Facing Zhang Jingshan's indignant complaint about the so-called "black-hearted" practices.

Ye Chen chuckled and shook his head. "It's not about being black-hearted or not. The organizers just want to avoid too many idle spectators showing up. You already said this touring auction isn't of the highest caliber. For those with actual capital, getting an invitation wouldn't be difficult, right? The entrance fee is just a way to filter out the ordinary folks. Otherwise, it would be chaos."

"That's true." Zhang Jingshan reluctantly agreed.

"You said you were leaving earlier. Go ahead." Ye Chen smiled.

"Ye Bro, don't be like that. I only thought of leaving because you weren't here. Now that you've arrived, how could I leave?" Zhang Jingshan laughed nervously.

After saying that, he glanced around and leaned in closer. "Ye Bro, is there something special about this auction? Is that why you're here?"

"Huh? What makes you say that?" Ye Chen looked puzzled.

"I mean, I just can't imagine you attending a low-tier auction for no reason!" Zhang Jingshan replied.

"Well, it's not like I can get into the high-end ones at the moment," Ye Chen said with a playful tone.

Cough.

Zhang Jingshan cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Alright, enough with the coughing. If you're not leaving, let's head in together."

Patting Zhang Jingshan's shoulder, Ye Chen strode confidently toward the entrance.

The spacious venue was filled with rows of seating.

Though this wasn't a high-level auction, nearly all of the 200 or so seats were occupied.

On the makeshift auction stage, the items for sale were displayed in transparent glass cases, while a large screen behind the stage showed detailed information about each lot.

After Ye Chen and Zhang Jingshan found seats and sat down, the auction soon began as the auctioneer took the stage.

However, just as Ye Chen had said earlier, he seemed to be here purely for entertainment. For the first ten or so items, he showed no intention of bidding. Instead, he remained calm and composed, his demeanor completely unaffected.

This puzzled Zhang Jingshan. Could Ye Chen really be here just to kill time? But something told him it couldn't be that simple.

As he was stewing in frustration and confusion, Ye Chen's expression suddenly changed dramatically.

The transformation didn't escape Zhang Jingshan's notice.

"Ye Bro, what's wrong?" he asked, startled.

He had good reason to be alarmed. What he saw wasn't excitement or surprise-it was rage. A murderous, blood-curdling rage.

The sudden shift made Zhang Jingshan shiver. From the day he met Ye Chen, the man had always struck him as calm and composed, as if he held everything in the palm of his hand. He seemed almost devoid of temper.

Even when facing provocation and humiliation at the West Suburb Stone Gambling Field or at the Heavenly Palace Club, Ye Chen had merely laughed it off without showing a hint of anger.

But now, out of nowhere, his face showed a fury so intense it seemed he wanted to kill someone.

What's going on?

Instinctively, Zhang Jingshan followed Ye Chen's gaze.

A balding middle-aged man was raising his paddle to bid, and Ye Chen's eyes were locked on him with icy precision.

"Ye Bro, do you know Peng Baldy?" Zhang Jingshan asked in shock.

"You know him?" Ye Chen abruptly withdrew his gaze.

His cold expression flickered for a moment before being replaced by his usual calm demeanor.

"Not well. I've seen him a couple of times. He's in e-commerce, probably worth a few billion. He used to partner with Changfeng's Huaxing Trading but got blacklisted for being shady and having a terrible character. Changfeng would rather earn less than continue doing business with him. This was just a while back.

"Later, I heard he found a new supplier and even approached our Yunshan Network a couple of weeks ago. He wanted us to help him sell his products, but I turned him down on the spot. Helping him would've been like slapping Changfeng in the face. After rejecting him, I started hearing rumors about him.

"Apparently, he had an affair with his sister-in-law and got her pregnant. His wife couldn't take the humiliation, so she divorced him and moved abroad with their kids. As for the sister-in-law, she disappeared out of shame after the scandal broke.

"On top of that, there are whispers that he preyed on several of his female employees, using underhanded tactics. Those women left the company under duress after being threatened by him.

"Oh, and he supposedly had some kind of connection with Sun Tianqi from Maple Leaf Hotel. What kind of connection? I'm not sure."

Zhang Jingshan spilled everything he knew. But as soon as he finished, he remembered Ye Chen's earlier furious expression.

"Ye Bro, what's going on between you and him?"

"I want to deal with him!" Ye Chen growled, suppressing his anger as he uttered those four words.

"Huh? You have a grudge against him?" Zhang Jingshan exclaimed.

Ye Chen didn't respond, but the tension in his clenched jaw spoke volumes.

A grudge?

It was far more than that.

In his previous life, this despicable man had driven Yinuo to such despair that she'd chosen to perish in flames with their daughter, Youyou.

After being reborn, Ye Chen had successfully altered their fates. But he had never intended to let Peng Baldy go. He had only been waiting for the right moment.

He hadn't expected their paths to cross here.

Now, hearing that Peng Baldy had ties to Sun Tianqi shed light on a few mysteries.

In his past life, Ye Chen had been destitute. Even if a loan company like Anda Financial had loose criteria, it still didn't make sense for them to lend him 150,000 yuan.

But now, knowing about Peng Baldy's connection to Sun Tianqi-and that Sun Tianqi was Sang Biao's boss-it all became clear. Anda Financial had lent him the money because of Peng Baldy's influence.

The reason? Peng Baldy had lusted after Yinuo.

"Ye Bro? Ye Bro?" Zhang Jingshan's voice snapped Ye Chen out of his thoughts.

"Hm?" Ye Chen murmured as he returned to the present.

"Ye Bro, if you've got a score to settle with Peng Baldy, leave it to me. I'll handle it perfectly for you."

There was no need for Ye Chen to elaborate. The sheer intensity of Ye Chen's uncharacteristic rage told Zhang Jingshan this wasn't a trivial matter.

"How do you plan to handle it?" Ye Chen asked.

"Just wait and see. I won't take his life, but I'll make sure he regrets ever crossing paths with you. I didn't spend all these years in Jiangzhou for nothing!" Zhang Jingshan declared.

"Aren't you curious about the grudge between us?" Ye Chen asked.

"My curiosity makes me want to know, but my instincts tell me it's better not to ask," Zhang Jingshan replied. "Whatever the grudge is, seeing you like this is all the reason I need to crush him. I owe you this, Ye Bro. My whole family does."

Ye Chen pressed his lips together in silence. After a moment, he nodded and patted Zhang Jingshan on the shoulder.

He didn't intend to refuse the man's help.

Some things didn't need to be said aloud.

At that moment, the screen behind the auction stage displayed the next item for sale: a thick, square wooden carving.