Singing was out of the question now.
Everyone had their pride to save.
Especially for this man, the father of two daughters.
There were no more endless songs of glory, no unfinished tales of heartfelt affection.
The old father stared blankly at the two good daughters who had suddenly appeared at the door, equally frozen in place, for a long moment.
Finally, with dark lines crawling across his face, Ye Qinghe gently set the golden microphone back into its box.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he strolled to the northwest corner of the vast office and methodically switched off the projector, the speakers, and the room’s KTV ambiance lights.
The office, which had been a riot of flashing colors just seconds before, instantly reverted to its solemn, businesslike normalcy.
When Ye Qinghe turned back around, the smile that naturally curved his lips carried no trace of awkwardness.
His tone was perfectly modulated, smooth as ever.
“Oh? Yun’er, Zhibai? What brings you two here? What a surprise—coming to the company without even giving me a heads-up?”
“…”
The sisters turned to each other in perfect sync.
Little Zhibai caught the flicker of confusion in Yun’er’s eyes.
Yun’er couldn’t quite make out the dim bewilderment clouding Little Zhibai’s gaze.
Their expressions might have been worlds apart, but it didn’t stop their hearts from connecting as one.
Yun’er shook her head repeatedly and helplessly tugged at her sister’s arm, ready to turn and leave.
Her words brimmed with “respect” for their family elder.
—Whispering to each other without letting Old Dad overhear was already the greatest courtesy they could show a senior.
“Sister, let’s go. Dad looks like he doesn’t have time.”
“Yeah… I told you it was too abrupt.”
“You’re right. It was thoughtless of me to come. Since I was so thoughtless, please make sure to punish my ignorance when we get home, Sister. I’m ready for it—that’s the only way I can learn and grow.”
“I wouldn’t punish you…?”
“Hey!! Zhibai, Yun’er! You two have to hear me out!”
Seeing his daughters on the verge of holding hands and walking away in disappointment, Ye Qinghe felt a crisis unlike any he’d known before!
If they left with their own misunderstandings, wouldn’t all of Father’s nonexistent dignity crumble to nothing?
No worries—Ye Zhibai and Ye Zhiyun weren’t really leaving.
Just in case Old Dad burst into song again, Ye Zhibai thoughtfully headed to the door first to close it securely.
Otherwise, come tomorrow, the entire company would be buzzing about one of the seven great mysteries of Ye Group headquarters: the Chairman’s Office haunted by phantom singing.
The singing itself wasn’t frightening, but what jolted Ye Zhibai as she shut the door was Guang Yu’s scream echoing in her mind.
“Ugh-meow!! Ye Zhibai!! You’re no human!!”
“?”
Oh, sorry.
She had pinched the fox’s tail in the door.
But that wasn’t her fault—blame the Scummy Fox for lurking invisibly outside, showing off her wasabi bottle to the baffled bodyguards instead of coming in sooner. That was what led to the disaster.
So the lesson was clear: when it comes to important things, move fast and don’t dawdle.
Zhibai and Yun’er sat side by side, with Guang Yu refusing the plush genuine-leather sofa in favor of perching on the armrest, rubbing her tail.
A cup of premium, authentic Longjing tea sat before each sister. Across the rising steam from the teacups propped his chin: Ye Qinghe, who couldn’t even muster the energy for his usual executive leg-cross.
The tea was too hot to sip. It fell to the boldest person in the room to break the silence.
No doubt about it—that was Yun’er.
“Dad, stop sulking. We know exactly what kind of guy you are… cough, what I mean is, everyone loses themselves when they’re thrilled. Even if you’re our age and dancing around the office alone to celebrate, Sister and I think it’s totally normal. Right, Sister?”
“You’re right. Perfectly appropriate.”
Holy crap.
Other girls were their dad’s cozy little padded jackets; Yun’er, you were a dagger straight to his heart.
You’d dredged up the embarrassment he’d nearly forgotten, rubbing it in with exquisite detail!
Ye Qinghe did take a second emotional hit, but… it was nothing he couldn’t shrug off.
How did he think he’d clawed his way to the top of Ye Group?
It wasn’t just top-tier skills—it was that unshakable mindset, calm even if the sky fell.
Although… with the Longjing scalding hot, the way Old Dad’s hand trembled as he forced down a sip betrayed just how rattled he was.
After that burning gulp of Longjing, Ye Qinghe’s weathered face steadied once more.
