The villainous second male lead at the beginning? No! He's the white moonlight!

Ye Xi and Ye Xin were almost driven mad by Yan Ling's words. If their relationship with Ye Linyuan could be kept secret, they would have silenced Yan Ling right now!

Seeing that Ye Xi and Ye Xin stopped talking, Yan Ling turned her gaze to Ye Linyuan.

"Xiao Yuan, what do you think of Ru Yu? Although you didn't grow up together, you were often together when you were little, as you know. Besides, Ru Yu is a direct descendant of our Yan family, and in terms of status, she's a good match for you. What do you think?"

Fearing that Ye Linyuan would disagree, Yan Ling quickly continued.

"As long as you agree, Xiao Yuan, our Yan family is willing to offer a dowry of 1 trillion."

One trillion? How come the Yan family also has one trillion?

Does that mean she has no advantage at all?

Thinking of this, Xiao Ruoxi felt like her teeth were about to break.

Ye Xi and Ye Xin, standing to the side, also looked displeased.

After all, these words make it sound like the Ye family is selling their son.

However, Shen Wanmeng and Shen Shuying, who had just come over to watch the excitement, were clearly very interested. Shen Wanmeng even seemed to want to stir up trouble, and she spoke up with a charming smile.

"That sounds interesting. How about I join too? Although our Shen family isn't as wealthy as the Yan family, able to come up with 1 trillion in one go, our Shen family has connections. We have one member in the 36th Elder Council, which is second only to the ten permanent council members."

"Moreover, although our Shen family is indeed not as wealthy as the Yan family, we still have quite a few businesses, some of which are currently in the hottest fields of the Internet and artificial intelligence. They could be worth three or four hundred billion yuan in total. My father said that as long as I get married, half of these businesses will be my dowry."

Shen Shuying, who came with Shen Wanmeng, also rolled her eyes at this moment.

"And Young Master Ye, if you think my sister alone isn't enough, I can do it too! The Yan family only has one sister, but our Shen family has two!"

"Anyway, Young Master Ye, you have plenty of women already, so two more or less of us won't make a difference."

Ye Linyuan was already having a terrible headache because of this, and now, hearing Shen Wanmeng and Shen Shuying's teasing that seemed to thrive on chaos, he glared at the sisters resentfully.

"If you keep saying that, then what we just said is off the table."

"Oh, I was just kidding, don't be so angry."

Shen Wanmeng and Shen Shuying exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

After dealing with Shen Wanmeng and Shen Shuying, two troublemakers who seemed to thrive on chaos, Ye Linyuan turned around and saw that Xiao Ruoxi, Ye Xi, and Ye Xin were about to explode. He leaned down and whispered a few words of comfort to them before looking at Yan Ling, his tone somewhat displeased.

"Uncle Yan, I respect you as an elder of the eight great families, which is why I call you Uncle Yan, but you'd better not be ungrateful."

Ye Linyuan's words immediately caused everyone present to change their expressions drastically.

Although the Ye family and the Yan family have never had a deep relationship, there's no need to completely sever ties.

As the saying goes, it's better to have one more friend than one more enemy. The relationship between the Yan family and the Ye family was originally more than strangers but less than friends. Now that Ye Linyuan has said this, it seems that the relationship between the Yan family and the Ye family is about to break down.

No matter what, Yan Ling is the head of the Yan family and represents the face of the Yan family; he must not be humiliated.

Even Ye Xiao, the current head of the Ye family, would not speak to Yan Ling like this unless the Ye family had made up its mind to break ties with the Yan family.

Even if Yan Ling's words were excessive, at most she would just ask him to leave.

Yan Ling's expression was very unpleasant. Although he had a good temper, it didn't mean he didn't have one.

"Young Master Ye, I didn't hear you clearly just now. Please say it again."

At this moment, Yan Ling no longer addressed Ye Linyuan as "Little Yuan," and even changed his own title to "Head of the Yan Family." This indicates that he was no longer speaking to Ye Linyuan as an elder, but as the head of the Yan family!

"I'll say it again, Uncle Yan. I respect you as an elder of the eight great families, which is why I call you Uncle Yan, but you'd better not push your luck!"

"Did you hear me clearly this time?!"

hiss~~

Everyone gasped in shock, collectively contributing their share to global warming.

"Young Master Ye, are you speaking as the heir to the Ye family, or in your personal capacity?"

"I said this as Yan Ruyu's friend!"

When Ye Linyuan said this, everyone present was stunned. Even Yan Ling's anger got stuck in her throat, and her face turned red.

He had considered that Ye Linyuan might say it as the heir of the Ye family, or he might say it as a personal matter. He even prepared a reason for Ye Linyuan to prevent the two families from falling out. But he never expected that Ye Linyuan would actually say that he was criticizing him as Yan Ruyu's friend.

Taking a deep breath, Yan Ling swallowed her anger, and it took a long time for her face to return to its normal color.

"Xiao Yuan, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Uncle Yan, if I remember correctly, your Yan family has always prided itself on its upright family traditions, even claiming to have inherited them from the ancient sage Yan Hui. But listen to what you just said—you're treating Ruyu like a commodity for exchanging benefits!"

"I don't know what happened to your Yan family that has reduced you to needing women to survive, but I can tell you, Ruyu has never been an object; she is a person, a person of flesh and blood!"

Seeing that Yan Ling wanted to continue speaking, Ye Linyuan interrupted him without hesitation.

"I know what you're trying to say, Uncle Yan. It's the same old story: she's the daughter of the Yan family, enjoying all the wealth and luxury they've ever had. So when the Yan family is in trouble, it's natural that she has to step forward. But don't you find it ridiculous? She's a person, a person with her own thoughts. She can't choose her birth, so what gives you the right to make decisions about her future?"

"To put it bluntly, why should she sacrifice her own happiness instead of you?!"

Ye Linyuan's words were like a morning bell, almost shattering the minds of everyone present. For a moment, everyone fell silent.

Yes, yes, although they were all born into wealthy families, from childhood they were taught that their families would provide them with food, drink, and the best education, and would even try their best to satisfy their every desire.

The only requirement is that you can fight for the family's interests when the family needs you.

Of course, this is not actually obvious in Xiao Ruoxi.

She was the apple of the Xiao family's eye, their precious treasure, so naturally the Xiao family couldn't bear to see her suffer even the slightest grievance.

At the same time, this was not obvious in Ye Xi and Ye Xin. In the words of the Ye family, the Ye family was not so shameless as to need the girls of the Ye family to sacrifice for the Ye family.

The Ye family's daughter can love whomever she wants and live whatever life she wants; no one can interfere!

In fact, it was precisely because of the Ye family's laissez-faire attitude that Ye Qingyan and Ye Qingxin, two extraordinary talents, were created.

Even when Ye Qingcheng went to the entertainment industry to become a movie queen, no one in the Ye family interfered; on the contrary, they would protect and support her.

If anyone present felt the most deeply, it would undoubtedly be Shen Wanmeng and Shen Shuying.