Chapter 12: Forced Wake-Up Call

In the end, adhering to the principle that one must join in on any spectacle, Ye Leyao agreed to attend the banquet with Huo Father and Huo Mother.

Huo Father and Huo Mother were delighted by this.

It wasn't just because they could feast on fresh gossip, but because Ye Leyao had never liked attending various banquets since he was young. Even at banquets held by their own family, he would always find an opportunity to slip away from the gathering.

This was the first time Ye Leyao had agreed to attend a banquet, even if it was for the sake of gossip, and Huo Father and Huo Mother were very happy about it.

So the next morning, before Ye Leyao could wake up naturally, he was roused by Huo Yan.

Ye Leyao clung to his blanket, looking bewildered. "…Second Brother, this early?"

Huo Yan raised an eyebrow. "Of course, get up to do your styling."

Ye Leyao refused to let go of the blanket.

Huo Yan tried to pull his arm.

Ye Leyao opened his eyes in despair. "…Can't I sleep a little longer?"

"Absolutely not!" They were going to join the crowd and feast on gossip, and they had to be there early!

Ye Leyao said, "I'm not doing any styling."

Huo Yan replied, "You have to!"

Without caring about Ye Leyao's wishes, he forcibly pulled him out of bed.

As Ye Leyao left his room, he muttered all the way:

"This is too early, isn't it?"

"Why do I need to do styling? It's just a banquet, is it necessary…"

At this thought, the drowsiness in Ye Leyao's mind faded, and he became a bit more alert. He looked up at Huo Yan.

Huo Yan met his gaze with confusion.

Then he heard Ye Leyao say in a tone of sudden realisation ,

"Could it be that Second Brother has set his sights on someone again?! So you want to dress up like a peacock…"

Unable to hold back any longer, Huo Yan reached out and pinched Ye Leyao's face, stopping him from finishing his thought. He said sternly, "Hurry up!"

Ye Leyao was startled awake, most of his sleepiness was gone, and followed Huo Yan downstairs in a daze.

"Why am I so grumpy in the morning? I didn't even get forced to turn on…"

Huo Yan took a deep breath and told himself not to lose his temper so early in the morning.

When Ye Leyao got downstairs, he realized that not only was he awake, but Huo Father and Huo Mother were also up.

He glanced at the clock on the wall.

5:30 AM.

"Why are Huo Father and Huo Mother up so early too? Aren't they tired? The sleeping patterns of middle-aged people are truly enviable."

Huo Mother, who was communicating with the makeup artist, had a slightly stiff expression.

Huo Father paused in his movements.

The couple exchanged glances.

They sighed inwardly at the same time: Who do you think we're up so early for? What are you envious of?!

Who wouldn't want to sleep a little longer!

But the culprit, Ye Leyao, noticed nothing, yawning as he sat down in front of the mirror, leaving himself to the mercy of the stylist.

Three hours later, the family boarded the car heading to the Xu residence.

To show their emphasis on the true young master, the Xu family had organized the banquet on a grand scale. They rented out the entire hotel estate, and almost everyone in the business circle was invited, along with some specially invited media reporters.

Although the Huo family wasn't late, they still had to wait nearly half an hour at the entrance before they could disembark.

As soon as they got out of the car, Ye Leyao saw the host family standing at the entrance to greet guests. His gaze swept over them one by one, finally settling on the youth standing next to Xu Father.

His tone was slightly exciting. "It's him!"

The rest of the Huo family also tried to contain their excitement as they looked over.

Standing next to Xu Father was Xu Yao, the Xu family's fake young master.

The youth was dressed in a white suit and was currently lowering his head, seemingly in low spirits.

Xu Father immediately noticed something was off and looked at him with concern, even reaching out to discreetly squeeze Xu Yao's hand.

Ye Leyao's pupils widened instantly:

"Holding hands in front of so many people? Ew—"

Huo Father and Huo Mother couldn't help but nod in agreement.

