Chapter 39 038: An Unfriendly Visitor

Early the next morning, Mouse and Shrimp arrived right on schedule. Though Demon Moon had said she'd come today, Ye Chen was still surprised to see the two men standing at his door so early.

Mouse was rather short, about one meter sixty-five, with dark skin and a lean, wiry build. His movements were quick and agile, and his attack speed fierce. Ye Chen had recruited him back in the day precisely for his agility, making him a valuable intelligence operative.

Shrimp, on the other hand, was all muscle, towering at nearly one meter ninety. His physique was intimidating, rippling with raw strength. A sharp scar ran from his forehead to the corner of his mouth across his broad face, giving him such a fearsome look that even a police officer passing by would likely demand his ID.

“Boss!” Both men swept their dark eyes over Ye Chen, their faces breaking into excited grins.

“You two... came so quickly?” Ye Chen was surprised, then laughed, grabbing their green bundles and saying, “Come in!”

“Alright!” The two were visibly excited—they hadn’t expected to see their boss again in this lifetime.

Ye Chen didn’t stand on ceremony. He pulled all the canned beers from the fridge. Both men were drenched in sweat despite the early hour; the temperature outside was high, and they wore the military camouflage of the Golden Triangle, with leather boots—looking every bit the soldiers.

Mouse and Shrimp each grabbed a can, popped the tabs, and drank greedily, downing two cans each before they felt satisfied.

“Boss, Sister Demon Moon said you should find us work!” Mouse wiped his mouth.

“Work?” Ye Chen was startled, then nodded. “No problem!”

“What do you want us to do?” Mouse grinned. “We won’t sweep the streets, though. If you want us to do that, I’d rather get back to kidnapping—it pays faster, and we’re pretty skilled at it!”

Smack!

Ye Chen slapped Mouse’s head without hesitation. “Idiot, do you think this is the Golden Triangle? Behave yourself here and don’t cause me trouble. I’m barely keeping my head above water!”

“Boss, we believe in you—you’ll be back on top one day!” Both men chuckled.

“Enough nonsense. Drink up, then we’ll grab some breakfast downstairs and buy you two some new clothes.” Ye Chen eyed them, then took out ten thousand yuan from the cabinet, handing them five thousand each. “This is for spending money. Don’t waste it—this isn’t the Golden Triangle. Get used to being frugal; we don’t have a business yet!”

“We got it!” They nodded, pocketing the money. “Boss, when will we get some action? Smuggling arms, drugs, kidnapping, murder—we can do it all!”

Smack!

This time Ye Chen slapped Shrimp’s head. He glared at them. “Remember, this is not that place. Don’t mention those things again. Whatever you did before, forget it all!”

“Yes!” They obeyed without hesitation.

“By the way, did Demon Moon leave me any message?” Ye Chen asked with a smile.

“Yes!” Mouse nodded quickly. “Sister Demon Moon said you should stay put in Jianghuai City and forget about the Golden Triangle. Our old base is all gone, taken by the General... Such a pity. Also, she said if you mess around with women out here, she’ll cut off your weapon!”

Pfft...

Ye Chen nearly spat out his beer at that remark!

After breakfast downstairs, Ye Chen took the two men to buy proper black suits on the pedestrian street, then brought them to Tianya Group to report for duty. Tianya Group was always hiring bodyguards, but most were subpar—Li Ruo wouldn’t even look at them, some weren’t even up to the level of the original guards. This round of recruitment had yielded almost no one except Ye Chen. Li Ruo was stubborn; she’d rather have too few than lower her standards.

“Mr. Ye, you’re here?” Xiao Mei greeted Ye Chen with a smile, carrying her breakfast.

“Yeah, haven’t eaten yet, Xiao Mei?” Ye Chen grinned.

“No, not yet... Would you like to join me?” Xiao Mei smiled coyly.

Ahem, ahem...

Two coughs sounded. Mouse and Shrimp stared at the ceiling, a silent warning to Ye Chen not to flirt with women—otherwise, Demon Moon would surely come to Jianghuai City for revenge. Ye Chen hurriedly waved them off and led his men away.

