The moment Ye Ling returned home, Ye Sheng immediately rushed over. “What did you talk to him about?”

Ye Ling knew that Ye Sheng was referring to Su Tao and sighed, “You have a prejudice in your heart!”

“That’s right; I don’t like the feeling of failure.” Ye Sheng was stunned and nodded his head.

“Actually, you should change that angle and value it instead!” Ye Ling warned after a brief pondering.

“Treasure?” Ye Sheng looked at his elder sister with a strange gaze.

“That’s right. If you want to grow, then you have to treasure every single one of your enemies.” Ye Ling patiently explained, “Su Tao is a pretty good opponent, and you can learn many things from him.”

“He’s just a physician!” Ye Sheng was somewhat angered.

“If I’m given another opportunity, I will never fall for his traps!”

Hearing those words, Ye Ling sighed. Her brother has failed to understand the meaning behind her words and explained, “You might be more skilled with your martial arts, but not all battles rely purely on strength. I’ve looked into Su Tao. He might seem to be alone, but he’s surrounded by many talented people, and he also has a strong background. If you still consider strength as the standard for battle, then you’re too childish. Let me give you an example, Su Tao has someone by the title of Knife Demon around him, and his real name is Liu Jianwei. This person is extremely skilled in martial arts, and in terms of strength, you’re definitely not his opponent.”

“You look down on your brother that much?” Ye Sheng’s face was written in disappointment.

Letting out a long sigh, Ye Ling wryly smiled. “You might be skilled in terms of martial arts, but Su Tao is surrounded by a group of people aside from his martial arts. Right now, you urgently lack your own force. If you only focus on your personal strength, it will be tough for you to become the Patriarch of the Ye Family.”

Taking a deep breath, Ye Sheng lowered his voice, “Sis, I know that I can never beat you in terms of scheming, so you can take the position instead. I’ll be your assistant!”

Hearing those words, Ye Ling’s face sank and barked, “You’re a man, how can you speak such irresponsible words?!”

“You’re truly more suitable than me in this position. With the current era that we’re in, who differentiates between man and woman?” Ye Sheng unhappily replied.

“Dad won’t be happy if he knew about your current mindset!” Ye Ling warned with her brows knitted.

Letting out a sigh, Ye Sheng asked, “You and I are one entity, to begin with, so is there a difference for either of us to take the position?”

“Women ultimately have to get married! Take aunt, for example, after she got married, her mind is all about taking advantage of the Ye Family’s resources to nurture that useless cousin of ours. So how will dad possibly hand me the Ye Family? Handing me the Ye Family will only mean that the family’s resources will leak out.” Ye Ling patiently persuaded. “You’ve been messing around for years now, and dad has never interfered in your affairs; he hopes that you can sharpen yourself since the Ye Family will ultimately be left in your hands.”

Annoyed by her nagging, Ye Sheng waved his hand, “I’ll go train now! We’ll talk about this matter another time!”

Looking at her brother, Ye Ling helplessly sighed. They could afford to allow Ye Sheng to focus on martial arts alone and nothing else if they’re an ordinary family, but as the direct descendant of the Ye Family, Ye Sheng was destined to inherit the family banner. So regardless of how childish and willful he was, he had to ultimately bear this responsibility.

Ye Yilong was currently talking with his trusted aide.

It was someone that Ye Ling had never seen before, but she knew that her father trusted this person significantly. This trusted aide has always been veiled in mystery, and not even she has seen the appearance of this person.

After the study room became silent, Ye Ling knocked on the door. When Ye Yilong hollered her in, Ye Ling noticed her father sitting by the coffee table messing with the tea set with a warm smile as he poured a cup for her.

“Have you seen Huo Kun? How are his injuries?” Ye Yilong casually asked.

“He’s extremely injured and suffered comminuted fractures in his legs. Even if he manages to recover, he won’t be the same as the past.” Ye Ling replied.

“I heard that you visited Su Tao as well?” Ye Yilong asked again.

“I did it! Because I have some doubts in my heart that I had to ask him.” Ye Ling reported.

“So, what’s your conclusion?” Ye Yilong asked once more.

A bitter smile rose on her lips as Ye Ling answered, “Cousin deserved it. He was greedy and tried to injure himself to frame Su Tao! Furthermore, he’s a fool to be enticed by someone. With his personality and intelligence, it’s impossible for him to come up with this sort of method.”

Ye Yilong might seem ignorant to be asking questions one after another, but the truth was, nothing could be concealed from him. At the same time, Ye Ling’s heart tensed up. Could it be that her father has already investigated it?

“Why would you rather believe in an outsider rather than your own cousin?” Ye Yilong asked again.

After a brief silence, Ye Yilong explained, “Because I can smell a plot!”

“Oh? Let’s hear it!” Ye Yilong’s brows loosened up as if he had received a pleasant surprise. For his daughter to arrive at this step, it spoke of her meticulous thoughts and intelligence.

