Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Lin Feng was left speechless.

Before arriving, he and his family, along with the think tank and legal team from Gu Family Jewelry, had prepared extensively. They had even considered how to defend Lin Feng if Ye Mingzhao’s attitude was extreme, or if he insisted on suing for abandonment.

Despite preparing countless responses, Lin Feng hadn’t expected that when he finally faced Ye Mingzhao, it would feel like nothing he said mattered.

With just one glance, Ye Mingzhao saw right through his petty schemes.

Lin Feng took a deep breath. If not for the public outrage over Ruan Cuimei’s lawsuit, which led to netizens uncovering every detail from the past, he wouldn’t have been in such a vulnerable position.

"Actually," Lin Feng paused, carefully choosing his words as he gauged Ye Mingzhao’s mood, trying to express his sincerity: "The damage has already been done. There’s no point in arguing over who was at fault. We can’t change what happened in the past, so why not look forward? We have our eyes in front of us for a reason—to move forward more confidently and clearly, right?"

"I understand that, given your current situation, you may not want to reconnect with us. We don’t want to intrude on your family’s life." Lin Feng said, reaching into his suit pocket and pulling out a prepared check, which he offered to Ye Mingzhao with both hands. "We’re all adults here. Why not solve this like adults?"

Ye Mingzhao’s gaze fell on the check.

"Fifty million—that’s all the cash Gu Family Jewelry can raise in a short time," Lin Feng added, "I know this amount is just a drop in the bucket compared to the emotional harm and mental distress you've suffered. But I still hope you’ll accept this money."

Ye Mingzhao smiled. "God created indulgences to soothe the guilty conscience, but it doesn’t erase the sins committed."

"Even under the law, a sincere apology can sometimes reduce the punishment," Lin Feng cautiously replied, "I’m not trying to atone, but to compensate you."

"Do you think this compensation shows your sincerity?" Ye Mingzhao’s gaze returned to the check. His casual demeanor carried no pressure, but it made Lin Feng almost drop the check.

"At least it proves my sincerity," Lin Feng carefully added, "If you think it’s not enough, we can continue to negotiate."

"I will do my utmost to earn your forgiveness," Lin Feng humbly said.

At that moment, Lin Feng didn’t seem like a father desperate to make amends after abandoning his child for over twenty years. Instead, he looked like someone who had crossed a line and was now trying to buy his way out of trouble.

"Whatever you want," Lin Feng’s voice choked with emotion, "a public apology, financial compensation, or even kneeling before you—I’ll do whatever it takes."

As he spoke, Lin Feng bent his knees and knelt cleanly before Ye Mingzhao. "I’ll fulfill your requests."

The person sitting opposite suddenly became half a head shorter, but Ye Mingzhao didn’t show any surprise. Facing this clearly performative act of interest exchange, he slightly adjusted his posture, crossing his legs. The tip of his shoe hung in the air, directly facing Lin Feng’s face.

Lin Feng’s eyes were slightly lowered, showing only his crown to Ye Mingzhao.

Ye Mingzhao’s pitch-black eyes blinked not as he calmly spoke, "I heard that Gu Family Jewelry is planning to go public?"

After a filming period of over five and a half months, *Jiangshan Strategy* officially wrapped on New Year's Day.

Ye Mingzhao didn’t attend the cast’s wrap party but generously gave all the crew members red envelopes.

*

Everyone knew that Ye Mingzhao had recently made a lot of money from stock trading, and since he was a shareholder of Starjoy Media, no one would refuse the boss’s red envelopes. But they hadn’t expected Ye Mingzhao to be so generous.

"I was just about to make a windfall!"

On the evening of New Year’s Day, an exhausted Ye Mingzhao returned home and said with a smile at the Ye family’s dinner table, "Although it’s not a lot of money, it’s like free money. Of course, everyone should get a share."

Before returning home, Ye Mingzhao had also prepared New Year gifts for his family—even Chu Hengyi had one.

Thinking of the rumors, Second Brother Ye Mingxi raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "So you really accepted Lin Feng’s fifty million?"

Ye Mingxi couldn't understand. Fifty million might be a significant amount for an average family, but it was peanuts to the Ye family. There was no way Ye Mingzhao would be swayed by such a paltry sum.

The most critical issue was—

"Under what pretext did you accept the fifty million? What if they turn around and accuse you of extortion?" Ye Mingxi, who had a strong sense of legal matters, asked anxiously.

"Compared to that excuse, shouldn't we be more worried about whether Ms. Gu will sue to reclaim the marital assets Lin Feng secretly transferred during their marriage?" Ye Mingzhao said with a smile. "After all, 'entrapment' doesn't sound very good, but if the wife sues to recover marital assets that the husband gave to his illegitimate child, doesn't that sound much more reasonable?"

"Ah?" Ye Mingxi was instantly dumbfounded, completely failing to consider this possibility.

"It's said that Gu family jewelry company is preparing to go public." Ye Mingchen said lightly. "This is probably why Lin Feng approached you—he doesn't want this matter to continue fermenting as it might affect the brand image of Gu family jewelry."

