Super Soldier in the City
Chapter 353 - 360

Chapter 353: 360

After working for a while, Li Yifei had some business to attend to in the office, so he went straight up the stairs. When he arrived on the sixth floor, he saw Xu Yingying standing in front of the elevator with the man from before.

With a smile on her face, Xu Yingying said, "Cao Bin, I won’t see you out."

Cao Bin, the man, also wore a graceful smile and replied, "Then I won’t bother you any further. When you’re not busy, you must give me that honor. Otherwise, my cousin back home will have a good reason to deal with me."

Xu Yingying, having noticed Li Yifei coming up, felt an inexplicable panic, and her smile faded somewhat as she said, "Okay, then. That’ll be all for today."

Sensing the change in Xu Yingying’s expression, Cao Bin glanced at Li Yifei, then turned back to shake hands with Xu Yingying before he entered the elevator.

"He’s a cousin of a university classmate of mine who works for a large company. He was here to discuss business with us," Xu Yingying offered an involuntary, quiet explanation as Li Yifei walked over. However, once she spoke, she felt awkward. Why did she need to explain anything to Li Yifei? She hadn’t done anything wrong.

Li Yifei gave a grin and said, "I have something to take care of in the office, President Xu, you’re busy."

When Xu Yingying heard footsteps approaching, she straightened up her posture, nodded, and returned to her own office in her high heels.

Li Yifei didn’t pay much attention to Cao Bin. Even if he was interested in Xu Yingying, that was a testament to her charm. For a beauty like Xu Yingying to have suitors was only normal.

Li Yifei’s phone rang just as he descended the stairs. It was Ye Yunzhu calling, and he answered promptly.

"Come to my place immediately."

"You’re back? What’s the matter? Why the urgency?" Li Yifei asked in surprise, unleashing three questions at once.

"If you don’t come soon, I’ll leave with someone else. There’s a Mr. Tall, Rich and Handsome asking me out right now."

Li Yifei laughed lightly, "That sounds good. Better than a short and poor guy like me."

"Cut it out. You have half an hour to get here, or I’ll come looking for you at your company."

After saying that, Ye Yunzhu hung up the phone.

Less than half an hour later, Li Yifei had already arrived at the Lan Family Township Government. He had visited this place several times with Xu Yingying, so he was familiar with the route and went straight to the entrance of Ye Yunzhu’s office.

Although she was just a township chief, Lanjia Village was still one of Mile City’s larger townships, governing dozens of villages with a quite developed economy. Therefore, the Village Government building was quite impressive, and Ye Yunzhu’s office as township chief was also very spacious, but the decor inside was far from luxurious.

The door to the office was open. Ye Yunzhu was sitting behind her desk, and opposite her sat a man around thirty years old. He wore a beige shirt, light grey trousers, and his shiny leather shoes reflected light. With a slicked-back hairdo, it was obvious he had applied something to make it glisten.

At that moment, the man had his hands propped on the desk, his back towards the door, and his face was not visible to Li Yifei.

"Yunzhu, where shall we go for lunch? Just name it. No matter how far it is, I’ll take you there," he said.

Ye Yunzhu kept her eyes on the documents on the table and replied indifferently, "I’m not hungry."

"Even if you’re not hungry, you still need to eat lunch, right? How else will you have the energy to work in the afternoon?"

Ye Yunzhu did not respond this time; clearly, she was becoming very impatient.

"Yunzhu, I know you don’t have feelings for me yet, but feelings can be cultivated. Uncle and Aunt think highly of us, and I really like you. Why not spend some time with me? It could help to build our relationship," he insisted.

Without looking up, Ye Yunzhu said, "Sorry, Young Master Lin, the person getting married is me, not my parents. If my parents like you, they can figure it out themselves. I’m not going to marry you, so you might as well get that idea out of your head."

"Yunzhu, how can you say that? Our Lin family and your Ye family are longstanding friends. My grandfather and your grandfather shared a life-and-death friendship. Our union would bring our families closer, strengthening both our powers. That would certainly make it easier for you in your career," he argued.

Finally looking up, Ye Yunzhu said, "I’ll get as far as my own abilities take me. I have no interest in climbing up using these sorts of connections." Seeing Li Yifei at the door, she stood up and said, "Excuse me, my boyfriend is here to pick me up. Young Master Lin, please feel free to do as you wish."

Circling the desk, Ye Yunzhu quickly reached Li Yifei’s side and took his arm, giving it a gentle shake as she chided, "Why did you take so long?"

Li Yifei laughed and said, "You asked me to be here in half an hour, and I flew here as fast as I could."

