Yang Qingye’s attitude made Luo Ziling feel even more displeased.
But he didn’t lose his temper, just chuckled: "How could I brush you off? Let’s put it this way, if we were to cooperate with you, the project would be handled by you. Before making a decision, wouldn’t you consult your grandpa or your dad?"
"I can make decisions, I don’t need to ask them!" Yang Qingye replied without hesitation, and accused Luo Ziling again: "So you’re brushing me off!"
Luo Ziling not only felt displeased but also annoyed. He squinted at Yang Qingye and said playfully, "It’s been a few months since we last met, Mr. Yang has certainly acquired the demeanor of the eldest young master of the Yang Family."
"What do you mean by that?" Yang Qingye’s expression changed.
"Everyone thinks I’m quite smart!"
"..."
"We are all young, but we can’t act on impulse!" Luo Ziling said, earnestly patting Yang Qingye’s shoulder, "If I acted as impulsively as you, I would’ve died several times over. Let your sister tell you about this matter; I’ve already recorded our conversation. Whether you’re angry or happy, I’m in no mood to joke with you. Let me tell you, everything I do now relates to the future and life of my family. Any mistake and we could end up dead without a place to be buried. I’m still young, I don’t want to die. Even if I could make the decision on this matter, even if your grandpa asked me about it, I won’t promise you anything immediately. This isn’t child’s play..."
Luo Ziling’s words were interrupted by Yang Qingye shaking off his hand.
"Fine, I got it, goodbye!" Finishing his words, he left without turning back.
Watching Yang Qingye stride away, Luo Ziling just sighed softly.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Yang Qingyin: "Little Lamb, I’m inviting you to lunch at noon, are you free?"
Yang Qingyin’s reply came quickly, "I’m free, of course, if a handsome guy is treating me."
"Alright, I’ll wait for you at the school gate at eleven, come out early!"
"Why so early?" Yang Qingyin added several surprised emojis after the message.
"You’re so clever, Little Lamb, you should be able to guess why."
"Alright!" Yang Qingyin didn’t ask further.
At eleven o’clock, Yang Qingyin appeared on time in front of Luo Ziling.
Luo Ziling took her to a nearby clean restaurant for lunch.
The two got a small private room.
"What’s up?" After sitting down, Yang Qingyin asked Luo Ziling curiously, "Is it something troublesome?"
She thought Luo Ziling was worried about what had happened yesterday.
"Just now, your precious brother came to see me!"
"What happened to him?" Yang Qingyin’s heart raced, "Did you have an argument?"
"Before, whenever he saw me, he would call me brother-in-law warmly, but now he just calls me ’Ziling.’ You can feel the change, right?" Luo Ziling chuckled, "The last time I saw him was before the summer break. It’s been months, and seeing him today felt like meeting a stranger."
Yang Qingyin’s face turned even more unpleasant, and she stared intently at Luo Ziling, "Tell me what happened just now."
"I know his reason for coming today wasn’t simple, so I recorded our conversation, and I’ve just told him that I’ll let you listen to it." Luo Ziling took out his phone and played the recording he just made.
After listening to the recording, Yang Qingyin let out a long sigh.
"Qingye has changed," she said helplessly, "He was convinced by my dad and has strong prejudices against you."
"I could sense as much," Luo Ziling nodded, "He hasn’t contacted me for so long and didn’t show up in front of me. I could feel it. His change in addressing me confirms it further."
"Do you know the reason he resents you the most?"
Luo Ziling was taken aback, then replied with a bitter smile, "Is it because I’m a playboy?"
Yang Qingyin rolled her eyes at Luo Ziling but said nothing.
At this moment, the food arrived, and Luo Ziling stopped talking.
After the server left the private room, Luo Ziling continued, "I don’t want there to be misunderstandings between us, so I told you everything. I also don’t want this issue to spoil the relationship between you and your brother, so I invited you to discuss a solution together. In the past, your grandpa and dad had deep prejudices against me, trying to take my life several times. Now, your grandpa has changed his stance, even hoping we can come together to complete a marriage alliance. But your once affectionate brother has now betrayed that."
"I’ll talk to him," Yang Qingyin said softly, "I haven’t chatted with him in a long time. He’s changed a lot recently, matured a lot. And he’s been involved in family matters, and my dad has let him handle a lot, giving him care and opportunities."
"He now has a sense of accomplishment and will consider things from the Yang family’s interest. He even thinks that us being together seriously harms the interests of the Yang family." Luo Ziling smiled bitterly, "People can be strange sometimes. Relationships between people are sometimes so fragile. The last time I interacted with Qingye, we were very close. There was no conflict in between, but seeing him again now feels distant. Sigh, I don’t know how to handle this."
"You won’t concede to him," Yang Qingyin said with a half-smile at Luo Ziling, "You might have agreed to let him participate in the management of Northern Pharmaceuticals, but now that’s impossible, right?"
"Right!" Luo Ziling didn’t deny it, "I’ve been quite candid. Every step I take with my mom is like walking on thin ice. If our luck is slightly off, we wouldn’t even be able to escape back to Qingfeng Village, we’d be sent straight to the funeral home. What my mom and I are doing now is trying to become strong, strong enough that no other family dares to oppress us or wantonly dispatch people to murder us. Anyway, I’ve said what I wanted. Let’s eat. After lunch, I’ll go with you to visit your grandpa; if there’s time, I’ll drop by the military compound to see Zhao Guosheng."
"Alright," Yang Qingyin nodded, saying no more.
Luo Ziling felt at ease, but because it involved Yang Qingye, both of them felt a heavy heart.
Both knew that the change in Yang Qingye’s attitude had cast a shadow over their relationship.
This shadow was quite substantial.
At the very least, Yang Qingyin was quite worried.
She knew her brother’s temperament well.
If he’s upset, he might directly confront Luo Ziling about it.
He wouldn’t consider much else.
Yang Qingye’s straightforward nature could sometimes complicate things further.