Chapter 68: A Season Fraught with Turmoil

After the woman, whose origins were unknown, left, Qin Yongfeng sat on the sofa with a sullen face, smoking several cigars in succession, as if hesitating over some grave matter.

A full half hour passed.

He finally picked up his phone and dialed a strange number, his voice utterly cold: “Bring ‘the King’ over. No matter the cost, make sure they kill Ye Fei. Kill him!”

“This must be done cleanly.”

“Show no mercy—I don’t want to leave any room for trouble later.”

There was silence on the other end.

Click.

The call was cut off.

Having given his orders, Qin Yongfeng took a deep breath, rubbed his weathered face, and gazed at the two corpses lying nearby. At last a trace of fear flickered in his eyes as he muttered, “I hope... this will at least give the Zhang family an answer...”

...

After leaving the courtyard, Ye Fei got into Chen Yu’s car.

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have brought you—this was a complete trap!” Chen Yu started the engine, grumbling, “And not just any trap—a massive one!”

“It’s really not a big deal. Those people all had their own agenda. I wasn’t worried,” Ye Fei replied with a chuckle. “By the way, sis, you shouted so loudly just now—were you worried about me?”

“You!” Chen Yu’s beautiful eyes widened, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She was about to scold Ye Fei when her phone rang urgently in her pocket.

She glanced at the caller ID and picked up quickly. “Hello? What is it?”

After a few brief words from the man on the other end, Chen Yu’s face steadily darkened.

“You’re saying Duotai Pharmaceuticals joined forces with the other two major manufacturers to report us?”

“All our production lines are being forcibly shut down?”

“What about the compliant medication we’ve already produced?”

“What? Everything has to be destroyed?!”

...

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Chen Yu hung up and took a deep breath. Something seemed to be warring in her eyes.

“What happened?” Ye Fei asked curiously.

“My company is in trouble.” Chen Yu rubbed her eyes and said, “Someone tampered with a batch of our drugs. The other three competitors somehow found out, and together they reported Spring and Autumn Pharmaceuticals. The authorities immediately ordered us to close all production lines and sales channels, and now they’re demanding we destroy all medication that’s already cost us to produce but hasn’t yet hit the market. It’s a massive loss—enough to hit the company’s core.”

In Hangzhou, there were four renowned pharmaceutical companies: Spring and Autumn Pharmaceuticals, which had rapidly risen to become the industry leader, followed by Duotai Pharmaceuticals, Hongfeng Pharmaceuticals, and Yi Wang Pharmaceuticals. The latter three were roughly equal in output, but still overshadowed by Spring and Autumn Pharmaceuticals due to its broad range of products.

Spring and Autumn Pharmaceuticals—so this was Chen Yu’s company.

“That serious?” Ye Fei asked. “Did your competitors set you up?”

“Very likely.” Chen Yu fell silent for a couple of seconds, then continued, “Until recently, I oversaw every phase of production and sales at Spring and Autumn Pharmaceuticals myself, so nothing ever went wrong. But with our recent growth, I relaxed my grip a bit—and now this…”

“A towering tree invites the wind. It’s just how these things go,” Ye Fei shook his head. “What’s done is done. Have you thought of a way to respond?”

“Spring and Autumn Pharmaceuticals is somewhat tied to my second uncle, and the other three definitely know that.” Chen Yu frowned, as if she’d just remembered something. “Could it be…”

“They’re being manipulated behind the scenes,” Ye Fei offered with a wry smile. “Trouble never comes singly, does it?”

“Who?” Chen Yu’s lips parted.

“Think carefully—at this stage, who would dare make such an overt move?” Ye Fei stretched and continued, “Even if those three are powerful, you’d have caught wind if they acted alone. This sort of lightning strike, cutting before reporting, isn’t something everyone can pull off so flawlessly.”

“You mean…” Chen Yu’s pupils contracted. “Situ Feng?”

“I’m afraid he’s not alone,” Ye Fei said, narrowing his eyes. “If it were only Situ Feng, would he really dare go against the entire Chen family?”

“If your guess is right, then they’ve really gone too far!” Chen Yu’s tone turned icy. “Even though Spring and Autumn Pharmaceuticals has grown quickly, to me it’s still like a child in a cradle—utterly defenseless against these adults.”

“So, in the end, am I the one who brought you this trouble?” Ye Fei said gently.

“What do you mean, brought me trouble?” Chen Yu shot him a glare. “This has nothing to do with you. Even without anyone backing them, they would have targeted Spring and Autumn Pharmaceuticals eventually!”

“Then what will you do?” Ye Fei looked at her with an amused, questioning gaze.

“I…” Chen Yu hesitated for a few seconds, a trace of resolve appearing on her mature face as she forced a smile. “I don’t want to trouble my second uncle anymore.”

“You can’t handle this alone.” Ye Fei looked into her captivating eyes, speaking solemnly. “I’ve just learned something—Situ Feng isn’t the benevolent entrepreneur the internet portrays. There’s likely blood on his hands. With Old Master Chen Bozhong’s current standing in the Chen family, protecting you won’t be easy.”

“Even so, I have to try.” Chen Yu gritted her teeth and quickly sent a few messages. “I’ll invite those three to dinner, apologize, lower my stance, and offer them a share of the profits. If they’ll agree to withdraw their report, this can all be settled.”

Seeing Ye Fei about to argue, she cut him off. “I’ve been in business since I was twenty and have seen countless unspoken rules. This is nothing I can’t handle—don’t worry.”

Ye Fei saw she didn’t want his advice, so he shrugged and didn’t push further.

“All set!” Chen Yu snapped her fingers as she looked at her phone and smiled. “There’s always room to negotiate. Eight o’clock tonight, at Full Moon Restaurant. You’ll come with me, won’t you? Lend me some support if you’re free.”

“All right.” Ye Fei checked the time, nodded lightly, and didn’t refuse.

...

Full Moon Restaurant—a renowned Michelin five-star establishment.

This restaurant does not serve the general public; to book an event here, you must go through the in-house manager.

In short, it’s reserved for the wealthy and powerful—an elite private venue with eight top-tier chefs offering nearly every cuisine in the country.

Of course, the bill is enough to make anyone’s heart ache.

Even an ordinary banquet has a minimum charge of fifty thousand yuan.