Chapter 0005: Half-Siblings by Different Surnames

Ye Qing furrowed his brows; he did not know Yang Laowu, but the sudden appearance of Yang Laowu inviting him made the situation very clear. It seemed that it was inextricably linked to the incident of him being assaulted in the afternoon.

It is I! Ye Qing replied, yet he felt somewhat surprised, as he did not know this person at all

Ye Qing's expression was indifferent as he said, "I have returned this time solely for Xiao Jun's matter. I will not take a single cent from the demolition compensation"

"Xiao Yu, you better shut up!" Zhou Hongxia slammed the table. After all, she had taken 40,000 yuan from Ye Qing during the day, so she had to give Ye Qing some face now.

Qingzi, Xiaoyu... Xiaoyu's job is not easy..." Zhou Hongxia said with a choked voice

Qingzi! Ye Changwen reached out to pull Ye Qing, who patted his hand to signal him not to worry

Old Yang invites you to sit down, regardless of the matter, this has given you ample face. You actually do not go, isn't that a bit too arrogant!

Zhou Hongxia spoke up, and Ye Changwen found it inappropriate to say anything further. However, Yuan Xiaoyu completely disregarded her mother's scolding, merely casting a cold sneer at Ye Qing, her face filled with disdain

Yuan Xiaoyu glared at Ye Qing and said sharply: "Ye Qing, you must go immediately. I don't care whether you kneel or bow to Boss Yang, this matter must not involve me"

Ye Qing did not pay her any attention, but simply sat beside his father, listening to him talk about the matters concerning Shen Chuan

With the 40,000 yuan from Ye Qing, Zhou Hongxia finally treated everyone generously and bought a table full of dishes

Hearing this, Ye Changwen was furious, and Zhou Hongxia also felt that her daughter had gone too far, immediately saying: "Xiaoyu, how can you speak like that!"

It is inconvenient! Ye Qing still says this, but this time the tone is more emphatic

Lin Mengjie said: "Boss Yang Laowu has reserved the best private room at the Lanwan Karaoke Hall and would like to invite you to come and sit for a while. He specifically asked me to extend the invitation to you. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to make the trip?"

"Make sure you remember this clearly. When you talk to Boss Yang, do it properly. This matter must not involve me, understood?" Yuan Xiaoyu glared angrily at Ye Qing, then turned to Lin Mengjie with a forced smile, saying: "Manager Lin, he just returned from military service and doesn't understand the rules. Please... please don't be angry!"

Ye Changwen felt even more awkward, but Yuan Xiaoyu is the daughter of Zhou Hongxia, so he was also reluctant to stop her

Oh, really?" Yuan Xiaoyu sneered, looking at Ye Qing, and said: "Brother Qingzi, if I remember correctly, you are twenty-six this year, right? Have you thought about the future? At your age, you should be considering marriage. But without a house, what right do you have to get married? Earning forty thousand in five years, what can that accomplish? Do you know that in the county town, good locations are already approaching five thousand per square meter? How many square meters can your forty thousand buy? Can it even buy a bathroom? How do you plan to get married? Do you intend to decorate the bathroom as your new home?"

What is the matter?" Ye Changwen stood up and asked, feeling somewhat intimidated in front of this elegantly dressed woman

"Qingzi, what on earth has happened..." Ye Changwen said with a trembling voice

Ye Changwen rarely took out a bottle of wine and happily said: "Xiao Yu, Xiao Zheng, this is your brother Qingzi. He has now retired and can come back in the future. You are ultimately siblings, so from now on, you should get closer to each other!"

Yuan Xiaoyu immediately became anxious: "Manager Lin, what does this have to do with me?"

Lin Mengjie smiled gently: "As long as Mr. Ye is present, everything can be discussed."

Zhou Hongxia's son Yuan Xiaozheng was the first to return. Upon catching a whiff of the aroma from afar, he immediately ran to the kitchen, completely oblivious to Ye Qing, who was sitting in the living room.

Lin Mengjie said calmly: "If he has a relationship with you, then this matter is related to you."

Ye Qing felt most helpless; he indeed returned for the matter concerning his brother Ye Jun and had never intended to take a single cent from the family. In fact, he even gave his own money to Zhou Hongxia, originally hoping to foster family harmony, but unexpectedly, it ended up causing a ruckus.

Yuan Xiaoyu only returned home when it was almost dark. She is five years younger than Ye Qing. She did not attend university, having only completed two years of vocational school before returning to the county town. After spending two years idling at home, she finally found a job as a receptionist at a karaoke hall in the county town

"It is inconvenient," Ye Qing replied succinctly, nearly causing Yuan Xiaoyu on the other end to faint.

However, what is going on this time? Yang Laowu actually sent someone to invite Ye Qing for a visit. Are they very familiar with each other?

Ye Changwen, what do you actually mean! Zhou Hongxia was furious

Zhou Hongxia brought the dishes to the table and called her pair of children over to sit down, and only then did the five of them sit at the same table

Ye Qing's expression remained calm as he said, "Auntie, Xiaoyu is absolutely right; these matters indeed need to be considered. I have already completed my military service, and it is time for me to find a good job. Earning money quickly to buy a house is crucial."

