Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ye Wei and Meng Lianling toured the surrounding islands until the evening. Meng Lianling was a very dutiful and good guide. Ye Wei managed to see the unique features of each island and even had a sumptuous seafood lunch. She had a lot of fun.
Life on the islands was actually better as they had complete and modernized amenities. The only difference was the much fewer skyscrapers and shops which carried fewer goods. The shops had what they should have, and the living standards of the people on the island were high. The smiles of the people were much kinder and simpler because they were very content with their current lifestyle.
According to Meng Lianling, the islanders only had such good lives since the past four to five years. Ever since the Mo brothers took over, the islands underwent a massive upheaval. The islanders who used to fish and barter trade for a living did not have to do those now.
Most of the effort went to Big Boss Mo and Mo Jue because they did not like the bustling city life and moved to the islands. Since they did not want to shortchange themselves and live in some backward countryside, Big Boss Mo strived to develop the surrounding islands to lead to the scale of things today.
The most attention-grabbing feature of the islands was the rich emerald deposits. The islands produced emerald on a huge scale, and the emerald that was extremely expensive in the outside world was extremely cheap here. Ye Wei saw the hawkers sell what she thought were knockoffs and she touched them only to realize they were natural emeralds that were hard to come by. They seemed like stones on sales, but that was because the local youths and ladies had their unique accessories and they preferred woven or shell-based natural ornaments. They hence took extremely little interest in pearls and emeralds and sold them piece by piece at extremely cheap prices item by item. When they sold them to outsiders, however, they sold them in bulk at exorbitant prices. Ye Wei had to admit that Big Boss Mo had taught the locals how to do business extremely well.
Big Boss Mo and Mo Jue relied on the emerald on the surrounding islands as their main source of income and how they went about building their empire. While Ye Wei did not take a liking to Big Boss Mo, Big Boss Mo’s charisma was undoubtedly tops.
Who could turn the aboriginal-like lifestyle of islanders of more than ten islands into such a bustling metropolis in the span of a few years? It could be said that not everybody had such charisma.
Given how Mo Jue could not be bothered about the affairs of the world and only focused on the underworld, Big Boss Mo was undoubtedly the one to whom most of the credit was due as Mo Jue would have contributed extremely little.
This was what Meng Lianling said along the way. What she saw seemed to be what she had heard, and that could not be denied. She felt that the Mo brothers were eccentric since they did not like to live among bustling crowds but were unwilling to properly befriend loneliness. They just had to make a place like a city, bustling with life and people.
Meng Lianling claimed that there was a difference. The people here were simple-minded, kind, and would not play mind games, so it was much more comfortable for them to live here.
Ye Wei took a look around, and it did seem to be the case. The residents seemed kind, warm, and wore all their emotions on their faces. They did not make people feel tired and weary.
One could only say that the Mo brothers did not like the bustling crowds but preferred to watch a crowd. What eccentric people.
Big Boss Mo’s mansion was by the seaside and would be a short distance once they reached ashore. The mansion was often uninhabited because the two brothers both stayed at Mo Jue’s mansion. Ever since Mo Jue brought her here, Mo Ye moved to the seaside mansion.
Ye Wei shrugged her hands and smiled it away.
Meng Lianling waved and bade goodbye to Ye Wei. She arranged to meet Ye Wei for a walk the next day, and Ye Wei had no second opinion. After Ye Wei acknowledged it, she returned to Mo Jue’s mansion.
The seaside mansion was extremely spacious and Mo Ye could clearly see Ye Wei and Meng Lianling return from the balcony on the second floor. His gaze was deep and extremely displeased. While his displeasure was targeted at Ye Wei, his anger was dispelled when he saw Meng Lianling smile extremely happily.
When Meng Lianling entered the mansion, Ding Ke greeted her and went to work. Big Boss Mo, wearing a v-collar sweater and leisure pants, slowly came down the stairs. He seemed much more svelte and handsome. Under the diffused light, he seemed as though he had descended from the skies. If he had a happy smile on him, Meng Lianling would have thought that he was an angel who was lost on earth.
But it was a shame that his looks were a 180 from that of an angel and made him seem as though he was in cahoots with the devil.
“Ye, I’m back.” Meng Lianling waved her loot and slumped onto the sofa lazily. Her legs were a little tired after a whole day of walking.
Mo Ye took a look at the few bags on the table and broke into a cold smile. “Why didn’t you tell me that you went to look for Ye Wei?”
“I told you that last night.” Meng Lianling smiled and raised her eyebrows playfully. “Are you angry?”