For a company eager to launch an IPO, maintaining a positive brand image is quite necessary. So, offering fifty million for a settlement at this time might not necessarily be about entrapment.

"Exactly." Ye Mingzhao smiled faintly. "He was very eager to obtain my forgiveness. He even knelt in front of me."

"If kneeling works, then why do we need laws?" Ye Mingxi snorted. "Irresponsible parents like him should be severely punished by the law."

Ye Mingxi was still haunted by what happened in the past. "You're not going to go soft just because of this, are you? They left you in a garbage dump on a snowy day—that was attempted murder. If Mom and Dad hadn't adopted you, you might not have made it."

"That's why Mr. Lin thinks being left in a garbage dump by my birth mother was actually a stroke of luck." Ye Mingzhao said with a faint smile. "Without that incident, I wouldn't have met such a wonderful family."

Chu Hengyi paused slightly in his act of serving food and gave Ye Mingzhao a discreet look without saying anything.

"Is that what he said?" The straightforward Ye Mingxi was almost fuming. "What kind of nonsense is that? Who would consider being abandoned by their birth parents in a garbage dump a blessing? Would he want that kind of luck?"

Ye Mingxi laughed angrily. "Does he think you're easy to bully? That he can just kneel, beg, and throw some money at the problem to make it go away?"

"I think you should just let the lawyer sue him and leave it at that!" Ye Mingxi said indignantly.

Ye Mingzhao lowered his eyes. "He said he gave Ruan Cuimei one million in alimony. Even if I sue, the law won't find him guilty."

"So he feels he's untouchable?" Ye Mingxi became even angrier. "He gave one million back then and felt justified in abandoning his child to someone else. Now he thinks he can buy back his conscience and public image with fifty million. Does he really think money can fix everything?"

Ye Mingzhao fiddled with his rice using his chopsticks and remained silent.

Chairman Ye and Mrs. Ye exchanged glances. Liang Huiwei served Ye Mingzhao his favorite sweet and sour pork ribs, saying affectionately, "Alright, it's a holiday, let's not talk about unpleasant things."

"By the way, when will your *Prince of Beggars* that you filmed before air? Your father and I were saying that this is our son's first lead role in a TV series, and as parents, we must support you."

"Yes, I've already discussed it with Big Brother." Ye Mingxi's attention was quickly diverted by his mother's words. "When your series starts seeking sponsors, we'll have several brands under the group bid for the naming rights. We must choose the best platform and the best time slot."

Ye Mingzhao looked up, his eyes still slightly moist, but his smile was bright and clear. "Thank you, Mom, Dad, and Second Brother."

"Don't just thank us." Liang Huiwei glanced at Chu Hengyi, who hadn't spoken much. "Mingyi also contributed a lot of ideas."

"Thanks also to..." Ye Mingzhao gave Chu Hengyi, who sat opposite him, a light glance and said with a smile, "Third Brother."

Chu Hengyi looked up and fixed his gaze on Ye Mingzhao.

*

"You're not the type to be swayed by money. Why did you insist on accepting that fifty million?"

After dinner, the six members of the Ye family went for a walk. Along the way, Ye Mingzhao received a phone call and, as he talked, they arrived near the artificial lake.

The call was from Yu Mingze, who had two important updates. One was to congratulate Ye Mingzhao on the wrap of the *Jiangshan Strategy* cast, and the other was to inform him that *Prince of Beggars* had passed the review.

"We plan to sell the series to Xinhai TV. If everything goes smoothly, it could air next month." Yu Mingze's voice on the other end of the phone carried an obvious hint of excitement. "You remember how Xinhai TV bought *Prince Transformation* from Zhou's film company? Later, due to drug issues involving *Jujunjie*, the series was taken off the air. According to the contract, Zhou's film company has to pay double the compensation to the network."

"On the contrary, because of your involvement, our series has garnered significant social attention and online buzz. Xinhai TV is very interested in our series and has offered a price of eight million per episode." Several other TV stations were competing, but Xinhai TV's offer was the highest.

"If everything goes as planned, we'll sell this drama to Xinhai TV," Yu Mingze said with satisfaction. "I'm planning to stretch this out a bit more. I think this drama can definitely sell for 9 million, or even 10 million yuan per episode."

"Anyway, Xinhai TV got the compensation from *Prince Transformation*, so they're flush with cash right now."

Ye Mingzhao stood by the man-made lake, quietly listening to Yu Mingze share the joy of the new drama's popularity. The moment he hung up the phone, he heard a voice asking from behind.

Ye Mingzhao turned around and looked at Chu Hengyi, who had somehow appeared there, raising an eyebrow. "Why do you think I'm not someone who's blinded by greed?"

Chu Hengyi slowly walked up to Ye Mingzhao. "Ever heard of the blue long-gland coral snake? Apparently, it paralyzes its prey’s nervous system with its venom before attacking."

"Of course I've heard of it," Ye Mingzhao said with a smile, meeting Chu Hengyi's eyes directly. "They say this venom has significant medicinal properties. Scientists are studying how to turn this venom into a human-specific painkiller."

"The same venom can be lethal or used as a pain reliever. Isn’t that fascinating?"