Three Decades of the Eastern River
Chapter 4/8
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After exiting the studio, Yang Chen stood in the middle of the parking lot staring straight up into the sky. He saw only dark grey, with not a trace of blue.
A rushed set of footsteps could be heard approaching him from behind, causing his lips to curve into a smile. He turned around only to see Lin Ruoxi, who had also left.
As she was walking rather quickly, her hair flew all around her flushed face. Upon seeing Yang Chen's weird expression, she was surprised to notice that she was worried whether Yang Chen had suffered any shock from their encounter just now. Her rushing revealed her obvious intentions.
"You... what are you laughing at?" said Lin Ruoxi, trying hard to assert some calmness.
Yang Chen didn't break her facade. With a soft sigh, eh said, "I don't think I'll be able to stay for the rest of the show. Hui Lin's competition will be over soon anyways, so congratulate her on my behalf. I have to rush to take care of some urgent matters."
After some silence, Lin Ruoxi nodded. "Alright."
With a smile, Yang Chen said, "As expected of my obedient wife."
Lin Ruoxi gave him a blank look without saying anything. Seeing how Yang Chen could still make that kind of joke, she was reassured that he was alright and was thinking straight.
Yang Chen did in fact not plan on doing anything insane. He had only thought of how Yang Lie probably didn't come to Zhonghai alone. Otherwise, that would be a little too reckless of him. After all, the last time he came alone, he was pummeled half to death. The fact that he had dared to come and take the initiative to provoke Yang Chen meant that he he probably come with someone backing him up.
And the only one who could afford to support Yang Lie was none other than Yang Pojun.
Yang Lie probably believed that Yang Chen would hold back before Yang Pojun. He probably wasn't aware of what happened back then in the army camp. Yang Pojun on the other hand probably wouldn’t have mentioned that he had failed to kill Yang Chen even with a firearm.
According to that logic, Yang Pojun probably wasn't with Yang Lie. Where would he be then? As he ran through his train of thought, Yang Chen drove his beloved car back home quickly. If his predictions were right, the first thing Yang Pojun would do after his long hiatus since losing his election was to meet Guo Xuehua.
After all, Yang Pojun believed that the reputation of his family was of paramount importance. However, the mistress of the family, Guo Xuehua, was living away from the family, and that was probably something he couldn't bring himself to accept. At the very least, he would want to ensure that Guo Xuehua was not living with the sin that he had antagonized in the first place.
When he arrived at the quiet residence, his car slowly stopped outside the house. Yang Chen got off the car and instantly saw an ink-green car stopped outside the gates.
Fortunately for Yang Chen, he saw Yang Pojun and his two guards get off their military-use jeep.
Yang Pojun wasn't clad in his usual military attire. Instead, he wore a normal jacket, making him look far less intimidating than usual. It appeared that the loss he suffered after the election was quite a blow to the man who was for all intents and purposes a worshipper of power.
When Yang Chen saw Yang Pojun and his guards getting off the car, the latter also saw Yang Chen getting off.
Biologically speaking, the two of them were father and son. However, not a trace of joy from meeting a family member could be seen on either of their faces. They looked rather cold instead. There was even a trace of anger on Yang Pojun's face.
Yang Chen stepped slowly to the entrance and blocked in front of Yang Pojun. Glaring back at Yang Pojun, he didn't speak a single word.
Though Yang Pojun was exceedingly angry at how Yang Chen didn't take him seriously at all, he knew that there was no way he could force the young man to go his way. With a grimace, he said, "You have no reason to prevent me from visiting my wife."
"You failed during the elections. You should be well aware that she doesn't wish to see you since she didn't bother to make a visit," said Yang Chen plainly.
"You..." Yang Pojun held his words back. He really was quite angry that Guo Xuehua didn't bother to even visit him given his predicament, so he couldn't hold it in anymore and decided to find out for himself what was the reason for her lack of visit.
Yang Pojun gripped his fist tightly and said, "I can go anywhere and see anyone I want. You can’t stop me."
"This is my house. I can choose who is allowed to enter and who isn’t," Yang Chen talked back.
"Your house? Hmph," Yang Pojun snapped, "Is this really yours? The last I checked, all the things you own actually belong to Lin Ruoxi."
"Lin Ruoxi is my woman, so all that is also mine," said Yang Chen without a single care in the world. Though he wasn't afraid of using his fists, he was also not afraid to probe further using only his mouth. His biggest virtue was how shameless he was.
Yang Pojun obviously couldn't stand how shameless Yang Chen's words were, but he was too preoccupied with thinking of how Yang Chen would be coincidentally there right when he visited. If Yang Lie hadn't gone there, Yang Pojun wouldn't have had to deal with Yang Chen there. The thought of that infuriated him greatly.
But now that he had come, there was no way he was going to just turn back. If he did that, he might as well have just knelt down and wiped the floor with his face!
Yang Pojun glared at Yang Chen angrily and stretched his hand out to a guard beside him.
The guard took out a mobile phone and handed it to him.
"Whether I meet her isn't something you can decide," said Yang Pojun as he started dialing.
Obviously, he had already gotten the number for the house before he came.
Yang Chen smirked before he raised his hand and flicked in the direction of the phone.
