Chapter 278: What Do You Think I Am?

Beijing International Airport, Li Ye and Wang Qiangqiang got off the plane.

"Bro, it only took three hours to get to Beijing—so amazing."

"The lunch on the plane was so good, I couldn't resist having two portions. Do you think the flight attendants laughed at me?"

"Bro, my ears are ringing a bit—yours too?"

"."

Wang Qiangqiang had never flown before and was overjoyed the whole trip, but since there were so many strangers around, he had to pretend to be calm and composed. Now that they were off the plane, the quiet guy suddenly turned into a chatterbox.

"That's how planes are—save time. In a few more years, we'll be able to fly anywhere we want."

"As long as you don't care about being laughed at, people who don't know you are just a joke. So eat as much as you want."

"My ears are ringing too, but that's normal."

Li Ye didn't mock his brother—he patiently explained each point until he spotted Jin Peng and Li Yue waiting to pick them up.

He stared at Li Yue in surprise and asked with a smile, "Sis, you didn't just follow me to Beijing right after I left Qingshui County, did you?"

Li Ye had told Li Yue to get her driver's license and come to Beijing, but it had been less than ten days—yet here she was already.

"Hmph~"

Li Yue gave Li Ye a side-eye, pulled out her driver's license, waved it in front of him, and snorted proudly.

Li Ye deliberately blinked and teased, "Sis, did you buy this license?"

Li Yue finally got angry: "Buy it? I passed on my first try! I'm the one who taught you how to drive a tractor!"

"Hahahaha~"

The three of them laughed as they left the terminal and got into the Volga outside.

Li Yue excitedly climbed into the driver's seat, turned the key, and started the car—actually looked like she knew what she was doing.

Jin Peng said, "Your sister drove all the way from Qingshui County to Beijing. We've got several cars now, so I let her use this one to practice. Today's excuse for coming to pick you up was just to show off."

Li Yue in the driver's seat immediately turned her head: "Who are you calling out?"

Jin Peng hurriedly said, "Oops, I messed up—Little Yue, don't get mad, watch the road!"

Li Yue drove the Volga all the way to Zaojunmiao. Though she mishandled the car a few times, Li Ye dared not say a word.

When a woman is driving, unless you're her instructor, don't open your mouth. Talking won't help—it might even make her mess up and give you a massage with the steering wheel.

When they reached Zaojunmiao, Li Ye had just stepped out of the car when he heard noise from inside the courtyard.

"Dang~"

"Woof woof woof~"

"Gogogogo~"

"Dang~"

"Woof woof woof woof woof~"

"Gogogogo~"

Li Ye's heart leapt. He tiptoed inside and found Wen Leyu crouched in front of the big yellow dog "Bapulofu," holding a small copper gong, wiggling her little butt with glee.

The gong was clearly well-maintained—not only polished to a shine, but the ropes and handle were wrapped in bright red festive fabric.

When Wen Leyu left Qingshui County, she carefully tucked this little gong into her personal shoulder bag, treating it more seriously than anything else.

In short, this tiny gong was a precious memento marking the turning point in Li Ye and Wen Leyu's relationship.

Li Ye crept up behind Wen Leyu and covered her eyes with his hands.

"Guess who I am?"

"."

"I guess you're Bapulofu! Hahahaha~"

Wen Leyu stiffened for only a second, then turned around and teased Li Ye right back, leaving him thoroughly annoyed.

So he rubbed her little head hard, messing up her hair into a bird's nest. The girl spun around and pummeled him with tiny fists.

But after just a few punches, she spotted Li Yue smiling behind her.

"Sister Li Yue, you're here."

Wen Leyu was Wen Leyu—even with her hair in a bird's nest, she stood up gracefully and greeted Li Yue.

Behind them, Jin Peng grabbed Wang Qiangqiang and pulled him out of the courtyard gate.

Li Yue stepped forward and smiled at Wen Leyu: "Hey, you've gotten a bit plumper since I last saw you over a year ago!"

Wen Leyu obediently replied, "Yes! Eating well every day with Li Ye—I just keep gaining weight."

"Mm-hmm, the more you gain, the better. Come here, let me comb your hair—Li Ye's been messing it up."

Li Yue took Wen Leyu inside to comb her hair, but her eyes darted around like a spy, searching for clues.

After arriving in Beijing, Jin Peng had placed her in a sihe courtyard near Di'anmen Hospital—she'd never been to this Zaojunmiao house before.

Now, since Wen Leyu clearly had a key, Li Yue had to check whether her brother was behaving properly.

After careful observation, Li Yue confirmed her brother was still "honest"—only one pillow and one blanket on the bed, no women's slippers on the floor.

But then Li Yue asked the question that mattered.

"Do you come here often?"

"Yes! It's close to school. Sometimes Li Ye and I come here for snacks. Also, Li Ye built a bathroom—I sometimes come to use it."

