Chapter 170: 170. I just want Ye Yan to pay the price (one more Chapter/update)

"Master, Jiuliang only spoke in anger, you shouldn’t take it to heart," Aren whispered softly.

Old Master Ye was taken aback before he regained his composure, his face ashen.

"She wasn’t just speaking in anger," she must have already come to hate the Ye Family, and hate him as well.

How much did she actually know about what happened that year?

Aren remained silent.

**

After getting out of the car, Ye Jiuliang wandered the streets alone.

As she passed an alley, she was drawn to a figure huddled in a corner.

"Hey."

Her cool voice dispersed in the confines of the alley, the figure in the corner twitched.

Waiting for a while, as the person stayed squatting without getting up, Ye Jiuliang’s patience wore thin, and she turned to leave.

Taking a step away, a raspy voice suddenly rang out from behind her, abject and helpless.

"Help me."

A "thud"—the sound of knees hitting the ground.

"I beg you."

Ye Jiuliang slowly turned around, her gaze resting on the man kneeling on the ground, her cold eyes narrowing slightly.

The man’s Beisen school uniform was filthy and disheveled, and under the sunlight, the uneven footprints all over him revealed that he had just been through a beating.

A one-sided beating at that.

"Help me once more, please," Ye Rui lifted his head, the bruises on his face and the blood at the corner of his mouth exposed to the sunlight, a shocking sight.

His eyes, filled with hope, were fixed on the young girl not far away, as if he were looking at his last lifeline.

Ye Jiuliang stepped closer, scrutinizing the wounds on his face, her lips pressed into a thin line, "Did Ye Miao and the others do this?"

Ye Rui lowered his head, hiding the pain in his eyes, and nodded so subtly it was barely perceptible.

"Today is my mother’s memorial day, and they took the necklace my mother left me," his voice was hoarse.

Ye Jiuliang regarded him with unruffled eyes upon hearing this.

To the Ye Family, Ye Rui was nothing but an unimportant illegitimate son, an accidental product of Ye Yan’s one-time mistake. From childhood, Ye Lei and the others rarely missed an opportunity to bully him.

"Continually helping you seems to bring me no benefit," Ye Jiuliang spoke indifferently.

"Besides, you should know I’ve never had much affection for members of the Ye Family, especially those related to Ye Yan. You are his son; helping you would be inconvenient for me."

"If I could, I would rather not be a part of the Ye Family, and certainly not Ye Yan’s son," the long-suppressed bitterness and resentment surged uncontrollably, as if finding an outlet, desperation flashing in Ye Rui’s eyes. Simply because he was Ye Yan’s illegitimate son, his mother could never hold her head high in life and even in death, she was subjected to scorn.

When Old Master Ye had people take him back to the Ye Family, it was just to protect Ye Yan’s reputation. During his years in the Ye Family, Ye Yan never once treated him kindly, turning a blind eye to Ye Miao and the others’ arbitrary abuse.

He could endure all of this, but the one thing he couldn’t bear was Ye Yan, the man who was father in name only, who had so cruelly driven his mother to her death; that he could never tolerate.

"If you help me, I am willing to be your ox and horse," even if it meant trading his life, he had no complaints.

"I just want Ye Yan to pay the price; he caused my mother’s death, he does not deserve to live so carefree and untroubled," the words were filled with vehement hatred.

Ye Jiuliang raised an eyebrow, letting out a derisive, cold laugh, "Become an ox and horse? What if I asked you to commit murder and arson? Would you do it then?"

Ye Rui nodded without hesitation, a resolute look in his eyes, "As long as you agree to help me, I am willing to do whatever you ask."

Ye Jiuliang’s indifferent gaze hesitated slightly, lingering on him for a few extra seconds before he changed tack, "Do you know what Ye Yan cares about the most?"

Ye Rui was first taken aback, then realizing what he meant, said, "The interests of the Ye Family."

Ye Yan was the one in the Ye Family most like the old Ye patriarch. Not only did they look alike, but also their handling of affairs was remarkably similar. In contrast, Ye Jiuliang’s father, Ye Yuan, the man he called ’Second Uncle,’ was nothing like Ye Yan. Ye Yuan was upright and forthright, a true ironclad hero.

Ye Jiuliang suddenly laughed, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, "It seems you don’t know your father very well."

"Hmm?"

Seeing his confusion, Ye Jiuliang had no intention of explaining, "I hear that in a while Mr. Cui of Beisen City will host a boat party, and that will be your best chance to gain Ye Yan’s trust. Whether you can seize the opportunity is up to you."

Ye Rui looked bewildered, "You..."

"Isn’t it better to personally pull him down from the highest position?" Ye Jiuliang’s eyes lowered to meet his, the chill in them making him shiver.

After the shock, Ye Rui came to his senses and nodded firmly.

"Go to the hospital and get your wound treated," Ye Jiuliang withdrew his gaze and sauntered out of the alley.

Dragging the illegitimate child he despised into the abyss would surely be interesting, my "beloved" uncle.

***

The smell of alcohol was overpowering, and the chaotic electronic music echoed in the private room.

"Ye Miao, that Ye Rui is such a loser, absolutely no match for Ye Lei—it’s like heaven and earth apart." The speaker had mint green hair and a cigarette dangling from his lips, exuding a gangster vibe.

Ye Miao gave him a sidelong glance, "Don’t compare him to my elder brother."

"Exactly, what’s comparable between an illegitimate child who can’t show his face and the direct heir of the Ye Family?" another person chimed in.

The unlocked door was pushed open, and those near the entrance turned their heads, alerted by the noise.

"Who are you?"

In the dim light, one could barely make out the silhouette of a tall and slender figure.

"Where’s Ye Miao?" a cold voice asked soothingly.

"Ye Miao, someone’s looking for you."

"Who is it?"

The chaotic music was cut off, and the lights came on. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Ye Miao turned around to meet the girl’s cool, indifferent eyes.

His face changed abruptly, and the cigarette clutched between his fingers nearly tumbled to the floor.

"Ye Miao, isn’t that Ye Jiuliang?" More people in the room recognized her, as she had been frequently appearing on popular searches recently, making her a well-known figure throughout Beisen City.

Ye Miao glared at the speaker, stood up, and said aggressively, "Ye Jiuliang, what are you doing here?"

"Ye Rui’s necklace, hand it over." She kicked aside the bottles on the floor, walking in slowly.

Hearing that she was there for Ye Rui, Ye Miao’s eyes darkened, "Ye Jiuliang, since when are you so meddlesome? Ye Rui is nothing but an illegitimate child. Do you really think you have to help him time and again? Could it be that you actually fancy playing the savior?"

"Give me the necklace, and you can continue playing. Everyone will be fine, as you know, I don’t have a very good temper." Ye Jiuliang lifted her chin slightly, her eyes looking down at him threateningly even as she spoke unhurriedly.

The people around looked from Ye Miao to Ye Jiuliang, not daring to utter half a word.

Ye Miao, seeing that no one dared to speak, felt both angry and aggrieved.

He turned to the man with green hair and snapped, "Give her the necklace."