Ye Tiancheng's threat was useless to Old Man Huang. Dr. Huang was a stubborn old man, and "old fogey" was a fitting description for him. He had been stubborn for over sixty years and couldn't change.
"I won't bow to you today. No matter what rumors are spread outside, you are a junior and should show respect to your elders. I believe you won't go crazy in front of me."
Ye Tiancheng had already made up his mind. If the old man continued to be aggressive, he wouldn't need this NPC for future plot development anyway. In Ye Tiancheng's eyes, such a troublemaker wasn't even human and deserved to be dealt with.
Ye Tiancheng planned to make the old man faint without physical contact, thus silencing him completely and preventing him from commenting on his affairs.
Just as Ye Tiancheng was about to act, Su Muxian suddenly spoke.
"I can testify for Mr. Ye. His product is fine. I am willing to be the test subject. I believe in Mr. Ye's research and development capabilities; he would never produce a product that causes paralysis."
Ye Tiancheng had never expected Hou Mingzhu to step forward. He felt that this young lady had improved greatly after sharing a bowl of beef noodles with him. He thought she wouldn't make any further moves, but now she was willing to risk her life for him. Ye Tiancheng was truly shocked.
"Mingzhu, don't do this."
Perhaps Hou Mingzhu's courageous act had truly shaken Ye Tiancheng, leading him to change his address. Ye Tiancheng was deeply touched by Hou Mingzhu's actions but didn't know how to express it.
"It's alright. I believe you. It's fine even if you eat it. Your products have always been high-quality and wouldn't cause any discomfort. I completely trust you. This old man is a bit disrespectful of his age and is deliberately causing trouble here. Everyone's eyes are sharp; they should be able to see through this."
Seeing Hou Mingzhu's intervention, Su Muxian was the most anxious. The reason Su Muxian followed Ye Tiancheng, even with Hou Mingzhu around, was to let everyone know in public that she was closer to Ye Tiancheng. In this competition, Su Muxian would absolutely not admit defeat.
"Then I'll try it too. I also believe in Ye Tiancheng, and I'm even closer to Ye Tiancheng. I feel it's more appropriate for me to do this."
Su Muxian's sudden statement infuriated Hou Mingzhu.
"Miss Su, what you said is biased. I disagree with one point: clearly, my relationship with Ye Tiancheng is closer. Don't forget, we were engaged before."
"Miss Hou also said that you had that kind of relationship before, but unfortunately, that was in the past. I believe everyone wants to look forward and not go back to the old path. Since it's over, I hope Miss Hou can be more open-minded and stop pestering Ye Tiancheng. It won't do you any good and will also hinder you from finding a better match."
The conversation between the two women was filled with tension. The onlookers around them held their breath, worried that their anger would spill over onto them.
"I'll eat it then."
Su Muxian's criticism could be ignored, but Hou Mingzhu wouldn't back down when it came to helping Ye Tiancheng in public.
"No, I'll eat it."
Furious, Su Muxian couldn't give up this great opportunity to showcase her good relationship with Ye Tiancheng. Su Muxian wanted everyone to know that even if she wasn't Ye Tiancheng's girlfriend now, she was at least in an ambiguous relationship, and it was very likely she would become his girlfriend, then fiancée, and finally marry him and have children. She had the entire process planned out and wouldn't let anyone change it, nor would she be swayed by an outdated woman like Hou Mingzhu.
The two women argued incessantly, and Ye Tiancheng couldn't even get a word in. Dr. Huang was getting anxious. Dr. Huang had first drugged him and then sought trouble. He had gone through all these steps just to get revenge on Ye Tiancheng. He never expected two women to suddenly appear and fight over him, completely disrupting his plan. This made Dr. Huang furious.
"Since you both want to prove your true feelings for Mr. Ye, why don't you both drink it then?"
"Neither of these women will eat it, and your deceitful scheme will never succeed. Don't think everyone is as foolish as you."
"But these two girls are rushing to help you, and it has nothing to do with me. I knew your pastries were problematic, and I warned you, but you didn't believe me. In this world, Ye Tiancheng, you've made a name for yourself, and everything you say is right. I haven't made a name, so everything I say is wrong."
Hou Mingzhu and Su Muxian were losing control. In order to impress Ye Tiancheng, they even started to fight over it, and the two of them ended up eating all the problematic pastries.
Ye Tiancheng looked helpless. He had come to the agricultural product exchange fair without much interest, just to go through the motions and make an appearance. He didn't expect such an embarrassing spectacle to occur. Ye Tiancheng didn't want to stay any longer.
"You guys can do as you please. I'm handing this venue over to you. Each of you is the protagonist here, especially Mr. Huang. Your methods are truly brilliant. I can't afford to offend you, but I can avoid you."
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng prepared to leave. This infuriated Hou Mingzhu and Su Muxian, who quickly followed him, calling out to him.