Fwap!
The phone was knocked away by a mysterious force before it fell to the ground and smashed into pieces!
Yang Pojun and his two guards exuded cold sweat at what they just saw. They weren't able to respond to that at all!
Yang Chen's casual flick infused with True Qi was only child's play for him, but that was something Yang Pojun and his guards couldn't do even on their best days! Even though they knew that the nation had some martial arts experts, those people were hard to track down and even harder to convince.
They imagined that if Yang Chen had aimed his flick at their brain or some other body part, couldn't he just kill them in the blink of an eye?!
Back then when they were at the army camp, Yang Pojun had already witnessed Yang Chen's abilities. Yet, he was once again terrified at the display of sheer power that was displayed.
"You... you think I'm afraid of you just because you're good at martial arts? Any martial arts expert is nothing but cannon fodder when faced with a whole army!" roared Yang Pojun.
Yang Chen shrugged and said, "You're free to think what you wish. I was just thinking whether I should burst the tires of your car if you don't buzz off this instant."
Yang Pojun pointed his finger straight at Yang Chen without being able to say anything. He was so mad that he was turning pale.
At that moment, a white limousine drove in from a corner not far away. That was one of the rarest cars in the whole of China and it wasn't as common as it was in other western countries.
When the limousine stopped beside Yang Pojun's military jeep, the older man's expression turned heavy all of a sudden.
Yang Chen had not the slightest idea who had come. But to him, it was all the same. Whoever who tried to cause trouble for him and his family would be kicked to the curb without exceptions.
Two bodyguards dressed in suits stepped off the limousine quickly and opened the door at the center.
A young man dressed in a white Armani suit and wearing a pair of pink-black Gucci sunglasses with oiled hair stepped out of the car slowly with a cigar in his hand.
Behind him came a grey-haired, wrinkled old man dressed in a butler's uniform. He lowered his head and appeared to be really respectful.
"Oh my, just look at who these people are... Isn't that Commander Yang? The one who lost both his wife and the elections with a bastard child to boot?"
The rough voice of the young man mad him sound like a male duck quacking. However, his words only made Yang Pojun's veins pulse with anger.
Yang Chen furrowed his brow. That man's tone of speech indicated that he completely disregarded Yang Pojun, who was a powerful general in the army and headed the Yang family, one of the four great families in China. Even if Yang Pojun lost the elections, he wasn't someone anyone could insult just like that.
Additionally, the young man was aware that Guo Xuehua had left Yang Pojun. The 'bastard child' he mentioned was also without a doubt Yang Chen.
It now seemed that the affairs of the Yang family couldn't be kept under wraps for some reason. At the very least, some of the elite probably knew about it already. Yang Pojun's lost election probably had something to do with it.
"Yan Buxue, the reason the Yan family is what it is today was because of your grandfather, Yan Qingtian and your brother, Yan Buwen! Do not antagonize me any further, or I'll shoot you dead!" snapped Yang Pojun in a hoarse voice.
Yang Chen was struck with realization. That fellow before him was probably the one who kept sending Christen flowers and asked to meet her, Yan Buxue, the second young master of the Yan family.
According to Lin Ruoxi, the Yan family's reputation was definitely not inferior to those of the four great families. After Yan Qingtian was elected as vice chairman of the military commission, his family's might soared. Like the elite families of China often proved, it seemed that for every talented man like Yan Buwen, there would be a stubborn young master like Yan Buxue.
His sudden appearance there was probably due to Christen pushing responsibility to Yang Chen for refusing to meet Yan Buxue. The reason for his visit might have been to deal with Yang Chen.
Though Yang Pojun threatened to shoot him, if he really could, there wouldn't be a need to say that in the first place.
The words uttered by Yan Buxue was reason enough for Yang Pojun to shoot him.
Even though Yan Buxue was a good-for-nothing, it was apparent that he wasn't without his smarts. He knew that Yang Pojun wouldn't dare to do anything to him, so he laughed and said, "Commander Yang... You want to kill me? Alright! Why don't I get my brother to lend you a nuke to do so? Hahahaha..."
Yang Pojun's expression turned even sourer, but he wasn't able to say a word in retort.
Yang Chen was already feeling a little bad for Yang Pojun. After all, that man is a big figure in his own right, but he wasn't able to fight back even though he was being humiliated. It was apparent that the power struggles in politics was cruel even to the toughest of people. Even though the Yang family had a huge figure like Yang Gongming backing it, that wasn't enough to ensure those below him could do whatever they wanted without repercussion.
Even Yang Pojun had to endure being humiliated by Yan Buxue, not to mention Yang Chen, who had an even lower status.
Three decades of the eastern river, followed by three decades of the western river. The passing of time ensured that no single family or faction can reign supreme forever. As the leader of a family, there must be many occasions when he has to do something underhanded to maintain his reputation... thought Yang Chen as he watched. But he wasn't aware that Yan Buxue was already bored at toying with Yang Pojun and was looking at Yang Chen.
"Oh? Your pathetic face looks rather familiar... just like Old Yang here... Are you that bastard child of the Yang family that gained some reputation in Beijing recently?" asked Yan Buxue as he checked Yang Chen out.