Chapter 31
After hanging up the phone, Ye Tianhui stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the scenery outside in silence.
The view here is good, and you can vaguely see Victoria Harbour. The autumn wind blows, and the sky is high and the sea is vast.
She thought, she liked it, liked the way he talked to her, liked the ticking sound coming from distant London.
He also knows that he likes it.
Although some things are not said explicitly, it seems that a tacit understanding is secretly growing.
She couldn't help but think about Gu Shizhang over and over again.
Of course she understood that her affection for him was not pure, and she harbored mixed thoughts.
Maybe the Gu Shizhang she saw was not the real Gu Shizhang. It was his disguise, an illusion she created by attaching the halo of the former emperor to him.
When she truly faced her inner self, she knew that when she clenched the whip and galloped on the bright moon and white sand, she also had a feeling that she had suppressed.
It’s just that she made a choice in her previous life, and since she made the choice, she was destined to give up something.
He was her abandonment.
Ye Tianhui raised her hand and rubbed her face, trying to stop herself from thinking about it.
She couldn't think too much about it.
She stood up and walked over, seeing that the sun was shining brightly outside. She suddenly thought of faraway London, where it was drizzling and misty.
She sighed softly, thinking about the good times, she was enjoying the sunshine that he couldn't enjoy, so why should she fall into this useless melancholy.
She immediately picked out a book from her luggage, which was a book about foreign horse racing techniques. She also asked Tan Ma to put some dried fruits and cakes in the garden for her, so that she could read and eat some snacks there.
The sunlight in the garden poured through the gaps between the sparse branches and leaves, falling on the small wooden table and the pages of the book. Everything was quiet and beautiful.
She slowly peeled a chestnut and ate it. As she was peeling, she heard footsteps behind her. It was the sound of a pair of leather shoes landing on the wooden plank road, light and regular.
She peeled the chestnut and put it in her mouth.
The figure walked behind her, and its elongated shadow fell on the pages of her book.
She looked at the shadow falling in front of her without raising her eyes. After eating the chestnuts, she wiped her hands and continued reading.
As she turned the page, a quiet voice came from above: "You like horses?"
Ye Tianhui turned the page and said lightly: "Yes."
The person behind him was naturally Ye Lixuan.
Now that her identity is unknown, even if the Ye family is extremely curious, they would try to hide as much as possible for fear of being involved in anything.
Only Ye Lixuan seemed to be unable to suppress his curiosity.
Ye Lixuan walked to the wooden table and sat down.
Only then did Ye Tianhui look up.
She had met him twice before, but at that time she didn't know that he was indeed her biological father, so her assessment of him was naturally a little different.
Now try to look at him as you would look at your father.
He has an elegant and handsome appearance, a cheerful and upright character. Now he is wearing a simple shirt and trousers, which has a sense of elegance different from his previous sophisticated suits.
As far as Ye Tianhui knew, he was thirty-eight years old, but he looked very well maintained and to outsiders he looked only in his early thirties.
Before liberation, he was a wealthy young man who had read thousands of books and was extremely handsome. After liberation, he endured several years of hardship and came to Hong Kong. He soon went to Europe to study and naturally lived a life of luxury since then.
He was very lucky. He was a legitimate son. His grandfather was feudal and attached great importance to this. He was also good-looking and had made some achievements in academics.
In a merchant family like the Ye family, there is a lack of scholarly air. As a winner of international academic awards, he is naturally the face of the Ye family. Therefore, even though he is not involved in the family business, he has an upper hand and will not be looked down upon.
A man like Ye Lixuan naturally has the capital to be arrogant. He does not need to worry about money, he can be obsessed with learning, and he can look down on ordinary people.
Ye Tianhui looked at Ye Lixuan for a long time, and finally fell on his eyes.
He has a pair of eyes with light brown pupils. When he was young, he should have been as beautiful as in the photo. Even though he is older, the former stunningness has settled down, adding a touch of elegance.
But now, he obviously did not rest well, and there were red bloodshot in his eyes, not much, but very obvious.
She looked down and saw that his thin lips were also dry.
Excellent! It seems he has been suffering a lot these days.
Ye Tianhui smiled and said, "Mr. Ye, you came here suddenly, is there something wrong?"
Ye Lixuan looked at her with an indescribable look.
Ye Tianhui looked calm and let him look at her.
Ye Lixuan's thin lips moved, and he finally spoke: "The first time I saw you was actually outside Zhang Linji. You were standing outside the curtain wall with your friends. At that time, I felt that you gave me a familiar feeling."
