Chapter 18's discovery is to keep an eye on her, not to steal from her...
Jin Zhao agreed.
Jiang Xiliu had already said so much, and he really couldn't find a reason to refuse.
Jiang Xiliu deposited the remaining 300,000 yuan of the house payment into Grandma Jin's medical card: "I'll send you the address later, you can go there the day after tomorrow."
It's impossible for her to pick him up or drop him off. The young lady would rather sleep a little longer than come to the hospital specifically to pick him up.
Jin Zhao didn't say much, only asking, "Should I prepare a gift?"
Jiang Xiliu was excessively blunt: "He doesn't like the things you buy."
She frowned, inexplicably annoyed: "Besides, you've never given me anything, yet you're thinking of giving things to others first?"
It's impossible to tell the difference between the two kings!
Jin Zhao was silent for a few seconds, then almost laughed: "If I buy it for you, would you even like it?"
Jiang Xiliu didn't care. She was happy as long as it made him spend money. It didn't matter if the things she bought didn't suit her taste; she could just throw them away. "Buy them, buy expensive ones, the more expensive the better."
...
Ye Qishan was afraid that Jiang Xiliu would change her mind and stand him up, so the night before his birthday, he called again and said, "Xiliu, I'll come pick you up first thing tomorrow morning. You can just wait at home. You don't need to make any trouble yourself."
Jiang Xiliu didn't care, and after responding, she put the matter out of her mind.
Ye Qishan got up at five in the morning and rushed to the styling studio.
Ever since he learned that Jiang Xiliu didn't like the dark-skinned, athletic type, he lost interest in showing off his muscles. So, for this styling, he simply gave the stylist complete control, letting them do whatever they wanted.
Not long after, a wealthy young man slowly walked down from upstairs.
The handcrafted shirt perfectly showcased his strong shoulder line without being so tight as to reveal the muscular contours he had deliberately built up.
A few wisps of hair framing her forehead were deliberately styled to soften the formality of the suit.
Ye Qishan's movements were somewhat awkward and uncomfortable. He was used to a relaxed and graceful posture, but now, in order to please Jiang Xiliu, he could only deliberately restrain his movements.
Without further delay, he reached for the coat hanging beside him, casually draped it over his shoulders, and strode out.
Ye Qishan stepped on the gas and sped along, the speedometer needle hovering near the speed limit. Before long, the Jiang family's villa came into view.
Then……
The security guard on duty at the gate stepped forward, politely but firmly blocking the car and stopping him outside the villa gate: "Mr. Ye, please wait."
Ye Qishan rolled down the car window, somewhat impatiently saying, "I'll go in and pick up your young lady. I already told her yesterday."
The security personnel looked troubled: "We haven't received any notification."
In the security booth not far away, the security captain in a black uniform noticed the situation and walked over. His gaze swept over Ye Qishan in the car.
Two years ago, this boy would always come to the villa with another boy to see Jiang Xiliu. Back then, this situation often happened: the young lady forgot to inform the security in advance, so the two of them could only stand obediently outside the villa and wait, sometimes for one or two hours.
After seeing it so many times, he had memorized the face.
Despite recognizing the face, the captain didn't stop. He walked to the car window and spoke in a more composed tone than the regular security guards: "Mr. Ye, it's not that we're stopping you, but Miss Ye didn't say anyone was coming today. According to the rules, we can't let you in."
Ye Qishan had a headache; it wasn't the first time. He didn't say anything more, waved to them, parked the car on the side of the road, and immediately picked up his phone to find Jiang Xiliu's number and dialed it.
Jiang Xiliu always sleeps in sleep mode.
Even if the sky were to fall, you couldn't wake her up, let alone hear the phone ring.
After Jiang Xiliu woke up comfortably, Ye Qishan had been waiting outside for more than an hour.
"Jiang Xiliu!" Ye Qishan burst through the door, his carefully prepared look from the morning ruined by half, his voice filled with suppressed anger, "You—"
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Xiliu strode forward, holding a strawberry pancake she had just brought out of the kitchen. She casually stuffed one into his mouth, her voice clear and melodious: "Happy birthday!"
Ye Qishan subconsciously chewed it; the strawberry pancake was sweet and sour and soft, just like her.
He looked down at the past.
Jiang Xiliu tilted her head and asked with a smile, "Is it delicious?"
