Chapter 22 This place is practically the same as having an affair...

At seven o'clock in the summer, it's not completely dark yet.

Many guests who came to celebrate the Ye family's birthday have already arrived.

Zheng Junni bypassed the crowded area and returned to Shengyue Tower, slowly walking up the stairs to the third floor.

Her belly is quite large now, so she's walking slowly.

When I got to the third floor, I ran into Ye Baoshun and Ye Baoxin, who were on their way to Xihetang to play billiards.

Ye Baoxin: "Mommy, who were you looking for in such a hurry?"

Zheng Junni complained softly, "I was looking for you. What are you doing up here? Go down and entertain the guests."

"You could have just sent someone to call us, why did you have to come up here yourself?" Ye Baoxin took her mother's hand.

"It's okay, the doctor told me to climb stairs more often."

The three of them then walked downstairs.

She had only taken a few steps when she heard hurried footsteps. Ah Feng ran up to her, "Madam..."

"What's up?"

Ah Feng hesitated, and Zheng Junni said impatiently, "Just say what you have to say. Why are you stammering? The young master isn't an outsider."

Ye Baoshun, who had initially shown no interest in their conversation, couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

"Um... I just saw Miss and that young master from the Lü family..." Ah Feng lowered her voice.

Upon hearing that the news was related to Ye Baoling, Ye Baoshun immediately turned his head to look over.

Zheng Junni asked with concern, "What happened between Miss and Young Master Lü?"

Ah Feng said anxiously, "They're pretending to be dating. Young Master Lü even said that Miss has a girlfriend who's gay, and he's covering for her... he..."

Zheng Junni quickly interrupted her: "You can't say things like that."

“I’m not making this up. I heard them talking to each other in the small side hall on the second floor of Xihetang.”

"Did anyone else hear that?"

"No, I was the only one who heard it."

Ye Baoxin was not very convinced: "Baoling doesn't seem like a lesbian to me. The lesbians I've met at American universities have behaved in a completely different way than her."

Zheng Junni wanted to hint to her daughter to speak less, but she couldn't show it in front of Ye Baoshun.

Ye Baoshun was unimpressed. He was still furious about Ye Baoling's public humiliation of him that morning.

Ye Baoshun said, "Would a homosexual write 'I am a homosexual' on their forehead? I think she has changed recently, it must be due to the influence of homosexuality."

Zheng Junni waved her hand and deliberately said, "Alright, alright, let's leave it at that. Don't tell anyone."

How is that possible?

Ye Baoshun didn't agree and went downstairs.

He returned to Xihetang and went upstairs. He happened to meet Ye Baoling at the top of the stairs on the second floor. He gave her a cold glance, his eyes full of disdain, as if she were a monster.

Without saying hello, he went straight upstairs.

Grandpa was in the living room on the third floor, where guests kept coming to offer their birthday wishes. Lu Tianyou and his father were also there, and they were talking about Ye Qingtang's listing on the stock exchange.

He could only stand beside his grandfather, waiting for a chance to speak.

When Ye Kaisi saw his son walk straight in, seemingly in a hurry, he quickly came over and asked him softly, "What's wrong?"

"I need to speak with Grandpa."

"Tell me what it is beforehand."

Ye Baoshun was afraid that his father would help Ye Baoling to settle things peacefully, so he deliberately kept quiet, saying, "I want to tell Grandpa first."

Ye Kais glared at him, gritted his teeth, and whispered, "You've rebelled?"

"No. What Grandpa cares about, you don't care about." The implication is, it's none of your business.

Just then, Lu Tianyou and his son went downstairs first, and Ye Baoshun quickly squeezed next to his grandfather and whispered in his ear, "Grandpa, I have something important to report, and it's related to Ye Baoling."

Ye Qizu looked at his grandson and asked in confusion, "What is it?"

"Let's talk in the study."

Seeing Bao Shun's serious expression, Ye Qizu couldn't help but feel uneasy. He stood up and went to the study first.

Ye Baoshun followed his grandfather into the study, and Ye Kais followed him in as well.

After closing the door, Ye Qizu said, "Baoshun, you need to be careful in the future. Baoling is your older cousin. No matter what, you can't call her by her first name. You need to know the rules, understand?"

