After finishing lunch with Lin Zihan, the diligent little gardener in the courtyard, and seeing her off as she headed home from work and left the manor behind,
it was time for Ye Zhibai to round up the family and set out to handle some major business.
She needed to find Old Dad and ask about this “earth-shattering event” concerning Mom’s return home!
“Dragging the family along” meant bringing Yun’er with her.
Yun’er was family, her sister, after all.
And “bringing mouths to feed” referred to Guang Yu, who munched on osmanthus cake the entire trip without pause—and she even had wasabi paste to go with it.
Dragging the family and bringing mouths to feed. Perfectly logical.
Yun’er didn’t know much about Mom coming home, either. It was just a sudden message from Old Dad, only a few simple words.
—”Xiao Qing got in touch! Your mom’s coming home!”
The news had come out of nowhere. When they called back, he didn’t pick up. So the sisters had no choice but to head to the company and get the details straight from him.
Ye Qinghe wasn’t the type to hole up at home year-round anymore.
Ever since Ye Zhibai had come back, he’d skipped out on as much company work as possible, dodging necessary and unnecessary social obligations alike. He’d shamelessly stuck around the Ye Family Manor despite the losses, all just to spend more time with his daughter and let her feel his fatherly love.
But he couldn’t mooch off like that forever. The family still needed him at the helm. Over these past few days, he’d gradually slipped back into his old hectic routine.
Overseeing the Ye Group’s operations, steering the Ye Family ship like a true captain.
So heading to the company to see him meant troubling the Head Maid to pull extra duty as their driver again.
“You two young ladies… ahem, Eldest Miss, Second Miss, we’ve arrived at the company. Should I let the Chairman know you’re here first?”
“No need.” Ye Zhiyun hopped out of the car first, extending her palm to Ye Zhibai in welcome. Every movement was the picture of elegance. “We’re here to talk family matters—no need to give him a heads-up. Besides, at this hour, Old Dad’s probably even more worked up than we are.”
“Haah… Well then, I wish you both a smooth visit.”
The Head Maid stepped out and gave a slight bow, watching as the two young misses walked shoulder to shoulder toward the company entrance.
She didn’t pry.
That was basic professional etiquette for a Ye Family maid.
Ask what you should, stay out of what you shouldn’t. The Ye Family was a big operation—ask too much, and you might accidentally stumble onto some trade secret. That wasn’t for the likes of a mere maid to know.
Of course.
There was an even more important reason she held her tongue.
The Eldest Miss, inscrutable as ever with her thoughts hidden away, was one thing. But the Second Miss? She seemed to be in high spirits today.
If she was in a good mood, there was even less to worry about or ask.
The Head Maid had a hunch that the Ye Family, fresh off the Eldest Miss’s discharge from the hospital, might be on the verge of another cause for celebration!
“Tsk tsk tsk. Here we were strolling under the starry sky, stepping out of the little iron box, riding in an iron box that runs along the road, and now we’ve marched right into a big iron box. Your lives are just one iron box after another… but of all the fancy varieties out there, none beat the humble little iron box that holds wasabi.”
“…”
Guang Yu, I really thought you were about to drop some profound wisdom for a second there.
But no, you didn’t let me down—you’re still teetering right on the line between cultured and… not.
Well, whatever. Ye Zhibai could sort of get what Guang Yu meant.
The little iron box was probably their villa at home.
The running iron box was the car they’d taken to get here.
And the big iron box? That had to be the company building they’d just entered!
Talk about seeing it in person beats hearing a thousand descriptions.
Ye Zhibai had craned her neck outside the building earlier, stretching as far as she could, but she still hadn’t spotted the top.
She’d once scrolled through a video showing off Qihai City’s tallest office tower—the Ye Group headquarters in all its grandeur.
Piercing the clouds, a thousand feet tall, chilling in its majesty.
A titan of commerce in prosperous times, glory in every facet, penning a new chapter.
This building had to be the perfect symbol of the Ye Family’s current might.
Hand in hand with Yun’er, who in turn held Guang Yu’s hand, the three of them wove through the twisting paths of the first-floor office area toward the express elevator on the building’s north side.
They couldn’t avoid bumping into plenty of employees along the way, of course.
No matter what level of employee badge hung on their chests, the moment they spotted these two “company visitors”—or were reminded who they were—everyone stopped whatever they were doing. They all knew the ways of the world and called out greetings from a respectful distance.
“Good afternoon, Second Miss! Hard at work, as always! Ah… is that the Eldest Miss with you? Has she recovered enough to get out and walk around? That’s fantastic!”
“Eldest Miss, watch your step! We just mopped—it’s slippery!”
“Haha… Second Miss dropping by for an inspection today? Old Zhang… hey, Old Zhang! Put the phone away!”
Fine.
No matter how big the company, slackers were everywhere.
And you! Yelling like that to tip off Old Zhang—what’s your angle?
We hadn’t even noticed him until you sold him out!
Ye Zhibai shivered with irritation, but she had no bandwidth left to stick up for Old Zhang.
Socially anxious Ye Zhibai hurried to keep pace with Yun’er, her face a mask of neutrality to avoid getting sucked into that terrifying social whirlpool.
She could clearly feel Yun’er deftly fielding replies to the employees with practiced words, all while using her arm to shield her big sister from prying eyes.
