In the spacious living room, Ye Zhongwen and Ye Qingyi sat facing each other.
“Sigh, time is merciless. It feels like just yesterday I was the master of this house.” Ye Zhongwen’s gaze swept slowly across every corner of the room, his voice thick with emotion.
His eyes weren’t completely blind; he could still see a little.
Ye Qingyi let out a cold laugh. “Time, at least, leaves people with fond memories. But when a person becomes merciless, they’re no different from a beast.”
A flicker of killing intent passed behind Ye Zhongwen’s sunglasses. He knew this young man was insinuating things about him, all to vent anger on behalf of that unfilial daughter he had cast out.
“Is that so…” Ye Zhongwen responded, the smile on his face not diminishing in the slightest.
Just then, a soft, drowsy mumble came from the bedroom. “Darling, who is it? They’re so long-winded, they woke me up.”
A thunderclap seemed to explode in Ye Zhongwen’s mind, which had been calm just moments before. The shock left his ears ringing and his thoughts reeling.
She’s alive… and… ‘Darling’…
His expression stiffened as he looked at Ye Qingyi, eager for confirmation. “Who is in there?”
Ye Qingyi was also momentarily stunned, her face flushing bright red instantly. But, relying on her solid acting skills, she played along with Su Mo’s impromptu drama. “Just a bothersome old man. I’ll send him away right now, sweetheart. Don’t be upset, it’s not good for your health.” Having said that, she immediately issued an order to leave. “Please, Patriarch Ye. My wife is upset.”
Ye Zhongwen refused to leave just like that. He was certain he had just heard his daughter’s voice.
“Who is in there? Why did she call you ‘darling’?” he pressed, agitation creeping into his voice.
“What else should the mother of my child call me? And as for who she is, an outsider like you has no need to know.”
“No need? But I’m her father!” Ye Zhongwen’s emotions slipped slightly out of control, but he quickly reined them in. He raised his voice towards the bedroom, “Qingyi? Is that you? Your father is here. Let me see you, please?”
The bedroom door was pushed open at that moment, and Su Mo walked out wearing loose pajamas, his face slightly puffy.
He rubbed his sleepy eyes and muttered discontentedly, “Every single day, so annoying!”
“Oh my, why did you come out? I told you to rest properly. Why won’t you listen?” Seizing the moment, Ye Qingyi quickly ran over, pulled Su Mo into her embrace, and affectionately ruffled his disheveled hair.
Watching this scene from not far away, Ye Zhongwen’s heart ached with a sour bitterness. He thought about how his daughter was barely nineteen, yet she was already a mother.
He suddenly felt that being truly blind might not be so bad.
“Qingyi…”
Hearing her name, Su Mo peeked out from Ye Qingyi’s embrace with one eye, blinked, and asked, “Old man, if there’s nothing else, please go. Remember to close the door on your way out.”
Old man!
Ye Zhongwen was exasperated beyond belief, but he had no retort. He could only watch helplessly as that “wretched” young man held his daughter and walked away, not forgetting to dismiss him once more before leaving.
At that moment, he suddenly felt truly despicable. How could he have…
He had originally wanted to catch a glimpse of his grandchild, but Ye Qingyi promptly and fiercely shooed him out, using the excuse that she was afraid the child would be startled.
Ye Zhongwen had no choice but to leave. Though he was fuming with anger, a strange, novel feeling rose within him: I have a grandchild…
He was smiling as he left.
The people around him hadn’t seen him smile so happily in a long time, and they all offered their congratulations.
“Oh, that’s right,” Ye Zhongwen said, his previously gloomy mood now clear and bright. “Weren’t we supposed to execute a batch of disobedient people today? Cancel that. Push this week’s executions to next week, combine them.”
……
……
News of Su Mo’s return spread like wildfire, and phone calls came pouring in from all directions.
Some friends who lived closer came directly to his home.
Like Huo Jingshuo and Xia Qingqing, who were in Jing City.
