Chapter 122: Whose little beauty is this?
At Zijin Que, the Ye family naturally had dedicated staff to handle makeup for their own family members.
Ji Yunqi sat before the dressing table, allowing the few people around her to apply makeup.
After all, the style being followed was light and elegant, so the makeup requirements weren’t too high, just a light touch of makeup on her face.
At this time, not only the makeup and dress, but also a delicate little white flower was placed on Ji Yunqi’s head.
“Our young lady is really beautiful~”
“She looks so cute, it makes people want to hug her~”
Listening to the exaggerated words of those around her, Ji Yunqi felt helpless in her heart, but looking at herself in the mirror, a hint of joy also arose within her.
This makeup style was something she hadn’t tried before when she was in Rongcheng, and her wife would surely like it, right?
If she acted a little coy then, wouldn’t that charm him completely?
“Are you ready? Great Grandfather will be here soon.” Ye Xuan saw that Ji Yunqi had been in the makeup room for quite some time and couldn’t help but walk in directly.
Ji Yunqi also responded and turned her head to look, and at this moment, their eyes met, and Ye Xuan was stunned by the scene before him.
The girl in front of him was just an ordinary girl an hour ago. Although her appearance was acceptable, at most it made him want to look at her a couple more times.
But now, with just light makeup, why did it give him such a strange feeling?
This feeling made his heart race and his blood surge.
It was like…
Can’t think about it, can’t think about it!
Ye Xuan cursed himself as a novice, realizing his own abnormality.
She is your sister, how can you have such vulgar thoughts?
Ji Yunqi could foresee that Ye Xuan would be captivated by her appearance, which also made her feel a little helpless.
This kid…
“Am I pretty?”
“Pretty…” Ye Xuan answered almost without thinking.
Seeing Ji Yunqi’s charming smile curl up at the corner of her lips, he realized that he had fallen into her trap!
Damn it, to be seduced by her one day, how hateful!
It seems that after going back, he needs to watch more videos of those young ladies. It’s not because he wants to watch them himself, but purely because he wants to exercise his willpower.
Yes, that’s right, reject ultra-sensitive skin!
“Great Grandfather is here, waiting for you outside.”
“Mm, I know.”
Ji Yunqi got up and tidied her attire a little, ensuring there were no flaws, and prepared to go out.
Since the old man was waiting for her outside, she couldn’t continue messing around anymore. She couldn’t keep him waiting, she still needed to have basic manners.
She wondered what kind of banquet it would be this time?
Ji Yunqi was quite looking forward to it.
However, because she was wearing high heels, Ji Yunqi’s walk was a little unsteady. She was, after all, a girl who learned things later in life, and high heels were truly… difficult to handle.
Ji Yunqi didn’t act coy at all and naturally grabbed Ye Xuan’s arm, treating him directly as a human crutch.
“Take me to him.”
“Okay, okay.”
After the two walked out of the makeup room, they headed towards the lounge.
However, they saw quite a few people along the way, and among them, Ji Yunqi also saw many people who amazed her.
They were either refined and elegant or outstanding in appearance. It had to be said that Kyoto was truly a place where hidden talents dwelled.
If Ji Yunqi hadn’t come here herself, and someone told her how outstanding the people in Kyoto were, she definitely wouldn’t have believed it completely.
“Kyoto is truly… a financial center~”
Ye Xuan’s eyes paused, and he chuckled, “After all, it’s the capital of the country, so it’s natural to receive attention. This is normal, but it’s not entirely a good thing…”
“Oh, what do you mean?” Seeing Ye Xuan’s expression, Ji Yunqi suddenly became curious.
“Kyoto is indeed the capital, and it’s the political center and financial center. Although this will lead to very rapid economic development in Kyoto and attract a large number of talents.”
“However…”
“Precisely because of this, Kyoto is not actually good in terms of environment or quality of life, at least for most people.”
Ji Yunqi nodded. It was indeed true. As the saying goes, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. If a city is very developed, it is bound to have a fast pace of life and cannot achieve a leisurely state.
Conversely.
As they walked, Ji Yunqi saw many people talking to each other, discussing their respective projects and so on.
It seemed that in Kyoto, any banquet held by prominent figures would have purposes and meanings that were not limited to simple reasons like celebrating birthdays.
More importantly, it provided a channel for the people of Kyoto to get to know each other. In a sense, these banquets were also part of promoting economic development.
“Yo, our little beauty is finally here, haha.” Ye Lingyu started teasing Ji Yunqi as soon as he saw her.
Fortunately, Ye Lingyu was sitting in a special lounge, and there were no outsiders present, otherwise, Ji Yunqi would have wished she could disappear into a crack in the wall.
