Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Secret Between Ye Wentian and Qi Yufei

Ye Wentian had just returned from abroad. On the very day of his arrival, he hurried back to Dream Garden, bringing with him a host of gifts for Qi Yufei and her daughter—not even forgetting Long Fei’s share. Long Fei, naturally, accepted these gifts with a grateful heart. Even this small gesture showed that Ye Wentian was a thoughtful man, responsible enough when it came to his family.

As for that woman, this was exactly the point. It was obvious to Long Fei that Qi Yufei’s feelings for Ye Wentian ran deep. Yet such a refined and exceptional woman belonged to Ye Wentian, while Long Fei could do nothing but quietly admire her from afar—an understandable frustration for any man. It was not a matter of darkness or perversion, but the natural stirrings of the heart.

The next morning, Long Fei pulled Ye Qian aside with a mysterious air. “Ye Qian, I’ve discovered an important secret!”

“What secret?” As with most girls, the hint of mystery sent her eyes sparkling, more radiant than Edison’s light bulb.

Long Fei glanced around, then lowered his voice. “Your parents didn’t sleep together last night.”

“That’s it?” Ye Qian frowned in disappointment. “So what?”

Long Fei was taken aback. What was with this girl today? Early-onset menopause? Or was there such a thing as juvenile dementia?

“Are you out of your mind? Your parents act like the perfect couple in public, yet they don’t share a room. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

Ye Qian sighed in exasperation. “I think you’re the one who's lost it. Did a pig run into a tree, or did you run into a pig? I’ve known about this for ages, nothing new there. I thought you had something important to say, tsk!”

She turned to leave, but Long Fei grabbed her arm. Heaven help him, how could he be so confused? What sort of daughter knows her parents have long been living apart and simply shrugs it off, not the least bit curious?

“Wait—since when? Don’t you care about their situation at all?” Long Fei felt Ye Qian wasn’t much of a daughter; who could be so indifferent to such things?

Ye Qian paused, annoyed. “Why are you so nosy about our family? Listen, ever since I can remember, they’ve never shared a room. And by the way, this is a family secret—if you breathe a word, you’ll have me to answer to!”

Seeing how serious she was, Long Fei hurriedly nodded his agreement.

At breakfast, Long Fei couldn’t help but look at Ye Wentian and his wife with a strange expression. They, of course, had no idea what was behind his gaze, but Ye Qian kept shooting Long Fei meaningful looks—unfortunately, he was oblivious. What he missed, Ye Wentian noticed, frowning slightly.

Suddenly, Long Fei nearly choked on his egg pancake, letting out a yelp as his foot got caught under the little devil Ye Qian's. He shot her a pained look, but she only returned a triumphant grin and a stern warning.

“What’s going on with you two today? There’s something off, I can tell,” Ye Wentian set down his milk, puzzled.

“No, nothing’s wrong—right, Ye Qian?” Long Fei hastily explained, enduring the pain in his foot and hoping for her cooperation.

The problem, he thought, lay with Ye Wentian himself. According to his darling daughter, the man had lost his vigor at a young age—a pathetic fate indeed.

Thankfully, Ye Qian didn’t betray him at the crucial moment, choosing instead to play along. “Right, it’s nothing. He just accidentally bumped his foot on the table leg, didn’t you, Long Fei?” She winked, making it clear that he owed her one.

What else could Long Fei do but nod?

“By the way, in a few days, Qian will be starting school. For her safety, I’d like you to enroll at Shanghai University as well,” Ye Wentian said, fixing Long Fei with a smile.

Long Fei pointed to himself, shocked. “What? You want me to go to Shanghai University? Are you serious?”

Heaven help him. Although he’d been forced to study countless books as a child, all that knowledge had been crammed into his brain—how much he’d retained was anyone’s guess. In fact, he’d never even set foot in a school before. Now he was suddenly being told to go to university—how could he possibly adapt?

“What’s so strange about it? Don’t you want to study? Listen, young people should read more while they can, or they’ll regret it later when they miss the chance. Don’t worry, I know you’ve never attended school, so I won’t expect much academically. Your main task is to protect Qian. As for classes and exams, you needn’t worry—I’ll speak to the university leadership and guarantee your freedom on campus,” Ye Wentian’s words were tempting.

Long Fei knew Ye Wentian wasn’t boasting. With his influence in Shanghai, enrolling someone at Shanghai University was child’s play. The university would probably welcome the opportunity to do him a favor, considering how much money the Ye Group had donated over the years.

“So you mean I’ll just be on the roster—no exams, no classes, no one will bother me?”

“Exactly. Though I do hope you’ll attend some classes. In any case, you’ll still receive your diploma when the time comes. You’ll be in Qian’s class, so you can look after each other. How about it?” Ye Wentian smiled.

Long Fei quickly shook his head. “I’ll go, but I have conditions.”

Ye Qian grumbled under her breath, “Some people don’t know how good they have it.”

Long Fei shot her a glare, then said seriously, “You said someone’s already tried to harm Qian twice, but we still don’t know who they are. We can’t always be on the defensive—it’s impossible to guard against every threat. We need to flush out the mastermind. So first, I can’t be in Qian’s class; that would make it hard to keep my identity hidden. Second, Qian and I need to keep our distance so outsiders don’t know our relationship. What do you think?”

Ye Wentian nodded. “You’re right. We’ll do as you suggest. I’ll call the school to make arrangements. In a few days, you’ll both go to university together. If anyone asks, we’ll say you’re Qian’s distant cousin. How’s that?”

Long Fei was reluctant—in his view, this arrangement made him Ye Wentian’s nephew for no good reason. But thinking of the pretty girls he might meet on campus, his selfish desire won out and he had no choice but to agree, all while trying to appear genuinely convinced.

Qi Yufei was delighted to hear Long Fei would be at the university, as it meant an added layer of protection for her daughter. She’d never truly witnessed Long Fei’s skills, but she couldn’t help trusting him implicitly.

The least pleased was Ye Qian. She seemed to guess, from the sly smile at the corner of Long Fei’s mouth, what he was really thinking. But she couldn’t openly object, lest Long Fei tease her about secretly liking him—a humiliation she’d rather avoid.

Still, Ye Qian had her own plans. If Long Fei was afraid of their relationship being exposed, she would make sure it was. If he dreaded her pestering him, she would stick to him like glue, just to see what tricks he could play.

Little did Long Fei know that Ye Qian was already plotting against him. He was too busy daydreaming about campus life. For someone who had never set foot in a school, the prospect of university was exciting—not so much because Shanghai University was the nation’s top school, but because its reputation for beautiful women was unrivaled.

If Long Fei knew what Ye Qian had in store, perhaps he wouldn’t be so happy now. He might even refuse Ye Wentian’s offer. For all his supposed dedication to this bodyguard job, the truth was that if it weren’t for Qi Yufei and Ye Qian, and his curiosity about Ye Wentian’s secretive plans, he would have quit long ago.