Chapter 5, Section 005: Registration at 9:00 AM, Wedding Ceremony at 1:00 PM.
In the VIP lounge of Parkway Bank, Ye Baoling asked a bank employee to print out her bank statements for the past year.
After the transaction record came out, Ye Baoling took a closer look and found that the balance was less than five hundred.
She was stunned. Where was the money?
The bank employee explained, "According to your father's wishes, all the designated wealth management products were purchased."
What type of financial product?
The bank employee opened her account screen to show her.
Ye Baoling leaned closer. The computers used by Hong Kong banks in that era were bulky, light green Wang An computers with only a tiny screen.
On the screen, it was clear that her account had purchased two products.
Of the 4.2 million, 365-day lock-up period was used to purchase the S101 stock fund last October; the remaining 200,000 was used for flexible investment, which is automatically used to purchase flexible investment funds when the family trust sends money to the fund on the 5th of each month.
Ye Baoling has no worries about the 200,000 yuan flexible investment plan, as she can withdraw it at any time.
However, the S101 stock fund, with a lock-up period of 4.2 million, will end its 365-day term at the very end of the stock market crash in October of this year.
Four million will be halved to two million, or even less.
Upon closer inspection, the fund manager of the S101 stock fund is surnamed Lü, and his name is Lü Tianyou!
The original owner's future husband.
The fund holds shares in newly listed companies supported by the Lü family.
According to the book, all declines exceeded 80%.
She'd be lucky to get back 500,000 out of the 4 million.
Yeh Kai-min is really ruining the lives of female models!
Is there any way to withdraw the money?
The bank clerk smiled and shook his head: "Ms. Ye, it's not possible to withdraw money in advance during the lock-up period."
Ye Baoling thought for a moment and quickly made a decision, "Cindy, is it? I know you can't make the decision. Of the 4.2 million in the closed fund, I only ask to get back 4 million. I don't want the remaining 200,000 or any of the added value. You can help me find a solution by talking to your boss. You'll definitely be able to come up with a solution."
Ye Baoling tore off a piece of sticky note from the table and wrote down her grandmother's phone number.
"Once this is done, I'll give you an extra 50,000 yuan. From now on, you'll be my personal financial manager."
Cindy's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this promise.
Ye Baoling knows how to win people's hearts.
Cindy licked her lips and asked with a smile, "When would Miss Ye like to pick it up?"
"Of course, the sooner the better."
"This is difficult, but I will try my best to help you communicate. I will give you an answer once I have a result."
Ye Baoling smiled and thanked her, "Thank you. Also, please don't tell my father about me getting the card and withdrawing money."
Cindy held up her hand and gave an "OK" sign!
Ye Baoling: "Redeem the 200,000 yuan from my flexible financial management account."
"Okay, Ms. Ye. I'll process your redemption today, and you can get it as early as tomorrow."
After getting her new bank card, Ye Baoling went home first.
We had a delicious and satisfying meal that evening.
Grandma also ordered a cake for her. Although it was small, it didn't stop her from silently making a wish amidst the crowd—to get the three ugly jade pieces from the Ye family as soon as possible.
Then live well, enjoy life to the fullest, and make sure that everything that belongs to the original owner is not lost.
Her spendthrift uncle was more thoughtful than her father. He paid for Man'er to prepare a birthday gift for her, and Gu Man'er bought her a bright red lipstick.
It complements her skin tone very well.
"Thank you!" Ye Baoling gave Man'er a big kiss on her round face.
In the mirror, a bright red lipstick mark was painted on her cheek. Gu Man'er laughed and playfully pinched Ye Baoling: "Cousin, I've already washed my face!"
"Sleep like this, and wash up tomorrow morning."
"It'll get on the pillow later."
But Gu Man'er still lay down, side by side with Ye Baoling, and chatted about her worries about finding a job.
There was still no news or phone call from the third branch of the Ye family, and Ye Baoling was starting to worry that they might have changed their minds.
*
Ye Baoxin came home late from overtime. She yawned as she removed her makeup in front of the mirror.
She was the same age as Ye Baoling, with a long face and big eyes, and sported the most fashionable curly hair of the time. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she was stylish and intellectual.
Sitting beside her, Zheng Junni felt sorry for her daughter and said, "Drink this bowl of pear and bird's nest soup."
