After making a call to Zhang Yide, Ye Fei learned that the people they had captured were being held in the basement. He headed straight there, but along the way, he couldn’t help but ponder whether supporting Xu Weier was truly the right decision.
Although her appearance would undoubtedly cause a sensation upon her debut, without real talent, she would likely remain just an ordinary idol.
Originally, Ye Fei had planned to hear her sing last night, but the muggers had ruined that opportunity. He would have to find another chance later.
As for acting, could someone with her personality really handle a variety of roles?
With these concerns weighing on his mind, Ye Fei arrived at the basement, only to find that Zhang Yide had already beaten him there.
The dozen or so people they had captured the previous night were all unconscious—clearly, Zhang Yide had knocked them out to prevent any suicide attempts.
"Ye Fei, do you suspect something about these people?"
With no outsiders around, Zhang Yide reverted to his old way of addressing Ye Fei.
Although Ye Fei had grown more mature and authoritative, Zhang Yide’s feelings towards him remained the same as when he was a child.
"Hmm."
Ye Fei nodded, recounting the doubts he had discovered the previous night.
"What do you think, Grandpa Zhang?"
Zhang Yide furrowed his brows in thought before saying, "It seems likely, but I’m not sure about the identity of this person or whether they have access to any core information."
"We’ll find out once we ask," Ye Fei said with a smile.
As he spoke, he slapped the middle-aged man with glasses, who quickly regained consciousness from his stupor.
"Boss Ye, what does this mean? Even if we conducted business here without your permission, it doesn’t warrant such a ruthless response, does it?"
The middle-aged man with glasses assessed his surroundings and realized his predicament, but he remained outwardly calm despite the shock he felt inside.
"Cut the act," Ye Fei sneered.
"Tell me, who sent you, and what aspect were you supposed to test me on?"
The middle-aged man’s expression flickered, but he still tried to feign ignorance. "I don’t understand what you’re talking about!"
"Since you refuse to cooperate, I’ll have to show you some of my other methods," Ye Fei said, taking a small box from Zhang Yide.
This device was a component of his machine. It couldn’t enhance one’s strength or instill absolute loyalty, but it had one specific function: to erase a person’s subjective consciousness and reveal all their memories.
Ye Fei had no intention of keeping this man alive from the beginning.
Even if he implanted thoughts to make him absolutely loyal, he couldn’t let him show his face again, or the person behind the scenes would surely deduce something.
Thus, this man had no value left.
Without wasting any more words on the middle-aged man with glasses, Ye Fei opened the box and pulled out two wires, each ending in a small metal block. He attached the metal blocks to the man’s temples and switched on the device.
Soon, the man’s eyes dimmed, and his gaze became vacant, indicating that his self-awareness had completely vanished.
"Who sent you, and what was the purpose?" Ye Fei asked.
Though the middle-aged man with glasses had lost his consciousness, his basic faculties remained intact. He mechanically replied to Ye Fei’s question, devoid of any emotion, "My boss sent me to test your skills."
"Who is your boss?" Ye Fei asked urgently, sensing that this man’s employer was likely the mysterious figure behind the scenes.
However, the man’s response was disappointing: "I don’t know. He only contacts me by phone. I once tried to find out his identity but nearly got killed by his skilled subordinates. I haven’t dared to try again since."
"Did he ask you to do anything else besides testing my skills?" Ye Fei asked, hoping to learn how much this hidden figure knew about him.
"No, he just warned me that you’re very intelligent and have a group of capable people under you. He told me to be careful."
By now, Ye Fei was certain that the person behind the middle-aged man was the same one who had hired Ye Yu.
The reason for sending this man to test his skills was likely suspicion about the operation in the southwest.
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Given Liu Junyi’s strength, it was impossible to turn the tide in such a disadvantaged situation, so the hidden figure must have suspected the existence of an extraordinary expert on their side, though they couldn’t identify who it was.
This realization sent a chill down Ye Fei’s spine.
The person behind the scenes was truly formidable, having managed to narrow it down to him.
Fortunately, he and his aunt had issued strict confidentiality orders to the special forces, or his cover would have been blown. However, he couldn’t let his guard down yet. It was best to bring those who had participated in the operation to Wang Hai City as soon as possible.
