Chapter 652: Chapter 436: eting
Zhou Mikang left the hospital and went straight to the Ye Family.
After the incident with the Huang Family was resolved, Old Master Ye had been recuperating at ho. Given the relationship between the Zhou and Ye families, it was only right for Zhou Mikang to visit him upon his return.
Grandma Ye and Qiang Yuxian were sitting in the living room. Their already displeased expressions soured further upon recognizing the visitor. Zhou Mikang greeted them and headed straight for Old Master Ye’s study.
Qiang Yuxian, who had expected Zhou Mikang to be groveling, was infuriated by his audacity and charged at him: “You’ve hard my daughter like that, and still have the nerve to co to my house, and dare to be so arrogant? Get out!”
“I’m here to see Grandpa Ye,” Zhou Mikang said indifferently. With a casual shift of his body, Qiang Yuxian missed and stumbled toward the study’s door. Just as her head was about to collide with it, Zhou Mikang grabbed her, pushed her gently, and slipped into the study
Old Master Ye sat facing the window, his silhouette bleak. In just over a month, his hair had turned completely white, which made Zhou Mikang feel a pang of sadness.
“Grandpa Ye.”
Old Master Ye slowly turned around, his eyes warm as he looked at Zhou Mikang, a kind smile spreading across his lips: “Xiaomi, why have you co back? Missing your wife?”
“No,” Zhou Mikang shook his head. “I’m not that pathetic.”
“Hehe…” Old Master Ye chuckled and pointed to the chair opposite him. “Sit down. I don’t converse with soone who’s standing.”
After Zhou Mikang had taken a seat, he carefully observed the old man and remarked, “You seem in good spirits.”
“Xiaomi, you’ve learned to give complints?” Old Master Ye laughed heartily. “Has the sun risen from the west, or do I really look like I’m about to go et Marx?”
Zhou Mikang seriously replied, “I’m speaking the truth. Though you seem to have aged a few years, you look well. I believe with your mindset, you’ll recover in a few days.”
“Have they been making things difficult for you?”
“No.”
“No my ass, I heard everything!”
“…” Zhou Mikang fell silent, not knowing what to say, his thoughts a tangle of black lines. However, it was sowhat relieving to see that Old Master Ye still had his fiery temper.
Staring at him intently, Old Master Ye asked, “Do you think you’ve done anything wrong?”
Zhou Mikang shook his head without hesitation. “No.”
“You know what I’m referring to, and you still dare to say no?”
“Whatever the question might be, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
The two fell into a lengthy silence again until Old Master Ye couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer. “You, no matter what, you’re always so stubborn. Even with like this, can’t you say a few nice words to comfort ?”
“Do you need comforting?”
“I do.”
Zhou Mikang then said, “Grandpa Ye, don’t be sad. Things will eventually pass…”
“Go on, go on,” Old Master Ye interrupted, annoyed. “Is this how you comfort ? I need genuine, heartfelt comfort!”
“The comfort you seek, I can’t provide right now. For the ti being, bullets won’t be retracted,” Zhou Mikang said helplessly, spreading his hands. “Actually, seeing here should make it clear that I can’t offer you comfort. Otherwise, how could I possibly have co back, right?”
“Hehe…” Old Master Ye’s gaze drifted to a photo fra on the wall. “The fiery blood of a soldier, oh, the fiery blood of our soldiers. Had the Chairman still been with us, we definitely would’ve shot back!”
Zhou Mikang remained silent.
He was aware that several elder generals had gathered in Capital City recently. Although he wasn’t privy to the specific contents of their etings, he knew that Old Master Ye was in favor of action.
The old master had spent a lifeti in the military, believing that fists speak louder than words.
From Grandpa Ye’s tone, it seed that Old Master Long also supported the use of force over negotiation.
But Number One agreed with Old Master Huang’s view: negotiation first, intimidation as a secondary asure.
That was the fundantal reason why Zhou Mikang and his elite troops made a conspicuous long march, only to end up with a whimper, relegated to border defense.
Now, with the arrow nocked, it remained unknown who would ultimately fire it.
Old Master Ye sighed deeply, looking at Zhou Mikang. “Xiaomi, on behalf of Ye iru, that foolish girl, I apologize to you. It’s our fault for not raising her well, which led her to cause such shaful incidents.”
“Grandpa, don’t say that. I’m also responsible…” Zhou Mikang sighed. “Back then, I was young and didn’t know how to get along properly, which led iru down the wrong path.”
Old Master Ye’s expression beca solemn as he stared intently at Zhou Mikang. “You an to say, iru ended up like this today partly because of you, right?”
Zhou Mikang admitted candidly, “Yes, I am also responsible.”
Old Master Ye raised his eyebrows, looking at him. “Then how do you plan to take responsibility for this?”
