Chapter 28 His fingernails almost scratched his muscular arm...

The lights were off.

The television was playing a blockbuster action movie released last year.

She insisted on turning on the television; she wanted to distract herself.

He should have been ready to go after waiting all night, but seeing him lying at the cave entrance without making a move, Ye Baoling whispered a reminder: "Why don't you read a book first?"

He can borrow the book his grandmother gave him to read by his bedside.

I felt a slight pause in my breathing on my legs, and the fine hairs on my body swayed gently in the cool breeze.

A warm, sticky sensation suddenly and sharply penetrated her. She instinctively tried to pull back, but he held her tightly, preventing her from moving.

She recalled the raunchy and aggressive language she had seen online before.

The Battle of Red Cliffs.

She's guilty, so why would she think of this at a time like this?

There was no time for her to overthink it. In the next instant, she almost did a somersault and immediately became obedient.

The television's glow, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, illuminated my body, making me look like a medieval Western sculpture—smooth, white, with distinct joints, and extremely beautiful.

The red letter was flexible and knew when to advance and retreat; soon, the stream began to ripple gently.

She couldn't control herself and could only clench her fists.

After a long while, he straightened up and picked up the small quadrilateral that had been prepared on the table.

After tearing it open, I quickly put it on using the light from the TV.

From her angle, his muscles were perfectly defined—any more and he'd be the kind of muscular man she disliked, any less and he'd look weak. Add to that his extremely restrained movements with the small quadrilateral, slightly astringent, and it made her heart race.

The movie suddenly went silent, and the lights dimmed as well.

She glanced up and saw plainclothes officers crawling in the darkness, guns at their sides, while the robbers held their breath and stood pressed against the wall.

Taking advantage of her distraction, he swung the club directly, hitting the bottom in one stroke.

Before she could react, she cried out in surprise, her toes curling up in pain, her nails nearly scratching his strong arm.

A gunshot rang out; the robber fired the first shot.

Then came bursts of gunfire, and what reached her ears, besides the gunfire, was the rhythmic sound of water.

Gunfire erupted on one side, artillery fire on the other, as if in a chase, each trying to outdo the other.

Either the gunfire drowned out the artillery fire, or the artillery fire drowned out the gunfire.

In the end, the cannon fire prevailed slightly, and the young couple won.

Ye Baoling was covered in sweat, thinking the battle was over. Little did she know, the war had only just begun.

After that, she endured a bumpy ride, making calls from six o'clock to nine o'clock.

Then I slept from nine o'clock to twelve o'clock.

He did indeed do it, ensuring that her leave request was appropriate.

When she woke up, the TV was off, there was no one beside her, and she was the only one left in the room.

Ye Huaizhang is a workaholic; he's probably at work.

Ye Baoling lay quietly, staring blankly at the two rag dolls on the table.

She realized that she had been taken advantage of today.

In the chaos, she couldn't touch the pectoral muscles she had long coveted.

We suffered a huge loss.

After lying in bed for a while, I got up and got out of bed.

Every step I took was burning and painful, it was so intense.

Ye Huaizhang helped her clean up in the morning, but she still felt sticky all over, so she took another shower, which made her feel much better.

Knock knock knock!

"Cousin! Cousin!"

It's Chen Yulan's voice.

Ye Baoling dried her hair as she walked over to open the door. Chen Yulan was standing outside, holding a plate of food.

Are you feeling better?

Ye Baoling: "?"

Chen Yulan: "Young Master Huaizhang said you weren't feeling well today when he went to work, and told us not to bother you before noon. What's wrong with you?"

Ye Baoling reacted quickly, saying, "I had a bit of a headache this morning, but I feel much better after a nap."

"You probably caught a cold. You shouldn't turn the air conditioner too cold at night. I'll adjust the temperature for you beforehand tonight."

Chen Yulan is taking better and better care of her now. She brought in the food and put it on the table, saying, "The old lady specially instructed the kitchen to make porridge for you."

It was scallop and chicken congee, and Ye Baoling drank two large bowls of it.

There was also a plate of green vegetables, a plate of crystal tofu, and a small portion of celery and shrimp, which she ate all of.

