Ye Tiancheng was the first to catch a whiff of a scent that was not pleasant, yet strangely familiar.
The little fox, though not as perceptive as Ye Tiancheng, had eyes. He stood closest to Ye Tiancheng and was in the best position to see the situation within the room, so he immediately understood what was happening.
Simultaneously, some rather discordant sounds emanated from the room.
He Lianyue, who had been missing, was indeed in this room. And the Fatty was also in this room. This scene…
With a bang, Ye Tiancheng pulled the door shut. He first answered the question He Lianyi had posed earlier.
“I’ve come to find my friend. I was just informed that your people had arranged my friend in this room, which is why I found my way here.”
He Lianyi’s expression had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. He was also fully aware of the situation inside the room. It was definitely not the outcome he desired, nor was it the outcome He Liansheng wanted.
But it had already happened. What should be done now?
He Lianyi’s immediate reaction was to cast a sharp gaze towards the servants who had followed him, as well as others present at the scene.
This was why knowing too much often led to a shorter life. Everyone present had undoubtedly witnessed the recent events. Now, facing He Lianyi’s gaze, everyone immediately lowered their heads, filled with dread, wishing they had never been there.
He Lianyi would certainly want to silence them. It wasn’t just He Lianyi; thinking of the other person in the room, even Ye Tiancheng and the little fox wished for silence.
This was too bizarre. They had mixed up the rooms for the people they arranged. The original plan was to set up Ye Tiancheng and He Lianyue, but they had been put in separate rooms. Even if that was the case, it was merely a failed plan. But they had also placed the Fatty in this room.
Looking at the reactions of the two people in the room, based on Ye Tiancheng’s understanding of the Fatty, and considering that the Fatty had just experienced emotional trauma and hadn’t recovered, Ye Tiancheng didn’t believe that the Fatty would have ended up in bed with another woman while sober.
As for He Lianyue, Ye Tiancheng believed that if she were sober, she certainly wouldn’t have ended up in bed with the Fatty. He Lianyue didn’t seem like someone who would fancy the Fatty.
The situation had now become quite serious. It was fortunate that this matter was most likely the He Lian family’s own doing, a case of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice. If the blame were to be traced, it couldn’t be placed on Ye Tiancheng and his companions.
Especially since the He Lian family might have used some unsavory methods, which would make it even less the Fatty’s fault.
With that thought, Ye Tiancheng felt a little more at ease.
At least, from the current situation, it couldn’t be said that the Fatty was at a disadvantage. For such a thing to happen, it was clearly the He Lian family that had suffered the greater loss.
As for He Lianyue, she was truly unlucky to have such relatives, to have gotten herself into this situation. He Lianyue’s current state was certainly not voluntary. Ye Tiancheng wondered what would happen when she woke up.
“Regarding today’s events, what should be said and what should not, I believe you all know. If even half a word of today’s events leaks out…”
He Lianyi threatened the other servants present. Those servants all swore to He Lianyi, vowing to the heavens that they would not speak a single word outside, pretending as if they had seen nothing and heard nothing.
It was fortunate that the number of people present this time was small, making it easier to control the situation.
After threatening the servants, He Lianyi turned his attention to Ye Tiancheng. “Mr. Ye, shall we talk elsewhere?”
Although neither He Lianyi nor Ye Tiancheng wished for the situation in the room to occur, in the current circumstances, they couldn’t barge in to stop it. After all, the things that shouldn’t have happened had already happened. Stopping it now would be of no benefit.
Ye Tiancheng nodded. He definitely needed to talk with He Lianyi. He absolutely couldn’t give He Lianyi’s side a chance to shift the blame onto the Fatty. The He Lian family’s own people had harbored wicked intentions and were now reaping what they sowed; it had nothing to do with the Fatty. Ye Tiancheng would not stand by and watch the Fatty be wronged and troubled.
“That is certainly something we should discuss.”
After both parties confirmed their intentions, He Lianyi asked a servant for the key. Then, Ye Tiancheng and his companions watched as He Lianyi took the key and locked the room door from the outside.
Facing Ye Tiancheng’s gaze, He Lianyi said, “We can’t let anyone else barge in.”
Ye Tiancheng found this reasonable. Moreover, if the Fatty woke up and found himself unable to get out, he would surely contact him. And He Lianyi’s side would certainly not dare to imprison the Fatty under their noses. Therefore, locking the door at this moment was not a problem.
After all, since He Lianyi and Ye Tiancheng were going to discuss this matter elsewhere, they couldn’t constantly monitor the situation here. Even if they assigned guards, they couldn’t guarantee that everyone was reliable. It was better to ensure that no one else would enter this room and escalate the matter further.
As for how to silence the other witnesses, Ye Tiancheng believed that He Lianyi could handle it. As the head of the He Lian family, if he couldn’t even manage such a simple matter, it would truly be a laughingstock.
After He Lianyi locked the door, Ye Tiancheng followed He Lianyi away. The little fox also followed by Ye Tiancheng’s side. He Lianyi glanced at the little fox, but Ye Tiancheng blocked him and said to He Lianyi, “This is my good brother. Sorry, he saw it too just now. There’s nothing to hide.”
He Lianyi didn’t say anything further and allowed the little fox to follow them.
They didn’t go too far, but simply found an unoccupied room nearby and entered together.
