Care to elaborate?!

The Ye family villa stood in an upscale villa complex on the outskirts, where the air was fresh and the scenery pleasant.

Ye Yunhuai first took Ye Xunzhi to make herself known to the security guards, saving her from needing someone to escort her inside every time in the future.

Once that was done, he walked ahead to lead the way, and Ye Xunzhi followed obediently behind him.

Ye Yunhuai observed her discreetly. She looked quite well-behaved when she wasn't making a fuss.

Little did he know that Ye Xunzhi's thoughts had already wandered into another world.

Looking at Eldest Brother Ye's profile, which bore no resemblance to hers, Ye Xunzhi muttered inwardly that she and her eldest brother really didn't look alike. Or rather, none of the five Ye brothers looked much alike.

The credit for that went to Ye Xunzhi's late womanizer of a father. Even Ye Xunzhi had to marvel at her own dad-he was practically the reigning king of scumbags.

One father, six children, each with a different mother.

Their father had spent his entire life flitting from woman to woman without ever marrying. Whenever he fathered a child, he would dump the baby on the old man to raise, then carry on fooling around without ever asking after them.

The old man had been so furious that he severed their father-son relationship outright. Ideally, they would never see each other again for the rest of their lives, and his son was not to come home.

Ye Xunzhi's birth mother had probably been the woman whose relationship with their father lasted the longest. More than a decade after giving birth, she still hadn't been abandoned; instead, he had kept her by his side.

Because of that, Lin Ranran knew little about the old man's side of the family. She had only heard of these older brothers and had never contacted them.

It wasn't until three months ago, when the couple died in an accident and the old man came to settle their affairs, that grandfather and granddaughter met for the first time.

Even at their deaths, the couple had never known that the daughter they had raised for so many years wasn't theirs.

Amid her tangled thoughts, the two of them reached the villa. Ye Yunhuai stopped at the door and told Ye Xunzhi:

"At this hour, Grandpa might be taking a nap. Keep your voice down for now."

Ye Xunzhi nodded blindly.

Yet the moment he pushed open the door, a heart-rending shout rang out. "Grandpa, we truly love each other! Please give us your blessing!"

"..."

Ye Xunzhi pointed inside with an air of innocence and asked sincerely, "Eldest Brother, someone's making a racket. Do you need me to help drag them out?"

Eldest Brother Ye: "..."

His gaze landed on the figures in the living room. The second Ye brother was arguing his case with the old man over a woman.

He could feel a headache coming on.

Great. They had finally gotten the younger lovesick fool to come to her senses, and now the older lovesick fool was acting up.

After a long pause, he managed to say, "No need. Let's go in."

They entered the living room. Old Master Ye sat upright in the center, leaning on his cane and dressed in a traditional Tang suit. The lion might have grown old, but the authority in his bearing remained undiminished.

"My blessing?" Old Master Ye snorted, showing no mercy. "Don't be naive. This woman is only after our family's money."

"Grandpa!" Ye Lan grew anxious. "How can you say that?"

A woman in a white dress stood beside him, her figure delicate and her eyes red. She swayed as though she might collapse, looking especially pitiful.

Biting her lower lip, the woman drew a deep breath. As though suddenly making up her mind, she raised a hand to stop the second Ye brother's argument with the old man:

"Enough! Stop it!"

When Bai Zhao saw Ye Lan turn to her in astonishment, tears slipped down her face, and she quickly wiped them away-a picture-perfect display of false innocence.

"Brother Lan, I don't want your family to fall apart because of me. Perhaps we simply weren't meant to be. But I want you to know that I've never coveted your family's money. I've never even asked you to transfer me a single cent!"

Ye Lan froze for a moment, then, moved despite himself, started forward to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

[You certainly never asked him to transfer you a single cent. You went after his money indirectly.]

The abrupt voice stunned every member of the Ye family present. Hearing the familiar voice, Eldest Brother Ye instinctively looked at the girl beside him.

Ye Xunzhi seemed completely unaware, still immersed in her own world as she recalled how things had unfolded before.

[Whenever you wanted to buy something, you'd post it on your Moments and make it visible only to Second Brother. That poor idiot was kept completely in the dark, coming up with all sorts of excuses every time so he could give you the stuff without making it seem awkward.]

[Sigh. My second brother is great in every way, except he forgot to switch on his intelligence when he was born. You see her as your unattainable ideal, while she sees you as a stand-in ATM. The moment the Dragon King returns to his rightful place, you'll be the first sacrificial offering.]

Second Brother Ye's pupils trembled in shock!

Impossible! What did she mean, a sacrificial offering? What did she mean, a stand-in?!

Old Master Ye had been watching Ye Xunzhi since a moment ago. She really hadn't opened her mouth. Even after weathering so many storms in life, he couldn't help feeling inwardly shaken.

What was going on? Could these be the child's thoughts?!

He looked away, trying to observe everyone else's reactions, only to meet Eldest Brother Ye's eyes.

This was the eldest grandson who pleased him most, and grandfather and grandson had always understood each other without words. Eldest Brother Ye gave the old man a discreet nod.

Clearly, he had reached much the same conclusion.

The two decided to hold their positions and see how things developed. Ye Xunzhi had no idea how many undercurrents had begun stirring in those few short minutes.

Ye Xunzhi noticed her newly acquired second brother looking at her, but she paid it no mind. She assumed he was merely taking a few extra looks because he had never met her, and inwardly felt immense sympathy.

[My second brother might look like he has it all, but he's really just a prop in another couple's little game.]

[Bai Zhao only came looking for him this time because she had a fight with her partner. She wants to use Second Brother to provoke her partner.]

[And since you're stupid, rich, and handsome, she can get a little emotional comfort out of you on the side. Once they get back together, you'll be the first one she dumps!]

By this point, Ye Lan's emotions were almost coming apart. But, but... He took a deep breath. If it was only a little money, none of that mattered.

Taking Bai Zhao's hand, he walked up to the old man and said solemnly:

"But no matter what, Zhaozhao saved my life. You could say that without her, I wouldn't be here today. Grandpa, doesn't that matter more than anything else?"

Old Master Ye scoffed. He wanted to tell him that the Qing dynasty had fallen ages ago, and pledging yourself in marriage to repay a life-saving debt was no longer fashionable.

Before the old man could deliver his mockery, that utterly unrestrained voice rang out again.

[Saved his life? When did Bai Zhao ever save my newly acquired second brother's life?]

Old Master Ye had just been about to rise, but he promptly plopped back into his seat. The old fox picked up on something and spoke with feigned casualness:

"You mean back in college, when you went on that boat trip, unexpectedly ran into a disaster at sea, and ended up stranded on a deserted island?"

Lovesick as Ye Lan was, he now realized what the old man was up to. But he refused to believe it and readily admitted:

"That's right. That time."

A disaster at sea? Ye Xunzhi rapidly searched her mind for the keywords, and suddenly, inspiration struck:

[I remember now!]

Ye Lan: What is your problem?!

The old man, who had only meant to give it a try: There really is some juicy gossip here!

Eldest Brother Ye quietly edged a little closer.

[My second brother has it so rough. He really has it so rough!]

Ye Lan: Wait, how do I have it rough now? Care to elaborate?!