Chapter 55

The moment she saw the pink letter paper in Ge Yuan’s hand, Ye Wanqing felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

Mainly…

Her big man was not someone with literary cells to begin with. This love letter was read by him full of killing intent and ferocity, like a vow before marching north. The flavor… was like stir-frying facing-heaven chilies. That was stimulation.

How had there been a fish that slipped the net?

Ye Wanqing swallowed. “Yuan-ge…”

Ge Yuan’s dark eyes slanted over. He shook the letter paper in his hand. “What is this thing?”

Ye Wanqing: “Yuan-ge, I found you’re much more capable than Little Moon. You recognize every character!”

“…” Ge Yue pouted, unconvinced.

Ge Yuan was also unconvinced.

He shook the letter paper again. “What is this thing? Explain it to me properly. Don’t talk about this and that to dodge!”

“Wow, Yuan-ge, you’re so capable. You actually know a six-character idiom!”

“…” Ge Yuan gave a cold snort.

He grabbed Ye Wanqing’s hand and pulled her straight toward the room.

“I’ve still got something cooking on the stove.”

“Is food more important than me?” Ge Yuan asked back, displeased.

Ye Wanqing: “…”

Forget it. When a man got jealous he was more frightening than a woman. She had better coax him properly.

It was only a love letter. It was not something that could not be explained.

Unfortunately what Ge Yuan wanted was not an explanation at all.

The moment the door closed, the man’s tall body pressed over like a mountain, locking her tight, confining her body in a narrow space.

She lifted her head, and her lips were kissed hard. There was no room to resist at all.

Too heavy. Too fierce.

Ye Wanqing hurt a little. She pushed at the man’s chest, but he was like a wall and did not move.

Sensing her small resistance, he grew even fiercer.

Not satisfied with the sweetness of lips and teeth tangling, his big hand slipped in from the hem of her clothes, went up along her smooth back, and kneaded that clean stretch of skin hard, extremely hard.

As if he wanted to embed her in his body and never let her escape again.

Ye Wanqing wanted to cry and had no tears.

She blinked and did not resist anymore. Instead she lightly held the man’s lean waist and gently matched him. Sure enough, as if sensing her softness, the man’s brute force slowly lessened.

“Hu, huhu…”

After the kiss, Ye Wanqing leaned on the door panel, breathing lightly. Her fair pretty face was flushed. Her clean, bright apricot eyes were dyed with a layer of mist, looking charming and provoking.

As if a light feather had fallen on Ge Yuan’s heart, he leaned down again and kissed her cheek hard.

He threatened in a low voice, “If there’s a next time, I’ll definitely deal with you.”

“Deal with me then.” Ye Wanqing was not afraid.

They were not unmarried. It was not that they could not do shameful things. She had already prepared little raincoats. It was this man who insisted on being a monk.

Using this to threaten her, did he think she would be afraid?

Ge Yuan: “You…”

“No. I’m just not reserved. If you’ve got the ability, don’t knead me!” Ye Wanqing reached back and touched her back, and drew a low breath.

She always felt that stretch of skin on her back had been rubbed red by someone’s fingers with thick calluses. She glared at him in complaint. “Can’t you be lighter?”

He could!

Ge Yuan touched her again, showing it with action. “I’ll be lighter this time.”

Not only light. He also kissed.

He suddenly lowered his head, bit Ye Wanqing through her clothes, and slanted his eyes at her. The laughter in his eyes was bright, scorching.

A numb, soft patch spread across her chest. Ye Wanqing’s face reddened further. She shoved him hard. “You’re a rogue.”

“You like it?” Ge Yuan hooked his lip at an angle. What he said was not proper at all.

Ye Wanqing: “…”

“I’ll let you off for now. Tonight you have to take good care of me twice, mm?”

Ge Yuan had been bowing his waist the whole time, keeping a distance from Ye Wanqing. Now he pressed his waist over, deliberately against her. She clearly felt the change in his body at once.

Ye Wanqing: “…”

“All right or not?”

“All right, all right, all right!”

