Chapter 197: So Many Wonderful Firsts in Life

These days, Ye Ziqiu’s sleep quality had been very poor. Plagued by nightmares, she tossed and turned all night. With her phone confiscated, her only channel of communication with the outside world was completely severed. Fortunately, she enjoyed reading and had spent the past few days passing the time with books.

Her grandfather had come upstairs once to try and persuade her, but out of spite, she had refused to speak to him. After that, he never came back. Like a helpless little bunny, she felt that no one in this home cared about her. Even her grandfather’s care seemed to come with strings attached. And now that she hadn’t agreed to their conditions, even he found her an eyesore. Sometimes, she felt pathetic, yet somewhat ridiculous. Such a home left her with not a shred of nostalgia.

Unfortunately, her attempts to escape the estate over the past few days had all failed. First, the guards kept a tight watch. Second, her passport had been confiscated. Third, her uncle had actually called Ye Zisu back to share a room with her, keeping a close, inseparable eye on her.

Ye Zisu was her uncle’s fourth daughter. Since childhood, Ye Ziqiu had been bullied by her, and as they grew older, Ye Zisu only intensified her mockery and belittlement. This woman had no other skills, but her ability to snitch or file malicious complaints was top-notch. She would always fabricate things out of thin air, then pretend to be wronged and pitiful, ultimately leaving Ye Ziqiu to take the blame. Therefore, as an adult, Ye Ziqiu always avoided Ye Zisu. Wherever Ye Zisu was, she would take a detour. However, now that Ye Zisu had been called back by her uncle to watch her twenty-four hours a day, Ye Ziqiu felt exceptionally exhausted.

The early morning sun shone on the second-floor balcony. Ye Ziqiu had woken up very early. Holding a book and enjoying the morning breeze, she watched her grandfather practicing Tai Chi downstairs.

Ye Zisu was still sleeping. Although this woman’s character was lacking, her figure was absolutely top-tier. Her sleeping posture would definitely give many men nosebleeds! And the thought of nosebleeds reminded Ye Ziqiu of Lin Jian. It also brought to mind the passion she had shared with him. Being with Lin Jian was the first romance of her life—her first kiss, the first time a boy’s hands had conquered her peaks, the first time she had lain naked in front of a boy. So many firsts! She felt that this was what life truly was—a wonderful life!

Unfortunately, would her future still hold such a life? In two days, she would be engaged to Li Ziheng. Once engaged, whether she admitted it or not, she would officially be his fiancée. At that time, she would no longer be considered a member of the Ye Family, but rather a daughter-in-law of the Li Family. She couldn’t imagine what she would do in just a few days.

In the distance, a black Bentley slowly drove over. It was her uncle’s car.

She was quite curious. It was barely dawn—why was he here so early? She tried her best to hide behind the curtains, not wanting him to spot her. A moment later, her uncle hurriedly got out of the car, approached the old man, and said, "Dad, something happened."

"Hmm?"

The old man, who was practicing Tai Chi, slowly came to a halt. His eldest son had managed the family for years and had always been steady. He had never seen Ye Yuanhang looking this panicked before. And now, he actually seemed somewhat flustered and urgent?

"What happened?" Elder Ye glanced up at the second floor, noticing that his granddaughter didn’t seem to be there.

Ye Yuanhang also swept a glance at the second floor before lowering his voice. "Starting from yesterday afternoon, several of my properties have been successively robbed and burned. Initial estimates put the losses at over four hundred million."

"What?" Hearing Ye Yuanhang’s words, Elder Ye was deeply startled. Over four hundred million? That was an astronomical figure.

"Was it all your gray-market properties? Just how big are these underground businesses of yours now?" Elder Ye was shocked. In truth, he had washed his hands of the company’s affairs for years, nor did he interfere with what Ye Yuanhang did on the outside. He knew Ye Yuanhang had gray-market properties—gambling dens and some shady businesses. But he never expected that his eldest son’s underground operations could lose four hundred million overnight.

"Very big," Ye Yuanhang didn’t hide it. "It involves many areas."

Elder Ye nodded. He didn’t press for details, but instead furrowed his brows. "Who did it? Is it very troublesome?"

"You might not believe it if I tell you!" Ye Yuanhang gave a bitter smile and glanced at the second-floor window again. "It’s that security guard from the Continent who likes Ziqiu."

"What?"

Elder Ye froze. He wondered if Ye Yuanhang was joking with him. Had a single security guard from the Continent really caused him to lose four hundred million overnight? Did this security guard strap nuclear bombs to his body? Otherwise, how could he have such Great Power?

Meanwhile, Ye Ziqiu, who was eavesdropping by the second-floor window, was taken aback. Although her grandfather and uncle had lowered their voices, she had always had sharp hearing and keen eyesight, so she faintly caught the gist of it. A security guard from the Continent had caused her uncle’s gray-market businesses to lose four hundred million overnight.

"Come, let’s talk in the study!" Elder Ye finally took the matter seriously. He wondered if that security guard had divine assistance. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to cause them such severe losses on their own turf.

The father and son hurriedly returned to the study and closed the door.

Ye Ziqiu was anxious. "Is Lin Jian here? What exactly happened?" she wondered.