“How odd, Mr. Ye didn’t show his usual lecherous side today,” Xiao Mei murmured, covering her lips as she watched Ye Chen leave flanked by two men in black.

Inside Li Ruo’s office, Lin Ziwen was preparing documents for her. The day after tomorrow, Wednesday, was the grand opening ceremony for Tianya Group's Jiangnan No. 1 real estate project. As a newcomer to the real estate industry, the event would draw attention from all sides—not just officials and media, but also competitors and major investment groups.

“Ziwen, how is the publicity department’s planning?” Li Ruo looked up.

“All ready!” Lin Ziwen nodded. “The venue will be at Jiangnan No. 1’s mini golf course, which can hold about three thousand people, though we may exceed that number.”

“Good. What about security?” Li Ruo frowned slightly.

“Deputy Director Zeng will dispatch police to assist, and our company security will maintain order at the site,” Lin Ziwen replied. “As for your personal safety, Vice Captain Ye will handle it.”

“Alright,” Li Ruo nodded. “I’m fine, but on opening day, we must prevent any troublemakers. I’m worried about outsiders... that could be problematic.”

“Li President, you can trust our company’s security!” Lin Ziwen laughed.

Knock, knock, knock...

Ye Chen entered after knocking.

“Do you need something from me?” Li Ruo’s face was cold, not showing any warmth despite their personal rapport.

“Oh, I... I wanted to recommend two bodyguards,” Ye Chen stepped in.

“What do you mean?” Li Ruo sat upright, arms crossed. Her white suit fit perfectly, and the pair of deadly curves on her chest left Ye Chen stunned. He quickly looked away and smiled. “Tianya Group is hiring security, and as vice captain, I should have authority to bring in two men, right?”

“Yes, but if you show favoritism, I’ll fire you along with them!” Li Ruo replied with a cold smile.

“Don’t worry, their skills are top-notch!” Ye Chen chuckled, then clapped his hands. Mouse and Shrimp entered. Both were stunned by Li Ruo’s beauty—certainly superior to the women in the Golden Triangle, and even the female assistant nearby was striking. Luckily, they had seen Demon Moon’s beauty, or they might have embarrassed themselves. Ye Chen prompted them, “Go on, greet President Li!”

“President Li!” Both saluted with fists.

Li Ruo sized them up. The aura they gave off was clearly different from ordinary soldiers. Satisfied, she asked, “Are their backgrounds reliable?”

“Absolutely. And the company covers room and board, right?” Ye Chen nodded. He had paid good money for their fake IDs—perfectly convincing, even registered in the civil system.

“Good,” Li Ruo nodded. “Since you brought them, I won’t test them. Take them to HR to report. Accommodation will be handled by Minister Li personally.”

“Alright!” Ye Chen nodded.

He quickly settled everything, leading the two men to the bodyguard room.

“Brother Fatty, I brought two new guys for you!” Ye Chen grinned.

Li Cheng was dozing in his chair. Woken by Ye Chen, he rubbed his eyes in annoyance, glanced at the two, and said, “Fine, got it. President Li already informed me. Bring them in, and behave yourselves—work hard!”

With that, he lowered his head and resumed his nap, fingers idly rubbing together.

“Understood!” Ye Chen laughed, pulling two hundred yuan bills from his pocket and handing them over. Brother Fatty snatched the cash and stuffed it in his pocket, as if nothing had happened, continuing to sleep.

Mouse and Shrimp frowned. This guy dared take money from their boss—he must not want to survive. Though Ye Chen had fallen from grace, he’d once led hundreds of brothers in great ventures. Unable to bear it, both men released a wave of killing intent and advanced toward Li Cheng.

“Stop!” Ye Chen barked.

“Boss!” Both looked grim.

“If you want to stay and work, keep your hands off!” Ye Chen glared, grabbing each man by the arm and dragging them inside. They were forcibly pulled into the bodyguard room.

Inside, the bodyguards stood as Ye Chen entered. Captain Cao was hospitalized, and several bodyguards had suffered minor injuries—Ye Chen was the culprit. They had decided to teach him a lesson, their fists clenched and eyes full of fury. Mouse and Shrimp, unaware of the situation, grinned at everyone, while Ye Chen frowned, sensing trouble ahead.