Release that Man

The Ye family was a typical matriarchal family. For the older generation, Mother Ye suppressed Father Ye, and in the younger generation, Ye Shuang suppressed Ye Feng. Of course, this was when Father Ye did not give his opinion. Unless it was about a really serious issue, the right to speak in the family belonged to the women.

Naturally, the fact that Mother Ye assigned a date for Ye Shuang shocked everyone. However, after they gave it some thought, they realized that Mother Ye’s action was not that out of place, and they allowed Mother Ye to do what she wanted. Ye Shuang sighed. All she could do was entertain her mother; she would play along and see it as a method of being filial to her mother. She was not treating this seriously, and Ye Shuang doubted the son that she was going on a date with would treat this seriously either. Without wasting time thinking about it, Ye Shuang knew that a romantic relationship would not miraculously just appear in her life. F*ck! She was only twenty-five!

Early the next morning, Ye Shuang prepared to leave the house with her bag. Mother Ye, who was preparing breakfast, saw this and quickly called after her. “Wait a minute, your date is this afternoon. Where are you going?”

“To change Tony’s working information at the immigration department.” Ye Shuang sighed helplessly. “The kid is here on a tourist visa, and it was only effective for six months. When he signed a contract to work here, he did not update his visa. I only found this out last night. Brother Han has already sent them the documents and informed the staff there, so this shouldn’t take too long. I’ll go grab his passport to update it.”

Anthony’s focus had always been on playing, and he had never paid attention to such details. He normally would not spend so much time when he visited a country, so he rarely considered the issue of deadlines whenever he applied for a visa. This time, after he celebrated New Year at Han Chu’s home, he suddenly realized that he was about to become an illegal immigrant. Therefore, Han Chu quickly had someone send over Tony’s passport to Ye Shuang to get her to help him rush through the process. If she did not resolve this soon, without a passport, Anthony would not have been able to purchase a plane ticket, much less return to San Lin City for work.

“It has to be done today?” Mother Ye was feeling annoyed.

“Yes, the sooner the better.” Ye Shuang sat at the door to put on her shoes as she kept her head lowered and explained, “Brother Han’s people will be coming here for a meeting in the morning and will leave in the afternoon, so I need to get the passport done before they return so that they can take it with them. Don’t worry, Brother Han has already informed the staff. Technically, I’m just helping him send some things.”

Mother Ye was still worried, and she ran to the door, holding the pot of porridge, to ask, “How long will you take‽”

“It should be done by noon, but it might take a little longer if I stay behind to have lunch with the person. At most, I’ll return by three or four in the afternoon.” Ye Shuang calculated the time before sighing helplessly. “Mom, your date is for dinner, so what are you so worried about? Don’t tell me you want to stay at home the entire day just for this date?”

Life would become a lot busier after New Year. The list of contracted scriptwriters had to be settled, and even in San Lin City alone, she needed to follow up on the progress of the cooperation between Anthony and An Zixuan. This was not counting the additional job that might cut in and the social events that she needed to attend. Other than that, there was also the communication with the Go association as well as the upper society in Jing Hu City. Ye Shuang was not really busy, but these were all things that would take up a lot of time. She did not mind when Mother Ye arranged for her to appear on a date, but it was too much to ask when she was required to keep the rest of her life on hold for the sake of this one day.

“The man’s son is really not bad.” Mother Ye tried her best to explain her thoughts. Even though she did not stop Ye Shuang, she still reminded Ye Shuang endlessly, afraid that her daughter might run away from the marriage… ahem, run away from the date. “Initially, I wanted to bring you to do your hair and perhaps buy a new set of clothes! And look at you, you still refuse to use any make-up! If it’s something important, then I won’t stop you, but if this is some trick to run away from the date, don’t blame me for being cruel!”

Ye Shuang was silent for half a minute. “Mom, what have I done to deserve this‽”

Is this still my real mother‽ Going on a date is nothing serious—even if I treated this as an interview, she would not have been a no-show. This concerns your face, Mom.

Ye Shuang was feeling gloomy. “I know, when I’m done with the work, I’ll call you.”

After she put on her shoes, she stood up to wave goodbye to Mother Ye. “I’ll be there—I guarantee it! Don’t you worry about it.”

Mother Ye wanted to say something more, but her hands were occupied from holding the pot. Ye Shuang also ran too fast for her to catch up to. Mother Ye could only watch as the front door slammed shut, and she sighed to herself. “This daughter just doesn’t care about important stuff.”

Father Ye, who happened to walk out from the bedroom, saw this and moved to the dining table without a change in his expression. “It’s just a date. Why are you treating it so seriously?”

