Ye Tiancheng was completely unaware of what was happening on Su Muxian's side. Since he had decided to properly balance his family life, Ye Tiancheng no longer contacted Su Muxian much. In fact, the last time he saw Su Muxian, his attitude was quite distant.
This was also because he had made up his mind and was truly implementing it.
He was even more unaware that he had not actually managed to rescue Hou Mingzhu. Hou Mingzhu was still being controlled by others, waiting for the most crucial moment to deliver another devastating blow to him.
For the current Ye Tiancheng, the most important matter was naturally to continue searching for the whereabouts of the Fuxi Qin fragments.
This was under the premise that he did not know Hou Mingzhu was still in danger.
However, at this very moment, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted.
Because of the events that had transpired, Ye Tiancheng actually no longer wished to continue bringing Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng along with him on further adventures. He had been very reluctant to do so in the first place, only compromising in the end because he couldn't refuse and was worried about them.
But now, Ye Tiancheng's thoughts had once again wavered.
Yet, to send Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng away once more like this, Ye Tiancheng couldn't be at ease either.
Now that Fatty had betrayed him, regardless of the reason behind it, Ye Tiancheng could no longer be sure that Fatty wouldn't harm Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng when he wasn't looking.
If he sent Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng away, and then they were captured again without his knowledge to threaten him, what then?
However, Ye Tiancheng also couldn't hide Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng.
Because Hou Mingzhu's identity was very important. She was the eldest daughter of the Hou family and had taken over the family business. There were many family enterprises that awaited Hou Mingzhu's attention and handling at all times. Hou Mingzhu could not simply disappear without reason.
It wasn't that it was completely impossible, but doing so would be very detrimental to Hou Mingzhu's position in the Hou family and her control over the family.
Ye Tiancheng was not the type of person who only cared about himself and completely disregarded his partner's thoughts and attitudes.
This was Ye Tiancheng's biggest dilemma.
Considering the current situation, Hou Mingzhu would be safer if she stayed by his side. Therefore, despite his thoughts, Ye Tiancheng ultimately said nothing.
Before he could devise a true plan to protect Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng, Ye Tiancheng dared not let them leave his sight easily.
He sighed and began to plan his next course of action.
Ye Tiancheng's feelings towards Fatty were very complex. He did not want to confront Fatty directly or get into any real conflict, so he deliberately avoided him. However, he couldn't help but investigate Fatty's situation.
How to investigate this matter was another point that made Ye Tiancheng very troubled.
Ye Tiancheng hesitated. If he asked others to do it, Fatty clearly had someone behind him. For instance, Ye Tiancheng didn't know where the fake "Ye Tiancheng" came from, who was used to deceive Hou Mingzhu and the others after Fatty had kidnapped them.
He knew that Fatty himself did not possess such capabilities; it couldn't have been something Fatty did himself.
To possess such transformation techniques and to be able to maintain a false image for such a long time, easily fooling outsiders or breaking the illusion, such an existence should be a rather powerful individual.
Ye Tiancheng did not know if that was the person behind Fatty.
Or perhaps it was the person who had incited Fatty.
However, Ye Tiancheng thought about it again and felt that it shouldn't be the case. The person behind it seemed quite powerful and wouldn't easily reveal themselves. He would still need to infiltrate and investigate, perhaps then he could gain something.
But with the person behind it being so formidable, who could Ye Tiancheng possibly ask to do this?
Ordinary people would certainly not be able to handle such a situation. In fact, once discovered, it could easily lead to a loss of life. It would also be difficult for them to conceal their tracks from such individuals and successfully protect themselves.
For this reason, Ye Tiancheng had already told Nie Chongyang and the others not to continue investigating this matter.
This was not a risk that Nie Chongyang and the others could bear.
In essence, Nie Chongyang and the others absolutely could not stand idly by in such a situation. Moreover, such an existence was clearly a very unstable factor that definitely needed to be dealt with. Otherwise, who knew what consequences it might cause and affect social stability.
However, after listening to Ye Tiancheng's advice, Nie Chongyang did not insist on doing anything immediately.
Although resolving this matter was extremely important, Nie Chongyang also did not wish for any unnecessary sacrifices.
Ye Tiancheng had made it very clear that ordinary people investigating would be like a dog chasing a meat bun – a one-way trip with no return, only leading to losses. It would be difficult to achieve any real results. Nie Chongyang also cherished the lives of the members of the special operations team and dared not risk their lives, so Nie Chongyang was receptive to the advice.
Nie Chongyang could only wait for Ye Tiancheng to find a solution, and wait for Ye Tiancheng to speak, feeling passive yet helpless.
In fact, since entering this line of work, Nie Chongyang and his team had improved a lot. However, they had started as ordinary people. Despite their rapid progress, they were still far behind those more formidable individuals and needed time to catch up.
Nie Chongyang only hoped that he could catch up as soon as possible and not fall too far behind.
After all, he couldn't rely on Ye Tiancheng and Little Fox for everything; he still needed to learn to solve most problems himself.
