"Don't think that just because our Xiao Family got back the bidding chamber of commerce quota and is about to secure a multi-billion order, you can come back and cling to us again? No way!"
"..."
Seeing the true colors of this bunch, Ye Tiance frowned.
"My kindness is wasted on ungrateful wolves. Since you don't need me to visit, fine then."
He turned around and prepared to leave.
"Wait!"
Right at that moment, the ward door opened and Xiao Qingcheng walked out.
Xiao Qingcheng looked at Ye Tiance with a complicated expression.
She had originally planned to apologize to him for wronging him, but the thought of him being with Han Ruoyun just moments ago made her inexplicably uncomfortable, and the words stuck in her throat.
Unaware of what she was thinking, Ye Tiance asked directly, "How is Grandpa?"
Recovering her composure, Xiao Qingcheng replied calmly, "The doctor said it was a sudden surge of anger, but he's out of danger now. He just fell asleep and shouldn't be disturbed."
Ye Tiance nodded. "Alright, then I won't go in."
Since the old man was out of danger, there was no need for him to stay here. He decided to leave the century-old snow ginseng and take his leave.
He stepped forward and handed over the wooden box.
"This is for Grandpa. It's good for his recovery."
Before Xiao Qingcheng could take the wooden box, Zhang Huilan stepped forward, snatched it away, and opened it.
Upon seeing what was inside, she looked utterly disgusted and shoved it back into Ye Tiance's hands.
"And I thought it was something special! You have the nerve to give someone this dime-a-dozen farmed ginseng? Take it back where it came from!"
Ye Tiance explained, "This is a century-old snow ginseng! It can cure all sorts of diseases—it's a very precious medicinal herb!"
Zhang Huilan scoffed dismissively, "Do you take me for a fool? What century-old snow ginseng? I've never even heard of such a thing! Anyone can see this is fake ginseng. I'd consider nine-ninety-nine with free shipping on Taobao overpriced!"
Xiao Nan chimed in with sarcastic sneers, "You can brag that fake ginseng is a century-old snow ginseng that cures everything. If it were a white radish, I suppose you'd brag it's a ten-thousand-year supreme radish that grants eternal youth after eating it?"
The Xiao Family members present burst into mocking laughter.
This loser would really brag about anything just to salvage his pitiful pride!
Even Xiao Qingcheng shook her head helplessly.
She couldn't understand why Ye Tiance never learned to be down-to-earth and always had to pull off these pretentious stunts.
Just then, a sleek, suit-clad young man appeared before the crowd.
It was Ji Boduan.
He eagerly greeted Xiao Qingcheng, "Qingcheng, I heard the head of the Xiao Family fell ill, so I specifically came to check on him."
Xiao Qingcheng replied with an unhappy tone, "My grandfather's business is none of your concern."
Ji Boduan didn't feel awkward at all.
He knew Xiao Qingcheng was upset because he had lied about asking Zhao Hailong for help.
"Qingcheng, I did exaggerate the facts about the chamber of commerce quota, but the truth isn't what you think. If not for my efforts, Lord Long would never have changed his mind."
Xiao Qingcheng frowned. "What do you mean?"
Ji Boduan said with a deadpan expression, "To be honest with you, this was all thanks to my dad. I begged him every which way to step in, and only then did he call Lord Long to discuss it. Naturally, it worked out.
I should have told the truth from the start, but in a moment of heat, I took the credit for myself. Looking back now, I regret it so much!"
The Xiao Family members nodded in sudden realization.
Not long ago, they had been discussing why Zhao Hailong changed his mind, but racking their brains yielded no answers.
Hearing Ji Boduan's explanation now, everything fell neatly into place.
"Pfft!"
Right at that moment, Ye Tiance couldn't help but laugh out loud.
In all his years, he had never seen anyone so utterly shameless.
Ji Boduan's expression darkened. "What are you laughing at? Is there something wrong with what I said?"
Ye Tiance said indifferently, "Whether there's something wrong, you know best in your heart. Let me remind you: using a lie to cover up another lie ultimately means you can only use even more lies to patch it up!"
"You..."
Ji Boduan was left stammering and speechless by the retort.
