Forbidden Fruit [Full Text] - 2

Chapter Fifteen: First Impressions of China

Outside the window, dawn was breaking. Xingye groggily awoke to find herself leaning against Ye Tianya's arm. Ye Tianya stood motionless, gazing out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Xingye's movement startled him.

"Awake? Did you sleep well?" Ye Tianya asked with a smile.

Xingye blushed slightly, noticing a puddle of drool on Ye Tianya's arm. She quickly found a tissue to wipe it away, saying, "I'm sorry, I got your clothes dirty." Ye Tianya smiled faintly, taking the tissue from Xingye. "Alright, go wash your face. It'll be crowded later; I can do it myself."

Xingye felt a little embarrassed, so she nodded and stood up to wash her face. After she left, Ye Tianya placed his hand over the drool-stained area. When he released it, the area had returned to its normal whiteness. It was the cleansing effect of the water magic beneath his hand. Yin Chao and the boy also woke up. Yin Chao groggily asked, "Have we arrived yet?"

Ye Tianya kicked him impatiently and said, "We're here! Get up and get your luggage."

Yin Chao reflexively stood up and reached for the luggage rack, but when he opened his eyes, he realized something was wrong. He looked around the carriage and then out the window, realizing he'd been tricked. However, he was now fully awake and glared at Ye Tianya resentfully, as if he wanted to kill him with his gaze. But Ye Tianya ignored his glare. Ye

Tianya felt a little sleepy, so he sat down in Xingye's seat and closed his eyes to rest. He hadn't had a proper night's sleep these past few days, busy extorting Liu Ting'en and the others.

When Xingye returned and saw Ye Tianya resting with his eyes closed, he realized that the boy hadn't slept all night. A complex look flashed in his eyes; he seemed lost in thought. He simply sat quietly beside him without disturbing him.

They ate breakfast and lunch on the train, and it wasn't until after 2 PM that the train arrived at S City South Station. Ye Tianya helped Xingye carry a bag of luggage off the bus. To their surprise, while other schools had shuttle buses to pick up new students, Huaxia University didn't. The three exchanged glances, sighed, and hailed a taxi. They drove straight to Huaxia. Although Huaxia University didn't pick up new students, the registration process was incredibly fast. A streamlined process stretched from the entrance to a long row of tables inside. After getting off the bus at the school gate, students showed their admission notices at the first table and then proceeded to each table to complete the procedures. Ye Tianya noticed that parents dropping off their children were kept outside the gate, requiring all students to handle all procedures themselves. Perhaps this was a different educational approach. From the first day of enrollment, self-reliance was emphasized.

From the moment they entered, the three of them reached the last table and received a large bundle of documents: new student ID, student ID, campus card, library card, swimming card, meal card, military training uniform, and dormitory access card. All were packed in a file folder. Looking at the rising sun on the horizon, the three exchanged wry smiles.

After escorting Xingye to her dormitory, Ye Tianya and Yin Chao left. Because of their different majors, the three lived in three different dormitories, so Yin Chao had to part ways with Ye Tianya. However, they agreed to have dinner together.

Huaxia University was established fifteen years ago by the Yanhuang government, which believed that the Yanhuang nation lacked a world-renowned institution of higher learning. It was designed to be the nation's top university, attracting renowned professors from prestigious universities across China and abroad, including B University and Q University. Huaxia University also boasts top-tier teaching and experimental facilities, attracting numerous scholars to teach there. Within ten years, Huaxia University had become a world-renowned university, on par with HF and JQ universities. The Yanhuang government's goal had been achieved. Because of this, Huaxia University recruits only the most outstanding students from across the country and the world each year. Therefore, any school that gets even one student admitted to Huaxia University is already a source of great pride.

Huaxia University doesn't have a long history or rich cultural heritage; its buildings are all modern high-rises, and its library is a world-famous landmark. The landscaping is excellent; in September, the campus is lush with trees, and the air is refreshingly pleasant.

It's a great learning environment, Ye Tianya thought as he walked. He found his dormitory building, where the administrator, a middle-aged woman, checked his access card. Her eyes gleamed as she looked at Ye Tianya, and she smiled broadly, saying, "Ye Tianya, is that you? Your dormitory is on the top floor, room 1000. Here's the key." She handed Ye Tianya a key and politely escorted him to the elevator. Ye Tianya thought to himself, "Huaxia's service is really something else; they're so enthusiastic."

Ye Tianya searched through the rooms one by one and finally found it—the room after 1002, 1000. What's outrageous is that the room numbers start from 00. He realized he had gone the wrong way when he exited the elevator; he should have gone to the left, which would have been just across the aisle to his room.

Upon entering, Ye Tianya was dumbfounded. This wasn't a dormitory; it was practically a hotel room! There were two single beds, fully equipped with bedding, and a solid wood wardrobe at the head of each bed. On the other side were two desks with computers, and in front of the desks was a bookshelf. To Ye Tianya's surprise, there was a television opposite the two beds, and a water dispenser next to it. An air conditioner hung on the wall above the window. At one of the desks, a student in shorts and a shirt was wearing headphones and playing an online game, oblivious to Ye Tianya's presence. Ye Tianya didn't disturb him. After a moment of astonishment, he came to his senses, thinking that perhaps this was the difference of a top university.

There were already some clothes on the single bed on the right; Ye Tianya knew they belonged to his roommate. He went to the left, opened the wardrobe, and found a set of sheets identical to the ones on the bed. He knew they were for changing. Without paying any more attention, Ye Tianya's luggage was all in his ring. Taking advantage of his roommate's inattention while he was playing games, he put his left hand in the wardrobe. With a thought, a white light flashed on the ring, and clothes, shoes, and socks flew out one by one. They were all white. He hung them in the wardrobe one by one before walking to the balcony, where there should be a washroom. Just as Ye Tianya reached the balcony door, his roommate, who was playing games, spotted him. He took off his headphones, stood up, and looked at Ye Tianya in surprise, saying, "You...you're Ye Tianya, right? When did you come in?"

Ye Tianya then recognized his roommate—sunny, handsome, tall, and with a resolute expression. Ye Tianya said calmly, "I just got in. Seeing you engrossed in your game, I didn't want to disturb you. Hello."

His roommate extended his hand and smiled, "Hello, my name is Xu Fan. I arrived yesterday and have been waiting for you all day."

Ye Tianya shook his hand. Xu Fan's hands were somewhat rough, the kind of hands used for basketball, Ye Tianya thought, glancing at the balcony. "Is there a place to wash up outside?" he asked.

Xu Fan smiled and said, "Yes, there's a washroom on the left and a toilet on the right. When you came in..." "Aren't you a little surprised?"

Ye Tianya nodded and said, "Yes, a little."

Xu Fan said excitedly, "When I came in, I thought I had gone to the wrong place. I asked the administrator and found out that every dormitory building has a room like this. There are two types of people who live in these rooms: one is the children of high-ranking officials in the central government, and the other is ordinary students like us who ranked in the top ten in the college entrance examination. The other rooms don't have such facilities. Forget about TVs, air conditioners, and computers, there aren't even wardrobes. And it's a four-person room. When I came in, the administrator thought I was the child of some high-ranking official. He was incredibly enthusiastic. Did you receive the same treatment when you came up?"

Ye Tianya finally understood why the administrator was so enthusiastic. He shook his head with a wry smile. He looked at Xu Fan's computer and said, "You can play for now. I want to wash my face."

"I'm not playing anymore. Those guys can't beat me. It's not fun playing. You go wash your face. How about we go out for dinner together? It's my treat today." Xu Fan said as he turned off the computer.

Ye Tianya thought of Xingye and Yin Chao, so he said, "I've invited two friends to come along, do you mind?"

Xu Fan smiled and said, "No problem, the more people the better. We're new here and don't know anyone, so it's better to make more friends. Hurry up, I'll wait for you."

Ye Tianya felt relieved. Perhaps it would be a good thing for Yin Chao and Xingye to make more friends.

After settling everything in, Ye Tianya walked towards the school gate with Xu Fan. He had arranged to meet Xingye and Yin Chao there. However, when they arrived, Ye Tianya discovered that besides himself, Yin Chao and Xingye also had roommates; four boys and four girls were already waiting.

As Ye Tianya approached, Xingye and Yin Chao introduced their roommates. Yin Chao's roommates came from all over the country: Yuan Xinghai from Zhoukou, Henan Province; Tang Jialin from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province; and Hu Feng from Changchun, Jilin Province. On Xingye's side, Zhao Huiru and Gao Jingting were both from Jiangsu Province, and a girl named He Sisi was from Ningxia. Ye Tianya greeted everyone calmly. When it was Xu Fan's turn, Ye Tianya glanced at him, then stepped forward and said with a smile, "Hello everyone, my name is Xu Fan, I'm Ye Tianya's roommate. Please take care of me."

Ye Tianya noticed Xu Fan's slight unease and knew he might not have enough money for so many people to eat, so he leaned closer and whispered, "Don't worry, I have enough."

Xu Fan smiled awkwardly and looked apologetically at Ye Tianya, but he wasn't so worried anymore.

Chapter Sixteen: Yin Chaofeng

The ten of them found a restaurant, and the owner had to push two tables together to seat them. Ye Tianya was relatively comfortable with these people. Although they had heard of Ye Tianya and knew he was the top student this year, those who could enter China University of Political Science and Law had a strong sense of pride and wouldn't ask questions like the curious girls. However, Ye Tianya still impressed them greatly, not for any other reason than his face, which was enough to make ordinary girls scream, and his cold and handsome expression. One word: cool.

A group of boys huddled together, their conversation shifting from the NBA to the World Cup, and finally to online games. Ye Tianya remained silent, frankly, knowing nothing about those things because he'd never paid attention to them. He occasionally put some food on Xingye's plate, then quietly ate his own meal, oblivious to the others' enthusiastic chatter. The girls were the same; Xingye was quiet, as the other three were discussing everything from cosmetics to fashion, topics Xingye had never encountered before and couldn't join the conversation. Both ate silently, and when their eyes met, they exchanged wry smiles.

Once the boys finished their topic, they naturally turned their attention to the girls. Xingye's two roommates, two typical beauties from Jiangsu, were the boys' first choice. Yin Chao's roommates began their self-promotion campaigns, while Xu Fan remained indifferent, watching the three's performance with amusement. Yin Chao, meanwhile, chatted with the girl next to him named He Sisi. Xingye was the prettiest girl present, but her expression was aloof. Several boys tried to strike up a conversation, but were quickly rebuffed and had to turn to other targets. Meanwhile, the girls chatted with Hu Feng, Tang Jialin, and the others, glancing at Ye Tianya from time to time. It seemed they wanted Ye Tianya to join them. Ye Tianya pretended not to notice and softly asked Xingye, "Are you getting along well with them?"

Xingye nodded, "Yes, very well. What about you? Do you have a roommate? Why only one?" Xingye had grown up in an orphanage and knew how to be tolerant and forgiving. Ye Tianya was reassured, thinking she would get along well with others. He smiled faintly and said, "I only have one roommate. My dorm only houses two people."

Xingye looked at Ye Tianya in surprise, but quickly remembered something and said, "You mean you live in room 00 on the top floor?"

"You know that too?" Ye Tianya asked in astonishment.

Xingye nodded and said, "I heard that. The top ten students in the country can live there. By the way, this is my dorm's phone number." Xingye took a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to Ye Tianya, then asked, "What's yours?"

Ye Tianya was taken aback; he didn't even know his own dorm's phone number. So he asked Xu Fan next to him, "What's our dorm's phone number?"

After Ye Tianya asked, everyone remembered they should exchange phone numbers, so they quickly did, especially the boys.

After Ye Tianya paid the bill, as the ten of them walked out of the restaurant, Yin Chao was bumped by a boy walking ahead of him among the pedestrians coming in. Yin Chao politely apologized.

"Apologize? Is that all? Don't you have eyes when you walk?" the boy said arrogantly.

"Hey, it seems like you bumped into someone. They politely apologized, what more do you want?" Hu Feng, walking behind Yin Chao, defended him.

At this moment, the group that had just entered surrounded him. Four or five boys blocked Yin Chao's path and said rudely, "What, you think you can just hit someone like that? You're not happy about it? You think you can just apologize and leave?"

Yin Chao's face darkened when he heard their rudeness. He said coldly, "So what do you want?"

"What do you want? You ruined our good mood today. Don't say I didn't give you a chance. How about this, you pay for all our food and drinks here today, and we'll let you go. Otherwise, hehe, these girls are pretty good-looking. They must be freshmen from Huaxia, so pretty."

Ye Tianya was furious. Although he didn't want to cause trouble when he first arrived at the school, he wasn't one to be bullied. Just as he was about to explode, Yin Chao made his move. He walked away without saying a word, and the guys who had blocked him stumbled and staggered, making way for him. They were immediately enraged after being bumped into and chased after Yin Chao as he walked away. Ye Tianya stopped Yin Chao again at the restaurant entrance. He said to Xingye, "Take your roommates and leave first."

Xingye knew Yin Chao was about to make a move, and those guys were no match for him. She wasn't worried about him getting hurt, so she said to her three roommates, "Let's go first. It won't be a hassle for them to run away later."

The three girls had just arrived and were already frightened. Hearing Xingye's words, they nodded hurriedly and were about to leave with her. One of the five troublemakers saw Xingye and the others leaving and tried to stop them. Yin Chao took a side step, and the guy bumped into him. The guy actually felt a slight pain in his body. Yin Chao chuckled and said, "Hey buddy, you seem to have bumped into me again. How about buying us a drink?"

Seeing that Xingye and the others had left, the thug angrily said, "You fucking don't even know if I apologize for bumping into someone? Today, I'll let you taste our power!" He said, and was about to punch Yin Chao in the face.

Yin Chao snorted coldly, grabbed the man's fist, and with a twist, the guy let out a scream. But Yin Chao's series of movements was only halfway complete when his classmate bent his knee and slammed it heavily into the guy's stomach. The scream turned into a muffled groan, and after Yin Chao released his grip, the guy clutched his stomach and squatted on the ground. Seeing this, his companions rushed forward in a swarm, and Xu Fan and the others followed suit. Ye Tianya didn't move or stop them; letting these people go first would also help to overshadow Yin Chao and prevent him from drawing too much attention.

Originally, Yin Chao alone was enough to handle them, and with the addition of Xu Fan and the others, those guys were quickly brought down and squatting on the ground. Yin Chao coldly said, "Can't you say sorry?"

The five guys squatting on the ground hurriedly apologized, and Yin Chao coldly said, "Don't think you're easy to bully just because you're a freshman. Listen to me, if you try to mess with our Chinese students again, don't blame me for being impolite."