With their biological son right beside them, Xu Father still had the heart to care about the adopted son's mood, showing indeed how special their relationship was!

The Huo and Xu families had always been in collaboration, and Huo Father and Huo Mother had met Xu Yao before. At the time, they thought Xu Yao seemed quite steady and capable.

The result was that on such an important occasion today, Xu Yao actually threw a tantrum in front of the guests, truly petty and revealing his true colors.

Meanwhile, the real young master, Xu Yunzhi, standing beside Mother Xu, seemed oblivious to Xu Yao and Father Xu's antics, maintaining a composed demeanor that commanded respect.

After ushering in the previous row of guests, Mother Xu looked up to meet Madam Huo's gaze and quickly smiled, "You've finally arrived."

Mr. Huo and Madam Huo then proceeded forward with Huo Yan and Ye Leyao in tow.

Ye Leyao didn't often make public appearances, but because he was classmates with Xu Chen, the second son of the Xu family, Father and Mother Xu were quite familiar with him.

Upon seeing Ye Leyao, Mother Xu was somewhat surprised. "It's rare for Leyao to come. Xu Chen is inside greeting guests; later, I can have him show you around?"

Ye Leyao hastily shook his head. "No need, I'll just wander around by myself."

"I'm here to join the fun and eat some melon seeds. What if Xu Chen grabs me and won't let me go later?"

Madam Huo also chimed in, "Little Yao can follow us; there's no need for any trouble."

Mother Xu was merely being polite, and upon their polite refusal, she did not insist further, changing the topic instead.

After exchanging pleasantries for a moment, the Huo family finally entered the hotel hall.

As soon as they went in, Mr. Huo and Madam Huo were quickly surrounded by acquaintances, with many eyes also landing on Ye Leyao.

Feeling uncomfortable, Ye Leyao excused himself from Mr. Huo and Madam Huo and slipped away.

Huo Yan had wanted to follow, but as soon as he took a step, he too was surrounded.

Ye Leyao made his way unimpeded to the hotel's back garden.

The Xu family's banquet today would last all day, so not only was there a continuous feast in the hotel hall, but there were also plenty of snacks laid out in the courtyard of the back garden.

The incident of catching someone cheating occurred at noon, and it was still early now. Ye Leyao hadn't eaten much in the morning, so he headed towards the courtyard to grab some desserts.

There were quite a few people near the courtyard, and as soon as he walked over, Ye Leyao spotted a familiar figure.

Ye Leyao furrowed his brows slightly and was about to turn around when the person spoke first—

"Ye Leyao!"

With his shout, everyone looked over.

Ye Leyao sighed inwardly.

"Should've known better than to come."

Now that he'd been called out, Ye Leyao couldn't just leave, so he walked over.

Xu Chen had already quickly approached. He sized up Ye Leyao, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt as he leaned in and lowered his voice. "Oh, even you came despite not liking banquets, and you even got a new hairstyle? What's this? Have you set your sights on my older brother?"

Ye Leyao rolled his eyes.

He and Xu Chen had never had a good relationship, one could even say they were at odds—more accurately, Xu Chen targeted him one-sided.

The cause of the issue was that Xu Chen saw Ye Leyao reading a BL novel in high school. Xu Chen was a die-hard straight man who intensely disliked homosexuals, so from that time on, he began targeting Ye Leyao intentionally or unintentionally.

Not only did he use Ye Leyao's status as the Huo family's adopted son against him, but he also frequently mocked him with words.

Ye Leyao had a good temper, but he wasn't soft. Naturally, he wouldn't take insults lying down.

Today was no different. Ye Leyao was about to tell him that his heart was dirty, which was why everything looked dirty to him, when he suddenly thought of something and gave Xu Chen a strange look.

Xu Chen felt a bit uneasy under Ye Leyao's gaze.

What kind of look was that?

Usually, whenever Xu Chen brought up Ye Leyao's preference for men, Ye Leyao could always shut him up. Why was he silent today, looking at him with... a pitying gaze?

