"Mom, sister, I'm back!" Ye Tianchen pushed the door open and entered, shouting loudly.
"Mom, did you hear that? Brother's back, Brother's back!"
Ye Qianwen was overjoyed and hurriedly stood up to run towards the front door.
Luo Yan also quickly followed, having thought that her son might not be able to return, but at this moment, hearing her son's voice, what mother could contain her excitement.
"Brother, Brother!"
Ye Tianchen was suddenly hugged by Ye Qianwen, and he couldn't help but smile and shake his head.
Ever since they were children, this girl had always been like this, which also moved Ye Tianchen deeply. This was the bond of blood that was thicker than water. In the past, no matter how much of a debauchee he was, he had always been very affectionate towards his sister. Now, he had already sworn in his heart to protect everything he had.
"Tianchen, it really is you who has come back!"
Luo Yan saw her son return home safely and couldn't help but her eyes redden again.
"Mom, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying? You should be happy that your son has come back. Come here, give me a hug." Ye Tianchen said with a big laugh, giving his mother a big hug.
Ye Tianchen knew that because of his past actions, the whole Ye family was not very harmonious.
His father was the third son of the Ye family, and he was not very favored by Mr. Ye. Coupled with offending the Liu family, which put the Ye family in crisis, and now being jilted by the Qi family, which brought shame again, he guessed Mr. Ye and his uncles must be reprimanding his father again.
Ye Tianchen's father was the vice mayor of H City. His official position was not very high but was decent enough.
After so many years of ups and downs in the official circles, he had become quite experienced, it was just unfortunate that he could never climb up the ranks.
Firstly, the Ye family lost their real power after Mr. Ye stepped down and no longer had as much influence. Secondly, the Ye family had offended the Liu family, a first-class family from Capital City, which held more power than the Ye family did, and nobody wanted to offend the Liu family because of the Ye family.
So, Ye Tianchen wanted to make up for the years of neglect he had shown his family. He also did not want his parents and sister to have unhappy moments anymore, while he himself always wore a smile on his face.
"Son, let me have a look at you. Have you been injured? Have you lost weight?" Luo Yan asked anxiously as she inspected her son Ye Tianchen.
"Mom, I'm fine now. Let's go!" Ye Tianchen said, patting his mother's shoulder.
"Brother, where are we going?" Ye Qianwen asked, puzzled.
"Yes, where are we going?" Luo Yan was equally curious as she looked at Ye Tianchen for an explanation.
Ye Tianchen glanced at his sister and mother, tossed his military backpack onto the sofa, and said with a smile,
"I hereby announce that I have officially been discharged from the military. From now on, I will devote myself to accompanying Mom and sister. Now let's head to the Ye family's old house."
When Luo Yan heard that her son had been discharged from the military, she was somewhat happy.
After all, she was against her son's stubborn decision to enlist in the military at the beginning, and since he almost had an accident, she had been even more worried. Now that her son had discharged himself, it was a relief, sparing her the constant anxiety.
"Brother, if we move, we move. If worst comes to worst, we won't stay in Capital City anymore. As a family, we can leave and live a happy life."
Ye Qianwen, not wanting her brother to be unhappy, spoke up, puffing up her adorable cheeks.
"Tianchen, let your dad handle the matter with the Qi family. We won't get involved. Are you hungry? Mom will make you your favorite, egg noodles," Luo Yan said, breaking into a smile.
"Mom, after all, this is my own business, and I want to handle it personally," Ye Tianchen said seriously.
Seeing the serious look on her son Ye Tianchen, Luo Yan was taken aback.
From a young age, Ye Tianchen had been reckless and troublesome, hiding away whenever he caused a problem, letting his parents smooth things over. Never before had he bravely stepped forward like today, wanting to solve his problems by himself.
Luo Yan felt it strange and, standing on her tiptoes, touched her son's forehead, asking with confusion,
"Son, are you alright?"
"Brother, what's wrong with you?" Ye Qianwen also looked at her brother curiously and asked.
Ye Tianchen was almost speechless. He had finally changed from his former irresponsible ways, and now that he had faced up to his responsibilities for once, his mom and sister were looking at him as if he were an alien, as if they couldn't believe he could become so normal.
"Let's go to the Ye family's old house. I will deal with my own problems myself."
Ye Tianchen took his sister and mother's hands and walked towards the villa's exit.
"Son, you..."
"Mom, for twenty years, I have never given you peace of mind. From now on, I will take on our family's duties. The things that need to be done, I will handle myself!"
Ye Tianchen interrupted his mother's words with great seriousness.
Ye Qianwen and Luo Yan were both startled; they had not expected that their prodigal brother and ignorant son had truly grown up and become sensible.
Luo Yan almost burst into tears, looking at her son Ye Tianchen's smiling face, she held back her tears. For her, there was nothing happier than seeing her son become sensible.
On the way to the Ye family manor, Ye Tianchen had a hard time fending off his sister and mother with various excuses. Otherwise, they would have kept asking him about his military affairs and the changes in him now.
Upon arriving at the Ye family manor, Ye Tianchen, along with his mother and sister, pushed open the grand doors of the old house.
They walked in and inside the manor were Ye Tianchen's father Ye Hong, his grandfather Ye Yuanshan, his uncle Ye Mubai, his second uncle Ye Heguo, and one other person Ye Tianchen did not recognize. However, judging by the cheerful conversation between that man and Ye Yuanshan, this person's status appeared to be quite high.
