Chapter 209

The two chatted about a ton of things. Ye Ziyue realized that Chen Fan was actually quite knowledgeable. From all corners of the world to the Four Books and Five Classics, he could talk about almost anything. Not only that, he explained things even better than most people.

By the time they parted, they’d hit it off so well that, without realizing it, they’d spent the whole afternoon talking.

Maybe it was fate, or something else—hard to say. But the happiness Ye Ziyue felt was real.

“Will we get to chat like this again in the future?”

“If Ye Aotian doesn’t want to kill me someday, I think I’d be down.”

“I’ll try my best. But if he really becomes the family head, I won’t have a say. You’ve got to step up too. If my sister becomes the head, then maybe we can chat like friends.”

Chen Fan waved his hand, not giving a direct answer.

Ye Ziyue sighed helplessly. Maybe, if it weren’t for their opposing sides, she might actually have liked Chen Fan. But not liking Chen Fan didn’t mean she’d like Ye Aotian—she wasn’t that blind.

Back at their respective homes, Ye Ziyue learned through inquiries that Ye Aotian had gone out, apparently in a bad mood, and was drinking to drown his sorrows. Thinking about it, this probably meant the next plot point was about to unfold.

That Nangong Qingyan—a strange woman.

With this plot point emerging, Ye Ziyue even wondered if it was to pave the way for the protagonist, giving him a chance to build a friendship.

After all, forming a connection with the Nangong family was something worth bragging about. With that friendship, no matter what he did in the future, things would go much more smoothly.

She wondered how Chen Fan would get chewed out tonight. A bit worried, she decided to go out and check.

Meanwhile, at the villa, Chen Fan was adamantly declaring that he wouldn’t be going out tonight.

Joking aside, he had to act alone tonight. With Zhu Yeqing’s current strength, if she got involved, the plot would go completely off the rails.

“Young Master, you really don’t want me to come?”

“No need. In the Modu, what could happen to me? Relax, it’s all good.”

Zhu Yeqing wanted to say more, but Cao Zijin stopped her.

After Chen Fan left, Zhu Yeqing said, “Tonight’s events can’t be stopped. Let’s just let it play out. I think Chen Fan has a way to handle this.”

“But what if we’re all wrong? That person is so mysterious. I’m still worried.”

You dummy.

Cao Zijin said, “Tonight, you and Wu Meiniang wait in the car. Liu Feifei and I will sneak over quietly.”

“Why aren’t you waiting?”

“I’m worried you won’t be able to control yourself. What if something goes wrong?”

Uh … fair point.

“If anything happens, you have to tell me right away.”

Liu Feifei and Cao Zijin nodded.

The two changed into new outfits and carefully did their makeup—not to look pretty, but to disguise themselves as much as possible.

As for where to go, it was simple: just find Ye Aotian. Finding Chen Fan would be hard, but Ye Aotian, the city’s most prominent figure, was easy to track down. Interestingly, Ye Aotian seemed to be in a rough mood tonight. To drown his sorrows, he’d gone out drinking and had Qian Daode take him out to have fun.

Looking at it now, this guy really didn’t seem like much. If you went by the original novel’s setup, liking someone but then going out to party and chase women behind their back? That’s just gross.

Yet many novels seem to gloss over this. It’s probably a difference between men and women.

Men think going out to drink with women was no big deal, but women saw it differently.

But if a woman goes out drinking, guys would have something to say about it, right?

Of course, since this is a male-targeted novel, it’s written with the male perspective in mind.

Meanwhile, inside a private room, Chen Fan was acting outrageously. “Get me some beautiful women! Tonight, bring me a bunch. I’ve got plenty of money!”

The manager, seeing a wealthy client, immediately arranged for some girls to come in.

Chen Fan scoffed disdainfully. “These? You call these top-tier? Get me the best. I’ve got money, got it?”

With that, he tossed out tens of thousands in cash.

The manager started to panic.

She kept searching but wasn’t getting anywhere.

Just then, the boss happened to be passing by.

“Uh … Boss, we’ve got a tough customer. Chen Fan, seems like a young master from the Chen family.”

“He’s looking for women?”

“Yeah, says no one’s good enough. Do you think he’s here to cause trouble?”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry, it’s a small matter. Leave it to me.”

At that moment, a woman had someone bring in a few bottles of red wine, pushed open the door, and said softly, “Young Master Chen, hello. I’m the owner of this place. What kind of girls are you looking for? You must have some standards.”

Chen Fan said brazenly, “I think you’re pretty good. What’s your name, Boss?”

“Nangong Qingyan. Young Master Chen, you can just call me Nangong. But I’m older than you, you know.”

“No problem. Tonight, I’m in the mood for a change—someone older. I’m not into younger girls. Come, put the wine down. No need to pitch it.”

Nangong Qingyan nodded and said, “What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and put the wine down.”

Chen Fan looked at the woman with satisfaction.

Hahaha, tonight I’m stirring up trouble and digging my own grave. Protagonist, if you don’t come after me today, you might as well not exist. I’ll bash my head into a tree. If you don’t grab your shotgun, just delete your account and start over.

“How old are you?”

“I’m the same generation as your father. What do you think? Young Master Chen, you’ve got the wrong person.”

Damn, that’s pretty old. But she’s gorgeous—let’s just pretend it’s an anime. Who told you to look like Zhi Nü?

[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zhi-Nu]

“No problem, I’m into someone like you.”

How to play an exaggerated young master? Just tone it down a bit, and I’ve got it.

…

In the room, Chen Fan sat with his legs crossed, holding a glass of red wine. He didn’t get too close to the woman, just casually chatting with her. Or rather, he was more like a player temporarily following the rules. But the questions he asked were quite strange.

“How old is sister?”

“I’m already quite old. Actually, I’m married, and my kids are pretty grown, but love …”

“Oh, what happened? What’s with the kids?”

“Nothing, just that one of them is a bit sick. No choice, I had to come here to work.”

Big sister, why does this sound so familiar? This spiel … it’s like I’ve heard it before. Are you about to say your husband loves gambling and likes to hit you when he’s got nothing better to do? And then you got divorced, and you took on all the debt? Is that the story?

Nangong Qingyan’s face was full of sorrow, which made Chen Fan think, Damn, you’re still the impressive one. Truly a special existence of the Nangong family.

When you see a short-haired woman in a leather jacket, don’t be shocked—she’s the head of the Nangong family.

But if you see a woman in a cheongsam with a shawl draped over her shoulders, don’t be shocked either. Because that’s also her.

She has two faces. One is Nangong Qingyan, and the other is also Nangong Qingyan.

The first Nangong Qingyan roams the streets and alleys, loves drinking, enjoys teasing others, but also seeks out talent.

The second Nangong Qingyan is exquisitely sophisticated. Even Emperor Si would give her some respect.

Being exquisitely sophisticated means mastering the ways of the world. But at the same time, no one truly knows what makes the Nangong family so special. Because when you realize the top ten families have fallen, you’ll find traces of the Nangong family among even higher-ranking families. That’s what makes this strange character so fascinating.