Grandfather Ye could not understand what Shen Zhilie was saying. He dully called out, “Zhenhua, have you paid the utility bill?”

Shen Zhilie could not understand what Grandfather Ye was talking about. After a round of explanation and some back and forth, Ye Zhenhua finally came to answer the call.

Shen Zhilie gave a great sigh of relief and said, “Uncle Ye, it’s been a while. I’m Shen Zhilie.”

“Oh… What’s the matter, Shen?”

Usually, Shen Zhilie would call the Ye Family, but it was simply to send his basic regards. He rarely called them in the afternoon.

“Well Uncle Ye, Qianqian’s friend, Tongtong, has returned to Yun Town, but it seems that her cellphone has been switched off. I just want to ask you to help keep a lookout. Could you give me a call if she’s back? Qianqian’s worried about her.”

Ye Zhenhua was not suspicious of him. He nodded his head and agreed, “That’s not a big issue, sure. I’ll go take a look later. If she’s back, I’ll get her to give you a call, alright?”

“Sure, thanks, Uncle.” Shen Zhilie heaved a sigh of relief and proceeded to extend his greetings to Ye Zhenhua.

After Shen Zhilie asked a few questions to have a basic understanding of the situation. He promised to visit the Ye Family often and sent his regards before he hung up the call.

Fang Tongtong was the cause of this incident. He needed to clarify with her about what exactly she had said.

However, Ye Zhenhua was Ye Qianqian’s father. He should never know that Shen Zhilie had argued with Ye Qianqian.

It would be fatal for Shen Zhilie to make a mistake at any point in time during such a critical juncture.

Shen Zhilie did not want to lose. Neither could he afford to lose.

…

By the time Fang Tongtong returned to Yun Town, it was already night.

The moment she reached home, her elderly mother began to incessantly nag at her.

Despite Mrs. Fang’s naggings, she still doted on her daughter and said, “Now that you’re back, you shouldn’t stay away from home to hang around and have fun for such long periods of time. Oh, by the way, why was your phone turned off?”

When Fang Tongtong heard that, she casually found an excuse and said, “My battery’s dead.”

“Oh, what have you been doing? Don’t you know better to charge your phone?” Mrs. Fang chided. With a wave of her hand, she said, “Qianqian was very anxious since she couldn’t reach you on the phone. Give her a call now to let her know that you’ve arrived safely.”

“How did you know about that?” Fang Tongtong looked at her mother. “Will Qianqian still look for me now?”

“Why wouldn’t she? You’ve just returned from Kingstown. Isn’t it normal for Qianqian to call to check if you’ve arrived home safely?” Mrs. Fang let out a sigh. “In my opinion, Qianqian is a reliable child. She has good looks since she was young, and her character is also wild. She is extremely smart and even a management-level figure for a big company in a big city. Man, she’s amazing. Even her boyfriend is the cream of the crop who has looks and the money. Both daughters of the Ye Family lead such blessed lives.”

Fang Tongtong’s heart felt uncomfortable. She hotly replied, “If she’s that great, why don’t you get her to be your daughter?”

“I wish! It boils down to your failure to live up to my expectations. Up until now, you have yet to find a boyfriend. Oh right, do you know about that classmate of yours from middle school? That lad, who constantly said that he wanted to marry you, has returned, and he looks so handsome!”

“Do you mean Wang Jincheng?”

“Yes yes yes. That’s the lad. I heard that he has been working at some agricultural farm since he graduated from university. He plans to return here to start up his own business, so he came back with his father. It’s just that his father hasn’t been in a very good state of mind the past two years.”

“Why would such a thing happen? Why isn’t he in a good state of mind?”

“He went to have a drink when his wife left with another. He mistook someone else’s wife for his own when he was drunk. He was then beaten up to the point where his head was damaged. Sigh, he’s also a pitiful one.”

…