Extreme Almightiest Young Master

Chapter 373: This Party is Definitely Happening (Tenth Update)

Gazing at the tranquil surface of the lake, seeing many young couples strolling by the lakeside, Ding Wan’er’s heart suddenly felt melancholic again. The place was very close to where Grandpa lived. The last time she went to see her grandfather, she had mustered the courage to speak up, but then Grandpa Qian appeared, and she completely lost the courage she had hardly gathered and fled in a panic.

Ding Wan’er was puzzled, and even more unaware of what she feared. A matter that was simple and easy had become such an awkward situation today because of her own doing.

Lost in thought, Ding Wan’er stared at the lake and became dazed in a trance, her heart filled with nothing but tangled conflicts. Why didn’t she have the courage to tell Grandpa about these things, why didn’t she have the courage to confess to Lin Feng...

Ding Yi had nothing to do in the evenings, so he liked to take a couple of laps around Labor Lake. Qian Rong, on the other hand, generally disliked going out at night, so it was always Ding Yi who persisted in taking evening walks alone. Tonight was no different; he went for his walk as usual. He hadn’t expected that just after completing a lap, he would bump into his precious granddaughter. He was somewhat surprised—what brought her here when she usually would be at home at this time of night?

"Wan’er!" Ding Yi walked up to Ding Wan’er’s side, found her still dazed and unaware of his presence, and so he gently tapped on his granddaughter’s shoulder and took the initiative to speak, hoping to snap her out of her reverie and ask what was on her mind that was so engrossing.

"Ah! Who... Grand... Grandpa, hello!" Ding Wan’er was deeply engrossed in thoughts of Lin Feng when she was suddenly tapped on the shoulder by Ding Yi, scaring her into jumping up and exclaiming loudly before stepping away. After calming her nerves, she saw that it was her grandfather. Although surprised as to why she would encounter her grandfather, she had been deep in thoughts of Lin Feng when her grandfather startled her awake. In any case, seeing her grandfather, she felt she must greet him, so she forced herself to settle down and talk to him.

"Ah, Wan’er, why such a big reaction? What were you thinking about just now that made you so engrossed?" Seeing Ding Wan’er’s extreme reaction, Ding Yi was also taken aback. He had not expected that she would react so strongly; it was a sharp contrast to her usual self. She must have been pondering a weighty matter for her to be so absorbed, not even noticing his approach. It was simply not possible for her to be that engrossed, and even less likely for her to be frightened by his touch. He really had no idea what could have absorbed her so.

"Nothing much, Grandpa, just work stuff. I was so deep in thought I didn’t notice when you came over. If Grandpa hadn’t tapped me, I’d still be pondering it." Hearing her grandfather’s questioning, Ding Wan’er quickly found an excuse to cover up, not sure why she blurted out such a lie on impulse. After she finished speaking, she realized how terrible the excuse was; no one would believe it, especially not her own grandfather.

But now that she had said it, she couldn’t tell her grandfather she had lied. Looking at her grandfather in front of her, Ding Wan’er started to panic. She had been so deep in thought about Lin Feng that she hadn’t noticed when her grandfather arrived. He couldn’t have seen through her, could he? She didn’t understand why she became so flustered when speaking, especially when the topic touched on Lin Feng; she would immediately become so helpless...

"Really? You’re thinking about the school, to the point of coming to Labor Lake this late to stare blankly?" Upon hearing Ding Wan’er’s words, Ding Yi immediately understood that she was lying. It wasn’t hard to grasp why she would lie; it must be about Lin Feng. He knew his granddaughter well. Usually, she was a strong woman at work, but ever since Lin Feng appeared, her demeanor had noticeably changed, especially the last time she came to seek him out at the fish farm, which suggested a knot in her heart. She was on the verge of speaking up, but then Qian Rong came back, scaring her away.

Encountering such a situation today meant that Wan’er still hadn’t untangled her confusion, running here to think things over. Since he had bumped into her, of course, he wanted to help his precious granddaughter. With this in mind, Ding Yi deliberately raised a question, hoping Ding Wan’er would speak the truth, which would allow him to know how to assist her.

"True... really! The school plans to build a building by the lake; there are all kinds of opinions. I... I was considering which plan to use, so I came here." Hearing her grandfather’s words, Ding Wan’er knew he didn’t believe her and rushed to concoct a reason to round out her previous lie, planning to leave this place quickly. The more one talks, the more likely errors will emerge, and her grandfather was so astute. The more she spoke, the more likely problems would arise.