Ye Tiancheng decided to strike first, asking He Lianyi, “Regarding what we just saw, I’d like to know how the He Lian family intends to explain this. Why was my friend arranged in the same room as the eldest daughter of the He Lian family? And how did such a thing happen? And why did the He Lian family rush here at this time?”
“And it happened not long after my previous incident?”
He Lianyi knew that Ye Tiancheng was not someone easy to deal with. Moreover, for such a thing to happen, their side had made a mistake first, resulting in losing both the wife and the soldiers. Could they still falsely accuse Ye Tiancheng?
If Ye Tiancheng and his companions were truly powerless, it would be easier to handle. Or, if that were the case, today’s events would never have happened. But Ye Tiancheng was backed by Hou Mingzhu, which meant he was backed by the entire Hou family. And Ye Tiancheng himself was not someone to be trifled with.
The Fatty was also Ye Tiancheng’s good friend, and Ye Tiancheng was not the type to abandon his friends. He clearly seemed like a righteous person, at least loyal to his friends. For something like this to happen, Ye Tiancheng would definitely not stand by.
Furthermore, He Lianyi knew that it wasn’t just his presence here shortly after Ye Tiancheng’s previous incident that was problematic. Similarly, Ye Tiancheng’s presence here also proved some issues.
As long as Ye Tiancheng was not foolish, he would inevitably harbor suspicions about the previous events. And it was precisely at this moment that Ye Tiancheng, with his good brother, found that room. This made He Lianyi have to suspect that Ye Tiancheng had already guessed something. The only uncertainty was how much Ye Tiancheng had guessed.
He Lianyi’s expression was somber, and he didn’t know what to say.
He had not arranged these matters. It was only a short while ago that he had received orders from He Liansheng. Before that, although He Lianyi had some suspicions, he had never imagined that He Liansheng would actually do such a thing, let alone arrange it at this time.
Even if he did it, there was still a mishap in the middle, mixing up the rooms for Ye Tiancheng and He Lianyue, which resulted in He Lianyue becoming intimate with the Fatty.
He Lianyi could see that Ye Tiancheng also intended to keep the matter quiet and likely wouldn’t leak it. But he couldn’t do anything about the Fatty. Ye Tiancheng would definitely protect the Fatty, which was why Ye Tiancheng had walked away with him. But He Lianyue…
“If I say that these matters were not arranged by me, would Mr. Ye be willing to believe me?” He Lianyi slowly spoke.
Ye Tiancheng raised an eyebrow at this.
To ask if he believed him, if it were Ye Tiancheng’s true thoughts, it would be about fifty-fifty. Because he knew that there was another aspect to it. Ye Tiancheng could see that He Lianyi genuinely cared for his daughter, He Lianyue. To think that he would do such a thing, Ye Tiancheng could not be entirely certain.
He felt that He Lianyi might be an informed party, but not necessarily the mastermind behind it. At most, he was forced into it.
However, if someone of He Lianyi’s status could arrange this series of events behind the scenes and leave He Lianyi speechless, then Ye Tiancheng had no doubts. Only one person remained.
Someone who could make He Lianyi so troubled, someone He Lianyi could even hand over to Ye Tiancheng for punishment when He Liansu, the seventh elder of the He Lian family, offended Ye Tiancheng, then the only one who could be above He Lianyi was He Liansheng.
In the long silence, He Lianyi’s expression grew increasingly grim. Ye Tiancheng observed the changes in his expression. After a long while, he finally spoke, “Perhaps I would believe you.”
“However, how this matter came to be is clearly no longer the primary concern. There is a more important and urgent matter that needs to be resolved. Regarding the incident between the Fatty and the eldest daughter of the He Lian family, how does Patriarch He Lian plan to resolve it?”
“But I must say, I know my friend. I know the Fatty is not that kind of person. For such a thing to happen, it must be related to what the people behind the scenes did. In other words, this matter is absolutely not the Fatty’s fault!”
In saying the last sentence, Ye Tiancheng emphasized his tone, clearly making a point and issuing a warning to He Lianyi.
“Therefore, with me here, I do not wish for anything bad to happen to the Fatty. Does Patriarch He Lian understand what I mean?”
Under normal circumstances, who could threaten He Lianyi like this? He Lianyi’s mood could not be good. Not only had those unpleasant things happened, but now he was also being threatened by Ye Tiancheng. Yet, he was truly powerless to do anything. To simply let it go and pacify the situation, he was unwilling, but he could do nothing about Ye Tiancheng.
Ye Tiancheng strongly defended the Fatty. Unless the Fatty was truly at fault, He Lianyi had no reason to attack the Fatty.
“I naturally will not do anything untoward to Mr. Ye’s friend. For such a thing to happen, no one wishes for it. My intention is that it would be best to resolve it peacefully. Mr. Ye, what do you think?”
Ye Tiancheng looked at He Lianyi with a forced smile. “As if nothing happened?”
He Lianyi said, “Just as if nothing happened.”
Ye Tiancheng asked him, “Even so, can the He Lian family be content?”
He Lianyi was naturally not content. But what choice did he have? Since He Lianyi had accepted Ye Tiancheng’s threat and could no longer do anything to the Fatty, no matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to do so.
“I…”
He Lianyi slowly spoke, uttering only one word, but then he heard Ye Tiancheng say, “Regarding how this matter should be resolved, doesn’t Patriarch He Lian need to ask the opinion of your reclusive elder? Hmm?”