“Three times.”

“You want to tire me to death?” Ye Wanqing glared at him. “Once at most.”

This man wanted it every night, and yet refused to go to the last step. He always had her use her hand…

Heaven knew, she felt her arm strength would definitely be very impressive later. Maybe she could compare with swimmers whose upper limbs were especially developed from years of training.

“Dear: the weather has been hot lately, I hope you take care of yourself…”

Ye Wanqing’s head was about to explode. “Stop, stop, stop. Twice! You said it yourself just now. As long as I take care of you twice. Twice!”

“Deal!”

Ge Yuan smiled, pleased, took the love letter from his pants pocket, and tore it to shreds in two or three moves.

Although this thing had let him seize the chance for one more nighttime benefit, he was not grateful at all!

It seemed the earlier preparation was not enough. Even if Ye Wanqing’s roommates knew him and would state her married status outside, it was useless. Some people should be told how to be a person with fists!

He still had to go brush up his presence at Xiangnan University again, so those little white chickens would not dare keep thinking of his little woman!

—

For two or three days Ge Yuan did not bring up the love letter again. Ye Wanqing thought he had forgotten, and could not help relaxing.

At the same time she had an even worse face toward the boys who invited her.

If someone handed her a love letter to her face, she would refuse in words, and would also say, “I think, as a university student with quality, inserting yourself into someone else’s family is a very immoral thing.”

The words were a bit heavy, but the attitude was clear, and it did save her quite a bit of trouble.

From this she drew a conclusion: not everyone knew what was good for them. Toward people who did not, you should use strong medicine, and not consider their face.

Until…

Someone bought back several floral shirts and several pairs of bell-bottom jeans, itching to put on amber-to-black gradient sunglasses, and also said he wanted to treat everyone in her class to a meal.

Ye Wanqing: “…”

“You think it’s no good?” Ge Yuan put down the clothes, looking aggrieved. “Do you think I can’t be shown?”

“…No.” Ye Wanqing shook her head. “But I’m not familiar with a lot of the people in our class. I haven’t had much to do with them. There’s no need to treat people to a meal, is there?”

Ge Yuan: “…”

“Think about it. Quite a few boys in our class have written me love letters. Why spend money treating those rivals to a meal? Thinking of it that way, don’t you feel especially uncomfortable?”

“Seems so.”

“Then that’s that. We won’t treat them.” Ye Wanqing let out a breath.

To tell the truth, she really did not want to be that famous… Treating the whole class to a meal, such a rich and high-profile thing, was truly not something she could do. Also, the relationship had not reached that point. She did not want to spend money for nothing.

“Really not treating them?”

Ge Yuan frowned. Clearly he had not given up.

Ye Wanqing suggested, “Actually I also find being confessed to all the time annoying. How about recently having Old Zhong pick up and drop off Little Moon, and you take me on the bike? You go to my school a few more times, and others will retreat knowing the difficulty.”

“This works!” Ge Yuan asked with renewed interest, “Then do you think I should wear the bell-bottoms?”

“No!”

Ye Wanqing put away the floral shirts and bell-bottoms her big man had bought, planning to give them to Monkey and the others later.

As a math teacher, Ge Yuan at this time looked to her exactly like a rebellious youth who dyed his hair, pierced his ears, and liked wearing strange clothes to show personality… A bit cute, but she could not accept the aesthetic.

She still liked the simple, fresh white shirt and black pants… Mm!

—

Ye Wanqing had only suggested Ge Yuan pick her up and drop her off out of helplessness. She had not expected the effect to be very good.

She found that saying ten thousand times she was already married was not as good as walking a circle of the school with her own man.

Those refined boys, after seeing the valiant, handsome Ge Yuan, found he looked especially fierce, not someone easy to provoke. They immediately weighed the consequences of offending him in their hearts, and their courage soon disappeared by more than half.

The number of love letters Ye Wanqing received plunged at once, and let her relax for a good while.

