Chapter 327 - Untitled
As news from the formidable press conference swept across the glove, MBS International’s collapse gave rise to An Ning International. While MBS International used to be one of the top ten enterprises in the world, the regime change drew attention from all around the world. With almost all the media outlets very concerned about this press conference, many were live-streaming the press conference.
Little did anybody expect the press conference to become Third Young Master Ye’s public confession. What used to be a casual and elegant Third Young Master Ye expressing his deep affection for his wife and child caught many off guard.
While Third Young Master Ye was still his elegant self, there was a deep passion in his deep voice that the media carried around the world. He had become the next patron saint for love who charmed countless teenage girls that envied the woman he loved.
The many in front of their televisions who heard Third Young Master Ye’s deep and gentle confession and saw his restrained yet charming gentleness could deeply feel the pain in Third Young Master Ye’s heart and wept uncontrollably.
They were touched by him.
This was a very unheard-of confession because no man would express his love toward his family in this manner, let alone name his career after them. This global confession could only mean that his wife and child were his everything.
Elegant, handsome, passionate—these became synonyms for Third Young Master Ye.
The leadership of the corporation was its face.
With the public started to take even more liking toward Third Young Master Ye, those who were unconfident in An Ning International due to the debacle surrounding MBS International once again rallied around An Ning International with even more confidence.
With Valentine’s Day half a year away, An Ning International launched a series of couple rings and necklaces for singles’ which controlled eighty percent of City A’s market share within a week. One could imagine how successful Third Young Master Ye’s sentimental side was, but that was an after note.
Fourth Young Master Tang and Lin Yixuan, who were privy to developments, had mixed feelings. With the responsibilities on the Dragon Gate’s information-gathering team increasing, everybody gave their all to locate Cheng Anya and Cheng Ningyuan.
Running on the deep loyalty to their master, going without sleep for days was nothing.
As Yang Zekun watched the news conference on the television, his feelings were mixed. Third Young Master Ye was undoubtedly Third Young Master Ye. He was the only person who could act this brazenly yet get away with being called the man who doggedly pursued his woman at all costs.
Knowing that Cheng Anya did not love him but merely felt a sense of obligation, he smiled bitterly. As he was still fantasizing and unwilling to settle, he asked himself how he matched up against Third Young Master Ye. Background, upbringing, looks, character—he matched up to Third Young Master Ye in all of them.
He wondered if he was able to offer Cheng Anya all that Ye Chen could, and he even thought that Ye Chen would still be unfaithful despite marrying Cheng Anya whilst she would still be loyal toward him for all her life.
How could he lose out to Third Young Master Ye?
Yang Zekun had been, and always been, unwilling. It was especially so when he knew they were cousins, and how Cheng Anya still pined for Third Young Master Ye nevertheless. He was even more unwilling as he had been by Cheng Anya’s side for seven years while Third Young Master Ye was only by her side for a week.
Which man would be willing to settle?
While he did not understand why Cheng Anya would fall head over heels for Third Young Master Ye and not marry anybody else in spite of their relation by blood, he now understood why he lost to Third Young Master Ye.
Sincerity.
While he loved Cheng Anya for seven years and gave all he could, he was neither as absolute nor as sincere as Third Young Master Ye. Third Young Master Ye gave all he could and could not.
Surely any woman would fall head over heels for him, no?
Since men most understood other men, he knew that Ye Chen’s statement was no vanity statements. As a man who was calm and steady yet touched by this statement, what else could be said about the others?
He was afraid that he could not be as open and frank.
He should have given up hope earlier. Cheng Anya was never his to begin with. Cheng Anya and Ning Ning were, from start to end, Third Young Master Ye’s. It was this Third Young Master Ye that could journey with and protect them, and nobody else could match up.
With this mental burden suddenly lifted, Yang Zekun felt bitter yet relieved.
When one loves somebody only to eventually lose the person, the willingness to let go gets tougher. Not only does the love deepen but also the unwillingness of letting go of the friendship. Since somebody loved her more than him and gave more than he could, it’s his call to let go.
If not, he would lose out on even more!
“Humph, how unpromising!” Yang Yun violently tapped his crutch against the floor. He could not tell whether Yang Yun was scolding him or Ye Chen, or even both of them. “What a shame to men!” he said with a terrible look.
Yang Zekun did not respond to his tirade and left him be. Since his grandfather had deep-seated opinions about the Ye family, nothing he said would change that.