The five of them only dared to fight six people at once because Ye Tianya and his group were freshmen, but they didn't expect these six freshmen to be so united on their very first day of meeting. They were caught off guard and had no choice but to accept it.

Xu Fan and the others turned around and saw that Ye Tianya hadn't made a move, and a hint of disdain flashed in their eyes. Then Yin Chao walked up and chuckled, "How was my move just now?"

Ye Tianya smiled faintly and said, "What's there to brag about dealing with a few thugs? Keep it to yourself."

Yin Chao exclaimed, dissatisfied, "Can't you at least give me a little praise? Really."

Xu Fan and the others finally understood. It turned out that Yin Chao could easily handle the situation alone. They hadn't known this before they intervened, while Ye Tianya knew Yin Chao's abilities and therefore hadn't intervened. Once they understood this, they stopped looking at Ye Tianya with disdain and instead became interested in Yin Chao's abilities. They all asked him to give them some pointers, but Yin Chao chuckled and replied, "It's nothing. I've just gained some experience from fighting a lot. I'll tell you all another time."

Back when Yin Chao was learning martial arts from Ye Tianya, Ye Tianya had warned him not to reveal that Ye Tianya knew martial arts, so Yin Chao dared not say it. He secretly blamed himself for being too impulsive and revealing his knowledge.

When they returned to school, Xingye and the others were waiting inside the school gate, where campus police were stationed, so they weren't worried. Seeing Yin Chao and his group return, Xingye's three roommates visibly relaxed, while Xingye remained calm. Seeing everyone return, he gave Ye Tianya a faint smile, turned and walked inside, unlike the other three girls who surrounded him and chattered. When they heard that Yin Chao had knocked the guy to the ground with just one hand and one foot, the three girls looked at Yin Chao with shining eyes. This gave Yin Chao some comfort, and he even gave Ye Tianya a look that said, "I also have girls who like me."

Chapter Seventeen Military Training Incident (1)

"One, two, one, attention! Right dress..."

Whistles, commands, and shouts mingled in the air above the S City Military Sub-district. On the military sub-district's parade ground under the scorching sun, more than three thousand students were marching in formation in more than ten companies. Fortunately, China did not expand its enrollment when other universities expanded their enrollment every year, otherwise, this large parade ground might not be enough.

Ye Tianya and the other freshmen were brought to this place for military training on the second day after enrollment. This is the fifteenth day since they arrived. After fifteen days of being exposed to the scorching sun, almost all the students are completely different from when they first came in. Thinking back, when they first arrived, both boys and girls had fair skin and a scholarly air; now they all have tanned complexions and exude masculinity. The military camp truly is a place to toughen people up. Of course, there are exceptions, Ye Tianya being one of them. Under the blazing sun, a transparent protective shield automatically forms around Ye Tianya, thanks to the Seven-Colored Fruit that Frant gave him. The sunlight simply cannot reach his skin.

Military training is tough, but it's not a problem for Xingye, Yin Chao, and Ye Tianya. After the college entrance exam, the three of them spent time in the small mountain area. Ye Tianya had instructed Xingye and Yin Chao in martial arts. Although they could only be considered to have a basic foundation and not yet experts, Xingye's Xuan Nu Heart Method had already achieved some success, and Yin Chao's Diancang Heart Method had reached the first level. Naturally, this little bit of hardship was no problem for them.

Ye Tianya's company marched very well twice in a row, so the instructors, out of kindness, let everyone rest under the shade of the trees. Of course, they probably also wanted to rest themselves. The students, who were already exhausted, cheered and grabbed a good spot under the shade to cool off, and also to look around, taking the opportunity to observe the girls marching gracefully.

Xu Fan and Ye Tianya were in the same class, and were in the same company and training class when they were assigned to the same unit. He was currently discussing the girls in the female soldiers' company with the students next to him. The female soldiers were standing at attention, being instructed on their movements by the instructors. Ye Tianya watched as the instructors touched the girls inappropriately. If it were just pointing out the movements, it would be fine, but they would occasionally take the opportunity to grope the girls' waists. Sometimes, 'instructing' on the waists wasn't enough; their hands would intentionally or unintentionally reach for the girls' chests: "Chest out!" Just

as Ye Tianya thought that the instructor deserved to die, one of the female soldiers threw the instructor into the air, and he fell to the ground with a thud, taking a while to get up. It seemed that the fall was quite serious. Ye Tianya's heart skipped a beat. He looked at the girl who had struck him. The girl, wrapped in her military uniform, looked spirited and dashing. Even more surprising was her oval face, which left the boys and girls, already speechless with shock at having hit their instructor, speechless with astonishment.

"Good!" Ye Tianya couldn't help but shout. The boys in Ye Tianya's company snapped out of their daze and joined in the cheers. The company's instructor quickly ordered everyone to be quiet. The girl turned and glanced at Ye Tianya, then coldly stared at the instructor who had been thrown, her face contorted with malice. "You better watch your manners. Don't think you can take advantage of every girl you see."

"You...you dare hit an instructor? I'll expel you..." The instructor stood up, wanting to teach the girl a lesson, but the instructors from Ye Tianya's company pulled him back. He began to roar. Someone had already reported this to the regimental leadership.

Before long, the deputy regimental commander, the school's principal, and a counselor rushed over.

"What's going on?" the deputy commander asked, his voice carrying an air of authority. The instructor reported to the deputy commander, "This student is disobeying instructions; I request his expulsion."

The vice-principal in charge of the school asked the girl, "Ruyan, what happened?" It seemed the principal knew the girl.

The girl's name was Ruyan? A name as poetic as poetry, Ye Tianya thought. She coldly said, "Principal Yang, you've come at the right time. This soldier, under the guise of instructing students, was groping the girls' waists, buttocks, and breasts. I was just giving him a small lesson. If this instructor isn't replaced, I, Sima Ruyan, will immediately withdraw from military training."

"You… I was instructing against regulations! You need evidence to support your claims. Don't insult the image of the People's Liberation Army!" The instructor, still groping her buttocks, seemed to be in pain and hurriedly defended himself after hearing the girl named Sima Ruyan's words. Ye Tianya snorted and couldn't help but say coldly, "What image do you have, a lecher? Your superior, the deputy regimental commander, is right in front of you, and you still dare to shout like that. You can't even write a proper report. What image do you have? I've only just realized that the uprightness and heroic demeanor of those soldiers on TV are all for show. I actually admired them for over ten years."

Ye Tianya's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. The girl named Sima Ruyan and the regimental commander both looked at Ye Tianya in surprise. The girl glanced at Ye Tianya gratefully, while the regimental commander said to Ye Tianya, "Young man, did you witness the whole thing just now?"

Ye Tianya stood up, not saluting the deputy regimental commander, and coldly said, "Yes, I think our company's instructors must have seen it too."

The company's instructors shouted, "Ye Tianya, salute!"

Ye Tianya glanced at the instructor indifferently and coldly said, "If all the instructors in this army are like that, then you, the deputy regimental commander, don't deserve my salute."

Ye Tianya's words caused the school's vice principal, counselors, and a group of students, including the two instructors, to change their expressions drastically. They all looked at Ye Tianya and the regimental commander. Vice Principal Yang angrily said, "How dare you speak like that! Apologize to the deputy regimental commander!"

Just when everyone thought the deputy regimental commander was about to get angry, he laughed and said, "Fine, I'll remember your words." "Your name is Ye Tianya, right? I've heard of you. My son is in the same year as you, and he idolizes you. It's just that he didn't get into China because of his grades. Today, I'm going to make you salute me!"

He then shouted to the female soldiers, "Is there anyone here who can testify about this instructor?" The regimental

commander called out twice, but no one moved. Sima Ruyan coldly swept her gaze over the girls beside her and snorted, "You cowards! You deserve to be humiliated. I feel sorry for you." She then coldly said to the regimental commander, "Commander, I don't think our students' testimonies are very convincing. Those two instructors were just there. Why don't you ask yourselves to speak?"

The two instructors looked embarrassed. The regimental commander said, "You two, tell me what you saw. Anyone who lies will be demoted." The

two instructors stammered for a while before finally saying, "Reporting, Commander, Sergeant Zhao did indeed touch the female cadets' breasts and buttocks."

The deputy commander's face turned ashen. He first bowed to Principal Yang, then to the female students in that formation. Principal Yang was startled by his actions and quickly returned the bow, while the female students were confused. The deputy commander then said, "Students, I am ashamed of having such an instructor in our ranks. I sincerely apologize to you all and ask for your forgiveness." The

students were at a loss for words. Ye Tianya led the applause, and only then did the others join in. The instructor who had been hit, however, was now deathly pale. He knew his fate would be grim. Sure enough, after calming the applause, the regimental commander's face turned cold. He coldly said to the instructor, "Sergeant, one month of confinement, demoted to corporal. Do you accept this?"

The guy was already thankful he hadn't been discharged. He quickly saluted the commander (this time he hadn't forgotten) and said, "Reporting, Deputy Commander, I have no objection." How could he dare to object? The commander said to the two instructors from Ye Tianya's company, "You two, one of you come and lead this formation. I don't want similar situations to happen again."

The two saluted in agreement, and the matter was finally resolved. The deputy commander apologized to the principal again before walking to the side.

Ye Tianya hurriedly called out, "Deputy Commander, please wait!"

"Is there anything else?" The deputy commander stopped and turned back to Ye Tianya.

Ye Tianya didn't answer, but instead gave him a salute he had practiced for half a month—a perfectly standard salute.

The deputy commander then remembered that he had insisted on Ye Tianya saluting him, and laughed heartily, saying, "I almost forgot! Good, good lad, that salute puts my mind at ease."

Ye Tianya smiled faintly and returned to the shade of the tree. Xu Fan chuckled, "Damn it... no, I'm swearing, that's really satisfying!"

After rejoining the group, Sima Ruyan couldn't help but look at the boy who had spoken up for her earlier. Even she was somewhat surprised. The other students stood up and saluted when the deputy commander arrived, but that boy dared to say those words in front of him. How much courage and boldness did that take? Originally, she thought that the boy was just trying to curry favor with her, but when she looked over, the boy was talking to the boy next to him, completely ignoring her. The boys next to him were all leering at him. Compared to them, he stood out so much, so different.

Ye Tianya! That name entered her memory just like that.

The minor incident did not have a significant impact, and the military training continued as usual. However, that evening, all the female soldiers' instructors were summoned to the regimental headquarters for a lecture. The content of the lecture remains unknown. From then on, during the military training, the female soldiers said that each instructor had an extra pointer in their hand. If any of the female soldiers did something incorrectly, the instructors would point at them with the pointer. They no longer dared to touch the girls with their hands.

Chapter 18 Military Training Incident (2)

A week before the end of the military training, the entire team had to select one flag bearer and two flag guards to carry the flag at the final military training parade. Ye Tianya was pushed out by the company because he was the best marcher in the company. Pushing him out was just to bring glory to the company when competing with other companies. Ye Tianya did not want to go, but the company commander rejected him by saying, "Obeying orders is also part of military training. If you don't go, I will make you fail the military training." Ye Tianya, who was feeling miserable, had no choice but to report to the regimental headquarters. When Ye Tianya arrived at the regimental headquarters, he found more than ten people already there, including Xingye and the girl who had hit the instructor. After Ye Tianya reported for duty, an instructor began organizing the assessment, and Ye Tianya realized he was the last to arrive.

The military training regimental commander and Principal Yang of the school were present, along with the counselors of each company. When Xingye looked at Ye Tianya, the two simply nodded slightly. Sima Ruyan also looked at Ye Tianya, but Ye Tianya only glanced at her indifferently before looking back at the instructor. First, there was the selection of two flag bearers. The six girls, including the ones nominated, stood in a row and performed all the actions under the instructor's commands, including removing their hats, saluting, and marching. Afterwards, the deputy commander and Principal Yang discussed it and decided that Sima Ruyan and another girl were selected. Xingye was chosen after Xingye was eliminated. Ye Tianya gave her a comforting look, but she just smiled slightly to indicate that it didn't matter. At this moment, Xingye probably only cared about one thing: clearing Ye Tianya's name of his former identity, Ye Xin.

Next, ten boys competed for one flag bearer position. As before, Ye Tianya also joined the team. He originally thought he would just do it casually to get past the company commander, but unexpectedly, as soon as he stood in the team, he saw the company commander standing next to him glaring at him. He secretly had a headache and had no choice but to follow the commands.

After completing the series of actions, Ye Tianya noticed that the company commander had a satisfied smile on his face. He thought to himself, "I'm doomed. I can't avoid standing out." But the regimental commander announced that the selected person was a man named Fang Hua. Ye Tianya's company commander immediately objected, jumping up and protesting, "Regimental Commander, I'm not satisfied! Everyone saw what they did. Ye Tianya was the best! Why Fang Hua? Fang Hua clearly didn't keep up with the rhythm when he took off his hat!"

Another company commander, seemingly Fang Hua's, stepped forward and said, "What, Lao Tian, do you even doubt the regimental commander's judgment?"

"Hmph, what business is it of yours if I give the regimental commander my opinion? Are you the deputy regimental commander or the battalion commander? Do you think you have the right to speak for the regimental commander?" Ye Tianya's company commander retorted. The other company commander was speechless with anger, "You—" unable to reply. It seemed these two company commanders had a long-standing feud, starting an argument right away. The regimental commander's face darkened. He snorted and said, "You two, come in here. Do you think arguing in front of the students makes you look good?" He then went into the regimental headquarters office. The two company commanders glared at each other, snorted, and followed the regimental commander inside. The door closed behind them.

It was all Ye Tianya's fault for having such good hearing; he clearly heard the regimental commander's voice inside: "Fang Hua is the grandson of Military Commissioner Fang. You little brat, do you not want to stay here anymore?"

However, Ye Tianya noticed that it wasn't just his ears that were good; the two girls who had been chosen as flag bearers changed their expressions, and Xingye's face also slightly changed. Ye Tianya was secretly pleased; he no longer had to worry about showing off.

Sure enough, when the three appeared, the two regimental commanders stopped arguing. The company commander surnamed Tian hung his head dejectedly and remained silent. Fang Hua was chosen, and Ye Tianya was eliminated. When the regimental commander announced, the two flag bearers stood up simultaneously: "Reporting to the regimental commander, student Sima Ruyan (Murong Piaoxue) requests to withdraw!"

The regimental commander was taken aback and asked, "Why?"

"Because we are just ordinary students," Sima Ruyan said calmly.

The regimental commander blushed, unaware that his words had been overheard. He assumed the two lacked the courage to be flag bearers. He nodded, "Then, Xingye and Tang Fang will be the flag bearers."

