384: Chapter 384 Yu Xin's Invitation!

"Hit you?"

"You're a prisoner; what's wrong with hitting you?"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and asked indifferently, "It seems you still haven't recognized your own status."

Liu Ruyan's face instantly turned ugly.

She was just about to go berserk like a female T-rex.

But then...

Ye Chen slapped her again.

Liu Ruyan's ears immediately began to ring.

That guy...

He actually dared to hit her so casually!

Outrageous!

This is just too much...

Ignoring her shocked expression, Ye Chen said nonchalantly,

"What is your status right now?"

"You are a hostage I've detained."

"You are the woman your own husband abandoned."

"And you still dare to threaten me?"

"I'm already showing you mercy by not punching your nose crooked or knocking out your implants."

Liu Ruyan turned pale, and her composure began to crumble.

That's right.

She had just forgotten one thing...

Her husband had abandoned her.

She was now a prisoner!

Ye Chen looked down at her and continued.

"That husband of yours can even abandon his own wife; do you really think he'll go and ask his foster father to come out of retirement for your sake?"

"Even if he did, do you think his foster father would risk his life against someone who can thrash a Late Heavenly Master Realm expert just for the trivial matters of a daughter-in-law from a branch family?"

Liu Ruyan's face turned as white as a sheet.

She wanted to retort, but found she couldn't.

Because what Ye Chen said was the truth.

Just then.

The door to the private room was pushed open.

Yan Qingwu and Yu Xin walked in, followed by the monk Abstinence from Color, whose mouth was glistening with grease.

Yan Qingwu's gaze swept across the room, landing on Liu Ruyan slumped on the floor and several large holes in the walls.

She raised an eyebrow and was about to speak...

...but Yu Xin cried out in surprise first.

"Madam Liu?"

Liu Ruyan looked up and saw Yu Xin, her expression souring further: "The little princess of the Yu Family?"

Yu Xin looked at Liu Ruyan, then at Ye Chen, her face full of astonishment.

"Mr. Ye, what's going on?"

"This is Madam Liu Ruyan, the young mistress of the Zhe Province Zhong Family. How..."

Ye Chen stood up and brushed off non-existent dust from his hands.

"It's nothing."

"She came to stand up for her brother, but her husband ended up ditching her and running away."

"Now, she's a captive."

Yu Xin: "???"

She was completely stunned.

The young mistress of the Zhe Province Zhong Family was actually abandoned by her husband?

And she was detained by Ye Chen???

Wait...

Weren't Zhong Li and Liu Ruyan supposed to be a model couple?

If this news got out, it would cause an earthquake throughout Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai!

Yan Qingwu, however, wasn't surprised. She walked up to Liu Ruyan and looked her over. "Oh, so this is Liu Rushi, Foreign Affairs Elder of Tianji Pavilion's sister?"

"Yes," Ye Chen nodded.

Yan Qingwu gave a playful smile.

"She's good-looking, but her brain doesn't seem to work very well."

"She actually dared to come looking for trouble with you?"

Ye Chen curled his lip.

Liu Ruyan looked up and met Yan Qingwu's eyes: "You... who are you?"

Yan Qingwu gave a charming smile.

"Me?"

"Yan Qingwu, from the Yan Family of the Capital."

"And also this Chief Instructor Ye's... assistant."

Liu Ruyan's face turned even uglier.

The Yan Family of the Capital?

That was a family a whole level above the Zhong Family!

The eldest daughter of the Yan Family was actually acting as an assistant for Ye Chen???

Ye Chen glanced at Yan Qingwu, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

"Are you full?"

"If you've eaten your fill, take her to the soccer field so she can reunite with her brother."

"And while you're at it, let her see with her own eyes how her brother is being beaten."

Liu Ruyan's face changed drastically: "You!!!"

Ye Chen ignored her and continued.

"If she still doesn't behave, let those wolf cubs beat her up along with him."

"Don't be polite."

Liu Ruyan completely panicked.

"No! Don't!"

"I'll cooperate! I'll cooperate, okay???"

But Yan Qingwu didn't care about any of that.

She grabbed Liu Ruyan's arm and hoisted her off the ground like a little chick.

"Let's go, Madam Liu."

"I'll show you what real training looks like."

Liu Ruyan struggled desperately: "Let me go! You crazy woman! Let me go!!!"

Instead of letting go, Yan Qingwu laughed even harder.

"Scream all you want; no one's coming to save you even if you scream your throat raw."

"That husband of yours ran away a long time ago."

Liu Ruyan: "..."

She completely broke down.

She tried to break free, but Yan Qingwu's hand was like an iron clamp; she couldn't budge it at all.

What made her even more desperate was...

Yan Qingwu dragged her out, her pace so fast she didn't care if she could keep up.

Liu Ruyan was dragged out stumbling, leaving behind a trail of shrill screams.

"Let me go! You she-devil!"

"I am the young mistress of the Zhong Family! You can't treat me like this!"