“Would you prefer her to continue changing like this every few days?” Mother Ye glared at Father Ye before slamming the pot on the table. Then as she wandered back into the kitchen, she mumbled, “At the end of the day, girls have to get married and have babies. Won’t life be easier for us if Xiao Shuang gets married as soon as possible‽”

Father Ye had no counter. Honestly, if not for her fluctuating sex, he would not have planned to marry his daughter so early. Father-in-law and son-in-law had to be nemeses in their previous life; this statement was true for every family.

“Fine, fine. Go and call Xiao Feng out for breakfast!”

…

As she had told her mother, taking care of Anthony’s visa did not take much time. After all, this was something that had already been dealt with—other people might have taken several days or even several months to prepare for their visa, but it was different when you knew people working at immigration. Furthermore, this was not the first time Han Chu had helped the boy do such a thing. Therefore, he knew whose elbows to grease and what documents to prepare. Other than the time taken to go to the An family’s company to take the proof and hiring contract, the rest of the procedure went smoothly.

After she was done with everything, it was only noon. When she drove to send the visa to Han Chu’s friend, it was two pm. It was already too late for lunch, so she shook hands with the man to wish him a safe journey.

Not long after she parted from the man, Han Chu’s call came. “You’ve just completed the procedure to apply for a visa, so I’ll be leaving this to you in the future. Those people recognize faces, so in the future, should you need to do this again, just give them my name.”

“Okay.” Ye Shuang did not feel any pressure. After all, most of the talents were local; how many times would she need to deal with special cases like Anthony‽ Honestly, at the end of the day, she stood to gain the most. All she did was run an errand, but she gained a shortcut. If she wanted to leave the country to go travelling, things would be a lot easier.

“By the way, I heard from Yao Zhixing that you’ve gotten into some trouble in San Lin City,” Han Chu added in an off-handed manner.

“That is Brother Yao’s nemesis. I’m just the collateral damage.”

“Oh, my mistake then.” Han Chu was merely trying to make conversation. When he heard the annoyance in Ye Shuang’s voice, he quickly changed his statement. “Yao Zhixing said, recently, trouble has found you.”

“Don’t remind me. It’s someone with mad dog disease.” Ye Shuang also sighed as she thought back to the show that she had to do to put herself out as someone from a cultured background, she would need to attend a few more functions due to this identity of hers. If not to guard against that Zhou Yue, would she have needed to find such thing to do‽

However, to be fair, it had some benefits as well. At least with this identity, it would be more convenient for her in the future when she needed to do stuff in San Lin City. “In any case, the trouble has been generally settled. It’s just that the man is the chewing gum type, he’ll stick to you… Thankfully, his main target is still Brother Yao. After Brother Yao deals with him, he probably won’t have any time to come after me.”

“Hmm, it’s good to hear that,” Han Chu responded. Ye Shuang could hear the sound of typing coming from the other end of the phone. Then, she heard Han Chu ask, after a moment of silence, “I hear you’re going on a date‽”

He said that as indifferently as earlier.

F*ck! Ye Shuang gritted her teeth. “…Tony told you that‽”

That golden retriever was nothing good. Initially, Ye Shuang did not think much about it, but now that she traced back her memory, the golden retriever was most excited when he heard about the news of her date. When he arrived at Han Chu’s place and thought about San Lin City, that would be the memory that was freshest on his mind, and he would of course share it with his good friend. While Ye Shuang did not treat this as a shameful secret, it was still something private. It just felt wrong having it broadcast like this.

Han Chu did not answer Ye Shuang’s question because he did not see the need to. There were not that many possibilities, so he did not see the need to confirm it. “Just remember that your work comes before the date. Do you want me to move some of your work to someone else?”

“Thank you, but no.” The commission was definitely hers, but the man that she was going to meet was not. Ye Shuang would not sacrifice her livelihood for a stranger.

“Good,” Han Chu said in satisfaction. He preferred employees who had a clear distinction between life and work. With his good mood, Han Chu said with a light humor in his voice, “If this one doesn’t work out, there are plenty of talents in our talent storage.”

Wonderful, then I should thank you first!

After hanging up on Han Chu’s call, Ye Shuang did not even know what to say. Then again, she reminded herself that, at the very beginning, she accepted this job because it would broaden her social circle so that she would have more options to choose from to help her end her gender swap issue. However, at some point, Ye Shuang had moved the issue of finding a partner out of her mind as she focused on the job.

…

After resolving the issue and greeting the leader at immigration, Ye Shuang glanced at the time, and it was already three pm. As she looked for a place to park her car, she received a call from Mother Ye to ask for an update. Knowing that Ye Shuang’s schedule was open, Mother Ye ordered her to go the spa. The hair perm and clothes changing could be skipped, but at the very least, she had to fix her appearance, right‽

Ye Shuang did not think so. After the DNA optimization, she could be placed on a poster without photoshop—why would she need a spa treatment‽

Nevertheless, she still promised her mother. After hanging up the phone, she did what she was told. After exiting the car park, Ye Shuang bought snacks to munch on as she walked toward the spot inside the mall where she was supposed to meet with Mother Ye.

