Chapter 27.2: Is this bastard really her biological dad?

For now, she stayed put, quietly observing the situation outside. She watched as the group seemed to first rest briefly in the hall before heading toward the viewing stables near the stables. That area had a VIP room.

Despite her anticipation, she saw only the bodyguards heading toward the eastern stables, with no sight of the Ye family members. Clearly, the Ye family placed great importance on personal safety, as the bodyguards were well-trained and maintained tight security.

Luckily, she had the advantage of being a stable employee; otherwise, sneaking in would have been nearly impossible.

Even now, waiting here, she realized it might not be easy to meet the Ye family members.

The tool room connected to the stables, but between the tool room, the stables, and the connecting passages, there were corridors she’d need to traverse. These corridors posed a risk of being seen, and within the stables, she could encounter staff who might grow suspicious.

Still, Ye Tianhui knew she had no other choice. Meeting the Ye family members was akin to seeking an audience with the emperor in her time—it wouldn’t happen casually. She could only give it a try.

She left the tool room and cautiously moved toward the stables. Before crossing each corridor, she observed the surroundings carefully to ensure no one was watching before quickly passing through. She repeated this process as she navigated another corridor.

The stables were arranged in rows, and it took her a long time to reach Black Rose’s stable from the tool room.

As this stable was privately owned, it was outfitted far better than the regular ones, with advanced facilities and a more luxurious setup.

Outside the viewing room near Black Rose’s stable, a large crowd had gathered, including bodyguards and staff, all wearing serious expressions.

She even saw a few veterinarians carrying first-aid kits marked with red crosses, looking grave as they entered the stable.

Observing the scene, Ye Tianhui surmised that Black Rose’s condition must have worsened.

She carefully peered through the stable’s louvered windows, which, designed for ventilation, allowed her to see inside.

Inside the spacious VIP lounge, an elderly man sat on a central sofa. He wore a Republic of China-style long gown, had gray hair, and had a cane placed beside the sofa. He exuded a commanding presence.

This must be Old Master Ye.

By blood, this man was her biological grandfather. Yet, as she looked at him, she felt no familial warmth.

Standing behind the old man on the left were several younger individuals, including Ye Wenjing and Ye Wenyin. To the right stood several middle-aged individuals in their forties or fifties, arranged in a line.

Ye Tianhui studied Old Master Ye for a while. A man who looked corpulent, wearing a suit—based on what she had seen in magazines—should be the Ye family’s second son, her second uncle by blood.

Beside the second uncle—

Ye Tianhui instantly recognized him. Wasn’t this the annoying man?

So he really was part of the Ye family!

Ye Tianhui frowned, observing the seating arrangement. A troubling guess surfaced in her mind.

Could this really be her biological father?

From what she overheard, the entire Ye family was present. Among all these people, in terms of age, demeanor, and seating order, no one else seemed to fit the profile of being Ye Lixuan.

Only this one—who appeared to be in his thirties but was actually thirty-eight, with an elegant demeanor and the air of a university professor. Judging by his seating, his status and rank were undoubtedly significant.

Most importantly, this man had once sent Ye Wenyin home. And he resembled the person in the photos from “Mom’s” album.

So this bastard really was her biological father?

Ye Tianhui felt her heart sink.

Sure, he was good-looking, but it was all a facade—gold and jade on the outside, rotten on the inside. Someone like him being her father? Was he even worthy?

Completely unreliable…

Ye Tianhui quickly strategized. She had just punched him yesterday, and this father probably didn’t have a good impression of her either. Even if she successfully reunited with the family, he likely wouldn’t take kindly to her. For now, her best course of action was to cling to Old Master Ye, hoping to climb upward on her own.

Relying on others was futile. She could only rely on herself.

As she was thinking this, a group of veterinarians entered.

As soon as they arrived, Ye Tianhui noticed the atmosphere in the room tense up.

The veterinarians first submitted a handwritten report to Old Master Ye and then began their briefing. Surprisingly, they spoke in English. Ye Tianhui’s English wasn’t very good; she could only catch a few words here and there, none of which were useful.

