The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1628 Cleverness

“I don’t want to keep asking you for benefits or greedily spending your money. I, Ye Xiaolang, am not that kind of person. Although Yicheng and I both work ordinary jobs and receive fixed salaries, we still earn quite a bit, and it doesn’t affect our food, drink, or clothing. I just feel that Yicheng’s attitude is wrong.”

Ye Xiaolang spoke loudly and confidently.

“You guys are all family, why are you making such a big deal out of it? His workplace, my workplace, everyone knows our family makes Jue Wei duck necks and sells duck products. Anyone who knows anything about us knows our family business is huge. Look at you all, driving cars, carrying cell phones, dressed in suits.”

Sometimes, when faced with your good intentions, I have to be so rigid, saying this won't do, that won't do. For example, I told him before that I wanted to do an interview with you, Wang Yan, and he absolutely refused, saying you…

I just don't understand, what's wrong with this? Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he couldn't say anything! Wang Yan, you be the judge, am I right or not?"

"Ye Xiaolang!" Qiao Yicheng was so angry he couldn't speak.

Ye Xiaolang's behavior is disgusting. She says the attitude is wrong, but the correct attitude she's talking about is that Qiao Yicheng should accept all the kindness his younger siblings have shown him. If she really didn't care, she wouldn't even need to say that.

What's worse is that she said it in front of so many people and then demanded that Wang Yan judge the matter. This is blatant kidnapping.

She is Qiao Yicheng's wife. She made Qiao Yicheng accept everyone's good intentions. She did nothing wrong because she was doing it for Qiao Yicheng's own good. Wang Yan, a wealthy boss, should show his approval of her and at the same time condemn Qiao Yicheng's actions. Then, he should give them all sorts of things and satisfy their various requests.

These "things" and "requirements" were all expressed by Ye Xiaolang, and Qiao Yicheng accepted them with the correct "attitude." Thus, the brothers were friendly and respectful, the couple was harmonious, and the family was peaceful.

In conclusion, Ye Xiaolang was too impatient.

More than a month has passed, and she feels that the Qiao family's wealth is not commensurate with what she has received, and that she can do better...

"No need for Wang Yan to say it, sister-in-law, I think what you said makes a lot of sense."

Sanli took the initiative to speak, understanding that Wang Yan was in a difficult position at this moment. After all, strictly speaking, Wang Yan wasn't yet considered part of the Qiao family. If he denied it, it would affect one-tenth of the marriage; if he agreed, he would have to pay money. He was being put in a difficult position.

Sanli didn't know whether her sister-in-law was being intentional or unintentional. She smiled and said, "We've told my brother a hundred times already. He's just so stubborn and inflexible. Actually, we've been asking him to buy us clothes and watches for a long time now."

"Yes, sister-in-law, my brother is a stubborn man." Erqiang helped the slightly trembling Qiao Yicheng up and said with a smile, "You should talk to him more often. How can he not use the good things and not enjoy the good life? Right, brother?"

Qiao Yicheng pushed Erqiang aside, grabbed his clothes and put them on: "You guys eat, we're going home first. Don't bother seeing us off!"

"What's wrong? You haven't finished eating?"

Ye Xiaolang knew, of course, that Qiao Yicheng wanted to have a serious talk with her about today's issues, but she didn't think they could reach a clear conclusion, nor did she think Qiao Yicheng would do anything. She felt that she had figured Qiao Yicheng out; he was a soft-hearted person.

So she muttered a dissatisfied comment, glanced at Wang Yan who was eating and drinking heartily, greeted Erqiang and the others, and turned to follow Qiao Yicheng out...

The private room remained quiet until a loud bang, when Si Mei slammed her hand on the table.

"No, why should she? Before my brother got married, my sister and I took her shopping and bought her a lot of clothes and cosmetics, many of which were foreign brands. She just said a few polite words, but she didn't want any of them."
After we got married, she always insisted on taking us out to eat and shop. We never let her pay; it was always us paying for everything – restaurants, shopping, everything. What does she mean by this? Is she trying to sabotage us? She's practically ready to flip the table!
She keeps saying her brother doesn't want this or that, but is it really that he doesn't want it? I think it's her who wants it, right? Besides the car and the cell phone, there was also cash, and her brother accepted it all. Hmph, saying foreign countries are great, I think she just wants us to pay to send her abroad!

