Chapter 3: The Fraudster

Today was the day of the Ye family ancestral hall gathering. On this day, every member of the Ye family would put aside their affairs and return to the ancestral hall for the reunion. The purpose of this gathering was twofold: to foster connections among family members and, more importantly, to discuss major family matters.

The issue at hand today was the potential collaboration with Huayi Group. As the leading force in the city’s real estate industry, Huayi Group was run by a member of the Zhou family, one of the seven minor noble families of Yanjing. Securing the contract for the new district’s construction had attracted fierce competition from countless local enterprises, all desperate to partner with Huayi Group. Yet, though half a month had passed, not a single company had succeeded in clinching the deal.

The Ye family, being the city's largest building materials company, stood to gain tremendously even from a small share of the partnership. The Ye Group naturally seized this opportunity, but so far, they had only met with disappointment.

Soon, Ye Kai and the others set off first, driving with Li Minghao towards the ancestral hall. Their distaste for Xiao Yu meant they deliberately chose not to leave together. Shortly after Ye Kai and his group departed, Ye Shihan took Xiao Yu and Taisui along as well.

On the way, Ye Shihan drove in silence, her thoughts still lingering on what Xiao Yu had just said:

“I’ll take care of this collaboration for you.”

Ye Shihan was well aware of Huayi Group’s background and strength. Forget an obscure figure like Xiao Yu—even the city’s top-tier families would never dare to make such a claim.

Perhaps she was too lost in thought, for as they passed through an intersection, a young man suddenly dashed out in front of the car.

“Ah—!”

Ye Shihan’s first reaction was to slam on the brakes, but it was already too late. The car struck the young man with a dull thud.

“What happened?” Xiao Yu, sitting in the back, hadn’t noticed what occurred and asked in confusion.

“Brother, sister-in-law seems to have hit someone,” Taisui explained from the side.

“Hit someone?” Xiao Yu frowned, just as a group of burly men approached the car.

“Hey! Get out of the car right now! Look what you’ve done to the man you hit, and you’re still sitting here without a care!” A bald man pounded furiously on the driver’s side window, shouting.

Since she was at fault, Ye Shihan felt guilty and hurriedly got out of the car. The men immediately surrounded her.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu understood at once. This was a busy intersection where most people followed traffic rules. For these men to appear so quickly after the accident, they must have been waiting in ambush. It was clear they’d fallen victim to a scam.

“Taisui, help me out,” Xiao Yu said calmly.

Taisui nodded, opened the door, and helped him out of the car. Together, they walked over to Ye Shihan.

“Xiao Yu, what should I do? I hit someone!” Ye Shihan, now surrounded and frightened, looked to Xiao Yu as if seeking her anchor.

“Don’t worry. Let Taisui handle it. Let’s get back in the car for now,” Xiao Yu said with a reassuring smile, opening the door and returning to the car with Ye Shihan.

“Hey, kid, this chick just hit my friend with her car. How do you plan to settle this?” one of the men snarled at Taisui.

“Oh? And how do you want to settle it?” Taisui grinned, glancing at the young man sprawled in front of the car.

“Look, my friend’s leg is broken. Medical bills, emotional damages—how about this, one hundred thousand. One hundred thousand yuan and we’ll settle privately,” the man demanded exorbitantly.

“One hundred thousand? Hmm, quite reasonable. But I’d like to check if your friend has any more serious injuries. If it’s worse, you’ll be shortchanged at such a low price,” Taisui replied, then strode over to the young man on the ground.

“Friend, you don’t seem that badly hurt. Let me see—which leg is broken?” With that, Taisui grabbed the young man’s right leg and twisted sharply.

A howl of agony rang out. The youth’s legs had been fine, but in Taisui’s grip, his right leg now truly snapped.

“Let go, let go!” The young man, unable to withstand the pain, beat at Taisui’s arm as he screamed.

The other men realized something was wrong and rushed forward, shouting angrily, “What are you doing! His leg’s already broken, and now you’re making it worse! Two hundred thousand—unless you pay, this won’t end today!”

