Chapter 128: A Treacherous Banquet

Ye Xuan turned around, feeling somewhat helpless, and gently pulled Yang Bingyu’s hands away from his waist.

He wanted her to think things through clearly; matters of the heart couldn’t be rushed on impulse.

"If you don’t even try, how will you know if my feelings are genuine or just a passing novelty? Besides, considering how things have ended up between you and Lin Aoxue, why can’t you give me a chance?"

His rejection made Yang Bingyu’s heart ache. Even after pleading so desperately, she still couldn’t win a shred of his affection.

"You... ah, you silly girl, I really don’t know what to do with you."

Seeing her eyes turn red again, Ye Xuan let out a deeply resigned sigh.

He truly was at his wits’ end with her. He couldn’t be fierce or scold her; all he could do was coax her.

"Please? Just give it a try?"

Yang Bingyu looked up at him, her eyes brimming with hope.

Faced with her innocent and endearing expression, Ye Xuan simply couldn’t bring himself to say no. He finally gave a silent nod.

Right at that moment, Yang Bingyu’s phone rang.

Ye Xuan glanced at the caller ID and was surprised to see it was Yang Kui. He couldn’t help but frown.

Logically speaking, Yang Kui should absolutely hate Yang Bingyu right now. Why would he take the initiative to call her?

"Uncle Kui?"

Yang Bingyu was also incredibly surprised. She still remembered the harsh words Yang Kui had spoken to her just a few days ago.

She looked up at Ye Xuan, her eyes silently asking if she should answer.

Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then pressed the answer button.

He wanted to see exactly why Yang Kui was calling today.

"Hello, Uncle Kui. Did you need something?"

Yang Bingyu spoke into the phone, her voice laced with a hint of unease.

"Your grandfather wants you to come home for a family dinner tonight. And bring that Ye Xuan along with you."

Yang Kui’s cold, stiff words echoed from the speaker, sending a sharp pang of hurt through Yang Bingyu’s heart.

Things used to be so different between them. Whenever she called him in the past, he would always answer affectionately, calling her "Little Feather."

Now, it seemed that familial bond was gone forever.

"Alright, I understand. Ye Xuan and I will be there."

Yang Bingyu took a deep breath, trying hard to steady her emotions, and obediently agreed.

The moment she finished speaking, a loud CLICK came from the other end as the call was abruptly cut off.

Listening to the dial tone, Yang Bingyu felt a wave of sorrow wash over her.

"There, there. Don’t overthink it. Everything will get better," Ye Xuan said softly, reaching out to rub her hair. He didn’t want to see her so upset.

Originally, they had planned to stay home and whip up a few simple dishes for dinner. Now that Yang Zhennan had summoned them back to the Yang Family, there was no need to cook.

However, whether this was a genuine family dinner or a dangerous trap remained to be seen.

The Yang Family hadn’t even allowed Yang Bingyu to attend Yang Jie’s funeral. Not much time had passed since then, yet Yang Kui was now proactively calling her. Things were definitely not as simple as they seemed.

Yunju Mountain Villa wasn’t very far from the Yang Family’s estate; it was only a ten-minute drive.

The servants, who previously harbored prejudice against both Yang Bingyu and Ye Xuan, were unusually well-behaved tonight. It seemed Yang Zhennan had laid down the law.

Upon seeing them, the old butler bowed respectfully.

"Welcome back, Miss. The master and the others are waiting for you inside."

He gestured politely for Yang Bingyu and Ye Xuan to enter, then opened the front doors of the Yang Family mansion for them.

The living room was absolutely packed with people. They were all members of the Yang Family. Even distant relatives and branch family members who hadn’t visited in years were present.

The moment they walked through the door, every single pair of eyes turned to fix on Yang Bingyu and Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan naturally didn’t recognize any of them, but Yang Bingyu’s face instantly paled upon seeing the crowd.

"Oh my, is this Bingyu? It’s been so many years. You’ve grown into such a big girl! At first glance, I didn’t even recognize you," a woman sitting on the left sofa said, raising her eyebrows at Yang Bingyu. Her words sounded affectionate, but her eyes were brimming with pure mockery.

Yang Bingyu forced a polite smile and braced herself as she greeted them.

By the time she finished addressing the endless sea of aunts and uncles, her mouth had gone dry.

Meanwhile, Yang Zhennan—the very person who had summoned them back—was nowhere to be seen. This made Ye Xuan increasingly certain that this dinner was a setup.

"Bingyu, I heard you got engaged. I assume this is your fiancé?" asked the woman from earlier, glancing at Ye Xuan with a passive-aggressive smirk. "I wonder, which company is he the boss of? How much does he make in a year?"

Yang Bingyu’s expression instantly froze. Just as she was about to speak, her father’s sister interjected.

"Boss of a company? Please, he’s just a leech living off a woman," her aunt scoffed. "I heard he’s even divorced. His ex-wife is that Lin Aoxue.

"Shufen, haven’t you been watching the news lately? The scandal involving the three of them caused a massive uproar. Everyone in Jianghai City knows about it."

Her tone dripped with blatant mockery and disdain toward Ye Xuan. Hearing this, Yang Bingyu couldn’t help but clench her fists.

Upon hearing her sister-in-law’s words, Shufen immediately covered her mouth, feigning a look of shock.

"Bingyu, I am so sorry! You know me, I don’t follow celebrity gossip, so I really had no idea about your situation.

"Your older cousin’s husband is the general manager of a multinational corporation. He makes tens of millions a year!

"I just figured that since you’re the eldest young lady of the Yang Family’s main branch, the husband you found surely wouldn’t be any worse than your cousin’s."

The moment those words left her mouth, laughter erupted across the entire living room.

It was blindingly obvious that she had done this on purpose. Her sole goal was to humiliate Ye Xuan in public and make Yang Bingyu lose face.

Ye Xuan swept his gaze over the crowd, a cold sneer tugging at the corners of his lips.

He completely ignored their mockery. Instead, he took Yang Bingyu by the hand and led her to a nearby sofa to sit down.

However, the second he sat down, a middle-aged woman beside them snapped in a sharp, passive-aggressive tone.

"What a useless leech. He doesn’t even know basic manners. Can’t you see that your great-uncles and great-aunts are still standing? What gives you the right to sit down?"

Her abrasive tone was incredibly grating. Ye Xuan furrowed his brows, tempted to flip out on them right then and there.

But remembering that these people were Yang Bingyu’s relatives, he ultimately held his temper. Without a word, he stood back up and stepped to the side.

"Ye Xuan, you..."

Yang Bingyu tried to pull him back, but before she could even finish her sentence, her Eldest Aunt grabbed her arm.

"Listen to me, Bingyu. I’m not trying to lecture you, but since he’s a live-in son-in-law, he needs to act like one.

"I highly doubt the Lin Family ever allowed him to sit at the same dinner table with them back when he lived there.

"You need to properly discipline this man. If you spoil him too much, he’ll forget his place and won’t know up from down."

The more her aunt spoke, the uglier Yang Bingyu’s expression became. She didn’t have a good relationship with these so-called relatives to begin with; they normally only interacted during the New Year holidays.

Seeing them ruthlessly mock and humiliate Ye Xuan made her blood boil.