Chapter 3401

The night in Yanjing was clear and accompanied by severe cold.

Ye Chen lay in bed tossing and turning, with not a trace of sleepiness.

Past, present, and future, in his mind, were like three rivers converging, making his heart chaotic and tangled.

At this very moment, over a thousand li away on Mount Putuo, in a certain blue-brick courtyard of a temple, a woman as beautiful as a painting sat in a rattan chair in the courtyard, raising her head to gaze upon the vast starry sky.

The woman had exquisite features and an extraordinary temperament; over fifty years of age had left only a few fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

This woman was Ye Chen's birth mother, An Chengxi.

The elderly yet remarkably robust Sun Jie hurried into the courtyard at this moment and respectfully said: "Madam, Sihai, who stayed at the Ye family, reported that the Ye family patriarch today had a long talk with Chen'er."

"Oh?" An Chengxi asked curiously: "What did my father-in-law and Chen'er talk about?"

Sun Jie, with a respectful expression, replied: "Madam, they were talking about Miss Gu."

"Nannan." An Chengxi smiled gently on her face and asked again: "What did they say about Nannan?"

Sun Jie then reported all the information she had learned to An Chengxi in detail.

An Chengxi grew more and more astonished as she listened, and finally could not help but exclaim: "Yanzhong is also acting out of sincere devotion."

Sun Jie nodded: "I also think so; the Gu family's treatment of the young master is indeed admirable."

An Chengxi sighed: "What my father-in-law said is correct; Chen'er will one day return to the Ye family as its heir and re-enter the public eye, and by then, Xiao Churan may not be able to accept it."

Sun Jie asked her: "Madam, what do you think is the best solution to this matter?"

An Chengxi's expression turned grave; after pondering for a long while, she solemnly said: "The best solution is not just one, but none of them involve maintaining the status quo."

Sun Jie hurriedly asked: "Do you mean that the young master and Xiao Churan are not suited?"

"Yes." An Chengxi nodded.

After a moment, she sighed: "Their feelings, as I see it, are not pure, and there are too many hidden dangers. Once Chen'er resolves Wu Feiyan's troubles and returns to the Ye family, what awaits him will be the triple support of the Ye family, the An family, and his own strength. At that time, he will be the most dazzling new star in the world. If, at that time, rumors of marital discord with Xiao Churan arise, it would not be good for him."

Sun Jie nodded respectfully and asked: "Then, Madam, do you have any solution?"

An Chengxi fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly: "Xiao Churan's parents are uncontrollable factors, but Xiao Churan herself should still be controllable. I am thinking: should we devise some method so that she might, by chance, learn of Chen'er's identity?"

"Ah?!"

Sun Jie anxiously asked: "If we let her know the young master's background, would that not put the young master in danger?"

An Chengxi said earnestly: "That is why I said it must be controllable. If Xiao Churan knows Chen'er's identity, knows his past deception toward her, and knows the mission he bears, what do you think she would decide?"

Sun Jie thought: "She will most likely divorce the young master."

"Yes." An Chengxi nodded: "If her character is not feigned, then given her nature, she will most likely divorce Chen'er—one side being the disappointment from long-term deception, the other being the deep-seated blood feud hidden behind Chen'er's background. If she truly loves Chen'er, I believe she would choose to reveal the truth to him and then quietly depart, keeping this secret, and might not even tell her parents."

Sun Jie hurriedly asked: "Madam, do you mean to tell Xiao Churan everything—cause and effect?"

"Yes." An Chengxi said solemnly: "It is time she knew. Moreover, Chen'er's current situation is not suitable for having too many worries behind him. If she can leave Chen'er, even temporarily, it would be a hundred benefits and no harm for him."

Sun Jie asked again: "Then what method should we use to let Xiao Churan know? We need someone very persuasive to face her, so she will be convinced."

After saying this, she asked: "Madam, what if I go find an opportunity to meet her?"

"You are not suitable."

An Chengxi firmly refused, saying seriously: "In this world, you are also a person who has been missing for many years. If you go see her and tell her these things, she may not believe you."

Sun Jie asked: "Then who do you think is more suitable?"

An Chengxi said: "In the whole world, there is only one person suitable—Tang Sihai."

As she spoke, An Chengxi added: "If we let members of the Ye family or the An family tell Xiao Churan, it would indeed be persuasive, but once Chen'er learns of it later, he will surely resent them. These people are his relatives, unsuitable to play the villain. It is better to let Tang Sihai take on this burden—he has served the Ye family for many years, his information is easily found online, and if he speaks, Xiao Churan will not suspect him."

Sun Jie suddenly understood, nodded lightly, and said: "Indeed, Madam, your consideration is more thorough; letting Tang Sihai do this is truly the most suitable choice."

She thought of something and hurriedly asked again: "Madam, if Xiao Churan learns these things but still does not intend to leave the young master, what then?"

An Chengxi said lightly: "It does not matter if she does not leave. Chen'er can be decisive and swift in any matter, but only in this one he drags his feet, hesitates, and dares not tell Xiao Churan the truth, leading to many hidden dangers in their marriage. If Xiao Churan learns these things and does not prepare to leave Chen'er, she will surely choose to stay by his side and live well with him. Compared to the current ambiguous situation, that would also be a good thing."

As a mother-in-law, An Chengxi has some reservations about Xiao Churan.

Besides anything else, they have been married for years with no actual marital relations—this is something no mother-in-law would likely accept.

If Xiao Churan can leave Ye Chen, An Chengxi is willing to pay her a hundred billion as severance, so she will have no worries about food and clothing for life. This way, Ye Chen can also free himself from this abnormal marital relationship and gain complete freedom.

If Xiao Churan is unwilling to leave Ye Chen, then my own actions will also put great pressure on her, forcing her to take the next step with Ye Chen—at the very least, to have actual marital relations.

Therefore, in An Chengxi's view, whichever of these two outcomes occurs, both are far better than the current situation.

Since Ye Chen delays taking this step, I, as his mother, just want to find a way to help him take it!

Thus, she immediately said to Sun Jie: "Let Tang Sihai prepare and return secretly."

Sun Jie nodded: "All right, Madam, I will contact Tang Sihai right away."

An Chengxi added: "Tell him not to return by plane, but to come via a reliable water route. Chen'er now has an AI model, and if he enters through normal channels, it would easily be detected by his AI model."

Sun Jie said: "Madam, the water route may be slow, and it might not be until next month that we reach domestic waters."

"No problem." An Chengxi said: "A little delay is fine; the most important thing is to leave no trace. If Chen'er finds him, it will be as if he found me—he has plenty of ways to extract my information from Tang Sihai!"

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The story is about to enter a new stage; planning requires some effort.