Chapter 118: She Makes Her Own Decision

"Dad! Jie is your own grandson!" Yang Kui hadn’t expected Yang Zhennan to still treat Ye Xuan with such reverence, even after everything that had happened. He was so furious he was ready to kill.

"Tao, your second brother is tired. Help him back to his room to rest," Yang Zhennan said to Yang Tao with a chilling gaze, shooting Yang Kui a sidelong glance.

Although Yang Tao was also somewhat dissatisfied with his father’s actions, he was far more rational than Yang Kui. He took a deep look at Ye Xuan, then called over a few servants and forcibly dragged Yang Kui away. Soon, only Ye Xuan and Yang Zhennan were left in the living room.

"Old Master, my hands were tied. Yang Jie was trying to kill Bingyu. I had no other choice." Actually, Ye Xuan didn’t need to explain his reasons for killing Yang Jie. But looking at the frail old man before him, who looked as withered as a dying tree, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. Furrowing his brows, he offered a brief explanation.

Yang Zhennan looked absentmindedly at Yang Jie, who lay in the ice coffin in the center of the living room. His hands caressed the frozen surface, his entire being radiating deep sorrow.

"In just another month, it would have been Jie’s twenty-fourth birthday," Yang Zhennan finally said in a hauntingly quiet voice. "I originally thought that once he grew a little older, he would become much more sensible. I never imagined he wouldn’t live to see that day."

Ye Xuan pressed his lips tightly together, unsure of what to say. He didn’t regret killing Yang Jie. The slight trace of guilt in his heart was only there because the dead man was Yang Bingyu’s brother.

"Old Master, I will compensate the Yang family." Ye Xuan had already made up his mind. Once Orioles opened a branch in Jianghai City, he would have the company partner with the Yang family. After all, a life had been taken. Even though Yang Jie deserved to die, Ye Xuan still intended to make proper amends.

"Cyan Dragon Chief, you must be joking. Jie brought this upon himself. I don’t blame you for killing him, and naturally, I don’t need your compensation." Upon hearing Ye Xuan’s words, Yang Zhennan’s emotions didn’t fluctuate much. His expression remained placid as he flatly refused the offer.

Ye Xuan looked at him, feeling that something was off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Unwilling to owe the Yang family anything, he ignored the refusal and stated forcefully, "Whether I offer it is my business. Whether you accept it is yours."

Yang Zhennan trembled slightly, then fell into a long silence.

"Cyan Dragon Chief, take Bingyu away. The ties between her and our Yang family end here," the old man suddenly declared.

This caught Ye Xuan completely off guard. He hadn’t expected the patriarch, who had always doted on Yang Bingyu, to sever ties with her completely.

Yang Zhennan looked at Ye Xuan with a bitter expression and continued, "We raised her for over twenty years without asking for anything in return. If she wasn’t the White Tiger Chief’s sister, our Yang family would have definitely treated her as our own flesh and blood.

"Over these two decades, aside from the few times members of the Yang family raised a hand against her recently, we have done nothing to wrong her.

"I, especially, loved her like my own granddaughter. When it comes to Bingyu, I believe I have a clear conscience.

"But now that this has happened, things can never go back to how they were. Even though Jie deserved to die, his death will forever be a thorn in the hearts of the Yang family.

"If Bingyu stays, she will only draw more resentment. You just saw Yang Kui’s attitude toward you. I don’t want to lose another son."

Yang Zhennan truly had treated Yang Bingyu as his own granddaughter, and he desperately wanted her to stay. However, the current situation no longer allowed for it. As long as she remained in their home, the Yang family would never know a day of peace.

"And are you so certain that after she leaves, Yang Kui won’t come after me—or her?" Ye Xuan asked with a cold chuckle, meeting Yang Zhennan’s eyes.

Yang Zhennan was left speechless, unsure of how to answer. He knew his own son’s temperament better than anyone. Yang Jie had died because of Yang Bingyu and Ye Xuan; no matter what happened in the future, Yang Kui would seek revenge.

The realization left Yang Zhennan utterly defeated. He leaned back weakly against his chair, staring up at the ceiling. He believed he hadn’t committed any unforgivable sins in this lifetime—why was heaven treating him this way?

Ye Xuan had no desire to linger in this melancholic atmosphere. He furrowed his brows and said, "I have no right to make this decision for Bingyu. If you are determined to cut ties with her, you can tell her yourself when she wakes up.

"As for Yang Kui, I promise you I will spare his life. Consider it my way of repaying the Yang family for raising Bingyu for the past twenty years."

With that, Ye Xuan left the estate. Sparing Yang Kui was the absolute limit of his mercy.

"Heaven truly wishes to destroy my Yang family!" Yang Zhennan suddenly tilted his head back and let out a long, anguished sigh after Ye Xuan had gone.

Later, when Ye Xuan returned to the hospital, Yang Bingyu was already awake. However, the shock of the incident had been too massive. Unable to process it, she sat on the bed, looking completely dazed and hollow.

"Bingyu, I’m back." Ye Xuan’s heart ached as he looked at her. He sat down beside the bed and gently brushed the loose strands of hair from her forehead.

Hearing his voice, Yang Bingyu’s eyes flickered. She slowly turned her head to look at him. "Ye Xuan... Yang Jie is dead, isn’t he?"

Her mind was consumed by the image of Yang Jie collapsing in front of her, covered in blood. Even now, she couldn’t bring herself to believe that he was actually gone.

Ye Xuan’s hand paused slightly before he gave a gentle nod. "There, there. Don’t think about those terrible things anymore. It’s all in the past."

Seeing him confirm it, Yang Bingyu’s body began to tremble. Two trails of clear tears slid silently down her cheeks. Her sobs grew louder and louder until she finally threw herself into Ye Xuan’s arms, weeping uncontrollably.

Watching someone she had grown up with die right before her eyes was simply too much to bear. She had hated Yang Jie, but she had never wanted him dead.

"Shh, please don’t cry," Ye Xuan coaxed softly. He held her tight, gently patting her back as he tried to soothe her aching heart.

She sobbed, "How could he die? He shouldn’t have died! Now that he’s dead, how am I supposed to explain this to Grandpa? How will the Yang family look at me?

"It’s all my fault... It’s all my fault! If it weren’t for me, Yang Jie wouldn’t have died!"

Yang Bingyu’s mind was a jumbled mess. She had originally agreed to cooperate with Yang Jie and spare his life just so Yang Zhennan wouldn’t be heartbroken. But now that he was dead, the fragile peace she had tried so hard to maintain was completely shattered. She placed all the blame squarely on her own shoulders.

"This is not your fault. I was the one who killed him; it has nothing to do with you," Ye Xuan assured her firmly. "Please stop crying. I will handle this. Just trust me, okay?"