After Ye Chen exposed Tong Xingtong's scheme, the viciously beautiful woman seemed to beat a retreat, not appearing for several days in a row.

This woman would not easily give up; she was likely nursing her wounds, meticulously planning her next move. Once she reappeared, she might well deal Ye Chen a severe blow and gain the upper hand.

Constantly contending with Tong Xingtong, Ye Chen had also glimpsed her personality: she wouldn't stop until she achieved her goal.

Seven days went by without anyone coming to visit Ye Chen. It was as if he had been forgotten when, just as Ye Chen was faintly feeling hungry, the door to the basement was finally pushed open.

The person who came was neither Chu Yanran nor Tong Xingtong, but an elderly lady with white hair.

This elderly woman was Chu Yanran's mother-in-law, Jiang Guirong, whom Ye Chen had saved twice.

The elderly lady, having escaped catastrophe, had recuperated for some time and regained her former vitality. In fact, after fully assimilating the Hundred Treasures Elixir that Ye Chen had fed her, her spirits were even higher than before.

"Hello, my name is Jiang Guirong!" The elderly lady introduced herself first. "Thank you for saving my life twice."

"Ye Chen." Ye Chen seemed reluctant to talk more.

By now, Ye Chen didn't know how long he had been starved; he only knew he had been forced to fast for a very long time. A normal person might have already starved to death, but even with his Mysterious Skill to protect him, he was barely able to hold on any longer. He was now very weak, every word he spoke, every sentence, left him weaker.

Ye Chen was, after all, human, not a god!

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Jiang Guirong said.

Eating is a primal need, one should never underestimate this seemingly insignificant need.

Hunger, often more than physical torment, can drive one to despair.

Jiang Guirong had already found out everything about her grandson's situation and its connection to Ye Chen. However, the normally compassionate and devout old lady ultimately decided to support Tong Xingtong's cruel decision, intending to starve Ye Chen until he begged for mercy.

Faced with the old lady's kind inquiry, Ye Chen remained silent, having neither the inclination nor the willingness to waste energy answering such a pointless question.

"Child, I know you're hungry, because you haven't eaten anything for a whole month!" Jiang Guirong said with some softness in her voice. "But why won't you beg us, ask us for a bite to eat?"

Ye Chen lifted his head to glance at the old lady, wanting to tell her "piss off," but thinking of Huaxia's five-thousand-year tradition of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, he lowered his head again and remained silent.

"I also know it hasn't been easy for you, but can't you truly save him?" Jiang Guirong was obviously anxious about her grandson and had come to plead in person after seeing Ye Chen's steadfast refusal.

"If I save him, I'll die. The Ye Family has been passing on through nine generations, and I've yet to leave a descendant for the Ye Family!" Ye Chen said, his lips almost raw from speaking.

"Then go on and continue your lineage. What type of girl do you like? This old lady will make the arrangements for you!" Jiang Guirong said, not one to dawdle with her actions, clearly a decisive person.

"I like Tong Xingtong, I will marry no one but her. You have her come and give me an heir," Ye Chen said, grinning at a hidden surveillance camera.

"Bastard!" In a room filled with monitor screens, Tong Xingtong swore with rage at Ye Chen's image on the surveillance video.

"What?" Jiang Guirong was startled. "That's not possible, Xing Tong wouldn't agree. Choose someone else."

"Chu Yanran?" Ye Chen probed.

"That's not possible either!" Jiang Guirong's expression stiffened.

Chu Yanran was her daughter-in-law, her own girl; she could not let her walk into a tiger's lair. This young man was going too far.

Seeing that the other party had no sincerity, Ye Chen felt there was nothing more to discuss.

Ye Chen had been fasting for an entire month, thirty days without food, nearly reaching his limit. It seemed Tong Xingtong was truly set on starving him to death!

However, Ye Chen was not one to sit idly by. With no signs of a turnaround, he began to silently gather his strength, waiting for the right moment for an explosive escape attempt.

"Child, I am grateful to you, you saved my life twice!" Jiang Guirong reiterated her gratitude.

"Can you let me leave here?" Ye Chen asked.

"I cannot!"

Ye Chen: "..."

Jiang Guirong was very grateful to Ye Chen for saving her, but she also wanted Ye Chen to save her grandson's life, so she could not let him go.

The old lady was a wise person. Ye Chen had always shown no fear, as if everything was a breeze, which made her realize she could not persuade this young man today.

In the end, the old lady left, somewhat dejectedly.

Another three days passed by in a blink, during which Chu Yanran came once. However, the Empress was in and out in a hurry, and besides her visit, only Tong Xingtong regularly came to check on Ye Chen.

During this time, Ye Chen maintained a facade of extreme weakness, which was natural given he hadn't eaten in a month. It was a miracle he wasn't dead from starvation!

Ye Chen silently gathered his strength. His current state was not too bad, still within manageable limits, but he did not want to wait until he was utterly drained to make his move.

Having adjusted his physical condition, Ye Chen only needed to operate the Martial Way Secret Skill, and he would be able to increase his strength tenfold. At that time, escaping the shackles that bound him would be a cinch.

