Chapter 93: An Unexpected Occurrence!

An Lan's expression changed as she frowned and demanded, "What do you mean by that? What do you mean he can't make it here?" Instinct told her that this father and son were plotting something. She had already tried to contact Ye Wushang while in the car, but her calls went unanswered, and her messages received no reply. Tonight's medicinal cuisine competition was of great importance—her grandfather and uncle had both emphasized it repeatedly. She had already been anxious, but now with Ye Wushang unaccounted for and hearing what these two were saying, her worry only intensified.

Pei Qinghu flashed a sly, meaningful smile. "Who can say? In life, you never know which will come first—tomorrow or misfortune. In any case, tonight, the Pei family is certain to win. While there's still time before the competition starts, if the An family admits defeat on their own, maybe we'll leave you a way out. Otherwise, once our Pei family rises to become a financial powerhouse, when it's time to settle accounts, I'm afraid the An family won't have an easy time."

"You—!"

"President Huang has arrived!" Just as An Lan was about to retort, someone shouted. Two people stepped out of a business vehicle: Huang Yuanxiang, president of the Family Guild, and his daughter, Huang Pianruo. At this, the quarrel between the two sides ceased abruptly. As the pair approached, Pei Huaide bowed respectfully, his fists clasped. "President Huang, good evening. For the upcoming medicinal cuisine competition, we hope to learn much from you."

"Hmph." Huang Yuanxiang gave a cold snort. The previous incident at the manor had already revealed the true face of the Pei family to him. He felt nothing at Pei Huaide's attempt to curry favor; if not for the Luo family's request that he preside over the competition, he wouldn't have wanted to see anyone from the Pei family ever again. If it hadn't been for Ye Wushang's presence that day, his own son might not have survived!

"What were you all talking about just now?" Huang Yuanxiang had vaguely heard Ye Wushang's name. Ye was a benefactor to the Huang family, and although his son's condition had stabilized, further treatment was still required. Thus, any rumor concerning Ye Wushang easily caught his attention. After the incident at the hotel, Huang Pianruo had developed a strange feeling toward Ye Wushang—what began as a desire to become his apprentice had grown into a deeper curiosity. She wanted to peel back the layers of mystery surrounding him.

"Oh, it's nothing," Pei Huaide replied lightly. "We were just discussing Ye Wushang. Tonight, he'll be preparing the medicinal cuisine for the An family. Unfortunately, the word is he's run into trouble—not only unable to make it here, but perhaps his very life is in danger. I was just advising President An—"

"What did you say?!" Huang Yuanxiang interrupted abruptly, stepping forward in shock. "Mr. Ye's life is in danger? What exactly happened? Speak clearly!"

Huang Pianruo, too, grew agitated. An Lan was even more uneasy; her face twisted with worry. Pei Huaide gave a soft laugh, his tone indifferent. "I don't know the details. I just heard that someone broke his arms and legs. I have no idea where he is now—apparently, he offended some powerful figure. Most likely, he's already lying dead on the street."

"Enough!" Huang Yuanxiang barked, his face darkening. After a moment's thought, he ordered, "Old Hong, look into this immediately! Mobilize all our resources and track down Mr. Ye as quickly as possible. No matter what, dead or alive, I want to know his whereabouts!"

"Yes, sir," the butler replied before hurrying off.

Huang Pianruo was trembling with rage and anxiety. She hadn't expected that after just a day apart, Ye Wushang would already be in such danger. If anything happened to him, not only would she lose the chance to learn his medical skills, but, more importantly, she would never see him again. A nameless sense of loss and pain welled up inside her.

"Pei Huaide!" Compared to Huang Pianruo's silent sorrow, An Lan was much more direct. She glared at Pei Huaide and snapped, "Tell me—was this your doing? Wushang foiled your schemes several times, and you hold a grudge, so you tried to have him killed? Wushang is my bodyguard, my close friend—if you have a problem, come at me! Why hurt him?"

Pei Huaide curled his lip. "President An, what are you implying? I'm the head of the Pei family, and he's just a nobody, thrown out by his ex-wife. Why would I bother with him? Don't you think you're underestimating me?"

Pei Qinghu nodded impatiently. "Enough, An Lan. Let's cut the nonsense. The competition starts in ten minutes. Our representative is Master Wang. Who do you have? According to the rules, if your person doesn't show up, it's considered a forfeit. Like I said, if you back down now, the Pei family won't press you too hard. Understand?"

An Lan hesitated. Seeing the composed expressions of the father and son, she feared Ye Wushang was truly in grave danger. Her mind was in turmoil—she no longer cared about competing with the Pei family. She just wanted to know where Ye Wushang was, and whether he was safe. If anything happened to him, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.

