Li Moyan strode towards them. It was his beloved elder brother's engagement party tonight, and he had dressed up specially.
However, he maintained his usual style, appearing like a flamboyant butterfly in another floral suit.
If anyone else wore such a colorful outfit, they would either look tacky or like a thug. But Li Moyan managed to carry off the floral suit with an air of aristocratic elegance, thanks to his physique and good looks.
He walked over with his long strides, as if strutting down a runway, exuding潇洒 and grace. He also possessed an aura of roguish charm, and his mesmerizing peach-blossom eyes would dart around, causing any woman, regardless of age, to feel their heart flutter like a startled fawn.
Ye Xiaowan, already smitten with Li Moyan, couldn't tear her eyes away from him, wishing she could run over, grab his trouser leg, and shout "Oppa!"
Li Moyan walked straight to Ye Huohuo's side without looking at anyone else. He bowed his head respectfully and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm late. Brother is tied up with something and asked me to escort you in!" His voice was not loud but was enough for those around them to hear.
The surrounding girls were almost mesmerized by Li Moyan's elegant demeanor and were intensely envious of Ye Huohuo. They thought that if Li Moyan treated them that way, they would do anything for him.
Qin Tong's words were suddenly cut off by Li Moyan, and her expression turned extremely unpleasant. She wanted to retaliate, but this was the Li family's event, and it was the third young master of the Li family speaking. However, not responding would make others wonder.
She could only force herself to put on a smile that was uglier than crying. "Isn't this the Third Young Master of the Li family? You were young back then, and you don't understand many things. Don't believe everything others say. We had no choice but to send Xiao Qing to an orphanage temporarily back then.
We planned to bring her back after some time, but unexpectedly, she went missing less than a year later. We never stopped looking for her. We didn't expect to see her again until she was already a young lady, about to get engaged. Time really doesn't spare anyone.
Xiao Qing, your uncle and I, and your grandmother, have thought about you every day, worried that you wouldn't live well outside. Your uncle and I searched for you whenever we had the chance, and your grandmother couldn't eat or sleep properly and fell seriously ill.
Even your sister Xiaowan would often wake up crying in the middle of the night, missing her sister."
As Qin Tong spoke, tears flowed down her face like water, washing away her exquisite makeup.
Everyone around was moved by this "genuine emotion," and some of the more sentimental ones also started to cry.
Li Moyan glanced at her with his peach-blossom eyes and sneered, "Haicheng is such a small place. Sister-in-law was only a six or seven-year-old girl back then. If you really wanted to find her, how could you not? She wasn't kidnapped by human traffickers.
I heard that Sister-in-law wandered outside for more than three months before being taken in and accepted as a disciple by the master of Wuji Temple. With the Ye family's influence, how could they not find a wandering little girl in three months?"
Ye Huohuo looked at Li Moyan beside her in surprise. She hadn't expected him to know so much about her past, even knowing how long she had wandered as a child. The book publishing platform.
The Li family was indeed not to be underestimated.
"This... perhaps we were looking in the wrong direction, which is why we couldn't find her. It was all fate playing tricks on us! My unfortunate child!" Qin Tong used the act of wiping her tears to conceal her embarrassment.
She grabbed Ye Huohuo's hand. "Xiao Qing, Auntie has found you this time, and she will never let you suffer again!"
Ye Huohuo yanked her hand back, took out tissues from her bag with disgust, and wiped her hands. "Madam, I told you I don't know you. Please stop being so self-indulgent and trying to falsely claim kinship.
Otherwise, I'll have security escort you out to calm down and think properly if you've mistaken the person."
By this time, quite a crowd had gathered, mostly consisting of ladies and daughters from high society. They were the ones who loved watching such family dramas the most, and their eyes were sparkling.
Ye Xiaowan looked at the increasing crowd and felt awkward. Fearing that she might leave a bad impression on Li Moyan, she kept tugging at Qin Tong's arm, signaling her to stop talking.
