Hanging up the phone, Ye Ming shook his head helplessly, "Still the same as before!"
He glanced at the time, it was almost eleven.
Stepping out of the restaurant, he saw a man in a suit talking to Nangong Qianyu, holding a delicate box in his hand.
"Miss Nangong, this is what you asked for." The man in the suit handed the box to Nangong Qianyu.
"Okay! Thank you for your trouble!"
After the man in the suit left, Nangong Qianyu looked at the box in her hand, her expression somewhat somber.
"What is this?" Ye Ming walked over, asking with some curiosity.
Nangong Qianyu gave Ye Ming another glare and handed him the box, "Here!"
???
"For me?" Ye Ming looked bewildered.
"Of course, it's not for you." Nangong Qianyu opened the box. Inside was an old ginseng root, showing signs of age and still carrying a faint fragrance of earth.
"It's my grandfather's sixtieth birthday, and you're going to visit him empty-handed?" Nangong Qianyu said, annoyed.
Clearly, this was intended for Ye Ming to present to her grandfather.
It was something she had spent a long time acquiring.
She had originally planned to give it herself, but seeing that Ye Ming hadn't mentioned any gift, Nangong Qianyu could only give it to him.
Internally, she felt a pang of discomfort.
So, he didn't care about her that much after all.
Seeing Nangong Qianyu's downcast expression, Ye Ming didn't understand what was wrong, but he could sense that her melancholy was tinged with a bit of disappointment.
"You should give this to your grandfather yourself!" Ye Ming said with a smile, not taking the box.
"You..."
Before Nangong Qianyu could speak, Ye Ming interrupted her, patting his chest and saying, "Don't worry, the gift I've prepared will definitely shock everyone."
"Ah!"
Nangong Qianyu looked at the confident Ye Ming, somewhat surprised, "So you've already prepared it?"
Hearing Nangong Qianyu's words, and recalling her earlier expression, Ye Ming seemed to understand something.
He stepped closer, looking directly into Nangong Qianyu's bright eyes, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, "I was wondering what made you look so sad. So you thought I forgot to prepare a gift for your grandfather, tsk tsk tsk!"
Looking at the face so close to hers, Nangong Qianyu's pretty face flushed instantly. She quickly pushed Ye Ming away, avoiding his gaze, "You're the one who's sad!"
With that, she ran into the car without looking back.
However, in a corner where Ye Ming couldn't see, Nangong Qianyu's face was filled with a smile of relief.
...
When they returned to the Ziyun Mountain villa, Fang Junxue was also ready.
Her expression was calm, showing no hint of emotion.
"Wait for me, I'll go get something." Nangong Qianyu rushed upstairs, as if she had forgotten something.
After Nangong Qianyu left, only Ye Ming and Fang Junxue remained in the hall.
Ye Ming stepped forward, gently holding Fang Junxue's jade hand, his eyes filled with tenderness, "Don't worry, I'm here!"
Fang Junxue smiled charmingly, and the light around them seemed to brighten considerably.
"I'm not that fragile!" Fang Junxue looked at the man in front of her, her bright eyes filled with determination.
She!
Fang Junxue!
Was never a weak person.
This was evident from the time she walked out of the operating room covered in blood years ago.
"Oh! Right!" Ye Ming suddenly remembered something and let go of Fang Junxue's hand.
Then, with a wave of his right hand, a dark crack appeared in the space in front of Ye Ming.
Ye Ming reached directly into it. After a moment, when he withdrew his hand, two exquisite small boxes appeared.
Fang Junxue, who witnessed this bizarre scene, although she knew Ye Ming was no ordinary person, still felt a sense of dreaminess.
"You... this..."
Fang Junxue didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Don't be too surprised! I'll teach you in the future." Ye Ming said with a smile, looking at the slightly astonished girl.
"I... I can learn this too!" Fang Junxue said, not quite believing it.
"Of course!" Ye Ming said with absolute certainty.
He couldn't guarantee for others, but for Fang Junxue, Ye Ming was fully confident.
Through his observations during this period, Ye Ming had confirmed that Fang Junxue indeed possessed that potential.
"I'm looking forward to it!" Fang Junxue said with yearning.
"Here! This is for you."
Ye Ming handed one of the small boxes to Fang Junxue, keeping the other for himself.
"What is this?" Fang Junxue asked curiously.
"It's a secret!" Ye Ming smiled mysteriously, "When we attend the birthday banquet, you can present it as a birthday gift."
Seeing Ye Ming's desire to keep it a mystery, Fang Junxue naturally played along, "Okay!"
As for what was inside, Fang Junxue didn't care.
After all, she could unconditionally trust the man in front of her.
As for the gift she had originally prepared, it was naturally no longer needed.
At this moment, Fang Junxue could not have imagined that at the upcoming banquet, these two small boxes would stir up tremendous waves.
Even less could she have known that from this moment on, everything that followed would be drawn into someone's grand plan.
A moment later, Nangong Qianyu came down. However, she wasn't carrying anything.
But if one looked closely, they would notice a light layer of makeup on her face.
It seemed that fetching something was an excuse, and looking radiant was the real reason.
Even though Nangong Qianyu was already stunning without makeup, with a touch of light makeup, she could truly be described as breathtakingly beautiful.
"Let's go!"
Nangong Qianyu waved her hand, exuding a rather heroic and spirited aura.
Ye Ming and Fang Junxue exchanged a smile and followed Nangong Qianyu out.
...
Nangong Family Courtyard.
The entrance to the courtyard was already adorned with festive decorations.
By now, many guests had arrived to offer their congratulations. The person welcoming them was none other than Nangong Qianyu's father, Nangong Fu.
However, beside Nangong Fu stood a young man.
The man was handsome and elegant, exuding an approachable aura.
This person was Nangong Yi, the eldest young master of the Nangong family.
He was also Nangong Qianyu's elder brother.
"Brother Fu, it's been a while!"
At this moment, a middle-aged man wearing glasses walked forward.
His name was Lin Fengxuan, the acting head of the Lin family, one of the three major families in Minghai.
Behind him was his son, Lin Zifeng.
"Greetings, Uncle Nangong!" Lin Zifeng bowed respectfully.
"Brother Lin, please come in." Nangong Fu nodded and gestured, "Yi'er!"
Nangong Yi understood and said, "Uncle Lin, please!"
After Lin Fengxuan and his party entered, several more groups of people arrived in succession.
Without exception, they were all influential figures in Minghai City.
"Oh! Brother Fang!"
Not long after, a man with a stern face and an imposing demeanor arrived with his entourage.
He was the current head of the Fang family, Fang Tingsheng.
The young man beside him was named Fang Qianhan, the eldest young master of the Fang family.
"Brother Nangong, it's been a long time." Fang Tingsheng said with a smile.
Fang Qianhan behind him also bowed respectfully.
As the two were reminiscing, a guard by the side suddenly called out,
"Why is that esteemed sir here?"