Chapter 13 - There Is No Telling How A Girl Will Look Like When She Grows Up

Without a doubt, Ye Qiao knew that Ye Zhenzhen must have complained to Qin Lan about her.

"Sure, what time? I will be ready," she answered firmly.

She would not usually join their family's dinner.

Ye Zhenzhen was confused. "7.30! The driver will pick us up!" She hastily replied.

…

Ye Zhenzhen purposely added half an hour more to the agreed time. She wanted her sister to be late and embarrassed in front of their father. The driver was supposed to come at seven sharp. As soon as the car arrived, Ye Zhenzhen hurried into the backseat. However, right before they departed, the door in the front passenger's seat was suddenly open.

Ye Qiao stood by the door. She was seen in a flawless white dress, styled with her hair tied up so that her outfit perfectly showed off her slender neck.

At that moment, there was a dumbfounded look on Ye Zhenzhen's face; the driver was no exception. He could not recognize the beautiful girl.

"Zhenzhen, my sister, why didn't you wait for me?" Ye Qiao turned to the back and looked at the spoilt girl with a polite smile. Surely, she was aware of all of her little tricks.

Sister?

Is she the eldest daughter of Deputy Mayor Ye? The one who he was always worried about?

The driver was still astonished by the unexpected guest.

"Hello, Uncle Zhang!" Ye Qiao graciously greeted the driver.

"Qiao Qiao! There is no telling what a girl will look like when she grows up! I did not recognize you at all just now! Hello! Hello!" Xiao Zhang expressed his infectious enthusiasm.

Ye Zhenzhen clenched her fists silently. She could not simply express even the slightest bit of her frustration in front of her father's officer.

"I thought you were not in the house," Ye Zhenzhen made up an excuse.

Nevertheless, Ye Qiao was obviously smarter than that.

…

Ye Qiao had always thought of her father, Ye Shengxun, as the man who turned his favor from his lawful wife to a new lover, just like Chen Shimei, a character from a famous opera. Her relationship with her father had never been tight because she had seen the diary that her mother left behind with an account of their short-lived love story.

When her father left the countryside for the city, her mother longed for the day that he would return. She waited for him her whole life, but he never came.

Two years after her mother's death, her father remarried. His newlywed wife was Qin Lan, the daughter of the noble Qin family in J City.

Ye Zhenzhen was soon born.

Ye Shengxun once made a promise to Ye Qiao's late mother that they would name their daughter as Ye Zhenzhen.

Therefore, one could easily imagine Ye Qiao's exasperation when she was first introduced to Ye Zhenzhen.

Her original name was Qiao Ye, which was given by her foster parents. They kept the word 'Ye' to remind her of her real family name.

When they were finally reunited, Ye Shengxun told her, "Qiao Qiao, from now on, you must use your family name, Ye. Your new name will be Ye Manman."

'Man' also means plant tendril, the twine that clings to any suitable support.

Presumably, her father must have thought of her like a wild vine that clung to the family.

As a 12-year-old girl who came from the countryside, she was awkward, chubby, and timid, but that did not stop her from showing resolute determination in dealing with her father, who was more like a stranger to her. "No, my name will be Ye Qiao!"

Her surname was originally Qiao, just like her late mother.

Back then, Ye Shengxun heaved a helpless sigh and let her have the final say.

…

On the way to the dinner, Ye Qiao's mind was filled only with the recollection of past events about her father, Ye Shengxun, and her stepmother, Qin Lan.

They soon arrived at the restaurant known as 'Lan,' a business owned by Qin Lan.

The restaurant was designed with the prominent style of a traditional Chinese villa that had pavilions and corridors almost everywhere. Artificial rockeries and streams of water were exquisitely added to enhance the artistic quality of the building, accompanied by pieces of flute music playing faintly in the background. There were not many people there, as the services here were very exclusive, so it was usually the same group of returning customers. The place was hidden and quiet enough to discuss serious businesses.

"Good to see you, miss!" The manager greeted Ye Zhenzhen warmly. She was, however, a little awestruck when she saw the girl behind her, who was dressed graciously in a long dress.

"Miss, is this, your friend? She's really beautiful!" The manager openly expressed her admiration.

Annoyed, Ye Zhenzhen glared at the manager and walked straight to the reserved dining room.