Ye Yunzhu pouted, "Good, you have some sense. If you hadn’t shown up, see if I would bother with you again."

At this moment, Ye Yunzhu lacked the authority and composure she usually had as a township chief, resembling a little girl fallen in love, her smile radiant beyond compare.

"Ye Yunzhu, who is this?" The man from before suddenly stood up, glaring at Li Yifei with a predatory look.

Ye Yunzhu tilted her chin up and said, "Didn’t I tell you? This is my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend?" The Lin surname guy sized up Li Yifei and said coldly, "I don’t care who you are, but I’m warning you now, better stay away from Yunzhu, or you’ll regret it."

Li Yifei also sized up the man, who appeared to be in his late twenties with fair skin and a somewhat haggard face. He did have a bit of a handsome look, but his upward-slanting eyes and overbearing demeanor were off-putting.

However, Li Yifei couldn’t be bothered with such a person, whose very words had already ruined any favorable impression Ye Yunzhu could have had of him all the way to the eighteenth level of hell.

"Yunzhu, let’s go, let’s go eat something together."

"Sure!" Ye Yunzhu agreed without giving the Lin surname guy another glance, linking arms with Li Yifei and walking out.

"Ye Yunzhu, stop right there!" A roar came from behind them.

Ye Yunzhu stopped in her tracks, turned her head, and the Lin surname guy immediately yelled furiously, "Ye Yunzhu, be clear about this. Your grandparents, your parents, they’ve all agreed to our engagement, and we’re going to formalize it in a couple of days. You are going to be part of the Lin family. Keep some dignity for yourself. Don’t make me go to your family to complain."

Ye Yunzhu’s face darkened as she said, "Young Master Lin, if you want to complain, go ahead. And let me reiterate, I will not engage nor marry you. And you better not try anything with my boyfriend, or I, Ye Yunzhu, will definitely show you what I’m capable of."

"Are you sure about that?" Lin surname guy’s face darkened as he glared at Ye Yunzhu.

"I don’t even have to think about it," replied Ye Yunzhu, resolutely.

"Fine, since you treat me this way, you’re slapping the Lin family’s face. You’ll regret this when the time comes, and I will make sure you’ll be begging to marry me, haha..." After laughing maniacally, the Lin surname guy glared at Li Yifei and spat out, "Kid, Lin Sihao’s woman isn’t someone just anyone can touch. Better watch your back...and she won’t be able to protect you."

After saying this, the Lin surname guy strode away with arrogance.

Sitting in Li Yifei’s car, Ye Yunzhu said with regret, "I really shouldn’t have had you come today."

"What’s up?" Li Yifei asked as he started the car.

"Well, that guy just now, his name is Lin Sihao, from the Lin family. In A Province, we have the Eight Great Clans."

"A Province has the Eight Great Clans?" Li Yifei chuckled, inserting a comment. He had been in contact with high-level figures in Capital City over the years and knew that across Huaxia, there were many powerful families. These families were not separate from the government; rather, they had numerous people in political circles, many in important positions. For instance, Su Mengxin was from the Su Family, the largest and most powerful in Huaxia, which was why she had such a powerful background. But Li Yifei wasn’t very familiar with such family forces at the provincial level.

These family powers constantly struggled against each other, yet relied on each other. Unlike the underworld’s blatant violence, their ways of fighting were even more dangerous. A single defeat could potentially lead to the annihilation of the entire family.

"Of course, there are. Our Ye family is one of the Eight Great Clans, so I know very well. However, our family is definitely the weakest among them, and my parents being from a collateral branch do not hold high status within the family. Lin Sihao’s family is ranked fourth among the Eight Great Clans, much stronger than ours, and he’s from the main line of the Lin family. Provoking him is sure to cause trouble later on."

As Li Yifei drove, he squinted and asked, "Then why did you provoke him just now?"

"Even if I provoked him, he can’t really do anything to me; even though I’m from a collateral Ye family branch, we don’t let ourselves be bullied. Most importantly, if the Lin family takes action against us, others will definitely seize the opportunity to cause trouble for them. You know, the Eight Great Families have maintained a delicate balance in A Province, one that no one dares to upset lightly."

"Oh, then what are you worried about?"

"I’m worried about you. What if that guy goes after you?" Ye Yunzhu furrowed her brows deeply, genuinely regretting her rash actions just now.

Li Yifei smiled faintly and said, "So what? What’s done is done, and worrying is pointless. If they come, we’ll handle them. If the earth gives way, we’ll cover it."

"Eh! How come you weren’t at all surprised when you heard about the Eight Great Families just now?" Ye Yunzhu suddenly felt as though she didn’t quite know Li Yifei anymore. He was acting far too composed.