Chapter 371: Chapter 217: Revealing the Truth
"Minister Zhan, have you figured out where to ’make the cut’?" As soon as Luo Ye’s words were out, Zhan Hao, who had been calmly observing, obviously couldn’t hold back anymore and coughed forcefully several times, "Auntie, exactly where do you ’make the cut’?"
Zhan Yuying’s expression didn’t change much, she continued to stare at Luo Ye, "Still studying, no need to rush."
Luo Ye shifted in her seat, it was really uncomfortable being scrutinized so blatantly without being able to look away.
"Strange why I called you here?"
Luo Ye let out a sigh of relief and straightened up: "Yes!"
"I knew your mother." Luo Ye glanced at her in surprise, and Zhan Yuying simply smiled, "But I haven’t seen her in over twenty years. You look very much like your mother, I didn’t expect your personalities to be totally polar opposites."
Luo Ye tentatively asked, "Was the commander a friend of my mother?"
"Yes, a very close friend, but... we lost contact later. Today, when I found out you are her daughter, I wanted to call you over for a chat. Remember to pass a message to your mother, I have always missed her. If possible, I hope she will give me a call when she comes back for the Spring Festival. This is my phone number, make sure to tell her." Zhan Yuying handed a business card with only a name and phone number to Luo Ye.
"Yes!" Luo Ye’s mind was all muddled, and she didn’t dare to ask more questions.
"Xiao Xin is very lucky to have such a smart and beautiful daughter like you. I took a good look at you just now, and realized you have an extraordinary foundation, truly a rare talent, no wonder he... Hmm, as long as you’re willing to work hard, your future achievements can be limitless!"
Already confused, Luo Ye felt even more bewildered, silently wondering if the favorite thing for leaders to do was to make people dizzy?
"Reporting to the commander, I will definitely work hard!" Seeing Zhan Yuying looking at her, Luo Ye quickly expressed her stance.
Zhan Yuying waved her hand, "Your uncle is waiting to take you home, I won’t keep you any longer. He told me to tell you to find him at the main gate parking lot, and if he’s not there, wait in the car for a while."
Luo Ye stood up full of doubts, "Thank you, commander, then I’ll take my leave." Upon leaving, she glared at Zhan Hao fiercely and secretly gestured a punch at him.
"I’ll take Luo Ye back!" Before Zhan Yuying could reply, Zhan Hao quickly dashed out.
Luo Ye looked back at him and snorted through her nose.
Zhan Hao said with a plea for pardon, "Don’t be angry, don’t be angry, big cousin told me to do my best to help you. Who knows, you might become my big cousin-in-law, you have to understand my difficulties."
Luo Ye kicked him angrily: "Get lost! Who’s your big cousin-in-law."
"Watch the image, watch the image, you are the goddess in our boys’ hearts, a goddess should be gentle, how can you be so violent? Violence is the instructor’s privilege, right?"
Luo Ye stopped to size him up and down, "Zhan Hao, I only realized today that you’re not generally witty, how come I never noticed before?"
"It’s because I need a favor." Zhan Hao replied with a wry smile, "Not to keep it from you, my mother is Ye Family’s daughter, and my aunt is Ye Family’s daughter-in-law, so anyway, Ye Xuan is my big cousin, got it?"
Luo Ye rolled her eyes, "Sounds complicated, a family swap?"
"You say it’s a family swap, and it’s a family swap."
Luo Ye punched him lightly in the side, "I warn you, Brother Ye and I are not real boyfriend and girlfriend, don’t spread rumors from now on, got it?"
"Big cousin specifically instructed me to take good care of you, and to call him immediately if anything happens. I’ve grown so much and it’s the first time I’ve seen him so anxious about a girl. To say you’re not his girlfriend, I wouldn’t believe it even if you blinded me!"
"Then I’ll blind you right now!" Luo Ye pointed her finger in front of Zhan Hao’s eyes, but seeing him staring straight ahead without moving, she had to retract her finger boredly: "What do you need help with?"
"Luo Ye, my aunt is the wife of Ye JiaPing of Ye Family." Seeing Luo Ye’s eyes widen in shock, Zhan Hao nodded: "Yes, she is your master’s wife. You probably know, they haven’t been together for over a decade. Last time uncle returned to Ye Family, he went to see auntie, but she didn’t meet him. After uncle left, although aunt didn’t say much, it was evident she was not feeling good. Luo Ye, only you can help them with this."
"No... no way, if you all can’t persuade her, what can I do?"
"Aunt cares a lot about her friendship with Aunt Wen. I’m not clear on why they stopped contacting each other, but it must be because Aunt made a mistake for Aunt Wen to cut ties with her. As long as you can persuade Aunt Wen, there’s a chance."
"Zhan Hao, I definitely want my master to be happy, but when I’m not sure what’s going on between my mom and your aunt, I can’t promise anything on my mom’s behalf. I’ll call my mom later to understand the situation before discussing further, please understand."
