The Wealthy and Influential Fiancé has the Ability to Read Mind
Chapter 89
Tang Nuan couldn’t leave as planned because it suddenly snowed heavily the next day.
In the morning, there were two pile-up accidents on the highway, and train tickets were now unavailable. For safety reasons, Tang Jinxin and Shen Jinhua decided not to leave and to spend the New Year in Yan City instead.
Tang Ben and the others were quite happy, as they had grown up studying in this city and were not very familiar with their hometown. They had always celebrated the New Year in Yan City. This time, they had planned to return because they had recently reunited with Tang Nuan and wanted to take her to pay respects to their ancestors.
Tang Jinxin said, “It’s fine if we don’t go back. We can just inform the ancestors from here.”
Tang Nuan couldn’t help but laugh. So casual?
Her first thought was, doesn’t this mean she lost out yesterday?
Ye Shuyan, who had brought her back, was visibly happy. Now, he leaned close to her ear and said in a slightly aggrieved tone, “How did you lose out? Aren’t we still spending New Year’s together?”
Tang Nuan thought to herself, “Yeah, right. If you’re that capable, first try to wipe off that smug expression on your face.”
Ye Shuyan only smiled more brightly.
Since they weren’t leaving, they had to quickly prepare for the New Year. Ye Shuyan even accompanied Tang Jinxin and Tang Fei to the market, and they bought all the New Year’s goods before returning home.
The next day was New Year’s Eve. Early in the morning, Tang Nuan was sleeping soundly when she vaguely heard Shen Jinhua’s voice outside. She opened her eyes and looked at the display cabinet across from her, realizing she was at the courtyard house.
She turned over in bed, feeling a bit unused to waking up without Ye Shuyan’s warm embrace, which had been her daily routine recently.
However, before she had time to feel melancholic, she heard Shen Jinhua shouting outside, “Kids! Time to get up! There’s a lot to do on New Year’s Eve today!”
“And dress warmly, it snowed again last night,” she added, especially reminding Tang Nuan, “Nuan Nuan, wear something loose and comfortable. You’ll be working this morning!”
Tang Nuan couldn’t help but smile. Hearing Shen Jinhua’s loud voice reminded her of an old joke—how all communication was done by shouting. Shen Jinhua stood in the courtyard, directing everyone loudly, which was quite amusing.
Tang Nuan got up and opened the wardrobe beside her. Over the past couple of months, she had occasionally stayed here, so she had accumulated quite a few clothes.
She picked out a tracksuit, put it on, and pulled open the curtains. Through the window, she could see the snow-covered landscape outside, with a few snowflakes still drifting down from the sky. The view was beautiful.
Tang Ben was already outside, shouting excitedly, and Shen Jinhua yelled at him, “You little brat! Put on your clothes! If you catch a cold, don’t come crying again.”
Tang Nuan thought to herself, Tang Ben sure cries a lot.
She put on a comfortable short down jacket and went outside, and Tang Fei and Tang Yue also came out of their rooms one after another.
Tang Fei was still yawning.
Tang Jinxin was already carrying brooms and shovels from the storage room, “Come on, let’s clear the snow first. After we’re done, we’ll put up the Spring Festival couplets.”
Although the Tang family had household helpers, a middle-aged couple, with the man maintaining the courtyard and the woman helping with housework, sometimes the family liked to do things themselves.
Like now, sweeping dust and cleaning were part of the New Year’s Eve tradition, and the whole family participated.
Tang Jinxin handed each of them, Tang Fei, Tang Ben, and Tang Nuan, a pair of gloves and earmuffs, then led them to clear the snow, assigning each person an area to clean.
Since Tang Yue had a cast on her leg due to a bone fracture, she was in charge of supervising this time.
Tang Nuan found the experience quite novel. During previous New Years spent with the wealthy side of the Tang family, while the basic rituals were observed, it was always the servants who did the work. By the time Tang Nuan woke up, apart from the house being decorated more festively and the food being slightly more abundant, there wasn’t much of a New Year’s atmosphere.
