Chapter 567 - 565: Slave to Money
Chapter 567: Chapter 565: Slave to Money
He didn’t want to acknowledge them, so he wouldn’t.
Ye Ling had no intention of forgiving anyone who had ever hurt his mother.
Ever since they learned he wanted to go into politics, his older brother and sister-in-law had told him not to chase after money or become its slave.
If he ever needed money, he just had to ask them.
They had also established an education fund for the Ye Family. All descendants, from the moment they were born, would receive money from it.
It was a monthly stipend meant to cover their living and educational expenses. With no worries about food or clothing, they could focus on their studies and strive for their goals.
His father was a high-ranking government official and his mother was a top virology expert. He had nothing to worry about in life.
He and his younger brother had excellent grades, were in good health, and were both handsome and presentable. As long as they didn’t do anything reckless, they were set for a bright future.
Money simply wasn’t important to them.
Learning these principles from his older brother and sister-in-law at a young age gave Ye Ling a clear vision for his life.
He would find a like-minded partner he loved, build a perfect family, and then make his mark in his political career.
When he went to the cafeteria for a meal, Ye Ling didn’t give Old Master Wu a second thought.
Ignoring them seemed to work; Wu Xingjia hadn’t appeared before him for the past few days.
So, Ye Ling decided to treat Old Master Wu the same way.
At that moment, Ye Ling still didn’t know that his mother, Wang Liwen, had gotten Wu Xingjia sent away—by State Security, no less.
Old Master Wu was thrilled when he saw Ye Ling. He truly hadn’t expected the Wu family to have such an outstanding young man in its lineage.
It felt like karmic retribution for the Wu family’s past deeds; their direct descendants were more disappointing than the last. In contrast, his daughters’ families had produced two or three decent heirs.
But his daughters were married, and their sons were, after all, of another name. He couldn’t bring himself to be like Old Xu and pass the family fortune down to a maternal grandson.
He had wanted to speak with Ye Ling, but the young man walked past as if he hadn’t seen him, which deeply troubled Old Master Wu.
Seeing this, Liu Yun whispered, trying to stir the pot, "Dad, you see? That boy obviously recognized you but pretended he didn’t. He has no intention of acknowledging the Wu family."
Hearing this, Old Master Wu felt a swirl of complicated emotions. He shook his head. "What exactly happened all those years ago?"
Liu Yun froze for a moment, then said awkwardly, "Back then, the Wu family couldn’t remain in the country and had to leave. But Wang Liwen refused to go, so they broke up."
"Wang Liwen probably didn’t even know she was pregnant at the time, and getting an abortion wasn’t a simple matter back then. She also had an influential uncle, to whom Ye Zheng was indebted. So, the uncle arranged for the widowed Ye Zheng to marry Wang Liwen."
"That way, Wang Liwen found a home, and her son got a father. At the same time, with her uncle’s help, Ye Zheng’s career took off. Of course, Ye Zheng is very capable himself. Otherwise, no amount of help could have saved a lost cause."
A muscle in Old Master Wu’s cheek twitched when he heard that.
If the other side were an ordinary family, they might have been tempted to cozy up to the Wu family for their money.
But that wasn’t the case for the Ye Family.
Ye Zheng’s eldest son, Ye Feng, and his wife were extremely wealthy. Having grown up in that kind of environment, Ye Ling didn’t have a strong desire for money.
Old Master Wu frowned slightly. "Ah, back then... Never mind. What’s past is past; we have to look forward. Xiao Yun, I watched you grow up. In some ways, Wu Xingjia wronged you."
"However, Wu Xingjia was with Wang Liwen first; you two got together afterward. So in that sense, he didn’t really wrong you. Now, after all these years of getting used to each other, you two are finally compatible. That’s not easy. You’ve finally persevered."
"I know you have a nephew on your side of the family. I know you feel that raising your own nephew would be better than raising Wu Xingjia’s child by another woman. But have you ever considered that Wu Xingjia would never agree? And neither would I."
Liu Yun was stunned. She never imagined that her father-in-law had seen through her secret machinations.
’Wu Xingjia must know, too.’
"Dad, that was before. I only thought about raising my nephew because I didn’t know Wu Xingjia had a child. Now that he does, that child is my child, too. I will do everything I can to support Wu Xingjia, to reconcile with Wang Liwen and Ye Ling, and to clear up their misunderstanding of us as soon as possible."
Liu Yun didn’t dare to defy him. ’What was the big deal about admitting she was wrong?’
’She knew when to yield.’
’Fortunately, Wang Liwen and Ye Ling didn’t want to acknowledge the Wu family, which made things much easier.’
Old Master Wu nodded. "As long as you understand. But you have been put in a difficult position all these years!"
Liu Yun shook her head. "Dad, I’m not. It was my choice. I love Wu Xingjia, and I’d do anything for him."
As she said this, a wave of desolation washed over Liu Yun.
’Still, success depends on effort. There was always a way.’
When Ye Ling finished his meal, he saw that Old Master Wu was still there. The old man even had an assistant block his path. "Young Master, the Old Master is over there. He would like a word with you."
Ye Ling frowned, his annoyance growing.
Xie Yun and the others froze. "Young Master?"
That form of address was uncommon in mainland China; it was a distinctive term used by the old feudal and bourgeois classes.
"Hello. Please don’t call me that. You can call me classmate or use my name," Ye Ling said, his voice low. "I’ve already told you I don’t know you. Why can’t you understand that!"
The bodyguard blocked his way. "Classmate Ye Ling, please don’t make this difficult for us."
Ye Ling turned to his classmates. "Could you guys save me a seat? I’ll head over for the evening study session in a bit."
"Sure!" Xie Yun agreed. It was obvious Ye Ling didn’t want anyone to know who these people were.
They also guessed that there was something unusual about Ye Ling’s background.
After his classmates left, Ye Ling followed the bodyguard over to Old Master Wu. "I thought since Wu Xingjia stopped showing up, he’d given up. I didn’t expect an old man to take his place. I don’t want anything to do with the Wu family. That is my position. Please stop bothering me."
Ye Ling was baffled. Why were these people so fixated on him?
’If they don’t have an heir, technology abroad is so advanced. They could find a way to have one!’
’And if they really can’t, they could always adopt!’
’He was already a grown man and had no affection for the Wu family. Even if they took him back, he would never truly be one of them.’
"The Wu family has assets worth billions—in US Dollars. Aren’t you tempted?"
Ye Ling shook his head. "I’m not. My ambitions lie elsewhere."
"Impossible. No one is immune to the lure of money. If they seem to be, it just means the amount isn’t high enough." Old Master Wu was a firm believer in this principle. "Ye Ling, you’re an exceptional young man, but you’re still young. You don’t yet understand the allure of wealth and capital."
"And then what?" Ye Ling shot back. "Then you become slaves to your capital? You live sordid lives, scrambling for every penny, indulging in debauchery, and looking down on everyone else?"
Old Master Wu’s expression froze. "That’s not it at all. Those are isolated cases, not representative of the whole. The elite class isn’t like that."
"Then why are your fourth son and his children so thoroughly depraved?" Ye Ling shot back again. "I said the same thing to Wu Xingjia when he was standing in front of me. My mother almost died because of what happened back then. I will never forgive anyone who hurt her. And I’ll say it again: my father is Ye Zheng. He always will be."