Chapter 492 - 491

Chapter 492: 491

"Tianchen, come here for a sec!"

When Ye Yuanshan saw his grandson Ye Tianchen by the booth offering Chinese food, he naturally found it inappropriate not to introduce him to the elderly man next to him. That’s why he called Ye Tianchen over.

Ye Tianchen glanced at Ye Yuanshan but didn’t notice the elderly man beside him, let alone the young and beautiful girl next to the old man. He was too focused on the deliciously roasted duck and said casually, "It’ll be ready soon, I’ll be right there."

Su Feifei was speechless as she glanced at Ye Tianchen. Was this guy really lacking in intelligence, or just manners? His grandpa was calling him over, and he could say wait a moment, all while being fixated on the duck being roasted by the chef. Didn’t he see who was standing next to Ye Yuanshan? A first glance reveals he must be an elder from a prominent family. Is this kind of big shot someone you can offend, or someone who will wait for you?

"Forget about your duck for now. We should go over there first, don’t offend the guest," Su Feifei whispered a reminder.

"You go ahead and greet them, I’ll be right there," Ye Tianchen replied with a grin to Su Feifei.

"You..."

"Please, please."

Compared to anything else at that moment, Ye Tianchen believed his roast duck was the most important. He basically pushed Su Feifei out, leaving her utterly helpless. She had no choice but to step in and deal with the situation on behalf of Ye Tianchen, naturally having his best interests at heart.

"Mr. Ye, hello, my name is Su Feifei, I’m Su Tianhe’s granddaughter," Su Feifei said with a smile as she introduced herself to Ye Yuanshan.

"Hehe, you’re Elder Su’s granddaughter, no wonder you’re so pretty. Let me introduce you. This gentleman is Elder Fan, Fan Xingyu, and this is his granddaughter, Fan Ruoxuan," said Ye Yuanshan after a brief pause, also smiling as he spoke.

"Elder Fan, hello, Ruoxuan, hello!" Su Feifei greeted them with a friendly smile.

However, as Su Feifei extended her hand to Fan Ruoxuan as a peer, she took a proper look at her for the first time and was taken aback. Wasn’t this the same beautiful woman who drove a Ferrari and wore a red dragon-patterned cheongsam that she and Ye Tianchen saw at the entrance of the Ye family home when they were about to go inside? She’s Fan Xingyu’s granddaughter?

"Hello!" Fan Ruoxuan said indifferently as she shook hands with Su Feifei.

"How’s your grandfather, Elder Su, been recently?" asked Ye Yuanshan with a smile.

The Su family, the number one commercial dynasty in the country, obviously wielded immense power domestically. Su Feifei’s grandfather, Su Tianhe, was also very well-known both domestically and abroad. Virtually anyone with a bit of significance would know of Su Tianhe. Ye Yuanshan didn’t expect that his grandson, Ye Tianchen, had already got to know Su Tianhe’s granddaughter quite early on and seemed to have a good relationship to boot. The kid might seem lacking in emotional intelligence, but his skills in wooing girls appeared to be quite impressive. The beautiful women he was mingling with weren’t just from any large families but were daughters of significant forces. If he could pull those connections together, wouldn’t the rise of the Ye family be a breeze?

"Grandpa is very healthy and often mentions you, Mr. Ye, reminiscing about how good friends you were back then," said Su Feifei with a sweet smile.

"Indeed, decades have flown by in the blink of an eye, and we’ve all aged. Feifei and Ruoxuan, you two are young; you should talk more," Ye Yuanshan suggested with a smile.

Fan Ruoxuan gave Su Feifei a look but said nothing. She had already heard Ye Yuanshan’s words and had seen Ye Tianchen not far away. She had yet to see Ye Tianchen’s face, only his back as he directed the chefs on how to roast ducks. She could only imagine what Fan Ruoxuan’s expression would be if she saw his face and realized he was the same man they encountered at the entrance to the Ye family mansion.

Honestly, Fan Ruoxuan had come to the Ye family with her grandfather, Mr. Fan, to celebrate Elder Ye’s seventy-fifth birthday, largely because she wanted to see for herself what Ye Tianchen looked like. Being a young and beautiful woman, she had her own circles and didn’t usually care to attend these old folks’ birthday bashes. When Fan Ruoxuan learned that her grandfather, Fan Xingyu, had proposed a marriage to the Ye family, she had been about to object outright. But before she could voice her opposition, news came from the Ye family that Ye Tianchen had declined the proposal, declaring he wouldn’t marry a woman he didn’t know and even went as far as calling Fan Ruoxuan an ’ugly freak.’ A deep blow, indeed, for Fan Ruoxuan, who had always been treated like a princess, pampered since childhood. So she had come to the Ye family on purpose this time, wanting to see just how handsome Ye Tianchen was. Humph!

