Chapter 493

Chapter 493: Chapter 492

What Ye Yuanshan and Su Feifei did not expect was that in the end, Fan Xingyu really reached out and shook hands with Ye Tianchen. It seemed that instead of being angry about Ye Tianchen’s rudeness, he even showed a hint of admiration. Whether this was an act from Fan Xingyu or if he was genuinely intrigued by Ye Tianchen’s "generosity" was unclear.

No matter what, Fan Xingyu’s magnanimity was certain, and it even caused Ye Tianchen to look at him in a new light. These older generation characters were not only clever and cunning, just like old foxes, but they also possessed a gracefulness that many of the younger generation lacked.

"Indeed, a splendid young man, not bad, not bad!" Fan Xingyu said with a hearty laugh.

"Elder Fan is too kind, my apologies for the poor reception on our first meeting. Please forgive me," Ye Tianchen also said with a smile.

At this moment, if Fan Ruoxuan were here, she might have surprised Ye Tianchen as well. Unfortunately, she had just left. In fact, Fan Ruoxuan’s departure was meant to shock this guy who called her ugly, to slap Ye Tianchen’s face hard, creating an anticipation in others. What would it be like when Fan Ruoxuan appeared in front of Ye Tianchen again, and what would Ye Tianchen’s expression be upon seeing her?

"Then, grandpa, while you chat with Elder Fan, I’ll take Feifei around to see the other places," Ye Tianchen said.

"Hmm, but the host is about to start speaking soon; don’t go too far!" Ye Yuanshan nodded and said.

Ye Tianchen smiled slightly and left with Su Feifei. Ye Yuanshan watched as Su Feifei hooked her arm through Ye Tianchen’s, and he couldn’t help smiling contentedly, naturally very pleased. Su Feifei was Elder Su Su Tianhe’s granddaughter, and the Su family was the number one business dynasty in the entire country. To put it crudely, they had more money than they could ever spend. Oftentimes, having money was equivalent to having power. The country relied on these mega families for a variety of support, so the Su family’s influence was definitely not small. Compared to other major families, they were much larger, and in some sense, if Ye Tianchen could marry Su Feifei, it would indeed be more advantageous than marrying Fan Ruoxuan.

"Not bad at all, Elder Ye, it seems your grandson Ye Tianchen has been dating Su Feifei from the Su family for some time already. No wonder he looks down on our Ruoxuan—it’s understandable," Fan Xingyu said with a mild smile.

"Hehe, Brother Fan, you are joking, right? Nothing of the sort. Ruoxuan is an excellent child, it’s just that our Tianchen is not that fortunate!" Ye Yuanshan quickly said with a smile.

"Let’s leave it be, the matters of young people are for them to handle. We old folks should stay out of it and let them make their own efforts," Fan Xingyu said.

"Yes, the children have grown up and naturally have their own opinions. Coercion won’t work," Ye Yuanshan subtly added.

At this moment, the most frustrated person, so much so that she wanted to explode and hit someone, was Su Feifei, because Ye Tianchen had been eating along the way. She had thought that this time he was truly going to show her around the Ye family’s old residence, but to her dismay, he continued to look for desserts to eat. Counting carefully, in less than an hour, Ye Tianchen had already eaten dragon fruit, watermelon, three marinated pig’s trotters, three roasted duck legs, and now had started on the pastries. Was this guy a reincarnated starving ghost?

"Are you a reincarnated starving ghost, or have you not eaten for several lifetimes?" Su Feifei asked with irritation.

"Anyway, there’s nothing to do, it’s not bad to eat something," Ye Tianchen said as he turned around, put a small piece of cake into his mouth, and continued to talk while eating.

"You... can you show me around your Ye family’s old house, please?" Su Feifei sighed and asked.

"Visit, huh? To be honest, I’m kind of embarrassed; I haven’t been here many times myself and I would probably get lost," Ye Tianchen said with an awkward smile.

"Drop dead..."

Su Feifei finally burst out, walking away in a huff. Ye Tianchen watched in utter speechlessness and felt somewhat baffled; he hadn’t lied. When he was very young, his family had moved away from the Ye family’s old house due to the suppression from his eldest uncle and second uncle, forcing them to leave. Since then, Ye Tianchen had seldom returned to the Ye family’s old house and obviously wasn’t familiar with it. The old house covered an extensive area, and he could indeed get lost.

But to Su Feifei, it didn’t sound that way. She thought Ye Tianchen was just a glutton, and the reason he had asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend was merely to avoid embarrassment. Now, he wouldn’t even show her the old house, so it was no wonder Su Feifei was angry. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became; she felt like beating up Ye Tianchen for being utterly lacking in emotional quotient.

