3: Past

“You dog, I’ll teach you to act tough.”

“You can’t even take one punch from me, and you’re still barking?”

The man immediately begged for mercy, “Stop hitting me, I was wrong.”

Ye Xi crossed her arms, her lazy gaze sweeping over Li Xingyu, who was now begging for mercy.

A smile played on her lips. “I still prefer you when you were arrogant and untamed.”

After the man collapsed, Ye Xi kicked him a few more times before finally leaving, satisfied.

Watching Ye Xi’s retreating figure, Li Xingyu slowly got up from the ground, his eyes narrowing coldly, and a murderous intent rapidly spread through his pupils.

“You peasant, how dare a lowlife like you provoke someone of my status?”

“I’ll make you kneel and lick my shoes.”

…

Southwest direction, Moon City.

Inside a luxurious manor, an old man in a Tang suit was watering flowers with a watering can. Beside him, two middle-aged men in suits stood with their heads bowed.

Although the old man was over seventy, he was still vigorous, with a head of silver hair meticulously combed, appearing neat and dignified.

His custom-made Tang suit had an exquisite cloud-dragon pattern embroidered on the lapel, showcasing his status without losing an air of scholarly elegance.

“Dad, why did you call us here?”

The eldest son, Ye Chenfeng, glanced at his father, who was still watering flowers and hadn’t said a word, then wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Big Brother, Dad must have called us here about the Holy City matter.”

The second son, Ye Lingyun, patted his elder brother’s shoulder, easing his panic.

Grandpa Ye glanced at them, placed the watering can on the ground, and walked towards the pavilion by the rockery with his hands clasped behind his back.

Ye Chenfeng and Ye Lingyun quickly followed, taking the empty seats in the pavilion.

“How are the arrangements in Holy City coming along?”

Grandpa Ye looked at his two sons with a smile, his eyes seemingly devoid of any coldness, only filled with kindness.

Even so, the Ye Chenfeng brothers still broke out in a cold sweat.

After all, their father was too strict, and they certainly didn’t want to be kicked out of the family for a round of ‘training’.

Both men clenched their fists, their brows slightly furrowed, then respectfully said, “Dad, everything has been arranged exactly as you instructed. No matter what the future holds, we will still get a share.”

The old man nodded slightly and said, “Those few families have been too arrogant these past few years. Being too low-key isn’t good either; it makes us seem to have no presence.”

As the coldness in Grandpa Ye’s eyes gradually faded, the brothers’ hearts, which had been in their throats, slowly settled.

Both echoed, “Father is right.”

Grandpa Ye waved his hand and said, “You may withdraw.”

Hearing their father’s words, the two brothers exchanged glances, seemingly deliberating whether to bring up that matter while their father was in a good mood.

The old man saw that they showed no sign of leaving, so he picked up the teacup, poured three cups of tea, and pushed two towards his sons.

“If you have something to say, say it quickly. I, an old man, hate beating around the bush the most.”

Ye Chenfeng took a sip of tea, easing the pressure in his heart.

Although he knew his words might anger his father, he still had to say them.

“Dad, what we want to talk about is Third Sister’s matter.”

Upon hearing Ye Chenfeng’s words, Grandpa Ye’s teacup instantly froze in mid-air, his eyes suddenly becoming incredibly cold, yet that coldness seemed to carry a hint of concern and longing.

He was silent for a moment before speaking. “Why bring up that unfilial daughter? Thinking about how she wanted to break ties with us for that heartless man, even after twenty years, I’m still furious.”

Grandpa Ye sighed, his thoughts drifting back to twenty years ago.

He vaguely remembered the joy of having a daughter late in life. His daughter, Ye Yaqin, was a little beauty from childhood, loved by everyone.

By the time she reached university, she was already a famous beauty in high society. Whether out of admiration for Ye Yaqin’s beauty or a desire to latch onto the super-wealthy Ye family, many prominent families came forward to propose marriage.

Her suitors were countless: business elites, dashing scholars, rising political stars—all sorts of excellent men emerged endlessly.

However, she ultimately chose Chen Siyu, who came from an orphanage.

The two were university classmates and lovers. Even though her father and brothers strongly opposed it, they couldn’t sway Ye Yaqin’s stubbornness.

This outcome not only disheartened the Ye family but also shattered the dreams of Ye Yaqin’s admirers. Undoubtedly, Chen Siyu was the luckiest one.

