A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1801

"We've been working our way up tirelessly for the past ten years, but at the same time, we've neglected our loved ones. If I had been able to spend more time with my family, my son and daughter-in-law would still be here today..." Iwai Zen mumbled, staring into the distance with glassy eyes.

It was as though he had traveled back in time to watch the painful past unfold once again.

Iwai Zen had never supported Ye Fan's decision to attack the Chu Sect, so much so that he even refused to accept the Dragon God Token.

However, despite not agreeing with Ye Fan's goals and dreams, Iwai Zen always carried out his given tasks dutifully and to the best of his ability.

He was by no means an ingrate, but he didn't want to die in vain either.

As soon as he had gathered enough power and was confident about his chances of winning, Iwai Zen would, without a doubt, help Ye Fan achieve his dreams. Because of that, he had worked hard at building up his forces over the years, hoping that he'd one day become powerful enough to rival the Chu Sect. Unfortunately, with all his time devoted to his career, that also meant that Iwai Zen couldn't give his family the attention and protection they needed.

Disaster eventually struck when one of his competitors sought revenge by murdering his only son in a staged car accident.

One could only imagine the anguish Iwai Zen had felt, especially since no parent should ever have to bury theirchild.

Just as the atmosphere was about to turn even drearier, Iwai Zen suddenly broke into a cheery smile.

"Thankfully, God gave me a chance for redemption by leaving me a granddaughter," he said.

"Here's a photo of her, Dragon Master. She's pretty, isn't she? If you like, why don't we plan for an arranged marriage? Don't worry. I can assure you that the women of the Iwai family are very virtuous and tolerant. They won't mind their husbands having more than one wife."

When Ye Fan didn't say anything, Iwai Zen decided to egg him on. "Well, what do you think, Dragon Master? Why don't I betroth my granddaughter to one of your future sons? If your kid happens to meet someone better in the future, he can always marry again. I don't have a problem with that."

Right at that moment, Iwai Zen's phone rang.

As luck would have it, it was a video call from his granddaughter. He quickly answered the phone, and an adorable, doe-eyed little girl showed up on the screen.

"Grandpa, will you be here tomorrow?" she asked with a big, bright smile. "You promised you'd celebrate my fifth birthday with me! Oh, and don't forget to get me a postcard from China!"

When he saw the girl, Ye Fan couldn't help but be amazed. "Wow, you're right. The kid's quite the looker. I'm sure she'll grow up to be a stunning beauty."

"Haha! Are you convinced now, Dragon Master?" Iwai Zen said proudly before turning his phone toward Ye Fan. "Do you see this man, my dear? Remember his face because he's going to be your future father in-law!"

"W-What..." Ye Fan stammered, his eyes twitching.

Has the plan been finalized? I don't think I've even agreed to it yet.

Unaware of what her grandfather had done, the little girl on the other end exclaimed, "Hello, I'm Iwai Unshio! It's nice to meet you!"

Seeing how both grandfather and granddaughter were brimming with enthusiasm, Ye Fan had no choice but to give a nod of acknowledgment.

Well, it's not like I'd be at a loss anyway, so why not agree to the arranged marriage? Besides, I know firsthand how hard it is to find a wife in this day and age. I'm only being prudent to get one for my son first. After hanging up the phone, Iwai Zen gazed at the calm sea in the distance and started chatting with Ye Fan like an old friend. "There's one other thing, Dragon Master. The truth is, I wanted to bid you farewell a few days back. You had already settled your differences with the Chu family, which means I've done my duty. I thought of returning home and living the rest of my life peacefully."

A warm, happy smile crept across Iwai Zen's face as he continued, "I don't know how much time I have left, but I want to be with my granddaughter as much as possible. I want to send her to school and see her blossom into a capable young girl. More importantly, I want to see her fall in love and get married. Nothing's more rewarding than seeing the kids grow, isn't it?"

Indeed, everyone would tire of the hustle and bustle of life eventually.

After toiling away for years, even the most successful people would want nothing more than to lead a happy, quiet retirement life.

