My girlfriend is from the future!

He Panshan's rhetorical question, though he already knew the answer, was certainly intentional.

As the patriarch, he needs to know his eldest son's choice on this issue, and to a large extent, he doesn't need a fact, but rather an attitude.

Faced with his younger brother He Yuanchong's "compromise," will He Tianran let him go or drive him to his doom...?

He Panshan needed to see for himself which he would choose between "family ties" and "interests." Even though he vaguely knew that there might not be any "family ties" between the two brothers, his son's decision to openly admit to the brothers' infighting in front of outsiders was an immature act of airing family scandals.

As for how He Panshan learned about the feud between his two sons...

If he doesn't speak, no one will know.

"Uncle...please don't be angry."

Just as He Panshan was about to erupt, a gentle yet fearful voice abruptly interrupted his outburst.

It is Yu Naoqiu.

Her face held the unease and consolation of a junior witnessing an elder's argument. She glanced at the weak-looking He Yuanchong, then at He Tianran, and spoke sincerely:
"Uncle He, Brother Tianran... he probably didn't mean to treat Yuan Chong like this..."

He Tianran sneered inwardly. As expected, Yu Naoqiu's "performance" had begun after he had laid his cards on the table.

"I don't know how much you know about what happened between the brothers, Uncle He, but I do know a little about this..." Yu Naoqiu looked at He Tianran with concern, as if he were a genuinely caring friend: "It's completely understandable that Brother Tianran is so angry..."

"excusable……?"

He Panshan grasped the key word, and Yu Naoqiu nodded. Seeing that everyone's attention had shifted from He Tianran to her, she slowly said:

"The story goes like this: He Tianran's agency was about to go public, but his main artist, Miss Bai, had some... friction with Yuan Chong. At this critical juncture, such a scandal involving an artist would seriously affect the company's future valuation. This was a very serious mistake. Such a stain on public opinion would be a severe blow to Tianran's future foothold in the entertainment industry and Shan Hai's future plans in the film and television industry. To avoid excessive exposure, the two brothers decided to resolve the matter privately..."

Uncle, think about it. Tianran's business was ruined by Yuan Chong's actions, but considering Yuan Chong's reputation and standing in Shan Hai, he, as the older brother, couldn't report the truth. So, it's understandable that he harbors resentment and spoke a little harshly.

Yu Naoqiu was indeed eloquent. By bringing up the old matter again, she actually found a very appropriate reason for He Tianran's "disregard for family ties" just now. The scene he was facing suddenly had an atmosphere of "I have considered family ties and saved face, but I should make up for the anger I should have vented and the loss I suffered."

"What stain? What does this have to do with Bailingye?"

Bai Wenyu, who had been kept in the dark, suddenly interjected, saying that Bai Lingye had recently accepted the contract renewal, but on the condition that the establishment of a personal studio be accelerated and that financial income be separated from the original company in a timely manner.

Yu Naoqiu found it difficult to speak. She looked at He Yuanchong and Tao Wei and her son beside her. Confronting them at this time was the best choice. Otherwise, He Yuanchong would not have chosen today to invite He Tianran to put on such a show.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just ask your son about it later."

He Panshan glanced at Bai Wenyu and gave her a word of advice. In this sentence, he also indicated that he already knew about the two brothers' secret dealings behind his back. He certainly wouldn't reveal the details to Tao Wei and Bai Wenyu in front of them.

Moreover, He Panshan's attitude towards the whole matter was really subtle. Even though he already knew so much, he still forced He Tianran to express his opinion just now. This made the two He brothers and Yu Naoqiu a little confused about what this man was thinking...

Of course, as the head of a family and the person in charge of a group, He Panshan doesn't need others to understand him; he only needs a kind of "order".

A kind of "order" that, in the eyes of Tao Wei, Bai Wenyu, He Tianran, and He Yuanchong, is impartial and can prevent this "family" from falling apart and allow it to continue to exist.

"Alright, I told you to go home for dinner. Can you still eat now?"

He Panshan's gaze swept over Tao Wei, whose face still bore traces of tears, and He Yuanchong, who stood behind her in a disheveled state.

"Panshan, about this matter..."

"Alright." He Panshan waved his hand. "I'll talk to Yuan Chong about the 80 million he owes Tian Ran later. You don't need to worry about it. Since Yuan Chong is injured, don't stand here. Take him back to his room to rest."

“Dad~!”

He Tianran's expression changed, and he tried to stop them. If they let Tao Wei and her son go, then this matter would really be reduced to a small matter and then forgotten.

"What do you want to do? Perform a ruthless extermination act in front of your father?"

He Panshan's sharp retort silenced He Tianran instantly. He gritted his teeth and watched helplessly as Tao Wei helped He Yuanchong out of the room. He had to admit that his younger brother's self-inflicted injury act today, which resulted in him getting a beating, really saved him a lot of money...