After finishing her meal, she remembered that tomorrow was the diamond mine press conference, and she needed to discuss with Cindy and Liu Haonan about gradually selling off the Su Man Jewelry shares tomorrow.

Ye Huaizhang asked someone to help her get a day off today, so if she goes there now, she can still work half a day.

Chen Yulan advised her, "I've already asked you for a day off, so just stay home and rest, take a break, and don't go."

"I need to talk to Brother Nan about stocks. Have the driver wait for me downstairs, I'll be there as soon as I change."

Ye Baoling first went to Parkway Bank to discuss with Cindy the matter of selling Su Man Jewelry shares tomorrow.

Cindy asked, puzzled, "Su Man Jewelry's stock is performing quite well. Should we keep half of our holdings?"

"Not keeping them."

What about Hong Kong Tong Holdings?

Cindy had previously helped her buy 3.5 million worth of Suman Jewelry and 1 million worth of Gangtong Industrial products.

Ye Baoling was calculating that if she could successfully persuade Old Madam Guan, Gangtong Industrial would also benefit from the Dapeng Port project.

She said, "We'll keep Hong Kong-Tong Holdings."

Cindy quickly jotted down tomorrow's shipping schedule. She smiled and said, "Ms. Ye, did you know a long time ago that Hong Kong Tong Holdings bought a diamond mine in South Africa?"

Ye Baoling denied it: "No, I'm not familiar with the people from the third branch of the family. I bought Su Man Jewelry purely to support my own family business."

That was just polite talk, and Cindy didn't press for details. "If we sell as soon as the market opens tomorrow, I can conservatively estimate that we can get more than 7 million, which is double the profit!"

Compared to that hot, volatile stock later on, this is nothing.

However, accumulating capital in the early stages was too important, so Ye Baoling was visibly happy.

Cindy then asked, "Ms. Ye, are you planning to buy any other stocks?"

Having already given Cindy the opportunity to earn a large commission, Ye Baoling didn't want to keep the money at Parkway Bank any longer.

She wanted to transfer the money to a China Bank account for Liu Haonan to manage.

"I'm not buying it for now. I need to transfer the money out on Friday, so please prepare it in advance for me."

Cindy had long anticipated that Miss Ye would eventually transfer the money away and place it in a bank completely unknown to her father; this was only natural.

But she still tried to persuade her to stay, saying, "Ms. Ye, don't worry, we will absolutely not disclose your bank account information to anyone else."

The implication is that she will not disclose her banking information to her father.

"Thank you. I feel much more at ease with you here." Ye Baoling smiled and dodged the question, but she was determined to transfer the money.

I will not linger.

It was clear that Miss Ye was determined to leave, so Cindy couldn't force her to stay any longer.

Ye Baoling didn't stay long; she rushed back to her office on the fourth floor of the Yulong Building before going to work.

As soon as I got back, I ran into Sister Mei and other female colleagues going out to run errands.

"Arlene, didn't you take a day off because you weren't feeling well? Are you feeling any better?"

Ye Baoling explained with a smile, "I feel much better now after taking the medicine."

Uncle Yuan, who came in from the other side carrying a thermos, joked, "Coming to work in the afternoon only means half a day's pay is deducted, what a bargain!"

Ye Baoling smiled and said, "Uncle Yuan understands me best."

"Hey. That goes without saying."

Wang Simin immediately noticed the new handbag Ye Baoling was carrying. "Wow, Baolin, you haven't even received your earnings yet, and you've already bought a new bag?"

"Of course," Ye Baoling replied, mimicking Uncle Yuan's tone.

She bought a trendy niche brand, not a luxury brand, but it was nice and inexpensive.

Wang Simin held it in her hand and compared it, praising its good workmanship, fashionable appearance, and asking where she bought it, saying that she wanted to buy one too after making money from stocks.

The two women chatted about bags for a while, then Ye Baoling sat down to tidy the table. After a long while, she turned around and whispered to Liu Haonan.

"Clearance sale tomorrow."

Liu Haonan, who reads the newspaper every day, put it down.

"Sure?"

"Sure."

Liu Haonan didn't ask too many questions. Through his interactions with Ye Baoling over this period of time, he learned that Ye Baoling was an experienced stock trader.

She is not the financial novice she claims to be.