Ye Baoxin took a sip, "Don't put rock sugar in it next time."
"I didn't put in any rock sugar. You shouldn't work so hard, always working overtime on weekends and coming home so late."
"The work isn't finished, and everyone else is working overtime. I can't just leave first, can I? If word gets out, it will damage your reputation, and then you'll be unhappy."
Knowing that her daughter had her own pride, Zheng Junni didn't say anything more, and instead asked, "You've met Lü Tianyou, haven't you?"
"I've met you once, so what?"
"Try to have a meal with him sometime, spend some time together, and see how it goes..."
Ye Baoxin interrupted her mother: "Didn't you say Ye Baoling was going on a blind date with him? How did it become me?"
"That quail Ye Baoling is probably not good enough for him, so she backed down. I went through a lot of trouble to get this opportunity for you."
Ye Baoxin slammed the spoon down into the stew pot. "She just throws what she doesn't want at me? Mommy, I'm not a garbage collector!"
“When did Lu Tianyou become a piece of trash? His father is the chairman of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, he is a top student who studied abroad, became a fund manager at a young age, and he is not bad-looking either. He is a perfect match for you.”
"This wasn't arranged for me from the beginning, I don't want it!"
Ye Baoxin stubbornly refused.
She still clearly remembers the disdainful look on the old man's face when she first came to the Ye family.
The servants of the Ye family also called Ye Baoling "Miss" and Ye Baoshun "Young Master," and called her "Miss Baoxin."
Although she changed her surname to Ye and her given name to match theirs, she was always an outsider in this family.
"Mom, you're the same. She doesn't want me anymore, so she wants me to take her place. For no reason, I'm made to be inferior to her. Isn't that belittling myself?"
These words infuriated Zheng Junni. She patted her round belly and complained, "Fine, you're so precious. Thinking of you makes me feel inferior. The Lu family, the chairman of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, are newly rich and powerful. Even they buy stocks with potential. How can you not understand that? Don't be so arrogant."
"Mommy! Can't you consider my feelings!" Ye Baoxin pushed the soup bowl forward. "I'm not drinking it anymore, take it away."
After saying that, she went into the bathroom, and Zheng Junni had no way to deal with her.
*
The next day, Ye Baoling didn't get up until 9 o'clock. When she got up, she saw Gu Man'er lying on the table holding a ballpoint pen and wrapping a job advertisement.
"Cousin, Ye Qingtang's head office is hiring a legal assistant. Do you think I should give it a try and see if I'll get a chance?"
In the original script, Gu Man'er's first job after graduation was at a private law firm.
Besides the impact of the stock market crash, another important factor in the downfall of the Lü family was that Gu Man'er, in order to avenge her cousin, gathered a large amount of evidence of Lü Tianyou's father's corruption and relentlessly pursued them, ultimately succeeding in bringing down the Lü family.
Ye Baoling said, "A law firm is more suitable for you."
"You think I didn't want to go to a law firm? I interviewed at two big banks, but neither of them told me anything."
“Don’t just focus on big law firms, try smaller ones too. Once the smaller firm grows, you’ll be a veteran.” Ye Baoling rubbed her face, looking at the job postings in the newspaper.
Ye Qingtang's headquarters is still recruiting clerks for the secretariat; Ye Baoling could give this position a try.
If she wants to obtain the ugly prince Jue from the eldest son's family, she needs to take multiple approaches and thoroughly understand the situation of the "enemy."
But you can't just send out your resume rashly, otherwise, her resume as the granddaughter of a big boss will be rejected in no time.
"Give me the newspaper later, don't take it away."
"I'll just put it on the table."
Ye Baoling opened the window a little wider. Outside the window was a small back alley, and three or four meters away was an old-fashioned tenement building. On the narrow balcony directly opposite their room, there were piles of clutter, and a young man wearing a red vest was brushing his teeth in front of the sink.
After living here for so many days, she only found out that a boy lived across the street.
I had only ever seen one woman with braided hair in the past.
Gu Man'er put down her newspaper, followed Ye Baoling's gaze, and couldn't help but say, "Wei Zaiqiang is back?"
Is it Tony Leung? Or Chan Wai-keung?
It was him.
A future low-level leader.
