Ye Ziming stormed back to school in a huff, heading straight for Lin Hai’s dorm.
“Ye, Young Master Ye?” When they saw Ye Ziming burst in, Wang Peng and the others quickly got to their feet.
Lin Hai might have the guts to slap Ye Ziming across the face, but they certainly didn’t. Not only that, but when they saw him, they had to act respectfully.
“Where’s Lin Hai?” Ye Ziming asked, clearly annoyed.
“He went home. He doesn’t actually stay in the dorm,” Wang Peng hurriedly replied.
“Home? Damn it! What’s his number?”
“153…” Wang Peng quickly recited Lin Hai’s phone number.
“Tch.” Ye Ziming jotted it down and swaggered back out.
“Hmph, what’s there to be so cocky about? Isn’t he still the one our Hai Zi slapped around without a peep of protest?” Wang Peng curled his lip in disdain once Ye Ziming was downstairs.
Lin Hai had barely stepped through the door when his mother came over.
“Xiao Hai, isn’t Xinyue’s competition coming up soon?”
“Yeah, in a couple of days.”
“Well, don’t forget to get me a live ticket, you hear? I’ve got to go cheer on my future daughter-in-law!”
“Haha, don’t worry, Mom. I’ll figure out the tickets.”
Song Qin’s reminder actually got Lin Hai thinking.
He recalled that the Youth Singing Competition was exclusively sponsored by the Ye Group, so maybe he could just ask Ye Ziyu for the tickets.
Just as he was mulling it over, his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw an unfamiliar number.
“Hello? Who’s this?” Lin Hai answered.
“You’re Lin Hai, right?” The voice on the other end carried a hint of arrogance.
“That’s me. Who’s asking?” The tone rubbed Lin Hai the wrong way.
“Tch, it’s me, Ye Ziming!”
Ye Ziming? What did this guy want? Hadn’t he had enough of a beating earlier?
“Say what you’ve got to say, and stop wasting my time!” Lin Hai couldn’t be bothered with politeness.
Hearing Lin Hai’s tone, Ye Ziming was seething inside.
“Lin Hai, don’t you get all high and mighty with me! What exactly did you tell my dad and my brother? Let me tell you, don’t think you’re all that just because you know my brother. I, your young master—hello? Hello? Damn it, how dare you hang up on me!”
Before Ye Ziming could finish, Lin Hai had already ended the call, nearly causing Ye Ziming to smash his phone in rage.
When he tried calling back, Lin Hai just hung up again and added Ye Ziming’s number to his blacklist.
“Whoa!” The moment Lin Hai opened the door to his bedroom, a chill gust of air hit him.
An exceedingly alluring face was practically pressed against his, beaming with a brilliant smile.
Lin Hai shot Chu Lin’er a big, exaggerated eye-roll. Seriously, this kind of thing could scare a person half to death, you know?
“Hey, why are you getting so close? Are you trying to take advantage of me?” Lin Hai said with a hint of annoyance.
“Pfft, in your dreams.” Chu Lin’er pouted triumphantly. “Let me tell you, I played chess with Du Qian all day today, and we were evenly matched. In the end, I managed to win a few more games than him.”
Whoa!
Lin Hai’s eyes lit up when he heard that.
This Du Qian was something else. Yesterday, Lin Hai had sent him a copy of Thick Black Theory, and today he’d already put it to use.
“How many games did you win?” Lin Hai asked curiously.
“We played 258 games total. Du Qian won 121, and I won 137—so I was slightly ahead. How about that? I’ve improved fast, right? But Du Qian’s really good too. Every time I beat him, I had to work hard for it.” Chu Lin’er shook her head happily as she spoke.
Man, what a genius!
Lin Hai couldn’t help but admire Du Qian a little. His sense of proportion was absolutely spot-on.
Not only did he let Chu Lin’er win, but he also made her feel a real sense of accomplishment, without showing the slightest hint that he was letting her. This guy Du Qian had really wised up.
