Xu Bei was sitting in the driver's seat, waiting for Ye Yanxi to get in the car so he could start the engine and drive away. But no sooner had Ye Yanxi taken her seat than a swarm of people rushed over and surrounded the car. Xu Bei could only stare blankly.
After a while, seeing that the car wasn't going to move, the people outside grabbed their microphones and rushed forward, knocking on the car windows in an attempt to interview Xiao Yu and Ye Yanxi.
Xiao Yu's face darkened. He immediately pulled down the curtains, blocking the onlookers' view of the car's interior.
But these reporters were tenacious. Undeterred, they continued to bang on the windows and shout. The car's sound insulation wasn't great, so some of their words reached the ears of the two people inside.
"Mr. Xiao, is your wife involved in Mrs. Chu's death? Could you please elaborate?"
"Ms. Ye Yanxi, it's rumored that you're already married to Mr. Xiao. Some people have seen you two frequently visiting the hospital. Are you pregnant? When will you hold your wedding?"
"Ms. Ye, you had a close relationship with Mrs. Chu, didn't you? Could you tell us the truth behind Mrs. Chu's death?"
"Mr. Xiao, why did you cancel your engagement with the diplomat Jin Yan? Was it because of Ms. Ye Yanxi?"
The questions came one after another without a pause. Both Xiao Yu and Ye Yanxi in the car looked unhappy. At first, the reporters asked some trivial questions. But when they saw no response from inside the car, the bolder ones started speculating about the relationship between Jin Yan, Xiao Yu, and Ye Yanxi. They even insinuated that Ye Yanxi was a home-wrecker who had stolen Xiao Yu from Jin Yan. The words were as harsh as they could be.
Reporters are known for their sharp tongues, and some of them even started swearing. Ye Yanxi's face grew more and more unpleasant.
Xiao Yu tightened his lips, his eyes cold. He commanded Xu Bei, "Xu Bei, drive!"
Xu Bei looked at the crowd in front of the car and broke out in a cold sweat. "President, I can't. These people are blocking the way, and it's just the time when school is over. There are so many students around."
By this time, a large number of students had gathered at the school gate, craning their necks to get a better view, their faces full of curiosity and gossip.
If they drove the car regardless, they might hurt someone.
Xu Bei was right. Hitting a student would have serious consequences.
Xiao Yu's face darkened. He exuded a cold aura. After a long while, he made a phone call.
On the other end of the line, Jiang Ye readily agreed.
About five minutes later, several police cars roared up. Well-trained police officers got out. Those in the front row were armed with guns, while those in the back carried shields. Their expressions were serious.
At the sound of a whistle, the reporters surrounding the car stepped aside, not daring to say a word. They watched the police nervously. Xu Bei finally let out a sigh of relief and started the car, driving away from the scene.
On the way back, Xiao Yu called Fang Xu and ordered him to find out who had leaked the news and to have all the published news removed.
But this time, the news was different from the previous ones. The previous ones were just rumors about Xiao Yu and Jin Yan.
This time, it directly involved Ye Yanxi, who was just a student. So the public's attention and enthusiasm were even higher. Many people even started reposting and spreading the news on their personal Weibo and Moments.
The public opinion was one-sided, mostly unfavorable to Ye Yanxi.
Some reporters had somehow managed to take photos. One of them showed Xiao Yu and Ye Yanxi entering the hospital together. Ye Yanxi's hand was gently resting on her abdomen, while Xiao Yu was looking at her tenderly. This photo sparked a lot of speculation.
Some people thought that Ye Yanxi had used devious means to get pregnant with Xiao Yu's child, and that Xiao Yu had been bewitched by her, resulting in the tragic death of his family. Since Xiao Yu hadn't done anything for his sister Xiao Shuran when she had an accident, they were sure that Ye Yanxi was the mastermind behind it.
The news about what had happened between Ye Yanxi and Lin Yuanyuan at school some time ago was also dug out. Many people said that Ye Yanxi had deliberately let people take photos of her getting out of the car in order to let everyone know her relationship with Xiao Yu.
Through all these speculations, Ye Yanxi was drowned in the public opinion. She was portrayed as a scheming vixen who would stop at nothing to marry into a wealthy family.
This news seemed to last forever. Fang Xu was having a hard time controlling the situation. Although the major news had been removed, he couldn't stop the private spread of the information.
Just then, something else happened to fuel the fire. Ye Yanxi's past relationship with Chu Beize was also exposed.
This time, the news received unprecedented attention. The offensive remarks flooded the internet.
Just when the situation was getting out of control, General Jiang, who rarely appeared in the media, suddenly stopped at the military region gate. The reporters waiting there were initially chatting in low voices. When they saw Jiang Huaiming coming out, they immediately stood up straight and looked at him. Most of the reporters who came here were from major media, covering current affairs news.
But most of the time, they went home empty-handed. Jiang Huaiming rarely granted interviews.
Seeing that General Jiang didn't seem to be getting in the car, the reporters slowly gathered around. One of them took the lead and asked, "General Jiang, I heard that recently on our country's border..."
Jiang Huaiming answered his questions with a smile.
The reporter was obviously delighted. He bowed respectfully to Jiang Huaiming. "Thank you, General Jiang, for answering my questions. But..."
The reporter hesitated for a moment and then asked tentatively, "General Jiang, may I ask you some personal questions?"
"Wait a minute. I just heard some of you mention Ye Yanxi. Is that right?" Jiang Huaiming's deep eyes swept over the reporters.
The reporters exchanged glances. Did General Jiang also care about entertainment gossip?
"Are you also interested in Ye Yanxi's affairs, General Jiang? What's your opinion on this?" The reporter followed up, although they weren't usually in the business of reporting entertainment news, this was the most talked-about news recently.
