My girlfriend is from the future!

Yu Naoqiu lived up to his name; he only glanced at the room once before immediately concealing the strange look in his eyes.

Apart from He Tianran, no one in the room paid any attention to her supporting He Yuanchong, because He Panshan had already stood up upon seeing this, and Tao Wei also came up wiping away her tears. Although the head of the household knew from his phone call with Uncle Hu that his youngest son had gotten into a conflict with someone and that the dinner party might be a little late, he was still quite shocked to see the other party in such a disheveled state.

"What's going on here?"

He asked Tao Wei, who had walked up to him, in a deep voice, and asked her to sit down in the spot where he had just stood up.

Bai Wenyu, who was standing to the side, moved a few steps to the side without making a sound, but her eyes were also full of curiosity.

"Waaaaah... It's nothing, it's nothing, it's just that Xiao Chong went to see..."

"Mom—! Cough cough cough..."

Just as Tao Wei was about to explain, He Yuanchong, who was standing to the side, sternly stopped his mother. Perhaps he shouted a little too loudly, because he had some bandages on his chest and was coughing repeatedly due to difficulty breathing.

"Come and sit down first."

He Panshan gave an order.

Yu Naoqiu helped him walk to He Tianran's side. The two brothers, one tall and one short, looked at each other. He Yuanchong suddenly looked away with some shame, which left He Tianran completely confused.

"Dad, it was just a minor altercation with some strangers. It's nothing serious, just superficial injuries."

After sitting down, He Yuanchong gave a perfunctory answer, clearly not wanting people to delve further into the cause of his injuries.

"Hmm, I can see that. If you were really badly injured, you wouldn't be here now. But it's rare to see someone bullying you like this."

He Panshan walked over, picked up He Yuanchong's bandaged head and looked at it. He probably thought it was just a minor conflict, and his tone was even a little teasing. He wasn't too worried.

However, when Tao Wei learned that her son had been beaten and saw how casually He Panshan was asking about it, she cried even harder.

Bai Wenyu frowned slightly. Luckily, Cao Aiqing was between her and Tao Wei. Seeing that the elder was crying so hard, the young lady took out a few tissues from the tea table, comforted her while patting her shoulder, and handed her the tissues, whispering words of comfort.

"Oh, don't cry... It's nothing serious." He Panshan turned around, walked behind Tao Wei, patted her, and then went to the empty seat in the middle and sat down again. "Isn't it normal for boys to bleed a little and get a scrape? Besides, don't you know what your son is like? Lots of people want to beat him up, and with his vindictive nature, you should be worried about the person he fought with... Xiao Yu, why did you come along? Don't stand, sit down too."

As He Panshan spoke, he slowly took a cigarette from the cigarette box on the tea table and lit it.

Yu Naoqiu, who had been standing, then "reservedly" sat down on the other side of He Tianran. This position was closest to He Panshan and best for communication.
"Oh, Uncle He, there was a meeting in Haigang District this afternoon. I went there, but Yuan Chong didn't come. The leader asked where he was, so I called him and he said he was at the hospital, so I rushed over. Later, Aunt Tao also came. I saw that she came in a hurry and didn't have anyone with her. I was afraid she couldn't take care of him, so we brought Yuan Chong back together... I hope we won't disturb him."

He Panshan listened quietly, smoking, and didn't answer immediately. Instead, he let the smoke linger in his mouth for a few seconds before exhaling through his mouth and nose, replying:

"Don't bother us. It's lunchtime, why don't you have your meal before you go back?"

Yu Naoqiu glanced at everyone's reactions, nodded, and said as if he dared not refuse:
"it is good."

"Will that be alright?"

"It's alright, I've taken care of everything."

During their conversation, Tao Wei's faint sobs continued. The woman knew that the man was just changing the subject by talking to Yu Naoqiu. Now that Bai Wenyu and He Tianran were both there, it wasn't good to keep focusing on He Yuanchong. But this middle-aged woman's barely suppressed grievances and weeping were about to become the fuse for today's big drama...

Perhaps annoyed by Tao Wei's constant sobbing, and with outsiders present, He Panshan finally couldn't help but mutter again:
"Okay, stop crying. Your son is a grown man, and he's perfectly fine."

Well, normally these words wouldn't be a problem, but at this moment, Tao Wei was completely furious.

