Hearing her voice before seeing her, Ye Zhishu thought carefully—if she remembered correctly, the two of them were born on the same day. So how did Ye Wanqing already know she was her younger sister?
That’s right.
Ye Wanqing was Ye Zhikuan’s biological daughter, and shared the same birthday as the original owner. This meant that when the original owner’s mother was still alive, Ye Zhikuan had already been involved with his stepmother, Yi Lan.
What remained unknown, however, was whether the death of the original owner’s mother had anything to do with Ye Zhikuan and his family…
Ye Zhishu stepped out of the car slowly. A girl in a brand-new Chanel white mini dress pushed the door open. Her makeup was delicate, her expression calm and gentle, with just a touch of youthful charm.
At first glance, she was the kind of girl who naturally drew people to her.
Unfortunately, Ye Zhishu had no interest in being charmed.
She sidestepped Ye Wanqing’s reaching hand and walked inside.
Ye Wanqing’s hand landed on nothing. Her smile froze, and a flicker of moisture appeared in her eyes. It didn’t matter—her sister didn’t like her, and that was fine. She comforted herself silently.
In the grand hall, decorated in a somewhat rustic style, a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling of the third floor. The style was oddly mismatched—neither fully Chinese nor fully Western. Ye Zhikuan sat on a redwood bench, dressed in loungewear, his face cold.
Nearby, a dining table held a set of food that had long since gone cold.
Ye Zhishu had eaten, taken a cab, and even had the driver take a detour. By now, it was already two in the afternoon.
“Zhishu, why are you just getting back? Your father’s been waiting for lunch. Didn’t Wanqing tell you?”
Yi Lan, noticing Ye Zhishu seemed different from before, didn’t think much of it. She got up, her round belly leading her forward, and walked toward her.
She glanced reproachfully at Ye Wanqing, who had followed: “Wanqing, did you forget to tell your sister?”
Ye Wanqing, feeling wronged, replied,“No, I did tell her.”
“Still saying no… clearly you…”
“Enough!”
Finally, Ye Zhikuan spoke, beckoning Ye Wanqing over. “Wanqing, come to your father.”
Wanqing puckered her lips and fluttered into Ye Zhikuan’s arms like a little butterfly.
“Dad, I didn’t…” she muttered softly.
But the living room was spacious, and everyone could hear clearly.
“I know you said something, Wanqing. You’ve always been an obedient child. Unlike certain people,” Ye Zhikuan said pointedly, “who think they’re grown and can ignore their father’s words!”
Yi Lan’s lips curled in a subtle, almost imperceptible smile, concealing her cunning.
She tilted her head and, by chance, met a pair of calm, fox-like eyes. Those eyes were deep and serene, yet seemed to see through everything, giving Yi Lan a sense of being completely exposed.
She frowned. What was with this stubborn girl? Not seeing her for over half a month, and she was still unreadable.
Ye Zhishu’s gaze fell on Yi Lan’s belly, then glanced at Ye Zhikuan not far off, and let out a soft hum.
Interesting.
In modern terms, it was as if she could see a “green pasture” atop Ye Zhikuan’s head.
She walked over and sat on a single sofa.
“Speak. Why did you call me here today?”
“What kind of attitude is that?!”
Ye Zhikuan’s face darkened instantly. His temper, always on the verge of exploding, was now fully uncontrolled.
“Say what you came to say!”
Ye Zhishu rubbed her ear, frowning. “I’m telling you, Dad, you’re getting up there in years. Don’t get angry so easily—careful you don’t make yourself sick.”
Ye Zhikuan’s face turned green with anger. He pointed at Ye Zhishu, chest heaving. “Ungrateful girl! You ungrateful girl!”
Yi Lan, fearing that Ye Zhikuan would quarrel with Ye Zhishu and prevent Wanqing from attending the dinner, hurried to calm him down.
“Zhikuan, calm down. Zhishu certainly didn’t do it on purpose.”
If it weren’t necessary, Yi Lan didn’t want to see Ye Zhishu’s face again—especially those eyes, identical to her long-dead mother’s. It made her feel as if Lin Yu were still alive.
Fortunately, although Ye Zhikuan was angry, he remembered the main point and took a step back.
“This Saturday, you and Wanqing will attend a charity banquet together.”
Ye Zhikuan finally got to the point.
Ye Zhishu raised an eyebrow.
“What banquet?”
Yi Lan smiled and handed her an invitation from a small table: “The Ji family’s charity banquet. Zhishu, your father still thinks of you. Fathers and daughters don’t hold grudges overnight.”
Coincidentally, Ye Wanqing had said the same thing. Truly mother and daughter.
Ye Zhishu took the invitation, opened it, and glanced at it. Her eyes stopped at the words “Ji Group,” and the address matched the location Ji Mingrui had sent her.
Ji Group… Ji Mingrui?
Ye Zhishu began to suspect something.
“I’m not going.”
She tossed the invitation onto the table and leaned back carelessly. “Anything else? No? Then I’m leaving. I don’t have time—I’m busy keeping myself alive.”
Her words implied the cruelty of Ye Zhikuan—he had thrown out the original owner, not even allowing her to take a change of clothes. For a biological father, he had been shockingly cold.
On the way here, Ye Zhishu had wondered if the original owner had been Ye Zhikuan’s biological daughter.
After all, Yi Lan’s child wasn’t his. Another non-biological child wasn’t impossible.
Unfortunately, Ye Zhishu was disappointed—they truly were father and daughter.
Luckily, the original owner had inherited everything from her mother. Ye Zhishu silently breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ye Zhishu!”
Ye Zhikuan jumped to his feet.
This concerned the future of the Ye family’s business—she couldn’t refuse.
If the Ji family hadn’t insisted that both Ye daughters attend, Ye Zhikuan wouldn’t have bothered taking Ye Zhishu out to risk embarrassment.
He didn’t want to disgrace the Ye family if she offended some noble at the banquet.
“This isn’t the way to ask for something.”
Ye Zhishu wasn’t afraid in the slightest. Calmly, she watched Ye Zhikuan stamp his feet.
She still remembered how they had treated the original owner when they threw her out.
Ye Zhikuan: “You!”
“Fine. Two million, immediately, into my account,” Ye Zhishu said leisurely, stating her terms.
Two million cash wasn’t impossible for Ye Zhikuan, but paying it all at once would definitely hurt.
Yi Lan’s face went cold. Her fingertips dug sharply into her palm.
In her eyes, everything in Ye’s Construction and Development belonged to her son, yet now so much had to be handed over to Ye Zhishu…
Ye Wanqing moved her lips, about to speak, but was silenced by Ye Zhishu’s cold glance.
“One more word and I’m really not going,” Ye Zhishu extended the final syllable, full of subtle playfulness.
Wanqing, flustered, obediently closed her mouth.
Ye Zhishu smiled at Ye Zhikuan.
“Two million to buy a ticket into the Ji family’s banquet is already very cheap, Father.”