Chapter 2650: Ye Fan

Zhou Andong glanced at that guy, his face full of sympathy. You say you provoked the wrong person, but you had to go find Zhang Zuo, whose mouth was laced with poison—even if he doesn't beat you to death, he can poison you to death.

"I don't know who your father is now, but I know your mother. Go home and ask her—there's a good chance I'm your father."

"Cao Nima!" The guy was furious, raising his fist to strike.

"Ye Fan!" Ye Zhen suddenly stood up, looking at the guy raising his fist, and shouted sternly: "What are you trying to do?"

Ye Fan's body stiffened, his gaze shifting to Ye Zhen. His alcohol-numbed mind instantly cleared: "Fourth... Fourth Aunt!"

Ye Zhen let out a cold snort: "Drinking cat piss, you don't even know who your own father is, huh?"

The drunk Ye Fan's face turned deathly pale, but hearing Ye Zhen's words, his face instantly flushed crimson: "Fourth... Fourth Aunt, I..."

"Enough!" Ye Zhen impatiently waved her hand: "Go home quickly, don't embarrass yourself here."

At that moment, a girl in her early twenties walked over, first pulling Ye Fan aside, then looking at Ye Zhen and saying cautiously: "Fourth Aunt, I'll take Ye Fan home right now."

Ye Zhen frowned, looking at the woman and asked: "Who are you?"

The girl looked very nervous: "My name is Liu Ruyan, and my father is Liu Qungang from the Municipal Education Bureau."

"Pfft!" Zhou Andong was just watching the spectacle when he heard Liu Ruyan's name—he spat out the wine he had just taken into his mouth. Luckily, he reacted quickly, turning his head so it all landed on the ground. Everyone turned to look at him, including Ye Zhen, with puzzled expressions.

Zhou Andong wiped his mouth with a napkin, then apologetically said: "Sorry, I choked just now. Fourth Sister, please continue."

When he heard the name Ye Fan earlier, he hadn't thought much of it, but when Liu Ruyan appeared, he couldn't help himself. Longjun Ye Fan, Dahuang Ruyan—two major short-drama icons from later eras had actually shown up together, which made him think: his group has a TV station—shouldn't they film a few short dramas?

After all, later-era short dramas aren't all just mouth-fighting dramas, cuckold dramas, or morally skewed tales—there are also many masterpieces. If brought to this entertainment-starved era, they'd surely be even more popular than in later times. Plus, those later-era variety shows could also be moved to the group's TV station—wouldn't that be wonderful?

The main issue is whether the group's TV station can get on satellite. If it can't, then even if they bring out those later-era hit variety shows, it wouldn't mean much. As for establishing a production company for variety shows, that's not really feasible right now.

Because production and broadcasting haven't been separated yet, no matter how brilliant the variety show planning is, no TV station would buy it. Of course, if it were free, that would be another matter.

Zhou Andong was pondering: tomorrow, he'll arrange for someone to inquire about getting the group's TV station on satellite. No matter how much it costs, he must make it happen—by then, what would happen with Mango TV and Blueberry TV?

"Your father is Liu Qungang, huh." Ye Zhen's face showed no expression as she pointed at Ye Fan and said to Liu Ruyan: "He's drunk, and I don't want to say certain things now. Take him home and have him come to my house tomorrow night to find me."

Liu Ruyan nodded vigorously: "Fourth Aunt, I'll take him away now. Once he sobers up tomorrow, I'll have him come to your house to find you."

"Fanzi, what happened?" Two more young men walked over. When they saw Ye Zhen, they froze, then immediately said stiffly: "Fourth Aunt!"

Ye Zhen let out a hum, her face cold: "Scram, and remember to settle the bill."

One of the young men raised his hand, mimicking a salute, bowing and scraping as he said: "Fourth Aunt, we're leaving now. Rest assured, we'll take good care of Fanzi and get him home safely."

The two young men lifted Ye Fan away, and Liu Ruyan gave Ye Zhen a placating smile: "Fourth Aunt, we're off—you and your friends enjoy your drinks slowly."

