The Young Lady is a Bit Unruly [Fragrant Harbor] - Chapter 48 The Car Is About to Fall Apart

Chapter 48 The Car Is About to Fall Apart

Witnessing the scene before him that made his blood boil, Gong Jiahua wanted to hide, but then he thought—why should he?

He slammed the gift box onto the ground and charged forward. Before he could throw a punch, Ye Huaizhang had already released Ye Baoling!

What are you doing?! Gong Jiahua grabbed Ye Huaizhang by the collar, lowering his voice, afraid someone might overhear. Ye Huaizhang, do you even know how to write the words ‘propriety and shame’?!

Ye Huaizhang shook off Gong Jiahua’s grip. I’m kissing my wife—what does that have to do with propriety and shame?

!!!!

Gong Jiahua’s mind went blank for a moment.

He suddenly recalled that Ye Huaizhang had been arranged by his family to marry earlier to ward off bad luck. Could it be…

How is that possible?

Why wouldn’t it be? It’s legally allowed. Don’t you think we’re a perfect match—a talented man and a beautiful woman? As he spoke, he wrapped his arm around Ye Baoling’s shoulder.

Ye Baoling nearly laughed at his overconfidence.

Gong Jiahua still couldn’t quite believe it. Then why did Baoling’s grandfather and father encourage me to pursue her?

They don’t know about my marriage to Huaizhang yet, Ye Baoling pretended to be pitiful. I’m too scared to tell them—I’m afraid they’ll hit me. You have to keep this secret for me.

Gong Jiahua: …

So when she kept saying she had a boyfriend, she really did have one—no, a husband.

Gong Jiahua couldn’t understand why Ye Baoling, the esteemed eldest daughter of the Ye family, would marry Ye Huaizhang to ward off bad luck?

Had she always had a secret crush on Ye Huaizhang?

That was the only explanation that made sense.

Ye Huaizhang seemed to guess Gong Jiahua’s thoughts. It’s exactly what you’re thinking.

Ye Baoling also sensed Gong Jiahua’s assumption. She couldn’t very well say she married Ye Huaizhang for the Ugly King Jade Pendant, could she?

She had no choice but to admit: I’ve had a crush on him…

Then, shifting the tone, she set a trap for him: He’s openly in love with me. Now I can’t even get a divorce if I want to.

Ye Huaizhang wanted to roll his eyes but restrained himself, instead holding her even tighter.

Gong Jiahua glared at them fiercely—were they flaunting their relationship in front of him?!

This was beyond endurance!

Gong Jiahua cursed, You two are shameless!

Well, they admitted it.

I’m going to expose you! He planted his hands on his hips, so angry his head was buzzing.

Ye Huaizhang: Go ahead! If you expose us, Baoling and I can be together openly.

Ye Baoling pleaded with a tearful voice, Please don’t! My grandfather has high blood pressure and a heart condition. If anything unexpected happens to him because of this, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.

The young couple played their parts perfectly—one tough, one gentle—working in seamless coordination.

Gong Jiahua paced back and forth, on the verge of tears. The woman he liked had become his buddy’s wife!

His brother-in-law had turned into his love rival—how could he bear it?

But even if he couldn’t bear it, what could he do?

Even if he threw away all dignity and acted like a madman, he would still end up the loser. Baoling might even hold a grudge against him forever.

No wonder every time he asked Ye Huaizhang to help set them up, he would say he wasn’t worthy. Gong Jiahua snapped at him, You’re the one who’s not worthy!

At Gong Jiahua’s sudden outburst of harsh words, the young couple exchanged glances, neither daring to speak.

So, you deliberately put on this show for me today, didn’t you?

Ye Huaizhang advised with sincere concern, I didn’t want you to fall deeper into this.

Gong Jiahua wished he could spit in his face. I don’t care! You’re shameless and utterly despicable!

Seeing Ye Baoling lower her head, Gong Jiahua explained further: I was talking about him, not you. Pretending to be pitiful to demand a marriage to ward off bad luck is just a cunning scheme to seduce his cousin.

Ye Huaizhang said: Fate doesn’t follow logic. Bao Ling and I are destined to be husband and wife—that’s our fate. Think it over carefully. If you cover for us, we can still be good siblings, good friends…

Gong Jiahua widened his eyes, hardly believing his ears. How dare Ye Huaizhang ask him to help cover up their affair?

This is emotional blackmail!

It was indeed emotional blackmail.

He admitted it.