Si Mei is undoubtedly a smart person. Having been in business and in a leadership position for so long, she has developed her own set of skills in judging people and listening to others. She spends her days pondering nothing more than these kinds of things. In comparison, Ye Xiaolang, who only has some cleverness and lacks patience, is far inferior.

In this family, apart from the children, almost everyone could see through it. Old Qiao could also see it; he was simply naive and shameless, which is why he was deceived by Xu Funian, not because Xu Funian was stupid. After all, even though Old Qiao was bedridden, he didn't trouble his children to take care of him for more than a few days, and it didn't cost him much money.

Although he did suffer a bit in the end, he was paralyzed, so what more could one ask for? Even one's own children couldn't withstand being scolded at that point, so Old Joe was already quite kind.

The old man probably knew he was losing face, so he didn't cause much trouble in his last two years and didn't cause any more trouble for his children...

Erqiang breathed a sigh of relief: "I've been eating here for so many years, and I've never flipped the table like this before."

"Well, I have to say something. I've had many arguments with Yicheng." Old Qiao sipped his wine with a smug look on his face.

Sanli couldn't bear to look: "Dad, which side are you on?"

"I'm just watching the show," Old Qiao laughed. "How many years has Yicheng been my father? Ye Xiaolang was right, he's really no good at this or that with me. This time, he's finally done it himself."

"Stop gloating! What kind of father are you?" Si Mei said irritably.

"No son should act like that!" Old Qiao snorted and went back to drinking without a care in the world.

Wang Yan was happily eating meat, seemingly unaffected.

"Wang Yan, don't be angry. I think maybe... he's just being blunt."

"Look at you, all these years, you still think I'm an uncontrollable violent maniac. Every time something happens, you tell me not to get angry. All I did was get into a few fights back in school. Sigh..."

Seeing Wang Yan speechless and choked with emotion, Old Qiao also sighed, because Xu Funian's legs were really broken, and both of them were broken.

Last year, he was terrified by Wang Yan and didn't even go out to play mahjong for several days. But the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, so he went to look for him again. What he found was truly alarming. Not only had Xu Funian broken both legs, but his former coworkers and friends who used to play mahjong with him also had various injuries. Some had broken both legs, some had broken one, and some even had broken arms…

Since that incident, he barely played mahjong last year. It wasn't until this year that he gradually recovered and started casually joining others for games again. The stakes weren't high; it was just to pass the time and listen to people flatter him. He needs social connections; without them, how can he show off? And without showing off, how can he be happy…

Si Mei asked curiously, "So what's your opinion, Brother Yan?" Wang Yan noticed Lao Qiao's awkwardness, but pretended not to see it and replied to Si Mei with a smile, "It doesn't matter what we think, it's still up to Brother Yi Cheng to decide, after all, it's his birthday."

Erqiang took a sip of his drink and frowned: "Now that we've come this far, are we going to give it to them or not?"

"Give her money? She makes a fuss and then we give her money? What does she take us for? What kind of dream is that?" Si Mei expressed her strong dissatisfaction. "I've never seen anyone play tricks on their own family. I used to have some opinions, but I never said anything because of my eldest brother. Who would have thought it would turn out like this? They're treating us like fools. I really don't understand how my eldest brother could have fallen for her?"

Ye Xiaolang thought she was outspoken, sincere, and direct, but little did he know that the Qiao family saw her as overestimating herself. These people didn't understand as Ye Xiaolang expected, nor did they anticipate the extra money and benefits she would receive, like a wish-granting machine. Instead, it backfired, causing the Qiao family to feel increasingly annoyed.

Wang Yan really didn't care; he was too lazy to say anything more. Otherwise, if he had just laid everything out on the spot, making Ye Xiaolang's intentions public, he would have cut off all avenues of communication, and Qiao Yicheng would have divorced Ye Xiaolang in less than a week.

Because Qiao Yicheng cares about the Qiao family, and given the closeness of their relationship, even if he's soft-hearted, the situation has deteriorated to this extent, and he will definitely divorce Ye Xiaolang.

Wang Yan didn't make the decision for Qiao Yicheng, even though the outcome was already predetermined and Wang Yan had already said so. He didn't forcefully intervene, but human nature is such that people won't learn until they hit a wall. Only after suffering immense pain and heartbreak will Qiao Yicheng truly understand.

A group of people spent the whole meal chatting about crickets, but they didn't come to any conclusions...

After leaving the Hongyun Hotel and walking a short distance, Ye Xiaolang spoke first, without Qiao Yicheng having to say anything.

"No, what did I say wrong? Qiao Yicheng, why are you angry with me? Tell me, what did I say wrong!"

