"What?"
Liu Ming was so scared he almost fell to the ground. The outcome was too horrifying for him.
He was terrified of the eldest lady, yet dared to investigate Ye Ji? He wouldn't have the guts even if given a hundred more.
"What? Surprised?"
Ye Qingcheng shot a cold glance at Liu Ming, who had collapsed onto the ground.
Liu Ming immediately knelt and pleaded, "Eldest Lady, please spare your old servant. How could I dare investigate the family head!"
Liu Ming was practically scared to death.
"Useless trash!"
Ye Qingcheng said coldly, "What are you afraid of? You just need to investigate in secret. If Mother asks, tell her it was my instruction!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Ming became even more fearful. What a joke! If Ye Ji found out, he wouldn't have any chance to explain!
"Look how scared you are. I've already made arrangements. You'll be fine!"
Ye Qingcheng once again reassured Liu Ming.
To be honest, it was impossible for Liu Ming not to be scared. But at this moment, he dared not disobey Ye Qingcheng.
After all, if he disobeyed Ye Qingcheng, he would die right now. Since he was going to die anyway, why not take a chance?
What if Ye Ji didn't find out? Wouldn't he have achieved something?
Ye Qingcheng continued, "If you can investigate to my satisfaction this time, I promise you the position of the Ye family's chief steward. What do you say?"
"Thank you, Eldest Lady, for your nurturing. Your old servant will surely live up to your expectations!"
Liu Ming quickly and respectfully agreed. At this point, he could only obey.
"Good! You may go."
"Yes!"
After Liu Ming left, Ye Qingcheng went to the film set to find Yun Fan.
On set, Yun Fan was currently very frustrated. It wasn't for any other reason than Bai Zhilan's remark had been posted in the sisters' group chat by Jiang Xueyan.
Then, he was dumbfounded.
He thought that after a few days, the women would forget about it. He never expected them to suddenly attack him today.
And then he was severely criticized.
This time, Yun Fan felt truly wronged. After all, it was all baseless.
Take the current situation, for example. Only he was filming on set. Today's scenes only involved him, the male lead, engaging in a battle of wits and courage against a group of villains.
In the past, even if it was just him performing, Yang Xuejian and the others would have come to accompany and guide him.
But now, he could only film alone.
Fortunately, without the women disturbing him, the filming progressed quickly. After finishing, he planned to go back.
Who knew that just then, Ye Qingcheng arrived.
"What are you doing here?"
Yun Fan didn't have much of a good impression of Ye Qingcheng. Even though this woman was like an unparalleled fairy, when she was angry, she was definitely a formidable enemy.
After all, even he had been defeated by Ye Qingcheng before.
"This is a film set I invested in. Can't I come and take a look?"
"Then you can look slowly. I'm leaving!"
Yun Fan prepared to leave.
However, Ye Qingcheng said, "I'll treat you to a meal!"
"Are you that kind?"
Yun Fan asked doubtfully, "You're not planning to invite me to a meal and then play dirty, are you?"
In any case, he didn't believe in Ye Qingcheng's character.
"No, you can rest assured!"
Ye Qingcheng said directly.
No matter what, Yun Fan decided to trust her one more time. After all, if he went back now, the women would have already finished their meal.
So, eating Ye Qingcheng's meal for free was not a problem.
Later, the two went to a restaurant to eat. Yun Fan began to indulge, ordering a table of dishes worth tens of thousands.
But Ye Qingcheng found it somewhat amusing.
After all, in her opinion, Yun Fan was too naive. With her assets, let alone ordering tens of thousands, even with such a consumption standard every day, he wouldn't be able to bankrupt her.
After the meal, the two came out of the restaurant, and then a shout was heard.
"Kid, who are you? How dare you walk with Miss Ye?"
Yun Fan was confused. He was causing trouble even after having dinner. This was unbelievable.
The person shouting was a young master. He glared fiercely at Yun Fan, because Yun Fan dared to walk with the woman the Crown Prince fancied.
What puzzled him even more was what Ye Qingcheng was doing meeting him.
"Who are you?"
Yun Fan asked confusedly.
The young master proudly said, "This young master has no other name or surname. I am Huo Yingjiu, one of the Four Young Masters of Jinling!"
"I don't know him!"
Yun Fan was speechless. He wasn't interested in "Young Master So-and-so." He didn't know who this Huo Yingjiu was.
"You..."
Huo Yingjiu was furious. He was a trusted confidant of the Crown Prince, his status even higher than the recently deceased Qin Yu.
