Regret churned within his heart.
Xiao Hongming, overcome with fury, burst into a tirade: "Both of you have lost your consciences! You misled me into wronging Tiance. I have failed his grandfather, and I have failed the Ye Family..."
In the midst of his outburst, Xiao Hongming suddenly felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest.
*Puff!*
A mouthful of blood sprayed out, and he collapsed, unconscious!
"Grandfather!"
"Master!"
In an instant, everyone panicked and crowded around him; the entire Xiao Family fell into complete chaos.
...
Evening.
Tianlong Hotel, the most luxurious hotel in Jiangnan City.
At a window seat on the first floor, a beautiful woman in a snow-white dress sat waiting.
Guests at nearby tables whispered among themselves:
"Isn't that Han Ruoyun, the daughter of the richest man in the city? I heard her incurable illness was cured?"
"Rumor has it she was treated by someone at the Han Family's marriage recruitment event today. She’s only just recovered and is already out waiting for someone. Who could be so lucky?"
"Look, someone’s coming!"
A handsome young man dressed in simple clothes sat down opposite Han Ruoyun.
Ye Tiance got straight to the point: "Why did you ask me here? Why was a face-to-face meeting necessary?"
Had this woman’s tone on the phone not been so insistent, he wouldn't have bothered coming at all.
Han Ruoyun took two gold bank cards from her Hermes bag and placed them on the table.
"There are 10 million in each of these cards. Take them!"
Ye Tiance sipped his tea and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
Han Ruoyun lifted her chin, her expression cold and arrogant. "The first 10 million is payment for saving my life. The other 10 million is to ask you to stop playing these 'hard-to-get' games and stop pestering me!"
Ye Tiance nearly spat out his tea.
"Miss Han, are you mistaken? Before today, we’d only met once. How am I playing hard-to-get or pestering you?"
"Mistaken? Ha!"
Han Ruoyun acted as if she saw through everything.
"From the moment you proposed breaking off our engagement to your refusal of the 3 million my mother offered, wasn't that all just an act to set up a persona and attract my parents' attention? It just so happened that Lord Long’s phone call misled my father into telling me to talk to you—he’s truly getting senile. I admit, your methods for trying to win me over are sophisticated, but they won't fool me. For the sake of our former engagement, take the money and leave. Maintain some dignity. As the daughter of Jiangnan's richest man, I would never want someone else’s second-hand goods!"
Ye Tiance was almost amused to the point of laughter.
"I don't understand—why are you so remarkably ordinary, yet so confident?"
So what if she was the richest man's daughter? In his eyes, the richest man in a tiny place like Jiangnan City was no different from a beggar.
"How dare you speak to me like that!"
Han Ruoyun was furious. Having been surrounded by countless accolades and suitors since she was a child, no one had ever called her "ordinary" before!
Ye Tiance replied calmly, "I’m just stating facts. If Miss Han doesn't like hearing them, feel free to plug your ears."
"You!!"
Just as Han Ruoyun was about to explode, a voice suddenly snapped at Ye Tiance: "How insolent! Do you think you have a long enough life to insult Ruoyun?"
A young man in a tailored suit with a bandage wrapped around his head walked over. It was Ji Boxiao, the second young master of the Ji Family.
He said to Han Ruoyun with a softened tone, "Ruoyun, you've only just recovered; there's no need to get angry with trash like this. Let me handle it for you!"
Han Ruoyun glanced at Ji Boxiao, not wanting to engage. This fellow had pursued her many times, and she could never shake him off.
Ji Boxiao, completely unbothered by her coldness, squinted at Ye Tiance and threatened, "You’ve made me look hard. I command you to kneel and apologize to Ruoyun right now, then crawl out like a dog. Otherwise..."
Ye Tiance raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise what?"
Ji Boxiao wore an overbearing expression. "Otherwise, I’ll show you the true terror of the Jiangnan Ji Family!"
Ever since his marriage recruitment at the Han Family was ruined earlier that day, he had harbored a deep hatred for Ye Tiance. Now that they’d crossed paths, he wouldn't let this chance slide.
Han Ruoyun said impatiently, "Ji Boxiao, my affairs have nothing to do with you. Leave."
Ji Boxiao acted like a sycophant. "Ruoyun, whoever provokes you is crossing me. Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing!"
With that, he suddenly slammed his hand heavily on the table with a loud *bang*.
"Did you not hear me? Or does a useless son-in-law kicked out by the Xiao Family think he can look down on our Ji Family?"
The commotion drew the attention of many customers.