Iwai Zen yearned forthat, and so did Tang Yun and Li Er.

Ye Fan, too, was no exception.

However, the fact remained that many things in life were out of one's control.

For example, Iwai Zen had laid out plans for his retirement, yet those plans might never come to fruition.

Having been defeated by Chu Sect, Ye Fan needed everyone's support even more at the moment, so how could Iwai Zen ditch him at that crucial point to enjoy retirement?

After a moment of silence, Ye Fan was about to speak up when Iwai Zen interrupted, "Haha, don't worry, Dragon Master. I only said that for fun. After all, I have to finish what I started. I'm not one to give up halfway, you know? The next time you go looking for Chu Sect, you can count on me to be there. Moreover, Director Chiike can now hold her own, so that's a huge burden off of me. I can finally find time to be with my family."

Upon hearing that, Ye Fan held his tongue and smiled in response.

As time slowly ticked away, Ye Fan and the others were also getting closer and closer to China.

Li Er and the rest had been so anxious for days that they immediately ran to share the news with Ye Fan, unable to contain their joy and excitement.

"Mr. Chu, I think we're almost there!"

"We're going to be home in a few hours!"

"Oh, my gosh! I can almost see the coastline!"

"Hahaha! We're home!"

"Yes! We made it back in one piece!"

"I think Dragon God Hall has got to be the only one in the world who can attack the Chu Sect and still be able to escape unscathed."

Long Baichuan couldn't hide his joy either, and even Xu Lei had a megawatt smile plastered on her face.

"Thanks to Mr. Chu, I've traversed the globe and been through a lot in life," Li Er mused. "Forthat, I think I ought to take a well-deserved break. Once I return to Jiangdong, the first thing I'll do is find some ladies to satisfy my needs!"

"Watch your words, you old pervert! Ms. Xu and Ms. Chiike are both here. Show some decorum, will you?" Long Baichuan scolded.

"Oh, stop pretending, General Long. I've seen you chuckling on the phone for the past few days," Li Er teased. "Fess up. Have you found yourself a sexy, foreign girlfriend?"

With that, everyone instantly turned their attention to Long Baichuan.

Long Baichuan scratched his head and laughed nervously. "No, of course not. It was my fiancee rushing me home for our engagement. Our initial plan was to get engaged after receiving the military commission, but we've had to delay it for obvious reasons."

Even though Long Baichuan was a battle-tested general, he wasn't experienced like Li Er and the others when it came to affairs of the heart.

They might have fought countless battles and gone through similar experiences, but ultimately, everyone's dreams and goals in life were different. "Oh! Hahaha..."

"Well, I'm sure she's worth the wait."

"Once we're back, we'll go with Mr. Chu to congratulate you!"

Laughter rang out aboard the cruise ship as a wave of relief and joy washed over everyone.

They had been overwhelmed with stress and anxiety when they were previously fleeing for their lives.

But now that they were out of danger and almost home, everyone was naturally a lot more relaxed.

They were like soldiers who had returned from war and could think of nothing but how best to enjoy themselves once they got home.

Seeing how jolly everyone was, Ye Fan let out a contented sigh.

A lot might have happened, but he was glad he managed to bring them all home safe and sound.

As they approached China's maritime border, Lei San and Chen Ao suddenly noticed what seemed to be a massive crowd in front of them. "Mr. Chu, look!"

"There are a lot of people in front!"

The crowd was densely packed, and it wouldn't be surprising if the number of people turned out to be in the thousands.

"Let me see!"

"Oh, wow! You weren't kidding!"

"Do you think China has sent people to welcome us from our triumphant return? Maybe they found out we almost destroyed the Chu Sect and want to thank us for avenging our country." "Oh? Does that mean they see us as heroes and are giving us a heroes' welcome?"

Everyone's smiles grew even wider at the sound of that.

Li Er, especially, was so excited that he almost started jumping up and down.

"Haha, this is amazing!" he exclaimed. "I never thought that I'd one day receive the hero's treatment!"