Cao Kang's face was ashen. He trembled with fear, bowing his head deeply and not daring to make a single move.

He wasn't stupid. He could see that this Governor had an extraordinary relationship with Zhou Yufei—they were very likely boyfriend and girlfriend.

And me... I tried to force Zhou Yufei to leave with me, even calling her a filthy bitch and a tramp.

THUD!

His legs could no longer support his body, and he collapsed to his knees, his teeth chattering. "My-my lord, I'm sorry."

The phone he was gripping had long since connected. A muffled voice on the line asked with confusion, "Kang, can't you hear me? Who are you apologizing to?"

"My lord, this scoundrel is simply despicable and shameless!" Di An stepped forward, bowing obsequiously as he recounted the recent events and Cao Kang's vile intentions in detail.

"Di An?" The voice on the phone suddenly erupted in anger. "You Di Family brat, what in the world are you doing? If you dare to harm my Kang, I won't let you off lightly!"

Cao Kang had completely forgotten that he had called his father. At that moment, he was completely enveloped by an overwhelming sense of fear and panic. With his hands planted on the ground, he kowtowed repeatedly.

SMACK!

Yang Hu's fist hammered down, and Cao Kang's vision went black.

"Spare me... Lord, please, spare my life..." Cao Kang pleaded desperately.

"Spare you? The waters of the Lingjin River are calm today. There's a path there, and I think I'll send you for a walk." Yang Hu grabbed Cao Kang, seized Zhou Ting as well, and strode directly out of the office.

"I don't care who you are, release Cao Kang immediately!" The muffled voice from the phone shouted again, bellowing coldly, "Di An, you just wait!"

Unfortunately, the phone wasn't on speaker, so no one heard a thing. The man on the other end must have guessed something was wrong, as he said no more and hung up.

From beginning to end, Chen Yang didn't even glance at Cao Kang. He gestured to Li Si beside him and said to Zhou Yufei, "This is Li Si; you've met before. She doesn't want to go home for a while. Would it be convenient for her to stay at your place?"

"Of course, it's convenient!" Zhou Yufei nodded eagerly. "It gets lonely living by myself. It would be great to have some company."

"Thank you, Yufei," Li Si said with a smile.

Zhou Yufei scampered forward, her bright, lively eyes darting between Chen Yang's and Li Si's faces. She then giggled mischievously, "Chen Yang, don't tell me you went and crashed a wedding to rescue the bride today?"

Chen Yang was speechless.

He hadn't really thought about it before, but now that Zhou Yufei mentioned it, it really did feel a bit like a bridal abduction.

"Uh..." Chen Yang touched his nose, slightly embarrassed.

Li Si, however, felt a sweetness blossom in her heart. She lowered her head, her hands clasped together and clenched tightly.

Though Zhou Yufei was teasing, deep down, she was incredibly happy. At the very least, Chen Yang wasn't so heartless as to stand by and watch Li Si fall into a pit of fire.

In short, this selfish man had finally shown some improvement when it came to matters of the heart.

Nearby, Di An was overcome with envy.

He could easily tell that, besides Li Si, this Miss Zhou Yufei also harbored deep feelings for Chen Yang. They're all as beautiful as flowers... Tsk, tsk... Still, as the Nine Gates Admiral, he's certainly qualified to have them.

Chen Yang couldn't stand the atmosphere and quickly changed the subject. "Yufei, with the contract from Di An, you won't have to run yourself ragged worrying about business anymore."

"Yes, thank you, Lord Governor!" Zhou Yufei beamed, her heart filled with warmth.

Aware that he was the third wheel, Di An smiled and said, "Miss Zhou, I'll leave the contract here. Please look it over and sign it when you have time. I'll have someone send over the exclusive partnership agreement another day."

"Lord Governor, Sisi, I'll be leaving now."

With a quick farewell, Di An left immediately.

Walking out of the company, Di An was overjoyed, even whistling to himself. Though collaborating with Zhou Yufei would cause an initial dip in his company's sales, in the long run, they would more than make up for it.

What was most crucial was that his relationship with the Governor was growing ever closer. Otherwise, why would the Governor come to him whenever he needed something?

"Haha!" Di An was ecstatic. "It pays to be a decent person," he mused leisurely. "Otherwise, you end up like that piece of trash Cao Kang—a cautionary tale. He's just the scion of some minor family. Did he really think he could blot out the sky with one hand? What an idiot!"

It was nearly noon. After signing the contract and giving her assistant some instructions, Zhou Yufei returned to Meixin Community with Chen Yang and Li Si.

They went to Chen Yang's home. The two women had already become fast friends, practically inseparable. They now stood in front of the refrigerator, discussing what to cook and occasionally asking for Chen Yang's opinion.

Yang Hu, grinning from ear to ear, chimed in, "If you ask me, the three of you should just live here together. I can move into Yufei's place."

At his words, Zhou Yufei and Li Si both froze in surprise.

SMACK.

Chen Yang slapped Yang Hu across the back of the head.

"Damn it!" Yang Hu staggered a few steps, rubbing his head and grimacing. Tears welled up in his eyes. It really hurt!

This couldn't help but make him think of Elder Ren Tong. Like father, like son. It truly runs in the family.

"Talk any more nonsense and you can go back to Hanyun Valley," Chen Yang snapped.

Yang Hu immediately wilted, waving his hands frantically and apologizing over and over. He had intended to help things along, but instead, he had tripped himself up. How pitiful.

「The following day.」

Yesterday had been sunny, but today the sky was overcast. It looked like a heavy downpour was unavoidable.

Zhou Yufei and Li Si went out together to buy some daily necessities. Chen Yang declined their invitation. He and Yang Hu loaded the fishing gear into the car and headed for the Lingjin River.

The net had been cast, but some fish had yet to swim into it. All they could do was wait quietly.

「Meanwhile.」

In a villa in the suburbs of Qiyun Road, Chen Bonan stood in the courtyard, looking up at the overcast sky. For some reason, he felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

Could the Chen Clan royal family have sent someone to search for the Ancestral Sword again? he muttered to himself, frowning deeply.

His mission to Qiyun Road to find Chen Yang was one matter. Another was the fact that before he left, the Clan Leader of the Chen Clan royal family was in seclusion, and the Great Elder needed to remain behind to manage the clan's affairs. As for the others, none could pose a threat to him unless the Martial Department got involved. But if the Clan Leader had emerged from his seclusion...

At this thought, Chen Bonan's brow furrowed even more deeply.

"No!" Chen Bonan declared resolutely. "I must find Chen Yang and convince him to leave Qiyun Road. I need to find something to block the Ancestral Sword's magnetic signature. Only then can he possibly escape the royal family's pursuit."

Just as Chen Bonan was about to instruct his men to leave...

BOOM!

The main gate to the courtyard was blasted open by a powerful force, shattering into countless fragments.

Chen Bonan's heart leaped into his throat.

When he got a clear look at the visitor, his face instantly darkened, and his entire body tensed. The visitor, of course, was the Great Elder of the Chen Clan royal family, who had followed the information provided by Qin Lie all the way here.

"Bonan," the Great Elder said, "I remember warning you. Why didn't you listen?"

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