Ye Tiancheng’s conduct was indeed gentlemanly, and he had indeed made many changes.
Wen Yao also nodded, then said, “Judging by Brother-in-Law Ye’s performance today, I don’t think Sister Hou should have any worries in this regard. But Sister Hou, why are you suddenly smiling so sweetly? Did you remember something interesting?”
The sisters had all noticed Hou Mingzhu’s involuntary smile just now.
Seeing her smile like that, how could her good sisters not be curious? So Wen Yao’s question immediately stirred up the emotions of the other two young sisters, who were clearly very curious about it.
Tang Susu even said directly, “Yes, yes! Sister Hou, tell us quickly!”
Hou Mingzhu thought for a moment, then decided to recount an incident that had happened not long ago, omitting some of the less presentable details and blurring the information before telling her sisters.
When Tang Susu had asked her question earlier, Hou Mingzhu, who had already moved past her past troubles, immediately thought of that very incident.
Hou Mingzhu said, “I was indeed reminded of something that happened before.”
It was difficult for her to mention the fact that she and Ye Tiancheng didn’t have wedding rings, and now they had bought temporary replacements. Hou Mingzhu avoided mentioning this, blurring the details on this point.
“It’s just that Tiancheng, when he’s doing certain things, it’s inconvenient to wear his wedding ring, so there were times when he went out without wearing his wedding ring.”
“And then, he met a girl, and that girl quite liked him. She manufactured coincidental encounters with him every day. Every day when Tiancheng and his brother went out, they would encounter that girl.”
Tang Susu’s eyes widened, “Wow! That’s a classic storyline. Didn’t that move Brother-in-Law Ye? Is Brother-in-Law Ye’s brother the handsome young man we rode with earlier?”
Hou Mingzhu nodded and said, “It was him. He is indeed very good-looking, and compared to ordinary boys, he has a rather special kind of handsomeness. And, Tiancheng and the others usually call him ‘Little Fox’. His brother also quite accepts and adapts to this nickname, seeming to quite like it. This name was actually given to him by Fatty.”
The sisters all laughed, saying that the name was fitting and truly matched Little Fox’s appearance. If no one had mentioned it, they wouldn’t have thought of it, but once it was said, he did look quite like that.
Hou Mingzhu continued, “Because Tiancheng and his brother are both good-looking, during that period when they went out for business, many girls would look at them. Tiancheng was particularly nervous every time, afraid I would misunderstand.”
Hearing this, Helian Yue, who had been listening quietly, also spoke up, “He treats you very well; he values you highly.”
Hou Mingzhu said, “Of course. He truly values me and cares about me.”
“Oh, let me continue. I was just talking about the girl who manufactured coincidental encounters. Because she had only manufactured coincidental encounters before, perhaps due to a lack of courage or some other reason, she hadn’t approached them to speak.
“Then Tiancheng argued with his brother every day. Both of them denied that the girl was coming for them, each thinking she was coming for the other. It wasn’t until later, after about a month, that the girl probably made up her mind to strike up a conversation and actually came to speak with them. Only then did Tiancheng have to admit that the girl was indeed coming for him.”
The sisters couldn’t help but laugh. Tang Susu quickly urged, “And then?”
Then, Hou Mingzhu recounted how Ye Tiancheng had been avoiding the girl, trying his best to save her face. However, she insisted on being direct, forcing him to reject her publicly in front of everyone, stating he was married, and even having his marital status questioned.
She also mentioned how Ye Tiancheng, feeling helpless, vowed never to go without his wedding ring again, wearing it daily and deliberately showing it off. He also asked her to accompany him on dates, specifically bringing her along to let others know she was his girlfriend, and even asked his brother to sacrifice his good looks to help divert attention.
After listening, Tang Susu clutched her chest and sighed, “What a massive serving of dog food!”
“Earlier, in the car, I could sense the sour and sweet scent of love emanating from the car. I was already stuffed with dog food, and now, I’m completely overwhelmed by it!”
“Stop it, stop it! I’m just a weak and helpless single dog!”
Wen Yao couldn’t help but chuckle, “Why is the scent of love ‘sour and sweet’? Aren’t adjectives related to love usually like ‘sweet’?”
Tang Susu said, “The scent of love is only sweet for the lovers themselves. But for us onlookers who witnessed this love, it’s sour and sweet! It’s tangy!”
“However, they say marriage is the tomb of love. It’s truly not easy for Sister Hou and Brother-in-Law Ye to still be so affectionate after getting married. It’s very enviable.”
Hou Mingzhu smiled slightly, “You’re all asking me now. When you find partners later, it will be your turn, and the tables will turn.”
“But you’re all still single. I’m the only one married now. What kind of partners are you planning to find?”
Wen Yao shook her head and said, “I don’t have much to say about myself. You all know that in matters of marriage, I don’t have the freedom to choose. Ultimately, I can only head towards an arranged marriage. Who knows what my future marriage will be like?”
The others quickly comforted Wen Yao, saying that even in arranged marriages between prominent families, one could still marry a good match, and there was no need to be too pessimistic.