After all, if she hadn't insisted on hiring him as her personal bodyguard, the animosity with the Pei family would never have started. He wouldn't have suffered their retaliation, nor been subjected to their vicious attacks.

"I can yield. The An family can withdraw from the competition. But you must return Wushang to me—I must be sure he's safe!" An Lan chose to compromise. But at this point, how could Pei Huaide possibly admit to any involvement? He knew how much Huang Yuanxiang valued Ye Wushang; if the truth came out, the Pei family would be in serious trouble.

"It seems President An doesn't understand my words. Ye Wushang's fate has nothing to do with me. Frankly, I don't care whether you withdraw or not. When time's up and your representative hasn't shown, President Huang will make the decision."

With that, he shot a glance at his son. Pei Qinghu and Master Wang burst out laughing and followed him into the restaurant. Watching their untroubled demeanor, An Lan grew even more certain that Ye Wushang was in peril. Huang Yuanxiang and his daughter, knowing the feud between the two families, realized that the other side's confidence likely meant something had indeed happened to Ye Wushang.

Just as they were succumbing to despair, the screech of brakes suddenly rang out! With a loud bang, a car door swung open, and a familiar voice called out, "Lanlan, I'm not late, am I?"

Boom! At the sound of that voice, An Lan stood as if struck by lightning, stunned on the spot. In an instant, she burst into tears. She turned instinctively, and when she saw Ye Wushang standing there, alive and well, tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

"Wushang!" Overwhelmed with emotion, she screamed his name and sprinted toward him, throwing her arms around him. "Wushang, is it really you? Are you truly all right? Tell me you’re alive, tell me you’re safe!"

Ye Wushang frowned, puzzled by her nearly hysterical reaction. Then, catching the dark looks from Pei Huaide and his son, he instantly understood—they must have told her something just now!

"It's all right—I'm alive," he reassured her softly. After a short pause, he gently patted her back, signaling her to calm down.

"Thank goodness," An Lan sobbed, refusing to let go, crying and complaining at the same time. In that moment, the domineering businesswoman had vanished; she was just a vulnerable woman, clinging to him for comfort. Seeing this, Huang Yuanxiang let out a long sigh of relief, nodding repeatedly. Huang Pianruo's tension melted away, but seeing the closeness between An Lan and Ye Wushang, she couldn't suppress a surge of inexplicable jealousy.

"Damn it, Old Wang, what the hell is going on?!" Pei Huaide hissed, glaring at Master Wang.

Master Wang was dumbfounded, shaking his head in disbelief. "This can't be. It makes no sense."

"Didn’t you say the people sent were professional killers?" Pei Qinghu demanded. "We even borrowed some gunmen from the Pei family. Yet that loser comes back without a scratch? He’s alive? He’s actually alive?!"

The father and son were nearly driven mad, cursing and berating Master Wang, wishing they could grind his bones to dust. Master Wang instinctively pulled out his phone to contact the man with the severed finger, to find out what had happened. But the call went straight to voicemail—the number was switched off.

With a shaky hand, his phone slipped and shattered on the ground.

At that moment, after some gentle soothing, An Lan finally regained her composure. Embarrassed, her cheeks flushed, she bit her lip and said, "Sorry, Wushang, I just... got carried away."

Ye Wushang smiled. "It's fine. I understand. Come on, isn’t the medicinal cuisine competition about to start? I’m ready."

Looking at his confident face, An Lan felt a calm assurance she couldn’t explain. With him here, no matter how great the problem, it seemed trivial. She nodded slightly and instinctively slipped her arm through his, walking side by side. This time, Ye Wushang did not refuse; he could see she was genuinely worried about him. Though he had no intention of developing anything further, maintaining a good relationship was beneficial for his sister and the noodle shop.

"President Huang, Miss Huang," he greeted politely as they approached.

"Mr. Ye, I'm truly relieved to see you safe and sound," Huang Yuanxiang said, patting him on the shoulder. "By the way, President An tells me you'll be preparing the medicinal cuisine for the An family this time. I don’t doubt your medical skills, but I’m curious—are you just as adept at medicinal cooking?"

"I'm all right," Ye Wushang replied with a smile. "I haven’t done it much, but I know the important details. Still, I’m quite confident about this competition."

"Ridiculous!" Master Wang interrupted, curling his lip. "Medicinal cuisine is not just about healing—the key is understanding ingredients and herbs. Combining them and refining their effects isn’t something just anyone can do. Since you’re back unharmed, I suggest you don’t get cocky. Otherwise, you might not just disgrace yourself—you could drag the An family down with you!"

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