It had been nearly a year since they last met. Both were now at Peak D-Grade, with Xia Qingqing even touching the threshold of C-Grade, expected to condense her Snow Mountain any day now.
On the other hand, the more diligent Huo Jingshuo, due to having slightly less innate talent than Xia Qingqing, had yet to achieve that breakthrough.
Sometimes fate is just strange. The martial arts fanatic’s progress was hindered by talent, while the one who tended to slack off accidentally had a moment of enlightenment.
Su Mo immediately began rummaging through his White Jade Ring. He finally pulled out some medicinal herbs, books, and similar items, handing them to the two women. “These things might be useful for you. They can help improve your cultivation and enhance your combat skills.”
Xia Qingqing cheered, “That’s wonderful! Qingyi hasn’t forgotten us.”
Huo Jingshuo held the items as if they were priceless treasures. Just as she was about to express her gratitude, Su Mo cut her off. “Don’t say thank you. There’s no need for such formality between friends. Besides, we’ll still be fighting side-by-side in the future. These things are nothing.”
“If only you were a man…” Huo Jingshuo mumbled under her breath.
Su Mo nearly choked on his own breath. He patted his chest and said, helplessly, “Don’t say things like that, it’s terrifying.”
Because he originally was a man.
“Just kidding, don’t mind me.” Huo Jingshuo laughed, glancing at Ye Qingyi’s calm expression and secretly sighing in relief.
She and Xia Qingqing exchanged a look, amusement sparkling in both their eyes.
“Oh, by the way, we both received acceptance letters for the Beidou Seed Program, but Luo Xiu’s name wasn’t on the list,” Xia Qingqing said, her expression turning somewhat dejected. “We all got one, except him. I wonder if he’ll be too disheartened.”
Su Mo sighed inwardly, thinking, The blows he’s suffered aren’t limited to just this. There’s also Li Xiaomou.
“Why didn’t he get one?” Su Mo found it puzzling, as Luo Xiu’s strength and talent were quite remarkable.
“That wife of his, Li Xiaomou—the one who married so young—was discovered to have ties to the Hundred Immortals Sect. His family was implicated as well.”
Just as I thought.
Su Mo thought to himself: Ties? That woman is the Enchanting Immortal herself, born with a natural seductive bone structure. Even I… Ahem, never mind.
“In that case, being able to remain at Beidou is already quite fortunate for him. The Seed Program is indeed out of his reach now,” Su Mo expressed his regret.
Their visit wasn’t just to see Su Mo; they also needed to report to the Beidou branch in Jiang City. From there, they, along with other young talents from Chu Province, would head to the capital to participate in the Seed Program.
According to the plan, they would depart in seven days.
During this time, they stayed in a hotel.
It wasn’t that Su Mo and Ye Qingyi were stingy and didn’t want them to stay at the house. The two women themselves were unwilling, saying something about how ‘as human beings, we absolutely refuse to fight a dog for food.’
Su Mo kept busy himself, constantly moving between three places: the Beidou branch, the Qingyu Association, and home.
Perhaps because Ye Qingyu had visited, or maybe because Wang Er and the others had done a good job managing things, the members of the Qingyu Association now recognized him fully, directly addressing him as ‘Association Leader’ instead of ‘Association Leader Ye.’
Liao Yu was still in seclusion, but Su Mo estimated he would likely reach B-Grade the moment he emerged.
Not only that, Ye Qingyi’s status was much higher than before Su Mo left. Everyone in the organization who saw her now respectfully addressed her as ‘Director Su.’
Ye Qingyi had bragged about this to Su Mo for a long time.
One day, after the two had finished their work at the Qingyu Association, they were walking on a quiet path.
Ye Qingyi’s hands were restless, constantly wandering over Su Mo’s body.
Although she didn’t dare to truly take things too far with Su Mo, she didn’t want to miss out on any of the small advantages she could take.
Suddenly, a dark figure flashed in front of them, blocking their path.
“Young Miss, Brother Su. The Family Head requests your presence.”