Zhou Ruobing's eyes were glued to her phone screen, her elegant eyebrows furrowed deeply. Rage boiled up inside her. That girl was being completely unreasonable! How could she even contemplate dropping out of school? It was sheer nonsense. Zhou Ruobing's hands balled into fists so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palms.
Noticing that she was blatantly ignoring his concern, Ye Long simply handed back the black bag stuffed with money. "Miss Zhou, you'd better keep this. I hope you'll honor your promise."
Zhou Ruobing's eyebrows shot up in irritation. "I'm up to my neck in work at the moment. I'll arrange to meet your mom and brother in a month."
Ye Long almost burst into laughter. Their marriage arrangement was only for a month. After that, they would be divorced. There was no way she would still assist him with his family matters. Besides, if he really had to wait a month, his mother would never stop nagging him.
Ye Long frowned and questioned her, "Miss Zhou, you gave me your word before. How can you just fob me off like this?"
Zhou Ruobing gave him a withering look. "I said I'd meet your mom, but I didn't specify when. Anyhow, I don't have the time right now." She cast a glance at the appliance store nearby and shoved the two hundred thousand dollars back into Ye Long's hands. "Take this. Consider it as a contribution to household expenses."
Ye Long grabbed the bag, strode over to the car, opened the door, and unceremoniously tossed the money inside. He then walked back to Zhou Ruobing, his tone resolute. "I can take care of household expenses on my own. I'm not in the habit of using a woman's money. Moreover, we'll be getting a divorce in a month. There won't be any need for you to meet my mom then. If you're truly sincere, set a time within a week. Otherwise, we might as well go and get divorced right away!"
Ye Long's voice was loud enough to draw the attention of several passersby on the street. Zhou Ruobing narrowed her eyes and stared at him coldly, her gaze menacing. Ye Long didn't flinch, returning her stare with equal determination. This was the second time Ye Long had threatened her.
Just then, Zhou Ruobing's phone rang. It was her mother, Liu Hongxia. Zhou Ruobing turned and took a few steps away before answering. "Mom, what's going on?"
"Bingbing, your sister just called and said she wants to drop out of school. This is completely unacceptable! It's making me so angry. If your grandpa finds out, he'll probably have a heart attack..." Liu Hongxia's voice on the other end of the line was trembling with rage.
Zhou Ruobing soothed her mother briefly before hanging up.
"I'll give you one day to think it over!" Ye Long said and spun around to leave.
Zhou Ruobing gritted her teeth and glared at Ye Long's retreating figure. No one had ever dared to go against her wishes like this. Zhou Ruobing was puzzled. Most men would go out of their way to please her, hoping to make her fall in love with them and turn their marriage into a real one to reap the benefits. But why was Ye Long so quick to suggest a divorce?
"Stop right there!" Zhou Ruobing shouted as Ye Long was about to ride off on his electric scooter.
Ye Long halted and looked back at her. "Have you made up your mind?"
Zhou Ruobing said, "If you can do me one more favor, I'll agree to meet your mom within a week."
A glint of something flashed in Ye Long's eyes. He hadn't expected the frosty beauty to give in. "What kind of favor?" he asked.
A strange look crossed Zhou Ruobing's face. "It's simple. School is starting in two days, and I want you to persuade my sister to stay in school. If you can get her to go back willingly, I'll do as you ask. If not, we'll do things my way."
Ye Long was taken aback. "Is that all?"
Zhou Ruobing sneered inwardly but said, "Yes, that's all."
"You're not pulling my leg, are you?" Ye Long was still skeptical.
Zhou Ruobing put on a serious expression. "I, Zhou Ruobing, always keep my promises!"
"Great, it's a deal then!" Ye Long said cheerfully and held out his hand.
Zhou Ruobing glanced at his hand and then reached out to shake it. The moment their hands touched, Ye Long's mind was flooded with the memory of the first time he entered Zhou Ruobing's room and caught her coming out of the bathroom. Zhou Ruobing, too, was reminded of the sight of Ye Long emerging from the bathroom last night. Their faces flushed instantly, and they quickly withdrew their hands.
Zhou Ruobing said nervously, "You only have two days!" Then, she practically jumped into the car and started the engine.
Ye Long snapped out of it and rushed forward. "Miss Zhou, send me a photo of your sister, her phone number, and her current location."
"I'll send them to you later!" Zhou Ruobing was worried that Ye Long would notice her blushing. She stepped on the gas, and the car sped away.
Ye Long watched the car disappear. Was she blushing? His mind went back to how Zhou Ruobing's face had turned red when she saw him last night. He never thought the icy beauty could look so cute when she blushed. If only she could be a bit nicer to him on a regular basis.
Zhou Ruobing pulled over to the side of the road, her heart still pounding. What was happening to her? Why was she so nervous just from shaking his hand? Over the years in the business world, she had shaken hands with countless elite men, but she had never felt like this before. Could she actually have feelings for him? Impossible! He was just a lowly security guard. How could she be attracted to him? All men were the same—no good!
Zhou Ruobing composed herself and sent a photo of her sister and the phone number to Ye Long on WeChat. She forcefully pushed away any thoughts related to Ye Long and drove off. But she was still deeply worried. If her grandpa found out about her sister dropping out of school, it would be a huge blow to him. She had to find a way to change her sister's mind as soon as possible. As for Ye Long's attempt to persuade her sister, she didn't have high hopes at all.
Just then, her phone rang. It was her best friend, Qiao Mei. Zhou Ruobing quickly pulled over and answered the call. "Mei Zi, are you back in the country?"
"Yeah, Bingbing. Did you miss me?" Qiao Mei's slightly husky but charming voice came through the phone.
"Missed you like crazy! Let's meet at our usual spot. I've got some troubles and could really use your advice."
"Sure, we can talk when we meet."
Zhou Ruobing hung up the phone. She instinctively touched her left wrist and realized that she had given the jade bracelet Qiao Mei had given her to Ye Long. "Oh well, I'll explain it to her when we meet." With that, Zhou Ruobing drove away.
Ye Long looked at the information Zhou Ruobing had sent. He waited for quite a while, but the location of her sister never came through. Oh well, he thought, it's better to rely on myself. Ye Long dialed the number that Zhou Ruobing had provided.
"Hello? Who's this?" A clear and brisk voice of a young girl came from the other end.
Ye Long quickly said, "Little sister - in - law, I'm your brother - in - law, Ye Long. Your sister asked me to find you. Where are you right now..."
"Beep, beep, beep!" Before he could finish, the call was ended.
Ye Long was so angry that he stomped his foot. Did she think he was a scammer? Ye Long dialed again.
"Damn scammer! If you call me one more time, you'll be sorry!" Zhou Jiajia's feisty voice came through the phone.
"No, I'm really your brother - in - law..."
"Beep, beep, beep!" Zhou Jiajia hung up again.
Ye Long shook his head in frustration. What a strange family! Ye Long realized that Zhou Ruobing must have thought he couldn't complete this task, which was why she had set such conditions. But she was seriously underestimating him!
Ye Long called Zhou Ruobing right away. "Miss Zhou, where exactly is your sister?"
"Didn't I already give you her phone number? Why don't you just ask her?" Zhou Ruobing said icily and hung up.
Ye Long was so annoyed that he almost laughed. If he could get the information from her sister, why would he be calling Zhou Ruobing? Just as he was about to ask Lao Qi for help, Zhou Ruobing sent an address via WeChat.