The Seventh Elder, Helian Su, noticed the wrong expression on Feng Yong's face, and his expression immediately turned cold.
"What? Is there something else you haven't reported? Did something unexpected happen?"
Under Helian Su's suddenly sharp gaze, Feng Yong had no choice but to answer, "Although we didn't want to, we didn't do anything extra on this trip. However, Seventh Elder, that child, she, she's in trouble!"
Helian Su was instantly shocked and pale. No matter how arrogant he was, he wasn't completely brainless.
He knew that under the current circumstances, Ye Qingcheng absolutely could not be in trouble.
He immediately questioned Feng Yong in anger, "Speak! What exactly happened? What is going on?!"
Feng Yong dared not not answer and told the truth about everything.
"After we returned to the family, we had settled that child. However, on the way, the child started crying incessantly. We didn't dare to harm her, so we could only ignore her, thinking that she would eventually rest when she got tired of crying."
"Later, the child did indeed exhaust herself and fell asleep in the carriage."
"But later, we saw that she didn't wake up for some reason. Sensing that something was wrong, we discovered that the child couldn't be woken up. Her little face was pale, her lips were purple, her whole body was cold, and her breathing was weak. If it weren't for her breathing, she would have been like a dead person..."
As Feng Yong spoke, he was losing the courage to continue. Before Elder Seven Helian Su could react, the door behind Feng Yong was suddenly pushed open violently from the outside. "Feng Yong, what are you talking about!"
Helian Su looked up in astonishment, and Feng Yong also turned his head to look. It was Helian Yi, the patriarch of the Helian family.
At this moment, both Helian Su and Feng Yong's expressions were extremely unpleasant.
Not everyone in the Helian family's high command had the same opinion. There were also those who did not approve of such drastic actions, such as directly kidnapping Ye Tiancheng's daughter, Ye Qingcheng. Helian Yi, the patriarch of the Helian family, was one of those who did not approve of such behavior.
However, as time passed, more and more people became impatient. In the end, Elder Seven Helian Su still sent his subordinates to abduct Ye Qingcheng.
Originally, even if Ye Qingcheng was abducted, no matter how furious Helian Yi was, everything was already done. By the time Helian Yi knew that something had happened, he could do nothing but be swept along onto the same path.
However, it would have been fine if Ye Qingcheng was unharmed. But now that something had happened to her, regardless of whether the method was despicable or not, she was Hou Mingzhu's biological daughter, cherished like her own eyeballs. Now that something had happened to her while in their custody, how would they explain it?
And after Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu discovered that Ye Qingcheng was in trouble, would they still be willing to cooperate and continue to do their bidding for the Helian family?
At this moment, everyone knew that the possibility was likely very slim.
Helian Yi looked at Helian Su and Feng Yong, his entire being filled with shock and anger. He reprimanded them sternly, "How dare you take such actions without authorization, and even let someone get into trouble? If you provoke the wrath of the Hou family and displease Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu, have you considered the consequences?!"
Helian Su was originally excessively arrogant. Even Hou Mingzhu was not entirely in his eyes.
The relationships between these prominent families were extremely complex. Sometimes, even if there were minor disputes between them, due to some complicated reasons, they had to suppress them and maintain superficial peace.
Therefore, at first, Helian Su was not worried about offending Hou Mingzhu. As for Ye Tiancheng, he didn't care about him at all. He was just a man who had married into the Hou family. He didn't value this person much and didn't know why that elder insisted on inviting him, nor did he know what help Ye Tiancheng could provide to their Helian family.
Helian Su didn't consider things like "inviting someone properly" or "treating them with courtesy."
He directly kidnapped Ye Tiancheng's daughter to threaten Ye Tiancheng into doing their bidding. There was no need for Ye Tiancheng to be willing. For the sake of his daughter, Ye Tiancheng would have no choice but to be threatened by them.
After everything was over, they would return Ye Qingcheng safely. With the Helian family's status, even with the addition of Hou Mingzhu, there would be nothing to worry about.
The relationships between prominent families were just like this. Even if something like this happened, the Hou family would not be able to fall out with the Helian family over a child.
However, the premise for this was that Ye Qingcheng was not in trouble.
If Ye Qingcheng were to have any accident, then it would not be a matter that could be easily resolved.
Helian Su's face was grim, but he did not believe he was wrong. Even though such an accident had occurred, in Helian Su's eyes, it was just an accident. If this accident had not happened, then his actions themselves would have been flawless.
He said to Helian Yi, "When did you arrive?"
Seeing his unrepentant appearance, Helian Yi snorted, "However long you have been talking, I have been arriving. I have heard everything you have said!"
Helian Su's brows furrowed tightly. "Whatever the patriarch intends to do, now that it has happened, there is no turning back, including you."
"How dare you say such shameless words! I don't have the leisure to argue with you about this now. I'm afraid Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu will arrive soon. If their child is not returned safely, you know the consequences," Helian Yi said coldly, glaring at Helian Su.
"Seeing that you are unrepentant, I can't be bothered to say any more to you."
After Helian Yi finished speaking, he turned and left. He had to contact the Wen family. The urgent matter was to quickly figure out what had happened to Ye Qingcheng and why her physical condition had deteriorated so rapidly on the way back to the Helian family.
He would not just wait for the Wen family. Before that, he would also have the Helian family's private doctor examine Ye Qingcheng's condition.
