After that, the Zuo family never had any more children, living to this day in this self-deceiving lie.
"Are you saying that I have Zuo Cheng’s shadow in me?"
"Not what I said, he isn’t my child. But looking at Shen Xuepei’s attitude towards you, I guess it’s quite likely. That’s not the point. What I mean is, if you can’t get through to Zuo Zhengyang, you might try approaching Shen Xuepei. Zuo Zhengyang feels guilty towards her; you could give it a shot."
Ye Tian nodded. After Tang Su’s suggestion, he did think that Shen Xuepei’s attitude towards him was indeed a bit different. The last time he went to practice swordplay with her, she even spoke to him about the rules of the worldly society, as if treating him as someone close to her.
"Alright, I’ll go there tomorrow. We’re going to get married soon anyway; it’s time to send them a note, and I have to deliver the red envelope. Ouch!"
With a slap, Tang Su knocked down Ye Tian’s hand that was wrapped around her waist, "You’re not allowed in my room tonight, find somewhere else to sleep."
"Huh?... My dear wife, don’t be like that!"
The black Audi stopped outside the secretary’s house, and the door was opened for Ye Tian by a young housemaid. Seeing the nanny made Ye Tian think of Liu Ling at home.
"The lady is meditating, Mr. Ye might wait here for a bit. I’ll go and let her know you’re here," said the housemaid.
Seeing her about to leave, Ye Tian stopped her, "No need to disturb her, I can wait for her to finish."
The maid nodded, understanding that it was inappropriate to interrupt meditation midway. She poured Ye Tian a cup of tea and then went about her own business.
Zuo Zhengyang was not home, which was expected by Ye Tian. How could a national deputy-level official be idle at home every day? Going out and appearing on television was the way to go.
Ye Tian heaved a sigh and shook his head. If back then Zuo Zhengyang hadn’t stepped into politics ahead of Zuo Cheng, would that man go to greater lengths for the current Zuo Zhengyang?
"Ye Tian, you’re here?"
"Godmother, you look even more beautiful since I last saw you a few days ago," said Ye Tian with a cheeky grin, which earned him a bout of laughing and scolding from Shen Xuepei.
"Such nonsense from you, child."
"I’m not talking nonsense, I’m telling the truth."
Their exchange relaxed them both, and the family’s older maid looked at Shen Xuepei with curiosity and surprise when bringing in tea. Although she intentionally turned her head away, Ye Tian could see the astonishment and shock in her eyes, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.
"Godmother, this is for you and godfather, and you both must come," Ye Tian said.
A beautifully decorated wedding invitation was placed on the coffee table and taken by Shen Xuepei. As he spoke, Ye Tian’s face wore a happy smile, full of sunshine. No matter who he was facing, even Liu Liyue, when he talked about his upcoming marriage, his face would involuntarily turn a shade of red with excitement.
"Hehe, Ye is getting married, hehe, I knew I wasn’t wrong. At this age, it’s the right time to marry, and then, in a couple of years, have a child. I’ll be a grandmother then, and you’ll drop by Tianhe to visit from time to time with the kids. We could celebrate a reunion festival together. Then, I’ll prepare red envelopes for those little ones of yours."
Ye Tian waved his hand, looking a bit embarrassed, "Godmother, you’re thinking too far ahead. Who knows if we’ll have kids in the future. What if Susu doesn’t want them? I can’t make them by myself, can I? Let’s talk about kids later."
Clearly, Shen Xuepei’s eyes dimmed upon hearing this. There seemed to be hesitation in her gaze. It looked like Tang Su had mostly spoken the truth.
Perhaps Ye Tian was just lucky, but as he was chatting with Shen Xuepei on the sofa, Zuo Zhengyang returned home. Seeing Ye Tian sitting inside with Shen Xuepei, he hurriedly asked Secretary Gao to open a bottle of wine. However, this burst of enthusiasm was mercilessly nipped in the bud by Shen Xuepei with a "You have high blood pressure", and Zuo Zhengyang could only lower his head and drink his tea dejectedly.
Zuo Zhengyang saw the red invitation on the coffee table and instinctively thought it might be someone delivering a gift. But when he looked at it closely and saw the words written on it, he realized it was Ye Tian’s wedding announcement. Looking up at Ye Tian, he saw the young man grinning foolishly.
Ye Tian was perplexed. What did he mean?
"For a wedding, go to Tianhe Hotel, a matter as important as marriage shouldn’t be settled for a lesser venue. Let’s go to Tianhe Hotel," Zuo Zhengyang fiercely insisted, completely disregarding whether the people getting married agreed and was adamant about changing the wedding venue.
"No need. We just wanted to keep it low-key. After all, not many people know us, and making too much of a fuss isn’t good."
"Good, why isn’t it good?" Shen Xuepei joined in, seeming to lament that it wasn’t lively enough, "I ask you, how many times in your life do you get married? How many times can Tang Su get married? Since you’re giving a wedding, it should be done in a grand and lively manner. Our Zuo family is marrying a daughter-in-law, of course, it should be magnificent. Ye Tian, this time listen to your godfather."
Our Zuo family. Ye Tian gave a wry smile. What could he do? Might as well follow their wishes.
"Godfather, I have something I want to ask you about."
Finally, Ye Tian brought up the question on his mind. Seeing this, Shen Xuepei silently stood up, taking the teacup from the armrest with her. When it came to Zuo Zhengyang’s affairs, she always steered clear; they had a clear division of labor: men handle external affairs, men handle internal affairs. And women?
"Is it about business?" Zuo Zhengyang asked, looking at him.
"Yes. About private equity."
Hearing Ye Tian’s words, Zuo Zhengyang didn’t show any surprise. It seemed he had heard about this before.
"Let’s discuss it in my study. Old lady, brew a pot of tea for me."
Ye Tian followed Zuo Zhengyang to the study. Instead of sitting behind the desk, Zuo Zhengyang sat down on the stool next to the chessboard, and Ye Tian sat to his left.
"Did Zheng Xinru look for you?"
Zuo Zhengyang rested his arm on the table, leaning in with furrowed brows. It seemed he had many reservations about this matter, which was within Ye Tian’s expectations, but he didn’t foresee Zuo Zhengyang mentioning Zheng Xinru first. Could it be there was some discord between the two?
"Yes. She came by yesterday and talked to me about it."