“Keep it up! Go crush Du Qian!” Lin Hai gave Chu Lin’er a thumbs-up.
“Hehe, you bet I will!” Chu Lin’er clenched her little fists excitedly.
Lin Hai lay down on the bed, opened WeChat, and sent Du Qian a message.
Little Confused Immortal: “Dude, nice work. You’re a fast learner. You’ve got Princess Lin’er grinning from ear to ear.”
Du Qian: “Haha, all thanks to the book you gave me, my friend. This Thick Black Theory is a masterpiece for the ages. With it, my rise in rank and fortune is just around the corner. When that day comes, I’ll surely repay your great kindness.”
Lin Hai nodded in satisfaction. Good—knowing how to show gratitude was a fine quality.
At the Ye residence.
Ye Ziming went home in a huff. The moment he entered the living room and saw that neither Ye Feng nor Ye Ziyu had gone to rest—they were both waiting for him—he felt a pang of nervousness.
“Ziming, how did it go this time?” Ye Feng asked anxiously as soon as he walked in.
“I went to apologize, but he wasn’t at school.”
“Not at school? Oh, what do we do now? Did you call him?” Ye Feng immediately panicked.
“I did. But as soon as he heard it was me, he hung up. When I tried again, he didn’t answer.” Ye Ziming’s voice wavered with guilt.
“You, you…” Ye Feng was so angry he could barely breathe.
“Dad, listen, this isn’t my fault this time. He really just wouldn’t pick up. What was I supposed to do?” Ye Ziming said evasively.
“You’re driving me crazy! Ugh!”
“Dad, why don’t you call Dean Du?” Ye Ziyu suggested from the side.
“Ah, right, right. Look at me—I got so flustered I lost my head.” Ye Feng quickly picked up the phone and dialed Du Chun.
“Brother Ye, calling so late—is something the matter?” Du Chun’s voice on the other end sounded like he’d already been asleep.
“Brother Du, I need a favor from you.” Ye Feng then explained the whole situation to Du Chun in detail.
“It’s all because Ziming was so clueless. Now Mr. Lin is upset, and I don’t know what to do. That’s why I’m asking for your help, brother.”
There was a long silence on Du Chun’s end.
“Brother Du…” Ye Feng’s heart sank when he got no response.
“Sigh, let me tell you, Brother Ye—your son is a complete blockhead!”
“Uh… yes, yes.” Though the words stung, Ye Feng could only nod along since he was the one asking for help.
“I’ll give my master a call. But I can’t promise he’ll still be willing to get involved.”
Ye Feng perked up immediately.
“Of course, of course. I’ll leave it to you then, Brother Du.”
After hanging up, Du Chun hesitated for a moment before dialing Lin Hai.
“Master…” Du Chun trailed off.
“This is about the Ye family, isn’t it?” Seeing Du Chun call so late and stumble over his words, Lin Hai guessed it pretty accurately.
“Master, you’re truly a sage—you hit the nail on the head!” Du Chun quickly buttered him up.
“Alright, I’m annoyed, but I still have to give face to you. Besides, I do have some friendship with Ye Ziyu.”
“Master, you agree?” Du Chun was pleasantly surprised.
“What else can I do? You’re my disciple, calling me in the middle of the night—how could I turn you down?” Lin Hai said, feigning irritation.
“Hehehe, Master, you’re the best. You’re the greatest master in the world.”
“Alright, enough with the flattery. Tell the Ye family this: the one who tied the knot must untie it. Since it was Ye Ziming who pulled out the golden needle, let him come see me tomorrow.”
“Got it.”
Du Chun hung up and relayed the news to Ye Feng.
Ye Feng was overjoyed and showered Du Chun with thanks.
“Dad, what happened?” Ye Ziyu quickly asked.
Ye Feng didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to Ye Ziming.
“Tomorrow, you’re going to invite Mr. Lin. And if you fail to bring him here, I’ll personally break you myself.”
