Cutting the Abdomen

Yang Chen stroked his face and grinned like an idiot. “Alright, let’s eat, let’s eat..”

Tang Wan was annoyed yet amused by the fact that he could proclaim himself as a philanthropist. They continued to have their lunch when suddenly, Tang Wan gasped. “Oh ya, my grandfather asked me to thank you and I forgot about it.”

“Thank me? For what?” Yang Chen scratched his face with his chopsticks. “I don’t remember lending him any money.”

Tang Wan rolled her eyes. “What made you think we need your money?”

Yang Chen was puzzled. “Then what is it?”

Tang Wan explained to him. “Didn’t you wipe out the Yan clan? Don’t even try to deny that. Even though it wasn’t officially reported, I managed to piece information here and there. No one else but you could do this, plus things were quiet before that because of the Yan clan too.”

Yang Chen straightened his posture when he heard this. “And what does this have to do with the Tang clan?”

Tang Wan further elaborated. “Don’t you remember, your father.. Oh, I mean Commander Yang. He participated in the election for the Central Political Bureau and lost. You were one of the reasons he lost to the Yan clan. But of course, it was mainly because the genius Yan Buwen had contributed a lot to the country. The Central Committee and the army wanted to secure the Yan clan’s status so they gave a seat to them.”

Yang Chen still couldn’t understand how it tied in. “What does that have to do with the Tang clan?”

historical

“Wait for it.” Tang Wan took a sip of the soup. “Because you killed Yan Qingtian, the seat was left vacant. It was impossible for the bureau to re-elect someone so our clan was chosen to replace the seat after a meeting with the four dominant clans.”

Yang Chen asked with curiosity, “The Ning clan didn’t object? The rest of the Yan clan must have interfered with the decision.”

Tang Wan smiled. “Normally, each clan would take up two seats in the bureau but because we weren’t doing so well politically, we only got one seat whereas the Ning clan got three seats and the rest got two seats each. It was sufficient for the Yang and Li clans to have two seats since they were more influential in the army but we were different. We were already in a disadvantageous position yet we only got one seat..”

“Hold on, if that’s the case, to whom did the Yan clan’s seat belong to? The Yang clan or the Li clan?” Yang Chen asked.

“The Yang clan of course.” Tang Wan smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed. “I remember telling you this before. The biggest problem faced by the Yang clan is their lack of inheritors. Other than you and Yang Lie, only Yuan Ye was next in the bloodline. Commander Yang only has a few cousins working in a bureau. Originally, Commander Yang was supposed to replace his relative but it was taken from him by Yan Qingtian. That was how the Ning clan got three seats, whereas the Li clan had two seats. Our clan had one seat and your clan had only one seat too. Now that Yan Qingtian died, there’s an empty seat available. It was supposed to go to the Yang Clan but seeing as though you were the one to finish off their clan, they thought it was inappropriate to do so. So after the discussion, the seat was given to the Tang clan since we have always been neutral. My uncle took the seat and he’s positioned as the vice premier and the member of the Standing Committee. It’s a fresh start for us to recover our political status.”

Yang Chen smirked. “It’s no big deal. I’m not bothered by it so there’s no need to thank me. I didn’t kill the Yan clan to receive this kind of gratitude.”

Tang Wan sighed. “You might not be familiar with it but getting into the Standing Committee comes with great power, especially the decision-making power in important events. Looking at the current economic market in China, there’s no doubt that we can gain an overwhelming amount of profit easily, which is why this is important to all the other clans. I know that you couldn’t be bothered by this but the people who run our world sit in those positions. One can never go against a country head-on unless they have nothing to lose.”

Yang Chen kept quiet for a moment and said with a bitter smile. “I know what you’re trying to say. I might have wiped out the Yan clan but Yan Buwen is still alive. I can’t have my subordinates track him down because of his abilities. Yet I am not entirely sure I would be able to kill him the next time I meet him. If he’s alive, he would do anything to take me down. By then, Hongmeng might believe that my existence is a threat to the citizens of China. I might be fearless but those of you around me, including you, have your own lives. I can’t risk upsetting the lives of those people around me for my own personal gain. So I need to be strong enough to face the upcoming challenges.”

Tang Wan beamed. “I’m glad you understand, but it’s best for you to return to Yang clan as soon as possible. It might not be easy for you to take over as the head of the clan because of Commander Yang and your brother Yang Lie, but once you do you’ll have full authority over the army. Then you won’t be that threatened in the political world.”

Yang Chen nodded. He actually thought about something else. If Ning Guangyao was willing to accept Lin Ruoxi as his daughter and realize his mistakes, it would’ve been advantageous to them. Especially since the Ning clan had the strongest influence in the political world. But Yang Chen gave up on this idea when he remembered how cold-blooded Ning Guangyao was in Beijing during their last meeting.

He’d rather not hurt Lin Ruoxi just to gain support from them.

Suddenly, Yang Chen’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He picked it up and realized it was a call from Lin Ruoxi.

Damn, did Ruoxi realize something was up since I did not turn up for breakfast?

Yang Chen signaled Tang Wan to keep quiet before answering the phone. “Ruoxi, why did you call me?”

Lin Ruoxi sounded as though she was suppressing her anger. “I don’t care if you go out to sleep with another woman but why aren’t you here for the party?! If you don’t want to work just tell me! I can just hire someone else to replace you! Stop pissing me off!”

“Party?” Yang Chen was puzzled. “What party?”

“Are you.. are you serious? It’s a gathering party for the entertainment media. It’s fine if you missed the seminar but how could you be absent to greet the guest?! How would the media and celebrities view us?!” Lin Ruoxi yelled.

Yang Chen scratched his head. “What are you talking about? This is my first time hearing of this!”

“Nonsense! Didn’t you hire Hannya to be your secretary? Did she not tell you?” Lin Ruoxi questioned in annoyance.

“Hannya?” Yang Chen slapped his forehead, “Oh right, I skipped work yesterday but she didn’t call me either.”

Lin Ruoxi didn’t know what else to say so she just yelled at him, “Just come over immediately!”

Yang Chen thought his eardrums were about to explode. He didn’t know she could be so loud since she always sounded so soft and gentle.

Yang Chen was left clueless. He did not even manage to get the name of the location!

Having no choice, he called Hannya.

She picked up immediately. “Master, what are your orders?”

Yang Chen wasn’t used to hearing this so he clicked his tongue and said, “Hannya, President Lin said I missed a seminar today, and a party? What’s going on?”

Hannya responded immediately. “It’s a project organized by Yu Lei, a seminar with the entertainment media with regards to the future collaborations. It started this morning with a party during the break and the seminar will continue till six in the evening. Lastly, an evening party was organized to wrap things up. It’s mandatory for you to attend as the director of the entertainment branch company.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me yesterday?!” Yang Chen exclaimed.

Hannya lowered her voice. “Please forgive me, Master. I thought you were busy so I didn’t dare to bother you..”

Yang Chen was about to go crazy. How did Noriko Okawa even train her to become a slave like this? They were only talking through a phone call and she was already this scared.

Yang Chen didn’t dare to blame her, afraid that she would cut her own abdomen.

When he got the address, Yang Chen bid Tang Wan goodbye in a hurry. She was understanding about it since she was also a businesswoman.

Yang Chen had to do his job since it was his responsibility, also because Lin Ruoxi had a strong compassion for work. If he delayed it any further, he might as well have cut his own abdomen right there and then!