In His Heart, Ye Tong Was Like the Sun

Xu Mu’s expression gradually grew serious upon hearing this. He remembered that he had just obtained Ye Tong and Ye Yu’s hair and fresh blood.

Now, suddenly saying they wanted to come over for a meal—there was no need to guess; he already knew they had found out.

He and Ye Tong and Ye Yu had no blood relation.

Xu Mu definitely wouldn’t give them a private space to be alone without his involvement. As the leading male protagonist, perhaps he really had a way.

He immediately stood up and said, “Yun Jie, I have some important matters to attend to. I have to leave first.”

Li Yun nodded gently, able to guess from Xu Mu’s expression that something was going on. “You go ahead, the meal can be arranged anytime.”

“Alright.”

Xu Mu turned and left.

…

Arriving at his own villa.

Ye Tong was already home. When she saw Xu Mu, she immediately came up to him.

“Husband, you’re back.”

“Hmm, what’s going on?”

Xu Mu asked knowingly.

“I don’t know either. My brother suddenly called and wants to treat us to dinner in Jiang City.”

Ye Tong smiled and linked her arm with Xu Mu’s. “Maybe there’s some progress with the Ye family.”

Xu Mu nodded and pulled Ye Tong back inside the villa.

They chatted for a while at home, and before long, Ye Yu came riding back on her electric scooter.

“Sis, is my brother inviting us to dinner?”

Ye Yu smiled as soon as she stepped inside.

Xu Mu was observing their expressions at this moment; both looked very happy.

This was completely normal—after all, in their eyes, Ye Chen was family.

The group chatted for a while longer when Ye Tong’s phone vibrated.

She glanced at the screen and immediately answered, “Chen, you’re there? Good.”

After hanging up, Ye Tong said to Xu Mu, “Let’s go. It’s at Jin Yu Ge.”

Xu Mu nodded in agreement. Jin Yu Ge was a time-honored restaurant in Jiang City, with a history of over a hundred years.

He drove, taking Ye Tong and Ye Yu to the location.

The storefront of Jin Yu Ge was built in an ancient architectural style.

Just as they got out of the car, Xiao Ran appeared at the restaurant entrance, greeting them with a smile.

She was still dressed casually, with short hair covering one eye.

“Welcome.”

Xiao Ran said to the group, “Please follow me.”

Xu Mu glanced at Ye Tong and Ye Yu beside him and followed Xiao Ran inside.

The main hall was completely empty.

Xu Mu recalled that this place usually did good business, especially at mealtime.

“Reserved out?” Xu Mu asked while trailing behind Xiao Ran.

“My boss likes quiet, especially when meeting family. He doesn’t want to be disturbed by others,” Xiao Ran smiled at Xu Mu and led the three up to a private room on the second floor.

“Family? After so many years without seeing each other, and not even greeting them personally—are you putting on airs in front of your family?” Xu Mu said lightly.

Xiao Ran wanted to say something but swallowed the words.

Ye Tong and Ye Yu frowned slightly upon hearing this.

They had been very happy at the thought of seeing Ye Chen soon and had never considered this.

But after Xu Mu’s reminder, they realized it.

Especially Ye Yu, who had been excited but now felt somewhat displeased.

Ye Chen wasn’t even their elder, particularly Ye Tong, who was his sister.

By all rights, he should have been standing at the door to greet them.

She had guessed that Ye Chen must have done well over the years.

But no matter how successful he was, there was no need to put on airs in front of his own family.

Ye Yu pouted slightly; basic manners were completely absent—nowhere near the standard set by her brother-in-law.

“Maybe he’s busy with something else,”

Ye Tong smiled gently at Xu Mu.

“Perhaps.”

At this moment, Xu Mu had already sensed Ye Chen’s presence.

He was sitting inside the private room, eyes closed, resting. What was there to be busy about? The truth was, everything had gone too smoothly for him on this journey—he was just used to pretending.

Xiao Ran pushed open the door to the private room.

Ye Yu was the first to peek inside, only to find Ye Chen not busy at all, just sitting there.

Her fondness for him began to wane.

“Dragon King.”

Xiao Ran called softly, then stepped back to stand behind him.

Ye Chen opened his cold, sharp eyes. The first person he saw was Ye Tong—just as he had imagined.

“Chen, it’s finally good to see you. How have you been all these years?”

Ye Tong looked at her younger brother. Though still young, his eyes were weathered and heavy with hardship.

Unconsciously, tears began to well up in her eyes.

Seeing Ye Tong’s tears, Ye Chen felt a sting in his own nose.

His sister was still so gentle.

“The beginning was tough, but things got better later on.”

Ye Chen stood up from his seat and forced a faint smile at Ye Tong. “Sis, please sit.”

“Oh, you only have eyes for sister, completely ignoring the rest of us.”

Ye Yu said sarcastically.

“Xiao Yu, you sit too.”

Ye Chen smiled at Ye Yu.

“Darling, don’t be polite. We’re family after all.”

Ye Tong pulled Xu Mu’s arm, inviting him to sit beside her.

Seeing this, Ye Chen’s expression noticeably changed. He turned to Xiao Ran, “Bring out the dishes.”

“Yes.”

Xiao Ran replied and left the room.

Xu Mu picked up a tissue from the table and handed one to Ye Tong.

Ye Tong looked at Xu Mu gratefully and took the tissue to wipe away her tears.

Ye Yu noticed this small gesture and became even more convinced that Xu Mu was far better than Ye Chen.

[Affection +6]

Above Ye Tong’s head, the same black text appeared.

[Affection +6]

“Chen, why did you call us here this time? Have you found out why Mom and Dad disappeared?”

Ye Tong looked at Ye Chen and asked.

Ye Chen said nothing. He took out a sheet of paper and placed it on the revolving tray on the table, spinning it until it stopped in front of Ye Tong.

Ye Tong picked it up to examine it, and Ye Yu tilted her head to look as well.

When they saw the blood relationship chart on the paper, both Ye Tong and Ye Yu exchanged glances, unable to believe what they saw.

“Sis, I haven’t found out why Mom and Dad disappeared yet, but I did discover that I have no blood relation to you.”

Ye Chen stared at Ye Tong, his eyes burning with intensity.

“I’m the adopted son of the Ye family.”

He had an extremely strong sense of pride and a psychological aversion to impurity.

For example, when it came to women, it wasn’t just about whether she was a virgin—he couldn’t accept a woman who had ever been in a relationship with another man.

Because if she had loved someone else before, it meant her heart had once belonged to another.

That made her impure.

Except for Ye Tong.

Even though he knew Ye Tong was married.

He slept beside Xu Mu every day, yet he still didn’t care.

When he was a child, his parents were often busy with work and rarely at home.

He was a dark, quiet boy, almost invisible within the family.

But Ye Tong always noticed him; even a single bite of food would remind her of him.

In his heart, Ye Tong was like the sun—warm, all-encompassing, and forgiving.

From a young age, he dreamed of being Ye Tong’s planet.

Being pulled by her gravity, endlessly orbiting around her—that alone was enough to satisfy him.

“Chen, an adopted son is still a son. You will always be part of our family.”

Ye Tong placed the paper on the table and smiled at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen had long expected Ye Tong to say this, but he didn’t want to be her little brother.

He wanted to be a man.

Now, he wanted to be Ye Tong’s sun.