"None of your statements are right!" Qiao Yicheng said. "I told you so much, thinking you understood, but I didn't expect you to still say the same thing today, especially in front of everyone. You even brought up the interview with Wang Yan. Do you think they don't know what you're thinking?"

"My thoughts? What thoughts do I have?"

Ye Xiaolang seemed even angrier. "Qiao Yicheng, I mentioned Wang Yan's matter as an example. It's not that I'm begging for an interview. Tell me, since I learned about your family's affairs, haven't I only mentioned this one thing? If I really wanted something, wouldn't I have told you long ago? Why did it have to wait until today?"

I've made myself very clear. I just want you to have a more harmonious relationship with your siblings. But that's the reality; it's not something you can change just by saying no. Do you realize that in other people's eyes, you're a fool?

Qiao Yicheng looked at her: "And what about you? What am I to you?"

“You’re my man, what else could you be? I know you don’t care what others think, you’re strong inside, but you’re my man, and I don’t want others to treat you like a fool.”

"You mean, if I ask them for a car, money, or a cell phone, nobody will think I'm stupid?"

"Qiao Yicheng, aren't you just arguing for the sake of arguing? This is what I meant."

"Isn't that what you meant?" Qiao Yicheng looked exhausted, almost on the verge of death, and let out a long sigh. "Ye Xiaolang, words aren't always what they seem. It depends on how the listener thinks. You understand that without me having to explain it. I've told you a lot about Wang Yan and the others. Do you think Wang Yan, Erqiang, and Simei are all idiots who can't understand what you're implying?"

"I've already told you what I meant, and there's nothing I can do if you don't believe me. Besides, I've already told them all, so no matter what you think or what they think, that's all that matters. You've really taken my kindness for granted!"

Ye Xiaolang stomped his foot in frustration, glared at Qiao Yicheng, and then hailed a taxi to go back, ignoring Qiao Yicheng who was pushing his bicycle...

Qiao Yicheng watched helplessly as his wife drove away, let out a sigh of relief, then turned the car around and slowly drove back to Hongyun Restaurant.

A light rain was falling from the sky, and he felt cold, as did his heart.

This isn't how it is; this isn't what he imagined marriage would be like. He never expected that in just over a month, Ye Xiaolang would cause trouble.

Of course, he wasn't stupid. Ye Xiaolang had been talking about these things before, praising the good things about life abroad. It turned out he was laying the groundwork for him, just waiting for the right opportunity to strike...

People on the street walked briskly, not paying attention to the drizzle, but Qiao Yicheng pushed his bike slowly, enjoying the drizzle just the way it was.

When he arrived at Hongyun Restaurant again, he was already soaked by the light rain.

"Oh dear, brother, you really are something. You have a raincoat but you don't wear it, you have an umbrella but you don't use it, you just have to get soaked. If you catch a cold, you'll be the one who suffers." Sanli was busy looking for a towel, Simei was taking off Yicheng's coat, and Erqiang was pouring hot water for him.

Old Qiao sipped his tea and ate some melon seeds, busy making sarcastic remarks: "Judging from his expression, he didn't win the argument. Getting a shower in the rain to cool off is quite good."

Qiao Yicheng looked ashamed: "I'm sorry, Xiao Lang, she..."

“Oh, big brother, you don’t need to say anything more, we all understand.” Erqiang waved his hand. “To be honest, big brother, our family isn’t short of money. She can basically do whatever she wants. She can’t expect the stars and the moon from the sky, can she? As long as you say so, we’re willing to pay. You don’t know, Sanli just said she wanted Wang Yan to give an exclusive interview.”

"No way!" Qiao Yicheng shook his head repeatedly without even thinking. "Wang Yan, I don't need you to do any interviews, and I don't need you to give me any money. I've made up my mind. From now on, none of you should send me anything. I want to see if she really means it when she says she's not after money or gifts."

After he finished speaking, he saw his younger siblings take deep breaths and roll their eyes, while Old Joe sneered.

“I know you all have issues with Xiao Lang, and I have issues with her too, but they’ve only been married a few days. We need to work things out a bit more…”

Wang Yan pushed the poured tea towards Qiao Yicheng: "Like drinking water, only the person drinking knows whether it's hot or cold. No one is blaming you; it's your own life..."

Qiao Yicheng let out a long sigh...

　I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the kind readers who have given me generous support through tips, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and those who have been reading quietly!

　　(End of this chapter)