200. Cannot Be Abandoned Yet

Yan Cheng was correct. The situation in the Bai family home was certainly as explosive as oil spitting and splattering. In fact, the explosion happened last night. After the end of the banquet, Chen TianYang went back to the Bai family home with Bai XueQing. Bai Yan and Jiang Hua also went back there. When Yan told the rest of his family about what happened, the entire mansion was engulfed by a rumbling thunderstorm. XueQing, temper as fiery as fire, was so angry that she nearly flipped the table. TianYang was so upset at the sight that he spent several long moments thoroughly comforting his girlfriend. 

“The Bai family is in your hands now,” said Ma and Pa to Yan. “Deal with this matter as you see fit. It’s fine even if you go overboard. The two of us aren’t dead yet. We can always help clean up your mess.”

No one planned on telling the old Mr Bai about this incident. They were afraid he’d have a fit. However, the elderly man wasn’t someone who was entirely cut off from the outside world. He called the family on the very next morning and spent half an hour lecturing Bai FuRen. Had his Bai family turned into a nest of cowards? How could the precious grandson of Bai HaiMing be trampled on? Was Mu JingYuan useless? Was food all the man knows?

How FuRen wished he could retort back that JingYuan wasn’t useless. The young man didn’t just know how to enjoy life; he was acting like he had swallowed a bomb. The man was even locked onto his target. All that was left to do was to launch the missile.

In all honesty, everyone knew that same-sex marriages could never be understood and accepted by everyone. They were so very rare. However, faced with the might of the Bai and Mu families, no one would ever voice out any incomprehension or negative opinions they might have. In fact, they had to put on a polite smile. It didn’t matter what other people think but that’s different to voicing those thoughts out loud. Furthermore, the person who spoke those words weren’t just anyone. She was the youngest daughter of the Yan family. Those words were equal to a signal for war.

When Yan Miao returned to the He family home, she was fuming hard. Her anger only burned brighter when she recalled how frustrated she had been the entire evening. She threw a big temper tantrum at her husband and children before going off to bed with a huff. She slept late into the day. Unbeknownst to her, as she was dreaming away, disaster had struck. When she woke up, the first thing she saw was the bloodshot eyes of her husband, filled with emotions like hate and disgust. Still half-awake, the sight made her break out in a cold sweat. But when she blinked and took a closer look, her husband’s eyes were filled with his usual warmth. It was as if what she saw just now was merely a figment of her imagination.

Subconsciously, Miao let out a long sigh of relief. “Do you want to die?” she angrily said. “Why are you staring at me? You nearly scared me to death the moment I woke up.”

“I’m sorry,” He Yuan said with an apologetic smile. “My bad. You were so soundly asleep that I couldn’t bear to wake you up. All I could do was wait here by your bed until you wake up. I was so enthralled by you that I was lost in my thoughts.”

Miao was evidently satisfied with her husband’s attraction to her. “Why are you waiting for me instead of heading into the office?” she asked as she lazily stretched. “Does the company need me?”

Miao owned shares in the Yan Group. However, the unwritten rule of the city was that daughters who were married out could own shares but they often held no power. All they received were dividends. Miao was born of a high social ranking. She was marrying down by marrying He Yuan. Naturally, she owned shares in the He Group as well. The number of shares she owned was actually the same amount as those owned by He Yuan. This was something He Yuan could do nothing about. In the He Group, Yan Miao and He Yuan could be considered equals. But because she found work to be too hard, she rarely did anything. He Yuan also “doted” on her so the company rarely needed her, except when they needed the Yan family’s help.

He Yuan dutifully helped his wife with her clothes. He prepared Miao’s toothbrush for her and helped her wash up. It was only once she was done getting ready for the day did he let worry show on his face.

“Miao-Miao, we’ve encountered a problem with the company,” said Yuan.

“What is it?” Miao asked, giving him the side-eye. “Do you need me to help again?”

Internally, He Yuan let out a cold chuckle: Help from you? Is your help of any use? All you do is offend other people. If not for your powerful father and big brother, I would’ve loved to strangle you to death with my own hands.

Hiding his true thoughts was a basic skill Yuan had mastered. “The problem this time is very serious,” he said, showing a somewhat pitiful look on his face. “Half of the company’s business partners decided to stop all contracts and collaborations with us this morning. The project that we’ve been putting a lot of money into lately has also screeched to a halt. If this goes on, there’s no way our company can function like normal.”

“How dare they!” Miao gasped in rage. “Who gave them the courage to do so? Are they not afraid of my father?”

“This is the act of Mu JingYuan,” said Yuan. “What you said last night have likely enraged him. Of course, there’s still the Bai and Chen families.”

“Him? Because of what happened yesterday?” Miao was even more furious now. “Is he even a man? It’s just one sentence. Is it enough to make him fight with a woman? Also, was I wrong? Those were the facts!”

“Miao-Miao,” Yuan said, “everyone in the city could see what Mu JingYuan thinks of Bai YiHan. Whether it’s a business deal, whether Bai YiHan himself willingly did it or if he’s just a sacrificial lamb, that has nothing to do with us. However, Bai YiHan is like a bomb. He can’t be touched. It’s considered common knowledge. Mu JingYuan is upset if anyone even looks at Bai YiHan a second longer than usual. You might not know it but Li Sun, the eldest son of the Li family, had a lover. He treated her like a treasure, showing her off everywhere he went. Mu JingYuan pushed the girl past the brink of insanity. She died a horrible death in a mental asylum. All because she looked Bai YiHan up and down on one occasion.”