Xingye immediately stood up and said, "Reporting, Regimental Commander, student Xingye requests to withdraw!"

"You withdraw too? Why?" Even the principal asked in surprise.

Xingye simply replied coldly, "I cannot help certain people get promoted." Xingye's words left many bewildered. The two company commanders and the regimental commander, however, looked extremely uncomfortable, avoiding Xingye's piercing gaze, while Sima Ruyan, Murong Piaoxue, and the others remained calm.

The regimental commander blushed again, stammering for a while before awkwardly laughing, "This has nothing to do with who gets promoted. It seems the students all have the virtue of courtesy. Alright, then Liu Yan and Tang Fang, it's your turn. The rest of you can go back to your companies."

As everyone was about to leave, Sima Ruyan suddenly stopped and turned back to Fang Hua, who had stayed behind, saying, "Fang Hua, you'd better go back and put in a good word for the regimental commander with Military Commission Fang to repay his good intentions."

A sinister glint flashed across Fang Hua's gloomy face. He glared at Sima Ruyan without saying a word, while the principal seemed to have realized something, giving a bitter smile as if waking from a dream. The regimental commander felt ashamed and dared not face the students. He deliberately pretended not to hear and walked into the regimental headquarters.

The flag bearer selection ended badly. Afterwards, Company Commander Tian never contacted Ye Tianya again. Ye Tianya knew he was too ashamed to come looking for him. During the final military training performance, both Ye Tianya and Xingye were excluded, probably to prevent them from causing trouble. Ye Tianya and Xingye, watching from the sidelines, exchanged a smile. In their hearts, this was just a game, like children playing house; they didn't care at all. All they cared about was getting the military training certificate.

"Any thoughts?" Xingye asked softly from the side.

Ye Tianya glanced at the marching contingent below, saluting the school and regimental leaders and shouting slogans, and smiled, saying, "I remembered Yin Chao's words: 'There are still many things in this world waiting to be changed.'"

Xingye smiled faintly, about to say something, when applause erupted behind them. Ye Tianya and Xingye turned around to see Sima Ruyan and Murong Piaoxue. It seemed they had been eliminated as well. Since the formation was made up of people drawn from each company, they could easily replace them with a few more.

"Well said! There are still so many things in this world waiting to be changed. Hello, Ye Tianya. Xingye," Sima Ruyan spoke.

Xingye simply nodded. Ye Tianya glanced at the two of them and said calmly, "Hello, you didn't participate either?"

Murong Piaoxue smiled faintly, "Yes, isn't it funny? People who could have been flag bearers have become spectators." Murong Shuangxue was the mischievous and cute type, her beautiful face framed by a pair of bright, clever eyes. Neither of them wore hats, their long hair flowing over their shoulders, looking quite lovely.

Ye Tianya didn't say anything, just smiled faintly, then looked at the formations on the parade ground as they walked towards the seating area. This surprised the two girls; no boy had ever been so unfriendly to them. This Ye Tianya was truly an exception among exceptions.

"Will you regret not being able to participate in this performance?" Sima Ruyan asked Ye Tianya.

Ye Tianya didn't look at her, but instead faced the large playground, saying, "Do you think you'd regret not being able to participate in a children's game of pretend play?"

Ye Tianya's words made Sima Ruyan and Murong Piaoxue laugh.

"Children's game of pretend play? Hehe, I was wondering why I wasn't regretful. Now that you mention it, it's true. We're just treating it like children's game, what's there to regret? Anyway, we've already got our perfect score certificate," Murong Piaoxue said with a smile.

The military training ended just like that. Ye Tianya's summary of participating in this military training was that he had matured a little more.

At the farewell party for the company, the company commander finally came to Ye Tianya's table and said, "Ye Tianya, there are some things I, Lao Tian, have no choice but to do. I hope you can forgive me. This drink is my apology on behalf of the army."

The company commander's words surprised everyone at Ye Tianya's table, including Xu Fan. Ye Tianya, however, smiled calmly and said, "I know, company commander, don't be so polite. This is society. The meaning of those two words is not ordinary. Neither you nor I can fully understand them. Don't worry, I came to this military camp only for that 'qualified' mark on the red certificate. I don't care about anything else." The company commander

sighed and said, "Yes, this is society. Young man, you understand it even better than I do. I've wasted the past few decades. Come on, bottoms up."

Ye Tianya looked at this forthright soldier and thought that everyone has their own helplessness. He stood up, clinked glasses with him, and downed his drink in one gulp. Seeing this, the company commander also downed his drink in one gulp. He sat down next to Ye Tianya, poured him another glass, and then poured one for himself before saying, "You don't know, sometimes living in here is fucking pathetic, but you have to bow your head. Life is tough, you'll all understand later."

Everyone except Ye Tianya was bewildered by the usually serious company commander, but thankfully he returned to his seat after two drinks. Xu Fan asked curiously, "Tianya, what does the company commander mean? We don't understand a word." Ye

Tianya shook his head and said, "He just means life isn't easy, can't you understand?"

Xu Fan knew Ye Tianya was just giving him a perfunctory answer and didn't press further. And so, with mixed feelings, Ye Tianya left the complicated military camp and returned to the much simpler school. Perhaps, only under this sky was there a little purity. Ye Tianya returned to his dormitory, lay on his bed, and reflected on the past month's experiences. He meticulously dissected the regimental commander's actions using the lens of self-interest, and suddenly it all seemed so simple.

"So, when you apply the formula of self-interest, society is really that simple." Ye Tianya suddenly laughed, leaving Xu Fan, who was beside him, somewhat bewildered.

Xu Fan shook his head and smiled wryly, "You're a monster. You're usually like an iceberg, but now you're laughing to yourself on the bed. What are you laughing at?" Ye Tianya sat up and smiled, "Nothing, just figured some things out. By the way, what were your military training grades?"

"Five Excellent and ten Good. How about that? Pretty impressive, right?" Xu Fan said confidently.

"Impressive!" Ye Tianya smiled faintly, sat down at his desk, and opened his computer to download his class schedule, not noticing Xu Fan looking for his military training certificate on the bed.

"All Excellent! You're inhuman!" Xu Fan exclaimed.

Ye Tianya only gave a wry smile; perhaps this was a small consolation from the company commander to ease his guilt.

Chapter Nineteen: First Clues Emerge

After military training ended, there was a seven-day National Day holiday, so the freshmen's classes started on October 8th. Ye Tianya was mentally calculating how to kill these few days. Yin Chao called to suggest going out to explore S City together. Ye Tianya thought it sounded good; after all, she would be living there for another four years, and getting familiar with the environment would be nice. So she agreed and asked Yin Chao to arrange for Xingye to join them.

Xu Fan was going home; his home was in S City, so he couldn't go with Ye Tianya and the others. However, Xingye's roommate and Yin Chao's roommate were all there. In addition, Yuan Xinghai brought a female fellow villager with him. Due to the starry night's coldness, it was destined that one of Yin Chao's roommates would be left alone. Hu Feng and Zhao Huiru got together, Tang Huilin greeted Gao Jingting first, and Yin Chao jumped to He Sisi's side, looking every bit the chivalrous protector. Yuan Xinghai, having brought his fellow villager, avoided the awkwardness of being alone. Yin Chao spread out a map and pointed, saying, "There's a sightseeing bus at the entrance. We'll go to Qingning City first, then circle the city, and in the evening go to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower to see the light show." No one objected to Yin Chao's itinerary for the next day; everything in the city was unfamiliar to everyone, so it didn't matter where they went first.

Perhaps the freshmen were eager to explore this new environment, because quite a few people boarded the sightseeing bus. Before Ye Tianya and the others could even squeeze onto the first bus, it announced it was full, and the nine of them had to wait for the next one. It was during this wait that Ye Tianya missed out on traveling with them. Instead, he was spotted by an old acquaintance.

This old acquaintance was none other than Night Owl, who had once helped him but then came to kill him as an assassin. He had come to China to find Ye Tianya, but was stopped by the campus police at the entrance and couldn't get in. He was about to ask a student to go in and call Ye Tianya out when he saw Ye Tianya in his white clothes. He quickly ran over.

"Little Ye!"

Ye Tianya heard someone call him Little Ye. Although he wasn't sure if it was him, he turned around and was overjoyed to see Night Owl. He hadn't expected to run into an old acquaintance here. He greeted everyone and went to the side to meet Night Owl.

"Brother Night, did you come to see me?"

"Yes, I have something important to discuss with you, but I can't get into your school. We've got some leads on your case; we caught Lei Bao." Night Owl's words filled Ye Tianya with joy. He excitedly grabbed Night Owl's hand and said, "Really? You're not lying to me?"

Night Owl chuckled, "Why would I lie to you? What are you doing now? Are you free?"

"Yes, I'm free," Ye Tianya stammered, barely able to contain his emotions. He turned and ran to where Yin Chao and the others were waiting for their car, pulling Xingye aside and saying to everyone, "I'm sorry, everyone, I have some important business to attend to today and can't join you all. Have fun!"

Yin Chao asked, puzzled, "What is it, Tianya?"

Tianya smiled faintly at the concerned Yin Chao and said, "Nothing, it's about me and Xingye. You guys go have fun." Without further explanation, he pulled Xingye towards Night Owl's direction.

"Tianya, what is it?" Xingye asked, equally puzzled.

Ye Tianya exclaimed excitedly, "We've got a clue! The murderer who framed me... the killer of Ye Xin has appeared! Our chance for revenge has arrived!"

Xingye was immediately excited too, but then, as if remembering something, she asked, "Tianya, do you know something you haven't told me?"

Ye Tianya nodded, "I know the whole story, but I couldn't find the culprit before, so telling you wouldn't have helped. Let's go, I'll explain on the way."

When they met Ye Xiao, Ye Tianya introduced him to Xingye, "Xingye, this is Brother Ye Xiao. He once protected Ye Xin from the prison warden's abuse. He's the one who discovered the clue and informed me. Quickly call him Brother Ye."

Xingye deeply respected everyone who cared about Ye Xin and respectfully called him Brother Ye.

"Who is she—?" Ye Xiao looked at Xingye in confusion. Ye Tianya glanced at Xingye before saying, "She's Ye Xin's beloved, and like me, she wishes she could devour Lei Bao."

A glint flashed in Ye Xiao's eyes as he looked up at the sky and said, "That kid Ye Xin is really lucky, hehe. He's probably laughing in the afterlife. Xingye, I, Ye Xiao, used to look down on vain women, thinking there wasn't a single woman in the world who didn't love vanity. But you've earned my respect, and I'm truly happy for Ye Xin." Xingye

blushed slightly. Ye Tianya, afraid she would be saddened by thinking about Ye Xin again, quickly changed the subject, saying, "Let's talk as we walk. Brother Ye, where's Lei Bao?"

Ye Xiao hurriedly replied, "Let's go, let's talk in the car." Ye Xiao pointed to a four-seater black sports car in the distance. Ye Tianya didn't stand on ceremony and sat in the back with Xingye. After starting the engine, Night Owl drove onto the road and said, "Lei Bao was originally a top henchman of the Green Dragon Gang. He went to jail for a few years because he took the blame for the gang leader, Green Dragon. After his release, he was highly valued by Green Dragon and was in charge of all affairs in Lin City. Some time ago, their base in Lin City, the Crown Nightclub, was robbed and burned down. Green Dragon was furious. According to our intelligence agents, what you lost is crucial to the entire Green Dragon Gang, so Lei Bao was summoned back to the Green Dragon Gang headquarters in S City and no longer held a key position. It wasn't until you told me that the real culprit was Lei Bao that we started investigating his whereabouts. Because we heard you were in military training, we haven't been able to find you."

Ye Tianya recalled the two ledgers he had found in the Crown Nightclub, which contained information on their bribery of local officials, their drug trafficking routes, and other drug lords. Perhaps, what truly enraged Green Dragon was that those things were enough to ruin him.

"Your intelligence agents? You have influence in S City too?" Ye Tianya had assumed he was based in Lincheng.

Night Owl proudly laughed, "Little Ye, you don't know yet, our base is here. Lincheng is just a branch. Last time, Liu Ting'en paid us enough to handle the situation, so we went. In our line of work, without intelligence, we're practically blind. So, we have a very powerful intelligence system. Of course, hehe, we sometimes do double-crosses too. The Green Dragon Gang has fallen into our hands several times."

Ye Tianya was utterly incredulous. Night Owl's skills were among the top in this society. If he hadn't encountered him last time, probably no one could have escaped his grasp. Such a fast knife, such fast movements. With such skill, building an intelligence system wouldn't be a big deal. Once Ye Tianya understood this, he felt relieved. Gratefully, he said, "Thank you, Brother Ye, thank you for everything you've done for us."

Night Owl laughed heartily, "Little Ye, don't say that. Although I, Night Owl, am a scoundrel living in the underworld, I'm still a man of flesh and blood. I know what feelings are. That kid Ye Xin remained unyielding even after being tortured by Lei Bao and his gang in prison. I considered him a tough guy, respected him, and treated him as a friend. It's just that I was too careless and let Lei Bao take his own life. I feel ashamed of him. Besides, you gave us four brothers our lives. We've decided to give our lives to you. Don't say so much about this little thing."

Ye Tianya sighed. No matter how he explained it to this kind of man of courage, he wouldn't understand.

At this moment, Xingye couldn't help but speak up: "Tianya, you still haven't told me what happened. What does it have to do with that guy named Lei Bao?"

Ye Tianya turned to look at Xingye and said, word by word, "Ye Xin didn't die in a mining accident. He was strangled to death by Lei Bao and buried in the coal mine to create the scene of a mining accident."

Xingye visibly trembled, a flash of hatred appearing in her eyes, which was then covered by tears.

"Why? Did brother offend him?" Xingye asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ye Tianya said bitterly, "No, if I'm not mistaken, someone must have bribed Lei Bao to be an assassin. And the person who bribed him is probably the same person who framed Ye Xin. Of course, this person isn't the hostess from the nightclub, but someone else entirely. And that hostess was probably bribed by the same person."

Xingye asked again, "But, who did brother offend that they want to kill him?"

Ye Tianya shook his head and smiled bitterly, "We'll probably only know when we see Lei Bao."

Chapter Twenty: The Truth of the Feud

Xingye didn't ask anything more, but just clenched her hands tightly together, showing the overwhelming hatred in her heart.

Night Owl led Ye Tianya and Xingye out of the city and stopped in front of an abandoned shipyard. After entering, the shipyard twisted and turned like a maze, finally stopping on the deck of a large, rusty yacht that was still under construction.

