What had been a lively drinking party was completely ruined by these uninvited guests, and everyone instantly lost their enthusiasm.
With a touch of helplessness, a sense of injustice, and intense anger, Ye Jianhua had no choice but to dismiss everyone.
A perfectly good gathering ended on such a sour note—it was nothing short of a total letdown!
After seeing off the other guests and settling the bill, Ye Jianhua finally led Lin Ying, Lin Yi, Jiang Longcheng, and Li Yi out of the Workers’ Club.
As soon as they reached the lobby, Jiang Longcheng suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “Oh no!”
He immediately turned around and headed back upstairs.
Ye Jianhua hurriedly grabbed him and asked, “Wait, what’s going on?”
“That bastard Du left his watch behind—the one he had to pay my brother-in-law for!” Jiang Longcheng said.
However, Li Yi said calmly, “Don’t go back up—I left it there on purpose!”
“Why?” Jiang Longcheng asked, puzzled.
The others also looked at Li Yi with puzzled expressions, wondering why he had done that!
Just then, Ye Jianhua suddenly said, “Are you worried that kid might take revenge on you? If so, there’s no need to worry. Although the Du family isn’t weak, our Ye family…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi shook his head and said, “That’s not why!”
“Then why?”
“Bad luck,” Li Yi said flatly.
“Uh…”
At that moment, Li Yi spoke again: “It’s bad luck to keep a dying man’s belongings!”
Hearing these eerie words, the reactions of the people present varied.
Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other’s eyes.
They knew Li Yi’s ability—it was truly uncanny.
If he said the man surnamed Du was going to die, then he was certainly doomed!
The Lin siblings’ reactions were also quite different. Lin Ying had heard a few things about Li Yi, so she was utterly stunned.
Lin Yi, on the other hand, wore an expression of confusion and curiosity. Although he couldn’t quite figure out what Li Yi meant, he could tell that Li Yi seemed like an interesting person.
The watch Du Haicheng had taken off his wrist gleamed with gold; it was likely a famous Swiss timepiece, certainly not cheap.
Given that this was a perfectly legitimate situation, the fact that Li Yi was willing to give up the watch showed that he had a broad perspective.
Thinking of this, Lin Yi actually found himself developing a bit of interest in Li Yi!
“It looks like none of us had a proper meal tonight. Why don’t I treat everyone? Let’s find a place to grab a bite?”
No sooner had Lin Yi finished speaking than Ye Jianhua hurriedly interjected, “I organized this gathering—I can’t let you foot the bill…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Longcheng chimed in: “No need to argue. I know an old-established state-run restaurant nearby—their braised dishes are excellent, and I’m on friendly terms with the owner!”
“Alright, let’s go with your suggestion!” Lin Yi said.
After deciding on the place, the group got in the car and headed to the historic restaurant.
It wasn’t far from where they were; after a few turns, they arrived.
The shop wasn’t very large, but you could tell from the sign out front that it had been around for quite some time.
Although it was already 8:30, when the group stepped inside, they found the place was still quite crowded.
The staff clearly recognized Jiang Longcheng; upon seeing him, they immediately came over to greet him.
“Director Jiang, what brings you here so late at night?”
“Hahaha, I was craving your shop’s braised meat, so I came looking for a quiet spot!” Jiang Longcheng said with a laugh.
“Sure thing! Please follow me!”
Following the staff member’s guidance, the group sat down in a corner of the dining area.
Jiang Longcheng was familiar with the restaurant, so without anyone else having to lift a finger, he went ahead and ordered the dishes himself.
While they waited for the food to arrive, Jiang Longcheng suddenly turned to Li Yi and asked, “Bro-in-law, you shouldn’t have stopped me earlier. Otherwise, I would’ve taught that bastard a lesson!”
Li Yi glanced at him and said, “What do you mean, ‘teach him a lesson’? Beat him up?”
“Exactly. That scumbag doesn’t know his place—he’d dare mess with anyone. If we don’t teach him a lesson, he’ll never know what’s what…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi said calmly, “Stupid!”
“Uh… I’m your brother-in-law, after all. Can’t you spare me a little face?”
No sooner had Jiang Longcheng finished speaking than Ye Jianhua chimed in, “I think Brother Long is right—we can’t just let that kid get off so easily!”
“You’re stupid too!” Li Yi said without mercy.
“Uh… I’m your brother-in-law too…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “You two really botched this today. Didn’t you see that this guy’s whole purpose was to cause trouble? By acting like this, you’re playing right into his hands.”
“I know he came to cause trouble, but in that situation, was I supposed to just hide like a scaredy-cat?” Ye Jianhua retorted.
“What do you mean, ‘play it safe’? Do you have any idea who suffered the biggest loss because of your fight?”
“Who?”
“It’s my sister-in-law!” Li Yi said.
“Ying’er?”
Ye Jianhua looked at Li Yi in surprise, a look of confusion on his face.
Before Li Yi could speak, Lin Yi, standing nearby, interjected, “No wonder Brother Li Yi called you stupid. You still haven’t figured it out? The reason Du Haicheng came to disrupt your plans and said all those things was to make people think there’s something going on between him and Ying’er.”
“If you hadn’t laid a hand on her, it would’ve been one thing. But now that you have, it just confirms the jealousy. You’ll see—this will be all over the industry by tomorrow, and Ying’er’s reputation will take a hit, one way or another!”
Ye Jianhua and Jiang Longcheng were both stunned, and Lin Ying even more so—none of them had ever considered this possibility.
“Damn it, that bastard is really too sneaky!” Ye Jianhua said angrily.
At that moment, Li Yi said in a low, solemn voice, “It’s not just that. That guy probably isn’t targeting your sister-in-law on purpose—his primary goal is to make you lose face!”
“Secondly, he wants to make you misunderstand your sister-in-law, drive a wedge between the two of you, and ideally, stop your wedding!”
“At the very least, he wants to plant a thorn in your heart. Over time, it might drive a wedge between you two, eventually turning you into a bitter couple!”
Hearing this, Ye Jianhua couldn’t help but shudder.
Thinking back to how that guy had been calling her “Ying’er” nonstop just a moment ago, he couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
If it weren’t for his brother-in-law’s warning, he might have actually fallen for that bastard’s scheme.
“That bastard—I won’t let him off the hook. That scumbag actually thinks the Ye family is made of clay…”
“Stop… stop!”
Then Li Yi spoke again: “I’ve told you a million times he’s a dying man. Why bother arguing with him? Instead of getting worked up over him, you’d be better off cleaning up the trash around you!”
“Is that guy really going to die?” Ye Jianhua asked in a low voice.
“His brow is dark, and a deathly aura surrounds him. If he doesn’t die, he’ll be seriously injured!” Li Yi said indifferently.
“What did you mean by ‘the trash around me’ just now?” Ye Jianhua asked.
“I saw a few of the people you invited today who aren’t exactly good people. Stay away from them in the future, or else you’ll either end up dead or injured!” Li Yi said.
“Who? Which ones?”
“I forget their names, but Third Brother knows. Something like ‘Pig, Dog, and Sheep’!”
Jiang Longcheng immediately interjected, “It’s Zhu Qiwen, Gou Daocheng, and the rest of them!”
“It’s them?” Ye Jianhua said in surprise.
“Yeah, those guys aren’t exactly friendly toward you. You should look into them later,” Li Yi said.
“Alright, got it…”
Just then, a staff member walked over carrying a large, steaming tray—it turned out their ordered dishes had arrived!
None of them had eaten properly earlier, so as soon as the dishes arrived, they dug in heartily!