BXBX NOVEL Chapter 117: 117: A Faint Suspicion
Looking at the lavishly decorated building, Ye Fei couldn\'t help but feel a sense of melancholy. The Dynasty Club, once a prestigious venue where the elite of Wanghai felt honored to hold a membership, had now become the city\'s largest breeding ground for corruption. Behind its luxurious facade, countless sins were hidden.
Some people even joked that if every member of the club were executed, the moral atmosphere of Wanghai would improve dramatically.
It was a simple remark, but it reflected the deep-seated disdain the people of Wanghai had for this place. If not for the Ye family\'s previously sterling reputation and vast influence, the Dynasty Club would have long been demolished by the angry citizens.
Yet, what puzzled Ye Fei was why his second uncle consistently turned a blind eye to Ye Yu, who had so tarnished the family\'s name. Even if he didn\'t know about Ye Yu\'s sinister ambitions, it was hard to believe he would tolerate such reckless behavior.
Though Ye Fei belonged to the Ye family, this was his first time visiting the club. Upon entering, the first thing he noticed was the antique-style decor—rosewood tables and chairs, famous calligraphy and paintings adorning the walls, and the faint scent of sandalwood lingering in the air. It gave the place a sense of serenity, a sharp contrast to the noise that soon broke the peaceful atmosphere.
A rowdy group of young men were gathered around a large table in the middle of the hall, shouting and laughing. It wasn\'t clear what game they were playing, but the noise they made was certainly out of place in such an elegant setting.
Ye Fei recognized most of the people present. Ye Yu had introduced them during the Autumn Group cocktail party not long ago. They were a disreputable bunch, men with bad habits and even worse morals. It was clear they lacked any real class or respect for their surroundings, evidenced by how they were turning this once sophisticated space into a chaotic mess.
As soon as Ye Fei and Ye Yu entered the hall, one of the men spotted them and shouted, "Brother Yu! Brother Ye Fei! Finally, you\'re here. We\'ve been waiting for you guys!"
"What are you all playing?" Ye Yu asked with a smile, surveying the scene. "It looks like some kind of competition. I hope there\'s no gambling involved."
"No, of course not, Brother Yu!" Zhang Yu, one of the young men who had met Ye Fei earlier, came over with a wide grin. He latched onto Ye Fei\'s arm and said, "Come on, Brother Ye Fei, we\'ve found something fun. Let me show you how I\'m winning."
Curious, Ye Fei followed Zhang Yu to the table, where he saw a dozen transparent glass tubes lined up. Inside each tube, black insects—ants—were crawling forward at varying speeds. Puzzled, Ye Fei asked, "What is this?"
Zhang Yu laughed and explained, "We catch ants outside and race them. The one whose ant reaches the end of the tube first wins. The others lose."
Ye Fei couldn\'t help but shake his head in disbelief. *These rich kids are truly empty inside,* he thought. *They\'re so bored they even find excitement in racing ants.*
Ye Yu, seemingly accustomed to such bizarre behavior, asked, "So, what\'s the prize?"
"Oh, nothing big," Zhang Yu said casually. "The loser pays the winner ten thousand yuan. It\'s just for fun."
Ye Fei raised his eyebrows. *Ten thousand yuan?* Even for wealthy families like the Ye and Liu family, that was no small sum to throw away on a game of ant racing. Many of the people here weren\'t from business families but were the sons of high-ranking officials.
For them, ten thousand yuan wasn\'t pocket change, especially since most had no regular income and were either jobless or still in school. Yet, here they were, gambling without a second thought. *Where exactly do they get all this money?* Ye Fei wondered.
*What a waste,* Ye Fei thought to himself, feeling a rare pang of pity for the fathers of these young men. If the wrong person found out about their behavior, it could easily lead to scandal and cost their families dearly.
But the privileged group remained blissfully unaware of such concerns. One of the men chimed in, "Brother Yu, Brother Ye Fei, why don\'t you join us? We\'ve caught plenty of ants—just pick one and race with us."
"No need, I\'ve got something to arrange first," Ye Yu replied with a grin. He then turned to Ye Fei and said, "Xiaoman, stay here and have some fun. I\'ll go upstairs and get everything ready for you."
Ye Fei, playing his part as an eager playboy, nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, okay! Brother Yu, don\'t keep me waiting. Go on, I can\'t wait for what you\'ve planned."
Ye Yu smirked, his satisfaction growing as he saw how eager Ye Fei appeared. He patted Ye Fei on the shoulder and headed upstairs.
Once Ye Yu was out of sight, Ye Fei turned to the group of young men. "Mind if I join in on the fun?"
"Of course not!" they all exclaimed. One of them quickly fetched a box filled with ants and set it down in front of Ye Fei. "Pick whichever one you like, Brother Ye Fei. By the way, what\'s Brother Yu arranging for you? He\'s been so secretive."
Looking down at the box full of ants, Ye Fei frowned slightly before plucking one out and placing it into an empty glass tube. "Oh, nothing special," he replied casually. "Brother Yu probably just wants to give me a warm welcome since it\'s my first time here. Maybe he\'s got something special planned."
Though he played the role of a carefree dandy, Ye Fei didn\'t want to reveal anything about what Ye Yu was actually planning. As the true heir to the Ye family, it was important to protect the family\'s reputation, no matter what.
Fortunately, the young men didn\'t seem to care much. As long as there was food to eat and games to play, they didn\'t bother with the details. To them, life was simple—just eat, drink, and have fun. They were, in Ye Fei\'s mind, the true parasites of society.
The game they played was straightforward: each person placed an ant in a glass tube, and if the ant tried to turn around, they would prod it with a stick to keep it moving forward. After getting the hang of the rules, Ye Fei pretended to be fully engrossed in the game.
***
Meanwhile, Ye Yu had gone upstairs. After checking to make sure no one was around, he quietly entered a private room. He had come upstairs to check on the woman he had tricked into coming here, a beauty he had meticulously manipulated for his own pleasure.
He had kept his plan secret from everyone, even his closest companions, because his father despised those who indulged in lustful behavior. While Ye Yu could get away with many things, th
is was something he couldn\'t afford to let his father find out.