263: Chapter 263 Qin Yi had complete control over Ye Qingcheng's plans.

Seeing Qin Yi walking over from a distance, Ye Ziming's eyes flickered slightly, knowing that he and Shen Jianan had finished discussing their business. Thus, he immediately adjusted his expression, putting on a radiant smile as he went to meet him, asking curiously, "Young Master Qin, are you two done talking?"

Qin Yi stopped and looked at Ye Ziming, nodding with a calm expression. "Yes, we're done talking." He paused for a moment and added, "By the way, Young Master Ye, the company's corporate account has been opened. I'll send you the account number in a bit. You can prepare to transfer the twenty million in paid-in capital."

"Oh, alright, alright." Hearing this, Ye Ziming's eyes lit up, and he quickly responded, "Do I need to notify Brother Kun and Si Yao?"

Qin Yi thought for a moment and nodded. "That would be good. I still have to talk to Dean Liu about some things later. You go notify them so I don't have to call everyone individually."

"No problem, leave it to me." Ye Ziming agreed readily, then switched to a gossiping expression, asking tentatively, "So, why was Young Miss Si Yao looking for you? Any good news? She seemed to be in quite a good mood when she left."

Qin Yi laughed and waved his hand. "It's nothing major, she just asked me for a small favor."

A trace of imperceptible disappointment flashed through Ye Ziming's eyes, but he quickly masked it. He feigned a relaxed smile and said, "Oh, I see. I thought she had some money-making venture and wasn't including me."

Qin Yi smiled and patted Ye Ziming's shoulder, whispering, "Don't worry, Young Master Ye. If there's really something good, I'll definitely think of you first." As he spoke, he glanced slightly, gesturing for Ye Ziming to look nearby. "By the way, your goddess seems to be in a bad mood. Aren't you going to go comfort her?"

"Huh? What's wrong with Jianan?" Ye Ziming was stunned. Following Qin Yi's gaze, he indeed saw Shen Jianan staring in their direction, her face looking somewhat displeased.

Qin Yi shrugged, indicating he didn't know the specifics. "I wouldn't know that; you'll have to ask her yourself." With that, he started walking into the academy. "Alright, no more chatting. I need to find Dean Liu quickly."

Ye Ziming stood to the side, his gaze wandering between Shen Jianan and Qin Yi, a sense of inexplicable doubt rising in his heart. He felt that the atmosphere between the two seemed to have undergone a subtle change, but he couldn't put his finger on what exactly was wrong.

Frowning, Ye Ziming weighed his options and finally decided to send a voice message to his sister, Ye Qingcheng. He took out his phone, touched the screen, and whispered, "Sister, Jianan and Young Master Qin have finished talking. But why do I feel like Jianan looks a bit unhappy?"

After sending the message, he waited anxiously for a reply. A moment later, the phone screen lit up, and an OK emoji from Ye Qingcheng came into view.

Looking at this simple reply, Ye Ziming's brow furrowed as he muttered with dissatisfaction, "Wait, Sister, that's your only reaction?"

He was about to put his phone away when he suddenly noticed Shen Jianan turning around, her back to him, holding her phone to her ear as if she were taking a call.

"Hello, Captain Ye." Shen Jianan's voice was slightly low.

"Yes, Jianan. How was the talk with Qin Yi?" Ye Qingcheng's voice came from the other end of the phone, carrying a hint of concern.

"Sigh," Shen Jianan sighed, an apologetic look appearing on her face. "Sorry, Captain Ye. I let you down..." She paused, seemingly gathering her thoughts, and then proceeded to detail the contents of her conversation with Qin Yi to Ye Qingcheng.

After listening, Ye Qingcheng was silent for a while before shaking her head helplessly. "It's fine. Qin Yi was never going to be easy to deal with. It's just that it's still unclear whether he truly doesn't know or if he's intentionally hiding something."

"I find it hard to judge as well." Shen Jianan frowned. "At least from the current situation, I couldn't see any obvious flaws."

"Hmm. Has Chen Hu's side found any useful clues?" Ye Qingcheng asked again.

"News came from the municipal bureau this morning. Some footprints were found at Chen Hu's old residence, and several fingerprints were extracted from the bluestone slab where the ledgers were hidden. One and a half of those fingerprints currently have no match. They might have been left by that mysterious person," Shen Jianan answered.

"Good. Then for now, Qin Yi remains the prime suspect." Ye Qingcheng said after a moment of reflection. "It just so happens there's a cocktail party tonight. You and Ziming should attend together. Qin Yi will be there as well; find an opportunity to get his fingerprints."

"Uh... Me and Ye Ziming?" Shen Jianan confirmed with some surprise.

"Yes. This is a centurion black card member's party. Ziming will represent the Ye family. You will go as his date," Ye Qingcheng explained.

