Bonarson personally came to greet the couple, which left Su Qingyu flattered as if a big star had invited her to dinner, almost impossible to refuse. However, she still politely declined Bonarson’s kindness because, after all, a honeymoon is a private affair for a woman. Su Qingyu only wanted to have a world of their own with Ye Shikai, so she rejected his gesture.
"Bonarson, since that’s the case, let’s just go and have fun on our own then. Thank you for your kindness," Ye Shikai also noticed Su Qingyu’s thoughts. Bonarson, being a business senior, made Su Qingyu hesitant to voice her refusal, so Ye Shikai said it for her.
"Well, I wish you both a happy journey in France," Bonarson instructed the people around him that in case the couple encountered any troubles in France, they must be handled immediately and any needs should be fully met.
"Thank you very much." Ye Shikai gave a slight smile and nodded. The French value politeness greatly, so naturally, Ye Shikai brought Bonarson a gift – a porcelain piece from the Song Dynasty, a valuable antique. It’s said that the Western obsession with Huaxia porcelains can be described as crazy and Bonarson was no exception, with a large collection of porcelain in his house.
Ye Shikai drove a car belonging to Netherworld Palace, escorting Su Qingyu out of the airport. Along the way, Su Qingyu seemed very happy and also couldn’t contain her excitement.
"What’s got you so excited," Ye Shikai said with a smile.
"Not at all," Su Qingyu replied, her pretty face blushing straight away as if her girlish secret had been poked through. In truth, Su Qingyu’s thought was simple: Bonarson’s large-scale welcome was naturally because of Ye Shikai’s power. As a wife, seeing her husband so imposing naturally made her genuinely happy. On the other hand, this honeymoon was something Su Qingyu had long looked forward to.
"Where are we going now?" Su Qingyu quickly changed the subject.
"Let’s go to my place," Ye Shikai turned the steering wheel. The place he mentioned was his property in France, a medium-sized manor. When Ye Shikai was abroad, if he wasn’t at Netherworld Palace, he would usually stay here.
"Wow." Entering the manor, Su Qingyu couldn’t help but exclaim. Although medium-sized, it was large in her view. With the manor, vineyard, and all sorts of facilities, it was like an Eden compared to the precious square inch land of Yanjing metropolis, especially for someone like Su Qingyu who was always under a high-intensity work rhythm, this vacation spot was simply a paradise.
There were quite a few servants in the manor, of course, all belonged to Netherworld Palace. Ye Shikai parked the car in the garage and carried out the luggage.
"Netherworld King, welcome home." Suddenly, a white-skinned beautiful woman dressed as a maid came out, followed by several attendants.
"Pena, long time no see," Ye Shikai said with a slight smile in fluent French as he handed over the suitcase.
"Let me introduce my wife, Su Qingyu."
"So this beautiful lady is the Netherworld Empress, it’s nice to meet you for the first time." Pena bent slightly and bowed.
"Qingyu, let’s go up," Ye Shikai took Su Qingyu’s hand and walked into the mansion. Inside, like outside, there were many maids cleaning, and the furniture style and décor were all purely Western.
"Who is that woman?" Inside the master bedroom, Su Qingyu closed the door, and her previously smiling face immediately became serious, entering "interrogation mode."
"Woman? Who are you talking about?" Ye Shikai was confused, not understanding why Su Qingyu suddenly got angry.
"That one... that... woman." Su Qingyu almost blurted out foul words, her pretty face turning red, not knowing how to describe it.
"Are you talking about... Pena?"
"Who else could it be?" Su Qingyu snorted coldly, sitting on the bed with steaming anger.
"I thought it was someone else. Pena is my steward. During my absence, she has been managing everything diligently," Ye Shikai said with a smile, but he also felt puzzled. Pena and Su Qingyu were meeting for the first time, why did they seem like sworn enemies?
"A steward, there are so many stewards in the world, but you just had to choose a beautiful one."
"Haha, I thought it was something serious," Ye Shikai paused for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter, realizing after all this time, Su Qingyu was jealous. He didn’t know when she had become so possessive.
"You dare to laugh," Su Qingyu grabbed a pillow and flung it at him, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Pena was arranged by Ghost, for my safety, and Pena is also one of his trusted aides. Over the years, this manor owes much to her," Ye Shikai sat down as well, explaining to Su Qingyu. In reality, Ghost’s considerations went beyond these; when Ji Qian was with Ye Shikai, Ghost deliberately arranged the beautiful Pena to be Ye Shikai’s steward, another reason was to serve him. However, Ye Shikai, being respectable to himself, did not have an affair with her.
"You’re still defending her."
"Alright, alright, let’s not talk about her, okay?" Seeing that Su Qingyu was still angry, Ye Shikai quickly changed the subject and internally complained, as expected, a woman in love is unreasonable.
"It’s still early now, let me show you around the manor," Ye Shikai took Su Qingyu for a stroll in the manor, the large swimming pool right behind the mansion, followed by a garden with lavender, tulips, and various other flowers. All these were tended by Pena, and Su Qingyu’s impression of her might have slightly changed. Regardless of anything else, Pena’s contribution to the manor was clear to see.
"Beyond here is the vineyard, let’s go," Ye Shikai drove a sightseeing cart, taking Su Qingyu into the vineyard where dozens of workers were picking fresh grapes. These grapes were mostly used for making wine. With Pena’s management, the manor had wine-making equipment and a cellar for storage. Of course, some of this wine was sold, and some were consumed by the people at the manor.
"This place is really beautiful," Su Qingyu said with a smile, viewing the scene before her. Turning her head, she suddenly pinched Ye Shikai’s arm and huffed, "Hmph, with such a large estate, I really thought you were poor back then."
"Back then, even if I told you, you wouldn’t have believed it," Ye Shikai smiled faintly, reminiscing about the dramatic past. That seemingly ordinary, poorly educated young man turned out to be a hidden tycoon, deceiving everyone.