Mad Dragon gets out of prison and marries a beautiful CEO.

Chapter 99

Chen Li's phone lit up briefly on the coffee table.

He had just finished showering, his hair still dripping wet, and walked over with a towel draped over his shoulder, picking it up and glancing at it.

The screen displayed a message from Ye Qinglian.

He glanced at the message for two seconds, locked the screen, tossed his phone back onto the coffee table, and continued drying his hair with a towel.

Chen Jia brought out a cup of hot milk from the kitchen, saw his reaction, and asked:

"Whose message?"

"Ye Qinglian invited me to tea tomorrow afternoon. By the way, what time are you going back to class tomorrow?"

Chen Li asked with concern.

"I'm not in a hurry, taking the high-speed train is quite fast."

Chen Jia placed the milk on the coffee table in front of him and sat down next to him.

She had changed into loose loungewear, her hair cascading over her shoulders, smelling of fresh shower gel. Perhaps it was jealousy, but she asked out of curiosity:

"What did she say?"

"Let's talk about cooperation."

How sincere do you think she is?

Chen Li draped the towel over the sofa armrest, picked up the milk, and took a sip.

The warm liquid slid down my throat, and a warm feeling spread through my stomach.

He put down the cup, thought for two seconds, and then spoke:

"It's not important. The main thing is to find out Ye Zong's intentions through her."

"She and her adoptive father are in the same boat. If the boat capsizes, no one can escape. She came to me to find a way out for Zhuque Hall."

Chen Jia glanced at him, didn't try to stop him, but simply nodded and asked:

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Chen Li replied:

"No need. This is a private meeting, not a trap. Having too many people around will only make her unable to speak."

Chen Jia didn't say anything more, stood up and took the empty cup away.

The sound of a tap being turned on and off came from the kitchen, followed by her footsteps coming upstairs. She said:

"I'll leave the door open for you."

He spoke very subtly, saying he would come upstairs to be intimate later.

The next afternoon at 2:50 p.m., Chen Li parked his car at the alley entrance behind the Yuncheng University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The alley is narrow, with old sycamore trees planted on both sides. The leaves have grown to their densest point, filtering the afternoon sunlight into fine dappled patterns that fall onto the ground.

The teahouse is located deep in the alley, with a very small storefront and a wooden plaque that reads "Half a Cup".

The door was ajar.

Chen Li pushed the door open and went inside; the interior was more spacious than the outside.

Several dark wooden tables were scattered around, and a few calligraphy scrolls hung on the wall. A person sat by the window; it was Ye Qinglian.

She wore a white cotton-linen shirt, her hair was casually tied up with a wooden hairpin, and there was a pot of tea and two cups in front of her.

She looked up when she heard the door open, nodded slightly when she saw Chen Li, and gestured for the seat opposite her.

Chen Li walked over and sat down.

The water in the teapot was still boiling, the cups were already filled, and the tea soup was clear and bright.

He didn't pick up the cup, but glanced at Ye Qinglian first. Her complexion was better than last night, but the bluish-purple bloodstain on the side of her neck hadn't completely faded, and her breath would occasionally falter when she spoke.

"Is the injury not fully healed yet?"

Chen Li said something that sounded like he was concerned.

"Half of the Qi and blood in my dantian has reversed course, so I need to rest for a few more days." Ye Qinglian didn't hide anything, "But that won't stop us from talking about serious business today."

Chen Li picked up her teacup, took a sip, and waited for her to get down to business.

Ye Qinglian didn't beat around the bush. She placed her hand on the table, leaned forward slightly, and looked directly at him.

"Let me first state my position today. My godfather knows I've come to see you, but he doesn't know what I'm going to say to you."

"What I said to him was, 'Go and talk to Chen Li about cooperation.' As for how to talk about it and what the outcome would be, he said he would wait for me to report back."

Chen Li looked up into her eyes:

"So you only represent yourself?"

"I represent the dignity of Suzaku-do."

Ye Qinglian's tone remained unchanged when she said this, but every word was deliberately clear:

"With Master Guigu dead, seventy percent of the Suzaku Hall's covert operations have been severed."

"Lu Changgeng's next step will be to take back power, and he won't do it gently."

"My godfather has worked in the Juxian Chamber of Commerce for over twenty years and has too much in his hands. Lu Changgeng doesn't want him to take those things with him."