"It's delicious, but you—" Ye Qishan swallowed the food in his mouth and was about to continue his outburst when another small piece of pancake was stuffed into his mouth.
Jiang Xiliu blinked, her face full of innocence.
Who could possibly get angry at her face? Ye Qishan, for one, certainly couldn't.
"Never mind," Ye Qishan consoled himself.
Although he got up at five in the morning to get ready and was stopped outside the door for almost two hours, now that she was feeding him by hand, what was there for him to argue about?
She probably just forgot to tell security beforehand; it wasn't intentional. Continuing to dwell on it will only make me seem petty and not generous enough.
"Have you eaten?" Ye Qishan asked.
Jiang Xiliu knew he had calmed down, and gave him a quiet look: "Of course I didn't eat it. After all... it's more important to appease the birthday person first."
A smug smile spread across Ye Qishan's face. He suddenly took her hand and lightly patted her face: "I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so temperamental with you."
"You know that's good." Jiang Xiliu withdrew her hand, sat back down at the table, picked up a warm, damp towel to wipe her hands clean, and asked while eating, "Why are you dressed like this today?"
Ye Qishan straightened up: "The stylist insisted that this outfit suits me. What do you think? Does it look good? How does it compare to your pretty boy look?"
"He seems like a successful person." Jiang Xiliu didn't know what he was competing with Jin Zhao for. "You've taken a liking to him again? Are you comparing yourself to him every day?"
"Pah, pah, pah!" Ye Qishan said, embarrassed and annoyed. "I like you, not men."
He added, "It wasn't a woman, it was just you."
Jiang Xiliu took out her phone and coaxed him with a smile, "Come on, repeat what you just said, I love to hear it."
Ye Qishan thought she wanted to record it and listen to it herself, so he spoke clearly and loudly: "I, Ye Qishan, only like Jiang Xiliu."
The nanny who was passing by was startled by his loud voice.
Jiang Xiliu laughed even harder, praising Ye Qishan like she was teasing a dog: "Good job, Ye Qishan, you're really great."
She released the "press to speak" button and sent the voice message to the person far away, eagerly anticipating his response.
She only ate one strawberry from a pancake for breakfast before stopping. Ye Qishan sat opposite her, waiting for a long time without her taking a second bite: "Is it not to your liking?"
Jiang Xiliu shook her head: "It's alright, but I didn't sleep well last night because I was thinking about your birthday today."
The young lady, who had slept for ten hours, yawned, half-jokingly.
Ye Qishan inexplicably broke into a smile again, and he patiently coaxed, "Take another bite."
Jiang Xiliu:? ? ?
What happened to Ye Qishan? Did he just return from advanced training at some kindergarten?
The young lady rudely put down her fork: "I'm not eating."
"It's okay if you don't want to eat, Yuexing has plenty." Ye Qishan didn't insist. He asked, "When do we leave?"
Jiang Xiliu was still wearing her home clothes, with no makeup and her curly hair in a messy tangle down her back.
Although Ye Qishan's birthday is not important, Ye Qishan will definitely invite many friends over. The occasion is different from the last Ye family dinner, so Jiang Xiliu naturally cannot simply pack up and go like last time.
"We'll have to wait a bit longer." Jiang Xiliu hadn't expected Ye Qishan to come looking for her so early in the morning. "The makeup artist and everything else I booked haven't arrived yet."
She glanced at Ye Qishan and began to scold him: "Who goes out to play so early in the morning? Normal people don't set off until the afternoon."
All right.
Ye Qishan admitted his mistake readily: "You're right, I was too hasty."
He was eager to compete with that pretty boy.
Ye Qishan: "So when did you and that pretty boy meet? Is it also in the afternoon?"
“Oh, him,” Jiang Xiliu said slowly. “I told him to take a taxi there himself this afternoon.”
Ye Qishan looked at her blankly: "What?"
Jiang Xiliu was too lazy to repeat herself. She glanced at him, picked up her small watering can, and walked towards her glass greenhouse.
Ye Qishan hurriedly followed: "Aren't you going to pick him up? Aren't you two going together?"
"You have so many questions." Jiang Xiliu frowned slightly. "If you want to pick him up, then go ahead."
Ye Qishan nodded; he understood: was she testing his tolerance?
"I can pick him up. Where does he live?"
