TNIBFT -Chapter 99 I Was the One Who Saved Him

The shrill, agonizing screams made one’s scalp tingle with dread. Looking at the tragic scene before him, Shen Jie felt a lingering fear in his heart.

Luckily, he had reacted fast enough—otherwise, the one burned to death right now would have been him.

“Shen… Shen Jie, you bastard… ah… ah…”

From within the pile of charred debris, Ji Shaobai’s voice came in broken fragments. In just a few breaths, it completely fell silent.

“Brother Ji?”

“Ji Shaobai?”

Shen Jie stared at the smoldering heap before him. Smoke rose from it, crackling sounds constantly erupting from within. Then, all at once, everything fell silent.

“Dead?”

“Ji Shaobai is dead!” Shen Jie finally reacted, so frightened that he collapsed onto the ground.

The son of General Ji Zhengping—dead right in front of him. Would Ji Zhengping ever let him off?

At that thought, cold sweat drenched Shen Jie. Scrambling to his feet, he stumbled and crawled as he rushed toward the City Lord’s Mansion.

He had to report it—he would say that Ji Shaobai set fire to Ye Tian’s shop, that he couldn’t stop him, and that Ji Shaobai and Ye Tian ended up fighting, both being burned to death in the blaze.

…

At this moment, Ye Tian lay in a corner, barely clinging to life.

He had almost lost all sense of pain and smell. His eyelids felt heavy—so heavy. He was exhausted, utterly exhausted. In his mind flashed scenes from his previous life: bustling traffic, towering city buildings, himself in a delivery uniform, standing beneath those skyscrapers with envy, filled with ambition—thinking that one day, this city would have a place for him, Ye Tian.

The city was so vast—couldn’t it spare even a corner for him?

All that ambition had only brought him lesson after lesson in life.

Too tired…

As Ye Tian drifted in and out of consciousness, just about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard his daughter crying by his ear—

“Dad!”

“Dad, come save me! It hurts so much…”

Shuangxue?

Thinking of his daughter’s little face—that domineering little girl in her lion shoes—Ye Tian couldn’t rest easy. If he died, what would happen to her?

Would she go back to being an NPC? A crazed villain?

“Dad, don’t die, Dad…”

The cries in his ears became more real. Ye Tian, lying on the ground, twitched his fingers. Through a crack, he saw a sliver of light. He stretched his fingers forward, trying to crawl.

“I’ll never go horseback riding again.”

“Dad, wait for us! We’ll save you!”

“Dad, the pastries are so delicious—we brought them back for you. Don’t die… sob… If you die, we won’t have any family left. No dad, no mom… Dad…”

Xiao Jiang’s sobs moved Ye Tian deeply. Lying on the ground, scorching tears dripped onto the floor.

Silly child.

How could he bear to die?

He had finally succeeded in winning over the three villains. Wealth and glory were right before him—there was no way he would die now.

“You used to be so bad, but I never wanted you to die. Even if you beat us to death or sold us, you’re still our dad—our only family…”

“You said you’d let me be a rich second generation—Ye Tian, you liar!”

“Big liar!”

Ye Shuangxue’s voice choked with sobs, mixed with repeated thudding sounds.

Outside the door—

Yuan Heipang, his face blackened with soot and his body drenched, led the three children as they slammed against the wooden door.

“This is it!”

Yuan Heipang was certain. “Boss should be here. I’ve checked the other corners—this side is in better condition, it must be here. Be careful not to get burned…”

Then came a series of crackling collision sounds.

Hearing the noise, Ye Tian frowned. Lying on the ground like a dead dog and being seen by the kids—wouldn’t that ruin his glorious image?

“Ugh…” Ye Tian gritted his teeth, trying to sit up.

His whole body felt like his bones were shattered, stabbing pain everywhere. He couldn’t even tell where it hurt anymore. After struggling a few times, he broke out in a cold sweat.

“Bang!” A loud crash rang out.

The wooden door that had been nailed shut from the outside was suddenly smashed open. Smoke billowed out of the room. Yuan Heipang was choked by the fumes, unable to open his eyes, waving his large hands in front of his face while bending over and coughing.

Ye Tian looked up, but the blinding white light made it impossible for him to open his eyes.

Fresh air rushed in, and only then did Ye Tian feel like he had come back to life.

“Dad?”

Xiao Jiang cried out in shock. The three little ones immediately ran toward Ye Tian.

Leaning against the wall, Ye Tian looked at the three little “potatoes” in front of him. Their big eyes were brimming with tears, their faces full of worry, and their little faces were smudged like kittens. His heart softened, his eyes turned red, and this grown man almost burst into tears.

“Dad, are you okay?”

Xiao Jiang carefully examined Ye Tian from head to toe, eyes wide.

His daughter, with tears streaming down her face, rushed into his chest like a little cannonball and hugged him tightly, sobbing, “You didn’t die!”

“You really didn’t die—you scared me to death, wuuuu…”

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Ye Tian coughed from the impact.

Looking at the little head against his chest, Ye Tian curled his lips into a smile. He tried to raise his hand to pat his daughter’s head, only to realize he couldn’t lift it. His voice was hoarse as he said, “If I didn’t die, you’d still knock me to death.”

“How could I die?”

“I promised you all—I’d make you rich second-generation kids. I won’t go back on my word.”

Seeing Ye Tian still joking like before, the three children finally relaxed. Smiles of relief appeared on their little faces.

“Hurry up and get out—this place isn’t safe!”

The eldest followed behind his younger siblings, tears welling up in his eyes. He stepped forward to help Ye Tian up, but no matter how hard he pulled, Ye Tian didn’t move at all. Surprised, Ye Yunting looked at him.

Only then did he notice Ye Tian’s face was deathly pale, his forehead covered in beads of sweat, his body trembling slightly.

That smile just now… was forced, just to keep them from worrying?

Ye Yunting’s heart sank halfway.

Ye Tian turned his head to look at him, a gratified expression on his face. “Good kid. Worthy of being my son. In a critical moment, I still have to rely on you to save me.”

As he spoke, Ye Tian braced his hands against the ground, trying to get up.

Suddenly, his hands slipped.

Ye Yunting’s pupils shrank. He rushed forward, catching Ye Tian as he shouted, “Dad!”

“Dad!”

Ye Tian fainted in Ye Yunting’s small arms. Looking at Ye Tian’s head, Ye Yunting felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly, making it hard to breathe, suffocating him.

Did he… die after all?

He remembered how Ye Tian would often tease him, trying to make him call him “Dad,” yet he had never done so. Thinking of this, regret flooded Ye Yunting’s heart.

He held Ye Tian’s head tightly, shaking him as he cried, “Dad!”

“Wake up! I’ll listen to you from now on—Dad, Dad!”

“Someone, please save my dad!”

Hearing the children crying outside, Yuan Heipang hurriedly rushed in, putting on an exaggerated expression. “Boss! Where’s the boss?”

“For the boss, I’d go through fire and water without hesitation!”

“Save my dad quickly.”

Ye Yunting looked at Yuan Heipang impatiently with a cold expression. The three children couldn’t lift an unconscious adult, so Yuan Heipang quickly stepped forward, hoisting Ye Tian up. As he walked, he didn’t forget to instruct Xiao Jiang: “When the boss wakes up, make sure you tell him—”

“It was me who saved him!”