Chapter 48: That’s Fate
Ye Zhiyun sat in the passenger seat, letting the driver head towards another city. She slowly left this familiar city, heading to another place. Although that was said, it wasn’t actually very far, at most about a hundred kilometers.
Since the screen test ended and she took Yu Linna home, Ye Zhiyun entered a busy state, working non-stop. She had several investment projects on hand, two of which were related to movies. Whether they would make money or not was beside the point, but she had indeed spent quite a bit of her funds. Although she was called Miss Ye by people in the circle, only she knew how aggrieved she felt being this “Miss.”
Her father had cut off her financial resources long ago in the name of training her. A long time ago, she began dabbling in stock investment, e-commerce, and other economic fields. Although she didn’t show much interest in economics, she inherited her father’s excellent genes and indeed had a certain ability in investment.
Today was a rare opportunity. Following her father’s arrangement, she returned home. Her home wasn’t in Guangnan City; it took about two hours by car, which wasn’t too far. She currently lived alone, covering her expenses herself. But this money was earned through her own abilities; she rarely asked her family for money. Some people still didn’t know how substantial her family’s assets were.
The car stopped in a villa complex, drove into the garden. After getting out, what came into view was a Western-style mansion, magnificently decorated, built with high-quality marble. Opening the door and entering, the floor gleamed, probably just cleaned, very spotless.
“Miss, you’re back?”
The old butler was a man over fifty. He wore a tailcoat, a neither humble nor arrogant smile on his face, his infectiousness quite amiable.
“Uncle Ma, is my dad back?”
“Master is at the company. He probably won’t be back today.”
“Where’s my brother?”
“Not here either.”
Although this was expected, she still felt a little depressed.
Ye Zhiyun had been pampered at home since childhood. Whether it was her parents or her elder brother, they were all very good to her. She had everything she wanted, almost like a little princess. No one would doubt how happy her life would be when she grew up. She had everything, her parents doted on her, lacking almost nothing.
But later, her father said he wanted to train her, cut off her pocket money, and didn’t let her spend money recklessly. This little princess, who grew up soaked in a honey pot, wasn’t used to it at first. Slowly, she accepted this fact and began trying to use her natural brain to trade stocks. Surprisingly, this first trade brought her her first pot of gold. Seeing her ability, her father had the intention of cultivating her, so he made her move out and live independently.
She had just started high school the year she moved out. Although it wasn’t that she couldn’t be independent, leaving her parents’ embrace still felt a bit unfamiliar.
However, Ye Zhiyun quickly got used to it. Now, she not only traded stocks but also invested in the film industry and did e-commerce, starting to build her fortune with that little bit of money. Although her achievements were incomparable to her father’s.
“What’s wrong, Zhiyun? You seem unhappy.”
Ye Zhiyun’s mother came down from the second floor, wearing a noblewoman’s smile, patting her little head, pampering this precious daughter. Since her daughter moved out to live independently, she no longer acted spoiled like before, which made her quite depressed.
Ye Zhiyun’s mother was named Li Xiaoyue. It seemed she used to be her father’s business competitor, having fought commercial battles against his rival company in the past. The two had quite unpleasant conflicts because of this, almost coming to blows.
But somehow, these two competitors suddenly became lovers, and most incredibly, they actually got married. This was unbelievable to everyone. If no one mentioned it, they wouldn’t even know about this matter.
And after marrying, Mother Li Xiaoyue also faded out of the business world, becoming a noble lady at home, no longer involved in business. However, the children she had with her husband were not easy characters. In the business field, they always had a natural acuity. Perhaps this was a matter of bloodline.
“Mom, long time no see. Where did you travel again?”
“Aiya, your mother worked so hard when I was young, earned enough money. If I don’t travel now, how can I do justice to myself? Although your dad is still so busy, I’m happy to be idle. Do you want me to move over and live with you?”
“That won’t be necessary. I can still take care of myself. Besides, I also have social engagements recently, no less busy than my dad. Are you sure you want to live with me?”
“Hmph, you’re just like your dad, why do you like working so much? You were cuter before. You used to be so obedient, never clamoring to socialize with people.”
“Speaking of which, do you, a former strong woman in the business world, have the right to say that about me?”
She really didn’t understand why her parents got married. Clearly, both had such strong personalities and were even in the same industry. Logically speaking, the possibility of these two pairing up shouldn’t be high. She really couldn’t understand it at all.
But returning home after a long time was still nice. She grew up in this place and naturally felt a sense of closeness. When she was tired, she always wanted to come home and just be idle. Although she was only eighteen and couldn’t be said to have entered society, her current state wasn’t much different from having entered society.