But in a flash, after she had finished speaking, Ding Wan’er realized, why lie? There was no reason to lie to her grandfather. Hadn’t she gone to see him a few days ago wanting to discuss Lin Feng? If it weren’t for Grandpa Qian’s return, perhaps she would have already talked to him. Today’s opportunity was also good, perfect to discuss with Grandpa, but then she blurted out a lie in a fluster for no reason, simply out of an instinct not to let others know her inner feelings.

However, now that the lie was told, Ding Wan’er felt it was inappropriate to discuss Lin Feng with her grandfather, as she wasn’t mentally prepared to speak about him here. But today’s perfect chance, with no interruption from others, was indeed an opportunity she should seek advice from Grandpa about. Conflict! Conflict! Inside, Ding Wan’er was utterly entangled, torn between wanting to talk to her grandfather about Lin Feng and, on the other hand, being too embarrassed to discuss such a private matter...

"You really can be difficult to deal with," Ding Yi looked at Ding Wan’er and shook his head, knowing that she wouldn’t talk to him today. He of course knew what his granddaughter was like.

"Oh, right, Wan’er, your birthday is coming up, and I plan on throwing you a birthday party. Young people like you enjoy this sort of thing. It’s been over two years since you came back to take over my work, and you’ve been so busy with school affairs that you haven’t properly celebrated your birthday. Let’s take this opportunity to have a good celebration, invite all your good friends over to socialize, which will strengthen the bonds amongst each other and also allow you to have some fun."

Ding Yi observed Wan’er’s behavior and knew that she was dealing with a serious problem in her heart. Suddenly, he remembered her upcoming birthday and saw an opportunity to organize a party to cheer her up and, hopefully, help her untie the knots in her heart.

"Grandpa, there’s no need; I’m too busy with work and don’t have the time," responded Wan’er with surprise upon hearing that her grandfather suddenly wanted to organize a birthday party for her. She had never celebrated her birthday since coming back to the country because her work was indeed very demanding, and she had no time to think about such things. If Grandpa had not mentioned her birthday, she would have completely forgotten about it.

She didn’t understand what her grandfather was thinking. He knew she was always very busy and barely had any time, so why would he arrange a birthday party for her? The more Wan’er thought about it, the stranger it seemed—why would her grandfather suddenly come up with such an idea out of the blue? It was truly bizarre.

"Even if work is busy, one day won’t make a difference. Listen to me; the party is happening," Ding Yi, looking at Ding Wan’er, knew she would try to get out of it and rejected her excuses right away, firmly deciding to throw the party.

"Grandpa, most of my friends are abroad, and I have very few here in the country," Wan’er retorted, feeling utterly speechless as her grandfather insisted on organizing the party. She really didn’t want to celebrate with a birthday party when she was preoccupied with Lin Feng’s affairs each day. If she couldn’t resolve his issue properly, she wouldn’t be in the mood to attend any event. Thus, she hastily sought other excuses, hoping to dissuade her grandfather from his plan.

"Then just invite the people you’re close with from school—it’s mainly about having fun and being merry," Ding Yi shut down Wan’er’s continued excuses. Even if her friends were mostly overseas, it wasn’t a problem; she could invite those she was friendly with from school. They were all nearby and likely to come. The main purpose, after all, was to have a lively time.

"Grandpa..." Wan’er found herself at a loss for words when Ding Yi immediately countered her objections, feeling exasperated. Her grandfather usually went along with her wishes, but what had gotten into him today that he was so insistent on organizing a birthday party? It was all too irregular.

Thinking this over, Ding Wan’er lifted her head to look at Ding Yi again, trying to understand his real intentions behind being so adamant about the birthday party—a behavior that was most unusual for him.

"There’s no need to say anything more; it’s settled," declared Ding Yi, seeing his granddaughter’s puzzled gaze. Despite her confusion, once he brought the subject up, he had to see through the organization of the birthday party—it was the only way to help her.

"Okay... I’ll do as you say, Grandpa. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now," Ding Wan’er finally conceded after failing to find a way to convince her grandfather to call off the party. With no other options and seeing how determined he was, she begrudgingly agreed, realizing that Grandpa Qian would not take no for an answer.

But her mind was still filled with confusion: Grandpa Qian had never liked parties, so why was he suddenly proposing one today, and why was he so insistent that all objections were futile? What on earth was going on—what could Grandpa possibly be thinking...

"Let’s agree on that then. I’ll organize it at my villa. Oh, and make sure to invite Lin Feng. We don’t want him missing out and not having anyone to keep us old men company," said Ding Yi before turning and walking away, leaving Ding Wan’er standing alone by the shores of Labor Lake.