Ugh, the fake Eldest Miss and the real Second Miss—what’s not to envy?!
And Guang Yu, stop showing off that stupid wasabi bottle to the employees! You’re invisible—they can’t see it even if you hold it up high!
Of course… Ye Zhibai was trying her best to respond too, attempting to lighten Yun’er’s load. But her efforts only backfired.
That expression of hers, that aloofness, those eyes—they scared the employees into holding their breath!
Why does the Eldest Miss look like she’s about to announce mass layoffs?!
Are we getting fired? Old Zhang, hang in there!
The trek to the elevator felt like pure torment to Ye Zhibai.
Finally, they stepped into the spacious, empty elevator.
Phew… peace at last. Ye Zhibai patted her slightly bouncy chest to catch her breath—
—But she couldn’t!
The instant the elevator started moving, before Ye Zhibai could exhale, she nearly choked.
Because Yun’er suddenly leaned in close.
From a tricky angle, she pressed a kiss to Ye Zhibai’s lips—a surprise exchange of air!
The move came without any warning.
Even Guang Yu, fiddling with the elevator buttons nearby, missed this scandalous sisterly assault.
It happened in a flash.
Mischievous and nimble, like it was just meant to throw off Ye Zhibai’s breathing rhythm—elusive, there one second and gone the next.
“Yun’er…?”
“Shh… Don’t sweat it, Big Sis. This is the VIP express elevator—no stops along the way. I just wanted to help you unwind a bit. First time at the company, and with all those people earlier… you were a little tense, right?”
“…That’s not the point…”
“Just tell me—don’t you feel way more relaxed after that little kiss?”
“…”
Ye Zhibai stealthily prodded her inner lip with her tongue.
You know… it actually did totally relax me!
Seeing her sister tacitly agree, Yun’er snuggled closer to her shoulder, growing even bolder!
“Hee! There we go. See, Big Sis? That’s the power of love!”
“I think it felt more like the power of a jump scare…”
“That’s just your bias. This isn’t a scare—it’s love~ Or how about next time, you try scaring me like that? See if I get tense!”
What a clever proof by contradiction, dismantling my argument.
The elevator’s LCD screen ticked upward, reflecting the sisters’ stunning faces.
The VIP lift shot up fast, blasting past the fiftieth floor in no time.
But the numbers kept climbing without a sign of stopping.
The low rumble wasn’t too bothersome.
She had no idea which floor Old Dad’s office was on, but before the elevator halted, Ye Zhibai stole a glance at Yun’er’s contented face pressed close to hers.
Ye Zhibai had a question nagging at her… She had to clear it up first.
“Yun’er.”
“Yeah?”
“About before… I don’t remember much. I just wanted to ask—were things not great between you and Mom back then?”
“Uh…? I was pretty young too, so I don’t recall a ton… But from what I remember, it was okay? Mom’s a bit of a wild card, but our relationship was decent, I think. Why do you ask all of a sudden, Big Sis?”
“Well…”
Ye Zhibai twirled a lock of silver hair in front of her.
But she was so close to Yun’er that she accidentally twirled her sister’s hair instead.
Before Yun’er’s expression could turn smug and triumphant, she quickly switched back to her own hair and pressed on.
“It’s just… When we heard Mom might be coming home, you didn’t seem all that excited? So I wondered if things weren’t great between you two.”
“Huh?”
Yun’er paused at the question, stunned for a beat.
Maybe she needed a moment to think it over herself?
A short wait later, as the elevator hit the ninetieth floor and flickered with the glow of an impending stop,
Yun’er gave her answer casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“You’re overthinking it, Big Sis~ Of course I’m looking forward to Mom coming back. Family reunion—who wouldn’t be?”
“Then why…”
“Isn’t it all because Sister went home first?” Yun’er’s little face took on a genuinely pouty look of reproach. “Let me put it this way: light a single lamp at night, and it’s plenty bright. But after Sister came home, the sun in our house rose! Now the blazing sun is high in the sky. Even if you lit a million lamps, I’d be happy about it, sure—but Sister, you can’t force me to act all excited, can you? I’m just being real here. Whatever mood I’m in, that’s the mood I have. Isn’t that okay?”
“Ah…?”
This time, it was Ye Zhibai’s turn to freeze.
After a moment to collect herself, she gazed into the sparkling light of Yun’er’s wide, blinking eyes.
And finally pieced together what was going on.
How to say it…
Mom, I’m sorry.
I stole your spotlight and stole the show. With my sunshine beaming down on everything, you got completely washed out.
I really am sorry.
Ye Zhibai was holding back a surge of agitation bubbling in her chest and was just about to step out of the elevator.
When Yun’er grabbed her hand.
“Hey, Sister? Don’t go down now! The office is on the 130th Floor—this is only the ninetieth… Uh, speaking of which, why’d it stop at the ninetieth floor? Is the elevator busted? That can’t be right. Our company’s facilities are supposed to be top-notch…”
Iron boxes were everywhere in the modern world.
And this elevator was just one more of them.
Guang Yu, you had better behave and show some respect to this iron box. Don’t go messing with those buttons anymore.
Press one more time, and I’ll confiscate your wasabi—along with all your drinks for the next three days.
I mean it.
