ASPWL Ch34: Green Pastures

Before attending the Yang family banquet, Ye Leyao, Papa Huo, and Mama Huo first returned to the Huo family home.

As soon as they walked in, a melancholic voice sounded: “Back?”

Ye Leyao looked up and saw not only his older brother Huo Jing at home, but also his second brother Huo Yan sitting on the sofa. Hearing them return, Huo Yan’s somewhat resentful gaze immediately looked over.

Ye Leyao was confused:

[Why does my second brother look like we owe him a lot of money as soon as we come back?]

Huo Yan’s expression became even more resentful upon hearing this.

Not taking him to join the fun, this was worse than owing him money!

During the variety show recording a few days ago, Ye Leyao’s name appeared on the hot search every now and then, and every time his name appeared, it was accompanied by fresh gossip.

But Huo Yan wasn’t on the scene, so he couldn’t hear Ye Leyao’s thoughts and naturally couldn’t get the fresh gossip.

No matter how fast the netizens were, they couldn’t be faster than Ye Leyao!

Huo Yan could only get half the gossip, and sometimes he didn’t even understand half of it.

How could he not be resentful?

Papa Huo and Mama Huo naturally saw the resentment on Huo Yan’s face, but they pretended not to see it and walked in asking Huo Jing, “Are the formal clothes ready?”

Huo Jing finished signing the last document, rubbed his somewhat aching temples, and then looked up and said, “They’re ready, they’ll be delivered later.”

Mama Huo nodded in satisfaction.

Ye Leyao, holding a bottle of drink, took a sip and then paused slightly.

[Big brother…how did you become so haggard after just one week?]

Papa Huo and Mama Huo both looked at Huo Jing.

Huo Jing: “…”

Shouldn’t you ask Papa Huo and Mama Huo about this?

Papa Huo and Mama Huo didn’t dare to meet Huo Jing’s eyes, feeling a bit guilty, they looked away.

Huo Jing sighed almost imperceptibly. With Papa Huo and Mama Huo off enjoying themselves and watching the fun, the burden of the company naturally fell entirely on Huo Jing.

Working overtime and handling all the big and small matters of the company alone for a week, how could he not be haggard?!

Thinking of this, Huo Jing’s eyes also became resentful, just like Huo Yan’s.

Papa Huo lightly coughed to hide his smile.

What could he do? His son was just too excellent, so he trusted him to manage the company!

Mama Huo directly changed the topic: “Take a good rest tomorrow?”

Huo Jing had the same thought. Recently, he had been so busy that his feet barely touched the ground, he was utterly exhausted and needed a break.

So he said, “Then I won’t go to Uncle Yang’s banquet tomorrow.”

Papa Huo and Mama Huo instantly looked at him with burning eyes.

Really not going?

Huo Jing felt puzzled.

Didn’t they say he could rest tomorrow?

Why… were they planning to go back on their word?

Huo Jing frowned, about to speak, when he heard Ye Leyao say softly:

[It’s good that big brother isn’t going to the banquet. After all, I’m not sure I can prevent the fire. If the fire really happens, I’d have to worry about his safety too.]

Huo Jing and Huo Yan’s faces changed simultaneously.

What fire?

Will there be a fire at the Yang family banquet tomorrow?

Why?

Is it an accident or arson?

Mama Huo watched the changing expressions on the two’s faces with a smile slowly curling on her lips.

Want to know? Why not go and see for yourselves?

But you said you wanted to rest tomorrow, so there’s nothing we can do.

Huo Jing pursed his lips and said nothing.

Huo Yan’s eyes lit up and he said without hesitation, “I have nothing to do tomorrow, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Uncle Yang. I’ll go with you.”

Big brother wanted to rest, so he should rest well. He had just finished filming his drama and had nothing to do recently.

Huo Jing: “…”

Blame it on himself for speaking too soon!

Ye Leyao looked helplessly at Huo Yan.

[Second brother really likes to join any fun.]

Huo Yan didn’t mind Ye Leyao’s complaint.

After all, he really liked gossip!

…

The next day.

Ye Leyao was once again dragged out of bed by Huo Yan to get styled.

After recording a variety show episode, Ye Leyao gradually got used to waking up early for styling, but since he hadn’t had enough sleep, he kept his eyes closed the whole time, letting the stylist work on his face.

Once the whole family was done with their styling, they got into the car heading to the Yang family banquet.