"Brother Ye, wait for me. If you leave, I leave too."
The two women spoke in unison, but then quickly argued because the other said the same thing.
Ye Tiancheng was truly fed up. Sometimes, too much good fortune in romance, especially when it's not what you desire, can turn into bad luck.
Ye Tiancheng quickly fled to save himself. However, as soon as he returned home and was about to visit the horticultural center, he saw a familiar face.
Ye Tiancheng remembered that this person was Su Muxian's suitor. As for his name, he felt like he hadn't played for a long time, and Ye Tiancheng almost racked his brain trying to recall it.
"Um, what's your name again? You must have seen the farce at the agricultural product conference, right? I can responsibly tell you that Su Muxian and I have no relationship. If you like her, go pursue her. Don't drag me into it."
Ye Tiancheng was truly scared of them. These insignificant minor characters wouldn't have much impact on his future destiny, yet they always came to cause trouble. It was incredibly annoying.
He thought that with many things changed from his dream, he wouldn't encounter these boring individuals, but he didn't expect to. It truly was a fated encounter. It seemed that no matter how he changed, he would eventually end up in the same place, which felt quite strange.
"If I don't kill you, you grandson, Su Muxian will never look at me more than twice. Therefore, your death is only natural."
This man was quite confident. His words struck Ye Tiancheng like lightning. At the same moment, Ye Tiancheng suddenly remembered this man's name was Balmoth.
Because the name was too awkward, Ye Tiancheng took a long time to remember it. Being able to recall the name of this troublemaker was itself an accident.
"Don't speak too soon. You can't do anything to me. Although I don't intend to compete with you for Su Muxian, you are inferior to me in every aspect, whether it's looks or wealth."
When it came to appearance, Balmoth indeed lacked confidence, but he had always been wealthy, enjoying the best food and clothing. Clothes make the man, and he exuded an air of nobility.
"Are you speaking too arrogantly, you grandson? Don't forget, I am the fifth-ranked richest man. Although I'm not part of the four great families, I have my own influence. Compared to Su Muxian, we are a perfect match. Unlike you, a grandson who's a toad wanting to eat swan meat. A farmer who becomes rich is just a nouveau riche, and you dare to covet my little fairy."
Ye Tiancheng was speechless. His words were so lacking in class. If anyone was a nouveau riche, it seemed this unreasonable man named Balmoth was more like one.
"I'm not coveting your little fairy. Your pursuit of Su Muxian is your business. I can't and won't interfere. I sincerely wish you and Su Muxian a speedy marriage and many children. Just don't bother me. It has nothing to do with me."
Balmoth's eyes darted around, as if he suddenly thought of something, and then he looked at Ye Tiancheng with a sinister expression.
"I understand. You already knew about my existence, didn't you? Otherwise, you would have known I was pursuing Su Muxian as soon as we met, before I even said anything. I've always been a detail-oriented person, and all of this has exposed you."
Ye Tiancheng was speechless. Who knew this person had already appeared in his dreams, which was a form of precognition? Ye Tiancheng didn't have that many thoughts.
"You're overthinking it, brother. I don't want things to be unpleasant between us. Please leave immediately."
"I find you very strange. Don't think you know everything, as if you're in control of everything. You're not even as good as a grandson in front of me. I've never taken you seriously. In my eyes, you dead farmer are worse than pigs and dogs. If you dare to be arrogant in front of me again, I'll make you pay. I'll kill you directly."
"I know you didn't come alone. You brought a few tall, burly men in black, right? You want to beat me up."
As Balmoth spoke more and more, some memories that Ye Tiancheng had forgotten slowly became clear in his mind. Ye Tiancheng recalled many things he had forgotten before.
Balmoth was terrified. He didn't expect Ye Tiancheng to have predicted this. The several burly men in black were all sitting in the car and hadn't appeared yet. How did he know?
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Whatever. If you believe me, don't let those men in black out, or they'll all end up miserable. You should quickly take your people and leave, and don't bother me again. This is my advice to you. If you believe I can control everything, then listen to me and don't bring trouble upon yourself."
At this moment, the man before him was visibly shaken and flustered. He had long heard that Ye Tiancheng was quite mysterious and that everything he did seemed divinely assisted. Seeing him in person, he indeed found this man to be very peculiar, possessing a charm that seemed to control everything, though he didn't know where this charm came from. In any case, it instilled a sense of fear.
"Alright, stop standing there like an idiot. The horticultural center needs to operate normally. Don't cause trouble here. Hurry back to where you belong. I won't see you out."
Seeing Ye Tiancheng's seemingly nonchalant expression, Balmoth became very angry, feeling as if he were being ignored. Thus, he wanted to resist strongly. He absolutely could not be intimidated by the other man's presence alone. He hadn't made a move yet, so the outcome was still uncertain.