Chapter 164 - Dodge
“Yeah, everyone seems to be steering clear of Ye Hao these days,” another middle-aged man agreed.
Lin Rou'er bit her lip before responding, “Ye Hao is my benefactor.” She then headed toward Ye Hao.
Ye Hao had overheard the two middle-aged men's conversation.
“Rou'er, won't talking to me negatively affect you?” Ye Hao asked with a smile.
“What kind of question is that?” Lin Rou'er replied, slightly annoyed, “You're my friend.”
“Rou'er, it's time to go inside,” the middle-aged man who had been speaking with Lin Rou'er approached.
“Dad.” Lin Rou'er felt a pang of disappointment.
“Come on,” Lin Gaoding urged.
“I'll find you after the auction,” Lin Rou'er said, and then Lin Gaoding led her away.
Shortly after Lin Rou'er and her father had departed, the middle-aged man who had warned her to keep her distance from Ye Hao approached.
“Ye Hao, keep your distance from Rou'er.”
Ye Hao looked at the man's familiar face and chuckled, “Aren't you the one who despises Lin Rou'er?”
This was Lin Rou'er's uncle, Lin Gaofeng.
Ye Hao had met him at a board meeting Lin Rou'er had convened.
“Are you trying to drive a wedge between Rou'er and me?” Lin Gaofeng asked icily.
“I'm merely pointing out the obvious,” Ye Hao replied calmly. “I see no affection in your eyes for your kin, only deep-seated hatred.”
Lin Gaofeng, fuming with anger, was about to confront Ye Hao but thought better of it, considering Ye Hao's martial prowess, and stormed off instead.
Leng Xue watched Ye Hao and whispered, “Now you've managed to alienate the younger generation of the Lin family.”
“And what of it?” Ye Hao said with a smile.
“Having offended them, it's going to be hard for your relationship with Lin Rou'er to progress,” she pointed out.
“I never intended to pursue a closer relationship with Lin Rou'er,” Ye Hao said, looking intently at Leng Xue.
“You're not even swayed by a beauty like Lin Rou'er?” Leng Xue asked, astonished.
“How could I not be?” Ye Hao shook his head gently, “The man who marries Lin Rou'er is indeed fortunate.”
“Then why do you persist in these actions?” Leng Xue was puzzled.
With a resigned look, Zhou Wanqing said, “Young Master Ye, please don't tease me.”
“Did you come here tonight to bid on the panacea?”
“Yes, my grandfather has Parkinson's disease,” Zhou Wanqing replied in a soft voice.
Moplauso's medical technology was among the most advanced in the world. Yet, Ye Hao was aware that even Moplauso's doctors hadn't found a complete cure for Parkinson's disease.
“The panacea will surely heal your grandfather,” Ye Hao assured Zhou Wanqing.
“But it's not certain that I'll be able to win the bid for it,” Zhou Wanqing expressed, her concern evident.
“Don't worry about it.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because I believe you're quite lucky.”
Zhou Wanqing's smile grew broader. “Thank you.”
As Ye Hao accompanied Zhou Wanqing to the event, she couldn't help but notice the chilly looks directed at Ye Hao by the other attendees.
“Young Master Ye, if it's not too much trouble, would you sit next to me?” Zhou Wanqing offered.
“Sure,” Ye Hao agreed without hesitation.
Ye Hao's involvement in Faang Wen's imprisonment was well-known among Glento's elite, who had cautioned their younger members to avoid any contact with him, fearing he might bring them trouble.
Zhou Wanqing had been warned by Zhou Boda as well, but she didn't take his advice seriously.
Being part of the Zhou family, one of the three top-level families in Glento, even the Faang family would have to think twice before crossing them. Besides, Zhou Wanqing and Ye Hao were merely acquaintances.
Should the Faang family target the Zhou family over this, it would suggest they had harbored intentions long before.
Ye Hao looked at Zhou Wanqing with a glint of admiration. It took courage to extend an invitation to him.
In the shadows, Zhang Jinsong watched the scene unfold with a sneer. The scions of noble families were going out of their way to avoid Ye Hao, oblivious to the fact that he was the actual proprietor of the Immortals Retreat.
As Zhang Jinsong emerged from the shadows, all eyes in the room were drawn to him.
Following his introductory speech, Zhang Jinsong cut to the chase, “Lin Rou'er, whom is the Lin family seeking to heal?”
“My grandfather.” Lin Rou'er's words had barely faded when a team of medical personnel and bodyguards wheeled Lin Tu into the gathering.
Lin Tu's health was already fragile, compounded by the trauma he had endured.
In recent times, Lin Tu had lapsed into unconsciousness on several occasions and had undergone cardiopulmonary resuscitation twice.
Lin Tu's attending physician had subtly hinted that his time might be running short.