Just then, Xiao Ran returned to the private room, and the waitstaff began serving the dishes.
Xu Mu glanced at Xiao Ran, who was standing behind Ye Chen. "Why don’t you sit down and eat?"
Xiao Ran paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I'm not hungry."
【Favorability +5】
Above Ye Tong's head, a favorability indicator also appeared.
"You should sit down and eat. There are so many dishes, and there are only four of us. We can't possibly finish it all," Ye Tong said with a smile.
"Your sister told you to sit, so just sit," Ye Chen said, turning back to Xiao Ran.
"Alright," Xiao Ran nodded slightly.
She secretly glanced at Xu Mu, and the favorability indicator appeared above her head once again.
【Favorability +6】
Ye Tong's indicator appeared as well.
"By the way, brother, what have you been up to all these years? Looks like you’ve made quite a bit of money," Ye Yu asked curiously.
Mainly because she thought Ye Chen was putting on airs.
Her own brother-in-law, coming from a top-tier wealthy second generation family, wasn’t as pretentious as him.
"I’ve been doing business overseas all these years, and I’ve indeed accumulated some wealth," Ye Chen replied to Ye Yu.
"Is it as much as my brother-in-law’s family?" Ye Yu asked with a laugh.
"The Xu Family still needs time to settle," Ye Chen said with a faint look toward Xu Mu.
Xu Mu gave a small smile, "Our Xu Family is really just a small business."
But inwardly, he cursed. If Ye Chen looked down on the Xu Family so much, why did the plot have him take over the Xu Family’s assets?
Ye Yu also pouted, not understanding what Ye Chen was pretending to be. Just going abroad made him think he was superior.
The atmosphere at this dinner was very quiet.
Normally, Ye Yu would be the one to liven things up.
But today, at this meeting, she was very dissatisfied with Ye Chen.
It confirmed the saying: some things are only good to admire from afar, not up close.
Before meeting Ye Chen, she still missed him a little since he was her brother.
But now, seeing him, he was nothing like what she had imagined.
In Ye Yu’s eyes, Xu Mu was the good brother she truly cared about.
Without Ye Yu to energize the room, and with Ye Tong naturally being a quiet person, the mood was subdued.
With Ye Chen present, Xiao Ran didn’t dare to speak recklessly.
Xu Mu and Ye Chen were clearly at odds, so they barely exchanged words.
The meal ended quickly.
Ye Chen was in no rush; he had time and opportunity.
His purpose in meeting Ye Tong today was to tell her they weren’t related by blood.
He wanted to plant this seed early to make future developments easier.
Afterward, Xu Mu and the others went downstairs to leave.
Outside the restaurant, just as Xu Mu pressed the car key, Ye Chen spoke calmly, "Xu Mu, let’s have a private talk."
Hearing this, Xiao Ran stepped back to a distance on her own.
Ye Tong pulled Ye Yu and got into the car ahead.
"What’s the matter?" Xu Mu asked, hands in his pockets, glancing at Ye Chen.
"I think you’re not worthy of Ye Tong," Ye Chen said coldly.
"Worthiness isn’t for you to decide. Ye Tong knows what’s in her heart," Xu Mu frowned slightly, displeased.
"If you can leave her, I’d be very happy," Ye Chen said, looking at Xu Mu.
He really hoped Xu Mu was the rumored playboy.
If that were the case, he could kill Xu Mu without hesitation.
And he might even earn the title of hero for saving a beauty.
Unfortunately, Xu Mu was a good man, at least good to Ye Tong.
If Ye Chen acted directly, Ye Tong would definitely blame him.
“Bro, whether you’re happy or not, none of my damn business.”
Xu Mu laughed—this guy’s act had some real skill behind it.
Suddenly, he pointed over at Xiao Ran and deliberately raised his voice, “If you let Xiao Ran follow me, I’ll be very happy too!”
“Fine! I’ll give Xiao Ran to you, just leave Ye Tong alone.”
Ye Chen didn’t hesitate at all, nor did he care about Xiao Ran’s feelings.
In his eyes, no one could compare to Ye Tong.
Naturally, Xiao Ran overheard the words and couldn’t help clenching her fists.
She had once regarded Ye Chen as her idol and benefactor, willingly dedicating herself to him.
Because he had saved her before, she wanted to repay him.
But now, the rose-colored glasses she had worn when looking at Ye Chen were gradually fading.
