Chapter 134

Chapter 134: Chapter 133 That evening, Ye Tianchen tried several times to slip away but couldn’t manage it. Su Feifei was no dimwit—she was a gifted student and definitely not just a pretty face. She had been on guard against Ye Tianchen, who had a ruffian-like character. She even stood guard outside when he went to the restroom, which left Ye Tianchen utterly speechless.

Around eight o’clock, Ye Tianchen and Su Feifei were actually sitting at a roadside stall, having ordered two bowls of hot and sour noodles. They attracted many curious glances from nearby diners, including the stall owner, because Su Feifei had brought Ye Tianchen there in her own Ferrari, plus her stunning beauty drew attention everywhere she went.

It is a wonder that Ye Tianchen could pull it off, considering Su Feifei was the pampered heiress of the Su family, and such a beautiful girl at that. Watching a Ferrari and then going to a roadside stall for hot and sour noodles? Probably only Ye Tianchen could manage such a feat in the world.

"Boss, two bowls of hot and sour noodles!" Ye Tianchen called out to the owner with a smile.

"Alright, anything else?" the hot and sour noodles stall owner asked.

"No, nothing else, can’t afford it!" Ye Tianchen chuckled as he replied.

"I don’t think it’s about not being able to afford it, you’re just stingy, miser!" Su Feifei glared at Ye Tianchen fiercely and said.

Ye Tianchen glanced at Su Feifei and couldn’t help but want to tease this beautiful girl. Since they were just idling, he stood up, plunged his hands into his trouser pockets, and turned them inside out—showing they were completely empty—and put on the look of a pauper, saying, "See, not a single coin..."

"You... then, how are you going to pay for this?" Su Feifei was almost enraged to death by Ye Tianchen, thinking that it had been hard enough to get such a miserly guy to treat her to a bowl of hot and sour noodles. Surely he wasn’t planning to ask for a credit or ultimately make her, a woman comrade, pay the bill?

Seeing Su Feifei’s exasperated expression, Ye Tianchen couldn’t help but laugh inwardly, barely holding it in. Then he inserted his right hand into his shirt, rustling about, and placed a handful of coins on the small table, starting to count them very seriously.

"One yuan..."

"Two yuan..."

"Two yuan fifty..."

"Three yuan..."

Su Feifei felt like crying as she watched, because many nearby diners were looking their way, and Ye Tianchen shamelessly continued to count beside her. When he finished, he seriously looked at the owner who was preparing the hot and sour noodles and asked, "Boss, how much for a large portion of hot and sour noodles?"

"Ten yuan!"

Stunned for a moment, Ye Tianchen glanced at the coins in his hand and shamelessly yelled at the owner, "Boss, make that two small portions instead!"

It wasn’t just Su Feifei who was dismayed; even the hot and sour noodles vendor and the surrounding customers were shocked. It wasn’t that they looked down on poor people, but who would believe that someone driving a Ferrari couldn’t afford a large portion of hot and sour noodles? Considering Ye Tianchen was also wearing a designer suit, could he really not afford a ten-yuan bowl of noodles? The only explanation was that this man had become the most miserly man in history, outdoing even the stingiest of misers.

"Can you please stop embarrassing us!" Su Feifei fumed, clenching her fists tightly and grinding her teeth as she said in a low voice.

Su Feifei was not a girl who couldn’t handle hardship or fatigue, and she certainly didn’t discriminate based on wealth. But for someone to behave like Ye Tianchen, it was indeed remarkable. To take a great beauty out for a meal and choose a roadside stall serving hot and sour noodles, ordering two large bowls but then counting coins and asking the owner to switch to smaller portions— it was enough to make passersby want to beat him up.

In fact, Ye Tianchen was deliberately teasing Su Feifei. With his status as the chairman of Sea King Group, he could easily pull out a couple of hundred thousand from his account any time, though not in cash, but on a bank card.

"Look, this is all the money I have; there’s no way around it. You’ll just have to make do with this meal, considering your family usually has plenty of lavish dishes; missing out on one fancy meal from me won’t hurt!" Ye Tianchen pursed his lips, trying to look innocent as he spoke.

"Aren’t you going to sit down? Or what do you want, to continue making a fool of yourself?" Su Feifei was so infuriated by Ye Tianchen that she lost her temper completely and fiercely glared at him.

Ye Tianchen smirked mischievously and sat down opposite Su Feifei. The roadside stall had these very low tables and stools, sitting together there seemed somehow intimate nonetheless.

