Chapter 77: Chapter 075: The Umbrella

“Damn, it’s this kid. Brothers, get him!” The yellow-haired youth in the lead immediately locked his gaze on Ye Chen.

Ye Chen was momentarily stunned, but his eyes quickly found the yellow-haired youth—wasn’t this the very same punk who had driven his Ferrari to Liu Momo’s barbecue stand the other day and harassed her? Instantly, Ye Chen recalled this guy’s background. According to Fang Qin, this brat was the son of the Party Secretary of Jianghuai City. A light flashed in Ye Chen’s mind. Hell, talk about searching far and wide only to have your answer delivered right to your door. He’d just been thinking about finding a powerful backer, and here the backer’s own son had come straight to him.

“What do you want?” Ye Chen snorted coldly.

“You brat, you dared lay a finger on me that day. Today, I’ll take you apart!” The yellow-haired youth gritted his teeth, decked out from head to toe in designer brands. Though they were all casual wear, the total cost was definitely over a hundred thousand yuan.

“Hold on, Blondie, maybe there’s been a misunderstanding,” Ye Chen said with a grin.

“Misunderstanding my ass! I’d know you even if you turned to ashes!” Blondie snarled, recalling how Ye Chen had dislocated his hand during their last encounter—a pain unforgettable for a lifetime. It had burned itself into his memory.

Ye Chen laughed heartily. “Kid, aren’t you afraid I’ll beat you so badly this time that even your parents won’t recognize you?”

“Damn it, I brought over thirty men this time!” Blondie shouted angrily.

“How about this, let’s make a bet. What do you say?” A sly smile appeared on Ye Chen’s face.

“What kind of bet?” Blondie frowned, suspicious.

Ye Chen snapped his fingers and lit a cigarette, then looked at Blondie. “It’s simple. If I, alone, can take down all thirty of your men, from today on, you’ll be my little brother. How’s that sound?”

“And if you lose?” Blondie glared at him.

“Then it’s up to you—kill me, skin me, whatever you want,” Ye Chen shrugged.

“Go!” With a wave of his hand, the thirty-odd men charged at Ye Chen. Fortunately, the street was quiet and not in the city center. Any passersby who saw the chaos would surely take a wide detour.

Ye Chen took a long drag from his cigarette and flicked the butt at the first attacker, hitting him right in the eye. The man dropped to the ground, clutching his face. Ye Chen sprang into action, moving with lightning speed. His long legs were like weapons; pivoting on his left foot, he swept his right leg at the oncoming assailant, sending him flying. The poor guy crashed into another, toppling them both.

“Heh, it’s been a long time since I had this much fun!” Ye Chen grinned, crouching slightly before launching himself at the rest of the group like a tiger pouncing on rabbits. They were no match for him. In just a few moves, they were all sprawled on the ground, groaning. Only one remained standing, clutching an iron bar, trembling before Ye Chen. He turned to Blondie, pleading, “Young Master Jiang, do we keep fighting?”

“Useless!” Blondie cursed, raising his own iron bar and charging at Ye Chen. Not wanting to provoke the kid too much, Ye Chen dodged to the side, caught Blondie by the throat with one hand, and gave a cruel smile. “Move, and the next second will be your funeral.”

“I yield!” Blondie dropped the iron bar, frustration clear in his eyes.

“Heh, so what’s the consequence of losing?” Ye Chen asked coldly.

“Boss!” Blondie cupped his hands respectfully. “My name is Jiang Wei. Please take care of me from now on.”

“Jiang Wei, if you’re going to be a little brother, then act like one. As a man, playing tricks behind someone’s back is the lowest of the low,” Ye Chen counselled him. “If you ever want to shed this label, it’s simple. Just be stronger than me one day. Then you won’t have to call me boss.”

“You said it!” Jiang Wei’s eyes lit up.

