After grumbling about how weather varied around the world, Ye Qinghe finally let the topic drop.
He clenched his fist in profound grief and fury, then slammed the table once more!
Real tears welled up in his eyes!
“Xiao Qing… she vanished after that and never came back. Even today, I refuse to believe she’s truly gone. Zhibai, you believe me, right? You don’t think so either!”
Don’t ask me!
How should I know?!
If her final message had been something like “goodbye” or “farewell,” it probably would’ve become Ye Qinghe’s golden memory, cherished forever.
But no—her last words came in the middle of a storm: “Don’t forget to bring in the clothes!”
Who could bear that?!
Tears streamed down the old father’s face. Ye Zhibai set the tissue box on the table and spun it over to him with the glass lazy Susan.
Feeling his daughter’s concern, the old father only sobbed harder.
Ye Zhibai had no other words for it.
The sheer volume of information left her with just one thing to say.
“Dad, please restrain your grief. Life and death are fated; fortune lies in the heavens. I know Mom’s story is… legendary.”
“Right!”
Right indeed—more legendary than a giraffe trekking across the Sahara Desert on foot.
Of course, no such mythical creature existed; it was just a wild idea Ye Zhibai came up with on the spot.
Ye Qinghe pulled out a tissue and wiped away his tears.
This strong man hadn’t wanted to break down in front of his daughters, but he’d poured out so much today, letting his emotions build to a boiling point!
Ye Zhiyun hugged her sister’s arm, blinking her deep blue eyes as she reflected on the past.
“Sigh… Who wouldn’t want Mom to still be alive? But if we think rationally, she’s almost certainly gone. Better not cling to false hopes—life must go on.”
Yun’er, your logic is spot on.
But as you said it, Dad’s freshly dried eyes welled up again!
Maybe dial back the divine powers a bit!
Once Ye Qinghe stemmed his tears, he channeled his sorrow into hunger and took a massive bite of pancake.
Then he made his daughters a solemn vow!
“I won’t belabor the point, kids. What I can promise is this: I’ll wait for your mother to come home for the rest of my life. If she never does, I won’t remarry. Xiao Qing is the only light in my life!”
Woo woo woo, so heartwarming!
Old Dad delivered it with such poetic flair this time—and didn’t even blush!
Grief really did grant people power, driving them to surpass themselves!
That said, Old Dad was genuinely a real man!
Compare him to those corporate tycoons on TV dramas—every one a fickle playboy, like an eight-winged angel flitting about.
But look at our dad: utterly devoted, soaring to the heavens on a single wing!
Ye Zhibai gave him a mental thumbs-up!
The topic wrapped up.
Ye Zhiyun rose to grab the teapot and refill her sister’s empty cup.
Seizing the moment, Ye Zhibai leaned down to admonish the utterly useless Guang Yu.
“Guang Yu, did you hear that? Dad’s incredible. Absorb some of humanity’s true kindness and beauty. Don’t fill your head with food and sticky intimacy, or you’ll end up a worthless fox.”
“Nonsense! Wasabi is pure kindness; chili oil is evil. I can tell them apart just fine.”
“…”
Is your brain stuffed solely with condiments?!
At least gnaw on a chicken drumstick or something!
Ye Zhiyun carefully placed the steaming full teacup in a safe spot where her sister wouldn’t knock it over.
Then she hugged her big sister once more. Seeing that their dad had mostly recovered from his grief, she decided to bring up something more fitting for the dinner atmosphere—a bit of family chit-chat.
Yun’er missed her mom too.
But tonight was a reunion dinner with her sister. Sharing these sad stories was enough; no need to keep bawling.
So Ye Zhiyun deftly changed the subject.
“Dad, I saw Lin Zihan at school today.”
“Woo… Xiao Qing… you’re something else… Huh? Yun’er? What was that?”
“I said I ran into Lin Zihan at school today—that brat from the old Lin Family.”
“Ah, yeah, I remember her. The Lin Family’s little troublemaker. Sigh… I wonder when Xiao Qing will come back…”
Poor Dad.
He hadn’t fully shaken off the sorrow before getting dragged into a whole new conversation.
Talk about a multi-core brain—not for nothing was he the Ye Family Chairman!
Ye Qinghe let out a long sigh and gathered himself.
Only to dive into another one.
“Sigh… The Lin Family’s story is tragic too. Lao Lin had a winning hand and played it straight into the toilet. When he lost everything, he had a shot at bouncing back, but the big families pushed him out once he was down. I think he even abandoned his family and fled Qihai City penniless… Hey, Zhibai! Let me set the record straight: When the Lins collapsed, the Ye Family didn’t get involved. Far from kicking them while they were down, we bucked the trend and gave the Lin mother and daughter some humanitarian aid. Don’t get the wrong idea—we’re pretty upright folks!”
“Yeah, Yun’er already filled me in.”
Look at Dad getting all worked up.
Circling back, Ye Qinghe asked, “Right, you two saw Lin Zihan yesterday. Are her eyes better? Poor kid—she’s had it rough. Be nice to her; life’s hard enough as it is.”
Ye Zhiyun took a sip of her hot tea.
She offered no comment.
Only Ye Zhibai knew the truth—nice or not aside, Yun’er had clocked her right in the face at their reunion.
—”We’re pretty upright folks.”
Indeed: upright and packing a punch.
Ye Zhiyun set down her teacup, her expression composed and dignified.
