A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1786

A chilly gust of wind swept He Yurou's desperate sobs out of the window and into the night sky, rendering her pleas unheard.

Jack sat before her with a glass of red wine in his hand as he savored the sight of the girl's despair.

Despite being completely indifferent to me once, I now have her crying at my mercy.

Jack felt a savage burst of pleasure.

Forthe second time that night, the sound of the door being slammed open interrupted the occupants of the condominium.

The bitter wind permeated the room with menacing intent.

"Who's there?" Jack shouted in surprise. He leaped to his feet as his glass of wine fell with a shatter.

His men turned as one toward the source of the noise and found a thin silhouette standing at the door before them.

Half of his face was illuminated by a swinging lamp while the other half remained in shadow. The effect was deeply unnerving.

"You?" Jack exclaimed in recognition after getting over his initial shock.

His fear was replaced with a smile of disdain. "Just in time, you little sh*t. I have been looking all over for you. I'm going to teach you a lesson for stealing my woman. Get him!"

An especially large man lunged forward and swung his bat at Ye Fan.

Thud!

The steel bat snapped clean off upon impact against the latter's forearm.

Jack was dumbfounded. "How is that possible? Is his body made of steel?"

In a panic, he ordered all of his men to advance simultaneously.

It made no difference to Ye Fan.

Despite being unable to harness his elemental force, his physical strength was enough to win many fights.

Within the span of half a minute, all of the thugs had been flung off the balcony with several decisive and forceful steps of Ye Fan's feet.

Finally, only Jack and Ye Fan remained in the large living room.

"How is that possible?" Jack repeated in a mixture of rage and shock. "Who the hell are you?"

Despite years of careful selection and curation, my army of elite bodyguards is now lying dead at the bottom of this building. Even professional boxers wouldn't have been able to do what he did and take out a dozen thugs in just as many seconds!

Ye Fan did not waste his breath on Jack. He simply reached out and lifted the latter into the air by his throat.

"It's a sin to allow scum like you to remain alive."

Jack's eyes widened with horror at the proclamation of his death sentence.

"No, pie-"

With a forceful twist from Ye Fan's wrist, Jack's neck was snapped abruptly before having his corpse flung off the balcony in the same manner as his subordinates.

The driver of a heavy industrial truck along the highway nearby received the shock of his life when Jack's body suddenly collided against his windscreen with a splat. At eighty miles an hour, not much of his remains were salvageable.

Ye Fan glared down the balcony without remorse.

To think that he was foolish enough to challenge the top fighter of the Sky Ranking. Good riddance, anyway. The world is a better place with one less scum like him.

It was only after eliminating all of the threats that Ye Fan hurried over to pick HeYurou up, placed heron the bed, and covered her body with the quilt.

"It's over now, Yurou. You're safe," Ye Fan said gently.

He Yurou was too dazed to respond immediately. With a sudden lunging movement, she threw herself at Ye Fan like a drowning woman clutching a lifeline as she wept. "Oh what an ordeal it was, Mr. Chu! I thought that they were going to..."

Overwhelmed by a fresh bout of tears, she howled anew before she could complete her sentence.

Having been born to a rich and powerful family, He Yurou was accustomed to a certain standard of living. A traumatic experience like that had undoubtedly scarred her. Furthermore, she was living in a foreign country all by herself.

At the peak of her despair, she had been certain that she was not going to survive the ordeal.

If Ye Fan did not return for me, I might not even be alive right now.

Having realized how close she was to death, He Yurou sobbed bitterly as she clung to his arm, her torn clothing forgotten.

"It's over now, Yurou," repeated Ye Fan gently, feeling thankful that he had returned at that critical juncture. "They will never bother you again. I took care of that."

If I had arrived a second later, she might already have been killed.

He spoke again when He Yurou's sobs subsided. "The reason I came back was to implore you to return to China fora couple of days, if possible. I'm worried about the danger that might befall you if you remain here."

Not for the first time, Ye Fan kicked himself for complicating He Yurou's life.

My involvement in her life will only bring her danger and suffering.

Although Ye Fan had been exceedingly careful over the past couple of days, he could not discount the fact that Norwal City was Chu Sect's turf.

Given the extent of their influence in the city, there was a possibility of them discovering the affiliation of the sweet girl with Ye Fan at any moment.

Once they found out about He Yurou's involvement with me, Chu Yuan will use her as leverage against me.

"Can I come with you then, Mr. Chu?" He Yurou asked softly, turning her bloodshot eyes up at him.

Ye Fan gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Fate has indeed brought us together, Yurou. I am not the King of Jiangdong anymore. Instead, all I am now is a disappointment who couldn't even guarantee the safety o my own life at any given moment. If my influence and prestige were still at their peak, I wouldn't just take you hack to China with me. If you would just say the word, it would even have been within my power to make you the queen of this city. Unfortunately, my glory days are behind me. What's ahead is filled with nothing but despair and misery. To be frank, I don't even know if I can return to China in one piece myself. If you come with me, there's a chance that you may not make it back alive. If that happens, how am I going to explain myself to your father, the governor of Jiangdong?"

Ye Fan shook his head as he lamented his own helplessness.

Having suppressed all of those doubts about himself for a long time, he felt a giddy sense of relief for having unburdened himself at last.

Ever since his escape from Mount Chumen, Ye Fan was already aware that his chances of returning home alive were slimmer than ever.

Already uncomfortable with the fact that Tang Yun had to risk herself with him, Ye Fan was consumed with guilt at the very thought of He Yurou's life being in danger because of him. "Remember, Yurou," Ye Fan repeated urgently. "Leave this city for a couple of days. Although they wouldn't be able to locate you in the short term, it's safer for you to be in China right now." Without another word, Ye Fan stood up and headed toward the door.

Before he crossed the threshold, He Yurou called out to him.

"We'll meet again in Jiangdong, Mr. Chu," she cried, her eyes welling up with tears again.

Ye Fan smiled and gave a stiff nod before his slim silhouette dissolved once again into the depths of the cloudless night.

Meanwhile, the banks of Lake Elterton were crowded with a strange assortment of people waiting about uncertainly.

Despite the moonless sky, most wore sunglasses and paced restlessly by the lake. Their coats billowed at the cold breeze and made them look like weary travelers.

"Li Er, did you really receive word that Mr. Chu will be here tonight?"

Lei San and Chen Ao looked dubiously at the old man.

"He will be," Li Er replied firmly. "It came straight from Han."

"But the appointed time has passed. Why isn't Mr. Chu here yet?" Chen Ao was worried and suspicious.

The men touched down at Norwal City a few days ago under the original impression that they were to head to Mount Chumen to provide Ye Fan with assistance.

It was only after landing at Norwal City that they were informed that Ye Fan was being persecuted by followers of the Chu Sect.

By that point, Chen Ao and the others deduced that Ye Fan had already departed Chu Sect and made the decision to amend their original plan. Instead of heading for Mount Chumen, they came instead to Norwal City in search of Ye Fan.

After several days spent on high alert to no avail, Li Er and the others were about to give up when Han called unexpectedly to instruct them to meet with Ye Fan at Lake Elterton that night.

"If Grandpa Han said that Ye Fan will be here," asserted a woman of devastating beauty, "then I trust

him. We'll just have to wait patiently."

Her regal features bore an expression of serene austerity which did little to conceal the worry and yearning behind her eyes.

"Since Ms. Xu has spoken, we shall wait then," Li Er declared.