Zhan Hao nodded: "Alright, your word is enough. Grandpa said that our Zhan Family can teach you all our skills. From now on, you can learn from me, having a few more tricks up your sleeve is always good."
Ye Yi’s face full of curiosity: "Cough, let me be nosy, doesn’t your grandpa hate my master? He hasn’t cared for his wife for so many years."
"He used to hate, but he let it go after a while. Uncle left a divorce agreement before he passed away. It was Aunt who didn’t go through with it, and because of this, Grandpa believes Aunt still holds Uncle in her heart.
The other day, I called Grandpa, mentioned some oddities about my eldest cousin, and he asked a few more questions, only then was Aunt’s connection with your family mentioned."
Luo Ye rolled her eyes: "You and Instructor Ye are cousins, yet you pretend not to know each other, hmph! You all really can act!"
"It’s just to avoid misunderstanding among the students. As for hiding it from you, it wasn’t intentional. After all, it’s not like we can just come up to you and say, ’so-and-so is related to me in such-and-such way,’ unless you admit you’re my cousin-in-law."
"Buzz off!" Luo Ye’s face turned crimson as she kicked him: "Why didn’t you become an actor? Maybe you’d even win an Oscar."
"I might consider that." Zhan Hao suddenly lowered his voice mysteriously: "Don’t be mad, but I liked you the moment I started school.
But I’m not the kind who rushes at a girl he likes. I figured I’d find the right time to get closer to you, but before I could act, my eldest cousin subtly warned me. I realized, he’s really sly!"
"What did he warn you about?" Luo Ye’s expression turned faint.
Seeing her response, Zhan Hao quickly explained: "Don’t get me wrong, my eldest cousin didn’t say anything excessive. He just said in front of me to my cousin, ’take good care of things for Ye’er.’ I’m not stupid, the endearment shows you have a special place in his heart. Why would I ask for trouble?"
"So, pursuing me is ’asking for trouble’?" Luo Ye’s face lit up with a smile again.
Zhan Hao’s face contorted like a bitter gourd: "You know that’s not what I meant."
Luo Ye became serious: "Right, about your aunt, why wait until today when she arrived to tell me? If you had told me earlier, I could’ve asked my mom in advance."
"Grandpa and I guessed she would definitely want to see you, so we decided to tell you after you two met. We needed to let you form an impression of her first."
"I see." Luo Ye’s impression of Mr. Zhan improved instantly; it’s rare to see someone respect the feelings of the younger generation that much.
"By the way, do my master and his wife have any children?" Luo Ye spread her hands: "We’ve never asked about my master’s marital affairs, as it’s not our place to pry into our elders’ private lives. But since you brought it up, I need to understand the situation."
"That’s... " Zhan Hao hesitated. Seeing his reluctance, Luo Ye became displeased: "Either it’s a yes or no, what’s so difficult to say?"
Zhan Hao gave a wry smile: "After Uncle left, Aunt found out she was pregnant. She didn’t tell anyone, used the divorce as a reason to return to her parents’ home, and then requested a transfer to a remote area. The Ye Family didn’t want to trouble her, and with the Zhan Family’s background being what it is, they didn’t harass her. So, the Ye Family doesn’t know about the child.
My mom, of course, didn’t dare tell the Ye Family because Aunt said if the news leaked, she would commit suicide. Luo Ye, don’t think my aunt is joking; she could really do it.
So for all these years, no one dared to tell the Ye Family. Luo Ye, you are the first outsider to know, but please don’t use this as a leverage to persuade her, as it might really dash all hopes."
Luo Ye nodded: "Understood. Your aunt is a woman of great pride; she would think my master is bowing down to her just for the sake of the child."
"Throughout these years without Uncle, all her energy went into her work and child. But she’s not the type to spoil her child. She handed the child over to Grandpa for training. Zhan Ping is about the same age as me, now a sophomore at Ren Da, a top student set to enter politics after graduation."
Luo Ye couldn’t help but laugh: "Zhan Ping, Ye Zhanping, after taking his father’s surname, it indeed sounds quite interesting. I wonder what my master’s expression would be? I’m really looking forward to it."
Luo Ye’s expression became serious again: "Zhan Hao, I’ll call my mom tonight. If the issue between her and your aunt is an impasse, I won’t make it difficult for her. However, I will do everything I can to convince my master to reconcile with his wife.
After all, there is still a bond between them as a couple, and from the conversation I had with your aunt, it also shows she still has feelings for my master. No matter what, they have both suffered for half a lifetime; they deserve a happy ending." After finishing, she added: "Oh, rest assured, I won’t reveal anything about Zhan Ping to my master."
"Thanks, Luo Ye!" A faint hint of loss passed through Zhan Hao’s eyes, the girl he liked, and indeed his eldest cousin’s beloved, fate sure had a way of playing tricks!
Here comes the second update for Nu’an, special thanks to "Ye/Zi" for the reward, and thanks to Pink for Nuan and genuine subscription supporters. Love you all! (To be continued, for more details please visit , more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)