“Sir, CEO Tang has asked that you leave.”
Ye Chen, dressed in a black security uniform, stepped in front of Wang Xia and Tang Shiyu and coldly stared at Chen Wu.
Seeing Ye Chen appear, Chen Wu and the other three instinctively wanted to shout “Dragon King!” but forcefully held back.
After all, this was Ye Chen’s arrangement. If anything went wrong, they’d be the ones suffering.
Recalling Ye Chen’s instruction to act more arrogant, Chen Wu stood up, curled his lips into a mocking smile, and said, “You’re just a little security guard—who do you think you are, talking to me like that? Can’t you see I’m confessing? Scram before you get hurt, you scrawny twig.”
Ye Chen’s eyes flashed with satisfaction. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
“Oh? Aren’t we all equal? Do you have an extra leg, or are you missing an arm or something?” Ye Chen replied with a smirk.
Back and forth they went. If Chen Wu weren’t dressed like a slob, he could almost pass for a rich young master.
Behind Ye Chen, Wang Xia and Tang Shiyu blinked in surprise at the unfamiliar security guard.
“I don’t recognize this guy. He must be new. And their conversation is so weird—especially that toad. He’s dressed worse than the guard and still dares to look down on him,” Wang Xia whispered in Tang Shiyu’s ear.
Tang Shiyu nodded in agreement.
She really didn’t believe Chen Wu had any kind of background. If he did, it could only be because Jiang Chengye was backing him.
If there was no Jiang Chengye behind him, he wouldn’t dare speak so boldly.
“Hey, you all should leave. Go back and tell Jiang Chengye to stop with these petty tricks,” Tang Shiyu said to Chen Wu and the others.
Hearing her say that Chen Wu was sent by Jiang Chengye, Ye Chen was overjoyed.
So Jiang Chengye still existed in this timeline—and was just as hated by Tang Shiyu. Even this confession was assumed to be his doing.
What a lucky break! If Chen Wu was mistaken for someone from Jiang Chengye’s side, that worked perfectly.
“Jiang Chengye, I don’t know why you didn’t show up this time, but even if you didn’t, this mess still lands on your head,” Ye Chen thought smugly and gave Chen Wu a subtle look, signaling him to go along and claim he was one of Jiang Chengye’s men.
But Chen Wu misunderstood. He thought Ye Chen was telling him to deny any connection with Jiang Chengye.
I mean, who hires someone else to confess for them?
Chen Wu turned to Tang Shiyu and said solemnly, “Miss Tang Shiyu, I’m not with this Jiang Chengye, nor do I know him. I’m just a man who admires you. I really do like you. Please don’t say that again.”
Then he glared at Ye Chen, waved at the three brothers behind him, and shouted, “This security guard is out of line. Brothers, get him! Beat him good!”
Chen Wu’s move ruined the whole script. Just when things were finally going smoothly, it got derailed again.
Ye Chen was now starting to Jiang Chengye. Without him, even chasing girls was becoming a problem.
“CEO Tang, please step back. I don’t want you to get hurt,” Ye Chen said, turning to Tang Shiyu with his signature crooked smile.
In his past life, that smile made Tang Shiyu blush instantly.
But this time, all he saw in her eyes was shock—and fear.
She grabbed Wang Xia and quickly retreated.
Ye Chen: “?? What’s going on? Could it be… they were stunned by my stunning good looks and charming smile? That must be it!”
He didn’t know that since the Heavenly Dao and the system eloped, he no longer had any blessings.
That crooked smile? It had morphed into a horror show.
His smile practically reached his ears. It was terrifying.
Ye Chen turned to face Chen Wu and the others and dropped the smile.
“Since you all want to fight, don’t say I didn’t warn you—this isn’t some lawless zone.”
Then he moved. The same combo he used in his past life to beat up Jiang Chengye’s bodyguards: whip kick, sidekick, elbow strike!
Three moves—bam, bam, bam!—and all three of his brothers were lying on the ground groaning.
Friendly fire: activated.
Chen Wu looked at his moaning brothers and silently praised their acting. He thought Ye Chen wouldn’t really hit them—just put on a show.
He had to step up too!
“So what if you can fight? In this world, it’s all about connections. Who’s backing you?” Chen Wu shouted, pointing at Ye Chen’s nose and pretending to be terrified.
“My name is Ye Chen. Or, if you prefer, you can call me Dragon King.”