He concluded in a very soft voice: "From a certain angle, your profile looks a lot like my late wife."
Ye Tianhui smiled, looked at Ye Lixuan, and said lightly: "Sir, in another situation, I would think that this is a clumsy way of chatting you up."
She held her chin and looked at him with amusement: "You see a little girl and you say she looks like your late wife?"
Her words were so cynical that Ye Lixuan's eyes instantly showed helplessness.
He frowned: "You——"
He paused, then said helplessly: "Is this how you usually talk to your elders?"
Ye Tianhui smiled and said, "Elders? How can there be any elders in my family? After all, I only have an old man who is uneducated, sick and living outside. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so uneducated, right?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Ye Lixuan's gaze suddenly shot over.
Ye Tianhui, however, didn't care and was relaxed and calm.
Ye Lixuan's jawline was tense. He stared at her intently. After a long while, he finally said in a strangely hoarse voice, "I'm sorry. I... misunderstood."
Misunderstanding?
Haha, she finally caught me!
Ye Tianhui was naturally a person who would not give in even if she had to make sense. She smiled and continued, "Misunderstood? Mr. Ye, what did you misunderstand? Did you misunderstand that I got into your car at such a young age, but in fact, I have been plotting against you for a long time? What do you mean? I just wanted to talk to you, and you kicked me out of the car! How filthy are your thoughts, how self-righteous are you, my God!"
She sighed, "Your biological daughter wants to find you to recognize her as her biological mother, and you actually think that she is coveting your masculinity! You—"
She shook her head in disbelief: "If this gets out, will you still have a good reputation?"
Ye Lixuan's eyes were filled with embarrassment: "It's my fault, I admit it's my fault."
Ye Tianhui laughed: "Your fault? Your fault is just that you misunderstood me? You are humiliating me, you are humiliating my mother, and you are also humiliating yourself!"
What else could Ye Lixuan say? His misunderstanding at that time was so terrible that it would not be an exaggeration to send him directly to the eighteenth level of hell to be burned in flames!
He could only suppress his emotions and admitted: "Yes, there was something wrong with my brain at that time. I was wrong."
Ye Tianhui: "Do you know how sad I was when you kicked me out of the car? I came to Hong Kong alone, and saw someone who looked like my father, but he treated me as a woman of questionable character. Do you know how embarrassing this was for me? After I got off the car, I hid in a corner and cried secretly for ten minutes. Then I went to work, and my eyes were red and swollen like peaches!"
Ye Lixuan felt guilty when he heard this, and had no time to think about whether she would cry like this: "I'm sorry, I really didn't do well."
Ye Tianhui: "I'm not the type to find any evidence against you and beat you to death, so let's just let this go for now and discuss another issue."
Ye Lixuan: "Another question?"
Ye Tianhui nodded: "Come on, tell me, I was running on the road, and you were sitting in the car. Why did you stop and let me get in? You can't be thinking dirty, and you have some plans for me at that time, right?"
She looked up and said suspiciously, "I didn't understand at the time. I just thought you were kind. Now that I think about it, it seems like something is amiss."
Ye Lixuan looked helpless: "How is that possible? You are insulting me by saying that. Am I that kind of person?"
Ye Tianhui said calmly, "Oh, you didn't? I'm an 18-year-old girl, young and beautiful. When you saw me, you offered me a ride. You even gave me clothes to wear. No matter how I think about it, I feel it's wrong. Tell me, you actually have some plans for your own daughter?"
Ye Lixuan's temples twitched.
He didn't understand how he encountered such an absurd thing. His daughter turned out to be fake and was replaced by someone else. The bloody and strange plot of Hong Kong dramas actually happened in his life.
What is even more ridiculous is that he was actually explaining his innocence to his own daughter because he was being interrogated by her.
He suppressed his emotions and reluctantly defended himself, "You...really thought too much. I was looking at you at the time, and you ran over to me. I really didn't think much about it. How could I possibly—"
If he had any bad intentions, he wouldn't have driven her away after the misunderstanding.
He suddenly didn't want to explain anymore. He stood up abruptly and said through gritted teeth, "Am I that kind of person? Do you really have to question my character like that?"
At that time, he just thought that she was about the same age as his daughter and looked very beautiful. For some reason, he subconsciously wanted to get close to her.
How could he possibly have any other thoughts? This kind of questioning was too insulting to him!
Seeing this, Ye Tianhui calmly comforted him, "You don't have to be too anxious. I don't mean to wrongly accuse you. It's good that there is nothing."