“Absolutely.” Ye Chen nodded, then bumped fists with Jiang Wei—a man’s promise. He looked him up and down. “Alright, I have things to do. I’ll call you later.”

He took Jiang Wei’s number and headed for Tianya Group. For now, Ye Chen didn’t plan to bring up the gambling city; he didn’t want to leave a bad impression. He’d slowly bring Jiang Wei into the fold and use other means to make sure Jiang Wei would help the gambling city with all his might in the future.

Rubbing his temples, Ye Chen walked into the office. As soon as he entered, everyone looked at him, their faces grim and silent—a stark contrast to the cheerful mood of the day before. Liu Shang hung his head, and Fang Fei buried her face in her hair. The other women averted their eyes.

“Uh… what’s with you all?” Ye Chen was puzzled.

Silence. No one looked at him. The strange atmosphere made Ye Chen uneasy, and he began to feel a surge of anger. So this is how it is—treat them well and they get cocky? He slammed a folder hard onto the desk.

Bang!

At the loud sound, everyone jumped and looked up at Ye Chen.

“What on earth happened to make you all so lifeless?” Ye Chen demanded.

“Supervisor, look at the file on your desk,” Fang Fei pouted, protesting his rough behavior. Ye Chen glanced at the desk but saw nothing unusual. His gaze dropped to a sheet of white paper on the floor. He picked it up.

It was an assignment letter for a project, instructing Business Group One to evaluate it and submit a report. Ye Chen frowned—this seemed normal enough. The business department took on and tracked projects all the time. He looked at the group. Seeing their heads bowed, he fixed his gaze on Fang Fei.

“Fang Fei, what’s wrong with this project? Isn’t it our job to handle projects as the business department?”

“This isn’t just any project!” Fang Fei’s eyes brimmed with tears. “This project has been around for ages, but even the department manager couldn’t handle it. It’s infamous as the ‘death project’—and now it’s been dumped on us!”

Ye Chen checked the project number again. “Fang Fei, print out the details for me. I want to see what the problem is.”

“Hmph!” Though reluctant, Fang Fei had no choice but to print the documents for Ye Chen as he was the supervisor. Soon, a thick stack of materials landed on his desk.

Ye Chen skimmed through the file. The gist: the company owned over two thousand acres of land in the city’s north. Years ago, it had planned to develop a CBD there. But after several teams investigated, they’d found the land completely unsuitable. Now, the company wanted Group One to re-evaluate the plot.

“Damn, what a nightmare of a task,” Ye Chen almost cursed out loud.

“It’s more than that!” Fang Fei groaned. “That plot is so big that just walking around it is exhausting, let alone conducting a comprehensive assessment. Heaven help us!”

The others chimed in with complaints. The land was mostly barren, scattered with old houses. Most residents had moved out after the government’s persuasion, but a few stubborn ones remained.

“Who assigned this to us?” Ye Chen asked Liu Shang seriously.

“The manager himself,” Liu Shang replied, looking miserable.

“Damn, I’m going to see him!” Ye Chen slapped the desk and stormed out. The others watched in surprise as Fang Fei hurried after him. Sure enough, Ye Chen barged into the business manager’s office.

“Manager, did you assign this task to our group?” Ye Chen asked coldly.

“Oh, that?” The manager was briefly startled, then smiled. “Actually, it was President Li’s personal order.”

Ye Chen was stunned. Of course—it was her way of getting back at him for skipping work that afternoon. Seething, he grabbed the stamped assignment letter and headed straight for the elevator. Fang Fei watched in astonishment as he pressed for the twentieth floor. “My god, Ye Chen’s going to see President Li!”

The news spread quickly through the office.

“I think Ye Chen is innocent. We really misjudged him!”

“Liu Shang, this is your fault. You said Ye Chen wanted to make a big show as the new supervisor. You were dead wrong—now he’s gone straight to President Li to settle things!”

Everyone turned on Liu Shang, who looked miserable. “I only said that because I was upset at the time!”