Yan Huan’s eyelids fluttered open and any previous drowsiness had completely vanished.
She sat up and slipped into some clothes. Lately, she had been going over to the Ye family’s place so frequently that she had lost count. She had gradually grown tired of running these trips to and fro, and this had made her a little more easily irked, especially by their words.
Once again, she was seated in the Ye family’s living room. Yan Huan rose to her feet as Ye Chuji approached, but he could still clearly feel the repulse around Yan Huan, as well as a twinge of impatience.
He was a businessman, so he was naturally observant of a person’s body language.
Of course, he also understood that anyone in her place would feel reluctant if they had to drop by every day, not to mention that Yan Huan was still a member of the Ye family, yet had never received any acts of kindness from them.
“Your grandfather wishes to see you.”
Ye Chuji beamed at Yan Huan.
Despite his warm gesture, Yan Huan could not bring herself to smile. She merely felt that Ye Chuji’s smile was very much an eyesore as of this moment.
Soon after, Sun Yuhan helped Grandpa Ye over. Perhaps it was due to his recent reconnection with his granddaughter, Ye Jianguo’s vigor seemed to have improved, or perhaps he felt worried that his granddaughter might fall victim to bullying, further driving his intention to live a few more years to contribute his utmost support.
As he glanced at Yan Huan, a tinge of disappointment flashed through his wrinkled eyes, which contained the evidence of decades’ worth of the vicissitudes of life.
In this lifetime, Yan Huan had really gotten a taste of the true meaning of impermanence.
In the past, Ye Jianguo was considered protective of her because of the massive help she had offered the Ye family, but it seemed the Ye family did not exactly grasp the concept of how big of a favor it was. If it were not for her, the Ye family line could have easily come to an abrupt stop. Would they still appear before her to dig a pit for her from time to time?
As for Old Master Lu, whenever she thought of that awkward old man, she found him way more pleasing to the eye than Ye Jianguo. By chance, she had just gotten her hands on an antique piece, which she had originally planned to gift Ye Jianguo, but on second thought, it would be a much better idea to go home and give it to her own grandfather.
Ye Jianguo took a seat, keeping his gaze fixed on Yan Huan. However, it lacked the warmth it used to possess, and it even seemed to carry just a slight hint of disdain and repugnance.
Yan Huan was in no way distressed as she was aware that everyone’s heart was biased either way. She knew that it was beyond normal for him to pamper his granddaughter. She knew she never really had him as a maternal grandfather anyway.
Sun Yuhan also sat down, but the situation at hand was completely overthrown, different than that on the set. Now, she was the queen and Yan Huan was no more than a mere nonentity.
However, she could just go on being the queen she desired to be. If she truly wanted to see Yan Huan as a nonentity, it had to also depend on whether Yan Huan was willing.
Needless to say, Yan Huan was unwilling.
“Is it true that you upstaged Yuhan on the set?”
Ye Jianguo directly questioned, straight to the point. The more he felt sorry for his beloved granddaughter Sun Yuhan, the more he detested Yan Huan. She was the only daughter left behind by his Rongrong. Even while he was alive, there were already people bullying his granddaughter. Once he had passed, there would be no guarantee to what extent the poor child would be bullied.
Upstaged Yuhan?
Yan Huan declined with an innocent voice, “Grandpa, I didn’t upstage anyone. Everyone on the set could prove that. Besides, if I had really wanted to upstage her, she wouldn’t even have to think about perfecting a scene today.” This was just her regular performance.
Just as the word ‘Grandpa’ left her lips, she could clearly see the scorn clouding Ye Jianguo’s eyes.
It made Yan Huan so uncomfortable that it felt like she had just accidentally swallowed a fly. Naturally, the smile on her face gradually grew perfunctory. Since she was given the cold shoulder, she would not voluntarily show warm feelings just to be met with a cold rebuke.
Anyway, it was not like he was her grandfather.
Ye Jianguo raised his indifferent gaze, with his astute eyes fixed on Yan Huan.
“Don’t upstage Yuhan. You are merely a foil for Yuhan, so you are not allowed to be more remarkable than her.”
At this time, Ye Chuji felt like his face was burning with embarrassment.
His own granddaughter had not even grown impatient. Did he really find fault in others for being too outstanding? Where had his logic come from? Ye Chuji was also aware that as long as Sun Yuhan was involved, common sense would not appear in Ye Jianguo’s dictionary. No one person or thing was more important than his long-lost granddaughter. On top of that, parts of the Ye family’s property would ultimately be given to Sun Yuhan.
Of course, Ye Chuji could not possibly care less about this. Grandpa Ye was the one who built the Ye family from scratch, so it was his freedom to decide how it would be rationed out. Needless to say, he also cared about and adored his sister’s child as his own, and she was sure to receive a portion of his property as well. Still, what Ye Chuji could not really grasp was the fact that he was not that close with Sun Yuhan. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she had just returned not long ago, so he did not hold much affection for her.
Ye Jianguo was still waiting for Yan Huan’s answer, or, to put it this way, her promise.
“Did you hear me?” he demanded again.
Yan Huan lifted her gaze, her eyes dark and cloudy, “I’d like to ask, what did Grandpa just say?”
Ye Jianguo’s face turned a little bluish, “I’m asking you not to upstage Yuhan, and to coordinate yourself as a foil.”
The corners of Yan Huan’s red lips remained gently arched upwards, the look on her face lacking anger or any kind of emotion.
“Grandpa is saying…” She continued to smile, but the atmosphere gradually froze with every passing second. “…that I should abandon my many years of hard work and high expectations from millions of my fans, ruin the various national and international grand prizes I’ve received, as well as my lifetime reputation, to fulfill your granddaughter’s wish?”
These words were heavy as they left Yan Huan’s lips. Although her smile still lingered on her face, it did not reach her eyes. It might have been a serious question, but no one could provide a proper answer.
Who on earth had the ability to make Yan Huan give up so much?
To use her lifetime reputation to shower fame upon someone who was in no way related to her.
As of this moment, she might be alone and faced three against her, but it did not indicate that she was at a disadvantage. She did not rely on the Ye family for food or for any other necessity, so why would she feel intimidated by their threat?
Even if it was Ye Shuyun or Lu Yi, they would not agree to Ye Jianguo’s excessive conditions. Furthermore, was the Ye family related to her? The one she had married was Lu Yi, not Ye Yi.
“I will compensate you,” Ye Jianguo finally compromised with a sigh, displaying a sign of weakness. “I can give you whatever you wish for, but at the same time, I hope that my granddaughter’s debut TV series is a breakthrough, and that you want it.”
Yan Huan really felt that her intelligence had been painfully insulted. She picked up her purse and got to her feet.
“I apologize, grandpa, I still have some stuff to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave.” With that, she turned and left. Even Ye Jianguo’s blade-like insight could not pierce her strong defense.
“Yan Huan,” Ye Jianguo’s voice came with a firm warning, “Have you thought it through?”
Was this a threat?
Yan Huan froze for a moment but continued to move forward. So what if it was a threat? She would not feel threatened. She had endured two lifetimes. She had witnessed death and even experienced death itself, so what else was there for her to fear? She was definitely not going to be as easily manipulated as a mere puppet.
