Chapter 140: Long Time No See
'A friend?'
'A friend who shows up now isn't necessarily a real friend.'
Seeing the pleading in Lin Chuyue's eyes, Xiao Ye's heart softened. "Fine. But you can't go out. Have her come to the villa."
"Anyway, you two have a lot to talk about. I doubt you'll want to go out shopping or anything."
Lin Chuyue knew this was the best possible outcome. After all, she didn't want to run into danger again either.
'Last time was almost a painful lesson!'
"Okay, then I'll have her come over tomorrow!"
The next day, Assistant Huo personally went to the airport to pick her up and drove her to Jiangpan No. 1.
The car door opened, and an elegant and stunningly beautiful woman who looked to be in her twenties stepped out.
She had a similar style to Chu Yan, but her fashion sense was bolder, giving her the air of a Western beauty.
When Lin Chuyue saw her, her face lit up with delight. "Meng Die!"
Meng Die opened her arms, and the two beauties, each with their own distinct style, embraced. It was a beautiful sight.
"Chuyue, long time no see."
"More than a long time—it's been years!"
Lin Chuyue looked Meng Die up and down. "You're even more beautiful than before, but I can still tell it's you."
Meng Die tossed her hair. "Well, I'm better at makeup now. You're prettier than before, too. But wow, the Lin Family is really doing well for itself, living in Jiangpan now."
"I remember when I left, construction here in Jiangpan had just started. Back then, a lot of people couldn't buy a place here even if they wanted to."
Meng Die had gone abroad after graduating from high school. Not long after, her family had also moved away, supposedly to the other side of the continent.
That was where her grandmother lived and the family's ancestral home.
Lin Chuyue linked her arm through Meng Die's as they walked through the main gate. "This isn't the Lin Family's place. We're just staying here temporarily."
"By the way, you're staying for a while this time, right?"
Meng Die nodded. "I'm planning to stay in Jiangcheng for a month this time. No matter what, it's where I grew up, and I want to spend some more time here."
"After that, I'm heading to Xiang City to get together with my maternal grandmother and her side of the family."
Lin Chuyue was thrilled. "Then you should stay here for the month!"
"Okay, in that case, I'll happily accept! Just don't get tired of having me around!"
The two women came into the living room, chattering away.
The housekeeper had already prepared fruit and juice.
Meng Die's gaze swept around the room before finally settling on Xiao Ye. She lowered her eyes and chuckled softly. "Chuyue, are you married?"
Lin Chuyue froze, her face instantly turning crimson as she looked at Xiao Ye, who had just walked in. "What are you talking about? Of course not."
"Then what's your relationship?"
"We're just friends."
Too embarrassed to say more, Lin Chuyue grabbed Meng Die and started to head upstairs.
Xiao Ye's voice cut in. "Wait."
Meng Die stopped and, smiling, extended her hand. "Right, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Meng Die. I'm Chuyue's best friend."
"I'll probably be staying here for a while, so I hope I won't be too much of a bother."
"I also brought gifts. I hope you'll like them."
Xiao Ye's gaze fixed on her hand. It was perfectly smooth; one look was enough to tell she was a pampered young lady who had never done a day of manual labor in her life.
Only then did Xiao Ye nod, considering it a sufficient greeting.
Lin Aoshan also came out, and Meng Die, ever so polite, greeted him warmly.
"You're here, that's all that matters! No need to bring gifts. Go on, head upstairs with Chuyue and get some rest."
Watching the two of them leave, Lin Aoshan had a gratified expression on his face. "I've met that girl before. She's really grown into a beautiful young woman. She and Chuyue used to be very close."
"Oh, right, I knew her elders, too. We were on good terms. It's a shame they moved away."
If he had a way to contact them, Lin Aoshan would have even considered asking for their help when the Lin Family was in trouble.
Xiao Ye said nothing and turned to go back to his room.
'Meng Die's physique and her hands don't look like those of a trained person.'
'There probably won't be any major issues…'
'If the mastermind behind all this is trying to use a beautiful woman as a honey trap, they've made a serious miscalculation.'
'Xiao Ye would only have feelings for the unsealed Lin Chuyue. All other women were nothing but skeletons in silk to him!'
The two women closeted themselves away, and who knows what they talked about, but they didn't leave the room for the entire afternoon.
It wasn't until dinnertime that they came down to the dining room, one after the other.
To welcome their guest, the housekeeper had specially prepared several fine dishes.
Meng Die had a very sociable personality, and not long after the meal began, she had already completely charmed the members of the Lin Family.
Even Lin Aoshan's fondness for her grew immensely; he looked ready to adopt her as his god-granddaughter on the spot.
The only exception was Xiao Ye. He didn't say a single word from beginning to end, just quietly ate his meal, occasionally putting some food on Lin Chuyue's plate.
Meng Die glanced at him for a moment before quickly looking away.
"Chuyue, let's go shopping tomorrow, what do you say?"
Lin Chuyue paused, her chopsticks hovering, and looked to Xiao Ye for his opinion.
"You can. I'll go with you." Xiao Ye looked at Meng Die. "Someone is trying to make a move against the Lin Family right now. I'm responsible for protecting Chuyue's safety."
Meng Die covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled, her gaze shifting between Xiao Ye and Lin Chuyue. "Alright, then thank you, her valiant protector."
Lin Chuyue had been cooped up at home for many days. It was time for her to get out.
Xiao Ye was confident. 'As long as I'm here,' he thought, 'nothing will go wrong.'
「Ten o'clock the next morning.」
Lin Chuyue and Meng Die walked ahead, arm in arm.
Xiao Ye followed behind them.
They arrived at Jiangcheng's largest shopping mall.
As the saying goes, if you want to make a woman happy, take her shopping!
Even someone with Lin Chuyue's disposition couldn't resist going on a shopping spree after being cooped up in the villa for so long.
Soon, the two of them were carrying a pile of bags, which they handed over to the mall staff to have delivered to Jiangpan Villa later.
Xiao Ye followed behind them leisurely, his hands in his pockets.
Lin Chuyue would occasionally glance back, and as long as she saw he was still there, she would feel a greater sense of security.
In the blink of an eye, they had been shopping for nearly two hours.
Lin Chuyue said, a little embarrassed, "I'm going to the restroom."
Meng Die nodded. "Go ahead. We'll wait for you at the entrance."
The mall wasn't crowded, and now it was just the two of them waiting outside the restroom.
Meng Die looked at Xiao Ye. "Are you and Chuyue boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Yes," Xiao Ye said, looking at her. "Why?"
"It's nothing. I just hope you'll treat Chuyue well. Otherwise, I'll personally fly back from abroad to make sure she gets justice..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a scream suddenly echoed from inside!
Xiao Ye's expression darkened, and he immediately sprinted toward the restroom.
Just then, a woman was walking out, and the two almost collided.
Xiao Ye was about to move past her when the woman unexpectedly blocked his path. "What do you think you're doing! This is the women's restroom!"
"Help! There's a pervert here!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Xiao Ye shoved her aside and burst in.
Meng Die was a step ahead of him. Seeing the terrified look on Lin Chuyue's face, she immediately pulled her into a hug. "What happened?"
"Over by the window... a face suddenly appeared!"