The meeting concluded, with Yao Hongbo tasked with handling all subsequent matters. The investors repeatedly urged him to proceed with all deliberate speed.
Yao Hongbo could only agree.
*
In the evening, at the Fengleju construction site, Ye Yuzhe was once again summoned to Yu Ji’s office.
“Big Sister?” Ye Yuzhe asked in surprise upon seeing Ye Zhi in the office, “What are you doing here?”
“Guess what day it is today?” Ye Zhi said with a faint smile.
Ye Yuzhe furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment, “Crazy Thursday?”
Ye Zhi: …
“I know, it seems to be Qixi Festival!” Ye Yuzhe smacked his forehead.
Ye Zhi was slightly taken aback. Was it Qixi today? She had completely forgotten about this festival. After all, she was single, so it was normal for her to forget about days meant for couples.
“Think again,” Ye Zhi prompted him gently, “It’s a day related to you.”
“I can’t remember,” Ye Yuzhe frowned, “Big Sister, just tell me~”
Ye Zhi sighed and reminded him with amusement, “Today is your birthday.”
Ye Yuzhe suddenly realized, “That’s right, I completely forgot!”
Ye Zhi smiled and asked, “Do you want to come home with me? To surprise Mom and Dad and celebrate your birthday?”
Although Ye Yongxian had not agreed before, Ye Zhi knew that birthdays were very important to a person.
“No need, Big Sister,” Ye Yuzhe said firmly, “My bet hasn’t ended yet. I have to stay at the construction site for a full month. I’ll leave after I win the bet! Birthdays are celebrated every year, it’s not important.”
Ye Zhi couldn’t help but look at him with new admiration, never expecting Ye Yuzhe to have grown this much.
“Then shall I have Mom and Dad come over later to celebrate your birthday with you?” Ye Zhi suggested.
“Okay…” Ye Yuzhe was about to agree, but then he seemed to remember something and immediately changed his mind, “Let’s not.”
“Why? Do you feel embarrassed?” Ye Zhi asked, half-jokingly.
“I’m working with my own hands, how could I feel embarrassed?” Ye Yuzhe sighed helplessly, “I’m worried that if Mom comes and sees me crying, she’ll insist on taking me home.”
Ye Zhi: …
She could very well imagine that happening!
Liu Lingyu was utterly a doting mother. Although Ye Yuzhe was taller, thinner, and darker now, looking more robust than before, in Liu Lingyu’s eyes, Ye Yuzhe was suffering hardship. She would inevitably cry out of concern for him, which would then make the situation awkward.
“Alright,” Ye Zhi thought for a moment, “How about this? I’ll take you to the night market near the construction site to grab something to eat, at least to celebrate. As for a gift, we can make up for it with Mom and Dad when you get home.”
“Okay!” Ye Yuzhe’s eyes lit up, “Big Sister, then I won’t stand on ceremony!”
Ye Zhi took Ye Yuzhe to the nearby night market. At this time of year, the night market was filled with the aroma of barbecue.
Ye Yuzhe was indeed not modest, ordering a large spread of barbecue.
“You ordered so much, can you finish it?” Ye Zhi asked with some surprise.
“I want to take it back for Uncle Zhang and them to eat,” Ye Yuzhe said a little sheepishly, “They took me here to eat barbecue with their reward for bravery, to improve our meals. I’ve always wanted to treat them, but there hasn’t been a good opportunity…”
Ye Zhi was deeply gratified; this child had truly grown up!
“Fine,” Ye Zhi agreed, and instructed the stall owner to cook it later. After that, Ye Zhi also ordered a bowl of longevity noodles for Ye Yuzhe.
Ye Yuzhe did not waste it and finished it all.
After they had eaten their barbecue, Ye Zhi drove Ye Yuzhe back to the construction site.
As soon as she got into her car and prepared to drive away, she suddenly received a call from Qi Xuan.
Ye Zhi pressed the answer button with some surprise.
“Today… why haven’t you returned yet? Are you busy with work?” Qi Xuan asked in a low voice.
“No, no,” Ye Zhi replied truthfully, “Today is my brother’s birthday, I accompanied him for a meal.”
“Is that so…”
Ye Zhi was slightly stunned. Why did Qi Xuan’s voice sound a little lost?
She couldn’t help but ask, “Qi Xuan, is there something you need me for?”
“No.” Qi Xuan turned around, his gaze falling on the bedside. On the small nightstand, a vase was placed.
That was the first gift Ye Zhi had given him.
He had initially said he would place the vase by his bed just to drive Zhan Ruoqing away. At that time, he had simply placed it in the room casually. Now, the vase was indeed by his bedside.
“Do you remember the vase you gave me?” he suddenly asked.
“Ah, yes…” Ye Zhi felt a little awkward.
She didn’t really want to bring this up. Although it was unintentional at the time, she had indeed spied on Qi Xuan. Fortunately, Qi Xuan was truly good-tempered and didn’t hold it against her.
“That vase has always been empty,” Qi Xuan said softly, “It would be nice if there was something to decorate it…”
“Of course, a vase is for flowers! Wait for me, if I pass by a flower shop that’s still open, I’ll bring you a bouquet!” Ye Zhi said casually.
After saying that, she hung up the phone.
Qi Xuan was slightly taken aback. He got flowers so easily? And on Qixi, no less.
His heart felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation.
Ye Zhi, holding the flowers she had bought, drove back to the hillside villa.
Then, she carried the flowers out of the car and knocked on Qi Xuan’s door.
Qi Xuan opened the door. As his gaze fell on the flowers in Ye Zhi’s hand, his expression immediately became somewhat complex.
As expected, he shouldn’t have harbored any expectations.
“For you!” Ye Zhi shoved a large bunch of sunflowers into Qi Xuan’s hands, saying, “I passed by several flower shops on the way, but it was too late and they were all closed. Fortunately, I saw someone selling sunflowers by the roadside, so I bought a few. You can put the small one in the vase as decoration, and the rest you can just crack open like sunflower seeds, they’re pretty and tasty!”
Not far away, the butler and maids were hiding in a corner, struggling to suppress their laughter.
Qi Xuan had told them earlier that Ye Zhi would bring flowers. While they were all happy for Qi Xuan, they always felt that if something was going to go wrong, it definitely would.
And indeed, Ye Zhi returned with sunflowers!
For a moment, they didn’t know whether to laugh or sympathize with their young master!
Seeing that Qi Xuan remained silent, Ye Zhi couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you like sunflowers?”
“I like them very much,” Qi Xuan replied, “But you gave them all to me, what will you eat?”
“Oh, I saved plenty for myself!” Ye Zhi said truthfully.
Qi Xuan: …
She didn’t have to be so honest.
“Thank you,” Qi Xuan sighed softly and handed over a gift box, “This is a return gift.”
“What return gift?” Ye Zhi asked curiously.
“A set of cosmetics,” Qi Xuan felt his ears heating up inexplicably, and he said quickly, “It was the butler’s idea. He said this is the most practical.”