Only—

Ye Leyao looked at Huo Jing sitting across from him in surprise and confusion.

[Didn’t big brother say he was resting today? Why is he coming to the banquet with us?]

The others in the car all curved their lips simultaneously.

Of course, there are more important things than resting.

Huo Jing slightly unnaturally turned his head and cleared his throat.

Who said attending a banquet isn’t resting?

As long as there’s no work to handle today, it’s resting!

What kind of work is socializing?!

An hour and a half later, the Huo family’s car stopped in front of the Yang family’s villa.

Today was the 90th birthday of Mr. Yang, a very worthy celebration, but since the old man was quite old and couldn’t stand much excitement, the Yang family simply chose to hold the birthday banquet at their own old villa.

The old house was situated halfway up a hill, with a large lawn in the front yard and a beautiful forest in the backyard, so even hosting a banquet there wouldn’t feel crowded.

As soon as Ye Leyao got out of the car, he couldn’t help but sigh:

[No wonder the entire villa was burned down by a fire. This old house’s location is way too remote, it would take half an hour for the fire truck to get here.]

Papa Huo paused his steps slightly after hearing this, falling a few steps behind Ye Leyao to instruct the driver to contact someone to bring a few water trucks over, preferably with a few dozen fire extinguishers as well, to be prepared in advance.

The driver was very puzzled after hearing this.

What were they bringing water trucks to the Yang family’s birthday banquet for?

And why prepare fire extinguishers?

Is it customary to send water trucks and fire extinguishers as gifts?

The driver was full of doubts, but since the boss had instructed it, he didn’t ask more questions and turned to handle it.

The family entered the villa and went to wish Mr. Yang a happy birthday first.

Mr. Yang’s hair was all white, but he looked very spirited, and when he saw Ye Leyao, he even laughed and said his grandson Xiao Yuan was about the same age as Ye Leyao and had just returned from abroad not long ago.

[Doesn’t Uncle Yang Kun have only one son?]

[So this Yang Yuan is the unlucky guy who got his collection burned?]

Qin Yao was chatting with Yang Kun and suddenly heard this voice, he instinctively looked up, sweeping his gaze around the inner hall but didn’t see Ye Leyao’s figure.

But being able to hear Ye Leyao’s voice meant he was indeed at the banquet.

However, what did it mean by Yang Yuan’s collection being burned?

What kind of collection was it? Was it some rare crop?

Did Yang Yuan have a hobby of collecting grains?

Even if Yang Yuan did like collecting these, who would be so cruel to burn his collection at his house?

Thinking of this, Qin Yao interrupted Yang Kun: “Uncle, where is Xiao Yuan? Why haven’t I seen him around?”

Yang Kun smiled, “He should be out picking up friends, right? You know he hasn’t been back for several years, and he hasn’t seen his friends in a long time.”

Ye Leyao just thought of this too.

[Hey, which one is Yang Yuan? If he’s here, I could at least give him a heads up—]

[How come there’s a brat causing trouble at the banquet? Wait, isn’t this the kid who tore up Yang Yuan’s limited collection in his room?]

Limited edition grains?

Inlaid with gold or emerald?

Qin Yao finally realized that he had probably misunderstood.

The collection Ye Leyao mentioned was certainly not the grains he was thinking of, but whatever it was, Ye Leyao said it was limited, meaning its value was undoubtedly high, and it was kept in Yang Yuan’s room, indicating it was very important to him.

Qin Yao was not someone who liked meddling in others’ business, but he had a good relationship with his cousin Yang Yuan.

Ye Leyao’s voice sounded again:

[Confirmed! It’s this brat! But he doesn’t seem like a little kid? He looks like a middle schooler.]

[Even kindergarten teachers teach fire safety. He can’t possibly not know the dangers of arson.]

[Knowing the dangers of arson and still deliberately setting a fire at the Yang’s house—]

The more Ye Leyao thought, the angrier he got: [He’s just pure evil!]

Setting a fire? It wouldn’t harm the entire Yang family’s old house, right?

Qin Yao frowned, instantly realizing this might not be a small matter, so he directly said: “Uncle, could you call Xiao Yuan and tell him I have something urgent?”

“What urgent matter?” Yang Kun was puzzled.

Qin Yao said, “Please have him come back quickly.”

“Alright,” Yang Kun liked this nephew very much, and since he insisted, it was just a phone call, “I’ll call him now.”

Qin Yao stood up, ready to find Ye Leyao: “Okay, I’ll also make a call outside.”

