Chapter 144 Chapter 141: The Reckless Fool Courting Death

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Ye Chen’s work had earned everyone’s approval, and they all felt warmly toward him. Although he was already a vice president, he showed none of the airs associated with the position. Whenever people mentioned Vice President Ye, they could not help but give him a thumbs-up.

Over the course of a week, Ye Chen ran back and forth across the North District until his entire body had been tanned nearly black. Every time Fang Fei saw him, she could not resist teasing him.

“Greetings, Judge Bao!”

Ye Chen was indeed a conscientious man. He never shirked his own responsibilities, and even when something was not his job, he still did his best to lend others a hand. Some people said this was simply his nature. In truth, no one knew that it was because Li Ruo occupied a place in his heart.

He knew how immense a burden it was for a young woman to shoulder the entire Tianya Group alone, so he had resolved to ease her pressure.

The North District project was currently Tianya Group’s most important and critical undertaking. If it failed, the entire company would plunge to the bottom and might even face bankruptcy. The enormous tract of land alone had already consumed all of Tianya Group’s working capital, while construction would require at least an amount equal to the land’s price.

The total investment in the Central Business District was estimated to exceed twenty billion. With virtually no liquid funds left, it was impossible for Tianya Group to produce such a sum on its own. Their only options were cooperation and bank loans.

Ye Chen was now wearing a straw hat as he inspected the North District. The scattered residents on the land had gradually begun moving away. This was largely thanks to Ye Chen and Fang Fei. If the two of them had not found a way to persuade the elderly residents to leave, construction would probably have been unable to begin for quite some time.

Large numbers of bulldozers and excavators had entered the site, leveling the land. Once that work was complete, they would begin excavating the foundations.

“Judge Bao, you’re here?” Fang Fei came over like a mischievous little sprite.

Ye Chen grinned. “I wasn’t reassured, so I came to take a look.”

“Hmph. What’s there to be worried about? Aren’t you plainly saying that you don’t trust our work?”

“How could that be?” Ye Chen hurriedly shook his head.

After spending so many days together, he knew that Fang Fei loved being praised. Anyone who dared to criticize her would be subjected to an unrelenting verbal assault. Ye Chen had suffered through it often enough.

Fang Fei pouted. “Then why did you come?”

“All right, I won’t come again. I should be leaving.”

Ye Chen removed the straw hat from his head and placed it on Fang Fei’s. “I’m off. Don’t let yourself get tanned.”

“I don’t want your shabby straw hat!” Fang Fei delicately removed it.

Ye Chen paid no attention. He climbed straight into the little Alto parked nearby, waved at Fang Fei, and quickly drove away.

Holding Ye Chen’s straw hat, Fang Fei felt sweetness bloom in her heart. She could not bring herself to throw it away. After turning the matter over in her mind, she finally put it on. It was a little unfashionable, but Ye Chen had worn it.

That thought filled her with happiness.

Ye Chen drove directly to the casino. He had been so busy with Tianya Group’s project that he had completely forgotten about Feng Zhixiao. The casino should have made quite a bit of money over the past week.

When he arrived, the younger men at the entrance called out one after another, “Brother Chen, you’re here!”

“Where’s Feng Zhixiao?” Ye Chen immediately asked.

“Brother Zhixiao is upstairs!” they replied.

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Ye Chen strode inside. The area in front of the slot machines was packed with people clutching crystal coins. Those seated before the machines wore every expression imaginable: anticipation, surprise, excitement, dejection, sorrow, even tears.

The place seemed like a gathering point for every aspect of human life. Looking at them, Ye Chen could only shake his head helplessly. Everyone understood the saying that nine out of ten gamblers lost, yet they still could not resist entering a casino to gamble until the world turned upside down, staking everything on a desperate struggle.

Past the main hall were private rooms. Ye Chen did not enter them but went straight upstairs.

The second floor was quiet. When he pushed open the door to the conference room, he was nearly choked senseless by the smoke inside.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” Ye Chen hurriedly backed away several steps.

Feng Zhixiao froze, then quickly stood. “Brother Chen, you’re here?”

“Boss!” Jiang Wei also rose hurriedly.

Only Big Black remained seated, his eyes thoughtful.

Ye Chen asked curiously, “What are you all doing here? Are you discussing some major matter?”

At those words, Feng Zhixiao immediately lowered his head. Jiang Wei could not bear it any longer and said furiously, “Boss, that bastard Yan Bu’er sent us an ultimatum. He wants us to lead our men and submit to him. Otherwise, he says he’ll wipe us all out.”

