The Temptation of CEO's Pregnant Ex-Wife
Chapter 317: He Family’s Mingzhu

Chapter 317: Chapter 317: He Family’s Mingzhu

"Mom can agree to this, but you must also protect yourself," Cheng Zhiwei cautioned; after all, Zhou Ruoki was Seo Zhenzhen’s son, and although he seemed harmless on the surface, Cheng Zhiwei dared not take him lightly.

But she couldn’t squelch the child’s kindness; for Zhou Ruoki, it was only fair.

"Thank you, Mom," Cheng Xing perked up immediately.

Cheng Yang was very unhappy about Cheng Xing and Zhou Ruoki playing together; he felt that Cheng Xing had "betrayed" him, so for several days he was offhand with Cheng Xing, acting sarcastic. Whenever Cheng Xing approached him for anything, he would tell Cheng Xing to go find Zhou Ruoki, picking up some bad habits from who knows where.

Cheng Zhiwei gave him a good scolding once, and that improved things a bit.

Another week passed, and Cheng Zhiwei received another call from Yu Shuhua, who acted as if nothing had happened before and invited Cheng Zhiwei out to dinner.

Cheng Zhiwei, having a rare day off, wanted to stay home with her kids and declined.

"My car is right downstairs at your place. If Miss Cheng doesn’t come down, I’ll just come up," Yu Shuhua said.

The threat was very clear.

Cheng Zhiwei had no choice but to agree, changed her clothes, went downstairs, and got in the car. She said indifferently, "I thought we had cleared up everything last time, Auntie."

"Xiao Ye’s sister is here. As Xiao Ye’s girlfriend, you really should meet her," Yu Shuhua said.

As the driver set the car in motion, Yu Shuhua, speaking in a neither-too-loud-nor-too-soft, domineering tone, said, "Xiao Ye’s sister, He Mingzhu, is now the president of the company—an extremely capable woman whom I highly admire."

Cheng Zhiwei responded indifferently with an "Oh."

After the last incident, she had come to know what Yu Shuhua was like and thus knew that today’s meal would likely be fraught with danger.

She thought she should inform He Ye.

Just as she pulled out her phone, Yu Shuhua had already said, "I’ve informed Xiao Ye, but he’s tied up with some work and will be a bit late. Miss Cheng doesn’t mind, right?"

"I don’t mind," Cheng Zhiwei replied blandly.

Arriving at the restaurant, Yu Shuhua led Cheng Zhiwei to a private room.

Already seated in the room were two people, a man and a woman. The woman, dressed in a crisp white business suit with short, sharp hair and meticulous makeup, was indeed a very capable woman, just as Yu Shuhua had said. Seated beside her was a man whose demeanor was very respectful toward He Mingzhu, likely her secretary.

Upon entering, Cheng Zhiwei immediately felt He Mingzhu’s gaze on her; it was both assessing and scrutinous, and not at all pleasant.

"Madam," He Mingzhu’s secretary nodded toward Yu Shuhua but did not stand up.

Cheng Zhiwei clearly saw Yu Shuhua’s hand clench and then relax quickly; she smiled and said, "Mingzhu, this is Cheng Zhiwei, whom I’ve mentioned to you."

"Zhiwei, this is Xiao Ye’s sister, Mingzhu of the He family."

From just these two short introductions, it was evident that Yu Shuhua held He Mingzhu in very high esteem.

Cheng Zhiwei, insightful, guessed that He Mingzhu was probably not Yu Shuhua’s biological daughter and that Yu Shuhua might have married into the He family after He Mingzhu was born.

She smiled politely and found herself a seat.

He Mingzhu nodded to her secretary, who then rose and left the room. Soon, a waiter entered to serve dishes.

"Cheng... Zhiwei?" He Mingzhu read Cheng Zhiwei’s name with a peculiar tone, a hint of a smile appearing on her face. "You are Xiao Ye’s girlfriend?"

Directly pointing out the relationship that Yu Shuhua hadn’t introduced, He Mingzhu pressed.

Yu Shuhua shifted her body, attempting to speak, but closed her mouth again after catching He Mingzhu’s gaze.

"At the moment, yes," Cheng Zhiwei answered generously.

"Xiao Ye has finally found a woman he likes, that’s great," He Mingzhu laughed, raising her glass to Cheng Zhiwei as a gesture.

Cheng Zhiwei responded and glanced at Yu Shuhua subtly—sure enough, Yu Shuhua looked shocked, which was different from what she had expected.

"Mingzhu?" Yu Shuhua asked in confusion, "Have you perhaps misunderstood something?"

He Mingzhu’s lips slightly pursed, her smile somewhat fading, "Auntie invited me here today to meet Xiao Ye’s girlfriend. I find her quite suitable—both are into music, share similar aspirations, and match each other well."

Cheng Zhiwei lowered her gaze, sensing that He Mingzhu’s words were not heartfelt because she could perceive that He Mingzhu did not like her.

Yet He Mingzhu was actively speaking well of her in front of Yu Shuhua.

"Sister, I think so too," He Ye had just arrived and heard He Mingzhu’s words, he was pleased.

The tone of He Mingzhu’s voice softened, tinged with affection, "Xiao Ye is here."

Her attitude towards He Ye was drastically different from that towards Yu Shuhua.

He Ye sat down next to Cheng Zhiwei, gave her a reassuring look, and then looked up at He Mingzhu, "Sister, did you come here for business?"

He Mingzhu hummed in affirmation, "There’s a partnership to discuss, and also to see you. Dad has been worried about you not coming home these past years."

"I’m doing well." He Ye served Cheng Zhiwei some food and quickly shifted the subject, "Who’s the partnership with this time?"

"You needn’t worry about business matters," He Mingzhu glanced at He Ye, "Now that you have a girlfriend, you better treat her well, don’t be fickle and betray her feelings."

This was completely an attitude of genuine blessing.

Yu Shuhua sat disappointed, visibly distraught. She had thought He Mingzhu would never approve of someone with Cheng Zhiwei’s background being with He Ye and would definitely resort to drastic measures to drive Cheng Zhiwei away.

Yet not only did He Mingzhu approve, but she also seemed to hold Cheng Zhiwei in high regard, almost as if she couldn’t wait for them to get married.

How could she do this?

Even if they shared the same father but different mothers, they were still blood siblings. Why would He Mingzhu want to harm He Ye?

"Mingzhu, I have a few words I’d like to say to you," Yu Shuhua could no longer remain seated, there were words she couldn’t hold back. She needed to reassert Cheng Zhiwei’s background to make He Mingzhu realize that Cheng Zhiwei really wasn’t a good match for He Ye.

He Mingzhu pondered briefly then decisively said, "Auntie, I know what you’re going to say, but no matter what, the affection between two people is most important. Miss Cheng might be divorced with a child, but that’s because she had bad luck in her relationship, not her fault."

"But..."

"Moreover, I trust Xiao Ye’s judgment. He wouldn’t fancy someone unworthy," He Mingzhu added, fully supporting Cheng Zhiwei and He Ye.

"Auntie, since you’ve come to Yucheng, you should just enjoy your blessings, and worry less about other things," He Mingzhu calmly blocked Yu Shuhua’s impending words, "Xiao Ye has grown up, he can make his own decisions, it’s better you interfere less."

It was almost a warning.

Yu Shuhua’s expression soured, yet she dared not contradict He Mingzhu. She hadn’t touched a bite of the feast before her and eventually couldn’t sit there any longer, so she left early.

He Ye followed her out.