Of course, a woman’s intuition can be incredibly accurate, and people are like that, seeing something as a mere weed when no one competes for it, but a treasure when contention arises. Women are emotional creatures. Fan Ruoxuan had never seen Ye Tianchen before and was only annoyed and unconvinced because he dared to call her an ugly monster. Now seeing Su Feifei seemingly close to Ye Tianchen, as if she were his girlfriend, sparked in Fan Ruoxuan a desire to surpass her. She wanted to make Ye Tianchen realize that undervaluing her would be a lifelong regret.

That’s how sentimental and petty women can be, sometimes leaving men completely smitten and unable to resist. It’s that feminine charm and the tender coquettishness that men find most bewitching and unforgettable.

"Grandfather, I’ll step away for a moment, you chat!" said Fan Ruoxuan to her grandfather, Fan Xingyu.

"Mhm, be careful," Fan Xingyu nodded in response.

Once Fan Ruoxuan left, only Ye Yuanshan, Fan Xingyu, and Su Feifei remained. Between them, two were venerable elders while Su Feifei was a scion of the nation’s top business family, adept at thinking on her feet and handling social situations. Therefore, easing any awkwardness naturally was not difficult for her, and soon she resumed chatting and smiling with Ye Yuanshan and Fan Xingyu.

"That must have been twenty years ago, I had the honor to meet your grandfather, Su Tianhe. Why didn’t he come this time?" asked Fan Xingyu with a smile.

"Oh, my grandfather’s been troubled by his chronic cold leg lately, making it difficult to walk, so he couldn’t come over. He said that he would like to invite Elder Ye and Elder Fan for a meal when he’s able, and hopes you would honor him with your presence," Su Feifei answered gracefully.

Fan Xingyu nodded. Ye Yuanshan also looked on approvingly at the young woman. She was intelligent and knew her place. Bringing up the absence of her grandfather, Su Tianhe, was a delicate matter—the hosts could easily feel slighted, regardless of the excuse, perceiving it as a sign of disrespect. However, Su Feifei deftly handled the situation, first mentioning Su Tianhe’s legitimate health issues, followed by his desire to invite Ye Yuanshan and Fan Xingyu to a meal, presenting both a firm and a soft rationale, and asking humbly for their favor. No one could feel uncomfortable with such diplomatic tact.

"I see, tell him to take good care of his health," Ye Yuanshan said, defusing the potential awkwardness.

Ye Yuanshan was indeed surprised that Fan Xingyu had personally come to attend his birthday celebration. After all, Fan Xingyu had called earlier with the intention of marrying his granddaughter, Fan Ruoxuan, to Ye Tianchen. Ye Yuanshan was naturally pleased since the Fan family wielded significant power, and Ye Tianchen marrying Fan Ruoxuan would undoubtedly be beneficial to the Ye family. However, the young man had refused, and his reasoning made sense to Ye Yuanshan, who thus agreed with his decision. Rejecting a family’s marriage proposal could lead to strained or even hostile relations, so Fan Xingyu’s personal appearance, along with bringing Fan Ruoxuan, was unexpected and made Ye Yuanshan regard Fan Xingyu as quite magnanimous.

When he met Fan Ruoxuan, Ye Yuanshan couldn’t help but shake his head internally, recalling his grandson Ye Tianchen’s words—what if Fan Ruoxuan was an ugly monster? If Fan Ruoxuan was considered unattractive, then probably no beautiful women existed in this world. This was Ye Yuanshan’s mental assessment after seeing Fan Ruoxuan.

"Wow, this is awesome! Elder Ye, this roasted duck leg is fantastic, should I get one for you?"

At that moment, Ye Tianchen approached Ye Yuanshan and Fan Xingyu, vigorously chewing a bite of duck leg while speaking with his mouth full, his face smeared with grease. It was a comically inappropriate sight for such a grand occasion, likely surpassing even Zhang Lan in eccentricity.

"You rascal... This is Elder Fan Xingyu, haven’t you greeted him?" Ye Yuanshan chided.

"Oh, hello Elder Fan..."

Fan Xingyu stood there, momentarily frozen. Although Ye Tianchen seemed to have some manners, his gesture of extending his greasy right hand for a handshake was far from impeccable. With his hand covered in grease, how could Fan Xingyu possibly shake it?

"Go wash your hands," Ye Yuanshan glared at Ye Tianchen and instructed.

"Ah? Right away, Elder Fan, please don’t take offense," Ye Tianchen said with a sheepish grin.

Just when Su Feifei, Ye Yuanshan, and Fan Xingyu thought Ye Tianchen had simply overlooked the need for cleanliness and would immediately go wash his hands, he did something that shocked them all. Ye Tianchen rubbed his greasy right hand against the side of his suit, smearing a designer jacket with grease, while still holding onto that duck leg with his left hand, as if he intended to shake Fan Xingyu’s hand and then continue enjoying his meal. It was both hilarious and baffling!

"Heh, interesting, very interesting! Elder Ye, your grandson truly is one of a kind!" Fan Xingyu regained his composure, shook hands with Ye Tianchen, and said with a smile. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to cast your vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)