It seemed to confirm what Xu Mu had said—Ye Chen never really cared about her.
On the other hand, Xu Mu had always been helping her.
Besides the initial treatment for her injuries, the medicine he sent her a few days ago had helped her wounds heal almost completely.
A new thought began to take root in her heart: Xu Mu was better than Ye Chen.
“Crazy!”
Xu Mu said, then headed toward his car.
“Xu Mu, you’ll agree to this, won’t you?”
Ye Chen softly called after Xu Mu’s retreating back.
……
“Brother-in-law! What’s wrong? Did Ye Chen make you angry?”
Ye Yu saw Xu Mu getting into the car and immediately asked.
She had already noticed Xu Mu’s anger earlier inside the car.
Ye Tong grabbed Xu Mu’s arm, “What’s going on?”
Xu Mu hesitated for a moment, then directly spilled the truth, “Ye Chen is a bastard. He wants me to divorce you!”
He didn’t lay everything out bluntly—some things, if said outright, would seem too deliberate.
“What?”
Ye Tong’s eyes immediately widened in shock.
Ye Yu covered her mouth, disbelief written all over her face.
They both trusted Xu Mu completely now.
Ye Chen had deliberately called them over just to tell them there was no blood relation.
Now, coupled with the demand for Xu Mu to divorce, could his motive be…
“I knew it! Ye Chen has liked my sister since they were kids, but I never thought he’d be this twisted. The moment he found out there’s no blood relation, he’s already thinking of taking her for himself.”
Ye Yu clenched her fists tightly, anger blazing across her face. She grabbed the door handle, “I can’t stand this anymore. I’m going to confront him!”
“Don’t go. Let’s go home first.”
Xu Mu locked the car doors and drove off.
Ye Chen had no feelings for Ye Yu now. If she provoked him too much, he might even lay hands on her.
Right now, Xu Mu needed to see what Ye Chen’s next move would be.
According to the original story, the villain Xu Mu’s ashes had been scattered by Ye Chen.
Ye Chen helped Ye Tong and Ye Yu solve a huge problem.
Especially Ye Yu, who once hated Xu Mu the most.
After Ye Chen took care of Xu Mu, she instantly developed a deep admiration for this brother.
But now, the plot had been twisted by Xu Mu. Ye Chen wouldn’t be able to win over Ye Tong and Ye Yu so easily.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t resort to the same dirty tricks as Fang Chu.
Back at home,
Ye Yu pulled Ye Tong into the room and started listing Ye Chen’s faults.
But Ye Tong was naturally kind-hearted and still held onto some hope. He told Ye Yu that maybe there was some misunderstanding and that they should clarify things the next time they met.
Xu Mu had originally intended to speak up, but suddenly noticed that Chai Wang’s money had already arrived.
He immediately contacted the customer service of Night Parade of One Hundred Demons and transferred 24 billion yuan.
Xu Mu still kept 1 billion yuan in cash on hand.
……
“Dragon King, what should we do next?”
Xiao Ran was already driving, taking Ye Chen away.
But she seemed distracted and began to doubt her own actions.
Was it really right to follow Ye Chen so loyally?
If she was devoted to Ye Chen because he had saved her, then Xu Mu had saved her before as well.
“Continue investigating the Ye family’s affairs.”
Ye Chen’s eyes gazed out the window. “I seem to have a lot to do now… Stop the car!”
Xiao Ran had already driven out of the city and immediately pulled over to the roadside. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s an ancient martial artist practicing under the highway. Let’s go check it out.”
Ye Chen opened the door and stepped out, standing at the edge of the road, looking down at the woods below.
A woman dressed in sportswear, her hair tied in a single ponytail, was already drenched in sweat.
This woman was Xu Ningbing.
Xu Ningbing also noticed someone watching her and turned to look.
“So impressive…”
Ye Chen muttered under his breath as he looked at the distorted characters “Longguo” (Dragon Nation) emblazoned on the front of her sportswear.
Yang City truly was a land full of hidden talents.

ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"

reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?

Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"

d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!