Heh, only on the surface.
Ye Zhibai could feel it plainly: Under the table, out of Dad’s line of sight, Yun’er had crossed her legs and hooked them around her sister’s!
No clinging during dinner! How could she be thinking about intimacy on an empty stomach?!
Ye Zhiyun propped her elbows on the table and broached the matter with utmost seriousness.
“Dad, I get that Lin Zihan’s had a tough go—I’ve seen her a few times as kids. But that girl? We have to stay on guard.”
“Oh?” Ye Qinghe perked up with interest. “Yun’er, you’ve always had a good eye for people. Care to break it down?”
“I’m not entirely sure… but she just feels like she’s hiding behind a mask. On the surface, she’s all peaceful and optimistic—should make anyone pity her. But for some reason…”
“Hm?”
“For some reason, she just looks so punchable.”
Ye Zhibai jolted in surprise.
Yun’er, please, no!
Hear me out: Next time you see her, just don’t!
Mask or full Kamen Rider armor, you’d still flatten her!
Ye Qinghe pondered for a moment.
He nodded, then shook his head—lost in thought.
Ye Zhibai figured her wise old dad must have his own take on it.
After a long pause, Ye Qinghe looked up and muttered at the ceiling.
“Sigh… Xiao Qing still didn’t come home today…”
Pfft!
Has your train of thought not fully switched tracks yet?!
We’ve wandered light-years from there, and you’re still on Xiao Qing!
Just then, the maid knocked and entered again.
She carried a glass of red wine that screamed luxury at first glance.
This was what Ye Qinghe had ordered earlier.
A proper dinner banquet needed some booze, after all!
The maid poured a single glass for each of the three.
Moderation in all things—she took the bottle and left after that.
Another fine Ye Family tradition.
Drink, but never to excess.
Ye Qinghe grabbed his glass and downed most of it in one go.
“Whew! That’s the stuff! Yun’er, take what you said with a grain of salt. You’re right not to judge by appearances. But even if Lin Zihan has ulterior motives, it doesn’t concern us. The Ye and Lin families have no grudge.”
“Mm. No grudge now. But if she keeps calling my sister those flirty names… one’ll brew soon enough. I’m sure of it.”
“!”
Ye Zhibai sent up a silent prayer for Lin Zihan.
Miss Lin, next time you spot Yun’er, give her a wide berth.
Her grudge runs deep!
And when the punches fly, don’t mouth off.
Just staying alive is challenge enough.
Ye Zhibai spoke from hard-earned experience.
Yun’er took the tiniest sip of her wine before pushing the glass aside.
She couldn’t handle the taste.
Incidentally, she made a suggestion to her sister.
“Sister, skip the wine. It harms the body. Have some water instead—time to head home and rest.”
“Alright… then… no, I’ll have just a sip. One sip.”
“I’d rather you didn’t… Sigh, fine, one sip won’t hurt. But don’t push yourself. You’ve never had alcohol before, have you? First time?”
Pretty much.
In her previous life, Ye Zhibai had barely touched beer. She’d had a little at unavoidable college gatherings.
Didn’t care for it, and she’d never gotten drunk.
So why try red wine now?
Pure curiosity—a chance to sample something new!
It was a simple, straightforward reason. Wine she’d never tasted in either of her two lifetimes had been placed right in front of her—how could she not take even a single sip?
That wouldn’t be the right attitude toward life!
Besides, this wine looked pretty expensive… She wondered how many packets of wasabi it could buy.
Pah! What was she thinking about wasabi packets for?
It was all Guang Yu’s bad influence!
Ye Qinghe didn’t really want Ye Zhibai drinking alcohol either.
But common sense told him it was no big deal.
“No worries, no worries!” Guang Yu said. “If Zhibai wants to try it, just take a sip to taste it. At your age, it’s all about curiosity—perfectly normal! Back when I was your size, I even drank chili oil! Nearly landed me in the hospital! Hahaha!”
Holy crap! In a situation like this, don’t go “hahaha”!
And Guang Yu, you saw that, right? There’s always a bigger mountain out there, a sky beyond the sky!
These people were all tough customers!
Guang Yu’s voice rang out in his mind: “Ye Zhibai, that chili oil’s color doesn’t look right. Not authentic.”
Quit it—this one cup could probably buy you a hundred boxes of that chili oil.
Do you have any idea?
Under Ye Zhiyun’s worried gaze, Ye Zhibai brought her lips to the rim of the red wine glass.
She tilted her head back slightly, and the smooth wine slid down her throat—bitter, with a faint hint of sweetness.
Just that one sip, and Ye Zhibai already felt a pleasant warmth spreading through her stomach.
Hm? This wasn’t bad at all?
Was this the warmth of money?
Little Zhibai grew bold.
She figured she could handle it!
It was just this one glass anyway—did it matter if she drank it fast or slow?
With that, she threw her head back and drained the entire cup in one go.
“Sister?!”
Ye Zhiyun was startled and cried out to stop her!
But no matter how quickly she spoke, she couldn’t outpace the speed of Zhibai tossing her head back to drink.
Ye Qinghe broke out in a sweat.
He hadn’t expected… Zhibai to be this impressive?
Guang Yu was even more shocked.
Well, damn.
What a Ye Zhibai!
She kept a low profile, but when it came to downing “chili oil,” she chugged a full glass like it was some new variety!
Ruthless!