If you won’t help us, then go ahead and shout it out now. You can even clap and mock us when the time comes. If that makes you happy, then this spectacle will have been worth it. The same Ye Huaizhang who had just played the villain now wore the expression of a deeply loyal brother.

Ye Baoling looked at her man in surprise. Those should have been her lines. She never expected a man could be so shamelessly manipulative when he wanted to be.

Gong Jiahua was momentarily speechless. After collecting himself for a moment, he finally said: No way.

Just then, Fang Shanxing approached from the other end of the swimming pool.

Hey! What are you all doing here? The auction is about to start.

Ye Baoling reacted quickly. She immediately removed Ye Huaizhang’s arm from her shoulder and took a step away, transforming the trio into a triangular standoff.

Noticing the tense atmosphere, Fang Shanxing asked: What’s going on here?

A cold glare shot from Ye Huaizhang’s eyes toward Gong Jiahua, who was so angry he wanted to expose this hypocrite on the spot.

They… Gong Jiahua pointed at the two of them, but his words changed at the last moment: They don’t want to play cards with us.

Fang Shanxing couldn’t help but laugh: Huaizhang probably has things to do, and Baoling said earlier she needed to go home early. I’ll organize the card game. Come on, come on! The charity auction is starting. Don’t forget to show your support—this event is crucial for my father’s campaign to become chairman of the Nanhua Third Hospital Charity Foundation.

With the chatterbox Fang Shanxing present, the atmosphere quickly eased.

Get ready to open your wallets and bleed some money!

The Fang family had philanthropy in their blood. Sir Fang was the first Hong Kong citizen to receive a British royal honor, and the old gentleman had served as chairman of the Nanhua Third Hospital Charity Foundation for decades. This year, he planned to step down from the chairman position to let his son—Fang Shanxing’s father—take over.

Ye Huaizhang naturally gave them face. Not long after the charity auction began, there was an emerald and gold necklace donated by his grandmother Guan Lao Taijun. He bought it for 500,000 dollars.

It was the highest charitable donation of the evening.

This move saved face for his grandmother, showed respect to the Fang family, and contributed to charity—killing three birds with one stone.

Someone called out loudly: Huaizhang, who are you going to give the necklace to?

Everyone had heard he had a wife from a marriage to ward off bad luck, and that Ye Huaizhang was very dissatisfied with her, never bringing her out to meet anyone.

They were bound to divorce sooner or later.

Someone teased: Who else would he give it to? Of course to his wife!

Young Master Ye, when are you going to introduce your wife to everyone?

Gong Jiahua instinctively glanced toward Ye Baoling.

At that moment, Ye Baoling was sitting beside her father, her heart pounding wildly. She feared Ye Huaizhang might get carried away by the teasing and suddenly walk over to her.

Fortunately, he was a man of stable emotions.

Ye Huaizhang didn’t respond to the ongoing conversation, simply stating, If tonight’s charity auction exceeds 3 million, I’ll donate an additional 500,000 on behalf of the Ye family.

The topic instantly shifted as everyone began egging each other on, urging other philanthropists present to push harder.

While the auction continued on stage, Ye Huaizhang walked over to Gong Jiahua and whispered, Help me tonight, and I’ll repay you tenfold when the opportunity arises.

Gong Jiahua still seemed reluctant: Have you two… shared a room?

Ye Huaizhang glanced at him: We’re married, what do you think?

At this, Gong Jiahua completely gave up.

Watching the alternating bids from the stage and audience, the bustling excitement and countless splendid scenes, he thought – there were plenty of fish in the sea.

Gritting his teeth, Gong Jiahua said, Don’t forget – tenfold repayment.

Ye Huaizhang bumped fists with him.

Deal.

Gong Fonian arrived late. After entering, he brought his grandson toward Ye Qizu’s table.

The elders from both families were chatting pleasantly, except Gong Jiahua had disappeared midway through the conversation.

Just as Gong Fonian was about to send someone to look for him, a Gong family servant whispered, Isn’t that the young master over there?

By the azaleas in the garden corner, a man was intimately embracing a charity social butterfly.

Both elders stared wide-eyed!!!

Fortunately, though aged, they remained sharp-minded. Making a scene at such an occasion would be too embarrassing.

Both tactfully turned their heads toward the auction stage.

An awkward atmosphere hung between the two families – this wasn’t something to discuss openly.

Ye Kaimin was also stunned. Since Bao Ling and Gong Jiahua weren’t officially dating, he couldn’t rightfully scold anyone. With two blind dates turning out like this, it seemed his daughter was destined to be betrayed. He could only pretend not to see.

