Ye Bingyu hadn’t slept all night. He didn’t know how to break this news to his wife, how to explain it to Wen Yue, and had even less of an idea of how to face that child.
Would she ever forgive them?
The next day, when his secretary came in, she was startled by his appearance and asked, "Director, what’s happened to you?"
Ye Bingyu waved his hand dismissively, got up, and washed up in the inner room, then asked, "Is there anything important happening today?"
Seeing his appearance, the secretary guessed that something serious must be up and said, "We need to attend a meeting at the city government this morning."
Ye Bingyu nodded. "I see."
After the secretary left, he immediately phoned Elder Master Ye and notified his Second Brother, telling them to wait for him at the old house in the afternoon, as he needed to discuss something urgent with them.
Throughout the morning meeting, his mind kept wandering. Thankfully, his secretary took notes, so he wouldn’t be completely unaware of what the leaders had discussed.
He declined invitations from others and, after leaving the city government building, had the driver take him straight back to the old house.
When he arrived, his Second Brother, Ye Binglin, was already there. "Big Brother," Ye Binglin said, "you summoned me back in such a hurry. What’s the matter?"
Ye Bingyu didn’t reply but instead looked toward Elder Master Ye, who was standing in the courtyard. "Is it just the two of you at home?" Ye Bingyu asked.
Elder Master Ye looked at his eldest son’s weary face. "Yes," he replied, "just me and your Second Brother. Your Second Uncle has gone back to his place."
After he finished speaking, Ye Bingyu turned around and bolted the main gate. "Let’s go to the study," he said. "I have something to tell you."
Elder Master Ye and Ye Binglin exchanged worried glances and followed him to the study.
Once the three were seated, Elder Master Ye furrowed his brows and asked, "What happened?"
Ye Bingyu took a deep breath and said, "Wen Yue might not be a child of the Ye Family."
No sooner had he spoken than Elder Master Ye and Ye Binglin both shot to their feet, demanding, "What did you say?"
Ye Bingyu gestured for them to sit down, saying, "My sister-in-law went on a business trip to Ji Province a few days ago and made a detour to Hua’an Farm Reclamation to visit Wenhui. Coincidentally, an old friend’s daughter of hers was also sent to the countryside there. That girl bears a striking resemblance to our family’s Binglan..."
Before he could finish, Elder Master Ye interrupted, "You say Wen Yue might not be our family’s child, but her eyes are clearly just like yours!"
At this statement, all three men were stunned.
Ye Bingyu also furrowed his brow. It’s true, Wen Yue’s eyes look so much like mine. No one would believe we weren’t father and daughter if someone claimed otherwise.
At this point, Ye Binglin interjected, "Big Brother, this is no small matter. We can’t spread rumors without a clear investigation."
Elder Master Ye’s expression turned grave. "This matter requires extreme caution," he stated. "We must investigate thoroughly before saying anything more. If any mistake is made, it will be very difficult to handle the fallout later." Orıginal content can be found at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⁂𝕟𝕖𝕥
The three of them went over the details of the matter once more. Finally, Elder Master Ye said, "Since Binglin’s wife mentioned that the girl has a mole on her inner thigh, let Wenhui help confirm it. This isn’t something to discuss in letters or over the phone. Eldest, you should make a trip there personally to get to the bottom of this.
"As for Wen Yue, let’s first find a way to get her blood type tested at the hospital and see what the results are. We can’t afford any oversight on either front. After Wenhui confirms the mole, find an opportunity to get that girl’s blood type tested as well. We absolutely cannot jump to conclusions based on appearance alone. After all, this world is full of strange coincidences, and there are plenty of people who look alike."
After further discussion, the three prepared to attend to their respective tasks.
Ye Bingyu then had a thought. "Perhaps for this trip to Ji Province," he suggested, "it would be better to ask my sister-in-law to take some leave and make the trip? I think we might get results faster that way."
He really couldn’t bear the wait; he wanted to confirm the truth as soon as possible.