"I know, I was in such a hurry just now that I was afraid you wouldn't understand, so I called my eldest sister by her first name."

"What is it? Speak."

Ye Baoshun embellished what Ah Feng had just said and told it to Ye Qizu.

The old man was shocked upon hearing this. "You can't just make things up. Is there any evidence?"

"You'll know if you call Ah Feng over and ask her."

"What kind of evidence is this?"

Ye Qizu looked at Ye Kaisi, who said, "I just found out about this too, just like you. The brat didn't want to tell me first. Dad, don't worry, it's your birthday today. We'll deal with it after the guests leave. Keep Baoling here tonight and question her carefully. It's fine if a girl likes another girl, just cut off the relationship directly."

Knock knock knock!

Someone knocked on the door.

Ye Kaisi, who was standing on the outermost side, opened the door. His older brother, Ye Kaimin, was standing outside.

His wife just told him about it.

Knowing that Ye Baoshun would come to complain to the old man, he rushed over.

"dad."

Ye Qizu snorted coldly, "You've raised a fine daughter! Tell me, how are you going to deal with her?"

Ye Kaimin rolled his eyes at his younger brother, Ye Kaisi.

Ye Kaisi knew his older brother probably thought he had deliberately made a big fuss, so he quickly clarified, "It's just a child's matter, no need to panic. It's best to handle it discreetly and find out what happened to her tonight."

Ye Kaimin: "Baoling is my daughter, and I know her well. She couldn't possibly like women; she's probably just trying to annoy me..."

The old man had no patience to listen to his rambling. "I'm asking you, how are you going to handle this?"

Ye Kaimin had already made up his mind on the way here. He said, "I'll talk to her right away and announce her relationship with Lü Tianyou tonight."

Someone knocked on the door, and the old man's attendant, Ah Xing, came in and said, "Master, the eldest son of the third branch of the family has arrived."

Upon hearing that Ye Huaizhang had arrived, Ye Qizu quickly said, "Please invite him in."

Then he turned to his eldest son and said, "You talk to her first, don't try to communicate with the Lü family. If that doesn't work, just let them force the issue tonight."

"What do you mean by 'cooking raw rice into cooked rice'?"

Ye Qizu was furious at such a stupid question. "Use your brain!"

Ye Baoshun reacted quickly, interjecting, "There's no need to talk. Talking will only alert them. It's better to just make it a done deal and not let the Lü family know beforehand."

Ye Kaisi scolded his son: "Go away, you have no right to speak. What kind of nonsense is in your head?"

Ye Baoshun ignored his father and only said to Ye Kaimin, "Uncle, I can help you. My friend has medicine."

"Ye Baoshun! Shut up!" Ye Kais dragged Ye Baoshun out.

As soon as I stepped outside, I ran into Ye Huaizhang and his assistant, and I couldn't help but greet them warmly, "Huaizhang! It's been a long time!"

Ye Huaizhang had never liked the eldest son's family, but he still put on a good show of it.

"Uncle Case, it's been a long time." Looking up and seeing his father-in-law, Ye Huaizhang couldn't help but nod slightly. "Uncle Kaimin."

The two brothers were very enthusiastic towards Ye Huaizhang. After all, the eldest branch of the family was showing signs of decline, while the third branch had grown bigger and bigger in recent years, keeping pace with the Li family and taking turns being the richest family in Hong Kong.

People are all money-oriented; they're very pragmatic.

Emerging from the study, Ye Kaimin was furious. If he could, he would beat his daughter right now, teach her a lesson, and force her to marry into the Lü family.

*

There were people everywhere, inside and outside the house, upstairs and downstairs.

The guests, along with their entourages, crowded together, chatting in small groups.

Ye Baoling went up to the third floor and walked along the corridor to the small sitting room. Her father was standing by the window with a cigarette in his hand.

"Dad, you called me."

Ye Kaimin turned around, suppressing his anger, and said as calmly as possible, "I just saw Lü Tianyou. He went to see your grandfather by himself. Why didn't you go with him?"

Ye Baoling: "He went to see my grandfather first, and then I saw him."