"Hey, you caused quite a stir at the Qin family’s this time; it won’t be easy to smooth things over. Do you need my help?" Su Feifei asked seriously.

"No need, I’d just like to see who else would dare to oppose the Ye family. I’ll eliminate them all, so they won’t be a bother anymore," Ye Tianchen said with a smile.

In fact, Ye Tianchen had a pretty good impression of Su Feifei. After he had saved her, she had helped him out several times. She was grateful, a quality he found admirable in a girl. However, since his rebirth, Ye Tianchen was hesitant to get close to overly beautiful women, as they often made it difficult for a man to pull himself away.

Thinking about it, since his rebirth, Ye Tianchen seemed destined to cross paths with beautiful women—Han Jie, Qi Ruxue, Su Feifei, Liu Rumei, Xie Yuhe... Each one was a beauty capable of toppling empires. However, this did not please him; on the contrary, it made him more guarded. During the apocalypse, having too many exceptional women around him meant he was often held back during critical battles. This taught him a lesson: while many men envy the life of having multiple partners, he realized it was often more of a curse than a blessing.

"Really don’t need help? The Qin family is a top-notch family in Capital City, not easily dealt with. Even for a major player like Yang Yi, it would require quite some effort," Su Feifei said teasingly with a smile.

"Ha, you’re pretty well-informed. It seems the Su family does indeed have significant power. By the way, if you have a chance, consider collaborating with a project from our Sea King Group. It’d help me make a bit more money for keeping wives later on!" Ye Tianchen said lightly, laughing.

"With your current wealth, supporting wives wouldn’t be a problem at all. Why do you need so much money? Not every girl is after money, so don’t generalize!" Su Feifei scornfully responded.

"One wife might be manageable with this money, but what about two, three, or even four or five?" Ye Tianchen chuckled lewdly.

Su Feifei glared at him furiously. What era was he living in to still be thinking about having multiple wives? That was simply impossible. In this era, a growing feminist movement was emerging, mainly because some men were too submissive, and the number of women was decreasing. Many men were going as far as prostrating themselves to find wives, making these women increasingly arrogant and demanding, threatening to withhold affection if not obeyed. Many men, unable to withstand such threats, ended up compromising, even forsaking their pride.

"In your dreams!" Su Feifei scorned him again.

In Capital City, under the night sky at a roadside stall, Ye Tianchen and Su Feifei casually chatted. Although Ye Tianchen was rather stingy, Su Feifei discovered he did have some redeeming qualities, like being funny and not cold or distant. He was easygoing and did not look down on the poor despite being able to manage billions as the CEO of Sea King Group. His stingy actions alone were enough to prove that he was not that type of person.

Ye Tianchen also found talking with Su Feifei to be very relaxing. She was not just a pretty face; she was also intellectually gifted. Whether discussing economics, politics, or geography, she knew it all—in her, the upbringing of a powerful family like the Su family clearly showed.

The Su family, as Ye Tianchen had heard, was a major family. They didn’t engage in politics, and no family members held official positions, but every year, high-level central officials would meet with members of the Su family. Controlling sixty percent of the national economy meant that economically, the Su family was involved in nearly everything, growing larger and larger to the point where a single action from them could shake the nation’s economy. This was no exaggeration.

Of course, Old Master Su, Su Feifei’s grandfather, was a man of great vision. In the first three years, he had ordered his descendants to start reducing the Su family’s control over the domestic economy, forbidding any further expansion. Even if it meant being slightly weaker and making less money, he didn’t mind, directing the family’s economic focus towards international development and bringing substantial investments back to the country.

This move by Old Master Su seemed puzzling to many within the Su family and outside observers alike, as they could not understand why one would limit one’s own business expansion. It appeared as a way to strangle their own business prospects.

However, viewed by the top magnates in the business world, this was a highly admirable move. Old Master Su’s actions truly justified the Su family’s status as the leading economic powerhouse of the domestic economy.

The phrase "wealthy enough to rival the state" is one many people admire and aim for in their lifetimes. However, many fail to realize that once you are truly capable of rivaling a state, it also marks the downfall of your family. If you can rival a state, the state itself will act against you. They won’t just watch you become as powerful as a state—they will find a way to take down your family, so it’s better left as a thought. Even if one day you could reach such heights, one should never pursue it.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit qidian.com to vote and support the author. Your support is my greatest motivation.)