“He’s inside. To prevent the Green Dragon Gang from finding him, we had to lock him up here. Third Brother and the others are probably still interrogating him inside.” As he spoke, Night Owl called out, “Black Hawk!”

No sooner had Night Owl’s voice fallen than a man in black appeared out of nowhere, stopping in front of him. Ye Tianya had sensed many people lurking in the shadows when she entered, but Xingye hadn’t. When the man called Black Hawk appeared, she immediately became wary.

“Greetings, Grand Master!” Black Hawk bowed to Night Owl with a resounding fist.

Night Owl nodded and asked, “Is Third Master inside?”

“Yes, Third Master is interrogating him, but that guy won’t talk.” He glanced warily at Ye Tianya and Xingye. Ye Tianya usually kept her aura concealed, so he didn’t notice anything amiss. Instead, he looked at Xingye with surprise. Xingye’s aura emanated from her while she was on guard, surprising Black Hawk with the powerful presence of this young girl.

Seeing Xingye's wariness, Night Owl smiled and said, "Don't worry, Black Hawk is the head of Shadow Spy, and he's our most capable henchman."

Xingye then relaxed her guard and said to Black Hawk, "Hello, Brother Black Hawk."

Black Hawk looked at the girl, a smile appearing in his cold eyes, and said, "Hello."

Night Owl chuckled, saying, "Black Hawk, I've never seen you smile properly before. By the way, this is Ye Tianya, and Miss Xingye. From now on, if Ye Tianya has any orders, you don't need to ask us. Just do as he says."

"Brother Ye, this won't do," Ye Tianya quickly stopped Night Owl.

Night Owl's face darkened, "Little Ye, are you looking down on us Spy Shadows or on me, Night Owl?"

"No, this..." Ye Tianya didn't know what to say for a moment, but Night Owl interrupted, "Don't say anything more, it's settled then."

Ye Tianya smiled wryly, knowing he could only avoid giving them any orders in the future. Ye Tianya had no choice but to extend his hand to shake hands with Black Hawk, saying, "Hello, Brother Black Hawk, please take care of me in the future

." Black Hawk didn't understand why the leader would order him to obey this young man's orders. Although the young man seemed to have a somewhat imposing air of heroism, he couldn't see anything particularly remarkable about him. However, he dared not disobey the leader's orders, so he shook Ye Tianya's hand and said, "Don't mention it. Just let me know if you need anything in the future, and Black Hawk will do his best."

Ye Tianya could only smile and nod, following Night Owl down the deck. From inside came the sounds of beatings and shouts. Entering the cabin, Ye Tianya immediately saw Lei Bao hanging upside down. The sniper, whom Ye Tianya had knocked unconscious with a single blow during the assassination attempt in Lincheng, was whipping him while shouting, "Will you confess or not...?"

Upon seeing Ye Tianya and the others enter, he stopped, looking at Ye Tianya with surprise. He wiped the sweat from his face before laughing, "Little Ye, the boss finally found you. This guy is a real tough nut to crack. He just won't talk."

Ye Tianya smiled at him first, "Thank you, brother. I still don't know how to address you."

The man whom Night Owl called Third Brother laughed heartily, "My name is Yang Huan, you can just call me Yang San."

Ye Tianya and Xingye both respectfully addressed him as Brother Yang. Only then did Ye Tianya look at Lei Bao, who was already on the verge of death. Lei Bao glanced weakly at Ye Tianya and Xingye, then fixed his eyes on Ye Xiao. He coughed twice before saying resentfully, "You, surnamed Ye, what have I done to offend you? Brother Qinglong won't let you get away with this!" Ye Xiao

snorted, "You haven't offended me? You'd better tell me who you are and who made you kill Ye Xin, otherwise, I'm afraid Qinglong will die too."

"Hmph! You, surnamed Ye, we're all just people who risk their lives for money. You've gone against our gang for Ye Xin? As long as I'm alive, I guarantee I'll make you wish you were dead," Lei Bao threatened weakly.

Ye Tianya spoke then, his voice cold, as if it came from the deepest depths of hell: "It's a pity you must die, and you will die honorably, on the execution ground. Lei Bao, I have two questions for you, listen carefully, I will only ask them once. First, who ordered you to kill Ye Xin? Second, where is Luo, the guard who guards Cheng Cheng and Xiu Ying? I'll give you one minute to recall. After one minute, I'll let you taste what it means to wish you were dead." Ye Tianya

's voice was so cold that Black Eagle, who had followed him in, changed his expression drastically, feeling his body begin to stiffen. Only then did he understand why his leader had such high regard for this man; he was a hidden master.

Lei Bao was also provoked by the cold voice, a flash of fear crossing his face. He coldly said, "A little brat trying to scare me? I've killed more people than you've ever seen."

Ye Tianya ignored him, instead keeping track of the time. One minute passed, and Lei Bao still showed no sign of speaking. Ye Tianya walked over with a cold smile, leisurely patting Lei Bao's body a few times before stepping aside and coldly looking at him. Lei Bao initially felt nothing, about to mock Ye Tianya's mediocre skills, when suddenly his entire body felt an intense, agonizing itch, as if thousands of ants were crawling all over him.

A scream erupted from Lei Bao's mouth, a piercing scream that made several experts in the cabin cover their ears. *Snap!*—the pain unleashed Lei Bao's full potential; he actually snapped the hemp rope binding him, the rope digging into his flesh, revealing the white bone in his arm—a bloody mess that was nauseating to behold.

Black Hawk, seeing Lei Bao break the rope, was startled and tried to restrain him, but Ye Tianya pulled him back. Lei Bao was no longer able to attack anyone and instead collapsed to the ground, rolling around in agony, screaming repeatedly. Lei Bao banged his head against the cabin wall in agony. Ye Tianya watched coldly, expressionless. Ye Xiao and the others beside him turned pale, while Xing Ye remained indifferent, staring coldly at Lei Bao, who was rolling on the ground, just like Ye Tianya.

"I'll talk—, let me go, please, I'll tell you everything—"

Lei Bao finally couldn't hold on any longer and begged for mercy in agony. Ye Tianya ignored him. Lei Bao rolled to Ye Tianya's feet, grabbed his trouser leg, and pleaded, "I beg you, please, let me go... I'll tell you everything, I'll tell you everything, please, please, please..."

Ye Tianya then lowered his head and patted him on the shoulder. Lei Bao finally quieted down, but he was too quiet. He had just unleashed all his potential, and now he lay like a limp rag at Ye Tianya's feet.

Still catching his breath, Lei Bao remained silent. Xing Ye, impatient, let out a sharp shout and kicked him off the ground, yelling, "Speak up, you bastard!"

The pent-up anger exploded at this moment. Xing Ye used almost all her inner energy to kick Lei Bao, who, still breathless, screamed and crashed into the opposite wall before falling to the ground. He coughed weakly a couple of times, barely managing to speak, "I'll talk... it's... it's Liu Ting..." Before he could finish, he fainted. Xing Ye rushed forward to hit him again... Ye Tianya quickly pulled her back, advising, "Don't hit him anymore. Wait until he's finished speaking before you hit him."

Xingye, restrained by Ye Tianya, calmed her anger. Seeing a bucket of cold water nearby, she grabbed it and poured it over Lei Bao. Startled awake by the cold water, Lei Bao saw Xingye about to attack again and hurriedly said, "I...I'll talk, please don't hit him...it was Liu Ting'en and his son who framed Ye Xin, bribing Cheng Xiuying and...Guard Luo and me...Cheng Xiuying went back to her hometown in Sichuan...Guard Luo...was threatened by that Liu guy and disappeared. I don't know where he is..."

"Why did that Liu guy frame my brother?" Xingye kicked Lei Bao again in a frenzy. Lei Bao hurriedly said, "I'll talk, please... please stop hitting me!"

"It's... it's... it's because Liu Ting'en's son and his two friends were raping a girl named Ding Xiang. Someone said Ye Xin was a witness... and the Ding family has been appealing... so... the Liu father and son wanted to kill her to silence her... that's why they came up with that frame-up method... We underworld people... we only do things for money. If you want to find someone, go find Liu Ting'en."

Ye Tianya calmed down after hearing this, but he couldn't remember when he had seen Liu Ting'en and his gang do anything wrong. He remembered that Hu Qing was the lawyer representing Ding Xiang, so he decided to call him to find out when Ding Xiang's incident happened.

"Brother Ye, do you have a cell phone? Can I borrow it?" he asked Ye Xiao.

After Ye Xiao handed him a phone, he hurriedly dialed. "Brother Hu, this is Tianya. I need to ask you something. You're in charge of Dingxiang's case, right? Okay, what was the exact time Dingxiang's accident happened? 6 PM on August 7th, xx year? Okay, could you check what the lunar calendar date was? ...July 5th? Okay, thank you. It's nothing. I'll probably give you a surprise soon, just wait and see."

Ye Tianya hung up the phone, and Xingye said from the side, "Tianya, your brother was at the orphanage all afternoon on July 5th. July 5th is Du Qing's birthday, and we were all celebrating Du Qing's birthday."

Ye Tianya remembered that Du Qing, the girl who betrayed him, had her birthday on the fifth day of the seventh lunar month. He had indeed been celebrating her birthday at the orphanage, so it was impossible for him to have seen Liu Qiyun and his group doing anything wrong. Ye Tianya's gaze then fell on Lei Bao, and he coldly asked, "Lei, who told Liu Qiyun that Ye Xin was a witness?"

Lei Bao trembled upon

hearing

Ye Tianya's question and hurriedly replied, "I don't know. Only Liu Qiyun knows."

Ye Tianya knew he wouldn't dare lie again, so after softly asking Ye Xiao a question, he coldly said, "Lei Bao, are you afraid of death?"

Lei Bao shuddered, looking at Ye Tianya in terror. Ye Tianya coldly said, "I'm not afraid to tell you, you're dead, you definitely have to die. It's understandable that you kill for money as your way of survival, but if you only..." "It's a quick death for Ye Xin. Maybe I'll just go find Liu Ting'en, but think back to how you tortured Ye Xin in prison. You made a fatal mistake. Others don't know you don't have a wife and son, but I know you have a beautiful wife and a son in elementary school. They don't know you're involved in the underworld, right?"

Lei Bao's face changed drastically, turning deathly pale, trembling as he said, "You... how did you know? What... what do you want?"

Ye Tianya coldly replied, "Your code of honor seems to be that one person does something and takes responsibility, without harming their family. But you didn't follow the code of honor towards Ye..." Instead of humiliating him, you've been subjected to all sorts of abuse. So, you still have one option: go to court and testify against the Liu father and son. I promise I won't do anything to your wife and children. But if you say no, hmph, I think your wife, who still thinks you're some kind of hotel manager, and your son, who still thinks you're so proud, won't see the sun rise the next day."

Lei Bao trembled all over. It was almost impossible for him not to be afraid of death. He was a ruthless killer, but he was also afraid of death. He was weighing his own death against the safety of his wife and children. After a long while, a strange light flashed in his eyes, but he calmed down and sighed, saying, "It's time to realize..." "It's time to understand," he looked up at Ye Tianya, his tone calm, and said, "You promise you won't make things difficult for my family after I go to court?"

Ye Tianya snorted and said, "That depends on your performance."

Lei Bao lowered his head and said, "Okay, I promise you. I will testify in court. Even the brothers in the gang don't know that I have a wife and son. I don't care how you found out, but please don't tell anyone. I have many enemies. Even if you don't cause them trouble, they might still get into trouble. They are innocent."

Ye Tianya couldn't help but admire Night Owl's spy organization. They actually found out information that even the people in the Green Dragon Gang didn't know. Ye Tianya looked at Night Owl, who nodded, and then Ye Tianya said to Lei Bao, "Alright, just wait patiently here. On the day of the trial, someone will come to pick you up and take you to court."

After leaving the cabin, Ye Tianya noticed that Night Owl, Yang Huan, and Black Eagle all looked a little pale. Ye Tianya knew that he had frightened them with his interrogation earlier. Xingye's face was cold.

“Brother Ye, I’d like to ask you to help me find someone,” Ye Tianya said to Ye Xiao.

Ye Xiao forced a smile and said, “You want us to help you find that Guard Luo and that Cheng Xiuying, right?” It seemed that even Ye Xiao hadn’t recovered quickly.

Ye Tianya smiled faintly, "No, just find that guard Luo. As for Cheng Xiuying, we'll go to Sichuan ourselves. All the expenses for the brothers to find her will be on me."

Ye Xiao laughed, "Leave the guard Luo matter to me, don't mention expenses. If you do, we're not even brothers anymore. Our intelligence agents are all over the country, finding someone shouldn't be difficult. But do you have time to go to Sichuan?" Ye

Tianya knew that if he argued with Ye Xiao about expenses again, this hot-blooded man might get angry, so he said, "Then thank you, Brother Ye. We happen to have a seven-day National Day holiday, going to Sichuan is no problem."

Ye Xiao didn't say anything more, ordered Black Hawk to start investigating the guard surnamed Luo, and then drove the two away. When Yin Chao and the others arrived at the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in the afternoon, Ye Tianya and Xingye had already walked out of Chengdu Airport.

"Tianya, do we still have to travel today?" Xingye looked at the darkening sky; it would be dark in half an hour at most. Ye Tianya shook his head and said, "It's getting dark. Shall we stay here for the night before continuing our journey? It'll probably take at least half a day to get to Ya'an

." Xingye nodded, offering no objection, even though she desperately wanted to see the woman who had framed her lover.

The two took a taxi from the airport into the city, booked a hotel room, and then went out for dinner.

Chengdu's snacks are famous throughout the country, but neither of them felt like enjoying them. They ate quickly and returned to the hotel to rest, preparing to set off early the next morning.

Xingye lay quietly on the hotel bed, unable to sleep. Today had given her too many things to consider. Ye Tianya, this person who felt so familiar yet she couldn't place him—why did he know Ye Xin had been humiliated in prison? Why did he know Ye Xin's death wasn't a mining accident but a murder? Who was Ye Xiao? He seemed to be a powerful gangster. Why did Ye Tianya call him brother? Why did Ye Tianya protect her, give her college entrance exam materials, and even teach her martial arts? Why did Ye Tianya act as if he had personally experienced Ye Xin's suffering? And why was that guard, Luo, involved in this case? She knew absolutely nothing about any of it.

Xingye categorized all her questions into one: Who exactly was Ye Tianya?

A strange thought rose from the depths of Xingye's mind, "Could Ye Tianya be Ye Xin?"

Xingye was startled by this thought, but it also reminded her of how familiar Ye Tianya's every move seemed, how she felt she had seen him somewhere before—it was all in Ye Xin. His every move, and... his eyes, especially his eyes—the most striking resemblance to Ye Xin was in his eyes, and his voice too. Although they had changed somewhat, Xingye hadn't noticed before, but now, the more she thought about it, the more she felt his voice resembled Ye Xin's.

