Ma Lan chimed in, “Wrong, and wives too!”
Xiao Changkun didn’t dare touch that topic and just smiled without responding.
As Ye Chen and Hamid approached, the couple grew curious.
Ye Chen brought Hamid to the family of three and introduced with a smile, “Dad, Mum, wife, this is the Middle Eastern boss I mentioned.”
Hamid quickly introduced himself, “Greetings, everyone. My name is Ahmed Sawani. Just call me Ahmed!”
Xiao Changkun hurriedly stood up, a bit flattered, and said in surprise, “Mr. Ahmed, your Chinese is really good!”
Hamid smiled and said, “I’ve spent a long time in China. Doing business, you know, I’m an old friend of the Chinese people!”
Hamid didn’t dare say he studied in China, lest someone ask which school or what major, digging himself deeper.
Xiao Changkun said, “Mr. Ahmed, let me introduce myself. I’m Xiao Changkun, Ye Chen’s father-in-law!”
Ma Lan also hurried over, “I’m Ma Lan, Ye Chen’s mother-in-law.”
Hamid looked at Xiao Churan and smiled, “This stunningly beautiful lady must be Mrs. Ye!”
Xiao Churan, knowing Hamid’s stated identity was likely a lie and that he must know Ye Chen as the young master of the Ye family, didn’t show anything unusual. She just smiled gracefully and said, “Hello, Mr. Ahmed. I’m Xiao Churan. Nice to meet you.”
Hamid nodded and said politely, “Master Ye has helped me a lot with feng shui. I’ve always been grateful to him. Meeting him and all of you here is our fate. So, let me cover all your expenses on Baima Island.”
Ma Lan was overjoyed, “Really, Mr. Ahmed? That’s… that’s too kind of you!”
Xiao Changkun, still a bit reserved, quickly said, “Oh, Mr. Ahmed, you don’t have to be so generous!”
Hamid thought to himself, generous? My brother Ye helped me secure over a hundred million dollars for infrastructure. I owe my success to him. This small gesture is nothing!
So, he immediately smiled and said, “No need to be so polite. Master Ye has done me a great favour.”
With that, he called over the restaurant manager and instructed, “Remember, all expenses for these folks on the island go on my tab.”
Hamid had arrived two days earlier than Ye Chen, and the manager knew him as a big spender. He promptly said respectfully, “Yes, sir, rest assured, we’ll take care of it.”
Ma Lan grinned and said, “Oh, this is too much, Mr. Ahmed…”
“No trouble, no trouble, just a small token,” Hamid said heartily, “Oh, you eat first. I need to go keep my two wives company. Let’s chat later!”
After some pleasantries and seeing Hamid off, Ma Lan immediately picked up her phone, searching while beaming, “This is great! Someone’s covering everything. I’ll check how much the most expensive SPA costs and book one after breakfast!”
After checking, she quickly asked in the WeChat group set up by the butler Hani, “Butler, I’d like to book an underwater SPA. Is there availability tonight?”
Xiao Churan whispered, “Mum, the underwater SPA here is really expensive, five or six thousand dollars per person. Isn’t that a bit extravagant?”
Ma Lan replied casually, “What’s there to worry about? Someone’s footing the bill!”
Xiao Churan hurriedly explained, “That’s exactly why we shouldn’t be so lavish. How about I give you my Visa card later, and you use that instead?”
“No way!” Ma Lan said earnestly, “When there’s no deal to be had, you make one. Now that there’s a deal, why spend our own money?”
Just then, Hani replied in the group, “Ms. Ma, I’m sorry, but the underwater SPA pavilion is temporarily closed today and tomorrow. If you’d like a spa, you can book at our other spa venues.”
Ma Lan responded, “I only want the underwater SPA. Isn’t it all transparent glass so you can see the underwater world? That’s the one I want!”
Hani replied, “Apologies, Ms. Ma. Our group’s boss is coming to inspect the island tomorrow, and the underwater SPA pavilion is under maintenance. It won’t reopen until the day after tomorrow.”