Zhang Huilan immediately berated Ye Tiance, "You good-for-nothing! Since when is it your turn to butt in here? If Young Master Ji's father hadn't helped, who else could it possibly be?"
She then turned to Ji Boduan with a gentle expression. "Young Master Ji, you don't need to lower yourself to the level of trash like that. Auntie believes you. Even though you lied before, it was understandable—you were doing it for Qingcheng's sake, after all!"
Joy washed over Ji Boduan's face.
He thought to himself that this stupid old woman really knew how to assist!
Striking while the iron was hot, he said, "You're entirely right, Auntie. I promise I won't make a similar mistake again. By the way, this is a top-grade red ganoderma I bought at a huge price for the head of the Xiao Family. It's extremely nourishing!"
He opened the gift box in his hand, revealing a red ganoderma the size of a hand fan that emitted a rich medicinal aroma.
Zhang Huilan's eyes lit up. "Young Master Ji, this ganoderma must be extremely expensive, right?"
Ji Boduan feigned modesty. "Just over a million. No big deal."
The Xiao Family members let out a chorus of gasps—a gift worth over a million was truly a lavish display of wealth.
Compared to the fake ginseng Ye Tiance had brought, the difference was like heaven and earth!
Ji Boduan sneered at Ye Tiance, "Remember, when giving gifts, you should learn from me—always send top-tier items, not worthless trash!"
Ye Tiance replied indifferently, "What's a fake ganoderma got that's worth learning from? Besides, it's poisonous!"
As soon as these words fell, the entire room went dead silent!
A fake ganoderma?
Poisonous?
Everyone looked at Ji Boduan.
His expression instantly darkened. "Bullshit! This red ganoderma was bought for me by a friend. How could it be fake? You're slandering me, and I demand an apology!"
Zhang Huilan said with utter disdain, "You're just a freeloading kept man, what do you know about ganoderma? Shut your mouth!"
The Xiao Family members, who had been shocked just a second ago, now recovered their senses.
They pointed fingers and accused Ye Tiance in a flurry:
"We almost got tricked by you! With Young Master Ji's status, why would he ever send a fake ganoderma?"
"I see you're just jealous of Young Master Ji's red ganoderma and are deliberately trying to smear him!"
Xiao Qingcheng only felt completely exhausted. Her face turned dim as she said, "Ye Tiance, you shouldn't have slandered Young Master Ji. Apologize."
In the past, Ye Tiance might have backed down and listened to her.
But now, there was no need!
He stepped forward, snatched the red ganoderma, and with a sharp *crack*, snapped it directly in half.
This sudden move startled the crowd, their faces changing color.
Was this kid out of his mind?
Ji Boduan shouted angrily, "You dog! This red ganoderma is worth a million! Can you afford to pay for it if you ruin it?"
Ignoring him completely, Ye Tiance pointed to the black color at the core of the ganoderma and said, "A genuine red ganoderma has a red stem and roots, but this one is purplish-black.
A real ganoderma has a slightly bitter taste—as the saying goes, good medicine tastes bitter—yet this one has a floral fragrance. Judging by the texture of the cap, it's not a red ganoderma at all, nor can it even be considered a ganoderma. It's a poisonous giant red mushroom, and it's highly toxic! Consuming it would put a life in serious danger. If you don't believe me, look it up online!"
A Xiao Family relative refused to believe it. "I'll check then!"
Then, he stood dumbfounded, because it indeed was not a red ganoderma, but a poisonous giant red mushroom.
Now, everyone was completely dumbfounded!
Zhang Huilan and Xiao Nan dropped their jaws in utter disbelief!
They had intended to mock Ye Tiance, but instead, they got violently slapped in the face. It hurt like hell!
Xiao Qingcheng's face burned with embarrassment!
Ye Tiance held the poisonous giant red mushroom right in front of Ji Boduan's eyes and asked in a cold, stern voice, "You brought this to give to Grandpa—were you trying to commit premeditated murder? Do you know how many years in prison you're looking at?"
"I... this..."
Ji Boduan was sweating profusely. In truth, he had no idea how a perfectly fine red ganoderma had turned into a poisonous giant red mushroom.
He had no choice but to bite the bullet and explain, "I didn't do it on purpose! It must be the friend who bought the ganoderma for me playing tricks. Everything I said is true!"
