Chapter 292: Ye Jianhua’s Transformation
At 6:30 p.m., the Grassland Beef and Lamb Grill & Hot Pot Restaurant hit its peak rush hour as cadres from the Capital’s State-Owned Second Cotton Spinning Mill arrived!
Today, the mill’s leaders were both delighted and puzzled. The plant manager, who had berated them mercilessly at a special meeting that afternoon, had suddenly announced that evening that he was treating them to dinner.
And the venue wasn’t the factory’s canteen, but that barbecue and hot pot restaurant just down the street.
Lately, as Grassland Beef & Lamb’s reputation has grown, many at the factory have heard of the place.
Those who’ve been there rave about it, while those who haven’t know it’s pricey.
It was said that a quick meal there would set you back at least ten yuan.
Good grief, even though they were cadres, most of them were only earning Grade 5 or 6 wages—that is, 51 to 76 yuan.
Even Jiang Longcheng, the factory director, only made 101 yuan a month—he wouldn’t dare spend that much here.
So when they heard Jiang Longcheng was treating them to a meal here, everyone was thrilled.
Once they arrived, Jiang Longcheng immediately gave Li Yi a nod, then led them into a private room.
Since there were about thirty officials of various ranks from the factory, they took up three private rooms.
Afterward, Li Yi personally served the dishes and demonstrated how to grill the meat.
Of course, this was just for Jiang Longcheng’s benefit, to lay the groundwork for what was to come.
However, just as he had settled Jiang Longcheng and his group and returned to the front desk, Li Yi spotted a familiar figure—Ye Jianhua.
What surprised Li Yi even more was that this guy was actually accompanied by a pretty young woman.
As soon as Ye Jianhua walked in, he glanced around the room and then said with a smile, “It’s pretty crowded today!”
“It is. Who’s that behind you?”
Although Li Yi already had a hunch, he asked anyway.
“Lin Ying—my future wife!”
Then Ye Jianhua turned to Lin Ying and said, “Ying’er, this is Li Yi, a good friend of mine and Brother Longcheng’s!”
Lin Ying was quite pleased to hear Ye Jianhua introduce her this way. Her face flushed slightly as she said, “Hello!”
Li Yi hadn’t expected Ye Jianhua to bring her to his shop, so he immediately replied, “Hello, future sister-in-law!”
At that moment, Ye Jianhua spoke up again: “We came over because we wanted to treat Ying’er to your grilled and boiled meat. You decide what to serve!”
“Sure. You two go find a seat first; I’ll head to the kitchen to get things ready!” Li Yi said.
“Sure!”
After Li Yi left, Ye Jianhua led Lin Ying to a table by the window and sat down.
Lin Ying was clearly dining at a grilled and hot pot restaurant for the first time; she found it somewhat surprising and couldn’t help but take a closer look around the place.
Then, she remarked with some surprise, “The decor here is so distinctive—simple and elegant, yet still warm and inviting. The designer really knows their stuff!”
Ye Jianhua knew that Lin Ying was studying interior design and aspired to become an excellent designer.
“This is all the work of my friend Li Yi. I remember when he first rented this place, it was just a dilapidated warehouse, but he transformed it into what it is today in less than twenty days!”
“He’s really amazing!” Lin Ying said, looking astonished.
They say experts see the craftsmanship, while laypeople just see the spectacle.
Brother Jianhua might not know much about the shop’s design, but as a design student, how could she not see it!
Although the shop’s decor looked relatively simple and didn’t scream luxury, it perfectly aligned with the minimalist design philosophy currently popular abroad.
Minimalism and simplicity are two entirely different concepts; minimalism isn’t merely about being simple. Although the decor of this shop is simple, the craftsmanship—from the tables and chairs to the windows and ceilings—is meticulous and refined, exuding a distinct sense of modern charm.
When these elements come together, they offer guests an exquisite lifestyle experience—which seems to be exactly what the mentor described as a designer’s ultimate goal.
But just then, Ye Jianhua smiled and said, “That’s nothing. What Li Yi is truly good at is his keen insight into people and situations!”
“Huh?”
“Ying’er, did you know? Just a few days ago, Brother Li Yi read my fortune…”
Before he could finish, Lin Ying exclaimed in surprise, “Fortune-telling? Brother Jianhua, you actually believe in that?”
“I didn’t used to, but now I’ve woken up!”
“Why?”
“All because of Brother Li Yi!”
“Oh, him…”
“Brother Li Yi told me a few days ago that good things were coming my way. As soon as I got home, my mom said she wanted to set us up, and within a couple of days, it was all settled!” Ye Jianhua said.
“That really is a coincidence!” Lin Ying said with a smile.
“It really isn’t a coincidence. Brother Li Yi’s exact words were, ‘Good fortune is coming your way, but fortune and misfortune are hard to predict!’ He also mentioned before that if I didn’t rein myself in, I’d end up in jail!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Lin Ying frowned and said, “How can you talk about people like that? And you still call him your brother?”
Ye Jianhua shook his head with a wry smile, then said, “Ying’er, actually, we should all be grateful to Brother Li Yi!”
“Why?”
“If it weren’t for his warning, I would have treated our relationship as a political marriage. Given my personality, I probably wouldn’t have taken the time to truly get to know you, and I wouldn’t have realized… that you felt such deep affection for me!”
Ye Jianhua continued, “The end result might have been that I would have deeply hurt you, and eventually, the Ye and Lin families would have developed a rift and become enemies!”
Hearing Ye Jianhua’s words, Lin Ying froze, then couldn’t help but shudder.
“So, you suddenly came to see me today because of his warning?”
Ye Jianhua nodded and said, “Yes. To be honest, before this, I hadn’t planned on getting married, and I don’t want my marriage to become a tool for a family alliance!”
“If my family really insists on arranging a marriage for me, I won’t refuse—but I won’t be a good husband either!”
“And what about now?”
“Right now? If that person were you, I’d settle down and be a good husband!” Ye Jianhua said.
“I trust you!”
Lin Ying then added, “Ever since you rescued me from those thugs that year, I’ve believed you were my Prince Charming. That’s why, no matter how many suitors I’ve had over the years or how much my family has pressured me, I’ve never agreed to marry anyone.”
“As long as you haven’t married anyone else, I’ll wait for you for as long as it takes!”
Although this wasn’t the first time Ye Jianhua had heard Lin Ying say this, he was still deeply moved. He simply couldn’t imagine that a young girl like her had quietly harbored feelings for him for eight years.
“I’m sorry, Ying’er, I really didn’t know…”
Just as Ye Jianhua was about to express his apology, a startled voice suddenly rang out: “You… what’s going on here?”
Ye Jianhua and Lin Ying turned to look and saw that Jiang Longcheng had somehow appeared beside them, staring at them in utter shock.
His expression was as if he had witnessed something utterly unbelievable.
“You… what are you doing here? What’s going on with the two of you?” Jiang Longcheng asked again.
Ye Jianhua smiled and said, “Can’t you tell? From now on, Ying’er is part of the Ye family!”
“Wait a minute. You were all gloomy just a couple of days ago, and now she’s part of your family? Even a dog’s face doesn’t change as fast as yours!”
Then Jiang Longcheng turned to Lin Ying again and said, “Little Ying’er, if you really want to marry this guy, have your brother and sister agreed?”
Lin Ying immediately blushed and said, “It doesn’t matter if they agree or not—as long as I’m willing, that’s all that matters!”
Hearing this, Jiang Longcheng felt as if he’d turned to stone.
At the same time, his conviction that Li Yi was a charlatan grew even stronger.
Wow, that’s what you call a crystal-clear prediction—this is exactly it!