He Only Has You

Fang Xuan was no ordinary person; Yu Tianheng had realized that from the very first moment he laid eyes on him.

Whether it was the way he handled things during their first meeting, their subsequent interactions, or the various events that had unfolded since arriving in Heaven Dou City.

It seemed that no matter how difficult a situation was, as long as one encountered him, there would always be a way to resolve it.

The facts bore this out, which was why he was now looking to Fang Xuan for help.

After all, he was truly at his wit's end regarding this matter; it was nothing short of an unprovoked disaster.

Hearing this, Fang Xuan stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Yu Tianheng.

"I'm very sorry, but there is nothing I can do about this."

Fang Xuan's refusal was decisive. It wasn't that he thought the matter was difficult, but rather that, in his eyes, it didn't even qualify as a problem.

Dugu Bo was clearly just looking for trouble, purely wanting to disgust Yu Yuanzhen.

It had absolutely nothing to do with Yu Tianheng, nor did it have anything to do with Dugu Yan.

It was entirely a case of people worrying over nothing, failing to see the true nature of the situation.

"Brother Xuan," Ye Lingling tugged at Fang Xuan's hem, pleading in a low voice, "If you have a way to help, please do. Yanyan has been quite unhappy lately."

Ye Lingling cared deeply for her silly best friend; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so concerned about their affairs.

"Lingling, it's not that I won't help, but that there is no need to."

Facing his wife's plea, Fang Xuan felt a bit helpless.

His wife was simply letting her concern cloud her judgment; she couldn't even see such an obvious truth.

Fang Xuan then looked at Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan and asked, "Let me ask you both: did your grandfather return the betrothal gifts?"

When he had his own grand wedding, Fang Xuan had seen it clearly—Yu Yuanzhen had gifted Dugu Bo a spirit bone as a betrothal gift.

"If your grandfather truly disagreed, he would have returned the gifts. A dignified Title Douluo wouldn't throw away his reputation just to pocket your family's spirit bone."

Dugu Bo was a Title Douluo, after all. His personality might be eccentric, but that didn't mean he lacked a bottom line.

Even if he didn't care about his own reputation, surely he wouldn't disregard Dugu Yan's.

The fact that the gifts hadn't been returned meant the matter wasn't serious to begin with.

"And think about it yourselves. You two have been together for so long. Your second uncle's business didn't just happen recently; that was a long time ago."

"If you think your grandfather truly cared about that, wouldn't he have stopped you before things even started? Would he have let you get this far?"

"So, what exactly are the three of you worried about?"

After hearing Fang Xuan's explanation, the three of them were suddenly enlightened.

"Many thanks for the reminder, Brother Fang Xuan. Indeed, the bystander sees more than the player."

After all that, it turned out they had been worrying for nothing. Yu Tianheng couldn't help but laugh at himself.

Ye Lingling breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Fang Xuan with an expression of adoration, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"Tonight, I'll give you a little reward."

She winked playfully at Fang Xuan; she seemed well aware of her own charm.

Seeing this, Fang Xuan felt a mix of amusement and frustration. If there weren't so many people around, he would have had to teach her a lesson.

Alas, the timing was wrong; he would just have to reassert his authority as a husband tonight.

"But that's not right. With my grandfather making such a scene, could it be that he wants the other side to have an opinion of me and then take the initiative to... Why are you all looking at me like that? I'm just analyzing the possibilities!"

Dugu Yan hadn't even finished speaking before she noticed the strange looks the three were giving her, and she immediately became indignant.

"It looks like I need to prepare more tea for you when we get back. You can't stop taking your medicine in this state."

When not in her "enlightened" state, Dugu Yan was a bit too thick-headed, or perhaps Dugu Bo had protected this girl too well; otherwise, she wouldn't have asked such a brainless question.

"Your grandfather is a Title Douluo. Why would the other side have a mental breakdown and cause you trouble over something like this?"

Dugu Yan was underestimating her own importance, or rather, she was underestimating the importance of her grandfather, Dugu Bo, in the eyes of others.

He was a Title Douluo, after all. If they fell out with him over such a trivial matter, other factions would laugh themselves to death.

"What kind of person is Yu Xiaogang? Can he even be mentioned in the same breath as your grandfather?"

"The main reasons your grandfather is causing a scene are, first, he's deliberately looking for trouble, and second, he doesn't want you to get married so soon. You are his only remaining family. Once you marry out, he becomes a lonely old man. He wants you to keep him company for a few more years. Is that explanation clear enough?"

