Chapter 86
This is definitely a question that could cost you your life.
After hesitating for a long time, Qiao Yu finally decided to pretend that she had accidentally fallen asleep. She put her phone on silent and placed it aside, then nervously closed her eyes and lay back down on the bed.
Enjoy the present moment, worry about tomorrow tomorrow.
Anyway, they won't get skinned alive.
Thinking about it this way, she felt a little less nervous. Besides, these so-called banquets were just using charity as a pretext for other purposes, and Lu Shangyi's choice to attend at this time must have other plans. Qiao Yu thought with a bit of wishful thinking: Maybe Lu Shangyi will be too busy tomorrow to care about her.
The system watched as Qiao Yu instantly fell asleep with her arms crossed over her chest, and thought, "..."
At ten o'clock in the morning, Ye Yunjian sent someone to deliver the evening gown that had been prepared in advance to Qiao Yu. Madam Qiao stared at the elegant yet exquisite dress, her expression unreadable. "Are you going out today?"
"Yes, I promised Aunt Ye yesterday I'd go with her to a charity gala," Qiao Yu replied casually as she ate breakfast. Turning her gaze away from her clothes, Madam Qiao stared at her daughter, whose cheeks were stuffed full, her expression much more serious than usual.
She naturally recognized the evening gown; it was a haute couture piece from a top luxury brand's runway show, and had never been lent out before. Even Song Wanzi, a top female star with a wealthy and famous family background, only wore one piece from the same collection last month, which wasn't particularly eye-catching.
She has never seen anyone successfully acquire a piece like this, which exudes sophistication and reflects the master's dedication, and is coveted by everyone in the industry.
Whether it's borrowing or buying.
Even if someone with deep pockets wants to buy it, the brand will not agree.
Suddenly realizing Ye Yunjian's seriousness and sincerity, Madam Qiao's heart sank. Her daughter, however, remained oblivious, continuing to eat her fried dough sticks, soy milk smeared around her lips, completely lacking any decorum. Madam Qiao closed her eyes in exasperation, trying to calm herself. "The Ye family has been in some turmoil lately, so please be careful."
Qiao Yu suddenly stopped what she was doing, and looked up with a slightly blank expression. "Didn't Aunt Ye already take care of those things?"
“It has nothing to do with what happened before.” Mrs. Qiao’s voice was flat. She opened her mouth to explain, but then changed her mind for some reason. “Anyway, things haven’t been peaceful for everyone lately, so remember to be discreet when you’re out.”
Both the Lu family and the Ye family exude an unsettling aura.
Qiao Yu slowly gave an "oh," involuntarily recalling the recent clandestine actions of Qiao Jing and Qiao Junhao. She swallowed the remaining fried dough stick in one gulp, briefly suspecting An Yilin, but then she felt reassured, realizing that An Yilin's current abilities weren't enough to shake up the entire capital.
However, the fact that Qiao Junhao and An Yilin were involved together was ultimately a cause for concern, especially since Old Mrs. Qiao was backing Qiao Junhao up.
As if on cue, the old lady appeared. She had barely thought of her when she was right in front of Qiao Yu. The old lady stared at the evening gown several times. Although her eyesight was failing, she could still recognize the simple English and logo, and besides, the gown was of such high quality that it was hard to ignore.
Her somewhat cloudy eyes swept over her eldest daughter-in-law and granddaughter, and she asked unhappily, "Who bought this?"
Before anyone could answer, Old Mrs. Qiao began to lecture: "I'm not trying to criticize you, but Jing Huai works hard outside to earn money and doesn't even have time to come back to see me. He works so hard to support the whole Qiao family. As his woman, it's one thing if you don't care about him or be considerate, but you also spend money extravagantly every day. Do you even know how to be a proper wife?"
"If these clothes were borrowed, that would be one thing, but if you bought them, how long would it take Jing Huai to earn them without sleep?"
“If you really don’t know how to manage money, just hand over your card to me, and I, this old lady, will take care of it for you. Don’t let my age fool you, I’m telling you, my mind is still sharp, and I’m not afraid of managing money at all.”
After saying all that, she finally revealed her true purpose step by step. Qiao Yu scratched her face with her chopsticks, her good mood completely ruined. "Grandma," she called out, smiling sweetly and looking exceptionally innocent, "This was a gift from Aunt Ye."
"Do you think Aunt Ye spends money recklessly?" She nodded in sudden realization. "Actually, Grandma, you are also Aunt Ye's elder. You should teach Aunt Ye a lesson on behalf of her parents. You wait, I'll call Aunt Ye right now and let her have a good talk."
Grandma Qiao was startled and instinctively reached out to stop Qiao Yu, "Hey! Don't!"
Qiao Yu looked completely innocent. "But the call has already been made." She stood up to comfort the old lady, saying, "Grandma, don't worry. I know you're doing this for Aunt Ye's sake. You care about her, right?"
“I believe Aunt Ye won’t be angry.” She smiled. “After all, Aunt Ye has lost both her parents and must miss the time when she was taught by her elders.”
Grandma Qiao shuddered. It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned that last sentence; now that she did, Grandma Qiao couldn't help but recall Ye Yunjian's ruthless methods from back then. What do you mean, "both parents dead"? If it weren't for Ye Yunjian's machinations, would her parents have died in an accident so young?
