Cheng Anya turned her head and saw Ye Chen enter with a sullen face with Old Master Ye and Chen De in tow. As they looked at each other in the eye, the atmosphere became much more volatile and she slightly frowned. Upon seeing Cheng Anya, Old Master Ye’s already sinister face became darker. “Why is she here?” he questioned Ye Chen.
“This is my home, and you have no right to interfere!” Ye Chen mocked as he looked on with a cold gaze.
He let out a cold grunt in return. It was such an irony that Old Master Ye visited in person for the first time in all these years. Whenever a problem arose, all it took was a phone call to order Ye Chen back to the Ye family’s mansion to see him.
When would such a dignified Old Master Ye depreciate himself and visit Ye Chen on his own turf!
Humph!
Old Master Ye gave Cheng Anya a vicious stare. He wanted to kick up a ruckus, but Chen De stopped him and the former shook his head. Chen De hinted Old Master Ye not to start a conflict with Ye Chen lest complications arose. They were, after all, here to talk about business.
Old Master Ye forced himself to look past his rage and ordered, “Get this woman away. I need to talk to you!”
Cheng Anya frowned in displeasure. This old man was one detestable person, and she was curious about how his previous wives had tolerated his detestable lack of character.
As Ye Chen was about to speak, Ning Ning appeared at the staircase landing with a trophy. It was so large that his small face was reflected on the trophy. “Mommy, I found Daddy’s…”
The tender voice suddenly stopped and the laughter disappeared from Ning Ning’s face. “Daddy, you have guests!” He cutely responded as he squinted.
This statement brought the master-guest relationship into the light. Old Master Ye, who definitely had no problems comprehending the statement, had an even more terrible look on his face.
Not wanting to end up as collateral damage, Cheng Anya stood up and wanted to go upstairs. Ye Chen carried her and she raised her eyebrows at Old Master Ye. Old Master Ye was clearly fuming and Third Young Master Ye was clearly having his own way.
Since she only had one good leg, she would definitely have problems going up and down the stairs. It’s okay!
“Ning Ning, play with Mommy upstairs for the moment. Daddy will join you soon!” Ye Chen said as he carried her into the room.
“Sure!”
After Ye Chen went downstairs, Ning Ning passed Cheng Anya the trophy. “Mommy, guess what prize Daddy had won?” he asked with a mischievous smile.
“…” Cheng Anya was a little puzzled as she looked at the trophy.
As the mother and son looked at each other, they had different expressions.
The first prize for the third children singing competition!
“Mommy, could you believe it? Daddy won the first prize for singing!” Ning Ning held the trophy as he laughed with closed eyes. He was proud of how well-rounded his daddy was, but it was a pity he could not imagine how his daddy’s singing would turn out.
Wow!
“Baby, you must know that this competition happened so many years ago. It’s a children’s singing competition, and the judges would definitely give you full marks by virtue of your looks if you took part in the competition, understand? As you can see, you need to start developing your swag from a young age. Third Young Master Ye must have won based on his looks,” Miss Cheng said plainly as baby Cheng looked on, at a loss for words. Amidst his silence, he gave a thumbs-up!
Mommy, you are very quick at making associations.
There’s only one word to describe you: strong!
Downstairs, Ye Chen had done away with the refreshments and sat directly opposite Old Master Ye. “What is it about?” He cut to the chase.
“How dare you let that mother and son stay in your place?” Old Master Ye’s sinister glare moved from the stairs above him.
“This is my child and the mother of my child. Why can’t they stay here?” Ye Chen coldly rebutted as he smiled coldly. “Let me say this again. You have no right to micromanage me in my home!”
“You…” Old Master Ye’s rage showed.
“Third Young Master, please do not speak to Old Master in such a manner. He has high blood pressure and cannot withstand provocation.” Chen De plainly reminded him from the side.
Ye Chen secretly mocked his reply. What’s there to be afraid of? It was not even a heart disease!
“Chen De, shut up!” Old Master Ye barked as he stared at Ye Chen. “Ye Chen, how dare you skip the wedding and so thoroughly embarrass the Ye and the Yun families! How will Ruoxi go on from here?”
“From the beginning until the end, I have never even agreed to this marriage. Go and find a prospective groom for the wedding banquet you intend to organize out of your wishful thinking. Why should all the blame fall on me?” Ye Chen laughed coldly.
“You…” Old Master Ye raged. “You intend to be rebellious to the very end?”
“Dad, what kind of joke is this? Rebellious? I am way past the adolescence rebellion stage. Do you even know the age of your son?” Ye Chen coldly laughed as he added. “What are you here for?”
“Marry Ruoxi!” Old Master Ye said in a deep voice as his look disallowed any form of dissent.
“I call the shots in my own marriage!” Ye Chen said each word powerfully. “I cannot marry Ruoxi!”
“Do you want to be labeled as a disappointing man?” Old Master Ye said calmly. In all honesty, Old Master Ye could not be bothered with whether Ye Chen was a disappointment. He was only interested in what he stood to gain from Ye Chen’s marriage with Yun Ruoxi and… his control over Ye Chen. “What about the child in her? The kid upstairs is your child, and so is the child in Ruoxi. That is your child too!”
“Dad, when did you worry about your seed ending outside the family? That is such a joke!” Ye Chen mocked him without restraint. ‘Who had once treated his children like the weeds and made his plans around his children? Old man, are you out of tricks?’
“If you want to embarrass yourself, remember that the Ye and the Yun families cannot afford to lose this face. As you are the father of Ruoxi’s child but do not wish to marry her, you will bring ridicule to both families and destroy Ruoxi’s life. Are you really that indifferent?” Old Master Ye spoke slowly, hoping to win over Ye Chen.
It was a pity that Third Young Master Ye’s heart had hardened. He was not moved.
“Dad, just admit it. You are old. Is there any meaning in trying to grasp everything? Why don’t you think about the number of years you have left?” Ye Chen expressed the extremely unfilial statement plainly. It was as though he was asking to be smitten by the heavens for his unfilial tirade.
For a son to end up like Ye Chen, one could describe Ye Chen as vicious, or Old Master Ye having failed as a father!
“You want to curse me to death?” Old Master Ye was enraged as he picked up his crutch. Chen De blocked Old Master Ye. The latter was trembling in rage, and his face reddened from anger. There was hatred in his gaze which he quickly suppressed.
One deep breath…
“What would it take for you to marry her?” Old Master Ye had no choice but to compromise.
Ye Chen raised his eyebrows. Negotiating conditions?
Why would he?
And wasn’t it too late to negotiate conditions?
“Give up! I will not marry Ruoxi!” Ye Chen was visibly impatient. “Please do not use her child as a bargaining chip. I have only one child, Cheng Ningyuan!”
“Don’t you even care about that child?” Old Master Ye said through gritted teeth. “I can acknowledge him to be part of the family, and perhaps even hold a press conference to introduce and acknowledge him…”
“And then?” Ye Che raised his eyebrows and grunted as he seemingly smiled.
“You can choose not to acknowledge the kid, but the condition here is that you must marry Ruoxi. I am sure you do not want your son to live as an illegitimate son who becomes the talk of the town, do you?”
