The Young Lady is a Bit Unruly [Fragrant Harbor] - Chapter 80: Go Beg Ye Baoling

Chapter 80: Go Beg Ye Baoling

When Ye Huaizhang revealed that Second Aunt was Ye Jinsong’s first love, Ye Baoling’s surprise was genuine.

No wonder Second Aunt had excused herself due to illness during Ye Jinsong and Yang Pinxian’s 30th wedding anniversary cake-cutting celebration.

So that was why.

You didn’t know before?

Ye Huaizhang, already standing behind the bar pouring himself a glass of foreign liquor, shook his head. Not at all.

He wasn’t perceptive about such matters.

Sitting across from him, Ye Baoling pressed further, Does anyone else in the family know? Does Mom know? What about Second Uncle?

Ye Huaizhang reasoned, My mother definitely doesn’t know; otherwise, their interactions wouldn’t be so natural. Second Uncle is hard to say. Would you like a drink?

He gestured to the foreign liquor beside him.

Ye Baoling pinched her thumb and index finger together slightly. Just a little. I also think Mom is unaware. Did you find out why your father and Second Aunt broke up back then?

Second Aunt came from a humble background, so their relationship was doomed from the start. As the eldest son, my father had to marry into another wealthy family for the sake of the family’s interests. He gave up his first love for that. He poured her a drink and handed it over.

Ye Baoling gently swirled the glass but didn’t drink immediately.

She questioned, If they looked down on her background, how did she end up marrying Second Uncle?

Ye Huaizhang lightly tapped his glass. Because she was pregnant, and Second Uncle, being the second son, had more freedom in marriage.

A wild thought suddenly struck Ye Baoling. Is Huai Li your half-brother?

Ye Huaizhang shook his head with certainty. No. Huai Li is Second Uncle’s biological son.

How can you be so sure?

Because he had suspected the same after learning about Second Aunt’s identity.

A couple of days ago, I had someone secretly run a parentage test on Huai Li. He is indeed Second Uncle’s son.

That was somewhat reassuring—it meant Ye Jinsong had no motive to harm Ye Huaizhang.

Otherwise, it would have been a true family melodrama.

After a moment’s thought, Ye Baoling added, Second Aunt’s name is Han Yanmei. Could ‘Auntie Mei’ actually be ‘Auntie Yan’? The pronunciations are very similar. We previously assumed it was the character for ‘plum blossom,’ but maybe it wasn’t.

Ye Huaizhang had considered this as well. Xiao Dahai showed Shui Gou a photo of Second Aunt for confirmation, and Shui Gou confirmed that Second Aunt is not Auntie Mei. Second Aunt has softer features and not a square face.

Taking a small sip of the foreign liquor, Ye Baoling began to speculate, If Second Aunt has always resented your father for abandoning their relationship for the family’s sake, then she would have a motive to target you. On top of that, if you died, her son would likely become the biggest beneficiary. That’s a double motive.

Ye Huaizhang remained silent but agreed.

There’s one more thing. Second Aunt pays very close attention to your every move. On Christmas day, when you weren’t in the living room, no one knew where you had gone—only Second Aunt noticed you had gone upstairs to take a call.

Such minor details usually went unnoticed, but in hindsight, it was startling to realize that Second Aunt harbored the most hostility toward Ye Huaizhang in the family.

The more they thought about it, the more unsettling it became.

The two of them continued to analyze the details.

Ye Baoling: A few years ago, Second Uncle hired his classmate’s company to handle the interior decoration of the Residence of Inheritance and Harmony. Recently, due to issues with water pipes and circuit breakers, he had his classmate come for inspection and repairs. Because of this, his classmate likely discovered the existence of the underground wine cellar. He secretly reported this discovery to Second Aunt. For unknown reasons, the couple kept this matter hidden. Later, in their struggle for the inheritance of the Third Branch of the Ye family, they attempted to use Auntie Mei as a tool to eliminate you. So, they took two bottles of red wine from the cellar and gave them to Gong Jiahua.

Ye Huaizhang: If your analysis is correct, then Auntie Mei must be connected to Gong Jiahua.

