Facing the warning look, Ye Miao couldn’t help but fall silent in discontent.

He was baffled, why did his mother always have to stop him? Was Ye Jiuliang really that terrifying that they had to keep out of her way again and again?

Ye Lao’s face was an iron blue as he commanded sternly, "Ye Rui, clarify yourself, what exactly happened?"

Ye Rui took a deep breath, his gaze swept across Xiang Zhen and the others, those hypocritical faces were simply nauseating.

In the end, his eyes rested on Ye Yan, and a sneer of mockery flickered across his lips.

Pointing at Ye Yan, he called out his full name and proclaimed firmly, "It’s him, Ye Yan."

As the words fell, a deathly silence enveloped the surroundings.

Ye Yan’s face was impassive, but a tempest raged in the depths of his eyes.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked at Ye Rui. His face still bore the unhealed bruises, making him look pale and haggard.

At this moment, he inexplicably felt that his son was unfathomable, somewhat estranged.

Knowing that Ye Rui would not lie, Ye Jiuliang glanced at Ye Yan with indifferent eyes, the corners of his lips curling in a playful sneer.

It seemed that Ye Rui had gotten what he wanted, and things were starting to get interesting.

"Ye Rui, what nonsense are you spouting? Have you lost your mind?" Xiang Zhen snapped back to reality, pointing at Ye Rui and cursing loudly, "Ye Jiuliang wasn’t here the other day, and you didn’t say this. You ungrateful, treacherous cur."

She looked at Ye Rui with an expression of seeing through it all, "I get it now; Ye Jiuliang must have offered you some secret advantage, that’s why you’ve changed your tune and refuse to testify. Ye Rui, do you have no conscience? That’s your father. A tiger doesn’t eat its cubs; how could he possibly harm Ye Lei."

"Ha."

Ye Rui laughed mockingly, his laughter growing louder, until tears started to well up in the corners of his eyes.

"What a thing to say, ’he is my father,’ what a thing to say, ’a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs.’"

His face sobered, and his voice dropped to freezing point, "From the first day I joined the Ye family, has Ye Yan ever treated me as his son for even a day? If not for you all, my mother would not be dead. I am unworthy of such a ’father’."

Xiang Zhen frowned, her face showing disdain, "Your mother’s life was short because of her own doing. Who is to blame? She brought it on herself by being a homewrecker."

Having lived under this roof for so many years and knowing her unreasonable nature, Ye Rui couldn’t be bothered to argue with her.

"So you’re seeking revenge for your son, aren’t you?" he said coldly with a laugh. "I’ll tell you, the person who harmed your son is none other than your husband, Ye Yan. He meticulously planned all of this."

Each word was as heavy as a jewel and drenched in blood, like a dagger thrust into the heart of Grandfather Ye.

He turned his head with difficulty, his gaze towards Ye Yan carrying disbelief.

Xiang Zhen’s complexion changed drastically, and she pushed him harshly, "You’re lying; it’s not possible. You hate Ye Yan because he treated you poorly, so you’re making it all up."

"That’s right, Ye Rui. Stop spouting nonsense. My dad loves my brother so much; how could he possibly want to harm him? What benefit would he get from such an act?" Ye Xin didn’t believe Ye Rui’s words either, assuming he held a grudge against them for treating him badly, and that he was deliberately trying to stir up trouble.

"Benefit?" Ye Rui curled his lip, "By using this incident to frame Jiuliang, to kill her off, openly going against Jiuliang under the guise of avenging his son—is that not the greatest benefit?"

In a corner unseen, Ye Yan’s large hand hidden in his sleeve clenched slightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

The little bastard, Ye Yan thought, he should never have kept him around.

"Ye Lei had just returned from a business trip, what a coincidence that I just happened to take his car. All this was arranged by Ye Yan, knowing that Ye Lei is the legitimate eldest grandson of the Ye Family, and that if something were to happen to him, the old man would thoroughly investigate the matter." Ye Rui’s voice rose again, capturing everyone’s attention.

"He knows I’ve grown close to Jiuliang, so he’s been courting me lately, treating me more kindly than before. He’s schemed tirelessly all to have me testify for him, to claim it was Jiuliang who hired people to attack Ye Lei. Just yesterday, he told me in the study that since Ye Lei is currently unconscious, I should intern at the company after my school break. He thought these small favors could buy me."

He paused, took a step forward, his gaze locked tightly on Xiang Zhen, and sneered coldly, "You’re wrong. A tiger wouldn’t eat its offspring, but this is Ye Yan. To him, his interests are above all else. To achieve his goals, he would stop at nothing."

Xiang Zhen’s pupils shrank, her face a mix of green and purple.

"You... you’re talking nonsense." Her previously arrogant demeanor diminished, and her words came out without much conviction.

Ever since he was a child, Ye Lei had always been doted on by Ye Yan, and Ye Yan had high hopes for this son; it was impossible for him to do such a thing.

Ye Rui stood up straight, speaking calmly, "I’m talking nonsense, huh? Then go ask him yourself."

As Xiang Zhen turned around, she met Ye Yan’s gaze.

Eye to eye, the words she meant to say suddenly stuck in her throat.

Ye Yan, seizing the initiative, asked with an unchanged expression, "Xiang Zhen, that’s our son. Would you rather believe him and doubt me?"

"I..." Xiang Zhen was at a loss for words.

Ye Yan was right. Perhaps Ye Rui was merely trying to drive a wedge between them. Ye Rui had always held a grudge for his mother’s death. It must be true; he surely wanted to create chaos within their family.

"Mom, Dad’s right. Don’t be fooled by Ye Rui’s lies. He’s just trying to disrupt our family’s relationship. Don’t believe him," Ye Xin glared at Ye Rui. "If you’re so sure, then produce some evidence. Don’t think I don’t know you’re just speaking up for Jiuliang because you’ve taken benefits from her."

"Then tell me what benefits did he receive from me? You’re so certain; which eye of yours saw it?" Jiuliang toyed with a dagger, looking at her with a mocking smile.

"Cat got your tongue?"

The cold gleam of the dagger came into view, and Ye Xin suddenly found herself speechless, the wound on her neck still aching faintly.

Jiuliang curled her lips, her words tinged with a fierce bandit-like aggression, "If you didn’t see anything, then shut your mouth. Otherwise, the dagger doesn’t have eyes."

Ye Xin bit her lip hard, taking steps to hide behind Xiang Zhen.

Ye Yan looked at Ye Rui and sighed lightly, his eyes revealing disappointment and sorrow, "Ye Rui, I know I haven’t been as good a father as I should have been, but you shouldn’t joke about this kind of thing. I never thought that my kindness would be twisted into scheming, in your accusations."

"You claim all this was masterminded by me, then present your evidence. Don’t just talk big here," Ye Yan said.

Ye Rui’s gaze was heavy as he looked at him, as if trying to see through that deceitful facade, into his dark heart.

Without rushing to argue, Ye Rui took a recording chip out of his pocket, no larger than a fingernail.

He said, "The evidence is here, everything you said to me is on this chip. If you want to hear it, I can play it for you right now."