Su Muxian couldn't stop smiling. Ye Tiancheng, who was still asleep, had no idea he had become the object of someone's attention.
Ye Tiancheng woke up to find the sun high in the sky. He sat there for a long time, thinking he should sever all ties with the supplementary fighters and pay the liquidated damages, no matter what.
So, Ye Tiancheng began contacting buyers, wanting to clear out the current batch of goods first.
By the time Ye Tiancheng woke up, everything had already happened. Xiao Pang rushed over to report that there were rumors circulating that eating Ye Tiancheng's pears would lead to many side effects, even potentially shortening one's lifespan.
Ye Tiancheng initially paid no mind, considering it baseless gossip. However, the matter escalated, and unexpectedly, such good quality products were met with resistance due to mere rumors.
Ye Tiancheng contacted many merchants, but even with price reductions, no one was willing to buy. Everything had been going smoothly, but suddenly, it hit a stalemate.
Ye Tiancheng strongly suspected that the dreams and reality were diverging further and further, and it was highly likely that the difficulty of his game was gradually increasing. If he wasn't careful, he might even go bankrupt completely.
Since the pears couldn't be sold, and Ye Tiancheng was reluctant to sell them too cheaply, he could only temporarily store them in the ice cellar, hoping to preserve their freshness as much as possible.
However, this wouldn't work in the long run. Even the Nuwa Stone, which rarely showed itself, came to warn Ye Tiancheng, suggesting he should just agree to the terms of the Su family father and daughter.
"You rotten stone, I thought you would help me, but instead, you're telling me to compromise. No, I won't give up until the last moment."
Having walked almost all night yesterday made Ye Tiancheng realize how important having a car was. But the money he had now needed to be slowly paid out as liquidated damages to the losers. On the surface, Ye Tiancheng appeared to have savings, but in reality, he was broke. So, he followed his plan from the dream and bought a pickup truck first.
The pickup truck was very practical. Although it drove a bit slower and wasn't as easy to handle as other sedans, it could at least carry things.
Initially, Ye Tiancheng went to a new car dealership, but he felt his funds were insufficient, so he went to a used car dealership instead.
When the people at the dealership saw Ye Tiancheng, they heard that his reputation wasn't good, and he had recently been embroiled in a scandal.
As a businessman, selling products that caused side effects meant even the used car salesman ignored him.
Ye Tiancheng wandered around by himself. After looking at several similar cars, he found one that looked more appealing and paid to buy a used pickup truck.
While buying the car, Ye Tiancheng saw a familiar face. The person who had argued with him in the dream was someone from Hou Mingzhu's household, and if he remembered correctly, his name was Hou Damao.
"I was looking for a long time and thought I was mistaken. It really is you, Ye Tiancheng. How did our family's son-in-law end up buying a used car? I thought only poor folks like me came to the used car market. After all, it's just a pickup truck, and new ones aren't that expensive. Why buy a used one? You're embarrassing Hou Mingzhu!"
Ye Tiancheng, who had been impulsive and argued with this guy for a long time before, now faced immense difficulties with a tranquil mind. He felt that such a disreputable younger brother wasn't worth arguing with.
Sometimes, direct and to-the-point conversations are much better than repeating the same old words.
"Damao, right? You're indeed stronger than me. Otherwise, you'd be the one taking the blame. I don't like Hou Mingzhu anyway. I believe you'd be happy to take over."
The person from the Hou family turned red with anger. Before leaving, Ye Tiancheng deliberately provoked him, calling him a poor wage slave. He didn't say it explicitly, but he was telling this Hou Damao that he was just a dog for Hou Mingzhu.
Seeing that he couldn't do anything to Ye Tiancheng, that Hou Damao actually hit the salesperson and even brought over the manager, causing a huge commotion. It was truly embarrassing Hou Mingzhu to the whole world.
Ye Tiancheng couldn't be bothered to watch this farce and turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, this Hou Damao was an important NPC. After causing trouble there, he immediately went back and told Hou Mingzhu about his experience, embellishing the story and telling Hou Mingzhu that Ye Tiancheng had fallen so low that he had to buy a used pickup truck.
Hou Mingzhu was doing a facial mask and a manicure, occasionally sipping coffee. She had already heard that Ye Tiancheng's reputation had soured, and the miraculous pears he had relied on to get rich were now unsellable. Hearing that Ye Tiancheng had fallen so low as to buy a used pickup truck instantly made her feel even better.
"This man was bound to have trouble sooner or later, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. It seems heaven does have eyes. Just wait, there might be more good shows to watch."
Hou Damao was quite pleased, thinking he could now curry favor with Hou Mingzhu.
"Miss, if there's anything you want me to do, you can entrust it to me. I will dedicate myself to it and serve you until death. If Miss says to go east, I wouldn't dare go west."
Hou Mingzhu hated people with ulterior motives the most, especially when it was someone like Hou Damao who was completely unworthy. Even if Hou Mingzhu wanted to use someone, she would choose someone talented. She simply looked down on such mediocre individuals.