Most likely.

The red wine in the cellar holds secrets related to either Auntie Mei or the Gong family, which are likely tied to the secrets behind the Silver Snake Mountain Copper Door.

Ye Baoling nodded: It can only be closely linked to the secrets of Silver Snake Mountain. So far, we know the red wines in both our family cellars were produced in 1946, but they come from different wineries. Could it be that the three branches of our Ye family and the Gong family once shared a common secret hidden within Silver Snake Mountain, with an agreement not to pass it down to future generations?

They had previously investigated the renaming of Silver Snake Mountain, which also occurred in 1946.

After silver snakes appeared on Emerald Snail Mountain and killed people, the government reclaimed the mountain and renamed it Silver Snake Mountain.

For many years, development on Silver Snake Mountain had been blocked by several wealthy families on Qing Tang Street.

In 1946, they sealed the Blue Brick Tunnel and placed red wine in the cellar entrances as camouflage. If anyone broke the rules and let future generations learn the secret, the Gong family would surely take lethal action to eliminate those who knew.

Ye Huaizhang largely agreed with this conclusion but still had doubts.

There’s one contradiction: if the secret wasn’t passed down, how did Second Uncle and Second Aunt come to know about it?

Could it be that while your grandfather was still alive, Second Uncle accidentally learned about it through some channel?

This possibility couldn’t be ruled out.

Ye Huaizhang took another sip of wine: If the Ye family couldn’t pass down the secret of Silver Snake Mountain, could the Gong family do so? Probably not, right?

Logically, they shouldn’t be able to either. Once the older generation passes away, the secret would likely be lost forever. Even if descendants later discover the wine cellar, it would be difficult to decipher the secrets within. Just like us now, we’re completely in the dark.

After thinking for a moment, Ye Huaizhang said: If our speculation is correct, the murderer can basically be identified as Gong Fonian. And Auntie Mei is probably just someone he sent to do his bidding.

Gong Fonian, Gong Jiahua’s grandfather – that cultural figure who held painting exhibitions and appeared quite amiable and kind.

So the conclusion was: Second Uncle and Second Aunt wanted to use Gong Fonian as a tool to eliminate Ye Huaizhang.

After their discussion, Ye Baoling thought of Ye Jinliu again, What role does Auntie play in all this? Or is she purely having an affair with Gong Jinghui, with no connection to other matters?

Uncertain.

But it didn’t seem particularly important anymore.

To decrypt the mystery, they could actually try some simple, brute-force methods.

Ye Baoling raised her eyebrows slightly and offered him a bad idea: We could have someone kidnap Second Aunt or Huai Li. That should help us get the information we need from Second Uncle and Second Aunt.

That might alert the enemy. Then we won’t be able to enter the bronze door beneath Silver Snake Mountain. We’ll have to wait until after the New Year when we’ve collected all three pieces of the Ugly King Jade Pendant, entered the bronze door, and then decide our next move.

Agreed. Ye Baoling gently clinked her glass with his. The New Year is almost here. We shouldn’t have to wait long before we uncover the secret.

She hoped they could smoothly obtain the Ugly King Jade Pendant from the Oldest Branch.

First, she needed to ensure her own survival.

She asked, Do you think the Gong family might also have a cellar leading to the Blue Brick Tunnel?

Ye Huaizhang shook his head. Probably not. The Blue Brick Tunnel’s location is quite distant from the Gong residence. I’ve searched the tunnel several times before – aside from Silver Snake Mountain, there are no other brick doors.

The young couple chatted over drinks until nearly midnight when he left. He still had matters to attend to, so he returned to the Third Branch instead of staying at her place.

Ye Baoxin and Fang Shanxing’s wedding was held in the Fang family garden before the New Year.

The bride price given by the Fang family was entirely provided by the Oldest Branch as Ye Baoxin’s dowry.

Zheng Junni had been eagerly anticipating attending, but not only did the Oldest Branch forbid her, even Ye Baoxin didn’t want her present.

The public explanation was that Zheng Junni had fallen ill, hence her inability to attend her daughter’s wedding.

Naturally, Zheng Junni was utterly disappointed.

