Chapter 144: Would you like to cover up
Liang Ye was having trouble processing what he had just learned. Qi Meili and his brother?
They were practically from two different worlds! How could they possibly be together?
He couldn’t help asking, “Mom, are you sure you didn’t get it wrong?”
His brother might be handsome, but he was incredibly boring. How could Meili possibly get together with him?
Besides, wasn’t his brother several years older than Meili? Wasn’t that just an old ox eating tender grass?
His phone vibrated. Li Changxin immediately forwarded the photo to him.
“Take a look. Is that your brother holding hands with that girl?”
The picture was crystal clear. Qi Meili was slumped on the back of an electric scooter while Liang Zheng held her hand, a smile on his face that he couldn’t hide.
Liang Ye stared at the picture in shock. “My brother looks so happy!”
There was no mistaking that smile. His brother was practically head over heels!
On the other end of the phone, Li Changxin couldn’t help sighing. “You said that girl’s name is Meili? What does she do? What does her family do? Do you know? Tell me everything.”
Liang Ye fell silent. Meili’s family was in very poor circumstances.
He didn’t know how to explain it to his mother. She would definitely never accept Meili.
“Xiao Ye, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Liang Ye stammered, “Well, I’m not really sure either. I only know that she used to be Huanhuan’s friend. Her family probably isn’t particularly wealthy—just an ordinary family, I guess... Haha...”
Li Changxin sighed again. “How did she end up with so many tattoos? Is she a bad girl?”
“No! Absolutely not!”
Liang Ye raised his voice in protest. “Mom, don’t say that about Meili. She’s a really good person.”
He’d asked Meili to help him download apps and bring in new users. Although she was always extremely annoyed by it, she downloaded every single one.
Some of those apps made the referral process incredibly troublesome. Meili would curse him out every time, but she always cooperated seriously and helped him complete the tasks.
She really was a good person.
Li Changxin glanced at the photo again. “Do they run an electric scooter shop? Xiao Ye, can you take me there to have a look?”
Whether this girl was truly good or not, she would have to see for herself.
Liang Ye hesitated. “Mom, that wouldn’t be right. We can’t go look at someone without their permission. It’s rude.”
But Li Changxin was determined. “I’m only going to take a look. If you don’t take me, I’ll have Auntie Weng take me.”
Liang Ye hurriedly agreed. “Don’t bother Auntie Weng. I’ll take you, I’ll take you...”
Liang Ye’s grandfather and He Yunzhi’s grandfather had been comrades-in-arms. When his grandparents were still alive, the two families visited each other often.
But He Yunzhi’s parents were far too meddlesome. Every time they came to his family’s home, they criticized this and complained about that.
After his grandparents passed away, the two families gradually stopped seeing each other so often.
That was probably for the best. After all, He Yunzhi’s parents had plenty to say about his family too.
For example, he had only attended an ordinary university. That alone had made He Yunzhi’s parents dissatisfied with his mother. They had lectured her countless times, asking why she hadn’t kept a closer eye on his studies.
A child’s academic performance had to be monitored strictly. As long as you pushed hard enough, there was no child you couldn’t force to succeed.
...
Even now, thinking about those words made him feel terrified.
He couldn’t imagine what kind of insane scene it would turn into if He Yunzhi’s mother took his mother there.
It was better for him to go. At least he could give Meili a heads-up and help her prepare herself.
Li Changxin glanced at the calendar and saw that it was Friday. “Let’s go tomorrow, then. You’re off tomorrow, aren’t you?”
Liang Ye refused guiltily. “The day after tomorrow. I have to work overtime tomorrow.”
Li Changxin knew how dedicated her son was to his job, so she didn’t suspect anything. She nodded and agreed. “All right. The day after tomorrow, then. I’ll have the driver pick you up.”
After hanging up, Liang Ye practically flew downstairs, hopped onto his electric scooter, and sped toward He Huanhuan’s residential compound.
By the time he arrived, He Huanhuan and Qi Meili had just gotten home as well.
They had been busy all day and were too exhausted to work on any projects. After having dinner with Liang Zheng and the others, they headed back.
Seeing Liang Ye, He Huanhuan was surprised. “Why did you come so late?”
Liang Ye knew they had opened a shop. Since the guys had to work on Fridays, there was no way they could take time off to attend the grand opening.
But he had already promised that he would go help He Huanhuan drum up excitement on Saturday.
Not that He Huanhuan needed him to do that. Whether it was livestreaming or offline promotion, her shop catered to a completely different crowd from Liang Ye.
So when she saw him now, He Huanhuan was puzzled. Hadn’t they agreed that he would go straight to the shop tomorrow to hang out with them? Why had he come to her home tonight?
She never imagined that Liang Ye would drop a bombshell after only a few words.
“Meili, are you dating my brother?”
Before Qi Meili could answer, he hurriedly continued, “Sister Yunzhi’s mother saw you holding hands with my brother! She secretly took a picture and sent it to my mom! My mom told me to bring her over to spy on you!”
The words hit Qi Meili like a barrage. She instantly crouched down defensively.
“Your mom is here? Where? Where is she?”
Liang Ye quickly explained, “Not right now. She told me to take her tomorrow. I lied and told her I had to work overtime tomorrow, so I pushed it back to the day after tomorrow.”
Meili stared at him speechlessly. “What difference does one day make?”
It wasn’t as if he had managed to get her out of it.
Liang Ye nodded earnestly. “Of course it makes a difference! We have one extra day to prepare!”
He cautiously glanced at Meili’s tattoos. “Well, um... do you think you could find a way to cover up your tattoos tomorrow?”
His gaze then shifted to her hair. “And your hair—could you dye it black again?”
“And your family background. I told my mom you came from an ordinary family. I didn’t mention that your parents divorced when you were very young... Shouldn’t we get our stories straight?”
He figured that even if his mother ultimately refused to approve of them, they should at least do their best to leave Meili with a good first impression.
But he never expected He Huanhuan and Qi Meili to glare at him in disdain.
Qi Meili angrily rolled up her sleeve, revealing a large tattoo covering her arm. “Do you think there’s something wrong with my tattoos? Is there something wrong with my hair?”
“And is there something wrong with my family?”
Liang Ye honestly nodded. “Well... it’s true that none of those things are exactly ideal...”
He Huanhuan rolled her eyes at him. “What’s wrong with our Meili? What’s wrong with dyeing her hair?”
Liang Ye stammered, unable to explain himself. “I’m just worried my mom will be frightened...”
If his mother was too shocked, wouldn’t it make things even harder for his brother and Meili?
He assumed that Meili was the one making greater sacrifices in this relationship.
It was only natural for him to think that way. The family business had long since been handed over to his brother, and among the second-generation heirs in Jiang City, his brother was at least in the top three when it came to wealth.
Not to mention that Liang Zheng was exceptionally handsome. A perfect man like him must have countless women hoping to date him.
Meanwhile, Meili had no education, no family background, no job, and no relatives...
It had never occurred to him that in this relationship, his brother was actually the one hoping to be truly taken into the other person’s heart.
Love had never been something that followed reason.