A Family Gathering, Full of Joy
At dusk, the golden sunset suffused the clouds on the horizon.
7:30 p.m.
A black Rolls-Royce slowly drove into the Ye Family estate.
"President Li, we're here."
Mu Lan got out of the car with a respectful expression, opened the door, and bent down to invite the master out.
"Mm."
The man sitting in the back seat, dressed in a formal black suit, nodded and answered almost inaudibly.
His incomparably handsome face was full of nervousness.
He pulled a gray handkerchief from his suit pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
It had been many years since he had been this nervous!
He was about to meet his future father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brothers-in-law.
Li Zeyuan really had no idea what to expect.
He didn't know how the Ye Family would react if they learned that he had set his sights on their precious Huohuo.
Li Zeyuan restrained the restlessness in his heart, his face returning to its usual cold, stern expression, and strode out of the car.
"Get the gifts ready and follow me inside."
Li Zeyuan gave the order in a deep voice.
The man's voice, cold and gorgeous as a cello, carried steadiness and wisdom.
"Yes, President Li."
Mu Lan answered, then went around to the back of the cars, opened the trunks of the vehicles behind them, and brought out hundreds of gift boxes of all sizes.
They were all gifts bought for everyone in the Ye Family, from top to bottom, and every single one was worth more than a million.
On his first visit to declare his intentions to the Ye Family elders, the president had spent more than ten million.
When the young madam finally married into the family, their master would probably be so happy that he would empty out the Li Family's entire fortune and give it to her.
What could he do when their master doted on her so much?
Mu Lan took a deep breath and followed the master into Ye Garden, the Ye Family home.
The villa's main hall was brightly lit.
A brilliant crystal chandelier hung overhead.
The round table was laden with chicken, duck, fish, meat, hot pot, and all kinds of fried meatballs. The whole family sat around it, as lively as if they were having a reunion dinner.
Dad, Ye Chuan, wore an apron and kept bringing out dishes, bustling back and forth.
Mom had sent the three older brothers into the kitchen to wash fruit, wipe bowls, and squeeze juice.
Mom sat at the table holding her precious Huohuo's hand, waiting for the meal to begin.
Old Master Ye had spoken: the whole family was to dine together.
Eldest uncle and aunt, second uncle and aunt, third uncle and aunt, and all nineteen older male cousins were present, filling the entire table.
Everyone was in high spirits as they waited to eat.
On the dining table, an old-fashioned hot pot bubbled away, sending up a delicious aroma.
Everyone looked at the one precious little princess at the table and began showering her with praise, one after another.
"Fourth sister-in-law, you're the lucky one, having such a beautiful daughter. Her eyes are sparkling, her skin is pink and fair, and her hair is straight and black. She's simply gorgeous!"
Eldest sister-in-law spoke with unbounded envy.
"That's right, precious Huohuo, I'm your eldest uncle. You're welcome to come play at my house anytime!"
Eldest uncle spoke very warmly as well.
From the bottom of his heart, he liked this pretty, proud, and aloof little girl.
She was the only seedling in the entire Ye Family, their one precious girl. Everyone had to keep her safe.
"That's right, precious Huohuo, you're the most blessed little girl in our family. Your grandpa loves girls, and after hoping and hoping, he finally got his wish when you were born a daughter. You're the pride of our whole family!"
Second sister-in-law's praise was sweet as honey, and the envy in her eyes was too thick to melt away.
She knew that the old master cherished this precious granddaughter most of all.
Back when she had just married into the Ye Family, the old master had already announced that the Ye Family had produced sons for generations; sons in their family were like goods hit by inflation-they couldn't even give them away.
He dreamed of having a granddaughter.
He had boldly declared that whichever of his four sons' wives gave birth to a precious granddaughter would inherit the ancestral home at Ye Garden and his fortune of hundreds of millions!
And so the first, second, third, and fourth branches had children with all their might, but every one of them was a son, not a single girl among them.
The more Old Master Ye looked at them, the more annoyed he became, so he drove all their branches out to establish households of their own.
Only in the fifth year after Ye Huo's mother married into the Ye Family did she give birth to a precious daughter.
The whole family erupted with excitement!
Old Master Ye doted on his youngest daughter-in-law to the skies. With a grand wave of his hand, he lavished hundreds of millions on her as a reward for giving birth.
He doted even more on this precious granddaughter, for whom the Ye Family had waited generations, spoiling her to the skies.
As a child, Ye Huo was a true young lady born with a golden key in her mouth. She wore the finest clothes, drank the finest milk, ate the most expensive fruit, and was cared for by the very best nursemaids.
Yet despite all that, just after she had learned to walk, she was stolen away by an enemy.
Heaven was trying to destroy his Ye Family!
Overnight, Old Master Ye's hair turned completely white. Tears streamed down his face, and he aged many years.
For all these years, he had lived unhappily, burning incense and praying every day and sending people everywhere to seek news of his precious granddaughter, hoping only to see her once more in his lifetime.
Perhaps heaven had taken pity on him.
His precious granddaughter really had returned at the age of twenty.
Old Master Ye's cheeks were rosy with happiness. He had called the other branches back for this reunion to announce an important matter.
He looked at his precious granddaughter with doting eyes and said joyfully, "Precious Huohuo, come, Grandpa will introduce everyone. This is your eldest uncle Ye Xiu, this is your second uncle Ye Xie, and this is your third uncle Ye Bai.
"Not long after you were born, Grandpa drove them out to establish households of their own. Now they're all big bosses.
"Sitting beside them are your eldest aunt, second aunt, and third aunt, and your older male cousins..."
Old Master Ye pointed for quite a while, trying to introduce each older cousin to his precious granddaughter by name.
But unfortunately, as their grandfather, he only favored his precious granddaughter. Apart from the three grandsons born to his fourth son, Ye Mo, Ye Chen, and Ye Fan, he really couldn't remember the names of the grandsons born to the other branches...
He simply slapped the table and gave an order. "You boys, introduce yourselves to my precious granddaughter!"
"Yes, Grandpa."
Old Master Ye's nineteen grown grandsons immediately answered respectfully.
Although they were all fine-looking men, graduates of prestigious schools and influential workplace elites in their respective organizations,
they were especially gentle with the younger cousin whom the whole family cherished above all else, afraid that if they raised their voices even a little, they would frighten the darling of the family.
"Precious Huohuo, these are the sneakers your eldest cousin bought you."
"Precious Huohuo, this is the dress your second cousin bought you."
"Precious Huohuo, this is the diamond hair clip your third cousin bought you."
"Precious Huohuo, this is the Vvvvvip Disneyland card your fourth cousin got you."
"Precious Huohuo, this is the diamond ring your fifth cousin had custom-made for you."