Ge Yuan came to Xiangnan University on time every day to pick up and drop off Ye Wanqing, and also grew more and more familiar with Zhao Lingxian and the others. For Lin Kejia’s birthday she also planned to invite Ge Yuan, counting it as thanks for the meal Ye Wanqing had treated before.

Ye Wanqing felt Ge Yuan definitely would not refuse this chance to brush up his presence, so she agreed.

“Six tonight. The time is no problem, right?” Lin Kejia asked.

“No problem.” Ye Wanqing smiled. “Anyway he’ll come pick me up. We can go eat together then.”

Zhao Lingxian asked curiously, “Right, Wanqing, I still haven’t asked what your husband does? He comes to drop you off and pick you up every day. Doesn’t he have to go to work? Doesn’t he have a job?”

“He’s self-employed. Right now he does a little business himself.” On this Ye Wanqing did not hide it.

A lot of people looked down on the self-employed now, feeling doing these things was not respectable. Ye Wanqing did not feel that way. And she herself opened a shop and set up a stall. Although she was studying, she could also be called self-employed.

Zhao Lingxian immediately looked a little regretful. “Self-employed? Wanqing, I think you shouldn’t have married so early. However you look at it, you should wait until after university graduation to find a better one. Of course I’m not saying your husband isn’t a match for you. I just feel… ai, how to say it. It’s just a pity.”

After university graduation there were more choices. Then the man’s family background and conditions could be picked over.

Like now, what could a little self-employed man give Ye Wanqing?

Zhao Lingxian came from a good background and had high standards. Because she recognized Ye Wanqing, she felt she should also pick a partner excellent in every respect.

Lin Kejia asked with concern, “Wanqing, did you and your husband fall in love freely? You weren’t forced, were you?”

Ye Wanqing smiled. Although she did not agree with Zhao Lingxian’s words, she was not angry because of them.

She knew Zhao Lingxian had no ill will. She was just too straight.

“I think my husband is quite good. Although he’s only self-employed now, the country advocates opening the economy. Policy will only get better later. The self-employed have great prospects. Also, have you thought, if those of us studying economics all look down on the self-employed, can the economy still develop?”

She added, “My husband and I fell in love freely. Our feelings are very good.”

Seeing the happy smile on Ye Wanqing’s face did not look fake, Lin Kejia smiled gently. “Then that’s good. You’ll be happy. I think your husband is quite nice. He cares about you a lot, and spoils you.”

Zhao Lingxian rolled her eyes, and did not say anything more.

Although she spoke directly, she was not someone who did not know what was good for her.

Also, Ge Yuan actually looked quite good. Tall and big, valiant and straight. Standing with Ye Wanqing they were also a good match… Self-employed was self-employed. If Ye Wanqing did not live well later, she would have her family look after them a bit.

While the three talked, Zhou Rong did not speak.

She carefully scooped apple flesh with an iron spoon and fed the soft fruit into Zhou Tian’s mouth.

Zhou Tian opened a pair of ignorant big eyes and obediently ate the apple. No one knew whether she had understood the conversation just now. But seeing Ye Wanqing look at her, the little girl immediately pressed her lips and smiled a little. She looked very cute.

—

For Lin Kejia’s birthday she invited Ge Yuan, and also invited Zhao Lingxian’s boyfriend Xu Xu.

The few of them met at the school gate at six in the evening.

As the only two boys, Ge Yuan was tall and handsome, Xu Xu gentle and refined. Two different types, yet both equally drew the eye.

Ye Wanqing looked at Xu Xu a few more times and felt he was not very like the image Zhao Lingxian usually described, “gentle and polite, kind and generous, full of sympathy.” Deep in his bones there was a pride and coldness hidden very deep.

But she did not say much, and would not show it.

Feelings were a matter between two people. As long as Zhao Lingxian and Xu Xu got along pleasantly, why should outsiders say more?

Once everyone was there, Lin Kejia asked, “Where do you want to eat?”

“Anywhere is fine? We decide?” Zhao Lingxian asked.

Lin Kejia shook her head and awkwardly gave a warning in advance. “We can’t go somewhere too expensive. I can’t afford it.”

