Chapter 973: I Play with Fire to Burn the Sky

“It seems like in Zhao Chen’s mind, that Ye Shilong is more important than you.”

At some point, Xu Shaochen had moved closer to Yuxiu.

Yuxiu’s polite smile instantly froze. She suppressed her irritation and said in a low voice, “You’re playing with fire. I agreed to your request, but could you please restrain yourself in public?”

“Others play with fire and wet the bed. I play with fire and burn the sky,” Xu Shaochen said casually, lightly brushing Yuxiu’s hand.

Deng Tianwen and Zhao Fei exchanged glances and then smiled knowingly, before shifting their gazes elsewhere.

Yuxiu could no longer stay by Xu Shaochen’s side. Who knew what he might do next?

Putting a smile back on her face, she walked towards Zhao Chen and respectfully greeted Ye Shilong and Ye Shihu, “Good evening, Young Masters Ye.”

Ye Shilong nodded calmly.

A strange glint flashed in Ye Shihu’s eyes, as he felt an overwhelming desire for this woman.

However, in such a public setting, he didn’t dare act on it, quickly suppressing his greed.

“Did you also send invitations to those two fools?”

Xu Shaochen asked Deng Tianwen.

“Am I crazy?” Deng Tianwen rolled his eyes. “They definitely showed up on their own.”

Xu Shaochen gave him a once-over and nodded, “Yeah, pretty crazy.”

Deng Tianwen: “…”

Once Ye Shilong and Ye Shihu arrived, they became the focal point of the entire banquet, and Deng Tianwen was quickly forgotten.

A crowd gathered around Ye Shilong, fawning over him. He responded politely, nodding to each of them without the slightest arrogance, handling the situation impeccably.

Xu Shaochen and Deng Tianwen stood not far off, wine glasses in hand, quietly watching Ye Shilong show off.

The stark contrast between Xu Shaochen and Deng Tianwen’s isolation and the lively crowd around Ye Shilong made them seem lonely and irrelevant in the eyes of others.

It was clear from this that the Deng Family’s days were numbered.

Moments passed.

It was as if Ye Shilong just noticed Xu Shaochen then, making his way through the crowd towards him.

“I came uninvited. I hope you don’t mind, Young Master Deng,” Ye Shilong said, looking at Deng Tianwen.

Before Deng Tianwen could respond, Xu Shaochen nodded, “Yeah, you’re kind of unwelcome. So why don’t you take your brother and leave?”

No matter how composed Ye Shilong was, he couldn’t help the twitch in his face. Who talks like that?

“You insolent fool! Who do you think you are, daring to speak to Young Master Ye like that? You’re courting death!”

A portly middle-aged man seized the chance to make himself useful. Lugging his 200-pound frame, he jumped forward and began cursing at Xu Shaochen.

After his tirade, he turned to Ye Shilong, speaking righteously, “Young Master Ye, this fool insulted you! Just give the word, and I’ll make sure he can’t set foot in the Northwest again!”

“That’s right, Young Master Ye. You’re worth a fortune; how could you let this child embarrass you? Isn’t that a slap in our faces?”

“We must teach him a lesson…”

Hearing this, others quickly joined in, eager to show off. To them, Xu Shaochen was just a lamb to be slaughtered.

Though Zhao Fei and Yuxiu’s prior deference to Xu Shaochen should’ve been a warning that he wasn’t ordinary.

But in their eyes, no matter how powerful, could he be more powerful than the Ye brothers?

Looking at the mob before him, Ye Shilong’s expression turned odd.

“Heh, make sure I can’t set foot in the Northwest? Wow, that’s some big talk. So let me ask, who the hell are you?”

Xu Shaochen gave a mocking smile, looking at the fat man who had first spoken. He was beginning to wonder if he’d been too low-key, for these idiots to dare act so arrogantly in front of him.

“I’m Cheng Jin! I’m not much in front of Young Master Ye, but in the Northwest, I have some influence! Since you dared to disrespect him, I’ll make sure you can’t act so recklessly here!”

The fat man, named Cheng Jin, loudly announced his name. His goal, of course, was to make Ye Shilong remember him.

After all, he saw this as a golden opportunity.

“Cheng Jin?” Xu Shaochen laughed, “Do you know who I am? Even Ye Shilong wouldn’t dare speak to me like that. Don’t believe me? Ask him.”

“Hahahahaha…”

Everyone burst into hearty laughter at this.

“That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard this year! Who do you think you are, comparing yourself with Young Master Ye? You’re killing me with laughter.”

Cheng Jin laughed so hard that tears rolled down his face. He turned back to share his joy with the crowd, “Did you hear that? He said even Young Master Ye wouldn’t dare speak to him like that! What a joke! Hahahaha…”

“Bang!”

His laughter abruptly stopped, as the wine glass in Xu Shaochen’s hand suddenly smashed over his head.

“Ah!” Cheng Jin screamed, his face contorted in pain. He pointed at Xu Shaochen, growling, “You dare hit me? I’ll make sure you die!”

“Ye Shilong, what do you think I should do with him? How about we destroy his family and have him driven out of the Northwest?”

Xu Shaochen ignored the fat man’s threat and turned to Ye Shilong.

Now, Ye Shilong couldn’t remain silent any longer. “Young Master Xu is a person of status. As they say, ignorance is no crime. Why bother arguing with him?”

With that, Ye Shilong turned to Cheng Jin, “What are you standing there for? Hurry up and apologize to Young Master Xu.”

“Y-Young Master Ye…”

Cheng Jin was in disbelief, while everyone else stood there dumbfounded.

Ye Shilong, seeming to remember something, smiled with realization, “I forgot to introduce him. This is none other than Young Master Xu of the Xu Corporation.”

Ye Shilong had intended to use Cheng Jin to embarrass Xu Shaochen, but Xu Shaochen had passed the problem right back to him.

Since Cheng Jin had spoken in his defense, Ye Shilong couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing, or others might lose faith in him.

So to avoid further foolishness, he revealed Xu Shaochen’s identity himself.

Wow!

As soon as he said this, the entire crowd broke into a commotion, staring wide-eyed at Xu Shaochen in disbelief.

They now understood why the seven or eight people had been so deferential towards Xu Shaochen earlier—it was because they already knew who he was.

Cheng Jin’s face drained of color, and his body trembled uncontrollably. His head spun, and he nearly fainted.

“Thud—”

Cheng Jin’s knees buckled, and he knelt before Xu Shaochen, stammering:

“Young Master Xu… Xu, please have mercy. I didn’t know who you were. Please, spare me. I beg you!”

As he begged, he kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead quickly becoming a mess of blood and flesh.

“Who am I to spare you? I should be the one begging you for mercy so you don’t banish me from the Northwest.”

Xu Shaochen looked down at him with a mixture of disdain and amusement.