There seemed to be a strange glint in He Zhenhua's eyes. Looking at Ye Yanxi's stubborn look, he said, "However, no matter how you deny it, we are still father and daughter."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Yanxi curled her lips self - deprecatingly. She glanced at the cars of He Zhenhua's clients and said, "Mr. He has gone to such great lengths to stop me today. I'm afraid it's not just for this matter, right? Aren't you afraid that I'll tell them what you just said?"
If those clients found out about this, the He Group would surely be affected to some extent.
Sure enough, as soon as she said this, He Zhenhua took a step back. He subconsciously glanced at the clients. Seeing that no one was looking this way, he finally showed a bit of relief on his face.
"Xiaoxi, I can assure you that one day in the future, I will make your identity public."
"Which day is that one day?" Ye Yanxi sneered, "Is it after your project with the Chu family is over? Or when? As far as I know, this project of yours may last for at least a decade. Before that, you won't recognize me, right?"
"Can't you understand my good intentions?"
"No!" Ye Yanxi firmly refused him, "Sixteen years ago, when you chose He Man, you had already given me up. Why do you bother my life now? Pretending to talk about father - daughter affection?"
"Back then, it was because..."
He Zhenhua wanted to explain something, but then he thought that if he told Ye Yanxi the truth, she might hate him even more. Back then, he had indeed made up his mind not to recognize her.
Seeing He Zhenhua stop halfway through his words, Ye Yanxi frowned. "Because of what? Why don't you go on?"
"Regardless of what you think, it was indeed my fault back then. Now the reason I want to recognize you is partly because of your mother and partly to compensate for the hardships you've endured in the past sixteen years."
This was one of the more straightforward admissions from He Zhenhua. The reason he wanted to recognize her was for Jiang Pinzhen.
And the hardships of the past sixteen years? How could they be compensated? For a child, the love and warmth of parents were a hundred times more important than anything in the world. Such a deficiency could not be made up for with just a single word of compensation.
Every time they met, they would be at odds with each other. They would start arguing after just a few words. He Zhenhua knew that no matter how sincerely he expressed his feelings, he couldn't change anything.
After a moment of silence, He Zhenhua finally said his purpose for stopping her.
"Xiaoxi, I've said that no matter what, you are my daughter, and Zhenxing... he is your uncle!"
He Zhenxing?
Ye Yanxi looked at He Zhenhua strangely. Suddenly, a scene flashed through her mind: the lecherous middle - aged man downstairs of the He Group.
No wonder she had thought the figure of the person in the news looked familiar. It was He Zhenxing.
That man was He Zhenhua's older brother and also her uncle.
It seemed that He Zhenhua had other motives for stopping her today. She had just said it casually, but unexpectedly...
Ye Yanxi sneered, "So... you're really not here just to recognize me today. It's for He Zhenxing, right?"
It seemed that He Zhenxing had done a lot of bad things. The news had portrayed him as a huge cancer. The reason he hadn't gotten into trouble until now was probably because He Zhenhua had helped him smooth things over.
Now that He Zhenxing had finally been caught, it was likely that all his previous misdeeds had been exposed. The person who had exposed him seemed determined to eliminate him completely.
This was really Xiao Yu's style. He would never leave any threats. He would strike with a single blow and not give the opponent any chance to make a comeback.
In the past, she had thought Xiao Yu was too ruthless, but now it seemed that those people deserved what they got. If they had behaved themselves and not provoked Xiao Yu, they wouldn't have ended up like this.
He Zhenxing had done so many wrong things. The police would surely conduct a thorough investigation. And since he was the older brother of the president of the He Group, the investigation would eventually reach He Zhenhua.
For now, He Zhenhua was still safe. Perhaps it was because Xiao Yu had shown mercy. And now, at this critical moment, He Zhenhua was out socializing. Those clients must be extraordinary. Ye Yanxi guessed in her heart.
Obviously, the main reason Xiao Yu had shown mercy to He Zhenxing was probably because of her.
