The lovely sight of Ye Ziyun made Chen Han perk up. Seizing the opportunity to greet her, he strode forward, weaving through the crowd and prompting people to step aside.
This made Nie Li look in his direction, his eyes flickering with recognition. 'A black-haired young man with a strong physique and high cultivation talent. If my guess is right, this Chen Han is most likely the same person who had a different name in my previous life.'
'Ye Han.'
Nie Li's knowledge of Chen Han was fairly scarce. This was due to Ye Ziyun's apprehensiveness whenever the topic of him came up.
Based on what little he knew, Chen Han or more specifically, Ye Han in his previous life, was a child whom Ye Zong had brought home to the City Lord's Mansion with the intention of nurturing him into the next City Lord.
Other than that, Nie Li was completely in the dark about Chen Han's personality, making him cautious around him.
Standing in front of Nie Li and Ye Ziyun, Chen Han cupped his hands and bowed respectfully toward Ye Ziyun before greeting her.
"Chen Han greets the City Lord's daughter. It's been quite some time since we last saw each other. How have you been, Ziyun?"
Nie Li's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't like how casually Chen Han uttered Ye Ziyun's name.
What Nie Li didn't know was that Ye Ziyun and Chen Han had both trained under the same martial arts instructor, an elder of the Snow Wind Family.
Which stemmed their familiarity with each other. Although this connection was merely that of fellow students and nothing more.
Ye Ziyun looked visibly apprehensive upon meeting him. In light of the recent scandal involving the Sacred Family, her attitude toward them had become guarded, including toward the person standing before her.
Chen Han saw this, causing his smile to fade as a bitter look appeared on his face.
He let out a heavy sigh.
Before everyone's gaze, Chen Han lowered his head and bowed apologetically, catching both Ye Ziyun and the gathered crowd by surprise.
"I heard what happened, about Shen Fei and his heinous crimes, and I was horrified by what I learned. Ever since then, my heart has been filled with sorrow. I know Shen Fei is a very depraved person, but I never imagined that his heart was that rotten."
Chen Han lifted his head, his expression crestfallen.
"Shen Fei and I never had a good relationship to begin with. My talent is greater than his, which threatened his position as the next House Master."
This didn't surprise many people. Chen Han was the number one genius of his generation, making him the pride of the Sacred Family.
"Despite reassuring Shen Fei countless times that I'm not trying to usurp the position of House Master from him, he wouldn't believe any of it and always kept his guard up around me.
"So even after I became Shen Xiu's fiancé, despite having served the Shen Family for many years, Shen Fei and I never got along.
"It's one of the reasons why I am always out in the outside world training, trying my hardest to avoid a confrontation with him that might disrupt the peace within the family."
Chen Han's words caused the crowd to be stunned into silence.
Chen Han was the number one genius of the younger generation and a popular figure, so everyone already knew his origins.
He was a child abandoned at an orphanage who was later taken in by the Sacred Family.
So it was no surprise that quite a number of people felt sympathy for him. To them, Chen Han was an innocent man who had unfortunately been dragged into the Sacred Family scandal.
Nie Li looked at the man before him as the image of the person named Ye Han became clearer in his mind.
'This Chen Han is surely a very shrewd person. He's good at wording things, using his past as a convenient excuse to wash his hands of all the crimes his family committed. Using his charisma, talent, and intellect to manipulate the views of the people around him.'
'This Chen Han is an extremely cunning person who hides behind a carefully crafted persona. Someone like him wouldn't hesitate to stab everyone in the back to achieve his goals.'
With this thought in mind, he began to come up with ways to keep Chen Han away from Ye Ziyun.
Looking to his side, a wave of relief washed over Nie Li seeing that Ye Ziyun still retained her cautious attitude toward Chen Han.
Somehow, Nie Li had a clear idea why Ye Ziyun had always been reluctant to discuss Ye Han whenever the topic came up.
'This Chen Han probably had some interest in Ye Ziyun and wanted to pursue her. If that's the case, then he needs to disappear.'