“Go ahead, go ahead.”

Qin Yao got up and walked to the outer hall, and as soon as he reached the main hall, he saw Ye Leyao standing in the center.

Papa Huo, Mama Huo, Huo Jing, and Huo Yan were all standing not far away, while Ye Leyao was at the food area, his gaze occasionally falling on a chubby boy in the resting area in front.

Qin Yao took a closer look and, coincidentally, he knew the chubby boy.

The chubby boy was Yang Tian, the youngest son of Yang Kun’s brother Yang Jie.

Because he had two older sisters, Yang Tian was the youngest son and was spoiled growing up.

This led to Yang Tian having a very domineering personality, not only being a tyrant at home but also acting like he was the king of the world outside.

Yang Tian had caused numerous troubles since he was young, both big and small, but every time after causing trouble, Yang Jie never disciplined him. Instead, he would proudly tell others that Yang Tian was indeed his son and had the most similar personality to him.

Yang Kun had tried to persuade Yang Jie, and even Mr. Yang had scolded him for poor parenting, but Yang Jie didn’t listen at all and thought they were biased against his son, so he didn’t come to visit Mr. Yang at the old house for a long time.

Mr. Yang got so angry that he fell ill, and later, seeing that it was hopeless, he simply stopped caring.

So, under Yang Jie’s deliberate neglect, Yang Tian became more and more unruly, turning into a little tyrant.

Because of this, Qin Yao’s father believed that Yang Jie’s family couldn’t even manage basic child education, and gradually reduced contact with them. Qin Yao hadn’t seen Yang Tian for many years.

If the person who burned Yang Yuan’s collection was Yang Tian, then it wouldn’t be surprising.

It seems necessary to get Yang Yuan back quickly, as that collection belongs to him and only he can protect it.

Qin Yao walked towards Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao was checking on his phone to see the age below which minors are not held criminally responsible for arson.

Noticing someone approaching, Ye Leyao looked up and saw Qin Yao.

[Hmm? Why is Qin everywhere?]

Qin Yao was helpless.

Yang Kun was his biological uncle, and Mr. Yang was his great-uncle, so why wouldn’t he be here?

But as for Ye Leyao—

Qin Yao didn’t even need to think to know that he must have come today just to join in on the fun.

But thanks to Ye Leyao’s love for joining in the fun, otherwise the Yang family’s old house might really have been burned down by Yang Tian today.

What kind of birthday banquet would that be?

“What a coincidence, Brother Qin.” Ye Leyao greeted Qin Yao first.

Qin Yao smiled: “Came with your parents to attend the banquet?”

Ye Leyao nodded, then his gaze passed over Qin Yao to look at Yang Tian ahead.

Yang Tian was sitting in the nearby resting area playing a game, his brows full of anger. After a moment, he suddenly stopped moving, and the phone screen showed a black game screen, obviously, he had lost the game.

The anger on his face immediately intensified. Suddenly, he raised his hand and, with a “bang,” smashed his phone on the glass table, shattering several glass cups and spilling drinks everywhere.

People around turned to look at the noise.

Ye Leyao immediately frowned.

[At this point, he’s not just a brat anymore, right? Could he have a rage disorder?]

Qin Yao’s brows also furrowed tightly.

Yang Tian’s mother, Jiang Fang, noticed this and hurried over to ask softly, “Baby, what’s wrong now?”

“Annoying—it’s all your fault! If it weren’t for being here, I wouldn’t have lost the game!” As soon as Yang Tian saw Jiang Fang, he instantly had an outlet for his anger and started punching and kicking her.

Jiang Fang didn’t react in time and was kicked in the stomach by Yang Tian, making her cry out in pain, but she still instinctively pulled him into her arms: “Alright, alright, don’t be angry…”

Ye Leyao felt extremely uncomfortable watching this and asked a soul-searching question.

[Is his mom sick or something? He hit you, and you still hug him?]

Qin Yao nodded noncommittally.

Their whole family seemed a bit abnormal.

Otherwise, their family wouldn’t have cut off contact with them years ago.

Yang Tian, unsatisfied after hitting Jiang Fang, raised his hand again to smash the wine glasses, looking like he wanted to destroy everything around him.

Guests nearby, hearing the noise, moved away.

Seeing the situation escalating, Yang Kun arrived.

Seeing the mess and that the troublemaker was his nephew, his expression instantly turned cold, and he said sternly: “Yang Tian! What are you doing?!”

