This man was in his thirties, impeccably dressed in a suit, steady and imposing — he was undoubtedly a powerful figure who had been at the top for a long time.

"Chu, what an honor it is to have you here. Why didn't you let me know in advance, Chen Yuan would have loved to greet you properly!" The distinguished man, upon appearing, showed great enthusiasm towards Chu Yanran.

"With President Li tied up with endless tasks, I merely dropped by — I would never dare to disturb you unannounced!" Chu Yanran replied with a gentle and smiling demeanor, recognizing that the man before her was no ordinary person; even as a supreme empress, she could not afford to belittle him.

The extraordinary man was named Li Chenyuan. He was the only son of Li Tianda, the founder of Tianda Group, making him the sole heir to this vast business empire!

"Director Chu, you've just arrived and haven't even had a drink yet you're already leaving in such a hurry?" inquired Li Chenyuan.

He was the host of the banquet, yet he had not been present until now. Upon hearing from his assistant, he rushed over just in time to intercept the empress's departure.

Ordinarily, women clustered around Li Chenyuan like flies, flocking to him in droves, but he quickly lost interest after a bit of fun. Only Chu Yanran had consistently occupied his thoughts, yet the aloof empress seemed to have never shown any interest in him.

Indeed, Li Chenyuan was very attracted to Chu Yanran!

"There's an issue at home that requires my attendance," said Chu Yanran with a smile, her demeanor turning somewhat cold.

Her initial welcoming smile was out of respect for Li Chenyuan's father — Li Tianda.

Li Tianda had once shown her kindness, and although Chu Yanran stood solitary at the pinnacle, she was a grateful person. She did not wish to embarrass Tianda in front of everyone.

Li Chenyuan was outstanding, and he was inheriting a massive business empire; indeed, there were very few men in Huaxia as impressive as him.

Yet, Chu Yanran did not like this man, because the way he looked at her was dirty!

"All right then, that's truly a pity. I'll make sure to pay you a visit some other time, Director Chu!" The smile on Li Chenyuan's face did not fade.

Chu Yanran had a peculiar charm about her that made Li Chenyuan unable to let go, igniting the desire within him to conquer this prestigious phoenix.

Li Chenyuan was well versed in the affairs of the empress. This young and attractive widow was a few years younger than him, but she was rapidly catching up to his father in terms of business achievements.

To Li Chenyuan, such an exceptional woman was fatally alluring. Thus, whenever he saw Chu Yanran, he was deeply mesmerized, longing to possess this unique empress.

On this occasion, Chu Yanran couldn't even be bothered to reply and merely nodded silently,

"Mr. Ye, let's go," she said to Ye Chen.

With Li Weiguo leading the way and Chu Yanran attending to him, Ye Chen set out on his journey anew.

"Wait, who is this gentleman?" Li Chenyuan pressed on.

Before Chu Yanran could respond, Li Chenyuan reached out his hand to Ye Chen, "Li Chenyuan, it's a pleasure to meet you."

It goes without saying, Li Chenyuan's behavior at the moment was genuinely loathsome to Chu Yanran.

"Ye Chen, I'm not at all pleased to meet you," Ye Chen declared his name but did not reciprocate the handshake.

Ye Chen found Li Chenyuan especially disagreeable; the man's aura was cold and grim. People with such auras were rarely good, so he did not bother to hide his disdain.

Li Chenyuan: "..."

Silence fell over the room.

Everyone present knew Li Chenyuan, but nobody dared to disregard the heir to the business empire in this way, not even Chu Yanran!

Yet, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, an unknown dared to embarrass Li Chenyuan to such an extent. This was beyond surprising!

Li Tianxing's lips were bitten until they bled as he observed Ye Chen, who dared to tarnish Li Chenyuan's reputation; his face was covered with the pallor of death.

Zhang Hanyu had just been ravaged to the point of wailing by He Xiangdong, with her most delicate areas swollen from the Crown Prince's rough handling. Still dazed, she cast her eyes over the stand-out figure of Ye Chen, finding him vaguely familiar, but when she spotted Liu Shihua beside him, she remembered Goudan'er...

In Huaxia, Li Chenyuan was the undisputed Crown Prince. Even prominent young figures like He Xiangdong were a rank below him; it was as if He Xiangdong was a prince, while Li Chenyuan a Crown Prince. One was destined to be a subject while the other was to become an emperor — such was the gulf between them.

Ye Chen was unaware of how formidable Li Chenyuan was. He simply expressed his feelings naturally, yet it sent shockwaves through the audience.

"Haha~~!" Li Chenyuan, facing the cold reception from Ye Chen, couldn't help but pause in bewilderment before bursting out in unrestrained laughter.

Li Chenyuan's laughter was masterful, conveying an emotion that seemed to dismiss Ye Chen's disregard with ease. He showed a broad-minded generosity, suggesting all grievances could be laughed away.

However, anyone could tell that deep down, the Crown Prince Tianda must have been seething with rage.

"Director Chu, this time, I let this guy off for your sake," Li Chenyuan whispered to Chu Yanran.

"Thank you!" Chu Yanran nodded. Even if Ye Chen was extremely dominant, facing Li Chenyuan, the powerful Crown Prince, he couldn't have the upper hand. Li Chenyuan's willingness to let bygones be bygones was seen as extremely good by Chu Yanran.