He asked, "What rhythm?"

Ye Baoling didn't mince words, "There will be a press conference tomorrow. The stock price will definitely surge after the conference. Sell gradually during the surge and finish selling before the market closes."

"Okay." Liu Haonan reopened the newspaper.

*

Around 3 PM, Ye Baoling returned after helping her colleague copy documents and found a message on her pager.

It was sent by my second cousin.

[Cousin, your dad's calling urgently!]

She quickly called Gu's family, and after her younger cousin answered the phone, she called Gu Zhen'er to come and pick her up.

Ye Baoling asked, "When will my dad call me?"

Gu Zhen'er yawned on the other end of the phone: "He called once this morning, and just now he called again. He called you twice in a row, asking you to call him back as soon as possible. I guess it's something urgent."

Ye Baoling: "What did you tell him?"

Gu Zhen'er: "I told him you weren't here. He asked where you went, and I said I didn't know."

Ye Baoling indicated that she understood.

Gu Zhen'er added, "This morning, a man named Gong Jiahua came to see you. He was quite handsome and drove a luxury car. He brought over a few tickets."

Gong Jiahua?

Ye Baoling couldn't help but ask, "What kind of ticket?"

"They said it was some kind of calligraphy and painting exhibition by his grandfather," Gu Zhen'er retorted. "An art event for rich people like you."

Ye Baoling recalled what Man'er had said: Could Gong Jiahua really like her?

What do I like about her?

After hanging up the phone, Ye Baoling went downstairs and found a public phone booth behind the square to call her father.

As Ye Kaimin wasn't home, she had to call his mobile phone.

Upon hearing his daughter's voice, Ye Kaimin immediately asked, "You're never home when I call. What have you been busy with lately?"

Before making the call, Ye Baoling had already prepared an excuse: "I'm learning to drive."

"Why did you suddenly decide to learn to drive?"

"Everyone else can drive, but I can't. Shouldn't I learn?" Ye Baoling changed the subject. "Dad, if I learn to drive, will you buy me a car? It will be more convenient for me to go home in the future."

Ye Kaimin clicked his tongue. "Your uncle can't drive that car? Your mother bought it with her own money."

"It's too dilapidated. I'm afraid it would be a disgrace to the Ye family if I drove it out."

“Let your grandfather buy it for you. He spent millions buying luxury cars and racehorses for Ye Baoshun, so buying you a car worth a few hundred thousand isn’t excessive.”

Ye Baoling: "Okay, then I'll tell Grandpa that it was Dad who taught me."

Ye Kaimin knew his daughter wouldn't have the guts to say these things to her grandfather. "It's not that I can't buy you a car, but I'll settle your marriage this year. Don't stay at home like a doormat."

Ye Baoling bluntly retorted, "How am I supposed to resolve this? That guy surnamed Lü has already slept with Baoshun..."

"Keep your voice down," Ye Kaimin said, afraid that her family scandal would be exposed. "Where did you make that call?"

"There's no one next to me."

"Wasn't Gong Jiahua asking you out?"

"Huh?" So Gong Jiahua was asking her out?

Did I ask her out that time we played badminton?

“The Gong family has a similar background to our Ye family, and he’s quite good-looking. It’s rare that he likes you, so you should get along well with him and try to get married this year. A marriage between the Ye and Gong families will cause a sensation throughout the city. If you miss out on Gong Jiahua, it will be difficult to find such a good marriage partner again.” Ye Kaimin felt that this wasn’t enough, so he added, “There can’t be anyone better than Gong Jiahua.”

Ye Kaimin would only call her to urge her to get married; there was nothing else going on.

Ye Baoling started rambling: "After seeing Lü Tianyou and Ye Baoshun like that last time, I have a psychological aversion to these kinds of men."

"Ye Baoling!!" Ye Kaimin was furious. "Baoshun didn't even say he had any psychological trauma, and you're already acting all dramatic?"

"Who told them to be so disgusting, naked!"

"You just like women, don't you?" Ye Kaimin bluntly cursed. "Even an animal knows that females should find males, don't you know that? Ye Baoling, I'm warning you, don't do anything to disgrace the Ye family. Otherwise, don't blame me for disowning you as my daughter."