Chen Weiqiang was Gu Man'er's classmate in elementary and middle school. Later, he helped Gu Man'er a lot in her struggle against corrupt officials.
Gu Man'er raised her voice and called out, "Hey, Wei Zai Qiang, is your grandma feeling better?"
Chen Weiqiang looked over at the sound, spat out the toothpaste foam in his mouth, and replied, "The same as always."
Grandma Chen Weiqiang suffers from dizziness, headaches, and swollen hands and feet, and her condition doesn't seem to improve. The public hospitals where she can get an appointment generally have mediocre technology, and she's been to several hospitals without any effect. They don't have the money to go to a good private hospital, so last week Chen Weiqiang took his grandmother to Xiaoyushan to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. They just returned yesterday.
Clearly, the treatment was still ineffective.
This person is worth winning over.
Having grown accustomed to public feuds, Ye Baoling subconsciously had this thought pop into her mind.
Moreover, after the original owner committed suicide, Chen Weiqiang helped Gu Man'er a lot in order to avenge her. Therefore, she should help him out in a moral and logical way.
With enough money, getting his grandmother treated at a private hospital wouldn't be a problem.
Just then, a sound came from the doorway. Turning around, she saw her second cousin, Gu Zhen'er, leaning against the doorway, panting, "Cousin, those two old women came again yesterday. Grandma wants you to come downstairs."
It's finally here!
Ye Baoling was worried that they weren't superstitious enough and gave up.
Gu Man'er asked curiously, "What do they want from you?"
"You want me to do something for you."
Gu Zhen'er didn't believe it: "Cousin, you've learned to brag!"
"He's practically begging me on his knees, don't you believe me?"
What do they want you to do?
Ye Baoling feigned mystery, saying, "It's a secret I can't tell you."
The Gu sisters exchanged a knowing glance, and Gu Zhen'er's imagination ran wild: "The third branch of the family asked you for help dealing with your number one difficult grandfather?"
"Don't make wild guesses." Ye Baoling was still wearing her pajamas. She quickly changed into a dress, washed her face, and hurried downstairs.
It was still in the small tea room on the first floor. Today, in addition to Old Madam Guan, her daughter-in-law, and the old servant, there was also a woman dressed in a black robe.
Yang Pinxian explained that the woman in the long robe was the famous Tong Po.
After exchanging greetings, Ye Baoling sat down next to her grandmother.
There were four or five gift boxes on the table. Old Madam Guan got straight to the point: "After we went back yesterday, we searched high and low and turned everything upside down, but we couldn't find the Ugly King's Jade."
Ye Baoling's heart tightened. The ugly Wang Jue from the third branch of the family had disappeared? How was she supposed to complete her mission then?
“I guess Huaizhang probably put the Ugly King Jade in a bank safe deposit box. When he comes back, he’ll definitely be able to…” Seeing Ye Baoling’s head bowed in thought, Old Madam Guan quickly explained, “But we’re people of our word. Last night, I swallowed my pride and begged the second son’s family to borrow their Ugly King Jade. When Huaizhang comes back, we’ll give you the third son’s Ugly King Jade and return the second son’s. They’re both Ugly King Jade; the only difference is the color. The second son’s is orange, and ours is pale yellow. A-Ling, what do you think?”
What if Ye Huaizhang doesn't come back?
Knowing she couldn't ask so directly, Ye Baoling hesitated for a moment before asking, "When you borrowed the Ugly King's Jade from the second son's family, was there a deadline for its return?"
Grandma Guan said, "I gave them 1% of Minhua Bank's shares as a dividend. As long as we don't mention returning them, they definitely won't care."
The dividends from 1% of Minhwa Bank's shares are worth quite a bit of money.
It's clear that Old Madam Guan really went to great lengths to get back the ugly Wang Jue.
It would be good to get the ugly Wang Jue from the second son's wife first.
What worries Ye Baoling is that if Ye Huaizhang doesn't come back, then what will happen to the ugly Wang Jue of the third branch of the family?
Even if you think about it carefully, you won't get it.
If Ye Huaizhang really doesn't come back, his family can apply to the court to declare him dead, and then check with various banks to see if there are any safe deposit boxes belonging to Ye Huaizhang.
"Is it alright?" Old Madam Guan asked softly again.
The old maid next to Yang Pinxian opened a square box made of rosewood on the table, inside which lay a small, curved orange jade pendant.
