After handing Zi Yun over to Luo Jingxuan and her company, Ye Luo left the scene and headed towards a restaurant in Zhonghai, as he had promised to accompany Li Wanqin to have dinner with her parents.
Upon arriving at a fine dining restaurant, Ye Luo spotted Li Wanqin and quickly walked over to her.
"Sorry, something held me up, Iâm not late, am I?" Ye Luo said to Li Wanqin with a smile.
"Itâs fine; my parents are already inside. Letâs go in," she replied.
Li Wanqin revealed a sweet smile, and the two of them walked inside together.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Ye Luo and Li Wanqin, on the other side of the restaurant, two voices were heard chatting and coming outâit was Chen Yaowen and Ling Qingya.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Chen, for your help. Without it, this cooperation wouldnât have been possible," Ling Qingya said, looking at Chen Yaowen.
"Not at all, it was thanks to our Presidentâs leadership. Hey, isnât that Manager Li and Vice Chief Ye?" Chen Yaowen suddenly seemed to notice something, looking into the distance.
Following Chen Yaowenâs gaze, Ling Qingya saw Ye Luo and Li Wanqin intimately going upstairs together, and her expression changed slightly as a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
"I didnât expect to run into them here. They must be here to dine as well. Letâs go over and say hello," Chen Yaowen suggested lightly to Ling Qingya.
"No need, we donât even know which room theyâre in, letâs just go back," Ling Qingyaâs eyes flickered as she spoke.
"Itâs fine; the owner of this restaurant is a friend of mine. I can just ask and find out. Besides, we didnât eat much with the client just now, so itâs perfect to have a meal together. Iâm sure Manager Li and Vice Chief Ye wonât mind."
Chen Yaowen spoke with a smile and immediately went over, while Ling Qingyaâs eyes flickered, and she followed him.
In a private room on the third floor of the restaurant, Li Wanqinâs parents were seated. When Ye Luo and Li Wanqin entered, Mr. and Mrs. Li showed their utmost enthusiasm.
The first time Ye Luo visited the Li Family, he had faced all kinds of difficulties and sarcasm from Li Wanqinâs parents, who even wanted to marry their daughter off to a peripheral disciple of the Shen Family.
However, after Ye Luo bought them an apartment and, with the help of Secretary Du from Zhonghai, helped Li Wanqinâs father not only get reinstated to his former position but also get promoted, her parents acknowledged him as their son-in-law.
"Ye Luo, youâre here. Please, take a seat," Mrs. Li said warmly, rising to her feet.
"No need to be so polite, letâs all sit down," Ye Luo said calmly, then he and Li Wanqin took their seats.
"Mom, why did you insist on dragging Ye Luo out for a meal? What exactly is going on?" Li Wanqin asked her mother with a puzzled face.
"Ye Luo, you and Wan Qing have been together for quite some time now. Your uncle and I have discussed it, and we think itâs time for you two to get married. Weâd also love to have a grandchild," Mrs. Li said with a smile.
"What? Get married!" Both Ye Luoâs and Li Wanqinâs faces changed, showing great surprise.
"Is there a problem?"
Both Mr. and Mrs. Li looked at them with puzzled expressions.
Li Wanqinâs face changed, and she quickly said, "Mom, Iâm still young. I donât want to get married so early."
"Youâre already twenty-five. How is that young? Girls your age already have sons. Itâs time for you to get married so we donât have to worry about you anymore," Mrs. Li declared.
"Yes, Ye Luo, what do you think?" Liâs father looked at Ye Luo with a trace of expectation in his eyes, ever since his position had been continuously restored and even promoted.
He had vaguely heard that all of this was arranged by Secretary Du, and he hadnât expected that Ye Luo knew Secretary Du too. With this in mind, he naturally became even more satisfied with this future son-in-law.
He couldnât wait for them to get married straight away, thinking that perhaps in the future he could climb higher up the ladder by relying on Ye Luoâs connection to Secretary Du.
"This..." Ye Luoâs gaze flickered, and he was somewhat at a loss for words. He couldnât possibly say that he already had a fiancĂ© and it wouldnât be convenient to marry Li Wanqin, could he? That would definitely cause trouble.
Bang bang!
Just then, a knocking sound erupted, and Liâs mother called out directly, "Who is it?"
Ye Luoâs expression changed, about to speak, when the door to the private room was pushed open, and Chen Yaowen and Ling Qingya walked in.
Li Wanqinâs body trembled immediately, her complexion changed in an instant, and she called out nervously, "President!"
"Oh, there are other people here, sorry for the interruption," Chen Yaowen said with a smile on his face.
"Who are you?" Liâs father and Liâs mother looked at the two with puzzled expressions.
"Oh, I am the deputy general of Ling Corporation, and this is the president of Ling Corporation. You must be Manager Liâs parents," Chen Yaowen said indifferently.
"So you are the president and the deputy president. We didnât know you would come, we are really sorry," Liâs mother quickly said with a smiling face.
"Vice Chief Ye, how come you are dining with Manager Li and her parents?" Chen Yaowen pretended to be puzzled as he looked at Ye Luo.
Ye Luoâs eyes glinted with a cold light as he glanced at Chen Yaowen.
"Itâs like this, I..." Liâs mother was about to say something when she was swiftly scolded by Li Wanqin.
"Mom, donât talk nonsense. You and dad go home first," Li Wanqin said with a tight expression, looking at her parents.
"Uncle, Auntie, just go ahead and speak. Why is Manager Li stopping you? Surely there isnât something you canât let the president and I hear," Chen Yaowen said with a strange smile on his lips, watching Li Wanqin and Ye Luo.
"I..." Li Wanqinâs expression shifted, uncertain how to start.
While Ye Luo had been silent all along, Ling Qingyaâs eyes were fixed on him.
"Thereâs nothing to hide. We were just having dinner with Ye Luo and Wan Qin to discuss when they will get married. Since President Ling is here too, Iâve heard you have a good relationship with Wan Qin. Why donât you persuade her? This girl is not getting any younger; she should get married sooner. Plus, Ye Luo is so outstandingâif she doesnât hold on to him earlier, he might be snatched up by some other woman," Liâs mother blurted out in one breath.
Li Wanqinâs complexion immediately shifted, her body trembling so much that she almost couldnât stand steady.
Ling Qingya didnât speak, her face showing no change whatsoever, but her eyes turned incredibly cold, cold to the extreme, as if devoid of any emotion, staring intently at Ye Luo.
Ye Luoâs body also trembled slightly; he sighed softly but still remained silent.
Chen Yaowen, however, showed a surprised expression, saying, "What? Ye Luo and Manager Li are getting married? How is that possible?"
"Whatâs so impossible about that? They are boyfriend and girlfriend after all. And Ye Luo bought us a house and helped us so much; weâve long regarded him as our son-in-law," Liâs mother said with a beaming smile, oblivious to her daughter Li Wanqinâs pale face.