“You’re lying! Lu Tianyou went to the second floor to see you as soon as he arrived. Do you think no one would have seen you with so many people and so many eyes?” Ye Kaimin stared at his daughter and flicked his cigarette ash into the ashtray.

Ye Baoling lowered her head and remained silent.

What did you talk about?

We just chatted casually for a few minutes.

"You only chatted for a few minutes? Then why didn't you dare say that directly, and instead lied to me?"

I'm afraid you'll criticize me.

"What did I say to you?"

"It's nothing." Ye Baoling bit her lip slightly, her voice as low as it could be.

Feeling guilty!

Ye Kaimin seemed to see a guilty conscience in his daughter's eyes.

Everything Ah Feng said was true.

This is really bad!

No need to ask anymore.

Asking any further questions would only make things more difficult to handle.

He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray: "Alright, alright, stop explaining. Daughters grow up and leave home. You have your own world, your own thoughts, I don't care anymore. Just make sure you take good care of Lü Tianyou tonight, behave well, and don't upset your grandfather on his birthday."

"Oh," Ye Baoling replied. "Nothing else, I'm going out."

Ye Kaimin waved his hand, too lazy to say anything.

Once outside, Ye Baoling's expression changed slightly. She glanced at her watch; it was almost eight o'clock.

As they went downstairs to the living room, they ran into Old Madam Guan and Yang Pinxian, along with their sisters-in-law Zheng Junni and Liang Meiyun.

In previous years, Ye Baoling would leave after wishing her grandfather a happy birthday and having lunch, and would never have had a chance to meet them.

Ye Baoling turned and left in another direction.

But Liang Meiyun still saw her and shouted, "Baoling! Baoling!"

Ye Baoling stopped in her tracks with a sigh, then turned around with a smile, "Second Aunt."

"Come quickly, this is Fifth Aunt, and this is your Aunt Yang."

"Hello, Fifth Aunt. Hello, Aunt Yang."

Liang Meiyun pulled Ye Baoling over, "Baoling is my eldest brother's eldest daughter. You haven't met her before, have you?"

Grandma Guan smiled and sincerely praised her granddaughter-in-law: "This child is so beautiful."

Zheng Junni smiled modestly and said, "Baoling has been shy since she was little, please don't take offense, Fifth Aunt."

Old Madam Guan disagreed: "How graceful and poised she is! There's no bad girl in our Ye family."

They chatted for a few minutes while standing, and Ye Baoling only managed to slip away when other people came over to say hello.

She found Lü Tianyou in the garden outside. "My dad told me to come and take care of you."

The two of them ate at a buffet, watched a performance, and talked about the recent stock market.

At 8:00 AM sharp, Ye Kaimin, on behalf of the eldest branch of the Ye family, delivered a speech on stage to thank the guests who came to celebrate his birthday.

The cake was cut at 8:30, followed by a dance.

At nine o'clock, Lü Tianyou was about to leave when Ye Baoshun appeared.

"Hey lady, aren't you going to introduce your boyfriend?"

Ye Baoling gave him a rare kind look: "He's a friend, not a boyfriend. Lu Tianyou is a fund manager at Yingbao Securities. My cousin, Ye Baoshun, studied in the United States before, but transferred back to the University of Hong Kong this year and will graduate next year."

Lu Tianyou extended his hand and said, "Nice to meet you!"

Ye Baoshun was unusually serious: "Can I buy funds with you?"

"Of course. I can not only help you buy funds, but also help you manage your finances. You can contact me anytime for questions about funds, the stock market, and other financial matters."

Lu Tianyou started bragging about how much money he had recently helped so-and-so make.

Ye Baoshun seemed very interested: "I'll introduce you to my mother another day. She has a group of wealthy wives. If you lead them to sweep through the Hong Kong stock market, you'll definitely be invincible."

A group of top-tier wealthy wives?

Lu Tianyou's expression relaxed completely. "It's a deal, a promise."

"It's a deal. My mom's busy today, we'll talk in detail another day."

Ye Baoling saw Ye Huaizhang chatting and drinking with someone in a corner of the garden, surrounded by a crowd.

He glanced in her direction as well, but the couple pretended not to know each other and didn't greet each other.