“Would a newly formed corporation, even with MBS International’s foundation, be able to develop so quickly? And to think he did something this disgusting when promoting An Ning International.” As Yang Yun said, he grew angrier and wished he could smash the television. Yang Zekun was silent.
What’s there to be disgusted about? Grandfather, you had done even more disgusting things, so are you even in a position to criticize Ye Chen? Besides, he is your grandson, not to mention that you should not even humiliate strangers in this manner.
“Grandfather, I am going up to rest first.” Yang Zekun, out of filial piety, was lazy to provoke Yang Yun. He was able to accept Yang Yun’s obstinacy.
“Zekun, hold it. With An Ning just starting off, make good use of the time and ensure they don’t take off.” Yang Yun ordered.
Yang Zekun turned back and smiled with a slight mocking. “Grandfather, don’t you get it? The Ye, Tang, and Lin families are no longer the families of old. Are we able to go against the three of them? Stop being silly and think about how you would protect Yao Hua, lest it follow MBS International’s steps.”
As Yang Zekun finished talking, he walked upstairs without looking back. Since Louis had Cheng Anya and Ning Ning, his next target would have been Yao Hua. To think that his grandfather still wanted to pick a fight, he was really…
So oblivious to his impending doom!
Whilst Yang Yun sat down angrily, he suddenly broke into a cold smile. With MBS International in ruins, that was something good for him. Should he visit the hospital to see how scorned and sorry Ye Zhenhua was?
Yang Yun thought evilly.
“This f***king promotion can’t get any damn better.” Klose applauded in glee as he laughed while Fourth Young Master Tang rolled his eyes at him. The handsome Klose tapped the table happily. “Third Young Master Ye is actor-quality stuff. It’s a shame he was not nominated for the Oscars.”
“Klose, could you f***ing say something nicer? Third Young Master Ye is already vexed enough, and you are still in the mood to joke about things?” Lin Yixuan frowned.
“Don’t you think that Third Young Master Ye’s news conference has managed to get hold of the hearts of MBS International’s previous customers, consumers, and viewers? To be able to capture the market with such little effort is indeed a masterstroke, and to think that I was even touched by it,” Klose said passionately.
“It’s just a chain effect, so watch what you say lest you trip him and nobody saves you,” Fourth Young Master Tang said.
Klose, embarrassed, kept quiet and touched his nose. “I still feel that his promotional play worked out, don’t you agree? Such a masterstroke at no additional cost is indeed unseen.”
“If it’s as good as you think it is, take a leaf from it and we’ll enjoy the popcorn.” Fourth Young Master Tang could not help but smile and tease him.
Klose suddenly jumped and got up. “All of you move aside. Not all things are suitable for copying and I despise that. I am gonna get creative!” He sounded very passionate.
Fourth Young Master Tang and Lin looked at each other and smiled. Letting Klose wrap things up gave them a comedic effect instead of the effect that Third Young Master Ye created. Besides, Third Young Master Ye was really emotional and it was not something anybody could learn.
“How are investigations going on your side? Any news of Cheng Anya?” Lin Yixuan tapped the table.
“Nope!” Klose retracted his smile. “This asswipe is too cunning. He’s not even in Italy. I am even suspecting the idea that he is within Italy as I had checked with the Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile (ENAC) who confirmed that Louis’ plane did not even stop over in Italy. Hence my question, are we getting accurate information?”
“Black Eagle said the plane headed to Europe after diverting through the Middle East.”
“F***, with Europe being this big, must he return to Italy? God knows how many hideouts Louis has.” Klose could not help but lament. “I f****ing despise this man who spends all the effort for a single woman. What for? Anya is just a good-looking woman with bad jokes, so when did she become this precious?” Klose got cocky.
He sure did not understand, and boy, did he not.
A good-looking woman with bad jokes? Fourth Young Master Tang went silent. A joking woman? Or a good-looking woman? “Damn it, you had better make sure Third Young Master Ye does not hear it. Otherwise, you deserve a new one torn into you.”
“I have heard it!” Third Young Master Ye pushed open the door and coldly harrumphed. The screen suddenly flashed and went dark. Fourth Young Master Tang and Lin Yixuan swore in unison at Klose’s cowardliness as the fun had just begun.
“There is no news from Black Eagle, so hold up a little,” Fourth Young Master Tang said as he poured a glass of wine for him. “I think that you should get a good night’s rest and let somebody else do the searching. You are not in shape to save anybody.”