He rose silently from his sturdy, imposing frame, circled behind the sofa to grab his phone from a nearby spot, and settled back down.
This was the self-recovery prowess of a renowned entrepreneur—and a resilient, pressure-tested father! “You two… why not just call me? No need to drag yourselves all the way here from home. What a hassle.”
“Ha?” Yun’er’s short fuse ignited instantly. “Dad? How can you even say that? If your phone had rung through, would I have dragged Sister across the city to find you? It’s her naptime right now!”
Easy there, Yun’er. It was naptime for you too—for all of humanity, plus Guang Yu.
No special privileges here.
Ye Qinghe froze at Yun’er’s words, then snatched up his phone. With the signature middle-aged “elderly subway stare”—that blank, fumbling swipe of the screen—he navigated his menus.
—And then let out a deep, throaty gasp.
He must have spotted the dozen or so missed calls from Yun’er.
She’d called, all right. He just hadn’t answered.
Pocketing the phone awkwardly, Ye Qinghe heaved a massive sigh and shook his head.
“Sigh! I never should’ve cranked the speakers so loud. Look at this—proper business delayed! Just like Xiao Qing always said… I’m great at everything except being steady sometimes. And doesn’t this prove it?”
“…”
Plenty of comebacks there.
First off, calling himself “great at everything,” even quoting someone else? Pretty bold.
And then…
Old Dad.
Yun’er’s calls had started three hours ago.
Not hearing a peep meant he’d been solo-karaokeing for a solid three hours at least?!
Good lord—even mic hogs at KTV couldn’t carry a flag solo for that long!
A throat like that? Terrifying.
But better not call him out… or he’d retreat into his shell again, and who knew when they’d get to business.
To keep Yun’er from landing more blows on Old Dad—and to speed things up—Ye Zhibai spoke up herself.
“Dad, you said Mama’s sent word. Is it reliable? Didn’t you tell us she’s been missing for years?”
“Huh? Zhibai, what was that? Father didn’t quite catch it.”
“I said… Mama’s been gone for years. Is the news reliable?”
“Sigh…”
“?”
Why the sudden sigh, Dad? Was the news bogus after all? Then why the marathon karaoke session!
Ye Zhibai was baffled, but Yun’er—who saw through everything—leaned in to whisper in her ear.
“Sister, ignore him. Dad’s not asking for a repeat because he missed it. He just wants you to call him ‘Dad’ a few more times. You barely spoke before… but you skipped the title that time, so he was disappointed. No need to play along.”
“?”
Business dynasty through and through! Scheming down to the tiniest details!
Ye Zhibai realized how naive she’d been and clamped her mouth shut.
By then, Ye Qinghe had pulled up his phone again, tapping earnestly at the messaging app.
Once he’d located the SMS pinned at the very top… a tender warmth softened his face.
He even gently brushed away imaginary dust from the screen before flipping the phone over and sliding it carefully toward the sisters.
“Take a look. The wording is pure Xiao Qing, no question. And the real kicker? This phone number! I’d know it anywhere, even turned to ash! No idea why she’s still using it after eight years… but seeing it, I…wu… it’s hitting me hard. You girls read it yourselves.”
A text message?
Ye Zhibai and Ye Zhiyun leaned in at the same time, their foreheads bumping lightly.
Out of reflex, Ye Zhibai started to pull back, but Yun’er let out an “eh heh heh” and—defying human instinct—leaned in even closer instead of dodging.
Fine… if she wanted it that way, no point pulling away.
They’d look together.
Heads gently touching, black hair mingling with silver, the sisters read the message that had brought Ye Qinghe to the verge of tears.
“Yo, ha! Qinghe, you holding up okay these years? Ah ha… Yeah, I know that’s a dumb question. Forget I asked. Without me around, you probably weren’t doing great anyway! I’ll apologize properly when I get home to you and the kids. Anyway, short version: I’ll be back next week! How’s Zhibai doing lately? Still not talking? Yun’er? Any grade improvements? Just kidding~ She’s always top of the class—what’s to improve? Hahaha!”
“Yun’er… was Mom always like this?”
Uh… sis, don’t say it—she really is like that. So before, I always kept some tape at home. When she talks too much and disturbs your rest, you can just stick it on her mouth. If this text message is real… let’s go back later and buy a bunch more tape to stock up on—it should come in handy.
…
