A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)

"Dad, what is going on?"

"How come Mu-Cheng's family has so much clout? How come they have so many guests coming down to support them?"

"Could it be that Ye Fan is actually a VIP?"

Just then, Han He was ignoring Madam Han's unhappiness and musing over the scene in front of him.

"Hmph, what VIP? I think they are just borrowing clout from the Qius." Meanwhile, Han Yue continued to find all sorts of reasons to demean Ye Fan and his wife.

In the past, Han Yue's and Qiu Mu-Cheng's families had never gotten along. And today, Qiu Mu-Cheng had caused Han Yue's family to lose face. This naturally deepened the feud between the two families. So at this moment, Han Yue was doing her best to badmouth Ye Fan and Qiu Mu-Cheng in front of Madam Han.

"Mom, I think Ye Fan and Mu-Cheng are just out to humiliate you?"

"Look at how many guests they have invited today. My niece probably enjoys high status in the Qiu family. I bet she gets hefty monthly allowances from them."

"But look at what she gave you for your birthday. A few catties of cheap tea leaves."

"I am afraid you no longer have a place in their hearts."

"And today is the day of your birthday banquet. But they are going around telling people that it is Qiu Mu-Cheng's birthday. Look, they have gathered so many guests here to celebrate her birthday."

"What is the meaning of this? Undoubtedly, they are doing this because they are dissatisfied with you. They are demonstrating their influence in order to put us in our place."

"They want us to lose face in front of all our guests!" said Han Yue as she fanned the flames of discord.

The more Madam Han listened, the angrier she got. Finally, she got so worked up that she threw her tea cup onto the floor.

"This Qiu Mu-Cheng is such an unfilial child! An unfilial child! She is worse than a beast-"

"What a traitorous child-"

Madam Han was so furious that her whole body started shaking.

"That's right, grandmother. An unfilial person like her should kneel down in front of you and beg for forgiveness!" Han Yu interjected.

But, just then, Han Fei-Fei spoke up in her cousin's defense. "No way. Mu-Cheng is not that sort of person. Mu-Cheng has always been a filial person. It must be Ye Fan. That bastard made her do this."

"Ye Fan is way too bold. He even dared to beat up Sheng Tian. There is nothing he wouldn't do. He must have encouraged Mu-Cheng to do this," Han Fei-Fei declared loudly.

"Mm?"

"Sheng Tian? Which Sheng Tian?"

When Han Hai heard this, he was taken aback for a moment. He turned around immediately and looked seriously at his daughter.

"The Sheng Tian of Sheng Tian Restaurant."

What?

"You mean the boss of Sheng Tian Restaurant?"

"That live-in son-in-law beat up Sheng Tian?"

Han Hai's eyes bulged in shock and his face turned pale immediately.

"Han Hai, what's wrong? Is this Sheng Tian someone important?" Madam Han asked. Han Hai's expression had aroused her suspicion.

No. He is not just somebody important.

He is very powerful! Powerful enough to make anyone despair!"

"Sheng Tian is Chen Tian-Jiao's underling. And Chen Tian-Jiao's uncle is the King of Jiangdong, Chen Ao!"

What?!!

All the Hans were shocked when Chen Ao's name was mentioned.

Han He stared with wide-opened eyes.

Han Yu's face turned pale. And even Mo Wen-Xuan started trembling.

As for Madam Han, she was so shocked that she cried out immediately.

"Sheng Tian is working for Master Ao?"

"Wretch! That wretch!"

"Go. Go get those two wretches in here right now!"

"Bastards! How dare they offend Master Ao's underling?"

The old lady was so utterly shocked that she started screaming in rage.

Meanwhile, Ye Fan and Qiu Mu-Cheng were chatting away with their guests. Han Yu suddenly walked over and said coldly, "Qiu Mu-Cheng. Ye Fan. Grandmother wants you two to go inside."

Qiu Mu-Cheng was taken aback. Why did her grandmother ask for them?

"We are happy to stay in the courtyard. So there is no need for us to go into the hall." Clearly, Qiu Mu-Cheng was still unhappy with her grandmother's earlier decision to make Ye Fan eat in the courtyard.

"Don't ask why. If you still care about grandmother, you will go in." After saying her piece, Han Yu turned around and went back into the hall.

In the end, Qiu Mu-Cheng followed her cousin into the hall. And, of course, Ye Fan went with her because he was worried about letting her go alone.

As for Shen Jiu-Yi and company, Ye Fan told them to wait in the courtyard.

"You wretch! Get down on your knees!"

Madam Han's rage-filled voice rang out in the hall, the moment Ye Fan and Qiu Mu-Cheng arrived.

"Grandmother, I don't understand?" Panic raced across Qiu Mu-Cheng's face as she looked doubtfully at her grandmother.

"You don't understand? I think you are pretending not to understand!"

"Fei-Fei has already told us everything.

That husband of yours went and beat up Sheng Tian."

"Are you going to deny this?" Han Yue asked angrily.

Qiu Mu-Cheng turned pale immediately and then bowed her head.

"How dare you!"

"Do you know what kind of person is

Sheng Tian? He is an underling of Chen Ao, the King of Jiangdong! Do you know what kind of calamity you have invited upon our family by offending him?"