He also pulled Ye Baoling away: Just act like you didn’t see it.

I’m not blind. Ye Baoling just never expected Gong Jiahua would make such a great sacrifice.

Magnificent.

When the auction ended, Ye Baoling found an excuse: If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back first.

Ye Kaimin couldn’t stop her, only softly advising: Jiahua might have been drinking. All men are like that. Don’t make a scene when you get back.

Hah.

Ye Baoling ignored her father.

She got up and headed toward the back door.

Rather than taking a car, Ye Baoling chose the small path through the back gate, following the trail through the Gong family’s back garden toward the Ye family’s large garden, which led directly to the Oldest Branch Residence.

Just after stepping out, she heard a soft honk.

It was Ye Huaizhang’s car. Scanning the area – the banquet had just begun and no one was using the side exit – she quickly walked over, opened the door, and took the passenger seat.

Once inside, she asked: What did you give Gong Jiahua? He’s really risking everything for this!

Brotherhood.Ye Huaizhang didn’t mention their private intrest ..He believed Gong Jiahua’s willingness to help was ultimately rooted in their brotherly bond.

He drove toward the back mountain. Ye Baoling asked: Where are we going? Really heading to Silver Snake Mountain this late?

Ever been to the summit?

No.

Taking you to see the mountaintop view.

Silver Snake Mountain’s path was narrow and steep, but without cliffs along the roadside, it wasn’t particularly dangerous.

People rarely came here mainly due to legends of venomous snakes.

The mountain wasn’t high, taking only minutes to wind up to the summit.

The peak had sparse trees and a massive boulder. Climbing onto the large rock, they could overlook the city’s nightscape below.

The evening breeze was gentle as Ye Baoling stood on the large rock. Perhaps because the mountain wasn’t high enough, there was no breathtaking view of overlooking all the surrounding peaks.

Silver Snake Mountain has such a great location. Why hasn’t the government developed it? Wouldn’t it be nice to turn it into a city park?

Ye Huaizhang retorted, You don’t know?

Should she know?

That meant the original host should know.

Tell me. How would I know if what I know matches what you know?

Ye Huaizhang didn’t beat around the bush: Because all five households on Qing Tang Street at the foot of the mountain disagree. If Silver Snake Mountain were developed, it would disrupt Ye Qingtang’s original tranquility.

Although there were only five households on Qing Tang Street, each was an influential family in Port City. With just a little money, under the pretext of protecting Silver Snake Mountain’s natural ecology, they could sway policy decisions.

So, these wealthy people, while engaging in charity, selfishly hoard more resources instead of sharing them with the public.

How ironic.

The night wind grew stronger, tousling her hair into a mess. Ye Baoling wanted to go home.

As she stepped down from the rock, she noticed something yellow wedged in a crevice under the car’s headlights. Picking it up, she found a circular bronze plaque.

She called out laughingly, Hey, I found gold!

Ye Huaizhang glanced at it. Bronze. Silly.

You’re the silly one. She swung the plaque, nearly hitting his face, forcing him to snatch it away.

They got into the car, and Ye Huaizhang retrieved a jewelry box from the back seat. Here! The gold you wanted.

Ye Baoling opened it to find the emerald and gold entwined necklace he had bid 500,000 for.

Put it on me. Let’s see how it looks.

Ye Huaizhang fastened it around her neck and adjusted the rearview mirror for her to see clearly.

Her slender, pale neck adorned with the emerald and gold necklace shimmered, exuding an innate elegance.

She loved it.

Or rather, no woman would dislike expensive jewelry.

She smiled and kissed his cheek.

A bright red lipstick mark stained his face as she teased, That’s my seal.

Ye Huaizhang’s lips curved upward. He pointed to his own lips. Here.

No. She laughed, refusing.

But the moment she refused, her red lips were sealed by his.

In the confined space, passion seemed easier to ignite.

Soon, they were squeezed together on one seat.

Just as she worried about not bringing a Small Quadrilateral, he produced one from somewhere, already torn open and in place.

The car began to rock rhythmically.

The vehicle’s sway intensified the movements inside.

The one controlling the pace above collided harder.

She finally understood why some people enjoyed doing it in cars—the cramped space amplified every sensation.

His car was relatively spacious, but the contrast between the confined environment and the release of tension was stark.

Afterward, she noticed bruises on his knees—such intensity!

She couldn’t help but remark, The person isn’t falling apart, but the car might.

Ye Huaizhang stroked her back. This spot isn’t bad.

They could come here often.