“Zhiyun, you’re already eighteen. Although your dad and I aren’t anxious, have you thought about finding a boyfriend?”
Hey, hey, are you sure you weren’t anxious just now? Ye Zhiyun really wanted to ask this.
The black-haired girl sat down on the sofa in the hall, drinking the tea the butler had prepared for her. Home still tasted the best.
“No.”
Although unwilling, this was indeed the fact. She, Ye Zhiyun, had lived for eighteen years and just didn’t have a boyfriend.
“Really? I thought you and that kid from the Li family were so close, already together long ago.”
“Pfft!!”
Ye Zhiyun sprayed her tea on the spot.
“You, what nonsense are you talking about!!”
Her face flushed red. She grabbed a few tissues from the table to wipe her mouth. Facing her mother’s teasing, smiling eyes, she only felt the anger of being played with.
“Isn’t it true? You’ve liked that kid for so long, yet there’s still no progress. Tell me, shouldn’t you reflect on this?”
“That’s enough!”
“Hahaha.”
Teasing her own daughter was quite fun. Although Li Xiaoyue was getting older, she didn’t have much fun at home usually. Her daughter rarely came back. How could she not play around? Especially seeing her daughter’s embarrassed and angry face, she felt extremely happy. It always brought back memories of teasing her husband when they were young.
After laughing, she slowly calmed down. Although Ye Zhiyun still sat drinking tea, the tips of her ears were still red. It could be seen that she indeed had feelings for Li Muqing, otherwise, she wouldn’t react so strongly.
But…
Li Xiaoyue had seen long ago that this was almost a fruitless affection.
“Zhiyun, I want to talk to you about something serious.”
“What?”
“You really like Muqing, right?”
“What nonsense are you talking about again…”
“Does he like you?”
This question silenced Ye Zhiyun. She wanted to say something to refute, but her mouth opened for a long time, yet she couldn’t utter a single word.
She liked Li Muqing, that was true.
But…
Had Li Muqing ever liked her?
The answer seemed obvious.
“Although Mom doesn’t want to interfere in your affairs, are you really going to continue like this, even if there’s no result?”
“Mom, you don’t understand.”
“Of course, I don’t understand. I haven’t experienced it either. Besides, the choice is yours, not mine.”
Li Xiaoyue smiled, sat down next to her daughter. Regarding Ye Zhiyun’s choice, she never interfered. But, she still felt a little unbearable.
No one wanted their precious daughter to get hurt, especially when the daughter had fallen for someone with no future together.
“…I actually know. I knew a long time ago.”
After a long time, Ye Zhiyun uttered such a sentence. When she said this, her face was filled with sorrow.
She liked Li Muqing; this had been going on for several years. But Li Muqing never liked her. He only regarded Ye Zhiyun as a younger sister, never having even a trace of romantic affection.
If he cared about Ye Zhiyun, his attitude definitely shouldn’t be like this.
Although she knew long ago that Li Muqing didn’t like her, her pride prevented her from bowing her head. She always thought she could change him, holding onto a sliver of hope while staying by his side. But, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. No matter how hard she tried, Li Muqing remained unmoved.
“I know, he doesn’t like me, I know…”
“Then why are you still with him?”
“I… I don’t want to bow my head, don’t want to give up.”
Ye Zhiyun was proud. No one could defeat her. She would never easily let go of something she had set her mind on.
Even knowing it was impossible, she still refused to let go. She was just that kind of person. She liked someone, so she bravely moved forward, never retreating. Even if she lost, she wanted to retain that pride.
Saying these words, Ye Zhiyun’s eyes reddened slightly, but she held back. She wouldn’t admit defeat, absolutely wouldn’t easily admit defeat. She, Ye Zhiyun, was the best, the most outstanding. How could she bow her head because of a man?
“Silly girl, there are so many outstanding men in the world. You don’t have to cling to just one.”
Li Xiaoyue patted her daughter’s head, pulling her into her embrace. Even though her daughter had grown up, she was still a child in her heart.
“Perhaps you’ll have someone more suitable by your side in the future. Why are you so stubborn? Could it be that if you like someone, you have to hang onto them? Some things can’t be forced.”
Ye Zhiyun closed her eyes, saying no more. Although unpleasant to hear, it was the truth.
But…
In the future, could she really find a better partner? Could she, Ye Zhiyun, really have someone by her side who wouldn’t leave her? Was this really possible?
She really didn’t know.
After all, the future is unpredictable; no one can judge.
But recently, her feelings for Li Muqing seemed less intense than before. Perhaps it was because she already knew it was unlikely between them. Who knew if this was a good thing or a bad thing?
Ye Zhiyun opened her eyes, looked up, still feeling bewildered about her future.
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