After all, the Crown Prince had many forces, and maintaining these forces required a large sum of money. The Huo family of Jinling was an important pillar providing financial support to the Crown Prince.
And although he was young, he was favored by the Crown Prince. When the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would be one of his meritorious officials.
He never expected that a young man of no repute would not know his great name.
"It's okay if you don't know me, but you dare to be so close to Miss Ye. I will definitely get rid of you today!"
Huo Yingjiu shouted at Yun Fan in a rage.
Yun Fan was speechless. Was Jinling really that terrifying? That anyone could just threaten to kill him? With this momentum, wouldn't he have died dozens of times?
So, he disdainfully said, "Get lost. I don't have time to play with you!"
Seeing Yun Fan walk away, Huo Yingjiu shouted, "Seize him for me!"
The bodyguards beside him were about to make a move, but in the blink of an eye, they all fell to the ground.
"So strong!"
Seeing this, Huo Yingjiu dared not linger. Like a stray dog, he quickly fled.
"Does this guy have some kind of problem?"
Yun Fan didn't chase after the stray dog. He just didn't know that this seemingly ordinary minor incident today would stir up huge waves in Jinling.
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng said, "Bye-bye!"
This sudden coldness completely exceeded Yun Fan's expectations. He even wondered if he had seen it wrong.
How could Ye Qingcheng change her mind so quickly?
Especially with Ye Qingcheng showing a hint of a smug smile, it caught Yun Fan off guard.
Then, Yun Fan thought carefully and had a bad premonition.
"Damn it, are you using me as a shield?"
Yun Fan glared at Ye Qingcheng hatefully. He didn't expect to be played by Ye Qingcheng again unintentionally.
Ye Qingcheng's lips curved into an arc. "What? Only now do you realize?"
"Holy crap!"
Yun Fan was furious. What did Ye Qingcheng's expression mean? Did she look down on him?
So, Yun Fan said coldly, "You must give me an explanation today, or you're not leaving!"
Without a doubt, Yun Fan was angry now. If he let Ye Qingcheng go this time, where would his pride go?
"What? You want to hit me on the street?"
"Do you think I wouldn't dare?"
Yun Fan looked at Ye Qingcheng angrily.
"Alright! If you want to hit me, then hit me! I won't resist at all today!"
Ye Qingcheng looked at Yun Fan mockingly.
Since it had come to this, at this moment, Yun Fan decided to teach this woman a good lesson.
However, just as he raised his hand, countless reporters swarmed over.
"Miss Ye, I didn't expect you to be so intimate with a strange man. Please tell us, is he your boyfriend?"
"How did you two meet? What is your evaluation of your boyfriend?"
"When do you plan to get married?"
"When will you have children? Or do you already have them?"
...
Facing the reporters' unscrupulous questions, Yun Fan quickly shielded himself. He didn't expect Ye Qingcheng to be so despicable.
She even hired reporters. This time, in this battle of wits, he had lost completely. Although he was ambushed.
But he had lost.
Ye Qingcheng, however, calmly explained, "We are currently dating. If he satisfies me, I don't mind marrying him!"
Yun Fan almost choked on his blood. This woman was too shameless! Just as he was about to explain, the next reporter's question was utterly absurd.
"May I ask, Miss Ye, in what way are you satisfied? Is it satisfaction in bed?"
"Pfft!"
Yun Fan almost spat out a mouthful of blood. What was wrong with this era? How could an interview be so explicit!
"That's only one aspect. There's also the aspect of capability!"
Ye Qingcheng replied without blushing or skipping a beat.
Everyone was shocked. They didn't expect Yun Fan and Ye Qingcheng to have developed to this point.
Yun Fan couldn't stand it anymore! As revenge against Ye Qingcheng, he immediately stepped forward and put his arm around Ye Qingcheng's waist.
Ye Qingcheng frowned. She didn't expect Yun Fan to be so bold, but in front of so many reporters, she didn't settle scores with Yun Fan.
Yun Fan said with a calm smile, "Everyone, rest assured. I will definitely satisfy her. After all, my skills in bed are top-notch!"
"Wow!"
Everyone seemed to have discovered a new continent.
"Can you elaborate?"
"Yes, how long can you last?"
The reporters asked their questions. Yun Fan was helpless. Were these reporters? He felt like they were a bunch of old rogues.
Just then, Ye Qingcheng lost her composure. She had clearly instructed her subordinate to find some astute reporters.
But the performance of these reporters disappointed her greatly.
Just as everyone was waiting for Yun Fan to provide details and then prepare to ask about his background, Ye Qingcheng suddenly grabbed him and pulled him away.
Much later, the two finally managed to escape the troublesome reporters.
