Ye Fei opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar environment. The beige walls and the enormous bookshelf caught his attention. The bookshelf was filled with various thick books. A purple-red rocking chair stood beside the bookshelf, looking very comfortable.
"This must be a study," Ye Fei thought.
As he regained his senses, he remembered that he was at Hong Yaqin's house. But why was he sleeping in the study instead of a guest room?
He put on his shoes and walked to the bookshelf.
Ye Fei loved reading. There weren't many entertainment activities in the small county town, so he passed the time by reading. Whether it was martial arts novels, science fiction, or domestic and foreign novels, he enjoyed reading them all.
But today, as he stood in front of the bookshelf, he didn't know which book to choose. Although there were plenty of books here, they were all about cooking, such as "Complete Sichuan Cuisine" and "Complete Shandong Cuisine." Ye Fei believed that if he wanted to cook any dish, he could definitely find the recipe here.
"You're awake! I've been looking for you. Come and have dinner," Hong Yaqin pushed open the door.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect to drink so much," Ye Fei said.
Hong Yaqin smiled and replied, "It's alright. You didn't know about my father's alcohol tolerance. My mother told me that when my father was young, he always drank two cups of liquor before cooking, otherwise, he wouldn't be alert enough."
Ye Fei forced a bitter smile and asked, "So that's why. By the way, did I do anything inappropriate after drinking too much?"
Due to a few incidents that had happened before, Ye Fei was genuinely worried that he might have done something improper while drunk. Besides assisting Hong Yaqin in dealing with her parents, he also wanted to establish a good relationship with her father. He didn't want his previous efforts to go to waste because of one night of drinking.
"No, you just fell into a deep sleep after drinking. We tried our best to wake you up but couldn't. Wang Auntie and I had to carry you here. But later on, we couldn't move you anymore, so we let you sleep here," Hong Yaqin explained.
"It's alright, I can sleep anywhere. How did I come across? Did your parents suspect anything?" Ye Fei asked.
Hong Yaqin heard her mother's words echoing in her mind, "Xiaoqin, your father said that your boyfriend is quite good, very sincere. He's not like those smooth talkers, maybe he will achieve something. You should seize the opportunity!"
Blushing slightly, she replied, "You did great. My parents believe you."
"That's great. I was worried they might figure it out. By the way, can I go now? I've been busy with your things today, and I have my own matters to attend to," Ye Fei said.
Hong Yaqin frowned, "Are you leaving now?"
"If I don't leave soon, it'll be dark, and the shops will be closed. Besides, don't you need to go back to your restaurant to cook?" Ye Fei remarked.
Hong Yaqin felt a bit annoyed. Does that mean I'm not attractive to you? Now that everything is settled, you don't even want to stay for a minute longer? But she also remembered that she came here to call Ye Fei, and she needed to return to the restaurant herself.
"Alright then, let's go," Hong Yaqin grumbled and turned to leave.
Ye Fei felt a bit puzzled by her sudden anger, but he decided to ignore it. After going downstairs, he didn't see Mr. Hong or Mrs. Hong. He asked, "Yaqin, should we say goodbye to your uncle and aunt?"
"No need. My parents both have the habit of taking an afternoon nap. And once my father is awake, he'll force you to drink with him. Otherwise, he won't let you go," Hong Yaqin explained.
Thinking about Mr. Hong's alcohol tolerance, Ye Fei couldn't help but shiver. He had seen many people who could handle their alcohol, but he had never seen anyone like Mr. Hong, who treated Baijiu like water. Well, it's better to leave now. Even if it's impolite, I can blame it on Hong Yaqin.
"Alright then, let's go," Ye Fei said.
Since they left the kitchen, Hong Yaqin's expression hadn't been very good. Although she didn't say anything, she put on her shoes and walked straight out.
"Miss Hong, I think your parents are very reasonable people. If you have any problems, you can directly tell them. Why bother finding someone to pretend to be your boyfriend?" Ye Fei intentionally asked.
Hong Yaqin shook her head, "That's for outsiders. It's different for me! And there are many things inside that can't be explained in a short time."