The only noticeable difference was the chance to use New Year’s greetings as an excuse to network and curry favor with people.
But here, she had already felt a different atmosphere starting from yesterday, and now even more so. Everyone was genuinely happy.
However, when a lot of people are involved in clearing snow, things can easily turn chaotic.
Sure enough, after just a few sweeps, Tang Ben started flinging snow at Tang Fei with his shovel. Tang Fei retaliated, and soon snow was flying everywhere. Tang Nuan had been watching the fun, but within seconds, she was caught in the crossfire. Maybe it was the festive atmosphere, but she wasn’t about to back down. She crouched down and started making snowballs.
Tang Yue, who had somehow grabbed a snowball-making tool, pressed it into the thick snow and, with a simple motion, popped out perfectly round snowballs.
Tang Nuan just threw hers directly.
Meanwhile, Tang Jinxin, seeing the snowball fight break out, wisely grabbed his broom and, in a practiced manner, quickly shuffled off towards the west wing of the house.
Shen Jinhua, who had just come out of the storage room with frozen meat, burst into laughter, slapping her thigh as she said, “Haha! Look at your dad! Doesn’t he look just like Zhu Bajie happily heading to Gao Laozhuang?”
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at that.
Although Tang Jinxin was tall and sturdy, he was indeed a bit chubby, especially with his round beer belly. Watching him jog like that really did make him resemble Zhu Bajie from ‘Journey to the West’.
Shen Jinhua playfully slapped his belly, and Tang Jinxin chuckled, making the resemblance even stronger.
After everyone had a good laugh, Tang Yue said, “Come on, let’s finish up. We still need to put up the couplets and make dumplings.”
Since they had only decided yesterday not to return to their hometown, they had just bought the New Year’s goods, so there was still a lot of preparation to do today.
After Tang Yue gave the order, everyone finally got serious and cleared a path through the courtyard. Despite the winter cold, Tang Nuan ended up sweating from all the work.
When they returned to the main hall, Shen Jinhua was already sorting through the Spring Festival couplets, all written by Tang Fei.
Speaking of that, when Ye Shuyan brought Tang Nuan back yesterday, he was surprised to see Tang Fei writing couplets.
Shen Jinhua laughed, “Your second brother was quite mischievous as a child. We heard that calligraphy could help calm and refine him, so we sent him to learn. He didn’t stick with much else, but this is something he’s kept up with, and now he’s pretty good at it.”
Tang Jinxin added, “It’s the one useful skill he has, especially at this time of year.” Although he said this, there was pride in his eyes. He even asked Ye Shuyan if he wanted some couplets, which made Tang Fei embarrassed, thinking the Ye family probably wouldn’t need them. But Ye Shuyan accepted a few sets to take home.
Tang Nuan suddenly wondered if Ye Shuyan would actually put them up.
Meanwhile, Tang Yue was cooking glue over a small alcohol stove. She stirred flour and water together, and the mixture gradually thickened until it started bubbling into a sticky paste. Tang Nuan found it amusing and thought that Ye Shuyan probably had never seen such a thing either, so she immediately pulled out her phone and called him on video.
Back at the Ye household, the servants were shocked to see their normally aloof and cold young master in the kitchen early in the morning, making a paste by himself. Afterward, he handed over the couplets to the butler to put up.
Ye Shuyan watched closely as the couplets were being put up, though it was more accurate to say he was filming everything with his phone. As he talked to the person on the other end, a rare smile played on his face, “Hmm, looks good.”
“Haha, right? We’ve already finished putting ours up too,” a lively and cheerful female voice came from the phone, adding a bit of warmth to the otherwise quiet villa. “I have to go now, lots to do today. My dad and mom are cooking the meat, and Tang Fei, Tang Ben, and I are making dumplings. I’m going to prep the chives first…”
Just as she was about to hang up, she suddenly laughed. “Oh, Tang Fei and Tang Ben are fighting again. Looks like they’re about to get scolded.” A moment later, a strong, middle-aged woman’s voice could be heard faintly in the background, “Big Fei! Xiao Ben! You two, hurry up! Or you’ll get a beating!”
