Chapter 40: Enigmatic and Unclear

He found his phone on the floor; it had already run out of battery and shut off automatically. Ye Fei plugged it in to charge in his room, then went to take a shower. After getting dressed, the phone had regained a little power. As soon as he turned it on, the screen was flooded with missed calls and unread messages—all from Su Xue, Shu Manyun, and Andy. These three women had either called or texted him.

"Ye Fei, where are you?"
"Ye Fei, are you okay? Why aren’t you answering your messages?"
"Ye Fei, why is your phone off?"
"Ye Fei, please don’t let anything happen to you!"
"Ye Fei, come back quickly, contact me as soon as possible!"
...

After reading the messages, Ye Fei felt a warmth in his heart. He quickly dialed a number to call back.

"Hello—" Su Xue’s voice was tinged with uncertainty and insecurity.

"Su Xue, it’s me," Ye Fei replied calmly.

"Ye Fei, where are you? Are you alright? We were so worried about you," Su Xue cried out as soon as she heard his voice, and the others, hearing it was Ye Fei, gathered around as well.

Ye Fei chuckled and said, "I’m still at the Glorious Star Court. Last night, someone drugged me, and I fell asleep in the hotel. When I saw your calls and messages, I called you right away. So, how about you? Did anything happen on your way back last night? Did anyone try anything?"

"We’re fine. After seeing your message, we were extra careful. But we didn’t notice anything strange. Ye Fei, could you have been mistaken?" Su Xue replied.

Mistaken? He was certain he’d been drugged. But with such a good opportunity, if their target really was them, why hadn’t the enemy acted? At that time, Ye Fei was in no state to fight back.

Could the drugging have been just to mess with him? What kind of lunatic would do that? Was it some hideous woman who’d gone mad? The thought nearly made Ye Fei gag.

"Alright, it’s good that you’re all safe. I agree, this whole thing seems odd. I’ll head back to the office soon. We’ll talk more then. Don’t worry," Ye Fei said, and then they hung up.

The women’s necklace was carefully put away by Ye Fei—this was a clue he couldn’t afford to lose.

On the way back, Ye Fei kept replaying the details of the previous night’s banquet in his mind, but he couldn’t recall anything useful. The VIP Supreme Gold Card had been given to him by Zhang Linsheng. He wanted to call and ask about it—and return the card—but he didn’t have Zhang Linsheng’s number. He’d have to get it from Shu Manyun when he got back.

"We’re here," the driver announced.

"Oh, thank you." Ye Fei reached for his wallet, then realized with a jolt—he had no money on him!

Embarrassed, he said to the driver, "Sir, could you wait here a moment? I forgot to bring cash. I’ll borrow some from a colleague."

The driver waited at the company entrance while Ye Fei went to the security office and pulled Xiao Li out to cover the fare.

"Ye Fei, you rascal, taking a taxi with no money? Just take the bus—it’s only two yuan," Xiao Li grumbled.

"Alright, you miser, I’ll treat you to a meal next time," Ye Fei laughed.

Xiao Li muttered under his breath, "It’s just, I started dating recently—dates cost money!"

Ye Fei had already walked off toward the elevator, heading straight for the president’s office where Shu Manyun and the others were waiting.

"Hey, Ye Fei! You come back and don’t even show up for work? Where do you think you’re going?" Xiao Li called after him. Ye Fei just turned and flashed a grin, stepping into the elevator.

"Xiao Li, get back to work," Cen Dachao said, walking over. "Just so you know, Shu’s secretary told me Ye Fei is to go straight to the president’s office when he returns—no need to report to security."

"President Shu? So that punk Ye Fei is really something—dating Su Xue on one hand, cozying up to President Shu on the other! Just the other day, he told me he had no interest in her. Now he can come and go from her office at will—some 'no interest'!" Xiao Li muttered.

A nearby colleague overheard and laughed, "Li, you’re way behind. While you were off with an injury, Ye Fei went on a business trip with President Shu."

"Maybe something happened between them on that trip," Xiao Li speculated.

By now, Ye Fei had reached Shu Manyun’s office and went straight in.

He got Zhang Linsheng’s number from Shu Manyun, then stepped outside to call him. Discussing what happened with a woman was not something he wanted to do in front of Su Xue and the others.

"This is Zhang Linsheng," answered the voice on the other end.

"This is Ye Fei," he replied.

