Chapter 25 is about the perfect muscle definition she craved...

The two installers spent the whole afternoon installing air conditioners in Ye Baoling's and her cousins' rooms.

When Ye Baoling and Gu Man'er got home from get off work, they were greeted by cool air conditioning as soon as they entered the bedroom.

Gu Zhen'er hugged Ye Baoling's shoulders, "Cousin, I will be your most loyal servant for the rest of my life. Please accept my highest love for you."

He then kissed her.

Ye Baoling laughed and dodged away, saying with disdain, "You're taking advantage of me again. Go, cut a plate of watermelon for the sisters."

"twitter!"

Soon, Gu Zhen'er brought over a sliced ​​watermelon.

Ye Baoling took a bite and tasted garlic: "Gu Zhen'er, you don't use a fruit knife to cut watermelon?!"

"It's not my fault. Mary chopped the garlic with a fruit knife."

Gu Man'er laughed and said, "Eat up, a watermelon without garlic flavor isn't authentic."

The sisters sat in the air-conditioned room, happily eating melon seeds and gossiping about the neighbor catching their mistress.

It was almost seven o'clock when we finally had dinner, after my uncle, Gu Xianyong, arrived home.

Ye Baoling came downstairs and noticed that the telephone, which had been placed on the corner of the second floor, had been moved. She couldn't help but ask, "Where did the telephone go?"

“The attic was rented to my teacher, and her family of three is moving in next week. My grandma thought it wasn’t appropriate to have the phone here, so we moved it to your room. It’s installed behind the door, didn’t you see it?”

"I didn't notice." Ye Baoling greeted her grandmother first before going to eat.

Downstairs in the dining room, the Filipino maids had already served all the food.

Today's meal consisted of five dishes and a soup, with two meat dishes and three vegetable dishes. Before the reforms, this would have been considered a grand meal, but since then, it's just an ordinary meal.

The children's sense of happiness has improved a lot.

Gu Xianyong asked them, "You've been working for almost two weeks now, how are you feeling?"

From a purely prospective standpoint, Ye Baoling's job offered no future, no hope; it was just a life of idleness and waiting to die.

But she's different. She's not going there to work. Her current position allows her to quickly familiarize herself with the various departments of Ye Qingtang, which is quite good.

So she smiled and replied, "It's alright."

Gu Man'er ate steamed pork with fermented black beans. "I'm doing fine. There's not much work in our department, so we usually don't have to work overtime. My colleagues are nice to me. It's okay to just coast along, but there's not much room for advancement. However, I have mentors, so I can accumulate some experience for now. If I want to develop my career, it's better to go to a big bank."

Shen Yue'e was afraid her daughter would quit her job: "What do you need career advancement for? The most important thing for a girl is to have a stable job. Ye Qingtang is just fine. It's a big company, and it's good to be under the protection of a big tree."

Gu Zhen'er spoke up for her sister: "If you want to become a top lawyer in the future, you'll definitely have to go to a law firm to have a chance."

Gu Man'er: "Mom doesn't understand."

Shen Yue'e said with slight dissatisfaction, "Yes, I don't understand. All I know now is that stability is the most important thing. I don't know how long your dad's job will last. If your dad loses his job and you're not stable, we'll really be starving."

Gu Man'er asked in surprise, "Dad, is your boss going to fire you?"

"No." After denying it, Gu Xianyong said a few more words to his wife: "Why are you telling them these things? You're putting so much pressure on them for no reason."

Shen Yue'e placed a piece of meat on her youngest daughter's plate: "Baoling is good, so we don't need to worry about her. I'm worried that Man'er is immature and doesn't work properly. If she's in a bad mood one day and throws a tantrum, she might quit her job without warning. I need to give her a heads-up."

Ye Baoling asked, "Uncle, is there a problem with your factory?"

Gu Xianyong sighed: "Business is tough for garment factories these days. Labor costs in Hong Kong are too high, and we can't make any money. The boss wants to move the factory to Shenzhen, where the rent is much cheaper and the wages are only one-tenth of what we are here. If you were the boss, wouldn't you be tempted? I guess we'll be lucky if we can hold out here until the end of the year."

Shen Yue'e said, "Your boss is building a factory in Shenzhen, and the new factory needs someone to manage it. Can't you talk to your boss properly and ask him to take you to Shenzhen with him?"

