Chapter 18 - Ye Chen Meets Shen Qingqiu Again
Chapter 18: Ye Chen Meets Shen Qingqiu Again
Amidst the chorus of pained cries, the security guards were quickly overpowered by Ye Chen, their faces battered and swollen. “Please stop, grandfather, I know I was wrong…” the chief of security begged, clutching his swollen face, looking utterly pitiful.
“Learn your lesson about judging people by their appearance. Dare to do it again?” Ye Chen, having vented his frustration, withdrew, coldly eyeing the guards. He knew the limits of what he could do in public; after all, this was the Zhou State, and he couldn’t afford to go too far.
“I won’t dare again…” the chief whimpered, a shadow of his former imposing self.
…
The commotion at the entrance of the Shen Corporation quickly alerted the higher-ups. A woman in her forties, dressed in an office outfit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, came out from the building. She had a stern look that commanded respect.
“What happened here?” she inquired, approaching the chief of security. Seeing his bruised face, she frowned in confusion.
“Manager Liu, this man claims to be President Shen’s junior brother and wanted to see her,” the chief explained tearfully. “But with President Shen’s busy schedule, she hardly has time for such people… I stopped him, and then he beat us up…”
“You’re President Shen’s junior brother?” Manager Liu asked Ye Chen, somewhat surprised. Shen Qingqiu had indeed mentioned to the executives that her junior brother would be visiting.
“Yes, I am her junior brother,” Ye Chen replied confidently. Despite his current humble status, he believed in his extraordinary abilities and was sure he would carve out his own place in Linjiang City soon.
Manager Liu looked at Ye Chen, taken aback. His rural attire clearly indicated his humble background, but he didn’t exude the typical self-consciousness of someone from the countryside; instead, he seemed confident and self-assured.
“If you are indeed President Shen’s junior brother, then come with me,” said Manager Liu, not questioning further.
She led the way inside, with Ye Chen following closely behind. She wasn’t particularly concerned about the possibility of Ye Chen being an imposter; she knew President Shen wasn’t someone just anyone could falsely claim a connection with. If Ye Chen turned out to be a fraud, he would face the consequences.
Thus, Ye Chen entered the Shen Corporation building, passing by the bewildered security guards.
…
On the sixteenth floor of the Shen Corporation building, Manager Liu knocked on Shen Qingqiu’s office door. “President, a man claiming to be your junior brother is here to see you.”
“Let him in,” came the response.
As the office door opened, Ye Chen laid eyes on Shen Qingqiu, the person he had longed to see. She sat at her desk in a body-hugging skirt, a departure from her usual attire, working on some documents.
“Sister…” Ye Chen began, visibly moved. He seemed to have a thousand words to say but couldn’t find the right ones.
“Mmm, you’re here… Master must have permitted you to leave the mountain, which means you’ve broken through to the innate realm,” Shen Qingqiu said, looking up at him.
“Yes, I’ve now reached the innate level of cultivation,” Ye Chen replied, scratching his head awkwardly, feeling slightly embarrassed.
He always thought of himself as a martial arts prodigy, but he paled in comparison to his senior sister, who was an entire realm ahead of him despite only starting a year earlier.
“How has Master been recently?”
“Master is as usual, mostly spending time in cultivation, and has now broken through.”
“Is that so? Then, I’ll have to congratulate Master.” Shen Qingqiu responded coldly, maintaining her usual icy demeanor even towards her junior brother.
Ye Chen wasn’t surprised by her attitude; he knew her personality well. During his seven years on the mountain, he had rarely seen her smile.
The last time he saw her smile was when she had just broken through to a higher level of cultivation. Ye Chen had been there at that moment, completely captivated by her smile. It was then that he resolved to dedicate himself to his cultivation, to be worthy of standing beside her.