Chapter Nineteen: Captured Once More

The next morning at eight, Ye Fan’s phone chimed with a message on GreenChat: "I’ve arrived. I’ve hidden the jade pendant nearby. Come out first, and I’ll tell you where it is!"

"Here we go!" Ye Fan chuckled, showing the message to the long-waiting Lin Zhenjie.

"Your friend is quite cautious, isn't he?" Lin Zhenjie was unfazed. He knew the value of that jade pendant; if the other party hadn't been careful, he would have suspected Ye Fan of playing games with him.

"I’ll see you out." Lin Zhenjie gestured for him to proceed. Ye Fan grinned, picking up the bank card, property deed, and slave contract from the tray before heading downstairs.

"You three follow Mr. Ye as well!" Lin Zhenjie turned and waved at the three beautiful women kneeling on the floor, a sneer flickering in his eyes.

The villa they were in was located in the suburbs of Dragon City, known as Lakeside Villa. It comprised dozens of large and small villas nestled between mountains and water with complex terrain—all his property. He had long since set up an ambush nearby. Once he secured the jade pendant, his men would immediately strike, capturing Ye Fan and that friend of his—the one saved under the name "Talk About It Later."

As they reached the villa entrance, a lackey stood ready to open the door.

"Open it!" Lin Zhenjie waved his hand. The gate swung open to reveal a middle-aged man with a balding head, wearing a tank top and sporting a round belly.

"Old Luan?" Ye Fan was stunned. Isn't this the clerk from Chen Shuting’s antique shop?

Lin Zhenjie recognized him too. His expression shifted instantly, and he roared, "You damn brat, you tricked me!" He reached out to grab Ye Fan.

Ye Fan dodged nimbly, but two more lackeys immediately swarmed him.

"How foolish! Why send Old Luan?" Ye Fan was speechless. The person saved as "Talk About It Later" was actually Chen Shuting. They had managed to fool Lin Zhenjie with perfect silent coordination and were on the verge of escaping. Why, at the critical moment, would she bring an acquaintance to pick him up? If she had just hired a stranger, he would have been home free by now!

As Ye Fan wondered how to escape, Old Luan’s chubby frame suddenly transformed into a "Kung Fu Panda." With long-hammer punches and quick strikes, his movements were ethereal and his momentum like a rainbow. A single set of ancient martial arts techniques sent the bodyguards sprawling across the floor. If not for the guards protecting Lin Zhenjie, he would have taken a punch himself.

Ye Fan’s jaw nearly hit the ground. He felt his back gripped by a massive force, and he was sent flying. Before he could react, he was standing outside the villa next to Chen Shuting. Beside them, Old Luan stood there, completely unbreathed, smoothing his hair in a vain attempt to cover his bald spot.

It turned out Old Luan was an expert!

"Hurry!" Chen Shuting tugged at Ye Fan’s sleeve, pulling him toward the edge of the villa complex.

"Sister Chen, Old Luan is that strong?"

"Don't be ridiculous. He was the bodyguard who came with me when I married into the Lin family!"

Chen Shuting was brief. She led Ye Fan forward while Old Luan guarded their flanks. The three were about to break through the encirclement...

"Don't move!"

A black, stretched commercial vehicle suddenly sped toward them, blocking their path. From the car, nearby buildings, bushes, and the lakeside reeds, a group of bald men emerged one after another. They were all in suits and sunglasses, wearing malicious grins and carrying spiked clubs. There were at least a hundred of them at a glance.

Lin Zhenjie stepped out of the car, sporting sunglasses and a slicked-back hairstyle, holding a cigar. He sneered, "So, this is your friend 'Talk About It Later'? I think you all have a death wish!"

"You!" Chen Shuting’s face turned pale. She glared at Ye Fan before looking at Lin Zhenjie. "Lin Zhenjie, you really are something! Mobilizing this many bodyguards just for a jade pendant!"

She had only brought Old Luan. No matter how skilled he was, he couldn't fight a hundred men alone, especially while protecting her and Ye Fan. She forced herself to remain calm and questioned him, "This jade pendant is the only clue to my husband’s disappearance. Why are you so desperate to steal it? Is his disappearance your doing?"