"What do you mean, 'your son' and 'my son'? What, He Panshan, just because Bai Wenyu is here today, are you deliberately using these kinds of words to annoy and humiliate me? If He Tianran had been injured today, would you have been so indifferent and uncaring?"

"No, Xiaowei, I...I'm always like this..."

This is a taboo topic in the He family. Normally, the two brothers in the He family would not dare to mention it, or they would definitely be scolded if asked. But now, He Panshan is in the wrong and did not expect Tao Wei to suddenly lash out, so he is in a passive position where he has no way to defend himself.

He Tianran was caught in the crossfire innocently, his eyes wide with disbelief. It was truly a stroke of luck! Although he knew He Panshan wasn't a good father, he desperately wanted to stand up and declare, "Even if I were the one injured today, my dad would probably be just as awful. Aunt Tao, you're really overthinking it..."

"Ha~"

Bai Wenyu was far less concerned than her son. With the situation escalating, it was fortunate that she wasn't getting involved. Yet, she let out a cold laugh, cutting into the silence between the two...

Is it appropriate to laugh in this situation?

Isn't this tantamount to stabbing a knife into Tao Wei's heart?

Tao Wei, whose emotions were gradually spiraling out of control, glared fiercely at Bai Wenyu. Ignoring Cao Aiqing's repeated attempts to comfort her, she stood up abruptly and began yelling at the person in the middle who was in charge:
"He Panshan! Yuan Chong fought with his biological father today, did you know that?"

"..."

Her words were astonishing. Everyone in the room, not just He Panshan, was stunned. He Tianran stood there with his mouth agape, a strong sense of foreboding rising within him. He knew He Yuanchong was rebellious, and when he learned of his fight with someone, he had a premonition of something. But he never expected that his younger brother would actually fight with his own father...

If that's the case...

Before He Tianran could finish analyzing the pros and cons, He Panshan's face darkened, and he asked He Yuanchong:
"Really?"

"Mom, please say less!"

He Yuanchong didn't answer directly, but anxiously went to his mother's side, seemingly to comfort her, but actually hiding behind Tao Wei. However, He Panshan was clearly shocked by this truth and pressed for an answer with a stronger tone:
"You really went to see that bastard Zhao Ruifeng? Answer me, why!"

"What are you yelling about! He fought because of me! Why did you go to Zhao Ruifeng? Why don't you ask your eldest son! To pay back your eldest son that 80 million, Yuan Chong had no choice but to take him to the place where he used to live, hoping that he would be more lenient for the sake of our years of brotherhood..."

Tao Wei stood protectively in front of He Yuanchong, muttering incoherently. But the instant He Panshan's gaze shifted to He Tianran's face, he had already calmly offered his explanation:
“Aunt Tao, I didn’t know Yuan Chong would fight with his father. I only found out about it now.”

"Natural, I didn't say I was going to blame you, don't be nervous..."

Tao Wei took a breath, suppressed her emotions, and continued:

"But after you left, that beast surnamed Zhao recognized who you were, and then he spoke rudely to me and your father. Yuan Chong couldn't stand it, so he fought with him."

As soon as he finished speaking, even the two forked wisps of smoke from the incense burner beside the coffee table seemed to freeze.

He Tianran finally understood. The brothers' meeting at the rice noodle shop was foreshadowing, the father-son fight was a ruse, but Tao Wei's words were the real crux of today's scene...

As the drama unfolds, He Yuanchong's 80 million yuan is no longer seen as an expense to cover up his true intentions. Instead, it becomes "evidence" that he was forced into a corner by his brother, yet still did not forget to uphold the dignity of his family. He Tianran, on the other hand, becomes the cold-blooded "creditor" who drove his brother back to hell for money, indirectly causing this "family tragedy."

Now, does He Yuanchong's initial mistake still matter?
Tao Wei never brought the matter to He Panshan's attention because He Yuanchong hadn't had a good image or a solid position throughout the whole incident. So what about now?

Yu Naoqiu...

He Tianran didn't look at the woman so close to him, but a strange sense of "admiration" arose in his heart.

That was a really clever move.

He Panshan's face was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

He didn't look at Tao Wei, nor at the "seriously injured" He Yuanchong; he simply focused his gaze back on his eldest son.

"Eighty million..." The family member finally spoke, his voice calm but more chilling than a roar: "Tianran, did you really ask your brother for eighty million?"