Ye Lixuan looked at her indifferent expression and suddenly realized something.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at her and said, "You did it on purpose. You just want to control me and make me feel guilty about you."
She just wanted to put him at a disadvantage and find a handle to morally attack and humiliate him.
Her eyes were red and swollen like peaches from crying, and she was worried that he had some ulterior motives; those were just her little tricks!
This daughter has never been a weak and kind person who is easily bullied.
Ye Tianhui smiled and said, "As expected of my biological father, you are quite smart. Yes, I did it on purpose, but so what? Shouldn't you feel guilty? Don't you dare to regret it? Don't you have any misunderstandings about me?"
Ye Lixuan: "..."
He stared blankly at his daughter in front of him. The young daughter exuded vigor and vitality. She had a face that was pure and beautiful, but she could not hide her ambition.
This is his flesh and blood, but she has a kind of unruly nature that he cannot understand. She is not a child who can be treated with ordinary thinking.
He closed his eyes, opened them again, and sat down again.
Ye Tianhui saw that he seemed to have gradually calmed down after sitting down again. At least he was no longer the poor father who was angered and forced into a corner by her.
He grew calmer.
She thought that this father seemed to have achieved a lot in his professional field and had even been awarded an honorary professorship or some other title from a well-known foreign university. In short, he was very outstanding.
He has a high IQ and seems to be a very talented person.
Such people are naturally good at controlling their emotions.
She looked at Ye Lixuan like this, but saw Ye Lixuan raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows. After that, he finally said: "Tell me about your childhood, okay?"
Ye Tianhui looked at Ye Lixuan with interest: "What do you want to hear?"
Ye Lixuan: "It's all right, anything is fine."
Ye Tianhui leaned back slightly, resting comfortably on the back of the white rattan chair. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I grew up with my adoptive mother. Our family was very poor and we often didn't have enough to eat. When I was four years old, I learned to go out and pick up coal cores. Do you know how to pick up coal cores?"
Ye Lixuan nodded: "I know."
Before liberation, children from poor families would go to pick up trash as it was their livelihood in winter.
He just didn't expect that his daughter had experienced all this without his knowledge.
Ye Tianhui: "In the winter I pick up coal cores. In other seasons I go fishing and shrimping. I also pick up scraps of paper and rags on the street, or go to the overpass to help the old artists with odd jobs. In short, I take whatever I come across. After I exchange the money, I secretly trade it for food on the street, and then keep some of it when I go home to give to my adoptive mother."
What she said was of course half true and half false.
She was indeed hungry, she indeed wanted to get something to eat, and it was indeed very hard work, but she was certainly not someone who would be bullied. She knew from a very young age how to prepare delicious food for herself in the most energy-saving way, and she would secretly save money and hide delicious food. By the age of six or seven, she had already gathered the children in the neighborhood and took them to work together to get food.
In short, she lived in a bad year and her life was poor, but it was not that miserable.
But of course she ignored the facts and calmly made up a lie. She looked at Ye Lixuan and said, "Later, she found out and beat me."
Ye Lixuan: "How did you discover your background?"
Ye Tianhui: "She has a very good friend named Hu Cuiyun. It seems that Hu Cuiyun grew up with her, but Hu Cuiyun is divorced and lives on her own with a son. They have a very good relationship and often talk together. One day, I was sewing in the inner room, and because I didn't move, they came in and thought I was out, and started gossiping. They wanted me to marry Hu Cuiyun's son, and told me to get married quickly and have a child so that they could tie me down. That way, if something got out, I wouldn't have to worry. They also said that they were worried when they thought about it, afraid that the Buddha would blame them, but when they thought about her own daughter enjoying a good life in Hong Kong, it was worth it."
Ye Lixuan frowned, and a hint of deep anger appeared in his eyes.
Obviously he knew Hu Cuiyun, who was once their family's maid.
Ye Tianhui looked at Ye Lixuan's reaction and was very satisfied with it. Her words did have some effect.
She continued, "I was also surprised at the time. Recalling my childhood, I thought that I was indeed not her biological daughter. After that, I paid extra attention to her. When she wasn't paying attention, I read her letters and found some clues."
Ye Lixuan: "Have you ever been to school?"
Ye Tianhui: "I did, and I was a decent student. But now there's no Gaokao in mainland China. It's been abolished, so many people went to work in the countryside after graduating from high school. I was lucky. I sprained my ankle in my second year of high school and didn't go to school. I already secured a place in the factory, so I actually avoided going to work in the countryside."
Ye Lixuan: "What do you do in the factory?"