Gu Xianyong wasn't very confident: "He has a bunch of relatives he can use, so why would it be my turn? I've thought about it. I'm learning to drive recently, right? If all else fails, I'll just become a taxi driver. You guys remember Lu, who used to drive for our cloth shop? He has a taxi license. I've talked to him. He drives the day shift and they need someone to drive the night shift. It wouldn't be bad for me to drive the night shift for him. Taxi drivers don't earn bad money, and we can make a living. You don't need to worry."

However, driving a taxi, especially on the night shift, is a very hard job.

Shen Yue'e still felt sorry for her husband, saying, "If it really doesn't work out, we can reduce the number of Filipino maids, and you can find a job that isn't so strenuous."

We'll talk about it later.

Gu Zhen'er is usually sharp-tongued, but she is also sensible: "I'll work a summer job during the summer vacation. I'll graduate in two more years, and when I do, I'll definitely work hard to ease your burden."

Despite being stripped of her power, Shen Yue'e now had confidence in her second daughter, saying, "You're smarter than your sister, I'm not worried about you."

Gu Man'er wholeheartedly agreed: "She's smarter than me, smarter than a mouse."

Everyone laughed.

Ye Baoling is wealthy, and she made a fortune in the stock market today. She's sure to earn even more in the future. To repay the original owner of this body, she won't let her uncle's family suffer too much. But she won't make promises lightly unless it's absolutely necessary.

It is a basic quality for adults to be able to support themselves and take care of their own families.

She hoped they could too.

But she was also worried that her uncle would be under too much pressure. As a middle-aged man who was the pillar of the family, losing his job would be a terrible thing for him.

After dinner, Gu Xianyong listened to the radio upstairs.

Ye Baoling stepped forward and said, "Uncle, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Even if things get really tough, Man'er and I are still here for you. We'll all work together and the family won't go hungry."

Gu Xianyong turned down the radio volume: "Don't worry, if I can go to Shenzhen, I definitely will. If I really can't go, I'll try my best not to hold you back. Your dad called me last time and scolded me, saying that our whole family is sucking your blood. We can't give him another chance to scold you."

Ye Baoling smiled and nodded; her uncle had just matured too late.

She returned to her bedroom, where her cousins ​​were discussing going hiking over the weekend.

"Cousin, let's go together."

"Sure. Saturday or Sunday?" Anyway, she didn't have anything to do on the weekend. She had signed up for driving lessons, but she could already drive, so she didn't need to go to lessons at all. She could just go to take the test when the time came.

"Saturday, I think. I want to sleep in on Sunday."

Ye Baoling said no problem.

After dinner, Ye Baoling returned to the third room and, as usual, practiced Chen Family Boxing with Chen Yulan.

After finishing her boxing practice, she hummed a song as she walked back to her room. When she passed the study, the door was not closed.

Ye Huaizhang was on the phone; judging from his voice, it sounded like he was discussing some kind of press conference.

Ye Baoling stopped in her tracks. Seeing Ye Huaizhang looking over, she turned a corner, went into the study, pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite his desk.

Ye Huaizhang looked at her, holding the phone in his hand, his voice still: "Okay, let's do it next Wednesday. I'll have someone contact you about the details... Okay, we'll talk about it later."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Huaizhang asked her, "What's wrong?"

"I'm going hiking with my cousin and her friends this Saturday, and I'd like to borrow your video camera."

"You know where it is, just take it yourself. It's not personal property, you can use any of mine, no need to ask to borrow it."

Ye Baoling deliberately used a soft, coquettish voice and said with a smile, "Thank you, husband."

She liked to flirt with him in a subtle and unrestrained way.

After flirting, he ran off humming a song.

He was left with goosebumps all over.

Ye Baoling was in a good mood after making a lot of money in the stock market today. When she returned to her bedroom and saw her two handbags, which were almost empty, she decided that once she made more money, she would go on a shopping spree.

She took out the bag she had carried last week, inside which was the "Pillowside Picture" that her grandmother had tucked in. This thing was considered an antique; it would be a pity to throw it away, but there was nowhere to put it.

She can't exactly hide next to the Bodhisattva, can she?

After much thought, I finally put it in the most inconspicuous spot on top of the bookshelf in the walk-in closet.

*

Suman Jewelry's stock price rose for two consecutive days, and none of my office colleagues held on to their shares. They all sold at the high price and made a little money.

After making money, everyone had a big lunch.