Seeing Ji Yunqi’s face turn slightly red, Ye Lingyu became even more animated.
“Yo yo yo, you’re shy now, hahahahaha.”
“Old man, that’s enough!” Ji Yunqi couldn’t take it anymore, placed her hands on her hips, and looked at Ye Lingyu with a serious expression, looking like a fierce but cute little cat.
Ye Lingyu sighed helplessly, “Alas, really, I was just teasing you a little, why are you so impatient?”
Ye Lingyu didn’t have any deep meaning; he just wanted to tease Ji Yunqi.
After all, he suddenly remembered last night that this little loli seemed to be his son-in-law!
For so long, because of Ji Yunqi’s cute appearance, he had momentarily forgotten that this was a middle-aged, greasy uncle in disguise.
And when he remembered, he naturally had to tease her properly.
It was considered entertainment, to liven up the atmosphere.
After all…
Perhaps if he didn’t tease her now, he wouldn’t have the chance?
Ye Lingyu then beckoned to Ji Yunqi, “Come here, come to me.”
Although Ji Yunqi didn’t understand what this old man wanted to do, she obediently leaned over to his side and then squatted down.
Ye Lingyu sat on the sofa, looking at the cute Ji Yunqi in front of him, and couldn’t help but reach out and touch her cheek.
This scene… how nostalgic…
The last time he gently stroked his daughter’s face like this was when his daughter was in her teens. How many years has it been since then?
It’s probably been thirty or even nearly forty years…
If time could turn back, he might not have chosen to be so stubborn and would have actively apologized to his daughter, but unfortunately, it was all irreversible.
He had wasted decades of his life, and only the child in front of him often chatted with him.
“You’ve had a hard time all these years…”
Ji Yunqi also reached out and placed her hand on Ye Lingyu’s rough hand, “I’m fine, this is everything I should do.”
…
Before Ji Yunqi and Ye Lingyu could talk further, seeing that the banquet was about to begin, Ye Lingyu pulled Ji Yunqi and walked towards the venue.
Perhaps it was her first time attending such a grand occasion, Ji Yunqi was still a little nervous.
After all, anyone who came here could be considered a dragon among men, far beyond what she could compare to.
Sensing Ji Yunqi’s slight trembling, Ye Lingyu patted her shoulder, “Don’t be afraid, Dad is here today, and I can handle anything for you!”
Ji Yunqi looked up at Ye Lingyu blankly. This… these words… were truly domineering! Dad looks so handsome tonight~
“Okay.”
After a brief conversation, Ji Yunqi instinctively leaned closer to Ye Lingyu and linked her arm with his.
At this moment, their relationship seemed to no longer be that of a father-in-law and son-in-law. It seemed… this relationship had quietly changed…
Ji Yunqi had no parents since childhood. The biggest reason she survived until today was that she had to live tenaciously on her own.
Ye Lingyu had a falling out with his daughter at the peak of his life, and since then he had been living in a predicament where his children were not by his side for decades.
And during these decades, it was Ji Yunqi who often accompanied him, even in the identity of a son-in-law…
But aren’t people all saying that a son-in-law is half a son?
Then, if his son-in-law accompanied him for decades like this, could he still be considered half a son?
Perhaps in Ye Lingyu’s eyes, he had long regarded Ji Yunqi as his child completely.
After all, he was willing to protect her and willing to eliminate hidden dangers and unknown risks for her.
Ye Lingyu himself didn’t know what his inner thoughts were. Did he truly regard Ji Yunqi as his child, or was he simply projecting the care he had owed his daughter for decades onto his son-in-law?
It didn’t matter anymore…
As the saying goes, a gentleman judges actions, not intentions. As long as the actions are correct and do not go against one’s own conscience, it is completely sufficient.
“Yo yo yo, who is this? Isn’t this Old Ye? Why are you here personally today?” As Ye Lingyu was bringing Ji Yunqi around, an old man who also looked quite old walked towards them.
His first reaction upon seeing Ye Lingyu was to put on a smile and walk over.
Ye Lingyu also smiled, “I was planning to visit you later, but we met like this.”
“You old fellow, this is just an excuse to fob me off, right? If I hadn’t bumped into you, you probably would have run away after the banquet, hahahaha.”
“How could that be?”
It was at this moment that the other party also noticed Ji Yunqi beside Ye Lingyu, “Oh, who is this young lady? I’ve never seen her before.”
“Ah, this one, she’s my granddaughter-in-law. I brought her to broaden her horizons.”
“Oh oh oh, so that’s how it is. Then when your grandson marries this young lady, you must invite me, haha.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll definitely invite you then.”
