Chapter 47: We’ll Never Be Apart Again! Part 2

At that thought, she said earnestly, “I’m being serious. If a child turns into a ‘tight-lipped gourd,’ it’s miserable. Trust me!”

“Fine, fine, I believe you.” Yue Wenfeng laughed, raising her plastic cup of pale yellow beer. “Meeting like this is fate. Let’s clink.”

Su Ye clinked cups half-heartedly.

She didn’t really want to drink with this woman; she wanted to drink with this woman’s daughter.

She missed Yue Huan so much.

Yue Wenfeng also remembered a certain poor kid currently in the detention center. She raised her glass. “Where’s that little clansman of mine? Aren’t you two very close?”

“You’re asking something you already know the answer to,” Su Ye said sadly.

Yue Wenfeng: “Ah, sorry… so you’re drinking because you’re hurting inside?”

“Mhm.”

“Then drinking is a waste of good alcohol. Let’s talk instead.”

“That’s a waste of saliva.”

“…”

The good-natured woman didn’t feel slighted at all. She moved her chair to Su Ye’s side, even helpfully bringing the skewers over. She held one up. “Clink?”

Su Ye had never met anyone more persistent than herself, and this woman wasn’t even a merchant—she was a civil servant with a proper job.

Aren’t civil servants supposed to be serious and upright? Even Zhu Yan wasn’t this flighty.

She was forced to raise her cup and clink with Yue Wenfeng again. She sighed, “You have a great personality.” If only you could give half of it to Yue Huan, that girl wouldn’t have to be so gloomy…

Of course, many years later, CEO Su would strongly disagree. They had tried so hard to teach that girl to be lively, but…

Some burdens were so heavy that no one could remain “lively” under them.

But that was in the future. In the present, Yue Wenfeng took another sip of ice-cold beer and let out a satisfied “Ahh!”

“Boss Su, don’t be so gloomy. Our An City detention center is actually quite cozy.”

Su Ye didn’t know how anyone could link “detention center” with the word “cozy.”

Yue Wenfeng continued, “Besides, Boss Lin is so capable. She’ll definitely pull some strings for her. Don’t worry.”

“Is that so?” Su Ye’s smile was a bit cold.

Yue Wenfeng laughed. “Are you blaming her? Grumbling about why she didn’t just bail her out? No, you’re probably upset that not only did she not get her out, but she’s letting my little clansman stay locked up for a few days for nothing.”

Su Ye denied it with her words, but her expression confirmed it.

The woman leaned back, resting an arm on the plastic chair’s frame. “If she were my daughter, I wouldn’t just let her stay in there; I’d use my connections to extend it to half a month. Oh, provided she wasn’t in school. But is school more important than this? Not really, haha.”

“…I’ll pass that on.”

“Pass it on to whom?” She propped her chin on her hand, teasing Su Ye. “Little Boss Su doesn’t plan on memorizing this conversation just to tell my daughter when she grows up, does she?”

“Maybe.” Su Ye clutched her plastic cup and nodded obediently.

She didn’t know if this counted as telling the future or telling the past. Just as she didn’t know how to define her seniority with Yue Huan—was she the elder, or was Yue Huan the “big sister”?

Or did they each have their own ranking?

Yue Wenfeng said, “Go ahead and tell her then, but my daughter shouldn’t end up in detention.”

“…” Stop talking, I’m starting to feel guilty, sister.

The woman propped her head up. “Do you want to know why? Why you both have to suffer this?”

“To tell you the truth, if I were Boss Lin, I would have sent you in with her.”

“Why?” Su Ye was truly shocked.

How can they be so cold-blooded and iron-fisted?

Yue Wenfeng looked down and smiled. “Because the cost right now is within a controllable range. You’re not incapable of understanding this logic; you just don’t want to. Right now, it’s just a bit of money and pulling strings. If you aren’t forced to realize how serious the problem is, what happens in the future?”

“He who steals a needle as a child will steal gold as a man. The logic is the same, Little Boss Su. If this is handled too lightly now, you might realize you were wrong, but you won’t take it seriously. Only when you both pay a significant price will you avoid similar mistakes next time.”

She tapped the side of her cup, the plastic wall indenting under her finger. She said softly, “Family… can’t protect you forever.”

“There will be times when even we are powerless.” She curled one leg up onto the stool, staring at the steaming meat skewers. “We can only let you trip and get hurt while we’re still able to protect you. That way, we can apply the medicine ourselves, before you end up battered, bloodied, and beyond saving.”

“…” Su Ye understood, but she lacked the life experience to truly internalize it. If she were lucky enough, she would never have to experience it.

Unfortunately, she was destined to walk alone for a time. The lessons she didn’t understand as a youth would be slowly learned and etched into her heart during those years. But she was lucky in one way: after her most painful days passed, her friends, “family,” and lover would all slowly return to her side. It would make her remember this night in 1998—the smoke-filled street and that glass of beer so cold it made her stomach tremble.