Chen Li looked at her without saying a word.

Ye Qinglian continued:

"I came to ask you, are you willing to let Lu Changgeng's family have absolute power?"

"He took over Tiger's distribution channels, his men occupied the territory of the Black Tiger branch, and now he's even trying to take back the Vermilion Bird branch."

"Once he takes over the Vermilion Bird Hall, he will have all the resources of the Juxian Chamber of Commerce in his hands."

"You had that meal with him. Do you think he's the kind of person who would coexist peacefully with you?"

Chen Li picked up the teacup, took another sip, and nodded:

"I've already thought of all that you're talking about. What do you want from me?"

Ye Qinglian placed her hands together on the table, her fingertips applying slight pressure:

"The Vermilion Bird Hall will continue to exist. I'm not asking you to help us fight against Lu Changgeng. What I'm asking is that if Lu Changgeng makes a move, you shouldn't side with him. The three of us will each guard our own corner, and none of us will be able to swallow the others up."

"Three families each holding a corner?" Chen Li looked at her. "Lu Changgeng has all sorts of businesses. As for you, you know the state of Zhuque Hall yourself. I currently only have a share in Harmony Hospital. The triangle is unstable and could collapse at any time."

Ye Qinglian took an envelope from under the table and pushed it over.

It was made of kraft paper, and a sealing wax stamp was pressed at the closure.

Chen Li took it, opened it, and glanced at it. Inside was a document with the words "Transfer Agreement of Yuncheng East District Medicinal Herbs Distribution Market" printed on the cover.

"Zhuque Hall owns a medicinal herb distribution market in the East District. Although it can't compare to first-tier commercial districts, it handles a considerable volume of goods every year. On the surface, it's a legitimate Chinese medicinal herb trading market, but secretly, there's also a circulation of some rare materials related to Gu techniques. Before Mr. Guigu died, I was in charge of these material channels."

Ye Qinglian's gaze fell on the document, and she continued:

"I'm transferring the market operation rights to you. With this, you'll have your own foothold and won't have to depend on Lu Changgeng anymore."

Chen Li flipped through the document from beginning to end, then closed it and placed it on the table.

He didn't immediately express his opinion, but instead looked up and glanced out the window.

The sycamore leaves in the alley rustled in the wind, and dappled sunlight danced on the pavement. A food delivery driver rode his electric bike past the alley entrance, the jingling of his bell carried far into the distance.

what does it mean?

Chen Li was a little confused. In the midst of the battle, the opponent supplied ammunition first, making it difficult for him to keep his cannon barrel in the correct orientation.

"By giving me this, you're essentially handing over half of the Vermilion Bird Hall's lifeline to me. Does your godfather know that?"

Chen Li asked.

"He only knows that I brought something to discuss cooperation, but he doesn't know the specifics." Ye Qinglian's gaze did not waver. "If the deal goes through, I will go back and tell him that we traded a market for your promise not to interfere. This deal is worthwhile for him."

Chen Li looked at her for a moment, put the document into his inside pocket, and stood up.

Ye Qinglian looked up at him, something in her eyes softening slightly.

Chen Li said:

"I accept the agreement."

"But I can't guarantee I won't make a move. I can only guarantee that I won't attack the Vermilion Bird Hall before Lu Changgeng does."

"If your information network is good enough to get through to me before I change my mind, we can still talk."

Ye Qinglian remained seated without getting up, a slight smile playing on her lips:

"Okay, I'll deliver the message as quickly as possible."

Chen Li turned and walked towards the door.

He paused for a moment when his hand touched the door frame, without turning around.

"For your injury, go back and boil three qian of Angelica sinensis and two qian of Ligusticum chuanxiong in water and drink it once in the morning and once in the evening. After three days, you can start circulating your true qi."

Ye Qinglian paused for a moment, then responded softly:

"Understood, thank you, Mr. Chen."

The door closed behind him.

The dappled sunlight in the alley fell on his shoulders again, and the sycamore leaves rustled.

Chen Li walked back the way he came. The document in his pocket was pressed against his waist through his clothes, the edges of the paper digging into his skin.

When he reached the alley entrance, he took out his phone and sent a message to Ah Kun:

"What's going on at Emerald Manor?"