“Yan Bu’er?” Ye Chen was startled. “When did this happen?”

“Three days ago.” Big Black stood up with a cigarette between his fingers. He glanced at Ye Chen. “In other words, tonight. If we refuse to submit, they’ll bring people to the casino and come for us.”

“Let them come.” Ye Chen gave a cold laugh. “Do they really think we’re easy prey?”

“But…” Feng Zhixiao looked at him uneasily. “Brother Chen, we only have a few dozen men. Compared with the thousand or more people under Yan Bu’er, we’d be throwing an egg at a rock. This time, Yan Bu’er made himself perfectly clear: if we resist, he’ll sound the call tonight.”

“That bastard dares to sound the call?” Ye Chen snorted. “I’ll go find him right now!”

With that, Ye Chen turned and left. Feng Zhixiao and Jiang Wei hurried after him, while Big Black remained behind to guard the casino.

The youngster Xiao Er was currently holding a thirteen-year-old girl possessively and showing her off to everyone. He smugly announced, “She’s my girl. None of you are allowed to touch her!”

Ye Chen and the others drove straight toward the headquarters of the Yanlong Gang. Along the way, the little Alto belched out thick black smoke, choking everyone nearby. Someone even raised a phone to take pictures, intending to report the car. But after taking the photographs, he discovered that the smoke was so dense the license plate could not be seen at all.

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After a difficult journey, the car finally reached the Yanlong Gang’s headquarters. Ye Chen walked straight toward the building, but the security guard at the entrance blocked his way.

“What do you want?”

“I’m here to see Yan Bu’er,” Ye Chen replied coldly.

“Hmph. Do you think you can see President Yan whenever you please? Do you have an appointment?” The guard looked at Ye Chen arrogantly.

There was no helping it. Ye Chen looked terribly rough, with skin so dark that he appeared, at first glance, to have come straight from working in the fields.

Ye Chen raised his fist and punched the guard in the face. The man collapsed on the spot.

Rolling his knuckles, Ye Chen said, “This is your appointment. Got it?”

“Daring to block Brother Chen’s way—you must be tired of living!” Feng Zhixiao lifted his foot and stomped hard on the guard’s chest.

The guard immediately spat out blood. Jiang Wei followed them inside, then paused beside the fallen man and shook his head helplessly.

“I usually don’t bully people. But when I do, I stop being human.”

With that, he leaped onto the guard and began pummeling him viciously.

By the time the three men were done, the guard was covered in blood.

Seeing this, another guard immediately pulled down the alarm. It was specifically meant to summon reinforcements during fights. Afraid of revenge attacks, the guards had installed it at the entrance; whenever an emergency occurred, they could activate it, and the other guards in the building would rush over.

Although they appeared to be security guards, they were actually street toughs—the members of the Yanlong Gang.

A great commotion broke out.

Dozens of men quickly poured from inside the building and surrounded Ye Chen and the other two.

The lead guard sneered. “The three of you have some nerve, breaking into Yanlong Gang headquarters like this. You must be tired of living!”

“Damn you!”

Without another word, Ye Chen launched a flying kick that sent the man who had issued the threat crashing to the floor. The guard lay there unable to rise, pointing at Ye Chen and the others as he struggled to breathe.

“K-kill them!”

“Get them!”

The crowd surged forward as one.

Ye Chen remained unhurried. He took a cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his lips. Then he removed his jacket, twisted it into a rope, and snapped it out with tremendous force. It wrapped around one man’s neck.

With a violent yank, Ye Chen sent the man stumbling. Ye Chen sprang into the air, and his legs flashed like lightning as he kicked two men at once. Before long, both had collapsed and could no longer stand.

Feng Zhixiao became entangled with two guards, while Jiang Wei showed no hesitation either. The man usually kept his abilities hidden, but once a fight began, he was every bit as ruthless as the rest. He had once dared to challenge Ye Chen, after all, which meant he possessed the strength to back it up.

The three men attacked from three separate directions, like the sharp points of a deadly triangle.

Under their savage assault, more than ten of the twenty-odd guards had already been beaten to the ground. Feng Zhixiao had suffered only minor injuries, while Jiang Wei had been slashed across the arm by a machete.

Ye Chen remained completely unharmed, the cigarette still clenched between his lips.

Only half of it remained, burning steadily.

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