CHAPTER 180: 179: VISITING RELATIVES (THIRD UPDATE)

Ye Ling looked at Zhao Guodong, who was back to his old self, and couldn’t help but think of what he had done to her in the army. In an instant, resentment surged up, and when she saw Zhao Guodong looking at her, she glared at him fiercely and turned her head away.

Zhao Guodong was talking excitedly and didn’t know how he had upset Ye Ling again. He looked at Zhang Linong in confusion, "What’s wrong with her?"

Zhang Linong pushed the bowl of noodles that had just been served in front of him, "Let’s eat."

Wang Ping didn’t care about any of that; after all, no one paid attention to what he said anyway.

Ye Ling also lowered her head to eat the noodles. This time, it was Zhao Guodong who persistently insisted on treating, saying that not coming would be disrespectful, so Ye Ling came out, added chili oil, and ate slowly. The fragrance of the chili oil combined with the noodles, in this cold winter, was really a rare treat.

Zhao Guodong had a few bites and then said, "I still think Ye Ling’s cooking is better."

Seeing that no one responded to him, Zhao Guodong put down his chopsticks, "What’s wrong with you all? Why did you suddenly stop talking? Ye Ling, why were you angry just now? Tell me, at worst I’ll change in the future. Otherwise, if you suddenly get angry, I won’t even know what I’ve done to upset you."

Ye Ling raised her head, "How you upset me at the company last summer, have you forgotten so quickly? I’m telling you, I’ve always remembered that, and it makes me angry every time I think about it."

Zhao Guodong was choked and didn’t make a sound, lowering his head with a face full of disappointment, "You’re too petty; so much time has passed, and I did apologize to you, didn’t I?"

Afraid of making Ye Ling angry, he hurriedly said, "At worst, I won’t do that anymore in the future, so stop thinking about it."

Ye Ling laughed and then shook her head; Zhao Guodong still wouldn’t grow up anytime soon, and arguing with him would only make her more upset. Why bother saying anything to him? When the day comes that he figures it out on his own, he won’t need anyone to tell him what he’s done wrong.

Seeing that school was starting the next day, Bai Xue noticed her younger daughter couldn’t lift her spirits. The letters sent to the company weren’t returned by her husband, so Bai Xue decided to go to the company herself and asked her niece to take a day off and come with her. Bai Hehua knew it was to see Shen Bin and was unwilling, but she didn’t dare show it and had no choice but to take a day off the next day and then head back to the company with her aunt.

They didn’t catch the company’s bus, so they walked there instead. Bai Hehua, used to farm work in the countryside, didn’t find the mile-long walk tiring, but it was hard on Bai Xue, whose legs were almost giving out by the time they reached the company.

Upon seeing his wife arrive, Ye He Ping was momentarily stunned, but after seeing Bai Hehua beside her, he asked someone to fetch Shen Bin over while taking the two of them indoors.

Bai Xue sat on the bed, "Did you receive the letter I had someone send you? With school starting soon, you need to keep Ye Qian in mind. Ye Ling only listens to you, and Ye Qian is family. Tutoring her younger sister shouldn’t be something she’d oppose, right?"

Ye He Ping noticed his wife began with that topic once inside, and it wasn’t proper to discuss it in front of Bai Hehua. Bai Xue didn’t want to lose face either, so she sent her niece out, "Shen Bin will be here soon. Why don’t you go outside, and you two chat? The two of you are courting and can’t just stay strangers forever, right? Go on."

Bai Hehua, with blushing cheeks, stepped out but didn’t know what to do once she was outside. Fortunately, Shen Bin arrived shortly. Shen Bin was pondering what Minister Ye could want with him and immediately understood everything upon seeing Bai Hehua standing there, formulating a plan in his mind.

"Minister Shen..." Bai Hehua couldn’t help but feel intimidated upon seeing Shen Bin.

Despite both coming from the countryside, she didn’t understand why she felt inferior whenever she saw Shen Bin, especially with his sharp eyes that seemed to pierce through her thoughts, leaving nowhere to hide.

"I’m busy with work. You can walk around here; I’ll ask an employee to accompany you." Shen Bin responded indifferently, turned around, and left, waving to an employee not far away.

Bai Hehua was momentarily dazed, watching as Shen Bin called an employee over, gave a few instructions, and walked away. She was unresponsive until the employee suggested they walk around, snapping her back to reality, only to feel an inexplicable surge of anger inside. Despite her discontent with this arranged match, she had been enduring it, but seeing Shen Bin’s dismissive attitude, it seemed he never placed any regard on her.

A divorcee, and she was still a maiden, yet he looked down on her first.

Bai Hehua swallowed her grievances, following the young employee on a tour around the large factory. Her mind in turmoil, she paid no attention to the factory’s appearance, only remembering Shen Bin’s dismissive demeanor, silently vowing to find someone better than Shen Bin, giving him a deserved slap in the face later.

In the dormitory room, Ye He Ping was discussing the tutoring matter with his wife, "I don’t agree with this. Even if I did, Lingzi wouldn’t tutor Ye Qian. If you really want Ye Qian to be tutored, doesn’t Zhiyuan frequently visit at home? That kid studies well; let him tutor Ye Qian."

"Zhiyuan is sitting for the college entrance exams this year. He rarely visits us, staying at home to study. If I ask him to tutor Ye Qian and he misses those exams, can we bear that responsibility?" Bai Xue, seeing her husband’s favoritism for their eldest daughter, couldn’t help but get angry, but she didn’t want another argument over this, "Ye Ling isn’t taking her exams until two years later, it won’t affect her. And Zhao Guodong’s batch all got into high school thanks to Ye Ling’s accurate predictions. If nothing else, you could ask Ye Ling to predict some exam topics for Ye Qian to focus on at home."

"What if Lingzi’s predictions are inaccurate? Who’s to blame if Ye Qian doesn’t pass?" Ye He Ping retorted coldly.

Bai Xue was about to retort, but catching sight of her husband’s gaze, changed her words, "She predicted accurately for her own exams last year; why wouldn’t she for Ye Qian’s?"

"After all is said and done, it’s still Lingzi’s responsibility. What does Ye Qian’s success or failure have to do with Lingzi? Helping predict questions and putting in effort without any benefit, why should Lingzi do it? You needn’t bring this up again. If you insist, you’ll have to approach Lingzi yourself; if she agrees, I won’t object." Ye He Ping still refused.

When his wife had someone send a letter home, his non-response already indicated his disagreement. He didn’t expect her to come by herself, thinking she was bringing Bai Hehua to see Shen Bin, but she raised the tutoring issue first thing on entering, which made him see through her intentions.

Bai Xue, seeing her husband firmly refuse, couldn’t help but get riled up, "If I could have managed to speak to her, I would have already done so. Why would I need to talk to you here, only for you to refuse again." (To be continued. If you like this story, please consider voting for it on Qidian (qidian.com), as your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)