Chapter 160: Threat From Ye Yuanhang

Ye Ziqiu dragged her heavy legs back to her room. Ever since she had walked out of her grandfather’s study, her legs felt as heavy as lead.

She had been terrified of her eldest uncle since she was a child. For some unknown reason, she just feared him. A single look from him could leave her trembling with fear for days.

Back in her room, she drank a large glass of water, her mind in chaos. Her eldest uncle had never threatened her before, even though she had badmouthed him to Lin Jian a few times. This was the first time he had threatened her to her face. It was a warning—a warning specifically meant for her.

Naturally, her eldest uncle wouldn’t do anything to her, but he was absolutely capable of sending someone back to the country to kill Lin Jian. In Migu Country, such dirty deeds were all too common. Panic washed over her, making her feel utterly lost. Even her previous resolve to sneak back to her home country began to waver.

Even if she managed to sneak back, with her eldest uncle’s power, he would likely still track her down, find Lin Jian, and kill him. If that happened, she would be the one who caused Lin Jian’s doom.

But... she was not willing to accept this fate. She didn’t want someone else to dictate her life, nor did she want to become a sacrificial lamb for a family marriage alliance.

She wanted a love of her own. She thought Lin Jian’s smile was incredibly beautiful and his voice was the most pleasant she had ever heard—perhaps the most beautiful sound in the world. She missed him. She missed him deep into her bones, hopelessly lost in her longing. This was the one and only romance of her life.

"Lin Jian, Lin Jian, what should I do?" she muttered as she patted around the bed for the phone she had just set down.

However, after fumbling around for a while, she couldn’t find it.

"Huh? Where is my phone?" She hurriedly rummaged under the pillows and through the nightstand. She even threw off the quilt and lay on the floor to check under the bed, but she still couldn’t find it. Her mind was a mess. Where had she casually left it? She thought about it for a long time. She had definitely tossed it on the bed; she hadn’t taken it to the study.

"Mrs. Wu, are you there?" she opened the door and called out. Mrs. Wu was the nanny who had been with the Ye family for many years.

"Miss Ziqiu, I’m here." Mrs. Wu walked out of the nanny’s quarters.

"Mrs. Wu, did anyone come into my room just now?" Ye Ziqiu asked anxiously.

"Miss Ziqiu, are you looking for your phone?" Mrs. Wu smiled. "Earlier, the Master ordered me to take it to him."

"What?"

Thunderstruck, Ye Ziqiu sprinted toward her grandfather’s study!

However, before she could even reach the study, her eldest uncle’s bodyguards blocked her path. Both were from Migu Country—one Black, one White—wearing sunglasses and packing heat.

"Move!" Ye Ziqiu was desperate. Her phone was her personal privacy; even her biological parents had no right to snoop through it. Furious, she tried to barge into the study.

Right then, her eldest uncle, Ye Yuanhang, opened the door and stepped out, sweeping a cold gaze over her face.

Instead of cowering, Ye Ziqiu stubbornly declared, "I need to see Grandfather to get my phone back."

"I’ll be keeping your phone safe for now. After your engagement, I will naturally return it to you." Her eldest uncle was not tall, but his triangular eyes gave him a fierce, intimidating look.

Yet, Ye Ziqiu showed no fear. "That’s my phone! What gives you the right to keep it?"

"I am your guardian. If you’re about to make a mistake, it is my duty to correct it," he replied coldly. "Also, your grandfather is going to rest. Do not make a scene. Escort Miss Ziqiu back to her room. Without my orders, she is not allowed to leave!"

"Yes, boss!"

The two bodyguards suddenly flanked Ye Ziqiu, grabbing her by the arms and dragging her back to her room!

"You... you can’t treat me like this!" Ye Ziqiu felt like she was going mad. She felt as though she had been stripped of all her human rights. Although Migu Country was a place that prided itself on human rights and strictly enforced laws, within the Ye family—and indeed in many such Chinese families—the patriarchal system was the absolute law.

Of course, Ye Ziqiu could sue them afterward, but doing so would mean offending the entire family. All her financial sources would be cut off, and even the local police and judges would likely side with her family. After all, corruption existed in Migu Country too, perhaps even more severely. In that moment, she felt incredibly powerless, completely abandoned by the world.

Meanwhile, Ye Yuanhang took Ye Ziqiu’s phone out to the grape trellis. He lit a cigar, took a drag, and only then dialed the contact saved as "Lin Xiaojian."

Lin Xiaojian was the nickname Ye Ziqiu had given Lin Jian because he had affectionately nicknamed her "Great Beauty." In Lin Jian’s phonebook, she was saved exactly like that. As a playful retort, she had saved him as Lin Xiaojian.

The call connected after two rings, but the signal was poor. Lin Jian was driving on the highway, and as everyone knew, traveling at high speeds caused the signal to cut in and out.

"Hello, Old Ye? What happened just now?"

"Are you Lin Jian?" The voice on the phone broke up, but Lin Jian could clearly hear a man speaking.

"Hui, slow down!" Upon hearing a man’s voice, Lin Jian immediately signaled Xu Xiaohui to reduce their speed, adding, "Pull into the service area ahead."

"Got it." Xu Xiaohui flicked the right turn signal, as the service area was only a few kilometers away.

At the same time, Lin Jian spoke into the phone again, "May I ask who is speaking?"

"Ye Yuanhang, Ye Ziqiu’s eldest uncle," Ye Yuanhang replied indifferently. "You must be Lin Jian, correct?"

"Yes, I am. Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Ye?"

"Here’s the situation," Ye Yuanhang said after a moment’s thought. "Ziqiu is already engaged to someone else. I know you two have been in contact, so I expect you to stop pestering her from now on."

"Mr. Ye, let Ziqiu tell me that herself." Lin Jian remained very calm. Ye Ziqiu had mentioned before that there was a high chance she would be forced into an engagement upon returning home. But she had also told him that she was actively avoiding it and planned to return to the country in six months. Therefore, her eldest uncle’s words didn’t have much of a devastating effect on him.

"You might not have understood me. I meant that you are to have no further entanglement with her, and that includes phone calls.

"So, starting from now, do not contact Ziqiu again. This phone number will be disconnected.

"Naturally, if you blindly continue to pester Ziqiu, you will likely encounter some unnecessary trouble. That is all. Goodbye!"

CLICK.

Ye Yuanhang hung up the phone immediately after finishing his sentence. He then pulled out the SIM card and tossed it away. As long as he kept Ye Ziqiu from speaking to Lin Jian for an extended period, the two would naturally drift apart!

Of course, Ye Yuanhang hoped that the toad of a little security guard would be foolish enough to come to San Francisco. If he did, Ye Yuanhang could permanently resolve this minor nuisance. After all, San Francisco was his territory!

Meanwhile, Xu Xiaohui had already pulled the car into the service area. However, none of the four people in the vehicle dared to speak; they hardly even dared to breathe!

Lin Jian, his face dark, toyed with his phone for a moment before finding the number for Jiangnan Little Wild Cat, Jiang Xue, and dialing it.