Ye Baoling followed Ye Huaizhang back to the third residence. In their bedroom, they lingered for a while longer before she finally fixed her hair and makeup and returned home through the back garden.

The news of Gong Jiahua kissing a dancer at Sir Fang’s charity auction quickly spread through the old main residence.

Ye Baoxin, who hadn’t attended the charity event last night, found it hard to believe Gong Jiahua could be such a person when she heard about it later.

Sitting on the sofa in her mother’s bedroom while watching her newborn brother sleep in the crib, she expressed her disbelief to her mother, How could Jiahua do this?

Why couldn’t he? How many men can control themselves? Zheng Junni, still in her postpartum confinement, had gained noticeable weight.

So what’s the plan now? Ye Baoxin added, How should the relationship between Gong Jiahua and Ye Baoling be handled?

Zheng Junni snorted coldly: What can we do? Pretend we didn’t see it and let it cool off for now. The Ye family has its reputation to consider. If the Gong family is willing to humble themselves, there might still be room for discussion. If not, it’s probably over. Whatever you do, don’t provoke Gong Jiahua during this time.

Ye Baoxin scoffed: Do you think I’m stupid?

Since giving birth to a son, Zheng Junni had taken charge of the main household branch. With everyone fawning over her, her confidence had soared.

She remarked, Actually, neither Lu Tianyou nor Gong Jiahua compares to Fang Shanxing. The Fang family may not be as wealthy as the Ye or Gong families, but they’re certainly not poor. Old Master Fang was even knighted by the Queen herself—their social status surpasses ours. I heard Fang Shanxing recently broke up with his girlfriend and is single now. This could be an opportunity. His aunt is close with me—I could ask her to help arrange something.

Ye Baoxin remained silent. Fang Shanxing was slightly overweight, but he had a good temperament, and the Fang family’s status was genuinely elevated—even the Governor showed them respect.

Seeing her daughter’s quiet reaction, Zheng Junni knew she had agreed and taken the matter to heart.

Monday typically involved several meetings, starting with a brief session for the cleaning department.

Ye Baoling applied for a bonus for Auntie Yang, who had witnessed Lu Baohua swapping video tapes on the 6th floor.

This served as an excellent example.

Since then, the cleaning staff had become more vigilant than ever, keeping their eyes and ears open.

Before 9:30, she rushed back to the product department for an internal meeting.

Later, she would accompany Qu Zhengming to a meeting with the marketing department.

After working with the marketing team to receive the Nanyang agents, Ye Baoling had become quite familiar with them.

A Zhen approached her as soon as she saw her.

Bao Ling, the commission for last time’s two-million-yuan order will be paid with today’s salary. I’ve already arranged with finance—we’ll split it fifty-fifty.

While regular order commissions were calculated at 0.1%, new product commissions differed at 1%.

Thus, the commission totaled 20,000 yuan, with each receiving 10,000.

This was the largest salary Ye Baoling had ever received from Ye Qingtang so far.

Having promised to treat everyone to afternoon tea, Ye Baoling bought Western pastries, fruits, and drinks for colleagues in the logistics, product, and marketing departments.

The afternoon tea for three departments cost over seven hundred yuan.

As the saying goes, Bite the hand that feeds you, and her colleagues nearly praised her to the skies.

On Wednesday, the product development team, following Ye Baoling’s suggestions, created 11 new varieties of Jasmine Herbal Tea with slightly different flavors.

After tasting them, Ye Baoling found two that closely resembled the bestselling jasmine tea from later years.

She immediately organized the first round of internal employee tastings and, under her supervision, eliminated five varieties.

The remaining six would require evaluations from target consumers.

That day, the project team held a meeting to discuss organizing thousands of university students and athletes to sample the new herbal tea.

Someone suggested, We can set up six large jasmine tea barrels on-site with voting boxes in front of each. Give everyone two small red flowers—they can drop them into the box of their preferred flavor. This makes it easy to tally.

Ye Baoling disagreed, If people can see others voting, it might create a herd mentality. Some could be influenced to unconsciously choose the flavor with more red flowers. Let’s keep it simple: assign numbers to the six flavors and have testers write their choice on paper to submit. We can tally the results separately later.

But that would make the tallying work much more troublesome, said Rao Qiutong, another planner from the product department.

This Rao Qiutong had previously been a sycophant around Lu Baohua. Since Lu Baohua’s demotion, she had privately held a grudge against Ye Baoling but never dared show it openly.

Today, she finally dared to speak up, likely because she had aligned herself with a new leader—Wan Xiwena, the new manager replacing Lu Baohua.

