Chapter 62

The Lin family sat together, engrossed in the news flashing on the TV screen. Lin Dawei couldn't suppress his reaction to the unfolding events. "Why are there so many frauds these days?" he exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.

Rolling her eyes at her father's remark, Lin Miaomiao took a deliberate bite of her food, then spoke up. "It's nothing," she muttered between mouthfuls. "I'll save your pocket money for you. Lucky money will be yours when you grow up. This Progress prize will also be given to you." Wang Shengnan stopped eating and looked at her daughter.

Glancing at her own meal, Lin Miaomiao couldn't help but voice her frustration. "I've been exposed to your financial fraud for more than a decade. Where am I supposed to find reason in all of this? Perhaps CCTV reporters should interview me," she said, disappointment evident in her voice.

Lin Dawei, noticing his daughter's frustration, chimed in. "You seem quite aggrieved, don't you?" he observed, trying to lighten the mood.

Wang Shengnan, ever the voice of reason, interjected as she served more food into her daughter's bowl. "Why do you need money when you're just a kid?" she questioned gently.

Looking at her mother, Lin Miaomiao replied, "Kids need money too so that I can stand up straight."

Wang Shengnan raised an eyebrow, silently urging her daughter to elaborate. "What do you want to buy? Are you missing something?" she inquired.

"What I'm missing is the joy and the freedom of choice," Lin Miaomiao answered.

Wang Shengnan looked at her husband and then back at Miaomiao. "She's spoiled, right?" she remarked to Lin Dawei. Then she turned her attention back to Miaomiao. "You only have the freedom to learn now; don't argue with your parents about everything."

"You've been quite fixated on money lately. What's going on? Are you short on money?" Lin Dawei asked, sensing his daughter's frustration, tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "I thought you said your teacher was still handing out red envelopes in your class? Don't you have enough money already?" he teased, hoping to ease the tension.

But Lin Miaomiao wasn't amused and stabbed her chopsticks into her bowl. "Hmp!" She looked at her father. "Tang Yuanming is a big liar. Is that money in the red envelope? No, it's a test. There are 7, 8 sheets of paper with dense historical questions." She glanced at her parents. "You adults are bullies."

Wang Shengnan couldn't help but chuckle as she listened, then she looked at her husband. "I told you, how could Tang Yuanming be so generous? That doesn't seem like his nature."

Lin Dawei nodded in agreement with his wife.

"Anyway, I can't give you money; girls go astray when they have money," Wang Shengnan stated firmly.

"It's not true; it's men who go astray when they're rich," Lin Miaomiao corrected, looking at her father.

"Be careful what you say and do," Lin Dawei advised his daughter. "Don't look at me like that. I thought we were allies?"

Rolling her eyes, Miaomiao retorted, "An ally like you is equal to nothing."

"That's your opinion," Lin Dawei said to Miaomiao.

But Miaomiao just stared at her father.

Wang Shengnan couldn't help but laugh at her husband. "Lin Dawei, you can't please both sides. You're a failure," she teased.

Lin Dawei chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "Go on, just pretend I'm not here."

...

As the Chinese New Year dawned upon the Ancestor Courtyard of the Ye family, joyous laughter mingled with the scent of festive delicacies. Generations gathered beneath the ancestral hall, exchanging warm wishes and red envelopes filled with blessings. Amidst the crackling of fireworks, they feasted on symbolic dishes, ushering in a year of prosperity, longevity, and familial bonds that transcended time.

"Is this Ye Bai already? What a handsome young man," remarked Jiang Gu as he looked at Ye Bai.

Ye Xinyi, Jiang Gu's wife, chimed in, "I think this boy will break many girls' hearts."

Ye Bai, feeling a bit shy from being the center of attention, listened quietly to their remarks.

"Yes, indeed. His mother's charm and his father's wit seem to have combined into quite the package," added Ye Meili, who was carrying a dumpling.

Wu Qian, observing her sisters-in-law, said, "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that," as she followed Ye Meili with a Prosperity Chicken in hand. "Ye Bai is a good boy. He already has a girlfriend, you know."

Curious, both Ye Meili and Ye Xinyi responded in unison, "Really?"

"Of course," replied Wu Qian, taking out her phone to show a photo of Lin Miaomiao. "This is my son's girlfriend."

"What a cute kid," Meili expressed upon seeing the photo.

Grandma Li also walked closer to Wu Qian to see her grandson's girlfriend. "Let me see it." Upon seeing Lin Miaomiao's face, she remarked, "This kid looks like a naughty one."

Wu Qian smiled and replied, "Yes, she's Ye Bai's childhood friend—a little naughty but a great kid."

Meanwhile, Ye Bai was pulled by his Uncle Jiang to his Grandfather Ye, who was watching a New Year's gala on TV. "Ye Bai, come here," Grandpa Ye beckoned.

Ye Bai followed and walked beside him. Grandpa Ye held him in his arms and touched his biceps. "I knew it. When I saw you, I just knew your body felt strong," he praised. "Are you practicing martial arts?" he asked curiously.

Ye Bai nodded. "I have older friends who practice martial arts in our community, and they teach me some," he replied truthfully.

Grandpa Ye looked at his grandson and nodded. "Do you want to become a soldier? Maybe you didn't know, but I was a special forces soldier when I was young."

