At 9:30 p.m., he saw off the last table of customers.
After tidying up the shop, Li Yi told Dongzi, Qiangzi, and the others to head back to their rental apartment to rest, while he stayed behind alone.
Li Yi knew full well that Jiang Longcheng was the type who couldn’t keep a secret.
Given his personality, no matter how late it was, he was bound to come looking for him.
Sure enough, not long after Dongzi and the others left, the roar of a car engine echoed outside the shop.
Li Yi didn’t even have to think to know that it was definitely that guy.
In all of Beijing, there were few people who dared to drive so brazenly.
A few minutes later, sure enough, Jiang Longcheng pushed open the door and walked in.
What Li Yi hadn’t expected, however, was that Ye Jianhua was right behind him.
“Weren’t you supposed to be taking that young lady somewhere? What brings you back?” Li Yi asked curiously.
“I wanted to chat with you, so I tagged along with Old Jiang!” Ye Jianhua said with a smile.
“What’s the deal with that girl? You’ve changed your tune pretty fast.”
But before Ye Jianhua could answer, Jiang Longcheng chimed in from the side, his voice tinged with a hint of urgency: “Brother Li Yi, forget about this guy’s nonsense for now. Just tell me—what exactly did you figure out?”
It was no wonder Jiang Longcheng was so anxious. Ever since Li Yi had left that morning, he hadn’t felt quite right.
After all, Li Yi’s gift for prediction was truly remarkable—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a true prophet.
If he said bad luck was coming his way, it certainly wouldn’t be anything good.
So all day long, Jiang Longcheng had felt as if he’d swallowed a dead fly—uncomfortable and sick to his stomach.
It wasn’t until this afternoon, when Li Yi told him it was a “malicious person” causing trouble and offered to help track them down, that he finally felt a little better.
He’d planned to ask Li Yi who this troublemaker was as soon as he got off work, but he never expected that little bastard Ye Jianhua to butt in. What the hell was that all about?
Ye Jianhua, however, wasn’t buying it. He rolled his eyes at him and retorted, “How is this a ‘mess’?”
Li Yi just smiled and said, “Are you two planning to stand here at the door and talk?”
The two glared at each other, then walked into the shop and found a table by the window to sit down.
“What’d you like to drink?”
“Tea, and a beer!”
Li Yi poured a glass of beer for Jiang Longcheng, then brought over a teapot and two cups.
As he poured tea for Ye Jianhua, he turned to Jiang Longcheng and said, “I’ve figured out what’s going on with you. I’ll tell you in a minute!”
“I’m actually curious about Old Ye and that young lady. Let’s hear what’s going on first!”
Although Jiang Longcheng was anxious inside, since Li Yi had said that, he could only nod.
Ye Jianhua let out a long sigh and said, “I really never imagined that Ying’er had secretly liked me for eight years…”
At those words, Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng both widened their eyes, as if they’d just heard some earth-shattering gossip.
“Ying’er must have been only 14 eight years ago. How could she have fallen for you at such a young age?” Jiang Longcheng exclaimed in surprise.
Ye Jianhua smiled and began to tell the story of him and Lin Ying.
It wasn’t really anything special—just a pretty cliché “knight in shining armor” story.
The thing is, Ye Jianhua had completely forgotten about it, but he never expected that Lin Ying had kept it in her heart all this time and had quietly fallen for him.
And she’d been harboring those feelings for a full eight years!
Originally, Lin Ying thought there was no future for her and Ye Jianhua. After all, people these days tend to marry young, and by the time she grew up, Ye Jianhua’s kids might already be old enough to help out with the chores.
But to her surprise, Ye Jianhua was an exception—at 25, he still had no plans to get married.
This gave Lin Ying hope. She quietly asked her mother to inquire about Ye Jianhua’s situation, which led to the two families discussing marriage.
After talking with Lin Ying today and learning about all this, Ye Jianhua was deeply moved.
After hearing Ye Jianhua’s words, Li Yi’s lingering doubts were finally resolved.
He had always found it a bit strange that the girl from the Lin family, with such excellent qualifications, would be willing to marry a guy like Ye Jianhua—and that she ultimately committed suicide because of his betrayal. It turns out there were so many underlying reasons.
Judging by Ye Jianhua’s current state, it seemed his past-life self might not have understood these details either, which ultimately led to that tragedy.
