Chapter 118: Lingering Ghost
「Evening.」
Lin Chuyue stepped out of her room, planning to go try some of South City's famous local food.
Just as she closed her door, she saw Xiao Ye step out of the room across the hall. Her brow furrowed instantly. "What are you doing out here?"
"The Ma Family is still making trouble. I'll go with you to keep you safe."
Xiao Ye said, striding up to Lin Chuyue.
The sight of Xiao Ye's nonchalant expression made Lin Chuyue furious.
'But this isn't Jiangcheng, after all. It's better to be cautious.'
"Fine, you can come with me. But no matter who we run into today, you are not to get into another fight!"
The two of them walked out of the hotel side by side.
Lin Chuyue kept her lips tightly pressed, not wanting to say another word.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at a bustling street not far from the hotel.
It was a pedestrian street, lined with shops and stalls on both sides.
It was peak dinner time, so the street was crowded. Every so often, they would pass a young couple.
Taking in the new and interesting sights, Lin Chuyue's mood finally began to improve.
She looked at Xiao Ye. "Let's just grab a bite around here. If you don't want to, you're free to go."
"Of course I want to. What are you in the mood for?"
Xiao Ye also wanted to cheer her up. "I see a long line over there. The food must be good."
In silent agreement, they headed toward the food stall up ahead.
From within the dense crowd, someone suddenly charged at them from the side.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he brandished a gleaming dagger.
Spotting Xiao Ye, the man roared, "You son of a bitch, go to hell!"
As soon as the words were out, he lunged straight at Xiao Ye with the dagger!
But if the man was fast, Xiao Ye was faster!
He deftly dodged aside before the blade even came close.
When his first strike missed, the assailant simply took a step to the left, changed direction, and went for Lin Chuyue!
The gleaming blade closed in, sharp and menacing!
Lin Chuyue was so frightened her face turned deathly pale and her legs went weak.
She wanted to dodge, but she was frozen in fear, completely unable to move!
All she could do was stand there rigidly, watching in a daze as the dagger came at her!
Xiao Ye wasn't about to let her get hurt. He sent the assailant flying with a single kick!
'Daring to harm my woman? He's got a death wish!'
THUD!
The assailant crashed heavily to the ground, and the sudden violence sent the surrounding crowd into a panic.
"He's trying to kill someone!"
"Is that guy insane? Trying to murder someone in the middle of the street!"
"Hurry, call the police!"
The assailant lay on the ground, his face a terrifying mask of pain.
He reached out, trying to grab his dagger again, but thankfully a bystander kicked it away, not giving him a chance to attack a second time.
Xiao Ye recognized the man at a glance. He was from the Ma Family.
After a moment of struggling, the man, with blood streaming from his nose and mouth where he'd been kicked, staggered to his feet and glared murderously at Xiao Ye.
He was indeed from the Ma Family, but from a side branch. He used to have a decent standing; even without any real power, the dividends he received were more than enough for him and his to live the high life.
But then Xiao Ye showed up and ruined not only the Ma Family, but him, too!
When Ma Xinyue took over, she slashed the dividends for all the side branches.
In a single year, he had lost a full million!
Thinking about how he had treated Ma Xinyue in the past, he knew this was about more than just financial losses—he probably wouldn't be able to stay in the Ma Family at all!
He had once been considered a young master of the Ma Family, but now, because of Xiao Ye, he had nothing!
"You bastard! Pah!" he spat. "If you weren't so good at fighting, I would've killed you today for sure!"
The man's curses made Xiao Ye's expression darken. "You Ma Family people are like ghosts that refuse to move on!"
'The Ma Family again.'
'Seeing the hatred in that man's eyes... to think he'd try to assassinate someone in public... and I was almost killed...'
'And it was all because of Xiao Ye!'
A wave of fury instantly washed over Lin Chuyue!
She pressed a hand to her wildly pounding heart, trying to suppress her explosive anger.
The sudden assassination attempt had truly given her a terrible fright.
Seeing her state, Xiao Ye's heart ached. Without a second thought, he stomped down hard on the assailant's leg.
"AAAAAGH—!"
A bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, drawing an even larger crowd.
Seeing this, Lin Chuyue snapped, "Xiao Ye, that's enough!"
"You're not hurt, and he's been punished. Don't do anything else!"
Only then did Xiao Ye stop. "I'm fine. What matters is that he almost hurt you."
Lin Chuyue rolled her eyes. 'If it weren't for the trouble he attracts, none of this would have happened today. And he has the nerve to say he did it for me!'
Her good mood vanished in an instant. Not wanting to stay a moment longer, Lin Chuyue turned and walked away.
'The police can handle the rest, anyway.'
Xiao Ye immediately followed after her. "Don't worry, the Ma Family won't be able to cause trouble for much longer."
"I don't want to hear it right now! Just stay away from me!"
Lin Chuyue snapped, then stormed straight back to the hotel.
Back in her room, Lin Chuyue had only been resting for a moment when there was a knock on the door.
She assumed it was Xiao Ye again. She opened the door, ready to yell at him, only to find Chu Yan.
She blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard about what happened tonight and came to check on you."
Since she'd put it that way, Lin Chuyue couldn't very well turn her away. She stepped aside. "Come in, then."
"Miss Chu, we don't know each other well. Why are you really here?"
Chu Yan set down the gift she was carrying and smiled. "Like I said, I came to see you. And to offer some comfort."
"You should be a little nicer to me. After all, if the Lin Clan wants to establish a foothold in South City, you'll need the Chu Family."
"Otherwise, with a single word from me, your Lin Clan can forget about ever entering this city—not unless the Chu Family falls."
Lin Chuyue knew that, of course. Otherwise, she would have dropped all pretenses with Chu Yan long ago. "Well, thank you for that," she said stiffly.
"Don't mention it. As for the Ma Family, you don't need to worry."
Lin Chuyue felt a surge of annoyance just hearing the Ma Family's name.
"If you're here to see Xiao Ye, his room is out the door, to the left, and diagonally across the hall."
Chu Yan's hearing was sharp. At the sound of footsteps by the door, her expression immediately brightened into a smile. "Miss Lin, we're practically old acquaintances."
"I genuinely want to be your friend, and I hope you can be a little nicer to Xiao Ye."
"No matter what, he's helped you so many times. The reason he's offended so many people—isn't it all because of you?"
Lin Chuyue sneered. 'For me?'
'So many situations could have been resolved without violence, but because of Xiao Ye, she just ended up in even more trouble!'
"So when he offended the Ma Family, was that for me, too?"
Lin Chuyue was completely drained when it came to Xiao Ye. "I know he's helped me, and I'll always remember that debt."
"Once the Lin Clan is on stable footing, I will absolutely repay that debt. I'll make sure he's set for the rest of his life."
"But he's too reckless. It'll be a miracle if he doesn't bring ruin down upon the Lin Family."
Chu Yan explained, "He does it for your own good. Besides, he has the power to back it up."
"Miss Lin, you should really take a closer look at him. He's far more exceptional than you imagine."
"Power? Are you talking about his fighting skills? Other than that, he has nothing to show for himself."
The more Lin Chuyue spoke, the angrier she became. "Since you like him so much, Miss Chu, why don't you find a way to take him away!"
"The Lin Family's humble abode is too small for a great man like him!"
"I want nothing to do with him. As for whatever is between you and him, Miss Chu, I would be thrilled to see it happen!"
"If you two get married one day, I promise I'll send a generous wedding gift!"