This new manager was a parachute appointment: fresh out of university with little experience, she had directly landed the deputy manager position, suggesting powerful backing.

With her newfound support, Rao Qiutong’s attitude had shifted noticeably.

Ye Baoling retorted, We shouldn’t choose an unsuitable method just to avoid trouble, should we?

Rao Qiutong shot back, It’s not like you’re the one who’ll have to do the hard work anyway.

Ye Baoling countered, If you’re afraid of hard work, you can withdraw from the project team.

I’m not in charge of tallying, so it won’t be hard for me. I’m just expressing concern for our colleagues’ workload, Rao Qiutong said, playing the hypocrite.

Not wanting to be morally manipulated, Ye Baoling coldly laughed, If you’re so worried about your colleagues’ workload, you could take on more yourself. Don’t make a fuss over such a small task—acting like a ‘nice person’ while just paying lip service.

Who are you calling a ‘nice person’?

At best, a ‘nice person’—at worst, a troublemaker.

Rao Qiutong’s face flushed bright red.

The other colleagues exchanged glances, unsure how to intervene.

The newly appointed deputy manager, Wan Xiwena, hurriedly mediated, How about we each compromise a little…

Ye Baoling cut in, How can we compromise on this kind of work? She’s the one stirring up trouble.

Wan Xiwena: !

No one dared speak further.

Although both deputy managers were present, since General Manager Qu was upstairs in another meeting and Ye Baoling was the direct lead for this project, her voting method was ultimately approved.

It was a minor issue, but Wan Xiwena had lost face in the meeting and couldn’t wait to complain to her powerful backer.

In Ye Qingtang’s herbal tea general manager office, Shen Wanjie comforted her, I’ve already arranged it. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be the project manager for this new product development and promotion. Cooperate well with Gu Baolin. Once this succeeds, you’ll be the top contributor, and the product department manager position will be yours.

Wan Xiwena remained displeased, You should have announced me as project manager earlier. She’s just a planner, yet she struts around the project team like she owns it—it makes my blood boil! I wasn’t even targeting her; I spoke kindly, and she still snapped at me. Daddy, you know my temper—I’m not one to stir up trouble.

Those who stir up trouble often do so without realizing it.

Shen Wanjie was a doting father to his daughter: Just treat her like some lowly laborer, alright? She’s responsible for getting things done, but in the end, the credit goes to you. Think about it—doesn’t that make you feel better? Come on, don’t be angry, my little princess.

This conversation was overheard by the cleaning aunt outside the door and reached Ye Baoling’s ears the next day.

So Wan Xiwena was Shen Wanjie’s illegitimate daughter.

Subsequently, Qu Zhengming informed Ye Baoling that starting today, Wan Xiwena would be confirmed as the project manager for the Jasmine Herbal Tea Development and Promotion project.

She is the project manager, you are the chief planner.

So if the project succeeded, the credit would go to Wan Xiwena; if it failed, Gu Baolin would be the scapegoat.

Ye Baoling wanted to know Qu Zhengming’s stance, so she asked, Manager Qu, wasn’t I initially confirmed as the overall person in charge of this project?

Qu Zhengming sighed helplessly, Yes, I explained the situation to General Manager Shen and argued strongly for it. But he insisted. I don’t know why he trusts this Wan Xiwena so much.

So, you just agreed?

Qu Zhengming said guiltily, My authority only goes so far. He is the general manager, I’m just a director. The power of personnel appointments and removals lies with him. But don’t worry, if the new Jasmine Herbal Tea succeeds, I will definitely find ways to protect your achievements and fight for your maximum benefits.

But Manager Qu, even your strong arguments couldn’t preserve my position as the person in charge… Ye Baoling didn’t finish her sentence.

Qu Zhengming understood her implication – if even strong arguments couldn’t decide who would be the project lead, how could he ultimately ensure Gu Baolin’s personal interests?

Qu Zhengming had grown up professionally at Ye Qingtang. She felt both attachment and disappointment toward this place, but she couldn’t say more to Ye Baoling, only adding, If I can’t protect your interests, I’ll fight them to the end. At worst, I’ll just leave this job.

Ye Baoling nodded slightly and smiled, knowing exactly what she needed to do next.

The tree may prefer calm, but the wind won’t stop.

Her original targets weren’t this numerous, but if some people insisted on delivering themselves to her doorstep, she would be happy to send them on their way.

Author’s note:

Ye Huaizhang: Silver Snake Summit is a great place.

Ye Baoling: Work hard and strive – career is the most rewarding.