After getting out of the car, Ye Fei strode towards the entrance, intending to find someone to ask what was going on.
To his surprise, before he could even call out, a man who looked like a manager approached him politely and said, "I’m sorry, sir, but we’re temporarily closed today. Please come back tomorrow."
"Huh?" Ye Fei couldn’t help but frown. Did this guy not recognize him? Given that the man had risen to the position of manager, he should have known who Ye Fei was. So, Ye Fei asked, "Are you new here?"
"Yes, I was just transferred from another branch. You must be a regular customer here, sir?" The man, who looked like a manager, still wore a polite smile.
"I’m really sorry, but we do have some matters to attend to today."
Ye Fei was about to explain his identity when someone nearby recognized him and quickly said, "Boss, you’re here?"
"Yep." Ye Fei nodded at the person and asked, "Is Uncle De around?" In front of others, Ye Fei naturally couldn’t call Zhang Yide "Grandpa Zhang."
Instead, he called him "Uncle De," which was the standard term of respect within the gang, acknowledging Zhang Yide’s status as a founding member.
"Uncle De is upstairs entertaining some distinguished guests," the manager realized who Ye Fei was and quickly replied.
"Boss, I apologize for not recognizing you earlier."
Ye Fei smiled faintly and said, "It’s fine. You did the right thing. Take me to see Uncle De now."
"Sure!"
The manager agreed and personally led the way to the upstairs meeting room.
Along the way, Ye Fei inquired about his background. It turned out that Zhang Yide and the others, fearing that mid-level staff might engage in underhanded activities if they stayed in one place for too long, had decided to rotate them periodically.
Although this was somewhat inconvenient, it effectively prevented many internal issues.
Upon reaching the meeting room door, Ye Fei waved his hand, signaling the manager to leave. He then gently knocked on the door and pushed it open, walking inside.
The meeting room was sparsely populated, with only a dozen or so people present.
At the long table, only two people were seated: Zhang Yide at one end, and at the other, a woman in black whose beauty could rival that of Liu Yiru.
This was a woman whose age was hard to discern. Judging by her appearance, she seemed to be in her twenties, but her fiery figure suggested a mature woman in her thirties. Her demeanor and gaze, however, exuded the poise and efficiency of someone in their forties.
Seeing a young boy barge in unannounced, the woman, whose beauty was undeniable but whose expression was extremely cold, couldn’t help but frown, feeling somewhat displeased with the Lingyun Society’s lack of discipline.
However, Zhang Yide stood up with a beaming smile and respectfully said, "Boss, you’ve arrived?" Just as Ye Fei wouldn’t call him "Grandpa" in public, Zhang Yide wouldn’t use Ye Fei’s first name in formal settings, instead addressing him as "Boss."
Hearing Zhang Yide’s title for Ye Fei, the woman in black was taken aback and stood up in surprise. Only then did Ye Fei get a clear look at her true figure.
The woman was nearly as tall as Ye Fei, standing at around 180 cm. Her figure, accentuated by her tight black outfit, was incredibly alluring.
Unlike Liu Yiru, whose body was perfectly proportioned, this woman’s figure wasn’t the ideal golden ratio—her legs were somewhat too long.
Yet, Ye Fei had to admit that her most captivating feature was undoubtedly her pair of straight and slender legs.
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As Ye Fei took in the woman’s presence and appearance, a piece of information flashed through his mind: Ye Xuan, the underground ruler of Linhai City, aged thirty-five.
Originally the wife of the leader of one of Linhai’s major gangs, the Feilong Gang, she had taken over the gang at the age of twenty-four after her husband’s death eleven years ago.
After nearly a decade of hard work, she had unified the entire underground world of Linhai. She was undoubtedly a queen-like powerhouse.
Ye Fei smiled faintly, nodded at Zhang Yide, walked over to his usual seat, and gestured to Ye Xuan with a "please" motion, saying, "Let me introduce myself. I am Ye Fei, the current leader of the Lingyun Society. Come to think of it, we are actually from the same family name."
Ye Fei’s words startled Ye Xuan once again. She hadn’t expected this overly young-looking gang leader to recognize her at first glance, while she had mistaken him for an ignorant junior member.
Her initial disdain for Ye Fei diminished significantly. She sat down following his gesture and smiled slightly, saying, "Likewise, I’ve heard much about you, Boss Ye Fei."
"I wonder what brings you to our Wang Hai City, Boss Ye?" After the pleasantries, Ye Fei got straight to the point.
Although Ye Xuan had started to take Ye Fei more seriously, she still didn’t place him on the same level as herself. Seeing his straightforward approach, she replied, "I’ve already discussed the specifics with Uncle De from your gang. Didn’t he mention it to you?"
"Oh? Then let’s hear it from Uncle De," Ye Fei smiled at Zhang Yide, thinking to himself that this woman was quite cunning, trying to sow discord between him and Zhang Yide. However, their mutual trust was not something an outsider could easily understand.
Not only had Ye Fei already handed over full control of the gang to Zhang Yide, but even if he hadn’t, a single word from her wouldn’t have caused any suspicion between them.
Zhang Yide, sitting beside Ye Fei, also smiled faintly and said, "Here’s the situation: Boss Ye Xuan is here to propose a collaboration." He had found it somewhat odd to hear both of them addressing each other as "Boss Ye," so he switched to using her full name when he spoke.
Ye Fei turned his gaze to Ye Xuan, staring directly at her stunningly beautiful face, and asked, "So, how do you propose we collaborate?"
Ye Xuan met Ye Fei’s gaze unflinchingly and said slowly, "Your Lingyun Society has essentially taken control of the entire Wang Hai City, and our Feilong Gang holds a similar position in Linhai. However, Lanhua, which is also part of the Southeast Three Seas, is in chaos. So, I thought we might collaborate and take over Lanhua as well."
