“Holy cow!”
Ye Chu didn’t know that Ye Qingyi had dreamed of his past life, nor did he know why she had said that, but he was clearly triggered.
“Good, you’re angry now. Use that anger to hit me. Come on, hit me.”
Ye Chu resumed controlling the wooden puppet beside him, kicked open the door, walked into the yard, and said viciously to Ye Qingyi.
He had originally wanted to force Ye Qingyi to grow quickly by angering her.
He never expected it to work so well.
Well, now both of their anger levels were maxed.
A day full of vitality had begun.
….
After a round of intense friendly exchange, Ye Qingyi was drenched in sweat, her hair disheveled, lying on the ground, unable to get up again.
This dog of a man didn’t have an ounce of chivalry.
“Whew! That felt great! Better than being a living immortal.”
Ye Chu, having beaten Ye Qingyi up, felt refreshed and didn’t mind her earlier comment about him being unwanted.
Ye Qingyi had wanted to say a few harsh words to show she was unconvinced, but suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard door.
The door was pushed open, and a girl who looked like a maid ran in panting, her face pale.
“M-miss—the Zhao family is here!”
Ye Qingyi paused, frowning slightly.
“The Zhao family? What for?”
The maid swallowed, her voice trembling.
“The Zhao family head Zhao Lilong came in person, along with the young master Zhao Yuan… They said they want to set a wedding date with you. The Grand Elder has already invited them into the main hall and asks you to go quickly.”
Ye Qingyi felt a strong sense of foreboding, but still forced calm and instructed the maid.
“I understand. You may go now. I’ll be there shortly.”
Zhao Yuan, setting a wedding date, and the Grand Elder—picking up on these words, Ye Chu immediately smelled a conspiracy.
But considering Ye Qingyi’s interaction with Zhao Yuan yesterday, even if they weren’t in a relationship, it was definitely deeper than the bond between him and Ye Qingyi at the moment.
So he didn’t voice his conspiracy theory and instead pretended not to understand.
“You have an engagement?”
Ye Qingyi explained, “It was a drunken jest from our grandfather’s generation. It shouldn’t be taken seriously. I have no feelings for Zhao Yuan.”
“Besides, my goal is to return home. How could I possibly marry and have children in this world?”
“That Zhao Yuan, I saw him yesterday. The way he looked at you was a hundred percent off. Are you sure you have no feelings for him?”
Ye Qingyi was stunned for a moment, then replied testily, “What’s going on in your head all day? I said no, so it’s no.”
“Good.”
Ye Chu sighed in relief, then resumed his annoying demeanor.
“After all, your main task now is to train and build big muscles with me. Dating and stuff is a waste of time.”
Good, he had gotten a definitive answer.
Now he had nothing to worry about.
The nonsense theory that women mean no when they say yes and yes when they say no—who cares?
Those who covet his host have only one outcome: Die!
Ye Qingyi used a minor cleansing technique to clear the sweat and dirt from her body, casually tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear, and stepped out.
Building big muscles—what the hell was that?
Absolutely impossible.
But she couldn’t bother to argue with Ye Chu.
The important thing was to quickly reject this marriage completely.
Unexpectedly, Ye Chu whistled in her mind.
She couldn’t take it anymore.
“What are you doing?”
Ye Qingyi said angrily.
“Can’t you stop? Are you enjoying my expense?”
“Yeah.”
Ye Chu’s voice was matter-of-fact.
“The engagement-breaking drama—classic never goes out of style. Don’t worry, with me here, just stick to your principles and reject him hard. This old grandpa and cheat code will have your back.”
“Trust Brother Chu and get eternal life!”
….
On the way, as Ye Qingyi walked under the corridor, she caught a glimpse of a few maids gathered in a corner whispering.
Their voices were very low, but the sound still drifted into her ears….
“…Thirty-six chests, I heard just spirit stones alone are two thousand…”
“…Young Master Zhao is truly devoted. Even with Miss Qingyi like this, he still…”
“…If you ask me, what is Miss Qingyi dissatisfied with? Anyone else would have…”
They didn’t notice Ye Qingyi had already walked past behind them.
Ye Qingyi’s footsteps paused for a moment, but only a moment.
She didn’t look back, nor did she speak, just continued walking forward.
“Heard that?”
Ye Chu’s voice sounded again.
“Mm.”
“What do you feel?”
Ye Qingyi thought for a moment and answered honestly, “Annoyed.”
Ye Chu chuckled.
“Two thousand spirit stones, wow. If you agree, you could directly buy those medicinal herbs. You only lack the Jade Green Python’s inner core. Maybe the Zhao family’s treasury has one. You whisper a sweet word in his ear, gather all the herbs, and successfully remove the Spirit Scattering Powder’s poison.”
Ye Qingyi said disdainfully, “I’ll work hard with my own hands for what I want. There’s no need to use marriage or betrothal gifts to exchange for them.”
“Can you give some constructive advice?”
….
Time goes back a bit earlier.
Inside the Ye family’s reception hall, Mingde Hall.
Ye Qingyi’s father, Ye family head Ye Zhenshan, hadn’t even entered Mingde Hall when he heard the Zhao family head Zhao Lilong and Ye family Grand Elder Ye Changlin chatting happily.
Although he felt a bad premonition, Ye Zhenshan did not hesitate at all.
He was the head of the Ye family. What did he have to fear?
Entering Mingde Hall, he saw Zhao family head Zhao Lilong, tall and sturdy with thick brows and tiger-like eyes, wearing a dark brocade robe with a high-quality warm jade pendant at his waist.
His whole demeanor exuded smug satisfaction as he conversed heart-to-heart with the Grand Elder.
Zhao Yuan, currently recognized as the number one among the younger generation of Qingyun City, a genius on the verge of Foundation Establishment, and the dream lover of countless girls, stood quietly to the side.
The other elders of the Ye family sat in order, with various expressions—some whispering, some resting with eyes closed, some fiddling absentmindedly with teacups.
“Brother Zhenshan.”
Zhao Lilong clasped his fists, his voice loud as a bell.
“I, Zhao, have been presumptuous to visit today. Sorry for the disturbance.”
Ye Zhenshan returned the greeting, his face expressionless.
“You’re too polite, Head Zhao. Please, sit.”
He walked calmly to the main seat but did not hurry to sit down, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present.
A few elders who had been slouching unconsciously sat up straighter, and those who had been whispering fell silent.
Only Grand Elder Ye Changlin was seated properly to the side, holding his teacup steadily, his expression normal as if he had noticed nothing.
“Grand Elder is rarely this free today. Usually, you retreat to the back mountain for months on end, making it hard for even me, the family head, to meet you. Today, as soon as Head Zhao arrives, you personally accompany him. I, as the family head, am a bit ashamed.”
His tone was calm, as if saying something ordinary, but everyone in the hall understood the implication: “You, Grand Elder, usually ignore family affairs, but today when an outsider comes, you are very attentive. Could there be some trickery behind this?”
The elders exchanged glances, and the atmosphere became slightly tense.