After things had settled down a bit today, the servants finally reported to him that Ye Shaohua had been constantly going out.
“It’s nothing. I just found a small thing to keep myself busy,” Ye Shaohua said calmly, her expression rather indifferent.
Ye’s father asked casually, not actually caring what she was up to or who she was meeting.
After all, it was probably just some trivial, insignificant matters anyway.
So upon hearing her reply, he gave a cold “Mm” and promptly turned his attention to Ye Junqing with a much warmer expression, completely ignoring Ye Shaohua from that point on.
This was the second time Ye Junqing had met his second elder sister.
The first time he saw her, he had been rather surprised—he hadn’t expected that the best-looking person in the Ye family would turn out to be this second sister he’d never met before.
But that was where it ended.
Despite being siblings, he had never spent any time with Ye Shaohua, so what kind of bond could they possibly have?
That was precisely why, even after hearing that his second sister had returned from Jinling, he hadn’t bothered to come back home.
But when it was Ye Junwan’s birthday, he had traveled all the way back without hesitation.
Now that he was in trouble, Ye Junwan had gone out to use her connections, yet this so-called second sister of his hadn’t shown any sign of movement. Thinking of this, Ye Junqing’s gaze grew even colder.
“The higher-ups say the notice hasn’t come down yet,” Ye Junqing said, looking at his father with a somber tone. “I’m still pulling strings—there should be a turnaround. But I might have to be transferred.”
A transfer meant a demotion in rank.
Still, none of that really mattered. As long as there was an opportunity, he could always find a way to earn merit.
If he could just put this whole incident behind him, that would already be a blessing from Buddha.
“Oh, by the way…” Ye’s mother was still worried about Ye Junjin’s situation. She had been rather listless and had barely touched her food, already planning to retire to her room, when she suddenly remembered something. She turned to look at Ye Shaohua. “Since you’ve called off your engagement with the Second Young Master, we’ll need to make other arrangements for you. You’re not getting any younger. Tomorrow, tidy yourself up—I’ll take you to meet a few people.”
In Ye’s mother’s eyes, although Ye Shaohua had nothing else going for her, at least she had a face worth looking at.
And that secretary’s son was known to be quite fond of beautiful women.
Yesterday, Ye Junjin had come back and mentioned this to her. Ye’s mother had been fretting over how to help her eldest daughter, and now, unexpectedly, an opportunity had landed right in her lap.
If she could establish a connection with the secretary’s family, things might ease up a bit for Ye Junjin.
“No can do. I already have plans tomorrow,” Ye Shaohua said, setting down her chopsticks and wiping her mouth.
Ye’s mother’s expression turned cold again. “Who exactly are you going to meet this time—some disreputable people again…”
“It’s Tang Qiyun,” Ye Shaohua said, rising to her feet. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave.”
She turned and walked away. Ye’s mother stared at her retreating figure, momentarily speechless.
A date with Tang Qiyun? Well, that…
If the marriage alliance could be with the Tang family instead, that would indeed be better.
Only Ye Junwan, who had been smiling all along, froze for a moment upon hearing those words. Her smile faltered, and a complex tangle of emotions swirled in her heart.
The entire next day, even when her girlfriends invited her out, Ye Junwan had no desire to go anywhere. She kept stealing glances toward the door instead.
Ye Shaohua didn’t return until dusk.
“The Second Miss is back, huh,” the two people at the entrance said to Ye Shaohua in a lukewarm tone.
There wasn’t much respect in their voices.
“Shaohua, didn’t Young Master Tang even see you home?” For some reason, when Ye Junwan saw Ye Shaohua walking back alone, she felt a hint of glee in her heart. “That’s hardly gentlemanly of him. I’ve always said he’s just a relic of feudal thinking who doesn’t take women seriously. You need to stand your ground—you’ve already broken off the engagement, so don’t fall for his sweet talk.”
“You really are stuck in the old ways. I’ve told you so many times—we’re women of a new era,” Ye Junwan continued, lecturing Ye Shaohua. “If Mother tried to arrange a marriage for me randomly, I’d flat-out refuse. You’re just too soft-hearted. And besides, Tang Qiyun—he has no career to speak of. He didn’t even go into the military after coming back. He’s a total deadbeat. Whatever you do, don’t…”
Ye Junwan had turned down the marriage alliance with Tang Qiyun in the first place.
But when she saw him that day, she had felt a tiny pull of attraction.
Still, Ye Junwan wasn’t the kind of girl who fell for a pretty face. She had no appreciation for men without ambition.
Yet seeing Ye Shaohua and Tang Qiyun interact bothered her in a way she couldn’t quite explain.
But when she saw that Tang Qiyun didn’t seem to care much about Ye Shaohua, she felt a small surge of joy. Even though she didn’t fancy Tang Qiyun herself, she still didn’t want him to end up with Ye Shaohua.
How frustrating!
Ye Junwan was tangled up in her own thoughts.
Just as she was mulling things over, a shadow suddenly fell over her.
She also caught a faint whiff of tobacco.
Looking up instinctively, she saw a man in a military uniform.
Because he was wearing a military cap with the brim slightly lowered, it accentuated the sharp lines of his face. He was the kind of man who was impossible to look away from once you laid eyes on him.
Even though he had changed his attire, Ye Junwan still recognized him immediately. Wasn’t this Tang Qiyun?
But why was he in uniform?
Hadn’t he not taken over the troops under Tang Feng’s command?
Ye Junwan’s heart was in turmoil. The man in military uniform looked completely different from the one in a long robe. He exuded an aura of cold ruthlessness and bloodlust, like a demon striding back from the edge of the underworld.
Ye Junwan had never seen a soldier like him before.
Not even in Tang Qihang.
Yet those dark, slightly burning eyes weren’t fixed on her—they were fixed on the young woman in the female student uniform standing behind her.
“Here you go!” Tang Qiyun pulled a medal straight out of his pocket.
Ye Shaohua took it and asked casually, “What’s this?”
“The highest military honor!” Tang Qiyun, who was barely twenty years old in this lifetime, was in the prime of his youthful arrogance. He was so excited that his usually nonchalant face carried a hint of unbridled pride. “The only one in the entire nation!”
He added that last part for good measure.
Actually, he didn’t even need to say it—Ye Shaohua could already tell it was a medal of merit.
What she hadn’t expected was… that it was the highest honor. What exactly had he been up to all this time?
“Keep it safe. I’m heading back now, sis.” Seeing that Ye Shaohua hadn’t said anything for a while, probably worried she might refuse, Tang Qiyun shoved his hands into his pockets, a roguish smirk curling at the corner of his mouth, and turned to leave without another word.
He waved a hand behind him, not even glancing back at Ye Shaohua.
As for Ye Junwan, who was still rooted to the spot at the entrance—he didn’t spare her so much as a single look.
Ye Junwan felt like her mind was spinning. Her heart was pounding wildly as she whipped her head toward Ye Shaohua. “What highest honor? Second Sister, who is he?”
