the largest mafia in Italy is yours to command!"
"..."
Ye Tiance couldn't help but sigh: "Although these people are full of evil, they are still more human than many people outside."
He put down his phone. Ye Tiance thought about what Ji Boduan had said earlier. Since Rong Meiyan would appear at the banquet the day after tomorrow, he wouldn't need to make a special trip to the provincial capital to cancel the engagement. He could just propose it to her at the banquet; it would save him the trouble!
Ding-dong!
The villa doorbell suddenly rang.
"It's so late, who could it be?" Ye Tiance muttered as he walked to the door. Through the monitor, he saw a familiar face! A beautiful woman, dressed in a silver cheongsam, possessing an almost perfect figure and face.
Ye Tiance sighed helplessly: "Why is it her again? She actually followed me all the way here from the conference venue! Lin Feng, oh Lin Feng, what kind of romantic debt have you incurred?"
Ye Tiance didn't want to get involved with this woman, so he ignored the doorbell and went upstairs to rest!
Rong Meiyan pressed the bell a few times, and after receiving no response, she sighed with slight disappointment. "Mr. God of War of Jiangnan, I think you must have your own hidden reasons for not wanting to show yourself. It doesn't matter; I can wait! As it happens, I bought a villa here at Zijin Tiangong, right next to yours. If you have any needs, you can come find me. By the way, I met a very interesting and mysterious man at the bidding conference today. At one point, I even had a bold fantasy—how wonderful it would be if that man were you..."
She talked to herself for a few more minutes, and after realizing there was still no response, she left.
...
After Rong Meiyan returned to the No. 2 Zijin Tiangong Villa, her maid asked expectantly: "Miss, did the God of War of Jiangnan show himself?"
Rong Meiyan shook her head and then asked her: "How did the task I gave you go?"
The maid handed a stack of documents to Rong Meiyan. It was the detailed information she had been ordered to investigate on Ye Tiance.
The maid introduced: "Ye Tiance's family died in a fire fifteen years ago, and he disappeared after that, only returning to Jiangnan City three years ago to marry Xiao Qingcheng of the Xiao family. For the past three years, the Xiao family has been very dissatisfied with Ye Tiance, until yesterday when Xiao Qingcheng proposed a divorce and kicked him out of the family! Other than his experiences during the years he disappeared, which cannot be investigated, other information reveals that this person has no background and no highlights. Everyone who knows him thinks he is just a loser who lives off his wife!"
The maid paused, then asked: "Miss, I don't understand, why is such a guy worth your time to investigate?"
Rong Meiyan smiled faintly: "A'qing, my grandfather once warned me many times that when looking at things, one should not just look at the surface. In my opinion, this Ye Tiance's outward persona of a 'kept man' is so deep-seated that his true highlights are easily overlooked by others!"
The maid named A'qing curled her lips, clearly not taking this to heart.
Rong Meiyan smiled and said: "Let's change the subject. What do you think about my second uncle's arrangement for me to attend the Ji family's banquet and select a business partner?"
A'qing replied truthfully: "The head of the Ji family, Ji Wuli, has been in secret contact with the second master for many years. His doing this is nothing more than wanting you to get on good terms with the Ji family, or perhaps he just wants to manipulate you into choosing them as your partner. That way, the second master can effortlessly use your power to support his own faction, and even plant someone by your side as a spy. It's a win-win for him!"
Rong Meiyan nodded. She narrowed her eyes slightly and said coldly: "My second uncle really thinks I'm still a child who can't see through these little tricks..."
Suddenly, a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "But my second uncle did remind me of one thing. As the saying goes, a powerful dragon doesn't bully the local snake. If I want to expand rapidly in Jiangnan City, I do need to choose a reliable business partner."
A'qing asked: "Miss, do you have a candidate?"
This time, Rong Meiyan didn't shake her head, nor did she nod. Only in those deep eyes did there seem to be a decision...