Ye Fei understood and didn't ask further. Hong Yaqin asked him what he was busy with.
When he heard Hong Yaqin's praise for his father, Ye Fei was surprised. After all, her father was always quirky and liked to give people lessons. Ye Fei was curious about how he could get along so well with the old gentleman.
"I told you, I'm working on a project," Ye Fei replied.
"Oh, do you really have that much capital to invest?" Hong Yaqin asked.
"Well, hold on a second." Ye Fei noticed a figure on the side of the road and suddenly stepped on the brakes.
The car stopped abruptly.
Hong Yaqin was startled, "Ye Fei, what are you doing? If you don't want to say, just forget it. Why scare me?"
Ye Fei couldn't care less about Hong Yaqin and stared at the figure on the side of the road, involuntarily clenching the steering wheel.
Duan Fei? How could he be here?
And what kind of business is this store? Clearly, it wasn't operating a bustling nightclub, how did it suddenly come to the capital? Could it be that he got wind of something and came to find me?
Ye Fei was nervous. He had just arrived in the capital from Tianjin and had encountered Duan Fei, which was really unexpected.
After hesitating for a moment, Ye Fei suddenly turned around and picked up the leather bag in the back seat, saying to Hong Yaqin, "I have something to deal with. I'll get off the car for a moment."
Hong Yaqin undid her seat belt and said, "I'll come with you."
Ye Fei frowned and thought that bringing Hong Yaqin might be a good cover.
"You can come down, but don't speak casually," Ye Fei instructed.
When they got out of the car, Hong Yaqin followed Ye Fei behind, somewhat puzzled. She usually hated interfering, why did she follow him without thinking today?
Hong Yaqin didn't dare to ask further and quickly caught up with Ye Fei.
Upon closer inspection, Ye Fei found that Duan Fei was directing the staff at the door to unload the goods into the store. The things they unloaded were very peculiar, all kinds of stones, various sizes and shapes.
Looking at the store name - Jade Pavilion!
Clearly, this was a jade store. Ye Fei thought of the news he had seen online before. Could these stones all be raw jade, used for gambling?
After thinking for a moment, Ye Fei walked towards Duan Fei.
"Sir, do you accept gold here?" Ye Fei asked calmly.
Duan Fei was in a bad mood, forced by the nightclub and casino boss to have no place to go, and was inexplicably transferred to the capital. He had just arrived in the capital and received a call asking him to come and unload the goods. From a famous person to such a state, his mood was extremely complicated.
"Don't bother me, can't you see I'm busy? If you have any questions, ask inside the store!" Duan Fei said sternly.
"Hey, why are you like this? Aren't you the owner of this store?" Hong Yaqin said angrily.
Duan Fei glared at Hong Yaqin, "Didn't you hear what I said? If you have any questions, ask inside the store."
Hong Yaqin wanted to say something else, but Ye Fei held her hand and said to Duan Fei, "Sorry for bothering you."
Then he took Hong Yaqin's hand and walked into the store.
Just now, he was only confirming whether Duan Fei recognized him. Now it seems that Duan Fei did not recognize him, which made Ye Fei breathe a sigh of relief.
This store was clearly newly renovated, with a slight smell of formaldehyde remaining. The loading and unloading workers were busy carrying the goods into the warehouse, lively and bustling.
"Excuse me, what's the price of gold here?" Ye Fei asked a female staff member at a display cabinet.
The female staff member enthusiastically replied, "We are a new store that mainly deals in jade. The price of gold is 400 yuan per gram. In fact, gold is outdated now, and more and more people like jade for its collection and wearing value. Your girlfriend is so beautiful, she would look great wearing a jade necklace."
Ye Fei smiled and said, "What if I want to sell gold? Do you accept it?"
"Of course we do, but if we don't provide an invoice, the price will be much lower. Sir, do you have any gold jewelry to sell? If you sell gold jewelry, you can choose to buy jade, and we can give you a discount," the service staff said warmly.
Ye Fei glanced at Duan Fei outside the door and thought to himself: I didn't expect to meet you here. Thinking of the raw stones he saw just now and the jade in the store, Ye Fei gradually had an idea - maybe this is an opportunity!