"What are you thinking? Who do you think you are to be used by me? Don't flatter yourself. I don't fancy you at all. You're the only one who takes yourself seriously. Pfft, get lost, don't get in my way, you dirty thing!"
He thought that by saying a few bad words about Ye Tiancheng with Miss Hou, he could ascend through this relationship and even secure a good position among the subordinates. He never expected Hou Mingzhu to be so unpleasant and scold him directly.
Although Hou Damao harbored resentment in his heart, he didn't say anything on the surface. Instead, he quietly left, planting the seeds of hatred in his heart and began to plot how to make Miss Hou suffer.
After buying the used car, Ye Tiancheng, fearing further complications, quickly drove home. He remembered that Hou Damao would come seeking revenge that night.
On the way back, Ye Tiancheng regretted it a little. He shouldn't have bothered with such a petty person. He should have just left without replying when he was insulted. Now, he would have to exert himself to fight him that night.
That evening, after eating the meal prepared by Hou Qing'er, Ye Tiancheng told Xiao Pang that a subordinate of Hou Mingzhu named Hou Damao would come seeking revenge and told him to be prepared.
Not long after the moon rose, Hou Damao quietly appeared around Ye Tiancheng's house. However, he didn't lurk for long before being caught by Xiao Pang, who had already laid an ambush. He was immediately grabbed by the shoulders, pulled out, and kicked to the ground.
"Ye Tiancheng, how can you be so despicable? You actually prepared defenses against me in advance."
"It's you who's being despicable."
"Ye Tiancheng, you've misunderstood me. Brother Ye, think about it, I came alone. I came to talk business with you."
Ye Tiancheng had almost forgotten for a long time. Hearing Hou Damao say this, he suddenly remembered.
"I know what you want to talk about. Aren't you trying to betray your master and seek glory? My reputation isn't great right now, and I don't have much money left. Otherwise, I wouldn't be buying a used car. If you're looking for benefits from me, I'm afraid it won't work."
Upon hearing that Ye Tiancheng had guessed his intentions, Hou Damao was terrified. His face turned pale as if he were dead.
"Brother Ye, how did you know I came to talk about Hou Mingzhu?"
Of course, Ye Tiancheng knew. In his dream, Hou Damao had mysteriously told him that Hou Mingzhu was partnering with someone to open a restaurant and wanted Ye Tiancheng to use the restaurant as leverage to bring down Hou Mingzhu.
"Isn't it just opening a restaurant? Isn't it that you want me to start with the raw materials? You dog who even betrays his master, I don't fancy you. Don't come to me for cooperation. Go back to your Hou family and stop embarrassing yourself in front of me."
At this moment, Hou Damao realized what it meant to be a pig's head looking in a mirror – neither side of his reflection was satisfactory.
"I can be a mole, Brother Ye. I'm just genuinely angry about that young lady's attitude of treating people like dirt. I won't ask for anything from you. I just hope you can take me as your subordinate and let me work under you."
Ye Tiancheng's face turned green: "That's really unnecessary. Don't forget we just had a conflict. Even if I were to hire someone, I wouldn't choose someone with your poor character. You'll probably cause me a lot of trouble in the future."
"Brother Ye, I'm very smart. I can help you brainstorm. After all, I'm very familiar with Hou Mingzhu. She suddenly decided to open a restaurant. Brother Ye, you can completely open one next to hers and use your considerable financial resources to make Hou Qing'er's restaurant empty, forcing her to close down."
Ye Tiancheng thought he wasn't a gentleman, but he didn't expect Hou Damao to be so extreme. Not only did he betray his master and seek glory, but he also wanted to target Hou Qing'er without giving her any room to retaliate. This person was truly a sinister villain, beyond redemption.
"I advise you to be kind. If you're poor, focus on yourself and find ways to make money. If you lack brains, go to a construction site and move bricks. Don't think about harming others every day; it won't do you any good."
Ye Tiancheng wasn't acting like a saint. He simply couldn't stand Hou Damao's demeanor. After experiencing this great dream, Ye Tiancheng felt his character had been elevated. He truly couldn't stand these lowly, dirty individuals who spent their days thinking about harming others but not about how to improve themselves.
"Fine, no wonder you went bankrupt, Ye Tiancheng. You really put on a good show, full of benevolence and morality. It doesn't matter, I don't need you. I can do what I want on my own. You're giving me a headache, and you're even scolding me back. You really deserve to be unlucky."
Ye Tiancheng felt nothing about Hou Damao's accusations. He simply found the man disgusting, his heart too dark, and believed he would eventually become deranged, utterly beyond help.
"If you don't leave now, I'll have someone beat you up. And after you leave, don't ever come back. I'll beat you up every time I see you, and I won't hold back."
Seeing that he couldn't gain anything from Ye Tiancheng and was about to be beaten, how could this cunning villain Hou Damao continue to stay and suffer losses? He muttered a few more unpleasant words about Ye Tiancheng and then ran away.
"Ye Tiancheng, you wait and see. When I become powerful, I will definitely let you know that those who offend me have no good ending."
After Hou Damao ran away, Ye Tiancheng began to feel that something was not right. With such a scoundrel by Hou Mingzhu's side, major events were likely to occur sooner or later.