Helian Yue stood frozen in the room, unsure how much time had passed.
Suddenly, someone knocked on her door. Helian Yue remained unresponsive. It was rare for her to be so impolite, but the events of the day had shocked her deeply, and she couldn't easily recover.
The person outside knocked three times, then three more. Helian Yue still showed no sign of acknowledging them, so the person outside finally turned the doorknob themselves.
When Helian Yi had left, Helian Yue hadn't moved from her spot, nor had she locked the door. Thus, her room door opened with a simple turn of the handle.
The person who entered was a servant who had been responsible for attending to Helian Yue.
Seeing Helian Yue standing in the room with a distressed expression, the servant knew that Helian Yue had likely been like this since Helian Yi's departure, unchanged. It was probable that a serious conflict had occurred between father and daughter.
At least, in the servant's eyes, the relationship between Helian Yi and Helian Yue had always been good.
Helian Yi doted on his daughter, Helian Yue, and was very accommodating in most matters. Helian Yue herself was a sensible and disciplined person, so she rarely did anything to provoke Helian Yi's anger.
This was the first time the servant had seen Helian Yi so angry, unleashing such a torrent of rage. Helian Yi had left with an exceptionally grim expression.
Helian Yi had been angry before, but never like this when facing Helian Yue. In the past, such a significant conflict between father and daughter would have been impossible, and Helian Yi would never have been willing to lose his temper with Helian Yue.
Despite this, the servant dared not delve into the specifics of the situation and instead diligently began to carry out Helian Yi's orders, conveying his message to Helian Yue.
"Young Miss, the Family Head has commanded me to deliver a message to you. He also said that if you did not respond, I was to enter your room and deliver his message directly, ensuring it reached you. Please forgive my intrusion."
Under normal circumstances, servants would not dare to barge into Helian Yue's private chambers without her permission.
Helian Yue remained silent, turning her gaze towards the servant.
The servant then proceeded to relay Helian Yi's words to Helian Yue. "Young Miss, the Family Head wishes me to convey that regarding the events of today, he hopes you will exercise discretion and refrain from spreading the matter at inappropriate times."
After speaking, Helian Yue offered no reply.
The servant was unsure of Helian Yue's intentions or if she would comply. Tentatively, the servant called out, "...Young Miss?"
Helian Yue gave no indication of responding. Perhaps it was a form of defiance, but the servant could do nothing.
Finally, the servant thought that regardless, Helian Yi's words had been delivered. Helian Yue was awake and could not have failed to hear them, so her task was complete.
As for whether Helian Yue would obey, that was not something a mere servant could influence.
With this thought, the servant bid Helian Yue farewell and quietly left her room. There was nothing more she could do. She had said what she was told, and she could do nothing else. Helian Yi would not blame her if Helian Yue refused to listen.
Or rather, as long as Helian Yue and Helian Yi's conflict erupted again, and she was not present, the blame would not fall on her.
How could Helian Yue possibly care what the servant was thinking?
She was in no mood for such concerns.
However, while Helian Yue was lost in her own emotions and, out of defiance, refused to respond, Helian Yi's words were something Helian Yue would not have spread anyway, regardless of whether he had spoken them.
It was almost impossible for her to discuss this matter with anyone.
Helian Yue had no one to talk to about it. How could she possibly explain such an absurd and laughable situation? No matter who it was, Helian Yue could not bring herself to say a word.
For such private matters, she would normally only confide in her closest friends. But given the circumstances, even facing her best friends, Helian Yue found herself utterly unable to mention even half a word.
Helian Yue knew in her heart that her feeling of absurdity was largely due to Hou Mingzhu. As for right and wrong, as the eldest daughter of the Helian family, Helian Yue knew she had neither the qualification nor the right to argue.
But in essence, it was all about interests.
It was not strange for Helian Yi and Helian Sheng to have such thoughts and plans. On the contrary, in prominent families like theirs, such matters were quite common.
What was marriage? Did it matter if the spouse was single or already had a partner?
Originally, their actions were driven solely by profit. They would only make such choices if there was a benefit to be gained.
Not to mention Helian Yue herself, looking at her family, Helian Yue knew that even her parents were not married due to normal romantic love, but through a political alliance.
Helian Yi had two sons and one daughter, none of whom were born to the same wife. However, Helian Yi had more than three wives, though not all of them had children.
Moreover, not all of them were still part of the Helian family.
For example, Helian Yue's mother had, in name, been Helian Yi's wife, but they had never registered their marriage. Their union was a family alliance, and it later dissolved.
At that time, Helian Yue was not yet five years old. After leaving her daughter, Helian Yue, Helian Yue's mother returned to her own family and, a few years later, remarried another man through a family alliance, becoming his legal wife.
Such occurrences were commonplace within their social circles.