They even agreed to take turns treating each other to afternoon tea.

That day, Wang Simin treated everyone to fish balls. "Thank you all for helping me earn a little money. If you hadn't all bought them, I wouldn't have followed suit."

While eating fish balls, Sister Mei asked curiously, "Simin, how much did you earn?"

"More than three hundred and sixty."

Wow! You bought less than me, but earned more.

“Of course! You sold too early. I sold at the peak. The price started to fall as soon as I sold,” Wang Simin said, her face beaming.

Today, Suman Jewelry's stock price plummeted, and everyone in the office was all beaming with happy smiles because they sold their shares in time.

"Baoling, have you sold yours?"

"No."

"Why aren't you selling yet? I just heard on the radio that it's down 3% today."

Ye Baoling: "The newspapers say there's still room for price increases, but I'm not in a hurry. The current drop is an opportunity; if you want to buy, you can still get on board."

Everyone waved their hands repeatedly.

"Forget it. The stock market is risky, it's better to be cautious."

"I'm not greedy, I'm just happy to earn enough for a small meal."

That's correct.

However, based on Ye Baoling's many years of experience in the stock market, if Su Man Jewelry's stock price rises later, they might not be able to resist making a move.

Liu Haonan agreed with Ye Baoling, saying, "We're in the consolidation phase now, and the price will rise later. Once Gangtong Industrial officially announces the acquisition of the diamond mine, that will be the end of the story. When others rush in, we can take the opportunity to sell."

This coincides with Ye Baoling's viewpoint.

She smiled and said, "That's what I think too."

"You don't look like someone who's inexperienced. You still say you don't know how? You've really never traded stocks before?"

Ye Baoling couldn't tell the truth, so she could only laugh and say, "Really not. I learn quickly. I read financial books, newspapers, and magazines every day now."

Liu Haonan had doubts about Ye Baoling's identity, after all, her surname was Ye, which was too similar to the name of the young master Ye Baoshun.

The Ye family has a large population; who knows if Ye Baoling might be an illegitimate daughter of the Ye family that hasn't been exposed in the media?

It's possible.

Liu Haonan said softly, "When do you think Gangtong Industrial will announce the news?"

Ye Baoling shrugged: "Who knows? It could be as early as next week."

"It'll be soon."

"Once the news is released, take advantage of the stock price rise and help me gradually sell off my shares."

"Understood. I'm ready at any time."

Even if the stock drops by 5% today, she has already made more than 40% on this stock.

The stock price surged again the next day.

As the office colleagues listened to the radio broadcast, they all sighed in dismay: "How come prices have gone up again?"

Wang Simin couldn't resist buying an additional 3,000 shares. Uncle Yuan and Sister Mei tried to dissuade her, but to no avail.

Wang Simin said, "I think Bao Ling has a good eye. She hasn't sold her stocks yet, and they've all doubled in value. Bao Ling, if you want to sell your stocks, just tell me, and I'll sell them with you."

Ye Baoling, who was typing, gave her an "OK" sign.

*

The main house of the eldest branch of the Ye family.

Ye Kaisi accompanied the old man back from an event outside, and they were eating cold noodles inside the house.

Ye Qizu's assistant, Chen Jincai, is reporting the latest stock price of Suman Jewelry today: "4.14 yuan."

Ye Kaisi exclaimed, "I never expected that Ye Huaizhang's purchase of a diamond mine would benefit us so much, causing our stock to rise so much."

"What's the use of a big rise now? You'll only be truly capable if you can hold onto this stock price."

There's nothing that can be done; once all the good news is out, the stock price will always fall.

Especially considering their performance in the first half of the year wasn't very good.

“I heard that my elder brother and Lü Dexiang took advantage of this opportunity to buy tens of millions of shares of Suman Jewelry. At the press conference next Wednesday, you should tell him not to take the opportunity to sell off his shares and drive down the price. The stock price will definitely stabilize.” Ye Kaisi shifted the blame to his elder brother.

Ye Qizu had already heard about Ye Kaimin's recent large-scale purchases of Suman Jewelry. He rolled his eyes at his youngest son: "You didn't buy any?"

"What could I possibly do that could escape your discerning eyes? I only bought a tiny bit, just a handful of chicken bits."

"The pot calling the kettle black. You want to sell next Wednesday too? You're not allowed to sell!"

Ye Kais never expected that the stone he threw would end up hitting his own foot.