"My father already told me about it," Ye Bai said.

Hearing this, Grandpa Ye nodded. "You know, I wanted to have a son who would follow in my footsteps. But my only son didn't want it and went into business. The only person who followed in my footsteps is your Aunt Meili."

"Dad, what are you telling my nephew?" Ye Meili asked curiously, overhearing their conversation.

Grandpa Ye was startled when he heard Ye Meili's voice. "Oh, it's nothing."

"Are you recruiting Ye Bai to become a soldier?" Ye Meili inquired.

Although the youngest among the siblings, Ye Meili was the most mature thinker. She was also the only one who wanted to follow in her father's footsteps.

Ye Meili observed Ye Bai's body. She hadn't noticed earlier because the conversation had been about his appearance and his girlfriend. "Are you practicing martial arts?" she asked Ye Bai, who was standing beside Grandpa Ye.

Ye Bai told her about the old people in their community who taught him some martial arts. Ye Meili's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Seeing his daughter's eyes like that Grandpa Ye got goosebumps. Ye Meili was a bit of a battle maniac. At first, Grandpa Ye could handle her, but as her knowledge of combat grew, he found it harder to keep up with her. Eventually, he surrendered during their sparring sessions. Unable to keep up with Ye Meili's increasing skills, Grandpa Ye introduced her to the special forces soldier training grounds.

But not long after six months, a friend called him and complained that even the teachers and classmates were surrendering to Ye Meili's abilities. Now she's a fighting instructor for special forces soldiers in the military.

"Oh, Nephew Ye, I hope we can spar sometime," Ye Meili invited, eager to gauge her nephew's strength and knowledge.

Hearing his aunt's invitation, Ye Bai's body became fired up. He also wanted to spar. Most of his teachers who taught him moves couldn't last long in a fight with him because he was young and they were old and gets tired easily.

Ye Bai nodded. "I'd like to spar with you too." He also knew about his Aunt Meili because his father was also afraid of her.

But before Ye Meili and Ye Bai could turn their conversation into a sparring game, Grandma Li called them to the dining table to eat.

...

Lin Miaomiao, holding her phone, began to message Ye Bai. Their Chinese New Year celebration had just ended, and she wanted to show off the red envelope she received from her grandparents and her Uncle Tang Yuanming.

"It's taking him so long to reply. Did he forget about me already?" Miaomiao pouted, expressing her dissatisfaction.

...

Grandpa Ye, Jiang Gu, and Ye Feng watched the match unfolding before them. It had been 10 minutes since Ye Bai and Ye Meili began sparring.

At the start, Ye Meili had the upper hand, but as time went on, Ye Bai started to adjust to the fight.

Ye Meili now looked at Ye Bai, her opponent. She couldn't deny that she was impressed by him. Starting with only 50% of her strength, Ye Bai had now increased it to 80%. However, she couldn't go beyond that, reserving 90-100% for life-threatening situations, especially since he was her nephew.

Ye Meili wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "I'm going again," she reminded her nephew.

"ust a moment," Ye Bai gestured for a pause. He was feeling more fatigued than he was used to, not accustomed to the intensity of the current fight.

Ye Bai discarded his shirt, revealing his slender yet athletic physique to everyone. Defined muscles adorned his frame, a testament to his dedication to martial arts. Despite his slim build, the power he possessed was undeniable.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Bai nodded. "Okay."

As Ye Meili began her attack again, sweat dripped from Ye Bai's brow as he traded blows. Her movements were swift and precise, each strike calculated to test his limits.

Despite his relative inexperience compared to Ye Meili, Ye Bai displayed an impressive level of skill and adaptability, holding his own against her relentless assault.

Sensing that Ye Bai was nearing his limit, Ye Meili made a move. With a swift spin, she executed a complex combination of kicks and punches. Ye Bai watched closely, analyzing her technique while dodging her strikes.

In a split-second decision, he mirrored her movements, seamlessly flowing from one strike to the next.

Momentarily taken aback, Ye Meili paused, impressed by her nephew's ability. Grandpa Ye watched in astonishment, marveling at his grandson's skill.

After executing the mirrored moves using his [Photographic Memory], Ye Bai's energy plummeted. He crumpled to the ground, exhausted. Everyone was shocked by his sudden fall, and no one was able to catch him in time. They quickly checked his vitals and found that he had fallen asleep, relieved that he was unharmed.

"Brother, your son is a genius. I didn't expect him to replicate my moves so effortlessly. Why not consider letting him join the special forces?" Ye Meili expressed her admiration for her nephew.

Grandpa Ye nodded in agreement. "Yes, it would be a waste if he didn't pursue this path."

Ye Feng shook his head. "I can't make decisions for my son," he said, choosing not to intervene in Ye Bai's choices.

Ye Meili and Grandpa Ye decided to wait for Ye Bai to wake up to talk to him, hoping they could persuade him to join the military.

...

On the other side.

Lin Miaomiao curled up in her bed, still clutching her phone tightly. Despite her best efforts to stay awake, sleep eventually won over, and she fell into a peaceful slumber. With her phone by her side, she slept soundly, her gentle breaths filling the quiet room. In her dreams, she eagerly awaited Ye Bai's message, a smile playing on her lips.

...