Chapter 4: Trouble Comes Knocking

Under Ta Sui's steady driving, they arrived slowly before the grand gate of the Ye family ancestral hall in about twenty minutes. At this moment, the ancestral hall was already bustling. Seeing the variety of luxury cars parked around, Ye Shihan realized they were the last to arrive.

After parking the car, Ta Sui followed Ye Shihan, and the three of them entered the ancestral hall together. As soon as they stepped inside, countless eyes immediately turned toward them. When the Ye family members saw Xiao Yu following behind Ye Shihan, most were surprised, but even more were disdainful.

The fact that Xiao Yu had been away from home for five years was well known among the Ye family. During this time, no news of him ever came back. Many believed he was dead somewhere outside, but today, he appeared before them.

“Oh, Xiao Yu, we all thought you were dead out there! Turns out you're still alive, but from the look of you, it seems death isn’t far off,” came a sharp, caustic voice from the hall. A woman, clad in a red strappy dress and heavily made up, stepped out from the crowd, looking at Xiao Yu with utter contempt.

Xiao Yu recognized her—she was Ye Shihan’s cousin, the daughter of her eldest uncle. By seniority, Xiao Yu should address her as elder cousin; her name seemed to be Ye Yun.

“That’s right! What, did you fail out there and come back to let Shihan support you? Cousin, let me say this: there are so many young and promising men in Longhua City. With your qualities, any one of them would be better than Xiao Yu,” said another man dressed in luxurious attire, stepping forward to sneer.

He was Ye Shihan’s eldest uncle’s son.

They had barely entered the ancestral hall before these people started mocking Xiao Yu. As his wife, Ye Shihan was furious and immediately stepped forward, retorting, “Cousin, before you criticize others, perhaps you should look at yourself. Your behavior outside has long tarnished the family’s reputation. I wonder what gives you the right to mock my husband.”

“And you, Ye Xin, whom I marry is my own business. You have no authority to comment! Mind your own affairs first!”

Seeing Ye Shihan stand in front of him, Xiao Yu was deeply moved, and his resolve to protect Ye Shihan to the death became even firmer.

“Ye Shihan, we’re still your cousins! How can you speak to us like this?” Ye Yun stamped her foot angrily.

“Enough. Today is family day; don’t let irrelevant people spoil the mood!” came an aged voice, belonging to the current patriarch, Ye Qinghai. His remark about “irrelevant people” was enough to show the family’s opinion of Xiao Yu.

Upon hearing Ye Qinghai, everyone returned to their seats. Ye Shihan led Xiao Yu to find a place to sit, while Ta Sui stood respectfully behind Xiao Yu, his gaze unwavering.

“As you all know, today is family day. It’s a time for decisions on important matters, and today our discussion concerns securing cooperation with Huayi Group. What are your thoughts?” Ye Qinghai’s gaze swept across the room.

“Father, we’ve all heard about Huayi Group. My brother and I have visited, but the results were disappointing,” said Ye Xuan, the eldest, frowning.

After Ye Xuan spoke, a middle-aged man nodded; this was the second uncle, Ye Ziwen.

Seeing his two elder brothers had achieved nothing, Ye Kai, seated below, quickly stood up and addressed Ye Qinghai, “Father, let me introduce someone to you.”

He pulled Li Minghao to his feet and introduced him to the crowd, “This is the young master of the Li family, Li Minghao. I believe everyone has heard his name. If our Ye family wants a share in the new district construction, Cousin Li surely has a way, for his uncle is an executive at Huayi Group.”

Ye Qinghai’s eyes lit up upon hearing this and asked, “So you’re the young master of the Li family! Is what Ye Kai said true? Is your uncle really an executive at Huayi Group?”

“Uncle Ye, it’s true. My uncle is indeed an executive at Huayi Group, and he’s responsible for the new district construction project,” Li Minghao said, chin slightly raised, pride evident.

“Excellent! With Cousin Li’s support, our Ye family is sure to secure this cooperation!” Ye Qinghai laughed heartily.

Li Minghao’s pursuit of Ye Shihan was no secret in the Ye family. At this moment, Ye Qinghai looked at him with the satisfaction of a father-in-law admiring his future son-in-law.

Ye Kai was also overjoyed. Seeing the patriarch pleased, he knew that if this matter succeeded, his family would surely return to the ancestral hall.