"Brother Li! Save me!!!"

Her voice grew distant and finally vanished at the end of the hallway.

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and shook his head: "That woman sure can scream."

Yu Xin stood there, completely dumbfounded.

"Mr... Mr. Ye, did you really detain Madam Liu?"

Ye Chen nodded: "Yeah."

Yu Xin swallowed hard: "But she's the young mistress of the Zhong Family..."

Ye Chen smiled slightly.

"I know."

"So?"

Yu Xin opened her mouth but couldn't find a single word to say.

So?

Right, so what?

Her father had already discovered Ye Chen's identity—he was the Chief Instructor of the Hidden Dragon Pavilion, someone who even dared to kill members of the Chen Family from the Kunlun Ruins...

What did a young mistress of the Zhe Province Zhong Family matter?

"Amitabha!"

The monk Abstinence from Color suddenly pressed his palms together and spoke with an enigmatic expression.

"You see, Benefactor, I said in the private room that this was your Luck in love, but Benefactress Yu and the others didn't believe me and even hit me."

Ye Chen looked at Abstinence from Color's fair and tender face; it didn't look like he'd been hit at all.

Just as he thought the monk was trying to pull a scam...

Yu Xin couldn't hold back anymore.

"You still dare to talk about Luck in love?"

"That's a married woman!"

Abstinence from Color nodded earnestly.

"So what if she's a married woman?"

"Everyone wants to be Cao Cao; haven't you heard of that, Benefactor?"

"Why don't you ask Benefactor Ye if he likes being Cao Cao?"

Yu Xin's face instantly flushed a deep red.

"You stinking monk!!!"

"What nonsense are you spouting???"

She was trembling with rage, wishing she could rush forward and tear that greasy mouth apart.

What Cao Cao?

Can this monk say anything decent at all???

Ye Chen stood to the side, unable to help but laugh out loud.

He shook his head and turned toward the door.

"Alright, we've all eaten. I should get back to work."

Hearing this, Yu Xin quickly chased after him.

"Wait!"

Ye Chen paused and looked back at her: "Is there something else?"

Yu Xin bit her lip and spoke.

"Mr. Ye, there's a Rough Stone Convention in the Magic City tomorrow."

"It's hosted by our Yu Family and is quite large. It includes jewelers and major rough stone suppliers from the Dragon Country, Korea, Japan, Myanmar, and other countries."

"Are you... interested in attending?"

Ye Chen's footsteps paused slightly upon hearing this.

A Rough Stone Convention?

He raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on Yu Xin's expectant face.

"Is Miss Yu inviting me?"

Yu Xin nodded, a slight blush appearing on her face.

"Yes."

"You saved my life; I have to show my gratitude somehow."

"While this convention can't compare to a martial arts gala, it's considered top-tier in the jewelry world."

"If you're interested, I can personally give you a tour and help you acquire any rough stones you want."

Ye Chen was silent for two seconds.

Bing Lan's Shuyue Group was recently expanding its jewelry line.

He knew about this.

Last time, he and Bing Lan had even gone to invite the country's most famous master sculptor, The Foolish Old Man.

In the end, because he cured the man's illness, he agreed to become a consultant for the Shuyue Group.

But rough stones were in limited supply.

Although Bing Lan hadn't said anything, Ye Chen knew her channels were likely limited.

After all.

The Shuyue Group was a newcomer and couldn't compete with the giants who already had established resources and networks.

If he could find some good material at this convention or meet some reliable suppliers...

...it would definitely be a timely help for Bing Lan.

Thinking of this, Ye Chen nodded.

"Alright, I'll go."

Yu Xin was stunned for a moment, then a brilliant smile blossomed on her face.

"Really?"

"That's great!"

"Then it's a deal!"

"I'll have someone pick you up tomorrow morning at nine!"

Ye Chen nodded: "Alright, see you tomorrow."

With that.

He turned and walked toward the end of the hallway.

Yu Xin stood there, staring at his departing back, unable to stop smiling.

Only when his figure vanished around the corner did she gently pat her own face and mutter under her breath.

"Yu Xin, oh Yu Xin, do you really have to be this happy..."

Abstinence from Color approached her without her noticing.

"Amitabha."

"Benefactress Yu, I've calculated with my fingers that you will surely gain something from this trip to the Rough Stone Convention."

Yu Xin glanced at him and said irritably.

"Gain what? A belly full of anger?"

Abstinence from Color shook his head, looking profound.

"Nay, nay."

"What I mean is..."

"Luck in love."

Yu Xin's face flushed red again: "You stinking monk! Shut your mouth!!!"

She raised her foot, making a move to kick him.

But Abstinence from Color had already dodged, slipping away faster than a rabbit.

"Amitabha! I'll take my leave first!"

Yu Xin chased him for a couple of steps but couldn't catch up, stomping her foot in frustration.

"You dead monk! Don't let me see you again!"