Chapter 3, Chapter 003: The Young Lady
The original owner's father called and asked Ye Baoling to return to the Ye family.
Ye Baoling did not refuse, after all, she had a mission to complete, and she needed to contact her father and grandfather in order to have a chance to obtain the Ugly Prince Jue from the eldest son's family.
The Ye family did not live in the wealthy Mid-Levels, but rather in Qingtang Street in the old city.
The three families' mansions stretched across half the street.
The Gu family driver hadn't returned from taking his uncle to work overtime, so Ye Baoling, who would never normally go out alone, set off with the original owner's small shoulder bag.
With over HK$100 in my wallet, I took a taxi and paid HK$10 to go directly to the mansion at No. 1 Ching Tong Street.
A pretty maid with slanted eyes opened the door, and the man asked her through the small window of the iron gate, "Who are you looking for?"
A new maid? Doesn't she recognize the original owner?
Ye Baoling couldn't help but look up again at the house number; it was indeed No. 1 Qingtang Street.
"I'm looking for my dad."
The maid sized up the guest at the door; this was probably the legendary, unfavored, weak, and easily bullied young lady.
The maid was a new helper hired by Ye Baoling's stepmother, so she also adopted a haughty tone, pretending not to have guessed, and asked in a cold tone, "Who is your father?"
Ye Baoling had no idea that the maid was thinking so much. Her mind was still preoccupied with other things, so she didn't think much of it and simply said, "Ye Kaimin."
"I'm sorry, I don't know you. I'll have someone else open the door for you." The pretty maid with the slanted eyes quickly closed the small door and disappeared from Ye Baoling's sight.
Ye Baoling immediately realized that he was trying to leave her standing outside the door.
Anyway, she was free and not in a hurry, so she wanted to see if this person intended to leave her outside the door, or if he was genuinely being cautious and went in to call someone to open the door.
She glanced at her watch; it was 10:05. In her original world, at this time, she would either be in a meeting at the company or on her way to a meeting with a client.
I don't know if it's because she hasn't had a meeting in so long, but she seemed to be having a bit of a masochistic streak, reminiscing a little.
Feeling utterly bored, she looked around at the street scene.
Clean and tidy, unlike other streets in the old town, the streets are planted with a lot of greenery, flowers, trees and shrubs.
Although it is located in a bustling area, Qingtang Street is a quiet oasis with not many vehicles passing by.
A car drove up from a distance and looked somewhat familiar. Ye Baoling focused her gaze and recognized it as a Rolls-Royce with license plate number 3.
The car stopped by the roadside, the window rolled down, and there really was Old Lady Guan.
The old lady greeted her softly, "Ah Ling!"
Ye Baoling jogged over, "Fifth Aunt, what a coincidence!"
"Are you going home to find your grandfather and father?"
It was clear that Old Madam Guan was worried that Ye Baoling would tell the elders in the family about the third son's family wanting to marry her. Ye Baoling reassured them, "My father called me, but I don't know what it's about."
"Oh. Then our matter... can't be..."
Ye Baoling nodded: "I know, I won't tell."
Grandma Guan smiled with relief: "I'll come to see you tonight or tomorrow. Wait for my good news."
Ye Baoling wanted to ask if the Ugly King Jue had been found, but she was afraid that Old Madam Guan would misunderstand that she was anxious, so she just smiled and didn't say anything more.
After the Rolls-Royce left, Ye Baoling looked back at the garden villa behind her, which resembled a medieval castle, quiet, desolate, and unfamiliar.
I glanced at my watch again; ten minutes had passed, and still no one had come to open the door.
Just then, the gate suddenly opened, and a black luxury car with a brand she didn't recognize drove out. The license plate number was 12, which belonged to the original owner's grandfather.
There were two people sitting in the back of the car: an old man with white hair, who was indeed her grandfather, and a young man in his twenties, who was probably her beloved cousin.
Her grandfather happened to look up and look in her direction, his expression calm and peaceful, as if he hadn't seen her at all, completely ignoring the existence of his granddaughter.
The vehicle didn't stop; it drove straight away.
Oh……
That old man Ye!
No wonder the original owner felt like he was being tortured every time he returned to the Ye family.
Ye Baoling didn't think much of it and quickly walked towards the front door, only to find that the automatic door closed quickly, which made her so angry that she pressed the doorbell several times.
Not long after, an older woman poked her head out.
"Miss is back." The maid was quite excited to see Ye Baoling.
It's clear that the eldest sister was quite close to the original owner of this body.
Ye Baoling didn't know the other person's name, so she couldn't help but take a few more glances at them.
The eldest sister laughed and said, "I'm Sister Qin. Miss, you haven't remembered me after being away for several months?"
"Of course I remember. Sister Qin, did you answer the doorbell, or did someone call you to answer the door?"
"I ran over when I heard the doorbell ring, but I didn't expect it to be Miss."
Ye Baoling understood.
Instead of immediately questioning the man with the slanted eyes, she asked, "Where's my dad?"
"Da Yesheng is in the sunroom of Shengyue Tower, sunbathing with the First Madam."