She couldn’t help but feel exasperated—why were these Chinese people speaking English?

Still, it was clear that after the veterinarians finished their report, the room grew even more somber.

At long last, Old Master Ye spoke, thankfully in Chinese: “So your current suggestion is to return this horse to England?”

Beside him, Ye Lizhen said, “Dad, according to the contract we signed with the English stables, within two months, as long as there’s no intentional negligence on our part, we can return the horse if there’s any problem.”

Old Master Ye listened without showing any expression.

Ye Lizhen frowned, then signaled Ye Wenyin with a glance. Ye Wenyin smiled sweetly and said coquettishly, “Grandpa, we just need to negotiate with the English side and provide them with the care logs for this horse for their review. If all goes well, I can fully recover the loss. You don’t need to worry about this at all. I’ve reviewed all the contracts—you can trust your granddaughter.”

Ye Tianhui, listening from the side, immediately understood.

Previously, when Ye Wenyin frequently visited the stables, it was partly because she specialized in this field and partly because she was involved in the purchase and auction of the horses.

Thinking carefully, it seemed likely that when Ye Lizhen went to England to procure horses, Ye Wenyin, being in England for her studies, also got involved.

If this assumption was correct, it meant that Ye Wenyin had a good relationship with Ye Lizhen from the main branch?

Meanwhile, Old Master Ye, listening to his granddaughter, asked, “So you mean, we should return this horse?”

Ye Lizhen nodded. “Yes.”

Old Master Ye sighed. “At the time, you selected this horse after screening so many others. It’s been barely over a month since it arrived in Hong Kong, and now it’s in this condition. It’s hard not to feel regretful. What exactly is the situation with this horse that you can’t even explain clearly?”

These words clearly left Ye Lizhen looking embarrassed, and even Ye Wenyin seemed uncomfortable.

The two exchanged a glance before Ye Lizhen hurriedly said, “If we want to keep it, that’s also possible. However, we would need to invite English veterinarians to conduct a joint diagnosis. But in that case, if anything happens, the horse will be entirely our responsibility.”

Old Master Ye frowned and looked at the stable manager. “As professional horse caretakers, you mean to tell me you’re at a loss about this horse’s condition? You can’t explain it at all?”

The stable manager, hearing this, looked rather helpless. “Based on our current findings, we truly can’t determine what’s wrong with this horse. We’ve assigned professionals to carefully attend to it, keeping detailed logs of its diet and activities. When we noticed it was becoming lethargic, we immediately called in professional doctors for examinations. But no issues were detected. At this point, we can only speculate—it might be acclimatization issues, or the horse may have some undetectable underlying condition.”

Ye Lizhen’s voice took on a mocking tone as soon as he heard it: “No matter what, when we transported this horse back from England, we didn’t find any issues. The fact is, after being raised here for a month, the horse is showing abnormalities. If your veterinarians cannot diagnose the situation, then we’ll have to request English specialists to treat it and simultaneously consider applying for a return to England.”

He sighed and said, “Frankly, I am now doubting the professional competence of your stable. Faced with such a horse, you’re completely helpless?”

The stable manager frowned upon hearing this and had no choice but to step forward to explain: “Mr. Ye, there might be some misunderstanding. Our stable has never encountered such a situation. In fact, we’ve already called and communicated with our horse experts in England. From England’s side…”

He explained in detail the efforts made by their stable and mentioned the suggestions from English experts and veterinarians. However, it was all to no avail. Nobody could explain the horse’s condition, so they couldn’t argue further.

Upon hearing this, Ye Tianhui knew it was her time to step in.

She carefully retreated from the stable, circled around the nearby lawn, and arrived directly in front of the VIP room. She dusted off the dry grass and dirt on her body and boldly approached the VIP room.

As soon as she reached the VIP room, a bodyguard in a black suit naturally stepped forward to block her.

Ye Tianhui remained composed and smiled, saying, “I’m the veterinarian of the stable, here to examine Black Rose.”

