novelraw Chapter 44 - "You Could Have Just Bribed Us"
Chapter 44 - "You Could Have Just Bribed Us"
Chapter 44. “You Could Have Just Bribed Us”
Nini shrugged.
“Exactly. What did you think happened?”
She tried hard to hide her curiosity.
Mingyue, completely oblivious to her expression, casually blurted out her wild suspicions.
Then Nini burst out laughing.
“Hahaha!”
“You’re something else!”
“Even if you imagined it, did you really have to say it out loud? You’ve totally screwed Xiyi over.”
“She was already miserable enough, and now her own friend stabs her in the back? Her heart must be shattered.”
Mingyue wished she could disappear into the ground.
“I—I just didn’t know! And she wouldn’t tell me the reason, so of course my mind went wild.”
“How could she tell you? Should she have said, ‘My husband married my sister’? That would’ve been humiliating.”
“Ugh! What do I do now? Xiyi must hate me.”
Nini’s eyes darted around.
Then she grinned. “I have an idea. But it’ll cost you.”
Mingyue looked up. “What?”
Nini’s eyes gleamed as she pointed at her friends. “See, we’re all Xiyi’s besties.”
“If you bribe each of us with two limited-edition bags, we’ll put in a good word for you. Xiyi will forgive you, no problem.”
Mingyue: “…”
After some deep thought, she finally caved.
……
Nearly two hours later, the housewarming party ended.
Guests gradually left.
Bai Xiyi, head lowered and silent, walked out surrounded by her friends.
She hadn’t said a word when she arrived. She didn’t say a word when she left.
“Alright, we’re heading out too. You two lovebirds enjoy your new life.”
“Call me or your mom if anything comes up.”
Her parents gave a few reminders, refused Ye Chen’s offer to drive them, and left in their own car.
The event staff cleared away the decorations and leftovers, restoring the house to its original state.
Ye Chen went to his study to handle work as usual.
Currently, Hanhai Energy was expanding its production lines again. Two of the existing lines were already operating at full capacity to produce the new batteries needed for Unicorn Motors.
Meanwhile, Unicorn Motors had finalized the designs for two flagship models. The concept cars were scheduled to be sent to Guangzhou next week for an international auto show.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
After about ten minutes of work, Ye Chen finished up.
He took a shower, did his “homework,” and then Bai Xiyan snuggled into his arms.
“Husband, you’re the best.”
Ye Chen didn’t respond, just held her quietly and closed his eyes.
……
Three days later.
A plane landed at the airport.
Ye Chen drove his G63 with Bai Xiyan to pick up their guests.
A few minutes later, two men and a woman walked out together.
“Senior Zhou, Senior Zhuge, Senior Zhang—welcome back!”
Bai Xiyan clung to Ye Chen’s arm, smiling at the trio.
The three of them stared at the couple, then at the G63.
They were stunned.
“Oh my God! Is this your boyfriend? He’s so handsome!”
“Not bad, Xiyan! You’ve only been back less than a month and already landed a boyfriend?”
“This—”
The two women, both nearing forty, teased her playfully.
The only male senior, Zhang, clutched his chest as if struck by a critical blow.
Bai Xiyan giggled and hugged Ye Chen’s arm tighter. “No, you’ve got it wrong. He’s not my boyfriend.”
Senior Zhang’s mood lifted slightly.
But then—
“He’s my husband, Ye Chen. We’re already married!”
Pfft!
Senior Zhang’s face went pale.
The two senior sisters were equally shocked.
“Xiyan, you’ve only been back for a short time! How did you get married so fast?”
Bai Xiyan grinned. “We’ve known each other for three years. What’s so strange about getting married?”
“Come on, let’s get in the car. My husband already booked a hotel for you. Settle in first, and we’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll visit Professor Zhang together to discuss the case.”
Ye Chen started the car and drove them straight to the Regent Hotel.
Two hours later, at the hotel entrance, Ye Chen and Bai Xiyan escorted the trio inside.
After resting for the afternoon, Ye Chen took them to a high-end Cantonese restaurant that evening.
The taste of home had them smiling throughout the meal.
The next morning, Ye Chen swapped the G63 for a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. He picked up Bai Xiyan and their newly adopted golden retriever puppy before heading to the hotel.
As soon as they got in the car, Senior Zhuge gasped.
“Wow! Changing cars every day—are you flexing on us?”
Senior Zhou chuckled. “A Rolls-Royce Cullinan is a bit much, don’t you think?”
Senior Zhang stayed silent, his expression even gloomier.
Bai Xiyan laughed and pointed at the puppy at her feet.
“Senior Zhuge, don’t be silly. We barely ever drive the Cullinan. My husband prefers the Mercedes from yesterday.”
“But we just got this little guy, and he’s worried the dog might chew up the seats or pee in the G63, so we took this one today.”
???
And that’s not flexing?
The Cullinan was way more expensive than the G63—enough to buy two or three of them!
Yet they preferred the G63 and used the Rolls-Royce as a dog car?
“Damn.”
“I’m honestly impressed.”
Senior Zhang’s heart ached even more.
An hour later, the car rolled into Fudan University and stopped in front of an old villa.
“Alright, we’re here.”
Bai Xiyan held the puppy’s leash and linked arms with Ye Chen as they walked upstairs.
On the third floor, she knocked.
Click.
The door opened, revealing an exquisitely beautiful mixed-race girl with delicate Eurasian features.
“Senior Bai, you’re here!”
The girl smiled and quickly let them in.
Inside, an elderly woman with silver hair sat on the sofa, reading a thick book through her reading glasses.
Zhang Guohua.
A masculine name, belonging to a woman who—even in old age—still carried traces of her youthful beauty.
“You’re here.”
She adjusted her glasses, her gaze sweeping over the group before settling on Ye Chen.
“You must be Ye Chen. I heard you helped Xiyan set up a law firm?”
“If you ever run into legal trouble, come find me. Maybe this old lady can still be of some use.”