In the manor, as he watched over a dozen Tibetan mastiffs ferociously devour an adult yellow bull, Ba Tianhu also received news from the South Suburbs factory.
"Ye Cangtian?"
Ba Tianhu grew serious. Ever since their encounter at the seaside teahouse, he had been keenly aware of Ye Cangtian's strength.
That was why he hadn't rushed to retaliate and had restrained his subordinates from provoking such a figure.
Although the steward had arrived, along with Huang San, who was stronger than the Six Vajras, it was still not the right time to alienate this man named Ye.
However, if they were to let it go now, his subordinates would likely harbor resentment.
As Ba Tianhu pondered, a hoarse voice emanated from within the villa.
"Pay him no mind!"
Upon hearing the voice, Ba Tianhu nodded. He looked up at the subordinate who had delivered the report and said, "Inform everyone else that we are suspending the collection of management fees at the South Suburbs factory. Specifically, do not provoke that fellow named Ye!"
The subordinate quickly departed.
Ba Tianhu glanced at the yellow bull, now thoroughly dead and torn apart by the mastiffs, and turned back into the villa.
"Steward, could this Ye Cangtian ruin our plans?"
"For now, do not concern yourself with him. Your primary task is to quickly subdue the other forces. As for this person, I will find an opportunity to probe his background!" the silver-masked middle-aged man said indifferently from the sofa.
Ba Tianhu's eyebrows arched. He understood the steward's intentions. The organization needed talent, especially individuals with strength and no official background.
Therefore, he knew the steward intended to recruit Ye Cangtian and bring him into the organization.
He felt a sense of unease. After all, he had met Ye Cangtian at the seaside teahouse, and the man was an unruly character who might not agree to join the organization.
Of course, his status was low, making it inconvenient to voice his thoughts.
Within this mysterious organization, although Huang-level members were considered insiders, they were, in essence, cannon fodder—low-level personnel who followed orders.
Those who could truly be considered mid-level personnel were stewards like the silver-masked middle-aged man before him; they were the ones who played decisive roles in the organization.
Therefore, despite establishing a foothold in Yangzhou's underworld, which seemed glorious, he was merely a Huang-level member.
...
At the new factory in the South Suburbs!
The opening ceremony was successfully completed, marking the official commencement of operations for the new factory.
Recently, Haitian Pharmaceuticals had received numerous orders, so the new factory needed to operate at full swing.
Various assembly lines proceeded in an orderly fashion, and the entire new factory became bustling with activity.
Tang Xinwan spent the entire day at the new factory, personally inspecting all processes. She even ate in the factory cafeteria with the workers at noon.
Her dedication was something even Ye Cangtian couldn't help but admire.
As dusk approached, Tang Xinwan emerged from the workshop, preparing to head home.
"Ye Cangtian, after you injured those people today, will it cause any trouble?" Tang Xinwan asked with some concern.
She was aware that those thugs demanding management fees were associated with powerful factions.
She worried that Ye Cangtian might have provoked the big players in the underworld and that they might retaliate and cause trouble at the factory later that night.
Ye Cangtian smiled and said, "Don't worry. As long as they aren't foolish, they won't come looking for trouble again."
He wasn't afraid of Ba Tianhu. He had made it clear last time that if the man dared to provoke him, even if he didn't want trouble, he wouldn't let the man off easily.
As a formidable figure feared by countless factions in the Western underworld, if he couldn't even handle such a minor underworld force bullying him, then he would be too pathetic.
Seeing Tang Xinwan's continued worry, Ye Cangtian added, "How about this? Let Da Zhuang stay here for a couple of days. If anyone with no sense causes trouble, Da Zhuang can handle it."
Li Dazhuang had shown his prowess today. In Ye Cangtian's opinion, with his strength, Li Dazhuang could hold his own against even a few of Ba Tianhu's Vajras.
Furthermore, he felt that although Li Dazhuang was simple and honest, his fighting style was methodical.
Clearly, what his missing grandfather had taught him was not merely basic farming techniques.
"Don't worry, Big Brother, Big Sister-in-law. Leave it to me. If they dare to come, it will be their bad luck!" Li Dazhuang thumped his chest in assurance.
Tang Xinwan, who had been nodding thoughtfully, immediately frowned upon realizing the term of address.
Just as she was about to correct him, Ye Cangtian's phone rang.
Ye Cangtian glanced at the caller ID; it was Xu Weiwei. He picked up with a hint of confusion, "Director Xu, is something the matter?"
"Ye Cangtian, do me a favor!"
"Hey, saying that makes us strangers."
Ye Cangtian was smiling when he noticed Tang Xinwan looking at him coldly. He quickly cleared his throat, "Well, it is every citizen's responsibility to assist the police!"
There was a brief silence on the phone before Xu Weiwei dropped a bombshell.
"I want to ask you to pretend to be my boyfriend!"
"What!" Ye Cangtian was stunned.
Pretend to be her boyfriend? What was going on? Was her family pressuring her to marry, or did she have feelings for him and was trying to hint at something?
Xu Weiwei seemed a little embarrassed and gritted her teeth, "Just once. There's a dinner party tonight, and you just need to pretend to be my boyfriend during the meal!"
Ye Cangtian felt a slight pang of awkwardness. He was a married man! Was it really appropriate for her to ask him to pretend to be her boyfriend?
He guiltily glanced at Tang Xinwan, who was watching him, but he said, "Sure, no problem!"
He hung up the phone.
Tang Xinwan then asked, "Officer Xu? What did she ask you to do?"
Ye Cangtian stated seriously, "This Officer Xu is now a deputy director. She asked me to help with something. You know, as a citizen, it's only right to contribute our small efforts to the police."
"You agreed just like that? Also, is this task dangerous? Why would the police ask an ordinary person like you to do it?" Tang Xinwan frowned.
"This... it probably isn't dangerous!"
Ye Cangtian muttered, as he wasn't sure what this Xu Weiwei girl's true intentions were.
If her request for help was merely an excuse and her real goal was to scrutinize his physique, should he resist or go along with it?
"You are not allowed to go!"
Tang Xinwan stated directly. After saying this, her face flushed slightly. She didn't know why she instinctively told him not to go, perhaps because Xu Weiwei used to be Ye Cangtian's neighbor.
She always felt that their relationship was somewhat ambiguous.
Of course, she was also genuinely concerned that he might be asked to do something dangerous.
When Ye Cangtian heard this, he was rendered speechless, "I just agreed to it. Wouldn't that be bad?"
Tang Xinwan took a deep breath, turned, and walked towards her car, leaving behind, "If you want to go, then go!"
She didn't know why she had suddenly changed her demeanor, leaving Ye Cangtian somewhat bewildered.
When he recovered, he saw Tang Xinwan start her Maserati and drive directly out of the factory.
Ye Cangtian stood at the factory entrance, shaking his head helplessly.
"Nowadays, these women's temperaments are too unpredictable!"