Yang Jie followed him out, and hearing Yang Kun scold his precious son, he immediately said discontentedly: “Brother, why are you scolding him?”

Yang Kun was almost infuriated by Yang Jie: “Today is Dad’s 90th birthday, and you’re not managing your son, letting him make a fuss here? Whose face do you want to lose?”

Yang Jie dismissed it: “The kid is just in a bad mood, and throwing a little tantrum. He does the same at home. Do you have to be so harsh?”

“This is just a little tantrum?” Yang Kun was furious, “Yang Jie, I’ve told you not to spoil Yang Tian too much, look at what he’s become!”

Hearing Yang Jie’s name, Ye Leyao’s expression suddenly changed.

[The name Yang Jie… it sounds familiar?]

The Huo family also came over at this time, and Huo Jing slightly pulled Ye Leyao back: “Stand over here.”

It’s fine to watch and join in the fun, but definitely can’t let Ye Leyao get hurt.

Ye Leyao obediently stepped back a few steps, then, taking advantage of the fact that the Huo family and Qin Yao’s attention were all in front, quickly took out his phone and opened the memo.

After searching for a while, Ye Leyao couldn’t find any useful information, only seeing that Yang Jie was Yang Kun’s younger brother.

[Could it be it’s not from this book’s plot?] Ye Leyao pondered, starting to quickly recall the plot of previously read novels.

While Ye Leyao was recalling the plot, the farce continued not far away.

Yang Tian had been spoiled by his parents since childhood. Not only had he never been scolded, but his parents had never even spoken harshly to him, raising him to be fearless. Hearing Yang Kun scold him, before Yang Jie and Jiang Fang could speak, Yang Tian shouted: “None of your business! Who are you, and why do you think you can tell me what to do?!”

Yang Kun was shocked by this.

Yang Jie and Jiang Fang had always seen Yang Tian as their treasure. Usually, they couldn’t bear to scold him. Hearing Yang Kun speak so harshly to their son, they also turned cold.

“Brother, don’t go too far!” Yang Jie said sternly.

Jiang Fang added: “Big brother, we can educate our own child; we don’t need you meddling!”

“Meddling?!” Yang Kun was truly about to explode, “Jiang Fang, I’m Yang Tian’s uncle. Today is his grandfather’s birthday banquet. You two don’t manage him, letting him throw a tantrum here, and now I can’t even say anything?”

Hearing this, Ye Leyao’s eyes widened suddenly.

[Jiang Fang?!]

[So this chubby kid’s mom is called Jiang Fang?]

Ye Leyao finally remembered where he had heard Yang Jie’s name before.

The Huo family couldn’t help but look back at Ye Leyao.

Where did you hear it before?

Say it quickly.

Is there another big scoop?

Ye Leyao didn’t notice his family’s gaze. He looked up at the situation in front.

Yang Jie and Jiang Fang didn’t like hearing others criticize Yang Tian, even if it was Yang Jie’s own brother.

The couple immediately formed a united front, demanding that Yang Kun apologize to Yang Tian.

Yang Kun was so angry that he almost laughed.

One of the guests who couldn’t stand it anymore spoke up for justice.

Yang Jie turned and started personally attacking the guest: “What does this have to do with you? Who the hell are you to teach my son?”

The guest’s face turned green.

Yang Kun, chest heaving with anger, pointed at Yang Jie’s nose: “Yang Jie! Do you believe I can have security throw you out?!”

Yang Jie snorted: “Then go ahead and throw me out! I can see you didn’t sincerely invite me today! Yang Tian just broke a few wine glasses, and you, his uncle, are this furious?”

Yang Kun was almost beside himself with rage at these words.

Seeing the number of onlookers increasing, Qin Yao hesitated about whether to step in and mediate.

At that moment, Ye Leyao sighed softly:

[The key point is that Yang Kun isn’t even Yang Tian’s biological uncle.]

Qin Yao’s steps halted immediately.

What?

The Huo family was also shocked.

Not the biological uncle?

That means—

[Yang Tian isn’t Yang Jie’s biological son at all!]

Ye Leyao finally found the key plot point.

[I didn’t expect Jiang Fang to be the fallen heroine in a reverse harem novel… Before meeting Yang Jie, she was involved with several male characters. Even after marrying Yang Jie, she continued entangling with those men—]

Ye Leyao’s voice suddenly rose, filled with excitement:

[So not only Yang Tian, but even those two daughters Yang Jie doesn’t care for aren’t his biological children either?]

