MLMD -Chapter 410 An Expensive Bowl of Soup

If someone were to conduct an online survey titled “The Most Awkward Thing You’ve Ever Experienced,” the answers would probably be all over the place. But if the crew of The Pearl Family were asked to fill out that survey today, most of them would undoubtedly choose what had just happened as the textbook answer. I mean… was there anything more awkward than a whole group of people pointing at someone and berating him, only to discover in the end that this person was actually their benefactor—the very one who paid their salaries?

As a result, the moment Yun Feng said those words, quite a few people stared at him in a daze, their gazes tinged with something odd. This guy was really too rotten—he’d known full well that the young man in front of them was their financial backer, yet he’d still stood by and enjoyed the show. Truly despicable.

As if hearing the intense resentment in everyone’s hearts, Yun Feng said calmly, “Alright, don’t blame me for not telling you in advance. You were the ones in the wrong to begin with. Zhang Qing may be someone from your crew, but that doesn’t mean you can support him without any bottom line. Wrong is wrong. He was clearly the one who hit someone first, yet you all turned around and accused the victim. If I remember correctly, that kind of behavior is called turning black into white. Is this really how you plan to survive in society? Even a money-grubbing businessman like me knows to have some principles—but look at you… sigh.”

As he spoke, Yun Feng shook his head, his face filled with confusion and regret. The people around him lowered their heads in shame, one after another. Even an old fox like Zhang Huizhong didn’t dare meet his gaze.

Of course, not everyone was moved by this speech. At the very least, Yun Feng noticed a pair of eyes fixed on him. Their owner was looking at him with disdain, contempt, and a hint of mockery. That look made Yun feel rather embarrassed, so he spoke up.

“Hey, hey… I say, President Yue, Young Master Yue—Brother Yue—what’s that look supposed to mean? Am I wrong? Didn’t our teachers teach us this way when we were kids?”

“What you said is certainly right,” Yue Yang replied leisurely, withdrawing his gaze. “I used to wonder why the police in movies always arrive only after the case is over. Now I understand—turns out those movie cops were modeled after you.”

“Hey… your mouth is really vicious,” Yun Feng said, left speechless by the jab. Shaking his head helplessly, he strolled over and sat down beside Yue Yang. When he noticed the red bean soup on the table, he smiled. “Brother Yue, I really couldn’t tell—you’re quite the family man. You even prepared red bean soup. This must’ve been simmering for… hmm, no, that’s not right.”

When Yun Feng lifted the lid of the food container, his nose twitched instinctively. He quickly grabbed a bowl and ladle, scooped up a bowl of soup, and took a sip. His expression immediately changed. He sighed softly, then gave Yue Yang a thumbs-up. “Brother Yue, I’m convinced. People say I, Yun Second, am a wastrel. From now on, if anyone dares say that again, I’ll fight them. You used thirty-year-old wild ginseng just to make a bowl of red bean soup—who the hell can compete with you?”

“Damn it, you really can’t keep your mouth shut,” Yue Yang shot him a big eye roll, though his expression clearly showed that he’d tacitly admitted it.

The speaker may not have meant much by it, but the listeners certainly did. Those casual remarks stunned everyone in the crew. Red bean soup? Made with decades-old wild ginseng? Just hearing it sounded incredibly high-end.

A slightly clueless actor whispered to his companion, “Bro, using ginseng to make soup… that must be expensive, right?”

“No shit!” the knowledgeable companion rolled his eyes. “If what President Yun said is true, that whole container of soup is worth at least two hundred thousand. You tell me—is that expensive?”

“Hiss—”

The actor—and everyone else who heard this—instantly changed expression. The way they looked at Yue Yang and the two women, Xiao Lu and Xiao Dan, became complicated. Many of them screamed inwardly, “Boss, it’s just a bowl of soup… worth two hundred thousand! Are you even letting us poor bastards live?”

These days, countless young people were struggling for houses and cars. Two hundred thousand was no small sum. It could buy a decent car, serve as a down payment on an apartment in a third-tier city, or even pay for a fairly respectable wedding. Yet for the young man before them, it was only enough to buy some old ginseng to make soup. This went beyond “luxury”—it was downright extravagant!

In an instant, the gazes of countless men toward Yue Yang sharpened like blades, while the looks from women burned hot enough to melt steel. This was a bona fide diamond bachelor. Where on earth had Xiao Lu and Xiao Dan found such a golden turtle son-in-law? What—two women serving one man was shameless? As long as that Boss Yue was willing, forget one dragon and two phoenixes—even the Twelve Beauties of Jinling wouldn’t be a problem. They could even make three mahjong tables—no need to call around for players anymore.

Slowly finishing the highly nourishing bowl of red bean soup, Yun Feng’s complexion visibly improved. Without caring about appearances, he let out a satisfied burp, then turned to the bearded Zhang Huizhong, who was standing obediently to the side, waiting for instructions.