Meanwhile, Ye Xuan and Ye Ziwen’s expressions grew awkward. Both secretly despised their third brother. The effort to expel Ye Kai’s family from the ancestral hall was largely theirs, all for the sake of a greater share of the inheritance.

At this point, Ye Qinghai discreetly tugged Ye Kai’s foot and whispered, “You must resolve the issue of Shihan and Xiao Yu. I see that Li Minghao is far superior to Xiao Yu in both family background and ability.”

Ye Kai nodded heavily. His intent in introducing Li Minghao was to make him familiar to the family. In his heart, the marriage between Ye Shihan and Xiao Yu was finished. Whether Shihan agreed or not, the divorce must happen!

By now, it was about eight in the evening. With the servants’ attentive service, fine dishes were laid out across the long dining table. It was time for the banquet.

“Alright, everyone eat first. We’ll discuss matters after dinner. Cousin Li, treat this as your own home,” Ye Qinghai smiled at Li Minghao.

“If the patriarch says so, then I won’t stand on ceremony,” Li Minghao replied with a smile. Then, as if remembering something, he stood up and continued, “Since it’s my first time at the ancestral hall, I’ve brought a small gift for the patriarch.”

He walked to the side and took a bottle of wine from a small wooden case.

“I heard the patriarch enjoys this, so I asked a friend in Beijing to bring this bottle back for me.” Li Minghao handed the wine to Ye Qinghai.

Ye Qinghai’s eyes sparkled at the sight. With his love of wine greater than money, he could tell at a glance this bottle was valuable. “Cousin Li, you’re thoughtful. Please, sit.”

Li Minghao smiled and sat down. Before visiting Ye Kai’s home, he had already learned about today’s gathering and researched the patriarch’s preferences. All his actions were aimed at making a good impression on the important people of the Ye family. In his eyes, as long as the patriarch and Ye Kai liked him, Ye Shihan would surely be his.

Everything unfolded as he expected; both the patriarch and Ye Kai favored him. Ye Qinghai winked at Ye Kai, who caught the hint and coughed lightly, “Shihan, what do you think of Li Minghao?”

Here it was. To the Ye family, today’s gathering was for business, but Ye Shihan knew her father brought Li Minghao to push this matter.

“Father, you’ve had too much to drink. I am a married woman,” Ye Shihan put down her chopsticks, not even glancing at Li Minghao, her tone resolute.

“You mean Xiao Yu, that useless man?” Before Ye Kai could respond, Ye Qinghai suddenly spoke, his gaze toward Xiao Yu full of disgust.

Even Li Minghao kept a close eye on Xiao Yu, for here in the Ye family, he needed to present his best side. If this were outside, Li Minghao would have long sought trouble with Xiao Yu.

“Grandfather, Xiao Yu is not useless! He is my husband!” Ye Shihan declared firmly.

“I know why you’re asking me this—you want Li Minghao’s help with Huayi Group. But do you really think without him, the Ye family has no hope?”

Ye Shihan’s words stirred a wave in the hall.

Ye Xuan frowned and spoke, “Shihan, do you think Huayi Group is so easy to approach? Both your second uncle and I failed. Do you think anyone else in our family can connect with them?”

“Exactly. Huayi Group isn’t open to just anyone,” Li Minghao sneered. His words implied that without his help, the Ye family would never reach such a major company.

Ye Shihan knew this was true, but recalling Xiao Yu’s solemn expression before they left, she felt he wasn’t lying. And Ta Sui, whom Xiao Yu claimed the Ye family couldn’t afford to offend, only strengthened her conviction.

“Cousin Li, don’t be upset. We all see your feelings for Shihan. She’s just embarrassed, which is why she said those things,” Ye Qinghai laughed.

Li Minghao’s expression eased slightly, but Ye Shihan’s next words made him feel shunned again.

“Grandfather, I am not joking. I will never divorce Xiao Yu!”

“Outrageous! Marriage is not your decision alone! Do you even respect me as your grandfather?” Ye Qinghai was furious at Ye Shihan’s stubbornness.

“I—”

Before Ye Shihan could retort, a loud crash suddenly echoed through the hall. Everyone turned toward the entrance, where the tightly closed doors had been kicked open from outside. A buzz-cut youth swaggered in, followed by more than a dozen unruly men.

“Well, what a lively scene. Looks like I’ve arrived at just the right time,” the young man grinned, looking at the Ye family with mocking eyes.