Chapter 309: You are the second (fifth watch)

"You better leave, or I’ll call security over," Mingchong declared.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman took a seat right on the ground in a tantrum.

She wiped away non-existent tears from her eyes and wailed shrilly, "Why is my life so hard? I’ve worked so hard to raise you, and this is how you repay us? Is there no justice left in this world?"

Mingchong remained silent and turned to go back inside the room.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his pant leg. The middle-aged woman said frantically, "I don’t care. If you don’t look after your brother, I’ll make a scene outside your company every day."

"Director Ming." Ye Jiuliang, hearing the escalating commotion, came out of the house.

Mingchong turned his head to look at her, his eyes slightly apologetic, and he said gently, "Jiuliang, my apologies for the scene. It’s a small matter, I’ll handle it quickly. Please go ahead and start the meal."

When the middle-aged woman saw Ye Jiuliang, a glint of shrewdness flashed in her eyes, and she spoke without thinking, "Young lady, even when choosing a boyfriend you should consider character. We are Mingchong’s uncle and aunt. Look how he treats us. We traveled miles to get here, and he won’t even let us through the door, and now he’s threatening to have us thrown out."

"Mingchong, since when did you have a girlfriend? You never brought her home to meet us," the middle-aged man said with a sly grin.

Worried about leaving a bad impression on Ye Jiuliang, Mingchong’s face grew cold, and he warned sternly, "Stop talking nonsense. Leave now, or I’ll have security come and take you away."

Ye Jiuliang eyed the middle-aged couple; the woman’s makeup was heavy, and her dress was flamboyantly colorful. Despite being designer brands, they couldn’t conceal her crude and aggressive disposition.

The man’s suit was ill-fitting, and his thick gold necklace and shiny rings on his fingers were ostentatious, exuding a nouveau riche vibe from head to toe.

It looked like these were the distant relatives from the welfare home that Feng Yi had mentioned Mingchong brought back home.

"Firstly, you’re here making a scene and hurling insults, after receiving help and still being greedy, we all know who really has character issues. Secondly, I heard Director Ming say that you’ve signed IOUs. If you continue to cause a scene, you won’t come out ahead in court," Ye Jiuliang said, looking down at the woman on the ground, her voice clear and assertive.

"Third, this is a private residence. If you don’t leave now, and you try to force your way in, we can sue you for trespassing into a private dwelling."

Facing her penetrating gaze, the middle-aged woman froze, her grip on Mingchong’s pant leg involuntarily loosened.

Mingchong took a step back and looked at Ye Jiuliang with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"You, young lady, what’s with your tone? We are Mingchong’s elders, and you, an outsider, have no right to lecture us," the middle-aged woman snapped back to reality and glared at Ye Jiuliang, cursing continuously.

Mingchong’s eyes darkened, and he pulled Ye Jiuliang behind him, "Three seconds to get out of my sight, or else I will make sure that your son can never find a job."

Sensing that Mingchong was truly angered, the middle-aged man hastily grabbed his wife, placatingly saying, "We’re leaving, Mingchong. Don’t be angry. We’re all family, there’s no need for such animosity."

With that, he dragged the woman away.

Once they were at a distance, the woman jerked her hand away, cursing unhappily, "Why did you pull me? You’re such a useless man."

"Didn’t you see Mingchong really got mad just now? We’re still counting on him for money. If you really piss him off, who will take care of you?" the middle-aged man ran out of patience, his voice growing louder than hers.

The woman faltered under his shouting, her bluster weakening, as she said in a hurt tone, "What should we do then? Our son can’t find a job, and the money Mingchong gave us before is nearly gone."

The man glanced back in the direction of Mingchong’s villa, his beady eyes gleaming with calculative intent, "Mingchong seems quite concerned about that young girl. If we can get a grip on her, I don’t believe Mingchong won’t give us money."

**

"Sorry for the inconvenience; you came over for dinner and had to deal with this mess," Mingchong said in the dining room, passing her tableware.

Ye Jiuliang shook her head and smiled faintly, "It’s fine."

"Were you scared?" Mingchong asked in a gentle voice.

Ye Jiuliang chuckled lightly, humorously saying, "I am not made of paper, how could I be scared so easily?"

Hearing this, Mingchong’s smile relaxed a little.

"Just now, thank you," he said.

Ye Jiuliang paused with her chopsticks, "I didn’t do much, what are you thanking me for?"

"For so many years, you are the second person to stand by my side and speak for me." The light in Mingchong’s eyes gradually dimmed, and the low spirits made one feel somewhat sad.

In the past, when he was dependent on others, everyone looked at him with cold eyes. Once he achieved success, those people clung to him like plaster. His uncles and aunts smeared his name in front of relatives, and not a single person stood up for him—except for her, she was the second one.

"The second one?" Ye Jiuliang was surprised, her gaze sweeping over the pair of rings on his necklace, "The first one, is that the person you like?"

Mingchong tugged at his lip, nodded, "Let’s eat, the dishes are getting cold."

Ye Jiuliang withdrew her gaze, taking in the array of dishes on the table, several of which were spicy.

"I really like spicy food, so I put in quite a lot of chili. If it’s not to your taste, just tell me, and I’ll make you a couple more dishes," said Mingchong, thinking she was not moving her chopsticks because the food was too spicy for her.

"No problem, I can handle my spice," Ye Jiuliang said with a pursed lip and light smile.

Upon hearing this, Mingchong breathed a sigh of relief and served her a bowl of soup.

"Try this soup."

Ye Jiuliang reached out to take it, "Thank you, I can manage. You eat too."

She lifted the spoon, took a taste of the soup, and found it very savory.

"How is it?" Mingchong’s thin lips were tightly pressed together, a bit anxious.

She grinned broadly, "Delicious."

"If it’s delicious, eat more," said Mingchong with a smile.

Ye Jiuliang hummed in agreement.

During the meal, Ye Jiuliang noticed that Mingchong’s taste was very similar to hers; they both loved spicy food and liked to pair it with beer.

"Why do you keep staring at my beer?" Mingchong noticed Ye Jiuliang glancing at the beer by his hand from time to time and asked with a hint of amusement.

Ye Jiuliang asked frankly, "Yours is beer, why do I only get juice?"

It was strange, although she was not very familiar with Mingchong, she felt a close affection for him and no sense of distance when they were together.

"Girls should drink less," Mingchong said, a suppressed smile playing on his lips.

"Besides, if you were to drink beer, Leng Rui would know, and I’m afraid he wouldn’t let you come have dinner with me anymore."

Ye Jiuliang rested her chin on her hand and pursed her lips at his teasing, "Eating spicy food should be paired with beer, having it with juice is just not satisfying."