Shen Jianan made a face. "Wait, Sister Qingcheng, isn't that reason a bit too far-fetched? A man as shrewd as Qin Yi, how could he possibly believe such nonsense?"

"What are you thinking?" Ye Qingcheng chuckled. "Sending you to the party isn't to fool Qin Yi. I've received word that Chu Weiguo of the Chutian Group, as well as Zhang Min, the third of the Hongmen Quartet, will be attending on behalf of Chu Weimin from Hong Kong Island. As Chen Mo said, that Zhang Min is a master of hidden weapons. I'm worried that with the Hongmen Quartet exposed, Chu Weimin might make a move on Chu Weiguo prematurely."

"So that's how it is." A flash of understanding crossed Shen Jianan's eyes. She nodded slightly, her face taking on a serious expression. "Then Sister Qingcheng, how should I cooperate?"

"Don't worry. You two just play your roles well. I'll arrange everything else in the shadows," Ye Qingcheng instructed. "Also, keep an eye out to see if there's any contact between Qin Yi and Zhang Min."

"Alright, I understand."

"Good. That's all then. I've already briefed Ziming about the party. You two prepare well and don't show any flaws at the event."

"Yes." The call ended. Shen Jianan let out a long breath, then turned and walked toward Ye Ziming.

Seeing Shen Jianan approach, Ye Ziming's face immediately broke into a wide smile as he went to meet her. "Jianan, finished with your call?"

Shen Jianan glanced at him and nodded calmly. "Yes. Has Sister Qingcheng briefed you on tonight's party?"

Ye Ziming nodded. "Yes, she has."

"Alright then." Shen Jianan nodded helplessly, then asked, "So, what do we do next?"

Ye Ziming thought for a moment, looked at Shen Jianan, and asked with a face full of smiles, "Um, Jianan, do you have an evening gown for the party?"

Shen Jianan shook her head. "No."

"Then, jewelry or a bag for the banquet?"

Shen Jianan shook her head again. "None of those either."

"Alright then, it's still early. Let's go prepare the clothes and jewelry for the party first." He rubbed his hands excitedly, as if he could already see himself in a magnificent suit, leading Shen Jianan by the hand into the party venue.

However, Shen Jianan's next words were like a bucket of cold water. "Is it really necessary to go to all that trouble? I think just wearing whatever is fine."

"Oh, that won't do!" Ye Ziming waved his hands hurriedly. "This is a centurion black card party; everyone coming will be billionaires. We have to dress decently so we don't embarrass... uh, I mean, so we don't show any flaws." As he spoke, a cunning light flashed in his eyes. "Besides, I happen to know a few good dress shops and jewelry stores. We can go pick some out."

Looking at Ye Ziming's enthusiastic appearance, Shen Jianan thought for a moment and felt his suggestion wasn't entirely without merit. Thus, she nodded. "Fine, since you're so insistent, let's go."

Hearing this, Ye Ziming's eyes instantly lit up. "Great! Let's go now!" As he spoke, he couldn't wait to reach out and take Shen Jianan's hand, only to have his wrist caught by her in a swift grappling move.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Ye Ziming cried out in pain, his face contorted. "It hurts, it hurts... easy, easy..."

Shen Jianan looked at him coldly, a warning light flashing in her eyes. "Ye Ziming, I'm warning you, we are in a cooperative relationship right now. You'd better not have any improper thoughts. If you dare to try anything, don't blame me for being ruthless." Having said that, she eased her grip and gave him a shove, causing Ye Ziming to stumble forward a couple of steps.

After steadying himself, Ye Ziming rubbed his aching wrist and looked at Shen Jianan with a bitter smile. "Oh, you've misunderstood. I just wanted to practice our act in advance. We'll definitely have to act very close at the party tonight. If we don't even hold hands, wouldn't it be easy to blow our cover?"

Shen Jianan's brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this, but it soon smoothed out. "Hmph~" She let out a soft snort and glanced sideways at Ye Ziming with a half-smile. "Drop the act. Do you think I don't know what's on your mind? When it's time to act, I'll naturally cooperate. But until then, if you dare to get touchy again, don't blame me for really being ruthless."

"Alright, alright, I get it." Seeing this, Ye Ziming quickly raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. "I promise I won't do anything out of line again. So, shall we head out to get our gear now?"

Shen Jianan nodded, her gaze once again sweeping toward the School of Economics, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. However, she said no more and simply walked quickly toward the parking lot. Seeing this, Ye Ziming hurried to follow.

...

At this moment, from a window seat inside the academy, Qin Yi wore wireless Bluetooth earbuds and hid in the shadows, watching Shen Jianan and Ye Ziming depart. On his phone screen was the real-time feed from a Miniature Bionic Tracker.

"Fingerprints..." Qin Yi murmured to himself, recalling the scene of his visit to Chen Hu's old residence that night. At the time, he hadn't thought much of it; perhaps he really had left some traces behind. It seemed he would have to be careful at tonight's party.