C7 Divorce

Yang Min's eyes widened in astonishment as she fixed her gaze on Ye Fann, her voice tinged with incredulity. "You, who are you? How could you possibly know..."

Ye Fann extended a business card towards her, its surface completely blank, resembling nothing more than a plain sheet of paper.

"I happen to be an old acquaintance of your Heavenly Wolf Patriarch. Should you ever face a matter of life and death, give me a call using this number, and I'll consider it settling a debt with your Patriarch."

Yang Min examined the empty business card in her hand, momentarily dazed. "You, you're acquainted with our patriarch?"

Meanwhile, the driver brought the car to a stop in front of Huang Xinying.

Ye Fann swung the door open, stepped out, and gestured for Huang Xinying to take a seat inside. Then, sliding back into the car, he wrapped his arm around Huang Xinying's delicate waist. "Let's be on our way. Since Miss Yang is earnestly seeking to make amends by offering us a ride, it would be rude to decline."

Internally, the driver was seething with contempt: Damn it, what nonsense is this? Spit!

Huang Xinying, feeling somewhat panicked and eager to put some distance between herself and Yang Min, clung tightly to Ye Fann.

Yang Min, her gaze deep and penetrating, stole a glance at Ye Fann and discreetly pocketed the business card. The rest of the journey passed in silence, the air thick with unspoken thoughts.

Back at the house, Wang Ying's anger grew with each passing moment. One and a half million! That damn Ye Fann really knows how to wreak havoc!

Since the day he waltzed into the Huang family's life, he'd been nothing but a freeloader, idle and jobless. And now, he'd gone and lost a whopping 1.5 million, seemingly intent on dragging their entire family down with him.

Fuming, Wang Ying couldn't stand it any longer and decided to call her lawyer.

Divorce was the only answer. They had to divorce and boot Ye Fann, that good-for-nothing, right out of the Huang family's door!

Lawyer Wang Chao, Wang Ying's nephew, had long been lusting after his fair and beautiful cousin, Huang Xinying. The moment he heard "divorce," he was over like a shot, adrenaline pumping, and in no time at all, he had the divorce papers ready.

There was no room for discussion. Ye Fann, the freeloader, had to leave empty-handed and fast. If he dared refuse to sign, they'd settle it in court!

Huang Shihao felt the urge to intercede, but the sight of his wife Wang Ying's darkly clouded expression stopped him cold. He bit his tongue and didn't dare say a word.

Complicating matters, his son Huang Yong was firmly in Wang Ying's camp, adamantly clamoring for the divorce. To make things worse, lawyer Wang Chao was fanning the flames, boasting that he could ensure Ye Fann would leave the marriage without a penny. As if persuasion was even an option.

"Why isn't he back yet? I'm going to call and hurry him along." Impatient, Huang Yong rose to call Huang Xinying. He had it all planned out: once his sister was divorced, he'd set her up with Bi Wenfeng. If they hit it off, maybe by the next morning, he could convince Bi Wenfeng to cough up a million to cover his debts.

Shaking his head in resignation, Huang Shihao retreated to his room. Shortly after, Wang Ying headed to the washroom.

Wang Chao, seizing the moment, darted into Huang Xinying's room. With practiced ease, he rifled through her wardrobe, lifted a pair of stockings, inhaled their scent deeply, and pocketed them.

Half an hour later, Ye Fann and Huang Xinying finally arrived.

Wang Ying thrust the divorce papers at Ye Fann's face. "Sign this and get out. Your 1.5 million in gambling debts are your problem. Don't drag Xinying or our family down with you!"

Huang Xinying was shell-shocked, unable to process the scene before her.

Was her family really this eager to see her divorced?

As Ye Fann stooped to pick up the papers, Huang Yong seized the chance to kick him to the ground. "1.5 million... what kind of person does that? You can't support my sister but you can blow 1.5 million at a casino? Ye Fann, you've really outdone yourself!"

"Huang Yong, what are you doing? You..." Huang Xinying's heart ached as she moved to intervene.

Wang Chao stepped in, holding her back. "Let it go, Xinying. Why keep someone like that around? You shouldn't waste your best years tied to a dead-end."

Wang Ying snatched up another pen and flung it down in front of Ye Fann. "Sign it. Today, you're signing whether you like it or not. Either way, you're leaving. The farther from this house, the better. And don't even think about coming anywhere near my Xinying ever again!"

Huang Xinying's eyes brimmed with pain, and she finally couldn't hold back the truth. "Mom, the truth about that 1.5 million is..."

"Sis, stop talking!" Huang Yong abruptly clamped a hand over Huang Xinying's mouth and hauled her toward the room. "Enough, you! This divorce has to happen. Or are you planning to pay off his 1.5 million debt? With what money?"

With a loud thud, Huang Yong dragged Huang Xinying into the room and slammed the door shut.

Outside, Ye Fann found himself under relentless attack from both Wang Ying and Wang Chao.

At this point, even if he revealed the truth, that the 1.5 million was Huang Yong's doing, nobody would believe him.

They'd just think he was making excuses.

Making excuses? He didn't even want to bother with an explanation.

"You want a divorce? Did you consult with the head of the Huang family?" That single question was all he needed to address the issue.

The room fell into a hushed silence.

Wang Ying, taken aback, fixed her gaze on Ye Fann. "I am the head of this household. If I say you're divorcing Xinying, then that's what's happening!"

Ye Fann rose to his feet calmly, his voice steady and his demeanor confident. "The Huang family has a direct lineage and nineteen collateral branches. You just happen to be the nineteenth. Do you really dare claim you're the head of the Huang family?"

Inside the room, Huang Shihao listened to Ye Fann's words and shook his head, his eyes clouded with sorrow as he sighed deeply to himself.

The nineteenth, indeed.

"What are you getting at, Ye Fann?" Wang Ying's face turned a shade of iron, her teeth clenched as she pointed at him. "Explain yourself clearly. Are you suggesting I don't have the authority to decide on Xinying's affairs?"

"If you had the authority, why did you begrudgingly agree to marry Xinying off to me, teeth clenched in reluctance?"

A buzz rang in Wang Ying's head, as if something had detonated inside her mind.

And then, she exploded.

In a fit of hysteria, Wang Ying lunged at Ye Fann, delivering a flurry of slaps before grabbing Yang Ming's arm and dragging him towards the door. "Come on, I'm taking you to the Huang family this instant to confront them. You'll see whether or not I have the power to decide!"

Upon reaching the doorway, Wang Ying spun around and bellowed into a nearby room, "Huang Shihao, what are you waiting for? Get out here, you're coming too!"

Wang Ying had vehemently opposed Ye Fann and Huang Xinying's marriage, unwilling to give in even at the risk of her own life. But the Huang family patriarch's word was law, as binding as an imperial edict, leaving no room for dissent. To preserve the last shred of Huang Shihao's standing within the family, Wang Ying had no choice but to consent through gritted teeth.

This had become a thorn in Wang Ying's side.

Today, Ye Fann's words were like a dagger thrust deep into Wang Ying's heart.

Pierced along with it were the family's honor and dignity. In what world does a family not have a say in their daughter's marriage? But reason isn't something you can just talk about; it's built on strength, accumulated over time.

Within the Huang family's main lineage, the patriarch's most cherished granddaughter had returned from military school. He threw a grand banquet, inviting distinguished guests from far and wide to celebrate her homecoming, yet conspicuously omitted Huang Shihao's family.

Fuming with indignation, Wang Ying took Ye Fann to demand an explanation, arriving at a most opportune moment...