Chapter 98: From Now On, You're My Real Big Brother
Faced with the thunderous cheers of the crowd, Xiao Ye remained perfectly calm.
He deftly vaulted off the stage and strode over to Chu Yan. "I've fulfilled my end of the deal. I won."
"Thank you!"
Chu Yan thanked him sincerely before turning to Brother Qi. "Xiao Ye won. You can release him now."
"I trust that a man with Brother Qi's reputation would never go back on his word."
"Of course."
Brother Qi stood up, his face cold. "Come with me."
The two followed closely behind Brother Qi, and they soon arrived at an office off to the side.
The interior was exceptionally lavish, comparable to a presidential suite in a five-star hotel.
Brother Qi sat down in a chair and looked at Xiao Ye with a faint smile. "Have a seat. I've always appreciated talented people."
"Have you considered coming to fight for me?"
Without a second thought, Xiao Ye refused flatly. "Impossible!"
'What a joke. With his level of skill, if he claimed to be the second-best in the world, no one would dare claim to be the first.'
'This Brother Qi sure has some nerve, trying to recruit him as a fighter.'
'Heh, his intentions couldn't be more obvious!'
Seeing Xiao Ye's refusal, Brother Qi's expression darkened. "If you agree, I'll release Miss Chu's brother immediately, and we can discuss anything."
"But if you're going to be ungrateful and refuse, then the deal is off!"
Chu Yan slammed her hand on the table in anger. "I call you Brother Qi out of respect, not because I'm actually afraid of you!"
"If you're going to go back on your word, the Chu Family is no pushover!"
"Hmph!"
Brother Qi sneered and leaned back lazily in his chair. "Then by all means, give it a try. I've never considered the Chu Family to be a threat."
"You—"
Chu Yan was furious and about to argue, but Xiao Ye stopped her.
His eyes gleaming, he stared fixedly at Brother Qi. "Are you sure you want to go back on your word?"
"So what if I am? Kid, you're lucky I've taken an interest in you. Don't be ungrateful."
"I've always appreciated talent. Rather than being the Chu Family's dog, you'd be better off..."
Before Brother Qi could finish, Xiao Ye was in front of him, one hand clamped around his throat!
"You fucking dare touch me?"
Brother Qi had run roughshod over South City for more than twenty years, and no one had ever dared to lay a hand on him!
It was this very sense of invincibility that made him completely disregard Chu Yan and Xiao Ye.
Xiao Ye's grip tightened slightly, and a murderous glint appeared in his eyes. "Tell me, where is he?"
The pressure on his neck mounted, and the feeling of suffocation washed over him.
Brother Qi's eyes widened in agony. For the first time in his life, he felt the threat of death!
"Speak!"
Xiao Ye's hand tightened again!
"I'll talk!"
Brother Qi yelled, genuinely believing Xiao Ye would kill him. "He's in the secret room off to the side!"
"Lead the way!"
Xiao Ye barked the order, dragging Brother Qi to the side wall and forcing him to press a hidden mechanism.
The wall slowly slid open, revealing a passageway.
Chu Yan rushed inside, only to be shocked by the sight of rows of prison cells.
She checked each cell one by one until she rushed to the front of one, crying out between sobs, "Chu Zhan!"
"Sister?!"
The young man curled up in the corner jerked his head up.
When he saw it was really Chu Yan, his eyes instantly filled with tears.
He scrambled to the cell door. "Sis!"
"Sis, you finally came to save me!"
"Don't be afraid. I'm here to take you home. You'll be out in a second!"
Xiao Ye unceremoniously shoved Brother Qi. "Open it!"
At the sight of Brother Qi, the color drained from Chu Zhan's face.
The next second, he watched as Brother Qi meekly unlocked the cell door.
Without a second thought, Chu Zhan threw himself into his sister's arms, sobbing loudly.
His days in captivity had led him to believe he would never make it out alive.
Xiao Ye grabbed a handful of Brother Qi's hair. "That fighter, Black Dog. I'm taking him with me."
"Don't even think about letting your men try to stop me. All of your fighters combined are no match for me."
Brother Qi gritted his teeth.