Ye Tianhui: "I just stand there and do the weaving. It's not a bad job, the pay is good, the factory has a cafeteria where I can get meal tickets, and during the Chinese New Year I can even get two kilograms of meat tickets to enjoy meat."
After hearing this, Ye Lixuan was silent for a long while before asking, "What do you mean by two pounds of meat? What about usual times?"
Ye Tianhui said as a matter of course: "Of course I don't eat meat normally!"
Ye Lixuan was slightly stunned.
Ye Tianhui was surprised: "We can only eat meat during the Chinese New Year, how can we eat it during other times?"
She didn't make up any story about this.
There is indeed no meat to eat!
If she had meat to eat, she could still endure it, and she wouldn't have to run to Hong Kong to suffer, and then run to the Ye family's door to be a beggar!
Ye Lixuan obviously didn't quite understand.
When he left the mainland, the People's Republic of China had only been founded for two or three years. At that time, wealthy families in Beijing still maintained their original living standards. There were no subsequent measures, no movements or natural disasters, so he really did not experience them.
Ye Lixuan raised his hand, rubbed his forehead, and then asked in a low voice: "You said you wrote us a letter?"
His voice was hoarse and tired.
Ye Tianhui nodded: "I wrote a letter, but there has been no response. I just thought that my relatives in Hong Kong are so heartless and disregard the kinship of flesh and blood!"
Ye Lixuan: "Can you tell me more about your journey to Hong Kong? I want to hear it."
Of course this is possible.
Ye Tianhui recounted in detail how she swam, how she was unlucky to encounter a violent storm, and how she escaped death. The key point in all three of her sentences was: hunger.
She was hungry, she was hungry, the whole process was just hunger.
In the last few months of her previous life, while she was strategizing and worrying so hard, hunger was like an alarm bell ringing in her brain. When she finally had a chance to take a nap, it would appear in such a clear and unignorable manner that she could not ignore it or get rid of it.
Thanks to her real experience, she spoke with great emotion.
After finishing speaking, Ye Lixuan lowered his eyes, his expression dark and difficult to discern.
Seeing this, Ye Tianhui glanced at the various afternoon snacks next to her and picked up an egg waffle to eat.
The egg waffles are golden yellow, probably just out of the oven not long ago, and they have a rich roasted aroma with the flavor of eggs, which is especially delicious.
Ye Tianhui tasted the egg waffle, thinking that no matter what, the suffering she had endured was worth it.
Now, the door to Hong Kong's top wealthy family has been opened to her, and she is confident enough that she can control this father in front of her, squeeze out the little value he has, and make him her stepping stone.
As for guilt? Conscience? Family affection?
She had thrown this thing into the sea a long time ago!
Ye Lixuan looked at her: "Aren't you going to ask me?"
Ye Tianhui: "Oh, what should I ask you?"
Ye Lixuan looked at Ye Tianhui: "About your identity, and the current arrangements of the Ye family, or something else?"
Ye Tianhui smiled and picked up the wet wipes, slowly wiping her hands before saying, "Of course I know my identity very well, but whether you believe it or not is your business."
She raised her eyes and looked into Ye Lixuan's: "In fact, you came to see me, which means you have confirmed my identity, so why are you talking nonsense in circles."
A trace of embarrassment and pain suddenly appeared in Ye Lixuan's eyes.
He looked at Ye Tianhui like this and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry."
Ye Tianhui smiled.
She looked at Ye Lixuan with a smile: "Do you really feel sorry for me?"
Ye Lixuan: "Yes, I'm sorry, I will do everything I can to make it up to you."
Ye Tianhui: "You do need to make it up to me, but you don't have to say anything. I just want to get what I want."
Ye Lixuan: "What do you want?"
Ye Tianhui said calmly, "I like to be straightforward and don't like to hide things. Frankly speaking, from a material perspective, I am indeed your biological daughter, but from a spiritual perspective, you are just a stranger to me. There is no blood relationship between us. I don't need you to feel guilty about this, but based on the blood relationship between us, if you still have a conscience, then you should fulfill your duty."
Ye Tianhui knew her own weight very well, so it was difficult for her to learn from Ye Wenyin and act like a spoiled child in front of this so-called grandfather and father.
She couldn't learn it, couldn't act it out, and when she forced herself to act like that, it made everyone feel uncomfortable.
It would be better if everyone could just speak clearly to avoid having to guess from each other.
Ye Lixuan looked at her with a strange and complicated look.
Ye Tianhui could probably understand what her father was thinking. He might be feeling guilty about how he had grown up to be so heartless and ungrateful.
