295: Are you trying to find an excuse to mess with me? Just say so!

The confidant bowed his head, lowering his voice even further.

"The source of the information has been cross-verified; it's reliable!"

"Moreover, within the Black Prison, Ye Chen is currently being referred to as the 'Sovereign' by those people."

"I'm afraid it won't be long before he finds out the role our Sima Family played in all this."

The walnuts Sima Li was fiddling with in his hand suddenly stopped, and his expression darkened a few shades further.

He never expected... this man Ye Chen to be so outrageous. From being a complete nobody at the start, how long has it been since he climbed to the position of the Black Prison's Sovereign?

He's simply not human!

Did their Sima Family really provoke the wrong person???

The confidant peeked at his expression and continued.

"There is one more thing..."

"The eldest young lady of the Yan Family, Yan Qingwu, has already bought a house in Xiamen City recently and has been in frequent contact with Ye Chen. Their relationship..."

"Is currently unclear."

"However, because Bai Chi of the Bai Family suffered a major loss in front of Yan Qingwu due to Ye Chen, he flew into a rage. The grudge between Bai Chi and Ye Chen is now set in stone, which allows us to deduce a few things."

"Master, will the Yan Family also intervene?"

"Yan Qingwu..." Sima Li slowly uttered the name, "She is indeed a big problem."

This was exactly what he was worried about.

The Yan Family's foundation was unfathomably deep, far beyond what the Sima Family could compare to.

According to the rankings... the Sima Family was at the bottom of the Five Great Families in The Capital!

If the Yan Family also turned their gaze toward Ye Chen because of Yan Qingwu's relationship, or even provided support, then the situation would be completely different.

Ye Chen's own strength was already terrifyingly formidable; if he gained the assistance of the Yan Family as well... Sima Li fell silent for a few seconds.

Finally.

He looked up at the confidant standing with hands at his sides and said, "Go, tell that idiot Sima Nong to prepare himself. Find an opportunity to contact Ye Chen and try to talk."

The confidant was slightly taken aback. "Master, do you mean... negotiations?"

"Test the waters, see what he knows," Sima Li said indifferently. "See exactly how much he knows and what he wants. And while he's at it..."

He paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Have Sima Nong check if that girl Yan Qingwu going to Xiamen City was her own idea or the idea of the Yan Family's old man."

The confidant understood and gave a deep bow. "Yes, Master. I will see to it immediately."

Watching his confidant exit the study and gently close the door.

Sima Li slowly leaned back against the wooden chair, the walnuts in his hand having unknowingly stopped rotating.

Outside the window, the night grew thicker, shrouding the manor in quiet shadows.

He sat alone in the dim light, his gaze fixed on the heavy curtain of night outside, as if he could pierce through the distance to see the young man stirring up trouble in that coastal city.

The next morning, the sunlight was pleasant.

After Ye Chen dropped off Bing Lan and Li Qin at the Shuyue Group, he turned the steering wheel and drove toward Yi Yue's Fujianese restaurant.

After what happened that day, Yi Yue was unwilling to take more rest. He wasn't quite at ease, so he thought he'd head over to take a look.

The car stopped on the familiar street side. Ye Chen pushed the door open, got out, and walked into the restaurant.

It was still early, not yet time for the lunch rush. There were no customers in the shop, only Yi Yue and Xiao Ya were wiping the tables and chairs, tidying up the place.

Behind the bar, Night Owl was also sitting there, looking down and fiddling with her phone. She was wearing a simple black T-shirt and jeans, her long hair tied in a neat ponytail. There was no expression on her cold, beautiful face, but hearing the movement at the door, she immediately looked up.

Seeing it was Ye Chen, a flash of awkwardness quickly flickered through her eyes before she regained her composure.

Yi Yue heard the door and looked up as well. Seeing Ye Chen, a look of surprise immediately appeared on her face, but then she gently chided, "Ye Chen? Why are you here? You're so busy, why did you make a special trip here? With Night Owl around, I'm fine."

As she spoke, she put down her rag and came forward to greet him.

A-Chen smiled and scanned the shop.

"I didn't have anything to do anyway, so I came to take a look."

He walked to a table by the window, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "What, am I not welcome?"

"How could you not be welcome?"

Yi Yue walked to his side with a gentle smile on her face. "I'm just afraid of taking up your time with serious matters. Since you're here, it's perfect. The seafood we got in last night is very fresh. Why don't you sit for a bit, and I'll go make a few small dishes for you all to have some drinks?"

Ye Chen heard this and nodded. "Alright, you two should join us in a bit."

He knew Yi Yue's temperament; if he didn't let her keep busy with something, she would feel uncomfortable instead.

Yi Yue's eyes curved into crescents. "Mhm, you guys chat first. It'll be ready soon."

With that said.

She and Xiao Ya turned and went into the kitchen.

The shop fell quiet. Ye Chen leaned back in his chair and turned his gaze toward Night Owl behind the bar.

Night Owl felt his gaze and immediately put down her phone, stood up, walked over, and sat down across from him.

She cleared her throat and said, "My master... has successfully entered the Black Prison."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? That was fast."

"Encounter any trouble?"

"No." Night Owl shook her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "Master used thunderous methods to suppress a few of the most vocal troublemakers, then brought out the secret list of Black Prison assets you provided. Using both favor and power, the internal situation has basically stabilized now."

That's right!

Because several core members had defected, Ye Chen had them provide the headquarters' location last night. He hacked into the Black Prison database overnight and listed out the assets inside.

