A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1155 Mysterious Mission

Qiu Mu-Cheng was worried that Ye Fan might overexert himself too.

With Chen Ao around, he could help Ye Fan shoulder some of the latter's responsibilities.

Besides, Chen Ao had done what he had done to protect Chen Nan. He had had his reasons.

Ye Fan shook his head.

"One should pay the price for their mistakes. Mu-Cheng, my mind is made. I've shown Chen Ao the greatest extent of my forgiveness by letting him live," said Ye Fan firmly and authoritatively. Qiu Mu-Cheng kept quiet.

The commotion that had broken out over Jiangdong because of the Lu and Xur families had finally come to an end.

That night, Ye Fan and Qiu Mu-Cheng rolled up their sleeves and cooked a sumptuous dinner for the Green Dragon Force, Long Bai-Chuan and the rest.

"I can't believe how great a cook Instructor Chu is!"

"He's not only an incredible commander and warrior, he's also a great chef!"

"Instructor Chu is indeed a man of many talents."

"Oh man, I may be a guy but I'd die to marry someone like Instructor Chu."

"Look at yourself. Do you really think you deserve such a husband?"

"Hey, watch your mouth!"

"If anyone in the Green Dragon Force gets to marry Instructor Chu, it's going to be our leader Ye Yu-Yan. You can forget about your chances, you bullish punk."

Tai Shan and the rest bantered playfully with one another as they enjoyed the delicious spread of dishes before them.

"Shut your trap and eat!" Ye Yu-Yan yelled at Li Zi-Yang and her teammates as she blushed.

Her eyes flickered discreetly towards Ye Fan, who was running around in the kitchen. A strange feeling swelled within her.

If she had accepted Ye Fan's declaration of love for her, this exceptional young man would have been hers.

She shook her head at that thought and smiled self-deprecatingly.

She knew very well that that was a pure fantasy.

Even if she hadn't looked down on Ye Fan then and had accepted his feelings for her, their relationship wouldn't have lasted anyway.

They were family, after all. That alone eliminated any possibility of a romantic relationship between them. Anything fantasy that Ye Yu-Yan harbored for this man must remain a secret that she could only think about late at night, when she was alone.

As she stared at Ye Fan, Ye Yu-Yan couldn't help but wonder why she had been such a fool then.

Why had she been so blind?

She had had such an exceptional man right by her side then but she had not had a clue at all.

In fact, she had had tried to make his life difficult and had offered him nothing but words of abuse.

Ye Yu-Yan felt waves of regret and remorse every time she recalled how she had treated Ye Fan.

Without that unpleasantness, they would have been such loving siblings.

The relationship that tied them together wouldn't remain at merely that of a superior and his subordinate.

Even though Ye Fan had allowed Ye Yu-Yan to join the Green Dragon Force, his attitude towards her had remained unchanged.

He remained distant and cold and had not displayed any hints of familial intimacy.

In Ye Fan's eyes, Ye Yu-Yan was no different from Li Zi-Yang and his other recruits.

"Yu-Yan, what's wrong with you? Why are you in a daze?"

"Dear heavens, do you have a crush on Instructor Chu?"

"Oh man, that's too bad. Nothing will ever come out of it." "That's right. Instructor Chu's married."

"He's famous for being madly in love with his wife, too."

"Our team leader may be a beautiful woman in her own right, but she got to know Instructor Chu too late. What a pity!"

"If you knew Instructor Chu before Miss Qiu, I bet you would've gotten Instructor Chu to fall in love with you instead!" "That's right. You would have become the wife of our great general and the empress of Jiangdong instead of Miss Qiu!"

Fueled by youth and alcohol, the group of young men laughed and spoke brazenly.

Ye Yu-Yan did not say a word as the young men's laughter rang sharply in the air.

No one noticed the despondency that colored and darkened her eyes.

None of them could have known that she had known Ye Fan much, much earlier than Qiu Mu-Cheng had.

She had been the one who had known Ye Fan first. Qiu Mu-Cheng had turned up later.

That hadn't mattered at all though.

She hadn't treasured him when he had been there.

They had been so young then. She had had countless opportunities to earn his love.

But she had been blinded by power and had looked down on the powerless Ye Fan then.

She had lost her cousin's love.

She was the reason why they were now complete strangers.

The dinner continued late into the night.

Ye Fan had rooms prepared for Li Zi-Yang and the others so that they could stay the night.

The Green Dragon Force had had an intensive period of training. They deserved a break.

A short one.

They would have to return to the military camp tomorrow and continue their training.

They might have shown some progress but it was still a long way before they achieved what Ye Fan expected of them.

It was late.

Li Zi-Yang and the rest had fallen into a deep slumber.

Two persons remained awake and silent as they stood in the courtyard.

One of them had his hands folded behind his back.

The other stood dutifully behind him, with a look of respect and deference on his face.

"Dragon Master, what happened? I've made the necessary preparations upon receiving your orders and have been awaiting your instructions, but I didn't receive any new orders for some time. I spoke to Han and he told me to stand by and await instructions," asked Long Bai-Chuan with some confusion.

"Something unexpected cropped up. But it's been dealt with," said Ye Fan coolly.

Long Bai-Chuan nodded. 'Tm glad to hear that. When does the Dragon Master plan to activate Operation Sparks?"

As one of the four Dragons, Long Bai-Chuan held considerable power and authority. He was also privy to more information about Ye Fan's plan as compared to the other Dragons.

He had been chosen by Ye Fan to join the latter in his charge against the Chu family.

"Let's wait. I have some business to tend to before I invoke the Dragon God Token. I need you to make a trip to Japan first and carry out a mission for me," said Ye Fan.

"Yes, sir," said Long Bai-Chuang immediately. 'Til make sure that the mission is completed even if it kills me."

Ye Fan nodded. "I am heartened by your loyalty, but you must promise to protect yourself. I want you back alive. You don't have to know the details of the mission now. Head forthe Jianghai International Airport and contact this person when you arrive at the airport. After you meet him, listen to everything he tells you to do."