"I don't need you to go easy on me; I'd like to see how you're going to knock down my horse," Ye Chen said, unwilling to accept the favor. "Don't use me as a prop for your show-off, find another way to impress the ladies without dragging me into it!"

Li Chenyuan: "..."

With Ye Chen's astounding remark, everyone was confused. Did this man have enough confidence, or was he just a complete idiot?

This was Li Chenyuan, the Chief Executive Officer of the Tianda Group, the heir to a vast business empire. Speaking to him so rudely, was he not afraid?

In the whole of Huaxia, there were only a handful of people who dared to offend Li Chenyuan, and coincidentally, none of those few were present today. Did Ye Chen's boldness imply that a dormant major figure was about to rise?!

"Your name is Ye Chen?" For the first time, Li Chenyuan looked at Ye Chen properly, and there weren't many who received such attention from him!

Ye Chen didn't utter a sound; high society folks were too long-winded. Li Chenyuan wanted to erupt in anger, but it seemed he still needed more time to simmer.

"Chenyuan." Just then, someone resembling an old butler came over and whispered a few words into Li Chenyuan's ear.

Ye Chen's eyebrows lifted slightly. This old man was not simple. His walk carried the speed of lightning, his Martial Arts Realm had reached the level of a Martial Arts Master, and his cultivation was probably three parts stronger than Li Yingjie's!

Such a figure should have been wandering the world, pursuing the path of a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Why would he serve someone else?

Ye Chen put away his contempt for Li Chenyuan. The fact that someone like Li Chenyuan could have a senior Martial Arts Master act as a butler showed how terrifyingly deep the roots of the Li Family were!

Not knowing what the old butler had said to Li Chenyuan, the heir to the vast empire had a fluctuating expression. At last, he glanced at Ye Chen, his eyes filled with complexity.

"Mr. Ye, today's events were a misunderstanding. Please don't hold it against us," the old butler approached Ye Chen, very humbly.

Ye Chen was puzzled; it seemed the man knew him, but he did not recognize the elder.

"I am the chief disciple of Master, and you are a peer among his equals. Moreover, you have a pinnacle duel with him in three years, warranting me to respectfully address you as Mr. Ye!" The butler's voice was soft but audible to Ye Chen.

"So it is, you're his chief disciple." Ye Chen suddenly realized why the old man's aura felt sharp as lightning and vaguely familiar.

The Martial Arts heavyweight who had challenged Ye Chen was renowned across the world, naturally having countless outstanding disciples. It was unexpected that this Martial Arts Master, appearing to be over sixty, was actually the top chief disciple of that heavyweight!

"I was the first disciple under my Master, but I have not reached the Grandmaster Realm. Therefore, I am unable to lock in my essence and control the aging of my body," the elder sighed slightly.

"It is as expected, being incessantly bound by the mortal world's concerns," Ye Chen said.

"Ha ha," the old butler laughed. "Mr. Ye is indeed carefree. Barely at twice ten yet your Martial Arts cultivation surpasses mine. I truly look forward to the peak duel between you and my Master in three years!"

Ye Chen gave a nod in acknowledgment.

The conversation between Ye Chen and the old butler was augmented with True Qi, inaudible to bystanders. Yet Ye Chen maintained his usual arrogance while the old butler showed great deference, creating a surprising scene that left everyone shocked!

This old butler wasn't famous in the world, but he was often seen by the side of Li Tianda. If Li Chenyuan was the Crown Prince of the Tianda Empire, then this old butler was the Grand Chancellor. Although he always presented himself as a butler, his exalted status was well known, and even Li Chenyuan addressed him as an uncle!

Yet faced with Ye Chen, such a venerable old butler showed his respect. The sight profoundly shocked everyone!

Chu Yanran's eyes sparkled with incredible light. Despite always presenting himself as a butler, the old man was in fact a close friend to Li Tianda, deserving of her own respect as a senior. Yet before Ye Chen, he assumed such a humble posture.

Even the seasoned business empress was deeply surprised, let alone the rest. Everyone who knew or did not know Ye Chen was stunned.

Who was this supreme figure that had suddenly appeared?

"Farewell!" After a brief silence, Ye Chen said goodbye to the elder without ever asking for his name.

"Farewell!" the butler-like elder replied earnestly.

Ye Chen respected the elder's age, and the elder respected Ye Chen's strength!

Both maintained a tacit understanding not to pursue a deeper connection. After all, Ye Chen was destined for a duel with that Martial Arts titan. If Ye Chen won, the titan would fall, making him the elder's master's killer. If it was the other way around, then that day would be Ye Chen's end. Thus, while they respected each other, neither showed an eager disposition.

In the end, Ye Chen left in an unconcerned, suave manner. Li Chenyuan's complexion was as ugly as if he had swallowed something unmentionable, but ultimately, he did not dare to trouble Ye Chen.

"Who is he?"

After Ye Chen left, everyone was left with a common question.

"Ye Chen, this name, will spread through the upper-class society!"

Though unknown, the mysterious man named Ye Chen, accompanied by the empress in his departure, was destined to become a well-known name among these high-profile figures!

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