The reason the hidden figure hadn’t yet questioned the special forces members involved was that they, too, wanted to keep their identity concealed.
But as the saying goes, the longer the night, the more dreams there are.
Who knew what other interrogation methods they might possess?
The safest course of action was to bring everyone who knew the secret to his side.
With this decision made, Ye Fei asked one final question: "Who are the people under your command?"
"They are mercenaries I hired overseas," the middle-aged man replied. This answer sparked an idea in Ye Fei’s mind.
Why hadn’t he thought of this before? He had previously focused on the inexperience of his subordinates and considered having the special forces train them, but he had forgotten about the existence of mercenaries.
In terms of combat experience, they were even more seasoned than the special forces.
If he could hire some mercenaries to train his people or directly control a few mercenary camps in war-torn areas, wouldn’t that solve everything?
Having found a solution, Ye Fei wasted no time. He casually killed the middle-aged man with glasses and shared his thoughts with Zhang Yide, who wholeheartedly agreed.
However, deciding who to send proved to be a challenge. In the end, they had no choice but to break up the team of Baldy and his crew, sending one of them on the mission.
This made Ye Fei sigh once again about his limited manpower.
If only he had a group of Thirty-Six Divine Servants under his command, he wouldn’t have to worry about such issues.
After settling matters here, Ye Fei strolled upstairs and entered a reception room where Ye Ningsuan and Mu Ling had been waiting for him.
With an apologetic smile, he said, "Auntie, Aunt Mu, I’m sorry for keeping you waiting."
Mu Ling smiled reassuringly, while Ye Ningsuan laughed, "We’re fine, but Weier seems a bit upset. Are you ready?"
Before Ye Fei could respond, the door to the reception room burst open, and Xu Weier stormed in, shouting, "Ye Fei, what’s the big idea? You called us here and then vanished!"
Ye Fei waved away the experts who had followed Xu Weier and replied with a wry smile, "Siqi, could you please save me some face in front of my subordinates? I am the boss, after all."
"Ah, right, sorry about that. I forgot you big shots care about this stuff. They do in the movies too. Don’t worry, I’ll be more mindful next time," Xu Weier said, sticking out her tongue sheepishly. She might speak without thinking, but she had a good heart. Realizing her mistake, she quickly apologized.
Faced with such a girl, Ye Fei simply couldn’t stay angry. He was relieved that Fang Yuqian had already left with Ye Xuan for the coastal area; otherwise, dealing with both girls would have given him a headache.
"Sorry, Ye Fei. Weier is just like this—she doesn’t pay much attention to the situation. Although she’s older than you, she’s much more childish," Mu Ling said, embarrassed on her daughter’s behalf. She then asked, "By the way, what did you want us to come for?"
Ye Fei casually took a seat and said, "It’s like this. Since Sister Weier wants to enter the entertainment industry, I was wondering if she has signed with any company yet."
Mu Ling knew that Xu Weier hadn’t paid much attention to this, so she answered for her daughter, "No, we’ve been hesitating whether to sign with another company or start small within our own company. Ideally, it would be best to stay within our own company, but it’s so small and lacks talented people, so we haven’t decided yet."
"How about joining my company?" Ye Fei asked with a smile.
"I’m planning to expand the Ye family’s entertainment company, and I need someone with ideals like Sister Weier to be the face of it."
Mu Ling and Xu Weier pondered for a moment without giving an immediate answer. Ye Ningsuan, however, asked, "Why are you interested in this?"
Ye Fei repeated the noble reason he had given his mother and added, "That’s why I want Sister Weier to be the symbol of this company and hopefully bring some positive change to the domestic entertainment industry."
"Sounds great! I’m in!" Xu Weier, who had been seeking such an environment, immediately raised her hand in agreement.
After thinking for a moment, Mu Ling also nodded and said, "This is a good opportunity. It’s much more developed here than in the northwest, and Weier will have more chances to grow. Plus, I’ll be more at ease knowing you’ll be looking after her."
"There’s no time to waste. Let’s head to the company now. It’s almost noon, so we can have lunch with the person in charge there and also get to know what the company needs at the moment," Ye Fei decided on the spot.