Ye Baoling walked over and took a closer look. No wonder he was called Ugly King Jue; he really wasn't very pretty.
In another box that was opened at the same time, there lay a pair of jade bracelets.
These jade bracelets are top-grade imperial green, and their clarity is many times better than that of the ugly king jade.
I don't know why the system insisted that she collect all three ugly jade pieces.
The other boxes contained jewelry and three 500-gram gold bars, one kilogram more than Ye Baoling had requested yesterday.
Seeing that Ye Baoling remained silent for a long time, Old Madam Guan became nervous and asked again, "Is it alright?"
We'll take whatever piece of the ugly king's jade we can get.
Ye Baoling smiled faintly: "If it can really save Brother Huaizhang, then let's give it a try."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law wept with joy, "Thank you, Baoling."
"Thank you, Grandma Gu."
Grandma Gu was quite troubled. "It's just a ceremony, right?"
"I originally thought that a simple wedding ceremony would suffice..." Old Madam Guan glanced at Granny Tong, "but Granny Tong said that we still need to register the marriage for it to count, otherwise the auspiciousness of the marriage might not be enough."
Ye Baoling asked in surprise, "How can I register for marriage if I'm all alone?"
As far as she knew, weddings in Hong Kong required prior public announcement. They were in such a hurry, were they willing to wait?
Or are these things unnecessary in the world of the script?
Grandma Guan said, "We will find a way to handle the registration."
Money really can make the devil turn the millstone.
The rules of the world are all designed to regulate ordinary people.
This doesn't work for wealthy people.
Grandma Gu pulled Ye Baoling to her side and objected, "We can't register. I can't agree to that. Our Baoling still needs to get married in the future. What was supposed to be a good first marriage has turned into a second one. I can't explain that to her grandfather and her father."
Grandma Guan gently patted her chest: "If the eldest son's family holds me accountable in the future, I will take responsibility and face them. If her future in-laws have any questions, I will explain."
"Then how am I supposed to explain this to her deceased mother?"
This is a heavy topic.
Old Madam Guan looked at the woman in black robes, "Granny Tong, is it alright to just hold a ceremony and write a marriage certificate?"
Granny Tong, who had remained silent until now, spoke with a gentle yet firm tone, “Thanks to the trust of Old Madam Guan, since you have chosen to believe me, you should do as I ask. I am not deliberately making things difficult. This marriage to ward off bad luck is not a performance, but a real marriage. If you cannot do it, if you lack sincerity, all these efforts will be in vain in the eyes of Heaven. After the formal marriage, if the marriage to ward off bad luck is successful and Young Master Ye returns safely, the couple must consummate their marriage for forty-nine days and maintain this marital relationship for a year in order to prolong Young Master Ye’s life. Otherwise, there will be continuous disasters, which may even implicate his family and ultimately lead to their eternal separation.”
The more you talk about it, the more serious it gets.
"Doesn't this mean we're really married?" Grandma Gu felt she had been tricked. "That won't do."
Yang Pinxian, who has never had much of her own opinion, was full of confusion. "Then what should we do? Is it enough to just share a room? It doesn't really have to be a real marriage, right?"
Let's think about these things again once your son comes back!
Granny Tong refrained from speaking harshly, only explaining, "How the young couple lives in the same room is their own business. Whether or not they have conjugal relations is beyond God's control. Isn't that right?"
Grandma Guan muttered under her breath, "Yes, in the end it's just a ceremony, just for show."
Grandma Gu: "The marriage has to last another year!"
With the two sides deadlocked, Yang Pinxian, desperate to save her son, knelt down at the feet of Old Lady Gu.
“I am willing to offer a villa in the Mid-Levels under my name, worth five million Hong Kong dollars, as compensation. I hope that Mrs. Gu can grant my request.”
"Oh dear, Mrs. Ye, this is inappropriate." Old Mrs. Gu quickly helped the other woman up.
Yang Pinxian wiped away her tears: "Grandma Gu, don't worry, I will love Baoling like my own daughter. I will treat Baoling the same way I treat my own daughter. I will never be biased. The allowance I give them will be the same..."
Ye Baoling originally didn't care whether or not she registered her marriage, but the situation has changed today.
It's highly likely that Ye Huaizhang won't be coming back.
