Chapter 17

Ye Zhi felt somewhat embarrassed, but since the other party had asked, he honestly explained the reason, ending somewhat awkwardly, “My dad… probably had too much to drink.”

Huo Youqiao remained silent, driving very seriously. The car moved smoothly, with good sound insulation; you could hardly hear the sound of the tires turning, yet it was moving fast.

In less than twenty minutes, the car stopped at the entrance of the Central Hotel.

“Thank you, please go back quickly. I’ll take a taxi back later,” Ye Zhi unbuckled his seatbelt, got out of the car, and expressed his gratitude once again, “Thank you so much.”

Huo Youqiao looked at him, “No need to be polite, after all, we’re family.”

The phrase “we’re family” made Ye Zhi pause, and a strange feeling flashed through his mind.

Because in all his years, it was the first time someone had told him they were “family.” Even at the Ye family, he was an outsider.

But before he could dwell on it further, his communicator rang again, and Ye Zhi quickly glanced at it, hastily telling Huo Youqiao, “Please be careful on your way back, I’ll go up now.” With that, he waved to him and turned to run into the hotel.

Once inside, he managed to answer the call. Zhou Shaohui’s voice was somewhat blurry, but urgent, “Have you arrived?”

He sounded a bit angry.

“I’m already here, I’ll be up in a moment.” Ye Zhi wouldn’t hold any resentment towards his parents’ bad temper, because he had grown up like this since childhood and had long been accustomed to it.

Luckily, there was no need for reservations to enter the grand hotel. After stating he was going to the third floor, the waiter politely pressed the elevator button for him. After asking whom he was looking for, the waiter even led him to the private room.

The extravagant decoration of the private room showcased its luxury, and just stepping in, Ye Zhi’s heart started to beat faster. When he saw over a dozen people sitting in the spacious private room, he had a growing sense of unease.

There were both men and women in the room, and Ye Zhi recognized several of his father’s drinking buddies. The young and beautiful women in the room were dressed boldly, not like friends but more like objects for consumption in the hotel.

He spotted his father, Zhou Shaohui, among the crowd.

Zhou Shaohui was very handsome, except for not being tall, he had a typical “pretty boy” face. His original family was not wealthy, and he even grew up poor, but he managed to charm a young lady from the Ye family with his face, later marrying into wealth and leading a life of luxury.

He couldn’t manage the Ye family’s business, and the more he tried, the worse it got. Eventually, Ye Wan kicked him out of the company and made him stay at home. He didn’t want to be lonely, so he enjoyed playing golf the most, along with drinking. His high consumption lifestyle used to be affordable by the Ye family, but now that the Ye family was declining, with diminishing funds, occasional impulsive spending led to him not having enough money, and he would call Ye Zhi to pay for him.

This wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened.

When Zhou Shaohui saw him, he staggered over, without introducing anyone, simply saying, “Go help me settle the bill.”

Ye Zhi pinched his salary card in his pocket, and he remembered the balance very clearly, so he doubted he could cover this bill. “Dad, are you paying for all the expenses in this room?”

Zhou Shaohui knew his strengths well, so even though he was almost fifty, he maintained his figure and appearance very well, never forgetting sunscreen when playing golf. His skin still looked very fair, but now, due to drinking too much, his face was a bit red. He immediately said, “Of course, I’m treating today!”

“But…”

“But what? I raised you with difficulty, can’t you even pay for a drink for me?” Zhou Shaohui mocked, “You’ve married into a wealthy family, even if your husband is cheating on you, he wouldn’t withhold money from your family, right? Even if it’s just pocket money, the Huo family’s pocket money must be substantial.”

Ye Zhi couldn’t argue with him anymore.

He was taken to the front desk by the waiter. Most of the guests here either signed on the spot or swiped their cards; everything was served by the waiter, so there were very few people who actively came here to settle the bill, so Ye Zhi didn’t need to wait in line.

After stating the room number, the cashier girl printed out the bill. Although he was mentally prepared, seeing the amount on the bill still made Ye Zhi sway.