"Ye Fei! It’s you! Haha, did you rest well last night? What can I do for you?" Zhang Linsheng was surprised; seeing the unfamiliar number, he’d considered many possibilities, but not Ye Fei.

Last night? Could it really have been this old fox’s doing?

"Zhang, you didn’t do anything last night, did you?" Ye Fei asked.

"Do what? Ye Fei, could you be more specific? I really don’t know what you mean," Zhang Linsheng replied, puzzled. He could sense from Ye Fei’s tone that something serious had happened.

"Let me be frank, Zhang. Last night at the banquet, I was drugged. I ended up spending the night in your presidential suite—and I was slept with by a woman. That woman wasn’t sent by you, was she?" Ye Fei said coolly.

Zhang Linsheng broke out in a cold sweat. This was no small matter. If someone could drug Ye Fei into unconsciousness, they were certainly capable of killing him. No one liked living under threat, always looking over their shoulder. If Ye Fei found out who was responsible, he’d likely strike first to eliminate the danger.

"Ye Fei, don’t misunderstand. I had nothing to do with any of this. I left right after the banquet ended," Zhang Linsheng explained hastily. He didn’t want Ye Fei to get the wrong idea; that could have serious consequences. He knew Ye Fei’s strength firsthand.

"Alright, I understand. Sorry to trouble you—I just wanted to check. By the way, could someone come by to pick up your VIP card? I’m really tied up at work," Ye Fei said. He believed Zhang Linsheng was telling the truth, which meant the woman hadn’t been sent by him.

"No need, Ye Fei. Keep the card. I never intended to take it back. As the richest man in Deep Sea, I can always get another one," Zhang Linsheng replied.

"Alright, then I won’t stand on ceremony," Ye Fei said. It was just a VIP card after all.

Damn it, what exactly is going on? Am I really that handsome? Is my charm so irresistible that someone would go through all this just to sleep with me?

Ye Fei returned to his office, troubled. It wasn’t the fact that he’d slept with a woman that bothered him—he didn’t feel wronged by that. What troubled him was how someone could drug him without leaving any trace. Such a person was terrifying; if they’d wanted him dead, he would already be gone. He had to find out who it was, or he’d never feel safe. With someone so dangerous lurking in the shadows, he’d never sleep soundly again.

"What phone call was that? So mysterious, and you wouldn’t let us listen in," Su Xue huffed.

"It was Zhang Linsheng. I wanted to ask him about last night," Ye Fei answered calmly.

"So? Did you find out anything?" Shu Manyun asked with concern.

"No, Zhang Linsheng didn’t know anything either. Looks like we’ll have to solve this ourselves," Ye Fei shook his head.

Everyone seemed disappointed. Lately, so many things had happened—each one potentially disastrous. Yet, not a single one had been resolved.

"Ye Fei, do you think the enemy intended to drug all of us, but only you were affected? So they held back, not wanting to alert us?" Andy suggested.

The theory didn’t hold much water. Ye Fei was the best fighter among them. If the enemy wanted to get rid of the rest, taking him out first would make things much easier. They could also use him as leverage, but none of that had happened.

"I don’t know. In any case, we all need to be extra careful. Watch what you eat and drink. I don’t think it was Qiu Jinshan—he hates us too much, he wouldn’t just let me off like that. More likely, it’s a local underworld force—the Ming Gang," Ye Fei analyzed.

"Ming Gang?" everyone echoed, confused.

"That’s right. I’ve heard their boss has gotten involved personally. They’re based here in Deep Sea, and it’s easier for them to infiltrate the Glorious Star Court. They know this place inside out, and on their home turf, they’re much more dangerous than Qiu Jinshan’s out-of-town forces," Ye Fei said, frowning.

Knowing Shu Manyun and the others might not be aware of the conflict with the Ming Gang, Ye Fei briefly explained the situation.

"Ye Fei, now that you mention it, I think it could be the Ming Gang. The grudge between you may not be to the death yet, so this event was just a warning—a way for them to save face. That would explain why you were drugged but nothing more happened," Shu Manyun offered her thoughts.

Ye Fei had considered the Ming Gang too, but hearing Shu Manyun’s theory made him doubt it again. After all, he’d crippled one of their main enforcers—they wouldn’t just let it go at that. And even if they wanted to, they wouldn’t send a woman to sleep with him. If that were the case, it would be like, "I beat up your brother, and you send your woman for me to sleep with?" The Ming Gang wasn’t that brainless.