Chapter 187

Mei Lan nodded seriously and said, “How was he?”

“He’s mastered the Emperor’s Heart Technique, and he’s very strong. But … it feels like these years have been spent building his foundation. His rank doesn’t seem very high.”

“Hmm, no rush. Take it slow. You didn’t get into a fight, and you didn’t tell him your identity, right?”

Brother Di shook his head vigorously and said, “No way. I just wanted to see what this brother of mine is like. But he’s indeed impressive, able to fight above his level. Oh, and I saw some interesting people, like a woman named Zhu Yeqing.”

Hmm? Was her son falling in love? No longer obsessed with martial arts?

“… Which girl is it? You’re so hung up on her.”

“She’s not some girl; she’s an incredible person. This woman, I dare say, is absolutely the number one among the younger generation. Her strength is terrifying—she could beat me with one hand. Sigh, my skills really aren’t up to par. There’s always a higher mountain, a stronger person.”

So much for hoping her martial-obsessed son would fall in love—not realistic. She thought he was in love, but after all this, it turned out he just met a master.

“Who is this Zhu Yeqing? Where is she from? Which major family?”

“None of them. She’s a bodyguard and subordinate of a guy named Chen Fan. As for Chen Fan, he’s just a rich second-generation kid who’s always mouthing off.”

Hahaha.

“There aren’t many rich second-generation kids you’d bother remembering.”

“The only son of the Chen family, the sole heir. Nobody dares touch him—mess with him, and the Chen family goes crazy.”

Mei Lan nodded. That was indeed true.

“So, has Little Tian fallen in love?”

“He has. There’s a girl named Xiao Lan by his side. Well, how should I put it? It seems he and that Chen Fan guy are at odds. They’re mortal enemies, the kind who won’t rest until one’s dead. But from what I saw, Chen Fan doesn’t stand a chance. It won’t take long for Brother to rise up. He’s already reclaimed part of the Ye family’s assets.”

Mei Lan said in surprise, “These years have been hard on him. I suppose it won’t be long before my identity is exposed. When that time comes, I’ll have to meet him appropriately.”

“What about Father?”

“Your father is still in seclusion. But I think he’ll agree. It was agreed upon back then.”

Brother Di nodded enthusiastically. After chatting aimlessly for a bit, Brother Di ran upstairs. In front of outsiders, Brother Di was arrogant and looked down on everyone. But at home, Brother Di was just a simple kid, Mei Lan’s child.

A pure little boy who wanted to protect his mother.

Mei Lan sighed quietly, took out a photo, and looked at it. But the next second, it was snatched away by someone.

“What did we agree on?”  The man was burly, looking down at Mei Lan from above.

Mei Lan said, “I… I was just looking. Didn’t you say I was allowed to… keep my longing for my husband?”

Di Junsi said, “All these years of my efforts still can’t compare to him, can they? What do I have to do for you to truly like me? Tell me!”

Mei Lan sighed and said, “He’s him, and you’re you. Why do you always obsess over him?”

Di Junsi laughed coldly and said, “Do you know how I’ve lived all these years? How many people have treated me as a joke? Everyone knows I’m imitating that man. Even you told me to imitate him.”

Mei Lan said angrily, “I didn’t.”

Mei Lan was old, her hair already full of white strands. In others’ words, she was at the level of an “old hag.” You have to understand, Mei Lan was quite attractive in her youth. Unfortunately, years of longing accelerated her aging.  But even so, Di Junsi still loved this woman deeply. He’d even occasionally wear a mask of Ye Aotian’s father to make her happy.

It was just that recently, his cultivation hadn’t progressed, making him feel a bit of violent rage, even showing signs of going berserk.

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault.” Di Junsi took the initiative to apologize.

Mei Lan said quietly, “It’s fine. All these years, you’ve taken me in and protected me. I’m already very grateful. It’s normal for you to get angry.”

“Alright, I’m going into seclusion. If anything major happens, call me directly.”

Mei Lan nodded.

Halfway out, Di Junsi said, “Before Ye Aotian has truly established himself, don’t give him any help. If he really achieves something in the Ye family, then the Di family can offer some assistance—provided he’s worth helping.”

Mei Lan nodded.

After Di Junsi left, Mei Lan quietly rubbed her cheek, where the handprint from Di Junsi’s slap still lingered. Helplessly, she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. And all of this was seen clearly by Brother Di upstairs.

In Chen Fan’s eyes, this plot was actually the most heart-wrenching. Because Di Junsi was also a pitiful person. To put it bluntly, this guy was the ultimate simp. Chen Fan’s own simp persona was, frankly, absurdly inadequate in comparison.

It was just not on the same level.

Moreover, the protagonist’s future development relied heavily on the help of many predecessors, all thanks to Ye Aotian’s mother. This woman still had many suitors and secret admirers.

If it weren’t for Di Junsi keeping them in check, many people would still want to marry this woman, even if she had become old and unattractive.

Because everyone understood one thing: this woman was a symbol of the strong. But at the same time, she was also a pitiful woman.

Even Chen Fan himself suspected that this stupid author had a bit of a twisted taste, because this plot felt very familiar to him.

Wasn’t this just the plot of Nie Feng’s mother? But it was not quite the same, because Nie Feng’s mother was at least somewhat attractive, while this woman is just very average.

[TL: the character mentioned above is from the 1989 Hong Kong wuxia comic Fung Wan (Wind and Cloud) by Ma Wing-shing. Nei Feng, one of the two main protagonist’s mother, Yan Ying, a skilled beauty, loves Nie Renwang but is coveted by villainous Xiong Ba. After Xiong Ba kills Nie Renwang, Yan Ying is coerced into a relationship with him. Heartbroken, she dies during or after Nie Feng’s birth, likely from illness or suicide, orphaning her son in the treacherous Jianghu (martial underworld).]

Average among the average.

Moreover, this character was also the most contradictory in her setup. But being able to help the protagonist with a slightly contradictory setup was normal. After all, if she weren’t contradictory, how could the protagonist later gain so much help from others? ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel fire.net

Meanwhile, in the Ye family, the head of the Ye family, looking at the documents, had a wicked smile on his lips.

Interesting, truly interesting, really interesting.

“Where is Ye Aotian?”

“He’s already here and settled. Tomorrow, we can announce that he’ll inherit some of Ye Zifeng’s estate.”

Hahahahaha.

“Send out invitations tomorrow. Invite everyone to attend. I need many people to witness this moment, got it?”

“Yes, Family Head. One question: should we invite the Chen family?”

The Chen family? That family that was just brought down?

Looking at the documents, the Family Head said, “Of course we invite them. Chen Tianqiang wants the Ye family’s heir to be a stepping stone for his son. Well, I hope the Chen family becomes a vassal family of our Ye family. Naturally, I’ll invite them. When the time comes, the expression on Chen Tianqiang’s face will surely be quite interesting.”

“Yes, Family Head.” After receiving the instructions, the steward left.

The head of the Ye family looked at the documents, laughing unrestrainedly. Interesting, truly interesting. Who would’ve thought that a small place like Qin City would have so many young talents?

It seemed the era of this generation’s youth was about to begin.

I wonder which of these four kids will have the last laugh. I’m actually a bit excited.

This was the foundation of the Ye family. The Ye family never resented anyone who competed for inheritance rights, because it was all based on ability. If you’re strong enough, you can compete for it, but it has to be fair.

That is, the level gap can’t be too large. This was also why Ye Zifeng invited two people to compete.

Win, and you must win honorably. Lose, and you stay home obediently. The family will provide for you, and you won’t starve.