Chapter 28: The Ball
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“I’ve been retaliated against!” Chen Fei said helplessly.
Hearing this, Su Ran immediately understood what had happened and instinctively looked toward Ye Bufan.
At that moment, Ye Bufan also turned his gaze in this direction. Seeing Chen Fei enter unharmed, he was somewhat surprised and disappointed.
“Useless trash! He couldn’t even handle such a small matter.” Ye Bufan felt furious and decided that once the servant responsible returned, he would immediately expel him from the City Lord’s Mansion.
“Forget it, it’s nothing serious anyway.” Seeing Su Ran about to confront Ye Bufan, Chen Fei quickly grabbed her fair hand, displaying a magnanimous demeanor.
“I’m just angry at his petty tricks,” Su Ran said indignantly on Chen Fei’s behalf.
After the banquet, the final event of the capital establishment celebration took place—the celebratory ball.
The elders used the celebration as an opportunity to discuss their agreements, while the younger generation used the ball as a chance to interact. Many hoped it would bring together new couples.
At this moment, the elusive City Lord, Ye Chen, finally made an appearance, stepping onto the stage amidst thunderous applause.
As the supreme ruler of Huangwu City, Ye Chen would not have shown up if not for the significance of the capital establishment celebration.
After a brief speech, he announced that the celebratory ball would be hosted by Ye Bufan, then left under the escort of a group of people.
After respectfully seeing his father off, Ye Bufan confidently stepped onto the stage. His first action was to congratulate the various prominent families on their successful negotiations, stating that the City Lord’s Mansion was willing to offer a three percent profit concession.
His words immediately brought smiles to the faces of the family heads, who praised Ye Bufan’s generosity.
Even Su Ran’s second uncle couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up.
Chen Fei watched this quietly. The more glorious Ye Bufan appeared now, the more humiliating his downfall would be later.
Meanwhile, Su Ran remained cold and expressionless. If they weren’t at the City Lord’s Mansion, she would have already confronted her second uncle about why he sold the Su family’s lifeline—the Huangling Mine.
After finishing his pleasantries with the older generation, Ye Bufan turned his attention to the young attendees. His gaze lingered on Su Ran, whose cold beauty was unmatched. He couldn’t bring himself to look away.
“Su Ran, soon you’ll understand what real power means. You’ll kneel before me, professing your undying love, in front of everyone here,” Ye Bufan thought, feeling exhilarated.
“Ladies and gentlemen of Huangwu City, today is our city’s grand celebration! To encourage young love, the City Lord’s Mansion has specially arranged a ball for all of you,” Ye Bufan announced enthusiastically.
“The City Lord’s Mansion has prepared formal attire for everyone. You may invite your beloved to dance, or even propose in front of the distinguished guests!”
His words, spoken as if for the benefit of the city’s youth and development, drew applause from both the younger and older generations.
Soon, a group of servants brought in the prepared outfits. As the Young Lord, Ye Bufan took the lead in changing into formal attire, followed by Ye Gulong, Ye Chunyan, and other noble young men of the City Lord’s Mansion.
Next in line were members of the three major families—Su, Lin, and Qin.
Originally, the Qin family was also on the invitation list, but due to their recent downfall at the hands of Chen Fei—who had acted under the alias “Chen Yang”—the Qin family’s leaders had all been captured and imprisoned under Li Zhong’s command. Their influence had crumbled completely.
However, the City Lord’s Mansion did not completely abandon them and still allowed Qin Shuang’s father and younger brother to attend as representatives.
That said, Qin Cheng was forced to wait behind many other families before receiving his attire.
“A bunch of hypocrites!” Qin Cheng seethed with resentment.
“Just wait until my sister returns. She’ll make you all pay!”
As he glanced toward Chen Fei, who stood by Su Ran’s side, smiling, Qin Cheng’s eyes flickered with hatred.
That useless man, whom his sister had once abandoned, was now standing beside Su Ran with a relaxed expression.
Su Ran initially refused to wear the formal dress, claiming she had no intention of dancing. However, Su Wuwen and Su Wuwu strongly opposed her refusal.
“This is an important occasion. Even if you don’t want to dance, you should at least put on the dress. Otherwise, people will accuse us of disrespecting the City Lord’s Mansion.”
Unable to argue against them, Su Ran reluctantly changed into the dress alongside Chen Fei.
The City Lord’s Mansion had indeed spared no expense. The dresses were undoubtedly crafted by the finest tailors in Huangwu City.
Once dressed, both Chen Fei and Su Ran looked stunning.
Particularly Chen Fei, who wore a sleek black suit complemented by a pair of stylish sunglasses. His striking appearance immediately caught the attention of many young women.
“That’s Chen Fei?”
“No wonder Qin Shuang was obsessed with him before. He’s incredibly handsome!”
“If he hadn’t lost his Dantian and his Three-Pupil Spirit Eyes, he would have been the perfect husband.”
Several noble daughters admired him with both excitement and regret.
The ball officially began as the classical music played. The young men and women, dressed in their elegant attire, stepped into the dance floor.
“Miss Su, may I have this dance?”
Ye Bufan approached Su Ran and extended an invitation, his manner polite and graceful.
“Go ahead! You mustn’t refuse the Young Lord’s invitation,” Su Wuwen and Su Wuwu urged her.
Su Ran frowned. She had no intention of dancing with Ye Bufan, but with so many people watching, rejecting him outright could be seen as disrespecting the City Lord’s Mansion.
“Apologies, Young Lord, but you should find another partner,” Chen Fei interjected before Su Ran could answer. “I’ve choreographed a special dance just for my beloved.”
“You? A useless cripple, choreographing a dance?” Ye Bufan sneered. He knew Chen Fei was just giving Su Ran an excuse to refuse him.
“Is it really so difficult to choreograph a dance?” Chen Fei countered.
Ye Bufan knew nothing about dance and doubted Chen Fei did either. With a cold laugh, he threatened, “If you’re playing tricks, you’re disrespecting the City Lord’s Mansion. Do you understand the consequences?”
“Chen Fei, stop this nonsense!” Su Wuwen was alarmed and tried to stop him.
“Chen Fei, sit down and stop embarrassing our Su family!” Su Wuwu scolded harshly.
Chen Fei ignored them. Instead, he took Su Ran’s hand and led her to the center of the dance floor.
Seeing this, Ye Bufan’s expression darkened. “Fine, let’s see what you can do.”
He then ordered everyone to stop dancing, leaving the entire dance floor open for Chen Fei.
If Chen Fei failed to impress, it would be seen as an insult to the City Lord’s Mansion. Ye Bufan would have the perfect excuse to punish him—and even Chen Yang wouldn’t be able to intervene.