A faint killing intent flickered in Nie Li's eyes. To him, Chen Han was the type of person who was very problematic to deal with. He was the kind of person who would always scheme and continue doing so to get what he desired, even if it meant burning the entire world to achieve it.
"I know this will not undo all the crimes Shen Fei committed, but even so, I would like to extend my deepest apologies to everyone. I should have seen the signs and stopped him before he caused so much grief to so many people. I failed to look past the fact that he was technically my nephew. For that, I am truly sorry."
This time, he lowered himself into a deep bow, causing some of the people present to look at him with complicated expressions.
From a distance, both Ye Zong and Chen Zhenlong watched the scene with cold gazes.
They were both thinking the same thing: Chen Han could really put on a great act, making himself look innocent despite all of his family's crimes.
If the two of them hadn't seen the reports and discovered Chen Han's significant role in the Sacred Family's collusion with the Dark Guild, they themselves might have ended up deceived by his persuasive performance.
On the other hand, Shen Hong, who was observing the situation, took a sip of his drink. He wore a deadpan expression as he watched Chen Han appeal to everyone.
"What's the use of apologizing? It won't be long before the entire city falls under the onslaught of the demon beast horde. Every single one of these people will be dead by then."
To Shen Hong, what Chen Han was doing was complete and utter nonsense.
'Instead, we should come up with a way to cause as much damage as possible to the banquet hall before the Demon Lord pulls us away.' Shen Hong thought to himself.
Unseen by everyone, the corner of Chen Han's lips lifted into a thin, malicious grin. Based on the silence, he could tell that people had mixed feelings about him. At the very least, some of those around him had lowered their hostility.
Then, like thunder in the dead of night shattering the silence, a derisive voice suddenly rang out.
"Of course your empty apology wasn't enough to appease the grieving hearts of the people your family wronged. Aren't you thinking a little too highly of yourself?
"The last time I checked, you're just a no-name child the Sacred Family recruited into their ranks.
"It's hilarious to see you standing there in front of everybody, thinking you have some kind of moral authority. Chen Han, don't insult our intelligence. Keep your token apology to yourself, go back to the Sacred Family's side, and stay there like the obedient dog you are."
A collective gasp filled the banquet hall, everyone aghast at the brutal words that had just been spoken.
Chen Han's body trembled, and his eyes widened in shock. Never had he imagined that someone would be so brazen as to call him out in such a harsh manner.
The eyes of everyone shifted toward the approaching trio.
Chen Linlin and Xiao Ning'er, both known as goddesses, were following Xue Hui, whose lips were stretched into a mocking grin.
Seeing Xue Hui finally make his move, Ye Zong gave his wife a knowing glance, signaling her to stay on her toes. Ye Yurou, seeing this, nodded.
She looked a bit nervous, but she knew this needed to happen for everyone's safety. Her hand slid around Ye Zeyang's torso, pulling him closer to her.
Similarly, Chen Zhenlong sent a mental message to Chen Yinying and Chen Wenrou, telling them to remain alert.
Shen Hong's eyes flashed with killing intent. Xue Hui insulting Chen Han in his presence was a huge slap to the face of the Sacred Family, evident from how everyone at their table was staring at Xue Hui with murderous gazes.
But years of experience had made Shen Hong a veteran at handling situations like this. He managed to compose himself before his anger got the better of him.
They needed a distraction to keep everyone from noticing the impending threat, and somehow, Xue Hui had given them the perfect opportunity to do so. All Shen Hong needed to do was fan the flames and keep them burning until it was time for them to leave.
Nie Li watched from the sidelines as Xue Hui made his presence known. His heart was beating loudly, and his instincts were telling him that something was going on that he wasn't aware of.
He looked toward the head table and saw the expressions on Ye Zong's and Chen Zhenlong's faces. Both wore guarded looks.
He then shifted his gaze toward Shen Hong and immediately noticed the opportunistic glint in his eyes.
"This is bad. These people are plotting something."
A sense of panic crept into Nie Li's heart. Whatever scheme was unfolding before him, he knew it would not end peacefully. Worse still, he was completely in the dark about it.
End of Chapter 105
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