Chapter 1 Humiliated To The Core

The luxurious Xiao family villa sparkled with brilliance. Tonight, they were celebrating the 70th birthday of the family matriarch, Madam Xiao. All her grandchildren and their spouses had arrived, arms full of lavish gifts. "Grandmother, I heard you love tea. Here’s a century-old Pu’er brick worth half a million yuan." "Grandmother, since you’re a devout Buddhist, here’s a Hetian jade Buddha statue, valued at seven hundred thousand yuan..." Madam Xiao laughed heartily at the sight of so many offerings. The atmosphere was festive and joyful. But suddenly, Ye Chen, husband of the eldest granddaughter, spoke up: "Grandmother, could I borrow one million yuan? Madam Li from the orphanage has end-stage renal failure and needs money for treatment..." A stunned silence fell over the Xiao family. Everyone turned to Ye Chen, wide-eyed in disbelief. This live-in son-in-law—how dare he? Not only did he show up without a gift, but he was also asking for a million yuan! Three years ago, the late patriarch of the Xiao family had, for reasons unknown, found the penniless Ye Chen and insisted on marrying him to his eldest granddaughter, Xiao Churan. At the time, Ye Chen had been little more than a drifter. After their wedding, the old man passed away, and ever since, the Xiao family had looked for ways to kick Ye Chen out. Yet Ye Chen remained unfazed, enduring countless humiliations, and ultimately became a live-in son-in-law. His plea today came from desperation. Madam Li, the woman who had taken him in and saved his life during his childhood, was suffering from kidney failure. Dialysis and a transplant would cost at least a million yuan. He had no choice but to beg. He had thought the festive mood of the birthday party might soften the old lady’s heart and convince her. But the moment she heard his words, her smile vanished. Her expression darkened, and she smashed her teacup to the floor. "You useless fool! Did you come here to celebrate my birthday or to extort money from me?!" Xiao Churan, Ye Chen’s wife, rushed to diffuse the situation: "Grandmother, Ye Chen doesn’t always think before he speaks. Please don’t hold it against him." She tried to pull Ye Chen aside, but at that moment, her cousin Xiao Weiwei burst out laughing: "Churan, look at the loser you married! I’m not even married to Yunfei yet, and he’s already gifted Grandmother a Hetian jade statue. Your husband didn’t even bring a ribbon! And now he dares to ask for a million?" "Seriously, Brother Ye Chen, we’re both sons-in-law of the Xiao family, but you, the eldest, are a total disgrace!" It was Wang Yunfei, Xiao Weiwei’s fiancé and young master of a prestigious local family. Though he was engaged to Weiwei, he had always thought Churan was far more beautiful. Seeing a goddess like her married to a good-for-nothing like Ye Chen was unbearable. "This guy is a disgrace. He should leave the Xiao family right now!" "Exactly! He’s making all of us look bad!" "If you ask me, he doesn’t care about the sick woman. He just wanted to ruin the party!" Ye Chen clenched his fists, humiliated. If he didn’t need money to save his benefactor, he would have left long ago. But he remembered his father’s teaching: “Even the smallest favor must be repaid a hundredfold.” So, swallowing his pride, he turned to Madam Xiao and said: "Grandmother, saving a life is more important than building a seven-story pagoda. I beg you, have mercy..." Someone snorted: "Oh please, Ye Chen, you think you can hypnotize Grandmother with your empty words? If you want to save someone, figure it out yourself. Why should she pay? Who even are you?" It was Xiao Hailong, Weiwei’s brother. He and his sister had always been jealous of Churan, who outshined them in every way. They never missed a chance to mock Ye Chen. Churan, embarrassed, added: "Grandmother, Ye Chen lost his father at the age of eight. Madam Li from the orphanage raised him. He just wants to repay her kindness. Please help him..." Madam Xiao, her face stone-cold, replied harshly: "I’m willing to help—on one condition: divorce him and marry Master Zhang. If you agree, I’ll give him the million right now." The so-called Master Zhang was none other than Zhang Wenhao, heir to a family even more powerful than the Xiaos, and an eager suitor of Churan. The old woman dreamed of forging an alliance with his family. Just then, the butler ran in