Chapter 70: Gazing Upon Beauty

Faced with Li Ruo’s threat, Ye Chen had no choice but to compromise. After all, his weakness was firmly in her grasp, and he could only nod in resignation, agreeing to her words. Li Ruo’s lips curled slightly, like a little girl who had just won a game, revealing a smug smile.

The two descended the stairs. Just before getting into the car, Li Ruo suddenly changed her mind and shouted at Ye Chen, “For your personal safety, I’ve decided to join you for dinner tonight.”

“Huh?!” Ye Chen froze, staring at Li Ruo in disbelief. “Come on, big sister, aren’t you overdoing it? I don’t need you to worry about my safety.”

“Hmph! If I say I’m worried, then I’m worried!” Li Ruo snorted. “Get in the car. Ride with me!”

Ye Chen hesitated, but nodded—what could he do? He was her slave now, after all. He’d signed the contract, and so he had to accept his fate. With a bitter face, he climbed into the driver’s seat. Li Ruo got in, her cheeks flushed with joy. How could she not be happy? Watching Ye Chen suffer gave her more pleasure than closing a million-dollar deal.

“So, where are we going?” Li Ruo turned and asked.

“Outside Jianghuai University,” Ye Chen replied, glancing out the window.

Suddenly, several dark shadows flashed past outside. Ye Chen craned his neck, trying to get a better look, but the figures were already gone without a trace. He frowned, muttering to himself, “Strange... Did I imagine it?”

Li Ruo, seeing Ye Chen’s suspicious behavior, asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing, just spotted a few beauties,” Ye Chen replied irritably.

“Hmph! You ignore the gorgeous woman right in front of you, and you’re interested in those tasteless girls!” Li Ruo scoffed. She was supremely confident in her looks and figure—among all the women in Jianghuai, she was considered one of the top beauties, especially with her title as ‘Jianghuai’s Most Beautiful Female Entrepreneur,’ which made her the object of many men’s desires.

“Really? I didn’t see any. Where are they?” Ye Chen deliberately acted as if he didn’t consider Li Ruo a beauty, scanning the surroundings. Li Ruo was so infuriated she stomped hard on the accelerator. The car shot forward, the force pinning Ye Chen to his seat.

“Ye Chen, you scoundrel!” Li Ruo growled. “I curse you to marry a woman with upturned nostrils and a pockmarked face!”

“No worries. Even if I do, it definitely won’t be you!” Ye Chen grinned, finally scoring a point.

Li Ruo’s face flushed bright red, and she decided not to speak to him anymore. The car sped toward Jianghuai University. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the bustling entrance, where vendors and hawkers had gathered, forming a lively scene unique to the university.

“Stop!” Ye Chen waved his hand, spotting Li Tieniu and his crew waiting for him at the gate. The guy had brought over twenty people—surely the barbecue stall wouldn’t have enough seats.

Li Ruo was puzzled. “There’s no restaurant here. What are we eating?”

“You wouldn’t understand!” Ye Chen grinned. “You’re a CEO—you wouldn’t know the joys of ordinary working people.”

“Hmph! Who says I don’t understand?” Li Ruo parked the car and followed Ye Chen out.

As Ye Chen walked toward the entrance, a young security guard spotted him and shouted, “Tieniu, Ye Chen’s here!”

“Haha, Tieniu!” Ye Chen waved at Li Tieniu.

“You sure kept us waiting!” Li Tieniu laughed.

“Sigh, can’t help it. I’ve got a tail I can’t shake off!” Ye Chen shrugged helplessly. Li Tieniu immediately grew alert. “Are you being followed? Is there trouble? Need the brothers to step in?”

“Tieniu, even you won’t be much help with this,” Ye Chen pointed at Li Ruo, who stood nearby like a delicate orchid.

Li Tieniu gasped, his eyes wide as saucers, trembling. “Brother, you... you brought Miss Li out?”

“Sigh, I’m just unlucky. You wouldn’t understand. Come on, let’s eat!” Ye Chen patted Li Tieniu’s shoulder.

