“Get off.”

Chen Qingqing pulled her foot back, got up from the sofa, shoved Xu Ye aside and pursed her lips, swearing at him irritably. “From now on, you’re not allowed to touch me!”

“All right, all right, understood.” Xu Ye’s skin was thick anyway. He dropped onto the sofa, picked the mango pomelo sago up off the coffee table and started drinking it.

Upstairs, Jiang Meilin finished bringing the laundry in and couldn’t decide whether she ought to go down or not.

But then it occurred to her.

Why should I be the one feeling awkward?

The two of them are all over each other and a parent catches them at it — shouldn’t they be the ones who are awkward? I’m the parent!

And just as Jiang Meilin was about to come down—

Chen Hansong drove up as well. He walked to the living room door and pressed the bell, and before long the door opened from inside.

One look at Xu Ye opening the door and Chen Hansong was immediately annoyed.

Boy, you really do treat this place as your own home now, don’t you?

I doubt I come here half as often as you do!

At that thought.

Chen Hansong, who had once been master of this house, felt his face fall on the spot. He didn’t so much as acknowledge Xu Ye — he went around him and straight over to Chen Qingqing.

Seeing that Chen Qingqing’s face was scarlet, he asked, puzzled, “Qingqing, what’s the matter? Why is your face so red?”

Chen Qingqing glared at Xu Ye, as though warning him not to say anything, then made up an excuse. “It’s a bit hot.”

“Hot?” Chen Hansong didn’t quite follow. Wasn’t the air conditioning on?

Chen Hansong had only just sat down on the sofa when Jiang Meilin appeared on the stairs — and the instant he saw her he was on his feet again, purely by reflex.

Watching the state of Chen Hansong, Xu Ye couldn’t help finding it funny.

Father-in-law, oh, father-in-law. All you can do to me now is pull a face. In this house you’re the lowliest one of the lot.

“Xiao Xu, have you eaten?”

Xu Ye was about to speak when he found Chen Hansong looking straight at him — and the look seemed to say: Boy, show a bit of sense.

Xu Ye said quickly, “I’ve eaten. I’ll be going in a bit, don’t worry about me.”

Jiang Meilin nodded and went into the kitchen.

Chen Hansong cleared his throat and finally put on the airs of an “elder.” “How’s your company coming along?”

“It’s all set up.”

“You’ve found your people as well?”

“There are ten of us at the company counting me now, and we’ll go on hiring.”

Chen Hansong hadn’t expected Xu Ye to move quite this fast. He followed up with, “Can an investment company as small as yours actually find projects?”

“It’s a bit hard. It depends how much this summer’s project makes. If it makes a lot and the name gets out there, new projects should start coming to us of their own accord.”

Chen Hansong asked in passing, “What project?”

“I put five million into an animated film. It opens on the tenth. Oh—” Xu Ye immediately called toward the kitchen, “Auntie, are you free on the tenth? Should we all go see a film together?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll come pick you up when it comes around.”

“Mm.”

Xu Ye took out his phone, opened the ticketing app with a great show of doing it, and asked deliberately, “Qingqing, shall we buy three tickets or four?”

Chen Hansong got worked up the moment he heard it.

You little shit.

I’m still sitting right here and you’re taking digs at me again!

Xu Ye gave a heh-heh laugh, put the phone back in his pocket and got up. “I’m going home. I’ll come over again tomorrow.”

Chen Qingqing said a simple “Oh.”

But Xu Ye deliberately pushed his face forward, blocking Chen Hansong’s view. “Come on. One more kiss before I go.”

Chen Qingqing instantly turned her head the other way, flushed all over. “Get lost.”

Xu Ye left, roaring with laughter.

Chen Hansong was left blank-faced.

That boy seems to have less and less regard for me. He’ll take liberties with my daughter right in front of my face now…

Hold on! What does he mean, “one more kiss”? Don’t tell me they’ve already—

Putting that together with the look on Chen Qingqing’s flushed face a minute ago, Chen Hansong’s heart shattered on the spot.

The wickedness of it! [TL: 造孽啊 — the source appends the comedian Shen Teng’s name in brackets, marking the line as his catchphrase.]

…

Xu Ye was definitely going to see Monkey King: Hero Is Back when it opened on the tenth.

It was the company’s first project since it was founded, after all.

He had only been trying to needle Chen Hansong just now. He had worked it out long before: on the tenth he would book out a screen at the cinema outright and bring Qin Zhiwei and Wang Yuxin and the rest along too, which would also count as supporting the box office.

Back home, Zhang Hong and Old Xu had both finished work and were in.

Seeing Xu Ye come back this late, Zhang Hong asked outright, “Where have you been? Coming home at this hour.”

“To my mother-in-law’s.”

“You shameless thing. Do you think they want you there? You go over there every day with that thick face of yours.”

“They do want me.”

Xu Ye sat down beside Old Xu and said with a laugh, “I’ve got it worked out. Every time I come home for a break you’re both wonderful to me for the first few days and after that I’m less welcome than a dog. If you’re like that again this summer I’ll just move in at my mother-in-law’s.”

“Old Xu, how did you produce a shameless thing like this?”

Old Xu laughed, exasperated. “Maybe he isn’t ours.”

“Bullshit. You’re the one who isn’t ours.”

Old Xu was completely lost for words. I was only going along with what you said. How have you ended up swearing at me?

That evening Qin Zhiwei came straight over to the house. Seeing Old Xu and Zhang Hong both in, he greeted them very politely — and then walked into Xu Ye’s room, shut the door, immediately kicked his shoes off, and lay down beside Xu Ye exactly as if he were in his own home.

“Why aren’t you at home at this hour? What are you doing over here?”

Qin Zhiwei laughed. “It’s too boring at home. I came over for a chat.”

“Give me a break. The second you stick your backside up I know what fart’s coming. Out with it. What do you want?”

“Brother. You really do know me.”

As Qin Zhiwei said it he came burrowing toward Xu Ye like something in heat, and Xu Ye kicked him off with one foot, cursing him out. “Your old man doesn’t swing that way. In this heat, what are you pressing up that close for?”

“Have you been to work at that boss of yours’ factory?”

“Went for the first time today.”

“Take me with you tomorrow. I’m sitting around at home doing nothing anyway, and I want to make some money over the summer.”

This was the difference between Qin Zhiwei and Yang Fei. Both of them were “simps” in love, but one of them simped with some sense and the other simped with none.

Xu Ye didn’t answer him. He picked up his phone and called Pei Youwei.

And at that same moment.

Pei Youwei had just finished eating at her parents’ house and hadn’t gone back to her own place yet. She was eating grapes her brother Pei Jianhua had just washed, and she picked up quickly.

Pei Youwei: “Hello.”

Xu Ye: “Boss. Something I want to run past you.”

Pei Youwei: “What is it?”

Xu Ye: “I’ve got a best friend who wants a summer job. Didn’t you mention today that the warehouse is still a person short? Could he help out packing and shipping in the warehouse?”

Pei Youwei said, amused, “You’re asking me about something this small? You’re the boss too, all right?”

Xu Ye: “It should still be asked. You’re the one in charge.”

Pei Youwei: “Tch. If there’s nothing else I’m hanging up. See you at the factory tomorrow.”

Xu Ye: “See you tomorrow.”

Seeing his sister’s face glowing with smiles all through the call, Pei Jianhua hurriedly signaled to his parents with his eyes — a look that said: Mom, Dad, look at that. The other end of that call is definitely the boyfriend I told you about.

(End of Chapter 254)