"How is this possible? How can someone's appearance change so much? Besides, isn't my brother already dead? He absolutely can't be my brother, so why..." Xingye's mind was in turmoil, the more she thought about it, the more confused she became, and she drifted off to sleep.

The next day, before dawn, Ye Tianya woke Xingye up. After a quick breakfast, the two began their journey to Ya'an. They boarded a long-distance bus from Chengdu Bus Station, passing through Xinjin, Qionglai, and Mingshan, finally arriving at Ya'an Station a little after 1 p.m. Ye Tianya had found Cheng Xiuying's hometown in the civil affairs system; it was a small place called Caoba near Ya'an. The only way to get to Caoba was by a regular minibus, and the roads were in poor condition. The two ate lunch at the station before boarding the minibus to Caoba.

Sitting in the bumpy minibus, Xingye took a window seat next to Ye Tianya, turning her head to look at the scenery outside while secretly observing Ye Tianya's every move. The more she paid attention, the more she noticed the resemblance between the boy next to her, Ye Tianya, and her brother. She dared not think further, because it was almost unbelievable. Could a dead person come back to life? No. So even if Ye Xin hadn't been strangled to death, there couldn't have been such a drastic change in appearance.

"Not strangled to death?!" Xingye suddenly realized this. "Then where is my brother's body? Was it cremated? Or buried? Where is it buried?" Xingye cursed herself inwardly for saying she loved her brother, not even thinking of this. But Xingye thought about it, and the only person who might know this was Ye Xin's sworn brother, Ding Junfeng. The police should have notified him to collect Ye Tianya's body. Xingye thought to herself, secretly deciding to ask Ding Junfeng. But she still couldn't help but look at Ye Tianya.

"What's wrong?" Ye Tianya saw Xingye looking at him and thought something was wrong.

A flicker of panic crossed Xingye's eyes as she hurriedly said, "It's nothing," then turned her head back to look out the window. Ye Tianya was bewildered by her reaction. He noticed the panic in Xingye's eyes, but he didn't press the matter.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Enemy's Whereabouts

The minibus would stop and pick up passengers whenever someone flagged it down. Before it had even traveled two kilometers, the bus was packed with people, with even the aisle filled with them. The people themselves weren't the problem; the people boarding along the roadside were carrying large bags and baskets filled with chickens and ducks. The entire bus had become a noisy, bustling market. As the bus swayed from side to side, the passengers jostled and pushed each other. However, it seemed everyone was afraid to get close to Ye Tianya. While other areas were incredibly crowded, the space around him was surprisingly spacious. The simply dressed passengers carefully held onto their belongings to prevent him from touching Ye Tianya. Ye Tianya kindly said to a young man next to him, "Brother, could you move a little closer to me? It's too crowded over there."

The young man shook his head and said in Sichuan dialect, "No, I'm dirty. I can't afford to pay for it if I get your clothes dirty."

Ye Tianya then understood why the people were hesitant to approach him and said with a wry smile, "It's alright, even if you get dirty..." "I don't want you to pay me back, come over here, it'll make things easier for everyone."

The young man still didn't come over, so a middle-aged man next to him spoke up, "Young man, you're not from Sichuan, are you?"

Ye Tianya nodded, "No, how did you know, uncle?"

The middle-aged man smiled, "I can tell. We Sichuanese don't speak Mandarin here in Sichuan. You're speaking Mandarin, so I can tell you're not from Sichuan. Where are you from? Are you visiting relatives?"

Ye Tianya smiled faintly. These people were really simple and honest. He smiled and said, "Yes..." "Ah, to the grassland. Uncles, don't be afraid, come closer, it's too crowded over there."

The middle-aged man moved closer and said, "Don't blame us for being afraid to get close to you city folks. Last time, on one of these buses, an aunt from our village accidentally got a girl's clothes dirty from her basket. The girl demanded two hundred yuan in compensation, saying her clothes were worth tens of thousands of yuan. At the time, no one believed her, but later, someone from our village who had come back from working in the city heard about it and said that the clothes really were worth tens of thousands of yuan. Dry cleaning alone would cost at least one or two hundred yuan. Goodness, you tell me..." "How could ordinary people like us afford to lose that much? It seems that girl was also from Caoba. She went to work somewhere in Jiangnan Province for two years, and when she came back, she was rolling in money. She even opened a huge hair salon in Ya'an City. What was that girl's name again? I can't remember right now. I think she was the daughter of the Cheng family from Caoba. I really don't know if Jiangnan Province is a land of gold or something."

Ye Tianya's expression changed upon hearing this. He exchanged a glance with Xingye, who then asked, "Uncle, do you know the name of the hair salon that girl surnamed Cheng opened?"

"Well, I'm not really sure. I think it's the one right across from the department store near Dashizi. I saw that girl there. Why are you asking? Are you her friends?" the middle-aged man asked curiously.

Ye Tianya didn't answer him, but hurriedly stood up and called out, "Driver, please stop the car."

After the driver stopped the car, Ye Tianya and Xingye squeezed out and asked, "Driver, is there a bus back to Ya'an now?"

The driver was a little confused by the two young men. They had come all this way, and going back would be a waste of time. However, seeing that the two young men were both distinguished, he didn't dare to ask too much and said, "There's another one. You'll be there in a little while."

The driver was right. Ye Tianya and Xingye didn't have to wait long before a bus arrived. Ye Tianya flagged it down and got on. There weren't many people on the returning bus, and the two sat in the last row. Xingye asked softly, "Tianya, what do you plan to do now that you've found him?"

Ye Tianya thought for a moment and said, "Let's 'invite' her to S City first, and then hand her over to Brother Ye. Once we find Guard Luo, we'll send her back to Lincheng together and have Hu Qing appeal both of the related cases."

"Who is Hu Qing?" "Xingye asked, puzzled.

Ye Tianya smiled and said, "He's a very righteous lawyer. Do you know Dingxiang? She's the girl who was violated and then jumped off a building to commit suicide."

"Yes, our school was in an uproar. She was a girl from No. 1 Middle School, right?" Xingye nodded.

Ye Tianya nodded and said, "Yes, she was harmed by Liu Qidong, Li Ke, and others. Lawyer Hu Qing is the one who has been representing Dingxiang in court."

Xingren seemed to remember something and said, "I remember now, he has a charity foundation called 'Xueya Shuangye' and he donated 100,000 yuan to an orphanage, right?"

Ye Tianya nodded and said, "Yes, that's him." Ye Tianya thought for a moment and realized it was time to tell Xingren that the foundation was established in her name. So he looked at Xingye and said, "Xingye, actually, you are the owner of that foundation. Lawyer Hu Qing is just managing it for you."

"What?" Xingye gasped in surprise, her mouth agape, staring at Ye Tianya in disbelief. Her exclamation drew the attention of several passengers sitting in front, who turned to look. Ye Tianya quickly said, "Calm down, let me explain."

Xingye nodded, calming herself, and stared at Ye Tianya, waiting for his explanation. Ye Tianya then began to recount in detail how, after he had chased Liu Qiyun away at No. 3 Middle School that day, Liu Qiyun had framed him, beaten him, and then he had beaten Liu Qiyun severely. Later, during the college entrance examination, Liu Ting'en had despicably arrested and imprisoned him, preventing him from taking the exam and framing him for drug trafficking. Finally, Ye Tianya and lawyer Hu Qing had extorted a large sum of money from him, forcing him to settle out of court for 1.1 million yuan, and he had even been beaten by Ye Tianya. He told Xingye everything, except that he had secretly escaped to take the college entrance examination. Xingye thought... Seeing his skill, he had no doubts, but his emotions fluctuated. When he heard that Ye Tianya had been beaten, his hands clenched tightly, but when he heard that Ye Tianya had beaten up police officers twice in the police station and even the police chief, he couldn't help but smile. After he finished speaking, Ye Tianya said, "That million-plus yuan was originally obtained because of your matter. None of that money was clean. Using it to help those in need would be the best use. I just couldn't find a suitable legal representative for the time being, so I thought of using your name. I think you wouldn't mind doing some good for those who suffer the same fate as us." "

As expected, after Ye Tianya reasoned with her and appealed to her emotions, Xingye tacitly accepted the identity of the legal representative. Ye Tianya had his own reasons for doing this. Xingye was determined to die after avenging him, the living man, and Ye Tianya used the promise of the foundation helping more unfortunate people to hold her back, so that even if he didn't reveal himself as Ye Xin, he could still persuade Xingye to abandon her idea of dying for love.

Xingye lowered her head and remained silent for a long time before raising her head and saying, 'Alright, I'll try my best. I'll help as many as I can. I hope that one day, there will be no more unfortunate people like you and me in the world.'

Ye Tianya was relieved. They arrived in Ya'an City after 6 PM. After getting off the car, the two of them first found a place to have dinner, and then pretended to go shopping and headed towards the intersection."

After looking around at the intersection and finding the department store, they turned to the opposite side of the North Goods Building. As night fell and neon lights illuminated the area, they spotted "Yingying Hair Salon," with many people coming and going, indicating a decent business in the evening. Ye Tianya and Xingye were drinking tea in a music cafe across the street, waiting for the crowds to thin out before going in to find Cheng Xiuying. However, they hadn't been waiting long when trouble broke out at the hair salon. Ye Tianya saw chaos erupt inside, with sounds of arguing and faintly heard a woman's screams and shouts. Ye Tianya and Xingye exchanged a glance, paid for their tea, and crossed the street. Just as they reached the door, they heard an argument inside. A man's voice roared, "I told you to give me a haircut, what are you pretending to be innocent for? You filthy bitch, what's with your high and mighty attitude? Giving me a haircut is a blessing you've accumulated over three lifetimes! Damn it, no one in Ya'an dares to disrespect me! Brothers, smash it! Let's see how the hell you can still make a living selling chicken eggs!"

"You, surnamed Huang, you can't attract customers with your own skills, so you take it out on me? When I was in the underworld, you were wiping your snot sideways! Go ahead and smash it if you dare, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life!" This voice belonged to Cheng Xiuying; even if she were ashes, Ye Tianya would recognize it. It seemed the dark aura surrounding her hadn't been washed away after all.

Ye Tianya and Xingye exchanged a glance. An idea suddenly flashed through Ye Tianya's mind. He quickly ran to a nearby public phone booth and called Ye Xiao. Then he said to Xingye, "Listen to me later. We'll lure that guy surnamed Cheng back to S City first."

Chapter Twenty-Three: A Clever Plan to Catch the Vengeance.

Xingye nodded and followed Ye Tianya into the hair salon surrounded by a large crowd. Inside, a fierce fight was raging, and Cheng Xiuying stood to the side, her face ashen, making a phone call while the people inside continued to smash things. Cheng Xiuying was yelling into the phone, "What? You fucking can't come? I'm here getting my hands on trash and you can't come? I pay you money every month, what are you using it for…?" It seems Cheng Xiuying isn't very popular here either.

Just then, the people inside finished smashing things, and four or five men came out. They grinned at Cheng Xiuying, whose face was ashen, and said, "How about that? Your lover doesn't dare steal your thunder now, does she? Listen to me, Ya'an is my territory. Tomorrow you'd better close down and get out of here, or else..."

After saying this, one of the men called to the four young men behind him, "Let's go!"

Ye Tianya whispered to Xingye, "Can you take these guys down?"

Xingye nodded and stepped forward, blocking the group of men who were about to leave. "What, you're just going to smash things up and leave without saying anything? At least leave something behind!"

The man, seeing Xingye blocking his way, sneered, "Get out of my way, or I'll make you regret it… Ah—"

Before he could finish, Xingye had already attacked, kicking the man back into Yingying Hair Salon. He lay on the ground for a while before getting up, but as soon as he stood up, Xingye kicked a second man inside, knocking him to the ground again. Three young men outside, realizing what was happening, pounced on Xingye. Surrounded by them, Xingye spun around, kicking, grabbing wrists, and breaking arms. After several screams, all five men flew back into the hair salon, groaning on the ground. The onlookers cheered. Xingye took two steps down and stood at the door, coldly saying, "Have you thought it through? What kind of souvenirs do you want to leave yourselves? This hair salon isn't a place you can come and go as you please. Everything here is broken; aren't you going to explain?"

The guy who was kicked in first saw that the person he brought was easily taken down, and the one who took him down was a girl in her teens. He knew he'd met his match and said fiercely, "Who are you? I advise you not to get involved in this mess."

Xingye coldly replied, "I'm going to get involved anyway. Calculate how much everything here is worth, and all the customers' spending tonight will be on your tab. Otherwise, don't even think about leaving here."

At this moment, Cheng Xiuying finally recovered from her surprise and was about to step forward to thank Xingye when Ye Tianya stopped her, saying, "Sister Cheng, we are Leopard..." "My brother sent someone to find you. He has something to say, I'll tell you later."

Cheng Xiuying's face lit up with joy. "I didn't expect Ah Bao to remember me. Thank you all. Today I'm going to vent my anger." As she spoke, she walked to Xingye's side, thanked Xingye first, and then coldly said to the five people inside, "Hey Huang, did you believe me when I said I'd make you regret this? I spent over 50,000 yuan renovating this shop, and you just smashed it like that? You probably can come up with 50,000 yuan, right? If you don't give it to me, I'll smash all three of your shops."

The man surnamed Huang glanced at Xingye, then at Ye Tianya standing coldly to the side. Knowing he wouldn't get away unscathed today, he said fiercely, "Fine, you're ruthless. I admit defeat today. You wait, I'll have my wife bring the money over." He then made a phone call.

A short while later, a woman dressed as flamboyantly as Cheng Xiuying rushed over. Upon seeing the five men on the ground, she paused, then yelled at Cheng Xiuying, "You filthy bitch, what did you do to my husband? I

'll fight you to the death!" She charged at Cheng Xiuying, but Xingye lightly sidestepped her, tripping her and sending her sprawling face-first to the ground. Xingye coldly said, "Did you bring the money? If you did, hand it over and get out of here with your husband."

The woman struggled to her feet, changed her target, and cursed at Xingye. "You little bitch, how dare you—" Xingye didn't let him finish his curse. He slapped her four times in quick succession, making her see stars, before kicking her and sending her sprawling among the group of men. He coldly said to the man surnamed Huang, "Hurry up and pay up and get out of here. Also, wash your mouth properly, or don't blame me for being impolite."

Huang took a wad of cash from his wife's handbag and placed it on a chair, cursing his wife as he said, "You're really asking for a beating. I've already suffered a loss, and you're still acting like a good Samaritan." He then dragged her out of the room.