"A word from Chen Ao and your cousin could lose his job as town mayor!"

"The both of you are too reckless! How dare you assault Chen Ao's underling?"

"You bastards! Are you trying to do us in?"

"If my son's future is affected, how are you going to compensate us?" Han Hai screamed as he glared at Ye Fan and Qiu Mu-Cheng with red-veined eyes.

Just then, Han Hai was shaking in rage. He wished he could just kick the troublemaking Ye Fan to death.

"You bastards! Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Chen Ao. He is the King of Jiangdong and the top honcho of Jianghai. He can affect the path of your cousin's career, exercise influence over your uncle's business and even decide the rise and decline of Wen-Xuan's family in Jingzhou."

"We can only hope to be able to curry favor with a VIP like him. But look at what you have done? How dare you offend a VIP like him?"

"Do you realize what you have done? A person like Chen Ao can easily destroy your cousin's and uncle's careers. He can also make it difficult for our family to advance in Jianghai.”

"Can you bear the responsibility for these consequences?"

As she was scolding Ye Fan and his wife, Madam Han got so worked up that she slapped the table.

And then, it was Han Yu's turn to deliver the scolding. "Qiu Mu-Cheng, do you know what kind of calamity your marriage to this ignorant fool has brought upon us? Master Ao of Jiangdong. My husband's family has spent years currying favor with him. But because of your useless husband's foolishness, all our efforts may have gone

to waste!"

"Aren't you going to kneel down and apologize to our family?!" Han Yu yelled angrily.

"That's right! Get down on your knees and apologize!"

"Tonight, you will personally go to Master Ao and beg for his forgiveness-"

"You bastards! Get down on your knees now!"

At this moment, all the Hans were yelling at Ye Fan and Qiu Mu-Cheng. None of the Hans had asked for the reason behind the conflict at Sheng Tian Restaurant. They had merely listened to one side of the story and that was enough to make them decide that the couple should kneel and apologize.

As she faced the scoldings from the crowd, Qiu Mu-Cheng's eyes reddened while the tears rolled down her face.

On the other hand, Ye Fan remained composed and silent. No expression could be seen on his face.

Just then, Ye Fan and Qiu Mu-Cheng looked so lonely, as if they had been abandoned by the world.

Nobody, however, knew just what sort of upheavals were going on in Ye Fan's heart.

"How dare you!"

"Who is the gutsy fellow who wants Mr. Ye to kneel?"

Suddenly, a shout rang out. Shen Jiu-Yi and company, who had been drinking tea in the courtyard, were now walking angrily into the hall and lashing out heatedly at the Hans.

"You are our guests, so our family will treat you with courtesy."

"But what is happening here is a family matter. You are all outsiders, so I hope you will not interfere!" Madam Han frowned when she saw the intruders, and she spoke coldly to them.

However, Shen Jiu-Yi sneered and stepped forward. "I don't give a damn about your family matters. But if you want to insult Mr. Chu, I, the head of the Shen family of Yunzhou, Shen Jiu-Yi, will have to object!" Swoosh Swoosh Swoosh-

And Sheng Jiu-Yi's words caused a domino effect among the magnates who had come to support Ye Fan. One after another, they stepped forward to raise their objections.

"Song Shi-De of the Song family of Haozhou objects to this treatment of Mr. Chu!"

"Chen Qing-Quan of the Chen family of Jingzhou-"

"The head of the Liu family, Liu Biao, objects to this treatment of Mr. Chu!"

All at once, Ye Fan's guests stood forward to support him. All of them refused to back down, as they faced the Han family.

"Well done. Well done, indeed-"

"Excellent!"

"Ye Fan. Qiu Mu-Cheng. You have truly grown up. I suppose you are now capable of leaving the nest. How dare you flaunt your influence in front of your grandmother." Madam Han was so angry that she started to laugh. Her whole body was trembling and her face turned an ugly shade of green. She had suffered a huge loss of face when the guests, who were her juniors, talked back at her. So it was only natural for her to get so worked up.

"But Shen Jiu-Yi and Chen Qing-Quan. No matter how rich you are, I doubt you can protect Ye Fan now, considering the trouble he has gotten himself into!"

"What if you count me in?!!"

Just then, a loud voice rang out in the hall.

Immediately afterward, the assembled crowd saw a suited middle-aged man with a bald patch walking toward them with two bodyguards in tow. His head was held high and he had an authoritative expression on his face. When he saw Ye Fan, the middleaged man bowed to pay his respects.

"Mr. Chu, I have come late."

And then, the middle-aged man turned to pay his respects to Qiu Mu-Cheng. "Madam, on behalf of the chiefs of Yunzhou, Li Er of Yunzhou is here to celebrate your birthday. I wish you a happy married life with Mr. Chu! And may you be blessed with children soon!"

When they heard this, the hall went dead quiet.

Within the hall, nobody made a sound!

The Hans simply stood there in a daze.

And Madam Han's eyes bulged in shock.

Li Er of Yunzhou?

The top honcho of Yunzhou City?

He was a top elite who controlled a prefecture-level city; an existence on the same level as Master Lei San of Jingzhou.

Master Li... Li Er of Yunzhou?

Good heavens!

Why... Why is he here?!