"Let's go!" Ye Zhen nodded. Since Liu Ruyan was after all a girl, Ye Zhen's tone wasn't so harsh.

Liu Ruyan turned and walked toward the bar, first settling the bill, then leaving.

"Damn, after all this fuss it's still just family—I thought I could stretch my legs today, but it's boring." Zhang Zuo cursed, looking at Ye Zhen: "I say, Fourth Sister, I know all those unpromising rascals of the Ye family, but I've never seen this Ye Fan before—could he be the illegitimate son of your three brothers?"

Ye Zhen raised her hand to strike, but Zhang Zuo reacted quickly, dodging sideways: "No wonder you're over thirty and still unmarried—you lash out at people all the time. Which man with blind eyes would marry you?"

Ye Zhen gritted her teeth in anger: "Little bastard, you wait—tomorrow I'll go talk to your parents."

Zhang Zuo sneered: "Reporting you won't help—if I don't go home, they can't find me."

"Smack!" Zhang Zuo's back of the head was slapped, followed by Zhou Andong's voice: "Fourth Sister, you go find his parents tomorrow—I'll tie him up and bring him home tonight."

"Good!" Ye Zhen smiled, eyes narrowed at Zhang Zuo: "Little bastard, you wait—you'll get stir-fried meat with bamboo shoots."

"No!" Zhang Zuo rubbed the back of his head, turned to look at Zhou Andong: "Zhou Dongzi, you really forget righteousness for beauty—selling out your brothers for a woman. Well, well, very well indeed."

Ye Zhen returned to her seat, picked up her wine cup, and said: "Andong, I toast you. Remember to tie Zhang Zuo home tomorrow—I'll treat you to a meal then."

"No problem!" Zhou Andong clinked his cup against Ye Zhen's.

Zhang Zuo blinked, then said very tactfully: "Fourth Aunt, I was wrong—just treat me as if I'd drunk too much and spoken nonsense, okay?"

Ye Zhen looked at Zhang Zuo with a half-smile: "You know you were wrong?"

"I know I was wrong!" Zhang Zuo was quite the rascal—his attitude of admitting fault was impeccable, so much so that even Zhou Andong couldn't find fault with it.

Ye Zhen suppressed a laugh: "Alright, I'll forgive you this once—but if there's a next time, I swear I'll make your father split your buttocks open."

"I can't hold it—I'll come back later to continue." Zhang Zuo clutched his stomach and ran off.

Ye Zhen smiled, then sighed: "Back then, my father joined the Eighth Route Army to resist Japan, while my great-uncle stayed home to care for my great-grandparents. Those were hard, chaotic times—we were poor, and he couldn't even find a wife.

After the founding of New China, our lives improved, but my great-uncle was getting older and still didn't want to marry. My father felt guilty toward him, so when my second brother was born, he gave him to my great-uncle as an adopted son.

When my second brother grew up, my great-uncle sent him back, saying he couldn't delay the boy's future. After my second brother married and had two sons and a daughter, Ye Fan was the younger son.

As my great-uncle aged, my second brother, grateful for being raised to adulthood, wanted to bring him to Jingcheng to live together. But no matter what, my great-uncle just wouldn't come.

With no other choice, when Ye Fan was six, my second brother sent him to live with my great-uncle in the countryside. And just this past April, my great-uncle passed away—so Ye Fan came back."

Saying this, Ye Zhen took a sip of wine, then sighed again: "Ye Fan was already six when sent away—old enough to remember. As he grew year by year, resentment naturally filled his heart.

So, after being brought back to Jingcheng, he started acting out constantly—causing trouble every day, opposing my second brother. And my second brother and his wife, feeling guilty for sending him away as a child, wanted to discipline him but couldn't bring themselves to be harsh..."

Zhou Andong slightly shook his head: "Fourth Sister, if I were Ye Fan, I'd definitely resent it too. Why should my brothers and sisters enjoy prosperity in Jingcheng, eating well and dressing fine, while I was sent to the countryside to suffer?"