Seeing that there was no more drama, the onlookers dispersed. Cheng Xiuying then put away the money and asked Ye Tianya, "Brother, what did Leopard want from you?"

Ye Tianya calmly replied, "Sister Cheng, it's like this: Leopard's Crown in Lincheng caught fire, destroying his entire business there. Brother Qinglong recruited him back to S City, where he opened a nightclub and a disco. He doesn't have anyone trustworthy to manage the disco, so he thought of you, but he didn't have your phone number. That's why he sent us here. We were planning to go to your house, but on the way, we overheard someone mentioning that a woman had once dirtied your clothes, which is how we learned you opened this place." I went home to a hair salon before returning home. I didn't expect to encounter such a thing, but fortunately we arrived in time.

Cheng Xiuying showed joy on her face and said, "You mean, Brother Bao wants me to manage the disco for him?"

Ye Tianya nodded and said, "Brother Bao said so. If you don't believe me, call Brother Bao now."

Cheng Xiuying became happy when she heard this. She grabbed the phone next to her and asked Ye Tianya, "What's Brother Bao's current phone number?" "

Ye Tianya walked over, dialed the number of Black Eagle who was guarding Lei Bao, and then said: "I'm Xiao Zizi, Sister Cheng wants to talk to Brother Bao. "

Heiying over there had already spoken to Ye Tianya just now, and naturally he had already instructed Lei Bao on what to do. Ye Tianya gave the phone to Cheng Xiuying, and Cheng Xiuying took it and said happily: "Brother Bao, I didn't expect you still remember Yingying. Do you really want me to help you manage the disco? ...Okay, I'll come over tomorrow, and I'll talk about other things later. Okay, bye, Brother Bao. "Ye Tianya

and Xingye looked at each other, but they didn't expect that the matter would be completed so smoothly. Cheng Xiuying hung up the phone and excitedly paced around the store. She happily said to Ye Tianya, "Thank you both! By the way, what should we call you?"

Ye Tianya replied, "Sister Cheng, just call me Xiao Ye. Her name is Xiao Xing. We just joined the gang not long ago. By the way, Sister Cheng, did you agree to go back to S City to help Brother Leopard?"

Cheng Xiuying laughed, "Yes, it's rare that he still remembers me. I can't stay here any longer. You saw it just now, the place is in complete chaos, but there's not a single policeman in sight. That Huang guy has been colluding with the police for a long time. Where are you staying? I'll find someone I know tonight to transfer the house to you. I'll go to S City first thing tomorrow morning and come find you then."

Ye Tianya and Xingye exchanged glances again, surprised that Cheng Xiuying was so proactive. Ye Tianya smiled, "Sister Cheng, you handle the shop matters. We'll book our tickets back to S City for tomorrow. We'll wait for you here tomorrow morning."

Cheng Xiuying agreed without hesitation. Ye Tianya and Xingye found a hotel to stay in, and then had the hotel book three tickets back to S City before returning to the tea room opposite Cheng Xiuying's hair salon for tea. He was still a little worried, afraid that Cheng Xiuying might discover something was wrong and run away. They

only felt relieved when they saw that Cheng Xiuying really brought a few people to look at the shop.

The next morning, when they arrived at the door, Cheng Xiuying was already waiting for them. Ye Tianya really acted like a younger brother, helping Cheng Xiuying carry her luggage to Chengdu to catch an afternoon flight back to S City.

Throughout the journey, Cheng Xiuying didn't suspect a thing, and was still excited even after boarding the plane. Ye Tianya and Xingye served her like younger brothers the whole way. Ye Tianya suppressed his anger, not thinking about how this hateful woman had framed him, but focusing on the fact that soon she and Lei Bao would stand in court together to face legal punishment and clear his name.

Xingye showed no expression, and Ye Tianya had to admire her composure; she had cooperated exceptionally well throughout the journey. She showed no hatred or anger whatsoever. This girl had experienced so much; she was far more profound than the average person.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Net of Justice is Vast

. While Ye Tianya and Xingye boarded the plane, Black Hawk had already obtained a welcome result: Guard Luo had been found by the Shadow agents. However, in Yunnan Province, Black Hawk decisively ordered his men to find a way to bring him back to Lincheng and lock him up. Awaiting further instructions.

Stepping out of the airport, Night Owl's car was waiting at the entrance. Ye Tianya nodded to him, got in without a word, and Cheng Xiuying assumed it was Lei Bao who had sent to pick her up, not noticing that the person sitting in the front was a grim-faced expert.

Xingye and she sat in the back, while Ye Tianya sat next to Night Owl. The four of them drove towards the suburbs. Cheng Xiuying noticed something was wrong and called out, "Xiao Xing, where are we going? Why are we heading towards the suburbs?"

Xingye coldly replied, "We need to see Brother Leopard first. He's been waiting for you at the old shipyard for a long time."

"Why is he at the old shipyard?" Cheng Xiuying asked, puzzled.

Xingye coldly said, "Because he was locked up there."

"What? Locked up..." Cheng Xiuying realized she had been tricked. She reached for the car door to jump out, but Xingye snorted and pressed several pressure points on her, causing her to collapse onto the car seat.

"Who are you people? Why are you locking up Brother Leopard? Why did you capture me?" Cheng Xiuying was frightened.

Xingye coldly said, "Listen to me, my name isn't Xiaoxing, it's Xingye. I have an older brother named Ye Xin, do you remember him?"

"Ye Xin?" Cheng Xiuying's face turned pale. Of course she remembered. It was because she had framed Ye Xin that she was forced by Liu Ting'en to return to her hometown and suffer the humiliation of those people there. Ye Xin was dead, and she was one of the people who had caused his death. How could she not remember?

"What do you want?" Cheng Xiuying asked Xingye, her face pale.

Xingye sneered, "What do you think? What do you think I'll do? When you framed my brother, you probably didn't think about what would happen to me. All the money Liu Ting'en gave you was just to open a hair salon?"

"You...you know all that? That's none of my business. It was...it was Brother Leopard who made me do it," Cheng Xiuying's face turned ashen.

Xingye coldly said, "Then you can go settle accounts with your Brother Leopard later." She then ignored her, coldly staring ahead. Only when they reached the shipyard did she drag the limp Cheng Xiuying into the cabin. Ye Tianya walked behind, watching Xingye unceremoniously drag Cheng Xiuying away, completely devoid of the gentleness of her former self. Hatred had made her so cold. Ye Tianya hesitated, wondering if making Xingye bear all this was too much for her.

Xingye locked Cheng Xiuying in Lei Bao's cabin and coldly said to Lei Bao, "You two, have a good talk. Your hard times are almost over."

At this moment, Black Hawk stepped forward and said to Night Owl, "Boss, the brothers have sent word that the guard surnamed Luo is already on his way back to Lin City. Should Tianya start preparing for the lawsuit?"

Ye Tianya was delighted to hear this. The people from the Shadow Spy team were really capable; they found a missing person in just over two days. He hurriedly said to Black Hawk, "Thank you, Brother Black Hawk. It's the National Day holiday now, and the courts aren't accepting cases. However, I'll have Attorney Hu prepare the appeal materials. We'll make our move when the holiday ends."

Black Hawk just smiled and said, "It's what brothers should do. Don't be so formal. We're also looking forward to this sensational exoneration."

After locking Cheng and Lei up together, Ye Tianya, Xingye, and Night Owl returned to the city, leaving Black Hawk to guard the two. Ye Tianya wasn't worried that Cheng Xiuying wouldn't obediently appear in court to testify, because Lei Bao had already confessed, and Cheng Xiuying had no choice but to confess. Xingye

hadn't returned to school for the past few days. She was afraid her roommates would worry, so she decided to go back to check on them. Ye Tianya, who needed to inform Hu Qing to prepare the appeal materials, didn't go back but instead went to their headquarters, Qingfeng Building, with Night Owl.

Night Owl and his gang operate in the underworld, but they also have a vast network of businesses. The Qingfeng Building is one of their properties. Through conversation, Ye Tianya learned that Night Owl's organization is called the Purple Bamboo Society. Not only do they own nearly ten companies openly, but they also operate nearly ten nightclubs and karaoke bars behind the scenes. They also engage in assassination and intelligence trading. Because they have a stable income, they never touch drugs.

"How powerful is the Green Dragon Gang in S City?" Ye Tianya suddenly remembered the Green Dragon Gang; Lei Bao was a member.

"Very powerful," Night Owl said. "The Green Dragon Gang is secretly supported by the Qin Group, one of the three major conglomerates in S City. The Green Dragon Gang can be considered the largest gang in S City, with over sixty companies under its umbrella, including nightclubs, casinos, and discos. Their daily revenue is in the millions. They also deal in drugs and have intricate connections with major drug lords across the country. Moreover, their transactions are very secretive; even our Shadow agents can't uncover their trading network."

Ye Tianya recalled the ledger; the names and contact information on it were probably their trading network. However, he didn't tell Night Owl anything. They got out of the car together and entered the building. Along the way, many people greeted Night Owl respectfully, calling him "Boss Night," and he responded with a polite smile. If Ye Tianya hadn't known his background, he probably would never have imagined that this seemingly gentlemanly Night Owl was an assassin.

They entered the elevator and went up to the top floor. As soon as they exited, Ye Tianya saw the third brother, Yang Huan, and two other men he had previously fought. The guy who had been shot was already standing and walking normally.

"Brother, is your leg all better?" Ye Tianya asked the shot-scarred youth before the other three could speak.

The youth laughed, "Are you here to laugh at me? That injury is nothing, it's healed a long time ago. Luckily, your marksmanship is terrible, otherwise, I might not be able to greet you here."

Ye Tianya knew he was joking and laughed along with the others. No other employees were coming up from the top floor, so they weren't worried about what they might say that would be overheard. Night Owl pointed at the three men and said to Ye Tianya, "Little Ye, you know Yang Huan, right? This guy, the one you managed to hit hard with your terrible marksmanship, is the fourth one, Wei Rui. And this guy, the one you made vomit blood with one palm strike, is the second one, Luo Jun. Do you know what these three guys' catchphrase is lately? It's 'What are you so arrogant about? Go and exchange a few blows with Little Ye!' They're never ones to back down, but they're completely in awe of you."

Ye Tianya awkwardly laughed, "It's all my fault, I hit a little too hard. Please don't take offense, brothers."

The three men laughed heartily. "You've got that backwards. It's our turn to say it. Don't forget, we're the ones coming to deal with you with sniper rifles and machetes. Today, we brothers will have a good drink, and that's all."

Ye Tianya was also infected by their boldness, and a surge of pride welled up within him. He readily agreed, "Alright, let's drink to our hearts' content today, and say no more."

If their employees saw their four bosses laughing with a student, their authority as bosses might be ruined. The Qingfeng Building had over thirty floors; floors one through five housed shopping malls, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The five men ordered a table full of food and began drinking heavily. Only when all four were passed out did Ye Tianya feel dizzy. He quickly circulated his inner energy to expel the alcohol from his body, finally regaining his senses. It took considerable effort, along with the restaurant staff, to escort the four men back to their office on the top floor. He then picked up Night Owl's phone to contact Hu Qinglai.

Chapter Twenty-Five Before the Court

Hearing Hu Qing's Half-Hour Explanation, Hu Qing laughed heartily on the other end of the phone: "Great, Tianya, you've really given me a huge surprise! That Liu guy is doomed this time! I've sued him for two years, two whole years! I've been beaten up by his men more than ten times, and a few times he almost killed me. This time, I'll get my revenge!"

Ye Tianya laughed: "Are you happy now? Get ready, besides the Ding family, Xingye is also a plaintiff. She wants to exonerate Ye Xin. You can take this opportunity to become famous, our star lawyer!"

"Okay, leave it to me. By the end of National Day, I'll make the whole of Lincheng go crazy for me. Hahaha!" Hearing Hu Qing's narcissistic laughter, Ye Tianya couldn't stand it anymore and simply hung up the phone, letting him laugh to his heart's content.

Looking at the four drunkards sprawled on the office sofa, Ye Tianya shook his head and smiled wryly. These four were certainly extravagant. He couldn't help but recall the startled expression on his face when the waiter counting bottles at the restaurant uttered "eighty bottles." Ye Tianya quietly left the office, closing the door behind him before heading downstairs back to school. He needed to go back and say hello, otherwise, Yin Chao might call the police.

Sure enough, upon seeing Ye Tianya return, Yin Chao's first words were, "Where have you and Xingye been these past three days? I was about to call the police!"

Ye Tianya smiled faintly and said, "We went to take care of some important business. You'll find out what it is in a few days. By the way, did you guys have a good time?"

Yin Chao started gesturing excitedly as he talked about the past few days, vividly describing the scenery of S City. Of course, he talked most about the beautiful He Sisi from Jiangnan. Ye Tianya laughed, "Are you trying to hit me?" "Was it He Sisi's idea?"

Sure enough, Yin Chao blushed upon hearing this and retorted, "Can you use a more appropriate word? What do you mean by 'idea'? We're mutually in love, okay? After she heard about us beating up the hooligans the other day, she practically thinks I'm her prince charming, hahaha, Tianya, my spring has arrived!"

Ye Tianya kicked him in annoyance, then remembered Xingye who had returned earlier, so he called her to ask her out. Unexpectedly, He Sisi came out with her too. It seems Yin Chao's spring has truly arrived.

The four of them found a quiet place to sit down, and before they could exchange more than a few words, Yin Chao, that guy who forgets his friends when he sees a pretty face, dragged He Sisi away. Ye Tianya then said to Xingye, "I've asked Attorney Hu to list you as the plaintiff when preparing the lawsuit materials. Do you have any objections?"

"No, thank you, Tianya!" Xingye replied without hesitation. Xingye sincerely thanked Ye Tianya, who inwardly smiled wryly. He had just cleared his name, yet he had to be thanked; it was somewhat ridiculous. He decided that once the case was overturned, he would tell Xingye the truth.

"Then you need to prepare. Ask your teacher for a few days' leave as soon as possible. We need to go back to Lincheng for a few days; we'll probably leave the day after tomorrow. Going early means we need to make some preparations," Ye Tianya said softly to Xingye.

"Are you going too?" Xingye looked at Ye Tianya in surprise.

Ye Tianya smiled and said, "Of course, I must see the Liu father and son sentenced. Also, I want to find the person who truly framed Ye Xin, the one who told Liu Qiyun that Ye Xin was a witness. He is the real culprit in this miscarriage of justice."

A cold glint flashed in Xingye's eyes, and she nodded, "Count me in."