Zhou Mikang gave a bitter smile, “I can no longer shoulder this responsibility.”
“Anyone can talk big without backing it up,” Old Master Ye curled his lip, “If you can’t be responsible, then don’t put on airs with self-criticism.”
Choosing his words carefully, Zhou Mikang said, “All I’m saying is that in that relationship, both of us were at fault. Reaching the final step, we both had responsibilities, and those responsibilities are not sothing that can still be taken on today, nor can they be nded.”
“If you and Chuxia also encounter conflicts now, what will you do?”
“I would give in to her.”
“Why couldn’t you give in to iru?”
“…” Zhou Mikang replaced protest with silence. What was the point of bringing up stale matters again? Although he was unclear about Old Master Ye’s purpose in doing this, he definitely wouldn’t go against his conscience and say things he didn’t want to say, especially when it ca to feelings—he would absolutely not tell even the smallest lie.
With another sigh, Old Master Ye changed his approach, “If you t iru now for the first ti, would you end up together with her? Would you give in to her?”
Without thinking, Zhou Mikang answered, “She and I are not suitable. If I t her now, I wouldn’t choose her.”
“Do you an to say that you chose Lin Chuxia because she truly suits you?”
“Yes.”
“Whether it was in the past or if you t her now, would you always choose Lin Chuxia?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you think before answering?”
“There’s no need to think; I’m very certain about this question. During this ti, whenever I had a mont to myself, I’ve been pondering it. So, this is sothing I’ve already thought through; no need to think it over anymore.”
“What if you never t Lin Chuxia? Would you choose iru then?”
“No.”
“You…” Old Master Ye looked at him, a bit frustrated, “Back in the day, you were adamant about marrying none but iru. Now how can you be so sure?”
“I now clearly understand what I need and want, so I can answer so definitively.”
“Isn’t it because Chuxia is prettier than iru that you’re biased towards her?”
“No!” Zhou Mikang looked earnestly at Old Master Ye, “Grandpa, whether you believe it or not, I must speak the truth to you. I chose Chuxia because I felt her distinct personality the first ti I t her. That’s exactly what I had been looking for. Before eting her, I didn’t even know what I wanted, but as soon as I t her, everything I desired beca apparent.”
“For a girl nearly ten years younger than you, do you really feel she’s suitable to be your wife?”
“The facts have proven that she is indeed suitable to be my wife. Since she married into our family, everything has been developing for the better. Everyone in the Zhou family knows my choice was the right one.”
“Ah!” Old Master Ye let out a heavy sigh, prodding the decorative wall, “You all heard that, right? Give it up, will you?”
Ye iru’s voice ca through, “I… I still want to talk to him.”
At that mont, Zhou Mikang suddenly understood. No wonder Old Master Ye asked so many questions that were out of character for him. Could it be that the Grandpa’s attitude had done a complete turnaround?
“Mikang, I’m sorry. If it doesn’t remind you to get the real answer, iru will not be able to let go. Grandpa didn’t have a choice; after the incident years ago, if I hadn’t discarded her and ignored her, maybe she wouldn’t have beco so extre today.
During this period, I’ve been reflecting on myself as well. At the ti, what she did was wrong, but did I, as her grandpa, really do the right thing? Truthfully speaking, driving her out was the most irresponsible thing to do.
Fortunately, my realization has not co too late. This ti, I won’t push her away again. No matter how wrong she is, she’s still a descendant of the Ye family, and as an elder, I will do everything in my power to help her.
Mikang, do Grandpa a favor and have a proper talk with her, let her fully wake up, and stop her from living in a dream within her own world.”
Zhou Mikang really wanted to refuse, but seeing the sadness in the old man’s eyes, and then looking at his head full of white hair, he sighed, “Alright, Grandpa, I can agree to talk to her, but my stance is already very clear, as you know.”
“I know, I’ve known for a long ti. Moreover, I also know that you truly chose the right person, but she doesn’t understand that. She won’t listen to ; she’ll only believe it coming from your mouth.”
While the two of them were talking, Ye iru had already pushed the door open and entered.
Old Master Ye got up, walked out, and kept sighing heavily.
Now only Zhou Mikang and Ye iru were left in the study.
Ye iru stared at Zhou Mikang for a long while, then said, “You’ve lost weight and gotten tanner.”
“Let’s stick to the main point.”
“The main point?” Ye iru said with a distant smile, “I heard all your conversation with Grandpa, so I don’t want to ask if you’d choose now. I just want to know, if back then I hadn’t done anything to hurt you, would you have married ?”
“Such hypotheticals are aningless. We can’t go back to those days, and you’ve already done what you did,” Zhou Mikang looked at her indifferently, “If you really consider yourself a part of the Ye family, you should think about how to move on in the future, instead of dwelling on these pointless questions.” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to co to Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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