Old Master Ye had a multitude of illegitimate children, and Madam Ye was not to be outdone. The couple seemed to be competing to see who could have more affairs, leaving behind children everywhere, which once became the laughing stock of the capital. Back then, Ye Yunjian was not favored and was just an ordinary, unremarkable child among many others.
But now, those children have either had accidents or gotten sick, and she is the only one living a glamorous life. How can people not be afraid?
In particular, Old Mrs. Qiao had personally witnessed Ye Yunjian's expression when he was young, arguing with Mrs. Ye like a fierce wolf. Every time she recalled it, it made her feel cold all over and her whole body stiff.
In a flash, Grandma Qiao snatched the phone from Qiao Yu's hand and hung up, instantly cutting off Ye Yunjian's voice. With a sigh of relief, Grandma Qiao glared at Qiao Yu, both angry and annoyed, "No need, I still have to go wake Junhao up for lunch."
Feeling ashamed, Mrs. Qiao threw her phone on the table and hurriedly left, leaning on her cane.
Qiao Yu picked up her phone with a half-smile, but then her expression turned serious. "Mom, I don't want to do this anymore."
Mrs. Qiao's eyes softened for a moment. Although her daughter hadn't said it explicitly, she knew that her daughter was worried about her. With a relieved smile, Mrs. Qiao was about to speak when she heard her daughter say again, "If Grandma can take care of such a small matter today, she can take care of my marriage tomorrow."
"What? Does it mean that when I get married and enter the bridal chamber, I'll need her to stand by and give me advice?"
"..." Her expression immediately returned, and Madam Qiao said indifferently, "You are not allowed to marry before you are thirty years old."
Mrs. Qiao smiled slightly, "Twenty to thirty years old is the age when you should be working hard."
Qiao Yu: "?" I've seen people urging others to get married, but I've never seen anyone try to stop them from getting married.
That's outrageous.
Seeing that Mrs. Qiao was about to leave, Qiao Yu quickly chased after her, "Mom, please! Can you bear to see your daughter alone in her room every night..." Suddenly, her phone rang. Qiao Yu looked down and saw that it was Ye Yunjian calling back.
Qiao Yu glanced at her phone, then at Mrs. Qiao, stamped her foot, and had no choice but to stop and answer the phone. "Aunt Ye, I'm sorry, I accidentally pressed the wrong button."
Ye Yunjian didn't seem to mind. "Do you like the dress?"
"I like it, of course I like it. How could I not like something Aunt Ye gave me?"
Mrs. Qiao, who hadn't gone far, paused upon hearing the fawning voice, then shook her head helplessly. It seemed too late to sever ties now.
Ye Yunjian chuckled softly upon hearing this, his sexy, husky voice coming from the speaker, stirring a strange itch in one's heart.
"I'm glad you like it." Ye Yunjian glanced at the time. "See you this afternoon. I'll come pick you up after I'm done with my work."
She obediently responded, tilted her head back and drank the last mouthful of soy milk, then yawned repeatedly as she went upstairs to wash up.
Tonight's charity gala is no less eventful than yesterday's old man's birthday banquet; at least there's been a lot of related news online. Especially after Lu Shenghui's incident, attention from all sides has been focused on the Lu family, particularly Lu Shangyi.
A few well-informed people knew that Lu Shangyi would be attending tonight. Regardless of whether Lu Shangyi would take over Lu Shenghui's position in the future, it was never a bad thing to have a good relationship with her.
Of course, they would be even happier if Lu Shangyi lived up to their expectations.
Therefore, regardless of gender, all single and unmarried individuals put in extra effort to dress up tonight, hoping to leave a good impression on Lu Shangyi. Attracting her attention and gaining her favor would be even better.
Qiao Yu knew tonight's banquet was important, but she still couldn't help but feel a little puzzled when she saw Ye Yunjian's elaborate attire. After getting into the car, lifting her skirt, Qiao Yu cautiously inquired, "Aunt Ye, is some important person coming today?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Yunjian turned his gaze from his notebook to her, staring at Qiao Yu for a moment. "No." Observing the girl's hesitant expression, Ye Yunjian smiled slightly. "What, do you want to meet some important person?"
"Of course not." Qiao Yu immediately denied it, and then praised Ye Yunjian enthusiastically until Ye Yunjian couldn't take it anymore, before she reluctantly shut her mouth, "Aunt Ye, you were the most imposing alpha at the whole banquet tonight."
She wasn't lying, of course, since Lu Shangyi was still an EGA, so of course she couldn't compare.
Ye Yunjian looked up at her again, seemingly in a very pleasant mood.
The charity gala was held at an arts center in the city center. When Qiao Yu and Ye Yunjian arrived, there were already quite a few people there. As they walked down the red carpet, Qiao Yu spotted Lu Shangyi in the crowd.
Tonight, Lu Shangyi's crisp, clean suit made her appear even taller. Her long hair was elegantly styled, revealing her slender neck and enhancing her cool and aloof demeanor. She wore no extra accessories, yet her refined气质 (qi zhi - inherent quality/temperament) still shone through, outshining most of the meticulously dressed EGAs.
She stood in the crowd, like a star surrounded by the moon; even from a distance, she could unconsciously draw people's attention to her.
The moment Ye Yunjian stepped through the door, she noticed this threatening woman. After staring at her intently for a moment, she suddenly noticed the girl who was staring at her in a daze.
Qiao Yu suddenly felt the air pressure around her drop several degrees. Then, Ye Yunjian's indifferent voice rang in her ears, "Is it pretty?"
Author's Note:
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