"Dad!"
Ye Tianchen called out to Ye Hong and then walked straight over to him, not glancing at the others even once.
Ye Hong, seeing his son Ye Tianchen return, felt some joy as well. It seemed his son was unharmed, and as long as he was safe, that was all that mattered. However, in front of guests, he tried not to show too much excitement, fearing it would be against the Ye family's etiquette.
Ye Tianchen's grandfather, uncle, and second uncle were all surprised to see that Ye Tianchen had returned alive.
According to the reports, the seven special forces soldiers who went on the mission had been ambushed, with almost no hope of survival. This news was exactly why the Qi family, having long intended to dissolve the marriage arrangement, hurried over, fearing any complications.
"Tianchen is back, that's really great, Mr. Ye, I'm truly sorry. This time, the dissolution of the marriage arrangement was indeed our Qi family's fault, but we were left with no choice. My daughter Ruxue has a stubborn temper and I've spoiled her too much. I hope Mr. Ye can understand."
The person who spoke was Qi Changsheng, seated in the guest of honor spot in the hall.
The Qi family, a second-class family in the Capital City, would not normally have pursued a marriage alliance with a third-class family like the Ye family. However, after several negotiations between the elder of the Ye family and the elder of the Qi family, they reached a consensus and sought a strong alliance.
But after the incident where Ye Tianchen was caught peeking at Liu Rumei, the young mistress of the Capital City's first-class Liu family, while she bathed, the Qi family had repeatedly proposed dissolving the marriage arrangement. The proposals were always dissuaded by the elder of the Ye family, who claimed it was a misunderstanding.
Although no longer in power, Mr. Ye did not want to see the Ye family decline further. He sought prosperity for the family through a strong alliance with the Qi family. Little did he know, Qi Changsheng from the Qi family came in person this time to propose the dissolution of the marriage arrangement, which was more difficult to reject.
Before coming, Qi Changsheng had received instructions from his father. Despite the decline of the Ye family, without any major political power, the old Mr. Ye, Ye Yuanshan, was still a person of certain prestige.
In the political cauldron of the Capital City, it was best not to offend anyone needlessly. A reasonable excuse for the dissolution of the marriage would suffice, so the Qi family's excuse was that Ye Tianchen's fate was uncertain and Qi Ruxue, bashful and ready to be married, had another in mind, could not wait, hence the need to dissolve the arrangement.
Now seeing Ye Tianchen return, Qi Changsheng, a smooth operator, immediately discarded this excuse, bringing up his daughter's interest in another person once again.
"Governor Qi, half a year ago when the Qi and Ye families arranged the marriage, even tokens of betrothal were exchanged. Now the Qi family wants to back out. What does that make my Ye family?"
Ye Tianchen's father, Ye Hong, spoke out, feeling indignant on his son's behalf.
"Brother Ye, don't be angry. It's true, we were compelled by circumstances. Qin Heng of the Qin family and my daughter Ruxue fell in love at first sight, so... I really hope Mr. Ye can understand, we as parents shouldn't force the marriage of young people!" Qi Changsheng said with a grin that didn't reach his eyes.
Ye Tianchen's mother, Luo Yan, was infuriated by Qi Changsheng's words. It was clearly just an excuse from the Qi family, implying they looked down on the Ye family now and wanted to break off the marriage arrangement.
What they said about not being able to force the marriage of young people was nonsense. In the big families of the Capital City, children's marriages were often political transactions, intended to help both families rise together. Most of the time, the young people involved had no say in the matter.
Seeing his wife Luo Yan about to step forward and argue, Ye Hong quickly stood up. He did not want his wife to get involved.
Because of the incident with the Liu family, the elder, his elder brother, and his second brother were already displeased with his family. If his wife started arguing now, they would only blame him more, and he didn't want his wife to be humiliated.
"Governor Qi..."
"Brother Ye, this matter is indeed our Qi family's fault. As compensation, when the position of City Secretary Yang in H city becomes available next year, we will secure it for Brother Ye," Qi Changsheng interjected before Ye Hong could speak.
Hearing Qi Changsheng's words, the Ye family elder, Ye Hong's older and second brother, all showed delight. To go from a vice mayor to a city secretary was to jump several ranks, an ascent to such heights was beyond what the Ye family expected.
"I don't need it. I just want to get justice for my son," Ye Hong said, unmoved. In his eyes, family and loved ones were more important than anything.
"Ah, haha... Mr. Ye, in any case, it's our Qi family that's at fault this time. So, as a sign of apology, and as Mr. Ye mentioned, we will transfer half of the Sea King Group's shares to the Ye family," Qi Changsheng laughed dryly, offering another significant olive branch.
Just as the Ye family had not yet responded, Ye Tianchen stood up, stretching lazily before saying:
"Since the Qi family is so sincere, then it's a deal. First, make sure to secure the position of city secretary for my father; second, give me half of the Sea King Group's shares. If you say something and don't follow through, it will be a huge loss of face for the Qi family. I assume the Qi family cannot afford to lose that much face, right?"
[PS: Here is today's second update. During the new book period, there will be two updates daily. I hope everyone can bookmark the story and let it grow, I really need bookmarks and recommendation tickets. Please help a brother out, much appreciated!]