Chapter 414: Parting on bad terms
Shu Wanyue looked at Ye Fan at the stairway with a smile, and the image of the boy from her memory appeared before her eyes. She sighed with emotion: "The little boy from back then has grown into a man."
As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Ye Xian and said, "Sister, don't you think Little Fan and Little Li look very well matched standing together?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Ye Xian replied stiffly, a trace of worry flashing in her eyes.
What should she do?
Clueless Ye Xian couldn't help but look at her son, subtly giving him a helpless glance, as if to say: "You're on your own now!"
Ye Fan bowed slightly and smiled warmly: "Aunt Shu, long time no see."
"Come, sit and chat. Xiao Li, you too."
"Okay, Mom."
Shen Li smilingly clung to Ye Fan's arm, her delicate eyebrows raised as she whispered, "Brother Ye, are you still trying to shake me off?"
Ye Fan: "..."
He did, indeed, have that thought.
But in front of Shu Wanyue, he really couldn't act like that. He had no choice but to silently endure.
The two sat opposite Shu Wanyue and Ye Xian. To avoid awkwardness, Ye Fan took the initiative to ask: "Mom, where's Uncle?"
"He's busy in the kitchen. There are still two more dishes; he should be out soon."
Ye Xian replied.
Shu Wanyue sized up Ye Fan and her daughter sitting across from her and couldn't help but nod to herself in satisfaction.
"Xiao Fan, I heard from your mom that you were this year's national top scorer in the college entrance exam? That amazing?"
"Auntie, you flatter me."
Ye Fan smiled modestly, quietly withdrawing his arm, "It was mostly luck that I managed to get first."
"You're still as humble as ever, just like back then."
Shu Wanyue smiled gently and said meaningfully: "Although humility is a virtue, a young person shouldn't lose their pride. Otherwise, when you get old, you won't even have the chance to be spirited."
"Auntie, I'll remember your advice."
Ye Fan acted extremely politely—in fact, overly so.
This made the smile on Shu Wanyue's face pause for a moment, "Xiao Fan, you don't have to be so formal with Auntie. After all, we'll be one family sooner or later."
Saying this, a trace of sorrow appeared on her face, "Xiao Li's father is gone, and now it's just the two of us, mother and daughter, depending on each other. Auntie is entrusting Xiao Li to you, so you must treat her well."
Shu Wanyue knew Ye Fan very well. After returning to the country and learning more from Ye Xian, she was very satisfied with Ye Fan as a son-in-law.
Shen Li looked at Ye Fan faintly, silent.
Ye Xian did the same.
"Aunt Shu, I feel this matter is a bit inappropriate."
Under the gaze of the two, Ye Fan smiled faintly and said in a deliberately relaxed tone, "To be honest, I've always treated Xiao Li as a younger sister…"
"Feelings can be developed!"
Before Ye Fan could finish, Shu Wanyue interrupted, "Although you and Xiao Li haven't seen each other for years, you grew up together. You know each other. It might be awkward at first, but that can change with time."
"Besides, Xiao Li likes you a lot. All these years she's been talking about coming back to find you. We argued so much over this."
"Auntie, this…"
"Xiao Fan, don't you think Xiao Li is beautiful?"
Ye Fan was just about to speak when Shu Wanyue interrupted again. Hearing the question, he could only bite the bullet and answer honestly: "She is."
A glint of satisfaction flashed in Shu Wanyue's eyes as she continued asking: "Then do you think Xiao Li is unworthy of you?"
"Of course not."
"Then it's settled. You two take your time. I believe it won't be long before the seeds of love grow between you two. Good luck!"
Ye Fan: "..."
Great.
He finally understood—Shu Wanyue had no intention of giving him a chance to say no.
Two words—hard to deal with!
At this point, Ye Fan made a decision. He slightly bowed his head: "Auntie, to tell you the truth, I already have a girlfriend."
As soon as those words came out, the atmosphere in the living room fell silent.
Shu Wanyue's smile froze. She stared blankly for a few seconds, then turned to look at Ye Xian with a questioning look in her eyes, "Sister, is this true?"
Ye Xian nodded with difficulty, "Sister, it's true. The reason I didn't tell you before was because I couldn't find the right time."
"Mm."
Shu Wanyue nodded lightly and her gaze returned to Ye Fan, "Xiao Fan, what do you plan to do about your engagement to Xiao Li?"
Ye Fan frowned deeply, hesitated for a while, then gritted his teeth and gave an answer.
"Cancel it."
Shu Wanyue's face remained expressionless as she slowly stood up and looked at her daughter, "Xiao Li, the house isn't cleaned up yet, so let's not eat at Aunt Ye's. Let's go."
"…Okay."
Shen Li bit her lip lightly and silently walked over to her mother.
Seeing this, Ye Xian became anxious and quickly grabbed Shu Wanyue's hand, "Sister, what are you doing? The food is almost ready. Just eat before you leave."
"Sister, no need."
Shu Wanyue's smile no longer carried the warmth it had earlier—only disappointment remained.
Ye Xian cursed her son bitterly in her heart. She knew very well what he was thinking, but to reject so bluntly and make things so awkward—it was far from what she had planned.
"Sister, give me some face. Stay for dinner."
Ye Xian glared at her son, her face filled with smiles, "About the children's engagement, I think we can still talk it over."
"Talk how?"
Shu Wanyue shook her head slightly and glanced at the silent Ye Fan, "Xiao Fan doesn't have feelings for Xiao Li at all. Forced love won't end well. A twisted melon isn't sweet—you should understand that."
"Xiao Fan is excellent, but my daughter isn't bad either. She doesn't have to lower herself…"
She stopped mid-sentence.
But her meaning was already crystal clear.
"Mom."
Shen Li spoke weakly: "I like Brother Ye."
"He doesn't like you!"
Shu Wanyue's eyes turned cold. She grabbed her daughter and turned to leave. Ye Xian couldn't stop them at all.
When Luo Shan came out of the kitchen with the last two dishes, he saw only Ye Fan sitting alone on the sofa, head bowed in a daze. Unaware of what had just happened, he asked cheerfully, "Xiao Fan, where did everyone go?"
"They left."
Ye Fan rubbed his temples, got up, and gave Luo Shan an apologetic smile, "Uncle, thank you. I'm not feeling well. I'll go lie down for a bit. Don't wait for me to eat."
After saying that, Ye Fan went upstairs with his thoughts swirling. He locked the door and lay on the bed, silently spacing out.
Tonight's unpleasant ending was indeed his fault.
But at that moment, with Shu Wanyue pressing him every step of the way, Ye Fan really couldn't think of another way. In the end, he could only come clean.
Ning Xi is his bottom line—no one can replace her!
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