C17 The Uncle Ye Who Was Being Stabbed in the Back

In the blink of an eye, Ye Fann and the man exchanged over a hundred moves. They didn't use any weapons, nor did they damage anything around them, and neither sustained any injuries. The whole encounter was surprisingly quiet, yet Yang Min watched with bated breath.

It was then she truly believed that Ye Fann was indeed on the same level as the head of her family. The man he was sparring with was none other than Yang Hao, the head of the Yang family, known as the Nine-Headed Wolf, a name as formidable as the Eight-Armed King.

After their final clash, Yang Hao stood his ground, while Ye Fann staggered back a few steps, stopping only when his back hit the wall. A faint trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"You really went all out, old man!" Ye Fann remarked, not angry, but smiling.

Yang Hao laughed heartily, "If I didn't, it would be an insult to you. But you should take care of that injury; it's not fully healed yet."

"You knew I wasn't fully healed, and you still went that hard?"

Yang Min was bewildered. Yang Hao was from her grandfather's generation, yet Ye Fann...

"Let's go," Yang Hao said, striding forward and giving Ye Fann a couple of pats on the shoulder. "Let's have a drink."

"A drink?" Ye Fann raised an eyebrow. "You came to a coffee shop to drink?"

Yang Min stepped forward, holding up a few bottles of imported spirits, beautifully packaged. "I spent a fortune on these. Consider yourself lucky today."

Yang Hao frowned and shot Yang Min a look. "Lucky? Show some respect. This is..."

"Don't worry about it, I'm used to it."

Yang Hao paused for a moment, glancing between Ye Fann and Yang Min. "Used to it? Alright, alright, you young folks handle your own business. Come on, let's have a drink. Keep this old man company for a bit."

"Let me just..." Ye Fann started to inform Huang Yong.

"No waiting, let's drink now." Yang Hao pulled Ye Fann upstairs.

The second floor turned out to be a luxurious, vintage-style wine bar.

Ye Fann was surprised; he hadn't noticed any signs of a wine bar from outside.

"How about it? Nice, right? It's mine," Yang Hao said proudly, his face glowing. Though in his sixties, he looked like he was in his forties and had the energy of someone in their twenties.

He seemed even more energetic than Ye Fann.

"Yours?" Ye Fann asked curiously.

"Of course it's mine. If things had gone smoothly, the floor below would be mine too. But some kid beat me to it and turned it into a coffee shop. It drives me nuts..."

"Grandpa," Yang Min interjected with a frown, sounding just like a granddaughter trying to appease her grandfather after doing something wrong.

Ye Fann was intrigued. "Why not just buy the floor below now?"

"Buy it, huh?" Yang Hao said, leading Ye Fann into the VIP area and signaling Yang Min to bring some wine. "I should buy that floor below, but that girl, what did she say again?"

Yang Min chimed in, "The café owner is asking for $300,000, which is way above the market price. I estimate we could get it for $100,000."

"Exactly, that's what I'm saying. I don't really get it..."

"Neither do I. Are you guys really short on that much money?" Ye Fann added quietly.

"Right?" Yang Hao suddenly slammed the table, glaring at Yang Min. "Are we really short on that much money? Seriously, making it so complicated. You say I don't get it, but look at you... even Ye agrees with me."

"Ye? What do you mean by Ye? Are you trying to take advantage of me?" Ye Fann retorted.

"No, no, I just..."

"Ahem!" Yang Min cleared his throat, ready to snap back at Ye Fann, but Yang Hao shot him a look. "What are you coughing about? Pour the drinks!"

In no time, a few drinks were downed, and Yang Hao was going on about how great the wine was. Suddenly, Ye Fann shifted the conversation, "Let's talk about something important."

"Hmm? Go ahead," Yang Hao replied openly.

Ye Fann glanced at Yang Min and got straight to the point, "The café owner originally borrowed money from my wife's brother to start that café, $300,000. Now the loan company is coming to our family, threatening to foreclose on the house if we don't pay up. Since you're planning to buy the place anyway and aren't short on cash, could you...?"

"Absolutely!" Before Ye Fann could finish, Yang Hao slapped the table and instructed Yang Min, "Did you hear that? Thirty grand, it's for an emergency. Get it done right away."

"R-right now?" Yang Min was a bit taken aback.

"Yes, right now. Isn't that girl from the coffee shop downstairs? Go now, thirty grand, consider it a favor for your Uncle Ye. I'm getting old and can't keep up like I used to. You'll need to rely on your Uncle Ye in the future. Now, hurry up."

Yang Hao was straightforward and generous, never one to beat around the bush. This was why he and Ye Fann had hit it off so well back in the day, despite starting as rivals.

Ye Fann immediately stood up to express his gratitude, but Yang Hao pulled him back down. "What are you doing? Sit down and have a drink. No need to be so formal with me."

"I'm serious, though. This time, I'm really planning to retire..." Yang Hao glanced at Yang Min and changed his tone, "I mean, retire from all this chaos. From now on, Min Min, come here."

Yang Min obediently stepped forward.

Yang Hao stood up and patted Yang Min's head, speaking earnestly, "Ye Fann, she's my only granddaughter. My sons and nephews are all gone, leaving just her. I don't want her involved in our world, but still..."

"Are you really going to let things slide with Bi Dadan?" Ye Fann interrupted, referring to Bi Wenfeng's father, known as the 'Eight-Armed Reaper.'

Yang Hao's eyes dimmed as he shook his head with a bitter smile and let out a long sigh. "What else can I do? I've already lost my sons and my nephew. The only one left to carry on the Yang family name is Min. If I don't stop now, I might lose her too, and that would be the end of our family line."

Ye Fann was silent for a moment, still puzzled about one thing. "And what about her and Bi Wenfeng..."

"Uncle Ye," Yang Min suddenly interrupted, her expression flustered as she stepped forward to pour drinks, taking the opportunity to step on Ye Fann's foot. "Let's drink, Grandpa Yang, Uncle Ye, let's just drink."

Yang Hao's face grew darker, his eyes fixed intently on Yang Min. "Bi Wenfeng? Yang Min, explain yourself. What about Bi Wenfeng?"

"Wha... what about Bi Wenfeng? Uncle Ye, what were you saying about Bi Wenfeng?" Yang Min discreetly stepped on Ye Fann's foot again.

This time, her high heel pressed down too hard, causing Ye Fann to inhale sharply, almost letting out a cry of pain.

Bang—

Yang Hao slammed his hand on the table, pointing at Yang Min with anger. "Stand up straight and explain what's going on!"

Startled, Yang Min shivered, and the bottle in her hand slipped, shattering on the floor with a sharp crash. Wine splattered everywhere.

Yang Min felt utterly wronged, her tears falling like rain as her heart shattered into pieces.