The shops at the school gate were all fairly high in price, but not absurdly expensive. If it was good and practical, food street was of course the first choice, and the most suitable.

Ye Wanqing was just about to suggest it when straight-speaking Zhao Lingxian spoke again. “Then let’s go to food street! I know there’s a nice, practical place there. I heard that restaurant is a bit small, but the taste is also said to be very good.”

As she spoke, Zhao Lingxian started acting spoiled. “No, no. I’ve heard people mention that place and been craving it for a long time. Today we have to go.”

“What do you think?” Lin Kejia asked the other two roommates.

Zhou Rong would not object. Ye Wanqing had no opinion either.

So the group walked toward food street.

Zhao Lingxian was still introducing the place. “I heard it’s Sichuan flavor. Cold skin noodles, cold noodles, and cold dishes… I went to Sichuan to play before. I felt Chengdu food was unmatched. I don’t know how much of the essence that shop has, or if the sign just looks good.”

“Right, it seems the shop also has braised food. Let’s order some later? Kejia, if you don’t have enough money, I’ll pay.”

She chattered. Xu Xu looked at her now and then, helplessness and a bit of laughter in his eyes.

Lin Kejia was made a little embarrassed by Zhao Lingxian and quickly waved her hand. “Enough. It’s still enough. You don’t have to pay.”

Ye Wanqing’s mood was also complicated.

The more she listened, the more she felt the shop in Zhao Lingxian’s mouth, “a bit small, the things sold not presentable, but still fairly clean,” should be the little stall she had set up.

So…

“Tonight none of you have to pay. I’ll treat.” Ye Wanqing said.

“How can that be?” Lin Kejia did not agree. “Wanqing, you don’t have to worry about me so much. Although my finances aren’t very good, I still have the money to treat you to a meal. Also, today is my birthday.”

“…” Ye Wanqing could not help laughing. “All right. We’ll see later.”

When they reached food street, the group pushed through the coming and going crowd to Ye Wanqing’s stall. Cao Xiang saw the pretty, bright-eyed Ye Wanqing in the crowd at a glance. Thinking she had come to supervise the business, she quickly greeted her warmly.

“Boss, you’re here. Business is good today.”

Zhao Lingxian: “…”

Lin Kejia: “…”

Xu Xu: “…”

Even Zhou Rong looked at Ye Wanqing in surprise, as if she had seen some immortal.

Ye Wanqing helplessly spread her hands. “Just as you see. This stall is mine. Cao Xiang is the employee I hired… So, thank you very much for choosing my territory. Today let me be host once more?”

Lin Kejia quickly said, “Today is my birthday. I’ll still treat.”

“That’s fine too.” Ye Wanqing did not force it. She thought, and said with a smile, “Then I’ll give you a birthday gift. How about a forty percent discount?”

“All right.” Lin Kejia smiled too.

—

When Ye Wanqing rented this stall, she had taken a fancy to the stretch of empty ground beside it where three or four tables could be set. These tables were indeed very practical.

Like now. They just came in handy.

After waiting a while for seats, the few of them pushed two tables together and sat around them.

Since Ye Wanqing had come, Cao Xiang of course took special care.

She briskly mixed several portions of cold skin noodles and cold noodles, made a big plate of cold dishes, cut two plates of braised food, and set a full table.

“Boss, taste my skill again. See if I’ve regressed or improved.” Cao Xiang put down the last plate of braised food and said with a smile.

“Just from the look I feel it’s improved.” Ye Wanqing smiled too.

The two chatted a few sentences. Someone else wanted to buy something. Cao Xiang quickly went to work.

Although Zhao Lingxian had looked down on the self-employed before, she did not feel awkward now. Seeing this little stall was actually Ye Wanqing’s, she curiously asked about rent and income.

Who asked so bluntly? Asking about income was even a bit taboo.

To put it big, this was probing business secrets!

Xu Xu tugged Zhao Lingxian’s sleeve to remind her. She instead widened her eyes. “Are you annoying? Why do you keep pulling my clothes?”