After chatting for a while, Ye Baoshun suggested, "There are too many people here, let's go inside and have a drink."

Ye Baoshun pulled Ye Baoling along, "Let's go, together."

Normally, Ye Baoling would definitely not go with them.

But today is different; she's going to play along with them to the very end.

They were chatting in a corner of the lobby on the first floor when a waiter brought each of them a glass of wine. Ye Baoling didn't drink it, so it was just the two of them.

Upon discovering that Ye Baoling didn't drink and was very cautious, Ye Baoshun didn't want to make things difficult for her.

Later, when several young men and women gathered together, Ye Baoshun suggested, "How about we go play pool?"

Ye Baoling said, "I don't know how to play."

Ye Baoshun: "You don't need to know how, it's very simple, you can get the hang of it as soon as you start."

"You lose every time you fight, huh?"

"No gambling. Let's go, let's go, don't spoil the fun."

There's a billiards room on the second floor, where they play 3v3.

Ye Baoling, Ye Baoshun, and Lü Tianyou formed a group, while Ye Leqiong formed a group with two other girls.

Ye Baoshun said generously, "I won't gamble; if I lose, I'll drink."

No one had any objections.

Ye Leqiong is not only good at bridge, but also at billiards. She and her friends are invincible.

Ye Baoling's side, on the other hand, was much weaker.

Lu Tianyou was unremarkable, Ye Baoling was clearly just there to make up the numbers, and Ye Baoshun looked shrewd but was actually a fool. As a result, they fell far behind.

The loser of the first round had to drink. A plate of three drinks was served, one whiskey for each person.

Ye Baoling readily accepted the challenge, downing half a cup of wine in one gulp.

Everyone applauded, and Ye Leqiong laughed, "I didn't realize Baoling could drink so much."

Lu Tianyou and Ye Baoshun clinked glasses lightly, accepting their bet and each drank their wine.

They lost the second round again, and the three of them each drank another glass.

After Ye Baoling finished her drink, she said, "If we lose this last round, we're not playing anymore."

Just then, Ye Huaizhang entered.

Accompanying him was his childhood friend, Gong Jiahua, the eldest son of the Gong family.

When Ye Leqiong and the girls in her group saw Ye Huaizhang come in, their eyes lit up.

"It's Ye Huaizhang!" someone whispered.

Ye Baoling was also surprised. How could it be such a coincidence?

Ye Huaizhang acted as if he didn't recognize her, and didn't make any eye contact with her when he came in.

Gong Jiahua and Ye Leqiong were classmates in middle school. As soon as he came in, he said, "You guys are playing pool here. Why didn't you invite me?"

Ye Leqiong laughed and said, "You important people are all talking about important matters, how could I dare to lead you astray?"

Gong Jiahua couldn't resist joining in: "I want to play too."

"You alone won't do; we need one more person."

Gong Jiahua looked at Ye Huaizhang: "Want to play a game?"

"Come on," Ye Huaizhang readily agreed.

Everyone was pleasantly surprised.

When Gong Jiahua heard that Ye Leqiong and her team had already won two rounds, she said she wanted to team up with them.

Ye Leqiong and the others wanted Ye Huaizhang, and said with disdain, "You don't look like you'll win today, Brother Huaizhang, why don't you come to our group?"

“Jia Hua lost money playing cards today, so I’ll let him win.” Ye Huaizhang had already taken off his coat, leaving him only in a shirt and jacket.

Knowing that Ye Huaizhang wanted to team up with him, Lü Tianyou was so happy that his hands trembled. Today's birthday banquet was definitely worth it.

Only Ye Baoshun was unhappy; he had a vague feeling that Ye Huaizhang was going to ruin his plans.

As expected, Lü Tianyou reversed his losing streak, took the lead as soon as he entered the game, and won the first game.

Next, Ye Baoling, a novice, suddenly had a stroke of luck and crushed Gong Jiahua in the first half. Unfortunately, she "underperformed" in the second round and lost.

After Gong Jiahua finished playing with her once, his eyes fell on Ye Baoling.

This girl is pretty and interesting.

He stood aside and whispered to Ye Huaizhang, "Your cousin is quite nice."

Ye Huaizhang rolled his eyes at him and ignored him.

