Chapter 59: Deliberately Making Things Difficult

He hadn’t expected the man known as Uncle Liu to leave such a good impression on Lin Aoxue. Ye Xuan’s frown deepened. He would have to look into this man’s background to see if his intentions were genuine or malicious.

"Hmph, how do you have the time to look for me now? Aren’t you afraid Yang Bingyu will get angry?" Lin Aoxue gave a feigned huff of anger. She turned her back to him, her voice dripping with jealousy.

Seeing her act so haughty yet adorable, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but chuckle. "Did a certain someone get jealous? The air is practically reeking with envy."

"Who’s jealous?! I would never be jealous over you!"

Hearing this, Lin Aoxue immediately spun around. She lightly drummed her small fists against Ye Xuan’s chest, her face full of playful reproach. Her charming, coquettish demeanor made Ye Xuan’s heart flutter with desire.

Seeing no one around, he simply pulled Lin Aoxue into his arms, lowered his head, and sealed her cherry lips with his.

After the kiss, Lin Aoxue’s cheeks were flushed from the lack of oxygen. She leaned weakly against Ye Xuan’s chest. "Didn’t you say we needed to keep our relationship a secret for now? Aren’t you afraid someone will see you doing this?"

Ye Xuan reached out, lightly tapping the tip of her nose, and smiled softly. "Don’t worry. This place is far from the main venue. It’s hidden by the woods and the lighting is dim. No one will come here."

Even though they had been married and living together for so many years, officially becoming boyfriend and girlfriend was an event that had only happened a few days ago.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Ye Xuan and Lin Aoxue had only been apart for two or three days, but it felt like a century had passed. The two of them lingered affectionately in their hidden corner for quite a while. It wasn’t until the start of the banquet was announced that they reluctantly parted ways.

"Ye Xuan, where did you go? I’ve been looking all over for you," Yang Bingyu asked, looking at him with obvious displeasure. She had just been called away by her grandfather. The moment she turned around, Ye Xuan was gone, and she hadn’t been able to find him anywhere.

"Uh... I’m not really used to these kinds of banquets, so I stepped out for some fresh air," Ye Xuan rubbed his nose and spoke with a guilty conscience.

Seeing him like this, Yang Bingyu knew at a glance that he was lying. Her gaze instantly grew a few degrees colder.

"Ye Xuan, as my bodyguard, you should be following me at all times to ensure my safety. If you’re going to neglect your duties like this, then you might as well leave. The Yang Family can’t afford to accommodate someone as high and mighty as you."

She knew Ye Xuan’s identity was extraordinary, but when Yang Bingyu got angry, she spoke without thinking. Coupled with her spoiled temper from childhood, she immediately put on the airs of a haughty young miss.

"Got it." A woman in a fit of pique was not to be provoked. Ye Xuan merely smiled and nodded, not bothering to argue.

Soon, it was time for the banquet to begin.

Elder Yang, dressed in a purple-and-gold traditional Tang suit, slowly appeared before the crowd, accompanied by Yang Kui and Yang Tao. Even though Elder Yang was already eighty years old, his voice was robust, and his face glowed with health.

Yang Kui straightened his suit, cleared his throat, and stepped up to the stage to deliver a speech to the guests.

After a round of polite pleasantries, the banquet officially commenced. As the man of the hour, Yang Zhennan was surrounded by all sorts of people who showered him with every flattering word imaginable.

A dazzling array of gifts was piled high on a table. Yang Zhennan socialized so much that his face began to ache from smiling. Although he was in high spirits, he was getting on in years, and his body was starting to feel the strain.

Taking advantage of a brief moment when Yang Zhennan was resting, Yang Bingyu quickly walked over with her gift in her arms. She smiled radiantly and said, "Grandpa, I wish you fortune as boundless as the East Sea and a life as long as the Southern Mountains! This is the eightieth birthday gift I prepared especially for you!"

"Hahaha! Good! You’re very thoughtful." Yang Zhennan happily accepted Yang Bingyu’s gift. This time, his smile was truly genuine.

"Grandpa! I have a gift for you too! This is a Dongzhu I went to great lengths to have someone find. It’s the only one of its kind in the entire world!"

Seeing Yang Bingyu present her gift, Yang Jie refused to be outdone and hurried over. He directly displayed a Dongzhu the size of a pigeon egg, immediately drawing the attention of the surrounding guests.

"Wow, this Dongzhu really can be considered one of a kind. As big as a pigeon egg? It must have cost nearly a hundred million to buy, right? This gift is truly extravagant."

"Isn’t it though? You can tell Yang Jie put a lot of effort into this. Look at Elder Yang, he can’t even close his mouth from smiling."

"That goes without saying. If someone gave me a Dongzhu like that, I’d probably be too excited to sleep at night."

Listening to the crowd’s praises and envious whispers, Yang Jie smugly lifted his chin. He turned his head and shot Yang Bingyu a look of utter disdain. "Sister Bing, what is the gift you’re giving Grandpa? Aren’t you going to show it to everyone? Keeping it wrapped in paper like that... it couldn’t possibly be some cheap trinket too embarrassing to show, could it?"

Seeing Yang Jie’s smug face left Yang Bingyu thoroughly speechless. She rolled her eyes hard. When it came to giving gifts, wasn’t it the thought that counted, rather than the price tag? Did more expensive automatically mean better?

"Grandpa, my gift naturally isn’t as valuable as Yang Jie’s, but it contains all my best wishes for you. I hope you won’t be disappointed when you see it," Yang Bingyu said modestly.

"Whatever gift Bingyu gives me, even if it’s just a flower, I’ll love it. Let’s not open it right now. We still need to cut the cake later, so everyone doesn’t need to crowd around me anymore." Yang Zhennan patted her hand, a flash of understanding passing through his eyes. Yang Jie was clearly trying to compete with Yang Bingyu in public to highlight the value of his own gift.

Almost every year at the birthday banquet, Yang Jie would pull a stunt like this. In the past, he figured the kids were still young, and a bit of mischief was normal. But lately, Yang Jie’s actions were increasingly drawing Yang Zhennan’s disapproval. Not only had he offended Ye Xuan, but he also deliberately stirred up trouble despite knowing that Yang Bingyu had been facing constant criticism recently.

If he continued to let Yang Jie run wild, the Yang Family would inevitably be ruined by his hands sooner or later.

"Grandpa, just open it and let everyone see! Satisfy everyone’s curiosity," Yang Jie pressed. He had wanted to publicly humiliate Yang Bingyu from the start, so there was no way he would let the matter drop so easily. He stubbornly insisted that Yang Zhennan open the gift in front of the crowd.

The smile on Yang Zhennan’s face instantly vanished. He pulled a long face, preparing to scold Yang Jie, but Yang Bingyu beat him to it.

"Grandpa, since Yang Jie is so curious about what I got for you, just go ahead and open it."

"Bingyu, you..." Seeing Yang Bingyu’s nonchalant expression, Yang Zhennan was temporarily at a loss for words. He didn’t know what to say to her.

"Since Sister Bingyu said so herself, then Grandpa, hurry up and open the gift!"