A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 981 An Impending Upheaval

Chen Nan's eyes were red from weeping and her pretty little face was filled with sorrow.

As soon as her eyes fell on Ye Xi-Mei and Qiu Mu-Cheng, the young woman couldn't hold the anguish she had been feeling inside any longer. She burst into another bout of tears. "Oh god, Auntie Ye, Mu-Cheng, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry..."

Ridden with guilt, Chen Nan fell to her knees.

Tears flowed ceaselessly down her cheeks as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Her weeping tugged at the heartstrings of the other two women.

"Nannan, what happened? What's wrong? Stop crying and tell us what happened. I'll make sure someone answers for what they've done."

Ye Xi-Mei remembered Chen Nan.

The young woman had made a special trip to Yeyang and paid her a visit before the new year.

She had taken a liking towards the polite girl and had thought about making Chen Nan her goddaughter.

Then, she had found out that Chen Nan had come from a prestigious family and had been too embarrassed to bring that up.

Ye Xi-Mei couldn't have foreseen that Chen Nan would appear at their doorsteps early in the morning, fall to her knees and burst into tears while apologizing profusely to them. Ye Xi-Mei was unquestionably shocked by her outburst.

Qiu Mu-Cheng was puzzled too. She hurried over and pulled Chen Nan up to her feet so that they could have a proper conversation.

But Chen Nan couldn't stop weeping and apologizing.

"You silly girl, come on, tell us what's wrong," said Ye Xi-Mei as she tried once more to get an answer out of Chen Nan.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry...Fan...he's dead..."

BOOM...

The news struck like a bolt of lightning.

Qiu Mu-Cheng froze to the spot when she heard those words. Blood fled her face instantly.

Ye Xi-Mei trembled as her eyes darkened.

The two most important women in Ye Fan's life stood rooted to the ground.

A sudden weakness in her knees had Qiu Mu-Cheng stumbling. Her eyes widened with disbelief as she asked Chen Nan. "What did you just say? What happened to Ye Fan?"

"He's gone. Fan is gone. He's left us forever. I'm sorry. It's all my fault. He would be alive if he hadn't tried to save me," Chen Nan sobbed inconsolably, tears flowing down her cheeks as she stared at her feet. Her voice was filled with guilt and blame.

The images of fire and blood had been indelibly seared into Chen Nan's mind.

She could still see the flames when she shut her eyes.

She was weeping uncontrollably right now. She dared not look Qiu Mu-Cheng or Ye Xi-Mei in the eye.

She might have lost an elder brother and a dear friend, but Qiu Mu-Cheng and Ye Xi-Mei had lost their whole world.

"No, that's impossible. You're lying to me. This is a lie. Ye Fan can't be dead. He's the King of Jiangdong and the leader of a group of powerful fighters. He's learned martial arts! He thrashed everyone at the battle at Mount Tai and showed everyone what he's made of during the Feast of the Sea and Sky. Japanese martial artists couldn't do anything to him. No one could kill him. No one. How could he be dead? That's impossible!"

Qiu Mu-Cheng shook her head furiously. Her reason and pride had left her as she gave in to despair.

Her eyes were filled with horror as she muttered on and on, her words fueled by devastation and denial.

Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she repeated herself.

"Mu-Cheng, it's true. Fan and I were onboard the Emperor when we were attacked. The ship sank. Fan risked his life to save me from the fire. He handed me two boxes before he died. He told me to tell that he couldn't guarantee a life of peace for the both of you and that you'll have to go on without him." Chen Nan struggled to string her words together amidst her uncontrollable weeping.

Her words extinguished the final embers of hope burning inside Ye Xi-Mei and Qiu Mu-Cheng.

Ye Xi-Mei fell limply against her chair and trembled as she took a bloodstained box from Chen Nan's hands.

She opened it. Resting inside was a beaded bracelet.

It was a birthday present from Ye Fan to his own mother.

She had no words for the torrent of emotions flooding her right now. She could not have foreseen this tragedy. Her son had died on her birthday.

She could feel her world come crashing down on her.

"No...you're lying. Ye Fan can't be dead. He can't be. He made a promise. We were supposed to celebrate mom's birthday together. He told me that we're going to have so many children together. He promised me a grand wedding. There are so many things we were supposed to do together. How could he leave me?"

Qiu Mu-Cheng's heartbreaking cries filled the room.

Sorrow spilled from her lips and down her cheeks.

She had never looked as devastated.

Her life seemed to have ended the moment that she had found out that Ye Fan had died.

She felt as if the pillar that had been supporting her world had collapsed.

There was no one she could lean on anymore.

No words could express the sorrow, horror, despair and devastation that swallowed her alive.

News of Ye Fan's death reached the ears of Chen Ao and Li Er shortly after Qiu Mu-Cheng had found out about her husband's death.

"What? Mr Chu is dead?"

Li Er was in his family home in Yunzhou at this moment, resting comfortably within the arms of a young woman while soaking his feet in warm water. Chen Ao's call had him jumping into the air, knocking the basin of water over and soaking his face wet.

But that was hardly important right now.

Chen Ao's voice and the words that he had uttered had seized his full attention.

"But...how is that possible? How could Mr Chu...be dead?"

Li Er was rooted to the ground as he was lost in a stupor. His face was ghostly white.

He couldn't believe it. It had been mere months ago when they had hosted a feast at the Haiyuan Restaurant and successfully made their way to the top in Jiangdong. Ye Fan's future had seemed limitless. Why had he died and how did it happen so suddenly?

It was as if they had been playing an intense and exciting piece of orchestral music and just as they had reached the climax of the piece, the music suddenly stopped!

A prodigy whose name would go down in history had had his light snuffed out just as he had begun to reveal what he was capable of.

Loss, regret, sorrow and anxiety flooded Li Er instantly.

Li Er had been the one who had benefited the most when Ye Fan had reigned supreme in Jiangdong.

But now, Ye Fan was dead.

An upheaval was going to descend upon Jiangdong.