However, Ye Chen hadn't expected... Jessica's movements to be so swift that she had already taken control of the entire scene.

And this was a good thing!

Night Owl took a deep breath and continued to add.

"Master asked me to tell you that by tomorrow at the latest, she will personally send the summary report of the Black Prison's core assets and the key intelligence currently in her possession to your email."

"Good efficiency."

Ye Chen praised her, then looked at Night Owl with a half-smile. "What about you? How are you feeling? Has that 'energy' passed?"

Night Owl's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, the color spreading all the way to her ears.

She abruptly turned her face away to look out the window, her voice squeezed out from between her teeth: "I-I'm fine now! Thanks for the... concern."

Her appearance of being embarrassed to death yet forcing herself to stay calm made Ye Chen unable to resist a small laugh.

Actually, Night Owl's personality was very bold and outgoing; it was impossible for her to be this shy under normal circumstances.

But the real reason was... yesterday he had caused Night Owl to lose face in front of her master, and coupled with the fact that her fantasy object was Ye Chen, she was naturally very awkward now.

But Ye Chen didn't continue to tease her, turning instead to ask.

"Did your master say how she plans to handle the Black Prison's original overseas strongholds and their connections with various forces?"

This was what Ye Chen was most concerned about.

After all.

The former Black Prison would do anything; for the right price, they would even kill their own mothers.

But.

Now that they had become his subordinates, they had to live honestly.

When it came to serious business, Night Owl's expression turned serious as she said.

"Master's intention is to leave them be for now, maintaining surface operations to avoid alerting the enemy and causing a backlash from other dark forces."

"But core permissions and fund flows will be fully taken over. We'll secretly purge unreliable people, gradually replacing them with our own, or directly developing new outer circles."

"Mhm, it's fine for her to handle it." Ye Chen nodded, feeling relatively at ease with Jessica's abilities.

A woman who could climb to become the Number One Female Assassin on the Dark Web and endure for years just for revenge would not be lacking in methods or character.

As they were speaking, the sound of cluttered footsteps came from outside, approaching from a distance.

Ye Chen looked up.

He saw...

Five or six people surrounding an old man in a gray Tang suit as they stepped into the restaurant.

The old man had a smile plastered on his face, but there was a hint of awkwardness in his eyes. It was none other than the Sima Family's butler, Sima Nong.

As soon as he entered, his gaze fell on Ye Chen by the window.

The originally normal atmosphere instantly became subtle with the arrival of these uninvited guests.

Night Owl almost immediately entered a state of alert.

Ye Chen, however, leaned lazily against the back of his chair, looking quite curious.

"Oh?"

"Butler Sima?"

"Coming here so early in the morning with so many people..."

He paused, his tone unreadable.

"What?"

"Do you think I, Ye Chen, am easy to bully and want to continue bullying me?"

The smile on Sima Nong's face stiffened. He hurriedly took a few steps forward and bowed deeply to Ye Chen across the table, maintaining an extremely low posture.

"Mr. Ye, you misunderstand! A huge misunderstanding!"

"I have not come to find trouble this time, and I wouldn't dare show the slightest disrespect!"

He straightened up, a look of sincerity forced onto his face.

"I am here on the orders of my master to specifically apologize to Mr. Ye!"

"Apologize?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "Did I hear that right? You are the Sima Family of The Capital, a great family whose stomp makes the ground tremble. Why would you apologize to an ordinary citizen like me?"

Sima Nong: "..."

Ye Chen ignored his expression and continued.

"You weren't wrong."

"Sending assassins, making underhanded moves, playing dirty—isn't that all standard procedure for you great families?"

"Your skills weren't up to par and you lost men, so just take the loss. Why apologize? It's so formal!"

Sima Nong was choked by these barbed words, his old face turning red and white, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

He had finally experienced the sharpness of Ye Chen's tongue. Even though his tone was flat, every word stung, making it more embarrassing than being cursed at directly.

The followers behind him didn't look good either, but no one dared to speak, only lowering their heads further.

"Mr. Ye, you're being too harsh!"

Sima Nong repeatedly waved his hands, his waist bending even deeper.

"Before... it was all a misunderstanding!"

"We were just anxious at the time to retrieve the Warring States 'xuanyin silk scroll' fragment."

"That is, after all, a very important treasure of my Sima Family."

"As it turned out, we failed to recognize a great person and offended Mr. Ye's prestige!"

"After my master found out, he was heartbroken and deeply uneasy. He specifically ordered me to come and must seek Mr. Ye's forgiveness!"

As he spoke, he gave a look to those behind him.

A follower immediately held up an antique red sandalwood box, stepped forward cautiously, and placed it on the table in front of Ye Chen.

Sima Nong personally opened the lid.

On the red velvet lining lay a ginseng shaped like an infant, crystal clear throughout and emitting a faint medicinal fragrance. Next to it was a black bank card.

"This is a three-hundred-year-old wild King Ginseng, a small tonic, a humble token of our respect."

"In this card, there are fifty million. The password is six eights. Consider it a way to calm Mr. Ye's nerves and make up for my Sima Family's previous faults."

"I only hope that Mr. Ye will let bygones be bygones."

"My Sima Family will never be an enemy of Mr. Ye again in the future!"

Ye Chen glanced at the priceless King Ginseng and the bank card, his face showing no expression.

"Oh, your Warring States 'xuanyin silk scroll' fragment is such a treasure, yet you were willing to put it up for auction?"

"If you want to find an excuse to mess with me, your Sima Family should just say it directly!"