Ye Tiance said, "True or false, we'll find out once we call the police!"
Ji Boduan's face turned pale.
At this moment, Zhang Huilan stepped in to bail him out. "Young Master Ji already said it wasn't on purpose! Are you going to harp on this endlessly? Even if he bought the wrong ganoderma by mistake, at least he spent money and showed sincerity. Isn't that a thousand times better than the worthless fake ginseng you brought?"
Xiao Nan chimed in with an angry roar, "In my opinion, your fake ginseng is the one that's truly poisonous! You must still harbor resentment against our Xiao Family and want to kill my grandfather. I won't let a dog like you succeed!"
With that, he suddenly snatched the century-old snow ginseng and threw it onto the floor.
Right under everyone's watchful eyes, he raised his foot and stomped down—*crunch, crunch, crunch!*
In an instant, it was smashed to smithereens!
Ye Tiance's expression sank!
"Do you even know what you just did?"
Xiao Nan said arrogantly, "So what if I smashed your fake ginseng to pieces to stop you from poisoning my grandfather? What about it?"
Clenching his fists, Ye Tiance said to Xiao Qingcheng, "Your younger brother really needs to be disciplined!"
Frowning, Xiao Qingcheng retorted, "What Xiao Nan did was a bit excessive, but he only smashed a fake ginseng—it's no big deal. What else do you want?"
Ye Tiance was stunned for a moment, then shook his head in disappointment. "Very well. I hope you don't live to regret this!"
Leaving those words behind, he turned and walked away, completely devoid of any lingering attachment.
Zhang Huilan spat on the ground. "Pfft! A loser putting on airs! What on Earth could possibly make us regret anything?"
Right at that moment, Hospital Dean Wu Xingye walked over and said,
"Although the head of the Xiao Family is out of danger, his vitality has been severely damaged. To recover his health, he will need precious, high-grade medicinal herbs for recuperation. You should look for some."
Xiao Qingcheng hurriedly asked, "Dean Wu, what kind of precious herbs are needed? Could you please recommend some?"
Wu Xingye replied, "I heard that some time ago, someone successfully bid for a century-old snow ginseng from the Medicine King of Jiangnan. If the head of the Xiao Family can take it, not only will it cure his illness completely, but it could even prolong his life!
As to who won the auction, however, I'm not sure. But I can have someone ask around for you."
Upon hearing the words "century-old snow ginseng,"
Xiao Qingcheng's delicate body trembled.
It seemed she had thought of something terrifying.
Pointing at the ginseng on the floor that Xiao Nan had crushed, she asked, "Dean Wu, is this... the century-old snow ginseng you were talking about?"
"Oh?"
Dean Wu bent down, picked up the ginseng fragments and broken rootlets, and inspected them.
Suddenly, his eyes widened. "This is the century-old snow ginseng! Top-tier quality! Where on Earth did you get this, and how did it get smashed into this state?"
Faced with Dean Wu's questioning, Xiao Qingcheng awkwardly recounted a brief version of what had just happened.
Wu Xingye's beard trembled with rage!
"This century-old snow ginseng is worth at least five million, and it's priceless even if you have the money! I haven't even laid eyes on one more than a few times myself, and you just trampled it like this? This is simply a heinous waste of a heavenly gift!"
Hearing this, all the members of the Xiao Family felt a pang of profound regret!
Who could have guessed that Ye Tiance, that loser, was actually telling the truth?
A ginseng worth five million had just been destroyed like that!
Ji Boduan's face burned with humiliation as well!
Xiao Qingcheng bit her lip hard, her breathing grew heavy, and a wave of sharp pain stabbed at her heart.
She had actually misunderstood Ye Tiance yet again!
Forcibly pulling herself together, she asked, "Dean Wu, can this century-old snow ginseng still be used?"
Wu Xingye shook his head. "Century-old snow ginseng is different from other ginsengs; it must remain intact to exert its medicinal effects. Now that it's smashed to pieces like this, the medicinal properties have dissipated. It doesn't hold much value anymore."
Outraged, Xiao Qingcheng slapped Xiao Nan across the face. "This is all your fault for smashing the century-old snow ginseng! What are we supposed to do now?"
