Liu Lingyu said forlornly, "Oh, he just finished his final exams and has been running around playing wild all day..."
Ye Zhi immediately understood. Liu Lingyu had truly become an empty-nest mother.
Recently, Ye Yongxian's mind was entirely focused on that piece of land in North Lake. Ye Zhi was busy with her new company, and as for Ye Qin Ya, her heart and eyes were solely on Ou Ming Han.
Liu Lingyu was a housewife. Normally, she had her younger son to care for. Now that her younger son was also away, she had nothing to do, and her spirit felt empty.
"Mom, I'll come home to see you tonight," Ye Zhi said gently.
"No, no need," Liu Lingyu demurred. "You all carry on with your work, don't worry about me. I recently found a pregnant stray cat near our home, and now I spend all day taking care of it, waiting for it to give birth. With it accompanying me, I feel much more at ease when I sleep at night..."
Ye Zhi's lips twitched. Had it really come to the point where she was adopting cats for solace?
It seemed she really needed to go and spend some time with Liu Lingyu, otherwise her mother, a pampered lady of leisure, might turn into a resentful recluse.
"Mom, I bought something for you a couple of days ago," Ye Zhi said. "I'll bring it over today."
"You, my child, just coming back is enough. Why buy anything? I have everything I need, you're just wasting money..." Liu Lingyu said with mock annoyance, but Ye Zhi could hear the joy in her voice.
"Don't worry, Mom, it wasn't expensive, and it's very practical," Ye Zhi assured her.
Only then did Liu Lingyu stop protesting. After chatting for a few more minutes, Ye Zhi hung up.
Ye Zhi had indeed prepared something. However, she had bought an extra item, originally intending to give it to Qi Xuan as a gift in exchange for supper.
But then she imagined Qi Xuan using that item... the image was too beautiful, the scene too peculiar, and it didn't quite match his aura, so she hadn't given it to him. Now, it was perfect for her empty-nest mother.
In the evening, after finishing work, Ye Zhi went to Half-Mountain Villa to retrieve the item, and then brought it to the Ye family home.
When Liu Lingyu saw her carrying a large box upstairs, she quickly had a servant take it.
"What did you buy, child? It's so big!" Liu Lingyu asked curiously.
"Mom, you'll know when you open it," Ye Zhi said with a smile. "It's very practical, and you'll definitely like it."
Liu Lingyu opened the box with a mixture of doubt and anticipation. When she saw the foot bath inside, her face was filled with shock and confusion. It was as if someone had presented her with a calculus problem she had long forgotten and demanded she solve it on the spot.
She was a lady of refinement; the gifts she usually received were jewelry, clothing, and cosmetics. This was her first time receiving a foot bath.
She even suspected that Ye Zhi might have searched online for "What are good gifts for the elderly?" and simply bought whatever the answer suggested.
"Mom, didn't you say you weren't sleeping well at night?" Ye Zhi took out the foot bath. "Soak your feet in this before bed. It's very comfortable, and you'll sleep better."
Liu Lingyu's heart softened. So, Ye Zhi giving her this gift was because she had heard her say she wasn't sleeping well, and she had kept it in mind.
Suddenly, even the rather plain-looking foot bath seemed more pleasing to Liu Lingyu.
She smiled slightly and nodded, "Okay, I'll try it tonight."
"And," Ye Zhi added with a grin, "you can have Dad pour the foot washing water for you at night!"
Liu Lingyu was instantly smitten. Whether or not someone poured the foot washing water was unimportant; she simply thought the item was both attractive and practical!
"This is truly a wonderful thing..." Liu Lingyu sighed with emotion.
"Of course!" Ye Zhi patted her chest proudly. "I'm a gift-giving expert. No one I give gifts to dislikes them!"
Liu Lingyu looked at her with a complex expression. Although she truly liked the gift Ye Zhi had given her, she sincerely hoped that Ye Zhi wouldn't give similar items like foot baths to others. Furniture was also a no-go.
"Mom, what about the cat you found? I'd love to see it," Ye Zhi said expectantly.
Liu Lingyu led her to see it. It was a very beautiful long-haired ginger cat, which Ye Zhi adored. She then offered a cat treat in exchange for a kitten from the mother cat when she gave birth in the future.
The two parties engaged in pleasant and friendly conversation, which ultimately concluded with the mother cat accepting the treat and sealing the deal.
Liu Lingyu was torn between laughter and tears. She had never expected Ye Zhi to have such an uninhibited, childlike side. She grabbed Ye Zhi by the collar and led away this "robber" who had sweet-talked the mother cat.
Afterward, Liu Lingyu urged her to wash up and eat. Just as they sat down at the dining table, Ye Yongxian returned.
Liu Lingyu greeted him and invited him to sit down for dinner. As Ye Yongxian was enjoying his meal, Liu Lingyu suddenly said, "Honey, Xiao Zhi gave me a great gift today that we can both use. Let's try it together tonight."
"There's such a good thing?" Ye Yongxian was surprised. He immediately agreed, "Okay! Let's try it together tonight!"
Ye Zhi almost choked on her food. Use it together? Liu Lingyu would soak her feet, and Ye Yongxian would pour the water? That sounded quite good, quite good indeed.
Seeing Ye Zhi secretly smiling, Liu Lingyu picked up several pork ribs and placed them in Ye Zhi's bowl. "You child, eat more."
Looking at the pile of ribs that was almost overflowing, Ye Zhi felt a sense of helplessness. Parental love was truly as weighty as Mount Tai!
After dinner, Ye Zhi followed Ye Yongxian to the study. She had actually come to talk to him about something.
Ye Zhi began, "Dad, I'd like to discuss a collaboration with you..."
"You, girl," Ye Yongxian frowned displeasedly. "What's this talk of collaboration between father and daughter? Just tell me what you need, and I'll help you, won't I?"
"This isn't a personal matter; it's a collaboration between Taoxun and the Ye Corporation," Ye Zhi stated. "Dad, let's keep it strictly business."
"Alright then," Ye Yongxian said casually. "What kind of collaboration do you want?"
Ye Zhi produced a preliminary letter of intent and handed it to Ye Yongxian.
Ye Yongxian hadn't taken it seriously at first, but as he skimmed through it, he was so astonished his jaw nearly dropped!
"Your Taoxun wants to build a building?!" Ye Yongxian exclaimed in surprise. "Your company has only been established for a few days, where did you get so much money?"
"Investors' money!" Ye Zhi replied. "Taoxun's revenue in the past few days has given them confidence. They are very optimistic about Taoxun's future, so I plan to use some of the funds to upgrade Taoxun's hardware facilities first. They have also agreed to this."
Ye Yongxian looked at her with a complex expression. "So it really is whatever you say, Qi Xuan just believes it..."
"Dad, what are you saying?" Ye Zhi said, speechless. "It's as if I deceived him! Even if I deceived him, I couldn't deceive all the other investors!"
"Your Taoxun has other investors?" Ye Yongxian was utterly shocked.