The Master Descends the Mountain: My Destined CEO

Seeing that the homeless man showed no inclination to linger, Xiao Ye started to follow him.

Zhu Chen, who had been observing from the sidelines, asked, "Are you interested in him?"

"Yes. According to your Physiognomy, what kind of person is he?"

"A rare, genuinely good soul. But for him to appear now and challenge you to a match, it's hard not to read more into it. Sometimes, faces aren't always what they seem."

That was true. It was just like the first time Xiao Ye had met Lin Chuxing.

'Her face also read as kind, but she turned out to be selfish and unscrupulous, willing to do anything to achieve her goals!'

"Let's go. We'll follow him first and see what's going on." Xiao Ye turned to the man from the United Group. "Go back and tell your boss that I have some business to attend to and will be delayed."

"Yes, sir." The man from the United Group bowed his head in assent. He knew who Xiao Ye was and didn't dare ask a single question.

Xiao Ye and Zhu Chen left the building and followed the homeless man.

The man was also a practitioner of Martial Arts, so he was bound to have some counter-surveillance skills.

So Xiao Ye didn't dare get too close. Instead, he had someone drive, following in fits and starts.

After a little over an hour.

They had traveled from N City's most luxurious district to an old, run-down neighborhood.

The distance between the two places wasn't great, but they were worlds apart.

The buildings were old, the people on the streets were dressed plainly, and homeless people were a common sight.

The homeless man walked over to a trash can, pulled a quilt out from a flowerbed, spread it on the ground, and lay down.

For food, he pulled half a loaf of bread from his coat; it was even a little moldy.

He had clearly fished it out of a trash can.

Zhu Chen couldn't help but comment, "He's in worse shape than I imagined. I thought he was just scruffy, not an actual homeless man."

'But how did he end up like this?'

'Hasn't he ever thought about changing his situation?'

Xiao Ye was curious as well.

He settled in and waited patiently.

Zhu Chen suddenly spoke up. "If he agrees to come with you and work for you, how will you handle the United Group? There's no guarantee they won't try to pull your man into the Angel Association."

"They won't." Xiao Ye was certain. "They're rich and powerful; the last thing they're short on is people who know martial arts. What they lack are special talents. Like you."

As for Xiao Ye himself, they wanted him not only for his formidable abilities, but also for his status as a member of the Xiao Family.

The Angel Association needed a major family to help them with a series of subsequent matters.

"Besides, I believe they'd be more than willing to do me a favor. They might even help me."

With that said, Xiao Ye continued to watch the homeless man.

The man slept for a little over an hour before finally getting up. He slipped into a nearby home.

When he reemerged, he had showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes.

Zhu Chen said, "There's no one in that house. The curtains weren't drawn, so I got a clear look. He helped himself without asking. And not just that, he also ate a full meal while he was at it."

"It seems he might not be as miserable as he looks."

Xiao Ye said nothing, simply continuing to follow him in the car.

Now in clean clothes, the man looked no different from anyone else and was able to get on a public bus without issue.

After a long ride, the bus stopped in front of a nursing home.

Xiao Ye glanced at the main entrance. "Come on, let's go inside."

The nursing home wasn't high-end, but it wasn't shabby either.

Inside the building, they saw medical staff bustling about and elderly residents being pushed in wheelchairs.

It was a private nursing home. A nurse immediately approached them. "Gentlemen, are you looking to admit a family member? You can come with me to learn about our options. We offer three different tiers."

The high-end tier includes professional caregivers, a private room, and even a kitchen and a bed for a visiting family member.

But in the low-end tier, several people share a room, and the air quality and overall environment are poor.

Xiao Ye took out his wallet, but he didn't have much cash in it.

Zhu Chen understood immediately, pulling out his own cash and handing it over.

"We want to inquire about someone," Xiao Ye said, pointing in the direction the man had gone. "A person in a blue shirt just walked by."

"Do you know him? If you can tell me about him, this money is all yours."

The nurse's eyes were glued to the wad of cash in Xiao Ye's hand. "I'm a veteran employee here. I've been working here for a whole decade. There's nothing that happens here that I don't know about."

"Follow me. Let's find somewhere more suitable to talk."

They went to an empty corner of a stairwell.

Only then did the nurse say, "If you're talking about the Asian man in the blue shirt, then I know him very well indeed."

She glanced at the wad of cash again.

Xiao Ye pulled out two bills and handed them to her. "Keep talking."

The nurse took the bills gleefully and, without a second thought, stuffed them into her bra. "His name is Hank. He used to be something of a local celebrity around here."

"He was a top student, doing his master's at the university not far from here."

"About five years ago, his mentor fell ill and could no longer teach, so he was admitted here. Hank used to visit him often."

Xiao Ye handed her two more bills. "And then?"

"Then he suddenly dropped out of school. The rumor was that he stole the research of a well-known professor."

"But we heard through the grapevine that Hank's mentor was yelling in his room, saying that the professor was the real thief—that he'd used his power and influence to bully Hank."

'So that's what happened...'

Xiao Ye handed her the rest of the cash. "How often does Hank visit?"

"He comes every week. That professor taught so many students, but Hank's the only one who ever comes to see him. The professor doesn't have any children; you could say Hank is practically his adopted son."

After dismissing the nurse, Xiao Ye immediately had someone launch an investigation.

His own intelligence network in Country A wasn't fully established yet—in fact, it had barely started—but he had the United Group.

Soon, word came back.

It was true: the well-known professor had stolen Hank's research and then used his influence to have him expelled from the university.

Academics despise thieves above all else, so no other university was willing to accept Hank.

But Hank had spent all of his family's money to come study for his master's degree; he couldn't even afford a plane ticket home.

Then again, perhaps he simply didn't want to leave Country A.

Call it giving up or what you will, but the man was crushed by the blow and never recovered. He couldn't find work, couldn't afford rent, and was eventually evicted, which is how he ended up homeless.

In Country A, it was impossible to get a job without a permanent address, creating a vicious cycle.

It was nearly impossible for the homeless to get back on their feet, and as the economy declined, their numbers only grew.

Xiao Ye walked toward the hospital room up ahead.