Chapter 313: Chapter 313
Bai Xue originally wanted to come along, but seeing her husband’s gloomy expression, she decided not to. Despite Ye Qian’s persuasion, Bai Xue insisted on taking a stroll at a neighbor’s house, which eased Ye Qian’s worries. Ye Qian saw that Shen Bin wanted to discuss something with her father, and her father was dragging Ye Ling along. When Ye Ling caused big trouble at school, her father helped cover it up and even resolved it, showing the extent of his favoritism towards Ye Ling. Ye Ling excelled in her studies and got into university, and Ye Qian already felt that Ye Ling had taken half of their father’s love because of these things. Now, seeing her father calling for Ye Ling wherever he went, Ye Qian couldn’t pretend nothing happened and naturally followed along.
As they were about to reach the company, Mr. Ye’s expression grew heavier. Ye Qian glanced at Shen Bin from time to time, guessing silently about the issue at hand, yet feeling awkward to ask, so she could only converse with Ye Ling. Ye Ling, however, refused to give Ye Qian any courtesy, countering every question Ye Qian asked.
"Sister, when we get to the company, let’s take a walk around together. Otherwise, who knows when we’ll be back again to see it? We’ve spent quite a few years here and have grown attached to it."
"I’ve only spent two years in the company, unlike you who have grown attached. You can walk around by yourself."
"Sis, when I was at the company, I met a nurse named Liu who said she knows you." Ye Qian didn’t give up. She figured the more Ye Ling behaved this way, the less their father would like it, hence siding with her.
Ye Ling smirked towards Shen Bin, nudging her chin, "I don’t know Nurse Liu, but Uncle Shen does; they went on a blind date."
Early in the morning, Shen Bin came over without even having breakfast. He called for her father, who then called her along. Ye Ling knew it must be related to the rumor of them dating. Though their father could be kept in the dark, Ye Ling didn’t believe it; she was determined to meet the leader. That leader was Shen Bin’s biological father. They had been separated for years, and Shen Bin had no reason to lie. Ye Ling didn’t know what Shen Bin was up to, but she decided to stay put and observe quietly.
When Ye Qian mentioned Nurse Liu, Ye Ling cunningly shifted the topic to Shen Bin. Ye Qian was slightly stunned and looked at Shen Bin. Seizing the moment, Ye Ling said, "Uncle Shen, you do know Nurse Liu, right? Back when we were at the company, Zhao Guodong and the others used to joke about you and Nurse Liu."
"Lingzi, stop talking nonsense." Hearing his daughter call Shen Bin ’Uncle,’ Ye He Ping felt uncomfortable. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel⸺fire.net
Ye Ling noticed where her father felt uneasy, nodded with a sneaky smile, and remained silent, watching Ye Qian as if challenging her to ask more questions. Ye Qian forced down her internal fury at such blatant provocation and didn’t question Shen Bin. Instead, she simply forced a smile at Shen Bin.
Ye Ling raised an eyebrow; Ye Qian was indeed flexible, easily brushing past this tricky issue. It was a medium-sized bus, with only the four of them seated, besides the driver in the front, with no outsiders present. Once Ye Qian quieted down, the entire bus became silent.
Ye He Ping’s restless mind also calmed down. Sitting with Shen Bin in the front, he lowered his voice to discuss strategies, "How can we find an opportunity for Ye Ling to speak in front of the leader?"
"The leader has always heard that Ye Ling is a good student and wants to see how she’s doing in university. Just say the leader wants to meet her. I’ll take her over there." Shen Bin resolved the issue in a sentence.
Ye He Ping laughed and patted his shoulder, "I was thinking about this issue during the whole ride. You solved it in one sentence. Let’s go with that; no one will overthink it."
Shen Bin nodded, but in his heart, he thought about when he would finally win that girl’s heart. He knew he needed to start with Ye He Ping because having Ye He Ping’s help in between would undoubtedly make things easier.
Ye Qian sat in the front, watching her father and Shen Bin chatting happily. She turned around and asked Ye Ling, "Sis, what do you think Uncle Shen is discussing with Dad?"
"If you want to know, just ask." Ye Ling bluntly replied.
Ye Qian lost count of how many times Ye Ling had rebutted her on this journey, "Sis, do you dislike me?"
Her voice was so full of grievance and worry that the people in the front heard it.
Ye Ling understood her little tricks perfectly, "Yes."
She admitted it outright.
"Sister, are you still blaming Mom for leaving you in the countryside?"
Before Ye Qian finished speaking, Ye Ling impatiently interrupted, "You’re so strange. Why do you always link my dislike for you to being left in the countryside? Is there any connection? What I dislike the most is you constantly acting aggrieved in front of me, as if I’m bullying you."
Ye Qian bit her lip, looking at Ye Ling with tears in her eyes.
Ye Ling got up directly and walked forward to sit on the seat behind her father. Although she didn’t like being too close to Shen Bin, Ye Qian tended to quiet down when she was near Shen Bin. Clearly, Ye Qian was somewhat afraid of Shen Bin. If she had known this earlier, she would have sat here as soon as they got in the car.
Ye He Ping knew his youngest daughter was too delicate. But seeing his youngest daughter sitting alone at the back, biting her lip with her head down, he felt a pang in his heart, "Lingzi, your sister also wants to be close to you. If she does something wrong, teach her more. She’s so cautious because she’s afraid of upsetting you."
"Dad, you should really tell Ye Qian not to always act aggrieved in front of me. If she doesn’t put on that face, I won’t stop her from being close." Ye Ling smiled at her father who turned around to look at her.
In the past, she resented her father’s favoritism, always forgetting the mistakes Ye Qian made and the hurt she caused. Now she understood that regardless of their children’s actions, in a father’s eyes, they were still his children.
With this understanding, Ye Ling wouldn’t distance herself from her father because of it. Just like now, no matter how cold she might act and no matter how little face she gives to her mother and sister, while her father might scold her, there was no real blame in his eyes. It was just what a father should say.
Ye He Ping saw his eldest daughter’s demeanor and smiled, shaking his head before turning back to Shen Bin, "Kids these days are beyond control."
Even though his eldest daughter disobeyed him and always talked back, Ye He Ping felt that his daughter was closer to him, expressing her true self. This was the kind of situation Ye He Ping was willing to see. With his eldest daughter’s changes, he forgot about his youngest daughter’s issues.
Ye Qian sat at the back, witnessing how Ye Ling easily countered their father without him coming over to comfort her. She felt upset, but fortunately, the car had already reached the company. As she got off, her father still called for her, which made Ye Qian feel a bit better. However, she resolved that from that moment, she would stick to Ye Ling and see how Ye Ling would continue to embarrass her in front of everyone. (To be continued. If you work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)