Chapter 97

As Xiao Bing spoke, Ye Tianming looked at his penetrating gaze, which seemed to see through everything, and was suddenly taken aback. What kind of man was this? How could he see so much?

This was a secret that Ye Tianming had always kept to himself. Some things, she knew, I knew, but they could not be made explicit, because no one wanted to tear off that layer of pretense.

By status, Ye Tianming should have been the heir of the Ye family, capable of inheriting all of Ye Bancheng's businesses and officially becoming the chairman of the Ye family.

Ye Bancheng clearly thought so too and acted accordingly. He placed Ye Tianming in his company to hone his skills, cultivating his abilities in various areas, and continuously handed more and more business to him. Ye Tianming did an excellent job; he was an extremely outstanding young man.

But Ye Xinyi was equally excellent, and she had even more ambition. Ye Bancheng originally intended to cultivate Ye Xinyi as well, letting her work in the company, with Ye Tianming as the chairman of the Ye Group and her supporting her brother. However, Ye Bancheng never expected that Ye Xinyi wanted the supreme power that her brother would gain.

Since Ye Xinyi and Ye Tianming both entered the Ye Group and took charge of different fields, the two began to openly and secretly compete. Ye Xinyi started to cultivate and place her own confidants, showing great initiative in her work, achieving many impressive results, and seizing every opportunity to ask Ye Bancheng for more power.

Ye Tianming was actually a smart man. He saw everything and began to counter effectively.

In fact, not only in business, but even outside of business, the two were competing. For example, when Ye Bancheng was seriously ill, the two each used their own means to try to invite Dr. Zhang to come. That time, Ye Tianming won, and as a result, he gained more power in the company, temporarily surpassing Ye Xinyi.

This struggle was all in the dark. On the surface, Ye Xinyi and Ye Tianming were a close brother and sister. Ye Tianming really couldn't understand how Xiao Bing could see through all of this.

Even in the face of Xiao Bing's intense gaze, Ye Tianming still maintained a calm and composed smile and said, "Brother Bing, I'm confused. I don't understand what you're saying. Xinyi is my sister. How could there be any conflict between us?"

Xiao Bing looked at Ye Tianming and said calmly, "Do you remember the last time we had a drink together, when I asked you who was behind the attack after our first meeting? You didn't admit it, but I already guessed that the person who ordered it was probably your sister, Ye Xinyi."

Ye Tianming, somewhat agitated, said, "Brother Bing, how can you say such things!"

Xiao Bing looked at Ye Tianming with a serious expression and said, "Whether I'm lying or not, you know better than I do. Ye Xinyi is competing with you for the inheritance of the Ye family. She is as excellent as you, and she has more ambition. The Ye Group's assets should naturally be inherited by you, but she is doing everything she can to compete with you. When your father was critically ill, whoever could invite Dr. Zhang to come would gain a significant advantage, because life is extremely important to anyone. By inviting Dr. Zhang, you saved your father's life!"

"So, Ye Xinyi couldn't resist and took action. She hired the mysterious assassin group called 'Ghost Nest.' The first target of that group was me. If I died, Dr. Zhang wouldn't come out of retirement. This shows that your sister still has some humanity. But Ye Xinyi must have also instructed them that if they couldn't kill me, they should kill you directly, because if you died, even if Dr. Zhang really saved your father, it wouldn't pose any threat to Ye Xinyi."

Xiao Bing sighed and said, "When I faced those two assassins, I found it strange that they said killing you or me would count as completing their mission. Later, I understood..."

Xiao Bing looked at Ye Tianming and continued, "Ye Xinyi is your sister, and you two should have a deep bond. But your sister is clearly a very calculating person, and she is capable, confident, and ambitious. If she were a man, there would be no problem. If she were a man, she should be the heir of the Ye Group, and according to your character, you might not have competed with her."

"But she is a woman... In any wealthy family, if the children are of similar age and ability, the son will naturally inherit, after all, the son shares the same surname. If it were given to your daughter, would the Ye Group still be the Ye Group? Plus, you have character and ability, so Uncle Ye naturally thought of gradually handing over the company to you. But facing such an ambitious woman, when she sees the vast commercial empire her father built, would she give up?"

Xiao Bing sighed and said, "Being born into a prominent family is a blessing, but it is also a curse."

Ye Tianming tried to maintain his composure at first, but when he heard Xiao Bing's sigh, his facade finally collapsed. He lowered his head in despair, grabbing his head, feeling frustrated and angry, and said, "She is my sister, she is my sister."

