170: Chapter 170 A Surprise Called an Unexpected Encounter (Part 1)

Ye Ziming slammed on the brakes, and the rolls-royce cullinan came to an instant halt.

Ye Qingcheng, sitting in the back, pitched forward unexpectedly. Fortunately, she reacted quickly, bracing herself against the back of the front seat to steady her body. She looked forward through the windshield, a trace of displeasure flashing across her face, though she quickly regained her composure.

Ye Ziming was also full of displeasure. As he reached out to unbuckle his seatbelt, he muttered, "Damn it, do you even know how to drive?!"

The people living in this residential complex were all from the Shanghai public security sector. Ye Qingcheng was worried that her younger brother, being young and hot-headed, might act impulsively and without discretion, causing some trouble. Thus, she pushed the door open and got out of the car.

At this moment, the door of the Jeep SUV opened, and Shen Jianan stepped out. She turned around, only to see that the people getting out of the car behind were not Xing Zhenkun, but a man and a woman. The man looked somewhat familiar, and a trace of confusion flashed in her eyes; she felt as if she had seen him somewhere before.

"Officer Shen?" The moment Shen Jianan got out of the car, Ye Ziming noticed her. His expression immediately shifted from gloomy to bright, and he put on a joyful look, walking up to her quickly. He continued, "Hello, Officer Shen. I really didn't expect to run into you here. Is this your car? It's pretty cool!"

Shen Jianan frowned, looking at him with confusion. Her gaze then shifted to the license plate of the cullinan. After confirming it was indeed Xing Zhenkun's car, she looked at Ye Ziming, full of doubt: "Isn't this car Xing Zhenkun's? Who are you? How do you know my name?"

Ye Ziming was stunned. He hadn't expected that even though they had met just yesterday, Shen Jianan didn't recognize him, which made him feel a bit annoyed. But then he thought about it and consoled himself—perhaps it was because it was too dark that night, and given the complicated situation, it was normal that Shen Jianan hadn't remembered him.

Thinking this, Ye Ziming smiled sheepishly and replied, "Oh, that's right, it's Brother Kun's. I borrowed it to drive." He paused and continued, "Officer Shen, we just met last night, have you forgotten? At the entrance of Nightlife Bar, I was with Brother Kun."

Hearing him say this, Shen Jianan recalled the scene from last night.

"Oh, so it's you. Sorry, I thought Xing Zhenkun was driving, so I blocked your path. I'll move it right away." Saying this, she turned around, preparing to get back into her car.

"It's fine, it's fine..." Ye Ziming hurriedly waved his hand.

At this point, Ye Qingcheng also walked over. She had naturally heard the conversation between her younger brother and Shen Jianan. At this moment, she looked at the two with curiosity and asked, "Ziming, what's going on?" As she spoke, her gaze landed on Shen Jianan, and she asked with interest, "And who is this?"

Shen Jianan stopped and looked at Ye Qingcheng with confusion. Ye Ziming quickly introduced her to Ye Qingcheng: "Oh, sis, let me introduce you. This is Shen Jianan, Officer Shen." After introducing Shen Jianan, he thought about introducing his sister to her.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Ye Qingcheng heard Shen Jianan's name, she stepped forward immediately, looking at Shen Jianan with curiosity. "Shen Jianan? You wouldn't happen to be the daughter of Director Shen, Shen Zhendong, would you?"

Hearing the other party suddenly mention her father, Shen Jianan's heart skipped a beat. She had a vague guess and looked at Ye Qingcheng with some confusion, nodding gently, "Yes, that's right. And you are?"

Ye Qingcheng smiled and reached out, initiating a handshake with Shen Jianan. "Hello, Young Miss Shen. Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself—my name is Ye Qingcheng, Ye Ziming's sister, his biological one." As she spoke, she gestured toward Ye Ziming, who was standing to the side.

"Oh, hello." Shen Jianan returned the smile and continued to ask, "How did you know my father is Shen Zhendong? I don't think I've ever met you before." In truth, she already had a guess in her heart, but she still wanted to confirm it.

"Haha, naturally, Uncle Shen told me." As she spoke, Ye Qingcheng continued, "Did Uncle Shen not tell you that guests would be visiting your home tonight?"

"Uh," Shen Jianan looked slightly embarrassed. She looked at the two and explained, "He did mention it, but he didn't specify who. Since you are guests, let's not chat here; it'll cause a traffic jam soon. My building is just up ahead, let's go there together." She pointed to a building not far away.

"Alright! I'll drive and follow you," Ye Ziming replied with a smile.

So, the three got back into their cars and continued driving forward. In her car, Shen Jianan's expression was very grim. She drove while feeling secretly annoyed. On one hand, it was because of her embarrassing behavior just now; on the other, she was annoyed that her father hadn't told her who the guests were tonight. If she had known it was Ye Ziming, the one who blocked her path last night, she would have preferred to stay at the office writing a self-criticism report rather than coming home so early.