Helian Yi quickly issued orders, and various departments sprang into action. Helian Yi also went to see the child's condition, hoping that everything would not be too bad.
The Helian family's private doctor arrived the fastest. The private doctor performed a simple physical examination on Ye Qingcheng, but after the examination, his expression was not good.
Seeing his expression, Helian Yi's heart was immediately filled with worry, and he asked the private doctor, "How is the child's condition?"
The private doctor hesitated and shook his head. "Patriarch, it's not that I'm unwilling to do my best, but the child's condition is too strange, and the equipment here is not sufficient. Therefore..."
"To understand what happened to the child, it's probably best to send her to the hospital for an examination."
Helian Yi feared this the most, as it meant the situation was very bad.
He dared not delay. He had already contacted the Wen family earlier. After hearing what the private doctor said, he immediately had Ye Qingcheng sent to the hospital run by the Wen family for a full examination.
In order to have a good explanation in the end, as the patriarch of the Helian family, Helian Yi could not remain detached from such an incident. Therefore, he quickly rushed to the hospital run by the Wen family.
Upon arriving at the hospital run by the Wen family, Helian Yi met Wen Yao, the eldest daughter of the Wen family.
Wen Yao had received the news at home and was sent by the Wen family patriarch. In terms of medical skills, Wen Yao could be considered top-notch. Therefore, after receiving Helian Yi's request, and coincidentally when Wen Yao was returning from outside, the Wen family patriarch sent Wen Yao.
Wen Yao did not quite understand what was going on. However, from Helian Yi's position, she also knew that Wen Yao was a good friend of Hou Mingzhu. Facing Wen Yao now, even Helian Yi couldn't help but feel guilty.
Wen Yao greeted Helian Yi proactively but noticed that Helian Yi's expression was strange.
However, given the difference in status between Wen Yao and Helian Yi, as a junior, Wen Yao certainly couldn't point it out. So, pretending not to notice anything, she asked about the patient's condition.
Helian Yi then asked Wen Yao to examine Ye Qingcheng.
The first thing Wen Yao felt upon seeing Ye Qingcheng was that it was very strange, because she vaguely felt that this child looked quite familiar, yet she didn't seem to have met this child before, which made her feel a bit curious.
She couldn't help but ask Helian Yi, "Uncle Helian, this is..."
Seeing Wen Yao, Helian Yi knew that Ye Tiancheng and the others would arrive soon, and this matter could not be hidden. Therefore, he didn't intend to ask Wen Yao to keep silent.
"Let's send this child for an examination first. I'm worried something might happen to her. Her current physical condition is not right. If treatment is delayed and something goes wrong, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain it," Helian Yi said, shaking his head.
Wen Yao, purely in her capacity as a medical professional, quickly noticed this. The initial question was prompted by Ye Qingcheng's appearance, which made her speak out. But she also immediately noticed Ye Qingcheng's extremely poor condition and knew that the child needed treatment as soon as possible.
Therefore, when Helian Yi mentioned it, Wen Yao immediately agreed and arranged for someone to conduct a physical examination for Ye Qingcheng.
During this process, Wen Yao did not accompany them throughout. In the meantime, Helian Yi spoke to Wen Yao about Ye Qingcheng.
Helian Yi covered his face, leaned against the wall, and said with great sorrow, "My family is unfortunate!"
Wen Yao was still guessing Ye Qingcheng's identity when she heard Helian Yi say this and asked, "Uncle, why do you say that?"
Helian Yi then said to Wen Yao, "Something like this has happened, although it was not my intention, it has already happened, and I can do nothing about it. I can only try my best to remedy it."
"Nieces and nephews, to tell you the truth, that child is the daughter of Hou Mingzhu."
Wen Yao, who was initially curious, was suddenly shocked upon hearing this. She was momentarily incredulous but quickly reacted.
She had previously gone out with Hou Mingzhu and had also met Ye Tiancheng. She had learned from Hou Mingzhu that Hou Mingzhu had a daughter, but she had not yet met her.
Recalling the appearance of the little girl she had just seen, it was no wonder she felt familiar. Wen Yao now recalled carefully, and the little girl's appearance was not a combination of Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu's features?
Ye Qingcheng inherited the good looks of her parents and was a very beautiful little girl. As Hou Mingzhu's long-time friend, it was normal for Wen Yao to feel familiar upon seeing Ye Qingcheng.
Wen Yao exclaimed in surprise, "Mingzhu's daughter?!"
"I... I do know that Mingzhu has a daughter, but I haven't met her yet. How did that child..."
How did she suddenly get into trouble, and why was Helian Yi sending her to their Wen family hospital? Where were Hou Mingzhu and Ye Tiancheng?
Helian Yi found it very difficult to speak, but he also knew that this matter could not be hidden and had to be told. "It was our family's Seventh Elder, Helian Su. You know that old man's temper, right? Damn it. By the time I found out, he had already abducted Mingzhu's daughter back to the Helian family, and Mingzhu's daughter had already gotten into trouble."
"I can only immediately start making arrangements, hoping that this child will be alright. Otherwise, how can I explain?"
Unlike Helian Yi's dejection, Wen Yao was simply repeatedly shocked in a short period. She exclaimed, "Kidnapping?!"
How could this be?
Wen Yao didn't understand. She did know that Elder Seven Helian Su was a grumpy old man, but what grudge did he have with Hou Mingzhu?