Xiao Bing said, "I know, I know."

"Why are you telling me these things?" Ye Tianming suddenly looked up, angry, and shouted at Xiao Bing, "Perhaps when the day comes, if I really inherit the Ye family, she will have no choice but to accept it. Everything remains unspoken, and we will still be brother and sister. Why are you saying these things?"

"Is that really true?" Xiao Bing, feeling some sympathy for the man about his age, sighed and said, "I don't want to shatter the fairy tale you've woven for yourself... But will it really be as you say? She once sent people to kill you. Even if you don't hold a grudge, will she let you sit in the chairman's seat of the Ye Group? If that day comes, and you tell her you are still her brother, will she believe you? Will she feel at ease? Will she not be constantly on edge?"

"Stop deceiving yourself!"

"Ye Bancheng, your health is just a bit better, why don't you rest more at home? Can't you pray any day?"

Ye Bancheng's young and beautiful wife, Liu Piaopiao, was supporting him as they walked in the temple, with Bao Lei following behind. Another attendant had gone to buy incense.

Ye Bancheng sighed slightly, looking a bit tired, and said in a weary voice, "I've had nightmares for the past few days. I came here to burn incense and pray, hoping it might bring some peace of mind."

"Okay, I'll be with you."

Ye Bancheng gently patted Liu Piaopiao's hand, which was holding his arm, and said softly, "Piaopiao, these children may blame you for their mother's death. They don't know that we didn't know each other back then... Sigh, it's understandable that they would think too much. Perhaps I was too hasty in bringing you into the Ye family, which has made you suffer."

Liu Piaopiao, holding Ye Bancheng's arm, said coquettishly, "Ye Bancheng, what are you saying? Don't you know how good you are to me? If you hadn't wanted to give me a name, you wouldn't have ignored these things. Besides, it was I who wanted to be with you every day."

"Sigh! The children are all grown up now. Anyway, as long as I can be by your side, I am content."

The attendant returned with the incense and entered the temple hall. Liu Piaopiao personally helped Ye Bancheng light the incense, and Ye Bancheng placed it in the incense burner, then closed his eyes devoutly and bowed. When he opened his eyes, Liu Piaopiao suddenly screamed in terror. Her face was pale, and her eyes were full of fear, pointing to the side of the Buddha statue, her mouth opening and closing, unable to speak.

"What... What is it?" Ye Bancheng patted Liu Piaopiao's back, concerned, and looked in the direction she was pointing, but saw nothing.

"Nothing... I... I think... nothing..."

Bao Lei and the young attendant looked at their mistress in confusion. Ye Bancheng had just been praying with his eyes closed and didn't know what had happened, but seeing Liu Piaopiao's terrified expression, he knew she must have seen something terrifying.

Thinking of what he had just prayed for, he suddenly felt uneasy, and his usually calm and composed voice became urgent, "What... What did you see?"

"A figure in orange... A woman with long, disheveled hair... She was sticking out a long tongue and looking at me... She was so scary... I... wuwuwu..."

Liu Piaopiao collapsed into Ye Bancheng's arms and burst into tears. Ye Bancheng's face turned as pale as hers.

"It's okay, it's okay... It's fake... All fake..." Ye Bancheng's legs felt weak, and the once mighty man felt his soul almost leave his body. His eyes looked hollow and lifeless, but he kept repeating, "It's fake, it's fake... What you saw was an illusion... Let's go out... Bao Lei, help me out."

The attendant supported Liu Piaopiao, and Bao Lei supported Ye Bancheng as they left the temple. The others looked at them with puzzled expressions, occasionally glancing in the direction Liu Piaopiao had pointed, their faces full of confusion.

As they were about to leave the temple, a figure in orange flashed in front of them. An orange nightgown, red slippers, and long hair hanging down her back. When the figure appeared in front of Ye Bancheng, he was struck as if by lightning, his eyes wide open, pointing at the woman's back.

Bao Lei also saw the woman, his brows furrowed, hesitating whether to chase after her or stay to take care of Ye Bancheng. The orange figure had already run out of the temple and disappeared.

Ye Bancheng clutched his chest, his face pale, his lips blue, and let out a painful roar before fainting. Bao Lei laid Ye Bancheng on the ground, then stood up, took out his phone, and called for an ambulance, shouting, "We're at Ciyun Temple, we need an ambulance! An ambulance!"

Liu Piaopiao, terrified, collapsed to the ground, grabbing Ye Bancheng's arm, and cried out loudly.