Although relying on the Secret Skill for such extreme bursts would consume his vital energy and greatly damage his qi, it was far better than dying of starvation.

Ye Chen's medical skills were profound. Once he escaped, even if his vital energy was greatly depleted, he could concoct the Martial Way Holy Elixir to replenish himself and recover quickly. The only issue was that concocting such elixirs would be quite troublesome.

The crystal lamp above his head had never been extinguished, and the air in the underground room remained as chilly as ever. Ye Chen narrowed his eyes; he was waiting for someone to open this door.

Clang!

The heavy iron door was pushed open.

Ye Chen hung his head low, held his breath, and entered a state of spiritual emptiness, ready to erupt.

"Ye Chen!" The person who came was Chu Yanran. Seeing Ye Chen with his head down, she immediately let out a cry of surprise.

She thought something had happened to Ye Chen because he had not eaten for a whole month. Even a polar bear would starve to death.

"Ye Chen, don't scare me. Please, you must be alright!" Chu Yanran approached Ye Chen with a look of panic.

"Hm?" Ye Chen let out a sound of surprise because Chu Yanran was unlocking the shackles on him.

"Thank goodness, you're not dead!" Hearing Ye Chen's sound of surprise, Chu Yanran's tense nerves suddenly relaxed.

"What are you doing?" Ye Chen asked.

Chu Yanran had unlocked the manacle on his left hand and was now attempting to unlock the manacle on his right hand.

Faced with Ye Chen's question, Chu Yanran couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, I'm setting you free, can't you see that?

"Snap! Snap! Snap!" The manacles on Ye Chen's body were unlocked one by one by Chu Yanran.

Ye Chen couldn't understand why Chu Yanran was doing this. Could this be another one of their schemes?

"I am an orphan. I was adopted from the orphanage by my grandmother. They took me in as their adopted child!" Chu Yanran suddenly spoke. "They treated me as their own daughter, and they took such good care of me. They are great benefactors to Chu Yanran!"

Ye Chen did not interrupt, stopping the operation of the Secret Technique that stimulated his acupoints. He felt that this woman really had something to say.

"Li Feng was a genius, he was my childhood sweetheart and older brother. After we grew up, we got married, and he became my husband!" Chu Yanran continued to unlock the manacles on Ye Chen.

"After the wedding, we were supposed to travel the world, go on a honeymoon; this was something we planned a long time ago. But my father's company's IPO encountered severe obstacles on Wall Street in the United States, and Li Feng followed my father to the IPO on Wall Street."

"Two months later, I found out I was pregnant, and my father's company finally succeeded in going public. It was a double blessing for the Li Family, everyone was overjoyed!"

"But disaster struck when I gave birth to Xiao Chenchen. After work, on his way home, Li Feng was waiting at a red light when a tanker truck lost its brakes and rear-ended his car, leading to a multi-car crash involving nine cars. Li Feng's car was at the center of these nine vehicles, and he died!"

"The Li Family only had one male heir for three generations, and my father only had Li Feng. This sudden misfortune plunged the family into unprecedented grief, but fortunately, we still had Xiao Chenchen, and the Li Family's bloodline could continue!"

"Li Xinran, he was my father, also Li Feng's father. He had just turned fifty, at the peak of his life. But after Li Feng's death, my father also suddenly fell ill and passed away!"

"All of this came without warning and plunged me and my mother-in-law into unprecedented sorrow. But we still had Xiao Chenchen!"

"After my father passed away, my mother also began to suffer from illnesses. It was the beginning of ominous signs. However, the company successfully went public under the control of my father and Li Feng, and I had also achieved some success over the years. Under my efforts, Yanran Group rapidly expanded, so I was quite wealthy and could afford to hire many medical experts to keep my mother's illness at bay."

"One day, while I was out with Xiao Chenchen, we encountered a tattered and bedraggled vagrant Taoist who claimed that Xiao Chenchen was the Heavenly Destitute Star, born to bring demise to his parents and those close to him, eventually bringing about his own death as well!"

"So please forgive everything I have done. I hope I haven't caused you irreparable harm."

Chu Yanran unlocked all ten manacles that restrained Ye Chen's body and finished telling her story. The Empress deeply apologized to Ye Chen, bowing profoundly before him.

"Are you letting me go?" Ye Chen said.

"Go on, leave," Chu Yanran sighed deeply, as if relieved.

Ye Chen: "…"

From Chu Yanran's story, Ye Chen heard sincerity—her words were not an act. This woman truly intended to let him go, no longer forcing him to save Xiao Chenchen.

Ye Chen was nearly at his wits' end. He had intended to break free and expected to burn through his own qi in a fierce siege. Little had he imagined that, at this moment, Chu Yanran would let him go.

Chu Yanran's revelation stirred something in Ye Chen, and he began to feel sympathy for this woman.

This legendary Empress of the business world had a tragic fate indeed!

"Sigh!"

Ye Chen regained his freedom, but his heart did not feel the liberation. Instead, he heaved a long sigh.

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