If she wants to apply to the court to declare Ye Huaizhang dead in the future, she will only be eligible to do so if she becomes Ye Huaizhang's legal wife.
Only in this way could she have a chance to obtain the ugly jade pendant belonging to the third son's wife.
A villa on the hillside, five million Hong Kong dollars, plus a monthly allowance like a salary...
Most importantly, she has the opportunity to obtain two ugly jade pendants.
If she agreed, Ye Baoling could become a model citizen without needing to undergo inspections.
Besides, a marriage certificate is just a piece of paper to her. As long as she is comfortable in her life, she doesn't need to get married again, so there is no issue of a second marriage.
Ye Baoling looked at her grandmother and said, "Grandma, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."
The members of the third branch of the family all nodded in unison, "Yes!"
"Are you stupid?" Grandma Gu said, pulling her granddaughter along, unable to bear looking at so many pleading eyes.
To allay her grandmother's concerns, Ye Baoling suggested, "How about this: we divide the whole thing into two phases. I'll help with the wedding to bring good luck, register the marriage, and hold the ceremony—that's the first phase. If Huaizhang returns safely, that's the second phase. Then we can sit down and discuss the rest, okay?"
"That makes sense." What Old Madam Guan is most concerned about now is whether Ye Huaizhang can come back. If he can come back, everything else will be easier to discuss and negotiate.
If we can't come back, there's no point in dwelling on things that might not happen.
After being persuaded by Ye Baoling, Old Madam Gu finally softened and said, "Alright then."
"Thank you, thank you! We're so lucky to have met such understanding people like you." The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law thanked them again and again with great joy.
Grandma Gu: "As for the villa on the hillside and the five million Hong Kong dollars, let's just forget about them."
We can't let it go!
Ye Baoling almost cried out.
Grandma Guan was afraid the other party would change their mind: "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond. We are giving this away willingly, so please don't be polite."
Grandma Gu firmly waved her hand: "No, no, no! You have to listen to me on this matter. If I really accept your villa and five million, I'll be considered as selling my granddaughter. If her grandfather finds out, our Gu family will lose face."
Ye Baoling, a realist, only wants money and doesn't care about saving face.
But Grandma Gu held her hand tightly, preventing her from speaking, and she could only watch helplessly as the duck that was about to be eaten was chased away.
“Yesterday, Bao Ling refused the cash that was readily available, and today, Old Madam Gu refused a villa and five million Hong Kong dollars. I know that your kindness is immeasurable by money and is far more valuable than money.” Old Madam Guan praised them highly with deep gratitude.
Now, Ye Baoling couldn't bring herself to ask for the five million in private.
Fortunately, she still had the ugly king's jade pendant, jade bracelet, and gold, so she didn't suffer a loss.
Grandma Gu asked, "When is the time set?"
The key to a successful marriage is speed; it has to be done quickly.
The old woman had come with a plan. She said, "I have matched their birth dates and times. The day after tomorrow is an auspicious day. They will leave at 7:00 AM, register at 9:00 AM, and hold the wedding ceremony at 1:00 PM."
"So urgent?" Grandma Gu said anxiously, "I haven't prepared anything."
Ye Baoling muttered to herself, "It's not a real wedding. No need to prepare."
Grandma Guan smiled and said, "You don't need to prepare anything; we'll take care of everything. If you're worried that if others find out, it will have a negative impact on A-Ling later, then we won't leave from your home for the wedding; we'll depart directly from the hotel. How about that?"
Very good.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Ye Huaizhang: I heard that there's one more person waiting for me.
Judge: There's one more person waiting to announce your death.
Ye Baoling: Amitabha. May Buddha have mercy. [Dog head with rose in hand]
It's almost over, and I just realized that many people are commenting on this chapter that the grandmother and uncle's family are exploiting the female lead. Actually, it's explained in later chapters. The uncle's family has been spending the grandmother's private savings. The grandmother was afraid that the uncle and aunt would squander money, so she claimed that they were spending the money left by the female lead's mother, hoping that everyone could be more frugal. As for the money and house left by the female lead's mother, the grandmother saved them all for the female lead. This is explained around chapter 15 or some other chapter.
As for whether the female lead is involved in poverty alleviation, in her mind, she definitely isn't. If you think she is, and you don't like it, just drop the story.
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