Ye Long walked quickly up to his mother, Su Rou, and asked with concern, "Mom, what's going on?"
Su Rou was startled when she saw Ye Long. Then, her face darkened. "So, you finally decided to come back!"
"Come on. You need to apologize to them right away!" Su Rou grabbed Ye Long's hand and started pulling him along.
Ye Long was full of doubts. "Mom, where are you taking me?"
"You'll find out when we get there!" Su Rou had no intention of explaining. She walked in a hurry, dragging Ye Long along.
Unable to do anything, Ye Long looked at his younger brother, Ye Ma, who was following them.
Ye Ma understood the question in his brother's eyes and quickly explained, "Bro, the mother of Zhu Meiling, the girl you went on a blind date with, called. She said you not only made her daughter pay the bill but also embarrassed her in public. She demands that Mom go and apologize."
Su Rou became angrier as she thought about it. "Didn't I remind you over and over again not to be late for blind dates and to pay the bill? You were late before, and now you made the girl pay the full amount! Now her mother called to scold us. Where do you expect me to put my face?"
A rush of anger flared up in Ye Long. "Did she mention that her daughter threw hot coffee in my face? Or that her daughter is being kept by a middle - aged man? And did she tell you that her daughter is pregnant?"
Su Rou froze in shock. She subconsciously reached out and touched Ye Long's forehead. "Son, are you out of your mind? Do you know what you're saying?"
"Mom, you don't have to worry about my marriage anymore." Ye Long gently moved her hand away from his forehead.
Su Rou turned pale with fright. "Son, you mustn't do anything stupid! Think about Mom and your brother..."
Ye Long took out a small red book from his pocket and placed it directly into his mother's hand.
"What's this?" Su Rou asked, puzzled.
Ye Ma stepped forward, took the red book, and flipped it open. He shouted excitedly, "Mom, it's a marriage certificate! Bro got married!"
"Married?" Su Rou snatched the marriage certificate from Ye Ma's hand and examined it closely. "Who did you marry?"
"Bro, how come you got married in a flash?" Ye Ma looked at Ye Long in confusion.
Su Rou also stared at Ye Long with a puzzled expression.
At the entrance of the community, many people were attracted by the commotion and cast curious glances their way.
"Mom, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go home." Ye Long took his mother's hand and walked straight towards the community gate.
Soon, they arrived at Apartment 1314, on the 13th floor of Building B. Ye Long began to explain, "Mom, I started dating her when I was in the military. But she's a public figure. Due to contractual restrictions, we couldn't make our relationship public."
Su Rou looked at the photo of Zhou Ruobing on the marriage certificate. The girl had delicate features, snow - white skin, and an outstanding temperament. She was truly a great beauty.
Su Rou was extremely excited. "My son has made it! He married such a beautiful wife! I knew it. With my son being so handsome, how could he not be liked? So, he already had a sweetheart!" As she spoke, Su Rou wept with joy.
Ye Ma, however, was full of suspicion. "Bro, really? A public figure likes you?" In Ye Ma's eyes, his brother didn't pay much attention to his appearance and was just a security guard. It was hard for him to catch the eye of modern women, let alone a public figure.
"Second son, what are you talking about!" Su Rou retorted immediately. "Your brother is handsome, charming, and loved by everyone. He's more than good enough for a big - name celebrity!"
"Yeah, yeah." Ye Ma smiled. "If that's the case, why hasn't bro brought sister - in - law back for me and Mom to meet?"
Su Rou also asked expectantly, "Son, where's my good daughter - in - law?"
Ye Long had already prepared his response. "Mom, she's extremely busy with work. Her schedule is really tight."
Ye Ma teased, "Bro, you're married now. Even if sister - in - law is busy, she should come and meet me and Mom. Or does she look down on me and Mom?"
Su Rou also looked at Ye Long nervously. "Son, is that the case?"
Ye Long quickly explained, "Mom, bro, don't think like that. I'll arrange for you to meet when she's less busy." Ye Long knew very well that with Zhou Ruobing's cold and arrogant personality, her agreeing to let him tell his family about their marriage was already the limit. Getting her to meet his mother now seemed almost impossible.
"Mom, I've got something to do. I'm going out for a while." Seeing that his mother and brother wanted to ask more questions, Ye Long made an excuse and slipped out in a hurry.