She really wanted to run away, but since she was already at her doorstep, making up an excuse to escape now wouldn't be right. With no other choice, she had to bite the bullet and slowly drive the car to the building downstairs.

Inside that rolls-royce cullinan, Ye Qingcheng looked at Ye Ziming, who was driving with a silly grin on his face, with a scrutinizing gaze. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Ziming, are you hiding something from me?"

"Uh," Ye Ziming felt guilty but tried to remain calm as he replied, "No... how could I possibly hide anything from you, sis?"

"No? Are you sure?" Ye Qingcheng trusted her intuition. Ye Ziming's reaction today was very strange; everything from his clothing style to the gifts he bought seemed odd.

"Really, no..." As Ye Ziming spoke, seeing that Shen Jianan's Jeep SUV had stopped, he immediately found an empty parking space and backed into it. Without giving Ye Qingcheng a chance to continue pressing him, he quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, got out, and hurriedly opened the trunk, making a move to unload the pile of gifts he had prepared.

Ye Ziming's reaction only confirmed Ye Qingcheng's suspicions. She opened her door and got out, just in time to run into Shen Jianan again.

"Sis, come give me a hand," Ye Ziming's voice came from behind the car.

Ye Qingcheng walked over upon hearing this, and Shen Jianan curiously followed. The two walked around to the back of the car and saw cigarettes, alcohol, tea leaves, sea cucumber, and two red gold-stamped gift bags in the trunk, all of which looked like expensive items.

Shen Jianan frowned slightly and hurriedly refused on her father's behalf, "Why did you buy so many things? My dad never accepts gifts. You shouldn't take these up; otherwise, you'll just have to bring them back down later."

However, Ye Ziming did not heed Shen Jianan's advice. He took the initiative to lift the case of alcohol, a smile still on his face. "Hey, this is just a token of our appreciation as Juniors. It wouldn't be right to visit someone's home empty-handed." After saying this, he turned to his sister, Ye Qingcheng. "Sis, help me out and carry those things."

Ye Qingcheng looked at her brother with an amused expression. Ye Ziming's polite and courteous reaction made her feel that her brother was definitely hiding something from her. Could it be that her brother had taken a liking to this Shen Jianan? However, judging by Shen Jianan's attitude, she didn't seem to have any feelings for her brother.

Thinking this, Ye Qingcheng sighed silently in her heart. She stepped forward and took the cigarettes, tea, sea cucumber, and the gift bags containing the two necklaces out of the trunk. Then, she looked at Shen Jianan with a smile and chimed in, supporting her brother's words. "My brother is right. Don't misunderstand, Miss Shen; we aren't here to ask Director Shen for any favors. Although this is our first time meeting, my grandfather and Uncle Shen are old acquaintances. Uncle Shen used to be a soldier under my grandfather's command. So, we came here today to visit Uncle Shen on his behalf. If we came empty-handed, my grandfather would surely scold us severely later."

"My dad was a soldier under your grandfather? I'm really sorry, I truly didn't know about this connection." As she spoke, Shen Jianan hurriedly stepped forward to help Ye Qingcheng carry the items, continuing, "Let me help you with those."

Ye Qingcheng smiled and refused, "No need, it looks like a lot, but it's actually not that heavy. Let's go up, shall we? Uncle Shen is probably getting impatient waiting."

"Hmm, alright then, follow me." The three walked into the building entrance, with Shen Jianan leading the way. In the elevator, Shen Jianan didn't know what to say, and the atmosphere was slightly awkward. Fortunately, it wasn't a high floor, and the three soon arrived at the seventh floor.

Shen Jianan took out the keys from her bag and opened the door. At this moment, Shen Zhendong was brewing tea in the living room. Upon hearing the commotion, he immediately stood up. As the door opened, he saw two people following behind Shen Jianan, and a look of joy immediately appeared on his face. "Qingcheng, you've arrived! I was just thinking that I should go down to meet you in case you couldn't find the building number."

"Haha, Uncle Shen, you are too kind. It's quite a coincidence; we ran into little sister Jianan as soon as we entered the complex, so we just came up together." Ye Qingcheng replied with a smile, then handed over the gifts she was holding. "Uncle Shen, I've been busy all afternoon and couldn't get away, so I let Ziming buy a bit of everything. I don't know if you'll like them."

"Cough, just having you here is enough, why bring things? You really shouldn't have." Looking at the items, Shen Zhendong hurriedly tried to decline.

