Chapter 18: A Late-Night Phone Call from Li Yuan

After dinner, Ning Ruoxi pulled Luo Yue along to wash the dishes. Perhaps won over by the meal, Luo Yue wasn’t reluctant in the slightest; on the contrary, she seemed quite eager.

Ye Ling was, of course, delighted by this. ’Two rich young ladies actually doing the dishes on their own? Not bad, they deserve some praise.’

Ye Ling was lying on the sofa, scrolling through TikTok. Over the past couple of days, a beautiful woman named ’Xing Gou’ had caught his attention.

Admittedly, the girl’s smile was incredibly sweet. What really attracted Ye Ling, though, was her dorky charm and the way she’d occasionally let some profanity fly.

He typed out a comment: "Stop pretending to be a fool. You’re too convincing."

Ye Ling casually posted the comment, shaking his head with a resigned chuckle. ’Such a pretty girl... too bad she has to open her mouth.’

He wasn’t sure if it was just him, but he felt like in this day and age, a lot of beautiful women were gradually becoming complete goofs.

And the crazy part is, their goofiness was actually kind of cute?

"Ye Ling, do you have a moment?"

Just then, Ning Ruoxi walked over.

Ye Ling put his phone down and smiled. "Yeah, I’ve got time. What’s up?"

’Mm.’

’Good thing Ning Ruoxi is still relatively normal, at least.’

"It’s like this..."

Ning Ruoxi told Ye Ling what she and Luo Yue had discussed earlier.

A warm feeling spread through Ye Ling’s chest as he listened. He smiled. "Of course, I don’t have a problem with it, but Luo Yue..."

"I’ve already worked things out with Luo Yue, and we don’t really have to do anything anyway. My dad won’t necessarily pay attention to what’s going on with me."

Ning Ruoxi stuck her tongue out playfully, looking rather adorable, before turning and heading back to her room.

Ye Ling smiled and shook his head. ’Actually,’ he thought, ’I’d love to tell her that her father probably already knows all about us.’

After all, the video of him sending Yu Chenghao flying with a single kick had already gone viral on TikTok. But it seemed neither Ning Ruoxi nor Luo Yue scrolled much, so they were still in the dark.

’Following that logic, maybe her father doesn’t scroll either?’

Ye Ling shrugged. He wasn’t too concerned about it. Never mind that he and Ning Ruoxi were just friends for now—even if they did take things to the next level...

Before, he might have felt the pressure and would have had to seriously reconsider the relationship. After all, the gap between his family’s circumstances and hers was just too vast.

But now, he had the system. So what if Ning Ruoxi’s family was incredibly well-off?

He was completely confident he could win her family’s approval!

Just then, Ye Ling’s phone rang.

Ye Ling casually picked up his phone and glanced at the screen. It was an unfamiliar number, with the caller ID showing Peng City.

In present-day Xia Country, Peng City held a position of considerable economic importance, even rivaling Modu. It was just a shame that its growth had recently slowed due to some issues with housing prices.

However, that didn’t stop it from being a major hub for startups.

Lying on the sofa, Ye Ling casually answered the call. "Hello, who’s this?"

"Is this Mr. Ye? This is Li Yuan, from earlier today."

A familiar voice came from the other side.

Ye Ling searched his memory for the name, and it clicked. ’That’s the bodyguard for Yu Chenghao, right? That rich punk whose ass I kicked?’

"Oh... so it’s Mr. Li. Impressive. Just what I’d expect from a bodyguard hired by the Yu Group—getting my number was no trouble for you at all. Calling this late, though... I assume there’s a reason?"

A slight smile played on Ye Ling’s lips. He recalled what Ning Ruoxi had said earlier in the day. ’Is this guy calling to settle the score?’

"Mr. Ye, it’s like this. I, Li Yuan, was somewhat offensive earlier today. I’m calling tonight, first, to apologize to Young Master Ning, and second, to hopefully resolve the misunderstanding between you and Young Master Yu."

"Misunderstanding?"

Ye Ling raised an eyebrow, sneering inwardly.

’This Li Yuan might be saying he’s here to apologize, but his tone is completely condescending. Where’s the sincerity?’

’Besides, you said you’d come apologize in person today. Why am I just getting a phone call?’

"I didn’t lose anything today, so I’m not going to make a big deal about it. As for the ’misunderstanding,’ there’s no need to bring it up again. As long as he stays out of my way, I’ll stay out of his."

There’s no point in hitting a smiling face, as the saying goes, so Ye Ling naturally wouldn’t say any of this out loud.

’I’ll just see what kind of crap this Li Yuan is trying to pull.’

"Young Master Ye, your magnanimity truly makes me, Li Yuan, feel ashamed. It’s just that the incident between you and Young Master Yu has somehow gone viral on TikTok... So, I was hoping you could post a short explanation, something saying you were just filming a skit that day and it wasn’t a real event," Li Yuan said again.

Hearing this, a smile crept onto Ye Ling’s lips.

’So, that’s what they’re after...’

’They want me to post a video with an "explanation" to salvage Yu Chenghao’s reputation?’

’Nice try. But why in the world would I do that?’

Ye Ling sneered inwardly. No matter how you spun it, Yu Chenghao’s provocation had been real. Plus, he clearly had designs on Ning Ruoxi.

Either one of those reasons was enough for him to have absolutely no desire to make an "explanation" video for Yu Chenghao.

"Young Master Ye, I know you must have some standing, but according to my investigation, you are not the heir to that family. Therefore, I hope you will take my suggestion. Otherwise, if the Chairman were to find out about this... you might find yourself facing the entire Yu Group," Li Yuan continued, seeing that Ye Ling remained silent.

"Hahahaha!"

Ye Ling burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?"

Li Yuan frowned slightly.

"I’m laughing at you, of course."

Ye Ling’s tone was mocking. "On the one hand, you’re supposedly calling to apologize, but on the other, you’re threatening me with the Yu Group. Don’t you find your own hypocrisy a little ridiculous?"

"I don’t see it that way. In fact, I believe this is the best possible outcome for you."

Li Yuan’s voice had also turned a bit cold.

He had already looked into Ye Ling’s background. The guy’s family was completely ordinary—poor, even.

In that case, his earlier caution had been entirely unnecessary.

Besides, with the incident blowing up online, he believed that if Ye Ling refused to cooperate now, a world of hurt was waiting for him.

He was surprised that Ye Ling owned a luxury car like a Pagani, but no matter how exceptional the kid was, he was still just a college student, not even twenty years old.

Compared to the entire Yu Group, a wet-behind-the-ears kid like Ye Ling, no matter how gifted, amounted to nothing!