Jiang Xiliu:......
Could it be that she underestimated Ye Qishan? Was he playing dumb with her, trying to get ahead of her in getting close to the male lead?
Jiang Xiliu looked up and examined his expression: "Are you really going to pick him up?"
Ye Qishan nodded vigorously: "Of course it's true, would I lie to you?"
Jiang Xiliu poked the little ball of light in her mind: "777, are you sure you're the only system in this world? Are you sure I'm the only one in the whole world who knows that Jin Zhao is the male lead?"
[System 0777: ...Of course, only you, my clever, beautiful, and generous young lady.]
“Then go wait for him at the entrance of the hospital. I’ll wait at home to get my makeup done.” Jiang Xiliu watered the flowers a couple of times, then nestled into the recliner in the flower room. “Let me know when you get there, and I’ll have him come down to find you.”
Ye Qishan, thinking about how he would soon see the pretty boy's true face, was already pondering how to give him a hard time while also demonstrating his magnanimity as the future first wife.
He patted his chest and assured them, "I will definitely complete the mission well."
After Ye Qishan left.
Jiang Xiliu immediately took out her phone from her pocket and sent a message to Jin Zhao: "You don't need to go there by yourself. I have a kind-hearted but not very bright friend who insists on picking you up. You can come find me with him in a little while."
Jin Zhao remained calm as always, replying with just one word: "Okay."
Before long, the hairstylist arrived first. Jiang Xiliu instantly forgot about the two unimportant people.
In fact, when Jiang Xiliu sent the message to Jin Zhao, he was standing in front of the jewelry store counter picking out a gift.
—This is not a gift for Jiang Xiliu's friends, but a gift for the young lady.
Before Jiang Xiliu left that day, she emphasized: "The more expensive, the better."
Jin Zhao then had a general idea of the gift she wanted.
He couldn't afford the incredibly expensive bags and jewelry in the mall, nor would he impulsively take out a loan to buy a motorhome just to please a rich young lady.
After wandering around the mall, he finally walked into a gold shop.
His gaze swept over the heavy bracelets and necklaces, finally settling on a bracelet.
The chain is made of irregularly shaped small square gold blocks strung together, with a small bamboo-shaped pendant hanging at the bottom. Under the wall lamp of the glass display case, it has a warm, matte sheen that is not too flashy and becomes more and more exquisite the more you look at it.
He glanced at the price, thought for a few seconds, then looked up at the teller and said calmly, "Excuse me, I'll take this."
A few seconds after saying that, she added, "Please wrap it up nicely and neatly."
On the other side, Ye Qishan was driving very fast. He had one hand on the steering wheel and had already gone through the script he had conceived in his mind three times.
He first went to the entrance of the hospital, parked his car in the most conspicuous spot, and waited for the pretty boy to stroll over. Then he stepped on the gas and glided smoothly to a stop in front of him.
When the car window rolled down, he first forced a nonchalant smile before slowly uttering the prepared words: "Hi, have you been waiting long? I'm Jiang Xiliu's fiancé, and I came here to pick you up."
Thinking of the surprised expression the other party might show, Ye Qishan couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile.
He wanted the pretty boy to be able to tell at a glance that he and Jiang Xiliu were a match made in heaven.
His vision was wonderful, but he failed at the very first step.
Jiang Xiliu's phone is unreachable again.
At this moment, Jiang Xiliu was reclining on a rattan chair in the flower room, her hair styled with a curling iron to create a fluffy, wavy look.
A large, clear mirror stood in front of her.
The stylist was helping her choose an outfit in another room, while the makeup artist was discussing today's makeup look with her: "The gilded headband complements your skin tone very well. Today's makeup will be more suited to cool tones. Look at this color..."
The group chatted about the styling plan for another ten minutes until the hairstylist sprayed on the setting spray. Jiang Xiliu then stretched and picked up her phone from the side.
The moment the screen lit up, more than a dozen missed calls from "Ye Ersha Gou" popped up.
It seemed the person had arrived. Jiang Xiliu opened the chat window with Jin Zhao: "The person has arrived and is at the door."
Less than two seconds after the message was sent, Jin Zhao replied with a photo. Jiang Xiliu opened it and couldn't help but frown.
Tsk, Jin Zhao's photography skills are really bad.