Only a few people indoors have heard of the name Yang Laowu, and apart from Yuan Xiaoyu, no one has seen the real person. In fact, Yuan Xiaoyu has only seen Yang Laowu a few times at the front desk and has not even had the opportunity to say a word to him

Ye Qing politely greeted her, but she merely responded with a cold hum. Glancing at Ye Qing's military uniform, she curled her lips slightly, expressing disdain for his attire.

Ye Qing looked at Lin Mengjie, remained silent for a long time, then slowly nodded and said: "Dad, Auntie, you can eat at home, I will go over to take a look"

"Hmph, after five years in the military, I only brought back 40,000. Qingzi, you are a top graduate from a prestigious university, how come your salary is even lower than that of migrant workers?" Yuan Xiaoyu scoffed and said, "Although I only studied for two years at a vocational school, my salary this year is no less than 30,000. What about you? How much is your annual allowance in the military? Is it even 10,000?"

Lin Mengjie said: "Mr. Ye, Boss Yang just wants to have a conversation with you, there is nothing else."

The woman walked into the room, instantly attracting the attention of several people inside. Yuan Xiaoyu was taken aback for a moment, then immediately stood up with a beaming smile and said, "Manager Lin, what brings you here? Is there something going on at the karaoke hall? Do you need me to go back and help?"

Ye Qing's expression was neutral as he said, "The allowances for the troops are not high to begin with, and we usually do not engage in much labor; our main focus is on training. The food and clothing are all provided by the state, and some allowances are sufficient."

It has been five years since we last met, and Yuan Xiaoyu has changed significantly. She is no longer the somewhat rebellious girl from years ago; now she is dressed in a professional suit, with heavy makeup on her face, and one can smell a strong perfume from a distance. She wears a black short skirt, and her tall figure paired with black stockings gives her a certain allure. However, since the moment she saw Ye Qing, she has not looked at him directly even once, which is a stark contrast to the years before.

I won't stop talking! Yuan Xiaoyu said angrily, "Mom, don't you understand yet? Why is he coming back at this time? He knows that we are about to undergo demolition and renovation, and there might be some compensation involved, so he immediately retired from the army to seize this money!"

At 7:00 PM, five family members gathered together at home

Finally, the dishes were served, and Yuan Xiaozheng came out of the kitchen. In this short time, he had almost eaten his fill, and upon seeing Ye Qing, he didn't even greet her, completely ignoring her presence

This is the attitude of the siblings towards Ye Qing. Ye Qing has long been accustomed to it, so he feels not the slightest anger in his heart. He does not hold much hope for this family; the only connection he has to this home is his father.

This woman is Lin Mengjie, the owner and manager of the nightclub where Yuan Xiaoyu works. She ignored Yuan Xiaoyu, glanced at a few people in the room, and finally her gaze landed on Ye Qing. She walked directly over and said: "You must be Mr. Ye Qing."

Lin Mengjie paused for a moment, looked at Yuan Xiaoyu, and said: "How about this, if you do not come, then Xiaoyu does not need to come to work tomorrow"

Oh, now I understand," Lin Mengjie nodded and said, "Boss Yang mentioned that we should not force others into difficult situations. Mr. Ye, if you are unwilling to go, I will not make things difficult for you. However, this is a task assigned to me by Boss Yang, and if I do not perform it well, I will have no way to explain it to him when I return.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room was taken aback. Yang Laowu is the most prominent businessman in the county town in recent years. He started out as a small-time thug, but later, when a gold mine was discovered in the county, he led a group to seize a mining area and made a substantial profit. After the gold mine was reorganized, he used this money to contract the mine, expanding his business. He then invested in real estate, developing several highly successful properties, and has now become the wealthiest businessman in the county.

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Hongxia was immediately taken aback, turning to look at Ye Qing, her eyes filled with hostility

At this moment, the room suddenly became lively, as Zhou Hongxia and Ye Changwen started arguing first

"How is that possible?" Ye Changwen felt somewhat embarrassed and hurriedly explained the reason for Ye Qing's return, also mentioning that Ye Qing had brought back 40,000 yuan.

Yuan Xiaoyu sneered: "Oh, who do you think you are? Bill Gates or Li Ka-shing? You are already 26, how much faster can you go? Will you be able to buy a house by the time you turn 30? If a man reaches 30 and has nothing to his name, who do you expect to take an interest in you?"

There is nothing much, just inviting Mr. Ye to sit for a while. Lin Mengjie said with a faint smile, "Mr. Ye, please consider it."

Yuan Xiaoyu immediately exclaimed: "Mom, look, look, what my uncle said. In our family, does that include the three of us?"

"The troublemaker is back!" Yuan Xiaozheng exclaimed angrily, as this high school student had no good feelings towards Ye Qing.

"Qingzi, what kind of talk is this!" Ye Changwen immediately said, "You are my son, this is our family's residence. If there is a demolition, you will receive your share of the money!"

Yuan Xiaoyu immediately turned to Ye Qing and said anxiously: "Ye, can you handle your own matters by yourself? Why do you have to involve me?"

Yuan Xiaoyu cast a sidelong glance at Ye Qing and said, "Uncle, isn't it still not time for discharge? Why has Brother Qingzi returned? What happened? Is it that he couldn't stay in the army any longer?"

Just as Zhou Hongxia and Ye Changwen were in a heated argument, a tall woman walked into the courtyard. She appeared to be just over twenty years old, with a charming face, but her overly gaudy makeup added a hint of a worldly air to her beauty. Her beautiful eyes flickered with a touch of cunning.