Chapter 148: Ye Ling’s Problem Translator: Tim Editor: Chrissy

“Quan Yi, how come I can’t reach my brother? Is he at home?” Ye Ling thought she couldn’t reach Ye Zifeng last night because he’d turned off his mobile, but she still couldn’t reach him this morning. She knew Ye Zifeng rarely went home after her father passed away two years ago and usually stayed at the Ye Family mansion.

Of course, this was partly due to Grandpa’s fondness for him, but she didn’t know what Ye Zifeng was thinking. Ye Ling rarely went back to the empty house and stayed mostly at school. Occasionally, she would go back to the Ye Family mansion for a few days; however, she needed to steal things, so she’d been there more frequently.

Although Ye Zifeng rarely went home, his phone was always on. But today, it was still off. This was unusual, so the first thing Ye Ling did when she arrived at the Ye Family mansion was to ask about Ye Zifeng’s whereabouts.

Quan Yi was the caretaker of the Ye Family mansion. Ye Ling needed to go in and out of the mansion, so she’d intentionally befriended Quan Yi. But today, upon seeing Ye Ling, Quan Yi’s face changed. She didn’t answer Ye Ling’s questions and hurriedly walked away with her head down.

“Ye Ling, you still dare to come back? Get inside!” a vulgar voice boomed. Before Ye Ling could react, a large hand grabbed her by the neck and easily dragged her inside.

The room was full of people. Not only were the main members of the Ye Family present, but even the women usually excluded from meetings were there.

It seemed they were waiting for her. If she hadn’t returned herself, she would likely have been apprehended.

She looked at her grandfather sitting at the head of the room, and her heart sank. Many years ago, her second aunt interfered in her second uncle’s business and was severely punished. Her own actions were countless times worse.

No matter how much her grandfather liked her, she couldn’t escape the consequences. Ye Ling realized almost everyone was there except Ye Zifeng.

Where was Ye Zifeng? Ye Ling suddenly worried, her heart skipping a beat. Could Ye Zifeng be punished because of her? She forgot she should be worried about herself, not Ye Zifeng.

Ye Beirong looked at Ye Ling, and the disappointment in his eyes was evident. He said nothing; his health was good, so he could likely live another eight or ten years. Because he favored Ye Zifeng, he wanted to wait ten years, until Ye Zifeng was more mature, to consider giving him the leadership position.

Of his sons, Ye Wenqi was too calculating and lacked vision, only capable of petty machinations. As for Ye Wenjin, he was an imbecile. Ye Zifeng, however, was quite like his father, which is why Ye Beirong hadn’t given the leadership position to Ye Wenqi.

He’d even tried to let Ye Zifeng attend family meetings. Though his opinions weren’t always heeded, his performance was good.

He’d considered everything, but never expected Ye Ling to act so treacherously. She’d actually stolen two of the Feng Shui Dragon Balls and given them to their opponents, the Song Family. If Ye Beirong could let this go, the Ye Family would be meaningless.

Ye Beirong scanned the dozens of people below and remained silent for a moment before saying, “I have two announcements. First, Ye Wenqi will be the new family leader, effective immediately. The handover will occur in three days. Second, Ye Wenqi will handle Ye Ling’s treacherous actions.”

Then, Ye Beirong stood from the head of the table and sighed. He didn’t sit elsewhere but walked out of the room.

Ye Ling’s heart grew cold. It seemed her grandfather wouldn’t let her go. If her grandfather punished her, she’d still have a chance, but if it was her uncle, she wouldn’t know what to expect. And her grandfather wasn’t even there.

Ye Ling suddenly looked at Ye Lu, who was standing behind her fourth uncle, and was shocked. She was caught, but Ye Lu was fine? Ye Lu had done more than her, yet hadn’t stolen the Dragon Balls. Plus, Ye Lu had introduced her to Gu Luo, and Gu Luo had said Ye Lu had been working for him for a long time. If the Ye Family could find out she’d stolen the Dragon Balls, how could they not know what Ye Lu had done?

Ye Ling’s heart sank. She’d experienced much and was no longer a naive child. She considered her suspicions about her father’s death and her own actions. Could her uncle not tell she was intentionally getting close to them?

