Having said that, she turned to Ye Rui, "You follow him."

Ye Rui nodded, asked no further questions, and quickly walked towards the door.

Xiang Zhen glanced at the Ye family patriarch, rarely managing to control her emotions instead of causing a scene.

Feeling a sore back from standing, Ye Jiuliang pulled up a chair to sit down, her gaze indifferently turned toward Ye Yan, "Ye Lei hasn’t arrived yet, shall we discuss some other issues first?"

Ye Yan remained silent, his gaze fixed elsewhere.

"The accident that befell my father while he was on a mission, do you really have no further explanation to offer me?"

"The accident that happened to Ye Yuan was an unavoidable risk of the mission. It has nothing to do with me. Why should I have to explain anything to you? Do not try to pin these groundless accusations on me every chance you get. And don’t forget, no matter what, I am still your elder, your father’s elder brother," Ye Yan said sternly and with conviction.

Ye Jiuliang scoffed coldly, her icy gaze sweeping past the Ye family patriarch before settling once more on Ye Yan, "Seventeen years ago, a shipment belonging to Ye Group at Zhongwan Wharf in the western part of M country was intercepted. At the same time, that shipment was found to have issues, and my father was the person dispatched to track down and investigate it."

Upon hearing this, the Ye family patriarch’s heart clenched tightly, his complexion turning a shade whiter.

How did she come to know these old secrets, which he thought were well concealed? Who could have leaked the information?

Ye Yu and the others revealed looks of surprise, obviously hearing about these matters for the first time as well.

"If that shipment had been exposed, the reputation of Ye Group would have been destroyed overnight, and the Ye Family would have endured unprecedented turmoil. That was also precisely when Ye Group was at its peak." Ignoring the unsightly look on the Ye family patriarch’s face, Ye Jiuliang continued, "Ye Group needed time and connections to divert that shipment. They had to act before my father could uncover the truth."

Mid-sentence, her eyebrows and eyes turned icy, her cold gaze fixating on Ye Yan like frost that could not be melted.

"All because of that shipment, for the sake of the Ye Family’s reputation, interests, and status, you chose to sacrifice my father, gambling with his and his team members’ lives."

Her father was too upright, even when it concerned the Ye Family’s interests, he would still choose to do the right thing over family ties. Did that mean he deserved to be sacrificed to protect the Ye Family’s interests?

Ye Yan’s lips tightened, looking directly at Ye Jiuliang, his eyes enigmatic and inscrutable.

Keeping the little girl, Ye Jiuliang, had indeed been a mistake.

Ye Jiuliang calmed the anger in her heart, looked up at the Ye family patriarch, and spoke indifferently, "There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you: in your heart, is the Ye Family’s interest more important than your own son’s life?"

If her father hadn’t met with disaster, her mother at least would have had a pillar of support and wouldn’t have passed away so early in sorrow. All of this was caused by these two people.

"It’s not like that, not at all," the Ye family patriarch urgently tried to explain, "Ye Yuan’s death was truly an accident. I didn’t expect his plane to crash into the sea; it was really just an accident."

Back then, he had hinted repeatedly for him not to take on that mission; alas, Ye Yuan was too stubborn to heed his advice. As it came to the point when the shipment was about to be exposed, he could only follow Ye Yan’s suggestion, secretly tripping up Ye Yuan. But he had never thought it would lead to the plane crash and his death. Harming him had not been his intention at all.

"You know very well whether it was an accident or not," Ye Jiuliang withdrew her gaze and spoke pointedly.

She had refrained from taking action for so many years, not only because she had promised her grandmother on her deathbed, but also because she was convinced her father wasn’t dead, and she believed he would want to seek vengeance himself.

The Ye family patriarch was at a loss for words.

On the side, Ye Yu looked at the old master of the Ye Family, and then at Ye Yan, her heart already believing Ye Jiuliang’s words.

Although she sympathized with her second brother, she couldn’t help but understand her father’s and eldest brother’s actions. Putting interests above all else was inherently not wrong. After all, how could the Ye Family have come this far without getting their hands dirty?

At this moment, Ye Rui returned, slowly pushing a wheelchair into the living room. When everyone clearly saw the person sitting in the wheelchair, they were shocked.

The person in the wheelchair was still in his hospital gown, with bandages around his forehead, a cast on his foot, and a complexion pale as paper.

A change finally came over Ye Yan’s usually unruffled expression, his gaze locking onto the person in the wheelchair, a sudden bad feeling welling up inside him.

"Ye Lei," Xiang Zhen almost cried tears of joy when she saw the person in the wheelchair.

"Don’t touch him. The doctor said he just woke up, and it’s not convenient for him to move around for now, nor is it suitable for him to get too agitated," Ye Rui said indifferently as he saw her rushing over.

Hearing this, Xiang Zhen hurriedly stopped in her tracks, her face revealing her overwhelming excitement.

Ye Jiuliang observed Ye Yan’s expression from the corner of his eye and asked in a light tone, "Where did Ji Mingqian go?"

"He told me to bring Ye Lei back first; he went to catch those who attacked Ye Lei," Ye Rui said.

Ye Jiuliang lowered his gaze toward "Ye Lei" and asked in a cold voice, "Ye Lei, can you recognize the people who attacked you?"

"Ye Lei" nodded weakly and hummed in affirmation.

With trembling fingers, he pointed at Ye Yan, his eyes full of disappointment, "I really didn’t expect you to be so ruthless with me. I am your biological son, how could you do this?"

"Ye Lei, did they feed you some nonsense? Don’t be fooled by them, and don’t misunderstand your father," Xiang Zhen hurriedly defended him before Ye Yan could speak.

"Misunderstand?" Ye Lei let out a sarcastic laugh, his weak body making his breath unsteady as he spoke, "The moment I passed out, two men were talking beside me. They said they should almost stop to avoid taking a life, and that my father couldn’t justify it if I died. The order my father gave them was to leave me alive."

If the recording just now wasn’t enough evidence, Ye Lei’s testimony at this moment completely eliminated the last trace of doubt in everyone’s hearts.

Any explanation became pale and weak in the face of his biological son’s accusation, and Ye Yan finally lost his composure, angrily saying, "You ungrateful son, what nonsense are you spouting? Are you going to help them slander me too?"

"Ye Lei" took a deep breath, speaking with difficulty, "At this point, are you still going to make excuses? These injuries on me are all thanks to you. ’Even a tiger won’t eat its cubs,’ I really never thought you would be such a person."

Suddenly, a figure rushed from the side, pushing Ye Yan hard, "Ye Yan, I trusted you so much, this is our son, how could you lay hands on him?"

Taken completely off guard, Ye Yan stumbled backward, his back hitting the cold wall.

"Sister-in-law, please calm down, let’s talk this over," Ye Yu stepped forward to mediate.

"There is nothing to discuss, back off," Xiang Zhen brushed off her hand, her teeth clenched in anger.

Ye Yan and his illegitimate son Ye Rui were of no concern to him, but Xiang Zhen had only this one son, and she would fight anyone who dared to harm him.

Her eyes red with rage, she glared at Ye Yan, grabbing a vase from nearby and smashing it toward him.