All about taking advice

His dad was definitely up to something.

That was the only thought in Ye Yizhou's mind.

"I was just worried that once I finished telling you, you wouldn't have the appetite to eat. I didn't want you going hungry and getting a stomachache later. You really can't appreciate a father's heartfelt love for his son at all."

Ye Chongli sighed and shook his head.

Ye Yizhou: ???

"Do you want to listen to what you're saying?" Ye Yizhou was speechless. Was there really nothing wrong with that logic?

"You really aren't eating? Then I'll tell you! Don't say I never gave you a chance." Ye Chongli was still testing the waters.

"Tch."

Ye Chongli's dawdling and refusal to get to the point actually made Ye Yizhou click his tongue in impatience. "Are you going to tell me or not? If not, I'm really leaving."

"Someone said he wanted to come home and take over the family business." As Ye Chongli spoke, he sneaked a glance at Ye Yizhou's expression.

"My brother? That's only right."

Ye Yizhou's first reaction was that Ye Jing'an had said it.

Wasn't it perfectly normal for the eldest son to inherit the family business?

Then Ye Yizhou noticed his dad's expression. His eyes darted around before he spoke first.

"Don't worry. I have no complaints whatsoever about my brother taking over the family business, so you don't need to go out of your way to test my attitude. If my brother's willing to send me some spending money every month, even better. If not, that's fine too. I'm still very rich myself. Relax."

"No." Ye Chongli shook his head calmly.

"No?"

Ye Yizhou tilted his head in confusion as he looked at Ye Chongli. Another possibility occurred to him, and even his voice turned cold.

"You have an illegitimate son who said he wants to inherit our family business?"

"What kind of person do you take your dad for?" Ye Chongli was none too pleased to hear that.

Ye Yizhou was even more confused. "Then who are you talking about?"

"Could it possibly have been you who said it?" Ye Chongli offered Ye Yizhou a possibility.

But Ye Yizhou denied it without even thinking, utterly adamant.

"Impossible!"

"I recorded it all, and you're still denying it. Roll the clip."

As he spoke, Ye Chongli produced a remote from somewhere and pressed a button, aiming it at the television screen in the private dining room.

"I'm already planning to go home and take over the family business."

"I'm already planning to go home and take over the family business." × N

Ye Yizhou: ???

The same sentence and the same image played over and over.

"You didn't hear what I said after that?" Ye Yizhou recalled that he had said other things during the livestream too.

"I don't care. That's the only sentence I heard. Just tell me whether you said it or not."

Ye Chongli pressed him relentlessly, not giving Ye Yizhou a moment to breathe. "You had the nerve to say it. Do you have the nerve to own up to it?"

Ye Yizhou was speechless.

"If you make me take over the family business, what's my brother going to think? Are you trying to sow discord and ruin our relationship as brothers? Why are you so awful? I couldn't possibly do something like that. I'm so kind."

Even as Ye Yizhou put his dad down, he didn't forget to praise himself.

"Call him and ask what he thinks, then. Or I'll call. If he has any objections at all, just pretend I never said any of that. How about it?"

Ye Chongli wasn't falling for Ye Yizhou's tricks. He knew both his sons very well.

Neither of them had much interest in taking over the family business.

His eldest had his own company, which was doing quite well, and only wanted to stay put there.

His younger son only wanted to be a wealthy layabout.

How could that possibly do?

If neither of them took over the family business, how was he supposed to rest or go out and have fun?

Hadn't he worked so hard to raise two children precisely so he could enjoy life at a time like this?

"Aren't you afraid I'll bankrupt the company if you hand it over to me?"

Ye Yizhou had no idea where his dad got the confidence to feel so comfortable handing the company over to him.

"It doesn't matter. I've already saved enough for your mother and me to eat, drink, and have fun for the rest of our lives. If you bankrupt the company, the only ones who'll suffer are you and the employees working for you. Won't your conscience hurt?"

Ye Chongli was even resorting to guilt-tripping now.

"You think that works on me?" Ye Yizhou was even more heartless.

"Have some consideration for your old father. I've been so busy all these years that I haven't even had time to travel with your mother. She's starting to resent me for it. Even if you won't think of me, think of your mother!"

Ye Chongli earnestly appealed to Ye Yizhou's emotions.

To his surprise, Ye Yizhou readily agreed. "All right, then!"

"What? You're only thinking of your mother?"

That left Ye Chongli stunned, and now he felt a little disgruntled instead.

"What else?" Now in quite a good mood, Ye Yizhou started eating the dishes in front of him as he answered offhandedly.

"Am I not worth it?" Ye Chongli moved over to sit beside Ye Yizhou and asked in all seriousness.

"What do you think?"

Ye Yizhou looked up at him and gave an ambiguous answer. "If it upsets you that much, maybe I'd better not take over the company after all. Wouldn't want you losing your appetite for this meal."

Ye Chongli: ...

What was going on? How had he become the one being manipulated?

Forget it. Achieving his goal was enough.

Ye Chongli took a bite of food, but still cursed angrily, "You unfilial brat!!!"

Ye Yizhou's lips curled into a soft laugh. "You want to dump all the work on me and have me say nice things to you too? You want it both ways. Aren't you asking for too much and dreaming a little too big?"

"I'm your father. What would it cost you to say something nice to me?" Ye Chongli was still somewhat dissatisfied.

"And I'm your son. That's never stopped you from screwing me over, has it?"

Ye Yizhou replied readily, his smile meaningful. "I suggest you quit while you're ahead, or you might take things too far and end up with nothing."

"Eat!"

Ye Chongli immediately stopped arguing. He was all about taking advice.

Ye Yizhou ate quietly, feeling that this lunch wasn't so hard to swallow after all.

As Ye Chongli ate, his gaze still drifted toward his son from time to time. Seeing that Ye Yizhou seemed to be in quite a good mood and had quite a good appetite, he couldn't understand it.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go!

"I saw you holding that young man's hand on the show. Quite the flirt, aren't you?"

Ye Chongli began making his move without betraying a thing.

"Oh, and?" Ye Yizhou was unconcerned. "Do you have a problem with it?"

"I wouldn't dare."

Ye Chongli was exceedingly meek, yet exceedingly bold. "But whether your partner has a problem with it, I'm not so sure."

Ye Yizhou was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I sent it to your partner."

Ye Chongli struggled to suppress the rising corners of his mouth and spoke with feigned nonchalance. "I was just worried he was too busy with work to have time to pay attention to you. So as your father, of course I had to urge my son-in-law to pay more attention to my son. No need to thank me. It's what a father should do."

Ye Yizhou: ...

The father-son relationship between Ye Yizhou and Ye Chongli was all about hurting each other.