Ye Li kept eating silently, her expression blank, ignoring everything they were saying. In her mind, nothing mattered more than eating. Ye Jianguo, seeing that she didn’t respond, cursed silently. What a blockhead—seeing her own father speaking like this, and she couldn’t even let out a fart in response.
He cleared his throat and put on a look of deep, unwavering sentiment:
“Li Li, in my dreams, your mother always tells me there are things left unfinished. It pains me so. I had such a deep bond with her, yet she left me behind.”
Ye Li didn’t react, but Liu Hongmei felt a pang of emotion. That man—last night in bed, he said she was the only woman he had ever loved. And now, he was talking to his own daughter about a deep marital bond with that dead Lin Zhiyue. Ye Li lowered her head, hiding her displeasure, and poked at her rice with her chopsticks in silent venting.
The table fell into an eerie silence. Ye Jianguo was nearly infuriated by her disregard. Thinking of his real goal, he took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, and asked again:
“Li Li, before your mother passed, did she ever say anything to you?”
Ye Li found it amusing. Now she finally understood what this scumbag father was up to—he was only thinking about the treasure her mother had left behind. She quickly finished her rice, looked up at Ye Jianguo with a faint, almost teasing smile, and said:
“Before Mom passed, she only told me to take good care of myself. If there’s a stepmother, there’ll be a stepfather too, so I should cherish myself more.”
“Oh, by the way, since we’re talking about this, I also want to ask—did Mom know about you and Aunt Liu?”
“You see, Mom had only been dead for half a month, and you two are already cozying up together. If anyone said you never had a relationship before, even a dog wouldn’t believe it.”
Hearing her speak like that, ignoring him, and even throwing in digs about his business, Ye Jianguo immediately lost his temper. With a loud “bang,” he slammed his chopsticks on the table, his eyes dark as he glared at Ye Li:
“Li Li, I’m your father. Today I treated you well, coaxed you with kind words, and this is the attitude you give me? You think your wings are strong now and you can ignore your father?”
Ye Li tossed her chopsticks onto the table, stood up, and sneered:
“Dad, but you were the one asking what Mom said before she passed. I told you the truth, and now you’re unhappy. What’s the logic in that? If you want to ask something, just say it directly. I’m dumb—I don’t understand all your roundabout nonsense.”
Her indifferent attitude made Ye Jianguo shiver with anger. He trembled as he pointed at her:
“Nonsense! Your mother wouldn’t say such a thing.”
He could never believe that Lin Zhiyue, that woman with such pride, would ever say anything like that.
Ye Li let out a short laugh, casually flicking her long braid:
“Well, that’s all Mom said before she passed. If you don’t believe me, go ask her yourself.”
Ye Jianguo felt like a mouthful of blood had lodged in his throat. This unfilial girl—telling him to go ask Lin Zhiyue herself—was basically cursing him to death.
Liu Hongmei, sensing the tension, quickly stepped in to smooth things over, forcing a smile and tugging at Ye Jianguo:
“Old Ye, the child is still young, speaks without thinking—don’t take it to heart.”
She knew if they pressed further and made a scene, it would be even harder to ask later. Then she turned to Ye Li with mock reproach:
“Li Li, how can you talk to your father like that?”
Ye Li frowned, tossed her braid behind her, and shrugged helplessly:
“I’m just speaking the truth! Aunt Liu, you insisted on asking, I told the truth, and now you’re unhappy. Who else can I reason with?”
Ye Jianguo’s face went dark with rage. He suddenly slammed the table, standing up:
“You ungrateful girl! I’ll tell you—your mother married into the Ye family. In life, she belonged to the Ye family; in death, she’s a ghost of the Ye family. Everything she brought is Ye family property. Don’t even think about taking it!”
Since Lin Zhiyue married him, all her belongings were his. No one could take them. He was certain this girl knew something. Lin Zhiyue had valued her like the apple of her eye—there was no way she wouldn’t have told her.
Ye Li’s eyes narrowed, a mocking smile playing on her lips:
“Oh? Mom left something behind? How come I didn’t know? Did you hide it?”
Today they’d been beating around the bush—buying pastries, trying to be nice—but now they could no longer hide it. Ye Jianguo wouldn’t give up, quickly stepping forward to grab her:
“You must tell me today.”
He knew he’d lost his temper this time; if he didn’t force her to speak, he’d never get the chance again.
Ye Li stepped back a few paces, still looking skeptical:
“Tell you what? I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
Seeing her so obstinate, Ye Jianguo was furious. He picked up a chopstick from the table and swung it at Ye Li’s head.
Ye Li tilted her head to dodge and bolted toward the door, yelling:
“Help! My dad’s trying to kill me!”
Liu Hongmei cursed silently, shouting:
“Old Ye, stop her!”
This girl was about to run outside and spread their family secrets. Everyone said family shame should not go public, but this wretched girl seemed eager for all of Yun City to know.
It was mealtime, and the neighbors were all at home eating. Just as Ye Li ran out crying, Li Chunyan next door caught sight of her.
She angrily set down her bowl and chopsticks, muttering as she walked outside: “Ye Jianguo and Liu Hongmei really have no conscience. Li Li is already a grown girl, and they still scold her every three days and beat her every five—what a cruel life.”
Li Chunyan’s husband, Wang Baoqiang, sighed and shook his head: “A child without a mother, really pitiful. Go quickly and see what’s going on.”
Li Chunyan hurried out, taking two steps at a time, and just happened to run into Ye Li, who was rushing outside. She reached out and steadied her, seeing her eyes red and swollen, and her anger toward Ye Jianguo and Liu Hongmei boiled over.
“Li Li, what’s going on?”
Seeing Li Chunyan, Ye Li cried even louder: “Aunt Li, my dad insists that Mom left something behind and is forcing me to hand it over. But I really don’t know what he wants me to give him.”
Li Chunyan was instantly furious. She hurried to Ye Jianguo’s front door, pointing at him and yelling: “Ye Jianguo, are you even human? It’s only been a few years since Zhiyue passed, and you’re already scheming over her belongings—and even laying hands on your child!”
Ye Jianguo’s face turned red and pale in embarrassment and shame, and he roared in anger: “This is my family business! None of you have any right to interfere!”
Wang Baoqiang stepped forward, standing in front of Ye Li, and said righteously: “The child has lost her mother, and you don’t care for her properly, yet you treat her like this? Then we have every right to intervene.”
When Lin Zhiyue was alive, she had always been exceptionally kind to the neighbors. If anyone had a problem, she would help enthusiastically. Now, seeing her child suffer, how could they remain silent and not speak up for justice?