Chapter 10 Troubles

In the hotel room, Ye Shikai, feeling a bit restless after his bath, sat alone on the bed. He mobilized the Inner Strength flowing through his meridians to evaporate the remaining alcohol from his body, producing wafts of white mist that rose from his skin. Ye Shikai was uneasy, as just now, during his scuffle with some thugs, an inexplicable energy within him seemed on the verge of bursting forth. Even the slightest fluctuation made Ye Shikai extremely nervous. This was not Africa; it was Huaxia, a metropolis. Should Demon Addiction flare up, the consequences were unthinkable. There was an incident during a battle in the African desert, where the onset of Demon Addiction caused a sandstorm and even triggered a dust storm. It was only suppressed by the combined efforts of many masters in Netherworld Palace, who used their Inner Strength to quell the energy within Ye Shikai. Since then, he had rarely taken action personally, hence his infrequent stays at Netherworld Palace and his unpredictable whereabouts.

Ye Shikai let his Inner Strength circulate within, crossed his legs, and began his cultivation. Today's events made him feel somewhat heartbroken and aimless. He felt physically and mentally exhausted, especially after hearing Su Qingyu's tone when she spoke. As someone with a bit of male chauvinism, he could pamper his wife, even let her tease him sometimes, but deep down, he never considered himself a freeloader. In terms of Martial Force, few in the world dared to challenge him, and regarding wealth, his Netherworld Palace earned a fortune daily, with vast businesses spread globally, an empire worth billions of dollars as trivial as a single hair from nine oxen. Ye Shikai, however, did not want Su Qingyu to know all this because such realities were hard for an ordinary person to digest. Besides, he did not wish to return to that life of constant fighting. Nevertheless, he would intervene if something happened in Netherworld Palace, as those brothers inside had been through life and death with him, and he would never abandon them.

The next morning, Ye Shikai woke up late. Only after grabbing his phone did he realize it had been turned off—recalling that he had switched it off in a huff upon leaving the company the day before. Turning on his phone, he found sixty-eight missed calls, primarily from An Lan, two from Su Qingyu, and surprisingly, one from his father-in-law Su Pengzhan. Ye Shikai became anxious; Su Pengzhan typically would not call unless necessary. It seemed he was aware of the issues between Ye Shikai and Su Qingyu. Ye Shikai knew Su Pengzhan favored him and must have scolded Su Qingyu. But as a man, he couldn't just let a woman bear the punishment. If Su Pengzhan blamed them, he decided he would take the fault upon himself.

As he looked at the dozens of missed calls from An Lan, Ye Shikai felt a mix of self-reproach and gratitude. He had left abruptly the day before without informing An Lan, but was touched to see from the call log that she kept calling him from the moment he left the company until late at night. Anxiously, Ye Shikai pressed the callback button, and within seconds the call was answered.

"Hello, Ye Shikai, are you alright? Where did you go yesterday? I tried calling you, but your phone was off. Where are you now? I'll come to you," An Lan bombarded him with questions before Ye Shikai could even speak. "An Lan, calm down. I'm fine. Just wasn't in a good mood yesterday and left without telling you."

"What? You're fine? Then get over here for work." Ye Shikai's face was etched with shock. Did something go wrong with my ears? She sounds just like Su Qingyu, her mood flipping faster than turning a page. Just a second ago, Ye Shikai's heart was full of emotion; the next, he was utterly speechless. "Hmph, I'll give you twenty minutes to get your ass over here." And with that, the call was cut.

After hurriedly grooming himself, Ye Shikai checked out from the hotel and dashed to the company. Seeing Ye Shikai's frantic arrival, the Public Relations department staff weren't surprised. It seemed that ever since he started working here, if he wasn't late, he was leaving early. In Tianya Group, Ye Shikai was unique in this regard.

Suddenly, Ye Shikai's phone vibrated. Checking it, he saw a text from An Lan, "Ye Shikai, come in." She must have seen him arrive through the venetian blinds. Ye Shikai didn't knock but directly opened the door, only to see an irate An Lan sitting in her office chair, eyes fixed intently on him. "Ye Shikai, don't you think you owe me an explanation?" After speaking, An Lan slowly stood up and walked toward Ye Shikai, who was at a loss for words. How could he explain that Su Qingyu was his wife and that he had been snubbed? Surely An Lan wouldn't buy that.

"Lan, have you ever heard this saying?"

"What saying?" asked An Lan.

"I want to go on a journey without any plans." Ye Shikai posed fearlessly. Forget it, none of the consequences mattered anymore.

"Ye Shikai, you jerk." An Lan gritted her teeth, clearly perceiving that the man was mocking her. She raised her leg to kick Ye Shikai, but...

"Cough cough." Ye Shikai coughed lightly, catching An Lan's kicking leg, only to have an unwelcome glimpse...

"Ah, Ye Shikai, I'll fight you to the death!" An Lan's face turned red with shyness, flushed as an apple. She flailed her arms wildly, and being on one leg, she accidentally slipped. Just as An Lan was about to fall, a large hand caught her back, while the other hand landed on her abdomen.

Looking at the hand on her abdomen, An Lan screamed after a few seconds, a shriek that echoed through the entire Public Relations department.

"Mr. An, are you okay?" Suddenly, the office door was flung open, and a secretary rushed in, taken aback by the shocking scene before her. The normally stoic manager was in the arms of a man, whose hand was still placed on her abdomen.

"I'm sorry, manager, for disturbing you." The secretary's face turned beet red, and she hurriedly left, closing the door behind her.

"Damn it, let me go." An Lan wriggled out of Ye Shikai's embrace, staring at him furiously, her face ashen.

"It was an accident. It's just an accident, Lan, don't be mad," Ye Shikai defended himself. Hmph, this scoundrel... Got lucky and still acted coy. She wouldn't let him off easy; An Lan turned back to her seat.

"Ding-a-ling" Ye Shikai's phone rang—it was a call from Su Qingyu. Hesitating for a moment, Ye Shikai still answered, "Hello, what's up?"

"Ye Shikai, could you come to my office?" Su Qingyu's voice was weak, almost pleading.