Ye Tiance laughed. "What does the Ji Family have that is worth my attention? Is it your father, Ji Wuli? Your brother, Ji Boduan? Or you, Ji Boxiao? Tsk tsk, look at the three of your names: *Wuli* (powerless), *Duan* (short), and *Xiao* (small). Could they be descriptions of reality?"
As soon as he said this, many customers couldn't help but laugh out loud. The names of the three men were truly ridiculous.
Even Han Ruoyun felt a flush on her cheeks, and she shot a fierce glare at Ye Tiance. This jerk, speaking such lewd things in public!
"You... you're asking for death!"
Ji Boxiao’s face turned bright red with rage, and he let out an angry roar, throwing a punch directly at Ye Tiance’s face.
He was confident that, with his two-and-a-half years of taekwondo training, he would at least break Ye Tiance’s nose.
However, in the next instant, he saw a blur.
*Bang!*
He went flying backward, crashing heavily onto the floor, completely disoriented!
*Ah!!!*
Some of the timid customers screamed in fear. Even Han Ruoyun’s eyes widened; she hadn't even seen what happened.
*Clack, clack, clack!*
Shortly after, the hotel manager arrived with a group of security guards.
"Who dares to cause trouble at the Tianlong Hotel?"
The manager, Sun Jun, scanned the room and demanded in a deep voice.
The customers all fell deathly silent, not daring to meet his gaze. Everyone knew that the Tianlong Hotel was a subsidiary of the Tianlong Group, which had immense backing. In Jiangnan City, no one dared to make a scene there.
Ji Boxiao struggled to his feet, wincing in pain.
Sun Jun, seeing Ji Boxiao, put on a sycophantic smile. "Second Young Master Ji, what happened? Who provoked you?"
Ji Boxiao pointed at Ye Tiance and said angrily, "Manager Sun, he’s the one who hit me! This bastard is deliberately causing trouble at the Tianlong Hotel—don't let him get away!"
*Whoosh!*
Sun Jun and his guards turned their gaze toward Ye Tiance.
Sun Jun puffed out his chest, looking arrogant. "Kid, you know the price for causing trouble and hitting people at the Tianlong Hotel?"
Ye Tiance replied helplessly, "He attacked first, and I defended myself. What's the problem?"
Ji Boxiao shouted, "Bullshit! You provoked me first! Don't try to shift the blame!" He then turned to Sun Jun: "Manager Sun, as long as you help me get revenge today, I will reward you tenfold!"
For Sun Jun, the truth didn't matter—what mattered was Ji Boxiao's promise.
He smiled. "Second Young Master, you are too kind. This is my duty. How would you like me to deal with this boy?"
Ji Boxiao squinted coldly. "I want your men to break his legs, throw him out of the hotel, and put up a sign at the entrance saying 'Ye Tiance and dogs not allowed inside.' Make sure he loses all face. How about that?"
The surrounding customers gasped. This Ji Boxiao was truly vindictive; he was ruthless! At the same time, they felt pity for Ye Tiance, but there was nothing they could do—who told him to cross someone he shouldn't have?
Sun Jun smiled faintly. "Consider it done!"
He signaled for his guards to move in.
"Wait!"
Han Ruoyun stood up to stop them.
Sun Jun paused, confused. "Miss Han, what is the meaning of this?"
Han Ruoyun ignored him and said to Ye Tiance with cold arrogance, "If you apologize for the insults you hurled at me just now and beg for my help, I can help you survive this crisis for the sake of our former engagement!"
Ye Tiance refused bluntly: "No need."
Han Ruoyun was taken aback. She frowned and said, "You're at death's door, and you're still posturing and playing games? I've already told you, I won't fall for it!"
Ye Tiance replied, speechless, "Miss Han, I really suggest you see a therapist. Extreme narcissism is a disease; it needs to be treated!"
"You!?"
Han Ruoyun was choked with rage, her chest heaving. "Ungrateful wretch! Fine, suit yourself! Die if you want to!"
Seeing this, Ji Boxiao added fuel to the fire. "Ruoyun, I told you this useless trash is ungrateful, don't bother with him! Manager Sun, hurry up and have your men do it!"
Sun Jun raised his hand, ready to order his guards to rush forward.
Ye Tiance suddenly said, "Manager Sun, I advise you to stop now as a matter of kindness, otherwise losing your job will be a heavy price to pay."
Sun Jun nearly laughed. "Kid, you think you can make me lose my job? Who do you think you are? Our hotel owner? Or Lord Long, the Chairman of the Tianlong Group?"
Ye Tiance shoved his hands into his pockets and said calmly, "I may not be your hotel owner, but I can order Zhao Hailong to have your boss fire you!"
