Ye Fei took a sip of beer, wiped his mouth, looked around, and then asked, "Is Linlin not here?"
"Are you talking about Linlin?" Hong Yaqin laughed, "You hit the nail on the head. Linlin is anything but a gentle little pepper! She went to hang out with her classmates."
"Don't get me wrong, I'm just curious. That little pepper is not suitable to be a waitress at all. She has a terrible temper. Why did you hire her?" Ye Fei asked.
Hong Yaqin smiled and replied, "She's like a younger sister to me, with nowhere else to go. It's convenient to have her around. Just wait a moment, I'll stir-fry some dishes. Drinking on an empty stomach is not good for digestion."
Hong Yaqin walked into the kitchen and closed the door behind her.
Ye Fei took a few more sips of beer, feeling stimulated by the news from Xiao Fei.
He didn't have a clear impression of Xiao Fei. In his imagination, Xiao Fei was a villain who could ruthlessly drive away his loved ones, send thugs to teach him a lesson, and even detain him in order to please his nephew. This person's character was questionable. He could take advantage of the fact that Xiao Fei knew nothing about these two incidents, unaware that an enemy had been seeking an opportunity to deal with him. He also didn't know that he himself was the one who caused the casino to lose millions.
"Forget it, don't think about it anymore. Let's eat something first." Hong Yaqin placed several small dishes on the table and brought out two pairs of chopsticks and bowls.
"You haven't eaten yet?" Ye Fei asked in surprise.
Hong Yaqin sighed, "Do you know what chefs dislike doing the most?"
Ye Fei shook his head, asking in confusion, "What is it?"
Hong Yaqin explained, "Chefs dislike cooking for themselves, especially at home. So, most chefs rarely cook at home. It wasn't until I grew up that I found out my dad was a chef because he hardly ever cooked at home. My dad often said that he learned all the bad things but never learned how to cook. So, when it's time to eat, I'd rather have instant noodles than cook."
Ye Fei looked at Hong Yaqin in astonishment, not expecting such a saying.
"So now you can enjoy the dishes I make, thanks to me!" Ye Fei said with a smile.
Hong Yaqin opened her mouth wide, "You even crack lame jokes!"
Ye Fei laughed.
"So, are you feeling better now?" Hong Yaqin asked.
Ye Fei nodded and asked, "What happened?"
Ye Fei pondered for a moment and replied, "Nothing much, just that friend I met at the Jade Pavilion that day. Do you remember?"
"You mean that guy who swears a lot?" Hong Yaqin said anxiously, "I'm not trying to belittle him."
"I know, I know. That's just the kind of person he is," Ye Fei said.
"What happened to him? I remember he encouraged you to gamble on stones," Hong Yaqin asked.
"Yes, today I went to his store to sell jade, and the manager told me that he was arrested. He secretly took away jade worth millions, all from the store," Ye Fei explained.
Hong Yaqin exclaimed, "He actually stole from his own store? I have to be honest with you, my first impression of him wasn't good. He seemed like an untrustworthy person. Ye Fei, don't get involved with him. You're too kind-hearted, always thinking the best of others. It's your virtue, but good people are rare in this world, and you're easily deceived."
Ye Fei smiled and said, "How do you know I'm kind-hearted?"
"Isn't it true? Whenever I need help, you're always willing to lend a hand. Even though there's a trade-off at first, I know you help me out of kindness. And when Linlin said those things about you, you didn't blame her," Hong Yaqin said.
Ye Fei raised his beer, finished it in one gulp, gently wiped his mouth, looked around, and asked, "Where did that fiery little pepper go?"
Ye Fei stared at Hong Yaqin in confusion, wondering to himself: Which era does this woman live in? How old is she exactly? Does she judge whether a person is kind or not solely based on this? It seems that in her mind, someone who treats her well is a good person, and someone who doesn't is a bad person. It's just too straightforward.
"Are you feeling upset because of what happened to him?" Hong Yaqin asked.
Ye Fei shook his head, "I'm not upset, just a bit nostalgic. Why didn't he run away? It would have been so much better if he had!"