The assistant finished reporting on work matters and then left.

Ye Qizu then asked, "Where's Baoshun? I haven't seen him these past few days."

"He went riding a horse."

"Is he alright?"

"That's perfectly normal."

Ye Qizu sighed heavily. He felt disgusted and uncomfortable thinking about the scene of Lü Tianyou and Ye Baoshun embracing each other naked that day.

He instructed, "Take him for a medical check-up in the next few days. Keep it low-key."

"Huh? What kind of checkup?"

"Are you stupid? Can't you understand this?"

Ye Kais realized, "Isn't that unnecessary?"

"Why wouldn't it be necessary? How do you know if that guy surnamed Lü is clean or not? He doesn't even care about his own son. If he did, such a stupid thing wouldn't have happened. If he did care, he would know that Baoshun didn't even go back to his room that night. Both of them are useless." Ye Qizu became angrier as he spoke.

Ye Kaisi felt wronged after being scolded: "Dad, how can you blame me? You should blame my older brother. He's the one who dragged Bao into this mess. How could you let an unmarried young man like him handle this?"

Ye Qizu: "You think I didn't scold him? Your older brother said that Baoshun insisted on being at the forefront, and he patted his chest and said he wanted to get involved."

"And that girl next to my sister-in-law, she knows it's your birthday, but even if it's something important, she should wait until after your birthday to say it. Meiyun thinks my sister-in-law did it on purpose."

“Such unfounded speculations are not to be mentioned again!” Ye Qizu also had doubts, but Zheng Junni was pregnant, and he didn’t want to complicate things too much. “In the end, it’s because you haven’t educated your children well. They have no manners or discipline at all.”

Ye Kaisi: "Isn't it all because you spoiled him? When we were trying to educate him, you pampered and protected him, leaving my husband and me caught in the middle. My elder brother and sister-in-law also had a lot of complaints, saying that they were all grandsons, but you favored Baoshun and didn't care about Baolong at all, saying that you looked down on Baolong because he was mentally challenged. And now, my sister-in-law is pregnant with a boy, and Dad, your attitude has changed so quickly."

Ye Qizu was so angry he almost slammed his fist on the table: "I'm the one who's being wronged, not you guys. I asked you to take Baoshun for a medical check-up, wasn't that because I cared about him? Am I trying to harm him? Have you lost your minds? All you know is jealousy."

Seeing his father was angry, Ye Kaisi quickly lowered his head again: "Okay, okay, I know, it was my fault. I'll take him for a physical examination in the next couple of days."

Ye Qizu happened to be sitting on the sofa by the window. He saw an unfamiliar car drive in and asked, "Who's here?"

Ye Kaisi, who was eating cold noodles, put down his bowl, took out a tissue, and wiped his mouth. "The Gong family's car, right? It's probably Gong Jiahua coming to see Le Qiong. He and Le Qiong are classmates."

Like the Ye family, the Gong family was also a prominent and influential clan.

The two families have been fellow villagers since their great-grandfather's time, working together to make a living.

Back then, besides the mansion of the Ye family's three branches, Qingtang Street was also home to the Gong family's mansion, and beyond that was the Fang family, a relative of the Gong family.

There are a total of five mansions, occupying the entire Qingtang Street.

"This Gong Jiahua is quite handsome, doesn't he have a girlfriend?"

"I haven't heard of it. Dad, what are you planning now? Are you trying to introduce him to Bao Ling?"

Ye Qizu: "In terms of family background and social standing, a marriage alliance with the Gong family is more suitable for our Ye family than with the Lü family. Introducing Bao Ling to him is better than letting your third uncle get the better deal."

Jealousy between brothers is a family trait.

Ye Kais shook his head, indicating his skepticism: "A young and talented man like Gong Jiahua could never be interested in Bao Ling. Dad, you should give up on that idea. He also could never be interested in Le Qiong. They were elementary and middle school classmates. If they liked each other, they would have been dating long ago. So you don't need to be jealous that your third brother got such a good grandson-in-law."

Ye Qizu rolled her eyes at him: "How do you know she doesn't like Bao Ling if you don't try? In terms of looks, Bao Ling is a hundred times prettier than Le Qiong."

Ye Kaisi was amused by his father, and he said helplessly, "Okay, okay, I'll try, I'll try, alright?"

