99: A time bomb!

Ye Chen never expected that Bing Lan would agree.

He froze for two seconds before reacting, unable to help but ask, "Wait... did you just say 'Okay'?"

Bing Lan nodded, her cold, clear eyes fixed on him.

"You've helped me with so many things, the least I can do is help you with one."

Ye Chen rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. "You're so busy, with a pile of things at the Shuyue Group to deal with, wouldn't that be bad? Plus, it's just dealing with relatives, it's quite boring..."

Bing Lan interrupted, asking rhetorically in a light tone.

"What, am I not presentable? Not qualified to go?"

"No, no! I definitely didn't mean that!"

Ye Chen hurriedly waved his hands, explaining in a panic, "You're the President of Shuyue Group, and my hometown is just a small place. With your status and aura... I'm afraid it would be too beneath you, and that scene, it'll probably be quite chaotic."

Watching his somewhat awkward appearance, a trace of almost imperceptible amusement flashed in Bing Lan's eyes. "Since that's the case, then it's settled. What time are we leaving tomorrow? I'll have Li Qin postpone tomorrow's meetings."

Ye Chen: "..."

He opened his mouth, looking at Bing Lan's small face, and for a moment, he actually didn't know what to say.

This woman...

Is she serious?

Things...

Were settled in such a magical way.

At lunch, in the cafeteria's private room, Li Qin was biting her chopsticks, her large eyes darting back and forth between Ye Chen and Bing Lan.

"Sister Bing Lan, you actually pushed back seventeen partnership meetings tomorrow?"

"Did the sun rise from the west?"

In her impression...

Sister Bing Lan was the type of strong woman who had to be meticulous and hands-on in everything she did.

But now.

She had pushed back meetings for the first time ever!

Bing Lan picked up a piece of green vegetable. "Hmm, I have some personal business."

"What kind of personal business?" Li Qin was even more curious, turning to Ye Chen. "Younger Male Cousin, does it have something to do with you?"

Ye Chen shoveled a mouthful of rice and mumbled, "Going back to my hometown."

"Going back to your hometown?" Li Qin blinked. "Sister Bing Lan is going too? You two... are going back to your hometown together?"

Bing Lan put down her chopsticks and picked up a tissue to wipe the corner of her mouth. "Helping him with a favor, temporarily acting as his girlfriend."

"Pfft—!"

Li Qin almost spat out a mouthful of soup, hurriedly covering her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers.

"Re-really? Pretending to be his girlfriend? The kind where you meet the parents?"

"Yes." Bing Lan nodded. "But the identity is fake."

"Good grief..."

Li Qin recovered, an ambiguous smile immediately appearing on her face as she nudged Ye Chen with her elbow. "Younger Male Cousin, you're something else! First, you pretended to be my boyfriend, and now you've got Sister Bing Lan pretending to be your girlfriend... tsk tsk, with this treatment, are you looking for a threesome?"

Bing Lan: "..."

Ye Chen: "..."

Good grief!

Her mouth is really smeared with honey...

Ye Chen silently buried his head in his food, pretending not to hear.

If he answered now, there was no telling what wild words this girl might blurt out next.

Bing Lan glanced at Li Qin indifferently. "Eat."

Li Qin shrank her neck, made a face, but still held back her laughter, her little eyes scanning back and forth between the two.

The atmosphere became subtly quiet for a few seconds.

Just at this moment, the door to the private room was knocked upon.

A security guard poked his head in, holding a delicately wrapped square gift box, his expression respectful. "President Bing, the front desk downstairs received a package for you, saying it's takeout you ordered."

Bing Lan frowned slightly.

"I didn't order any takeout."

The security guard hurriedly said, "The person who delivered it said... that Mr. Ye ordered it for you, and it must be delivered to your hands personally."

Ye Chen looked up, looking confused. "Me?"

When did he ever order anything for Bing Lan?

Bing Lan and Ye Chen exchanged a glance, a flash of alertness passing through their eyes.

"Bring it over," Bing Lan said.

The security guard placed the gift box on the coffee table and bowed as he retreated.

The gift box was pitch black, tied with a dark red ribbon, and had no markings whatsoever.

Li Qin leaned over curiously. "Who sent this? The packaging is quite high-end..."

Ye Chen stared at the pitch-black gift box, his brows furrowing.

"Don't touch it yet, let me see."

After saying this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a glint of gold quietly swirled in his pupils.

The next moment.

Perspective Technique, activated silently!

The packaging of the gift box faded away layer by layer, and the internal structure appeared clearly—

However, the moment he saw the object inside the box, Ye Chen's expression changed abruptly!

That wasn't any gift!

Inside the box, there was actually a time bomb counting down!

Scarlet numbers were jumping in the darkness.

30... 29... 28...

"Go!"

Ye Chen let out a sharp, low shout, grabbing Bing Lan's wrist with his left hand, dragging the still-peeking Li Qin with his right, and turned to rush out of the private room!

His movements were as fast as a Leopard pouncing on prey!

The two women were dragged by him, stumbling and nearly falling.