Yu Tianheng was a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan; it was impossible for him to marry into the Dugu family, so Dugu Yan had to marry out.

Once she married, it meant their time together would shrink significantly, and Dugu Bo would truly become an empty-nester.

Everyone knew Dugu Bo was a doting grandfather, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan knew it too, which was why they hadn't pressured Yu Tianheng regarding the timeline.

Because everyone understood how important Dugu Yan was to Dugu Bo. The only one who didn't realize how much her grandfather loved her was the favored party herself.

Fang Xuan's words left Dugu Yan stunned, and Yu Tianheng was equally taken aback.

"Your situation is different from Lingling's. Stop thinking about marrying out all the time. Isn't it good to spend more time with your grandfather? He only has you left."

If it hadn't been for that incident with Ye Lingling, even if Ye Qinru had been willing to accept him, she wouldn't have been so quick to marry her daughter off.

Furthermore, his situation was different from Yu Tianheng's; he could marry into the family, but Ye Qinru simply didn't have that intention.

Dugu Yan fell silent; perhaps this was the first time she had truly pondered this question.

"Let's go. Let her think it over properly, and the same goes for you, Yu Tianheng."

"If you truly love her, these matters should be within your scope of consideration, rather than needing me to stand here and repeatedly remind you what you ought to do, because this is something you should have been doing all along."

Fang Xuan was a bit angry now; after all, the concept of family ties in this era was far too thin.

He did not want his and Ye Lingling's affairs to affect others, especially those close to him.

After Fang Xuan finished speaking, he took Ye Lingling's hand and left without looking back.

Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng stood where they were, unable to recover for a long time.

Returning home, Ye Qinru had already arrived, and she smiled as she greeted them when she saw them enter.

"Wash your hands, dinner is ready."

"But son-in-law, what is that slimy dish you had someone stir-fry?"

Okra did not exist on the Douluo Continent, and this was the first time Ye Qinru had ever seen such a thing; if she hadn't heard it was left by Fang Xuan, she probably would have thrown it away.

"Oh, that's a good thing. It's good for the complexion when eaten. It's a plant my martial soul just generated today, and its effect is..."

Fang Xuan briefly explained the matter of the okra to Ye Qinru, which finally made her somewhat more accepting of it.

Ye Lingling, however, was very curious about what this so-called okra was that Fang Xuan spoke of.

But when she saw the plate of slimy food on the table, she understood why her mother had asked; it was indeed somewhat unappealing to the eye.

In the end, it was only under Fang Xuan's repeated encouragement that she reluctantly took a bite.

The taste wasn't as strange as she had expected, but the texture felt very novel to her, as she had never eaten anything like it before.

After finishing the meal, the three of them chatted for a while before returning to their respective rooms.

Back in the room, Ye Lingling acted like a cat that had stolen cream, stealthily taking a small porcelain bottle from her storage Soul Tool and presenting it to Fang Xuan like a treasure.

"Here, this is the Fragrant Dew I specifically had someone prepare; it's especially good for the body..." Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes darted away. "The reward I mentioned during the day, this... counts as part of it."

Fang Xuan raised an eyebrow as he took the bottle and opened it to sniff; it was indeed a delicate, elegant herbal scent, but it was mixed with something else.

He looked at Ye Lingling with a half-smile.

"Lingling, this 'reward' of yours is truly a bit special, isn't it?"

Ye Lingling blushed and didn't dare to say a word, but her body leaned toward Fang Xuan's side involuntarily.

"Are you going to do it yourself, or should I help you?"

Fang Xuan shook the porcelain bottle in his hand, his meaning clear.

Before the words had even left his lips, his hands had already begun to move.

It was another night of diligent labor, and both were quite exhausted, but the results were gratifying.

The next morning, when Fang Xuan appeared in the dining room with faint dark circles under his eyes, Ye Qinru was holding a bowl of porridge and raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"Son-in-law, did you not sleep well last night, or did Lingling bother you again?"

Before the words were finished, Ye Lingling poked half her head out from the inner room, her face flushed red, and she called out vaguely.

"Mom!"

Seeing her daughter's guilty yet satisfied expression, Ye Qinru understood everything at once. She just smiled and shook her head, stopping her questions and turning to business instead.

"By the way, the Crown Prince sent someone over this morning to pass a message, saying he would like to invite you to his residence at noon to talk, saying that the matter he promised you has been settled."

Fang Xuan picked up a piece of okra with his chopsticks, chewed it, and nodded.

"Alright, I understand."