Chapter 45: Raising Fools and Villains

Ye Yao glanced at the old lady of the Shen family, truly unable to tolerate her self-important, domineering manner. Back when she was with Shen Yan, she had endured no small amount of this old woman’s pettiness. The old lady of the Shen family clearly had too much time on her hands; even living abroad, she never forgot to find trouble for her.

“You call that upbringing? You attend a dinner and can’t even tell who’s in charge, yet you fixate on reprimanding a junior like me.” Ye Yao’s tongue was sharp as ever. No one present could match her wit, so why should she hold back?

At the doorway, Shen Yan opened the door, letting in his newly returned personal assistant, who stood by the entrance. In just this short while, Ye Yao and the old lady had already begun arguing.

Shen Yan frowned slightly, seeing the old lady flushed with anger, while Ye Yao appeared thoroughly pleased with herself. It was clear who had won this round. His brows relaxed.

The next moment, the old lady called out to him, “Shen Yan, look at this! This is the fine daughter-in-law you chose for the Shen family, openly defying her elders in front of so many people.”

“It’s a blessing you two broke up, otherwise who knows how much disgrace she would have brought to the family!”

“I think it’s a good thing as well. If I had to go out with an elder like you in the family, I’d be too ashamed to show my face,” Ye Yao replied smoothly, her composure nearly sending the old lady into apoplexy.

The old lady gulped for air, looking as though she might keel over at any moment. At this, Qin Miao hurried to pat her chest and help her breathe. “Grandma, are you alright? Are you okay?”

Ye Yao rolled her eyes. “If you’d waited any longer, she’d have run out of ways to keep up the act.”

How tedious. The old lady truly had nothing better to do than chase after any hint of drama.

“Yao Yao, Grandma is still your elder, you should—”

“That’s enough.” Ye Yao raised her hand, bluntly exposing them. “Whatever emotional performance you two want to put on, it’s none of my business, but don’t involve me. Wasn’t I called here for an apology? Are you going to apologize or not? If not, I’m leaving.”

With those words, she made as if to rise, but Qin Miao stopped her. “Yao Yao, don’t be so quick to go. It wasn’t easy to get you to come out.”

The show hadn’t even begun—if Ye Yao just left, what would be the point?

This old woman really was something else; always so overbearing in front of her, yet now utterly suppressed by Ye Yao. Had she learned nothing with all those years behind her?

Forcing a smile, Qin Miao looked toward the man sitting opposite Ye Yao—the director of the orphanage. She had gone to great lengths to find him.

No matter what happened today, she would make Ye Yao recognize her place.

“Yao Yao, what I did before was truly foolish and caused you a lot of pain,” Qin Miao began reciting her rehearsed lines. “My parents scolded me severely for it and insisted I give you and your parents an explanation, no matter what.”

Hearing this, Ye Yao understood what was going on. She had to admit, Qin Miao had improved; her attacks were now subtle, no longer shrill and brash like a shrew.

“Considering you grew up in an orphanage, I thought having the director attend as your elder would be most appropriate.”

Here came the blade. Qin Miao had loving parents; Ye Yao had only the director. The contrast was unmistakable—a privileged child lording it over a poor orphan. If Ye Yao truly had grown up in an orphanage, this might have wounded her deeply.

But she hadn’t.

Ye Yao didn’t rush to reply, but instead looked over at the director sitting across from her.

“Yao Yao?” the director asked in confusion. “I think we did have a child by that name at the orphanage, but I’ve never actually met her.”

This information had been provided by Ye Yao herself, left on record at the orphanage. It was credible, and it was little wonder the Qin family hadn’t doubted it.

“Never met her? How could you not have?” Liu Xuemei exclaimed in shock, eyes wide. “By rights, children raised in orphanages, lacking family affection, tend to suffer psychological harm.”

“In such cases, the orphanage must provide special care; otherwise, things can easily go wrong, even to the point where the child might not understand basic manners or respect for elders.”

Ye Yao had been singled out, yet she remained entirely indifferent.

The old lady of the Shen family snorted softly, casting Ye Yao a disdainful glance. Liu Xuemei was certainly skilled with her barbs.

The director nodded guiltily. “That’s true, but…” He looked Ye Yao over several times, awed by her commanding presence and the confidence in her eyes, which seemed to look down upon everything.

There were talented children from orphanages, but most carried some insecurity from their upbringing. This one, though, was clearly raised in a loving environment.

Scratching his head, the director ventured, “Could there be some mistake? This child doesn’t seem like she grew up in an orphanage.”

After some time, the director voiced his suspicion. Everyone present was stunned. Ye Yao hadn’t grown up in an orphanage? How could that be? She herself had said so.

The Qin family’s first thought was that Ye Yao had bribed the director ahead of time to change his story. No wonder he had refused their money so adamantly—he must have already been paid!

“No wonder she’s so uncouth—must be the orphanage’s poor education,” the old lady concluded, looking at Ye Yao with increasing contempt. “Rough upbringing leads to being shunned, which eventually just makes one even more rude!”

“If you want attention, you should earn it with ability, not with loudness and bad manners.”

Understanding her implication, Ye Yao lifted her eyelids, giving the old lady a look of exasperation. What was she and Qin Miao’s mother doing, playing off each other like that? The two of them really were something else.

Ye Yao couldn’t help but frown; her reaction, seen by Shen Yan, made him feel uneasy. So she had grown up in such an environment? He felt a pang of guilt—he ought to have cared for her more, made up for her lost childhood while she was by his side.

By the door, Feng Yuqi’s eyes were filled with confusion. When did his boss get entangled with his mentor? And his mentor’s background—was it really so complicated?

The director was entirely bewildered. After so many years, he had known countless children; it was normal for his memory to fade. Being accused of neglecting a child made him feel ashamed, but he couldn’t refute it—he simply couldn’t remember.

“Yao Yao, it must have been hard growing up in such circumstances, and after what I did…” Qin Miao feigned remorse.

“My child, I’m sorry,” Liu Xuemei chimed in. “We spoiled Miao Miao from a young age, pampered her without limits.”

She was still disparaging Ye Yao's background.

“Indeed, a family shapes a person,” Ye Yao replied, seizing the opportunity. “It seems the Qin family’s education is sorely lacking, or else they wouldn’t have raised such a foolish and wicked daughter!”