Ye Baoling didn't know which building Shengyue Tower was, so she could only ask Sister Qin to lead the way. But she couldn't say it outright, so she just said, "Sister Qin, your hair is really thick. What shampoo do you usually use?"
Sister Qin was in her forties or fifties. Her jet-black hair was tied in a long braid. Seeing that the young lady was chatting with her, she naturally followed her and walked ahead. She said happily, "I never use shampoo, I always use soap to wash my hair."
The two chatted along the way, and Ye Baoling was able to ask some questions she wanted to know.
For example, her grandfather just bought a racehorse for her second uncle's son, and the two of them went to the racetrack today; her stepmother's daughter returned from abroad and now works at Suman Jewelry; and her stepmother had an ultrasound, and it is said that she is pregnant with another boy.
As they walked up the stairs, Ye Baoling asked again, "What's the name of the new maid we hired, who's about my age, with slightly upturned eyes and a mole near her nose?"
The features were so obvious that Sister Qin immediately recognized the person: "Isn't that Ah Feng from the First Madam's room? The First Madam is about to give birth, so she hired an extra person to help with chores. She said it was the child of a distant relative of hers."
I see.
Sister Qin is an elder in the Ye family, and she looks down on the first wife, who came from a secretarial background and had a pregnant mistress.
Upon entering Shengyue Tower and going up to the second floor, I encountered a middle-aged man coming out of the inner room.
This is Ye Kaimin, the original owner's father. Ye Baoling had specifically looked through the original owner's family photos.
Her father glanced at her and complained, "Why are you back so late?"
A middle-aged woman with a rather attractive belly, who was following behind her father, smiled and waved to her: "It's fast enough. Do you think she can fly? You think she can get here in a second with just one phone call? Really. Bao Ling, come here, ignore your father."
This is the original owner's stepmother, Zheng Junni, who is incredibly good at pretending.
Junnie Cheng isn't particularly beautiful, nor is she young. She was previously married and remarried with a daughter. So how did she manage to become a mistress and marry into a wealthy family? Aside from giving birth to a son, it's because she can be both submissive and humble, as well as gentle and courteous.
She's a chameleon.
After Ye Baoling transmigrated into the script, in addition to completing the survival task of obtaining three Ugly King Jade Rings within a year, she also had a reward task.
That is to find out the real culprit who framed the original owner's mother, Gu Min, for stealing the ugly Wang Jue.
She didn't know what the reward would be after completing the mission; for now, her priority was survival.
The matter of finding the real culprit can be considered later.
However, she had thought about this matter seriously during this period of time, and Zheng Junni and Ye Kaimin were the most suspicious.
At the time, Zheng Junni was pregnant, and she and Ye Kaimin were pressuring Gu Min to divorce him; they had the strongest motive.
Neither of them are good people, but for long-term benefit, she has no choice but to use them for now.
Ye Baoling had read the original owner's diary. The original owner felt resentment and disgust towards Zheng Junni, but dared not show it. Usually, she was very obedient in front of Zheng Junni, like a harmless little white rabbit.
So Ye Baoling had to pretend now, "Thank you, Aunt Jun."
She followed her father and began to complain in a low voice: "It's not that I'm late, I waited at the door for a long time but no one opened it for me."
Ye Kaimin rolled his eyes at her: "Can't you ring the doorbell?"
What he disliked most about Ye Baoling was that she was timid, weak, and couldn't handle any situation.
“I pressed the button, and a maid I had never seen before opened the door. She didn’t recognize me and asked who I was. I said my father was Ye Kaimin, and she closed the door, leaving me outside.”
As she spoke, Ye Baoling emphasized seemingly casually, "Dad, using your name won't work. Next time, I should use Grandpa's name. I should say I'm Ye Qizu's granddaughter. Let's see if she dares not to open the door for me then."
She didn't say the maid bullied her, only that her father's name wasn't enough.
Ye Kaimin's temper flared up instantly. He had been suppressed by the old man for half his life, and now even the maid dared to look down on him.
"Which maid? What does she look like?"
Seeing that Ye Kaimin was getting angry, Zheng Junni pulled Ye Baoling aside to try to change the subject: "I bought this dress for you, right? It looks good on you."
Once she buys new clothes, she won't wear them anymore.
Despite being interrupted by Zheng Junni, Ye Baoling smiled and continued to describe the maid's appearance to Ye Kaimin.
A young woman with upturned, pretty eyes and a mole near her nose?
Ye Kaimin looked at Zheng Junni and asked, "Is there such a person?"
How could Ye Kaimin, Zheng Junni's maid, not recognize her? He was asking on purpose.
Knowing she couldn't hide it any longer, Zheng Junni had no choice but to say, "I'll go ask what happened."
Ye Kaimin was furious. "Call him over and ask him!"
Zheng Junni had no choice but to call out towards the door, "Ah Jin! Ah Jin! Go and call Ah Feng here!"
While waiting in the seating area, Zheng Junni shared the peeled pears with the father and daughter, saying, "Eat some pears to cool down. I'll ask you later, okay? You look so fierce, you scared me so much my stomach tightened."