Xu Xu: “…”

Besides these two, everyone else held back laughter and did not speak.

Once the food was all up, eating alone could stop a mouth.

Soon Zhao Lingxian had no time to talk. She ate both elegantly and fast. Even Xu Xu, a grown man, could not out-grab her.

Seeing her like this, Ye Wanqing could not help laughing again.

The little stall had no alcohol. Ge Yuan got up and bought a few bottles of beer back. It could be called very thoughtful.

A few young people poured beer, raised glasses together, and said “happy birthday.” Lin Kejia’s face was red. She smiled and thanked them, saying straight out this was the happiest day she had had in so many years.

This meal was eaten extremely happily.

Laughter and talk. Youth unrestrained.

Even Zhou Rong, usually extremely silent, carried a bit of a smile. Holding little Zhou Tian in her arms, when she raised her glass, that face thinned by the years and a bit weathered seemed to have grown quite a bit younger.

—

They had drunk a little and were a bit tipsy.

Ye Wanqing walked beside Ge Yuan, who was pushing the bicycle. The two slowly walked home. Clear wind, bright moon. Extremely at ease.

Ge Yuan suddenly asked, “Wanqing, do your roommates have some prejudice against the self-employed?”

“What?” Ye Wanqing turned her head.

“From what Zhao Lingxian said, I can feel some of her thoughts.”

“Are you in a bad mood?”

Ye Wanqing grew a little anxious.

She had been too lazy to refute Zhao Lingxian’s words because she felt different views were a very normal thing. How others thought, she did not necessarily agree, but she also did not necessarily have to force her opinion on others and make them accept her view.

But if Ge Yuan was unhappy because of it, she could not pretend not to see.

She looked at Ge Yuan and found there was no gloom in the man’s eyes. Instead they were calm as idle clouds, extremely clear.

“I’m not in a bad mood. I’ve actually been stirred up. I feel… who?” As he spoke, Ge Yuan suddenly raised his voice in a sharp shout.

He turned his head toward a direction, dark eyes cold and severe.

In the direction he stared hard, a black shadow was faintly hidden. Caught by him all at once, the shadow froze an instant, then turned and ran toward the distance, like a dog fleeing in panic.

Ge Yuan laughed coldly, sprinted like a hunting leopard, and in less than two or three moves had the sneaking figure in his hand.

Caught by Ge Yuan, the person struggled hard.

Unfortunately the person was thin and weak, and could not struggle out of Ge Yuan’s hand at all, and grew anxious.

“You… let me go!”

“I was only passing by. I didn’t do anything. Let me go!”

This voice was very familiar.

Hearing this familiar voice all at once, Ye Wanqing could not help freezing. She walked quickly to Ge Yuan’s side. Her voice was a little tight. “Ye Mingzhu, is that you?”

The black shadow immediately stopped struggling.

Ge Yuan dragged the person to a lit place and looked. The thin, small, thoroughly bedraggled person was none other than Ye Mingzhu.

Because she had not cleaned up for too long, her hair was knotted strand by strand, stuck tight to her scalp. The clothes on her body were also filthy, giving off a sour stink. She had also thinned a lot. Her little face was yellow with black in it, looking especially pitiful.

If the voice had not been too familiar, if Ye Wanqing had run into her on the street all at once, she might not have recognized her at all.

“How did you become like this?” Ye Wanqing frowned. “Didn’t you take clothes when you left, and money too?”

In her impression Ye Mingzhu was a person with calculations in her heart, and should have been able to manage her life decently. She had not expected Ye Mingzhu to be this down and out, this miserable.

Ye Mingzhu bit her lip hard with her teeth, and only after a long while forced out a sentence. “It was all robbed!”

“Robbed?”

“Otherwise? You think everyone in this world is a good person, and the moment I come out I can eat well and drink spicy, and be held up by people?” Ye Mingzhu suddenly cried hard. “I came to the provincial capital with the bus before. How did I not know the provincial capital had so many bad people? They’re too hateful. Why don’t those people go die? They robbed my things for their families to use. Aren’t they afraid of getting rotten skin?!”

