Li Moyan flinched under the scolding, and Ye Huohuo beside her also dared not speak for a long time.
Chen Yuelan slowly walked in front of Ye Huohuo. "Xiaoqing, no matter how wrong any elders were before, you carry the blood of the Ye family, so you are part of the Ye family. In the future, you cannot ignore any matters concerning the Ye family. Do you understand?"
This was clearly emotional blackmail.
Ye Huohuo gritted her teeth, her fists clenched tightly. She forced herself to calm down, telling herself again and again that she was no longer the three-year-old Ye Xiaoqing. She had grown up and didn't need to fear these people anymore.
Don't be afraid, don't be afraid!
"This old lady, I just said, I am not Ye Xiaoqing. My name is Ye Huohuo. I am an orphan, with no family!" Ye Huohuo finally said a complete sentence to Chen Yuelan. No one noticed that her hands were trembling slightly from nervousness.
"Presumptuous! How dare you speak to me like this!" Chen Yuelan raised her hand to slap Ye Huohuo.
When she was five years old, Ye Huohuo accidentally broke a teacup while cleaning. Chen Yuelan immediately slapped her. At that time, stars danced before her eyes, and her ears buzzed, making her unable to hear clearly for days.
Her fear of Chen Yuelan was deeply rooted in her heart. Seeing the slap coming towards her, she forgot to dodge and just waited foolishly to be hit.
Li Moyan on the side also didn't react. He didn't expect this old lady to resort to hitting someone at a Li family banquet. He was stunned for a moment.
Just as Chen Yuelan's palm was about to hit Ye Huohuo's face, it suddenly stopped in mid-air, less than half a foot away from Ye Huohuo's face.
A person firmly grasped her wrist.
Chen Yuelan's triangular eyes flipped upwards, and she looked at the person holding her wrist.
"You..."
"I am Huohuo's husband, the head of the Li family. If you want to hit someone from the Li family, shouldn't you ask my opinion first!" Li Mohan looked at the old lady, who was more than a head shorter than him, with frost in his eyes.
With that, he flicked his hand, throwing Chen Yuelan's hand back. The force was not small. Chen Yuelan, given her age, was still in her sixties or seventies. This move almost sent her tumbling.
Fortunately, Ye Xiaowan, who was quick-witted, steadied her, and they both took two steps back to regain their balance.
Chen Yuelan's face turned pale with anger, her lips trembling. "Good! I said why my granddaughter became so impolite. It turns out she learned it from you, not respecting elders at all! You dare to lay hands on me, this is the family tradition of the Li family!
Everyone, please take a look! The Li family, who usually acts all upright and proper, is treating an elder like this!"
"Mom! Please stop talking!" Qin Tong quickly stopped Chen Yuelan, not wanting her to fall out with the Li family.
It didn't matter if Ye Huohuo was hit, but as the saying goes, you have to consider the owner before hitting the dog. Tonight was Ye Huohuo and Li Mohan's engagement banquet, and hitting the hostess in front of so many people was simply unacceptable.
Chen Yuelan looked at Li Mohan with a gloomy expression, her face changing rapidly. Just as everyone expected her to throw a tantrum, she smiled. "Good, good. It seems my Xiaoqing has good taste, and she is very important to you. Grandma is relieved."
The onlookers were so shocked their jaws almost dropped. They thought, could this old lady be schizophrenic? Just moments ago she had a look like she wanted to devour someone, and now she was smiling, and so… benevolent?
Others might not see it, but Ye Huohuo knew that this was Chen Yuelan's true terrifying nature. Even in extreme anger, she wouldn't lose her composure. The more she was in front of outsiders, the more she would act.
A warm, dry hand held Ye Huohuo's hand. Her heart, which had lost its composure due to childhood fear, was suddenly calmed by this hand, or perhaps by the owner of this hand.
But Li Mohan's brows furrowed slightly. He tightened his grip on Ye Huohuo's hand. "Why are your hands so cold? Are you cold because you're wearing too little?"
He then prepared to take off his coat to cover her.
However, Ye Huohuo stopped him with a smile. "I'm not cold. My hands are cold because no one loved me when I was young. From now on, with you here, my hands won't be cold!"
"Good!"
What a display of affection.
Everyone could see the doting in Li Mohan's eyes. Was this the famous Ice Prince of Haicheng? Normally, even the most beautiful woman wouldn't get a glance from him.
There were rumors that Li Mohan didn't like women, but now it seemed he not only liked women but was also so considerate of his wife. It made the noble ladies around them incredibly envious.
Ye Xiaowan also used all her lifelong self-control to maintain a smile on her face.
"Brother-in-law treats sister so well!"
Her target was Li Moyan. Although she was extremely jealous of Ye Huohuo in her heart, she suppressed her desire to tear Ye Huohuo apart and complimented her against her will.
After all, Ye Huohuo was now Li Moyan's sister-in-law, and she could use this excuse to approach Li Moyan later.
Thinking of this, she glanced at Li Moyan and saw him looking at Ye Huohuo with an expression of… admiration?!
How could that be? How could this jinx make her male god show such an expression of admiration? Impossible.
She must have seen wrong.
"Miss, please don't wrongly claim sisters. I was an orphan since childhood, with no family, and certainly no sister." Ye Huohuo's voice was devoid of any warmth.
"Xiaoqing, Grandma knows you're upset about us sending you to the orphanage. We had our difficulties back then. It's fine if you're angry, but don't make a fuss anymore!" Chen Yuelan, changing from her previous stern demeanor, spoke with kindness, her eyes softening.
"Don't blame Grandma for treating you like that just now. I just wanted to see if the Li family truly treated you well. Now that I see they do, Grandma is relieved."
Upon hearing her say this, the surrounding people looked enlightened. Those who had thought the grandmother was too harsh now sighed inwardly, thinking how well-intentioned this grandmother was.
In an instant, Chen Yuelan was almost hailed as the "Good Grandmother of China."
People began to praise Chen Yuelan profusely, with some even saying that with the Li and Ye families becoming in-laws, they could help each other in Haicheng and their businesses would surely grow larger.
At this moment, Ye Huohuo, who had appeared somewhat flustered, suddenly spoke, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Grandma, I'll say it again. My name is Ye Huohuo, not your granddaughter Ye Xiaoqing."
Chen Yuelan's expression changed several times, finally settling into a smile. "Xiaoqing, stop messing around. You had a scald on your left ankle when you were little. If you're really not Xiaoqing, why don't you let us see your left ankle?"
Hearing this, a hint of hatred flashed in Ye Huohuo's eyes.
Playing? That was when they made a child less than five years old boil water. As a result, the platform where the kettle was placed was too high, and she accidentally knocked over the kettle. The freshly boiled water then poured onto her ankle.
Afterward, they not only didn't let her rest but also didn't apply medicine to her wound, leaving behind a scald mark, about the size of a one-yuan coin on her ankle. For so many years, it had constantly reminded her of what the Ye family had done to her.
Everyone present looked down at Ye Huohuo's right ankle when Chen Yuelan said this. Indeed, there was a scar there, standing out against the surrounding fair, tender skin.
Only Li Mohan's gaze swept over Chen Yuelan and the other two, his pupils contracting slightly.