This was followed by the clear, infectious laughter of a young woman. The sounds of their bustling, lively household stood in stark contrast to the quiet of the villa.
Yet their young master seemed determined to bring a bit of that warmth into his own home. After hanging up, Ye Shuyan, who normally paid no attention to such things, took another turn through the kitchen, asking what dishes were planned for the New Year’s Eve dinner. He even requested that a pork and chive dumpling filling be added, along with some of the braised beef he had brought back the previous day.
Curious about new dishes, he even asked for recipes, looking like he was ready to learn.
Outside the kitchen, Sun Wanqiu clenched her teeth in frustration but didn’t dare say anything. She despised this time of year. Every time Ye Shuyan returned, her confidence seemed to crumble, and she had to be extra cautious with everything she did.
In the past, Ye Shuyan would only come home to stay for a short while, maybe entertain some friends and business partners, but he never concerned himself with household affairs. Now, it seemed as though he was stepping into the master of this house.
What Sun Wanqiu seemed to forget, however, was that Ye Shuyan had always been the rightful master of the house.
“Old Madam doesn’t like pork and chive dumpling filling,” Sun Wanqiu couldn’t help but say.
Ye Shuyan replied indifferently, “I like it, and so does Nuan Nuan. Is there a problem?”
That shut her down immediately. Without further acknowledgment, Ye Shuyan went upstairs after obtaining the recipes for the new dishes and sent them to Tang Nuan.
He then began looking at houses. Living in the Genting Community was convenient for now, but if they were going to get married, he wanted a villa with a larger yard. After all, once they had children, there would need to be space for them to run around and play.
Tang Nuan, unaware that Ye Shuyan was already planning for their future children, was busy prepping the chives and gradually found herself trailing behind Tang Jinxin, chattering nonstop.
Tang Jinxin was busy frying various snacks. Each time he finished frying something, he would turn around and hand Tang Nuan a bite: meatballs, crispy pork, fried ribs, and little drumsticks… In short, everything fresh out of the pan tasted amazing.
Tang Ben came in and, seeing this, dramatically threw himself at Tang Jinxin, shouting, “Dad, I want some too! Ah…”
Laughing, Tang Jinxin fed him a bite as well. Satisfied, Tang Ben then grabbed a bowl and ran out to bring some to Tang Yue and Tang Fei.
By lunchtime, no one in Tang Nuan’s family felt the need to cook a meal, as everyone was already stuffed with all the snacks.
Shen Jinhua laughed and said, “Perfect! After we finish making the dumplings, we can go straight to the New Year’s Eve dinner tonight.”
As Tang Nuan and the others started preparing dumplings, things began to liven up at the Ye family’s home as well. After lunch, visitors started arriving one after another to pay their respects.
Finally, Sun Wanqiu felt like she could hold her head high again.
In families like theirs, they didn’t need to worry about household chores. Their main responsibility was to host guests. Typically, after lunch on New Year’s Eve, close friends would begin visiting each other.
In previous years, no one ever came specifically to visit her, and her son would always be out with his group of friends, leaving her to serve as little more than a housekeeper for those who came to see Ye Shuyan. But this year was different. Despite the embarrassment she faced at the previous welcoming banquet, her son’s growing success had changed her status. With his abilities and the support of the Jiang family, many people started noticing his potential.
Sure enough, two prominent ladies soon arrived, bringing along their young and promising sons to spend time with her own son. When the Xie brothers, Xie Feiming and Xie Feichen, came to see Ye Shuyan, Sun Wanqiu enthusiastically invited them to join the others in the entertainment room, saying it was more lively there with the younger crowd.
In her mind, these were all important business partners of the Ye family. Since her son now had a solid chance to compete for the position of Ye Group’s heir, it made sense for these people to start building connections with him, right?
In the study, when Xie Feizhe saw Ye Shuyan, he couldn’t help but grumble, “What’s up with your stepmother? She used to act like she wanted to blend into the background, and now she’s all over the place, acting like Ye Shuchen is about to be the head of the family.”
