Chapter 119: The Yang Family Does Not Welcome You

Listening to Yang Bingyu blame herself, Ye Xuan felt a terrible pang in his heart. His brows knitted tightly as he gently wiped away her tears, coaxing her with obvious heartache.

It took about ten minutes for Yang Bingyu to finally stem her tears.

"Ye Xuan, I want to go home. I want to see Grandpa," Yang Bingyu said, her voice hoarse as she sniffled.

Looking at her red, swollen eyes, Ye Xuan felt his chest twist painfully. He thought about what a silly girl she was. She had just woken up and barely escaped death, yet her very first concern was still the Yang family.

"Be good. Let’s wait until you’ve recovered a bit more before we go back. Don’t worry, the old man is doing just fine." Ye Xuan rubbed Yang Bingyu’s hair, deliberately avoiding a direct promise to take her home.

He remembered every single word Yang Zhennan had said; the Yang family did not welcome her back right now. He didn’t want her to return only to suffer their cold shoulders and hostility.

"I’m fine now. Just take me back. I’m really worried about Grandpa’s health." Yang Bingyu tugged at the hem of Ye Xuan’s shirt, pleading with her eyes.

Ye Xuan truly couldn’t bear to refuse her. Under her repeated insistence, he finally compromised. He knew that with Yang Bingyu’s stubborn personality, she would just find her own way back to the Yang family even if he didn’t take her.

"Bingyu, what do you say about coming back to Jingcheng with me? We can leave Jianghai City and the Yang family behind," Ye Xuan asked tentatively from behind the wheel as he drove.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Yang Bingyu froze for a moment and looked at him in utter confusion. "Why would we go to Jingcheng? I really like Jianghai City. Besides, the Yang family is my home."

Hearing her answer, Ye Xuan fell silent. Would the Yang family still treat her as one of their own?

"What’s wrong? You look like you have a lot on your mind," Yang Bingyu asked, growing even more puzzled when he didn’t reply.

"It’s nothing. It’s just that I will definitely have to return to Jingcheng eventually, and I wouldn’t feel at ease leaving you here in Jianghai City all by yourself." Ye Xuan gave a faint smile and shook his head, making up an excuse on the spot.

He would just have to take things one step at a time. If Yang Bingyu truly wanted to stay with the Yang family, he would do everything in his power to make sure they treated her well.

"How is... Lin Aoxue doing?" After a moment of silence, Yang Bingyu suddenly asked.

Ye Xuan paused for a fraction of a second, a flash of pain crossing his face. He hadn’t gone to see Lin Aoxue since her surgery. To keep his mind off her, he had been trying his absolute best to distract himself.

"They managed to save her. She’s not in any immediate danger." After offering that brief, flat response, Ye Xuan shut his mouth. He really didn’t want to discuss his relationship with Lin Aoxue right now.

Seeing that his expression was somewhat grim, Yang Bingyu obediently dropped the subject.

Soon, they arrived at the Yang family’s villa.

By now, the servants of the Yang family had already hung white mourning lanterns and draped white mourning cloth around the entrance, alongside several funeral wreaths. A mourning hall had even been specially erected on the front lawn. This traditional Chinese funeral setup clashed violently with the European-style architecture of the villa, creating a bizarre and unsettling atmosphere.

Yang Bingyu’s face paled further at the sight. She walked through the main gates with heavy steps. When the busy servants noticed them, they didn’t offer their usual respectful greetings. Instead, they just gave the pair a cold glance before returning to their work.

"Butler, why is the house decorated like this?" Yang Bingyu frowned, asking the butler who was currently directing the servants.

The butler turned his head and shot Yang Bingyu a sidelong glance, his attitude incredibly dismissive. Seeing this, Ye Xuan let out a light cough and glared fiercely at the man, finally prompting the butler to adopt a better attitude.

"Eldest Miss, these are the old man’s orders. He said that the Second Young Master died an unjust death, so a mourning hall must be set up to invite a priest to perform the rites. Otherwise, the Second Young Master’s soul will remain trapped in this world, unable to reincarnate."

Hearing the butler’s superstitious nonsense, Ye Xuan furrowed his brows even tighter. What in the world was Old Mr. Yang doing? When someone died, they should just be sent straight for cremation. What era was this, to still be doing these kinds of rituals?

Looking at the mourning hall a short distance away, Yang Bingyu gave a violent shudder. Whether it was just her imagination or something else, she couldn’t shake the chilling feeling creeping down her spine. Moreover, the rest of the Yang family was looking at her strangely, their attitudes vastly worse than before.

"Eldest Miss, you should head inside. You can’t help out here anyway; you’ll only get in the way."

The butler had watched the three of them grow up together since they were children. Even though he didn’t know exactly what had transpired between Yang Jie and Yang Bingyu, he firmly believed that, no matter the reason, she shouldn’t have beaten someone to death.

Yang Jie’s death left him deeply disappointed in Yang Bingyu, and from that moment on, he categorized her as an outsider. After all, she wasn’t truly a member of the Yang family; that was why she could be so selfish and deal such a lethal blow to her own younger brother.

The butler’s words caused Yang Bingyu’s face to stiffen into a bitter expression. Ye Xuan instantly wanted to lash out, but Yang Bingyu quickly stopped him.

"Let’s go. We’re going inside to see Grandpa." Gently shaking her head, Yang Bingyu pulled on Ye Xuan’s arm and headed into the villa.

She knew that because of Yang Jie’s death, the Yang family harbored deep resentment toward her. She couldn’t blame them. Yang Bingyu firmly believed that, given enough time, they would naturally come to understand and forgive her.

"Bingyu, what are you doing back here?"

As soon as they entered, Yang Bingyu bumped into Yang Tao, who was just coming downstairs. Seeing her and Ye Xuan, he immediately frowned in sheer surprise.

Looking at her father, Yang Bingyu’s gaze grew incredibly complicated. She found it deeply pathetic that this father, who had never been close to her since she was a child, hadn’t bothered to make a single phone call even after everything she had just gone through.

"Dad, I came back to see Grandpa. Is he in his room?" Yang Bingyu offered a bitter smile, stating her purpose.

Yang Tao’s expression shifted. He glanced at Ye Xuan standing behind her before speaking with visible reluctance. "Your grandpa just fell asleep. How about you come back another day to see him?"

Yang Zhennan’s mental state had been deteriorating rapidly. Ever since Ye Xuan left that morning, the old man had been in a deep slumber. He had only just managed to wake up, and Yang Tao did not want Yang Bingyu disturbing him.

"Come on, I’ll take you up." Ye Xuan could tell at a glance that Yang Tao was lying. Greatly displeased, he grabbed Yang Bingyu’s hand and made straight for the stairs.

"Wait, this..." Yang Tao blocked Ye Xuan’s path awkwardly, at a loss for what to do.

"Get out of the way," Ye Xuan ordered sharply, shooting Yang Tao an icy glare.

"Ye Xuan, let it go. Since Grandpa is resting, we’ll just come back and see him another day," Yang Bingyu said softly, tugging at his shirt as she didn’t want him fighting with her father.

Ye Xuan pressed his lips into a tight line and narrowed his eyes. He thought the Yang family was really starting to push their luck.

"You two murderers! Get the hell out! The Yang family does not welcome you!"

At that exact moment, a haggard-looking Yang Kui suddenly stomped down the stairs, roaring furiously at Ye Xuan and Yang Bingyu.