Then, Ye Lingyu looked at Ji Yunqi again.
“Let me introduce you. You can just call him Grandpa Sun. He’s an old acquaintance of mine.”
Ji Yunqi immediately showed a sweet smile as instructed, “Hello Grandpa Sun~”
“Oh my! Hello, hello, pretty girl. Grandpa Sun doesn’t have anything else, so this card is a meeting gift for you~”
Saying that, Old Sun casually took out a silver card from his bag. Although she didn’t know what it was, Ji Yunqi held to the principle that one should not refuse a gift from an elder and naturally accepted it.
“Thank you, Grandpa Sun~”
Ji Yunqi’s sweet voice, coupled with her obedient face, naturally made Old Sun very happy.
“Oh my, you must come and visit me often in the future, okay?”
Ji Yunqi nodded, “I understand.”
Ji Yunqi felt extremely proud looking at the old man’s genuine smile.
Just kidding, she had lived for decades, and she wasn’t much different from these old men. She knew what kind of young girls old men liked.
Although she wasn’t good at charming seventeen or eighteen-year-old young boys, she was quite adept at charming old men in their seventies or eighties!
“Alright, I won’t talk to you anymore. I still need to show her around, so we’re leaving.”
“Okay, you go ahead. Just call me if you need anything.”
After parting with Old Sun, Ji Yunqi took out the silver card and asked, “Dad, what is this?”
Ye Lingyu didn’t look back and casually said, “It’s a card for a beauty salon. Silver is considered VIP. With this card, you can enjoy VIP treatment.”
“Oh, it looks pretty good~”
“Heh, of course. The Sun family’s beauty salon has the best results in Kyoto. You’ve actually made a profit, getting a free bargain.”
Ji Yunqi quickly put away the silver card. She didn’t realize it was so valuable!
“Look at your little miserly appearance. What’s wrong? Am I treating you badly? You look like you’re short of money.”
It was better that Ye Lingyu didn’t say anything, but as soon as he did, Ji Yunqi’s small face immediately drooped like a cat’s.
“Isn’t that obvious? You have no idea how expensive things are in Kyoto!” She had seen how expensive Kyoto was. Although others had taken her out during this time, she didn’t have many opportunities to spend money.
However, she was now living in high-society circles.
She wouldn’t even mention the prices of things in this circle… The key was that she only had the few thousand yuan she earned working at her son’s company before.
Her previous savings had all been used to buy her son a house and hold a wedding.
She still had a lot left after buying the house, but after the wedding, there was really nothing left…
Understanding Ji Yunqi’s resentful gaze, Ye Lingyu’s expression became visibly awkward, but he didn’t say anything, just quietly kept it in mind.
He would send her some money when they got back. He actually forgot about this…
As the two walked towards the center of the banquet hall, they encountered more and more people, and Ye Lingyu introduced them to Ji Yunqi one by one.
“This is…”
Xia Zijie interrupted Ji Yunqi with a raised hand, a gentle smile on his face, “Alright, no need for introductions. Mr. Ye and I already know each other. I believe Mr. Ye should remember me from last time, right?”
Ye Lingyu always had a smiling and welcoming demeanor when facing others, but now, seeing Xia Zijie, it was as if he had seen a pig trying to eat his cabbage, his face full of vigilance.
However, he still maintained a moderately good attitude, at least he didn’t openly say anything negative about Xia Zijie.
“Of course, but that’s under the premise that you won’t have designs on my girl.”
Xia Zijie was slightly stunned, then showed an awkward expression. He really wanted to, but if the other party was unwilling, how could he force it?
“Alright, alright, I still need to show her around. You can get out of the way.” Ye Lingyu wouldn’t give such a pig who coveted his cabbage any good looks.
Not driving him away on the spot was already his acknowledgment that Xia Zijie would protect Ji Yunqi.
He wasn’t here before, so it was this kid’s turn to get involved. If he had come back earlier, would it have been your turn, kid?
Xia Zijie smiled at Ji Yunqi, then even made a gesture of ‘six’ with his right hand near his ear in front of Ye Lingyu and smiled as he left.
As for what this gesture meant, any normal person could tell.
Ye Lingyu was truly angered.
He looked down and saw that Ji Yunqi was actually smiling and nodding!
“Hey, girl, don’t tell me you fancy him too?”
“Ah?”
Ji Yunqi felt wronged in her heart. When did she ever say she fancied Xia Zijie?
It was just that Xia Zijie had helped her with quite a few things, and she had promised to go out with Xia Zijie. In a way, they could be considered friends, right?
