Fang Ruyun was abroad filming and had no time, so Ye Tiancheng had to ask Su Muxian for help. Su Muxian was trying to keep Ouyang Xinuo in check, and there had always been friction between them.
With no other options, Ye Tiancheng decided to fight fire with fire. When Su Muxian heard about the situation, she realized how serious it was and quickly came up with a plan: she would pretend to rekindle her old flame with Ye Tiancheng.
Upon hearing that the woman he admired was about to get back together with Ye Tiancheng, Ouyang Xinuo felt he had to do something to show his sincerity. Otherwise, he would have no chance of marrying the girl he loved.
Ouyang Xinuo rushed over, extremely anxious. "Su Muxian, I've always liked you the most. To show my sincerity, I can dismiss all the beautiful women around me, and only want you, Miss Su Muxian. I don't want anyone else."
Su Muxian didn't believe Ouyang Xinuo's words, thinking he was just trying to deceive her. "I'm sorry, my mind is made up. I will definitely be with Ye Tiancheng. Regardless, it's better than marrying you and having to share you with a bunch of women."
This made Ouyang Xinuo even more anxious. He quickly explained again that he would indeed dismiss all the women he had around him. Su Muxian suddenly felt that this man was quite heartless.
Some of those women were university students, originally pure and innocent. If he abandoned them, their lives would be ruined. But it seemed he didn't care much about that.
"Have you considered the feelings of your current lovers? Ouyang Xinuo, I truly underestimated your despicable and shameless nature to say such things so heartlessly."
Although she had intended to help Ye Tiancheng by distracting Ouyang Xinuo, Su Muxian also felt for the women. She imagined how devastating it would be if her future husband were to ruthlessly abandon her one day.
Seeing Ouyang Xinuo's indifferent attitude, she felt even more that it was not worth it for his other lovers.
"That was before I met the woman I truly love, Su Muxian. I was foolish and kept company with some women out of loneliness, just for fun. Now I deeply regret it and want to correct my mistakes. I have no feelings for them, and parting ways amicably is the best for us."
Ye Tiancheng had been eavesdropping on their conversation from behind, grinding his teeth in hatred. How could heaven allow such a scumbag to exist in this world? It was disgusting.
Su Muxian was not a traditional woman. If a relationship couldn't continue, she believed in separating and finding someone better. This concept was quite bold in modern society, but Su Muxian had always been an extraordinary woman.
However, hearing Ouyang Xinuo speak like this, and thinking of how many heartbroken women would be involved, Su Muxian felt that this man was truly beyond redemption when it came to being a scoundrel.
"Enough, Ouyang Xinuo, stop talking. I will never like you, so give up on this idea."
After Su Muxian finished speaking, Ouyang Xinuo was still trying to pester her. Just then, Ye Tiancheng appeared. He came over to talk to Su Muxian and, seeing the situation, did not hesitate to use force to drive Ouyang Xinuo away.
Ouyang Xinuo was certainly no match for Ye Tiancheng, but in front of Su Muxian, he had to play the victim and appear more vulnerable, otherwise, Su Muxian would look down on him even more.
"Mr. Ye, you've helped me before, and I don't want to be your enemy, but you can't just hit people. A man's greatest failure is solving problems with violence. Acting so rashly is really not good; it's unbecoming of a gentleman."
If Ouyang Xinuo had just passively taken the beating, it would have been fine. But he had so much to say even after being beaten, which infuriated Ye Tiancheng.
The deep-seated animosity between them was irreconcilable. Since Ouyang Xinuo wanted to play the victim, Ye Tiancheng was willing to give him that opportunity.
Ye Tiancheng delivered another kick, this time to Ouyang Xinuo's waist, causing him to yelp and nearly fall over.
"Ouyang Xinuo, that's enough. My Brother Ye is a fierce fighter. Be careful not to spout any more nonsense, or he might kick out all your teeth, and you'll end up like an old woman with no teeth."
Even the most lawless person feared being beaten. The key was that Ouyang Xinuo couldn't fight back. Hearing Su Muxian's words, Ouyang Xinuo quickly covered his mouth with his hands, afraid that Ye Tiancheng would really kick out all his perfectly aligned teeth.
It was clear that Su Muxian, his so-called ex-wife, was on Ye Tiancheng's side. Ouyang Xinuo understood this clearly and dared not cause any more trouble, his courage completely drained.
"I won't say anything then. Miss Su, you are indeed biased, but it doesn't matter. I, Ouyang Xinuo, have always been determined. I will prove it with my actions. I am truly serious this time. I don't want you to rekindle your old flame with Ye Tiancheng; I want to be with you."
After saying this, Ouyang Xinuo ran away. Su Muxian was left speechless, neither crying nor laughing. She looked at Ye Tiancheng and said, "See? This persistent fellow, Ouyang Xinuo, is after me again. He's really a handful and causes trouble for you too."
"He's pretending to be so weak just for you?" Ye Tiancheng was initially surprised but then found it normal. Su Muxian was incredibly beautiful, and it was common for men to be attracted to her. "Forget it, he's just a superficial lecher. Let's see how sincere he is. Such a philanderer might get interested in someone else in a few days, and his feelings will naturally fade. We don't need to worry about it."