Downstairs, Gong Jiahua sneezed twice in a row, unaware that the old man upstairs had his eye on him, this piece of Tang Monk's flesh.

Upon entering Lanting Residence, Leqiong and Leyan, the two granddaughters of the eldest son's third uncle, were waiting for him in the living room.

The attendant following behind Gong Jiahua carried three boxes of pastries and placed them on the table.

Leqiong teased him, "Young Master Gong, did you specially bring me these pastries?"

"Don't you like to eat here? It's from the Shanghai Grand Hotel."

"So generous, they even gave us three boxes."

Gong Jiahua smiled and said, "Two boxes are for you, and the other box is for your cousin."

Le Yan didn't understand. She wasn't as clever as Le Qiong, so she just asked stupidly, "Which cousin?"

“Your cousin, my cousin Ye Baoling,” Le Qiong said, looking at Gong Jiahua. “Isn’t that right, Young Master Gong? The real intention isn’t what it seems. We were just doing it as a side thing; they specifically gave it to Baoling.”

Le Yan stared in surprise.

Gong Jiahua said, slightly embarrassed, "Don't be so stingy. I've brought it over, do you want it?"

Ye Leqiong joked with him, "You're so filial, of course I want to be one."

Le Yan, being an honest person, took the initiative to say, "However, Sister Bao Ling doesn't live at home, so you delivered it to the wrong place."

Gong Jiahua knew some of the details, but he pretended not to, saying, "Isn't she your second uncle's granddaughter?"

"Yes. But she lived with her maternal grandmother since she was little, and only came back occasionally when there was something to do."

Ye Leqiong bluntly stated, "Gong Jiahua, you should give up. Bao Ling is not suitable for you."

The fact that Ye Baoling liked girls had already spread throughout the eldest son's family after Zheng Junni whispered in his ear.

Gong Jiahua was unaware of this inside story. He said, "How do you know she's not suitable for me? I think she's quite suitable."

Ye Leqiong couldn't tell him the truth either, "If you want to hit a brick wall, then go ahead and do it. Don't blame me for not warning you later."

"He has a boyfriend?"

"I haven't heard of it."

"It doesn't matter whether she has a boyfriend or not. Even if she has a boyfriend, as long as she's not married, I still have a chance."

This is a god of love!

Ye Leqiong asked curiously, "You're already like this after just one meeting? Is it really that serious? What do you like about her?"

Gong Jiahua shrugged: "It's a feeling, I can't quite put my finger on it. I think she's a good match for me."

"Childish." Ye Leqiong couldn't help but roll her eyes.

The naive Yueyan encouraged Gong Jiahua: "If you like her, go for it. I also think Baoling is great, she's beautiful and has a good personality."

"Right? Then I'll go for it. How about we play tennis together Saturday afternoon? You guys help me ask her out."

Leqiong didn't mind helping out; she smiled and extended her hand, asking, "What's in it for me?"

What benefits do you want?

"I'll lend you my yacht next week."

"no problem."

"I can only try, I'm not sure I can get a date with her."

"Do your best. I've arranged to lend you a yacht. I'll call Ye Huaizhang over here."

Ye Leqiong agreed, and in the evening she called the Gu family to look for Ye Baoling, but she wasn't there.

Fortunately, Le Yan had left Ye Bao Ling's pager number last time, so they left her a message asking her to call back.

Ye Baoling saw the paging message before leaving get off work and returned the call.

Hearing that the Le Qiong sisters had invited her to play tennis on Saturday, Ye Baoling remembered that she was going hiking with her cousins ​​that day, so she declined and said she would make the appointment another time.

*

On Friday night, Ye Huaizhang returned from exercising, completely soaked, and stood in the dressing room to change his clothes.

Ye Baoling, who was curled up on the sofa reading a book, noticed him taking off his clothes. Looking at his perfect muscle lines and the two pink dots on his chest, it would be a lie to say she wasn't envious.

She not only looked on with envy, but she also had a sweet tooth.

Ye Huaizhang felt her gaze and looked over as well.

Ye Baoling quickly changed the subject: "What happened? Did you fall into the water?"

It's raining.

"Is it raining?" The walk-in closet has no windows, so she didn't know it was raining outside.

She's going hiking tomorrow, but with the rain, she probably won't be able to go.

Sure enough, the phone rang. It was Gu Man'er calling to reschedule the hike for next week.

After changing his clothes, Ye Huaizhang asked her, "Do you know how to play tennis?"