Even Ye Chen froze for a second after saying that. Why had he said such a lame line… and even revealed his identity?
Thankfully, he said it softly—only Chen Wu could hear it.
“So, just a low-tier punk, huh?” Chen Wu laughed mockingly.
Ye Chen gave him a weird look. He didn’t understand what that meant… but whatever. It was time to exit the stage.
He walked right up to Chen Wu, who was now fully in character.
“You dare hit me?! Try it, I dare you! I’ll make sure you can’t show your face in Jiangbei again!” Chen Wu roared.
Ye Chen slapped him hard across the face.
Chen Wu spun several times in midair before crashing to the ground. His flip-flops flew off. A cloud of dust shot up.
This was the same treatment Jiang Chengye received in the past.
But Chen Wu wasn’t some ordinary guy—Ye Chen used a bit more force this time.
Chen Wu snapped out of it on impact, got up, and stared at Ye Chen with a complicated expression.
He hadn’t expected Ye Chen to actually hit his own brothers just to pick up a girl.
At that moment, Chen Wu’s heart shattered.
Back in the foreign mercenary world, Ye Chen had said that everyone in Dragon King Hall was a brother.
But now, Chen Wu felt like nothing more than a disposable pawn.
“Let’s go.”
Chen Wu helped his three groaning brothers up and, under everyone’s gaze, got in the truck and drove off.
Ye Chen watched the little QQ car drive away and frowned.
He was supposed to throw in a final badass line…
But seeing how Chen Wu’s acting had totally derailed things, it was better they left.
Besides, it didn’t matter. His amazing performance just now had surely won Tang Shiyu’s heart.
He turned back toward her and Wang Xia.
But the two of them, who had been standing there a moment ago, were already back inside the lobby.
Ye Chen panicked. He hadn’t even finished his lines!
He rushed after them.
Meanwhile, from the crowd stepped seven or eight elderly folks and a few middle-aged women with kids in tow.
Each of them carried an orange plastic bucket and began picking up the blue roses off the ground.
“Quick, grab ’em! It’s another truckload—this time they’re blue! We can sell each for 50–60 yuan!”
“Ay, these aren’t as good as last time. That batch of ‘Mandala’ ones went for 500 a piece!”
“Hurry up, they’re still fresh! We’ll take them straight to the commercial street. Stick to the usual pricing!”
…
The bystanders who hadn’t left were stunned. From what they heard, these folks were planning to resell the roses.
They wore plain clothes. The women even had kids with them.
Whose parents were these? Whose wives and children?
Everyone stepped forward to help gather the roses into buckets.
With so many lending a hand, it didn’t take long to collect them all.
A sense of satisfaction filled the crowd. Helping others was their greatest happiness.
They couldn’t offer financial aid, but at least they’d helped with action.
But then, ten BMWs slowly rolled up.
The first five took the flowers. The grannies, aunties, and women with kids boarded the last five cars.
Everyone watching… fell silent.
In one of the BMWs—
“See? So many people make light work. We cleaned up fast.”
“I thought there’d be no flowers today. Good thing we stayed. This time it wasn’t that handsome guy. He always cleared the area during his confessions—made it hard for us to collect anything.”
“That handsome guy probably had a scheduling conflict. Now there’s a new one sending flowers. I’m thinking of retiring soon. Got houses for my son and grandson, and even bought cars. Time to enjoy life.”
“My son only makes 100,000 a month. I’m planning to have him quit and inherit my spot. The Porsche he drives? I picked that out after collecting flowers for months. And the brat still complains!”
…
Meanwhile, with Ye Chen—
“CEO Tang, wait!”
Ye Chen called out behind Tang Shiyu and Wang Xia.
Their faces stiffened.
They’d just seen his smile—so wide it reached his ears. It was terrifying.
And he was a violent man—he dared to beat people up in broad daylight!
Tang Shiyu took a deep breath, turned back, and stiffly asked, “You… is there something else?”
Ye Chen cleared his throat and said coolly, “My name is Ye Chen. In the future, if CEO Tang ever needs anything, just come find me.”
His tone mimicked how he spoke in his past life—indifferent, mysterious, meant to pique her interest.
But instead of a blush, all he got was a stiff “Oh,” before Tang Shiyu grabbed Wang Xia and dashed into the elevator.
“Yu’er… I didn’t expect you to be so shy this time,” Ye Chen murmured with a smile, watching the elevator doors close.
He still thought she was just shy.