Having just graduated from a top-ranked university in the country, the young and spirited Chen Siyu naturally faced a lot of ridicule, such as being called a kept man, someone who climbed the ladder using a woman, or a live-in son-in-law. Coupled with his friends fanning the flames, he became increasingly uncomfortable, feeling that he should start his own business and make a name for himself. If he succeeded, no one would ever look down on him again.

Seeing his son-in-law’s ambition, Grandpa Ye was initially quite supportive, giving him some peripheral family projects to cut his teeth on.

After successfully completing several projects, Chen Siyu grew increasingly disdainful of such small endeavors, so he asked his father-in-law for more large-scale projects.

However, his father-in-law refused. From the Ye family’s perspective, it was too early for Chen Siyu to take over the family’s pillar industries. Moreover, at such a young age, he lacked experience and would struggle to command respect. Any losses incurred would not be insignificant.

Over time, Chen Siyu increasingly felt that the entire Ye family was ostracizing him.

Finally, the conflict completely erupted. In front of everyone, Chen Siyu questioned Ye Yaqin, “Are you staying in this family, or are you coming with me? Without your Ye family’s support, I can still make a name for myself.”

Ye Yaqin looked troubled. On one side was her husband, on the other were her brothers and father. She didn’t know why she had to make such a choice. Why had a perfectly good family turned out this way?

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she ultimately chose her husband.

“Dad, I’m afraid I can no longer fulfill my filial duties. I hope you can understand.”

Ye Yaqin, her face covered in tears, knelt and kowtowed several times.

At this sight, Grandpa Ye, seeing his daughter’s stance, nearly fainted from anger, as if his carefully cultivated cabbage had been trampled by a wild boar.

He patted his chest and gritted his teeth, saying, “Both of you get out! From now on, we are completely cut off. I no longer have a daughter in you. I don’t need your filial piety. Don’t ever think of stepping foot into the Ye family again for the rest of your lives.”

After watching his daughter and son-in-law leave, Grandpa Ye smashed his antique teacup to the ground and angrily declared to everyone in the room, “From now on, whoever dares to mention their names to me again, you can roll out of this house just like them and never come back.”

Everyone was scared into silence. Who dared to defy the old man’s words?

After leaving the Ye family, the couple faced extreme hardship. Because Grandpa Ye had issued a strict order, no enterprise or company associated with the Ye family was allowed to employ them. Additionally, other families, to avoid provoking the Ye family, also followed suit.

This resulted in the couple being unable to find any decent work, forced to take on manual labor.

As time passed, Chen Siyu’s complaints grew more frequent. He often said to his wife, “If you can’t stand this life, then go back home, can’t you?”

Watching her husband become increasingly self-deprecating, Ye Yaqin said nothing more, only sighing helplessly.

One day, Ye Yaqin woke up to find her husband not beside her and immediately felt an inexplicable panic.

On the table, she saw the farewell letter her husband had written to her.

“Please forgive my departure. I love you too much to bear seeing you continue to live this life of often going hungry, constantly hitting dead ends. After much thought, I realized I was too arrogant.”

“There is no place for me in this country anymore. I am unwilling to fail like this. Forgive me for leaving without a word to go abroad.”

“After I leave, please return to the Ye family as soon as possible. If you meet another man who makes your heart flutter, marry him. I don’t want to ruin your life.”

“If I succeed in my career and return someday, and you are still unmarried, I will marry you again. If you are married, I will wish you a lifetime of happiness.”

“I’m sorry.”

Tears dripped down, and Ye Yaqin tore the paper in her hand into pieces.

Her eyes red from crying, she sobbed, “You bastard! Have I ever complained once? You just abandoned me like this. I will never forgive you in this lifetime.”

Ye Yaqin touched her belly. Her child would be fatherless before even being born.

She gave a bitter smile. The child’s father didn’t even know of the child’s existence.

Going home? How easy was that? Things were so strained; how could she have the face to return home?

After selling all her jewelry, Ye Yaqin still chose to give birth to the child. If she had any extra money, she would take the child and disappear forever from the sight of those prominent families.

She was also born with a silver spoon in her mouth. A life of debauchery might be what ordinary people yearned for.

She no longer needed it. She only wanted to live a peaceful life with her child.

Not long after, the news of Chen Siyu abandoning his wife and child and fleeing somehow spread to the ears of various prominent families, becoming their after-dinner gossip.

Of course, there were various versions of the story, and the words were extremely unpleasant.

Other families’ old men couldn’t help but tease and mock Grandpa Ye whenever they saw him. This made Grandpa Ye, who was extremely concerned with his reputation, lose face, and his desire to find his daughter gradually faded.