Chapter Twenty-Seven: My Man

Yang Jiekai wasn’t the least bit worried that the middle-aged man would risk everything in a desperate showdown with him. After all, this man had committed a crime and fled for ten years, only to achieve fame and fortune in the end. People like him were always greedy and timid above all else.

Sure enough, not long afterward, the middle-aged man approached Han Ning to discuss cooperation. The process, as one might expect, went remarkably smoothly.

After the banquet, Han Ning drove the car, unable to resist asking Yang Jiekai, who sat in the passenger seat cradling a large bag of bananas, "How did you persuade him? That man is notoriously stubborn—I’ve tried several times and he never budged."

"Call me 'good husband' and I’ll tell you," Yang Jiekai chuckled, contentedly munching on the bananas he had shamelessly packed up from the banquet. Bananas were his favorite fruit, a preference rooted in his childhood. Back when he lived with that she-wolf, he developed a taste for bananas, a habit that persisted to this day.

"Say it or don’t," Han Ning shot him a sidelong glance, but oddly, wasn’t angry. Perhaps tonight had simply amazed her, filling her with curiosity about him, or maybe it was the successful deals she’d struck at the banquet that left her in high spirits.

Peeling a banana, Yang Jiekai said, "I caught him on a minor slip, threatened him a bit, and he complied."

"As if I’d believe you," Han Ning knew he wouldn’t tell the truth, so she didn’t press further.

Yang Jiekai shrugged helplessly, thinking how strange this woman was—not even the truth could convince her.

When they reached a crossroads in the city, Yang Jiekai suddenly asked Han Ning to pull over.

"What now?" Han Ning was exasperated, but slowed and parked the car.

"I need to pee," Yang Jiekai laughed, adding as he got out, "Oh, and I might take a little longer than usual, so don’t wait for me. I may be home late tonight, so I won’t be joining you in bed."

Before Han Ning could get angry, Yang Jiekai bolted out of the car, arms still full of bananas.

Han Ning was speechless. Who takes bananas to pee? He must have never eaten bananas in his past life!

Once Han Ning drove away, Yang Jiekai, eating his bananas, dialed a number.

On the other end, a woman answered, "So you remember to call me?"

Yang Jiekai laughed, "You haven’t called me, either."

"Where are you now?"

"At the entrance of Dragon Palace Bar. I really need to pee—going inside."

When Long Xiaoman saw Yang Jiekai, she was both amused and exasperated. The man was dressed impeccably, yet cradled a heap of bananas and immediately asked where the restroom was.

Choosing a booth, Long Xiaoman waited for him to return, then asked directly, "Alright, what brings you here?"

"I missed you—came to see you."

"Tell the truth," Long Xiaoman was not a naive girl easily charmed. Raised in the underworld, she had clawed her way up and was far sharper than most. She could see at a glance he was here on business.

Yang Jiekai pursed his lips. "Someone wants to beat me up. I'm scared, so I'm hiding out here for a while."

"Who is it?" Long Xiaoman frowned, though she didn’t believe for a second that he was truly afraid. She’d seen him in action before. If he was scared of someone, coming here would be pointless.

"I don’t know yet."

Having finished his bananas, Yang Jiekai wiped his mouth with a napkin. "But I’ll find out soon."

He wasn’t joking. The middle-aged man’s secret was in his hands, so he wouldn’t let it go easily—he’d surely try to silence him. From the moment they left the banquet, Yang Jiekai had noticed several cars tailing him.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, he chose to wait at Dragon Palace Bar—a perfect place for a fight.

Sure enough, not long after, a dozen men crept into the bar, scanning the room. Their leader’s gaze quickly settled on Yang Jiekai.

"Are those the men after you?" Long Xiaoman noticed them too.

Yang Jiekai nodded. "Just clean up afterward. Leave the fighting to me."

With that, Yang Jiekai rose and walked toward the restroom. Attacks like these usually happened there.

The group had been watching him since they entered. Seeing him head to the restroom, they hurried after.

Yang Jiekai whistled leisurely as he relieved himself, then waited, cigarette dangling from his lips, for his "friends" to arrive.

He waited, and waited—ten minutes passed, and no one showed up.

Frowning, Yang Jiekai wondered if they’d changed their minds. He stepped out to check—and what he saw made him laugh.

