Chapter One: The Young Master of the Ye Clan

Jiangnan Province, Tiandu Chamber of Commerce.

An expensive Rolls-Royce Phantom glided slowly through the gates.

On either side of the entrance, hundreds of elite bodyguards stood tall as javelins, their eyes fixed in anticipation. The entire chamber, inside and out, was sealed tight, guarded by armed men at every turn.

All this was for one reason: today, the heir of the Ye family—the most prominent clan in Yanxia, missing for five years—was finally returning.

The wealthy and powerful from all corners of Jiangnan, upon hearing news of the young master’s return, clamored for a glimpse, eager to curry favor. Yet, without exception, all were denied entry.

Tiandu Chamber of Commerce, a subsidiary of the Ye family, had been rooted in Jiangnan for a century, its foundation unshakeable, wielding vast, immeasurable wealth.

Still, even with such strength, Tiandu Chamber was but a fraction of the Ye family’s holdings—indeed, merely a servant to the clan!

In this era, any family with servants was a true colossus; if even the servants enjoyed such high status, the depth of the Ye family’s heritage was unimaginable.

As the future master of the Ye clan, his status required no further elaboration.

The car stopped, and Ye Tianlin stepped out, his brows radiating an imposing aura, his voice thundering as he spoke:

“Where are my servants?”

Instantly, a wave of heartfelt, reverent responses echoed through the chamber:

“Welcome home, young master! Return to the Ye family, grace Tiandu Chamber of Commerce with your presence!”

Their shouts carried beyond the chamber’s gates, hundreds of meters away, where a crowd of Jiangnan’s tycoons looked on in awe, their hearts filled with reverence and longing.

Such scenes could only occur when power and wealth reached their pinnacle—even joining the ranks of servants would be considered an honor.

This news became the talk of the upper echelons of Jiangnan, a sensation stirring every circle.

...

Meanwhile, within a dilapidated apartment building.

Su Rulan, her face etched with despair, sat slumped in a humble bathroom, her pregnant belly protruding, blood streaming from her slit wrist.

“Tianlin, please forgive my departure. By the time you see this message, I may already be gone.”

“Grandfather favored others, and my uncle and his son conspired to frame me, saddling me with an unwarranted two-hundred-thousand fine. Even if I lost everything, I couldn’t pay it.”

“Your illness still lingers. I don’t want our child to grow up in a world without hope, so I can only end it this way.”

“Without me, you must take care of yourself. I hope in the next life, I’ll still be your wife. Farewell!”

Upon receiving these messages, Ye Tianlin—still at Tiandu Chamber—was struck dumb, his heart twisted in agony, a storm raging within.

Five years ago, he was stranded at sea, waking with no memory, sometimes raving mad.

Had it not been for Su Rulan’s tireless care, he would have starved on the streets long ago.

Never did he imagine, on the very day his memory returned, just after stepping out, Su Rulan would make such a desperate choice!

“My wife, you can’t die! My illness is cured!”

“The good days are just beginning. I’ll make it up for every grievance you’ve endured these years.”

“I’ll let everyone know—no one can bully you anymore, because your husband is Ye Tianlin, heir to the Ye family!”

“I’m coming to save you right now. Wait for me—don’t die!”

Ye Tianlin, frantic with worry, nearly roared aloud; he paid no heed to anything else, rushing back at breakneck speed to the apartment building they’d rented for five years.

He burst through the door to find his father-in-law and mother-in-law already there, gently supporting Su Rulan—bloodied—out from the bathroom, preparing to take her to the hospital.

Seeing this, Ye Tianlin felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

Before he could speak, his father-in-law, Su Weimin, unleashed a tirade:

“You idiot! Why weren’t you here? What were you doing running off alone? If I hadn’t gotten Rulan’s message, there would’ve been two dead bodies by now!”

Su Rulan, weak and weeping, protested, “I let him go out. Don’t blame him—his illness isn’t cured, he doesn’t understand anything.”

“Rulan, how could you be so foolish?” Ye Tianlin’s voice caught in his throat, his heart aching.

Mother-in-law Gao Yulan, furious, glared, “It’s all your fault, idiot! If not for you, Rulan wouldn’t have suffered like this these five years!”

“That’s right. Grandfather arranged a marriage for Rulan with a powerful family in Yandu, but she ended up marrying you—the fool—shaming him!” Su Weimin grumbled indignantly.

“Can you all stop? Must I attempt suicide again?” Su Rulan’s nails dug into her palms. Such reproaches had long become routine.

Five years ago, she happened to save Ye Tianlin’s life.

She’d hoped, once he recovered, to help him contact his family. But all he remembered was his name; with no identity, he couldn’t find them. So Su Rulan kept him by her side and cared for him.

Her parents—and the entire Su family—opposed this, forcing her to marry into the Yandu elite and throw Ye Tianlin out to fend for himself.

Yet no matter how the Su family pressured her, Su Rulan never relented; instead, in a fit of defiance, she married Ye Tianlin, gaining a fool for a husband.

Initially, she acted out of impulse, but as time passed, affection grew, and now she was pregnant with his child.

The Su family treated her as a pariah, simply because she hadn’t married into wealth, hadn’t brought prosperity to the clan.

Since her pregnancy, her parents blamed her daily.

This time, framed by her uncle and cousin, unable to pay the fine, she was expelled from the company—driven to the edge.

Where could Su Rulan find such a sum? Her salary was only a few thousand, her parents had no standing in the Su family, and no savings.

Moreover, being pregnant meant endless expenses.

The two-hundred-thousand fine was enough to destroy her.

She could not imagine life without stable income; despair drove her to thoughts of suicide.

“It’s only two hundred thousand. I’ll arrange it immediately. But first, we must get to the hospital—I won’t let anything happen to you, my wife. I want you to be with me, safe and sound!” Ye Tianlin said urgently.

Su Weimin and Gao Yulan exchanged glances, finding it laughably absurd.

Ye Tianlin, the idiot, hadn’t worked in five years, living off Su Rulan—where would he find two hundred thousand? It was nonsense.

But then, it made sense; after all, Ye Tianlin’s brain had suffered trauma—he was mentally unsound, prone to imagining himself as someone else.

“Talking big with no basis—who do you think you are?” Su Weimin scolded furiously.

Gao Yulan snapped, “At a time like this, you’re still making trouble! If you can come up with two hundred thousand in one go, I’ll wash your feet myself!”