Ye Tianya nodded and smiled, "You'll get your share." Xingye suddenly burst into laughter, like a hundred flowers blooming, making Ye Tianya somewhat stunned. Seeing Ye Tianya staring at her for a moment, Xingye blushed and said softly, "Finally, I can avenge my brother. Tianya, can you tell me why..." "What? Why are you helping me uncover my brother's wrongful conviction? Don't lie to me, tell me the truth."

Ye Tianya was stunned, not expecting Xingye to ask this question at this moment. He didn't know how to respond for a moment, and after a while, he said, "I don't want to lie to you. I have the best reasons for doing this, but I haven't figured out how to tell you yet. But please believe me, I also want to take revenge."

Xingye stared into Ye Tianya's eyes without saying a word, as if to verify whether Ye Tianya's words were true or false. After a while, she looked away, because Ye Tianya's eyes were always so clear, not like he was lying. In fact, Ye Tianya wasn't afraid to tell Xingye that he was Ye Xin. He just didn't know how to explain the matter of Bing Shuang and Bing Xue to her. Xingye's love for him was enough to move heaven and earth, but he couldn't abandon Bing Shuang and Bing Xue. It was Frant's entrustment, and it was the responsibility he should fulfill after returning to this world.

Helpless, he could only sigh. Xingye also sighed, and their sighs actually overlapped. They were both stunned for a moment, and then they laughed.

Night Owl's spy organization secretly sent Lei Bao and Cheng Xiuying to Lincheng. Ye Tianya and Xingye also set off for Lincheng two days later, asking their respective counselors for leave. No one knew that a storm would be unleashed after these two students returned to Lincheng, sweeping across the entire country. When the shocking conspiracy was exposed, people realized what had happened. The lost lives were unjustly taken.

The seven-day holiday had just ended when Court President Zhang received another report from his subordinates: Hu Qing had appealed again.

"Doesn't he ever get tired? Knowing this case is hopeless, why does he still appeal?" President Zhang said impatiently.

"President, Hu Qing is now a great philanthropist. This time, he's not only suing Ding Xiang's case, but also Ye Xin's case from two years ago, where you convicted him of attempted rape and he died in a mining accident after only two months in prison. He wants to overturn Ye Xin's case. One of the defendants is Xingye, who just entered Huaxia University. Things are complicated," the subordinate who reported said worriedly.

"What? A retrial? Who's the defendant in Ye Xin's case?"

"The Liu family, father and son," the subordinate reported.

"It seems Hu Qing is determined to fight the Liu family to the bitter end. You can go now. They've come to appeal; just accept the case. Let's see what tricks he can pull." After the subordinate left, Dean Zhang picked up the phone again and called Liu Ting'en.

"Old Liu, that Hu guy is suing you again. This time there's another defendant, named Xingye, about the Ye Xin case from two years ago. You'd better be prepared."

"Ye Xin? That guy who died in jail?"

"Yes, you should be prepared. I can only follow the rules here."

"Thanks, Lao Zhang. I doubt that guy surnamed Hu can cause any real trouble. How about we grab a couple of drinks at Quanjude sometime?"

"Okay, we'll deal with this first. But don't blame me for not warning you. I have a feeling this isn't so simple. Ye Xin's case has been going on for over two years. A college student dares to come back and overturn it. You'd better get to the bottom of this first."

"Okay, I'll go investigate now..."

Actually, when Liu Ting'en heard that someone wanted to overturn Ye Xin's case, he felt something was wrong. Others might not know how Ye Xin was imprisoned, but he and his son knew best. Now that Hu Qing had suddenly appealed both cases at the same time, he felt a strong sense of crisis.

"Could it be that he discovered something? Does he know that Ye Xin's death is related to Ding Xiang's affair? Has he found evidence? Ye Xin is dead, there's no way to verify it... No, he wants to overturn Ye Xin's case first... Oh no, Lei Bao, Cheng Xiuying..."

Liu Ting'en was right, but he couldn't confirm it because he had cut off communication with Lei Bao, Cheng Xiuying, and others after the nightclub burned down, and now he couldn't contact them. A strong sense of unease rose in his heart. He immediately used his connections to investigate the whereabouts of Lei, Cheng, and others, and at the same time had his lawyer prepare a response. But before the investigation results were available, the court summons arrived at his office the next morning.

As he walked towards the courthouse with the summons, his son, Li Ke, Wei Shuxian, and others, he realized this was no simple matter. A large number of reporters had gathered outside the courthouse. Judging from their badges, they were from Southern Weekly, Today's Talk, Legal Daily, provincial and municipal radio stations, and countless other newspapers. When the four arrived, the reporters swarmed around them, bombarding them with questions. The four remained silent and entered the courtroom. He didn't know why there were so many reporters from out of town. He, of course, had no idea that their departments had received an email the previous night from someone named Tianping. The email detailed a momentous trial to be held that day, and clearly described the events surrounding Ye Xin and Ding Xiang's ordeal. The astute editors of various media outlets immediately recognized this as a major selling point—it was practically a bizarre conspiracy novel—and dispatched reporters to cover the event.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Injustice Cleared

Upon entering the courtroom, Liu Ting'en saw the last person he wanted to see. Since meeting this person, he hadn't had a moment of peace. This person was Ye Tianya, who was sitting in the audience. Behind him was a large group of reporters, cameras pointed at the center of the courtroom, and recording equipment moved to the side of the speakers. With media outlets like CCTV's "Today's Talk" coming to the city to cover this case, it was impossible for it not to cause a sensation.

Xingye sat in the plaintiff's seat, coldly watching the Liu father and son, along with Li and Wei, Li Ke's parents, enter. They were being sued by Hu Qing for the fourth or fifth time. However, they didn't seem flustered; instead, they looked at Liu Ting'en with trust. In their minds, as long as Liu Ting'en was there, their son would be safe. Because they didn't know what Liu Ting'en had done to Ye Xin. Beside Xingye sat a middle-aged couple, whom Ye Tianya recognized as Dingxiang's parents. On the other side of Xingye, Hu Qing, suppressing his excitement, sat calmly. Ye Tianya coldly glanced at the Liu father and son in the defendant's dock. Just then, Liu Ting'en looked at him. Ye Tianya mouthed "You're dead" to him, then gave a cold smile and looked away. Liu Ting'en was so angry he almost vomited blood again.

Dean Zhang hadn't expected that reporters from all over the country would arrive in just one day. He now understood that Hu Qing was well-prepared for today's trial, and it was a do-or-die situation. He couldn't help Liu Ting'en anymore. Due to the reporters' presence, the original judge lost his confidence, and Dean Zhang had to step onto the judge's bench himself. Seeing the row of cameras below, he couldn't help but feel a little panicked.

Ye Tianya coldly looked at Judge Zhang, the judge who had once sentenced him to three years in prison and was now the president of the court. Judge Zhang had gained some weight. Remembering how this guy deliberately delayed when Zhao Gang surrendered, Ye Tianya knew he was in cahoots with Liu Ting'en. After the court session began, Hu Qing presented the prosecution's complaint: "Your Honor, my client, Ding Changzhi, accuses Liu Qiyun, Li Ke, and Wei Shuxian of sexually assaulting his daughter, Dingxiang, leading to Dingxiang's suicide. My other client, Xingye, accuses Liu Ting'en, claiming that Liu Qiyun and his son bribed nightclub hostess Cheng Xiuying to frame Ye Xin and then bribed prisoner Lei..." "Leopard, after guard Luo Jun murdered Ye Xin in prison, the reason for the murder was that Ye Xin accidentally discovered Liu Qiyun sexually assaulting Ding Xiang, the daughter of my other client Ding Changzhi, and was killed by the Liu father and son to cover it up. Therefore, I am filing both cases together and request the court to accept them."

Dean Zhang sat up straight with an official air and said, "Defendant's lawyer's statement."

Liu Ting'en's lawyer had prepared materials after receiving Liu Ting'en's call yesterday. In fact, there was not much preparation, because Liu Ting'en had never told him that he was the real culprit who framed Ye Tianya. The lawyer simply took out the materials from his previous lawsuit with Hu Qing and reviewed them. At this moment, he stood up and said, "Your Honor, the plaintiff has sued my client more than once. I still maintain that before the law, evidence is required. Therefore, please have the plaintiff provide sufficient evidence. Otherwise, my client will sue the other party for defamation."

Hu Qing looked at the fearless lawyer opposite him and couldn't help but sneer inwardly. At this moment, Dean Zhang said to Hu Qing, "Plaintiff, do you have any evidence to prove this?"

Hu Qing stood up and said, "Your Honor, these two cases are linked. Once Ye Xin's case is overturned, Ding Xiang's case will naturally become clear. Therefore, we request that the trial of Ye Xin's case be conducted first."

In front of so many reporters, Dean Zhang dared not show any favoritism, so he said with an upright face, "This court will first try Ye Xin's case. Does the plaintiff have any evidence to prove that Ye Xin was wronged in the case two years ago?"

Hu Qing nodded and said, "Your Honor, we have witnesses who can testify. The witnesses are Ms. Cheng Xiuying, who framed Ye Xin, Lei Bao, who murdered Ye Xin, and Luo Jun, the accomplice who coerced the murder. Please allow the witnesses to enter the court."

As Hu Qing read out the names one by one, Liu Ting'en's face turned paler with each name he mentioned, while his son, Liu Qiyun, who was already sickly, had just slumped in the defendant's seat.

"Bring the defendant into the courtroom!" At this point, Dean Zhang sensed that Liu Ting'en's fate was sealed, and, remembering the phrase "

kicking someone when they're down," he upheld the law impartially. Liu Ting'en, who had still held a sliver of hope, was utterly devastated when he saw Lei Bao, Cheng Xiuying, and Luo Jun enter. He regretted not letting his son escape beforehand. However, thinking that his current situation was entirely due to his good-for-nothing son, he couldn't help but glare at Liu Qiyun with reddened eyes. But seeing him slumped helplessly in his chair, he began to realize his mistake.

From the moment Lei Bao and the others appeared, the case was no longer in doubt. Under the testimony of Lei Bao and others, Liu Ting'en confessed without resistance, while his son, with tears streaming down his face, begged his father, who was barely able to protect himself, to save him. As the judge adjourned the court, Ye Tianya walked towards Liu Qiyun, blocking the two court police officers who were about to take Liu Qiyun away. He coldly asked, "Who told you that Ye Xin was an eyewitness?"

The aura emanating from Ye Tianya was unbearable for the two court police officers, let alone the sickly Liu Qiyun. He was so frightened that he almost collapsed to the ground again, but the two court police officers supported him. He trembled and said, "No one told me. I overheard it unintentionally, by chance, that Ding Junfeng... said that Ye Xin saw... saw us when she passed by Dongying Alley that day... so..."

Ye Tianya's heart trembled upon hearing this. Ding Junfeng, so it was Ding Junfeng... When Ye Tianya heard this name, everything suddenly became clear. Everything was so easy to explain.

As Ye Tianya walked towards Liu Qiyun, Xingye stood up, walked to the witness stand, and coldly looked at Luo Jun, asking, "What did you do with my brother's body?"

Luo Jun had been sentenced to three terms, not a heavy one, but he had already confessed most of what he knew, so he said, "We notified his sworn brother, Ding Junfeng, to come and collect the body. When Ding Junfeng didn't show up, we... threw Ye Xin's body into that deep hole behind the prison."

Xingye's expression changed drastically; no one knew what she was thinking. In just one day, everything was over, so completely over. All that was left was for the reporters to go crazy.

That evening, Ye Tianya and Xingye accompanied Hu Qing to a quiet little restaurant. As the three of them raised their glasses in celebration, the restaurant's television began broadcasting the day's big news.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the following is an account of a shocking public trial that took place in Lincheng today. Two years ago, a female student named Dingxiang from No. 1 Middle School..."

The details of the incident were revealed one by one. Ye Tianya had been paying attention to Xingye's movements, but seeing that Xingye seemed normal while eating, he felt much relieved. Hu Qing's speech was broadcast on television: "Two years have passed, and the souls of two innocent people can finally rest in peace. I am very happy today. I have been working on this case for two years. I was beaten no less than ten times by people instigated by Liu Ting'en. I have finally waited for the day when the wicked get their comeuppance. A friend of mine once said to me, 'There are too many things in this world waiting for us to change.' I like this sentence very much. I advise those who have committed all kinds of evil to wake up. Hu Qing is not talented, but I vow to fight for justice and fairness..."

Hu Qing was smugly pleased with himself, but Xingye and Ye Tianya were preoccupied with their own thoughts and absentmindedly responded to him. Little did he know that his joy had gone too far. After the meal, he was completely drunk and unsteady on his feet. Ye Tianya had to support him. Xingye said from the side, "Tianya, help him back first. I'll wait for you at the hotel and book your flight back to school for tomorrow."

Although Ye Tianya didn't want Xingye to leave alone, he was afraid that Ye Xin (actually himself) would really commit suicide as he had said, since Ye Xin had avenged her great enemy today. However, he couldn't say it outright, so he said helplessly, "Okay, you go back first. I'll be back soon. There are some things about the foundation that I want to discuss with you." He mentioned the foundation to make Xingye feel that she still had things to do in this world.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Recognizing Her Identity

Xingye nodded and left. After Ye Tianya hurriedly sent Hu Qing back to his office, he rushed back to the hotel. But when he arrived, he found that Xingye wasn't in her room. He asked the staff downstairs and learned that Xingye hadn't returned at all. Ye Tianya panicked. "Xingye, please don't do anything foolish!" he prayed silently as he rushed out of the hotel and headed towards the cemetery in the eastern suburbs. Ye Tianya was certain that Xingye would go there to report the vindication to the grave. Once out of the city, Ye Tianya disregarded the public spectacle and used his lightness skill to leap into the air. But when he reached the cemetery, he found that Xingye wasn't there at all. Ye Tianya felt like he was going crazy. He ran back to the city and hailed two taxis.

"Walk around the city, the faster the better, drive!" Ye Tianya shouted anxiously.

"You have to tell me a destination, otherwise where am I supposed to go?" the driver said, turning around.

Ye Tianya, consumed by anger, roared, "I told you to drive, so drive! Hurry up!"

The driver was startled by Ye Tianya's outburst and quickly started the car and drove off. Ye Tianya kept telling him to turn left and right, and after two hours he had driven around the entire city, but still couldn't find Xingye. In a panic, Ye Tianya returned to the hotel, but Xingye was still nowhere to be seen. Despairingly, Ye Tianya collapsed to the ground. He regretted not telling Xingye he was Ye Xin sooner, regretted not keeping Xingye by his side all along.

Ye Tianya was so desperate that he was only waiting to receive news of Xingye's suicide.