'This Xiao Ye... he was clearly holding back in the ring. He's even stronger than I imagined!'
The tables had turned. He had no choice but to concede for now. "Fine. You can all go."
Ever cautious, Xiao Ye kept his hand on Brother Qi's neck as he walked out of the office.
Brother Qi's men immediately tensed up as if facing a formidable enemy, but none of them dared to make a move.
Xiao Ye looked at Black Dog, who had been brought forward by one of the men. "You're with me."
Black Dog nodded and obediently followed him.
Only after they were completely clear of the fighting arena did Xiao Ye let go, sending Brother Qi sprawling with a kick. "Get lost!"
Brother Qi scrambled to his feet and fled, but the look he threw over his shoulder was pure venom.
Chu Yan didn't notice. She was completely lost in her own joy.
Her heart ached looking at the gaunt Chu Zhan, but she made the introduction anyway. "Chu Zhan, this is Xiao Ye. From now on, you call him Brother Xiao!"
"Today, at Brother Qi's arena, he fought a whole gauntlet against those fighters—ten straight matches—and won every single one to get you out!"
"Hurry up and thank Brother Xiao! If it weren't for him, I couldn't have gotten you out!"
Chu Zhan was so stunned his jaw dropped.
He knew just how formidable those fighters were. He never imagined that this man, Xiao Ye, could have actually won the most terrifying type of gauntlet match!
His eyes instantly filled with adoration. He grabbed Xiao Ye's hand and said admiringly, "Brother Xiao, you saved my life!"
"From now on, you're my sworn brother! If anyone tries to mess with you, they'll have to go through me first!"
Xiao Ye could tell from his expression that he was a simple person.
'I never would have guessed that a woman as cunning as Chu Yan could have such an innocent younger brother.'
Chu Yan patted Chu Zhan's back. "What are you talking about? As if anyone could bully your Brother Xiao!"
Chu Zhan scratched his head in embarrassment. "You're right. Brother Xiao is so incredible, he'll definitely be the one looking out for me from now on!"
After speaking, Chu Yan turned to Xiao Ye. "It's late now. Why don't you come back to our place and rest?"
'She had an ulterior motive: she wanted Xiao Ye to come back with her to the Chu Family residence and put on a show of force.'
'That would stop certain people from getting any more ideas!'
How could her little scheme possibly escape Xiao Ye's notice?
'Well, he'd already come this far. What was one more small favor?'
"Alright, let's go to the Chu Family's home then."
The group got into a car. Although Chu Zhan was physically weak, he chattered nonstop the entire way.
Xiao Ye found he actually liked the kid's personality and would occasionally chime in.
Chu Yan was in high spirits as well. Only Black Dog was completely silent, his hands gripping his pant legs tightly.
'He didn't know... what he was supposed to do now that he was out of the ring.'
「The Chu Family Estate.」
When the butler heard Chu Yan had returned, he hurried out to greet them. "Young Miss... Young Master, you're safe! This is wonderful!"
Chu Yan waved a hand dismissively and strode into the villa.
The other members of the Chu Family had also heard the news, and when they saw Chu Zhan, they all looked on in disbelief.
Chu Yan sneered, her icy gaze sweeping over the room. "As you can see, Chu Zhan is perfectly fine!"
"The man I hired defeated an entire gauntlet of Brother Qi's fighters!"
"I don't think I need to explain what that kind of power means, do I? If anyone dares to lay a hand on Chu Zhan again, don't blame me for forgetting we're family!"
No one said a word. They merely glanced at the newcomers before returning to their respective rooms.
Chu Yan showed Xiao Ye to a guest room upstairs. "This is the best room in the house besides the master bedroom. Please, make yourself comfortable for the night."
Xiao Ye was unconcerned. "Black Dog, come in."
Chu Yan still needed to take care of her brother, so she said no more and hurried off to find the family doctor.
「Inside the room.」
Black Dog watched Xiao Ye nervously. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse. "You saved me."
Xiao Ye nodded. "Tell me your story."
"My family... they're all dead. They offended Brother Qi... I was captured and forced to become a fighter."
"Now... I just want to get stronger. And then, I want revenge!"