Back then, the respect she had for Wenzhao had turned into disdain.
When her mother was critically ill in bed, Wenzhao was probably already discussing with Tian Tian and her daughter about when to bring them into the family.
Ye Shu dared not imagine what her mother's mood had been like at that time.
Seeing that Wenzhao was rendered speechless by a few words from Ye Shu, Tian Xin immediately started sobbing quietly.
"Dad, I'm sorry, it's me who has put you in a difficult position. I didn't know those were Aunt Sun's things; my sister asked us to come up and clean up stuff for her. I was just trying to help, I didn't expect to mishandle things."
The more she spoke, the sadder she became, leaning on Tian Tian's chest, looking utterly wronged.
Tian Tian, seeing Tian Xin cry, also started crying.
Watching their current state, Ye Shu's gaze grew even colder. She also wanted to find someone's arms to cry into bitterly.
At least Tian Xin still had her mother to rely on, whereas she had nothing left. Back when her mother was seriously ill, she thought she had a loving father to rely on but soon realized that there was no loving father—just a facade of harmony to exploit her mother.
Upon seeing Tian Tian and her daughter crying, Wenzhao immediately changed his expression and sternly rebuked Ye Shu.
"Ye Shu, your mother is, after all, already dead, and people have to look forward. Since your Aunt Tian is married into our Ye family, you should regard her as your mother. Look at her, she has been busy with your affairs recently, treating you completely as if you were her own daughter."
If Tian Tian's actions were akin to treating her as her own daughter, then these years must have been quite pitiful for Tian Xin, who has been by her side.
"I don't need her to treat me that way; Tian Xin is older than I am. Dad, aren't you afraid that people will laugh at you if they hear about this? Huo Wenrong is about your age, and you want me to marry him? Is that really for my good? I'm afraid that if it gets out, it'll be Wenzhao's reputation that is dragged through the mud."
"Indeed, all these years, it was my mother who held up appearances for you outside; how could you possibly handle these affairs? Everything in the Ye family was fought for by my mother. Now that they have entered the family, the Ye family has changed its surname. It's ridiculous."
It was ridiculous how much her mother had given, only to end up in such a predicament.
Wenzhao's face turned a ghastly pale blue as he angrily said, "If you ever mention your mother in front of me again, I won't be kind to you!"
Ye Shu felt ironically, "Right, having done wrong, you indeed ought to be too ashamed to face her."
Seeing that each of Ye Shu's words were stabbing to his core, Wenzhao's face suddenly changed, and he raised his hand to hit Ye Shu.
His hand hadn't come down when it was grabbed by someone behind him.
The person who grabbed his hand was very strong, causing Wenzhao's temper to flare, "Which bastard..."
Before he could finish his curse, Huo Shenting walked in from behind him into Ye Shu's bedroom, seeing Ye Shu's slender body standing opposite the three of them, looking helpless yet immensely vigilant.
"What's all this racket over cleaning some things up?"
His voice was low, and during his speech, his deep eyes swept over Wenzhao.
Wenzhao, struck by his gaze, felt a huge sense of alarm, forgetting that Huo Shenting was still here and also forgetting the relationship between Ye Shu and Huo Shenting at the moment.
"Mr. Huo, let me explain."
Huo Shenting's expression was stern as he walked over to Ye Shu's side and stopped, "I've told you before, take the important things with you, everything else we can discard, right? Once you're at the Huo family, what kind of things will you want for?"
Wenzhao saw Huo Shenting blatantly ignoring him, and he felt very unpleasant; however, the Ye family now had to beg for food under the Huo family.
If Huo Shenting got angry, and since Ye Shu was not close to them at the moment, he feared the days ahead for the Ye family might be tough.
Wenzhao now somewhat regretted not controlling his temper earlier. Ye Shu was his daughter, after all. Even if she spoke harshly, he shouldn't have taken it to heart like that.
"Okay."
Ye Shu raised her head to look at Huo Shenting, not expecting him to come and rescue her at this moment.
He stood in front of her, a full head taller than her, providing her with a substantial sense of security.
For a fraction of a second, upon seeing Huo Shenting, she felt she might not have to fight alone anymore.
"Husband..."
Ye Shu buried her head in Huo Shenting's chest, her tears cascading down.
Her voice was soft and quivering, reaching Huo Shenting's ears and softening his heart a bit.
"Since the Ye family cannot accommodate Shu'er, then I'll take her away."
Huo Shenting embraced her in his arms and cast a cold glance at Tian Xin and her daughter.
Faced with such a look from Huo Shenting, Tian Xin couldn't help but shiver.
She hadn't done anything just now; it was all Wenzhao making a statement. Huo Shenting shouldn't blame her for this.
Tian Xin clenched her fists tightly, feeling indignant. How could Ye Shu be so lucky to be with Huo Shenting, and they had even secretly registered their marriage.
If she had been raised in the Ye family from the start, all the glory now would have been hers, leaving no chance for Ye Shu.
Even with all her might, she could only know people from the Huo family's third branch, which was truly frustrating.
After Ye Shu and Huo Shenting had left, Huo Shenting's people came to move Ye Shu's belongings from her room.
Tian Tian consoled Tian Xin as they went downstairs. Seeing that Wenzhao was in a bad mood, they didn't want to stir up trouble at the moment, so they just sat on the couch, their faces filled with grievances.
"Wenzhao, I know these years have been hard on you. If Tian Xin wasn't all grown up now, nearly at the age to be married off, I wouldn't have come back to the Ye family. I wanted to find her a good family so she wouldn't have to endure the hardships like I did."
"Now, the way Ye Shu treats you is all my fault. No matter how she snubs me, I'll forgive her, but it's poor Tian Xin I feel sorry for… After all, Tian Xin is also your daughter. After all these years suffering abroad with me, she comes home only to be bullied by her younger sister."
"I think we better leave. Tian Xin is outstanding; marrying someone ordinary is still possible. Now that Ye Shu is like this, I worry she might retaliate against Tian Xin later."
Seeing Tian Tian cry so sadly, her face tear-stained, Wenzhao felt even more distressed.
He sat down on the couch, pulled her into his arms, and comforted her quietly.
"It's okay. Look, hasn't Huo Shenting just taken her away? After their wedding, she'll have even fewer opportunities to come home. Don't cry now. Actually, Ye Shu's heart isn't bad, she just hasn't been able to accept you guys yet."