A father with a good conscience will think it is his fault, while a father with a bad conscience will think that it was right not to raise this child.
Ye Tianhui believes that Ye Lixuan should be a father with a conscience.
Ye Lixuan finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "What do you want?"
Ye Tianhui smiled and moved a little closer to Ye Lixuan. From a very close distance, she looked at the haggard look on his face.
She believed that every bit of haggardness was the bitter juice squeezed out of his tortured conscience.
She carefully examined Ye Lixuan like this, her smile faded, and her eyes revealed an unprecedented sincerity. She said in a very low voice: "You will help me, right?"
Ye Lixuan looked at Ye Tianhui in front of him steadily: "What do you want?"
Ye Tianhui distanced herself from Ye Lixuan and sighed, "Actually, I don't know either. It might be the money, or it might be the freedom. I can see that you are not the one who can make the decisions in the Ye family. I, your daughter, went through so much hardship to come to you, but it's possible that all my wealth and glory was in vain, and in the end, I even lost my life."
She never mentioned the mother who gave birth to her again, but she believed that as long as she mentioned the word "daughter" once, he would think of that mother and his heart would be washed away by guilt.
He will never be able to escape the shadow of guilt in this life.
Ye Lixuan lowered his eyelashes and whispered, "Tell me what you want me to do."
Ye Tianhui pushed the plate of sugar-roasted chestnuts in front of Ye Lixuan: "Please help me peel the chestnuts first. I want to eat them, but I don't want to peel them."
She looked at Ye Lixuan and added, "It's better than nothing. It can be considered as compensation for my childhood without fatherly love."
*********
Ye Tianhui really didn't want Ye Lixuan to help her with anything.
She just needed to make sure that when there was a conflict of interest between her and Ye Wenyin, he would at least not help Ye Wenyin.
Or at the very least, he would just admit that she was his daughter.
He was obviously not a capable person. If he had been able to stand up and fight Ye Lizhen to the death, he would not have fallen to this point. His daughter was not his biological daughter, his wife died on the mainland, and he had no right to interfere in the family business.
In short, this dad is not very good.
The role of this father is to help her obtain the identity of the Ye family.
As for Mr. Ye, according to her speculation, it was almost time for Mr. Ye to show his cards.
Sure enough, that morning, after Ye Tianhui washed up and had breakfast, Mother Tan came over and said that the master wanted to see her.
master.
This is a name with a strong Republic of China style, from which we can also infer Mr. Ye’s style.
She nodded, changed into a simple shirt and trousers, and followed Tan Ma.
She said there was a long corridor from the guest room where she stayed to the lobby. The corridor was luxuriously decorated and full of artistic atmosphere. There were many paintings that should be expensive famous paintings.
It can be seen that the Ye family is indeed very rich.
Ye Tianhui watched with great interest, thinking that if she was kicked out of the Ye family one day, she would take a few paintings with her and leave, at least she could sell them for some money.
Finally, Mother Tan brought her to a place, which turned out to be a three-story building with the atmosphere of the Republic of China, a barrel-tile roof, neat masonry, and surrounded by various precious trees and flowers.
When she arrived at the small building, she saw security guards in suits standing outside, accompanied by several male and female secretaries. The style was no less impressive than that of the emperor at her time.
After Mrs. Tan spoke to the security guard, the security guard nodded slightly and said, "Ms. Ye, please come in."
Ye Tianhui immediately pushed open the door and walked into the hall.
As soon as she walked in, she felt countless pairs of eyes on her.
The hall was very spacious and bright, with a large solid wood sofa that she could not imagine. Old Master Ye was sitting on the sofa. Beside the sofa were Ye Lixuan, Ye Lizhen, the grandchildren of the Ye family, and people who might be the spouses of these grandchildren.
Of course, there were also some secretaries and servants standing on both sides.
Everyone looked at Ye Tianhui.
Ye Tianhui's gaze fell directly on Old Man Ye.
She smiled at Old Man Ye, then walked towards him as if no one was around, and said respectfully, "Grandpa."
Old Master Ye looked at his granddaughter with admiration. Under the gazes of so many people, she remained graceful and composed, neither humble nor overbearing.
His eyes were gentle, and he smiled and nodded slightly, motioning Ye Tianhui to sit next to him.
It was a position slightly closer to Mr. Ye. According to traditional Chinese etiquette, this was below Mr. Ye and the position closest to him.
What this position means is self-evident.
When everyone present saw this scene, a strange look appeared on their faces.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