"Ye Chen? What's wrong?!" Bing Lan steadied herself, asking urgently as they ran.

Li Qin was even more confused. "Younger Male Cousin, what are you doing? We haven't finished eating yet!"

"Bomb! There's a time bomb in the gift box! It's about to explode!"

Ye Chen didn't stop at all, pulling the two of them as they rushed out of the private room like a whirlwind.

The two women's expressions changed drastically.

Bing Lan reacted extremely quickly. While running wildly with Ye Chen, she shouted sharply toward the cafeteria hall.

"Everyone! Evacuate immediately!"

"There's a bomb in the private room! Run—!!!"

Li Qin also came to her senses, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Bomb! It's going to explode! Get out, quickly!"

The entire cafeteria went silent for an instant.

Immediately after—

Panic spread like a plague!

The employees froze for a second, then dropped their bowls and chopsticks, screaming, pushing, and frantically rushing toward every exit!

Tables and chairs were knocked over, plates were shattered all over the floor, and the scene instantly turned into chaos!

Ye Chen shielded the two women, moving against the flow of people, and rushed toward the nearest emergency exit at the fastest speed possible.

The Tiangang Step inside his body was already quietly operating, forcing a path through the crowded human tide.

Behind them, in the direction of the private room.

The countdown reached zero.

"Boom—!!!!!"

A deafening explosion roared out!

A scorching fireball, mixed with thick smoke and debris, gushed out from the doorway of the private room!

The blast wave, like an invisible giant hammer, slammed heavily into the backs of the three people who had just rushed into the emergency exit!

Ye Chen let out a muffled groan, shielding the two women tightly in front of him, taking the brunt of the impact with his back.

Broken glass, wood splinters, and chunks of concrete clattered against the walls of the passage, and the cafeteria behind them was instantly swallowed by flames and thick smoke!

Screams!

Cries!

The sounds of building structures shattering!

All blended together in an instant.

Bing Lan and Li Qin were shielded in Ye Chen's arms, listening with trepidation.

The firelight illuminated Ye Chen's cold, stern profile. He glanced back at the cafeteria, which had already become a sea of fire, his eyes terrifyingly dark.

Who was it?

Who had sent a bomb at this critical moment???

"How does it feel to have one in each arm?"

Li Qin's voice suddenly came from Ye Chen's arms, carrying a trembling tone from their brush with death, yet she still didn't forget to tease him.

Only then did Ye Chen suddenly realize...

His left hand was wrapped around Bing Lan's waist, while his right hand... was firmly pressed against that soft spot on Li Qin's chest that he shouldn't have been pressing!

In the panic just now, he had instinctively shielded both of them in front of him, without paying any attention to where his hands were placed.

"Ahem!"

Ye Chen's ears grew hot, and he released his hands as if electrocuted, stepping back half a pace.

Li Qin's cheeks were crimson, and she glared at him, but she wasn't truly angry, just muttering under her breath: "You got lucky..."

Bing Lan didn't seem to have noticed this detail.

After breaking free from Ye Chen's arms, she looked back at the direction of the cafeteria, which had been swallowed by thick smoke and flames, a layer of frost covering her stunningly beautiful face.

"Who is it?"

Ye Chen's brows were locked tight, just about to speak—

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated again.

He took it out and looked; it was an unfamiliar number.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Chen answered it.

There was silence on the other end of the line for two seconds, and then, a voice as hoarse as sandpaper rubbing together came through.

"Ye Chen..."

"Was the gift I sent fun?"

Ye Chen's eyes turned cold instantly. "Who are you?"

"Hehehe..."

The person let out a tooth-achingly strange laugh.

"Who am I?"

"I am one of the three Vice Presidents of the Azure Dragon Society, Wan Qingshan!"

"You caused my President to be imprisoned, caused my Azure Dragon Society's foundation to collapse overnight, and years of hard work to go down the drain..."

"This debt is only just beginning to be tallied!"

Azure Dragon Society Vice President?

Ye Chen's heart tightened.

Zhou Weiguo's actions were so fast, and the Provincial Department's task force struck like lightning, yet there were still fish that slipped through the net?

And looking at it, it was still a big fish!

If such a big fish leaked through, it meant that there were still quite a few hidden forces in existence...

They had still underestimated the foundations of the Azure Dragon Society!

Bing Lan and Li Qin were standing nearby, and the voice on the phone was vaguely audible; both of their expressions sank simultaneously.

Sure enough, a centipede dies but never falls stiff!

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

Wan Qingshan sneered.

"Naturally, I want you to pay with blood! I want everyone around you, one by one, to die a horrible death!"

"The bomb just now was only an appetizer."

"Guess..."

He paused, the malice in his tone almost overflowing.

"Who will the next bomb be delivered to?"

"Will it be to your mistress Yi Yue, who runs a small restaurant?"

"Or that stinking bitch who betrayed the President and betrayed Zheng Hu... Jin Meiting?"

"Or, if you don't think that's exciting enough, how about adding your parents back in your hometown?"