Ye Wanqing took a deep breath. Ye Mingzhu’s shifting of blame made her a little annoyed. She asked, “Then what do you plan to do now? Do you want me to send you back?”

The moment the words were out she felt they were not right.

Sure enough, Ye Mingzhu shook her head in panic. Her eyes even carried a few parts of fear and resentment. “I won’t go back! If I go back they’ll force me to death! You’re living well now, but do you know what kind of days I’ve been living? You don’t know at all!”

“She doesn’t know what days you’ve been living, but what right do you have to question her like this? Why should she care about you?” Ge Yuan suddenly let go, dropped Ye Mingzhu on the ground in disgust, and said coldly, “Before it was your Ye family that had no face, and bought out more than ten years of kinship with ten thousand yuan. At the time you didn’t even let out a fart. Now none of you have the right to accuse Ye Wanqing of anything!”

“But, but I’m her sister…” Ye Mingzhu suddenly froze, covered her face, and started crying. “I didn’t want it like this either. I also want to live properly. But I really couldn’t stay at home. Grandpa and Grandma changed. Dad and Mom changed too… They all think I’m dirty, think I’m unclean. But I’m not resigned!”

“I clearly did nothing wrong. Why should people point at me? Just because I was bullied? Shouldn’t the ones who should die be the people who did bad things? Shouldn’t they be shot? Why do I have to die to show my will, so I won’t lose face for the family?”

“I don’t want to die, so I ran out. I will never go back either!”

“If you want to send me back, then I’ll die here!”

“…”

In front of Ge Yuan, Ye Mingzhu did not dare be unrestrained, but as she spoke grief rose from within, and she cried until she could not control herself.

“Then what do you want?” Ye Wanqing suddenly asked.

Ye Mingzhu froze for a very long time. Just as Ge Yuan was about to lose patience and lift a foot to kick her, she spoke in a low voice. “I don’t know either. Anyway… anyway don’t you manage me.”

“Who the hell cares to manage you?!” Ge Yuan laughed coldly, pulled Ye Wanqing, and left.

Ye Wanqing hesitated an instant, did not resist, and obediently followed Ge Yuan home.

To tell the truth, she was a little disappointed in Ye Mingzhu.

She sympathized that Ye Mingzhu had gone through those terrible things, but she also did not feel she should cheapen herself and press a warm face to a cold backside.

If Ye Mingzhu’s attitude was good, she would definitely give her a hand. Money or things, either was fine. But if Ye Mingzhu kept this attitude, what was there left to say?

Once a once-close relationship was broken, sometimes it could not compare to the goodwill shown to a stranger.

Ye Mingzhu was no longer someone who could rely on a “sisters” relationship and be unrestrained in front of her. She would not indulge her.

—

The two set foot on the road home again. Only this time Ye Wanqing’s mood was a little heavy.

Ye Mingzhu’s crying behind her was like a solid shackle, locking the heart that had still been soaring just now, making her lost, and a little irritable.

After getting home, Ye Wanqing was a little absent-minded.

Until she climbed into bed, she still could not quite sleep.

Tonight Ge Yuan was considerate of her mood, and did not pester her.

She lay on her side toward the window, her gaze always toward outside. What floated before her eyes was still Ye Mingzhu’s bedraggled, pitiful look…

In the previous life and this one she had never seen Ye Mingzhu that bedraggled.

She had once thought watching the Ye family fall was a satisfying thing. But Ye Xiangdang in the hospital, Liu Lizhen in prison, Ye Mingzhu becoming like this, actually none of it could make her smile.

In the end Ye Wanqing still got up from the bed.

She did not turn on the light. By the moonlight outside the window she put on her shoes, pushed the door open, and walked into the courtyard.

As if her heart sensed something, she walked straight to the courtyard gate. The moment she opened it, a figure sleeping against the gate, losing its support, fell into the courtyard and crashed hard on the ground.

Ye Mingzhu lifted her eyes in a daze. “Jie?”