With that, Ye Xiaorou walked away triumphantly.
Ye Ximeng felt thoroughly disgusted, as if she had swallowed a fly.
During dinner, Ye Wenhan discussed the branch company of the Ye Family Perfume Group with Lu Xuan.
That branch company was the dowry Ye Wenhan had given to Ye Xiaorou.
Clearly, Ye Xiaorou had used it to curry favor with Lu Xuan.
Instantly, Ye Ximeng understood why Lu Xuan had been acting so considerate and attentive.
Based on her understanding of Lu Xuan from her previous life, he was an extremely selfish individualist.
Lu Xuan was the unpopular eldest son in his family.
Yet, he was obsessed with saving face and putting on the airs of the eldest son.
In Ye Ximeng’s eyes, Lu Xuan was a hypocrite who shamelessly lived off others—a classic “phoenix man.”
When it came to people or things with no value to him, Lu Xuan couldn’t even be bothered to spare a glance.
Later, Ye Wenhan also exchanged a few words with Jiang Yufeng. In their conversation, he hinted at wanting Jiang Yufeng to invest in the Ye Family Perfume Group.
Jiang Yufeng’s response was cold: “I don’t hold a position in the Jiang family’s company. Everything in the company is handled by my eldest brother.
If you’re looking for investment, you can go directly to him. I don’t understand these matters.”
Listening nearby, Ye Ximeng almost couldn’t help but applaud.
Jiang Yufeng’s response was perfect.
Indeed, Ye Wenhan, sitting across from them, struggled to maintain his smile after hearing this.
As for Ye Ximeng, the corners of her lips were also on the verge of curling upward uncontrollably.
She lowered her head, using the motion of eating to hide the smile on her lips.
But she was simply too happy, and her knee couldn’t resist gently bumping against Jiang Yufeng’s.
The subtle gesture hidden beneath the table went unnoticed by anyone.
Yet, Jiang Yufeng’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment.
A short while later, Jiang Yufeng picked up a piece of green pepper with his chopsticks and placed it in Ye Ximeng’s bowl.
Ye Ximeng turned her head, her eyes curved into crescents as she glanced at Jiang Yufeng. She ate the green pepper he had given her, then picked up a piece of bitter melon and placed it in Jiang Yufeng’s bowl.
Across the table, Ye Xiaorou watched their sweet interaction and nearly snapped her chopsticks in half.
…
On the way back to Shallow Water Bay from the Ye family home, Ye Ximeng was in an exceptionally good mood.
Even Jiang Yufeng, sitting in the driver’s seat, could sense her joy.
He asked, “Why are you suddenly so happy?”
Ye Ximeng grinned, revealing twelve pearly white teeth. “I can’t help but laugh when I think of Ye Wenhan’s expression when you refused to invest in the Ye Family Perfume Group.”
Hearing this, a faint trace of amusement seemed to flicker in Jiang Yufeng’s eyes. “He’s your father. Are you really this happy to see him unhappy?”
Ye Ximeng pursed her lips, her smile fading as she said, “Honestly, I often wonder if I’m even his biological daughter.
Maybe next time, you could help me pluck a few strands of his hair so I can do a paternity test?”
Jiang Yufeng didn’t know how to respond to that.
After a long pause, he finally asked, “Why don’t you do it yourself?”
“He doesn’t like me. Before I got married and moved out, I could still sneak into his room and grab a few strands of hair from his pillow.
Now, I doubt I could even get close to him.”
Jiang Yufeng gazed out at the night outside the car window. He wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s affairs.
Yet, for some reason, he found himself asking, “Have you ever secretly taken your father’s hair before?”
“I’ve taken it before. The thought of doing a paternity test with him didn’t just occur to me recently.
I wanted to do it back in high school.
Once, I even took his hair and went all the way to the door of a third-party testing agency.
But in the end, I still didn’t go through with it.”
“Why didn’t you do it?” Jiang Yufeng asked.
“My biological mother passed away early. You know Sun Yuan is my stepmother, right?
Think about it—back then, I had nothing. If the test showed that the man I’d called Dad for over a decade wasn’t my biological father, what would I have left?
So, even though he was so biased, I endured it. I endured it for all those years.
But now it’s different. If I could get his hair again now, I would definitely do the paternity test.”
After saying this, Ye Ximeng looked at Jiang Yufeng with bright eyes, showing no sign of sadness but instead a faint hint of anticipation.
Jiang Yufeng caught a glimpse of Ye Ximeng’s expression out of the corner of his eye, and for some reason, he suddenly felt a dryness in his throat.
Ye Ximeng waited for a response for a long time but didn’t get one, so she couldn’t help but poke Jiang Yufeng’s shoulder and said, “Why aren’t you asking me why it’s different now?”
She had been eagerly waiting for Jiang Yufeng to ask.
Jiang Yufeng’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. “Why?”
“Because now, I have you.”