“I know my limits!” Third Young Master Ye gulped down the drink.
“Let’s wait for further developments for now. We have mobilized all possible contacts and will definitely find them. Fourth Young Master Tang and I are of the opinion that you should get some shut-eye. We will notify you once there are new developments.”
“Ah, yes, Klose is mobilizing his contacts in Europe. With contacts on both sides of the law, Louis can’t hide them for long,” Fourth Young Master Tang said.
As Louis had the Mo brothers as his dragons, obfuscating them was child’s play. Third Young Master Ye was hence not as optimistic as them.
“F***! I was disconnected!” The screen came to life as Klose roared before Fourth Young Master Tang could complete his sentence.
The three of them looked at one another and were at a loss for words!
F***! To think that he could find such a terrible excuse for disappearing! How could an international media network experience sudden disconnections? Was he treating them as fools?
As Third Young Master Ye’s cell phone rang, he picked it up before checking the number. He was only this quick when Black Eagle called because he wanted to hear the news that Black Eagle had located Anya and Ning Ning.
“Third Young Master Ye? I’m Chu Li.” The steady voice came over the phone. Third Young Master Ye’s heart leaped into his mouth. Apart from Bai Ye, this was the first time he was on the phone with somebody from the First Terrorists Organization.
“Yes, it’s me. Is there any news?” Third Young Master Ye asked calmly.
“Ning Ning, Wei Wei, and Eleven carried communicators on them, which I have tracked via satellite to your home.” Chu Li paused.
“That’s impossible.” Third Young Master Ye denied that as they were absolutely not at home. Was this a joke?
“Yes, it’s impossible. This can only mean that somebody removed their communicators. Moreover, Wei Wei and Eleven had tracking chips embedded beneath their skin, which are tracked to the vicinity of Huning Highway. This can only mean that somebody removed the embedded tracking chips from them.”
Third Young Master Ye was shocked. How did they even discover those embedded chips? What was the background of the Mo brothers, and how could they be so familiar with the happenings about the terrorist organization? How did they also figure out such a secret about Wei Wei and Eleven?
It was incredulous.
“As you have expected, this opponent is nothing short of formidable. They also operate differently compared to Louis,” Chu Li said deeply. “I have activated a global tracking system that scans billions of faces. This is the only and inevitable way out. Expect it to take some time.”
“Is there a way to locate them?” Third Young Master Ye was secretly pleased. As long as he was able to find them, he was more than willing to wait however long it took.
“As long as they are under the sun, we will be able to find them.”
“Let’s zoom in on the scanning radius and save some time.”
“Got it, Europe it is!” Chu Li plainly said. Since Louis’ base camp was in Europe, it was hence his turf. After transiting through the Middle East, he already received news that he had indeed returned to Europe.
It was just that his exact location still took some figuring out.
“If they are in some house or basement, could they be located?” Third Young Master Ye asked.
“No!” Chu Li paused.
Although the system was developed by over ten experts across their lifetimes and was undoubtedly the most advanced tracking system in the world, there were still places that it could not reach. Neither the Americans nor Russians had such an advanced system.
Even he was also hemmed in.
Even he was taking a chance, no? Just taking a chance that Louis did not know…
“I understand. Thank you, Mister Chu.”
“Don’t mention it. Your son is the heir apparent of our organization, so nothing must happen to him.” Chu Li smiled. “I will immediately get back to you when I receive information. Since the Dragon Gate’s land-based tracking system is similar to ours, I’ll not check. Also, since their chips were located along Huning Highway, I would also recommend you to track the sea routes as Louis might divert his forces.”
“I understand.”
“That’s it for now then!” Chu Li said and ended the call. Everyone else looked at Third Young Master Ye in shock. “Third Young Master Ye, how did you get associated with the First Terrorists Organization?” Fourth Young Master Tang was the first to ask in return.
“My sister is part of them,” Third Young Master Ye gently answered the question. With Chu Li’s help, things should be much easier, as he had hoped.
Before Third Young Master Ye could go, the telephone rang. It was Chu Li who called. “Convenient to talk? I need to send you something.”
As he sounded a little tense, Third Young Master Ye had a bad feeling.
Third Young Master Ye received an email on Fourth Young Master Tang’s computer. As he opened the email, his eyes suddenly burned.
It was Ning Ning…
A bloodied Ning Ning…