In an instant, everyone's attention was focused on He Tianran.

Bai Wenyu's shock, Cao Aiqing's worry, Tao Wei's indignation, He Yuanchong's sinister undertones of shame, and Yu Naoqiu's mischievousness beneath feigned surprise.

This is the man's second "test" tonight.

It was also Yu Naoqiu's "pledge of allegiance" to him.

He has to answer.

If he denies it, then it proves that what He Tianran said and what promises he made were nothing but empty words, and no one should believe them.

If he admits it, then in the face of the "family" that He Panshan values ​​most and wants to stabilize the most, he, as the eldest son, is the most ruthless "scoundrel".

According to the writer's past practice of working alone, he knew he had to choose the latter.

The reason is simple: he had to play the role of this "scoundrel" well in front of Yu Naoqiu in order to make her believe that he was truly willing to abandon Cao Aiqing and family ties for "profit"...

As for why He Tianran chose Yu Naoqiu even though he knew there was a high probability that Yu Naoqiu was involved in today's situation, the reason is quite simple. He Yuanchong's identity has now been exposed. This is not the kind of unsubstantiated instigation or implication by He Tianran to sow discord between Yu Naoqiu and He Yuanchong. This is something that Tao Wei said herself, and it is also a fact that He Panshan tacitly acknowledged...

He Yuanchong is not the illegitimate son of He Panshan as rumored. His biological father is someone else. If He Tianran can get through this ordeal tonight, and if Yu Naoqiu isn't stupid, she won't choose He Yuanchong...

Of course, all of this is predicated on the fact that He Tianran can emerge unscathed from this storm.

So, the current situation really does fulfill He Tianran's warning to Yu Naoqiu at the banquet back then...

At that time, he was inspecting the daughters of various wealthy families, and his words implied that Yu Naoqiu was not his only choice.

And now, this woman may truly be the one he can rely on to escape this time.

But is this really the only way?

Can we think of any more solutions...?

He Tianran opened his mouth, but his mother across from him spoke first.

"Hoping for the mountains!"

Bai Wenyu couldn't sit still any longer, and her icy voice cut in:

"Don't you want to ask about the cause and effect first? Eighty million is no small amount. He Yuanchong wouldn't owe Tianran so much for no reason. He must have some kind of leverage over him..."

"A handle?! Bai Wenyu!"

Tao Wei reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly exploding:

"Don't talk like that, it's easy for you to say! If it weren't for you and your son being so aggressive, would Yuan Chong have gone to that godforsaken place? Would he have been beaten up?! Right, it must have been you and your son—"

"Shut up, everyone!"

He Panshan let out a low growl, and the side hall fell silent again. He stared intently at He Tianran:
"Son, I have a question for you."

He Tianran raised his head, meeting his father's gaze. His face remained expressionless, but he suddenly asked a question:
"Dad, didn't you already know?"

He calmly took out his phone, opened the message his father had sent at noon, pointed to the last line, and read it aloud with emphasis:
"'We need to talk about you and your brothers.' This 'about our brothers' should refer to the 80 million, right? Otherwise, I really can't think of anything else that Yuan Chong and I need to talk about."

He Yuanchong "timely" let out a violent cough and helped Tao Wei up.

He Tianran turned around and said to Tao Wei, "Aunt Tao, I don't know if Yuan Chong fought for you, but I do know that if you're wrong, you should admit it and stand up straight when you get hit."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over He Yuanchong's bandaged forehead, and a very faint smile appeared on his face:
"Furthermore, it is only right and proper to pay back debts."

"You—you beast!!"

Tao Wei was so angry that she trembled all over, pointing at him, almost fainting.

Bai Wenyu was also shocked and her heart was filled with complex emotions. From the perspective of her resentment towards He Panshan and Tao Wei, she fully supported her son's decisiveness because it gave her a chance to vent her anger. However, rationally speaking, these things should clearly have been done by herself, and now that He Tianran had done them, it was undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire, which was extremely unwise...

Only Yu Naoqiu had a slight smile of satisfaction on his lips.

That's right.

This is the person she wants to choose.

He Panshan looked at He Tianran, his deep eyes swirling with a sense of being offended.

His eldest son's behavior tonight has completely crossed his bottom line, not because of the 80 million, but because of this "instability" and "cold-bloodedness." (End of Chapter)