Nowadays, many people enjoy going fishing in their spare time, so opening a fishing tackle store has pretty good prospects. Plus, his shop is in a really nice location, so the business won’t do badly.
What he’s busy with now is refurbishing the store and arranging shelves and other items, because all the fishing gear this time is homemade, so it’s quite labor-intensive.
Over these few days, Ye Chen had also hired a professional technical consultant to help out, getting all sorts of facilities neatly in place, so he could focus on his work with peace of mind.
On this day, just after Ye Chen returned home from the factory, his cellphone rang. Taking it out, he saw that it was Lin Yuqing calling.
"Hello, is this Ye Chen?"
Lin Yuqing’s sweet voice came from the other end of the phone, and Ye Chen said with a smile, "Yes, it is. How come you have time to call me today?"
"Ha, so if I’m busy, I can’t call you? Besides, it’s only been two days and you’ve already forgotten about me!"
"How could I!" Ye Chen chuckled, then asked, "By the way, is there something you need me for?"
Hearing this, Lin Yuqing was silent for a moment before saying, "Ye Chen, your fame has been growing recently, to the point where even well-known international websites have written about your deeds. That’s pretty impressive."
"Eh... just lucky, I guess." Ye Chen touched his nose and let out a dry laugh, not taking the matter too seriously.
"Alright! Since you’re being so modest, then I won’t stand on ceremony either. Actually, I wanted to invite you to tomorrow’s charity auction," said Lin Yuqing in a cheery tone.
At that, Ye Chen furrowed his brows and asked, "Is this charity auction organized by you?"
"Correct. I’m planning to use this auction to promote our store," Lin Yuqing nodded and continued, "I was going to invite you personally, but considering that we haven’t confirmed our relationship yet..."
"If I invite you to such an event, it might lead to misunderstandings. So, I decided it’d be better if one of my friends invited you instead. How does that sound?"
"Sure, I don’t mind as long as I can help you," Ye Chen agreed without hesitation.
"Thank you, Ye Chen," Lin Yuqing said with a smile.
"Do we need to be so formal with each other?" Ye Chen quipped, curling his lip.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Yuqing’s expression turned much gloomier.
Although she invited Ye Chen to the charity auction to foster a closer relationship, there was another layer of meaning to it.
Over the past year, she had grown accustomed to relying on Ye Chen. Suddenly, Ye Chen wasn’t around, and he had even become an internet sensation, making her feel out of sorts, as if something was missing.
Moreover, what she was most worried about was the possibility of Ye Chen being seduced away by other girls, something she would never allow, because besides Ye Chen, she had never loved any other man!
So, she must resolve Ye Chen’s issue as soon as possible, otherwise, she would find no peace.
"Ye Chen, where on earth have you gone? Why haven’t I been able to contact you these past few days? You didn’t go off chasing some other vixen, did you?" Lin Yuqing thought bitterly.
Thinking this, Lin Yuqing felt an urge to confront Ye Chen immediately, but then she reflected that doing so would definitely affect their relationship, so she suppressed her anger and decided to deal with Ye Chen slowly when they met in the evening.
As dusk fell, and with Lin Yuqing eagerly waiting, she finally saw Ye Chen.
"Ye Chen!" Lin Yuqing ran excitedly toward him.
However, before she could even touch Ye Chen, she found herself tightly embraced by him.
Her pretty cheeks instantly turned a deep shade of red, too shy to lift her head.
"Dummy, how have you lost so much weight in just a few days I’ve been away?" Ye Chen, with his arms around her shoulders, spoke tenderly.
"Mmm! I haven’t been eating or sleeping well, so I’ve lost a little weight, but..." Lin Yuqing pursed her lips and asked in a delicate voice, "Why didn’t you call or leave me a message after being away for so long?"
"Well..." Ye Chen stumbled over his words, realizing his neglect.
Seeing Ye Chen’s expression, Lin Yuqing sighed softly and said, "Ye Chen, I hope you can pay more attention to me. No matter what you are doing, I want to be with you."
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen froze and then gave a wry smile, "Yuqing, it’s not that I didn’t want to contact you. The main reason is that I can’t reveal myself right now, so I had to refrain from calling you. I hope you can understand."
"So that’s the case," Lin Yuqing’s eyes reddened, saying with a sense of grievance.
"There, there, it’s my fault. But you know, considering the current situation, I have to be extra cautious. Otherwise, it’s easy for things to go wrong," Ye Chen quickly coaxed her.
Lin Yuqing sniffled her pink cheeks and nodded, "I understand, as long as you don’t forget about me. Oh, by the way, the charity auction I mentioned to you before is starting tomorrow. Are you going to attend?"
"Oh?" Ye Chen raised his eyebrows, asking, "Who’s organizing the charity auction this time?"
Lin Yuqing shook her head, "This charity auction is jointly organized by the Huaxia Commerce Association, Longteng Group, and my parents."
With that, Ye Chen suddenly had an epiphany.
The Lin Family is one of the four major families in Sea City; it made sense for them to hold a charity auction.
"I’ll go tomorrow." After pondering, Ye Chen nodded affirmatively.
"Mhmm!" Lin Yuqing was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Then you rest up first, I’ll arrange for a car to pick you up tomorrow."
Having said that, Lin Yuqing excitedly turned and headed towards the bedroom, seemingly eager to report the good news to her parents.
"Yuqing, wait a minute!"
Just as Lin Yuqing was about to step into the room, Ye Chen suddenly called out to her, asking mysteriously, "Yuqing, if there’s a rich second generation guy who’s very handsome but extremely poor and also likes you, would you be willing to marry him?"
Hearing Ye Chen’s question, Lin Yuqing stopped in her tracks, turned around with a look of surprise, and asked, "Why are you asking this?"
Ye Chen scratched his head awkwardly and stammered, "Er... I just want to create a wonderful marriage opportunity for you!"
"Pfft!" Lin Yuqing covered her mouth and giggled, chiding, "How annoying, you talk like we’re acting in a drama!"
"Alright, go to sleep early, don’t run around," Lin Yuqing instructed.
"At your command, wife!" Ye Chen said with a playful grin.
Hearing herself being called ’wife,’ Lin Yuqing’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and she gave Ye Chen a glance before turning to enter her own room.
Watching Lin Yuqing’s graceful retreating figure, Ye Chen’s heart filled with warmth, murmuring, "My woman, you are forever mine!"
The next day, early in the morning, Ye Chen got up early to wash up and then headed straight to the auction venue.