Sometimes, dealing with shameless people naturally called for a few shameless methods.
"Oh, right." Remembering something, Ye Mo took out her phone, found a number in her contacts, and said, "Let me recommend someone. This is his number... He does all sorts of things. He can probably help you deal with that bunch from the Hong Family."
Secretary Huang looked at the string of numbers Ye Mo had just sent her and nodded slightly. "Thank you."
Watching them talk, Ye Baozhu pouted unhappily.
Next time! Next time, I definitely won't let Ye Mo scare me again!
Ye Baozhu thought resentfully.
After hearing what Ye Mo had to say, Secretary Huang's face
took on a thoughtful expression.
Ye Mo's words were still echoing in her mind. Ye Mo had smiled and said, "...With things like this, as long as we have no morals, other people can't morally blackmail us!"
After giving it serious thought, Secretary Huang looked enlightened. "So the reason the Hong Family won't leave me alone is that my sense of morality is too strong?"
Was that why they thought I was easy to bully and manipulate?
"Master, I have achieved enlightenment." Secretary Huang immediately looked at Ye Mo gratefully.
"..." Ye Mo stared at her blankly. ...What have you achieved enlightenment about?
Then Ye Mo heard Secretary Huang enunciate clearly, "I understand what you mean now, Miss Momo. You mean I shouldn't be someone with too strong a sense of morality, and I should learn to be flexible about certain things, right?"
Ye Mo pondered. Is that what I meant?
"...Anyway, as long as you understand!" she said with a smile.
Secretary Huang nodded solemnly.
Looking at her glowing face and high fighting spirit, as though she were sharpening her knives for the Hong Family, Ye Mo belatedly wondered whether she had flipped some extraordinary switch inside Secretary Huang.
She wouldn't really turn into someone with 'no morals' from now on, would she?
Ye Mo pondered.
Her expression gradually grew peculiar.
At that moment, Ye Mo felt a rare twinge of guilt toward her bargain-bin eldest brother-having led his highly moral secretary astray and all, this probably, perhaps, possibly shouldn't be a bad thing, right?
Ye Mo thought silently.
After chatting with Ye Mo, Secretary Huang looked noticeably more relaxed, as though she had figured things out.
Ye Mo: ...I just don't know what exactly she's figured out.
By then, the sky was gradually darkening. The household servants had set up barbecue grills on the lawn outside, where fruitwood charcoal glowed scarlet inside them, radiating scorching heat.
The marinated, evenly cut ingredients had been threaded onto bamboo skewers, with both meat and vegetables among them. The meats included fresh, firm beef and tender young lamb without a trace of gaminess, while the vegetables were fresh and clean: potatoes, cabbage, eggplant, wild mushrooms, and the like.
Of course, there was seafood too. Although the barbecue had been a last-minute decision, they had managed to prepare practically every ingredient in that short time.
Ye Mo couldn't help marveling, "The power of money is truly terrifying." That was why she loved money so much.
Ye Lin, who had come downstairs after changing into casual clothes, heard her remark and drawled, "Then you should be happy. After all, you're now one of the people who can wield the power of money too."
How could a young lady of the Ye Family be short of money?
At that, Ye Mo nodded in sudden realization-she really had forgotten about that.
As the two talked, the aroma of barbecue was already wafting over on the breeze.
The servants had set up four grills in total. Two were for the household chefs, while the other two were for Ye Mo and the others to use. Ye Zhipeng had already pulled Ruan Xianyue over and enthusiastically claimed one of them.
A big handful of red-and-white meat skewers went onto the grill. Once brushed with oil, all that remained was to wait quietly for the charcoal to cook the meat. As time passed, the high heat rendered glistening, translucent hot fat, which sizzled and hissed. Brushed with the chef's special barbecue sauce at that point, they smelled absolutely wonderful.
"Momo, come try my cooking!" Ye Zhipeng called enthusiastically to Ye Mo and the others.
When Ye Mo and Ye Lin walked over and saw what the Ye couple had grilled, both fell somewhat silent despite themselves.
The plate was a mass of red and black, mixed with reddish-brown sauce. The colors were positively kaleidoscopic, but it had absolutely no visual appeal and inspired no appetite whatsoever.
As for Ye Zhipeng and Ruan Xianyue, the former was brimming with confidence, while the latter looked embarrassed enough to wish she could find a hole to crawl into.
Ye Zhipeng said cheerfully, "This was your mother's and my first attempt, and it looks pretty successful. You absolutely have to try our cooking."
This, successful?
Ye Mo looked at the things on the plate and fell silent for several seconds.
"Big Brother, Mom and Dad put their hearts into this. You mustn't let them down!" she immediately told Ye Lin, turning to leave as she spoke.
Quick as a flash, Ye Lin grabbed her collar and said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Little Sister, those words go for you too... Mom and Dad put their hearts into this. You absolutely mustn't let them down!"
He heavily emphasized that last sentence.
Seeing their reactions, Ye Zhipeng raised his brows and planted his hands on his hips. "What's with you two? Is our barbecue really that bad?"
He inspected what he had grilled. "I think it's all right. At most, it doesn't look great. It might taste pretty good, you know?"
Ye Mo asked from the bottom of her heart, "Dad, you and Mom haven't tasted this stuff yet, have you?" Otherwise, how could such a warm mouth utter such cold, false words?
Ye Zhipeng said, "Not yet. We wanted you to have the first taste, didn't we?"
Ye Mo: ...There's really no need.
"Wow! Dad, did you and Mom grill this?" Ye Baozhu suddenly came over, reached out to pick up a skewer of meat from the plate, and said happily, "Anything you grill must be delicious!"
Ye Mo: "..."
"Looking at this plate of stuff, how did she manage to say the word 'delicious'?" she asked Ye Lin sincerely. "Is there something wrong with your sister's eyes?"
Ye Lin pointed out her mistake. "...She's your older sister now too."
Ye Mo: "..."
Ye Baozhu's reaction, however, had clearly pleased Ye Zhipeng. He shot Ye Mo and Ye Lin a smug look before turning to Ye Baozhu and saying happily, "Baozhu's the one with good taste. Don't worry. This stuff only looks bad. It'll definitely taste good!"
"I think so too." Ye Baozhu nodded and declared confidently, "Dad, you and Mom are amazing at everything. Barbecuing must be a piece of cake for you!"
Ye Zhipeng was deeply moved. "Baozhu..."
Ruan Xianyue clearly still had some self-awareness. "Baozhu, you don't have to force yourself to eat it..."
Ye Baozhu said, "I'm not forcing myself!"
She stuffed the grilled meat into her mouth and said indistinctly, brimming with confidence, "I'm sure it tastes good. It just doesn't look that great!"
Then Ye Mo and the others saw her expression freeze the instant she took a bite. Looking closely, her face even seemed to have turned a little green.
Ye Zhipeng watched her expectantly. "Well, Baozhu? Is it good?"
"...This, it tastes p-pretty all right." Ye Baozhu struggled to swallow what was in her mouth.
Suspecting nothing, Ye Zhipeng happily picked up two meat skewers himself and handed one to his wife. "I knew it. How could anything I grilled taste bad?"
Seeing him stuff the meat into his mouth, Ye Baozhu couldn't stop him even though she wanted to. She watched his expression abruptly go from enthusiastic to stiff and green-how closely this scene resembled what had happened to Ye Baozhu just moments before.