“Miss Li...” The security guards greeted Li Ruo, leaving her flustered. Ye Chen hadn’t mentioned the security team being here—if she’d known, she would never have come. Her image was surely taking a hit tonight.

Li Ruo nodded awkwardly, “Mm.”

Her icy demeanor left the guards unsure how to respond. Led by Ye Chen, everyone headed to Liu Mo Mo’s barbecue stall.

“Brother Chen!” Liu Mo Mo, busy helping her mother prepare barbecue ingredients, spotted Ye Chen and jumped up. She wore her Jianghuai University uniform, which was issued to all students after enrollment. The school frequently required students to wear it, or else their class would lose points. As a result, even when going out, Jianghuai students wore their uniforms, which helped curb unhealthy comparisons.

“Mo Mo, I brought you a big business tonight!” Ye Chen grinned, habitually pulling Liu Mo Mo into his arms, his hand resting on her waist. The girl’s waist was slender, with not a trace of extra flesh—it felt wonderful. Ye Chen silently thanked Jianghuai University for issuing such thin, beautiful uniforms; touching it was like caressing delicate skin.

Liu Mo Mo felt Ye Chen’s mischief and quickly escaped his grip, pouting, “Brother Chen, you’re so bad!”

“Hehe!” Ye Chen chuckled, then turned to Li Tieniu and the others. “Everyone, sit down! Make yourselves at home!”

On the side, Li Ruo had clearly witnessed Ye Chen’s embrace of Liu Mo Mo, her eyes filled with disbelief. This guy—so frivolous, so casual! She couldn’t believe it.

“Ye Chen, is that your little sister?” Li Tieniu teased.

“Yeah! Mo Mo is my sister!” Ye Chen nodded. Li Tieniu quickly added, “So pretty. She’ll definitely marry a rich, handsome guy!”

The exchange immediately put Li Ruo at ease—so this pretty girl was Ye Chen’s sister. That explained it. Ye Chen noticed Li Ruo standing dazed; everyone had already taken their seats, with one table left empty, seemingly reserved for Li Ruo.

“Miss Li, take a seat. Not used to this place?” Ye Chen smiled.

“Hmph, not at all!” Li Ruo snorted, sitting beside Ye Chen. Li Tieniu was terrified—Ye Chen, you troublemaker, why did you bring such an icy beauty here? Now he’d lost the mood for dinner.

Ye Chen didn’t care. He waved his hand, “Mo Mo, bring ten pounds of beef—three pounds per table. Get some of everything else on the barbecue menu, and a bucket of draft beer per table!”

“Alright!” Liu Mo Mo nodded eagerly.

This mother and daughter never accepted charity. If Liu Mo Mo wanted, plenty of ‘philanthropists’ would line up to donate—some would buy her a house or a car, sponsor her through college, then expect her to marry them, or worse, become their mistress. They’d seen through this wolfish generosity long ago. They refused any help, preferring to earn their living, even if it was hard, because it brought dignity and self-respect.

Liu Mo Mo and her mother got busy. Beef wrapped in foil went onto the grill, filling it with barbecue ingredients. Liu Mo Mo’s mother couldn’t stop smiling—tonight promised a windfall. Mo Mo quickly began preparing the draft beer, lifting huge glass bottles with surprising strength, drawing chilled beer from a tap.

Ye Chen couldn’t stand by any longer and hurried over to help.

“Mo Mo, let me help!” Ye Chen took the big bottle from her hands.

“Hehe, thanks, Brother Chen!” A fine bead of sweat glistened on Liu Mo Mo’s forehead. She gave Ye Chen a quick kiss on the cheek. Li Ruo, sitting nearby, saw this and her eyes widened again. This Ye Chen—this scoundrel—he actually...

Ye Chen filled the barrel, sealed it, and set it up at the table. “Brothers, the beer is here! Drink up—tonight, Miss Li is treating!”

“Ah!” Everyone stared in astonishment at Ye Chen.

Li Ruo smiled faintly. “Eat up, everyone. To thank you all for your hard work at Tianya Group, this meal is on me!”