Tang Susu pondered for a moment, and finally said, “I watch some people in relationships, and some of their affections make me quite envious. I feel like I want to be in love too. But when it comes to actually looking, I never want to settle, so I remain single. As for what kind of person I want to find…”
“The ideal type is hard to say, isn’t it? I think the person I eventually meet and fall for might be very different from my ideal type, but it’s precisely him. I feel like he will also be my destined one, so it’s really hard to say.”
Hou Mingzhu nodded in agreement. If it were her from the beginning, how could she have imagined her and Ye Tiancheng’s current situation?
As for Helian Yue, she didn’t even need time to think; she gave her answer almost immediately.
“I don’t have to worry about being forced into a commercial marriage; I have the freedom to marry by choice. However, I don’t plan to get married. I think being single for a lifetime is quite good. Who says people must find a partner to spend their lives with?”
Everyone is an independent individual. As adults, they can all understand the kind of life they want to live. And since the sisters have such good relationships with each other, even if their choices differ, they respect each other’s choices and ideas.
Therefore, when Helian Yue said she wanted to be single for life, the other sisters all supported her. As long as it was the life Helian Yue wanted to live, no one other than herself had the right to criticize her in any way.
The four sisters chatted enthusiastically. On Ye Tiancheng’s side, the three men, being very familiar with each other, were much more relaxed.
Ye Tiancheng did ask Fatty about his experience of riding in the same car with two beautiful women. Fatty’s feelings were as he had expected. With Helian Yue freezing the entire car, Fatty didn’t say a word the whole time. Only Helian Yue and Wen Yao spoke occasionally, and Fatty couldn’t interject, nor did he dare to.
After all, Fatty was truly not familiar with these two beautiful women, and they maintained such a distant demeanor. It was indeed difficult for them to get along.
In fact, being with several dazzling beauties, and not being familiar with them, and not wanting to offend them, Ye Tiancheng and the others were quite uncomfortable. Now that they were separated, the three of them felt much more at ease.
Because they had been stuck in traffic for over five hours in the morning, they were quite tired. Fatty couldn’t take it anymore and went to his room to rest first. Ye Tiancheng and Little Fox stayed in the public area of the suite, and their conversation was unlike that of the four sisters next door; they weren’t talking about their side.
Neither Ye Tiancheng nor Little Fox were interested in talking about women. Little Fox wasn’t interested, and Ye Tiancheng wasn’t particularly interested either. Perhaps he had a bit of appreciation, but after he settled down, he was very devoted. It could only be said that even if several stunning beauties stood before him, he was more focused on Hou Mingzhu and not attracted by others.
What they were discussing was more about actual business and their upcoming arrangements, what activities they would attend, and what they needed to do.
In fact, the real activities would only officially begin tomorrow. If Hou Mingzhu and the others found staying in the hotel too boring, they might have to go out, and Ye Tiancheng and Little Fox would have to accompany them. They might need to accompany the young ladies on a shopping spree. Ye Tiancheng and Little Fox couldn’t help but make bitter faces when they thought about it.
They would surely suffer later. Four beautiful women going out together could easily cause a sensation and commotion, and they would have to protect their safety. This was a minor matter.
However, one should not underestimate women’s shopping capabilities. By the time the four of them finished shopping, who knew how many things they would end up buying. Ye Tiancheng and the others would inevitably become their porters.
Even for men, they would definitely be tired by the end of the shopping.
They really couldn’t understand it. Women, despite having weaker physical conditions than men, possessed extraordinary and unimaginable stamina when it came to shopping. It was as if they never got tired. Even after shopping all day, they could remain enthusiastic until the end and go home with a large pile of spoils.
Ye Tiancheng felt that if this enthusiasm could be applied to any work, how much success could they achieve?
However, it was likely that Hou Mingzhu and the others wouldn’t have the energy to go out this afternoon, so Ye Tiancheng and the others could temporarily relax, not having to worry about becoming laborers so soon.
Since there was nothing else to do, Ye Tiancheng and Little Fox played cards for a while. In the end, with nothing else to do, they each went to their own rooms to rest. Each suite had four separate rooms, and Ye Tiancheng’s side even had an extra one.
They were divided into suites according to gender. Thinking about it, it was fortunate that Shao Ying hadn’t come. Otherwise, with five women, one suite wouldn’t be enough to divide them. But if they were mixed, it wouldn’t be appropriate, and the situation would be more awkward.
Around seven in the evening, Hou Mingzhu came to knock on Ye Tiancheng’s door. Those four sisters indeed had plans to go out shopping. Fortunately, it was only for one evening, so they wouldn’t be shopping all day, which gave Ye Tiancheng and the others some relief.
However, before going out shopping, the seven of them needed to go out for dinner first. They had to resolve dinner first, and then go shopping, as everyone hadn’t eaten yet.
Ye Tiancheng received the message and indicated he understood. He then called Fatty and Little Fox to join him, and they all went out to meet Hou Mingzhu and the others.