It had taken this long to discover she’d stolen the Dragon Balls? And were they certain she’d taken them? Had her uncle’s men not noticed all this time she’d been in the mansion?

A terrifying truth dawned on Ye Ling. From the beginning, her uncle and fourth uncle had known what she was doing, but they’d let her continue. She was in trouble, but Ye Lu was free. Perhaps they’d purposely used Ye Lu to get close to her.

Ye Ling shivered at the thought. Why had her uncle done this? What had he gained? Was it simply to kill her and her brother?

The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. How old was she? She hadn’t even graduated. Her uncle and his allies were cunning; she would lose in any battle of wits. Her brother, Ye Mo, had been cast out because of his health issues.

Ye Ling couldn’t understand why her uncle and fourth uncle would try to eradicate their branch of the family. But everything else made sense.

If Ye Ling had known Grandfather was planning for Ye Zifeng to lead the family in ten years, she would have understood.

…

Zhang Jue wasn’t as famous in Beijing as Du Tao. When Ye Mo, Zhang Jue, Du Tao, and Li Hu entered, most people only greeted Du Tao, as he was the vice head of the national security bureau.

However, Du Tao didn’t feel superior. He alone understood that, besides Li Hu, Ye Mo and Zhang Jue held higher positions than his. Zhang Jue disliked such scenes, but he didn’t fully understand Ye Mo’s personality, which is why he’d brought him.

“Brother Zhang, your arrival is a surprise,” a young man, not yet thirty, approached.

Not everyone failed to recognize Zhang Jue. This young man clearly knew Zhang Jue and his status.

Zhang Jue smiled, turned to Ye Mo, and said, “This is Young Master Li Qiuyang of the Li Family. He’s quite famous in Beijing, haha.”

Li Qiuyang looked curiously at Ye Mo; he knew Du Tao was still a subordinate of Zhang Jue. What Li Qiuyang didn’t expect was that Zhang Jue introduced him to the young man beside him, whom he didn’t know. This young man was plainly dressed, perhaps even poorly so.

Who was this person? Zhang Jue’s respectful introduction was telling. Besides old man Han Zaixin, who else could command such respect from Zhang Jue? Du Tao and Zhang Jue were both a half-step behind him. That slight distance was enough for Li Qiuyang to judge Ye Mo’s status. He realized Ye Mo was no ordinary person and held at least a higher rank than Zhang Jue. Li Qiuyang, refusing to judge by appearances, quickly approached Ye Mo, extending his hand. “I’m Li Qiuyang, a loyal supporter and friend of Zhang Jue’s.”

Ye Mo smiled and shook his hand. “I’m Ye Mo. I just met Zhang Jue today.”

Li Qiuyang’s mouth twitched; he knew Zhang Jue’s arrogance well. He wouldn’t believe Zhang Jue would be so respectful to someone he’d just met, but Ye Mo didn’t seem to be lying.

Ye Mo—the name seemed familiar, the same name as the outcast from the Ye Family.

“Haha, let’s not stand here. Mr. Ji Beichen, just back from Taiwan, is hosting a charity auction followed by a ball. Let’s sit and chat. Later, at the auction, you can see if anything catches your eye. Ji Beichen is a famous antiques collector; he always brings many fine items when he returns,” Li Qiuyang said, smiling.

“Okay, I’ve heard of Ji Beichen for a long time. Though I don’t have much money, I still want to see his collection,” Zhang Jue immediately agreed.

“Sorry…” Someone suddenly bumped into Ye Mo and apologized immediately. However, upon seeing Ye Mo, the person exclaimed, “Hey, it’s you.”

Ye Mo recognized the person who’d bumped into him. It was Tan Fei, who was going to give him an album when he got off the plane yesterday. He hadn’t expected to see her at this high-class social event, but given her fame, it wasn’t surprising.

“Feifei, after tonight’s auction, there’s a ball. I’ll dance with you later,” a young man followed closely.

Tan Fei no longer cared that someone as seemingly poor as Ye Mo could be here. She turned to the man and said, “Sorry, Young Master Yi, my leg is injured.”