“Old Zhang, this Zhang Qing from your crew is really outrageous. An actor with such low character, no matter how good his acting is, can’t be kept. My personal suggestion is to resolutely remove someone like him from the crew. What do you think?”

The moment Yun Feng spoke, the bearded director nodded like a chicken pecking rice. “Ah… yes, yes. President Yue is absolutely right. One rat dropping can ruin a whole pot of soup. People like that must be firmly eliminated from our crew.”

Seeing how readily the director agreed, a production staff member in charge of finances panicked. Tugging at the director’s sleeve, he whispered, “Director, if we kick Zhang Qing out, we’ll have to pay breach-of-contract compensation. That’ll affect our budget…”

“Shut up!” The bearded director shot him a fierce glare. He wanted nothing more than to knock some sense into this blockhead. With a benefactor who could spend over two hundred thousand just to make a bowl of soup standing right there, you’re worried about budget shortfalls? Do you even have a brain?

Looking at the dozens of crew members gazing at them with awe, Yue Yang sighed softly and finally spoke.

Turning to the bearded director, he said, “Director Zhang, from the perspective of your crew, you weren’t wrong today. But for me, it wasn’t exactly a pleasant memory. Terminate Zhang Qing’s contract. As for the penalty and any resulting losses, just ask President Yun for reimbursement—he’ll definitely cover it.”

The moment Yue Yang said this, Yun Feng protested. “Hey, hey… Brother Yue, that’s not very fair. Why should I foot the bill? What does this have to do with me?”

“Of course it does,” Yue Yang replied as he stood up, extending his hands toward Xiao Lu and Xiao Dan. Under everyone’s gaze, the girls’ pretty faces flushed red, but they still shyly stood up and moved to his sides, each holding onto one of his arms.

Only then did Yue Yang point to the red bean soup on the stone table. “Look—just the ingredients for that pot of soup alone are worth three hundred thousand. I spent an entire night making it. The labor cost should be at least two hundred thousand, right? That’s a total value of five hundred thousand, and you drank it all. Shouldn’t you be paying for that?”

“I…” Yun Feng was dumbfounded, able only to watch helplessly as Yue Yang led the two women out of the set toward the nearby parking lot.

Soon, an indignant howl rang out behind them: “Damn it… who did I offend? One bowl of soup cost me hundreds of thousands! Even those Middle Eastern oil sheikhs aren’t this wasteful!”

The setting shifted to the same high-end private club. In a spacious private room, Yue Yang, Yun Feng, and a middle-aged woman wearing glasses sat around a large round table, smiling as they discussed business. On the other side of the table, Xiao Dan, Xiao Lu, and several beautiful actresses were singing.

Yun Feng poured a glass of juice for the woman and smiled. “Aunt Zhou, my buddy here wants to buy some equipment, but he’s not sure how to go about it. You’re an old hand at this—could you give him some guidance?”

The bespectacled woman looked to be around fifty. Though crow’s-feet were clearly visible at the corners of her eyes, her complexion and faintly discernible features showed that she must have been quite a beauty in her youth.

After hearing Yun Feng, Aunt Zhou said kindly, “You little rascal—you were a clever imp even as a child, and you still don’t forget to scheme against your Aunt Zhou. This friend of yours may be even younger than you, but if my eyes aren’t failing me, he’s far more accomplished than you.”

“Aunt Zhou, you’re really underestimating me, aren’t you?” Yun Feng protested. “I’m the chairman of a company, after all. How is he better than me?”

“You—don’t be so unconvinced,” Aunt Zhou chuckled. She studied Yue Yang, who sat calmly across from her, and her doubts grew the more she looked. Finally, she put away her smile and asked, “Young man, since you’re Xiao Feng’s friend, I’ll call you Xiao Yang. Is that alright?”

“Of course,” Yue Yang smiled. “You’re Uncle Yun’s aunt, so you’re my aunt as well. No need to be so formal.”

“Good, then I won’t be,” Aunt Zhou laughed heartily. “Xiao Yang, may I ask—what government department do you work in?”

“I…” Yue Yang froze for a moment, rubbing his nose awkwardly. “Auntie, to be honest, I’m in business. I don’t work in any government department.”

“That’s not right,” Aunt Zhou frowned even more. “Young man, Auntie may be old, but my eyes aren’t blind. The aura about you is exactly the same as my old man’s—and Yun Feng’s father’s. I absolutely won’t mistake that.”

“Aunt Zhou, you really misjudged this time,” Yun Feng chimed in. “Brother Yue truly doesn’t work in government. He’s in business, just like me.”

“No, that’s not it,” Aunt Zhou insisted, scrutinizing Yue Yang again, her confusion deepening. Finally, she shook her head with a wry smile. “I consider myself fairly perceptive. The aura of someone from the system on Xiao Yang is unmistakable. I can guarantee that with my decades-old face.”