"I agree. A person like Ouyang Xinuo's sincerity is worthless; he gives it away so easily. Tomorrow, he might change his tune."
"Today is a festival, and everyone at home is busy. According to your plan, we're making dumplings with over a dozen fillings. Everyone is happily busy, and we'll have dumplings tonight."
It was indeed an unfortunate coincidence that it was a festival. Ye Tiancheng was looking forward to it. Besides the dumplings, there were many side dishes that Su Muxian had specially prepared for the New Year celebration.
Su Muxian was truly a fairy who understood life. She had also brought many lanterns, making the entire Su family residence beautifully decorated.
"Brother Ye, I also made clothes for you at the designer's, as well as handsome boots. I'll give them to you tonight."
Ye Tiancheng eagerly anticipated the festival. Perhaps it was because so many people were celebrating together; even boring things became enjoyable.
As the sky darkened, the lanterns flickered and danced joyfully, creating a dreamy, intermittent glow. The Su family's large villa was exceptionally lively.
Su Muxian handed over the newly made clothes to Ye Tiancheng, filling an entire suitcase. This showed that she had prepared them long ago and was waiting for today to give gifts, which was very thoughtful.
"I've also prepared jewelry for you, Brother Ye. Please accept it first."
Ye Tiancheng had been wearing this pair of jade pendants all along. After their divorce, he had entrusted them to Su Muxian's care. Su Muxian wanted to wait for this moment to give them to the man she loved.
"Su Muxian, this gift is too precious. A small item would have been fine. To suddenly present this phoenix jade pendant, isn't this the ancient divine jade that was lost for a long time and is said to unlock treasures?"
This pair of jade pendants was also a family heirloom of the Su family, left behind by their ancestors. Ye Tiancheng knew about the contents of the treasure chest and had worn them before.
When their relationship broke down, he had returned them. But now Su Muxian had realized that loving someone meant making them happy. Su Muxian knew that if she didn't present them, if she didn't give them as gifts, they might be worth less than scrap metal.
"That's just what people say, Brother Ye. This is a piece of jade with good quality, and it's a pair with mine. It's easier for me to give gifts like this. One for you, one for me, it's fair, wouldn't you say?"
Su Muxian said it casually, but anyone could tell it was a rare treasure, especially Ye Tiancheng, who had seen much of the world.
"No, it's too valuable. Miss Su, even if our relationship is good, I absolutely cannot accept it. After all, I have hurt you, and we are divorced. If I accept your treasure, I don't know how I can repay this kindness."
Ye Tiancheng was truly afraid. He had already felt embarrassed by helping her a few times before, and now this lost jade pendant had surfaced. This clearly meant their obligations were piling up, and he had no way to repay them.
"It's precisely because it's precious that I'm giving it to you. I must give the best to the person I've set my heart on, regardless of what anyone says. If you truly feel it's too valuable, there's a way. Use it well in the future; it's very useful. When you remarry, you can pass it down from generation to generation, and it won't be a waste of my feelings."
Ye Tiancheng still didn't want to accept it. If it were a treasure to be passed down through generations, any ordinary gift would suffice. To give him something so expensive meant that this was just Su Muxian's excuse.
She still had that kind of feeling, a feeling of giving without regret, and she had given too much for this scumbag.
"Look, my disciple Lin Xue also gave me something of hers, a phoenix coronet, I believe. I also received a phoenix coronet from one of my disciples. That was also a priceless treasure. I feel so lucky, I almost don't deserve it."
"Brother Ye, it means others value you and consider you a good friend. Don't be so polite. Accept it. At most, I'll treat you to a few more meals in the future."
Whenever meals were mentioned, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but think of Liu Lanying. Ye Tiancheng genuinely enjoyed Liu Lanying's cooking and craved it if he didn't eat it for a few days.
However, Miss Su didn't have many other thoughts. She had eaten her fill of delicacies. To make Ye Tiancheng feel at ease accepting the jade pendant, she could only bring up the matter of meals.
"Alright, then I'll accept it for now. Thank you, Su Muxian. I have a daughter. When she grows up, she will definitely be filial to you, Auntie."
Looking at Su Muxian, who was smiling at him, and hearing Ye Tiancheng mention his daughter, Ye Tiancheng felt his heart fill with warmth.
"I thought you would be angry with me when I mentioned my daughter. After all, you don't like any association with me and Hou Mingzhu, and this child should be outside your acceptance range."
"I used to care, but I've thought it through. Brother Ye, you haven't hidden anything from me and have always been honest with me. If you say it like that, I'm truly happy. That's how I feel too. We'll be family from now on, and your daughter will be my daughter. There's no need to distinguish between yours and mine."
During festivals and holidays, giving gifts was customary. Ye Tiancheng had already prepared his gift for his good friend, Xiao Pang, before arriving at the Su family's residence.
In the Su family's large villa, there were many servants. Everyone was happily eating together. The meal was about to begin, but Ye Tiancheng couldn't see his good friend Xiao Pang.