The third round of the match ended with Ye Baoshun losing to the girl opposite him, as always.

Fortunately, Ye Huaizhang swept away the fallen leaves with a fierce wind, overpowering Ye Leqiong and winning the fourth round.

In the final fifth round to determine the winner, the opponent sent Gong Jiahua to fight. Ye Baoshun, who had suffered a crushing defeat, took the initiative to accept the challenge, hoping to regain his honor.

Ye Huaizhang glanced at him and disagreed: "I'll do it."

Lü Tianyou also said, "Let Huaizhang come!"

Ye Baoshun had no choice but to concede.

The match began, and Lü Tianyou, who had been drinking and was already quite drunk, stood by watching, feeling an unprecedented tension.

Ye Baoshun stood to the side, watching nervously.

But their mindsets were completely opposite; one wanted to win, and the other wanted to lose.

Yes, Ye Baoshun wanted to lose.

Because in the third round, he had already arranged for someone to add something to the drinks that Lü Tianyou and Ye Baoling were drinking.

If their group wins, they won't have to drink, so all that effort tonight would be for nothing, and he's not happy about that.

Only Ye Baoling had the best mindset. She watched the drama unfold, observing the battle from the sidelines, indifferent to who won or lost.

Because the ending of the script has already been written.

The fifth round was not as fierce as expected; Ye Huaizhang quickly ended the battle, defeating Gong Jiahua.

When the number eight ball went into the pocket, Lü Tianyou jumped up.

"Quickly, bring them some wine."

Ye Leqiong laughed heartily, "Fine, I'll drink it. I was thirsty anyway."

The servants brought out four glasses of wine, and they even clinked glasses, drinking with the air of victory despite losing the game.

Ye Baoshun was unwilling to give up: "How about another round?"

"I'm not playing anymore. It's almost eleven o'clock."

"I also made plans to go to karaoke."

Gong Jiahua also said, "I'm going home too. My dad needs to see me tonight."

Seeing that no one responded, Ye Baoshun said again, "Then let's have one last drink and get together again next time."

Ye Huaizhang refused: "We won, so we won't drink."

Ye Baoling, however, seemed to be contradicting him, supporting Ye Baoshun, saying, "Let's have a drink before the party ends, it has nothing to do with winning or losing."

"Sure, sure! Let's have a drink."

Everyone responded.

Ye Huaizhang squeezed next to Ye Baoling, and the two stood on the outside. He whispered a reminder: "Don't drink."

"Drink without worry," Ye Baoling replied softly.

Ye Huaizhang lowered his voice and had to tell her, "They may have drugged you."

When he went to Ye Qizu's study just now, he happened to overhear Ye Baoshun talking about drugging Ye Baoling.

Ye Huaizhang, who thought she would be terrified, did not see the scene he had imagined.

She simply covered her lips with her hand under her nose, her voice extremely low: "My people have switched the medicine. You can drink it."

Ye Huaizhang looked at Ye Baoling in surprise. His wife... was quite capable. It seemed she didn't need his help at all.

It turned out that Ye Baoling had seen Zheng Junni rushing back to Shengyue Tower, so she went to find Sister Qin.

He gave Sister Qin 2,000 yuan and asked her son, Aqing, to keep an eye on Zheng Junni's every move.

Ah Qing was originally working odd jobs for Ye Baoshun, so he secretly overheard them discussing how to drug someone.

Knowing that the billiards game was to be played in three rounds, Ye Baoshun deliberately lost the first two rounds to get Ye Baoling and Lü Tianyou to drink more alcohol and get a little drunk, so that he would drug them in the third round.

Two servants brought up four glasses of wine each on a tray.

Ye Baoshun handed one of the glasses of wine to Ye Baoling first: "Ladies first."

Then he poured a glass of wine for Ye Huaizhang and Lü Tianyou.

Ye Baoshun raised his glass: "Come on, let's drink this to my grandfather and wish him a long and healthy life! May we all be happy forever!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank the last glass of wine.

Lu Tianyou was a little drunk; he only took a small sip.

Ye Baoshun, who had been staring at him, turned his empty wine glass upside down: "Brother Tianyou, look at my glass, I've finished it all, you can't go back on your word. Look at Brother Huaizhang, look at my sister, they've all drunk it. You have to finish it."