breathlessly: "Master Zhang has sent his birthday gift: a carved jade pendant—imperial jade—worth three million yuan!" Madam Xiao beamed. "Bring it here! Let me see!" The butler quickly complied, and the crowd gasped in admiration at the pendant—pure, radiant green, flawless in every way. Even Wang Yunfei, who had gifted a jade statue, felt overshadowed. He hadn’t expected Zhang Wenhao, who wasn’t even family, to be so generous. Madam Xiao, beaming with joy, lovingly caressed the jade Buddha pendant and exclaimed with enthusiasm, "Ah, Young Master Zhang is so considerate! If he became my grandson-in-law, I’d be smiling even in my sleep!" She then turned to Xiao Churan and asked, "So? Do you want to think about my conditions?" Xiao Churan shook her head. "Grandma, I won’t divorce Ye Chen." Madam Xiao's face darkened instantly, and she burst out in anger, "You don’t know what’s good for you! You want to cling to that useless man? Get rid of him! I don’t want that trash at my birthday party!" Ye Chen had completely lost hope in the Xiao family. With no desire to stay, he said to Xiao Churan, "Churan, I’m going to see Aunt Li at the hospital." Xiao Churan quickly said, "I’ll go with you." Madam Xiao immediately shouted, "If you leave with him, then I no longer have a granddaughter! You, your father, and your mother—leave with that good-for-nothing! All of you are no longer part of the Xiao family!" Xiao Churan stood frozen, shocked by her grandmother’s cruelty. Ye Chen quickly responded, "Stay here. You don’t need to get involved." Without waiting for her reply, he turned around and left the house. Behind him, Xiao Hailong burst out laughing, "My dear brother-in-law, leaving with an empty stomach? Are you going to end up begging on the street? That’d really shame our family! Here, have a coin—go buy yourself a bun." As he said that, he tossed a coin to the ground near Ye Chen’s feet. The whole Xiao family erupted into laughter. Ye Chen clenched his teeth and walked away without looking back. --- When he arrived at the hospital, Ye Chen went straight to the admissions office to request a delay in paying the medical fees. To his surprise, the receptionist said, "Mrs. Li was transferred last night to the most prestigious hospital in Yanjing for treatment." Ye Chen, stunned, asked, "How much will it cost? I’ll find a way to pay!" She replied, "The treatment costs three million. One million has already been paid. Two million is still due, to be paid within the week." "Who paid the one million?" "I’m not sure." As Ye Chen was trying to understand what was going on, he turned around and saw a man in his fifties, dressed in a black suit with slightly graying hair, standing behind him. Their eyes met. The man bowed deeply. "Young Master, you’ve suffered so much all these years!" Ye Chen frowned, his demeanor shifting entirely. He asked coldly, "You’re Tang Sihai?" The man replied joyfully, "Young Master, you still remember me!" Ye Chen tensed up and muttered, "Of course I remember. I remember all of you! It’s because of you that my parents had to flee Yanjing. While on the run, they had an accident and died. I grew up alone. And now you show up—why?" Tang Sihai, weighed down with guilt, answered, "Young Master, when your father passed away, the old master was devastated. He’s been searching for you all these years. Please come with me—he wants to see you." Ye Chen replied coldly, "Leave. I’ll never see him again." "You still resent him?" Tang Sihai asked. "Of course. I will never forgive him." Tang Sihai sighed deeply. "Before I left, he said you probably wouldn’t forgive him." "At least he has a shred of clarity left." Tang Sihai continued, "He knows how much you’ve suffered. He asked me to offer you some compensation. If you refuse to return, he wants to give you the most powerful company in Jinling, along with this bank card. The password is your birthdate." He handed Ye Chen a black Citibank card. "There are only five of these cards in the entire country." Ye Chen shook his head. "I don’t want it." Tang Sihai insisted, "Young Master, the person who saved your life still needs two million for treatment. Without it, she might die…" Ye Chen frowned. "Is this a trap?" "Absolutely not! This card is enough to cover the cost." Ye Chen asked, "How much is on the card?" Tang Sihai answered, "Just a bit of pocket money, according to the old master… One billion."