So, for now, the only option was to play dumb.
Although Ye Chen knew his grandfather was subtly mocking him, he couldn’t say much more. He simply sighed, “Alright, Grandpa, thank you for the advice. I know what to do.”
Ye Zhongquan nodded with a smile, “Good. Since you’re still planning to visit Uncle Gu, I think you should stay for lunch tomorrow and bring Nannan over in the evening. We’ll have a family dinner. To be honest, I miss her too. It’s been a while since I last saw her.”
Ye Chen knew these were unavoidable social obligations. Regardless of his relationship with Gu Qiqi, it was only natural for her to visit the old man when she returned to Beijing.
So he agreed, “I’ll let Nannan know when I see her tomorrow and arrange for her to visit you.”
“Good!” Ye Zhongquan was pleased and said with a smile, “We won’t go out to eat tomorrow. We’ll have a family dinner at home. Oh, and since Nannan is coming, why not invite Uncle Gu and Aunt Lin as well?”
Ye Chen was startled, “Grandpa, what are you trying to do?”
Ye Zhongquan chuckled, “Nothing much. It’s just been a while since I’ve had a meal with their family. As an elder, it’s only natural for them to visit me. There’s no issue with that.”
Ye Chen sighed, “You decide. If you want to invite Uncle Gu’s family, it’s better for you to call him directly. I won’t be the messenger.”
“Alright!” Ye Zhongquan agreed without hesitation, smiling as he said, “After you pick up Nannan tomorrow, go visit Uncle Gu and Aunt Lin at their home. I’ll call Uncle Gu at noon and invite him over for dinner. I’m sure he won’t refuse.”
“Fine.”
Ye Chen knew he was in a passive position here. Whatever he said would be wrong, so it was better to say nothing.
Ye Zhongquan added, “Chen’er, I was thinking of inviting your aunt over too. What do you think? That way, the Gu family of three and our family of three generations can have a proper gathering.”
Ye Chen’s aunt, Ye Changmin, had been exempted from guarding the Ye family mausoleum at Ye Lingshan because she needed to take care of the old man. The rest of the Ye family were still up there and hadn’t come down yet.
Ye Chen didn’t particularly dislike Ye Changmin. He knew the old man doted on her, and he understood that.
The old man probably wanted him to reconcile with his aunt.
So Ye Chen nodded, “You decide everything.”
“Good, good,” Ye Zhongquan said cheerfully. “Then it’s settled. I’ll make the arrangements for tomorrow. Chen’er, you should go rest now. Don’t you have to get up early to pick up Nannan at the airport?”
Ye Chen was indeed mentally exhausted and said, “I’ll go sit in my father’s study for a while.”
After bidding farewell to the old man, Ye Chen went to his father’s study.
Everything was still arranged as it had been years ago. Every detail brought back memories from his childhood.
Sometimes Ye Chen felt sorry for the old man. His only truly talented son had died young, and the rest of the Ye family members were increasingly disappointing, with none of them standing out.
This was why the old man had kept everything here unchanged.
He often sat here alone in silence for an entire day, reminiscing about the son he had been most proud of.
Ye Chen sat at his father’s desk, wondering: if his father were still alive, what choice would he have him make?
Would it be to remain loyal to his marriage, to follow his parents’ wishes, or to be loyal to the family?
It seemed that the latter two choices were one and the same.