“I’ve already told you I lost my wallet. Get me your manager, do you not understand human language‽”

She had just entered the first floor of the mall and walked through the street that specialized in jades and precious stones when she heard a familiar voice roaring.

Turning toward the voice, as she expected, Zhou Yue’s profile entered her sight. The man was in the middle of a heated argument with the salesman at one of the counters—although, technically, it was more like a one-sided argument. The salesman tried his best to maintain his professional smile and uttered politely, “Sir, our manager will need some time before he can get here. How about this? I will help you pack this Rhodon bracelet and hold onto it for you. Perhaps you can go retrieve money in the meantime‽”

Ye Shuang moved her gaze slightly downward and saw the Rhodon bracelet that sat on the counter between them. The shine and seed of the stone were not bad. Now that Argentina had banned the mining of Rhodon, the price had experienced a steep increase, especially the ones with good seed. It was difficult to find a bracelet that has both a good seed and a shiny surface.

The salesman’s suggestion was naturally quite reasonable; he respected the customer’s demand and provided a valid solution. Actually, even if he did not reserve the bracelet for Zhou Yue, it would have been fine. This type of jade accessory was not something that would be considered a casual purchase. No one would have bought it simply because they saw it. For a normal person, when the salesman said something like that, they would have let it go, but Zhou Yue was not a normal person.

To put it lightly, the man had a capricious personality.

To put it bluntly, the man was insane.

As long as he felt like it and had set his sight on it, no one would be able to stop him. Therefore, Zhou Yue not only did not calm down, he became even more angered. “You think I’m poor, that I cannot afford this bracelet‽ I’ve made purchases at your store how many times already? There are even records of me taking stuff first before paying. Give me your phone, and I’ll talk to your manager myself!”

The man talked big, but if the salesman really allowed him to walk away with such an expensive bracelet, he really would have been dumb. Thus, he could only smile bitterly and explain, “I’m sorry, sir, but our manager’s phone is out of battery, and I’ve already tried to reach him earlier…”

Ye Shuang watched this with interest. It was rare that she was given a chance to see such a show. Just at Zhou Yue was looking around, probably looking for someone who would vouch for him, his eyes lit up when he spotted Ye Shuang standing outside the store. Then, his expression changed like he was suddenly reminded of something.

Since she had already been discovered, Ye Shuang walked over with a smile. Just as she wandered within one meter of Zhou Yue, the man stepped subconsciously backwards. However, he probably believed Ye Shuang would not dare do anything in broad daylight, so he stopped himself when he made the half-step, and with a grit of his teeth, Zhou Yue forced himself to stand where he was.

The salesman was a good judge of character. As he noticed Zhou Yue shut up after Ye Shuang’s arrival, he realized instantly this was a great character and quickly came over to serve his savior. Ye Shuang smiled at the salesman and lowered her head to look at the bracelet that sat on the counter. Then she turned to look at Zhou Yue with a half-smile. “Is Mr. Zhou planning to rob the store‽”

Zhou Yue stared at her but did not dare open his lips to say anything. Ye Shuang did not make things more difficult for the man; she turned back to look at the price tag and sighed. “20000 plus is not really that expensive…”

Zhou Yue’s lips moved for several times before he forced out a few words. “Can you… borrow me some money?”

His volume was so small that no one could hear. If not for Ye Shuang’s enhanced hearing, she would not have known what the man said.

“What‽” Ye Shuang’s acting was on full display, the confusion on her face flawless. “Did Mr. Zhou ask me something earlier?”

The salesman also turned to toss Zhou Yue a confused look.

Zhou Yue turned away with a cough. Right then, the phone in his pocket rang. He took it out to take a look. After glancing at the caller ID, Zhou Yue ended the call without answering it. However, he seemed to have rushed to a decision by this call. After Zhou Yue pocketed the phone, he turned his head back and repeated his question. “Can you lend me some money?”

As the saying goes, lose money to avoid misfortune. If Zhou Yue really took money from Ye Shuang’s hand this time, the amount aside, he would owe Ye Shuang a favor. Ye Shuang would have used the money to practically purchase a good relationship. When Zhou Yue wanted to find trouble in the future, he would have to avoid her. Furthermore, Zhou Yue would definitely return this money.

Zhou Yue’s thought was even simpler to understand. He was probably really in an urgent situation, and Ye Shuang happened to walk by. He thought about it, and of course, as someone who attended that New Year’s Eve party, such an amount was probably small change. Zhou Yue did not know that his trick to come after Father Ye had been exposed and thought the history between them was only that fight at the spring. He had been the one being beaten up that time!

