Chapter 402: What Had Happened Seven Years Ago
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Cheng Anya didn’t expect Gao Mei and Lin Li to be so bold. At first, she had wanted to transfer the house under Daddy Cheng’s name. However, on second thought, a conflict would definitely break out if she had done that as Gao Mei was a greedy person. Hence, Cheng Anya dropped the idea and simply let them live in it first. If Gao Mei really cared about her father from then on, she would gift the house to them. She didn’t want her to take advantage of her.
At that time, she had pledged with blood and tears that she would take good care of Daddy Cheng. But, according to Cheng Anya’s experience of living with her for so many years, that was debatable. Since then, she would call Daddy Cheng once every two or three days. Daddy Cheng didn’t tell Cheng Anya anything and Gao Mei’s tone had become kinder. She thought that she had changed for the better, but she didn’t expect her to become worse.
It was not that she was unwilling to give up the house. It was just that she didn’t want a greedy woman to take advantage of her.
Lin Li’s face turned red upon hearing what she said, but she couldn’t refute it. She was very anxious. The young man beside her pulled her over and whispered to her before they both sneaked into the room and discussed something secretly. Cheng Anya was not happy, but Ye Wei smiled and shook her head. She wanted them to feel cornered and then settle them together once and for all. Some people would not learn to be good without being taught a lesson.
“Dad, I know you have a good temper and that you married her in order to find someone to take care of me. After tolerating her for all these years, I’m sure you are fed up with it. Why not…”
“Hey, Cheng Anya, what are you saying? People usually try to persuade others not to leave. Why do you do the opposite instead? Do you bear to see your father die alone? You have a family now. Will you be able to manage it?” As soon as Gao Mei heard Cheng Anya’s voice, she was anxious. She was greedy for small advantages and wanted the house for herself. She had previously mentioned to Daddy Cheng that she wanted him to talk to Cheng Anya about transferring the house under his name. Daddy Cheng disagreed with her and for this, they had quarreled several times.
But a divorce? She was extremely unwilling to. Everybody knew that Cheng Anya had now transformed into a princess from a Cinderella as she was married to the president of An Ning International. She also knew that Third Young Master Ye loved the mother and son and listened to them well. Although she didn’t like her, she still had to send money to Daddy Cheng. How could she let go of such a good opportunity?
Furthermore, telling others that her daughter had married the president of An Ning International would gain a lot of face for her. Gao Mei definitely would not miss out on such a great chance. She must have been possessed to have accepted Lin Li’s suggestion to rob and mortgage the house.
Cheng Anya looked at her coldly. “Gao Mei, I’ve wanted you to leave for a long time and this is not a recent decision. If it wasn’t because you’ve been with my father for so many years, and it’s been hard on you as well, we would have abandoned you once we became well-off. Do you think I’ll still let you stay here and shout at us like this? It has been hard on you? What nonsense. After marrying my father, all the money he earned was gambled away by you. You have no ability to work at all. Furthermore, my father had to pay off your debts as well. Don’t go too far, or I’ll let you and her daughter sleep on the streets.”
She knew how hard her father had worked during those days.
“My father is a kind and honest person who wouldn’t mind all these. But I’m not like him. Gao Mei, once my father agrees, both of you would have to divorce. My father is only forty-seven years old this year, but he is behaving like a man in his fifties because of you. Do you think I’d like you? My father is a good-looking man. If he wants to find another wife, there are plenty of candidates out there. You don’t have to worry.” Cheng Anya’s tone was indifferent.
Daddy Cheng sat alone in silence while Ning Ning comforted him. He knew that his grandfather was honest and kind, and the reason why he married Gao Mei was that he was too busy with his business and no one was able to take care of Cheng Anya. However, he didn’t expect that the marriage would burden him more.
How could such an honest and kind person raise someone so fierce like his mommy? He was still very confused. Ning Ning chuckled and said, “Grandpa, you don’t have to worry about anything. If you don’t want to live like this anymore, say it. It’s easy to apply for a divorce. I just need to move my fingers.”
Daddy Cheng smiled gently. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Lin Li and the young man came out. They smiled flatteringly and asked them to sit down, saying that they could negotiate about the matter. If Cheng Anya disagreed with it, they would not touch the house.
Ye Wei and Eleven raised their eyebrows. ‘What’s with the sudden change of att.i.tude? What were they discussing inside there?’