"."

A few minutes later, Li Yue toured the fully renovated bathroom and found Wen Leyu's complete set of toiletries inside.

【Well well~ These two are already living like a little couple.】

Li Yue was both amused and annoyed, wondering whether she should report this to their family and let Li Zhong, the big boss, decide.

But she never expected Wen Leyu had already preemptively eased her doubts.

"Sister Li Yue, this house isn't usually occupied by many people. Would you like to pick a room to stay in?"

"Me staying here… wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

Li Yue hesitated—if she interfered, she might ruin her brother's happiness and turn them into enemies.

But Wen Leyu said, "No, if you live here, I can come over to eat and bathe without anyone gossiping."

Li Ye's sister smiled awkwardly: "I'll ask Li Ye—he's stubborn. If I upset him, it'll be trouble."

Li Ye was called over. When Li Yue explained, he frowned at his sister, clearly displeased.

This little hideaway was his and Wen Leyu's private space. Even Wang Qiangqiang knew Li Ye came here on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays—and would leave early to avoid being in the way. Now if his sister came, wouldn't that ruin their quiet intimacy?

But Wen Leyu said seriously, "Li Ye, you know Lu Gang got expelled, right?"

"After my mom found out, she nagged me nonstop about reputation. It's so annoying—I thought I wouldn't be allowed to come here for stir-fries anymore!"

"But if Sister Li Yue lives here, my mom will be fine with me coming over to bathe and eat."

Li Ye rolled his eyes several times—he hadn't expected Lu Gang's incident to draw such high attention from Teacher Ke. She'd never said a word when he and Wen Leyu were affectionate before.

But now…

What do you all think I am? Do you really think I'd do something like that?

I haven't even trained her properly yet—why the rush?

…………

Li Ye didn't return to Beijing University with Wen Leyu until the third day after arriving in Beijing.

The university debate team had been practicing feverishly, but Li Ye wasn't in a hurry.

Fighting for the national championship against other schools meant nothing compared to savoring the sweetness of being reunited with Wen Leyu after their brief separation.

Li Ye had agreed to join the debate team and prepare for the summer competition mainly because Wen Leyu promised to train with him—if she hadn't, he might not have joined at all.

"Li Ye, you're finally back! A foreign guest has been waiting for you for four or five days. Why are you late?"

"Foreign guest?"

Li Ye thought hard but couldn't guess who it might be. "Where's this guest from? What do they want with me?"

"From Lijiapō. Originally they just contacted the university about buying the rights to 'The Lonely Garrison of Wangxiang' for a movie. But when they found out you're Qiucun Dao Feng, they decided to stay."

"From Lijiapō?"

Li Ye's heart tightened—he remembered Wu Jinyuan, that forceful woman.

Could it be her? What are the odds?

"Has the university agreed to sell them the rights yet?"

"Not yet—but it's almost done. Actually, this guest came to Beijing to negotiate TV drama imports. Visiting our university was just a side trip. No one expected it would lead to this deal."

"TV drama imports?"

Li Ye recalled—Lijiapō's TV dramas began being imported into the mainland around 1983–84, and several became huge hits.

Li Ye thought for a moment, then set it aside and began preparing for the debate competition as usual.

In the afternoon, he saw Wu Jinyuan walking toward him from across the courtyard through the activity room window.

"Hey, Old Yang, how did that foreign guest find out I'm Qiucun Dao Feng?"

"From photos! There's a group photo on the wall of your Lonely Garrison Literary Society—she spotted you right away. Your face is just that likable!"

So it was him she was after.

Wen Leyu noticed Li Ye's unease and leaned in quietly: "What's wrong?"

Li Ye nodded toward the approaching Wu Jinyuan: "That woman is one of the translators of 'A Song of Ice and Fire.' She offered two hundred thousand dollars for the translation rights—I refused."

Wen Leyu reacted instantly: "So she's here to buy from us? Wait—you said how much?"

Li Ye said clearly: "Two hundred thousand. Dollars."

Wen Leyu froze, then began rapidly calculating in her head.

Three one three one one—she and Teacher Ke took two shares, adding up to over a hundred thousand dollars!

Wen Leyu grabbed Li Ye and ran.

"Hey, why are you running, Xiao Yu?"

"If you won't sell to her, there must be your reason—you need to explain it to me first, so I don't get tricked by someone."

Li Ye smiled and said: "Need I say it? She thinks the price is too low!"

"Twenty thousand dollars isn't much."

Wen Leyu nodded vigorously, then excitedly said: "Then tell me, how much should we sell it for?"

Li Ye slowly shook his head and told Wen Leyu: "We won't sell—it's a loss if we do."

Wen Leyu froze for a moment, as if she could already see wads of dollars flying out of her pocket.

But after a moment of hesitation, she followed her husband's lead: "Right, we won't sell—we won't lose anything by holding on."

(End of Chapter)