Ye Baoling: "Oh."

Ye Kaimin: "?!"

What kind of attitude is this?

Ye Kaimin was furious. "Ye Baoling, are you bewitched? What kind of woman have you met that has made you so obsessed? If you keep this up, don't blame me for cutting off your allowance."

She doesn't care about the money since it's all in her hands.

But she didn't want to strain her relationship with Ye Kaimin. She still needed to complete her mission and obtain the third ugly jade pendant. Seeing that she had angered her father, she quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "I don't like women. Don't listen to other people's nonsense. Is what Ah Feng told you? I guess she just wanted to get revenge on me."

It was indeed Ah Feng who said it, and Ye Kaimin hesitated.

“Gong Jiahua doesn’t like me either. I will handle our friendship well, so don’t worry.”

Ye Kaimin: "How can I not be worried? If you have this attitude, I'll go directly to the Gong family elders and bring up your marriage!"

Ye Baoling was speechless: "What's the rush? Let me talk to Gong Jiahua first, okay?"

Seeing that his daughter agreed to have a talk, Ye Kaimin's tone softened.

“If you had this attitude from the beginning, I wouldn’t be in such a hurry.”

“It’s clearly you who’s in a rush. Gong Jiahua and I aren’t even close to getting married yet, and you’re already demanding that I get married this year. Marriage is a big deal, and you can’t rush it. You can’t talk to your daughter in a rush either. When you’re in a rush, I can’t help but rebel. So, don’t be in such a rush, dear Dad.”

Upon careful reflection, Ye Kaimin realized that he had indeed been too hasty.

"Okay, you talk to him first."

After successfully engaging in PUA, Ye Baoling said a few more conciliatory words, and finally reminded him: "I must find an opportunity to explain to Grandpa the matter of Ah Feng slandering me."

When the old man found out, it turned out that everything was a misunderstanding. Ye Kaimin originally had a chance to find out the truth, but when he questioned Ye Baoling, he vaguely assumed that she had admitted it, which ultimately led to Baoshun being violated by Lü Tianyou. He can't take the blame for this.

Ye Kaimin quickly stopped him: "Don't bring up things that are hard to talk about. Don't mention this to your grandfather again. He gets uncomfortable whenever he thinks about Baoshun and Lü Tianyou. I will handle this matter. You don't need to worry about it anymore."

"How should we handle this?"

"I guarantee you'll be satisfied, okay?"

After hanging up the phone, Ye Kaimin felt increasingly uneasy.

When he got home, he said to his wife, Zheng Junni, "Fire that Ah Feng with some excuse."

Zheng Junni was quite surprised: "What's wrong? Why are you suddenly firing Ah Feng?"

Ye Kaimin took off his suit jacket and threw it on the back of the sofa: "What happened? She's gossiping, fabricating facts, and slandering Bao Ling. Last time she deliberately didn't open the door for Bao Ling, and we didn't punish her. Well, she offered Bao Ling a cup of hot tea as an apology, but Bao Ling lost her grip and accidentally dropped it on her foot. She's held a grudge ever since, and on such an important occasion as the old man's birthday, she deliberately said in front of Bao Shun that Bao Ling is a lesbian. Well, look what happened, she's made a fool of herself!"

It was Zheng Junni's idea to deliberately let Bao Shun know that Ye Baoling was a lesbian, and she felt somewhat guilty about it.

Zheng Junni downplayed the issue, saying, "It's been so long since the teacup incident. Even if Ah Feng felt a little uncomfortable, she wouldn't have the guts to slander Bao Ling for liking women. Didn't you personally ask Bao Ling that day?"

Ye Kaimin was afraid that Ye Baoling would be wary, so he didn't ask. Now it's too late to regret it.

He said, "Regardless of whether Ah Feng slandered Bao Ling or not, even if she didn't, such a big thing should have been told to you secretly after the old man's birthday. But she didn't. With so many people at the birthday banquet, she hurriedly told you in front of Bao Shun. Don't you think she was deliberately getting back at Bao Ling? Keeping such a troublemaker at home will only cause problems sooner or later. You should fire her as soon as possible."

Zheng Junni stroked her belly, afraid that if things got out of hand, Ah Feng would have no choice but to expose her, so she ultimately held back.

