Free Web NovelChapter 103: Chapter 103: Xu Lele is Kidnapped _1
At noon, a patch of dark cloud drifted across the sky, followed by muffled thunder, as if foretelling that a change was imminent.
Xu Lele had just finished lunch and was planning to rest when her phone suddenly began to ring.
It was an unfamiliar number.
At first, Xu Lele did not intend to answer, but as the calls persisted, she eventually got annoyed.
"Who is this? Do I know you?"
Upon answering the call, Xu Lele asked with an impatient tone.
A deep voice came from the other end, "Is this Xu Lele? I’m Ye Ming’s childhood friend from the same village. I’d like you to bring him some local specialties. Do you have time right now?"
Xu Lele furrowed her brows, feeling it was strange, and asked, "You can contact him directly. Why go through me?"
The caller patiently explained, "That’s what I thought too, but I can’t get a hold of Ye Ming right now. He previously gave me your number, told me to contact you if I couldn’t reach him!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Lele’s guard was completely lowered, and even a sweetness stirred in her heart.
She didn’t forget to offer help, "Maybe he’s busy with something; you might as well give the stuff to me!"
"Alright, thank you so much. I’ll be waiting for you at Mongkok Restaurant," said the person, and before Xu Lele could ask anything more, the call was cut off.
Xu Lele wanted to call Ye Ming to confirm, but when she dialed, she found the line was busy. Consequently, she naturally assumed that Ye Ming was tied up with something important.
Next, she planned to call Xia Ningning and have her accompany her, only to find that Xia Ningning’s phone was also in a call.
"They’re all busy people, never mind!"
Not wanting to bother them, Xu Lele quickly changed clothes and drove her car to the restaurant mentioned by the caller.
...
Meanwhile, Ye Ming’s phone was ringing non-stop, the caller being Xia Ningning.
"What’s the matter?" Ye Ming asked.
Xia Ningning’s sudden call was a bit unusual for Ye Ming.
And what Xia Ningning said next made him even more suspicious.
"Are you free for lunch? I’d like to invite you for a meal."
"Don’t get me wrong, it’s not me inviting you. It’s someone else."
"I just need your answer."
Ye Ming found it amusing to be invited for a meal in such a firm manner, but he was curious about the person Xia Ningning mentioned, so he happily accepted the invitation.
With Ye Ming’s reaction, Xia Ningning immediately relayed the message to Chen Bin.
While Chen Feng was busy making plans involving Xu Lele, Chen Bin was not idle either. He swallowed his pride and went to the Qin Family, imploring Old Master Qin to help mediate their relationship with Ye Ming.
At first, Old Master Qin refused; he had no fondness for Chen Bin and the existence of the Chen Family had nothing to do with the Qin Family.
However, when he heard Chen Bin had even brought along Miss Xia of the Xia Family, Old Master Qin wavered.
He thought if he could use this opportunity to connect with the Xia Family, it could be very beneficial for his own.
As to why Xia Ningning stepped in, it started with a modest relationship between Chen Bin’s father and Xia Ningning’s grandfather.
Xia Ningning was prepared; by helping this time, she could clear all debts with the Chen Family. She loathed such favors and social obligations, so she wanted to resolve them as soon as possible.
Before long, Xia Ningning personally drove to pick up Ye Ming, a gesture of significant respect.
"Don’t get me wrong, all of this is involuntary on my part, I’m simply fulfilling someone else’s request," she said. frёeωebɳovel.com
Ye Ming didn’t say much and got into the car.
Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the Garden Hotel, where Xia Ningning led him to a private room.
Upon entering, Ye Ming saw a dispirited Chen Bin and an expressionless Old Master Qin.
"Let me summarize the situation, the Chen Family Head wants to apologize to you, hoping you won’t hold a grudge and allow them a way out," Xia Ningning started, taking charge of the situation.
At Ye Ming’s arrival, Chen Bin immediately sat up straight, a false smile on his face, and hurried over, pleading weakly, "Mr. Ye, my mind was clouded by stupidity before. You are a generous man, please don’t take it to heart."
"We’ve learned our lesson and will never dare to offend again."
Seeing Chen Bin, Ye Ming’s face showed no emotion; he should have guessed that Xia Ningning’s sudden invitation was likely for this purpose.
Old Master Qin, seated beside Chen Bin, quickly stood up and said, "Mr. Ye, I am also here on someone’s behalf. If you want revenge, you might as well use this opportunity to teach the Chen Family a lesson."
He hastened to stake his position—not to help either side, acting as a middleman.
Ye Ming sat down calmly, his face expressionless as he looked at Chen Bin.
"Conspiring with Li Dazhuang, sparing no expense to hire a Grandmaster to take me down, you must be the one orchestrating all of this, right?" he said.
Chen Bin hung his head in shame, saying nothing.
Ye Ming continued, "If I hadn’t been able to fend for myself, being slightly stronger, I wouldn’t be sitting here dining with you today. What right do you have to ask for my forgiveness?"
"I gave you a chance before, and you didn’t treasure it."
"Only when you realized you were no match for me and couldn’t defeat me did you think to beg for forgiveness by apologizing. Do you think I would forgive you?"
"This..." Chen Bin was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say, and could only turn his gaze to Xia Ningning.
He had sought Xia Ningning out today for this very issue.
Xia Ningning frowned; Ye Ming’s relentless questioning was on the verge of causing a scene, taking her by surprise.
She began persuading earnestly, "Ye Ming, it’s not as bad as you think."
"In the business world, there are no permanent enemies. We are all driven by financial gain. As the saying goes, ’An extra enemy is another wall, an extra friend is another road.’ You should think this through carefully."
"Since we’re all sitting together, we should be resolving conflicts. If you insist on going your own way, I won’t be able to help you."
Xia Ningning truly believed she was helping Ye Ming by saying this.
Although Hai City is small, its relationships are intricate. To truly harness the underworld’s power, one needs not only personal strength but also the cooperation of everyone.
She thought if Ye Ming could be understanding and forgive Chen Bin this once, the Chen Family would surely follow him loyally in the future. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Little did she know, Ye Ming responded indifferently, "I never needed your help in the first place. All you have to do is not make trouble."
