Chapter Ten: Awkward Acting!

“Mr. Ye, where are we going?” An Lan asked.

“Just take me back to the city for now.” He hadn’t yet decided on his next destination, mulling over a stop at the pharmacy to buy some medicinal herbs. The weather forecast had predicted rain in the next few days, and whenever it rained, his old illness tended to flare up. He wouldn’t be able to get Hanlong Grass until tomorrow, so for now, he’d have to refine some pills to keep his condition in check.

“Understood.” Sensing the change in Ye Wushang’s expression, An Lan immediately responded. She took two items from her handbag and handed them to him with respect. “Mr. Ye, this is our An Group’s Supreme Privilege Card. Any expenses at any enterprise under An Group are completely free—food, entertainment, whatever you wish. And this is the key to Villa 101 at Panlong Manor. You can stay there as long as you like.”

Ye Wushang froze. He looked at the items being offered, instinctively about to refuse, but An Lan quickly spoke, “Mr. Ye, please accept these. You saved my grandfather, and he gave you the Hanlong Grass in a fair exchange. But just now, you saved me from Xu Lang’s hands—that’s a life-saving favor. These two things are my personal thanks to you. Please, take them.”

She had said everything that could be said, leaving him no room for argument. Ye Wushang, left with no other choice, nodded. “Very well, I’ll accept them with gratitude.” He did need a place to stay, after all. He would settle in for now, and sort everything else out later.

They continued driving, making small talk along the way. Mostly, it was An Lan speaking, probing for details about Ye Wushang’s life. Perhaps due to Blue Ruoxue’s influence, Ye Wushang now found himself instinctively distant from women, unwilling to get too close, and responded only perfunctorily.

Suddenly, a sharp crack sounded. “What’s happening?” Ye Wushang looked up to see the car racing downhill at alarming speed, completely out of control. An Lan’s face went pale. “I don’t know why, but the brakes have failed! I can’t control the car!”

The slope was steep, and with no brakes, the vehicle picked up speed rapidly, approaching a bend in the road. “Move aside!” Ye Wushang barked, instinctively lunging forward and pushing An Lan to the side. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands, using brute force to wrench it, swerving left and right before making an abrupt drift.

With a deafening crash, the car nearly lifted off the ground. Amid the violent jolts, Ye Wushang kept his right hand on the wheel and used his left arm to steady An Lan by her slender waist as the car rocked up and down. After a tense moment, it finally stabilized, coming to a stop on a patch of open ground to the right.

An Lan let out a long breath, still trembling. “That was terrifying… If you hadn’t been here, Mr. Ye, I can’t even imagine what might have happened.”

Ye Wushang didn’t answer. He casually lifted the cover to the lower compartment, and when he saw the cut in the wiring, a bitter smile crossed his lips. He was about to speak when, all at once, more than a dozen masked men sprang out from all directions, quickly surrounding the car.

One of them, a bald man, twirled an iron pipe in his hand and sneered, “Hey, beautiful, we’re a little short on cash. How about lending us some money?”

An Lan frowned. “You have the nerve to rob people in broad daylight? Do you have any idea who I am?”

“I don’t care who you are,” the bald man barked, “If you don’t hand over the money, you’re not leaving here!” He smashed a window with the pipe, looked An Lan up and down, and licked his lips. “Didn’t notice earlier, but you’re quite a looker. I’m in luck today—not only do I get your money, I get you too. With a body like that, you’ll be a real treat.”

“The boss gets the main course, and the rest of us will settle for the leftovers,” another laughed.

The others joined in with crude banter. Rage flashed in An Lan’s eyes. She had never suffered such humiliation in her life. She was about to explode when Ye Wushang stopped her, shaking his head and reaching for the car door.

The bald man instantly grew wary, pointing the metal pipe at Ye Wushang’s face. “Who the hell told you to move? Listen up—your money and your woman, we’re taking both. If you dare interfere, I’ll kill you.”

“I really hate having things pointed at me,” Ye Wushang said coldly, pushing aside the pipe and stepping out of the car. “Do as you please. I’m leaving.”

“Mr. Ye!” An Lan was dumbfounded. She had expected him to stand up for her and teach these men a harsh lesson. Never could she have imagined he’d just walk away, leaving her behind. “Come back! Aren’t you going to do anything while they bully me?”

Even as two of the masked men dragged her from the car, Ye Wushang remained unmoved. “Miss An, fortune favors the worthy. I trust they won’t harm you.”

An Lan was speechless. The bald man’s expression darkened. “Unbelievable. You’re just going to run off and abandon your woman? I despise cowards like you. Boys, get him! Teach him a lesson!”

“Are you even a man, letting us robbers show you up?”

At his command, the group surged toward Ye Wushang.

With a single sweeping kick, Ye Wushang sent the lead man sprawling, knocking over two or three others in the process. He ducked to avoid an attack, then drove his elbow into another’s chest, felling two more. Twisting at the waist, he struck several more in rapid succession, each blow landing with the force of a falling leaf in a storm.

In seconds, all the men lay groaning on the ground, piled atop one another, clutching their wounds and coughing blood.

“Miss An, their skills aren’t bad, but unfortunately, they ran into me. Of course, fighting ability doesn’t equal acting ability. Frankly, their performance was rather poor.”

“There’s no need for you to drive me anymore. I’ll walk back to the city myself.”

With that, Ye Wushang turned on his heel to leave.

“Mr. Ye!” Realizing her ruse had been exposed, An Lan’s cheeks flushed red as she tried to run after him—only to find two of the men still holding her. “Let go! The act’s already blown, why keep pretending?”

The two men quickly released her. An Lan hurried to catch up to Ye Wushang, blocking his path, shamefaced. “Please don’t be angry, Mr. Ye. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I had no idea you were not only so skilled, but also so observant. I’m curious—”

“The brake line wasn’t worn out; it was deliberately tampered with. The cut in the wire matches the blade of the cosmetic knife you used earlier. And while these men were supposedly targeting you, their eyes were always on me. During the scuffle, they kept exchanging glances with you. I’m not blind; it’s obvious you arranged all of this, didn’t you?”

His gaze grew icy. “Miss An, I treated your grandfather’s illness and saved you from Xu Lang’s blade. Surely, that counts for something. Is this how you treat someone who’s helped you?”

“I didn’t plan to pursue the matter, but since you’ve chased after me, I want to know—what exactly are you playing at? If you can’t give me a reasonable explanation, I’m afraid this won’t end well.”