Chapter 280: You Just Wait
Xiao Ye had no time to waste. "Ask your people," he said directly.
The woman looked at Jiaojiao. "What's going on?"
'She hadn't expected the woman to be passing by. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to do such a thing, not even if she had a hundred times the nerve!' Jiaojiao's face went deathly pale.
"Sister Qing, don't bother asking. I'm the one sticking up for Jiaojiao! This guy actually dared to throw Jiaojiao out. Is he acting like I don't exist?!"
'Young Master Liu wasn't here yesterday, but he knew what happened. Jiaojiao must have told him. And today's incident was definitely her fanning the flames!'
Sister Qing's gaze was venomous. "Jiaojiao, hurry up and calm Young Master Liu down!"
Jiaojiao was so frightened her legs felt weak. "Young Master Liu, let's go, okay?"
"Please, I'm begging you. Let's just go!"
"No! I, Young Master Liu, came here personally. He has to apologize!"
Sister Qing offered a placating smile. "Young Master Liu, this gentleman is from the Yuan Family. The Liu Family and the Yuan Family are both prominent here in Shanghai. There's no need to make such an ugly scene, don't you think?"
"How about this? Do me a favor, what do you say?"
Sister Qing was a veteran at this nightclub; many people knew her.
Especially the men who wanted to spend time with the club's prettiest girls, who would often give her small gifts for no particular reason.
On top of that, she was highly valued by the nightclub's behind-the-scenes owner, so everyone was willing to show her some respect.
"Fine." Young Master Liu finally relented. "I'll let you off the hook this time, for Sister Qing's sake."
"But you just wait. When I, Young Master Liu, want an apology, I always get it!"
Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly dragged him away.
Sister Qing turned to Xiao Ye. "Mr. Yuan, I'm truly sorry. I never expected something like this to happen."
"It seems you need to get your people in order."
"No matter how this ends between the two of us, it's going to have a big impact on your business."
"I know, Mr. Yuan. There's no charge for tonight. It's on me, as my apology."
Xiao Ye said nothing more and turned to leave.
Back at the villa, he once again tossed the phone to Li Zhu.
This time, she had no choice but to believe him, because she also knew about Dean Wang's broken leg.
She even knew the person named Zining!
"How could this be... Why were those people at the club?"
"Like you, they were all taken in by your organization," Xiao Ye said, leaning against the doorframe. "But you were one of the lucky ones."
"They weren't so fortunate. Because of their good looks, they can only profit your organization by selling their bodies."
"I'll give you time to think it over. I'll also let you see those orphans. After that, you can decide whether you want to tell me more."
Xiao Ye closed the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
The weather grew colder. Snowflakes danced wildly outside, blanketing the world in white.
Xiao Ye didn't go out either. He just sat on the sofa, drinking coffee and watching the news.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
He answered the call, and Yuan Tiancheng's voice came through. "Master Xiao, some people from the Liu Family came to the Yuan Clan Headquarters today. From the sound of it, the person they're looking for is you."
'The Liu Family?'
'Could it be that Young Master Liu from last night?'
'The Liu Family is a top-tier family, true, but surely they wouldn't cause a scene at the Yuan Clan Headquarters over something so trivial, right?'
"I did offend someone from the Liu Family yesterday."
Yuan Tiancheng gave a wry smile. "Master Xiao, there's something you don't know. The Liu Family made their fortune as warlords, and they've retained that thuggish streak to this day."
"The way the Liu Family operates, they're just reckless fools who charge headfirst into things. Plus, they're extremely protective of their own. They don't care about right or wrong and will blindly defend their family members."
'If that's the case, then it all makes sense.'
"Fine, I'll head over. I'd like to see for myself what the Liu Family is made of."
'If they're really as Yuan Tiancheng described, then perhaps there's no need for the Liu Family to exist anymore.'
'The weather's turning cold.'
'Time for the Liu Family to go bankrupt.'
'Or perhaps, get a new master.'
「Yuan Clan Headquarters.」
Xiao Ye took the president's private elevator directly to the top floor.
Yuan Tiancheng immediately came forward to greet him. "The people from the Liu Family are in the reception hall now. There's a monitor here. You can watch from here while I go handle it."
'Xiao Ye didn't want to reveal his identity, so this was undoubtedly the best approach.'
"Alright, go on. Don't worry. If the Liu Family won't let it go, the Xiao Family will naturally step in."
With that assurance, Yuan Tiancheng was relieved.
He straightened his suit and went down to the reception hall on the floor below.
Three people from the Liu Family had arrived, one of whom was Young Master Liu himself.
"Yuan Tiancheng, where's that guy from the Yuan Family I told you about? Where is he now?" Young Master Liu immediately shot to his feet, his tone hostile.
"Hand him over right now, and I promise I won't cause any trouble for the Yuan Family."
"But if you don't, the consequences will be far from simple! Don't forget, your Yuan Family is no match for my Liu Family!"
The Yuan Family was a first-rate family, but the Liu Family was a top-tier one.
A single tier of difference, yet it was an insurmountable chasm.
Yuan Tiancheng had intended to be diplomatic, but since the Liu Family was being so discourteous, there was no need for him to be polite either.
"We can't just hand over a member of the Yuan Family."
"Besides, as far as I know, the person from my family wasn't at fault to begin with."
"He didn't like that woman, so what if he threw her out? Do you expect a man of the Yuan Family to politely escort her out?"
"But you, Young Master Liu, causing trouble for the Yuan Family over a woman who sells her charms... that's quite an eye-opener!"
"Cut the crap!" Young Master Liu couldn't be bothered with reasoning. He was from the Liu Family; he did whatever he wanted.
'So what if it's for a woman?'
'If anything, it just shows that people from the Liu Family are true to themselves!'
"I'll ask you one last time: are you handing him over or not?"
Yuan Tiancheng's reply was firm. "No!"
"Fine. You just wait!"
Young Master Liu had come to demand a person, but if Yuan Tiancheng refused, he couldn't just take him by force.
The three of them couldn't even get past the security department at Yuan Clan Headquarters.
"Yuan Tiancheng, don't you regret this. I'll make you come begging to hand him over to me!"
With that, Young Master Liu left with his two companions.
News of the incident quickly reached the ears of the other members of the Yuan Family.
"Have you guys heard? Today, Yuan Tiancheng kicked the Liu Family out, and all for some man!"
"For a man? For real? Who was it, do you know?"
"I don't know, but he's definitely not one of us in the Yuan Family. Don't tell me Yuan Tiancheng got his heart broken by his fiancée and was so traumatized he's into men now?"
Night fell.
Yuan Tiancheng returned to the Yuan Family estate.
When he heard his subordinate's report, his face instantly darkened a shade.
"Who dares to spread these rumors?!"
"It was people from the third branch of the family."
'No matter who it is, as long as their surname is Yuan, they absolutely cannot be allowed to spread rumors about Xiao Ye!'
'What if Xiao Ye finds out and grows to detest the Yuan Family?'
'What a bunch of useless wastes, better at ruining things than accomplishing them! It seems I'll have to give them a harsh lesson to stop these rumors from spiraling out of control!'