Chapter 28

Ye Ying realized snapped back form her little flashback. She realized that although he never declined, he neither accepted. So, it was all her. He just learnt to go with the flow. She sighed and everyone at the table noticed this. Ye Lihua immediately went to her daughter and asked what was wrong.

Ye Ying shook her head. "Nothing is wrong. This has been a very lovely dinner, but I am tired. I will head home."

She bid farewell to the Zhang couple and her parents and left. Ye Zhifan was happy because now he could freely talk about his business with the elder Zhang couple.

He turned to them. "Children, they grow up so fast." To which Madame Zhang gave a little smile.

They talked about trivial things, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant. Then, Ye Zhifan decided to bring up the topic he had been holding off.

"Master Zhang, there is a matter to discuss. It is of utmost importance and I want to hear your views. I sincerely hope we can come to an agreement."

Zhang Yimin rose a brow. He took a sip of water and turned to Ye Zhifan. He nodded but said something afterwards.

"You should know that I hold no major power in the company anymore since my son took over, therefore I cannot make any major decisions involving the company. I can listen to what you have to say." Zhang Yimin advised.

Ye Zhifan became a little dispirited but still decided to tell him either way. Anyway, if all went well, he could advise his son on the idea and they could move forward form there. He had confidence that this would go his way.

He cleared his throat and took a gulp of water before he began.

"As you know, Zhang corp. is a diverse business. It majors in the cybersecurity industry but has branched in other aspects as well as the business industry, particularly those involved in minerals."

Zhang Yimin nodded and Ye Zhifan continued.

"Over the years, there has been a steady flow of mineral harvest especially on your land. It is known as one of the most 'fruitful' lands for minerals to be collected, but in all honesty, I feel that there is an incoming problem."

Zhang Yimin once again rose a brow.

"Since a decade ago, when the Zhang family had decided to leave the underground…" he faltered when he saw the hard expression on Master Zhang's face.

He hurriedly clarified. "I don't mean I want the Zhang family to come back or anything. Besides, all loose ends have been tied and there is no reason for you to come back, and the laws have changed. You simply couldn't come back. I understand."

"I just wanted to say that since the Zhangs are no longer involved in the underground, you probably don't know this, but we have discovered something."

The wives were also listening because they needn't leave the room. It wasn't like in the olden days when women had to find other things to do when men wanted to discuss important matters. So, they gave each other a knowing look and just sat together at another part of the room. They were in a private room, so they needn't worry. They just couldn't add to the conversation simply because they were never involved with the underground.

Back to the men's conversation, Ye Zhifan continued.

"We had found this out a little late, but we realized that the land that you own is not only a very reliable source for minerals but has one of the best hidden passageways. The underground in China as you know does business with others around the world and you understand that not everything is legal."

At this, Zhang Yimin understood what he was saying.

"You want to borrow the land to transport other 'goods' under the pretense of transporting minerals and because my family is influential, you believe no one will suspect us. Is that right?"

Ye Zhifan stopped talking. He knew that he wouldn't need to explain too much to this man. After all, he was once on top of the food chain. He always went straight to the point.

"You came to me knowing that I may be much more convincible than my son, so you waited for him to leave. "

Ye Zhifan was quick to defend himself. "I am not using you or anything. It's just…" he hesitated.

"Even though one says he is leaving or has left the underground, they never truly leave."

He stopped talking and ended on that note. He stood up and went to his wife. They left shortly after giving goodbyes to Mrs. Zhang. Zhang Zixi immediately rushed over to her husband.

"Is everything alright? The discussion sounded like it ended on a tense note."

Zhang Yimin sighed. "I need to talk to our son."