The rest of the Xiao Family members also pointed fingers at Xiao Nan, bombarding him with complaints!
Xiao Nan shrank like a quail, keeping his head down in silence.
In his heart, he resented Ye Tiance for not explaining things clearly from the start, which had ended up making a fool of him!
After Dean Wu left,
the Xiao Family members began discussing among themselves, curious as to where Ye Tiance could possibly have gotten a century-old snow ginseng.
Zhang Huilan said through gritted teeth, "He must have stolen it from somewhere! That kid has the stickiest fingers!"
But Xiao Qingcheng didn't believe such a claim; a century-old snow ginseng was far too precious to be stolen easily.
It must have been a gift from someone.
Yet, exactly who it was, she couldn't figure out either.
Regardless of the reason, this time she had truly misunderstood Ye Tiance's kind intentions!
When she ran into him next time, she would have to explain herself properly!
Quickly regaining her composure, she said, "I'll figure something out about the traditional medicine. Tomorrow night is the bidding chamber of commerce; I'm heading back to the company to prepare the materials first. Mom, I'll have to trouble you and my brother to look after Grandpa for the next couple of days!"
Zhang Huilan nodded. "Alright, off you go then!"
Xiao Qingcheng hurried away.
"Qingcheng, I have some materials I can share with you. I'll go to the company with you!"
Ji Boduan hurriedly chased after her.
The rest of the Xiao Family members left one after another, leaving only Zhang Huilan and her son behind.
Before long, the call bell in the ward rang.
Zhang Huilan and Xiao Nan immediately rushed inside.
It turned out Xiao Hongming had woken up.
Zhang Huilan asked, "Dad, do you feel a bit better?"
Xiao Hongming nodded and asked weakly, "I had Qingcheng call Tiance to come over. Is he here?"
Zhang Huilan exchanged glances with Xiao Nan.
Then Xiao Nan said, "Grandpa, don't even mention that ungrateful wolf. He didn't show up at all, and even said he wants to cut ties with us and that we shouldn't keep in touch anymore!"
Xiao Hongming found it hard to believe. "How could that be? He shouldn't be that kind of person. Call him for me—hand me my phone."
Xiao Nan quickly advised, "Grandpa, calling him now will only make you angrier and worsen your condition. You'd better get some rest and just pretend you never knew Ye Tiance."
"Sigh..."
Xiao Hongming let out a disappointed sigh and closed his eyes again.
...
At 10:00 PM, Zijin Tiangong.
This was the most luxurious villa area in Jiangnan City, nestled on Mount Zijin.
Villa No. 1 at the very peak of Zijin Tiangong carried a staggering price tag of 1 billion.
At this moment, Ye Tiance was standing right at the entrance of this villa, punching in the password, pushing open the front door, and walking inside with a swagger.
Inside, the villa was luxuriously and grandously decorated, resembling a palace.
"This kid's old lair isn't bad at all. Seeing as he gave me the villa, I'll shave a few years off his sentence!"
Ye Tiance nodded with a satisfied air.
In fact, the original owner of this villa was none other than the "God of War of Jiangnan", Lin Feng.
Relying on his mastery of martial arts, this man had become the strongest person in Jiangnan City within just a few years, earning the title of God of War and winning widespread adoration!
However, three and a half years ago, brimming with overconfidence, he had gone alone to 'that place' to challenge experts.
Few people knew that 'that place' was actually an isolated island prison called the City of Fallen.
It imprisoned the most vicious and heinous criminals in the world!
There were the biggest terrorist masterminds of Iran, top assassins who had attempted to assassinate emperors, and mega-wealthy felons worth trillions!
Ye Tiance's master was the warden of that prison, respectfully addressed by the criminals as the Old Master, while Ye Tiance was the Young Master. Master and disciple held absolute power of life and death over everything inside!
No matter how arrogant or formidable a tough guy might be, in front of this master and disciple, they could only kneel to welcome them, kneel to send them off, and bow their heads in submission!
Ever since his master went traveling five years ago, Ye Tiance had been the supreme ruler of the City of Fallen!
To escape harsher punishments, that bunch of hardcore criminals fawned over Ye Tiance in every conceivable way.
Money, power, connections, and more were all offered up on a silver platter!