At this point, Ye Ziming placed the case of moutai by the door, looked at Shen Zhendong, and enthusiastically reached out to shake his hand. "Hello, Uncle. My name is Ye Ziming, and I'm very happy to meet you. When I was in the capital, I often heard my grandfather mention you, saying how outstanding you were in the army back then. I have admired you for a long time. It's such a pleasure to finally meet you today!"

Listening to Ye Ziming's flattering words, a slight embarrassment washed over Ye Qingcheng's face. She complained silently in her heart: Since when did my brother become so thick-skinned? Why didn't I hear Grandfather mention anything about Director Shen's time in the army when I was in the capital?

Shen Jianan raised an eyebrow as she looked at Ye Ziming, thinking to herself: How are you so different from the hooligan-like image you had last night? Not only do you have a way with words, but even your style of dress is different from yesterday—you look so mature and steady. This couldn't help but leave Shen Jianan feeling stunned; she didn't know which one was the real him...

Shen Zhendong smiled as he sized up Ye Ziming. He saw that the young man was handsome and had an imposing aura; he was truly a talent, completely different from the rumors in town that Old Master Ye's grandson was a playboy. He gripped Ye Ziming's hand tightly, patted the back of his hand, and said very happily, "Good, good, good! So you are Qingcheng's younger brother! You are truly a talent! The look between your brows is really similar to your grandfather when he was young! Please, sit, please sit!"

Just then, Shen Jianan's mother walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray. Seeing that her daughter and the guests had arrived, she hurriedly placed the tray on the dining table and walked over with a warm, beaming smile. "Oh my, I'm sorry. I was in the kitchen, and the range hood was so loud that I didn't hear you come back." As she spoke, she stepped forward and enthusiastically took Ye Qingcheng's hand, greeting her as if they were old friends. "Qingcheng, you've finally arrived. It's been so many years, and you've grown into a beautiful young woman. You look so lovely, it's hard not to like you."

Upon hearing this praise, Ye Qingcheng couldn't help but blush slightly. She smiled and hugged Shen Jianan's mother, then politely replied, "Auntie, you haven't changed much either. You're still just as young and beautiful, as elegant as ever."

"Hahaha, Qingcheng, you really know how to talk." Shen Jianan's mother was a bit embarrassed by the compliment, but her smile grew even brighter. "How could I not have changed? Look at Jianan, she's already working, and I'm getting old. Time spares no one." As she said this, she looked at Ye Ziming, who was standing to the side, her eyes sparkling with surprise and curiosity. "This must be Old Master Ye's grandson, right? Truly handsome and a fine talent!"

Hearing Shen Jianan's mother's praise, Ye Ziming couldn't help but scratch his head in embarrassment, then politely greeted her, "Hello, Auntie. My name is Ye Ziming."

"Good, good, good. Ziming, that's a great name; it sounds like a spirited young man." Shen Jianan's mother looked Ye Ziming up and down, growing more satisfied the more she looked. "You look spirited too. How old are you this year? What is your zodiac sign? Do you have a partner?" Her barrage of questions caught Ye Ziming off guard, but it also livened up the atmosphere.

"Auntie, you aren't planning on setting our Ziming up with someone, are you?" Ye Qingcheng replied with a smile, though her gaze shifted toward Shen Jianan.

Shen Jianan shook her head helplessly while changing her shoes. She didn't know what was wrong with her mother; perhaps she had been spending too much time with the retired ladies downstairs. Whenever she saw a young man, she would immediately ask about his age, zodiac sign, and whether he had a partner.

Although Ye Ziming was a bit bewildered by this "three-axe" interrogation, since it was Shen Jianan's mother asking—and she might be his future mother-in-law—he hurriedly answered one by one. "Auntie, I'm 23 this year, and my zodiac sign is the Dragon." As he spoke, he snuck a glance at Shen Jianan, who was standing to the side and had remained silent the whole time, before continuing, "I, uh, am currently single. I don't have a partner."

Shen Jianan noticed Ye Ziming's gaze toward her. Recalling the events of last night, she couldn't help but frown slightly, thinking to herself: 'Wait, dude, you're single and don't have a partner, so why are you looking at me? Don't you dare hit on me; I have absolutely no feelings for you...'

Ye Ziming's little move didn't escape the eyes of Shen Jianan's mother, and she laughed even more happily. "Oh, good, the zodiac sign is good, and the age is good. It doesn't matter if you don't have a partner; Auntie will introduce you to someone later. Young people should take advantage of their youth to date more and enjoy their youth." As she spoke, she looked at Shen Zhendong and continued, "Hey, everyone, stop standing around, sit down. Old Shen, go brew some tea for the guests. Nannan, don't just stand there, hurry up and get some fruit for the guests." As she said this, she warmly greeted Ye Qingcheng and Ye Ziming. "You two sit down first, don't be polite, just make yourselves at home. I'm going to check on the meat stewing in the kitchen." With that, she turned and walked back to the kitchen.