As the words fell, everyone looked at Ye Tiance as if he were mentally impaired.
What kind of status did Lord Long have? You think he would listen to your orders? Good grief, why not say you're the ruler of the planet and all humanity has to listen to you?
Sun Jun couldn't help but mock him: "I'd love to see how you make Lord Long listen to you. I'm really looking forward to being fired by you, ha-ha-ha!"
Ji Boxiao chimed in, "If you can get Manager Sun fired, I’ll call you Daddy in front of everyone!"
Han Ruoyun sneered internally. She had originally thought Ye Tiance was just playing hard-to-get to attract her attention, but looking at him now, he was clearly brain-damaged! How did her grandfather ever decide on an engagement with him? Thank goodness it was annulled!
As for Ye Tiance, he didn't care about their mockery. He took out his phone and dialed Zhao Hailong.
"I'm at the Tianlong Hotel. Give you one minute to have the owner come over and fire a manager named Sun Jun."
He hung up.
This move caused the surrounding customers to join in on the ridicule.
"This kid is addicted to posturing!"
"One minute? Does he think he's in a movie? What a clown!"
Sun Jun checked his watch, acting cocky. "Kid, fifteen seconds left on the countdown. If no one shows up when time's up, you're going to be..."
He hadn't finished speaking when a middle-aged man in a grey suit came running down from upstairs, hurrying straight to Ye Tiance.
He said respectfully, "Mr. Ye, I am late. It is a capital offense. I will fire Sun Jun immediately!"
In an instant, the room went silent!
The crowd stared, dumbfounded, at the middle-aged man. This was the owner of the Tianlong Hotel—Chen Feng! He had actually been summoned by a single phone call. What was going on?
Sun Jun looked on in disbelief, his voice trembling. "Boss Chen, please, let me explain, the situation is..."
Chen Feng cut him off with a dark face. "You idiot! I don't want your explanation! Go to accounting, settle your pay, and get out of here forever!"
Sun Jun was shaking with fear and could only slink away. Before leaving, he glared viciously at Ji Boxiao. It was all his fault!
As for Ji Boxiao, he was already completely bewildered, unable to grasp the situation.
Ye Tiance sneered and asked, "Didn't you say just now that if I got Manager Sun fired, you'd kneel and call me Daddy? Go ahead!"
Ji Boxiao's eye twitched, and he gave a forced, awkward laugh. "Brother Ye, you misunderstood! I was just joking!"
Ye Tiance’s eyes narrowed. "You might be joking, but I’m not! You can either kneel and call me Daddy, or I’ll have Boss Chen’s men break your legs, throw you out, and hang a sign outside saying 'Ji Boxiao and dogs not allowed.' Pick one!"
Ji Boxiao said bitterly, "Brother Ye, could we change it to something else? This is really..."
Ye Tiance said coldly, "Since you don't want to choose, I’ll choose for you—legs broken, then thrown out!"
"No, no, no! I'll choose, I'll choose!"
Ji Boxiao clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. Then, he plopped down on the floor and unwillingly made the sound: "Daddy..."
Ye Tiance raised an eyebrow. "Did you leave your vocal cords at home? Louder!"
Ji Boxiao’s mouth twitched violently. *Damn you, Ye. I’ve fallen into your hands today, but I will have my revenge!*
He took a deep breath and shouted: "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
Ye Tiance clapped his hands and laughed. "My good big son, Daddy will teach you a lesson for the future: learn to keep your tail tucked, or you'll suffer greatly. Now get lost!"
Ji Boxiao stood up and fled, not wanting to spend another second there. In his haste, he even tripped and fell flat on his face at the door!
*Ha-ha-ha!*
The customers burst into laughter. Everyone knew Second Young Master Ji for his arrogant ways in Jiangnan City; when had he ever suffered such a blow? It was so satisfying to watch!
Chen Feng asked respectfully, "Mr. Ye, is there anything else you need?"
He didn't actually know anything about this man, but he was being cautious because of the call he’d just received from Zhao Hailong. There was only one command: obey Mr. Ye unconditionally!
Ye Tiance shook his head. "No, thank you for your trouble."
Chen Feng quickly replied, "Don't say that. Ultimately, this was my failure to control my subordinates. As compensation, please accept this small gift."
He signaled to his assistant, who brought over a wooden box. When opened, it revealed a snow-white ginseng, over a foot long, radiating a faint medicinal scent.
The surrounding customers gasped again:
"Isn't that the century-old snow ginseng Chen Feng bought from the Medicine King of Jiangnan a few days ago? He’s actually giving it to him!"