The bodyguard frowned. “Veterinarian? A few doctors have already gone in, personally brought over by the stable assistant. What’s your situation?”

Ye Tianhui said, “I’m a specially invited veterinarian. Now that those doctors can’t resolve the issue, I need to take a look.”

She raised her hand to glance at her non-existent watch. “I’m already running late. Please let me in.”

Although the bodyguard found her a bit odd, he replied, “I’ll go inside and ask.”

With that, he was about to head in.

Ye Tianhui naturally understood that if he went in to ask, the outcome probably wouldn’t be favorable, and she’d have to force her way in.

At this moment, she deliberately raised her voice and said, “I already have an idea of the horse’s condition. Please relay this, so I can diagnose Black Rose as soon as possible.”

Her words indeed attracted the attention of those inside.

Old Master Ye asked in confusion, “Who is that?”

Manager Hu was also perplexed. He quickly looked out the window and immediately spotted Ye Tianhui.

For a moment, he was both startled and alarmed.

Wasn’t she supposed to be dismissed and leaving today? How did she show up here?

Hadn’t she already caused enough trouble?

Annoying Ye Wenyin was one thing—though she was the daughter of a wealthy family, she was just a young lady. But if she provoked Old Master Ye, the stable could forget about surviving in Hong Kong!

At this point, Ye Wenyin also noticed Ye Tianhui.

Her heart sank heavily.

She frowned and asked Manager Hu beside her, “What’s going on? Why is she still here? How could she come to this place?”

Manager Hu felt helpless. “We’ve already dismissed her. I don’t know why she’s here. I’ll have someone ask right away.”

Ye Wenyin quickly said, “No need. Just tell her to leave. She’s an eyesore.”

Manager Hu hurriedly responded, “Alright, I’ll handle it immediately.”

Old Master Ye, hearing this exchange, asked in confusion, “What’s the matter? Who is this person? Wenyin, do you know her?”

Ye Wenyin sweetly smiled. “Grandfather, it’s nothing, just a stable employee, a mainland girl—clumsy and not good at her job.”

Old Master Ye frowned and said, “We’re also from the mainland. It’s not easy for mainlanders to make a living here. Why are you dismissing her?”

The stable manager felt helpless for a moment, thinking how this grandfather-granddaughter duo always seemed to have opposing views.

However, with Ye Wenyin present, he dared not say much. He simply smiled and said, “There’s no choice. She’s not competent at her job—clumsy and inefficient.”

Ye Wenyin clung to Old Master Ye’s arm, softly smiling. “Exactly. If the stable staff are too clumsy, it’ll make the horses suffer. Grandfather, you love horses. If you found someone abusing them, wouldn’t you be angry?”

Old Master Ye said, “That’s true. You must be cautious. If someone is secretly abusing horses, they’re no good.”

At this moment, Ye Lizhen suddenly asked, “Yesterday, Wenyin, you were startled at the stable?”

Ye Wenyin’s expression paused. She glanced at her second uncle, feeling that his gaze carried a deeper meaning.

After hesitating for a moment, she smiled and said, “It was just a small matter, a little scare. It’s nothing worth mentioning.”

She quickly turned to Old Master Ye. “Grandfather, you should look at Black Rose. What should we do?”

Old Master Ye, reminded of Black Rose, sighed and said, “You should examine it again—”

As he spoke, a clear voice rang out from outside: “I already said, I know the horse’s condition. Let me see it, and I’ll explain everything. If you keep blocking me and I can’t examine Black Rose, I won’t be able to provide a diagnosis! Are you going to delay Black Rose’s treatment?”

Ye Lixuan, who had been silent as if uninvolved, suddenly raised his eyes toward the voice outside the window.

From his angle, all he could see were bodyguards, not the girl speaking.

But he immediately recognized the voice as belonging to the bold girl who had waved her fist to threaten him.

He frowned slightly.

Old Master Ye asked in surprise, “This? What is this person saying?”