Too Late to Regret, She’s Now With the Big Boss - Chapter 23

“Dad, Yanyan wasn’t fantasizing about Third Master Lu, she only approached him because she was worried about her sister!” Song Yuntao argued vehemently.

“You insolent brat, is your brain just there to make your height look better? I might as well beat you to death right now!” Enraged, Song’s father pulled the belt from his waist.

“Darling, don’t hit Taotao! Don’t let anger ruin your health. If you must vent, hit me instead!”

Song’s mother clung to her husband’s arm, torn between pity for her son and concern for her husband’s well-being.

“You deserve a beating too! This ungrateful wretch turned out this way because of you. As the saying goes, ‘A doting mother spoils the child.’ Look how stupid he’s become!”

Song’s father shook off his wife’s hand and raised the belt menacingly, aiming for Song Yuntao.

“Dad, don’t hit Yuntao! If you must hit someone, hit me!” Ye Qingyan stood at the doorway, tearfully shouting as if ready to rush forward.

“Ouch! Yanyan, stay back! Dad’s going all out, this really hurts!” Song Yuntao scurried over to Ye Qingyan, grimacing in pain.

Ye Qingyan quickly took his hand, giving him a tender look. “That’s exactly why I want to take the beating for you.”

“Yanyan, you’re so kind. But I can’t bear to see you hurt.” Song Yuntao was deeply moved.

Marrying such a beautiful and compassionate girl made him feel like the luckiest man alive.

“Yuntao, take Yanyan back to your room to rest. I’ll talk some sense into your father.” Song’s mother stepped between them, shielding them from her husband.

Seeing his son and daughter-in-law acting lovey-dovey, and his wife trying to block him, Song’s father suddenly lost the will to discipline his son.

Fine! He had more than just Song Yuntao as an heir.

He recalled Third Master Lu’s starkly different treatment of Ye Qianqian and Ye Qingyan at the wedding, and his heart churned with mixed emotions.

He had personally witnessed Ye Qianqian’s meticulous care for his paralyzed son and the three years they had spent together.

Though their relationship lacked the passion of other couples, it was steady and genuine.

His son’s sudden decision to break off the engagement and switch brides had caught him off guard, but seeing the bride’s parents and three brothers all in favor, he hadn’t wanted to play the villain and force them apart.

Besides, Ye Qingyan was clearly the more favored daughter in the Ye family compared to Ye Qianqian, which would greatly benefit the collaboration between the Song and Ye families.

But never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Ye Qianqian, heartlessly abandoned by his son, would end up catching the eye of Assistant Bai and even Third Master Lu!

If Ye Qianqian managed to win over Assistant Bai and convinced Third Master Lu to retaliate against the Song family… the consequences would be unthinkable.

Would she spare the Song family if he disowned his ungrateful son now?

Unbeknownst to Song’s father, Ye Qianqian had no intention of destroying the Song family as long as the male and female leads didn’t provoke her.

Right now, she was busy feeding the “Living King of Hell.” Earlier, Lu Yao had given her a more detailed account of how he earned that terrifying nickname.

The first thing Lu Jingchen did upon returning to the country was ruthlessly drive out his mother’s first love and his entire family.

He had personally skinned the man and one of his daughters alive.

Why? Because the man had deceived his mother, and the daughter had dared to covet him!

Even his own grandmother and uncle had been publicly banished from Rongcheng. If he showed no mercy to his own family, what hope did outsiders have?

Not only did the entire upper class of Rongcheng fear him, but even all of Lu Corporation’s business partners tread carefully around him.

Just listening to it was horrifying.

Ye Qianqian had only heard of his reputation before but never knew the details so intimately. No wonder his own mother fled in terror upon hearing he was watching videos!

Yet she had no intention of running away. Leaving him would only lead to a far worse fate!

The barrage of comments called her malicious, lacking self-respect, and dependent but who could understand her unique destiny?

Leaving the wealthy Ye family wouldn’t make her a renowned doctor; it would only bring greater misery!

Take the countryside, for example. Though not as prosperous as the city, no one starved yet she grew up hungry.

Others her age tended cattle without incident, the animals docile and well-behaved.

But when it was her turn, the ox suddenly went mad, charging at her and knocking her into a ditch!

Her foster parents, exasperated by her misfortune, packed up and left for the city to work, vanishing for years without a word.

The Ye family’s vast wealth and influence meant that even the worst luck here was infinitely better than struggling alone.

The comments claimed the Living King of Hell harbored a secret crush on her and he admitted it himself. Whether it was love or not hardly mattered; surviving to old age was enough.

To stay alive, she clung to him, hoping to rewrite her tragic fate.

Lu Jingchen, seeing his beloved reach for the lobster, gently stopped her hand. “Still hungry, wifey? Let me.”

“I’m full. I wanted to peel some for you,” Ye Qianqian said, blinking innocently.

Lu Jingchen was stunned with emotion!

Bai Lang, ever perceptive, chimed in, “Madam, the boss worries you’ll hurt your hands. Allow me.”

The dining table brimmed with warmth but Lu Yao dared not join, lingering instead on the sofa, unwilling to leave.

After the meal, Lu Jingchen carried Ye Qianqian upstairs. “Wifey, two hours without you feels like an eternity.”

“I missed you too, but I didn’t have time,” she admitted honestly, no fool would dare lie to the Living King of Hell.

“Heh, I know you’re busy. Just knowing you thought of me is enough,” he chuckled, delighted.

Ye Qianqian realized he smiled privately, especially when they were alone. “You’re especially handsome when you laugh.”

“You like it?”

“Mhm.”

“Then I’ll smile every time I see you.”

Upstairs, the couple indulged in sweet, trivial chatter, endlessly affectionate…

Downstairs, Bai Lang frowned. “Miss Lu, why haven’t you left? Planning to stay?”

“Can I?” Lu Yao stood on the sofa, meeting his gaze. She feared her uncle but not Bai Lang.

Before, her uncle and Bai Lang were inseparable, leaving her no chance to corner him alone.

Now that her uncle only had eyes for Qianqian, heh! Bai Lang, where will you run?

“Fine. Pick any guest room on the first floor,” he said, turning toward his study.

Lu Yao leaped down, grabbing his sleeve.

“Bai Lang, why do you always avoid me? Afraid you’ll lose control and do something reckless?”

Bai Lang: ???

How could anyone be this narcissistic? No, this shameless?!

“Silence means yes. I’m irresistible, and you’re dying to misbehave,” she declared proudly.

Confidence… learned from her best friend. Putting it into practice felt exhilarating. She loved it.

“I want to offend you? You’re as beautiful as a flower…” What does that have to do with me? Bai Lang was so angry he couldn’t even finish the sentence.

His hand trembled as he pointed at his own face. “Looking at you? I’d rather look at myself. Not to mention I see Third Master’s face every single day!”

Hearing this, Lu Yao touched her own face, frowning in thought: Had she become ugly?

She picked up her phone, examining herself from every angle until she heard Bai Lang’s scornful voice: “You’re insane.”