"Very efficient, Minister Li. I'll be at your place in half an hour!" Ye Yun chuckled.
"Mr. Ye, that..." Li Ming hesitated, wanting to mention the ten million promised for evidence against Smith, but the words wouldn't come out. Ye Yun held too many of his secrets: his mistress, embezzlement, even Smith's wife...
Sensing Li Ming's unspoken concern, Ye Yun assured him, "Don't worry, you'll get everything I promised."
After hanging up, Ye Yun drove directly to Venice Residential District. He arrived in just over twenty minutes, well within the promised half hour. Li Ming opened the door with a furtive look, scanning the surroundings as if expecting to be seen. He was extremely cautious about his dealings with Ye Yun.
"Everything you asked for is in here!" Li Ming produced a USB drive and a laptop, plugging the drive in. Despite Ye Yun's leverage, Li Ming was sharp. With the evidence in his possession, he still had some bargaining power. If he handed it over without assurance of payment, he'd be in deep trouble. Thus, he insisted on Ye Yun verifying the contents first, aiming for a cash-for-data exchange.
"This is quite good," Ye Yun said after a brief examination. Li Ming, though greedy, had gathered detailed information. It seemed he knew that exposure of his affair with Smith's wife would make Smith his immediate enemy. Therefore, cooperating with Ye Yun to bring Smith down completely was his best option for long-term security.
"Mr. Ye, I have the materials ready. What about the money?" Li Ming's impatience grew as Ye Yun remained silent.
"Don't worry, it's all prepared," Ye Yun replied, pulling out a card. "This card has ten million. The PIN is six sixes. You know how to launder it."
"Understood, understood!"
With the crucial information secured, Ye Yun left. He then contacted Song Yunfan and his associates, instructing them to discreetly spread rumors in the market. "Smith, just you wait. My hundred million isn't easy to take!"
Putting Smith's affairs aside for the moment, Ye Yun drove home, anticipating Mengyao and Keke's arrival. After dinner, the family settled in. Keke, oblivious to any adult concerns, sat on the third-floor sofa watching Peppa Pig. Li Mengyao, however, eyed Ye Yun with a nagging suspicion that there were other women in his life, though she didn't know how to ask. Little did Ye Yun know that his wife was entertaining such doubts.
He had more pressing matters to attend to. With a sly smile, Ye Yun approached Keke, who was engrossed in television. "Keke, you're still young, don't watch too much TV! Show me the street dance moves you learned last week!"
"Okay, Daddy!" The little girl's eyes lit up at the mention of dancing. She skillfully pulled up the music on her phone and began to dance. She danced with great enthusiasm, but Ye Yun was reminded of a popular background music on Douyin. "500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, already 3500 on this dance, my goodness! That last move is good, worth 1000!" He couldn't help but feel her dance resembled more of a shamanistic ritual than street dance.
"Daddy, am I dancing well?"
"Beautiful! Beautiful! Do it again!"
"Daddy, am I dancing well?"
"Beautiful! Beautiful! Can you dance it again for Daddy?"
"Okay! Keke will dance for Daddy again!"
Watching the heartwarming interaction between father and daughter, Li Mengyao seemed to dismiss her suspicions about other women. A feeling of profound satisfaction washed over her as she observed Keke's spirited performance at Ye Yun's request. After nearly an hour of dancing, leaving the little girl breathless and exhausted, Ye Yun carried her towards the bathroom for a bath.
"Keke, Daddy will bathe you in a bit. Will you sleep by yourself tonight?" Ye Yun asked as he carried her.
"Why should I sleep by myself? Keke wants to protect Mommy and sleep with Mommy!" Keke replied weakly from his arms.
"Daddy protects Mommy. Daddy can sleep with Mommy too!" Ye Yun said with characteristic thick skin.
"But Daddy never slept with Mommy before, Keke always slept with Mommy!" the innocent girl said.
Ye Yun cursed internally, wishing he could drag his past self out for a good beating. "Well, Keke was a little child before, so Mommy had to protect you and sleep with you. But now Keke is grown up and can sleep alone! So, Mommy will sleep with Daddy!" Ye Yun coaxed her like a wolf enticing Little Red Riding Hood.
"Daddy's lying! You just said Keke is a child and shouldn't watch so much TV!" Keke retorted.
Ye Yun was speechless. Who raised this girl? How could she be so difficult to fool? Oh, his own daughter? No wonder she was so smart.
At this moment, Li Mengyao shot Ye Yun a glare. "Your body has just recovered, can't you be less impatient? How can Keke get used to sleeping alone so suddenly?"
"Mommy, what does 'impatient' mean?" Keke's eyes sparkled before Ye Yun could answer, catching Li Mengyao off guard.
"Nothing, nothing! Don't listen to Daddy's nonsense! Come, let's go take a bath. After the bath, Mommy will take you to bed."
"Yes, sir!" Keke, who was still in kindergarten, surprisingly responded in English, a testament to her English lessons. Since moving into their new home in Ying Tian Fu, the little girl's personality had blossomed. She loved everything about their new life. Her room, shared with her mother, was much larger than their previous cramped apartment. The bathtub was big enough for two adults, and she could even swim in it. After a playful bath, she was thoroughly entertained. In the living room, Ye Yun watched everything unfold with a look of triumphant mischief.
Later that night, after tucking Keke into bed, Li Mengyao lay awake, contemplating the recent whirlwind of events. Their material conditions had improved dramatically. But would Ye Yun become like Cao Jie, changing for the worse with wealth? Was he seeing other women when he was out all day? Was his previous weakness due to being "drained" by other women? Li Mengyao even thought of Wu Ziqiong, a woman as attractive as herself, perhaps even more so, with a better figure. Ye Yun's solicitous care for her – taking her to the hospital, cooking for her – could it be that he had feelings for her? Li Mengyao's mind was in turmoil.
As she wrestled with these thoughts, a creak came from Keke's room. The door slowly opened.