Chapter 219. Just a front (Part 1)

In the afternoon, the sun was high in the sky.

Mo Garden was silent, with only the occasional chirping of cicadas.

"I understand, Grandma, I’ll come and see you in a few days," a gentle voice rose in the living room, laced with a hint of helpless laughter.

"Mmm, I’ll talk to my cousin about it. Grandma, someone’s here, I need to hang up now."

Just as he put down the phone, two figures slowly appeared in the doorway, backlit by the sunlight.

"Cousin, Jiuliang," Jiang Yisheng called out warmly as he recognized the newcomers.

"I heard you guys were trapped at sea, I thought you’d be delayed in getting back. Everything okay?"

Ye Jiuliang shook his head and handed over a large basket he was carrying.

"Yisheng, could you take this to the kitchen for me?"

"What is this?" Jiang Yisheng reached out to take it, his eyes revealing a touch of confusion.

"Hairy crabs," she answered.

"Hairy crabs?" Jiang Yisheng was taken aback and said helplessly, "I, I don’t know how to cook these."

Asking him to cook hairy crabs would be like asking the crabs to cook him.

Ye Jiuliang chuckled at his bewildered expression, "Your cousin will handle it later."

Relieved, Jiang Yisheng let out a sigh.

Li Mochan, carrying a suitcase, went upstairs while Ye Jiuliang sat down on the couch and reached for the landline to make a call.

It didn’t even ring twice before someone answered, the man’s deep voice sounding groggy with sleep, "Who is it?"

"No way, Ji Mingqian, did you turn burglar last night? You’re still not awake in the middle of the day?" Ye Jiuliang chided.

"Hurry up and get ready. Come over for hairy crabs."

Still groggy from sleep, Ji Mingqian hadn’t even opened his eyes as he mumbled, "Didn’t you guys go to some boat event?"

Ye Jiuliang said, "Just got back. Oh, and my phone’s broken again. Could you bring me one, no, make it two."

"Two?" Ji Mingqian turned over, his mind clear even in sleep.

"Don’t tell me one is for Li Mochan," he guessed.

Ye Jiuliang candidly admitted, "Is that a problem?"

"Ye Jiuliang, I charge a lot for labor, no money, no talk," Ji Mingqian replied with a mock-laugh, accustomed to being Boss Ye’s lackey.

Used to their banter from a young age, Ye Jiuliang effortlessly retorted, "Sure, then next time don’t bother taking my wine."

"..."

Damn it.

"Fine, your majesty, wait for me. I’ll be right there," Ji Mingqian mocked in a singsong voice.

Ye Jiuliang joked, "Kneel for your orders."

Ji Mingqian, "..."

Not far away, Jiang Yisheng had just set down the hairy crabs and came out of the kitchen to catch Ye Jiuliang’s last remark, his lips curving into a faint smile.

All were interesting souls with amusing ways of talking.

Ji Mingqian dawdled for a while before finally heading out and by the time he arrived at Mo Garden, it was almost dark.

Upon entering the living room, he found only Jiang Yisheng there.

"Why are you the only one here? Where’s Ye Jiuliang?" Ji Mingqian placed the items he was carrying on the sofa and helped himself to a cup of water.

Jiang Yisheng glanced at him and then returned his gaze to his book, his voice gentle, "Kitchen."

Setting down his water cup, Ji Mingqian walked toward the kitchen.

As he neared the doorway, he stopped in his tracks.

Caught off guard by a faceful of "dog food," he felt a bit aggrieved.

"Ye Jiuliang, can you tone it down a bit? Are you trying to gross me out so I can’t eat the hairy crabs?"

Ji Mingqian crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the two people playing around not far away with an amused yet mocking gaze.

Ye Jiuliang gave a light cough, bent down to slip out from under Li Mochan’s arm, and rolled her eyes at Ji Mingqian, "Just admit if you’re jealous."

Ji Mingqian scoffed, "Psh, jealous my ass. I certainly don’t want to be the cabbage that’s been rooted up by a pig."

Li Mochan shot him a glance and looked away, his gaze briefly passing over a bitter melon nearby.

"Stop nagging and come with me." Ye Jiuliang reached up and tugged at the back of his collar, "Don’t disturb my Li Mochan cooking hairy crabs."

My Li Mochan?

Hmph.

I’m getting goosebumps already.

They walked through the living room to the outside of the balcony.

After hearing what happened on the cruise from Ye Jiuliang, Ji Mingqian frowned, his face showing a rare solemnity.

"How did he appear in Country F? Could it be that the person behind the scenes wants to catch our attention? Is Sapphire just a diversion?"

A person who had disappeared for so long suddenly showing up for a set of Sapphires—it seemed highly improbable.

Ye Jiuliang shook her head, "But I don’t think the Sapphire is just a diversion. I’ve already asked Charles to stop investigating. Currently, there are no leads, so we have to start from the lead in Country F."

Ji Mingqian said, "I understand; have you discussed this with Achen and the others yet?"

"Not yet, I’m planning to return to Country Y in a few days."

Ji Mingqian belatedly remembered something he had been neglecting to ask, "I almost forgot to ask; Li Mochan hasn’t suspected your identity, has he?"

Ye Jiuliang’s eyes and eyebrows carried a casual lightness, as she said breezily, "He said to tell him when I’m ready to talk, or to let him find out by himself."

"After he finds out, what do you plan to do about that batch of goods?" Ji Mingqian asked, a smile on his lips that seemed to take pleasure in her misfortune.

Calling her restless, he hadn’t expected that enemies would turn into lovers—things were going to get interesting now.

Ye Jiuliang pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled softly, "If it comes down to it, I’ll just return it. It’s no big deal."

"Ye Jiuliang, you can’t be serious, ha. Since when does anything in your pocket ever get returned? Didn’t you say that yourself?" Ji Mingqian almost spat out blood, "Even if you’re seduced by his good looks, you can’t just throw your IQ in as well."

"Let’s talk about it later," Ye Jiuliang said, as if a dead pig not fearing boiling water.

Ji Mingqian snorted lightly, reminding her, "Just remember, once something has entered our pocket, don’t expect to get it back. Since Li Mochan has uprooted our cabbage, consider that bit of goods as the engagement gift and interest."

Ye Jiuliang couldn’t help but chuckle and turned to walk back inside, "You sure have your schemes all figured out."

Ji Mingqian followed her inside, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jiang Yisheng nestled on the sofa reading a book, so he headed towards him.

"What are you reading?"

A deep magnetic voice sounded from above his head, causing Jiang Yisheng’s fingertips to halt their page-turning.

Lifting his head, his thin lips held his usual gentle smile, "Just browsing."

Ji Mingqian didn’t pry further and took a seat beside him.

With dinner time still a way off, he reached out and took an orange.

Just as he was about to peel it, the person beside him suddenly spoke, his voice smooth as jade, "Oranges and hairy crabs aren’t a good combination to eat together."

Realizing he was talking to him, Ji Mingqian put the orange back on the table.

He glanced sideways at him, noting that his focus didn’t leave the book in his hands, and cast a curious glance.

It was a foreign original edition book.

He lost interest and looked around; nothing seemed fun.

He got up and headed towards the kitchen, asking as he walked, "Ajiu, is there any beer?"

"None. Why don’t you go buy some? And while you’re at it, pick me up some ice cream." Ye Jiuliang poked her head out from the kitchen, smiling cheerfully.