Yun Fan said angrily, "Ye Qingcheng, you dare to slander me! If you don't compensate me for my losses today, don't blame me for being rude!"
Ye Qingcheng said irritably, "What else do you have to be slandered about? Do you mean that based on this rumor, I'm not worthy of you?"
"It's not about being worthy or not. You know I have a fiancée. What you're doing like this has caused immense damage to my reputation!"
Yun Fan said angrily. This was the main point, wasn't it? Please don't deviate from the topic.
But Ye Qingcheng said, "If you want compensation, there's none. You can only blame yourself for being too foolish and falling for it so easily!"
"You..."
Yun Fan was almost driven mad. This woman was simply infuriating.
"You wait! After I deal with the Crown Prince, I'll deal with you!"
Yun Fan made a threat. For now, he would let Ye Qingcheng off. Sooner or later, he would not only deal with Ye Qingcheng but also take back everything that belonged to the Long family.
And make this mother and daughter regret it.
"Alright! I'll be waiting!"
Ye Qingcheng said disdainfully, "I hope you don't even get past the Crown Prince!"
Then, she left triumphantly, as if winning against Yun Fan was the happiest moment for her.
"Damn it!"
Yun Fan stomped his feet in anger, vowing to remember this grudge for now.
Ye Qingcheng returned to her residence triumphantly.
Just then, Ye Ji's maidservant came over and respectfully said, "Eldest Lady, the Family Head requests your presence!"
"Huh?"
Ye Qingcheng didn't expect her mother to want to see her. And it was already late at night. At this hour, shouldn't her mother be asleep?
Moreover, she had gone to see her mother that morning, and her mother refused to see her. She didn't expect to be summoned at this hour.
Although Ye Qingcheng was puzzled at first, she soon arrived at Ye Ji's room.
As usual, Ye Ji sat behind a screen. What was different this time was that Ye Ji did not invite her behind the screen to talk. Instead, she wanted her to stand outside.
"Mother, do you need something?"
Ye Qingcheng asked confusedly.
"Yes, there is something. Take a look yourself!"
Then, a tablet flew out from behind the screen, and Ye Qingcheng caught it accurately.
When she opened the tablet, Ye Qingcheng realized it was a news report about her. The news had three "Shocked!" headlines.
Then there was a string of exclamation marks, all saying that the Ye family's young lady actually had a boyfriend. Based on the interview, the leaked information suggested that they might have already had intimate relations.
Finally, photos of the two receiving the interview were attached.
In this era of advanced internet, news spreads much faster than newspapers. And after fermenting for just one afternoon, the viewership had already reached three hundred million, which was simply astonishing. The platform that first published the news had made a fortune.
Just like this one, there were several small advertisements below that read "I am Zha Zha Hui, slash me if you are brothers."
Then, Ye Qingcheng exited this news report and looked at the headlines. They were all about her.
Without a doubt, she was the biggest star in Jinling today. Even the Heavenly Emperor was not as popular as her today.
"Is the news true?"
Ye Ji, behind the screen, asked her.
Ye Qingcheng immediately replied, "Mother, it's true!"
Originally, she wanted to say it was fake, but after a quick consideration, she decided to lie. Because this Crown Prince was very difficult to deal with.
Moreover, her mother's attitude was unclear. Would she marry her off to the Crown Prince? Although her mother had previously rejected the Crown Prince's proposal.
But if the Heavenly Emperor intervened, her mother might still marry her off to the Crown Prince. Therefore, she came up with this trick.
"Ruffian!"
Ye Ji, behind the screen, roared, "How could you have a relationship with his son?"
"I'm sorry, Mother, I have failed your expectations!"
Ye Qingcheng apologized respectfully.
But Ye Ji, behind the screen, said, "Forget it, I know you were just momentarily confused!"
"I will have someone clarify this matter. But from now on, you absolutely cannot have any contact with him!"
"Why?"
Ye Qingcheng asked confusedly. Was it just because Yun Fan was Long Aotian's son? But what did this have to do with Yun Fan?
Of course, she had no intention of interacting with Yun Fan. However, at present, Yun Fan was a very useful shield for her.
"If I say no, then it's no. When did you dare to bargain with me?"
Ye Ji's loud shout pulled Ye Qingcheng out of her thoughts.
Ye Qingcheng said with a forced smile, "We are truly in love!"
"Hmph!"
Ye Ji snorted coldly, "Even if you're in love, it's not allowed. You are a noble young lady, and he is merely a prodigal son of a wealthy family, not worthy of you!"