“I told her to go home first. It wouldn’t be right to just fire her, since she’s a distant relative of mine. She was probably too anxious at the time and didn’t think things through. I also bear responsibility for not stopping her in time.”

Ye Kaimin reassured his wife, "I'm not blaming you. You should focus on taking good care of yourself during this time."

Zheng Junni asked in a low voice, "Hey, does Gong Jiahua really like Bao Ling?"

"Who knows? Things involving young people are hard to explain."

Zheng Junni was conflicted. She didn't want Ye Baoling to marry well, but she also hoped that the marriage would go through so that the Gong family could help them accumulate wealth in the future.

Weighing the pros and cons, she chose the latter, saying, "The Gong family is indeed a good in-law, better than the Lü family, and they can also speak on your behalf."

This is also what Ye Kaimin wanted.

*

After finishing his meeting, Ye Huaizhang went home early and opened the door to find that Ye Baoling was not there.

I asked the maid and found out that she had gone to work.

It's surprising how dedicated his wife is to her job.

He changed his clothes and took a nap. He slept all afternoon and when he woke up, he found himself sleeping on her pillow. He subconsciously took a gentle sniff and, for some reason, felt much more at ease.

I dozed off for a while before getting up and going downstairs, first to my grandma's room.

While Old Madam Guan was reviewing the company's financial report inside the house, Yang Pinxian was watching the maids tidying up the old lady's dressing room.

Seeing her grandson come in, Grandma Guan took off her reading glasses and asked with a smile, "You're awake? Why are you so sleepy? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Ye Huaizhang sat down on the sofa and made an excuse, saying, "I was looking at documents until dawn after I came back from Guangzhou."

His main purpose in going to Guangzhou this time was to discuss the Dapeng Port. The provincial government had given him many preferential policies, which he reported to the old lady one by one.

"This is indeed a worthwhile investment. However, with so many things happening recently, I'm not at ease. I had a dream the other day that your grandfather was holding my hand and telling me not to invest money recklessly and to be cautious. My main fear is that the situation might change. What if I spend billions to invest in a port and the policy changes and it becomes nationalized? That's what I'm afraid of."

Ye Huaizhang probably knew what his grandmother was worried about; his grandfather was just an excuse.

“Grandma, are you sure Grandpa really appeared in your dream? How come the dream he gave me is completely different? He told me to invest with confidence and to trust the country and its future.”

Grandma Guan was stunned. "Did your grandfather really appear in your dream?"

No.

Grandpa was just an excuse he used.

Ye Huaizhang smiled and changed the subject: "Did your fourth uncle scare you again?"

That's true.

Grandma Guan closed the ledger: "Your fourth uncle's words are not the most important thing. I don't believe him completely either. The main thing is that I'm old and don't dare to do risky things. I'm also afraid of variables. Like investing in diamond mines in South Africa, your father and I originally disagreed with the investment, but I didn't stop it to support you. If I had stopped it, you wouldn't have been kidnapped and that dangerous thing happened."

Ye Huaizhang patiently explained, "The two things are different. Our competitors in the South African diamond mine aren't operating ethically, which is why they resort to such underhanded tactics. Dapeng Port is different. With an investment of billions, the only competitor we can rival is the Li family. Both we and the Li family are legitimate businessmen and won't do anything illegal. As for the future of China, if the Li family is willing to gamble, why shouldn't we? Even if the investment fails, it's just an investment. We can recoup it from other sources. If the investment succeeds, we'll not only have an excellent deep-water port, but the future will open up to the world's largest consumer market and an unshakeable commercial position for decades to come."

Upon hearing this, it would be a lie to say that Old Madam Guan was not tempted at all. She frowned slightly and said, "Can you let me think about it some more?"

Ye Huaizhang smiled and nodded: "Grandma, we need to give the provincial government a reply by next month at the latest. We can't delay it for too long."

"I understand. I'll think it over carefully and get back to you as soon as possible."

Listening to the conversation between the grandmother and grandson, Yang Pinxian couldn't get a word in edgewise, so she could only bring her son a cup of herbal tea, saying, "Drink some Ye Qingtang lemon water to clear your lungs and reduce internal heat."

