Chapter 80: Whose Hair Clip Is This?

Friday evening, twilight just beginning to fall.

Tang Ye pushed open the door to his home.

The charred, fragrant scent of sweet and sour pork ribs was wafting from the kitchen.

Qin Lan turned the stove fire down a half-turn, shook the water droplets off her apron, and walked into the living room, tossing her chin toward the sofa: "Sit down."

Tang Ye sat on the sofa, feeling bewildered, "Which daughter of a wealthy family have you scouted for me this time?"

"Stop being glib!" Qin Lan turned and headed to the bedroom; after walking out, she tapped a metal hair clip against the coffee table with a crisp sound, crossed her arms, and struck a pose of interrogation.

"Confess honestly, whose hair clip is this?"

Tang Ye picked up the hair clip to examine it; the hollowed-out butterfly wings shimmered under the light.

"Mom, I think you should ask Dad? I'm rarely at home. You need to be careful. Although you are naturally beautiful, you still need to create a sense of novelty; go to the hair salon to get a stylish haircut, then go to the beauty parlor for some skin care."

There are too many pretty young girls at the hospital. Even though my dad is a bit older, he is a top-notch surgeon and quite popular. You should put more energy into him in the future and manage your marriage well.

As for me, I'll be twenty-eight after the New Year; you don't need to worry about me so much!"

Qin Lan was so angry she didn't know whether to laugh or cry, reaching out as if to pinch his ear, "The hair clip was given to me by your dad. He worked overtime that night and didn't get home until midnight. You were drunk at the time, and he saw this hair clip in the kitchen. Besides, someone also cooked hangover soup for you. You still dare to be dishonest and pin the blame on your dad."

Tang Ye smiled and cupped his hands in a plea for mercy, "Alright, I'll confess to you. The hair clip belongs to a high school classmate. I drank too much at a dinner party that day, and she brought me home. You must not misunderstand; my relationship with her is completely innocent."

Qin Lan stared at Tang Ye thoughtfully for a long time, then turned and walked into the room. After a while, she brought out a photo album and quickly flipped to his high school graduation group photo.

Seeing the group photo, a smile appeared on Tang Ye's face, "I was looking for this photo a few days ago, but I couldn't find it and thought it was lost. So it was you who kept it."

Qin Lan waved her hand, "Stop trying to distract me, hurry up and tell me, which one was it that you brought home that day?"

Tang Ye quickly spotted Xiao Hui in the middle of the second row; he had to admit that even in the photo, Xiao Hui was still the most eye-catching among all the girls.

Qin Lan pointed quickly at Xiao Hui, "Is it her? I remember her name is Xiao Hui. Back in high school, I often heard you mention her. She looked quite bright and spirited. Where does she work now?"

Tang Ye grabbed Qin Lan's finger and moved it to the right side of the third row, "It's her, Du Xi."

Qin Lan was stunned for a moment, her expression somewhat disappointed, "Dark and thin, a very ordinary girl. However, for marriage, you need someone who knows how to live and is steady. This girl has very bright eyes; her character should be good."

Tang Ye chuckled, "She has changed quite a bit now; I almost didn't recognize her before."

Qin Lan looked at Tang Ye playfully, "So, have you taken a fancy to her?"

Tang Ye shook his head, "Just friends, that's all."

Qin Lan struck while the iron was hot, starting her "census" mode, "What do her parents do? What kind of work does she do herself?"

Tang Ye's Adam's apple bobbed, and he said with a smile, "I'm not too sure what her parents do. She is a Police officer."

Hearing that she was a Police officer, Qin Lan's expression stalled, "It would be quite good if the girl were a household registration officer."

Tang Ye added with a smile, "She isn't a household registration officer; she works in the Criminal Investigation Detachment."

Just as Tang Ye expected, Qin Lan's brows furrowed tightly, and she muttered, "A girl working as a criminal investigator, how dangerous that must be? It's not very suitable."