This was her complete condemnation, and her daughter hadn’t even stood by her.

The wedding was kept simple, with only close relatives, friends, and neighbors from Qing Tang Street invited.

All members of the Oldest Branch naturally attended, while even the Third Branch sent five or six people.

This marked the first meeting between the two families since the competition between Su Man and Ge Zhi had intensified.

Ye Qizu was beaming with pride and satisfaction. Witnessing the Third Branch collectively suffer setbacks in his lifetime was his greatest joy in recent years.

Despite her discomfort, Guan Lao Taijun understood propriety and took the initiative to offer congratulations.

Second Brother, congratulations.

Ye Qizu smiled modestly. It’s all due to the series of promotional strategies these young people devised. I didn’t bother with it – these old bones should indeed delegate authority.

Guan Lao Taijun had meant to congratulate him on his granddaughter’s marriage, but Ye Qizu mistakenly thought she was referring to his victory in the Su-Ge competition.

This left Guan Lao Taijun speechless, forcing her to awkwardly smile and retort: It’s good that the young people are capable. I’m not as passionate about work as you are, Second Brother. I’ve basically stepped back in recent years, leaving business matters mostly to them. I only handle signatures.

Not to be outdone while holding the upper hand, Ye Qizu responded: One should still keep an eye on things occasionally. I heard Hongtong Industry is being targeted by major Wall Street capital for short selling. You raised funds too many times during your early expansion phase, resulting in insufficient equity in your hands – that makes you vulnerable to targeting.

Guan Lao Taijun truly didn’t want to continue this conversation. Fortunately, Huaizhang and Baoling approached, and she quickly said: The young people are here.

Ye Qizu wouldn’t let up, deliberately needling her sore spot: Baoling was the general commander and key contributor to Su Manzhu’s recent commercial promotion. Since you also hold shares in Su Manzhu, our success benefits you too.

Even with her considerable poise, Guan Lao Taijun’s face darkened.

Yang Pinxian quickly changed the subject: There aren’t many guests today.

Guan Lao Taijun finally found an opportunity to counter: Is Baoxin pregnant? Congratulations on your impending promotion to great-grandfather, Second Brother.

Ye Qizu, who had been all smiles moments ago, immediately darkened his expression. He couldn’t outright deny it—this wasn’t his biological granddaughter, and getting pregnant before marriage wasn’t considered a big deal.

Fortunately, the old man’s memory wasn’t poor. He promptly said, Sir Fang and his family wanted to host a grand banquet, but I told them there simply isn’t enough time. We could follow the example of Third Branch’s Ye Jinbai’s wedding—your second daughter-in-law was also heavily pregnant at the time. A simple ceremony with just a family meal would suffice.

Guan Lao Taijun, who had lived a life of glory, ultimately conceded defeat.

Ye Baoling, who had already approached, watched this silent battle with amusement and smiled casually to ease the tension: Grandma, Fang Shanxing asked us to join them for photos.

Second Brother, we’re going for photos. Guan Lao Taijun quickly seized the opportunity to extricate herself.

At the photo area, Ye Jinfeng was also present. He glanced at Ye Baoling but didn’t greet her, turning away instead.

Noticing this, Guan Lao Taijun hurriedly whispered: I won’t blame you this time. Speaking strictly from a business perspective, we were trapped by major capital. We’ve been too successful these past years and kept expanding, diluting our shares until others found an opening.

Ye Baoling offered no explanation for herself, simply smiling as she said: Time for photos.

Guan Lao Taijun sat while the bride and groom stood in the center. Ye Baoling, Ye Huaizhang, and other members of the Third Branch stood casually around them.

Ye Baoling held no particular opinion about Ye Baoxin’s marriage. Who Ye Baoxin married or whether it was a good match had nothing to do with her.

She only attended because the Gong family would be present at this occasion, allowing her to discreetly observe Gong Fonian and other relevant individuals for any noteworthy behavior.

After careful observation, she concluded that apart from being slightly stricter with Gong Jiahua, Gong Fonian acted like a benevolent Maitreya Buddha toward everyone else.