Miao slapped Yuan across the cheek. Fury blazing in her eyes as she raged, “Just who is Li Sun’s lover? How could you compare her to me? Who is she? Who am I? Can we even be spoken of in the same sentence?”

Yuan clenched his jaw. When he turned back around, a sad, pitiful look painted his face once more. “Come, now. I didn’t even say she can be compared to you. I only wanted to tell you how important Bai YiHan is to Mu JingYuan. If we had directly infuriated Mu JingYuan, we would still have hope. However, now that it’s Bai YiHan, the man would surely go berserk. He won’t rest easy. The company’s current state must surely be an appetiser to him. The real attack is waiting for us still. Not only that, the Bai family and the Chen family have both shown strong hostile intentions.”

“How very shameless of the Bai family,” Miao spat through gritted teeth. “They gave away a son to pull in Mu JingYuan and then a daughter to entrap Chen TianYang. Of the Five Great Families in the city, they have taken control of two in one swoop. If this goes on, can we even survive in this city? No matter how grand Bai YiHan appears, he’s only a sex slave to Mu JingYuan. What’s so untouchable about him?”

Yuan knelt down before her. “Miao-Miao,” he said, looking up with that handsome face of his, “I don’t know what ambitions they have nor do I care what Bai YiHan’s real situation is like. The fact is, right now, they have all acted against our family. How could our tiny He Group fight with all three powerful companies?”

Looking down at his rather exhausted face and bloodshot eyes, Miao’s heart ached. She couldn’t help but soften her voice. “Don’t worry. They wouldn’t dare do it. The He Group might not be powerful enough but I am the Third Miss of the Yan family. Even if it’s just me, my father, they wouldn’t dare. Us Yan family members are no herbivores.”

“Naturally so,” Yuan said, smiling. “We have you. Of course, they wouldn’t dare try killing us. However, if things go on like this, the loss would be on us. It’s best to have Father speak up. Our latest project cannot be delayed.”

“Okay,” said Miao. “Don’t worry. I’ll go call him now. I was blinded by rage last night. It’s just one sentence. How can Mu JingYuan be even more narrow-hearted than Qi MingYang? They’ve done the deed so why can’t other people speak of it?”

Yuan gently kissed her on the forehead. “No rush. Your health is most important. Have some food first. I know, you were only acting on impulse. Actually, I like you the most when you’re straightforward like that, no two-faced scheming. When I first saw you, you were so cute and refreshing that I was immediately attracted to you. I’ve been stuck in your thrall since then.”

Miao blushed. “We’re an old married couple,” she muttered. “Why are you saying all that? You’re so disgusting.”

“Even if we’re in our seventies and eighties, I will still speak what I should speak of,” Yuan sadly said. “I’m just like you. I’m only telling you what I think deep inside. I’m not lying either. How am I disgusting?”

“Alright, you,” said Miao. “Go get me the food. I’ll call my father once I’m done with my meal.”

Internally, Yuan clenched his jaw tight: I only mentioned it for show but you could still eat? From last night until now, I’ve yet to eat or drink anything because of worry. You started this mess. You don’t think about ways to save us. Instead, you could still sleep and eat in peace! Why don’t you just choke to death?

No matter what Yuan thought, kindness and warmth remained plastered on his face. He went to the kitchen and brought back a tray of food. He then watched Miao eat, chin in his hands. Only when she was done did he hand the phone over to her.

However, Miao’s phone call wasn’t as instantaneously successful as they had expected. The old Mr Yan refused to answer the call. He wasn’t feeling well. The one who answered the phone was Miao’s brother, Yan Cheng. 

“Miao-Miao, you’re an adult now. You must learn to take responsibility for your own actions and words,” was all Cheng said before he hung up on Miao.

When Miao called again, Cheng repeated the same message. None of her calls after the second call were answered.

Miao was so angry that she threw the phone, shattering it to pieces. Yuan knew then that the Yan family didn’t plan on helping them out in this. His face turned pale. Without the Yan family, anyone could easily stomp over the He family, let alone the Bai, Chen and Mu families together!

Harsh pants escaped Yuan’s throat as he walked over to the window, desperately thinking of more strategies and tactics. He thought that as long as he could deal with the humiliation, bear with Yan Miao, this unreasonable woman, he could have a powerful ally in the Yan family. In truth, the He Group’s improvements over the years have proven his theory to be right. However, he never once thought that this big, reliable ally could be unreliable at times.

Yan Miao was a daughter of the Yan family. She caused this problem. Why aren’t her father and brother cleaning up after her? Did he have to do it himself? He did not bear the brunt of her temper and treat her like a goddess just so he can clean up after her messes!

Yuan looked back at Miao. She had gone crazy with anger, flipping the tables and throwing anything she can.

“What do you mean to take responsibility for my own actions and words? It’s all because you’ve been seduced by KongWen! It must be her who urged you and Father to not help me! You two actually listen to her! She’s just an outsider! I am the real daughter of the Yan family. How dare you do this to me! I hope you never ever regret doing this to me! I hate you! I hate you!” Miao roared over and over again.

Yuan looked away in disgust. The Yan family had only done this once. She was still a daughter of the Yan family. The old Mr Yan wouldn’t really ignore her. He must be calm. This woman cannot be abandoned yet.