Chapter 514: Chapter 514: Afraid to Contact Him
"Moreover, if it was truly dangerous, would the old man really give it?" Zhao Gushen said with a smile, "Xiao Mo likes it, and the old man is willing to give it, that’s great."
"Don’t picture our old man as naive and foolish." Zhao Gushen laughed, "The old man knows well what he’s doing. He’s willing to pamper Xiao Mo, but only within a range he finds appropriate. Once it exceeds that, he wouldn’t do it."
Ye Fei nodded.
However, thinking of how the old man was constantly suppressed by the old lady, seemingly having little say, Ye Fei felt relieved.
Even if Xiao Mo wanted more, it wouldn’t matter, because the old man’s words wouldn’t count anyway.
At this time, the voice of the little fellow came over the intercom.
Ye Fei chatted with the little fellow.
Although they were not in the same car, chatting this way didn’t make them feel distant.
Still very close, just like being by each other’s side.
Through the intercom, background sounds could be heard, with the old lady saying to the little fellow: "Xiao Mo, would you like some peach juice?"
"Yes!" Xiao Mo immediately responded.
Just like that, happily making their way back to the old mansion.
Aunt Lin and Housekeeper Hong, although not present at the scene, were also watching the live broadcast of the competition at home.
Based on the ending time of the broadcast, Aunt Lin estimated their return time.
Hence, she began preparing dinner early.
Housekeeper Hong collected everyone’s coats, and Aunt Lin, wearing her apron, came out of the kitchen and said, "Perfect timing, the dishes are ready to go in the pot. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour."
Xiao Mo had eaten quite a few snacks on the way, and didn’t feel hungry now.
Having dinner in half an hour was just right.
"Uncle Hong, did you and Aunt Lin watch Xiao Fei’s competition at home?" Zhao Gushen sat down, taking a sip of tea, and immediately asked.
"Of course we watched it, how could we miss it." Housekeeper Hong said with a smile, "Xiao Fei performed exceptionally well."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Lin came out again with a spatula, excitedly saying, "Seeing Xiao Fei directly expose Ding Ruyun was truly satisfying!"
After saying this, Aunt Lin couldn’t linger for long as she was concerned about the dishes in the pot, ensuring they wouldn’t get overcooked.
Thus, without waiting for Ye Fei’s response, she hurried back to the kitchen.
Zhao Gushen raised his voice slightly so that Aunt Lin could hear him from the kitchen: "Definitely, next time, Uncle Hong, you and Aunt Lin must go with us. Watching live is terrific."
"Xiao Fei’s performance at the scene was fantastic." Xiao Mo promptly added.
"Today, when you announced the ban on Ding Ruyun on stage, you were truly impressive." Housekeeper Hong gave Zhao Gushen a thumbs up, "Your demeanor matches perfectly with Xiao Fei!"
Zhao Gushen felt uplifted upon hearing this.
Thinking to himself, Housekeeper Hong’s words were truly comforting.
Without a hint of flattery, just spoken so sincerely.
Since young, he particularly loved listening to Housekeeper Hong speak.
"What Xiao Shen did today was truly satisfying." The old lady remarked.
This prompted Ye Fei to recall something, saying: "Grandma, it puzzled me earlier. While Ding Ruyun was here, you addressed him as Gu Shen, which sounded quite unfamiliar to me."
"Oh!" The old lady waved her hand, "It’s simply because there were outsiders present. Why let Ding Ruyun hear us call him Xiao Shen? She doesn’t deserve it!"
This was exactly as Ye Fei thought.
The old man, at this moment, was stroking his chin, just like a sage stroking his beard.
Unfortunately, the old man’s chin was clean-shaven, without any beard.
"Xiao Fei, do you know why, when Ding Ruyun wanted Xiao Shen to withdraw the ban, I asked you to make the decision?" the old man inquired.
Ye Fei froze for a moment, shaking her head honestly: "I hadn’t thought much about it. Wasn’t it because the matter involved me?"
The old man couldn’t help but laugh.
This little girl, to say she’s naive.
But when dealing with outsiders, she’s astute.
Just like what she said to Ding Ruyun.
Her stance was purely from Zhao Gushen and the Zhao Family’s perspective, knowing exactly what to do.
But to say she’s shrewd, she actually hadn’t thought deeply about it, and was genuinely convinced it was a typical thing.
Even when asked to decide by the old man, she didn’t overthink, seeing it as a quite normal occurrence.
Whether Ye Fei is naive or shrewd eluded even the old man.
"Actually, it was also a test for you." The old man said, "Don’t blame me for testing you at that moment. I simply wanted to know, if you were alone outside, without us around, how would you decide in such a situation?"
"After all, we can’t always be with you, Xiao Shen won’t always be by your side." The old man continued, "You’re the one Xiao Shen has chosen, and we all like you. You’re already marked as the future matriarch of our family."
"Given that, the decisions you make relate closely to the family. Therefore, I needed to know what standpoint your decisions are based on."
"Now I know." The old man nodded, satisfied, "The words you told Ding Ruyun and the decisions you made, everything was for Xiao Shen and the Zhao Family. I’m relieved that in the future, you’ll become a competent matriarch."
"Moreover, when you told Ding Ruyun ’we’, you’ve already placed yourself, Xiao Shen, and the Zhao Family together. You’ve seen us as a whole, as family." The old man smiled warmly, "That’s excellent."
The old man glanced somewhat self-consciously at the old lady and Zhao Gushen, lowering his voice slightly: "Will you be angry with me?"
"Why be angry?" Ye Fei was momentarily confused.
The old man completely perceived that despite Ye Fei’s clarity in serious matters, she was still quite innocent.
"Because I was testing you." The old man thought most would feel uncomfortable even if not angry when faced with such a test.
Unexpectedly, Ye Fei had no reaction at all.
Truly feeling no discomfort at heart.
The old man was confident in his ability to observe this.
Though he was aged, his eyes remained sharp.
The slightest change in Ye Fei’s expression couldn’t escape his notice.
"I’ll say something bold." Ye Fei said, her face reddening, "I already viewed you all as my family."
"You know my situation. That family... only my father is dear to me. Yet I’m also afraid to contact him. Because if I do, my mom and sister would surely know through him."
"Apart from my father, I don’t feel any sense of belonging to that family." Ye Fei said softly, "Call me unfilial if you like, I find it difficult to see my mom and sister as family, hard to be one with them, hard to stand by them."
