Ye Chen displayed an innocent expression. After all, it's hard to slap a smiling face, and considering he had not suffered any loss from the earlier incident, he now felt somewhat embarrassed by Chu Yanran's remarkably humble approach.

However, Chu Yanran's apology stunned everyone present; they were petrified and utterly baffled!

What was the situation? Who on earth was this deity-like figure? Could he possibly be the heir to the wealthiest person in the world?

Chu Yanran held such a lofty status, yet her demeanor was so lowly when facing Ye Chen. The way she, a queen in her own right, addressed Ye Chen as "you," and even apologized to him, made everyone question Ye Chen's identity!

Liu Tianxing stood amidst the crowd, his eyes bulging like light bulbs, completely dumbfounded by Ye Chen's domineering presence.

Just earlier, he had had a verbal confrontation with Ye Chen, interacting in an unfriendly manner—so arrogantly flaunting his wealth, looking down on Ye Chen as if he were an inferior servant!

But now, when the empress herself lowered her stance to Ye Chen, Liu Tianxing realized how foolishly he'd behaved. What kind of monster had he offended?

"That Heavenly Destitute Star, is he your son?" Ye Chen didn't like to beat around the bush, so he spoke his mind directly.

"It really is you!" Chu Yanran's eyes shone, as she heard the term "Heavenly Destitute Star" again after so many years.

Chu Yanran signaled Li Weiguo with a glance. Understanding the empress's intention in an instant, the head of her bodyguards began to clear the room with a few subordinates.

The banquet was exclusively reserved by Tianda Group, and all those present were societal elites. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to misbehave here, yet due to Chu Yanran's revered status, even as she had Li Weiguo expel the guests, everyone felt it was only natural because Chu Yanran was the empress, and the authority of an empress should be just so!

Ye Chen saw the arrogant and haughty Li Weiguo directing a group of black-clad bouncers to drive out the dignitaries present, twitching the corners of his eyes in surprise, and looked at Chu Yanran with a bit of shock. This woman was just too assertive!

"Sir, I know you are a dragon hidden in the world, a remarkable figure who lives incognito among commoners, so I would like to ask you to save my child!" Chu Yanran beseeched Ye Chen, her face bearing an expression of pitiable helplessness that made one instinctively want to comfort her.

Yet Ye Chen remained unmoved by Chu Yanran's forlorn appearance; a fate such as the Heavenly Destitute Star's was too ominous, not something that could be saved simply upon request!

Looking at the aloof Ye Chen, both Liu Shihua and the adorable Wu Sasha were flabbergasted. They could hardly believe that the business empress would resort to such pleading words. At this moment, Ye Chen shone brightly in their eyes, practically godlike!

Zhang Xinlan, on the other hand, was somewhat surprised to see the empress seek help from Ye Chen.

"The Heavenly Destitute Star is too contrary to natural order; I cannot save him!" Ye Chen shook his head, showing his helplessness.

"Why can't you save him?" Chu Yanran asked, her tone full of disappointment. The simple phrase "I can't" seemed to crush all her hopes.

"Because if I save him, I will be seriously injured," Ye Chen replied.

However, as soon as Ye Chen spoke, Chu Yanran's hope reignited: "Although you would be seriously injured, you could save him!"

Ye Chen really wanted to smack himself for speaking carelessly!

"You can save my son, but at a great price, right?" Chu Yanran suddenly grasped Ye Chen's arm, slightly losing her composure.

"Right!" Ye Chen nodded and pulled his arm away from Chu Yanran's grasp. "I can't waste my True Qi to help others; that would lead to my death!"

Breaking the Solitary Star Fate would seriously deplete his vital energy, causing his martial prowess to stagnate. Moreover, with a battle looming in three years against a formidable martial arts master—a loss meant death—Ye Chen couldn't afford any self-sacrifice!

"You!" Chu Yanran was taken aback by Ye Chen's resolute refusal, clearly startled.

"There are many who can break the Solitary Star Fate, and I am not the most suitable one," Ye Chen said.

In this world, not to mention the countless sages, just within Huaxia there were many hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

Although Ye Chen was a Martial Arts Grandmaster, he was not the strongest among them.

Ye Chen had once heard from an old chief he served that there were Land Gods living incognito in Huaxia; such beings were true invincibles, for whom breaking the Solitary Star Fate was a simple matter.

"But I can't find those sages; I've found only you!" Chu Yanran regained her composure, determined to make Ye Chen help, whatever the cost.

"Sorry, but I can't help you with that!" Ye Chen shrugged his shoulders, showing a look of helplessness.

"You can help me; you just don't want to," Chu Yanran clearly wasn't ready to give up.

"Yeah, I don't want to help you. You should go home! Your son is still young; you need to feed him!" Ye Chen waved his hand impatiently. He wasn't a great benevolent man, and even if the one begging was a great beauty, he wouldn't hurt himself to help others.

Chu Yanran: "..."

Li Weiguo's face was filled with shock, his eyes wide as bells, at the audacity of someone who could wave off the empress, telling her to go home and feed her child. This person truly lived up to being a figure of great authority!

Whether it was Zhang Xinlan, or Liu Shihua, or even the adorable Wu Sasha, they were all dumbstruck. Ye Chen's display of authority was off the charts! Telling the empress Chu Yanran to go home and feed her child, Ye Chen truly radiated the majestic aura of a sovereign!