Tang Ye smiled and tucked the hair clip into his pocket, "Alright, report finished. I'll emphasize again, we are just classmates. You hurry to the kitchen; I smell something burning. Is some dish scorched?"

Qin Lan sniffed the air and realized, "Oh my, my fish!"

After Qin Lan finished setting the dishes on the table, Tang Ye took an Agricultural Bank savings card out of his cardholder.

Qin Lan looked at Tang Ye strangely, confused, "What does this mean?"

Tang Ye pushed the bank card across the tabletop, "A beauty fund prepared for you!"

Seeing that Qin Lan refused to take it, he could only smile and tell the truth.

"Didn't I ask you to invest in a clothing factory before? It's the end of the year, and it's time for shareholder dividends. This card is yours; the password is Dad's birthday."

Qin Lan was quite surprised but did not take the card, "I thought I wouldn't see a return on investment for a year or two. I didn't expect the dividends to come so quickly. How much money is in the card?"

Tang Ye played coy, "Why don't you go check it yourself and find out?"

Qin Lan glared at Tang Ye, "Playing mind games with your own mother now." She thought for a moment and pushed the card back to Tang Ye, "You take this money; it was originally prepared for you. I had already prepared myself for the possibility of losing everything."

Tang Ye did not accept it; he stood up and stuffed the card into her pocket, "Take it to buy some cosmetics and go to the beauty parlor for some maintenance. You've gotten a lot of gray hair these past few years."

Seeing her son so concerned about her, Qin Lan felt a lump in her throat and almost shed tears, "I will keep this bank card for you for now; whenever you need it, just tell me."

Tang Ye smiled and picked up a piece of fish to put in his mouth, "The fish really is scorched. But I actually like eating it scorched."

A happy smile appeared on the corners of Qin Lan's mouth, "Making me laugh and cry, do you think that's very interesting?"

Tang Ye waved his hand, "From now on, I won't speak; I'll focus on eating."

Dinner ended.

Qin Lan brought out several bags from the room, containing two bottles of liquor and two cartons of cigarettes, "The New Year is almost here; you need to socialize with your superiors. I happen to have some cigarettes and liquor stored here; you take them and use them."

Tang Ye said with a smile, "I don't give gifts!"

Qin Lan said seriously, "If you don't give them, then I will help you give them! If your dad had interacted more with his superiors back then, he would at least be a Vice President now, and wouldn't have to perform several surgeries every day, each one taking four or five hours—so exhausting."

Tang Ye took the cigarettes and liquor and said with a smile, "What's the point of being a Dean? Professional talents like Dad are rare and precious."

Seeing that Tang Ye had accepted them, Qin Lan said, "You, you will definitely be more successful than your dad."

After dinner, Qin Lan went out for a walk.

Tang Ye received a call from Du Chengfeng.

"Little Tang, I have a few friends coming to my home as guests tomorrow. If you have time, you can come over to accompany us."

"Alright, Secretary Du, I will definitely arrive on time."

Hanging up the phone, Tang Ye wondered if his mother had some sort of precognition; although he hadn't thought about racking his brains to give gifts to Du Chengfeng, he had taken the initiative to ask him to come over.

For a first visit, he certainly couldn't go empty-handed; the cigarettes and liquor would come in handy.

A leader might not accept them, but you cannot fail to offer them; this is the way of the world.

There was movement at the door, and Qin Lan pushed it open, her expression somewhat flustered.

She grabbed Tang Ye's wrist, "I just went to check the balance on the bank card, and there is actually five hundred thousand. Son, you must tell me honestly whether the source of this money is legitimate. You cannot commit a grave mistake because of a moment of greed!"

Tang Ye patted the back of Qin Lan's hand, smiling to soothe her.

"Mom, please rest assured; this money was earned in a perfectly upright manner. When you have time, you can go and visit the factory."

"If nothing goes wrong, next year's dividends could increase several times over!" "Begging for votes and comments! Tomorrow I am going to visit Du Chengfeng's home. I, Yan Dou, have designed a little twist here; it will surface tomorrow. Have any book friends figured it out?"