TNIBFT -Chapter 97 Ye Tian Still Hasn’t Come Out

After those words were spoken, the figures of Xiao Xun’er and the three children had already disappeared from sight.

Ye Tian stood there, feeling dejected.

Damn it!

Being a working man is really tough—rain or shine, you still have to stick to your hot pot restaurant. In a feudal society, having privilege really is better!

A young lady like Xiao Xun’er doesn’t have to do anything at all—yet in Sifang City, her words carry as much weight as an imperial decree.

When will I ever get to experience a life like that of an emperor?

Afraid that as the father of a major villain, I’ll never get to enjoy it.

Ye Tian shook his head and went back to continue his labor.

By around three or four in the afternoon, the wind and snow had grown even stronger. There were no more customers in the shop, so Ye Tian followed the usual routine—closing up and ending the day’s business.

The employees gradually left one after another.

Holding the account book in one hand, Ye Tian kept calculating while occasionally glancing outside the door.

“Boss, you’re not leaving yet today?” Yuan Heipang asked with a sly grin as he came over to greet him.

Yuan Heipang was the kind of person who always cut corners and liked to show off. From the day the shop opened, Ye Tian had never liked him and often treated him coldly. But Yuan Heipang never seemed to mind—no matter what Ye Tian said, he would just chuckle and continue flattering him with oily words.

“Waiting for the kids. I’ll be staying a bit longer today. Once you’re done, you can all leave. No need to wait for me,” Ye Tian said without looking up.

Yuan Heipang glanced at Ye Tian, as if thinking about something.

A little while later—

The front door was suddenly shut. By the time Ye Tian looked up, the wooden door had already been tightly closed. A bad feeling surged in his heart. He rushed over and tried to pull it open with both hands, but it didn’t budge.

Panicking, he slammed on the door and shouted, “Yuan Heipang, is that you outside?!”

“There’s still someone inside—let me out!”

“Open the door!”

After shouting several times with no response, Ye Tian grew furious. He kicked the door hard and cursed angrily, “Damn it!”

“If I find out who did this, I’ll fire them on the spot!”

“You bastard!”

The three kids might still be waiting for him.

Thinking of this, Ye Tian quickly set down the account book and rushed upstairs to a private room facing the street. He intended to jump out from the second floor, but just as he tried to open the window, he realized it had been sealed shut as well.

This was a targeted attack against him.

Realizing this, Ye Tian hurried to the other private rooms. Every single window had been sealed from the outside.

A sharp, pungent smell suddenly rushed into his nose.

Tung oil!

Ye Tian’s pupils shrank instantly—he already knew what the culprit intended to do.

Moments later, black smoke began seeping into the room through cracks in the kitchen. It billowed upward, and within just a few minutes, it had filled the entire hot pot restaurant.

With no time to think, Ye Tian dumped two basins of cold water over himself, soaking his cotton coat. He covered his nose and mouth with a wet cloth and crouched in a secluded corner on the first floor.

There was no way out.

The arsonist wanted to burn him alive. There was no need to guess—it had to be Shen Jie.

Gritting his teeth in anger, Ye Tian watched as, in less than a few minutes, the flames spread like creeping vines, wrapping around the beams of the first floor. The air grew increasingly scorching, and he could already feel his skin stinging.

The soaked cotton coat rapidly dried under the intense heat.

Am I really going to die here?

Thinking of the three children, Ye Tian felt unwilling to accept it.

At this moment, outside the hot pot restaurant—

Countless people in Sifang City had gathered at the entrance.

“The hotpot restaurant is on fire! Hurry, bring water and put it out…”

“Luckily no one’s inside. Ye Tian’s place usually closes early.”

“Even if no one’s inside, we still have to put it out! What if it spreads to our houses?”

“How did it suddenly catch fire?”

The crowd panicked.

The blazing orange flames lit up the gray, dim sky in a fiery red. Thick black smoke billowed everywhere, filling the air with the stench of burning objects, accompanied by the crackling explosions of wood.

Several armored guards stood at the entrance of the hotpot restaurant. When they saw people rushing over with water, they immediately barked coldly, “The restaurant is harboring a fugitive. What do you think you’re doing?”

“Are you trying to go against the City Lord’s Mansion?”

“Get lost, now!”

The townspeople looked helpless, retreating one by one.

Hiding in the shadows, Ji Shaobai glanced at Shen Jie beside him and said, “Brother Shen really has foresight. If you hadn’t reminded me to get a few guards to help, this fire probably wouldn’t have killed anyone.”

Shen Jie lowered his head modestly.

But from the corner of his eye, he stared at the blazing hotpot restaurant, his gaze filled with malice.

Anyone who opposes me has only one path—death!

A cold smile curled at Shen Jie’s lips. “It’s not my foresight—it’s Brother Ji’s decisiveness. How could someone like Ye Tian compare to you? Sooner or later, Miss Xiao will be moved by your sincerity. Winning her heart is only a matter of time.”

“Hahaha…”

Ji Shaobai laughed smugly. He was only three years older than Shen Jie, yet compared to the protagonist’s scheming, this cannon fodder from the original story was nothing.

Looking at the hotpot restaurant already being devoured by flames, Ji Shaobai said with satisfaction, “I’m going down. I want to be the first to see Ye Tian’s corpse.”

With that, he headed downstairs from the teahouse.

Shen Jie followed closely behind.

In a corner, Yuan Heipang lay covered in blood. His eyelids trembled slightly. As soon as he opened his eyes and saw that his hotpot restaurant had been completely engulfed in flames, rage and panic surged through him. He coughed violently, and remembering that Ye Tian was still inside, he gritted his teeth and forced himself up.

“Boss!”

“The boss is still inside!”

When Ye Tian told him to leave earlier, he had actually intended to go straight home. But then he remembered that Ye Tian’s three children would be coming to the shop later. Seeing someone selling candied hawthorn on the roadside, Yuan Heipang, hoping to curry favor with Ye Tian, gritted his teeth and bought three skewers before returning to the restaurant.

That’s when he saw someone sneaking around at the entrance, splashing something.

He stepped forward to question them, only to be knocked unconscious. When he woke up, he overheard the conversation between Ji Shaobai and Shen Jie.

Now, staring at the raging flames, Yuan Heipang trembled all over.

Just who had Ye Tian offended?

Such ruthless methods…

And Ye Tian was still inside.

If I save him now, the position of store manager will definitely be mine!

With that thought, Yuan Heipang clenched his teeth and rushed straight downstairs.

The flames soared into the sky.

Thick smoke rolled and spread, staining half of Sifang City. Ye Yunting suddenly felt a deep unease. Looking at the red glow not far ahead, he felt as if something was gripping his heart.

His expression darkened as he quickened his pace.

“Big Brother!” Ye Shuangxue called out from behind, but he didn’t hear her.

Xiao Xun’er had taken the three children around pastry shops. Not one of them was willing to eat a single piece—they insisted on packing everything to take home and share with Ye Tian.

Acting as the pack mule, Xiao Xun’er carried two large bags of pastries in each hand. As she noticed people gossiping along the street, many of them shook their heads and sighed while looking at the three children.

Confused, Xiao Xun’er grabbed someone and asked sternly, “What are you talking about?”

“What happened?”

“Does it have something to do with these three children?”

Since it was the Young Lady asking, no one dared to hide anything. Someone immediately replied: “Ye Tian’s hotpot restaurant caught fire.”

“And we heard… Ye Tian still hasn’t come out…”