His relationship with Sir Fang, Ye Qizu, and Ye Qizong appeared completely ordinary—neither particularly close nor distant. She detected nothing unusual.

As the wedding ceremony formally commenced, Ye Leyan served as bridesmaid. The proceedings were simple yet solemn, with Fang Shanxing appearing genuinely sincere.

Even Ye Leqiong, standing beside Ye Baoling, couldn’t help but remark: Baoxin does have good judgment. She bet on the right person and married well. The Fang family has social status, no mother-in-law to contend with—she’ll become mistress of the household immediately. Though Shanxing isn’t particularly handsome, he has a good temper. It’s practically perfect.

Is that so. Ye Baoling offered no further comment.

Her gaze periodically swept through the crowd. When Ye Huaizhang approached, she asked him: Second Aunt didn’t come?

She claimed not to be feeling well.

The same excuse every time.

Ye Huaizhang whispered to her: I’ll leave first later—there are matters at the company.

She knew what he was busy with. To say she felt completely without guilt would be untrue.

But she didn’t believe she had done wrong. Given another chance to choose, she would still make the same move.

Qu Zhengming went to Shenzhen for site inspections and selected two plots—one outside the Guan area, another in Futian.

The plot outside Guan was slightly larger and cheaper, while the Futian plot was somewhat smaller but more expensive, both priced under 10 million.

Ye Baoling placed the proposals on her grandfather’s desk. Neither is expensive—8.2 million for Futian, and only 5.7 million for the larger plot outside Guan.

Ye Qizu maintained his usual stance: Acquiring the land is just the beginning. After that, we need to build factories, purchase equipment, hire and train workers. Once we invest heavily, it will be difficult to change course later. Besides, we have too many urgent matters to handle recently. Let’s wait until the U.S. market stabilizes before considering this.

Seeing that she couldn’t persuade him, Ye Baoling gave up: Alright, Grandfather, please think it over.

She had no intention of delaying any further.

After leaving her grandfather’s study, she called Liu Haonan and Qu Zhengming separately. Since her grandfather didn’t want the land, she decided to acquire it herself.

She intended to take both plots.

However, Liu Haonan informed her that he was running low on funds.

To sweep up Hongtong Industry recently, almost all our capital has been tied up. There’s only a little over three million left in the account now.

Ye Baoling, who hadn’t experienced financial constraints for a long time, was taken aback. There’s still money in the U.S. stock market, right?

Most of the profits from U.S. stocks have been transferred back to sweep up Hongtong Industry. There’s only over 90 million Hong Kong dollars left there now, but it’s all margin and can’t be touched. The remaining stock is currently at a loss—if we sell now, we’d incur a loss of at least over 10 million. I suggest we hold off for now. The stock price should recover next month. Liu Haonan was confident about this.

After a moment’s thought, Ye Baoling said, It’s fine. Losses happen. The stock market carries risks—gains and losses are part of it. Sell a portion to raise enough funds for the land in Shenzhen.

Seeing that the boss had made up her mind, Liu Haonan quickly replied, I’ll execute the trade as soon as the U.S. market opens.

Around 3 p.m. on Sunday, Ms. Yan, the board secretary of Hongtong Industry, called Ye Huaizhang.

The Li Family, as the second-largest shareholder, had joined forces with the third-largest shareholder, R Fund, to demand a board meeting before next Wednesday to discuss the reelection of board members and the chairman.

What Ye Huaizhang had feared had finally happened.

Members of the Third Branch gathered in Guan Lao Taijun’s study.

Ye Jinbai, the second son, still didn’t fully grasp the situation. He asked, Wasn’t the second-largest shareholder the American R Fund?

Ye Jinsong, sitting on the sofa with a grim expression, explained, It used to be. But after the Li Family shorted Hongtong Industry through Wall Street capital and swept up enough shares at the bottom, they’ve become the second-largest shareholder. If we calculate it this way, the combined shares of the Li Family and R Fund likely exceed ours.

Ye Jinfeng added, Since Li Shaochang dares to challenge us by calling for a board meeting, the Li Family must already hold enough shares. They’re trying to seize actual control of Hongtong Industry.