“I’ve looked into the bidders of that gold mine in South Africa, and one of them came from a German enterprise. They have a loud voice and solid background; they were the main competitors of the Ni Family.” Ye Ling further analysed, “If the partnership between the Ni and Ye Families broke up, then that enterprise would get the greatest benefit.”

“Then, why is it related to Su Tao?” Ye Yilong asked as he glanced at his intelligent daughter.

“A big fire starts from a tiny spark.” Ye Ling solemnly replied. “Su Tao is the best way to drive a wedge between the Ni and Ye Families. Furthermore, I’ve also investigated the connections and found out that the Qin Family has had interactions with that German enterprise in the past. Every single year, they would use this subsidiary company to transfer funds for the sale of firearms to Qin Jingyu while they profit from the difference in price.”

Nodding his head, Ye Yilong praised, “It’s not easy for you to arrive at this conclusion. Just as you’ve determined, the claws of the Qin Family are seen behind in this matter. Qin Jingyu might be young, but his thoughts are meticulous and far exceeds those of the same generation. He’s truly worthy of being ranked 2nd of China’s Elite Ranking. Look at these!”

Receiving a secret report from Ye Yilong, Ye Ling’s face turned grave. “Qin Jingyu is pretty ambitious. He’s actually not satisfied with his current business and intends to dip his fingers into the gold mines in South Africa.”

Nodding his head, Ye Yilong sighed, “Most importantly, he knows how to use the shell of that German enterprise to fool others. If you don’t analyse it carefully, then you might be misled.”

“Dad, what do you intend to do?” Ye Ling asked in perplexion.

“Even you’ve seen through the scheme, so how will Ni Buwei fail to see this?” Ye Yilong gently knocked his finger on the table and continued, “He’s currently waiting for my response.”

Ye Ling did not pursue her father in this matter. Although she had seen through this matter, she still couldn’t see through the trend of conflict between the various prominent families since every single one of them were those with outstanding intelligence. It’s not that she’s lacking when compared to them, but her current status limited her.

Status determines the horizon of a person, and only those with status like Ye Yilong could genuinely control the overall situation.

The Villa of the Ni Family was still as peaceful as always. Although the Ni Family was one of Beijing’s Four Prominent Families, their lodging was ordinary due to their Patriarch being low-profile. But never underestimate the security measures here. Describing it exaggeratedly, even a fly would have to undergo strict inspection to fly in.

Surprisingly, Wang Qiaozhen entered her husband’s study room. When Ni Buwei saw the bowl of soup that she’s carrying, he faintly smiled. “You can just leave it to the servants to make this. Your health isn’t good, so you should rest more.”

Removing the lid, a fragrance erupted as Wang Qiaozhen replied, “I didn’t do this for no reason, I’m here to ask for a favor!”

From their conversation, they’ve treated each other with respect. But at the same time, that also meant that they did not treat each other as someone that they can share their minds with.

Taking two mouthfuls of the soup, Ni Buwei evaluated, “The taste of this Birds Nest and Abalone Nourishing Soup is pretty good, and it’s more refreshing than the one made by the servants.”

Letting out a sigh, Wang Qiaozhen sat before Ni Buwei.

Seeing his wife in silence, Ni Buwei finally sighed and asked, “Is it regarding Su Tao?”

“That lad was framed!” Wang Qiaozhen nodded her head.

Shaking his head, Ni Buwei responded, “It doesn’t matter if he’s framed, but it lies in the fact that he’s a chess piece that concerns the outcome of this chessboard. No one dares to carelessly touch it since it might affect the general situation.”

“Ni Buwei, we’ve been married for so many years, and I’ve never asked something from you. Can’t you just promise me straightforwardly?” Wang Qiaozhen unhappily refuted.

A bitter smile rose on Ni Buwei’s lips as he answered, “Qiaozhen, I’m your husband, but I’m also the Patriarch of the Ni Family at the same time. I have to put the interest of the family in mind when making any decision, and I can’t afford to be emotional.”

“So it turns out that I’m just making a futile effort!” Wang Qiaozhen unhappily stood up and no longer spoke a word with Ni Buwei.

When Wang Qiaozhen was about to leave, Ni Buwei lowered the spoon. The soup might be tasty, but his mood had already been affected and he helplessly sighed, “If it goes according to my expectations, the Shui Family will definitely make a move. But if they fail, then I will try and figure something out.”

“That’s so like you! You always move after you’ve determined a plan. You might seem to be prudent, but you’re actually a coward!” Wang Qiaozhen ridiculed her husband for the first time without holding back as she left without turning back.

Was that still his wife? She actually looked down on him!

For all these years, she had been the mistress that never broke out from her virtuous image. So how did she change so drastically?

Can it be because of that ritual?

Shock zapped through Ni Buwei’s eyes, which lasted for a long time.