In this life, now that he understood the full story and knew what a wonderful person that young woman was, perhaps things would turn out differently.
But when it comes to matters of the heart, who can say for sure?
Jiang Longcheng’s reaction, however, was even stronger than Li Yi’s. He couldn’t help but say, “Are you planning to turn over a new leaf, you rascal?”
“What do you mean, ‘turn over a new leaf’? At most, I’m just a prodigal son returning home!” Ye Jianhua retorted.
Li Yi looked at him and said, “It’s certainly commendable that you’re thinking this way, but I must remind you: loving someone is a lifelong commitment, not just a fleeting novelty!”
“If you can’t commit to that, then you’d better not go flirting with that girl!”
“Don’t worry, I’m serious this time!”
Then Ye Jianhua added, “Also, I’m planning to start working in my uncle’s department, so I won’t have many chances to hang out with you guys from now on!”
Jiang Longcheng was momentarily taken aback, then sighed and said, “You’re really planning to retire from the scene, aren’t you?”
“I’ve got no choice. I can’t very well get married and still have Ying’er support me—that would be too embarrassing!” Ye Jianhua said.
“You’re right. Never mind. It’s a good thing you’re settling down!”
Jiang Longcheng then turned his gaze back to Li Yi and said, “This guy’s done for—he’s about to fall into the grave of marriage. Let’s talk about my situation instead!”
Before Li Yi could say a word, Ye Jianhua asked curiously, “What’s wrong with you now?”
Jiang Longcheng grimaced and said, “Brother Li Yi says I’m in for more bad luck…”
Ye Jianhua had just lifted his water cup to take a sip when he heard this and immediately spit it out.
Luckily, Li Yi wasn’t sitting directly across from him; otherwise, that would’ve been a real spectacle.
After coughing violently a couple of times, Ye Jianhua finally recovered and said, “Is that for real? Man, you’re really unlucky. Did you cross some kind of misfortune god or something?”
“I’m baffled too. You’re about to hit the jackpot, and I’m stuck with nothing but bad luck. It’s so unfair!” Jiang Longcheng said with a sigh.
Li Yi glanced at him and said, “Alright, cut the crap. I told you before—you’ve got a petty person out to get you this time!”
“Hmm, Brother Li Yi, have you figured out who it is?”
“I have. From what I can tell, three of the people who came today are in conflict with you!” Li Yi said, his words coming as a shock.
“Three? That many?”
“Yeah. First is that bald guy sitting right next to you on the left!”
“Gao Shubin? Is it him?”
“Yes. His fortune clashes with yours. As long as he’s there, you’ll either die or get hurt!”
Li Yi continued, “The second is the guy sitting right across from you, next to those two—one’s a chubby little guy, and the other’s a tall, lanky one!”
“Tong Shouliang and Yang Guangbi—what’s wrong with them?”
“They’re both radiating murderous energy, and they complement that guy surnamed Gao perfectly. Never mind, you wouldn’t understand the technical details anyway. In short, you need to be careful around these people!” Li Yi said.
“Then I’ll find a way to get them out of the factory,” Jiang Longcheng said.
“No need. No excuse would be appropriate, and it’d just invite gossip!” Li Yi said.
“Then what should I do?”
“Here’s what you do: as soon as you get back, start investigating these people right away. Start with the department’s finances, then look into their personal financial situations and their relationships. I’m sure you’ll find something!” Li Yi said.
“Alright!”
“Don’t let those incompetents at your factory handle it. Ask your second older brother for help—use professionals!”
“Okay! I’ll do as you say!”
Li Yi then added, “Also, as soon as you have evidence, take them into custody immediately. Be careful—those guys might do something desperate!”
“Got it!”
“And one more thing… Never mind. Just take care of this first, and we’ll discuss the next steps later,” Li Yi said.
Jiang Longcheng felt rather put off by Li Yi’s half-hearted response, but considering Li Yi’s temperament, he ultimately decided not to press the matter further.
However, he silently vowed to himself that once he returned, he would thoroughly investigate those bastards. If they truly posed a threat to him, he would make them regret ever being born.
Now that they’d gotten the answers they sought, neither of them felt like staying any longer.
After chatting for a little while longer, they left Li Yi’s shop!