During the charity dinner, Murong Tian had announced that he would leave his daughter in Chen Xiaobei's care.
That's how most of Murong Tian's men came to know him, and along their way inside the ICU building every single one of them had behaved politely towards Chen Xiaobei.
All of them – except the middle-aged guy with a suit and tie, who ignored him completely.
In other words, he was disobeying Murong Tian's order in a manner of speaking. Could this man be plotting something? Chen Xiaobei thought, his first deduction about the man.
However, none of them noticed this small but significant act in the midst of the emergency.
"Let me enter quickly!" Murong Xiaoyao was a girl who cared a lot for those close to her; her eyes were teary as she hurried into the ICU room.
"You're not allowed to in!" The middle-aged man stopped Chen Xiaobei from going in.
"Who are you?" He asked coldly.
"Hmph! Have you heard of the name; Gu Caozhuo?! It appears to me that Chen Xiaobei is just another idiot enjoying his undeserved fame!"
Chen Xiaobei could sense the hostility; naturally, he had to fend for himself.
"Hehe… At least I have fame, unlike a nobody such as you! What is your name again? I've never even heard of your name!"
"You…" Gu Caozhuo was furious.
Most who knew Murong Tian in Green Vine Underground World would have heard of Gu Caozhuo. He was a respectable person, but Chen Xiaobei treated him as if he were just another passerby on the street.
That in turn enraged the man in suit and tie.
"Bro Bei! You're still young, so it's totally understandable if you have not heard of Gu Caozhuo before. Master Tian has appointed him to take over the faction! He's usually addressed as Young Master Tian!"
"We are all on the same side. Peace is better than anything else in this world. We should not let this small misunderstanding affect our relationship!"
...….
The elite followers quickly came to make peace between the pair.
However, Gu Caozhuo chose not to make peace. "I've never considered this bastard to be on our side!" He said coldy.
Chen Xiaobei narrowed his eyes to analyze the man. On the surface alone, he was definitely a selfish guy, while also being cautious and envious of Chen Xiaobei! That's when he figured out the reason why the older man was being hostile – Murong Tian did not ask him to take care of his daughter; he had asked Chen Xiaobei instead.
In other words, Gu Caozhuo was being envious that Murong Tian trusted Chen Xiaobei more than him. He was also worried that Murong Tian would tell him to cede his place to the young man.
"Please! You are an elderly uncle who's close to forty years old! Why are you acting like a jealous boyfriend?!" Chen Xiaobei's mouth twitched before he burst into laughter.
"What the hell did you just say? Since when was I envious of you?!" Chen Xiaobei had managed to uncover Gu Caozhuo's motives with a single line.
Now, he was embarrassed and angry.
"I, Gu Caozhuo have all the power in this world! I could get anything I want with the power that I have! Why would I envious of you! That must be some kind of joke!"
"I think you just overreacted! It's like I've stepped on your tail!" Chen Xiaobei grinned.
"I…" Gu Caozhuo was taken aback and realized then that his actions reflected his insecurities. That's also exactly the moment the others began to chatter about his behavior, leaving him even more embarrassed.
"What the hell are you guys still doing out here? Come in quick!" Murong Xiaoyao poke her head out and said hastily.
"Okay! I'm coming in now!" Gu Caozhuo responded. He turned around and told Chen Xiaobei coldly, "Brat! You have no right to come in! Stay here and wait…"
But Murong Xiaoyao cut him short before he could finish. "Uncle Gu, please don't come in first. Wait here, the Third Elder wants to talk to Chen Xiaobei privately!"
"Huh…" Gu Caozhuo was more embarrassed than ever before! His face turned green as he became even more frustrated.
"Damn! Isn't this a legendary slap in the face? Slap! Slap! Slap! This is really satisfying!" Chen Xiaobei mocked, before strutting past Gu Caozhuo into the ICU room.
"I…" Gu Caozhuo appeared as if someone had just forced him to eat a pile of feces. Right then, his hatred and envy towards Chen Xiaobei deepened so much that he was plotting to kill him.
Upon entering the ICU room, Chen Xiaobei finally met Murong Xiaoyao's Third Elder.
He was an elderly man close to seventy and had been bedridden for quite some time. There was a lot of advanced equipment hooked on to him, monitoring his vitals; they would alert the doctors if anything turned awry.
"You're Chen Xiaobei, I presume?" Third Elder said softly. His voice was rather weak.
"Yes, I am. How may I address you?" Chen Xiaobei replied politely.
"Let me do the introductions." Murong Xiaoyao saw that Third Elder was having a hard time talking and so decided to take over. "Third Elder is my father's good friend and mentor. Half of my father's achievements in Green Vine City are thanks to him!"
"Lady Xiaoyao, you're exaggerating … Your father is really talented, I've only did my best to help him…"
Third Elder stood at the pinnacle of Green Vine's underbelly, and yet his humility far eclipsed Gu Caozhuo's ego. It was thus unfortunate that he was aging and sick; Murong Tian definitely would not have handed his throne over to Gu Caozhuo otherwise.
"What can I learn from you, Third Elder? I'm all ears." Chen Xiaobei said seriously.
"I'm not qualified to teach you anything. However, I would like you to know about the current situation in Green Vine's underbelly…" His voice suddenly turned softer and deliberate. "The people that you've seen around the hospital are only twenty percent of Murong Tian's followers… Do you know where the rest of eighty percent went?"
"If I'm not mistaken, they are now in other factions. They're our enemies now." Chen Xiaobei replied.
"You're right." Third Elder nodded gravely, "Someone also told me that Qiu Hairui was recruiting people everywhere. It appears that he intends to come up with a new faction just to destroy you while assimilating all the other factions. His ultimate goal is to become the king of Green Vine underbelly!"
"Hmph! That retard has some crazy ambition!" Chen Xiaobei said. He was not affected by the news, as a matter of fact he even felt like laughing. "Third Elder, you don't have to worry about it at all! Qiu Hairui's movements is just as I have foreseen!"
"What? This is your plan?" Third Elder was surprised.
"Yes." Chen Xiaobei nodded. "I can eliminate this minion called Qiu Hairui anytime I want! The reason he lives today was because I wanted him to recruit all the rogue members before I eradicate his faction! We don't have to worry about this problem anymore after that!"
"My goodness… I'm very impressed that you can come up with an idea such as this. It seems like the youngsters are catching up to the older generation…" The Third Elder was genuinely shocked after hearing Chen Xiaobei's plan.
The young lad would become the king of Green Vine City if his plan worked! Though he might die should his machinations fail, it remained that Chen Xiaobei definitely had some real guts! His ambition most certainly far surpasses Qiu Hairui's!
*Wheezing*
Third Elder was unwell to begin with; his condition worsened after getting a little too excited.
That was when the alarms on the equipment connected to him began to wail. Gu Caozhuo quickly rushed into the ICU room, soon followed by the doctor.