Qin Tong was indeed stumped by Ye Huohuo and Li Moyan's retorts. She was about to say, "Perhaps I have indeed mistaken the person," to find an excuse to back down.
But at that moment, an aged voice came from outside the crowd.
"What are you afraid of? Everywhere, reason prevails. She is surnamed Ye, and the blood flowing in her veins is the blood of our Ye family. No matter where she goes, she is a member of our Ye family.
At worst, we can get a DNA test, and then it will be clear whether she is the granddaughter lost from my Ye family or not!"
Upon hearing this voice, Ye Huohuo's hair stood on end.
Other people's grandmothers were usually protective deities for their grandchildren, often described as loving and kind. But in Ye Huohuo's memory, her grandmother was a synonym for terror.
In her memory, her grandmother had never smiled at her, nor had she ever given her a piece of candy. In fact, any minor mistake she made in front of her would result in severe punishment.
She didn't understand why, despite being a granddaughter of the Ye family, her grandmother was so fond of Ye Xiaowan, giving her all sorts of delicious food, beautiful clothes, and toys. Yet, she had never received the slightest bit of care or affection from her grandmother.
Not only her, but even her father, Grandmother's own son, did not receive her grandmother's favor, and her mother was often reprimanded by her grandmother.
Her parents often argued about this when they were alive, and her mother even considered divorce.
Finally, her father moved out of the old Ye family residence with her and her mother, which reduced a lot of friction. However, the car accident that occurred when Ye Huohuo was three years old took her parents' lives.
She had no choice but to be taken back to the old Ye family residence to live with her grandmother, uncle, and aunt. This was the beginning of her nightmare.
Being beaten by her grandmother had become commonplace, so hearing her grandmother's voice now made her body tremble involuntarily.
Li Moyan, on the side, saw Ye Huohuo's complexion turn pale. However, he didn't know she was recalling her past and merely thought she didn't want to see the person speaking.
He turned to look at the newcomer and was stunned to see an old woman in her seventies or eighties. This old woman clearly wasn't someone to be trifled with. Although her face was covered in wrinkles, her back was ramrod straight, and she wore a dark purple Tang suit.
Her face was stern, exuding an aura of authority.
After all, she was an elder. No matter how unruly Li Moyan was, he couldn't say anything disrespectful to such an old woman. He paused and asked, "Grandmother, who are you?"
"This is Xiao Qing's grandmother. You are Xiao Qing's paternal uncle; you can call her grandmother too," Qin Tong introduced, deliberately trying to foster a closer relationship between the two families.
Ye Huohuo's grandmother was named Chen Yuelan. She was once a young lady from a prominent family, but later the Chen family declined. However, she had always maintained her usual dignity, and all major decisions in the Ye family had to pass through her.
Chen Yuelan looked at Ye Huohuo's back. Ye Huohuo had not turned around yet and was still facing away from Chen Yuelan.
"Xiao Qing, Grandmother taught you to be polite since childhood. Where are your manners? Don't you know to greet your grandmother when you see her?" Her voice was so stern that even Li Moyan felt a chill down his spine.
Ye Huohuo stiffly turned around but did not dare to look at Chen Yuelan. "I am not Ye Xiaoqing. My name is Ye Huohuo. You have the wrong person!"
"Insolence! How dare you speak to Grandmother like that?" Chen Yuelan's shout was full of vigor, startling those around them, who took a step back. They couldn't help but secretly think that this old woman was truly formidable.
Chen Yuelan rarely attended such public events, so many people did not recognize her. After this encounter, it was unlikely anyone would not recognize her.
"Grandmother Chen, today is my brother and sister-in-law's engagement party. It's not appropriate for you to reprimand my sister-in-law like this!" Li Moyan was also intimidated by the old woman's presence, but he had not forgotten his mission. He gathered his courage and said.
Chen Yuelan shot him a fierce look. "I am reprimanding my granddaughter; this is our Ye family's internal affair. Why are you, an outsider and junior, interfering? Is this the upbringing of your Li family?"