I Started As A Novel Villain

Chapter 155: ‘Surprising Gifts’

Ye Fei took the initiative to call Chen Luo since he wanted to 'surprise' him.

Su Qingzhu sat to the side, blinked and smiled at Ye Fei, her autumn eyes fixed on his physique.

"Why don't you turn on the audio? I'd like to listen as well." Su Qingzhu remarked gently.

She was infuriated with Chen Luo and his tactics, especially since he nearly drove the Su Group out of business, and it would make her immeasurably happy if she could hear Chen Luo's mental state deteriorate.

Hongyan Makeup is a company founded by Su Qingzhu, who sacrificed everything to get the company where it is now, and because it was founded by her father, it held sentimental value, but it nearly went bankrupt due to Chen Luo's obstructive schemes, but now it's Chen Luo's turn to be in grave danger.

Karma is such a beautiful concept!

Hearing her comment, Ye Fei quickly agreed, saying, "Mhm." Then he enabled the phone's hands-free amplification mode and dialed Chen Luo's number.

.

It was half past midnight.

Chen Luo sat in a villa, dressed in a Givenchy tailored suit and wearing two gorgeous Langrich watches.

He dressed properly and exercised his etiquette while also buying a present and preparing to visit the Wei's family home.

Chen Luo carefully picked a gleaming jade toad and arranged it as a present for the Wei family's old man.

The jade toad isn't really extravagant, but it is stunningly aesthetic. Back in ancient times, kings and lords held a similar thought that a golden toad was an auspicious creature capable of attracting money and making someone wealthy.

It was great for a gift that was neither overpriced nor lackluster as a present befitting a wealthy status!

In ancient times, there was another saying that used "Chan Gong Zhe Gui" as a metaphor for the imperial examination that Ying Shen went through.

According to legend, a three-legged toad lived in the Moon Palace, but some speculated that the true meaning was simply that the creation of the three-legged toad was a false story because the underneath meaning was the words the Ying Shen governor of Yongzhu said about his self-evaluation when the Emperor of Wu of Jin asked him, "I'm like a piece of cinnamon in the Moon Palace, a piece of jade in Kunlun mountain."

So essentially, the true and literal meaning of the gift is, "You will certainly become a great man and pluck cinnamon flowers in the Palace of the Moon."

(T/L: I'm not sure if I translated this part correctly, I'm not well-versed in Chinese History.)

Gifts with many meanings are acceptable for affluent and powerful families such as the Wei family. The value of the gifts should not be too excessive, otherwise there may be suspicion of bribery.

After all, what hasn't a top giant in Yanjing seen?

So the gift cannot be too expensive or too inexpensive, but it must also include a fascinating history or purpose.

Chen Luo's jade toad is composed of yellow jade and has superb carving, making it suitable for those with refined aesthetic taste.

He dedicated a significant amount of time and attention into the production of this gift.

Just as Chen Luo was ready to depart with a present in hand, his phone rang unexpectedly.

Chen Luo scowled as he heard the unusual ring, then raised his eyebrows when he noticed it was an unfamiliar number, but he still answered the phone.

"Hello, who is this?." His voice irritated.

At the other end of the call, Ye Fei's playful voice reached Chen Luo's ears.

Then, he heard Ye Fei's faint voice saying, "Vice President Chen, I've not seen you for a few days, I hope you're doing well. Speaking of which, has your injury healed?."

Chen Luo halted for a second when he heard Ye Fei's voice, his eyes blazed with coldness, and wrath overwhelmed his previous calm demeanor.

'This is Ye Fei!' When he heard that nauseating and leisurely voice, Chen Luo gritted his teeth and restrained his rage!

He will never forget the sound of Ye Fei's voice!

"It turned out to be you, Young Master Ye. I'm not sure why you're looking for me." Chen Luo's voice sounded indifferent, and as he held the phone in his hands, he gripped it slightly, as if he was about to crush it.

Chen Luo was surprised when Ye Fei called him at this hour.

Nothing good ever happened when Ye Fei made the initiative to come to him!

"Didn't I say, Vice President Chen, I am concerned about your injuries, has it gotten better?" said Ye Fei, raising the corners of his lips and smiling, then continued, "I recently saw your beautiful visage bloated into a pig's head on the Internet and distributed as emojis. When I go back to that day, I realize I was far too impetuous and struck you so hard that I now feel immense guilt."

Chen Luo became mercilessly insulted by Ye Fei.

These words almost caused Chen Luo to burst into flames, and his boiling rage to erupt.

Ye Fei's words are far too harsh!

Everything he said immediately enraged Chen Luo. Chen Luo has seen his special emoji several times in the last few days while browsing the news online.

Especially since many netizens forwarded the videos of Ye Fei and Chen Luo fighting, even going as far as making Chen Luo's blue nose and swollen face into an emoticon pack.

The emoticons about Chen Luo on the Internet are increasingly common and overpowering, especially when they include text, and there are several spoofs.

Chen Luo clenched his teeth, hoping he could skin Ye Fei, torture him, and inflict unfathomable damage on him! Yet Ye Fei dared to add salt to the wound!

His face was pallid as he responded harshly, "Young Master Ye, have you mocked me enough?" If this is all, I'll hang up immediately."

He had learnt how to behave after confronting Ye Fei several times over the course of several weeks.

Although he was enraged by Ye Fei's statements the last time, it made him passive and even if he was exposed by a video, he still kept his cool.

With enough patience, one's efforts come to fruition.

Chen Luo kept his cool when speaking with Ye Fei and repeatedly told himself to not be swayed by his words.

Ye Fei's persuasive confident voice came through again on the receiver, and Chen Luo merely heard him say, Vice President Chen, don't hang up. I know that Qizheng Group has lately experienced a major difficulty, and Vice President Chen is now as nervous as ants on a boiling pot."

"Ye Fei, what are you trying to say?" said Chen Luo solemnly, his face gloomy and the frost in his eyes persistent.

"Nothing, I just wanted to call to remind Vice President Chen that you must take care of your health, and don't get too upset with the nasty rumors on the Internet," Ye Fei said, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

What did Ye Fei mean by this?

Chen Luo vaguely noticed something was wrong, and he asked in a cold voice, "You were the one who spread the poison capsule incident to this extent?."

He had long suspected Ye Fei and was simply looking for confirmation.

Chen Luo silently started the phone's recording function at the same moment. If Ye Fei was brave enough to acknowledge it, his recording would be useful and could be used as blackmail material.

When Ye Fei heard what Chen Luo said, he quickly disputed it and remarked jokingly, "You've got to be kidding, Vice President Chen. Of course I didn't do this."

Ye Fei had understood Chen Luo's thoughts a long time ago, and despite his stubbornness, Ye Fei would not leave him with any options.

Hearing him deny it, Chen Luo was a little disappointed.

But the more Ye Fei denied it, the more Chen Luo felt that this matter was more closely related to him. Now Chen Luo is at least confidently certain that this matter was orchestrated by Ye Fei behind the scenes!

"Vice President Chen, I'm actually phoning you for something different today, I wanted to remind you of one more thing," Ye Fei said faintly. "That is, to not pay attention to the other Internet rumors."

When Ye Fei said another online rumor, Chen Luo was taken aback.

Exactly what sort of malicious rumors?

In disbelief, Chen Luo got on his phone and immediately searched for the news on the Weibo site.

Despite perusing the news, Chen Luo did not hang up.

On the other side, Ye Fei held his phone and put his arms around Su Qingzhu's slender waist, showing a faint smile.

This is a 'gift' prepared by Ye Fei for Chen Luo, which will definitely surprise him!