"But, Xingye, if you can't find me over there, won't you be very lonely?" Ye Tianya murmured. He looked out the window at a branch extending onto the windowsill.

"A branch!" Ye Tianya's heart skipped a beat. He remembered the small piece of wood he had given Xingye, cursing himself for being so careless and forgetting this clue. He quickly channeled his magic power and peered out of the hotel. Finally, he sensed a faint magical fluctuation in the distance to the south. Since the small piece of wood hadn't broken, sensing even a slight fluctuation was enough for Ye Tianya.

Ye Tianya rushed out of the hotel again, flagged down a car, and headed south.

Following the fluctuations, Ye Tianya got out of the car after leaving the city and walked forward little by little. The further he walked, the more uneasy he felt, because he was heading towards the prison. What was Xingye doing at the prison? Ye Tianya quickened his pace and once again used his lightness skill to leap into the air. Fortunately, the prison area was sparsely populated, and there weren't many people around, otherwise, it would have given an ordinary person a heart attack.

Finally, Ye Tianya found the end of the magical fluctuations. Xingye was standing at the entrance of a cave behind the prison, and two middle-aged men were standing next to her. When Ye Tianya saw the cave, his expression changed. Not for any other reason than that Frant had told him that he had seen someone throw him down and then go down to rescue him. Xingye had come here to find Ye Xin's body, so of course she would be disappointed, because she was standing right outside, not lying down below.

"Xingye!" Ye Tianya was finally relieved to see that Xingye was safe, but today's fright had left Ye Tianya feeling physically and mentally exhausted. Such a mental test would probably have broken an ordinary person long ago.

Xingye turned around and saw the anxious yet relieved look in Ye Tianya's eyes. A wave of emotion washed over her. If he wasn't Ye Xin as she had imagined, then he must be a boy just like Ye Xin. Xingye thought to herself, and said apologetically, "Tianya, I... I just wanted to bring my brother's remains back."

Ye Tianya was about to say, "Don't bother going down there, it's impossible," when a middle-aged man climbed up from below and said to Xingye, "Miss, there's nothing down there, just a pile of rocks, let alone any remains."

Xingye didn't respond. The middle-aged man stared blankly for a long time before finally fixing his gaze on Ye Tianya, tears welling in his eyes. "You... how long are you going to keep lying to me? Is it because you heard what I said that day and don't want to admit it?"

Ye Tianya felt a sharp pain in his heart. Xingye recognized him; she was blaming him for lying to her all along. "I'm sorry! It's not for the reason you said. Believe me, Xiaoye." Ye Tianya stepped forward and hugged Xingye tightly. At this moment, all he could say was "I'm sorry." He finally uttered the name 'Xiaoye,' a name he had wanted to call out for so long.

Xingye held tightly to her brother, whom she knew so well yet now had a different face. She waited for his explanation, for him to tell her why she was still in this world, why she had a different face.

"Go back. Brother owes you an explanation," Ye Tianya said softly, stroking Xingye's hair gently.

Xingye let her tears soak Ye Tianya's chest in his arms. She choked out a soft "Mmm," and said, "I haven't paid them their wages yet."

"How much?" Ye Tianya asked softly.

"One...one hundred..." Xingren sobbed before finally managing to say one hundred. Ye Tianya took out a bill and handed it to the middle-aged man climbing up from below, then they slowly walked down the mountain together.

In the hotel, in Xingye's room, watching Ye Tianya's fireballs and ice arrows fly from his hands, and how Ye Tianya disappeared from the room and reappeared with a skewer of lamb from downstairs, and how Ye Tianya did something to him that transformed his appearance into that of Ye Xin from before—it all felt like a dream, making Xingye feel like his brain was about to short-circuit.

Once upon a time, there was a boy who lived in a harmonious orphanage with a bunch of adorable younger brothers and sisters, especially two girls about his age, one named Xingye and the other Duqing. Although their life was simple, they were happy. However, one day, a wealthy man came to the orphanage and adopted the boy. He also adopted another boy, whom no one knew, from another place. His adoptive father asked him to call the other boy his sworn brother, so he left the orphanage. However, he still often went back to visit them and even asked his adoptive father for help. Then one day, he fell in love. The girl named Duqing confessed her feelings for him and asked to be with him. The boy didn't refuse; he didn't know how to refuse. So, he devoted himself to their relationship. Love.

But one day, the girl named Du Qing was found by her biological parents, who were also wealthy, very wealthy. Du Qing was leaving, but as she left, she told the boy she wanted to break up with him because she was now rich and wanted to live a life of high society. He was going to find an even richer prince charming. The boy didn't try to stop her; he knew it was useless. However, the curse didn't spare the boy. He was framed and imprisoned. Inside, he was beaten at least twice a day, drenched in urine, shoved with excrement, had his joints broken and then put back on, and was hung in the toilet all night long. He considered suicide, but then he remembered a girl who had called out to him when he was wrongly accused, "Brother, I believe you. I'll wait for you to come out, I'll wait for you!" "So he didn't commit suicide. He wanted to endure until the day his sentence was served, to see the girl who was waiting for him. However, another conspiracy occurred. He was strangled to death, truly dead, and then thrown into a cave. Perhaps fate had had enough of playing tricks on him. A passing supernatural being happened to see him being thrown down, so he rescued him and gave him a magical fruit. He came back to life, but the fruit transformed his body, including his appearance, and also gave him the ability to use magic. The reason the supernatural being saved him was because his body possessed the Nine Dragon Veins, a rare treasure found only once every few centuries. The supernatural being had just..." There was a desperate need for someone to cultivate a martial art called the Chaos Technique, and then use dual cultivation to revive two girls suffering from the Nine Yin Meridians. The two girls were orphans, and without curing their Nine Yin Meridians, they would only live to be eighteen. So, to repay their life-saving grace, the boy saved the two girls. He returned to the city, only to find that the girl who had said she would wait for him but thought he was dead had built him a cenotaph and erected a tombstone in his name as his wife. The boy was heartbroken. He dared not tell the girl that he was still alive, because he had already become involved with the two unfortunate girls; he couldn't tell her... He didn't want to lie to this girl, even though the other two girls wouldn't care if he had another lover. Although he also wanted to give all his love to this girl who was the only one who believed in him and loved him deeply when he was wronged, he still had two girls waiting for him to take responsibility for. He didn't want to wrong this girl who loved him, so he could only silently watch over her, protecting her from any harm. But today, after his name was cleared, he couldn't find the girl. Thinking she had really committed suicide for love as she had said, he frantically searched the streets and even went to that small grave, but he couldn't find her. It was only when he saw the girl that he realized how much he loved her, and that without her, he would be nothing more than a walking corpse. He finally understood why she had said she would go to another world to be with him after avenging him. Fortunately, when he was in despair, he sensed the small wooden stick on the girl's body, but he didn't know how to explain it to her. "Xiao Ye, what do you think the boy should do?"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Final Struggle

. Ye Tianya told his story, softly recounting it to Xing Ye, whom he held in his arms. Tears streamed down Xing Ye's face. Her mind went blank. Before, she loved him, but he went to be with Du Qing. Later, Du Qing left him, breaking his heart. She thought she would be by his side, but fate played a cruel trick on her. He was framed. Now, he hadn't died and had returned, but he had two other girls, and she was still left out. Why? Why couldn't she be with the one she loved?

"Two girls?! They don't mind having another lover?! They're wronged?!" A string of words flashed through Xingye's mind. She raised her head and looked at Ye Tianya with a deep gaze: "You mean, those two girls... he doesn't mind that you have other lovers? They don't love you at all? Is that right?"

Ye Tianya shook his head and said, "To say it's not love, it's just that fate brought us together. We've only known each other for less than two days. After I opened their Nine Yin Meridians, they went into seclusion and haven't come out yet. They don't care that I have other lovers because they are from the Ming Dynasty, sealed in crystal coffins by time-stopping magic. The barrier was only broken when I rescued them. If you count, they should be several hundred years old. You know that ancient women's views on this matter are different from those of today, so I said they wouldn't care."

"Time stop?" Xingye asked in surprise.

Ye Tianya glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table, then covered it with his hand. Soon, the small clock was enveloped in a faint white light. Xingye saw that the clock had stopped spinning and looked at Ye Tianya in surprise. Ye Tianya explained, "This white light is called a time barrier. Things inside remain in their pre-sealing state. However, my magic can only maintain the barrier for less than ten days, while that strange person can maintain it for a month. Every month, he has to reinforce the barrier on the two crystal coffins until he finds someone with the Nine Dragon Veins to rescue them."

Xingye understood and said softly, "So, if Xiaoye doesn't feel wronged and wants to stay by brother's side, will brother want Xiaoye?"

"Xingye!?" Ye Tianya looked at Xingye in surprise, his heart pounding with shock at the unwavering determination in her eyes. He was so astonished that he couldn't react for a long time.

"What, brother still doesn't want Xiaoye, is that right?" Seeing Ye Tianya's silence, Xingye's tears welled up again. Ye Tianya finally came to his senses and hugged Xingye tightly. "No, it's not that brother doesn't want Xiaoye, but, Xiaoye, aren't you really wronged?"

"No... as long as I'm by brother's side, I don't care about them. They have no feelings for brother at all, it's just a responsibility. I don't want brother to be unloved, I don't want to be lonely anymore, and I don't want you to be lonely anymore either." Xingye put her hands around Ye Tianya's waist, wrapped them around his back, and hugged him tightly, wishing she could melt into his body.

That night, Xingye slept in Ye Tianya's arms, the embrace she had dreamed of for over ten years. She nestled in it, enjoying the sense of security it provided. Ye Tianya let her hold him tightly, gently placing her on the bed, and they lay down together. He held her quietly, his heart filled with countless emotions. Heaven had truly opened its eyes! Ye Tianya himself hadn't realized it yet, but at this moment, the usually cold and aloof Ye Tianya had completely melted away. He regained his former cheerfulness; the word "iceberg" had vanished. Everything had happened imperceptibly, without him even noticing. His revenge was complete, the truth revealed, and Xingye had returned to his side. A series of good things had happened, making Ye Tianya overjoyed.

While Xingye slept soundly in Ye Tianya's arms, someone else was far from resting. This person was Liu Qiyun's mother, the daughter of the provincial public security bureau chief. She rushed to the provincial capital overnight and knelt before her father, pleading, "Dad, you must save Ting'en and Qiyun! He's your son-in-law and grandson! Can you bear to watch your grandson be executed? Ting'en only made a mistake because he loved his son so much. He's still young and doesn't understand. Dad, please, please think of something!"

An aged voice, weary, replied, "Go back. The good man you found, the good son you raised—you've made me lose all face. And you still have the nerve to beg me? What do you think I can do? You've seen today's 'Today's Talk,' haven't you? I think tomorrow's newspapers will be overflowing with stories. What do you want me to do? Bend the law for personal gain? Daughter, you grew up in this family. Do you really want to force me to ruin my reputation in my old age before you're happy?"

"Dad, is your reputation in your later years really that important? Your grandson is about to die, he's about to die. Is your reputation more important than his life? Dad, why can't you forgive Qiyun for making such a small mistake?"

“A small mistake, is gang rape a small mistake? If it weren’t for you and your useless man spoiling him, would he have ended up like this? My Zhang family has no grandson like this. Just give up on that idea. Think about it carefully. If Qiyun were Ye Xin, how would you feel? Put yourself in her shoes. A beautiful young girl was ruined by that bastard and jumped off a building. Daughter, you are her parent. If you were Dingxiang’s mother, how would you feel? Go away, you’ve done something terrible.”

His daughter stood up silently and walked wearily out of the house. The old man watched his daughter’s sad figure leave, his heart aching. At this moment, an old woman next to him said with tears in her eyes, “Dad, are you really not going to do anything? Qiyun is leaving us tomorrow. I… I’m in so much pain. As long as he’s alive, escaping is better than dying.” The old woman sobbed. The old man sighed and wearily walked into his study. How could he not care? After all, she was his own family, the flesh and blood of his own daughter. Xingye woke up slowly, finding herself still in her lover's arms, his gaze gentle as he looked at her. She blushed and scolded, "What are you looking at? The sun's already high in the sky! Why didn't you wake me?"

Ye Tianya chuckled, "Really? I was just checking if Xiaoye's bottom got tanned." He reached to pull back Xingye's blanket. Although Xingye was asleep fully clothed, Ye Tianya's teasing made her instinctively pull back the covers, spitting out, "Pervert!"

Suddenly, both their stomachs growled simultaneously. They realized they hadn't eaten dinner the night before, and they'd even forgotten to book their plane tickets.

"Brother, looks like we'll have to stay here another day. We forgot to book the tickets," Xingye said, getting out of bed.

Ye Tianya also blamed himself for being so forgetful last night, but another day wouldn't hurt, since he'd already taken leave from school. After washing up, they went downstairs for breakfast together. From the moment she woke up, Xingye had a sweet smile on her face. The gloomy Xingye was gone, replaced by a completely new Xingye—a happy Xingye, a Xingye brimming with joy.

As she came downstairs, she held Ye Tianya's hand tightly, nestled against him, her face beaming with happiness. Seeing this, Ye Tianya finally felt relieved. He wanted to give Xingye happiness.

After breakfast, and confirming that the next flight back to S City wouldn't be until the next day, Ye Tianya had the hotel book two tickets before heading out with Xingye. They were going to visit the younger children at the orphanage.

However, before they even reached the orphanage, they were stopped.

The person who stopped them first showed them a purple bamboo tag—the insignia of the Spy Shadow organization. Then, pulling Ye Tianya aside to a secluded spot, he said, "Mr. Ye, I'm the head of the Spy Shadow organization in Lincheng. Liu Qiyun escaped from prison last night. The prison is deliberately delaying, possibly under someone's orders. If I'm not mistaken, it's his maternal grandfather, the Director of the Public Security Bureau. The leader sent me here to receive your instructions."

Ye Tianya was startled and exchanged a glance with Xingye. If the Spy Shadow people hadn't discovered it, the prison might not have reported it until Liu Qiyun had escaped to a safe place.

"Do you know where he's gone now?" Ye Tianya asked the man.

"He went south and is now in Xinlin. Our people have been keeping an eye on him."

Ye Tianya thought for a moment and said, "Let him go. You don't need to keep an eye on him anymore. Thank you."

"Okay, Mr. Ye. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now." The man wasn't surprised that Ye Tianya had let him go. Upon hearing the order, he turned and disappeared into the alley. Ye Tianya couldn't help but admire the skill of Night Owl's spies. These men were all highly trained; Ye Tianya had sensed their professionalism just from their brief conversation.

Would Ye Tianya really release Liu Qiyun? Of course not—no.

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