Chapter 89: He Is My Man
When had Ming Qingyan ever raised him? The one who had raised him was always Chi Yuheng.
Ye Ranâs voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Ming Qingyan to hear.
The smile on Ming Qingyanâs face froze instantly. Her fingers gripping her bag tightened, and a flash of humiliation flickered in her eyes. However, because there were students passing by, she could only force herself to maintain her gentle mask and raised her voice slightly.
“Since you donât care for family ties, then letâs switch roles. Letâs talk about a partnership, Ye Ran.”
Ye Ran paused and slowly turned around. His gaze swept coolly over her meticulously styled outfit, and a mocking curl appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Youâve come to talk to me about a partnership?”
Ming Qingyan maintained her gentle expression, but the light in her eyes became sharp. “I don’t think this is the place to discuss things.”
The bodyguard behind Ming Qingyan added in a timely manner, “Young Master, the Madam has already booked a restaurant near the school. You…”
Before the bodyguard could finish, Ye Ran interrupted him. “No need. I don’t eat out. I wouldn’t want to accidentally eat the wrong thing and have an allergic reaction again.”
Everyone present could hear the obvious implication in those words.
Ming Qingyanâs face turned various shades of blue and white. Ye Muqing had told her before that she would definitely be slapped in the face if she came to find Ye Ran, but she hadn’t believed it.
In her heart, she always thought that Ye Ran would be like beforeâcalling her “Mother” affectionately when he saw her, even clinging to her to show off and gain her attention.
The result, however, was as different as heaven and earth from what she had imagined.
Ming Qingyan could barely maintain her composure. Putting aside her status as Ye Ranâs adoptive mother, she was still a director of the Ye Group and the matriarch of the Ye family. When had she ever been rejected like this to her face?
He didn’t give her the slightest bit of face.
For the sake of a good final result, Ming Qingyan endured. The smile on her face remained. “If you won’t eat, thatâs fine. Letâs find a cafĂ©…”
Ye Ran sneered, his voice carrying undisguised mockery. “Madam Ming, do you think thereâs a need for you and me to sit in a cafĂ© and talk slowly?”
Every word was clear, carrying an invisible distance.
“Just say it here. Don’t delay my lunch at the cafeteria.”
Ming Qingyan took a deep breath, forcing herself to suppress the anger and humiliation in her heart. Her eyes turned toward Xu Huiyang, her meaning obvious.
Ye Ran saw her look, but he didn’t ask Xu Huiyang to step away.
Ming Qingyan had no choice but to state her purpose for coming. “Regarding Land No. 096, have you signed a contract with Chi Yuheng yet?”
Ye Ran knew it; Ming Qingyan had come for this piece of land.
His tone was indifferent. “Not yet, but I will sign with him.”
As long as the contract wasn’t signed, Ming Qingyan still had a chance. She took a step forward, stepping out from under the umbrella and into the sunlight, just to get closer to Ye Ran.
“I know itâs because you treat Chi Yuheng as a brother and have a good relationship with him that youâd give him the land for development without a second thought.”
“But Xiao Ran, in the business world, you canât handle things based solely on emotions. You have to look at the interests.”
“The Ye Group ranks in the top three in Jing City; its strength goes without saying. I can also guarantee a price twice as high as the industry standard. Youâre a finance student; you should understand what it means to maximize interests.”
When Ye Ran heard those last few words, his brow twitched almost imperceptibly. His gaze fell on Ming Qingyanâs face, which held a composed look of certain victory.
She seemed convinced that Ye Ran would waver because of her few words.
“Interests.” He repeated the words, his tone so flat that no emotion could be heard. “So, the reason you fostered me out to the Chi family back then was also to gain interests for the Ye family, since you didn’t have a daughter for a political marriage.”
These words were like a thorn, piercing straight into Ming Qingyanâs heart.
The composure on her face instantly shattered, and the smile at the corners of her mouth froze.
A person who only saw themselves indeed looked like a heartless machine; besides themselves, everyone around them could be used.
Ye Ran gave a mocking smile. “Iâm sorry, Madam Ming, but your words haven’t moved me. Thereâs no need for us to continue talking.”
Having finished, he waved at Xu Huiyang, signaling for them to go to the cafeteria.
Watching their retreating backs, Ming Qingyan said unwillingly, “Even if you care about your relationship with Chi Yuheng, you can still cooperate with the Ye Group. The Ye and Chi families have a betrothal arrangement. Chi Yuheng will marry Yousheng. By then, he will be family with us.”
Ye Ranâs footsteps paused as if someone had unexpectedly pressed the pause button.
The sunlight fell on his profile, re-drawing the coldness that had just faded from his eyes, making it even more intense than before, carrying a trace of difficult-to-detect ferocity.
Xu Huiyang also stopped and subconsciously looked at Ye Ran.
He wanted to curse Ming Qingyan. Ye Ran had finally seen his own heart and was about to pursue Chi Yuheng, yet she chose this moment to stab him in the heart.
Seeing that Ye Ran had a reaction, Ming Qingyan finally found a glimmer of opportunity. “Once Chi Yuheng marries Yousheng, he will be the son-in-law of the Ye family. You…”
“He wonât marry Qiao Yousheng.” Ye Ran slowly turned around. His tone exceeded her expectations; it was quite relaxed.
“He is my boyfriend now.”
This sentence was like a thunderclap, exploding over Ming Qingyanâs head.
Ming Qingyanâs pupils contracted suddenly, and her composure froze instantly. It was replaced by an unbelievable look of shock. Her mouth hung open. “You said you and Chi Yuheng… the two of you…”
Ye Ran had a faint smile on his lips. Ming Qingyan could see that it was a look of certainty, a declaration of sovereignty, and definitely not a joke.
Ming Qingyan trembled, her voice filled with disbelief. “But youâre a man, and Chi Yuheng is also a man. How can two men be together…”
“If you like each other, you can be together. There is no ‘why’ or ‘impossible’ about it.”
Ye Ran took a step forward. The sunlight spilled over the tips of his hair, plating them with a soft halo, yet the sharpness in his eyes didn’t diminish in the slightest.
“You just said that once Chi Yuheng marries Qiao Yousheng, you will be family?”
“Now you should understand. He wonât marry Qiao Yousheng, and he certainly wonât become a member of the Ye family.”
“He is my man. He only listens to me.”
Ming Qingyanâs face turned pale. Even her exquisite makeup couldn’t hide her inner shock and panic.
Initially, having Ye Ran in the Chi family could maintain the relationship between the two families, but brotherhood was ultimately unreliable. Fortunately, Heaven had favored her and sent Qiao Yousheng back to her at this time. She had thought a political marriage would be the most secure bond, but everything had unexpectedly become uncontrollable.
The land couldn’t be secured, and she had simultaneously lost the stable backing of the Chi family.
Ming Qingyan staggered back a step and was supported by a bodyguard from behind.
She snapped out of it, no longer hiding her expression, revealing her cold true colors. “Two men being together… aren’t you afraid of public criticism?”
The corners of Ye Ranâs mouth curled up involuntarily. “If you have time to worry about us, youâd better go back and worry about your two sons.”
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