"Not a bad suggestion," Ye Fei said with a smile.
"But the factions in Lanhua are deeply entrenched. It won’t be easy to take over, will it? And even if we do, how do you plan to divide the spoils?"
"Of course, it would be fifty-fifty," Ye Xuan replied. "However, if Boss Ye is interested in a long-term collaboration, we could form an alliance and jointly manage the territory. Lanhua is a very lucrative piece of land."
Ye Fei laughed and said, "If that’s the case, why don’t you just take over Lanhua on your own and keep all the benefits instead of sharing them?"
"As you just mentioned, the factions in Lanhua are deeply intertwined," Ye Xuan said frankly.
"To be honest, the Feilong Gang alone wouldn’t be able to take it over. I assume the same goes for your Lingyun Society. Only by working together can we achieve this. In the end, our influence would expand by fifty percent. Why not do it?"
"It does sound tempting," Ye Fei nodded, but then changed the subject. "However, I’m already satisfied with controlling Wang Hai City. Besides, I only have so many brothers under my command. Managing Wang Hai City is manageable, but adding more might stretch our resources too thin."
A flicker of disdain crossed Ye Xuan’s eyes as she inwardly scoffed at Ye Fei’s lack of ambition. Nevertheless, she continued, "You can always recruit more members. Once we take over Lanhua, many people will surely flock to join us."
"But there will likely be significant casualties if we attempt this," Ye Fei shook his head.
"I don’t want my brothers to take such risks. So, Boss Ye, you’d better look for someone else."
Ye Xuan had never expected Ye Fei to outright reject the collaboration. She felt a pang of anxiety but remained composed. She turned to Zhang Yide and asked, "Uncle De, is that also your opinion?"
"Absolutely," Zhang Yide replied without hesitation.
"My boss’s decision is my decision. So, I’m afraid I have to say no as well."
"Before I came, I had already heard much about the new leader of the Lingyun Society," Ye Xuan said with a cold smile.
"The rumors were quite exaggerated. It turns out you’re just a coward with no ambition. It seems the Lingyun Society won’t last long either."
"Provocation won’t work on me," Ye Fei said with a faint smile.
"And I hope Boss Ye remembers one thing: this is Wang Hai City, not Linhai. Although I might not care what you say, my brothers might not feel the same way. So, please be careful with your words. Uncle De, you can show our guest out."
Zhang Yide didn’t have Ye Fei’s patience and was already a bit angry. He stood up and said sternly, "Boss Ye, this way, please."
"Wait," Ye Xuan’s eyes flashed with a hint of humiliation as she gritted her teeth.
"I can apologize for my earlier words, but I still hope to collaborate with the Lingyun Society. And this time, we can split the profits sixty-forty, with you taking sixty and us forty!"
Ye Fei, however, seemed not to hear her at all. He propped his chin on his hand, staring down at the conference table as if there was something worth examining there.
Without Ye Fei’s instruction, Zhang Yide continued to gesture for her to leave, just as he had done before.
"Alright, I can make one more concession. Let’s split it seventy-thirty, with you taking seventy. And our Feilong Gang will take the lead in the operation. That should be acceptable, right?"
Under Ye Xuan’s domineering exterior lay a sense of helplessness and grievance. Yet, she had her reasons for doing so.
Ye Fei suddenly raised his head, staring into Ye Xuan’s eyes—cold, yet still as beautiful as the stars—and asked, "Tell me your real purpose."
"What real purpose? Haven’t I already said? I just want to collaborate with you to take over Lanhua," Ye Xuan said, her gaze flickering.
After more than a decade of struggle, her will had been tempered to be strong enough to face death without batting an eyelid.
But now, under Ye Fei’s gaze, she felt a pang of guilt.
"Is that so?" Ye Fei smiled faintly. "If it’s just about collaboration, does it require the gang leader herself to show up?"
"Because Lanhua is a place of immense profit, so I have to be cautious," Ye Xuan tried to calm herself down and continued with her reasoning.
"Moreover, my personal visit here is also a sign of our sincerity. But it seems I’ve come in vain, as you have no intention of collaborating."
"May I ask, has our Lingyun Society ever had any dealings with your Feilong Gang before?" Ye Fei suddenly asked a seemingly irrelevant question.
No matter how intelligent Ye Xuan was, she was taken aback by Ye Fei’s question.
After a moment, she replied, "No, but we’ve also never had any conflicts. It’s just that we’ve never interacted. Boss Ye, you wouldn’t refuse to collaborate with us just because we haven’t had any dealings, would you?"
Instead of answering Ye Xuan’s question, Ye Fei continued on his own, "With no prior dealings, just for a collaboration that might not even succeed, the leader of Feilong Gang personally comes to the other party’s headquarters. That’s an awful lot of sincerity, isn’t it?"
"What do you mean?" Ye Xuan couldn’t help but feel flustered.
"Under normal circumstances, a person would only take an uncertain risk when they have no other choice," Ye Fei said with a faint smile.
"Of course, there are some reckless people who would do anything for profit. But I believe you, Boss Ye, are not that kind of person. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have survived this long. So, I think your Feilong Gang must be at a critical juncture, and that’s why you have to take this gamble, right?"
At this moment, Ye Xuan was filled with shock. She realized that she had underestimated this overly young gang leader from the start. He was even more formidable than the rumors suggested.
Just by noticing a minor detail, he had completely deduced her current predicament. His insight was truly terrifying, far more so than that of seasoned veterans. Was he really just a sixteen-year-old kid?