Seeing Su Feifei walk away angrily, Ye Tianchen could only shrug his shoulders. He felt somewhat speechless himself—why was this woman’s temper so explosive, getting angry at the drop of a hat?

"Another slice of the cream cake, please..." Ye Tianchen shook his head and turned to say to the waiter beside him.

By noon, the entire old residence of the Ye family was, to put it mildly, teeming with people. At least a thousand guests had arrived, including dignitaries from some of the major families and powerful factions. Naturally, there were also others of lesser status who had boldly come in the hopes of establishing connections. Regardless of who they were, since they were guests, they had to be treated with hospitality. The Ye family had many people greeting and making arrangements, and before long, it was already midday.

"Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend Mr. Ye, Ye Yuanshan’s seventy-fifth birthday celebration. On behalf of everyone in the Ye family, I would like to deeply bow and express our thanks to all of you!"

The master of ceremonies was speaking the usual pleasantries on stage. Gradually, everyone gathered together and took their seats nearby. In the front row, naturally, sat the significant figures—all were elder statesmen from major families or powerful factions, once-commanding figures. However, there was one seat at the front that remained conspicuously empty. It bore a name: Li Xin.

Up until now, neither the other members of the Ye family nor the distinguished guests present were aware of Ye Tianchen’s altercation with Li Xin. Li Xin had not left the Ye family’s residence but was waiting for his four bodyguards to arrive. Once they did, Li Xin planned to create a scene at the Ye family, to disrupt Ye Yuanshan’s birthday celebration in front of the crowd, and to beat Ye Tianchen senseless. This was his idea of venting his spite.

As one might expect, the event’s organization naturally included the master of ceremonies thanking all the guests. In the evening, there would be a ball for everyone’s enjoyment. The front seats, marked with the guests’ names on the back of the chairs, were primarily to prevent any confusion due to the large turnout. More importantly, many of the guests attending Ye Yuanshan’s birthday were significant elderly figures. Their personal attendance was already an honor; they deserved to sit at the front. This was a matter of status. If it were not clearly designated, it would be inappropriate to ask someone to leave if they took the wrong seat—after all, all who came were guests.

Being able to sit at the front, amidst these elderly VIPs, as a young man, showed the prestige of the Li family, and few could enjoy such treatment.

"And now, we invite Mr. Ye, Ye Yuanshan, to come up on stage and say a few words," the host said, finishing his courteous introduction before loudly making the announcement.

Ye Yuanshan got up, and everyone in the audience clapped. Whether they had come sincerely to celebrate Ye Yuanshan’s birthday or merely out of pretense, they all made the effort to show face, clapping warmly as Ye Yuanshan walked slowly up to the podium.

"Thank you, everyone! I am seventy-five this year. It has been a long time since I’ve had such a lively celebration. I am grateful to all who have come to participate in my humble birthday. All I can say is thank you," Ye Yuanshan said after accepting the microphone from the host.

He paused before continuing, "At seventy-five, I’m virtually one foot in the grave. So, after this birthday, I intend to retire completely, to stop involving myself in worldly affairs and spend my remaining years resting. Here, I want to announce that from now on, all matters of the Ye family will be decided by my grandson, Ye Tianchen, in his complete discretion."

This announcement caught many off guard, although, upon reflection, it also made sense. Ye Yuanshan was old after all. Once a high-standing figure, it was a pity that the Ye family had no descendant capable of maintaining their status in his absence. Within a mere decade, the Ye family had declined into a Third-class Family.

Now, with Ye Tianchen, since he had returned to the city from military service, everything he had done had caused a sensation. Even families like the Qin family and the Luo family had been wiped out by him without implicating the Ye family whatsoever. One could imagine how strong this twenty-year-old’s capabilities and background must be.

Moreover, many of the elderly figures present had once been influential themselves, and naturally, some had heard that Ye Tianchen appeared to be connected with the highest leadership, which looked favorably upon the young man.

The stature of the highest leadership speaks for itself. Without saying that they could decide everything, it’s more or less the same. In a country, no one would dare to offend such a paramount figure. The major families and powerful factions could only seek to win favor and pull strings; the idea of offending them was unthinkable.

"Ye Yuanshan is getting old and thinking of retiring, eh!"

"It’s beyond expectation. The Ye family became a Third-class Family, with all their descendants being failures. And who would have guessed that Ye Tianchen, the least likely to support the Ye family, would rise up. The world is truly unpredictable."

"Old Ye Yuanshan’s retirement is just a formality. Ye Tianchen is still green and unproven; whether he can support the Ye family remains to be seen. Let’s just wait and see."

Some guests were whispering among themselves. Ye Yuanshan naturally did not care and spoke out loud:

"And now, let’s have my grandson Ye Tianchen come forward to thank everyone. I hope you will continue to support and look after him in the future." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)