Invincible Young Master in the City
Chapter 823: 819 Li Zhaojun

Chapter 823: Chapter 819 Li Zhaojun

The two of them stayed warm like this until noon. Seeing that it wasn’t early, Ye Fan said, “Shall we go eat? Let’s call Qiangzi and Shitou.”

The four of them went to a Chinese restaurant not far from the Huayang Martial Arts Academy. Shi Sheng and Lu Chengqiang quickly finished their meals and left early, using the excuse of having matters to handle at the academy.

In the private room, only Ye Fan and Lu Xiaoman were left.

Looking at the dishes on the table that hadn’t been touched much, Lu Xiaoman said, “Usually, those two eat a lot. Why did they eat so little today?”

Ye Fan smiled slightly, “They didn’t want to be the third wheel. Since when did those two start being considerate of others?”

Lu Xiaoman’s pretty face turned slightly red. She picked up a piece of vegetable and ate it in small bites, like a timid little rabbit.

Seeing her slightly shy appearance, Ye Fan changed the subject and asked about the recent situation at the academy. Lu Xiaoman answered whatever he asked, but later on, the topic shifted to Mo Xiaoyan.

Concerning her twin sister, Lu Xiaoman was very worried, “This week, Xiaoyan only came back once, arriving in Hua Hai City at night and leaving early the next morning. It feels like she has become a different person.”

Besides her concern for Mo Xiaoyan, Lu Xiaoman also wondered if Mo Xiaoyan was always stuck with Ye Fan in Mingde County.

In front of Ye Fan, Mo Xiaoyan acted like a mischievous little girl. It’s fine for a sister-in-law to be a bit close to a “soon-to-be brother-in-law,” but Mo Xiaoyan’s closeness made Lu Xiaoman slightly uneasy, sometimes making her wonder if there was something between Mo Xiaoyan and Ye Fan.

Ye Fan vaguely sensed Mo Xiaoyan’s concern and said, “Xiaoyan is busy with the cosmetics project. Though she’s in Mingde County, she’s always at the company and factory. Even if I want to see her, I’d have to call in advance, and she might not even have time.”

“So that’s how it is,” Lu Xiaoman thought, and her worries quietly faded away.

“Although I don’t contact the Mo family often,” Lu Xiaoman thought for a moment and said, “since the family isn’t pressing me for marriage, the pressure might have shifted to Xiaoyan. Xiaoyan working hard, I guess, is her way to establish herself in business, so the family wouldn’t push her too hard.”

Ye Fan held Lu Xiaoman’s hand and said, “Actually, for Xiaoyan, it’s a good thing. Born into a big family like the Mo’s, many things were destined from her birth. She needs to become strong enough to carry the responsibilities that belong to her.”

The two of them talked for a while longer, and after finishing their meal, they returned to the academy.

Ye Fan went to find Shi Sheng and Lu Chengqiang to understand their traditional martial arts training situation, and Lu Xiaoman sensibly didn’t follow.

He called Shi Sheng and Lu Chengqiang to a practice room. After watching the two of them perform, Ye Fan discovered Shi Sheng had faint signs of breaking through the later stage of Ming Jin, while Lu Chengqiang wasn’t quite there yet but wasn’t far off.

Lu Chengqiang had hidden injuries left from his time on the battlefield. His current training speed had already put a significant strain on his body, causing old wounds to show signs of recurrence.

Ye Fan gently pressed a few acupoints on Lu Chengqiang’s body, causing Lu Chengqiang to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

“You can’t keep training like this,” Ye Fan said seriously, “otherwise your body will collapse.”

After learning about the disbandment of the Dragon Group, Lu Chengqiang resorted to drinking and dedicated himself to training day and night to bury his inner loss and pain.

Seeing Ye Fan’s serious expression and considering his recent physical discomfort, Lu Chengqiang realized the severity of the matter and nodded, “I understand, chief. I’ll temporarily stop training starting tomorrow.”

“You can’t stop completely,” Ye Fan said, “Suddenly going from extreme activity to inactivity, the gap will be too great for your body to adjust. In the coming days, gradually reduce the intensity until your body shows no discomfort.”

“Understood, chief,” Lu Chengqiang replied.

Ye Fan then explained some important points to the two of them and answered any questions they had encountered during recent practices before leaving the academy.

Driving to the Yulin Bay Villa, Ye Fan met with Li Zhaojun.

Previously, Li Zhaojun had resigned from her position as CEO of Emali Group, hiring a well-known domestic professional manager to run the company. She only went there for a round and simple matters each day, spending the rest of her time at home cultivating the “Jade Maiden Heart Scripture.”

As of now, she hadn’t been to the company for several days, spending night and day cultivating at home. Occasionally, she would go out to clear her mind but never strayed more than a hundred meters from the villa.

When they met, Li Zhaojun wore loose training clothes, her hair tied up in a bun with a simple jade hairpin at the back of her head.

No matter what Ye Fan said, she at most responded with a simple “hmm,” and more often, she wouldn’t even acknowledge him.

Ye Fan didn’t know to what extent Li Zhaojun had cultivated the “Jade Maiden Heart Scripture,” but seeing her current cold demeanor filled him with worry.

“Zhaojun, change into something else, let’s go visit Grandpa,” Ye Fan said.

Li Zhaojun ignored him, turned around, and headed upstairs to the practice room.

“Zhaojun!” Ye Fan followed her. Li Zhaojun entered the practice room, sat cross-legged on a mat, and slowly closed her eyes.

Ye Fan grabbed Li Zhaojun’s hand and found it cold, startling him. He wondered if the “Jade Maiden Heart Scripture” caused someone to sever worldly attachments and emotions, making one’s inner and even physical demeanor as cold as jade?

His worry increased, and he held Li Zhaojun’s hand tightly, saying, “Did you forget we promised Grandpa to visit him every weekend? It won’t take long; we can come back and you can continue your training without me interfering.”

Li Zhaojun’s eyelids twitched slightly but she didn’t open her eyes, instead starting her breathing exercises.

Her touch became even colder.

Ye Fan gritted his teeth and said, “Zhaojun, to be honest, Grandpa is getting old, perhaps with only two or three years left. As each day passes, so does the time! Do you know the most painful thing in the world? It’s ‘wanting to support them but they’re no longer there!’

Li Zhaojun’s breathing halted, then she opened her eyes and yanked her hand back, giving Ye Fan a push on the chest, almost knocking him over.

“You…” Ye Fan was quite surprised.

Li Zhaojun stood up, her face expressionless, her voice flat and steady, devoid of any emotion, saying, “I’ll go change my clothes.”

With that, she walked to the bedroom, didn’t close the door, and simply changed out of her training clothes into an elegant, casual long dress.