After receiving a clear "message" from Yu Bai, the Blazing Flame and White Tiger factions wasted no time launching retaliatory strikes against the Devouring Dragon. In just a week, the Devouring Dragon’s influence had been severely weakened.
Although Yue Ge reacted quickly, hiding most of their forces underground, they still suffered heavy losses. After two months, the Devouring Dragon was nearly erased from the capital’s three major factions.
If not for the fear that Yue Ge might resort to desperate, mutually destructive measures in his last stand, the attacks would have been even more relentless.
Without absolute confidence in a one-hit kill, the capital’s factions could only afford to leave some room for retreat.
And the result of that "room" was Yue Ge leading his remaining forces south, arriving at a location just an hour’s journey from Haicheng.
Once one of the three giants, now driven out of the capital like a drowning dog, Yue Ge’s eyes burned crimson with hatred—directed both at the capital and at Haicheng.
He would take revenge on the capital once their leader returned. As for Haicheng, he would never let go of the people who had somehow killed his brother.
If Su Yunxi could hear Yue Ge’s thoughts, he’d probably feel awkward about the saying, "Trouble falls from the sky while you sit at home." If you point a knife at someone’s neck, did you really expect them to just let you kill them without fighting back?
Su Yunxi had long grown accustomed to inexplicable dangers lurking around him. Even if he had known that the capital’s people were so incompetent that they couldn’t wipe out their enemies under such favorable conditions, it wouldn’t have fazed him.
After all, forget whether Yue Ge could even defeat Yu Bai, but even his own shields might be too tough for Yue Ge to break.
"Dr. Su, long time no see."
Su Yunxi stood by the lotus pond, the breeze causing the lotus leaves behind him to ripple. He turned to the source of the voice, taking in Huangfu Aotian’s handsome face.
Glancing down at the lotus-leaf hat in his hand, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing. "Pfft sorry, I’m just so happy to see you."
He twirled the hat in his hand, no longer in the mood to wear it himself. Su Yunxi’s face flushed as he tried to hold back his laughter while looking at Huangfu Aotian. A man like Huangfu Aotian only needed one look to understand what Su Yunxi was laughing about.
What was so funny? Of course the fact that Huangfu Aotian had been cuckolded.
[绿帽子 (lǜ màozi): lit. Green hat; fig. A symbol that one's spouse/significant other has committed adultery (the wearer is being cuckolded). Huangfu's lotus leaf hat is green]
Huangfu Aotian wore an exasperated expression, glaring at Su Yunxi. Though he said nothing, the atmosphere between them somehow felt amicable.
Su Yunxi rubbed his nose and took two steps back, glancing at Huangfu Aotian again before snickering once more. Honestly, out of all the domineering CEO novels he’d read, this was the first time he’d seen a live, cuckolded CEO right in front of him.
Huangfu Aotian mimicked Su Yunxi’s earlier eye-roll, crossing his arms and huffing at him. Finally, Su Yunxi regained some semblance of humanity, realizing that mocking a man for the color above his head was a bit too much.
"Ahem, alright, I’ll stop laughing. What did you want to talk about? Just so you know, base matters are all handled by Yu Bai, coming to me won’t do you any good. I won’t give you any special treatment." Su Yunxi rubbed his nose, suppressing his internal amusement. The secret joy of witnessing a CEO’s humiliation was something only those who’d experienced it could understand.
But then again, since it was a secret joy, it couldn’t be openly reveled in.
Huangfu Aotian’s lips visibly twitched, his expression turning slightly disdainful as he looked at the man before him. "The entire city knows how pampered Dr. Su is."
"Tch, don’t try to butter me up. I haven’t even asked you for compensation after being dragged into your mess for no reason." Su Yunxi could sense the shift in Huangfu Aotian’s attitude.
But even during their first meeting, he hadn’t felt any real dislike for the man. Now that Huangfu Aotian was clearly trying to be friendly, it was even harder to hold any grudges.
As a successful businessman, making others feel at ease during conversations wasn’t difficult. And Huangfu Aotian was a master at it.
The old him would probably never have believed that one day, he’d be speaking so "equally" with a domineering CEO.
The two walked toward the gathering area as they talked. Su Yunxi was the logistics behind the logistics, staying far in the rear and focusing on his aquatic farming. Huangfu Aotian seeking him out was his own business, and Su Yunxi’s first impression of him wasn’t bad.
But when it came to major base decisions, Su Yunxi wasn’t going to pretend to be in charge when he wasn’t.
Whether for public or private reasons, high-level discussions were better left to Yu Bai. As for himself? He was perfectly happy being a carefree little freeloader.
"Pampered" sounded pretty nice to his ears.
A moving squad naturally didn’t have fixed offices. The temporary shelters were only slightly better than tents. But at every long-distance rest stop, Yu Bai would have the base’s ability users construct a small, sturdy building—something that could shield against wind and rain for future sentry use.
After walking for a while, they spotted Yu Bai approaching from a distance. Su Yunxi grinned and waved at him, while Huangfu Aotian raised an eyebrow at the man who had rushed over so quickly after hearing the news.
"Speaking of which, I really should apologize to you. I never thought my unspoken feelings would cause you so much trouble."
By the time Yu Bai was within ten meters, Huangfu Aotian casually spoke up. Su Yunxi’s attention was entirely on Yu Bai, and it wasn’t until he had taken two steps toward him that he realized something was off.
"Huh?" He turned to Huangfu Aotian in confusion, his brain refusing to process what had just been said.
Yu Bai stopped beside Su Yunxi, leaving less than three meters between them. Huangfu Aotian flashed a bright, toothy grin. "What’s so strange about that? Dr. Su, you’re outstanding, isn’t it normal for me to like you?"