Xie Chen was old enough to be Song Yulian's father.
However, Xie Chen didn't look his age. If he were paired with Song Yulian, it wouldn't seem too out of place.
Xie Chen's father, on the other hand, didn't look as young.
He was old enough to be Song Yulian's grandfather, and his face matched his age.
Xie Chen and Qin Tingxue exchanged bewildered glances. What was going on?
Xie Chen felt he knew his father reasonably well. While his father wasn't exactly devoted to women, he wasn't a lecher either, at least not one who would eat indiscriminately.
Therefore, without a second thought, Xie Chen concluded that his father had been tricked.
"Let's go to Mother. At least we can comfort her," Xie Chen suggested.
Xie Chen's father wore a distressed expression, while Xie Chen's mother was visibly angry.
Upon seeing Xie Chen and Qin Tingxue arrive, Xie Chen's father's old face flushed with embarrassment.
His son and daughter-in-law had only been married a few days, and he had already caused such a scandal. It was truly dishonorable.
However, he wasn't a rigid person. The deed was done, and since they were family, it needed to be clarified.
"I was careless this time," Xie Chen's father admitted sincerely. "They forced me to bring the woman back, so I brought her back. I have no complaints about how Madam decides to handle it."
Xie Chen's mother snorted, "Do you think I care about your messy affairs? Song Yulian was someone that old geezer wanted to foist onto our son. Now she's become your woman. Those who know won't gossip. Those who don't will think my son snatched a woman. Wherever we go, we'll be laughed at."
Xie Chen's father sighed deeply.
"This… I have implicated you, Madam."
When one should admit fault, one must not be stubborn.
"Father, Song Yulian is young and beautiful. You haven't developed feelings for her, have you?" Xie Chen asked.
"You scoundrel! Do you think your father is that kind of person? Yes, I admit, I like young and beautiful women! But that doesn't mean I like someone cunning and manipulative," Xie Chen's father retorted.
"Then it's simple. If she wants to enter the household, let her. After all, once she's in, she'll have to live under Mother's rule," Xie Chen said. "At that time, Father, you just need to manage yourself and not be easily swayed by her words."
"Regardless of her intentions, I swear before you both that after she's brought in, I will have absolutely no dealings with her," Xie Chen's father vowed, glancing at his wife's expression. Seeing that she had visibly softened, he made his promise.
With his son and daughter-in-law present, his wife was at least not as cold as before.
"Can you bear to?" Xie Chen's mother asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Alas, a woman who schemes like that, I'd rather avoid her," Xie Chen's father replied.
"If we bring her in and ignore her, what about the Second Elder Master..." Xie Chen's mother hesitated. If the woman were easy to handle, she wouldn't be one to make things difficult.
But the fact that she had entered the manor through manipulation made Xie Chen's mother doubt that the young girl would be content.
"If he has any objections, he can take her back anytime. I don't mind if he dotes on her himself," Xie Chen's father said.
His words were rather flippant.
Qin Tingxue lowered her head, thinking silently. It seemed Xie Chen's disposition was somewhat similar to his father's.
If the Xie family's Second Elder Master heard this, he would surely be enraged.
"Then let's just treat her as a pet. We can afford to keep one," Xie Chen's mother mused after some thought.
The matter was resolved relatively peacefully.
As for his mother's lingering anger, it was no longer his concern. The culprit was present, and he deserved to suffer the consequences of his own actions.