Chapter 499, Ran Away Halfway ( - One)

The elevator chimed softly, then came to a halt.

Long legs stepped out of the elevator, and the man was fully armed with sunglasses and a face mask.

Ji Mingqian was walking while answering a phone call, the phone pressed to his ear, his voice deliberately lowered, "Understood, I’ll head back in a few days."

Two female service staff passed by his side, their excited chatter catching Ji Mingqian’s attention.

"Li Wuye is so handsome, but he’s just too cold."

"I still prefer my Jiang god. He’s so gentle."

Ji Mingqian’s footsteps paused, his eyes hidden behind the sunglasses turning peculiar.

Could it be that Jiang Yisheng was also here today?

With that thought, he turned around without hesitation and headed towards the elevator, his steps quick and urgent.

He made his way back to the parking lot without any obstructions, and just as he got into his car, Ye Jiuliang’s call came through.

He didn’t pick up immediately. Ji Mingqian fastened his seat belt, drove out of the parking lot, and then leisurely answered the call.

"Ji Mingqian, did you ride a tortoise here?"

The fiery tone was as poisonous-tongued as ever.

Ji Mingqian curled his lip, found an excuse, and replied nonchalantly, "I got caught up with something and can’t make it for the meal, let’s schedule another time."

On the other end of the line, Ye Jiuliang was puzzled, "What are you busy with?"

It was his idea to eat together, and now he himself wasn’t coming. This guy was acting weirder and weirder.

"Need to look up some information, just eat on your own. I’ll come to the club to discuss the design later. That’s all for now, hanging up." Ye Jiuliang was very shrewd, and fearing she’d catch onto anything awry, Ji Mingqian hastily ended the call.

He lifted his hand to pull off his sunglasses and mask, revealing a handsome face tinged with a touch of gloom.

On the other end, phone call disconnected, Ye Jiuliang looked confused.

"Did Mingqian suddenly have something come up?" Feng Yi inquired.

Ye Jiuliang put down her phone and hummed affirmatively, "Got something to take care of last minute, not coming over."

"Could he be busy chasing girls?" Feng Yi teased.

Ye Jiuliang hooked up the corner of her lip, "I’ll ask him when I see him."

From an unnoticed angle, Jiang Yisheng sipped his juice, appearing absent-minded. Hearing that Ji Mingqian wasn’t coming, a fleeting and subtle sense of loneliness crossed those bewitching green eyes.

Was he truly tied up with something, or was he deliberately avoiding him?

If he wasn’t intentionally avoiding him, why did he leave Mo Garden without a word?

**

Night gradually fell, and a succession of luxury cars drove into the Ye Family estate one after another.

They didn’t pull into the garage but stopped in the courtyard instead.

Ye Yan and Ye Rui got out of their cars, simultaneously closing the car doors with an almost synchronized motion.

"Come to my study after dinner," Ye Yan gave him a glance, his icy voice softening slightly.

Ye Rui, with downcast eyes, obediently responded, "Yes."

The father and son walked side by side, occasionally whispering to each other, their exchange observed closely by two watchful gazes from not far away.

Seeing Ye Rui alight from Ye Yan’s car, Ye Xin’s face betrayed her displeasure, clearly dissatisfied.

"Mom, you see it with your own eyes now, don’t you? I’ve been saying Dad’s attitude towards that Ye Rui has been particularly different lately, but you wouldn’t believe it," she said.

Xiang Zhen frowned, her eyes fixated on the two figures heading towards the living room.

In the end, when her gaze landed on Ye Rui, her eyes instantly darkened with malice, filled with revulsion.

"That Ye Rui looks like he’s up to no good, we have to guard against him," Ye Xin continued. "Mom, my brother is the legitimate grandson of the Ye Family, and that Ye Rui must be scheming for the inheritance, that’s why he keeps cozying up to Dad to win his favor. He doesn’t weigh his own significance; we need to teach him a lesson."

Xiang Zhen remained silent, Ye Xin’s words still stinging deep within, and she realized her daughter was right—this contemptible Ye Rui had to be watched carefully.

Back then, her tolerance for letting Ye Rui enter the Ye Family was the greatest mercy she could afford him. If he dared dream of vying with Ye Lei for everything the Ye Family had, then she could no longer allow him to stay.

"Mom, are you even listening to me? If this continues, Ye Rui will soon take away everything from my brother," Ye Xin grabbed her arm, pleading urgently.

Knowing her concerns, Xiang Zhen patted her hand soothingly, "Don’t worry, Mom knows what’s at stake. Ye Rui is just an illegitimate son who can’t hold a candle to you. Mom will sort him out. The Ye Family’s wealth belongs to you and your brother."

At these words, Ye Xin’s sullen expression brightened immediately.

"Let’s go down, dinner is almost ready," said Xiang Zhen, adjusting a curl by her ear, and walking out unhurriedly.

The mother and daughter descended the stairs to find Ye Yu and others sitting in the living room.

"Brother, hasn’t Dad come back? Why haven’t I seen him?" Ye Xin asked, clinging to Ye Lei upon seeing him return.

Ye Lei responded indifferently, "He went to Grandfather’s study."

Ye Xin nodded, her peripheral vision catching sight of Ye Rui sitting quietly to one side, and she couldn’t resist a sarcastic remark, "I seem to smell the stench of poverty; oh, it seems someone has returned."

Everyone knew whom she was referring to, their expressions revealing this wasn’t the first such instance.

Ye Rui, eyes downcast, pretended not to hear her.

"Ye Rui, come with me, I want to talk to you about something," Xiang Zhen looked down at him arrogantly, her contempt undisguised.

Ye Rui’s fingers tensed slightly as he stood up expressionless, following Xiang Zhen out of the living room.

Ye Yu’s gaze shifted from the magazine, and as she watched the retreating figure disappear through the doorway, an intriguing smile spread across her lips.

This sister-in-law of hers was still too impatient, but that worked to her advantage—the more trouble Ye Rui caused for their entire family, the less she had to do.

The study door was tightly closed, with Aren standing guard outside.

Inside, the atmosphere was frigid.

Ye Yan gazed at the opposite side where the old patriarch feigned sleep, his inscrutable eyes tinged with a hint of coldness.

"Dad, I heard that Lawyer Zhao visited today?"

The old Mr. Ye responded lukewarmly, with eyes closed, "Jiuliang is of age now, and I plan to transfer Ayuan’s inheritance to her name."

As he had anticipated, the old patriarch indeed intended to deal with Ye Yuan’s estate. Ye Yan’s eyes darkened, and his hand resting on his knee tightened slowly.

He spoke with a steady voice, each word seemingly concerned for the Ye Family, "Dad, you want to return Ayuan’s inheritance to Jiuliang, which I have no objections to, but you should reconsider this decision carefully."

"What are you trying to say?" Old Mr. Ye’s eyelids fluttered open, his sharp, bright tiger eyes flashing with acumen, "Speak plainly."

Meeting the old patriarch’s gaze, Ye Yan paused briefly, then continued, "Jiuliang quietly got married to Li Mochan, clearly not considering our Ye Family as her kin. All these years, the Ye Family has been under the thumb of the Li Family. If you now give Ayuan’s share of the inheritance to Jiuliang, if she were misled by someone else’s words and turned against us, you know the consequences."