Lu Tianyou had no choice but to gulp it down in one go.

After finishing their drinks, those who had other things to do left first.

Ye Baoling, Lü Tianyou, and Ye Baoshun were all chatting on the sofa. They had drunk the most that night and were all a little tipsy.

Ye Huaizhang stood to the side, rolling up his shirt sleeves, while four or five servants in the room watched them.

"Young Master Huaizhang, if you have something to do, you can leave first. We will take care of things here."

Ye Huaizhang took his coat and went out.

After Ye Huaizhang left, Ye Baoshun opened his eyes groggily. His throat felt hot and his whole body began to feel uncomfortable.

"Ah Fu, Ah Gui, take Young Master Lü to the next room to rest, and also the young lady. After you've seen them off, come back and take me back to my room. I'm feeling really drunk."

Afu and Agui escorted Lü Tianyou and Ye Baoling to the next room.

When they returned, they found that Ye Baoshun was gone.

They didn't think much of it, assuming he had gone back to his room on his own.

In the next room, Ye Huaizhang carried Ye Baoshun over and threw him onto the bed, while Lü Tianyou was already in so much pain that he wanted to take off his clothes.

Ye Baoling washed her face in the bathroom and came out. When she saw Ye Huaizhang, she asked in surprise in a low voice, "Where's Aqing?"

"That boy's name is Aqing? He helped Ye Baoshun out, and when he saw me, he ran away."

How did you know to bring Ye Baoshun here?

"I guessed."

Ye Baoling's principle is to treat others as they treat her.

At this moment, Ye Baoshun was also taking off his clothes, saying, "It's so hot! Ugh! It's so uncomfortable."

Will Grandpa Ye be so angry he'll vomit blood if he finds out tomorrow that Lü Tianyou slept with Ye Baoshun?

Just imagining that scene is exciting.

"This is not a place to stay any longer," Ye Baoling turned around and found Ye Huaizhang covered in sweat.

"What’s wrong with you?"

Ye Huaizhang didn't say anything; he turned and left.

Oh no, Ye Huaizhang's symptoms are similar to those of Ye Baoshun and the others.

Of the four glasses of wine, Ah Qing wouldn't have left only her glass untouched as a precaution, would she?

She quickly chased after him.

As they walked out of the room, they heard voices coming from around the corner of the corridor. Ye Baoling pulled Ye Huaizhang and hid in the room next door.

By the light from outside, you can see the interior of the room; it's a study.

As soon as I entered, the sound of voices reached the doorway.

Someone wants to come in.

There's nowhere to hide in this study.

Ye Huaizhang was still relatively sober at this point. He pulled her along and hid behind the curtains in the corner.

The study door opened, someone came in, and the light came on.

"Lu Tianyou and Bao Ling are in the guest room next to the billiard room..." The speaker was Ye Kaisi.

The other one is his wife, Liang Meiyun.

Liang Meiyun said, "I never expected Bao Ling to like women. To be honest, Lü Tianyou suffered a loss. Bao Ling, well, her face is okay, but her brain is really not good."

Ye Kaisi retorted, "What loss is there for him? The fact that the Lü family can become in-laws with us is a miracle! You need to send someone to keep watch, so that Lü Tianyou doesn't escape first thing tomorrow morning. If he sleeps with Bao Ling and then runs away, we won't be able to explain it to the old man."

"I know. It's so annoying. Your older brother is the same, he had to drag us into this. Bao Ling will definitely hate us from now on."

"Isn't it your good son who's been eager to help? Where's Ye Baoshun?"

"Afu said he went back to his room drunk."

"You brat."

Liang Meiyun went out first, and not long after, Ye Kaisi also closed the door and went out.

Ye Baoling dared not move, because the person next to her was so hot that he could melt her at any moment.

Just as Ye Baoling was wondering what to do, she suddenly heard a muffled groan.

Oh no, is he going to lose control?

Having sex in this place is practically the same as having an affair.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Ye Huaizhang: Heh, drink with confidence [angry]

Ye Baoling: [rolls eyes]

Little Square: You said you'd take me with you, now you regret it, don't you?