Chapter 159: The Ye Clan’s Marriage

The afternoon sun was abundant. Lin Jian stood by the window of the Lantian Hotel, enjoying the view outside.

It had been quite a while since he and Shen Ke escaped the underground culvert; they had even finished lunch. Wang Suo had settled him into the hotel in Lantian County. Fortunately, Xu Xiaohui, Wang Chuang, Tan Jian, and Qin San’Er were also staying here. Therefore, after lunch, Lin Jian prepared to head home.

After getting her wounds bandaged, Shen Ke still needed to cooperate with the Lantian County police to complete the chain of evidence, so she had to wait another day or two.

Naturally, Wang Suo wanted Lin Jian to stay for a few days. He planned to take some time off to show Lin Jian around Lantian. Lantian was most famous for its Lantian Jade, and he wanted to take Lin Jian to get a few high-quality pieces. However, Lin Jian didn’t want to delay any longer. After all, Xu Xiaohui and the other three still needed to work. Moreover, he needed to go back and prepare to sail overseas.

So, half an hour later, Qin San’Er and Xu Xiaohui bought a new phone, and Lin Jian inserted both of his SIM cards into it. One was a Lantian number, while the other was his old card. His phone had been off for days, so surely many people were looking for him. Even Old Ye might have tried to reach him, so he needed to let her know he was safe.

"Let’s go. We’re heading back to Jiang City."

Holding his new phone, he turned and headed downstairs, dialing Ye Ziqiu’s number at the same time. The call was answered after just one ring.

"Lin Jian, is that you?"

On the other end of the line, Ye Ziqiu’s voice sounded tense. She had called him countless times over the past two days, but she could never get through. And now, Lin Jian had finally called her back.

"It’s me. Old Ye, you’ve been calling me?" Lin Jian quickly explained, "I came to Anxi with a few friends to handle some business, and my phone fell into the water. I just bought a new one."

"PHEW." Over the phone, Ye Ziqiu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then her voice grew hoarse. "I thought you..."

She stopped mid-sentence. After all, they were oceans apart, in a long-distance relationship. She worried that as time passed, their feelings would fade, and they would eventually become strangers.

"Thought I what? What were you thinking?" Lin Jian frowned. "What about you? Are you in a bad mood? Were you just crying?"

If she had only been worried about not being able to reach him, she wouldn’t have cried until her voice went hoarse. Clearly, something else was bothering her.

"No, it’s nothing. I just miss you." Her voice was low, sounding drained and helpless.

"If something’s wrong, don’t hide it from me. You have to tell me," Lin Jian reminded her.

"It’s nothing, I just miss you. I’m also preparing to go back..."

Before she could finish, a woman’s voice interrupted her. "Miss Ziqiu, the Old Master is calling for you."

"Okay, I’ll be right there." Over the phone, Ye Ziqiu hurriedly said to Lin Jian, "I’ll call you later. My grandfather is calling me."

With that, she hung up.

Lin Jian sighed softly, then turned and got into the passenger seat.

Meanwhile, in a manor on the outskirts of San Francisco.

Ye Ziqiu carefully walked downstairs. She had been back for two days, ordered home by her grandfather. Just yesterday, she had officially met Li Ziheng, the youngest son of the American Chinese Li Family. Li Ziheng had come with his parents, and their main purpose was to propose marriage.

Because of this, the manor had been bustling last night. As soon as the Li Family proposed, the Old Master readily agreed, even setting the engagement ceremony for a week later.

Throughout it all, Ye Ziqiu had said nothing, not even firmly refusing, because she knew full well she was powerless to resist. In the Ye Clan, she had no right to dictate her own life.

This was one of the reasons she had been frantically calling Lin Jian over the past two days!

Naturally, even though she had gone through the matchmaking and the engagement was set for a week later, Ye Ziqiu already had her own plan! She was going to run away. She intended to flee Migu Country and return to the Continent within the week. However, she hadn’t had the chance to tell Lin Jian yet, nor had she perfected her plan. Originally, she had wanted to discuss it with him during today’s call. Unfortunately, she was interrupted.

Ye Ziqiu’s grandfather, Ye Dong, was an elder nearing his seventies. Currently sitting in Ye Dong’s study was Ye Ziqiu’s eldest uncle, Ye Yuanhang. Seeing that only her grandfather and uncle were in the study, Ye Ziqiu’s heart skipped a beat.

"Ziqiu, you’re here. Have a seat."

The "Hang" in her uncle Ye Yuanhang’s name was derived from Jiang City on the Continent, as Ye Dong’s ancestral home was in Jiang City.

"Grandfather. Uncle Yuanhang." Ye Ziqiu sat down on the sofa.

Her grandfather, Ye Dong, smiled and asked cheerfully, "Ziqiu, have you been struggling internally?"

"No, Grandfather, you’re overthinking it," Ye Ziqiu shook her head.

"You grew up by my side. How could I not know what you’re thinking?" Ye Dong said. "You don’t like Li Ziheng, and you’ve never wanted to accept the family’s arrangements. But have you ever thought about it? It’s not just you. Your peers like Ye Sen and Ye Ning—weren’t their marriages also arranged by the family?

"The reason we arrange your marriages is naturally for the long-term benefit of the family, but it’s also to look out for you. We’re looking at the future, not just the present.

"Besides, if Li Ziheng weren’t worthy of you, do you think we’d let you marry below your station? He went to the same school as you, right? Most of the Li Family’s internet business is now under his management. Moreover, he has always been devoted to you. Where else can you find a boy like that?

"In families like ours, how hard is it to find someone who is truly devoted and attentive to you? So, don’t hold on to your prejudices and resistance. You need to try to interact with him and get to know him."

"I understand, Grandfather," Ye Ziqiu said, lowering her head. She was the kind of girl with strong convictions; no matter how much anyone tried to persuade her, once she made up her mind to run away from the marriage, no one could change it.

"Good." The Old Master nodded.

At that moment, Ye Yuanhang suddenly laughed. "As for that driver and security guard you were seeing back home, stop thinking about him. He’s not good enough for you, and do you really think you two have a future?

"Of course, I know that young girls all dream of beautiful romance and have youthful impulses. But experiencing it once is enough. If you continue to stay in contact with him and refuse to sever ties, you might just end up getting him hurt."

Ye Yuanhang’s last sentence was thought-provoking, and there was even a hint of chill mixed into his smile. This was a threat—a blatant threat.

He was explicitly telling Ye Ziqiu that if she kept clinging to that little security guard and driver back home, she couldn’t blame her uncle for sending someone to the Continent to arrange an "accidental death" for him.

Hearing her uncle’s words, Ye Ziqiu felt the hair all over her body stand on end. Her uncle had secret dealings with the Mafia in San Francisco. She had even once overheard him on the phone telling someone to "take out" an opponent. Evidently, her uncle was likely a member of the Mafia himself.

So... if that was the case...

Ye Ziqiu only felt a chilling cold rise from the soles of her feet.