Guan Lao Taijun was distressed. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing the Third Branch’s most important business under her watch—she wouldn’t be able to face her late husband.

Is there any way out of this?

Ye Huaizhang replied, I contacted the Qi Family, the original third-largest shareholder. He’s friends with Li Shaochang and said he won’t help the Li Family, but he can’t help us either. At most, he’ll remain neutral. As for the shareholders below them, two recently sold their shares to Li Shaochang…

So, all these avenues were blocked.

What could they do?

Ye Jinfeng suggested, We should use their methods against them. We should also employ tactics to short the Li Family’s Yunchang Group. We can’t just let them push us around like this.

Ye Jinsong shook his head and said, Whoever dares to operate like this must have made thorough preparations and isn’t afraid of our countermeasures. Moreover, time is simply not on our side—they’re already at our doorstep. What we need to do now is coordinate with the company’s management and firmly oppose letting external capital take control of real power.

Ye Jinbai added, Yes, we can also encourage employees to go on strike and escalate the situation. We absolutely cannot let Li Shaochang’s sinister scheme succeed.

Guan Lao Taijun believed these were last-resort, desperate measures to be used only when all else failed.

She turned to Ye Huaizhang and asked, Huaizhang, what do you think?

Ye Huaizhang had not been idle since his return. He said, During this period, besides the involvement of Wall Street capital, there has been another group buying up large quantities of our stock in the secondary market. We need to investigate who they are and whether we can cooperate with them.

It must be the Li Family. Isn’t that obvious? What caused this huge mess in the first place? Fourth Uncle Ye Jinfeng seized the opportunity to attack Ye Huaizhang. It started when your wife, for her own selfish gain, engaged in short selling of diamonds, allowing the Li Family to spot an opportunity and exploit our weakness. After that, it was like a chain of dominoes, a series of reactions that pushed us into this dire situation. All this trouble just to ward off bad luck through marriage for you—bringing in someone like this. It’s utterly disastrous!

Ye Huaizhang shot a sidelong glare at Ye Jinfeng. First, I didn’t choose my wife myself, so you can’t blame me for that. Second, if you want to know why Bao Ling wanted to short sell diamonds targeting Gezhi Jewellery, it’s because of your arrogance and disrespect, Fourth Uncle. You’ve never shown her basic courtesy, often mocked the Oldest Branch for having no capable people, and now that she’s completely brought down the Gezhi Jewellery under your management, have you seen it? Does she have capable people or not?! Third, and most importantly, I instructed everyone to go all out in buying back shares, but you paused for two days without increasing holdings, and the buybacks were sluggish and ineffective. We could have accumulated enough shares if not for your poor execution, which is why we’re in such a difficult position now. Ye Jinfeng, you bear the greatest responsibility. Please stop speaking ill of my wife here—it’s really despicable.

Ye Jinfeng had never seen Ye Huaizhang speak to him, an elder, with such severity. He felt embarrassed and unable to back down.

He turned to Ye Jinsong to complain, Big Brother, look at what Ye Huaizhang is saying.

Ye Jinsong lowered his head and ignored him.

He then looked toward his mother.

Guan Lao Taijun waved her hand, signaling him to be quiet. Huaizhang is right. I am also at fault; I often used to joke that the Oldest Branch had no successors. Those words might have reached Bao Ling’s ears and made her uncomfortable. As for you, Jinfeng, if your attitude toward Bao Ling has truly been problematic, you must correct it completely. Moreover, failing to diligently carry out the strategy Huaizhang phoned in and instructed is a grave mistake on your part—you treated our words as empty talk…

Ye Jinfeng had not expected to become the target of his family’s criticism. He stood up angrily and said, Am I supposed to take the blame for this? Even if we had continued buybacks and increased holdings those two days, we still couldn’t have outbought Li Shaochang! He came prepared. If you ask me, the root of the problem lies in the company’s excessive expansion and over-financing in recent years, which diluted our own shares!

Guan Lao Taijun slammed the table in fury: You keep looking for excuses up the chain, but you refuse to face your own problems! Ye Jinfeng, how did you become like this? If we’re talking about mistakes, I shouldn’t have taken this chairman position! It’s my fault, alright?