“Oh, is that so? Two hundred thousand for a broken leg—that’s fair. In that case, I’ll give you four hundred thousand and buy another one!” Taisui’s playful expression vanished. With a sudden, fierce glare, he slammed his palm down on the youth’s left knee. The sound of bone fracturing was followed by the youth’s scream of agony.

“Hmph, you’ve got guts, trying to scam me. Today I’ll cripple both your legs as a warning to others!” Taisui said coldly.

“Damn it! Kid, you’re asking for trouble!” The leader, enraged, kicked at Taisui’s back.

Taisui spun around and, with lightning speed, kicked the man squarely in the stomach, sending him flying.

Seeing their leader taken down, the rest charged furiously at Taisui.

“Do you think your friend will be okay? These men look like real thugs. I should call the police,” Ye Shihan said worriedly from the car, picking up her phone. But before she could dial, Xiao Yu stopped her.

“Don’t worry. They’re no match for him. This will be over quickly,” Xiao Yu said, offering her a reassuring smile.

As he predicted, it was over in seconds. Taisui, after all, was one of the Twelve Descendants, while these were just petty thugs. If he couldn’t handle them, he wouldn’t deserve his title.

He moved effortlessly among his attackers; cries of pain echoed as they were thrown aside. In just ten seconds, five or six men lay sprawled on the pavement.

“Hmph, you look like repeat offenders. Who knows how much you’ve extorted with these tricks? Consider this a lesson!” Taisui dusted off his hands and looked at the groaning figures.

“You’ve got guts! Do you know who we work for? We’re under Brother Qin! In Feng City, Brother Qin is untouchable—cross him, and you’ll never have a good day here!” the leader threatened, struggling upright.

His words reached Ye Shihan inside the car, and her face grew anxious.

“Do you know who this Brother Qin is?” Xiao Yu asked.

Ye Shihan nodded. “There’s only one ‘Brother Qin’ in Feng City—Jiang Qin, the second-in-command of the Azure Dragon Gang. Even the city’s top families have to show him respect.”

“There’s actually such a figure in Feng City? But don’t worry. My friend isn’t ordinary either—I doubt Jiang Qin could do anything to him,” Xiao Yu reassured her, then glanced outside.

“Brother Qin, huh? Sounds impressive. Since you’re so confident, let him come find me. Remember, my name is Taisui, from the Ye family!” Taisui called out coldly, then got behind the wheel, floored the accelerator, and sped away.

Inside the car, Ye Shihan couldn’t take her eyes off Taisui, making him uncomfortable.

“Taisui, how are you so strong? There were seven or eight grown men, and you beat them all by yourself,” Ye Shihan asked with curiosity.

She’d seen skilled fighters before—her family had even hired experts at great expense—but Taisui was different. And what puzzled her most was his deference to Xiao Yu.

“Cough, sister-in-law. I’m not as amazing as you think. I just like working out. Hold on, I’m about to speed up,” Taisui replied, clearing his throat awkwardly. Xiao Yu had strictly warned him not to reveal his identity, so he could only dodge the question.

Seeing she’d get nothing from Taisui, Ye Shihan turned to Xiao Yu, blinking playfully. “You’re not going to explain either?”

“Didn’t Taisui say? He’s a fitness enthusiast—those thugs are no match for him,” Xiao Yu answered in the same vein.

With both of them brushing her off, Ye Shihan grew indignant. She stared at Xiao Yu, seriously demanding, “Xiao Yu, are you really going to fob me off like this?”

Xiao Yu could only shake his head with a wry smile. Then, seeing her serious expression, he grinned and said, “All you need to know is that this muscular guy is someone even the Ye family can’t afford to provoke.”

At his vague answer, Ye Shihan rolled her eyes and looked out the window, choosing to ignore him.

Xiao Yu hadn’t lied. With Taisui’s status, even the Ye family would be wise to keep their distance. As for why he didn’t tell her the truth, it was because Taisui’s identity was simply too special—and even if he did, she probably wouldn’t understand.

The car fell silent, and it wasn’t until they pulled up to the ancestral hall that the silence was finally broken.