Ye Fei sighed that Duan Fei was caught instead of escaping. He truly wished that Duan Fei could flee, because only his escape would cause a bigger commotion. One of Shaofei's henchmen who knew many of his secrets defecting would surely prompt Shaofei to eliminate him, thus reducing Ye Fei's enemies by one. Ye Fei wasn't a heartless person, but in his eyes, people like Duan Fei were just a waste of resources if left in the world.
What annoyed Ye Fei the most was Shaofei's arrival and his visit to Duan Fei. What was he up to? Had he sensed a problem? Or did he want to rescue Duan Fei? This was unimaginable. After following Shaofei for so many years, Duan Fei must know many of Shaofei's secrets. If Shaofei refused to save him and Duan Fei revealed those secrets, Shaofei would be in trouble. Even if Shaofei couldn't be sent to jail, he would face a huge setback.
Following this line of thought, Shaofei's visit this time must be to rescue Duan Fei.
Furthermore, the cooperation between Shaofei and Boss Lei might also come to an end, possibly for this reason. After all, one's own safety is more important than making money. Did Duan Fei see through this point and choose to stay? Thinking this way, he wasn't crazy, but rather confident!
These chaotic thoughts continued to haunt Ye Fei after he left the Emerald Pavilion, causing his depressed mood.
"Ye Fei, stop thinking about these things. Try my new dish and see if it's delicious," Hong Yaqin said.
Ye Fei shook his head and tasted the dish, saying, "It tastes very good. Not to flatter you, Yaqin, your cooking skills are truly superb, much better than my nanny's."
Hong Yaqin almost laughed out loud. Only Ye Fei could make such a comparison. Strangely, if anyone else said that, she would be very angry, but when Ye Fei said it, she felt somewhat sweet inside.
"By the way, I'm curious. Your nanny doesn't look like an old person and has a very elegant temperament. Why would she work as a nanny?" Hong Yaqin asked.
Ye Fei replied, "I'm quite annoyed by it too. It was her temperament that deceived me into hiring her. Little did I know it was all a facade. You wouldn't believe how much she loves gossip. She often eavesdrops on my conversations and even ran out crying one day, making everyone think I had bullied her."
"What happened? Tell me!" Hong Yaqin asked.
Women have a penchant for gossip, and upon hearing Ye Fei's words, Hong Yaqin also became interested and eagerly asked for the whole story.
So, Ye Fei recounted the events of that day from beginning to end, of course adding some artistic embellishments to the story, such as giving money to Pan Hui, who then forgot about it, and turning Wang Luyao into a indignant neighbor, which made Hong Yaqin burst into laughter.
Just as the two of them were chatting enthusiastically, the door was pushed open, and He Linlin called out, "Yaqin, guess who's here? Oh, why are you here?"
"Who's here?" a familiar voice came from the doorway.
Hong Yaqin and Ye Fei exchanged glances, then stood up. A familiar figure walked out from behind He Linlin.
"Dad, why are you here?" Hong Yaqin asked.
Ye Fei wiped his mouth and respectfully addressed him, "Sir!"
Upon seeing Ye Fei, Mr. Hong, whose face had been gloomy, immediately brightened up. He glared at He Linlin and said, "You little girl, lying to grandpa that they broke up. I knew it, they were so close that day, how could they have broken up so quickly?"
He Linlin covered her face, feeling truly flustered. She had driven Ye Fei away that day, so why was he back today?
"Didn't you tell that little chili pepper?" Ye Fei asked in a low voice.
Hong Yaqin covered her mouth and replied, "I was afraid she'd cause trouble, so I didn't say anything. Turns out, that's exactly what happened."
Seeing the two of them whispering, Mr. Hong, displeased, said, "What are you muttering about over there? Are you plotting how to deceive this old man?"
Hong Yaqin quickly went over and supported Mr. Hong, saying, "Dad, you're overthinking it. Please come inside and have a seat!"
Then she turned around and glared fiercely at He Linlin, mouthing, "I'll settle the score with you later!"
He Linlin, feeling both amused and exasperated, had thought she was doing a good deed, but now it seemed she had interfered unnecessarily. Seeing Ye Fei standing there with a respectful expression, she was burning with anger. It was all this guy's fault that she had lost face, and this matter was far from over.