As she spoke, she pressed a hand to her forehead, her blood pressure spiking as dizziness set in. Her sons hurried to support the elderly woman.

Mom! Mom!

Ye Huaizhang quickly opened the door and called for someone to bring her medication.

Only after taking the blood pressure medication did Guan Lao Taijun gradually recover her breath.

Ye Jinfeng finally apologized: It’s my problem. I admit my mistake. Mom, please don’t be angry.

Guan Lao Taijun said in a slightly weak voice: Now isn’t the time for internal blame. Time is urgent – we only have two days left. We need to quickly come up with a solution.

Just at that moment, Dong Jian knocked and entered, whispering something into Ye Huaizhang’s ear.

Ye Jinsong asked somewhat impatiently, If it’s about the company, just say it out loud for everyone to hear. What time is it already…

Dong Jian glanced at Ye Huaizhang and, after receiving silent permission, said, We traced another batch of accounts that massively purchased Hongtong stocks, all from Lihua Securities.

Lihua Securities? That’s not the same securities firm the Li Family uses.

Dong Jian: It’s not the securities company the Li Family uses. We also found that one of the account registrants is named Chen Yulan.

Ye Jinbai pondered, Chen Yulan? I’ve never heard of this person. Quickly find out who she is and if we can contact her.

Guan Lao Taijun slightly furrowed her brows: That name sounds somewhat familiar.

Dong Jian whispered, Chen Yulan is the personal assistant by the young mistress’s side.

The assistant beside Ye Baoling?

Did Ye Baoling buy them?

Ye Jinbai slapped his thigh, he had an impression: That girl with the big braid? Quite a sturdy girl.

Ye Jinfeng also exclaimed in surprise: Could it be that Ye Baoling took advantage of the chaos to snap up a lot of Hongtong Industry?! If she bought them personally, how much money could she have? She definitely couldn’t buy much. Unless it was the Oldest Branch buying them. If the Oldest Branch bought them, their purpose definitely wouldn’t be simple.

Regardless of whether the purpose was simple or not, this might now be their only lifeline.

Guan Lao Taijun instructed: Huaizhang, call immediately and ask how much Hongtong Industry Baoling has.

She’s really keeping her cool. Buying secretly without making a sound. But unless she holds more than 3.5% of Hongtong Industry, it’s useless. Ye Jinfeng thought, there’s no way Ye Baoling could have enough money to buy so many shares.

They could only hope it was the Oldest Branch buying, then they might have bought more.

At this moment, Ye Huaizhang’s mood was somewhat complicated.

He thought more deeply than the others.

If Ye Baoling really had snapped up enough Hongtong Industry shares, then, regarding this short selling attack on Hongtong Industry launched by the Li Family, based on his understanding of Ye Baoling, he strongly suspected that Ye Baoling wasn’t just taking advantage of the situation for bottom fishing.

It was very possible that, from the beginning, she was the one who prompted the Li Family to short sell Hongtong Industry.

After all, he had previously hinted to her that in the entire Port City, only the Li Family had the possibility and capability to short sell Hongtong Industry.

As a result, right after he left Hong Kong for Europe, the Li Family took action, and Ye Baoling simultaneously cooperated by short selling diamonds.

On the surface, it was for Su Manzhu, but actually, it wasn’t.

Sitting in the warm study, he felt a chill of betrayal by a loved one.

Without time to overthink, he called Ye Baoling.

She on the other end of the phone seemed to have been waiting for their call. She didn’t beat around the bush and honestly said, I hold 5.7% of Hongtong Industry shares.

So much!

The members of the third branch widened their eyes: !!!

They didn’t know whether to be shocked or happy.

But next, they absolutely had to beg Ye Baoling to sell the shares to them.

If she wasn’t willing to sell the shares, she could act as a concert party and jointly resist Li Shaochang.

In any case, they saw hope.

Author’s note: I’ve seen the topics everyone is discussing. Actually, the female lead isn’t someone who only cares about benefits; she has feelings too. For example, she is very willing to give for her grandmother and cousin.