…
Just as he walked out of the community gate, a brand - new Bentley suddenly pulled up beside him. The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Zhou Ruobing's stunning face.
Ye Long didn't expect Zhou Ruobing to come back so soon.
"Get in!" Zhou Ruobing's tone was cold and commanding.
Ye Long opened the car door and got in.
Zhou Ruobing stepped on the gas, and the Bentley sped forward like an arrow leaving the bow.
Ye Long looked at her delicate profile. "Where are you taking me?"
Zhou Ruobing didn't respond. Her pretty face was covered in a layer of frost, giving off an air that discouraged anyone from approaching.
Soon, the Bentley screeched to a halt outside a luxurious manor in Beverly Hills.
Ye Long recognized it at a glance. This was where Zhou Ruobing's grandfather lived.
"My grandpa wants to see you. Come with me!" Zhou Ruobing gave Ye Long a cold glance and reminded him, "And don't forget our previous agreement!" With that, she got out of the car directly.
It turned out that after Zhou Ruobing showed the marriage certificate to her grandfather, the old master stared at the photo of Ye Long on it, showering him with praise. Then, in a commanding tone, he asked her to bring Ye Long to him immediately. Zhou Ruobing found it strange that the moment her grandfather saw the marriage certificate, he sat up in bed with a smile that seemed like a sign of a successful plot. Zhou Ruobing began to wonder if her grandfather had faked his critical illness to force her to get married. But since they had already obtained the marriage certificate, she didn't think it was appropriate to ask.
Ye Long had guessed on the way that Zhou Ruobing might take him to meet her grandfather. Without hesitation, he followed her closely.
…
Inside a room in the manor.
Steward Li An walked up to Zhou Xiaotian and reported, "Master, we've made clear. Mr. Ye is indeed a security guard at Hollywood Starlight Hotel. He's been working there since he was discharged from the military half a year ago."
Zhou Xiaotian was slightly disappointed. "Did he achieve anything remarkable in the military?"
Li An replied, "There's no record of any outstanding deeds in his military files. He probably had an ordinary performance. Also..." Li An hesitated.
Zhou Xiaotian's heart sank. "What else?"
Li An furrowed his brows. "Master, according to our investigation, Mr. Ye dropped out of junior high school. Then, he was taken to the mountains... to raise cows and pigs. He stayed there for five or six years before joining the military..."
Zhou Xiaotian's face grew increasingly solemn. Before, he had been so focused on forcing his granddaughter to get married that he had overlooked checking the background of his future grandson - in - law.
Li An continued, "However, after being discharged from the military, Mr. Ye did several things."
A glimmer of hope flickered in Zhou Xiaotian's heart.
Li An went on with his report. "First, he bought an apartment in Palm Springs Community, improving the living conditions of his mother and younger brother, who had been renting. Then, he bought a storefront so that his mother could open a restaurant and no longer had to sell food on the street."
"Did mother - in - law used to sell food on the street?" Zhou Xiaotian was shocked. In the past, the Zhou family had been one of the most prominent families in Los Angeles. Although the family had declined, it could still rank among the top ten in the local area.
Li An nodded. "The apartment where Mr. Ye lives with his mother and younger brother wasn't fully paid for. They still have to pay more than three thousand dollars in mortgage every month."
Zhou Xiaotian asked expressionlessly, "What else did he do in the half - year since his discharge, apart from working?"
Li An furrowed his brows. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Our investigation found that Mr. Ye did two other things in the past half - year. First, he seems to like going to the mountains very much. Surveillance cameras captured him going into the mountains alone frequently. He would stay there for a long time, and there are records of him spending the night in the mountains. Second, he's been going on blind dates!"
Zhou Xiaotian's face changed suddenly.
Li An looked nervous. He continued, "In the past half - year, he's had at least twenty blind dates! Just this afternoon, before coming here, he was on a blind date with a Ms. Zhu Meiling at a café on Sunset Boulevard!"
Zhou Xiaotian suddenly felt that this grandson - in - law was not only incompetent but also had a lot of flaws. He really couldn't figure out why Ye Long, since he was already his granddaughter's boyfriend, would still go on blind dates.
"Grandpa, he's here!" Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door. Zhou Ruobing pushed the door open and led Ye Long in.