"Don't talk nonsense. My brother's disappearance has nothing to do with me. My concern is the jade pendant!" Lin Zhenjie didn't waste words. He waved his hand: "Take them all!"

...

They were back in the same villa. This time, Ye Fan, Chen Shuting, and Old Luan were all tied up. Lin Zhenjie had disappeared somewhere, leaving them in the living room.

Ye Fan looked at Chen Shuting beside him. She was wearing a ponytail and a sleek tracksuit. Though still beautiful, the dust on her made her look somewhat disheveled.

"Sister Chen, you’re the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family—couldn't you have called for more backup? Now look at us; we’ve lost both the lady and the troops..." Ye Fan had thought he’d found a powerful ally, but she was so ineffective. What was the point of fighting?

"Do you think I didn't want to?" Chen Shuting rolled her eyes at him. "Old Luan is the only one I can trust."

Ever since her husband, Lin Zhenqian, went missing, the people who had followed him had scattered, switching allegiances. Only Old Luan, who had been her bodyguard since she married into the family, remained loyal.

Ye Fan’s heart sank at these words. Old Luan might not be so trustworthy after all. How did Lin Zhenjie know about the pendant? Thinking it over, Old Luan was the most suspicious. But seeing Old Luan sitting in the corner, looking battered and pathetic with footprints on his clothes, Ye Fan suppressed his doubts and said nothing.

Old Luan’s hair was a mess, and he was clearly unhappy. Looking at Chen Shuting, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Young Lady, why don't we just give up the pendant? Give it to the Third Young Master and let’s go back to the Chen family!"

His words made Ye Fan alert.

Old Luan continued, "Your marriage to Lin Zhenqian was always just a transaction. Now that he’s gone, the Lin family will likely be controlled by Lin Zhenjie. If we offer him this favor, it will benefit the Chen family in the future!"

"Besides, the Old Master loves you, his granddaughter, the most. You won't be mistreated if you return!"

The "Old Master" he referred to was Chen Shuting’s grandfather, the former head of the Chen family.

Ye Fan could no longer hold back and lashed out, "Good! So you’re a traitor who sells out his master for personal gain!"

"What?" Old Luan was stunned.

Ye Fan continued, "I’ve been wondering who leaked the news about the pendant. Apart from me and Sister Chen, only you knew about it!"

"It seems you secretly told Lin Zhenjie about the pendant, and now you’re trying to convince Sister Chen to give it up. If that’s not selling out your master, what is?"

As Ye Fan questioned him, Old Luan looked aggrieved, but Chen Shuting kicked Ye Fan.

"Ye Fan, stop talking nonsense! Do you think I don't know who Old Luan is?"

Before she could say more, Lin Zhenjie walked in.

"Sister-in-law, Old Luan is right, you know!"

His words infuriated Old Luan: "Lin Zhenjie! Stop trying to sow discord! I suggested giving up the pendant for the sake of the Young Lady, not because I’m afraid of you!"

"Heh!" Lin Zhenjie waved his hand as if brushing away trash. "Since when do you have a say here? Men, take him away and teach him a lesson!"

Two black-clad bodyguards immediately stepped forward, grabbed Old Luan, and dragged him toward the courtyard.

"Lin Zhenjie, don't you dare!" Chen Shuting screamed. "If you touch Old Luan again, I’ll drag you down with me!"

"Sister-in-law, wake up. These are all my men. What do you have to fight me with?" Lin Zhenjie laughed, licking his lips. "Hand over the jade pendant, or not only will Old Luan be finished, but you won't fare any better!"

He then looked at Ye Fan. "Oh, right, the original owner of the pendant is here, isn't he?"

"Kid, you wouldn't want to see your Sister Chen get ruined, would you?"

"You’re insane!" Old Luan struggled as he was dragged away. "If you do this, the Chen family won't let you off! You and the Lin family will both be finished... Argh!"

Before he could finish, a bodyguard kicked him hard in the mouth. Old Luan lost several teeth, his mouth filling with blood.

Lin Zhenjie stepped back slightly, feigning fear, then chuckled again. "Once I have the pendant, what does the Chen family matter? Why do you think the Old Master said whoever holds the pendant becomes the head of the Lin family?"

"Because having that pendant means having the protection of the Miyunjian in the Capital!"