Insufficient balance

  Inside the Fragrant Pavilion, Ye Yizhe's love nest, Feng Siniang's body leaned against Ye Yizhe's chest, and the scent in the air as well as the water droplets on their bodies all testified that a fierce battle had just taken place here.

  Feng Si Niang was drawing circles on Ye Yi Zhe's chest while laughing and said: "Gong Sun Jian is trying to get close to me through you, he's quite accurate, knowing that Jiangzhou will be in chaos, so he invested early."

  Ye Yizhe nodded and said, "I've thought of this too. Even if he wanted to be friends with me, he wouldn't try to win me over like this. His goal must be you behind me. I reckon he's also guessed our relationship with Li Hu, and he's willing to give up 30% of the profit."

  "You can't get a good deal with that big wolf, no matter how hard you try." Feng Si Niang said softly, "But with an annual profit of around 10 million, he wants to pull you into his arms, it's too underestimating your value."

  Yi Zhe couldn't help but laugh: "What value do I have? I'm just a carefree cloud and a wild crane, only you are silly enough to like me."

  "Yes, I'm stupid," Feng Si Niang said with a happy expression on her face. She had not had an emotional life for many years and slowly fell deeply in love with this boy who was nearly ten years younger than her through their constant interactions. She also gradually understood why many people say that sex is the foundation of marriage during these days. She didn't know if she would have such dependence on him without those numerous intimate interactions, at least not to the extent that it had become unthinkable for her in the past when she was known as Zhu Ye Qing for so many years. Although she knew that deep down, she had always yearned for a romantic relationship to appear, but she didn't expect it to be this way. "However, Gong Sun Jian is really cunning. Taking advantage of the current situation where both Feng Huang She and Hu Tou Bang are uncertain about their future, if we don't have confidence in ourselves and look for a backdoor, I estimate that no matter what, we would agree to his terms."

  She said, Ye Yizhe was stunned, then smiled slyly at her, his hand reached out from behind and grasped the heavy chest, gently teasing that little bulge, he knew she had more to say, quietly listening to her continue.

  "He has his Zhang Liang plan, we have our own bridge to cross," Feng Si Niang brushed off the palm that was making a bad gesture on her chest and said with a smile, "Dragging Gong Sun Jian for a few more months at most, the Green Gang's affairs will come to an end. When the time comes when we can divide Jiangzhou without being controlled by the Green Gang, even if it's just 30% I think he would agree. Now going to discuss this matter is fundamentally not giving us anything to hold our heads up high."

  "In that case, if we fail, won't we be left with nothing?" Ye Yizhe furrowed his brow and said. He wasn't unaware of this possibility, it's just that when he considered it, he thought about leaving a way out for the Fenghuang Society and the Hu Tou Gang, so they would still have a chance to rise again. As for wealth, he didn't take it seriously, but that doesn't mean he didn't want to possess it; after all, he wasn't fighting alone.

  Many of his original views on the world had already begun to change from the moment he stepped into Jiangzhou, and this was something he couldn't deny, nor did he want to - that's just life.

  "Don't we have the courage to break our cauldrons and sink our boats?" Feng Si Niang sat up, took a nightgown from beside her and put it on, walked to the window and looked out at the bustling streets outside, saying quietly, "Breaking our cauldrons and sinking our boats, the Qin Pass will eventually belong to Chu. For people like us, we never leave ourselves any way back, once there's a way back, that means leaving an opening for the enemy, and then we'll be completely defeated."

  "What's the point of this?" Ye Yizhe also stood up, walked to her back, and tightly wrapped his arms around Feng Siniang from behind, feeling her body temperature, and rubbed his cheek against her earlobe.

  "No matter what, I still have you, don't I?"

  "Uh-huh." Ye Yizhe nodded.

  Moreover, I believe in you. In Ye Yizhe's stunned gaze, Feng Siniang smiled softly and turned around to face him, wrapping her arms around his waist and gently tilting her head to look at him. "I believe you can bring us surprises, I believe what you said about making the Tiger Head Gang take down the Green Gang. I believe in your abilities. You are now one of Jiangzhou's largest dark horses, lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment, and it will be a fatal blow. It's not just the Tiger Head Gang anymore, but also the Phoenix Association. What can't Jiangzhou take down? If that day really comes, you'll see, regardless of whether we agree or not, he will come back to beg us to agree. Merchants are driven by profit, Yezi, you must remember this point. You can consider him a true friend, but you must also let him see that you have value."

  Ye Yizhe sighed and said: "Is it tiring to calculate like this?"

  Feng Si Niang didn't answer his question, instead looking straight at him and solemnly saying: "You must honestly answer a question for me."

  "Huh?"

  "Have you ever thought of going on stage?"

  "What does it mean?"

  "In other words, have you ever thought of getting more?" Feng Si Niang stared at Ye Yi Zhe, observing every single movement in his eyes, trying to see through them to understand the fluctuations in his heart and get his most genuine thoughts. It wasn't that she was worried he would deceive her, but rather because many times people don't even know what they themselves are thinking before making a decision, and Feng Si Niang wouldn't let such a situation happen under her watch.

  He was also very sincere in looking at Feng Si Niang, Ye Yizhe quietly listened to her continue speaking.

  "First, let's talk about the underworld. If it were just Jiangzhou, there wouldn't be much challenge left. The only thing that makes us wary of the Qingbang is the direct troops of the four great warlords. Nie Huangyan won't dare to oppose us, and I'm confident that I can even get him to cooperate with us. In this case, taking down the Qingbang won't be as simple as reaching into someone's pocket, but it also won't be a huge problem. We just need an opportunity, one that can convince everyone.

  But have you thought about what comes next? Once we take down the Qingbang, where do we go from there? Do we settle in and enjoy our gains, or do we expand outward? If we settle in, then you're saying that Li Hu's next few decades will be spent peacefully in Jiangzhou. But if we expand outward, then where do we stop? The whole country? The world?

  Once we start down this path, there's no turning back. Bloodshed will follow us for the rest of our lives. Our footsteps will determine our future."

  Yan Yizhe's eyebrows furrowed, but Feng Siniang continued: "Secondly, it's about business. Without considering Gong Sunjian's proposal this time, have you thought of creating a successful career that would make everyone look up to you? I know that if you want to, with your talent, you can definitely do better than Gong Sunjian. And with our support, your foundation is not much weaker than his. He values this point about you and wants to cooperate with you through this, which is something he's very good at doing."

  "This is really nothing, sister you also know, money this thing, I don't care about."

  "You really don't care, but have you considered how others feel? If in the future you and Xiao Yuling are together, you might not mind the attitude of the Xiao family, but you're not considering Xiao Yuling's feelings?"

  "There's nothing between us." Ye Yizhe hastily explained.

  "There's no 'now' without a future, and if she didn't like you, how could she have brought you to her home? Xiao Yuling's reputation for being unapproachable by men is well-known in the circle. Since that day, news of your affair has spread throughout Jiangzhou, and Zhe Yang broke off his engagement with the Mu family just for the sake of the young lady of the Xiao family; it's just that there hasn't been an opportunity to tell you yet."

  "Uh." Ye Yizhe was speechless, he really didn't expect that one thing would spread to this extent, rumors were indeed the most terrifying things.

  Feng Si Niang looked at him for a while before calmly saying: "The most important point is that you are not someone without ambition!"