He Zhenhua's purpose for coming to her today was self - evident.
Sensing Ye Yanxi's sharp gaze, He Zhenhua knew that she had guessed most of his thoughts. He couldn't help but look a bit embarrassed.
"Your uncle has been arrested. I'm sure you already know about it."
"I saw it on the news." Ye Yanxi replied coldly.
"However, I have to correct you. We're not father and daughter yet, so he's not my uncle. Moreover... I don't have an uncle like him."
"Xiaoxi, even if you don't recognize me as your father, he is still my older brother after all. And the fact that we're related by blood is unchangeable."
"Does he have the right to be my uncle?" Ye Yanxi snorted coldly. "Would an uncle try to molest his niece and try to drag her into a car to assault her?"
"You mean he... did that to you?" He Zhenhua looked surprised.
"You don't believe me, right? Well, I'm just an outsider to you. I can never compare to your older brother, right?"
"Although he has done a lot of absurd things, maybe he didn't know your identity. If he had known you were my daughter, he probably wouldn't have acted so recklessly." He Zhenhua frowned.
"You're still making excuses for him..." Ye Yanxi's eyes were as cold as ice. "You're blaming me for not recognizing you, so it's my own fault that I was bullied by him. Even if something happened to me in the end, he wouldn't have to take any responsibility, right?"
"No, it's not like that." He Zhenhua was eager to explain. "He was indeed wrong about that."
"Although you say so, what do you really think in your heart? Compared to a daughter who has been living outside for sixteen years, you care more about your older brother, right?" Ye Yanxi laughed. "I'm a person who always gets even. If someone hurts me, even if they're my relative, I won't forgive them."
"Xiaoxi..."
"You still want me to save him, to save a man who once almost raped me and framed Xiao Yu and sent him to prison? And then ask Xiao Yu to let him go?" Ye Yanxi said through gritted teeth. "Sorry, I'm not that magnanimous. I'll never do it."
He Zhenhua was silent. Ye Yanxi's personality was indeed very similar to his. She was even more decisive in dealing with some issues. This was probably due to her upbringing. If she had grown up in the He family, she probably wouldn't have such a personality.
After saying that, Ye Yanxi pulled He Chuyan around He Zhenhua and continued walking towards the mall. "Yanyan, let's go!"
This time, He Zhenhua didn't stop them. He just watched them leave.
He had done his best. Even if he begged more, Ye Yanxi wouldn't pay any more attention to him.
But He Zhenxing was his older brother. Before his father passed away, he had entrusted the company to him and told him that no matter what He Zhenxing did in the future, he had to ensure his safety.
Anyway, He Zhenxing was his only older brother in this world. Whether it was his father's instruction or the blood - bond, he couldn't just ignore him. Although He Zhenxing had done a lot of stupid things, the main reason he had gotten into trouble this time was his greed. He had squandered the company's shares and was also unwilling, so he had resorted to illegal means.
Although the He Group was more financially powerful than the Xiao Group, there was the entire Xiao Clan behind Xiao Yu. This couldn't be underestimated. And Xiao Yu was always ruthless. He would never give the opponent any chance to turn things around.
Now that He Zhenxing was in trouble, He Zhenhua couldn't save the situation on his own. Ye Yanxi was his only hope.
When he came to her at first, He Zhenhua had held a glimmer of hope, but he didn't expect the result to be almost the same as he had predicted. Ye Yanxi wouldn't agree.
On the other hand, from Ye Yanxi's perspective, it was natural that she wouldn't save He Zhenxing.
Sure enough, he had thought too much.
Ye Yanxi and He Chuyan rushed into the mall. They felt as if they had suddenly stepped from summer into winter. The air - conditioning in the mall was very comfortable.
Just as they were walking towards the clothing area, suddenly a man in front was holding something and looking around furtively.
With her intuition, Ye Yanxi immediately recognized that the man was a thief. So she quickly stepped forward and snatched the thing from his hand.