C59

The next day when Bing Xue was getting ready for work, she heard a squeal from Qin Ran's room. She ran into her room and opened the door.

Qin Ran looked happy and excited.

Xue asked, "What happened? Why are you shouting so early in the morning?"

Ran rushed towards her and hugged her. She said excitedly, "I got it. I got the job at NI…. Wohoo!!"

Xue smiled and said, "Congratulations, dear."

"Hehehehe…..it's party time now. Clear your schedule for the evening…we are going out." Said Qin Ran.

"But, I have a date today." Replied Xue.

"Nope, no date, no excuses, just bring along your boyfriend with you," said Qin Ran as she went to the washroom.

Bing Xue sighed. She wanted to have a quiet evening with Yang Li. But now she would have to accompany others. Both Yang Li and Bing Xue were not fond of huge parties or gatherings. Knowing Ran she would probably call everyone she knows.

Xue took out her phone and messaged Yang Li- 'Change of plans for tonight. Will call you later with all the details.'

She then finished getting ready and sat down for breakfast.

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Yang Li received a message from Xue early in the morning. However, after reading it he had a frown on his face.

He messaged Zhou Jin- 'I will not come to the workshop today. If there are any issues you can directly call me.'

Then Yang Li continued working on his laptop. After an hour he got a call from Mei.

"Where are you right now?" asked Mei.

"At Home. Why?" said Yang Li.

Mei said, "Actually Yang Ling has messaged me many times. She wants to meet with us."

"Initially, I tried to reject her. But she is very persistent and she seems very sincere."

"After rejecting her a few times, I'm also feeling bad. She doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives. She genuinely wants to meet us and catch up."

Yang Li said, "Isn't she afraid of the Yang family? If they know that she tried to contact us, she will be in trouble."

Mei replied, "I don't know. But so far from our conversations, she seemed to be a bit distant from the family. This is probably because she has been in Westphalia all this time. However, I am not sure."

"So, what do you think??"

Li paused for a moment and said, "I trust you. I will do as you say."

Mei smiled when she heard his answer. She said, "GREAT! We will meet in the evening. I will send you the details later."

Before Li could reply she hung up. Yang Li sighed as he looked at his phone. He restarted his laptop and continued his work.

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Yang Mei called Yang Ling immediately after she hung up her call with Yang Li.

Yang Ling was happy to receive her call.

She said, "Hello elder sister. What a surprise! How are you?"

Mei replied, "I'm fine. You seemed happy. Did something good happen?"

Ling said, "No sister, I was happy that you called. So, what's the occasion?"

Mei said, "Nothing special. Just wanted to ask, if you are still interested in meeting us?"

Ling felt elated when she heard her reply. She said, "SURE sister Mei, I would love that. Did brother Li also agree?"

Mei said, "Yes, he did. So, if you are free, let's meet in the evening around 5 at Golden Palace."

Ling said, "Yes, I am free at that time."

Mei said, "GREAT, then we will meet at five."

Ling said, "Sure sister Mei."

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.

"WHO was that?" a domineering voice questioned Yang Ling.

"That is none of your concern." Yang Ling replied in a cold voice.

"Is it that Yang Mei?" asked the man in an angry tone.

The man was none other than Ling's elder brother Yang Tian. He had always disliked Yang Li since they were children.

Yang Tian was an extremely capable and shrewd man. Only a few people could escape his grasp and all of them were from the older generation. The only exception was Yang Li. He had always been wary of him. He had never been able to see through his actions. This made him uncomfortable. This was the reason that as they grew older this dislike for Yang Li turned to aversion.

Yang Tian was a proud and arrogant person. Anybody who went against the Yang family's interests was considered his enemy. Yang Li and his family had cut ties with the family. He considered them traitors. Therefore, he hated not only Yang Li but also his sister and mother.

Yang Ling said, "So what if it is, so what if it is not? Why does it matter to you? You shouldn't interfere in my matters?"

Yang Tian snorted and said, "They are traitors of the family and the elders have forbidden any contact with them."

"If you meet them, you will be punished."

Ling said, "Big Brother please do not use words like 'traitor' for them. You are well aware of what happened back then. Also, they are in fact our cousins."

"So, if I want to meet them I will. The elders can go to hell for all I care. I will do wh..."

"SHUT UP YANG LING!" roared Yang Tian.

"How dare you curse the elders? Have you gone mad after living abroad for so many years?"

When she heard him, she became angry. She said, "I will do what I want. Do not test me."

Saying that she stormed out of the house.

Yang Tian thought to himself- 'This could become a problem. I cannot allow her to mix with those siblings. I need to inform the elders. They will take care of it for me.'

And so, Yang Tian walked toward his father's study.

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Qin Ran had messaged Bing Xue about the timing and location of the party. It was to be held at the Golden Palace at 6.00 p.m.

Bing Xue messaged Yang Li all the details of the party.

Yang Li replied-'I have to go to Golden Palace with sister for a prior engagement. Should I come to pick you up after my meeting?'

Bing Xue replied- 'No need. I will meet you there.'

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Golden Palace- 5 p.m.

Yang Ling had arrived at the restaurant. When she told her name at the reception, she was guided to a table in the VIP section.

She waited for a few minutes when she saw two people come in. They were Yang Li and Yang Mei.

She stood up and greeted the siblings and they all took their seats.

Yang Mei was wearing a blue business suit and her hair was tied in a ponytail. She was not wearing any accessories but she looked absolutely stunning.

Yang Li was wearing a white shirt with black jeans and army boots. His luscious black hair was left open and he wore glasses. He was also wearing a white mask. Despite that Ling could tell he was gorgeous.

Mei looked at Yang Li and said, "There is no one else here you can take off the mask."

Li nodded and took off his mask.

When Yang Ling saw his face in its entirety she was flabbergasted.

She blurted out, "Brother Li you look so beautiful...I m-mean so handsome…."

"Pffffttttttt... hehehehe…." on hearing Ling's words Mei burst out laughing.

Ling took another glance at her cousin before she turned to Mei.

She said, "Sister Mei I'm so glad that we could finally meet."

Mei smiled and said, "Me too."

"First let's order something to drink and then we can chat."

They called the waiter and ordered some drinks and began to chat.

Yang Mei said, "You have come back after so many years. Are you planning to settle down in Colchis or will you be going back?"

Yang Ling said, "No idea sister Mei. Right now, I'm only focused on setting up a branch of my restaurant in Cinea. I haven't thought that far."

Mei said, "Fine. So, how is it going?"

"I have surveyed certain areas and spots suitable for a restaurant, however, they all belong to influential individuals from the elite families." Said Ling.

"What is the big deal? You can tell someone in your family. You can easily get the location you want for your restaurant." Said Mei.

Ling snorted and said, "My restaurant has nothing to do with the Yang family and I want to keep it that way. I don't want any interference in my business. Therefore, I want to do it on my own."

Her attitude was noticed by both the siblings. Mei had purposefully said those words as she wanted to gauge Ling's attitude towards the Yang family. It seemed that she was right. There was some friction between Yang Ling and the rest of the family.

Mei said, "Ok alright. However, if you have any difficulties, you can tell me or Li. We can help, if you need it."

Ling felt happy when Mei offered to help. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Sister Mei. Let me try by myself. If I do not succeed, I will ask for your help."

Mei said, "Ok then no worries." The girls continued chatting. Yang Li would speak a few words in between. He mostly listened to their conversation.

In this manner an hour passed. Yang Ling had to go back. Although she was invited by the siblings to stay for the party, she had some work and therefore she said her goodbyes and left the restaurant.