Cheng Anya was someone who had always adopted measures that were appropriate to the actual situation. She really wanted to settle this matter once and for all and get rid of all the problems that could arise in the future. She knew that her father was devoted to her mother in his whole life. If it wasn’t because she was still young, there wouldn’t be Gao Mei at all. He had no feelings for her and just felt that abandoning her because he and his daughter were now living a good life was unkind.
However, she didn’t think so. Lin Li was back with that young man who looked dubious and they would definitely cause their lives a mess. She didn’t allow anyone to disturb her father.
“Sister, it’s rare for you to come home. Should I cook for you?” Lin Li said with a flattering smile. “Do stay at home for a meal.”
She signaled to Gao Mei to say something. Gao Mei immediately said that she would buy the ingredients to cook.
Ye Wei leaned back leisurely. “Sure, I’m tired of delicacies. I haven’t eaten simple meals yet. Since the in-laws are so friendly, we shouldn’t be disrespectful.”
Lin Li’s face changed. At the thought of Ye Wei’s ident.i.ty, she didn’t dare to lose her temper. Gao Mei hurried out to buy the ingredients.
Lin Li poured water for them busily. Cheng Anya looked at her coldly. “Lin Li, when did you come back?”
“Recently,” Lin Li said with a smile. Her resentment was hidden in her eyes. After she was being sold, she had been living a life worse than a prost.i.tute. She couldn’t escape at all. However, when she saw the news of the marriage between Cheng Anya and Third Young Master Ye, which had caused a stir in the city, she recognized Cheng Anya. She told the store owner that she was Cheng Anya’s sister and pleaded with him to let her go home so that she could bring money to redeem herself.
The boss was doubtful of it. Anyway, since she wouldn’t be able to escape, he agreed to let her go home. Lin Li brought her friend back as well. Who knew that Daddy Cheng said that he didn’t have money. Although Cheng Anya did give him living expenses, he didn’t want to give it to Lin Li. She didn’t dare to ask from Cheng Anya directly. Hence, she could only ask her father. Since he didn’t agree to it, she wanted to mortgage the house and redeem herself.
Who knew Cheng Anya had witnessed it.
In fact, she hated Cheng Anya. Upon seeing her looking so well-off on television and in the newspapers, she had extremely hated her. At that time, she had a big debt and wanted to sell Cheng Anya off. Unexpectedly, Cheng Anya was lucky. She checked the tapes that night at the bar and knew that Cheng Anya had accidentally gone out with Third Young Master Ye. She was very angry and left quietly. She was sold off to the underground trade world because she was in debt. The people there were cannibals that didn’t spit bones. Women were forced to become prost.i.tutes while those who were useless were forced to sell their body organs. She was afraid of living like that and just wanted to run away.
She thought that if she was the one who went to seduce Third Young Master Ye and followed him upstairs, Cheng Anya would be the one that was sold instead of her. The one who was now enjoying all the happiness in the world would be her then. Seeing how Cheng Anya was so well-off, wore branded clothes that she had never once had, had a nice job, a cute son, and most importantly, a rich husband who doted on her, Lin Li hated her even more.
Cheng Anya looked at her as if she had to thank her. If she didn’t think of selling her then, she would not have met Third Young Master Ye. Without that gla.s.s of spiked wine, she wouldn’t have stayed with Third Young Master Ye for a night.
Eleven whispered a few words in Ye Wei’s ear. Ye Wei chuckled.
Ye Wei asked, “By the way, my sister-in-law’s sister, who’s in charge of you?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t pretend. There are only a few gangs that have prost.i.tutes in City A. I’m sure you know what I’m asking,” Ye Wei said with a smile. Lin Li blushed and glared at Ye Wei.
She was trying to cheat Cheng Anya that she had a decent job. Unexpectedly, Ye Wei had seen through her. She was ashamed, angry, and hateful at the same time, especially in front of Cheng Anya.
As soon as she was about to get angry, the young man at the side stopped her and gave her a warning look. He smiled. “We are from the Dragon Gate.”
Cheng Anya was stunned while the young kid frowned. Ye Wei acknowledged and said, “So you’re from the Dragon Gate. Which hall master are you under? Forget it. A n.o.body like you might not know a hall master. How about an altar master? You should at least know an altar master, right?”
The young man’s expression changed and he forced out a smile. “Is Miss Ye very familiar with the Dragon Gate?”
“Not that much. I’ve just heard about it from some of my best friends in the nightclub I often go to. I’m not familiar with the Dragon Gate at all. However, I have heard that the Dragon Gate does not get involved in red-light places and drug trafficking. So, it was just a joke.” Ye Wei smiled enchantingly and charmingly. To them, they had only known that the master of the Dragon Gate was Fourth Young Master Tang as it was an open fact.