Nie Chongyang was in this situation, and Ye Tiancheng knew it, but Ye Tiancheng had no one else he could ask for help.
Although Ye Tiancheng could use Hou Mingzhu's subordinates, they were not as professional as Nie Chongyang and his team when it came to investigations. Moreover, they were also ordinary people and could not be put in danger.
For Ye Tiancheng, investigating the person behind all this was very important, but collecting the Fuxi Qin fragments and restoring the Fuxi Qin as quickly as possible was also very important. These two things could not be done simultaneously.
If one were to truly prioritize, restoring the Fuxi Qin was actually more urgent.
Then, the matter concerning Fatty still needed to be resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise, Ye Tiancheng would inevitably be caught between enemies and face many obstacles along the way. The goal of restoring the Fuxi Qin would also become difficult to achieve.
Ye Tiancheng was also becoming somewhat impatient and irritable due to the pressure.
He felt that he couldn't come up with a solution on his own, so he went to discuss it with Little Fox. Ye Tiancheng had few people around him now, and he didn't want to put pressure on Hou Mingzhu and the others when encountering such matters. The only person he could talk to and discuss with was Little Fox, and Ye Tiancheng felt at ease talking to him.
When Ye Tiancheng found Little Fox, Little Fox was sitting on the balcony, and he looked somewhat troubled and restless, no better than Ye Tiancheng.
Little Fox didn't even notice Ye Tiancheng walking onto the balcony.
Seeing Little Fox in this state, Ye Tiancheng walked over to him and gently patted his shoulder.
"Little Fox, why are you sitting here alone? Looking at your expression, what are you thinking about?"
Little Fox was startled and turned around in surprise, "Big Brother?"
Fortunately, it was Ye Tiancheng who had arrived. Little Fox was only startled for a moment before quickly calming down and regaining his composure.
Hearing Ye Tiancheng's question, Little Fox's expression was somewhat hesitant. However, when facing Ye Tiancheng, Little Fox still answered truthfully.
He replied to Ye Tiancheng, "Lately, for some reason, I've been feeling restless and uneasy, but I can't pinpoint why. So, I've been feeling a bit down and have been looking at the night scenery to relax, so my mind doesn't get too tense."
Such behavior was normal, and the explanation was very reasonable.
Little Fox's current appearance indeed suggested this at first glance.
Ye Tiancheng knew that he should actually comfort Little Fox right now. Little Fox's unease and restlessness were somewhat related to the recent events they had encountered. Little Fox had probably endured a lot of pressure.
Especially the matter of Fatty's betrayal, which was somewhat connected to Little Fox, and Little Fox harbored a certain amount of indelible self-blame.
However, Ye Tiancheng's own state was not much better at the moment. In the end, he couldn't say anything and also let out a long sigh, sitting down beside Little Fox.
"I'm pretty much the same. Too many things have happened recently. It feels like a storm is brewing, with the wind filling the towers. Our days ahead probably won't be easy, and I don't know what to do."
In such circumstances, Little Fox couldn't offer any comforting words either.
Moreover, they both knew that for people like them, having these thoughts and premonitions was generally not groundless or unnecessary worry. People like them were very sensitive to impending crises and would sense them beforehand.
Their feelings being this bad was enough to prove how troublesome the events that were about to unfold would be.
But remaining immersed in such emotions was not a good thing. If they talked too much, it would only lead to further despondency.
Little Fox thought for a moment and then shifted the topic to business, not wanting to continue being dejected with Ye Tiancheng and affect each other's mood and state.
Little Fox asked Ye Tiancheng, "Speaking of which, we've already obtained the two Fuxi Qin fragments from Long Miaomiao. What do we do next, Big Brother? Do you have a plan?"
Hearing Little Fox ask about business, Ye Tiancheng's spirits lifted, and he said, "I came to discuss this with you precisely for this matter."
"For us, the most important thing is still collecting the Fuxi Qin fragments. However, Fatty... in any case, you know the current situation. If we don't deal with that side of things, we'll likely be attacked from both sides in the future and face many obstacles. Fatty knows too much about our affairs."
"However, we can't do both. Ordinary people can't investigate those matters, and they can't guarantee their own safety around Fatty and his group. We can't endanger other people's lives."
"This puts me in a difficult position, making me hesitant. That's why I came to ask for your thoughts. Perhaps you can come up with a better method, who knows?"
Little Fox also understood the problems Ye Tiancheng raised after a moment of thought.
Therefore, after listening to Ye Tiancheng finish, Little Fox frowned slightly.
He thought carefully about their current situation and indeed found it very tricky. None of these matters were beyond their ability to handle, but their inability to do both had led them to a stalemate.
It would also be inappropriate to put the progress of collecting Fuxi Qin fragments on hold to investigate Fatty's affairs.
Because collecting the Fuxi Qin fragments was extremely urgent. Under a complete collapse, how could anything remain intact? The Helian family, which was on the front line, was already in a precarious state. That was why so many troublesome things had happened when they visited the Helian family last time.
If the situation continued to deteriorate, the entire world would be affected. Who could remain unaffected?