Urban Seduction: Housewives Club

Chapter 559 - 589: The First Confrontation

When Zhuge Kongfang approached, Gu Shishi instinctively felt a pang of fear. However, as she glanced at the broad back of Ye Fei standing in front of her, that fear quickly dissipated. She smiled slightly at Zhuge Kongfang and greeted him, ”Uncle Zhuge, itʼs good to see you.”

”Why are you being so formal, child?” Zhuge Kongfangʼs expression softened, and his voice was filled with tenderness. ”Shishi, why didnʼt you come to me when you escaped? I thought you had met the same fate as your family and grieved for you for a long time.”

”I…” Gu Shishiʼs heart ached as memories of the past flooded back, and she nearly shed tears.

Ye Fei suddenly interjected, ”Mr. Kongfang, you have quite a sharp eye. Weʼre sitting in such a remote corner, yet you managed to spot Shishi among a thousand people and recognize her despite the changes sheʼs undergone in the past six months. Thatʼs truly impressive.”

Inside, Ye Fei was cursing the old fox. Shishi had started to move on from the past, and now this guy was dredging up her pain. Even if there was only a 90% chance he was the one behind her familyʼs massacre, Ye Fei wasnʼt going to let him off easy.

Zhuge Kongfang didnʼt immediately respond to Ye Fei. Instead, he turned to Gu Shishi and asked, ”And who is this?”

”This is Ye Fei. Heʼs my… good friend. Thanks to his care these past few days, Iʼve been able to attend this martial arts conference.” For some reason, Gu Shishi instinctively concealed her true relationship with Ye Fei and his abilities, instead offering a vague and somewhat ambiguous explanation.

”Ah, Brother Ye. Thank you for taking care of Shishi,” Zhuge Kongfang said warmly, then added, ”Brother Ye, you might not know this, but I come from humble beginnings. Though Iʼve gained some reputation in the martial world, Iʼve never forgotten my roots. Thatʼs why I always pay attention to the less noticeable corners—because thatʼs where I came from.”

Ye Fei glanced at another similarly remote corner and smirked faintly. ”Mr. Kongfang, youʼre quite the thoughtful man. If there were more people like you in the martial world, well…” He paused, seeing Zhuge Kongfangʼs curious expression, then continued, ”It would probably lead to chaos.”

A flicker of anger passed through Zhuge Kongfangʼs eyes, but his smile remained calm. ”What do you mean, Brother Ye?”

”Think about it,” Ye Fei explained with a grin. ”You focus on us, the underdogs, even neglecting the big shots. If there were more people like you, wouldnʼt the major sects feel jealous and take it out on us little guys? Thatʼs a recipe for chaos.”

Though Ye Feiʼs words were teasing, they were delivered with humor, eliciting soft laughter from the women around him.

”Brother Ye, youʼre joking,” Zhuge Kongfang said, his smile unwavering. ”I treat all martial artists equally, and everyone here is well-mannered. The scenario youʼre imagining wouldnʼt happen.”

He then added, ”Brother Ye, thank you again for taking care of Shishi. Iʼd love to chat more, but itʼs almost time for the conference. I need to join the Shaolin and Wudang elders to oversee the event. Weʼll talk later.”

”Of course,” Ye Fei nodded with a smile, not bothering to stand up.

Zhuge Kongfang didnʼt seem to mind. He turned to Gu Shishi and said, ”Shishi, donʼt worry. With so many martial artists here today, justice will be served for you.” With that, he walked away toward the center of the valley, presumably to meet with the Shaolin and Wudang representatives.

Once Zhuge Kongfang was out of earshot, Liu Yiru whispered to Ye Fei, ”So, what did you notice?” As Ye Feiʼs insight became increasingly impressive, she started relying on him for such matters, though she still stepped in when he needed guidance.

Ye Fei chuckled. ”Pretty much what I expected. If I was 90% sure before, Iʼm now 99% certain. This guyʼs depth of cunning is terrifying.”

”How so?” Gu Shishi asked, confused. ”Uncle Zhuge seemed the same as always, and he still cares about me.”

”Thatʼs exactly what makes him suspicious,” Ye Fei explained. ”If he cared so much, why didnʼt he send more people to look for you? With his connections, finding you wouldnʼt have been hard. And even if you were well-hidden before, you havenʼt been hiding since you arrived here. He shouldʼve heard about you by now. The fact that he only approached you now shows heʼs guilty.”

”But he didnʼt know I was safe,” Gu Shishi argued.

Ye Fei shook his head. ”Thatʼs another red flag. You said he was close to your father. Wouldnʼt he have gone to your home after the incident? And someone as familiar with your family as he is wouldʼve noticed you werenʼt among the dead.”

Gu Shishi fell silent, realizing Ye Feiʼs reasoning was sound. Her suspicion of Zhuge Kongfang grew rapidly.

Liu Yiru laughed. ”You talk about his cunning, but I think youʼre even more shrewd!” Chen Yourong nodded in agreement.

”Iʼm not as good as he is,” Ye Fei said with a grin. ”Facing a group of stunning women like you, any man wouldʼve stolen a few glances. But he only looked at you when he approached and didnʼt glance your way again. There are only two explanations: either heʼs not a man, or heʼs a man who prefers other men. I observed him discreetly, and heʼs perfectly normal physically, so thatʼs suspicious.”

”Could he be the second type?” Liu Yiru asked, feeling a bit queasy at the thought of the renowned Kongfang being that way.

”No, because he didnʼt give me, the most handsome man alive, any strange looks either,” Ye Fei said with a self-satisfied smirk.

”Youʼre so full of yourself!” The women laughed, though they had to admit it was hard to find a man more handsome than Ye Fei.

”Even if neither of those applies, maybe heʼs just not interested in us. Not everyone is as lustful as you, little rascal,” Shui Ying teased.

As theyʼd grown closer, she didnʼt mind flirting with Ye Fei in front of the others. Those who knew their relationship understood, and those who didnʼt, like Shui Rou, wouldnʼt think much of it. After all, as his ”mother,” it was natural for her to tease her ”son.”

Ye Fei didnʼt argue with Shui Yingʼs comment about his lustfulness. Instead, he smiled and said, ”But any normal man has desires for power, wealth, beauty, and fame, though the degree varies. For example, I do value beauty highly, but Iʼm also drawn to the others. Thatʼs normal. When a man completely abandons one or more of these desires, itʼs a sign heʼs no longer normal—because his obsession with one thing has reached its peak, leaving no room for anything else.”