[Heh, Yang Jie is truly the ultimate cuckold in the novel; he’s practically glowing green!]

Qin Yao’s pupils trembled.

Mama Huo and Dad were even more astonished.

None of Yang Jie’s three children are his?

The Huo family’s gaze towards Yang Jie immediately filled with a trace of pity.

Yang Jie practically has a prairie growing on his head!

[Let me see why Jiang Fang married Yang Jie?]

Ye Leyao quickly flipped through his notes and soon found the reason:

[So that’s it, Jiang Fang didn’t marry Yang Jie out of love; she was after the Yang family’s wealth!]

[After marrying Yang Jie, Jiang Fang constantly sowed discord, and under her daily instigations, the relationship between Yang Jie and the Yang family deteriorated. Eventually, the Yang family split, and all the property was transferred to Yang Tian under Jiang Fang’s persuasion.]

[When the time was right, Jiang Fang divorced Yang Jie, taking Yang Tian and the family’s wealth to elope with her lover!]

The Huo family listened with increasing excitement.

And then, and then?

What happened to Yang Jie in the end?

At this point, Ye Leyao finally recalled the entire plot.

[As for poor Yang Jie, even when Jiang Fang ran away with her lover, he still didn’t know that none of his three children were his.]

[Yang Kun, deeply hurt by his brother, naturally stopped caring about him. Later, when Yang Jie fell ill and was hospitalized, there wasn’t even anyone to stay by his bedside.]

“He brought it on himself,” Huo Yan couldn’t help but whisper.

Huo Jing nodded in agreement.

Seeing more and more guests gathering, and even alarming old Mr. Yang in the inner hall, Yang Kun didn’t want to argue with Yang Jie any longer.

“I can’t be bothered to argue with you!” Yang Kun turned to instruct the staff to quickly clean up the area, then turned to apologize to the guest Yang Jie had insulted.

Yang Jie, however, looked as if he had won a battle, provocatively watching Yang Kun leave, then pulled Yang Tian over, kissed his face, and smiled: “Son, isn’t Dad awesome?”

Yang Tian giggled twice: “Awesome!”

“Remember to learn from me in the future!” Yang Jie laughed.

Yang Tian quickly nodded and agreed.

Yang Jie then put his arm around Jiang Fang’s shoulder, and in the moment she lowered her head, she concealed the disgust in her eyes.

With Yang Kun gone, the onlookers naturally dispersed.

Seeing that there was nothing fun left here, Yang Tian headed towards the inner hall.

Jiang Fang quickly called out: “Xiao Tian, where are you going?”

“I’m going upstairs to play!”

Yang Tian ran off so quickly that he bumped into a guest, causing the guest to exclaim.

Before the guest could say anything, Yang Tian had already disappeared.

Seeing this, Yang Jie laughed heartily: “Look at our son’s energy!”

[Of course, he’s almost as fat as a pig.]

Ye Leyao really didn’t have any fondness for Yang Jie’s family.

Suddenly, Ye Leyao was startled: [Yang Tian just said he was going upstairs, and Yang Yuan’s room is upstairs, isn’t it?]

At that moment, a cheerful male voice came from behind—

“Brother Yao! Dad said you were looking for me?”

Ye Leyao turned around and saw a handsome young man quickly running towards them, smiling brightly: “I’ve been back for so long, and Brother Yao, you only just now thought of asking about me. I thought you had forgotten me!”

Qin Yao hugged him and laughed: “How could I?”

Yang Yuan chuckled, grabbed Qin Yao’s arm, and was about to walk away.

Ye Leyao couldn’t hold back any longer:

[And you’re still laughing! If you don’t go upstairs soon, your collection will be ruined!]

Qin Yao stood still.

“Take me to your room.” Qin Yao’s tone was calm.

He just wanted to see what this collection was.

Yang Yuan was puzzled: “Hmm?”

Why the sudden interest in his room?

“I want to have a look,” Qin Yao casually lied.

Ye Leyao quickly added: “Can I come too?”

Yang Yuan: “Huh?”

What’s so interesting about his room?

And who is this handsome guy next to Qin Yao?

Could it be his brother’s boyfriend?

Yang Yuan’s eyes instantly lit up.

If Ye Leyao knew what Yang Yuan was thinking, he would definitely explain seriously:

No, I’m just a warm-hearted cereal hero!