When Xu Ye got home, Second Aunt’s family of three were still there.

Seeing him come in, Wang Manning got up from her seat and stared wide-eyed at the shopping bag in his hand.

Xu Ye went over and handed it to her. “Stop bothering me from now on.”

“Thanks, Cousin.” Wang Manning couldn’t wait to get the iPad out of the bag. She could not have been more excited, and all at once she was full of sweet talk.

Second Aunt, who had been talking with Old Zhang, saw the tablet in Wang Manning’s hands and frowned immediately. “Xiao Ye, what are you buying her an iPad for?”

“I promised her before.”

“That won’t do. You’re still in college yourself. How can you buy Manning something that expensive?”

“It’s fine. It didn’t cost much.”

Xu Ye sat down on the sofa and said with a smile, “I’ve started doing business now. It actually makes decent money.”

He was taking the chance to prepare the family in advance. That way, when they eventually found out he was already a multimillionaire, it wouldn’t come as a complete shock.

But saying that only made Second Aunt more curious, and she pressed him. “Xiao Ye, what business are you actually in now?”

“I started with a fruit shop. Once that made money I opened a trading company, doing vending machines specifically — one of my classmates happened to have connections in that line, so the company did quite well. But I’ve sold the fruit shop on now, and I’ve stopped running the trading company. These days I’m using what I made to do some investing.”

The family listened to all this in a daze.

For a student about to start his second year of college to have achieved that much — the word outstanding was no longer enough to describe it.

Old Zhang and Old Xu said nothing on the surface, but inside they were glowing.

Second Aunt praised him nonstop, and Xu Ye modestly put it all down to luck.

Wang Manning sat off to one side setting the iPad up, then came over to ask for the wifi password. Xu Ye took the opening to get up and go back to his own room, and the subject went no further.

The router was in his room, so once Wang Manning was connected she stayed in there downloading things and didn’t leave. Wang Zixuan had sneaked his mom’s phone too, and was sitting in Xu Ye’s room playing Honor of Kings, which had not long been out.

Xu Ye, on his phone, asked idly, “Wang Manning, since you’re an arts student, does that mean you’ll be taking entrance auditions early next year?”

“That’s right. I’ll have to travel all over the place.”

“For Shanghai, you’d be applying to the Shanghai Theatre Academy, I suppose?”

Wang Manning nodded.

Xu Ye said, “When you and your mom go to Shanghai, tell me in advance. My girlfriend’s school is quite close to the Theatre Academy. I know the area.”

Wang Manning turned around. “Which university does your girlfriend go to?”

“The Shanghai Conservatory of Music.”

Wang Manning was astonished. “She’s an arts student too?!”

Xu Ye nodded. “Mm.”

“Then push me her WeChat. I can ask her about the arts entrance exams and get ready in advance.”

Xu Ye thought about it. “Tomorrow I’m taking you, Yuxin and my girlfriend to the supermarket. You can ask her for it yourself then.”

“That works.”

……

The night passed without incident.

The next day Xu Ye slept in and didn’t get out of bed until ten. It was the weekend, so Old Zhang and Old Xu were both at home, and Second Aunt’s family and Little Aunt’s had all come over early.

He came out from washing up, saw that Old Zhang was already getting ready to cook, and said immediately, “Mom, I’m taking Manning and Yuxin out for lunch. Make less rice.”

“Your dad and I bought a lot of food today. What are you going out for?”

“I’ve arranged it with your future daughter-in-law.”

The moment he said that, Old Zhang gave way. “Will you be back for dinner, then?”

“No.”

“Drive slowly.”

“Don’t worry.”

Eat a man’s food and you can’t argue with him; take a man’s money and you can’t refuse him.

Wang Manning, having had something out of him, went along happily enough. As for Wang Yuxin, she needed no persuading at all — Xu Ye had barely finished saying he was taking her out for lunch before she was standing at his side, ready to go.

Xu Ye ate two boiled eggs to line his stomach, then took his two young cousins over to Red Leaf Estate.

Chen Qingqing was already waiting at home. Hearing the horn outside the courtyard, she came trotting out all the way from the house.

Xu Ye put the window down. “I’m dying of thirst. The water in the car’s gone. Get me a bottle first.”

“Oh.”

Chen Qingqing pulled the door open, threw her bag onto the passenger seat and went back the way she had come, returning with several bottles of water.

She handed one to Xu Ye and gave the other two to Wang Yuxin and Wang Manning in the back.

Wang Manning took hers and promptly said, “Thank you, sister-in-law.”

Sister… sister-in-law?

Chen Qingqing froze for a beat, then hurried into the passenger seat. Her breathing had quickened for no reason she could name.

Xu Ye was delighted. “Wang Manning, if you keep up the sweet talk, then when you get into college I’ll give you the whole Apple set.”

“Do you keep your word?”

“Of course I do.”

“Sister-in-law, you have to witness this.”

Chen Qingqing said, a little embarrassed, “All… all right.”

Wang Yuxin was unhappy about it. She leaned forward, pouting. “Xu Ye-gege, you play favorites. You’ve never bought me a present that expensive.”

“If you get into Zhejiang University one day, I’ll buy you whatever you want.”

“Why Zhejiang University?”

Realizing he had let something slip, Xu Ye covered quickly. “Any university on a level with Zhejiang, anyway. That’ll do.”

Wang Manning took it upon herself to start a conversation with Chen Qingqing. “Sister-in-law, my cousin says you’re an arts student too?”

“Mm.”

“I’m going to try for art school too. Can I add you on WeChat? I might have things to ask you about later.”

“Of course.”

With two chatterboxes like Wang Manning and Wang Yuxin in the car, Xu Ye couldn’t get a word in.

Once lunch had been dealt with, Xu Ye took the three of them around the supermarket. They bought some of everything — lamb, beef, pork belly — and had it all cut into small pieces. Vegetables weren’t neglected either: eggplant, enoki mushrooms, baby bok choy. And of course there were the prepared items, hot dogs and tenderloin…

The four of them were in the supermarket for a good hour or more, and by the end they had everything. Xu Ye carried the lightest bag himself and handed the two heavy ones to Wang Manning and Wang Yuxin.

The two of them took the bags and complained right away. “These are heavy.”

“Xu Ye-gege, swap with me.”

Seeing that Wang Yuxin couldn’t manage hers, Xu Ye swapped with her after all.

Watching him head for the elevator with the bags, Wang Manning hurried to catch up. “Cousin, are we doing barbecue tonight?”

“Not we. Me and your sister-in-law.”

“Then what… what did you bring us along for?”

“To be my laborers. How am I supposed to carry all this on my own?”

At that, Wang Manning and Wang Yuxin were instantly unhappy.

Seeing the picture of injured innocence on both of them, Chen Qingqing punched Xu Ye on the spot, then smiled at the two girls and said, “Don’t listen to him. We’ll all do it together tonight.”

“Sister-in-law, you’re wonderful.”

Wang Manning defected on the spot. “Honestly, I have no idea what you saw in my cousin.”

Chen Qingqing spread her hands, put on a helpless expression and said, joking, “Maybe I’m blind.”

Seeing Wang Manning and Wang Yuxin both line up behind Chen Qingqing, Xu Ye laughed in exasperation. “Right. So it turns out you three are the ones on the same side, and I’m the villain?”

The three of them answered in unison. “You always were!”

(End of Chapter 277)