Chapter 10: By Any Means Necessary

Ye Bufan received another friend request from an unknown stranger. Upon accepting, he was sent a video—what he saw nearly made the corners of his eyes split in rage. This was far more explosive than the photo he’d received last time. Though he doubted the video’s authenticity, the setting was identical to Qiu Yurou’s boudoir.

“To lure me in, you people really will stop at nothing. You must have a death wish!”

This time, true fury surged in him. He resolved to uncover the mastermind at any cost, relying on his skill and daring to head straight for the designated location.

Once again, Cao Mang held back from taking action. Ye Xingmei, seeking vengeance for her uncle, directly hired a team of top-tier assassins.

The result…

After Ye Bufan left, the warehouse erupted into flames. When the fire was finally extinguished, more than a dozen charred bodies were found within.

The security bureau dispatched personnel to check the surrounding surveillance footage, quickly identifying Ye Bufan as the suspect and immediately launching an operation to apprehend him.

This time, Ye Bufan did not surrender meekly. Instead, he made straight for the hospital where Ye Xingmei was, convinced she was behind the plot.

He hadn’t trusted the video at first, but recalling Qiu Yurou’s behavior that morning, suspicion gnawed at him. He needed to get to the truth.

Ye Xingmei had already left the hospital to recuperate at home, which only reinforced Ye Bufan’s belief that she was deliberately avoiding him. As soon as he stepped out of the inpatient department, a group of security officers blocked his way.

“Move aside. Stand in my way and you die!”

He cared nothing now for the fact that this wasn’t a battlefield; he simply had to get to the bottom of things, or he’d never sleep peacefully again.

A valiant female officer barked, “Please cooperate with our investigation, or we’ll open fire!”

Everyone knew he was dangerous, and they were all visibly tense.

Ye Bufan snapped coldly, “Once I’ve found the truth, I’ll assist with your investigation. Out of my way!”

Bang!

As he took a step forward, the nervous female officer’s hand shook, and her gun went off by accident.

The shot rang out crisply; Ye Bufan’s right arm took the bullet, incensing him further. He lunged forward and seized the officer by the throat.

“Let me pass, or I’ll kill her.”

He was already holding back—on a real battlefield, he’d have killed every one of these officers by now.

Taking the officer as a hostage, he forced her into a car and made her drive straight to the Ye residence.

On the way, he made a call. When it connected, he spoke in a low voice, “I’ve run into some trouble. Handle it as soon as you can.”

He hung up. The recipient was a sworn brother, now in a high position of authority—someone he could trust completely.

But his friend didn’t take it seriously at first, turning to make another call. When he learned that Ye Bufan had actually taken a female officer hostage, he was utterly stunned.

They truly were brothers-in-arms, and Ye Bufan had once saved his life. But that didn’t mean he could shield him from everything, nor solve any problem that arose. Besides, his current position was far from secure; if a rival caught wind of this, it would spell disaster.

Time and circumstance could erode even the strongest bonds. Even so, he did Ye Bufan the courtesy of calling him back.

“Release your hostage now, and I’ll do what I can to get you a lighter sentence.”

Ye Bufan’s brows knitted. “You can’t even handle something this minor? You’re getting more useless by the day. Fine, I’ll deal with my own affairs first.”

No one had dared speak to this friend of his like that in a long time, and it left him furious.

“Don’t you know when to appreciate—”

He was cut off by the busy tone as Ye Bufan hung up. He thought of calling back, but for the sake of his own future, decided to stay out of it.

Ye Bufan barged into the Ye residence with his hostage in tow.

But Ye Xingmei wasn’t there; she’d gone to the Qiu estate, officially to ‘bond with her fiancé,’ but in truth, to meet with Cao Mang and strategize.

Learning that Ye Bufan had taken a female officer hostage, Ye Xingmei was overjoyed and immediately set another plan in motion.

Unable to find Ye Xingmei, Ye Bufan became even more agitated, oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

Now, not only were numerous officers positioned outside, but special forces had been deployed as well. He’d even been classified as an extremely dangerous patient with post-traumatic stress disorder from war.

Boom!

Intent on heading to the Qiu estate with his hostage, Ye Bufan shoved her into the car—only to hear a very different gunshot.

That sound was all too familiar: a sniper’s bullet meant to kill him. He threw himself backward just in time.

The bullet struck the car window. The command center was stunned—Ye Bufan was a decorated war hero; they hadn’t issued orders to open fire unless absolutely necessary.

Anticipating his move, a gun had been hidden in the car while Ye Bufan was inside the villa. The female officer twisted around and squeezed the trigger at him repeatedly.

Ye Bufan dodged again. Though the officers hadn’t been ordered to fire, concern for their colleague’s safety broke their restraint, and they all opened fire.

A hail of bullets erupted; Ye Bufan was struck in the left leg and waist, blood spurting as he dove behind a pillar.

Only now did he realize the true scale of the crisis. He pulled out his phone and tried to call his sworn brother again—only to find the phone had been switched off.

“Damn it! If not for me, you’d have died on the battlefield already, you ungrateful son of a dog!”

To prevent anyone from discovering the video on his phone, he immediately deleted it, crushed the memory card and swallowed it, then smashed his phone to pieces.

He tossed aside his gun, raised his hands, and shouted, “Don’t shoot! I surrender!”

He was owed favors by many comrades, most of whom had risen high in civil life after their service. Someone was bound to bail him out eventually; he’d just have to endure hardship for a while.

In a distant building, a sniper—sent by Ye Xingmei and the first to fire—had Ye Bufan in his sights again. But the female officer in the car blocked his shot, and as Ye Bufan was surrounded and forced to the ground, the sniper could only withdraw in frustration.

He survived?

When word reached Ye Xingmei and Cao Mang, the two exchanged glances. Cao Mang couldn’t help but grumble, “I told you I should’ve handled it myself. You insisted on avenging your uncle and wasted another chance!”

Ye Xingmei gritted her teeth. “He’ll die even faster in prison. I’ll make the arrangements.”

Cao Mang sneered, “Let’s hope so.” Then he quipped, “With the way things are between us, doesn’t a certain word come to mind?”

It was Duan Xingyu’s memories playing tricks—he felt utterly at ease with her, free to speak without restraint.

Ye Xingmei shot him a glare. “There’s nothing between us. At most, it’s master and servant. Don’t expect peaches from a dog’s mouth.”

“Tch. Like it or not, the two of us are a pair of scoundrels.”

Ye Xingmei didn’t retort. Instead, recalling her partnership with Duan Xingyu in stock manipulation schemes, she remembered him saying something similar. For a moment, she was dazed.

I’m only using him—for now. When his usefulness is over, I’ll kill him!

She swore to herself, then asked curiously, “How did you lure Ye Bufan to the warehouse?”

Cao Mang just grinned maliciously, refusing to answer. Ye Xingmei punched him. “You beast! Not an ounce of sincerity in this partnership. Out with it!”

With a mix of coaxing and threats, she finally got a still from the video. Upon seeing it, her eyes widened, and she couldn’t help but curse.

“You’re not even human. Stay the hell away from me from now on!”

But seeing Qiu Yurou’s misery brought her a twisted satisfaction. She rose to leave, her wounds still aching with every step, and in her irritation hurled an ashtray at Cao Mang’s head.

Cao Mang caught it easily. “You’re pushing your luck, aren’t you?”

Ye Xingmei trembled inwardly. “It didn’t even hit you. I—I’m leaving now…”