Chapter 50: His Gaze Carries All the Tenderness

“Yingjing, you’ve grown up so much. You used to come over to play with Qingyu all the time when you were little, but now I barely see you once or twice a year.”

“Grandpa, I have to go to school! There are so many things going on at school these days.”

“Jingbao, do you have a boyfriend yet? You’ve grown into such a beautiful young woman; you must have plenty of suitors!”

Here it comes, here it comes. The moment she knew was inevitable had arrived.

Yingjing had already guessed what the old man would say next.

“Qingyu doesn’t have a girlfriend either. You young people have so much to talk about; you should take some time to get to know each other better.”

The old man was shrewd! He didn’t say it outright, like ‘why don’t you two date.’ At this birthday banquet, no matter how annoyed she was, she couldn’t just shut him down completely.

Yingjing wasn’t born yesterday, so she laughed it off.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa, that’s a given. We’re all in the same circle, and my brother has plenty of free time, so they love to get together whenever they can. I tag along for a free meal every now and then. Ye Qingyu is so handsome; he has tons of girls chasing after him at school. I’m sure he’ll bring you back a beautiful and virtuous granddaughter-in-law before long. You don’t have to worry about a thing!”

It was the first time Ying Ze’nan had heard Yingjing speak such polished, diplomatic nonsense.

Her counter-attack was flawless, making him look at her in a new light.

Anyone could see that she didn’t have a shred of romantic interest in Ye Qingyu; otherwise, she never would have said such things.

There were more guests arriving to offer their congratulations, and Yingjing was called away after saying a few words.

The little interlude just now passed quickly.

Yingjing didn’t like dealing with those social scenes, so she found a quiet spot to observe Wen Fucheng, while also keeping an eye out to see if her brother was coming to catch her.

His presence was a feast that drew everyone’s attention.

He was surrounded by many people, mostly listening to those around him, occasionally responding with a few words.

Whenever he had a spare moment, his gaze would sweep across the room, finally landing on Yingjing, who was eating and drinking in the corner.

Wen Fucheng found an opening and wanted to go to her side, but Yingjing quietly gave him a gesture to stay put.

His footsteps faltered, and he stood where he was.

His expression looked a bit aggrieved.

Yingjing’s heart softened instantly. She even abandoned the little cake she had been enjoying, stood up, and headed toward the second floor.

This villa was just one of the properties owned by the Ye family, and many people came here to escape the summer heat. Especially tonight, it was almost entirely open to the guests.

Those who were tired could go to the front desk, get a room key, and go upstairs to rest.

Yingjing had just reached the stairs when someone called out to her.

“Do you have a moment to talk?”

Ye Qingyu stood behind her, and Yingjing froze.

After a long moment, she decided it was time to find an opportunity to make things clear to him.

“Let’s go outside.”

There were fewer people outside.

Yingjing changed her mind on the spot and left with Ye Qingyu, a scene Wen Fucheng watched the entire time.

Naturally, Ying Ze’nan chose this moment to deliberately provoke him.

“I didn’t think President Wen would come, given how busy you are.”

“President Ying thinks too much. I still understand basic social etiquette.”

Ying Ze’nan also saw Yingjing and Ye Qingyu. Although he didn’t have much of an opinion on that kid Ye Qingyu, he had always known about Ye Qingyu’s feelings for Yingjing.

But he had to get some satisfaction in front of Wen Fucheng.

It was a way to console himself after Yingjing had spent so much time singing Wen Fucheng’s praises to him, almost tricking his young, naive heart into believing it.

“That kid Ye Qingyu has been secretly in love with my sister for so many years. It looks like he can’t hold back from confessing tonight.”

Ignoring Wen Fucheng’s increasingly dark expression, Ying Ze’nan grew even more enthusiastic.

“In the past, when Yingjing was shamelessly chasing Lu Zishu, I didn’t approve. But Ye Qingyu is someone we’ve grown up with, and he’s a decent guy. If they really could be together, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. People, you know? We know his background, and he’s good to my sister. As her brother, I’d be relieved.”

Wen Fucheng usually didn’t lose his composure, unless he truly couldn’t help it.

“President Ying is indirectly admitting that he is inferior to that Ye Qingyu.”

Ying Ze’nan:...

Damn it, he’d forgotten about that important detail.

His big talk in his social media posts.

“Well, what if the student surpasses the master?”

“Then has President Ying ever heard the saying, ‘Ginger is spicier when it’s old’?”

Ying Ze’nan could see it now; Wen Fucheng was picking a fight with him. What was going on? This wasn’t like the usual Wen Fucheng! When did he become so aggressive? He wasn’t even his business rival.

“Is President Wen in a bad mood tonight? Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?”

He said the last sentence in an especially low voice.

After hearing this, Wen Fucheng actually started engaging with him.

“President Ying is quite the expert?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Looking down on me? I may not have eaten pork, but I’ve seen pigs run, haven’t I? When Yingjing was chasing Lu Zishu, she filled several notebooks with plans—the Thirty-Six Stratagems, psychological warfare... she had plenty of them.”

Very good, the brother’s adding fuel to the fire had worked.

Yingjing, you are completely finished.

Outside, Yingjing let out a loud sneeze. Seeing this, Ye Qingyu immediately moved to take off his jacket to drape over her, but Yingjing refused.

“No thanks, I’ll go back in once I’ve said what I need to say.” She rubbed her itchy nose. “You should know what I want to talk to you about, right?”

“I know, but I don’t want to give up.”

Yingjing nodded.

“That is your freedom and your right, and I won’t interfere. But you are affecting me now, and that is very unfriendly. From the past until now, I have only ever seen you as a friend. If I truly had feelings for you, I wouldn’t have waited until now without giving any indication. I have someone I like, and if all goes well, we will be together soon. I don’t want anything to interfere with him and me.”

“Ying Ze’nan said you’ve already given up on Lu Zishu.”

“Hm? Who told you I liked him?”

“Then you...” Yingjing’s pursuit of Lu Zishu had been so grand and public that everyone knew about it. Many people had tried to persuade her to give up, but Yingjing had fallen for him anyway, and no one’s words had mattered.

“I don’t like Lu Zishu. I like someone else. In this life, I don’t want anyone but him.”

“Does he like you too?”

“Of course, of course he likes me.”

“Then why aren’t you together yet?”

When Yingjing liked someone, she never waited. She was afraid that if she hesitated, she might miss out on a lifetime.

“If he really liked you, how could he let you wait until now without a response? To put it bluntly, isn’t he just the same kind of person as Lu Zishu?” Ye Qingyu pressed on, as if Yingjing were walking on a cliff’s edge and he had to pull her back to stop her losses.

“Which eye saw him not responding to me? You don’t know anything about what’s between us, so what right do you have to judge my feelings? As far as I’m concerned, no one is allowed to say a bad word about him.”

What did these people know? They only knew how to talk.

She had eyes and a heart; she could feel and see how Wen Fucheng treated her.

“If ‘treating me well’ is just empty words about what someone intends to do, then I don’t want that kind of kindness!”

Yingjing turned and left. After tonight, she thought, she and Ye Qingyu probably wouldn’t have many chances to meet again.