Ye Qishan's good looks were diminished by two or three points in the photo, making him look like a random passerby caught on the street.
Jiang Xiliu tapped the screen lightly with her fingertip and replied decisively, "It's him. Stop dawdling and go quickly."
Jin Zhao strode around the back of the car, paused, and then knocked on the driver's side window.
Ye Qishan was extremely annoyed because Jiang Xiliu wasn't answering her phone and had been waiting at the door for so long.
Without even looking up, he impatiently rolled down the car window: "Who are you? What do you want?"
Jin Zhao's voice was steady and clear: "Hello, I'm Jiang Xiliu's boyfriend." He spoke each word clearly into the car, without a trace of unnecessary emotion.
Ye Qishan suddenly looked up and finally saw the pretty boy's face.
The lines he had planned in his mind instantly fell apart. Ye Qishan twitched the corners of his mouth, forcing out a smile that seemed nonchalant but was actually somewhat sinister: "Oh? Boyfriend? Hello, I'm Jiang Xiliu's fiancé."
...
As Jiang Xiliu opened the car door and sat in the back seat, she immediately felt the subtle, oppressive atmosphere inside the car. Ye Qishan, in the driver's seat, stared at the steering wheel, his knuckles white from gripping it so tightly. Jin Zhao, in the passenger seat, sat upright, unconsciously clutching the gift box on his lap. Both of them had tense expressions that looked rather unpleasant.
She tucked her skirt in, straightened it, and then peered into the row in front of her, asking curiously, "What happened to you all? Did you have a fight on the street?"
As soon as Jiang Xiliu finished speaking, the two people in the front row spoke almost simultaneously, their voices unusually in unison: "No."
"Hahahaha." The young lady laughed heartlessly, her words seemingly meant to annoy them both, "You two are so in sync, like twins."
Jin Zhao remained silent, sitting quietly, but Ye Qishan pressed on impatiently, "Then who is the older brother?"
Is this the key point?
Jiang Xiliu was too lazy to pay attention to the childish Ye Qishan.
As her gaze swept across the front row, she suddenly noticed an exquisite velvet box on Jin Zhao's lap. She kicked the back of the passenger seat and said, "Hey, Jin Zhao, you actually bought a gift for Ye Qishan?"
Ye Qishan gritted his teeth: "It's only natural for people to buy me gifts on my birthday, isn't it? Only you, you can't even give me something decent—"
Before he could finish speaking, Jin Zhao suddenly turned around, picked up the box on his lap and handed it to Jiang Xiliu, his gaze fixed on her: "It's a gift for you."
Ye Qishan's remaining words were stuck in his throat; he was so angry with the two of them that his temples throbbed.
The young lady's expression instantly brightened, her eyes sparkling as she happily accepted the box and opened it.
She picked it up and looked at it for a few moments, then looked up and asked, "Jin Zhao, is this real gold?"
Jin Zhao silently admitted it.
Jiang Xiliu was still young and didn't have any particular interest in gold jewelry. Of course, even when they grew older and more mature, people in their circle preferred brighter jewels, and very few wore gold jewelry.
However, the bracelet unexpectedly matched her outfit perfectly.
She casually draped the bracelet over her wrist, the delicate shimmering setting off her slender, fair skin.
"777, how much did Jin Zhao spend on this bracelet?"
[System 0777: Let me check... Hmm... Found it! It's 12888 yuan.]
He wouldn't have invited her to stay in a hotel room that cost several thousand yuan before, but now he's willing to spend ten thousand yuan to buy such a little thing.
Jiang Xiliu blinked, somewhat confused about what this penniless man was thinking.
Ye Qishan retorted, "Don't just look at him, I've prepared a surprise for you too."
His surprise was far more valuable than this broken bracelet!
He had barely finished speaking when a cell phone rang urgently in the car, breaking the brief tense atmosphere.
The young lady disliked the ringtone and urged, "Ye Qishan, answer the phone quickly."
Ye Qishan's phone was connected to the car's Bluetooth. He guessed that someone was asking him when he would arrive, so without thinking much, he simply reached out and swiped.
The call is connected.
A deep, slightly cold male voice rang out in the car, each word exceptionally clear.
"Ye Er, I asked you to stay by her side to keep an eye on her, not to steal from her."
-----------------------
Author's Note: My dear brother is here!
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