In the brightly lit corridor, their shadows drew close together.
The person in the wheelchair showed no trace of fear, while the tall man, standing at one meter eighty, leaned down, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the person before him.
Jing Chu’s attempt to step forward was halted by Ye Fei’s raised hand.
The man’s slender fingers held out a slip of paper to her, on which a string of phone numbers was written.
“Not everything in this world has a substitute, Miss Ye Fei. Even if you’re settling for second best, you shouldn’t choose blindly.”
Jing Chu thought to herself, the five she had picked might not match his looks combined, but they couldn’t be dismissed as utterly worthless!
“Next time, if Miss Ye Fei wishes to seek me out, remember to offer a price that satisfies me. Once I get what I want, I’ll naturally follow your lead.”
His words drifted by like a passing breeze, and without a hint of attachment, the man straightened up and left.
In a daze, Ye Fei seemed to catch a glimpse of a tattoo behind his ear—a pattern resembling some mysterious, ancient design.
It would have been impossible to see unless one stood this close.
Lost in thought for a moment, Ye Fei watched as the man strode away, as fleeting as a breeze, leaving no trace of sentiment behind.
Only then did Ye Fei grasp the meaning of his words.
“You paid him?”
Jing Chu, standing beside her, nodded solemnly, holding up two fingers. “Two million.”
“That’s too high.”
With that, Ye Fei pressed the controls on her wheelchair and moved forward.
Watching Ye Fei maneuver her wheelchair into the distance, Jing Chu glanced down at her fingers.
“Was it too high?”
Two hundred meters from the side entrance of Nanhuang, a black Bentley was parked under the shade of trees. The lush foliage blocked the cascading moonlight, enveloping the car completely.
The driver stepped out and respectfully opened the car door. The man bent down to enter, casually tossing his gloves beneath the seat.
“Shall we return or head to the east side of the city?” the driver asked from the front.
The young master had left the old mansion a week ago, and the old master had called just this morning.
Through the car window, he caught sight of the girl in the wheelchair getting into her car, his tone indifferent.
“Back to the old mansion.”
The quiet interior of the car was suddenly pierced by a ringing phone. The man picked up the call beside him.
The voice on the other end was cheerful, speaking in a familiar tone. “Let’s have dinner tomorrow. Our department head is very grateful for your help in optimizing the system.”
“No need,” he replied casually.
“I know you don’t like meeting strangers. I was just mentioning it,” the person on the other end said, sounding unfazed, before posing a question. “In the past, no amount of money could get you to help. Why are you being so generous this time? Surely it’s not just to contribute to the judicial integrity of Jiangcheng?”
The fact that the person on the other end could tease him so mercilessly spoke volumes about their close relationship.
The man’s pale, slender fingers traced the paper with the phone number, offering no response.
After a long silence, the person on the other end added, “Well? What are you after?”
The card, its edges frayed from handling, was suddenly clenched tightly.
“Fishing.”
Hearing his eerie tone, the person on the other end felt a chill down their spine and hung up without further questions.
The man in the car turned his gaze to the window, watching the passing scenery before leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes to rest.
…
A peaceful night’s sleep was interrupted when Ye Fei, who had gone upstairs to rest upon returning from Nanhuang, was awakened by Ye Yanxia coming upstairs to call her.
The person at the door was exceedingly polite, even the knocking was precisely three measured raps, carrying an air of cold detachment.
Originally, Ye Fei was not one to linger in bed, but since arriving in Jiangcheng, her sleep had truly not been good.
With this knock, she opened her eyes at the same moment.
Staring at the chandelier on the ceiling for a while, she slowly got up.
Ye Yanxia was very patient, sitting in the second-floor living room drinking coffee and reading a magazine while Ye Fei freshened up.
Ye Fei opened the door, saw the intellectual woman opposite her wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and pressed the remote control for her wheelchair.
“After having breakfast downstairs, go choose your evening gown,” Ye Yanxia said, setting down her coffee cup.
Ye Fei looked at the timeless professional suit on her, which carried an elegant and intellectual air yet was also serious and rigid.
This woman had a good appearance, but she usually wore an icy expression toward everyone.
“Having someone in a wheelchair choose an evening gown seems rather impolite, doesn’t it?” Ye Fei said, looking at her.
Ye Yanxia glanced at her feet covered under the blanket, then at her upper body.
“Whether you wear an evening gown is a matter of your courtesy; if someone attacks you because of your legs, that is their discourtesy.”
The two took the elevator down together. Through the transparent glass door, she saw the scene in the first-floor living room.
The entire living room was filled with people and clothes, rows of colorful evening gowns hung in boxes, with designers and models walking back and forth to display the garments.
If not for being in the Ye family villa, she would have thought it was some clothing sale venue.
Even Gu Zhi had come from the old residence and was now sitting on the sofa with Ye Yanqiu, selecting gowns.
“Grandma, you should take this dark purple one, so dignified,” Ye Yanqiu said, pointing to the gown in front.
Gu Zhi waved her hand with a smile, “The waist is too narrow. At my age, how can I wear such a style?”
Hearing this, Ye Yanqiu clung to the old lady’s arm, cooing, “Even at eighty, Grandma will still be a great beauty.”
“You little one, always trying to flatter me.”
Gu Zhi was delighted by her sweet talk—no woman dislikes being praised for her beauty.
“Grandma,” Ye Yanxia said, pushing Ye Fei to sit on the sofa opposite them.
Seeing Ye Fei, Gu Zhi was overjoyed and quickly directed the staff nearby to bring over the gown she had chosen.
“This is specially picked by Grandma for you. Yaoyao has fair skin and a striking appearance, red suits you best.”
Looking at the small gown in the staff’s hands, Ye Fei followed the old lady’s words with praise, “Your taste is excellent.”
Receiving this affirmation, the old lady’s smile deepened. “This banquet invites all the prominent families in Jiangcheng. It’s also Yaoyao’s first formal appearance, so we must not be careless.”
“You’ve gone to great trouble, Grandma,” Ye Fei replied obediently, lowering her head.
Seeing this innocent and harmless demeanor, Ye Yanqiu snorted inwardly.
Who didn’t know she spent her nights lingering at Nanhuang? Yet now, in front of Grandma, she put on this innocent little act.
“Yaoyao, do you remember Old Master Zhi?” Gu Zhi suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Ye Yanxia raised an eyebrow and looked over, followed by Ye Yanqiu’s slightly incredulous gasp.
“Grandma?!”
With the old lady’s reminder, Ye Fei finally remembered.
The Zhi and Ye families seemed to have a long-standing, yet unspoken marriage agreement that had never been brought into the open…