Zhao Yicheng left.
Hey… not that he died, just literally, he left.
After receiving a phone call, he told Xu Yinsheng to wait a moment under her terrified gaze, put down the iron hammer in his hand, and turned to leave as if something urgent had come up.
Xu Yinsheng felt incredibly relieved.
Heaven had finally shown her some mercy; she didn’t have to break her leg—at least not for now…
Damn it… I really don’t know how Zhao Yicheng’s mind is so long-winded; he can actually confuse dreams and reality!
Zhao Yicheng!!
I curse your whole family!!
Looking at the golden anklet on her ankle, which she’d spent half a day on and still couldn’t damage, Xu Yinsheng was so angry she almost smashed the pliers onto the ground.
“Damn it, what kind of material is this? Even pliers can’t cut it!”
She buried her face in her hands, her face full of misery, and wailed, “Damn, am I really going to have my jaw broken?”
“Vine God, I was really wrong, I swear I’ll never talk back again.”
“Even if I take ten thousand steps back, I can accept genderbending, I can accept being a female overlord, but can’t you give me a normal boyfriend?”
“I don’t ask for a soulmate like in those transmigration novels, but it can’t be this perverted, right!”
“Zhao Yicheng is such a pure and utter pervert.”
“If the male lead in a forbidden novel was written like him, he’d definitely be killed off. Shouldn’t this kind of person be hanging out on some blue p forums, being a moderator or something?”
Just as Xu Yinsheng was wailing and cursing her fate, Zhao Yicheng, after answering the call, was also driving towards his destination.
Zhao Yicheng’s family situation was also a bit special.
His father was a workaholic who owned a family business, a businessman with a two-faced, ruthless personality who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals—traits that had already seeped into his bones, and were deeply inherited by him.
His mother, before marrying his father, was from the Luo Wei Aristocratic Family, which had fallen into poverty, retaining only its reputation.
If you trace back a few hundred years, back in the days of the Yuan Empire, the predecessor to the Huayuan Federation, her family had roamed the Great Grassland, believing in an ancient faith called Changsheng Heaven, carrying the bloodline of a certain great figure, and holding a noble title…
The Huangjin Clan.
As the saying goes, “A sword from the previous dynasty cannot behead an official of the current one.”
However, the relationship between the Huayuan Federation and the former Yuan Empire was rather complicated—entangled and impossible to sort out.
The Huayuan Federation recognized and inherited the existence and domains of the Yuan Empire and the Four Great Khanates.
The first Speaker, who advocated the “Three Human Principles”—human rights, human dignity, and human nature—was also from a collateral branch of the Yuan Empire’s royal family.
This also created some unique historical legacies.
After getting out of the car, Zhao Yicheng found himself before a fishing lake.
He switched to walking, following a neatly paved bluestone path, mottled with moss between the stones and flanked by somewhat unkempt shrubbery.
Zhao Tianfu, Zhao Yicheng’s biological father, was also the symbol of the union between his parents, representing the emotional connection between the two families, which eventually led to Zhao Yicheng’s birth.
If Xu Yinsheng’s parents loved each other so much that Xu Yinsheng received not a shred of affection, then Zhao Yicheng’s parents simply didn’t love each other at all—their union was merely an exchange of benefits, “I need your reputation, you crave my wealth.”
Zhao Tianfu advocated Social Darwinism and subjected Zhao Yicheng to a strict, narrow-minded education from a young age.
Thinking of this, Zhao Yicheng’s lips curled in an almost imperceptible sneer—so-called “wolf pack education,” self-righteous to the core.
After walking dozens of steps, the view suddenly opened up.
A middle-aged man in high-end attire appeared in his field of vision.
He looked to be just over forty, but was actually in his fifties.
His skin was wheat-colored, his features bore a strong resemblance to Zhao Yicheng, etched with the traces of time.
He wore gold-rimmed glasses, his hair meticulously combed back, and his expression was stern.
Several burly bodyguards stood nearby.
At Zhao Tianfu’s side was only an assistant, holding a fish basket and flashing a sly smile, while Zhao Tianfu himself sat by the shore, fishing.
Seeing that the fishing rod had been still for a long time, the assistant—looking every bit the bootlicker—jumped into the water, swam a lap, and grabbed a big grass carp with both hands, then hooked it onto the line.
“Director, the fish is here!” the assistant called out excitedly from the water.
“Oh?”
Zhao Tianfu reached out his right hand, picked up the fishing rod, and gave it a few gentle taps on the ground.
With a splash, the grass carp was hooked and pulled up.
The assistant immediately ran over from the water to catch the grass carp, put it into the fish bucket, and flattered, “Chairman, your angling skills are truly godly! I think this fish weighs at least seven jin—what a rare catch!”
But Zhao Tianfu simply chuckled and shook his head.
He released the grass carp from the bucket, set down the rod, and sighed, “Getting old, I just don’t have the energy I did when I was young. Even fishing is tiring—really, I can’t compare to you young lads.”
“Chairman, you must be joking.”
The assistant picked up the fishing rod and some line without a hook, “No hook, no bait, yet the fish still bites the line—this is what they call ‘the willing fish takes the bait.’”
“Lietai Gong was eighty when he helped the Marquis of Xi Bo sweep across the land and unify the realm. I think, Chairman, you’re like an old steed in the stable, still with ambition for a thousand miles.”
These words were truly fawning to the extreme.
Zhao Tianfu laughed a few times, giving him a meaningful look.
“Ren Li, how long have you been with me?”
“Reporting to the Chairman, it’s been three years.”
“Graduated from Shou University?”
“Siberia Solafi School of Finance.”
“Didn’t expect someone with a finance background to end up applying as an assistant.”
He took off his glasses and wiped the water spots from the lenses.
Li Yuan straightened his chest at this moment, “There are many fine steeds, but few who recognize them. These three years have taught me that you, Chairman, are my Bole.”
“Good, good.”
Zhao Tianfu stroked his chin, “Looks like you’ve learned a lot from following me these three years.”
“All thanks to your guidance, Chairman,” Li Yuan quickly bowed in return.
Zhao Yicheng stood silently to the side, watching coldly.
Zhao Tianfu believed in Social Darwinism, thinking that the law of the jungle was the true survival rule in human society.
The only way to stand above others was to trample them underfoot—just as only death could end the struggle between kings.
Zhao Tianfu didn’t look at Li Yuan anymore.
He noticed Zhao Yicheng standing behind and called out, “Wu.”
“How’s work?”
“Going well.”
“Studies?”
“Up to your standard.”
The two of them exchanged questions and answers—not like a warm conversation between father and son, but more like a report between superior and subordinate.
Zhao Yicheng didn’t particularly like or dislike his biological father, just as Zhao Tianfu only offered so-called “elite education” to his biological son.
“I’ll be going abroad for a while. There’s a newly established company in Tianlin City for you to manage.”
Zhao Tianfu also signaled to Li Yuan, “Xiao Li will stay with you. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask him.”
“All at your command, Chairman,” Li Yuan nodded respectfully, then turned to Zhao Yicheng and flattered, “Young Master, you are truly elegant and talented. Seeing is believing—this humble one has admired you for a long time.”