Her overly lively temperament made it hard for people to get angry with her, and even Mo Ye could not do anything with her. Even if he were angry, it was not directed at her. “Lianling, you know well that I do not like you drawing too close to her. Do you really like to be friends with her?”
What was wrong with liking to be friends with her? Meng Lianling toyed with the statement. While she did not like to make friends with just anybody, Ye Wei, however, gave her good vibes, and her character and charm were attention-grabbing. Most killers who had reached Ye Wei’s level would be extremely slow to show their prowess and become unpredictable. Ye Wei was just the opposite.
Like a shining pearl, she would not be able to conceal that aura of hers.
She did not have the reservation of women but was arrogant instead and put her charm on full display. She was a little jealous of Ye Wei. What did she have to be this brazen? She was openly telling everybody that she was Ye Wei, and she was blatantly goading others on.
While her jealousy remained jealousy, she liked to draw close to such eminent people.
The most important reason, which she could not afford to let Mo Ye know, was that she wanted to find Eleven, and even kill Eleven, through Ye Wei.
“Ye, you are too biased toward Wei Wei. Brother Jue likes her this much, and she has her plus points. I do like to be friends with her, and we had a lot of fun today. It has been a long time since I enjoyed myself this much.” Meng Lianling smiled as she stood up and jabbed Mo Ye’s flat face. “Come on! Stop being angry and smile.”
“Sounds like you are unhappy with me, huh?” Mo Ye sounded even colder.
Meng Lianling laughed until she bent over and shouted how she was wronged. The answer did not add up to the question.
“Ye, stop being so calculative. I only have her as a friend, and you bear to see me do without this friend?” Meng Lianling seemed aggrieved. Mo Ye used to dote on her and nobody could refute him on that. Meng Lianling was the exception. She was initially not so because she was afraid of Mo Ye. As he did not like that feeling, he indulged Meng Lianling and she had a few days to gloat about it.
Her behavior was the result of his doting!
“Even if I say it, you won’t listen. Go get some food,” Mo Ye coldly replied.
Meng Lianling knew that he had compromised and his lips broke into a smile. She happily hooked her arm around his elbow as they went towards the dining table. Meng Lianling knew that Mo Ye would always yield to her and never deny her what she hoped for.
She was proud of that because the man who had the world at his feet treated her as his whole world. Any woman would be proud of such an honor and certainly feel accomplished winning the heart of such a man.
There was, however, some uneasiness lurking beneath this pride.
“Ye, if I was not the one you saved a long time ago, would you still treat me this well?” Meng Lianling asked.
Mo Ye frowned and did not reply. He had her sit down and then said, “Stop asking such hypothetical questions.”
“You have not answered me!” Meng Lianling insisted.
Mo Ye took a look at her and asked in return, “What do you think?”
Meng Lianling was at a loss for words and laughed. “How could I have asked such frivolous questions? Chow time.”
When Ye Wei returned to the mansion, Mo Jue was making steamed fish. There were already three to four dishes on the table that looked and smelled good. Ye Wei threw her bags on the sofa and said, “Gorgeous Mo Jue, I am back.”
“I am not blind,” Mo Jue coldly replied, but he did not look at her, trying to be as cool as he could be. If he had said the same whilst holding a gun, he would have scared the daylights out of people. If he said that with a spatula in his hands, his coldness would have to be massively discounted.
As she had digested what she ate for lunch, she was hungry and helped herself to the red braised pork with her hands. The dishes today were totally different, and Ye Wei secretly wondered to herself that Mo Jue was one who could be coaxed by telling him what you wanted. If you did not tell him what he wanted, he would prepare things the way he would. If you told him what you wanted, he would really change if he were in the wrong.
She had told him that she did not like the same food day in and day out, and now, she had totally different dishes.
Mo Jue served the last dish and beat her hands. “Go wash your hands!”
Ye Wei chuckled happily and obediently went to wash her hands. She then quickly returned to the dining table. “Gorgeous Mo Jue, were you possessed by some chef? Your dishes are getting better.”
“Hmmph!” Mo Jue coldly harrumphed. Ye Wei spied a cookbook not too far away, and she was slightly stunned. She took a sneak peek at Mo Jue and gave him a thumbs-up in her heart.
Badass! That aptly described him.
He quietly tucked in and did not talk to her. As Ye Wei removed the fish bones, she pondered about whether he was unhappy from being left alone the whole day. If that wasn’t the case, why did he give her a sour face?
“Gorgeous Mo Jue, bring me out to play tomorrow if you have time, okay?” Ye Wei probed him.
“I’m not free.” Mo Jue flat out refused.