First Young Master Lin and Third Young Master Ye were the masters in the dark and only a few people knew about them. Recently, it was chaotic in City A, but neither the people under Third Young Master Ye nor First Young Master Lin knew about them.
“Who said that? Every underworld business would be involved in those two areas. Otherwise, how else could they make money?” the young man said excitedly while waving his hands.
Ye Wei arched her fist and posed like an ancient man. “Big brother, how insightful.”
The young man laughed triumphantly.
Cheng Anya pouted while the young kid smiled. Lin Li tried to talk to Cheng Anya about their funny anecdotes that happened when they were living together before. Cheng Anya was disinterested. Just then, Gao Mei came back and said that she wanted to make them a meal.
Ye Wei whispered in Cheng Anya’s ear. She nodded. She had originally wanted to stop her but she calmed down and took out several wedding invitations from her bag. “Dad, please help me give these invitations to aunt. We received a lot of help from her in those years and I have always remembered it. Give the rest of the invitations to your close friends.”
“Okay.” Daddy Cheng took over the invitation cards and smiled. “You’re really thoughtful.”
Cheng Anya smiled. Lin Li said, “Anya, give us an invitation too.”
“What are you saying?” Gao Mei said from the kitchen. “Your sister is getting married. Do you need an invitation to enter?”
“Right, I’m confused for a moment.”
Cheng Anya sneered and kept quiet. The phone rang and she picked it up. It was Third Young Master Ye. “Yeah, I’ll go back later. There’s a little problem that I’ll have to solve here before I can go in peace.”
Third Young Master Ye told her to be careful before Ye Wei took over the phone call. “Third Brother, I’m here. What are you afraid of?”
Third Young Master Ye and Cheng Anya talked for a while before hanging up.
Lin Li’s eyes were red with envy. She said, “Your wedding must be very grand. I really want to see how it would be like the day after tomorrow. It must be beautiful.”
Cheng Anya was too lazy to reply to her. She and her father sat on the sofa and chatted with each other, talking about old neighbors, while Ye Wei was teasing the young man. For a while, the atmosphere in the living room was lively.
When Lin Li went to the kitchen to help, Cheng Anya took Daddy Cheng to the master bedroom. “Dad, what is your stand about this? In such an environment, all the friends Lin Li have made are gangsters. What if they end up gambling and borrowing more money in the future? You can’t be burdened by them for a lifetime. Now that they’ve seen me leading a better life, they would definitely take us for granted. You know how Gao Mei is like. I don’t want you to be like this. Look at how much you have aged these years. Men of your age are supposed to be strong and confident. You can’t waste your time on them.”
This was the first time Cheng Anya had said these things to her father in a straightforward manner.
Daddy Cheng was saddened at the thought of how hard he had to work all those years. “I should never have married her.”
“It’s still not too late if you choose to get a divorce now. You need to find an old companion, a thoughtful one that can live with you peacefully together. The situation now makes me worried.” Cheng Anya hugged Daddy Cheng. “If you don’t want to find an old companion, you’d better move in with us. Ning Ning would leave after the wedding, but I have another one growing in my stomach. You can have fun taking care of him and I can keep you accompany too.”
Upon listening to Anya’s thoughtful words, Daddy Cheng’s heart was soft. He held his daughter’s hand tightly. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
“Good!” Cheng Anya heaved a sigh of relief. “I was waiting for you to say that.”
“I’ll settle this after you get married. Let’s not break the happiness.”
“Dad, it doesn’t matter. I don’t believe that.”
“No, Daddy insists. There are many things to pay attention to. I have tolerated her for such a long time and it doesn’t matter if I have to do it for a longer period of time,” Daddy Cheng said lovingly. People of the older generation were all more superst.i.tious about it.
“Okay, I will listen to you.” Cheng Anya could not beat his stubbornness and smiled instead. “I don’t know what Lin Li and that man would do. It’s fine if they knew their place. If they don’t, they will get it from me.”
“Anya, does Lin Li know about the matter with Ah Chen? If she told him, would Ah Chen get the wrong idea?” Daddy Cheng was worried about it. When Ning Ning and Ye Chen had met each other at first, he asked Cheng Anya about it and she answered him honestly. He also knew that his daughter had made up a lie and lied to Ye Chen. “You are going to get married the day after tomorrow. Don’t make any mistakes.”