Chapter 77: Spare Him 1 Time

She wondered what kind of person the White Tiger Chief, Chen Hao, her own biological brother, really was.

"Ye Xuan, what was my brother like in the past?" Wiping away her tears, Yang Bingyu looked up at Ye Xuan and asked.

At the thought of Chen Hao, a trace of pain surfaced on Ye Xuan’s face. All these years, he had been intentionally avoiding topics related to White Tiger and Xuanwu. The events of the past had left a massive shadow in his heart.

"If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I was just curious for a moment." Seeing his difficult expression, Yang Bingyu immediately waved her hand, gesturing that he didn’t have to say anything if he didn’t want to.

Ye Xuan closed his eyes, fighting to suppress the strange feeling welling up inside him. When he opened them again, he spoke in a flat tone, "It’s all in the distant past now. Your brother was the exact opposite of you. He had a steady personality and a clear, calm mind. He was a very reliable person."

"Do you have a picture of him? I want to see what he looked like. I was too young when we were separated, and I don’t have the slightest impression of him." After days of calming down, Yang Bingyu had finally accepted the fact that she had a biological brother. Besides, Chen Hao was already dead; whether she acknowledged him or not didn’t really matter. When she thought of this brother of hers, Yang Bingyu mostly felt curiosity and pity. Since she had no memory of Chen Hao at all, there was simply no familial affection to speak of.

"I don’t have a picture of him on me. If you want to see one, I can have someone try to find one for you." Seeing that Yang Bingyu had come to terms with it, Ye Xuan felt much more relieved. He had been worried that she wouldn’t be able to accept Chen Hao.

Right at that moment, Yang Zhennan, who was lying in the hospital bed, suddenly coughed twice. His tightly shut eyes slowly opened.

"Grandpa! You’re awake?" Yang Bingyu cried out, overjoyed, and hurriedly pressed the call button for the doctor.

The on-call doctor rushed over shortly and performed a thorough check-up on Yang Zhennan. "Since the patient is awake, there are no major issues. He just needs to rest and recuperate from now on."

Hearing the doctor’s words, Yang Bingyu nearly wept tears of joy. It was the best news she had heard in days.

"Grandpa, are you thirsty? Do you want some water?" Yang Bingyu carefully helped Yang Zhennan sit up, asking with a face full of concern.

"Bingyu, I’m fine." Yang Zhennan waved his hand weakly, signaling her not to fuss, then lifted his head and shifted his gaze to Ye Xuan. "Cyan Dragon Chief, I know I don’t have much time left, so could I ask you... could I ask you to spare Yang Jie’s life?"

Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow as he looked at Yang Zhennan. He hadn’t expected the old man’s first words upon waking to be a plea for Yang Jie’s life. Sure enough, a biological grandson was treated differently.

"You shouldn’t be asking me about this. You should ask Bingyu. If she is willing to forgive Yang Jie, then I will spare his life." After all, Yang Bingyu was the biggest victim in this matter. How to deal with Yang Jie depended entirely on her wishes.

"Bingyu, no matter what, Jie is still your brother. You can’t truly want his life, can you?" Yang Zhennan immediately grabbed Yang Bingyu’s hand, his eyes filled with pleading.

Yang Bingyu was torn. She didn’t know what to do. If it were anyone else, she would have wanted them sliced into a thousand pieces to satisfy her hatred. But this was Yang Jie. Her own brother, and Yang Zhennan’s biological grandson.

After pondering for a long time, Yang Bingyu finally compromised. "Grandpa, I can forgive Yang Jie this once. But if he dares to make a move against me and Ye Xuan next time, don’t blame me for disregarding our bond as siblings."

She was doing this entirely out of respect for Yang Zhennan. If he hadn’t treated her so exceptionally well, Yang Jie would be a dead man.

"Good girl, I knew you were kind-hearted. Rest assured, if Yang Jie ever dares to lay a hand on you again, Grandpa will end him myself!" With those words from Yang Bingyu, Yang Zhennan’s heart was completely set at ease. As long as she was willing to forgive Yang Jie, Ye Xuan naturally wouldn’t do anything to him.

"Grandpa, don’t worry about these things anymore. The doctor said you need to rest peacefully," Yang Bingyu said. "They say children will find their own fortunes. Whatever happens to us younger ones in the future is no longer your concern.

"Besides, you’ve already fulfilled your responsibilities. You owe absolutely nothing to us, or to the entire Yang Family."

Yang Bingyu looked at the white-haired Yang Zhennan with heartache. Just a month ago, her grandfather had walked with vigor and spoken with a booming voice. But now, he had become a frail old man confined to a hospital bed, needing others to take care of him.

"Sigh, I’ve watched all of you grow up. How could I not worry?" Yang Zhennan patted Yang Bingyu’s hand and let out a heavy sigh. Even if Yang Jie was such a bastard, as his grandfather, Yang Zhennan simply couldn’t ignore him.

Ye Xuan shot Yang Zhennan a brief glance but said nothing. This old fox was truly skilled at playing the emotional card. Knowing that Yang Bingyu was soft-hearted and cared deeply for him, he had used her to pressure him. Oh well. Since Yang Bingyu had already agreed to spare Yang Jie this time, they would just have to see how things played out. If Yang Jie learned his place and behaved, this matter would be considered over. But if he dared to pull any more petty tricks, he could just wait for death.

Yang Bingyu chatted with Yang Zhennan for a little while longer before he grew completely exhausted and fell into a deep slumber once again.

After waiting for Yang Bingyu to fall asleep, Ye Xuan sneaked out of the hospital and once again made his way to the cozy apartment he shared with Lin Aoxue. He had left in such a hurry earlier that he hadn’t even given Lin Aoxue a proper goodbye. He wondered if she was feeling unhappy about it.

Her shoes were still at the door; it seemed Lin Aoxue had gone to sleep here.

Ye Xuan subconsciously lightened his footsteps. Just as he pushed open the bedroom door, he heard a loud shout from Lin Aoxue. Immediately after, a hard object smashed onto the top of his head. Ye Xuan let out a muffled grunt before swiftly grabbing hold of the panicked Lin Aoxue and pinning her in place.

"Xue’er, are you trying to murder your husband?"

Upon hearing Ye Xuan’s voice, the panicked Lin Aoxue finally calmed down and anxiously asked, "Why is it you? How is your head? Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

In the darkness, Lin Aoxue couldn’t see how badly Ye Xuan was injured, so she could only reach out and feel around blindly. Ye Xuan grasped her hands and gently shook his head.

"It’s fine. Just a minor injury."

"Honestly, you didn’t even call before coming over! You scared me to death!" Lin Aoxue complained playfully as she leaned into Ye Xuan’s embrace.

She had been jolted awake when Ye Xuan opened the front door. Fumbling in the dark, she had grabbed an object and hidden behind the bedroom door, waiting to smash it over the intruder’s head the moment they stepped inside. Who would have known that the intruder would be Ye Xuan?

Holding Lin Aoxue, Ye Xuan chuckled softly. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her familiar scent, feeling an unparalleled sense of peace.

"I was afraid you were angry, so I wanted to come back and check on you. I never expected to be treated like a burglar."