A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

Ye Beichen's expression didn't change, but his mind was racing.

He leaned back in his chair, tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest twice, and then said, "It seems you think highly of that kid."

Xu Shuhan didn't respond to that, and his tone became more serious: "Old Ye, there are some things I can't say outright, but if you trust me, tell your second son to stop, or things will get messy later."

Ye Beichen frowned slightly, and his tone turned serious: "What if you don't stop?"

Xu Shuhan raised his head and said, word by word, "That kid, I'm protecting him."

The study was quiet for a moment.

Ye Beichen stared at Xu Shuhan for several seconds, as if trying to discern something from his face.

He didn't glean the information he wanted from his old friend's expression; instead, he saw only an unwavering certainty.

"Old Xu, who exactly is that kid? Is he worth all this trouble?"

"Old Ye, just think of him as my grandson-in-law."

These words, on the one hand, demonstrated the determination to protect Su Fan, and on the other hand, rejected the marriage proposal from the Ye and Xu families.

The two elderly people chatted for a while, and Ye Beichen kept trying to get information out of Xu Shuhan, but he couldn't get anything out of him.

After Xu Shuhan left, Ye Beichen fell into deep thought.

At this moment, in the He family home, Qu Feiming was chatting with his son-in-law He Shengyan.

"Tell the eldest son of the Ye family to stop causing trouble."

He Shengyan paused for a moment, then frowned.

He certainly knew what the old man was talking about.

The conflict between Su Fan and the young master of the Ye family has been making headlines online these past few days, spreading from online to offline, and even people at his workplace are talking about it.

He Shengyan didn't not want to manage it; he just found it difficult to manage.

At his level, one has to be careful with every word and action.

Moreover, given the Ye family's status, it wouldn't be worth it for him to speak rashly.

"Dad, please don't get involved in this. Even if he is your apprentice, you've already done enough the other day."

Qu Feiming quickly said, "What apprentice? You can't say things like that."

He Shengyan was genuinely puzzled this time. He tentatively asked, "He's not your apprentice, so why are you helping him so much?"

Qu Feiming didn't answer directly, but said, "Anyway, it won't do you any harm by going and passing on this message. That kid can't get into trouble."

"Could he be the illegitimate son of some important figure?"

Qu Feiming waved his hand and said seriously, "Don't talk nonsense. Anyway, remember, that kid can't get hurt. If something happens to me, nothing can happen to him."

He Shengyan knew that his father-in-law was determined to help Su Fan, so he could only say, "Okay, I'll talk to Wangcheng about it. As for what the Ye family does, that's none of my business."

……

The next day at noon, in the ministry's canteen.

Ye Wangcheng, carrying a tray, sat down opposite He Shengyan.

The two are of similar rank and have interacted quite often. They are not close friends, but they respect each other.

He Shengyan picked up a piece of food, chewed it twice, put down his chopsticks, and casually brought up a trivial matter: "Old Ye, I heard your second son has been messing around with some young singer lately?"

Ye Wangcheng pondered the meaning behind He Shengyan's words.

He Shengyan continued, "I think it's just the kids playing around. It's not that serious. It's an overreaction for the elders to get involved."

Ye Wangcheng looked at He Shengyan with a scrutinizing gaze.

He knew that at their level, no one would speak up for a junior without a reason.

His mind raced, and he quickly identified one person: Qu Feiming.

Qu Feiming is Su Fan's master and He Shengyan's father-in-law. He Shengyan's words today are most likely Qu Feiming's intention.

So Ye Wangcheng said, "I'll ask around later. There really wasn't any need to make such a big fuss."

He Shengyan nodded and didn't say anything more.

The two ate their meal and chatted for a bit about work.

Evening, at the Ye family's old residence.

After dinner, the family moved to the living room.

Ye Wangcheng spoke first: "He Shengyan came to see me today and talked about Su Fan's matter. Let the children make a fuss themselves; the elders don't need to get involved."

After listening, Ye Beichen said, "He Shengyan spoke up, which should be his father-in-law's idea. That kid is Qu Feiming's disciple, which makes sense. But Old Xu also came to see me today, also for that kid. Moreover, it seems that Old Xu treats him like his grandson-in-law."

The air in the living room suddenly seemed to freeze.

Ye Xuan was the first to lose his composure, his tone filled with obvious disdain and anger: "Who does he think he is? He dares to try and take it from me?"

"Shut up," Ye Wangcheng snapped. "Isn't this all your fault? If you had any brains at all, would we be in this mess?"

Ye Xuan's face flushed red, and his lips moved, but he ultimately didn't dare to talk back.

At this point, Ye Sicheng said, "Both the Xu and He families have expressed their opinions, so this matter is not easy to handle."

He put it subtly, but everyone present understood that if both families stepped in to protect one person and continued to suppress the issue, the cost would be too high.

Ye Beichen concluded, "Alright, that's enough. Stop making a fuss. With those two families protecting us, there's nothing we can do."

Ye Xuan became anxious: "How can that be? I can't swallow this!"

"If you can't swallow it, then hold it in." Ye Wangcheng turned his head and stared straight at his son. "That guy alone beat your whole group to a pulp. Instead of trying to win him over, you're making him your enemy. You'll ruin this family sooner or later. You should learn from your two older sisters and give me a break."

At this moment, looking at her uncle's expression, Su Fan's image suddenly flashed through Ye Yao's mind.

Ye Sicheng's voice interrupted her thoughts: "Yao'er, go find that Su Fan. What did he say?"

Ye Yao composed herself and said, "His attitude was very firm. I explained the pros and cons to him, but he still seemed indifferent."

Ye Xuan snorted: "Just pretending. This kind of person will be a menace sooner or later. We should get rid of him as soon as possible."

As he said this, he glanced around the room, hoping someone would agree with him.

But no one responded.

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

That silence wasn't acquiescence; it meant she didn't want to talk to him.

Ye Wangcheng sighed and said, "Second brother, Yao'er is all grown up now. In the future, let her take over more of the family business."

These words were not said explicitly, but everyone present understood them.

It means that Ye Xuan is not good enough, so let Ye Yao take over.

In the past, Ye Sicheng might have said something like, "Boys are the ones who will succeed him."

But at that moment, he did not speak.

Ye Beichen said, "Alright, Yao'er, just be more careful from now on."

These words marked the first time the tone was publicly set at a family meeting.

Ye Yao tightened her grip on the teacup slightly, but remained silent.

Ye Xuan's face turned pale and then flushed.

Even if Ye Xuan was a good-for-nothing, he could understand the meaning behind it.

Having understood everyone's meaning, Ye Xuan's first thought was not to change himself, but to figure out how to get Ye Yao away.

Ye Xuan pondered in his heart: "I must marry her off, but not into the Beijing social circle. If she marries into the Beijing social circle, she and her husband's family will pose a greater threat to me. I have to marry her far away."

He suddenly thought of the Japanese man he had met, Honda Yuji.

Ye Xuan thought to himself, "Let her marry far away and live a quiet life. The emperor's reach is far away, and I'll still be the one calling the shots at home!"

Ye Xuan secretly gave himself a thumbs up for this idea.

He stood up, picked up his phone from the table, and said, "You guys chat, I have an appointment, I'm going out first."

After saying that, he left.

Ye Wangcheng sighed helplessly.