"Chu, you're here too?"

Just as Chu Yanran was in a dilemma, two people cut in, and even the fierce Li Weiguo dared not stop them.

"Li Yingjie?" Chu Yanran visibly started upon seeing the comer.

The comer was none other than Martial Arts Grandmaster Li Yingjie, and the other was, astonishingly, the entertainment superstar Liu Yingxiong!

"We truly are fated, young brother, to meet again," Li Yingjie let out a long howl and approached Ye Chen.

"Meeting is destiny, Mr. Li, I hope you are well!" Ye Chen faced the highly esteemed Li Yingjie without feeling inferior or superior.

Witnessing this scene, Chu Yanran's heart stirred, realizing that Mr. Li also knew Ye Chen!

"Let me introduce you to my close friend, Liu Yingxiong!" Li Yingjie pointed at Liu Yingxiong, then at Ye Chen. "This is young friend Ye Chen, his martial arts prowess is no less than mine!"

Being an internationally famous Martial Arts Grandmaster, nobody would have thought Li Yingjie would hold Ye Chen in such high regard, which surprised and delighted the silent Chu Yanran.

Ye Chen being highly praised by Li Yingjie left no doubt about his strength, and Chu Yanran became even more certain in her heart that Ye Chen could break her son's Solitary Star Fate!

"I've long heard of Liu Tianwang's great fame, and I never thought I'd have the honor to meet you today!" Ye Chen came together with Liu Yingxiong, shaking hands. "Liu Tianwang, I am a fan of your movies and grew up watching them!"

"Haha, young friend, you flatter me!" Liu Yingxiong laughed heartily, finding Ye Chen to be quite interesting.

Today, when escorting Liu Shihua away from the scene, Liu Yingxiong had witnessed Ye Chen's heroic stance, powerful enough to stand alone against many—this young man was undoubtedly a master of martial arts, and very likely could help him realize his long-held dream of wuxia!

"Chu, you know my young friend here?" It was only now that Li Yingjie turned towards Chu Yanran. "This young friend's skills are ten times stronger than mine, and I was fortunate to get acquainted with him today. Have you known each other for a long time?"

"Li Yingjie, do you remember I told you today that there's a master recently appeared who can see through my son's fate?" said Chu Yanran somberly.

Li Yingjie and Chu Yanran were old acquaintances, and Li Yingjie was one of the few in the know about her son's situation.

"Could it be?" Li Yingjie, being quick-witted, grasped something from Chu Yanran's words.

"So the master is you, young friend!" Li Yingjie sighed deeply.

"I'm no master, I'm not as tall as Yao Ming!" Ye Chen said.

Li Yingjie: "..."

"No more talk, I can't help her!" Ye Chen saw Li Yingjie about to speak and waved his hand, intending to leave. "Mr. Li, the Heavenly Destitute Star fate is too contrary to the heavenly way, only immortals can save her, understand?"

"I don't understand, you clearly can save him, but you choose not to!" Chu Yanran said, somewhat infuriated.

"If I save your son, I will die. I am not Lei Feng—I don't have the courage to sacrifice my life for others!" Ye Chen said.

Sacrificing himself for others was something Ye Chen was honestly incapable of doing; he hadn't enjoyed a few good years yet, he had yet to fulfill the Ye Family's duty to continue the family line, he couldn't die young!

"Ye Chen, wait a moment, big brother has something to discuss with you." Liu Yingxiong saw Ye Chen about to leave and hurriedly pulled him to stay.

Looking puzzled at Liu Yingxiong, Ye Chen wondered why a perfectly healthy man needed his help.

"Ever since I was young, I've dreamt of martial arts to strengthen my body and aspired to be a martial artist. But once during filming, I sustained a serious injury, a vein blockage, so it's impossible for me to generate True Qi. Do you have a way to help me open my meridians?" Liu Yingxiong had come specifically for this issue today and seeing Ye Chen about to go, naturally hurried to speak.

"I don't treat the poor!" Ye Chen said bluntly, indicating his medical services were not free.

Venous blockage is not an issue; with Ye Chen's thick True Qi and mastery of medicine, he could certainly restore Liu Yingxiong to health given some careful treatment. But Ye Chen was in need of money, particularly after Liu Tianxing had shown off his wealth; more than ever, he needed it. Although he dreamed of living off a well-off partner, he didn't want to be looked down upon!

"Name your price, I will meet it!" Liu Yingxiong didn't resent Ye Chen mentioning money. On the contrary, he liked Ye Chen's frankness, as to him wealth was but clouds passing in the sky!

"We can discuss the terms later, but venous blockage can be tricky and needs gradual treatment. Leave your contact details with my girlfriend, and I will get in touch once I'm ready," Ye Chen replied.

"Sure!" responded Liu Yingxiong immediately.

Liu Yingxiong beamed and approached Liu Shihua, "Miss Liu, take down my number!"

Having briefly interacted with Ye Chen, and knowing he had professed a lifelong commitment to protect the one he loves—considering he was also Liu Shihua's bodyguard—they all assumed Ye Chen's girlfriend was Liu Shihua.

However, just at this moment, Zhang Xinlan stepped forward, "The person you're looking for should be me!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.