"Ye Yanxi is my granddaughter, and Xiao Yu is my grandson-in-law. Is there any problem?"
The reporter was shocked. "Did you just say... Ye Yanxi is your granddaughter?"
"Yes!"
"But as far as we know, your granddaughter is He Man, the daughter of the He Group, isn't she?"
"Oh, you don't know this. Manman is the adopted daughter of my daughter. Due to some reasons, my daughter and my granddaughter were separated for many years. Later, we were afraid it would have an impact on my granddaughter, so we didn't make it public."
Shocked, the reporter immediately asked, "So, do you mean that Ye Yanxi is the real daughter of the He Group?"
Jiang Huaiming nodded. "Yes. I just heard you discussing my granddaughter and grandson-in-law. I think there must be some misunderstandings."
"Misunderstandings?"
"Yes." Jiang Huaiming remained calm, showing no sign of lying. "My granddaughter and grandson-in-law were engaged when they were very young. But later, my granddaughter disappeared for a while. She just came back recently. Since they're both of marriageable age and don't seem to object to the childhood engagement, they got together naturally."
"But the media reported that Mr. Xiao of the Xiao Group was previously engaged to the famous diplomat Jin Yan. Did your granddaughter's appearance break their engagement?"
Jiang Huaiming answered seriously, "Oh, this. I remember that Xiao Yu and Jin Yan's engagement was canceled a long time ago. My granddaughter just came back not long ago. How can you say she broke their engagement?"
"Then, General Jiang, how did your granddaughter and the president of the Xiao Group meet? I heard that your granddaughter is pregnant. Will they hold their wedding soon? Could you please share some details?"
"That's all I can tell you." With that, Jiang Huaiming got in the car with a smile, leaving the reporters behind in deep thought.
As expected, Jiang Huaiming's appearance caused another stir in the media. There was a flurry of discussions.
Subsequently, the He Group also issued a statement.
To convince the public, the DNA test results of He Zhenhua and Ye Yanxi were also released. Facts spoke louder than words. Ye Yanxi was indeed the daughter of the He family. And since Chu Beize had always been engaged to He Man, it was only natural that Ye Yanxi knew Chu Beize.
Finally, Grandpa Xiao also personally admitted that Ye Yanxi and Xiao Yu had been engaged since childhood.
After this, no one dared to speculate about Ye Yanxi's identity anymore. Her status as the president's wife was widely accepted. The public opinion changed overnight, and this time, people were full of praise and envy for Ye Yanxi.
Moreover, both the Jiang and Xiao families were prominent families. Their union was a perfect match, making people envious.
Some people sighed that just a moment ago, people had looked down on Ye Yanxi, but the next moment, after learning the truth, they were all fawning over her.
For a while, many people sighed that her background was so bizarre yet enviable. It seemed as if she had saved the galaxy in her previous life. Her union with Xiao Yu had become a beautiful story.
In the evening, most of the negative comments about Ye Yanxi disappeared, replaced by supportive ones. Ye Yanxi told He Chuyan about this and also mentioned what had happened at the school gate in the afternoon. He Chuyan couldn't help but sigh that rumors were like wild beasts, and the power of the media and netizens was immeasurable.
Ye Yanxi felt a bit emotional. She didn't expect Grandpa Xiao to come forward to defend her.
Now, there were no more obstacles in her relationship with Xiao Yu. Their relationship was truly legitimate.
While sighing, Ye Yanxi became more determined in her thoughts.
The next afternoon, as soon as Ye Yanxi left school, she rushed to the hospital without a moment's delay.
Jiang Pinzhen was still guarding outside the ward. When she saw Ye Yanxi coming, her eyes lit up.
"Xiaoxi, you're here." Jiang Pinzhen forced a smile, but her eyes were filled with sadness and helplessness.
"Mom."
Ye Yanxi looked into the ward. He Zhenhua was sitting against the head of the bed. There were two men in suits beside him, holding some documents and waiting.
"Are those people from the company?" Ye Yanxi asked curiously.
"They're lawyers. Your father is making a will."
As she said this, Jiang Pinzhen's eyes turned red again. She tried hard to hide her emotions.
"A will?"
"Yes. He said he doesn't have much time left, so he wants to arrange his affairs in advance just in case."
Ye Yanxi frowned tightly.
"I'll go in and have a look."
After entering the ward, He Zhenhua looked up from the pile of documents. He greeted her happily, "Xiaoxi, you're here. Come and take a look at this..."
Saying this, He Zhenhua handed Ye Yanxi the document he had been reading.
"Xiaoxi, I know you don't want to accept my inheritance, but this is my father's wish. In the future, it can be for your mother and your future children. These two lawyers are authorities in the legal field. With them around, there will be fewer disputes in the future."
"Why are you making a will?" Ye Yanxi stared at He Zhenhua expressionlessly. Her eyes didn't even glance at the document. Her tone was demanding.
He Zhenhua's haggard face darkened. He seemed to have lost all his strength and slumped back against the pillow. "I know my own body well. I don't have much time left. I'm afraid that if something happens... So, in these last days, I still want to do more for you and your mother. This property is the only thing I can leave for you."
"Do you think Mom and I would want these things?"
He Zhenhua smiled self-deprecatingly. "I know you don't lack anything, but this is my way of showing my love. I've owed you and your mother too much. Just take it as compensation. Maybe you can donate it after I'm gone."
Hearing the word "death", Ye Yanxi lowered her eyes. Her heart was filled with mixed emotions. Then she looked up and stared directly at him. "Since you know you've owed Mom and me, and you want to make up for it, you shouldn't give up."