005, Every step counts for ten

Ji Mingqian, "..."

He took a deep breath before finally saying, "Ye Jiuliang, I really doubt whether you were born in the capital. Haven't you heard of the Li Family from the capital? Li Mochan, the Crown Prince of the Li Family, or are you all muddled up from sleep?"

Ye Jiuliang touched her nose, looking very innocent.

It really wasn't her fault, right?

Although she was born in the capital, she had grown up mostly abroad since the age of six, seldom returning to the capital and paying little attention to the local news.

"Do you have any information on him?"

"No, we can only find out that he is the ruler of the Dark Hall and some basic information; the rest is untraceable," he answered crisply.

A dark shade flitted through Ye Jiuliang's eyes, "I got it, I'll be careful."

The last few words were clearly said half-heartedly.

Over the phone, Ji Mingqian rolled his eyes in a most ungraceful manner.

Talking to Ye Jiuliang, he would sooner or later be annoyed to death by her.

After hanging up the call, Ye Jiuliang rolled back into bed and wrapped herself in the blanket to continue catching up on sleep.

As soon as Ji Mingqian hung up, Chu Chen arrived.

He asked him, "Have you made contact with Ajiu?"

Ji Mingqian nodded his head, "Just got off the phone."

"The Mei Organization has issued a bounty in search of the goods that Ajiu hijacked. Keep an eye on that," Chu Chen instructed.

Hearing "Mei Organization," Ji Mingqian scoffed with a sneer.

"Rest assured, you're not the only one who knows how shrewd Ajiu is. She used the youngest son of Old Bull to hijack that batch of goods. Even without my help, no one could trace it back to her."

He had only been scaring Ajiu on the phone just now; after all, she had snatched his beloved car.

That fox, always thinking ten steps ahead, he had yet to see anyone take advantage of her.

Chu Chen said, "That's good."

"By the way, I need to ask you something." Ji Mingqian's eyes narrowed dangerously as something crossed his mind.

"What is it?"

"Did you tell Ajiu that the silver sports car was with me?" he asked grimly.

He had only gotten his hands on the silver sports car a few days ago, and only the two of them knew about it.

A flicker of discomfort passed through the depths of Chu Chen's eyes, as he stood up, "Who said that, how would I know? I have some matters to deal with, so I'm leaving first."

With those words, his composed footsteps hastened.

Anyone could see there must be something fishy going on.

"Chu Chen, you owe me a sports car," Ji Mingqian shouted as he grabbed the keyboard from the desk and chased after him.

He knew it had to be this bastard.

At the door, a young man was waiting beside the car.

Hearing the roar from inside the house, he looked up.

The next second, Chu Chen stepped out briskly.

"Boss Chen, what's happened?" Qin Er, one of Chu Chen's most reliable aides, stepped forward to ask.

Chu Chen opened the car door and got in.

With a serious expression, he said, "Drive."

Qin Er was momentarily confused, but as he caught sight of Ji Mingqian rushing out of the house through the corner of his eye, he instantly understood and quickly got into the driver's seat.

The engine roared to life, and they sped away.

When Boss Ji lost his temper, it was best for them to be as far away as possible.

To avoid getting caught up in the storm.

...

"Amiao, I really feel sorry for you, grandfather is blatantly favoring Ye Jiuliang. If your aunt sees your face bruised like this when she gets back, she'll definitely be heartbroken," Ye Xin said indignantly in the living room.

The frustration on her face made it seem as if she was the one who had been hit.

To put it bluntly, she was just envious of Ye Jiuliang, whether it was in regards to appearances or the old man's favoritism towards Ye Jiuliang.

Ye Miao, holding an ice pack to her face, had a sinister gleam in her eyes, "Sooner or later, I'm going to settle this score with Ye Jiuliang. Why should a bastard without a father or mother be so presumptuous here?"

"As I see it, Ye Jiuliang is just a curse, having caused the death of her parents, and now she wants to disrupt our home as well," Ye Xin said through gritted teeth, her face showing hints of mockery.

"Madam..."

A servant's voice came from outside.

Ye Xin's eyes lit up, surely her mother had returned.