If Xu Chen could hear Ye Leyao's thoughts, he would hear Ye Leyao's explanation at this moment—

"Forget it, I won't bother arguing with an idiot like Xu Chen today."

"After all, he's about to have two dads. I'll forgive him!"

Qin Yao, who was walking toward them, paused in his steps.

What did he mean by having two dads?

Xu Chen was even more confused.

Not only did Ye Leyao not refute him, but he also bypassed him and headed toward the courtyard.

What was going on?

Could it be that he had guessed right, and Ye Leyao had indeed come for his older brother today?

Xu Chen's expression darkened as he hurriedly stepped forward to block Ye Leyao, gritting his teeth. "Ye Leyao! I advise you to put those twisted thoughts aside early. My older brother will never like you!"

Ye Leyao stopped and asked him, "Which older brother?"

Xu Chen was taken aback.

Ye Leyao blinked. "Don't you have two brothers now? Which one is your older brother?"

Xu Chen was stunned for a few seconds before quickly realizing that Ye Leyao was doing this on purpose!

He knew that Xu Chen disliked Xu Yunzhi coming back and stealing his brother's position, yet he deliberately asked in front of so many people. Wasn't this just to make him say the wrong thing and watch him embarrass himself?

Xu Chen wouldn't give Ye Leyao the satisfaction. He gritted his teeth. "Of course, they're both my older brothers, but Ye Leyao, I warn you. I know my brother Xu Yao is outstanding, but you're not allowed to get close to my brother, do you understand?!"

Ye Leyao's brows furrowed deeper with each word.

"Xu Yao? Outstanding?"

"Has Xu Yao bewitched Xu Chen with some love potion ?"

"How can it be that his brother, Xu Yao, is so outstanding, yet he still worries about his position being threatened by the true heir and resorts to seducing his adoptive father after his return?"

What?

Seducing who?

Xu Yao seducing his adoptive father?

Qin Yao's pupils dilated in shock.

Xu Chen continued to prattle on in Ye Leyao's ear, lavishing praise on Xu Yao and warning Ye Leyao not to approach his elder brother for the rest of the time.

Ye Leyao grew increasingly annoyed.

"It's not like my taste is that bad, is it?"

"If you're this concerned about your brother, why don't you go check his room right now; that cup of aphrodisiac should still be on his table. If you dispose of the drug, perhaps you could salvage your brother's precarious reputation and your father's late honor."

The more Qin Yao listened, the more astonished he became.

Upon Ye Leyao's arrival at the rear courtyard, Qin Yao heard a familiar voice echoing in his mind. Instantly recognizing it as Ye Leyao's, he followed the sound toward him.

Before he could greet Ye Leyao, he overheard this shocking secret.

The Xu family had collaborations with the Qin family, but these were not established through Qin Yao.

If today's incident escalated—

it would only benefit him without any harm.

Qin Yao took a slight breath, approached, and called out, "Leyao?"

Ye Leyao turned around, her eyes brightening as she hurried forward. "President Qin! What a coincidence?"

"Ahh, my savior! Quickly, take me away!"

A hint of a smile played in Qin Yao's eyes as he fulfilled her wish. "Do you have time now? I'd like to discuss the previous variety show with you again."

Ye Leyao: "Yes, yes, yes."

"As long as I can get rid of Xu Chen, anything goes!"

Qin Yao found her reaction amusing but kept his expression neutral. He nodded at Xu Chen and led Ye Leyao away.

Although Xu Chen was reluctant, he couldn't really stop them from leaving. He glared fiercely at Ye Leyao, silently warning her with his gaze.

Ye Leyao pretended not to notice and followed Qin Yao back to the hotel lobby.

Just as they entered the lobby, Qin Yao was about to find a quiet spot to properly discuss the variety show with Ye Leyao when she suddenly raised her voice—

"Ah! That green cocktail spiked with an aphrodisiac! How did it end up in Mrs. Xu's hands?!"

Everyone from the Huo family and Qin Yao simultaneously looked toward the stage.

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