Was this old man really so heartless?
“What nonsense are you talking about? We’re just friends.”
“Heh, you’re quite innocent towards him, but he might not be towards you!”
“Stop talking, I know.”
Ye Lingyu was still reluctant to say too much. He couldn’t control the affairs of young people too much.
…
From a distance…
Gu Ming, who had been socializing with others, also noticed the figures of Ye Lingyu and Ji Yunqi.
He didn’t recognize them at first until Gu Yunzhi mentioned it, and he realized.
Even Gu Ming himself didn’t expect his daughter to look so beautiful when dressed up!
However, at this moment, he was in a dilemma because Gu Yunzhi had said that Ji Yunqi had been hanging out with Ye Xuan recently.
Who was Ye Xuan? He was from the Ye family, and he couldn’t afford to offend the Ye family. But now, Ye Xuan couldn’t be seen anywhere. Wasn’t it just an old man beside Ji Yunqi?
It seemed that today was a good opportunity to take her back.
He had already calculated it. As long as he could take her back, everything would be fine, because at that time, no one would suspect anything, and who would think of it?
Thinking this, Gu Ming walked up without further thought.
“My daughter, so you’re here.”
Hearing that familiar and yet detestable voice, Ji Yunqi sighed slightly and then looked at Ye Lingyu.
He also understood what was going on. This person should be the so-called head of the Gu family.
It was no wonder that when they were in Rongcheng before, Ji Yunqi had asked him about the situation of the Gu family. And judging by the current situation, this person clearly hadn’t figured things out!
“Don’t talk nonsense, I haven’t acknowledged you as my father.” Ji Yunqi’s gaze was very cold. She really didn’t want to have anything to do with Gu Ming.
“How can you say that? Dad has been looking for you for so long, you should come home with me.”
Then Gu Ming looked at Ye Lingyu, “Yo, who is this elderly gentleman? My daughter is a bit mischievous, please give way, sir.”
Although Gu Ming’s words sounded polite, in reality, his actions showed no respect at all.
Ji Yunqi could probably understand this. After all, despite the old man’s status, most of the dignitaries in Kyoto knew of him, but very few had actually seen him in person.
The old man had also said that the Gu family was a new family, and they were probably among those who hadn’t seen him.
Just as Gu Ming was about to grab her and pull her away, a pair of aged hands grabbed his arm.
“Kid, who do you think you are, trying to snatch someone from me?”
Gu Ming retracted his hand, which was being pinched painfully, and looked at Ye Lingyu with suspicion.
He thought that this old man was just someone Ji Yunqi had casually found to get inside, but he didn’t expect him to have some background.
Anyone who dared to make a move here was probably not to be trifled with.
He just didn’t know what the identity of the person in front of him was.
“Kid, this girl is not someone you can touch! I advise this old man to stay away from her, or your Gu family’s hard-earned foundation might be destroyed.”
“Old man, you’re threatening me!” Gu Ming had been in a bad mood recently, and he was already very angry. Now, someone of unknown origin was threatening him.
However, despite this, Gu Ming did not lose his reason. The situation here had not yet attracted the attention of others, so he had to take her away quickly.
“No matter who you are, you won’t stop me today.”
Just as Gu Ming was about to make a move again, a voice reached his ears.
“It seems you’ve forgotten what I said, Mr. Gu.”
The three of them turned their heads in unison, and saw Xia Zijie’s figure appearing here again. He didn’t even give Gu Ming a direct glance but bowed respectfully to Ye Lingyu, “Elder Ye, you don’t need to speak. I’ll handle this kind of scum.”
After saying this, Xia Zijie’s amiable expression changed, and he looked at Gu Ming, “I think I already told you, if you have any more ideas about her, I will take action against your family.”
“I believe you should know what to choose, whether to protect yourself or to lie low is up to you.”
Gu Ming’s brows seemed like they could pinch a fly to death.
Cold sweat also broke out on his forehead…
Being called Mr. Ye so respectfully by Xia Zijie could only be the Ye family’s grandfather, Ye Yiqiu?
Whether it was or not, the elder in front of him had an even higher status, and he was someone he couldn’t afford to offend.
Thinking that he had just offended someone, Gu Ming knew that he was finished today.
“Haha, I was too abrupt. Brother Xia, please forgive me.”
“It was I who offended Elder Ye just now. I will visit you another day to apologize. Since Mr. Gu has other matters to attend to, please excuse me…”
“Hmm, get lost…”
Watching Gu Ming’s dejected figure flee, Ji Yunqi couldn’t have been happier.
Finally, she could hold her head high and feel proud! This feeling was simply wonderful!
…