Upon hearing Zheng Junni's words, Ye Kaimin couldn't help but click his tongue.
Now he and his second brother are vying for the position of heir. Unfortunately, his only son with Zheng Junni is mentally disabled. In the heart of the old man, who has a deep-rooted preference for sons over daughters, no matter how strong his personal abilities are, he cannot compare to his second brother who has a normal son.
His only hope now is that his wife can give birth to a healthy boy safely.
As long as there is a healthy son, Ye Kaimin, as the eldest son, should rightfully inherit the family business.
Ye Kaimin's tone softened: "If you're not feeling well, go back to your room and rest."
Zheng Junni gently touched her belly: "Baoling rarely comes back, shouldn't I keep her company? Just don't speak so loudly later."
Just then, Ah Feng came in.
"Da Yesheng, Madam, you're looking for me."
Ye Kaimin immediately asked, "Do you know Ye Kaimin..."
He glanced at his wife, then lowered his voice slightly, "Who is it?"
As soon as Ah Feng entered, she saw Ye Baoling sitting to the side. She licked her lips and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ye. I've never met Miss before, so I didn't dare to open the door. I wanted to come in and find someone to open the door, but I couldn't find anyone. The Madam's tonic was simmering in the kitchen. I was afraid it would overcook, so I went to turn off the heat. When I came out after turning off the heat, I found that Miss had already come in."
"You went to the kitchen and turned off the stove for more than ten minutes," Ye Baoling asked calmly.
Ah Feng whispered in protest, "It wasn't ten minutes, was it?"
“You slammed the door at 10:03. I waited for 13 minutes, but no one came to open the door. I rang the doorbell again at 10:16. When Sister Qin opened the door and I came in, it was already 10:18. If you count carefully, you went to the kitchen to turn off the stove for 15 minutes.”
Zheng Junni was secretly surprised that Xiao Anchun remembered such details. When did Xiao Anchun become so cunning?
Ah Feng explained weakly, "I'm sorry, Miss. I went to the kitchen to turn off the stove and then I had to pour out the medicine. I got so busy that... I was delayed. I really didn't mean to."
Ye Kaimin realized that Ah Feng wasn't disrespecting him, but rather deliberately making things difficult for Ye Baoling.
He immediately felt much better.
Ah Feng was, after all, a distant relative of Zheng Junni, and punishing her at this time would definitely make Zheng Junni uncomfortable. After thinking about it, he decided to let it go.
"Ah Feng, this is indeed your fault. Apologize to Miss, it's not a big deal. Just be more careful in the future."
Ye Baoling: "..."
This is the original owner's biological father.
Zheng Junni finally felt relieved. She smiled and said, "How can you apologize like this? Go pour the young lady a cup of tea! Apologizing with tea shows sincerity."
Ah Feng hurriedly poured tea and brought it in, personally handing it to Ye Baoling, bowing her head and saying, "I'm sorry, Miss, I was blind to your greatness, there won't be a next time."
Ye Baoling didn't speak. Everyone was watching her, and she, in turn, watched them all with a detached, almost theatrical, expression.
If she doesn't answer, it would seem like she's being stingy.
She took the teacup, and just as she touched it, her hand slipped...
The teacup fell and hit Ah Feng's feet, spilling scalding hot tea all over the floor.
"Ah!" Ah Feng exclaimed softly.
Ye Baoling frowned as well: "Are you trying to scald me to death?!"
Ah Feng never expected that the young lady would "accuse the villain first." She was so angry that she wanted to curse but dared not utter a sound. Her anger rose to her throat, and in the end, she could only say, "I'm sorry, young lady."
Junnie Zheng: "..."
Isn't this a direct slap in the face to her stepmother, who's trying to mediate?
She looked at Ye Kaimin with a stunned expression.
If the teacup hadn't hit Ye Kaimin's foot, he wouldn't have cared. He simply picked up a newspaper and pretended to read it.
Even though Zheng Junni was still angry, she could only downplay the situation: "It's alright, it's alright, it was all an accident. Clean up, Ah Feng, you can go out now."
Ah Feng was left speechless and helpless, so the matter was temporarily dropped.
A small incident made Ye Baoling understand the original owner's situation in this family and her position in her father's heart—dispensable.
Ye Baoling glanced at Zheng Junni's stomach. In the original script, Zheng Junni was indeed pregnant with a boy, but during the ultrasound examination, the doctor told her that the fetus had serious defects and recommended abortion.
To solidify her position, Zheng Junni did not have an abortion. Instead, she found a way to buy a baby boy to replace her own child, who was born with severe defects...
Thinking about all the exciting shows to come, Ye Baoling felt much better.
After the maids left, Ye Kaimin said, "I called you back today to tell you that Grandpa has chosen a marriage for you."
Another wedding!
What era are we living in? As a woman, the original owner of this body has no value other than getting married?
It seems she didn't criticize the screenwriter harshly enough back then.
A note from the author:
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Although it's been so long since I last wrote anything, I'm so happy to see so many familiar readers these past two days! [heart emojis]
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