After a moment of silence, she raised her cup. She didn’t look over, but she clinked it earnestly against Yue Wenfeng’s.

Yue Wenfeng looked at her in surprise.

Su Ye said, “You’re right. My greatest virtue is that I fix my mistakes. I was wrong. I’ll drink this as self-punishment.”

“Hahahahaha! Oh, man! You can’t drink that cup with me then. Take a bottle back and drink it in front of Boss Lin. After you finish, give her a big hug and cry, tell her you were wrong, you…”

Su Ye stuffed a fried eggplant slice into the woman’s mouth with her chopsticks.

Noisy.

How did this person survive in Urban Management? So annoying. When they met in the market, she thought this was a cool, sophisticated older sister.

Heh.

Yue Huan didn’t inherit a single bit of this!

Once Yue Wenfeng struggled to swallow the food, Su Ye spoke. “You must have a question for me, too. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have shared my table.”

“Who said? I…”

“That table on the right is where your colleagues are sitting.”

Yue Wenfeng rolled her eyes. “…What are they even doing out this late at night?”

Listen to her… is she even hearing herself??

Yue Wenfeng sighed and nodded. “Boss Su, I do have a small question for you.”

“You’ve already asked Wanjia, so it’s not a small question. But if you think I can help, go ahead.”

Yue Wenfeng asked, “How do you think the market should handle the counterfeit goods issue internally? Right now, we have no leverage, so we can’t make a move.”

“…But you just stated exactly what the problem is?” Su Ye looked at her, confused.

Yue Wenfeng went silent, her head bowed as two strands of hair fluttered in the breeze.

Su Ye stayed silent with her, quietly stripping skewers.

Finally, the older woman let out a low sigh. “I don’t know.”

“I want to thoroughly clean this mess up. I want to create a healthy, attractive market environment before the new investment policies drop.”

Su Ye said, “That’s not something you can do alone.”

Yue Wenfeng didn’t answer. She looked up at the brilliant sea of stars in the sky and reached out as if to grab one.

“I know I can’t do it alone. I know many people have started just coasting through their jobs. The era of wild growth is over; the ways to make money are becoming more regulated, and oversight is getting stricter. A few days ago, a whole group in An City was taken in, from top to bottom. Without kickbacks, there’s no motivation. But this is my dream.”

“Like my family, I want to create a good business environment for those who truly want to trade.”

She clinked her glass casually against Su Ye’s. “My family has been involved since the very start of the Reform and Opening-up. I want to be a part of it, too. After all, the world is changing. Only if everyone maintains the same standards can we hope to win a future for An City.”

“You aren’t even from An City.”

“But wherever I go, I fight for that place. Impressed?”

Su Ye smiled warmly. “Very impressed!”

“Then why don’t you think about how to find a breakthrough—or how to make them give you an opening you can exploit?”

Yue Wenfeng’s eyes brightened.

Su Ye took the opportunity to pack up her remaining food.

“Hey!!! Where are you going? The money!”

Su Ye waved her off. “I paid! I’m going home to apologize. Think it over—here’s a hint: Self-governance!!”

“Fine!! Let’s drink again next time!!”

Su Ye was already far away, but she heard the shout and flashed an “OK” sign in the air.

**

Only in there, death, holding up moneymaking.*

She really knew how to hit every single one of Su Ye’s triggers. Su Ye was most superstitious about those things.

Yue Chengqi laughed even harder.

Su Ye huffed. “The TV shows always say that when you go in, they shave your head and bully you! I was worried about you! How can you not accept my concern?”

“I accept, I accept.”

Yue Chengqi took two quick steps and stood before the girl. Backlit by the sun, she opened her arms wide. “Then give me a hug!”

Su Ye looked at her. The stinging sunlight traced a halo around Chengqi’s silhouette, making her already pale face look almost translucent. Only now did the reality of their separation ending finally sink into Su Ye’s heart.

She lunged forward, practically throwing herself into Yue Chengqi’s embrace. She hugged her tightly, fiercely, her voice muffled against her. “Ah Huan, let’s never be impulsive again. From now on, we have to be calm. Let’s never be separated by something like this again, okay?”

The chest she was clinging to vibrated with a soft laugh. Chengqi hugged her back, pressing their heads together. She spoke with absolute certainty.

“Mhm. We’ll never be apart again.”

A delayed wave of pain shot up from Su Ye’s calf. She didn’t want to leave the embrace, but she had to let go, clutching her leg as she sank back into the wheelchair.

Yue Chengqi immediately knelt. “What’s wrong with your leg? Did the wound open up again?”

“Wait, that’s not right… why is it swollen like this?!”