The side hall fell silent, leaving only He Panshan, Bai Wenyu, He Tianran, and two "outsiders".

"Today, Xiao Cao and Xiao Yu have really made a fool of themselves. Wang Ma, tell the kitchen to serve the dishes."

He Panshan offered a word of comfort, and the two girls naturally accepted it without daring to say anything more. Five minutes later, everyone moved from the tea table to the dining table, and dishes were continuously served. After Tao Wei and her son left, He Panshan's anger towards He Tianran had lessened considerably. However, the father and son were still in a state of cold war and did not communicate with each other.

The older man didn't rush to the table. Instead, he finished his cigarette, walked to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of red wine, and asked the others who were already seated:
"Who wants a drink?" "..."

For a moment, no one answered from inside the house.

He Tianran had no interest in speaking, and Cao Aiqing wanted to say something, but Bai Wenyu pulled her hand, signaling her not to. Only Yu Naoqiu, not wanting to disappoint He Panshan, deliberately got up and came over to help pick up a few wine glasses, and continued:
"Uncle, Brother Tianran also has a liquor cabinet in his office. He likes to have a drink or two from time to time. I guess he learned it from you."

He Panshan smiled and said:
"Really? You mean his office in Shanhai? I'm the one who put the alcohol in there for him. You've been there? What did he give you?"

Yu Naoqiu looked up and recalled:

"Anyway, he said something like... the end of wine is in Burgundy, and the end of Burgundy is what... By the way, Brother Tianran, what did you say last time?"

He Tianran turned his head, seemingly understanding the other person's words as a reminder of what they had discussed when they met in the office...

"Musini, Chambord Musini."

"Yes, yes, that's it."

Before his son could speak, the old father had already replaced the wine in his hand with the one he had described.

He opened the wine seal and poured the wine into the decanter. Yu Naoqiu followed behind him with a wine glass, and the two returned to the dining table.

Returning to his original position, Yu Naoqiu first respectfully handed an empty wine glass to He Panshan, then picked up another glass and turned to He Tianran with a smile:
"Natural Brother, Musini."

He Tianran didn't answer, but just stared coldly at the table.

Yu Naoqiu wasn't embarrassed at all. He just insisted on pushing the empty wine glass in front of him, as if to show that his experience today was just like this empty wine glass. After it was filled with wine, he would have to drink it whether he wanted to or not.

Then, she turned a new wine glass toward Bai Wenyu.

Bai Wenyu, her face cold, also didn't take it. Yu Naoqiu's hand froze in mid-air, her polite smile showing no embarrassment. She looked at the only remaining person, Cao Aiqing, and tentatively asked:
"Sister Ai Qing?"

She handed over the glass of wine that was meant for Bai Wenyu.

"She doesn't drink."

It wasn't Cao Aiqing who spoke, but Bai Wenyu.

"Aunt Bai, you're so kind to Sister Ai Qing..."

Yu Naoqiu slowly withdrew his hand, a hint of disappointment on his face as if his good intentions had been rejected...

However, as soon as she finished speaking, her wrist, which was pulling back, was suddenly grabbed. Then, she finally heard the clear, cold voice that she had been looking forward to hearing since she entered the room today, but had not heard it for a long time.

"It's okay, I'll drink it."

Under He Tianran's slightly surprised gaze, Cao Aiqing expressionlessly released Yu Naoqiu's wrist as he pulled back, and then took the wine glass from her opponent's hand.

He Panshan shook the wine in the decanter, put it down, and looked up at the scene before him. He seemed oblivious to anything amiss at the meal, and began to chat casually as if it were just a casual conversation:

"Xiao Yu, if your Aunt Bai doesn't drink, then don't make her drink. Come, sit here."

"Ah good."

Yu Naoqiu withdrew his gaze from Cao Aiqing's face and sat down next to He Panshan as instructed.

“Xiao Yu,” the old man picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it into Yu Naoqiu’s bowl, “Thank you for earlier. If you hadn’t emphasized the cause and effect, I would have almost forgotten. Look how angry I was with that kid Tianran.”

Yu Naoqiu paused slightly in the hand holding the wine glass, maintaining the humility of a junior: "Uncle He, you flatter me, I just..."

"Oh, right..."

Before Yu Naoqiu could finish speaking, He Panshan interrupted her, leaning forward slightly, turning to the side, one hand resting on the table, his shadow looming over Yu Naoqiu's face, and asked:
“From my son’s company going public,” he said, emphasizing each word, “to the ‘friction’ between Yuan Chong and Bai Lingye, and then to the private settlement of these 80 million and the two plots of land…”

He stared at Yu Naoqiu's smiling face, which was beginning to stiffen.

"How did you know about these 'family matters' that even I, as their father, had to go through a lot of trouble to find out? And how did you know them so clearly?" (End of Chapter)