Chapter 39

After speaking, Ye Fengyun turned and walked away.

Li Hu watched him go, and instinctively reached for the jade pendant at his chest, only to discover, to his shock, that it had vanished. He looked down—sure enough, it was nowhere to be seen. When he glanced up again, he spotted Ye Fengyun not far off, one hand in his pocket, the other twirling a pendant between his fingers—the very jade piece that contained the rootless water from Tianshan.

Li Hu muttered in astonishment, “When did he take it?”

Yun Tonghai called one of his men over and ordered, “From now on, all our people should be sharp when it comes to Ye Fengyun. If any of you see him, treat him with the utmost respect—no slacking off, or you’ll answer to the rules of the syndicate!”

“Yes, sir,” the underling replied, nodding fervently, cold sweat beading on his brow. There was nothing joking in Yun Tonghai’s tone; it was a command that sent chills down one’s spine, a command one did not dare defy. It felt as if even the slightest hint of refusal would cost you your head.

The Tang residence.

Ye Fengyun pushed open the door and stepped inside. He had just opened his mouth to call, “Darling,” when he saw two people standing in the living room. He paused in surprise; on closer look, it was Tang Yilin and Lin Lei.

What on earth were they doing here?

“Oh, just in time—your ugly husband is back. Now we can tell you both at once.” Tang Yilin smiled, looping her arm around Lin Lei’s in an affectionate gesture. “Darling, go ahead and tell them.”

Lin Lei beamed at Tang Shihan and Ye Fengyun. “Seven days from now is Yilin and my wedding anniversary. We’ll be throwing a banquet and inviting all the city’s celebrities.”

Tang Yilin added, “I hear there’ll even be some famous actresses there.”

Ye Fengyun chuckled, “You know people in the entertainment industry?”

“Of course! All thanks to Lei’s connections. The kind of influence my Lei has is beyond the understanding of someone as ugly as you,” Tang Yilin said smugly.

Lin Lei spoke with pride, “Well, what can I say? I have friends everywhere. Best Actress, starlets—they’re nothing but toys for the big shots. I hear that one of the actresses has Li Hu from the Black Tiger Syndicate as her godfather. Li Hu and I are very close—inviting her is as simple as making a call.”

At the mention of Li Hu’s goddaughter, Ye Fengyun’s interest was piqued.

“How interesting. I was just thinking about putting together a wedding for my wife, but hadn’t settled on a date. Seven days from now sounds like a good day—an auspicious one. Let’s make it then.”

Tang Shihan was taken aback. He’s planning to hold their wedding on the same day as Tang Yilin’s anniversary? On the very same day?

Wasn’t this just asking for humiliation?

“Ye Fengyun, you—” Tang Shihan started to protest, but was interrupted by Lin Lei’s mocking laughter.

“Haha, how delusional can you get? On that day, everyone who’s anyone in Yunchuan City will be at our banquet. Who would care about the wedding of an ugly nobody like you?” Lin Lei sneered.

Tang Yilin pretended to feel sorry for Tang Shihan, sighing, “What a shame, Shihan. I’m afraid your wedding will be a ghost town. You’ll be lucky if you can count your guests on one hand.”

Ye Fengyun yawned and said lazily, “Don’t worry. Seven days from now, all those so-called celebrities and starlets—they won’t be attending your event.”

“If they’re not going to ours, where would they go? Yours?” Lin Lei retorted.

Ye Fengyun snapped his fingers with a smile. “Exactly.”

“Hahahaha!” Lin Lei doubled over with laughter. “Ye Fengyun, are you an idiot? Who do you think you are? Who would give you the time of day, let alone show up to your wedding? This is killing me!”

Tang Yilin laughed so hard she bent over, tears streaming from her eyes as she tried to compose herself.

“Lei, don’t waste time on them. Let’s go. I can’t wait to see what their wedding will look like.”

Lin Lei nodded, grinning. “Me too. Just imagine—the two of them with the officiant on stage, and three or four people in the audience. What a spectacle. Hahahaha!”

The two of them walked out, still laughing uproariously.