"As of now, in all of Jinling, the only one worthy of you is the Crown Prince!"
"What?"
Ye Qingcheng was startled. A bad premonition filled her heart. She never expected her mother to propose such a thing.
So, she immediately said, "Mother, you know I don't like the Crown Prince, and I won't marry him!"
Since childhood, she had never defied Ye Ji's wishes and had been very obedient. This was the first time she had defied her mother. Although she and her mother were not related by blood, she owed her current status to her adoptive mother's cultivation.
"I remember you never disobeyed me!"
Ye Ji said angrily, "But you've been too foolish recently. Not only did you make such a scandal, but you also dared to send people to investigate me!"
"I..."
Ye Qingcheng didn't expect that she had only sent Liu Ming to investigate her mother that morning, and her mother had found out so quickly.
Just then, a battered and bruised Liu Ming was brought in.
"Eldest Lady, I'm sorry. Your old servant has disappointed you!"
Liu Ming looked like the king of beggars. He hadn't expected to be caught so soon after starting his investigation. Moreover, under the severe interrogation of Ye Ji's maids, he had confessed.
After all, his old bones couldn't withstand torture.
Ye Qingcheng's face was very grim. She hadn't expected this outcome. Even though they were mother and daughter, her secret investigation had created a rift between them.
"Let him go. Everything was my instruction!"
Ye Qingcheng said directly.
However, Ye Ji said, "I didn't expect you to plead for a servant. Is this still the daughter I know?"
Ye Qingcheng remained silent. The atmosphere was very quiet.
"Take him away!"
"Yes!"
Two maids took Liu Ming away, leaving only the mother and daughter. However, their meeting still took place through a screen.
"You've disappointed me too much!"
Ye Ji said with disappointment, "If I let you continue to mess around like this, you'll never be able to achieve anything significant. Therefore, I have decided that you will marry the Crown Prince!"
"What?"
Ye Qingcheng froze on the spot. She never expected her mother to propose that she marry the Crown Prince. She knew this was definitely not her mother's original intention.
What was the reason for her mother to suggest marrying the Crown Prince? This was all too unbelievable!
Moreover, judging by Ye Ji's tone, it was an unquestionable decision. Could it be that the person in power was threatening her mother?
Obviously, this was impossible. The four great families and the person in power were on equal footing. It could be said that the person in power couldn't even threaten the other three great families.
Let alone the strongest Ye family.
"Mother, I..."
Just as Ye Qingcheng was about to refuse, Ye Ji interrupted her, "No need to decline. It's settled!"
...
Yun Fan returned to the hotel dejectedly. Being played like this felt very unpleasant. He always felt that Ye Qingcheng was a nemesis sent by heaven to deal with him.
After all, since coming out into the world, he had been successful and smooth sailing. But he had been defeated by Ye Qingcheng several times in a row.
This had greatly damaged Yun Fan's self-esteem. But the key was that he was still helpless against Ye Qingcheng.
Just then, Jiang Xueyan and Lin Tianxin arrived at Yun Fan's room.
"What's going on?"
The two women sent these news pushes to Yun Fan, and their expressions were not calm.
"If I say I was played by Ye Qingcheng, would you believe me?"
Yun Fan said dejectedly. However, in his opinion, the two women probably wouldn't believe him.
Yet, both women nodded in unison, "We believe you!"
"No way!"
Yun Fan couldn't believe his ears. He didn't expect the two women to believe him, which was completely beyond his expectations.
In fact, even if the two women didn't believe him, they couldn't help it! After all, they were also victims, having suffered losses at Ye Qingcheng's hands.
They knew how cunning Ye Qingcheng was. It was normal for Yun Fan to be frustrated by Ye Qingcheng.
"Anyway, she's not a good woman. Back in Jiangnan, we sisters suffered quite a bit from her!"
Lin Tianxin's tone carried a hint of anger and unwillingness. She and Jiang Xueyan were both business prodigies on the Jiangnan Influence Ranking.
But they were both defeated by Ye Qingcheng. It wasn't that their business acumen was inferior to Ye Qingcheng's, but that Ye Qingcheng was too cunning.
"I feel the same!"
Yun Fan agreed with a nod.
"But she won't be triumphant for long!"
Jiang Xueyan said resentfully.
"What happened?"
Yun Fan asked confusedly.
Jiang Xueyan said, "Don't think we came to Jinling just to film. In fact, we sisters have already made arrangements behind the scenes. Now that things are almost ready, when we make our move, Ye Qingcheng will suffer a significant blow in business!"