Now she had backup.

At the door, two elegant and noble-looking women entered.

"Mom."

Ye Xin's gaze settled on the woman dressed in a blue suit, and she got up and ran towards her like a bird freed from its cage.

"Seeing me and getting so excited, did you make some mistake at home again, hmm?" Xiang Zhen looked at her daughter, who was clutching her arm, and a tender smile spread across her lips.

Pouting her lips, Ye Xin displayed the demeanor of a spoiled young girl, "Not at all, you and Auntie have been at the temple for several days, I just missed you."

Xiang Zhen lightly tapped the tip of her nose, "You..."

"Amiao, why are you holding an ice pack to your face?" Ye Yu's eyes swept across the living room, landing on her son sitting on the couch.

Ye Xin hurried to speak, "Auntie, Amiao got hit."

Upon hearing this, Ye Yu's expression changed.

She strode forward, pulling Ye Miao's hand away and, upon touching the swollen red patch on his face, her lips quivered with anger.

"Who did this?" she asked furiously.

She had never had the heart to lay so much as a finger on her son since he was a child, so who could be so bold as to hit him?

Xiang Zhen was shocked to see the injury on Ye Miao's face.

"Amiao, who could have done such a ruthless thing?"

Getting hit was never something to be proud of, especially when it was Ye Jiuliang who had done the hitting.

Ye Miao remained silent, grabbing back the ice pack and pressing it against his swollen cheek, hiding his embarrassment.

"Auntie, it was Ye Jiuliang who hit him," Ye Xin tattled.

At these words, both Xiang Zhen and Ye Yu's expressions shifted slightly.

"Why has she suddenly returned?" Ye Yu asked, her face showing a complex mix of emotions.

Frowning, Ye Xin expressed her dissatisfaction, "Apart from Grandfather, who else would allow her to return?"

She couldn't understand why her grandfather always favored Ye Jiuliang, who was completely worthless.

Even after Ye Jiuliang had caused a heap of trouble at her school in Country Y, he still indulged her.

Ye Yu's eyes darkened as she looked at her son's swollen cheek, then suddenly calmed down, "Amiao, no matter what, Jiuliang is still a member of the Ye Family. Since Grandfather has allowed her to return, you shouldn't always go looking for trouble with her. Let's just forget this incident, and don't dwell on it."

Her attitude changed so drastically from her previous uncontrollable anger that both Ye Miao and Ye Xin were momentarily stunned.

Especially Ye Miao, whose face darkened instantly, "Mom, I'm your son, why do you always take Ye Jiuliang's side?"

He was the one who had been hit, and now even his mother was saying the same thing his grandfather did, not allowing him to trouble Ye Jiuliang.

Had Ye Jiuliang somehow bewitched them all?

"Amiao, don't get worked up," Ye Yu said understandingly, softening her tone, "Come upstairs with me."

Ye Miao tossed the ice pack aside and followed Ye Yu upstairs.

Suddenly, the living room was left with just Xiang Zhen and her daughter.

"Mom, why is Auntie acting so strangely? Amiao was hit by Ye Jiuliang, and Auntie acts as if nothing happened."

Hadn't Auntie clearly been very angry just before?

But the moment she heard Ye Jiuliang was the one who hit Amiao, it was as if she had become a different person.

Xiang Zhen glanced upstairs, her eyes filled with dark thoughts.

Why had Ye Jiuliang suddenly come back?

"Mom, what's wrong?" Ye Xin tugged at her mother's sleeve.

Xiang Zhen snapped back to reality, her words dripping with sarcasm, "Your aunt is a master at playing the game. To swallow her pride like that after Ye Miao got beaten up like this, there must be an ulterior motive behind it. Don't get involved in this mess, you won't gain anything by it."

Anyone who could stay in the Ye Family was no pushover.

Even after a divorce, a woman able to seize control of her former in-laws' company and assets, and even convince the family patriarch to entrust her with managing a portion of the Ye Family's businesses—Ye Yu's skills and cunning were certainly far from simple.

Ye Xin simply responded, "Oh," and did not ask any further.