After hearing the news from the secretary, he extinguished the idea to go after members of the Ye family. Combined that with the fear of Ye Shuang’s martial prowess, the possibility of so-called revenge was zero. Since they would not have another conflict, at least on the surface, in the future, what was wrong with asking for a loan‽

He, Master Zhou, was willing to lower himself to ask for a truce, so the other party should hurry to accept it. That way, both parties would have the chance to save face, and things would be more harmonious in the future.

However, that was ultimately a perceived scenario in his mind; Zhou Yue really did not expect Ye Shuang to be such a horrible person.

After enjoying Zhou Yue’s awkward expression with a smile, Ye Shuang waited until all the shades of a rainbow crossed the man’s face before she slowly opened her lips to throw out one word.

“Nope.”

It lit up Zhou Yue like match to a pool of lie. After she said that, Ye Shuang turned to leave.

The salesman was stunned. Aren’t these two friends‽

Zhou Yue exploded almost instantly. He was so angry that he looked like he might turn into Hulk. “Stop right there!”

“What do you want?” Ye Shuang did as she was told. She turned around with a sweet smile on her face, looking completely harmless and cute. “I don’t have any money to lend you; do you plan to rob me‽”

Rob your head! Zhou Yue’s face was white from anger. “If you weren’t going to lend me money, why did you walk in here?”

To watch me make a fool of myself‽

“To watch you make a fool of yourself, of course.” Ye Shuang was so open and direct that even the salesman felt like escaping the scene. “We are not even considered acquaintances. Why should I lend you money‽”

Lose money to avoid misfortune? To buy a good relationship‽ The idea was not bad, but Zhou Yue currently had nothing that could cause a threat to Ye Shuang, so why should she accept this relationship‽

The residual issue with Yao Zhixing aside, based on Zhou Yue’s personality, the man would come up with more things in the future to test Ye Shuang’s bottom line, and they would have to tear each other’s faces off one day in the future. Since that was going to happen anyway, why waste time trying to make friends?

For example, Ye Shuang accepted An Zixuan because they were enemies previously due to their stance, but since Zhou Yue was the type who would go around professionally to find trouble, Ye Shuang could not do anything about that.

…

After toying with Zhou Yue, Ye Shuang felt much better. Where was one going to find a dummy who would not counter after being attacked?

Following a gentle stroll around the mall and a few purchases, about one hour later, she received the call from Mother Ye. The other party had already arrived at the booked restaurant. There was the voice of a middle-aged man asking for the menu coming through the phone—that was probably Mother Ye’s old flame. An alarm rang in Ye Shuang’s mind instantly. Even though, probability wise, the chance of Mother Ye falling into an extra-marital affair was impossible, it was still wrong to be so friendly with her former pursuer.

For every other family, the parents would show up with their children because they were the main reason that they were there, but Mother Ye did it differently. She started things off with a meeting with the old friend and then would call the main characters when enough time had passed. Just what was Mother Ye thinking‽

After shoving the stuff that she had bought into her bag, Ye Shuang charged to the restaurant without wasting any more time. After giving the table number to the front of house, a waiter showed up to lead Ye Shuang to Mother Ye’s table. Ye Shuang glanced at the table. The man who sat across from Mother Ye looked like normal guy, but he dressed like a successful person. His clothes and watch were branded, and he looked like he came from money.

“Xiao Shuang, you’re finally here!” It looked like Mother Ye had enjoyed catching up with her old friend. When she saw Ye Shuang, she happily called Ye Shuang to come sit down next to her. Then she made the introduction to the man across from them. “Ol’ Zhou hasn’t met my Xiao Shuang, right? She is now a professional player at the Go association. However, she does not have a job of her own. Compared to your son, she is not that impressive.”

“If only my son was as trustworthy as you make him out to be. Even after so much beating and scolding, he still refuses to clean up his act and keeps creating trouble for me.” The man smiled kindly. “Xiao Shuang is the impressive one. She is a talented young woman and a pretty one on top of that.”

Ye Shuang greeted the man kindly as she tried to pull his attention away from Mother Ye. “Uncle Zhou, nice to meet you.”

Come aim your cannon at me! Let go of that housemaker!

When he heard Ye Shuang call him uncle, the man was very happy. He responded with big smile before lowering his head with shame to look at his watch, and he grumbled angrily, “Where is that boy? I just told him to run some simple errand, and it’s taking him so long!”

“It’s okay. It’s just dinner…” Mother Ye tried to smooth over the atmosphere, but she was only half-finished when the man’s eyes lit up as he turned to the door.

“There he is!”

Ye Shuang followed the man’s gaze and saw Zhou Yue rushing toward them with sweat falling down his face. “Dad, earlier I…”

Zhou Yue was about to explain his tardiness, but when the young woman who sat across his father turned around, the rest of his words got stuck in his throat instantly.

What the f*ck!

Should I stay, or should I run‽

Zhou Yue widened his eyes to look at Ye Shuang in disbelief, and he was caught in a conundrum.