Although it wouldn't cripple Ye Qingcheng, it would at least severely damage her vitality. After all, it was time for the two sisters to retaliate. Su Dan Novel Network
"That amazing?"
Yun Fan didn't expect these two sisters to be so formidable. But he still said dejectedly, "Although this can certainly allow us to vent our anger, my next goal is to take down the entire Ye family. If the Ye family suffers too much, won't I have to clean up the mess in the future?"
"Don't worry!"
Lin Tianxin said proudly, "Her lost businesses will eventually fall into our pockets. At most, we'll help you make up for it later!"
They had already heard Yun Fan say that the current Ye family was built on the foundation of the Long family.
Therefore, Yun Fan, being the descendant of the Long family, would naturally take over the Ye family.
Yun Fan was relieved. "But are you sure you can handle it?"
"Hmph!"
The two women snorted, "We are confident!"
Just then, Zhao Fanghua entered.
"Your news with Ye Qingcheng has been pushed down!"
"Oh?"
Yun Fan clicked on the headlines and indeed, it had been pushed down. The current headline was about Ye Qingcheng marrying the Crown Prince.
The wedding was set to take place soon.
"Holy crap!"
Everyone was dumbfounded. They didn't expect that after Yun Fan and Ye Qingcheng had a scandal news report in the afternoon, Ye Qingcheng would be marrying the Crown Prince in the evening.
However, the women were all relieved. They were really afraid that Yun Fan and Ye Qingcheng would have some unclear relationship. Now, this scourge was finally getting married.
Let this scourge go and torment the Crown Prince!
Of course, Yun Fan was indifferent to such matters. After all, dealing with the Crown Prince and reclaiming everything that belonged to the Long family was the important task at hand.
...
Crown Prince's Mansion.
Huo Yingjiu told the Crown Prince about the day's events.
Many of the Crown Prince's confidants cursed this guy for being tactless. After all, the Ye family had just agreed to the Crown Prince's proposal. At this time, the Crown Prince should be happy.
He never expected that this guy would ruin all the happiness. They even thought that the Crown Prince would kill this guy in anger next.
However, the Crown Prince did not get angry. He said calmly, "It's fake!"
"What?"
Everyone was shocked. Logically speaking, even if the Crown Prince didn't show it on the surface, he should be angry inwardly at this moment.
But upon careful observation, they realized that even inwardly, the Crown Prince was not angry and remained calm.
There was even a hint of happiness in his brows.
After all, the Crown Prince and Ye Qingcheng were the most talked-about young couple in Jinling. Many people believed that the two were a match made in heaven.
Now that the two were finally coming together, it was normal for the Crown Prince to be happy.
In fact, they didn't understand Ye Qingcheng at all. Only the Crown Prince understood Ye Qingcheng.
He knew that Ye Qingcheng was not a promiscuous woman. Although Yun Fan was excellent, the Crown Prince knew that Yun Fan and Ye Qingcheng were enemies.
How could enemies be together? Therefore, the Crown Prince didn't believe these gossip news at all. He even ordered people to have this news removed.
As the Crown Prince, he had this right.
As for why Ye Qingcheng would create such gossip news, the Crown Prince had already guessed it: Ye Qingcheng did not want to marry him.
But what did it matter? He was marrying Ye Qingcheng not for her beauty. After all, he was the Crown Prince, and what kind of beautiful women couldn't he get?
Even if Ye Qingcheng was one in a million, it wouldn't shake his resolve. The reason he wanted to marry Ye Qingcheng was to gain the support of the four great families.
Although some of the people on the ruler's side supported him, the faction led by Lin Wudi did not.
Therefore, the four great families would be his additional strength for his ascension. Currently, his forces could not contend with Lin Wudi's faction. If the support of the four great families was added, it would be much easier to deal with Lin Wudi.
As long as he eliminated Lin Wudi's faction, his path to the throne would be smooth. Once he ascended the throne, he could begin dealing with the four great families.
Therefore, let alone Ye Qingcheng and Yun Fan having no relationship, even if Ye Qingcheng had an affair with Yun Fan, it wouldn't matter. What he wanted was not Ye Qingcheng herself, but the four great families. This was also why he was happy.
Of course, the others would never guess the Crown Prince's intentions, nor would they imagine that the Crown Prince had already planned so much.
At this moment, his subordinate asked, "Your Highness, your marriage with Miss Ye is about to be confirmed. Should we kill this kid?"
His subordinate was very considerate. Although this was just gossip, as long as Yun Fan was alive, this stain would not be erased.
Only by eliminating Yun Fan would it be the perfect ending.
The Crown Prince smiled, "It's fine. This kid won't live much longer!"