“I…” Yue Yang was speechless.

What Aunt Zhou said actually made perfect sense. When someone spends a long time in a certain field, they naturally pick up its traits. A career police officer, for instance, carries a particular air—subtle to ordinary people, but unmistakable to peers or criminals. It inspires instinctive awe. The same applies to people within the system, especially those long accustomed to high authority. Their every word and action carries a unique weight that’s hard to ignore or resist.

Yue Yang was no exception. In another world, he’d been a great general commanding hundreds of thousands of troops and holding sway over the lives of millions. “Position shapes temperament; upbringing shapes the body”—there was truth to that. But how could he possibly explain this? Was he supposed to tell her that in the Ming dynasty he’d been equivalent to a modern provincial governor, party secretary, and military district commander all in one?

Seeing Yue Yang at a loss for words, Aunt Zhou smiled gently. “Alright, if it’s inconvenient for you to say, I won’t ask.”

Relieved, Yue Yang looked at her gratefully. “Thank you, Aunt Zhou.”

She nodded. “Xiao Yang, Xiao Feng already told me about your situation. You want to buy a batch of shipbuilding equipment—that’s no problem. There’s nothing particularly high-tech about it, just cranes, hoists, steel nails, and so on. But altogether, it’ll still cost seven to eight million, and it has to be paid in cash. Can you manage that?”

“Of course,” Yue Yang replied without hesitation. “Once the equipment arrives, I’ll have the company transfer the money immediately. Cash on delivery.”

“Then there’s no problem,” Aunt Zhou said with satisfaction. Her only concern had been whether Yue Yang might lack funds and ask for installments or credit, which would put her in a difficult position. Now that was settled—after all, in this world, as long as you have money, everything is negotiable.

Seeing the deal concluded, Yun Feng added sourly, “Aunt Zhou, don’t worry—Brother Yue’s a real tycoon. He spends hundreds of thousands just on a bowl of soup. You think he’d default on a few million?”

“Heh, you’re still talking nonsense at your age,” Aunt Zhou said helplessly, though her eyes held a trace of affection. She’d watched this best friend’s son grow up; calling him half her own wasn’t an exaggeration. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered to meet Yue Yang herself—after all, as a vice president of Mingzhu Shipyard, why would she personally handle a deal worth only a few million?

After wrapping up the business, Aunt Zhou chatted with Yue Yang for a bit before leaving. Yue Yang didn’t insist on seeing her off—after all, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to stay too long.

Once she left, Yun Feng slid over with a grin. “Brother Yue, I really helped you out today. Forget thanking me—you even made me lose seven or eight hundred thousand. How are we settling this account?”

“Oh, give it a rest,” Yue Yang said disdainfully. “That pot of red bean soup had plenty of decades-old wild ginseng—excellent for boosting qi and nourishing the blood. It was meant for my two women, but you drank every last drop. Instead of sneaking off to enjoy it, you still have the nerve to cry poor?”

The two bantered back and forth. Yue Yang knew Yun Feng was just venting—at their level, a few hundred thousand wasn’t much. It wouldn’t even buy a decent car.

After chatting and joking for a while, Yun Feng suddenly nudged his chin toward the side. “Brother Yue, these days Xiao Li’s been having some trouble at home with her husband. She’s in a bad mood. I specially invited her today—your chance has come. Maybe you can rekindle old feelings.”

“Get lost,” Yue Yang cursed with a laugh. But when he glanced over, he saw that Sun Lili—whom he hadn’t seen in a long time—was sitting alone, drinking gloomily. Something stirred in his heart once more…

Soft moonlight filtered through gauze curtains, falling on the wide bed in the master bedroom of Villa No. 67 at Yulong Bay. Waves of soul-stirring moans echoed through the spacious room.

Petite Xiao Dan lay on the bed. Her once snow-white, baby-soft skin was now flushed deep red. Her smooth, jade-like legs were tightly wrapped around her lover’s waist, while her small mouth let out alluring murmurs.

It was already 1 a.m. Xiao Dan had reached her peak twice, yet her lover was still like a tireless beast, continuing to take from her. Her delicate body endured his fierce thrusts again and again, filling her with both love and fear.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Dan finally let out a long, trembling cry. Her body stiffened, her legs loosening as she slipped into a near-unconscious state.

Gently withdrawing, Yue Yang placed Xiao Dan beside the sleeping Xiao Lu. His gaze then turned to another beauty lying nearby—none other than Sun Lili, who had been drinking with him earlier.

Whether from too much alcohol or sheer fear, Sun Lili had no strength left at all. Her legs trembled uncontrollably, her body limp as if boneless, sprawled across the bed. Her watery eyes looked as though they might drip at any moment.