Yes, why?

"I'm going to play tennis with a friend tomorrow, indoors, so it won't rain. Want to come along?"

"What friend of yours? You're not Gong Jiahua, the guy you played pool with last time, are you?"

How did you know?

“He and Le Qiong are classmates. Le Qiong asked me to play tennis yesterday, but I refused. It’s such a coincidence that we both play tennis, so they must be together. I won’t go. If I go, our relationship will be exposed.” Ye Baoling refused very decisively.

Ye Huaizhang threw the clothes into the laundry basket, "Never mind, I'm not going."

After he finished showering and stood in front of the mirror drying his hair, he suddenly asked, "Are you that afraid of our relationship being exposed?"

"I'm afraid my grandpa will beat you."

"He can't beat me."

Ye Baoling changed her tune: "I'm afraid my grandfather and father will team up against me. I can't beat them."

Ye Huaizhang actually laughed: "That's true."

What kind of "steel straight man"?

"Hey, why don't you just say you'll protect me? I'm your wife. You only use people when you need them, right? Even as the boss, you have a responsibility to protect your employees' safety," Ye Baoling grumbled.

Ye Huaizhang: "..."

What she said seems to make some sense.

Ye Baoling glanced at him and said, "You have no conscience."

She loosened her fingers, her knuckles making a clicking sound. "I'll protect myself."

Once she masters the Chen Family Fist, she can take them down with a single punch.

The straight-laced guy nodded, "I believe in you."

"..."

*

Early Saturday morning, Ye Huaizhang went to meet a business partner. He wouldn't be back at noon; he would play ball in the afternoon.

Before leaving, he asked her, "Are you really not going?"

Ye Baoling, still lying in bed with her eyes closed, said, "I'm not going. I just want to stay home and sleep in today."

He stood by the bed and glanced at her a few times, then carefully arranged the two small rag dolls on the bedside table, gently closed the door, and left.

Ye Baoling dozed off for another half hour before getting up.

Chen Yulan was given a weekend off. She didn't go out after getting up. She just changed her clothes at home and practiced some boxing to stretch her muscles.

It's drizzling outside the window; staying home on a rainy day is quite nice.

Comfortable and at ease.

She remembered the staircase in the secret room; recently, she had been in good spirits and her courage had returned.

Let's get right to it.

Ye Baoling locked the door, grabbed a flashlight and a small knife, and went back to the secret room.

As usual, she first bowed to Guanyin Bodhisattva: "Bodhisattva, it's been a long time, I've missed you very much. I offered you some gifts, did you receive them? Seeing your rosy complexion, you must have received them and liked them very much, right? I'm going downstairs for a stroll, please bless me."

After bowing three times, Ye Baoling opened the floor panel and shone her flashlight inside. It was pitch black underneath, and she couldn't see anything except the stairs.

Perhaps to avoid being noticed by more people, the staircase was designed to be very narrow, only allowing one person to pass at a time.

As she descended the stairs, she discovered that they were very long, or rather, very deep.

It spirals downwards, with no end in sight.

Moreover, there seems to be no concept of floors here.

She didn't even know how many floors she had climbed. If each floor had 20 steps, she would have climbed 40 steps and probably reached the first floor, but the stairs were still going down.

Is this leading underground?

We must have reached the underground, because unlike the floors above, where space needs to be drastically reduced to avoid being discovered, the space here is much larger.

Her heart pounded.

There's quite a bit of dust on these stairs; has no one been here for a long time?

What's down there? Is it a garage? Doesn't seem like it.

Or is it a cellar? A place where wine is stored?

Is it an air-raid shelter?

A dungeon?

More and more ideas are popping into my head.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind: Could it be that this place leads to the eldest son's house?

After all, there was a similar secret room in the study on the second floor of the eldest son's house.

This idea excited her a little.

It's like the adventure games we played as kids—exciting and fun.

After descending at least 60 more steps, the stairs finally came to an end.

The destination was a closed, thick iron gate.

The iron gate was locked; it was gently pushed, but there was no response.

She rolled up her sleeves and tried with all her might to push the door open, but the large iron door remained unmoved.

Thump!

A loud bang came from inside, startling Ye Baoling so much that she almost lost her soul.

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

Author's Note: Ye Huaizhang: What are you looking at? [Eye roll]

Ye Baoling: I want to eat. I'm so hungry! [Let me see]