"I heard it cures all illnesses. It’s worth a fortune!"
"Who exactly is this kid to deserve such treatment from Boss Chen?"
Han Ruoyun stood to the side, stunned speechless. She simply couldn't fathom how a useless son-in-law kicked out of the Xiao Family could achieve all of this.
*Ring-a-ling!*
The phone on the table rang. She reflexively grabbed it to answer.
A woman’s anxious voice came from the other side: "Ye Tiance, it’s me, Xiao Qingcheng. I want to apologize first. Actually, I..."
Han Ruoyun replied, "I'm not Ye Tiance, I'm Han Ruoyun."
There was a clear pause on the other end. After two seconds of silence, she asked, "Where is Ye Tiance? Let him answer the phone."
Ye Tiance looked over, confused. "Why are you holding my phone?"
Han Ruoyun only then realized she had grabbed the wrong phone in her panic. Still, she deflected: "I didn't do it on purpose! I should be asking you—why are both our phones black, and why are the ringtones the same?"
Ye Tiance didn't want to get into a petty argument with her. He grabbed his phone back and asked, "What is it?"
"I wanted to tell you..." Xiao Qingcheng hesitated, then changed her tone: "Grandfather has suddenly fallen ill and is hospitalized at the First Hospital. He wants to see you. You decide if you’re coming or not."
Ye Tiance asked anxiously, "Grandfather is sick? What happened?"
*Beep, beep, beep...*
She had already hung up.
After thinking for a few seconds, he said to Chen Feng, "Boss Chen, I will accept this century-old snow ginseng. I won't take it for free!"
Chen Feng smiled respectfully. "It’s the least I could do!"
Ye Tiance took the ginseng and said impatiently to Han Ruoyun, "Miss Han, please do not contact me again in the future. I cannot afford to deal with you!"
With that, he walked away.
Han Ruoyun stomped her feet in rage and couldn't help but shout, "Ye Tiance, don't think that by playing hard-to-get, I'll fall for you! Don't you dare dream of it! I’ve already got someone I like. He’s a big shot a thousand times better than you. Once I win him over at the bidding conference tomorrow night, I’ll show you!"
*Ring-a-ling!*
This time, it was Han Ruoyun’s own phone ringing. It was her father, Han Tianzheng.
"Ruoyun, how did it go? Does that Ye Tiance have any background?"
Han Ruoyun was already in a foul mood and snapped, "He has nothing!"
She hung up and stormed out of the Tianlong Hotel.
Meanwhile, at a second-floor private room, a woman had watched everything that happened on the first floor.
She wore a silver *qipao*, her figure voluptuous, her face stunningly beautiful. With her bright red lips, she exuded the enchanting charm of a mature woman, breathtakingly captivating.
A tall maid in black leather clothes walked up to her and asked, "Miss, what are you looking at?"
"Nothing. Just saw an interesting person."
The woman in the *qipao* looked away, her voice calm. "Coming from the Provincial Capital to Jiangnan City this time, besides attending tomorrow night’s bidding conference to expand the Rong Family’s influence here, I am also looking for clues about that man. Keep your eyes open."
The maid whispered, "Miss, is a man you’ve never even met really worth this much? Besides, that engagement contract on your person..."
The woman in the *qipao* said firmly, "I haven't even met the other half of that contract. I don't even know his name, and I don't want to! I, Rong Meiyan, will not agree to that engagement!"
...
8:00 PM, Jiangnan City First Hospital.
Ye Tiance arrived at the ward door and saw many members of the Xiao Family.
When they saw him, their expressions subconsciously filled with disgust. In their eyes, although the Xiao Family’s invitation had been canceled and it was clarified that Ye Tiance had nothing to do with it, it didn't change the fact that he was a useless loser!
Zhang Huilan and Xiao Nan were there, their cheeks swollen with clear slap marks. These were from the repentance they had performed at home earlier, slapping themselves! They were still stinging!
Zhang Huilan asked with a hostile tone, "What are you doing here?"
Ye Tiance replied truthfully, "Qingcheng called to say Grandfather fell ill, so I came to visit."
Xiao Nan shouted with dissatisfaction, "My grandfather is sick; what does that have to do with an outsider like you? Get lost, you useless trash!"
In his mind, the fact that he and his mother had been punished for insulting Zhao Hailong was definitely because Ye Tiance had done something in secret, even if he didn't know how he did it!
The other Xiao family members complained as well.
"Visit the Master? You’re just here to see us make a fool of ourselves because we kicked you out!"
"We don't need your hypocrisy! Get as far away as you can!"