The bar was in chaos. The dozen men lay sprawled on the floor, faces bloodied.

Long Xiaoman stood with one hand on her hip, directing the scene, "Beat them! Break a leg for each! Anyone who targets my man must have a death wish!"

"Hey, didn’t I say I’d handle it myself? Why are you fighting?" Yang Jiekai was both amused and helpless.

Long Xiaoman tilted her chin, "You’re my man. Anyone who comes after you, I’ll take down."

Looking at the men groaning on the floor, Yang Jiekai waved his hand, "That’s enough—any more and someone might die."

Fights were common in bars, which was why Yang Jiekai had chosen such a place. He hadn’t expected Long Xiaoman to intervene.

Her actions left him at a loss. Now she had made an enemy of the middle-aged man, and would certainly face retaliation. She was just a local enforcer—how could she contend with a commercial titan worth over a hundred million?

It looked like tonight would be busy. Long Xiaoman’s eagerness hadn’t solved Yang Jiekai’s problems—if anything, she’d added to them.

"Xiaoman, uh… Next time, let me handle this myself," Yang Jiekai said awkwardly. She was only trying to help—he couldn’t blame her.

Long Xiaoman shrugged, "I don’t care. Anyone who touches you, I’ll deal with them."

"What if they’re too powerful for you to handle?"

"I don’t care. If it comes to it, I’ll risk everything!" Long Xiaoman’s tone was resolute, leaving Yang Jiekai speechless.

After a drink, Yang Jiekai stood to leave.

"Where are you going?" Long Xiaoman jumped up to block him.

"My wife is waiting for me at home for dinner," Yang Jiekai grinned, lightly patting her cheek. "Don’t worry, I’ll come by often. But I really have something to do tonight."

East District, Wanhai Manor.

This was one of the city’s most luxurious villa complexes. In a lavishly decorated three-story villa, a fat middle-aged man was sweating profusely in a second-floor bedroom, wrapped around a woman as seductive as a succubus.

Just as he was about to reach the heights of pleasure, the phone rang at the worst possible moment.

The man frowned, paused, and answered, "How did it go?"

The voice on the other end was hurried, "Boss, something went wrong. We followed him to a bar, but for some reason, the local enforcer attacked us. Several brothers ended up in the hospital..."

"Useless fools!" The man roared, "You can’t even handle this? Why do I keep you around? What’s the bar’s name? Send men to smash it up immediately!"

At that moment, a faint voice came from nearby, "It’s called Dragon Palace Bar."

"Hmm, Dragon Palace Bar..." The man started to repeat, then froze.

He realized the voice hadn’t come from the phone.

"Who’s there!" The man had lived a dangerous life in his youth and didn’t panic. He quickly reached under his pillow for a gun, flipped around, and turned on the light.

Yang Jiekai sat on the windowsill, casually eating a banana, smiling at the man. "Don’t be nervous—it’s me."

"You?" The man recognized Yang Jiekai. "How did you get here?"

Yang Jiekai finished the banana, tossed the peel aside, and jumped down from the windowsill. "Some things aren’t settled yet, so I’m here."

He approached the man slowly.

"Believe I’ll shoot you right now!" The man raised his gun, aiming at Yang Jiekai, his voice full of confidence.

"I believe you," Yang Jiekai replied as he walked. "You’ve wanted to kill me for a while, right? Now’s your chance—I came to you, so go ahead."

The man gritted his teeth but lacked the nerve to pull the trigger. He desperately wanted to silence Yang Jiekai, but only dared order assassins—he wouldn’t risk firing the gun himself. If he did, others would be alerted, and his own criminal history couldn’t withstand scrutiny.

Yang Jiekai knew this well, so he didn’t even regard the gun as a threat. To him, that pistol was little more than a toy, and with the man’s skills, even a machine gun wouldn’t hurt Yang Jiekai.

"What do you want?" the man shouted.

Yang Jiekai shook his head and, seemingly casually, reached out and grabbed the man’s wrist. A sharp pain made the man drop the gun involuntarily, and moments later, he realized the pistol was now in Yang Jiekai’s hand.

Yang Jiekai toyed with the gun, his gaze playful as he looked at the man. "Before we talk, there’s something else I need you to help me with."

With that, Yang Jiekai suddenly turned the gun toward the woman, who was already too frightened to speak.