Ye Huaizhang sipped his herbal tea and leaned back slightly.

Grandma Guan asked, "Who will be attending tomorrow's press conference?"

"Besides me, my fourth uncle is in charge of Gezhi Jewelry, and Ye Kaishen should be attending the press conference for Suman Jewelry."

Old Madam Guan put her reading glasses back on: "Of all the eldest sons in the family, only Ye Kaishen has any brains. Ye Kaimin and Ye Kais are both too..."

She refrained from saying anything harsh, only saying, "They're all just so-so."

After venting her frustrations, the old lady suddenly glanced at her grandson and said, "Don't say things like that to Bao Ling. Otherwise, she might think I look down on her father and uncle."

Ye Huaizhang retorted without any politeness, "Grandma, don't you just look down on her father and her uncle?"

"Tsk tsk!" The old lady pretended to be angry.

Yang Pinxian explained on behalf of her son: "Mom, don't you understand Huaizhang's temperament? Let alone gossiping, it's difficult to even get him to pass on a message."

Old Madam Guan disagreed: "He wouldn't even bother saying a single word to us or others. But who knows about his wife? We share a bed, what can't we talk about?"

Ye Huaizhang: "..."

Yang Pinxian couldn't help but laugh.

After Yang Pinxian left, Grandma Guan asked her grandson again, "When will Xiao Dahai return from South Africa?"

Ye Huaizhang casually flipped through the magazine. "Soon, at the latest next week."

"Have the investigation results been released? Were you kidnapped by the Lai family?"

"Probably. Xiao Dahai didn't say much on the phone, but he'll come back with evidence."

Grandma Guan continued looking at the financial report, and said fiercely in a low voice, "We can't let the Lai family father and son get away with this. They used others to do their dirty work, and we can do the same."

Money can definitely make the devil turn the millstone.

Ye Huaizhang also thought so.

*

After dinner, Ye Baoling played cards with her cousin for a while before returning to the third branch of the family mansion.

Yulan thought she wasn't feeling well, so she didn't drag her to practice boxing.

Ye Baoling took a bath first, and after the bath, she changed the offerings for the Bodhisattva. She was too lazy to peel the apples that had been taken off, so she just took a bite and ate them whole.

Taking a rare moment of relaxation, she nestled on the sofa in the walk-in closet, eating an apple and reading a book.

She heard the sound of the bedroom door being pushed open outside. She looked up and saw Ye Huaizhang walking into the walk-in closet.

After a fierce battle, their first meeting after regaining their senses was somewhat awkward for both of them.

But neither of them wanted to show any embarrassment, so they remained extremely calm on their faces.

"Didn't I already have someone call in sick for you? Why are you still going to work?"

"The company can't do without me." She deliberately didn't give a proper answer.

Ye Huaizhang: "..."

He held back his laughter.

Her sense of humor is sometimes very interesting.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked.

"Huh?" Ye Baoling immediately realized what he was asking. She stammered for a moment and almost choked on the apple.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked again.

Ye Baoling stubbornly replied, "It doesn't hurt."

Actually, there's still a little bit left.

Especially when going to the toilet, there is a dull pain.

He held a bottle of light-protecting medication in his hand. "I'll apply some medicine to you to prevent infection."

? ? ? ? ?

He applied medicine to that spot on her.

"No need," she thought, her mind involuntarily conjuring up images of the Battle of Red Cliffs.

He walked over and handed her the medicine bottle: "Then do it yourself."

She was holding an apple in her left hand and a book in her right, pondering which one to put down, when he took the medicine bottle back.

"How can I apply the medicine if you can't see it?"

Can't she see it?

She actually imagined the scene, which was quite comical.

Ye Baoling held back her laughter.

He had already unscrewed the cap of the medicine bottle and squatted down.

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

Author's Note: After reading everyone's comments yesterday, it's clear that you can't please everyone. So, I'll just do as I please. [Dog head with rose in hand]

Ye Huaizhang: I also want to do whatever I want.

Ye Baoling: Let me touch your chest [eye roll]

Little Tiger: Keep the plot moving fast, no lewdness allowed.

Little Piggy: I only want to watch the erotic scenes, I don't want to watch the plot.

Little Angel: I want them all!