Helian Yue stood in the room, facing an endless expanse of uncertainty about the future.
What should she do? What was she supposed to do?
Hou Mingzhu had no idea what her good friend was going through. She was aware of the goings-on within their circle, but she could never have imagined that something like this would happen to her and her best friend.
Even though such matters were considered routine within their circle, not everyone acted this way.
It could only be said that when necessary, the children of prominent families had to make such sacrifices for the sake of their families. If such a need did not arise, it was, of course, better, but if the need did arise, they could not postpone it.
This was their unchangeable destiny, the responsibility they had to bear.
Hou Mingzhu did not think so far ahead. If it were a normal situation, and Helian Yi had been speaking with Ye Tiancheng, with Hou Mingzhu present, her understanding of their circle would have allowed her to discern something.
However, she was not present at that moment, so Hou Mingzhu, in the short term, would truly have no way of knowing unless someone approached her directly.
Hou Mingzhu's current focus was entirely on her daughter. Although she was relieved that her daughter was unharmed, she still wanted to care for her daughter better and had no energy to attend to other matters.
Fortunately, she was not without support, and at this time, she did not have to worry about neglecting one thing to attend to another.
Therefore, Hou Mingzhu could wholeheartedly focus on Ye Qingcheng.
She could still handle her work. Even if she became truly overwhelmed, Ye Tiancheng, despite having no major assets under his name now, had not lost his skills and could still assist Hou Mingzhu.
Seeing Hou Mingzhu working so hard, Ye Tiancheng had advised her a couple of times, saying that Ye Qingcheng's health was ultimately not a major concern and that Hou Mingzhu should not collapse because of it. He eventually managed to calm her down somewhat and helped her with some of her work.
Hou Mingzhu was, after all, an ordinary person, and a woman with a weaker constitution. If she were to maintain such high-intensity mental strain, she was prone to collapse once the pressure was released.
Ye Tiancheng did not want to see Hou Mingzhu in such a state.
Under Ye Tiancheng's similar concern, Ye Qingcheng also quickly recovered to normal.
This kidnapping incident inevitably left some indelible shadows on Ye Qingcheng's young mind.
After all, she had been inexplicably kidnapped by strangers in her own home, crying out for her parents, but they did not come. Embracing such despair, she had fainted at the last moment, unable to have her wish fulfilled.
In such a situation, Ye Qingcheng was truly terrified.
Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu were heartbroken. After their daughter Ye Qingcheng regained consciousness and displayed this side of herself, they couldn't help but direct their anger towards the Helian family once more. For a period of time, their expressions were extremely grim, and their attitude was exceptionally cold.
However, this attitude only made Helian Yi and Helian Sheng more worried.
Since Ye Tiancheng and the others were so resistant to the Helian family, not holding grudges was the maximum extent of what they could do. From Helian Yi and Helian Sheng's perspective, they could not think of a better outcome. The possibility of meeting with a smile and forgetting past grievances was virtually zero.
After observing for some time, Helian Yi and Helian Sheng met again, and Helian Sheng's expression was particularly grim.
"How is it? Has that child Yue still not been able to accept this matter?"
Helian Yi broke out in a cold sweat. On one hand, he was troubled and worried by the unresolved nature of the issue. On the other hand, Helian Yi was also concerned that Helian Sheng would consequently vent his anger on Helian Yue.
Although Helian Yue was stubbornly refusing to compromise, she was, after all, his beloved daughter whom he had doted on for so many years. Despite Helian Yi's unwillingness to back down, he was indeed displeased and agitated by Helian Yue's stubbornness, but he would never bring himself to do anything to his daughter.
However, if it were Helian Sheng, the situation would be vastly different. Helian Sheng was not like Helian Yi; his feelings for Helian Yue were not as deep. His previous impression of Helian Yue was merely as an outstanding junior, unfortunately a girl.
If Helian Sheng were to deem Helian Yue too rebellious, this positive impression would be completely erased, leaving only dissatisfaction and anger, with no room for reluctance.
Helian Yi said, "If the situation were different, and if it were another candidate, I believe Yue would not be so stubborn. But the current situation is truly special, and it is very normal for Yue to be unable to accept it for a while. Senior, please give her more time."
"Besides, this matter cannot be resolved overnight. The situation with that Ye Tiancheng is also difficult to resolve."
"Even if we manage to convince Yue, Ye Tiancheng may not necessarily cooperate with our agreement for Yue to marry him. This is not an easy task, and it will likely require considerable effort."
Helian Yi's brows were tightly furrowed. He placed his hands on his knees, his fingers clenched slightly, and said with a grim expression, "Don't say I don't understand the younger generation, but the Helian family is truly on the verge of collapse. Where do we have so much time?"
"If the situation were different, and if it could be different, there would be no need to pressure a child like Yue so much."