"What do you mean? Are you saying I'm bullying someone younger than me?"
Ye Wushang's gaze grew fiercer, and his fighting spirit nearly burst forth. "Lingling, when did the Ye Family start letting in such an ill-mannered person? I don't think he's even a Ye."
Ye Lingling stepped beside Xing Tian and met Ye Wushang's gaze without flinching. "Cousin, Xiao Tian may not be surnamed Ye, but he will always be family to Grandpa and me—a part of the Ye Family. I hope you'll show him respect. Otherwise, I won't bother with the proper way to treat a guest."
Ye Lingling's words left Ye Wushang momentarily stunned. Though he hadn't spent much time with her, he knew her temperament was aloof and reserved, and that she rarely spoke.
How had she suddenly found so much to say on someone's behalf—and for a boy, no less? She'd even said it to him, her own cousin.
Ye Wushang put on a wounded expression. "Cousin, are you trying to drive me away?"
Ye Lingling's gaze and tone remained firm. "No. As long as you follow the Ye Family's rules and behave like a normal guest, the Ye Family will welcome you."
Ye Wushang didn't reply. He merely shifted his gaze from Ye Lingling to Xing Tian, as if trying to pressure Xing Tian into backing down first and seize the initiative.
Just then, a voice full of authority rang out from the main hall.
"Wushang, what are you doing?"
Ye Wushang quickly withdrew his gaze and bowed respectfully toward the voice. "Grandpa, Father, it's nothing. I just saw a stranger at my great-uncle's home and grew suspicious, so I wanted to ask him a few questions. It must have been a misunderstanding. I accidentally upset Cousin."
Xing Tian looked up and saw two