Three and a half years ago, the God of War of Jiangnan, Lin Feng, had broken into the City of Fallen, claiming he would wipe out all experts.
As a result, he was knocked out flat with a single slap by Ye Tiance!
Because Lin Feng had kicked down the gates of the City of Fallen, Ye Tiance punished him by throwing him into the City of Fallen for a ten-year sentence, assigned specifically to toilet-cleaning duties!
From then on, Lin Feng seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving behind no further news.
Three years ago, when Ye Tiance left the City of Fallen,
Lin Feng had proactively offered him the villa as a goodwill gesture, hoping Ye Tiance might shorten his prison sentence by a few years!
Yet ever since Ye Tiance returned to Jiangnan City and married Xiao Qingcheng, he had been living with the Xiao Family.
Therefore, this was his very first time visiting the villa.
Leaning back on the sofa, Ye Tiance pulled the remaining engagement letters from his bag, opened them one by one, and briefly looked them over.
"I broke off one today, leaving eight engagement letters behind. The other eight people aren't in Jiangnan City, so I'll need to visit them one by one."
"The closest one is Rong Meiyan of the Provincial Capital Rong Family. I hear the Rong Family is one of the four great families of the provincial capital, and their influence far surpasses the three major families of Jiangnan City. Once I finish handling things on my hands, I'll make a trip to the Rong Family first."
Ye Tiance closed the engagement letters and tucked them back into his bag.
Just as he was getting ready to take a shower, the villa doorbell suddenly rang.
Through the security monitor, he saw a stranger standing outside—a stunning beauty draped in a silver qipao, exuding immense charm!
Outside, the woman in the qipao spoke, "God of War of Jiangnan, I saw the lights are on in the villa. May I ask if you're in?"
Ye Tiance frowned slightly, thinking to himself that Lin Feng had been missing for three and a half years—what on earth was a woman still coming to look for him for?
Could she be one of Lin Feng's romantic debts?
Not going to lie, this sexy style was right up that guy's alley!
"Forget it, it's better not to get involved with this kind of woman. I'll just pretend I didn't see her."
Ye Tiance muted the doorbell and headed to the bathroom to take a shower so he could get to sleep early.
After all, tomorrow night's bidding chamber of commerce was waiting for him!
Unaware of this, the woman in the qipao continued, "I am Rong Meiyan of the Provincial Capital Rong Family, and I've long admired your heroic deeds. Ever since you suddenly vanished three and a half years ago, I've kept searching for news of you.
Seeing your triumphant return today makes me extremely happy. If possible, would you come out and meet me?"
However, several minutes passed, and she received no response whatsoever.
"God of War of Jiangnan, I won't disturb you any further. I'll come visit another time when you have time!"
Rong Meiyan turned and walked away, making her way all the way to the main gates of the mountainside villa complex.
A tall maid was waiting there for her.
Seeing the undisguised joy on Rong Meiyan's face, she asked, "Miss, haven't you already come to check on the God of War's villa several times before? Why are you so happy today?"
Rong Meiyan smiled. "You don't understand. Today, the lights were on in the God of War's villa. What does that mean? He's back after vanishing for three and a half years!"
"Really?"
The maid's face lit up with excitement. When it came to a legend like the God of War of Jiangnan, which young woman didn't idolize him?
Rong Meiyan nodded. "It's a pity he didn't come out to meet me. But I can understand—after all, he rarely showed his face back then, and even when he did, he always wore a mask. No one has ever seen his true appearance."
Then, suddenly struck by a thought, she commanded, "Buy a villa in the Zijin Villa area immediately, as close to the God of War's Villa No. 1 as possible."
"Yes!"
Rong Meiyan turned back, casting a charming, lingering glance toward the villa at the very peak.
"As the saying goes, 'those close to the water get the moonlight first.' If I can win your help, our Provincial Capital Rong Family's expansion in Jiangnan City will be like adding wings to a tiger.
And if I can take my relationship with you a step further, I'll have an excuse to reject that engagement from the family and won't have to marry a fiance whose name I don't even know."
Yet, little did she know that the current master living in Villa No. 1 was no longer the God of War of Jiangnan.
He was precisely the fiance she didn't want to marry!
...
The next evening, Yunding Hotel.