On the other hand, Ye Jie was having a rough day at work. In the morning, he received the blow that the professional players of their business were being poached by their rivals. When he confronted Ye Jun, he replied with, "I'll look into it, bro."
And until lunchtime, Ye Jie hadn't heard anything from him at all. He was scrolling through the reports when his assistant came inside after knocking at the door. "Sir, I think you should watch the live news broadcast. You'll find it very interesting."
Ye Jie frowned but still turned on the flat screen tv in his office. The live signing ceremony of Jade Stones and CoCo Jewels was playing. He didn't know what his assistant wanted him to see but when he was about to call him to ask, the events on the huge screen took a turn taking him by surprise.
He was amused to see how the reporter barraged Xu Liqing with his questions and how she blacked out. All of a sudden, the police officers entry made the event even more raucous. It was unassailable that Xu Liqing would get out un-scraped but Ye Jie couldn't refuse that Vintage Gems was incredulous. Instead of just quietly ruining Jade Stones, they ruined them at their own press conference. That was mortifying!
Ye Jie couldn't hide the simper look on his face. He called his assistant inside his office and asked in baritone, "How did you know that this event will be interesting?"
His assistant, Qi Guan replied politely, "I received a text, Sir." As Ye Jie gave him a questioning look and his assistant stretched his arm to place his phone in front of Ye Jie.
There was indeed a text message but it was from a private number. It read: 'Tell Mr. Ye Jie, he should try watching the live news broadcast. He'll find it particularly amusing.'
Ye Jie stayed quiet and waved his assistant off. He reclined in his leather chair with a custom made golden black pen held between his perfect teeth. He turned his chair a bit to look at the skyscrapers as the majestic sun was gracing his light to the petty buildings trying to challenge its height and might.
Suddenly, he heard some voices as the door to his office was pushed open from the outside without any prior notice. Mother Ye sauntered inside in a light cream dress. With a shrug to compliment it.
Ye Jie stood up as he saw her face was contorted. She looked incensed. Without speaking anything, she threw her Chanel handbag at the leather couch and sat in a dignified manner. Ye Jie like an obedient son took a seat opposite of hers at a single couch.
"What brings you here, Mother?" His voice was deep but brimming with obeisance.
Mother Ye gave him a look. "Since my own son doesn't have time to come see me. I thought I should see for myself what's keeping him so busy?" Her tone was sharp.
Ye Jie stayed quiet for a while. "Mother, you and I both know why haven't been in contact with you."
"Oh, do we now?" There was nuance in Ye Jie's expression at her words.
"Mother, I was busy with some new projects." His words conduced her rage.
"I never thought she was so good at snatching people." Mother Ye made a comment making Ye Jie frown.
Ye Jie was an astute person. He could understand the concealed indictment in her statement. "Mom, Xu Mey has nothing to do with this." Ye Jie was sporadically this steadfast with Mother Ye.
"It's only been about 2 weeks and she's already creating a wall of differences between us. Can't you see that?" Her screeching voice hurt Ye Jie's ears making him wince.
Ye Jie gently closed his eyes for a brief moment. After opening his eyes, he looked at his mother with a calm look. "Mom... The person who's trying to create differences is you…" Mother Ye's eyes widened. She suddenly couldn't believe the person sitting in front of her was actually his 'yes mom' son.
Mother Ye had heard of Xu Mey's reputation in the circle for a long time. And she believed that a useless person like her would suit with Ye Jie. She made sure to present Xu Mey as a useless wretch to Ye Jun to make him create havoc at home. And true to her thoughts, Ye Jun did exactly that and Ye Jie being the nice person, became the replacement for his brother.
The day she thought she had made a mistake was the day of the wedding when she looked at Xu Mey's face clearly with that smirk that she passed to Xu Liqing and heard the words, 'The game has just begun.' That moment, she felt that Xu Mey was not the right person for Ye Jie but it was already too late.
"Ah Jie! Haven't you had enough with Lu Yuhan that you even want a girl like Xu Mey to come between us now? You don't know the kind of person she is. She even locked her own sister in the storeroom at the wedding and even blamed her for it." Ye Jie was not much surprised to hear it.
He spoke calmly. "That was just Xu Liqing's own insinuations without any evidence." He was sure that that the only people who knew about it was him, Ye Jun and Ming Qu. And both the other men won't talk to his mother at all. She was just playing the blame game.
"Mom, stop sharing rain and dew.[1]" Ye Jie spoke with dissatisfaction.
Mother Ye widened her eyes at Ye Jie with clear fury. She bit her lower lip as her eyes became red with tears filling up. "Ah Jie…" She sobbed lightly. "How could you talk like this with your mother for a girl who came in your life just a few days ago?"
Seeing his mother's trembling shoulders as she sobbed in silence, Ye Jie's cold face thawed. He looked lovingly at his mother and spoke in a lighter tone. "Mom, I just want you to give Xu Mey a chance. Just for the sake that she's my wife." He patted his mother's back slowly to calm her as he came to sit beside her.
It took a while for Mother Ye to stop her sobbing routine. She touched Ye Jie's cheek with her palm lovingly looked at him with her tear stained face. "Ah Jie, a melon forced off its vine is not sweet.[2] You're trying to heal the wounds given by Lu Yuhan with Xu Mey's presence. But trust me, my son, the more you'll try to veer your heart, the more it'll bring you pain."
Mother Ye picked up her handbag and trotted out of his office. Although, Ye Jie was heart broken to see his mother's tears but when she mentioned Lu Yuhan, it brought a bitter and acrid taste to his throat. 'You didn't like me with Lu Yuhan and now you don't like me with Xu Mey... What do you want from me, mother?' Ye Jie sighed loudly in disappointment.
[1] Share rain and dew: playing favourtism
[2] 'A melon forced off its vine is not sweet': forced love never lasts.