Qin Qinghan, as expected, still harbored a deep fear and distrust of Jiang Hao, the underworld king. There was no way she could accept a gift from him.
Seeing her refusal, Jiang Hao turned to Ye Fengwu, a troubled look on his face.
Ye Fengwu understood immediately. "You already opened it," he said, voice calm. "Of course my wife won't accept. She came here to discuss a project, nothing else."
Hearing this, Jiang Hao nodded in understanding and put the Ferrari key away. Then he gestured to one of his men.
"Bring all the contracts for this project. Let my sister-in-law pick whatever she wants."
"Yes, Boss!" The man hurried off.
Qin Qinghan shook her head, lowering her gaze. "No… I don't want to sign anything."
Ye Fengwu knew her hesitation wasn't about him; she didn't want to owe him. But she had no idea just how much he already owed her.
He gave Jiang Hao a subtle look.
Jiang Hao immediately put on a pitiful expression. "Sister-in-law… if you don't sign, Brother Wu will come after me later. Next time you see me, I might be in a wheelchair."
He winked at the dozens of men behind him. They instantly understood and began pleading with her.
"Sister-in-law, please, sign for our poor Boss Hao!"
"Yes, he won't survive Brother Wu's wrath if you don't sign!"
The chorus of desperate voices made Qin Qinghan feel a swirl of conflicting emotions. She'd come to Fenghao Construction to secure a project… and now they were begging her to sign. All because of Ye Fengwu—the man she both feared and loathed.
Her heart softened. She nodded reluctantly.
Soon, the contracts were brought out. Qin Qinghan, not greedy, chose just one project suitable for the Qin Group. But it was a lucrative one—enough to make the company a fortune.
Jiang Hao personally led her and Ye Fengwu to the construction site, showing her every detail of the project.
Qin Qinghan was meticulous and thorough. She even skipped lunch to take notes. Jiang Hao and his men followed behind, hungry but unable to complain.
Walking behind her, Jiang Hao whispered to Ye Fengwu, "Wu… why couldn't I find you in any of Haihua's prisons?"
Ye Fengwu glanced at Qin Qinghan's back. "I'll tell you about that later."
He had spent only a month in detention before being secretly transferred to a special forces unit. To this day, he still didn't know who had pulled him out—or why.
Jiang Hao, seeing that Ye Fengwu didn't want Qin Qinghan to know too much, asked again. "So… she's the girl who was drugged back then?"
Ye Fengwu nodded. "You should know some of what happened over the past eight years."
Jiang Hao nodded. "It was Chen Sheng, Black Tiger's son. You crippled him back then, which is why he planned everything."
"She was the Qin family's treasured daughter," Ye Fengwu continued, voice cold. "We weren't strong enough to oppose them at the time. Chen Sheng arranged for her friends to lure her out for karaoke, then slipped something into her drink."
"Chen Sheng not only bribed her friends but also one of our own men," Jiang Hao added.
Ye Fengwu's expression darkened. "So it's true. Black Tiger of the West… he needs to be removed from Haihua City."
He recalled that night: he and a few rowdy friends had been drinking when someone introduced him to a 'friend.' Half-asleep, he wandered into an empty room. The man left him there and went away.
After drinking half the drink, Ye Fengwu felt something wrong—but it was too late. He glimpsed a girl crouched in a dark corner. She didn't resist, but tears streaked her face in the dim light.
When she finally left, several men in police uniforms broke in.
It had been a setup. Chen Sheng—daring and reckless.
Jiang Hao said, "The traitorous man among us has been fed to the dogs. As for Chen Sheng and her friends, I haven't touched them yet."
Ye Fengwu nodded and let out a hum. "No rush. I've returned. Now… no rule can bind me."
Jiang Hao's eyes gleamed with admiration and excitement. The madman from years ago was back.
Over eight years, Ye Fengwu had become a war hero, a military legend at just twenty-six. Free from army constraints now, he was unstoppable. Haihua City would soon feel his return.
Meanwhile, in a grand villa in Beijing, a spacious room lined with antique wooden furniture, an elderly man sat in a massive chair. His hair was streaked with gray, but his body remained strong, his black eyes sharp, radiating the authority of a former soldier.
Before him stood a man in his forties, tall and handsome in a black Zhongshan suit. These two were prominent figures in China: the elder, Ye Zhenggang, Marshal of the Azure Dragon and one of the Five Tigers of China's military. The younger, Ye Feng, his only son and candidate to succeed him.
China had five military districts: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Qilin. Each led by a marshal, protecting the nation's vast territory.
"Father," Ye Feng said respectfully, "he's been discharged from the army. Should we notify them?"
Ye Zhenggang shook his head. "He belongs to the Blood Wolf Special Forces, outside the Five Armies' command. At his level, no one can discharge him without top-level orders."
Ye Feng blinked in surprise. "You mean… he's on a mission."
Ye Zhenggang nodded, then sighed. "Bringing the nation's greatest soldier back to the city in secret… this mission must involve that organization."
Ye Feng's expression darkened. "They're overstepping. Even he… may not handle them."
Ye Zhenggang sighed again. "We can't intervene directly, but we can provide some help. That girl from the Luo family… she's still in Haihua City, right?"
Ye Feng nodded. "She's now a company chairman, with assets over ten billion yuan."
Ye Zhenggang's eyes reflected regret. "A shame… that girl was said to be the most beautiful in China. She could have been my granddaughter-in-law."
Ye Feng's face clouded with sorrow. "Father… do you regret abandoning him from the Ye family?"
Ye Zhenggang frowned. "Feng, marrying that woman was already a violation of our code. Had I not still held some authority, the Ye family would have been pushed out of the Five Tigers long ago."
"She left alone, leaving a one-month-old son behind. That organization would have gone mad pursuing him. Sending him away… it was for his own protection."
Ye Feng's eyes brimmed with sadness. He had risked everything for love, yet he failed to protect her—and could not even claim his own son.
Ye Zhenggang saw his son's pain. "Feng, give him time. Perhaps he can achieve what none of us could. Then we can reclaim him properly."
Ye Feng's voice trembled. "What if he refuses us?"
Ye Zhenggang's brow tightened. Twenty-six years ago, he had abandoned the child without mercy—because of two lovers who should never have been together. The child bore the consequences of their love.
Ye Feng said quietly, "He is a war god of the army… China's pride. But as Lu Tianfei said, he is unpredictable. Without military constraints, who knows what he might do in the city? I just hope… he doesn't provoke gods."