Dongfang Yanran and the middle-aged man stepped aside. The old and the young stared at each other, creating an eerily strange atmosphere…
“It’s said that heroes emerge from the young, and the Situ family is indeed fortunate. With legendary figures appearing one after another, if only my Dongfang family had such luck, we wouldn’t worry about lacking successors!”
The old Dongfang patriarch’s gaze swept over Xiao Yufan. His face remained expressionless, as if he were just catching up with an old friend after a long separation. This actually gave Xiao Yufan a different impression of the old man.
However, upon hearing these words, Xiao Yufan’s eyebrows subtly furrowed. Thinking of another extremely troubling mission, he felt a wave of discomfort. He always had the sense that someone had been secretly targeting him.
“You flatter us, sir. Compared to Dongfang Corporation, Huikhui Enterprises still has a long way to go…”
Xiao Yufan naturally understood that the old Dongfang patriarch was merely trying to keep the atmosphere between them from becoming too awkward. Yet even though the elder tried to be amiable, Xiao Yufan wasn’t buying it.
“Without the Beijing Club, Huikhui will definitely go further. I’m sure Young Master Xiao understands this better than anyone…”
Seeing Xiao Yufan completely unmoved, the old Dongfang patriarch’s eyebrows subtly furrowed. This young man’s temperament had improved a little, but he was still too arrogant. Did he not even understand the basic respect for elders?
“Well, that may be true, but the Beijing Club still exists, doesn’t it?”
Xiao Yufan’s meaning was obvious: as long as Dongfang Haoran remained alive, he wouldn’t feel at ease.
“Alright then, let me speak plainly, since I’m an old man. Will you let Haoran go? I know he shouldn’t have threatened your woman, but you’ve already severed his tendons. What else do you want?!”
At the thought of his grandson’s severed tendons, the old Dongfang patriarch’s body slightly trembled. Unlike the Situ clan, the Dongfang family had always been a single lineage—if Dongfang Haoran died, who would inherit the entire family?
“I don’t want anything else. Just for him to disappear completely…”
“Xiao! Don’t be so arrogant! Believe me, I can make sure you never leave this estate!”
“Annoying…” Before the middle-aged man could finish speaking, Xiao Yufan’s figure had already vanished from sight, followed by a pained howl…
“Yanran, take your brother away. Don’t let him interfere with my serious talk…”
Even the old Dongfang patriarch hadn’t seen Xiao Yufan’s movement clearly. He couldn’t help but feel even more curious about this young man. If they weren’t on opposing sides, he truly wanted to see how far this man could go.
Still dazed from the slap, the middle-aged man finally realized his mistake, but his gaze toward Xiao Yufan turned even colder. Dongfang Haoran was his son. Seeing Xiao Yufan refuse to back down, his anger boiled over.
But since the patriarch had already spoken, he naturally dared not linger any further. After all, the old man’s prestige within the Dongfang family was unparalleled…
Glancing at Xiao Yufan’s profile with her beautiful eyes, Dongfang Yanran then walked away with the middle-aged man, leaving the space suddenly much quieter.
“Finally, there’s no more barking in my ears. This feels much better than before…”
Though smiling, Xiao Yufan’s voice was unusually cold. He had never liked the Dongfang family to begin with, and that middle-aged man presumptuously acting superior only infuriated him further.
“Young Master Xiao, now that no one is interrupting our conversation, would you reconsider? You should understand clearly that our Dongfang family has only one heir. If you eliminate Dongfang Haoran, you’ll be cutting off the very foundation of our Dongfang clan!”
The old Dongfang patriarch’s gaze remained unchanged, calm and composed as always. Yet Xiao Yufan could still detect the unusual glimmer in his eyes. He was certain that if he still refused to relent, the other would likely turn hostile in an instant.
“I’ve already given my answer. Do I really need to repeat it?”
Sitting leisurely on a stone bench, Xiao Yufan’s lips curled into a mysterious smirk, making it impossible for anyone to fathom his thoughts.
“Not even a little room for negotiation…”
“I can answer that on behalf of King Yama: none! If King Yama decrees someone’s death at the third watch, who could possibly keep them alive until the fifth?”
The old Dongfang patriarch’s eyes finally turned extremely cold, and his gentle smile slowly stiffened. He never expected Xiao Yufan to be so determined to kill Dongfang Haoran.
“Then do you think I’ll let you leave this estate? I admit your strength is formidable, but do you really believe our Dongfang estate is a place of kindness? You can come and go as you please…”
“You’re threatening me?”
Xiao Yufan sneered slightly. Eliminating the people the Dongfang family had stationed in the estate wouldn’t take him much effort, so such threats were completely useless in his eyes.
“You can think of it that way. Of course, if Young Master Xiao would spare Haoran, our Dongfang family would be eternally grateful, and all past matters could be forgiven…”
“Oh? Then by all means, try your best to keep me here. Even if you could, my people outside could reduce this place to rubble. Do you believe that?”
In response to the old patriarch’s threat, Xiao Yufan shrugged his shoulders. Tian Xuan and the others were still waiting outside. At his command, they would surely storm in directly. Even if there were many experts inside the estate, they still couldn’t stop them.
His lips twitched violently. Remembering the words from Dongfang Haoran, the old Dongfang patriarch felt a chill run down his back. Six people slaughtered hundreds of elite underworld forces in Beijing. In his eyes, they were no different from devils.
“Then what does Young Master Xiao require to spare Haoran? Whatever conditions you set, I will agree. Just leave him his life so our Dongfang family can have an heir…”
Finally, the old patriarch conceded. Facing Xiao Yufan, he always felt that beneath that youthful exterior lay the soul of an ancient demon. Not only could he not decipher the young man’s thoughts, but he couldn’t even discern Xiao Yufan’s true emotions.
In the old man’s eyes, nothing mattered more than Dongfang Haoran’s life. So now, he no longer cared about anything else. As long as Dongfang Haoran’s life could be spared, no matter how much the Dongfang family had to sacrifice, it would be worth it.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yufan’s smile slowly widened. Now that the old patriarch had spoken, half of his goal was already achieved. From this point on, everything would be under his complete control…
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