Ye Shuyan didn’t seem bothered at all. He had never taken her seriously. In the past, he didn’t really grasp the true meaning of family. The Ye family estate had always been just a place to rest or a symbol of his authority.
But now, after observing Tang Jinxin’s family, he was starting to understand what a family truly meant. This place wasn’t his home but merely a symbol of his power. Once everything was settled, he would have his own real home.
Thinking of that, his heart softened.
As the afternoon went on, more young professionals from the family dropped by, and most of the conversations revolved around business. They all knew Ye Shuyan’s personality, typically calm, reserved, and always listening carefully to what they had to say. If a topic interested him, he might offer a rare comment, which, for them, was often enough to spark new ideas or offer valuable insight.
But this year, they noticed something different. He seemed less interested in discussing projects and business. Instead, he asked more about cultural traditions and everyday matters. Every now and then, he glanced at his phone, and whenever he did, he smiled—a rare, soft expression that didn’t go unnoticed.
The change was obvious. Just as Xie Feiming was about to ask about it, his brother Xie Feichen quickly stopped him, whispering, “Don’t ask! Just don’t ask him!”
Xie Feizhe glanced at Ye Shuyan, who looked so serious, and thought, Not today, Ye Shuyan! You’re not going to show off on my watch, you dog!
However, his refusal to ask only piqued Xie Feiming’s curiosity even more, “What’s up? Did you let something slip, and now he’s got dirt on you?”
Ye Shuyan responded calmly, “Not at all. I think he just knows I’m chatting with Nuan Nuan, and as a single man, he’s probably afraid it’ll hit too close to home and make him feel a little bitter.”
Xie Feizhe: …
Everyone froze for a second, then burst into laughter. They didn’t expect Ye Shuyan to joke like that.
What was even more surprising was when Ye Shuyan stood up and said, “Let’s not just sit here. It’s rare to get a break. Let’s go have some fun.”
Xie Feizhe, in a sarcastic tone, sneered, “Oh wow, the workaholic is actually suggesting we relax. I’m so shocked!”
Ye Shuyan cast a calm glance his way, “Yeah, you wouldn’t understand the joy of taking a break when you don’t have someone special to spend time with.”
Xie Feizhe clenched his teeth in frustration while the others couldn’t help but laugh. It was surprising to see the usually cold and distant Ye Shuyan acting so playful and even a little childish now that he was in a relationship, but they all welcomed the change. This version of him felt much more relatable and fuller of life.
The entertainment room was located on the lower level, divided into various activity zones. Ye Shuchen and a few young people were playing billiards, but Xie Feizhe, determined to get his revenge, chose the card room and announced, “Let’s play mahjong!”
Ye Shuyan wasn’t skilled at mahjong, but Xie Feizhe was eager to take advantage of that and win big today.
The others looked at Ye Shuyan, who was the only one among them not familiar with mahjong. While they were all busy with work, they still made time to play games with their elders during their breaks.
To their surprise, Ye Shuyan nodded and said, “Sure.”
So, they entered the card room, and the four of them chose a mahjong table. Xie Feizhe warned the other two to just watch and not to teach Ye Shuyan anything.
Everyone was secretly excited, as it wasn’t often they got to see Ye Shuyan in a lively mood. They all chuckled and nodded in agreement.
They expected Ye Shuyan to learn on the spot, but instead, he simply pulled out his phone and started a video call.
A cheerful female voice came from the phone, “Hello.” The voice sounded a bit muffled as if she were eating something.
Ye Shuyan’s expression instantly softened, and he smiled, saying, “I’m playing mahjong. They’re trying to cheat me out of my money.” He glanced at Xie Feizhe as he spoke.
Xie Feizhe: …
“What?!” Tang Nuan’s voice was filled with surprise, “You’re playing mahjong?!”
Not really understanding how Ye Shuyan acted in front of outsiders, Tang Ben said angrily, “Who’s so lacking in morals? You don’t know how to play mahjong, yet they want you to?”
“Don’t worry, brother-in-law! Just point the phone at the table, and we’ll teach you! My brother and my mom are both experts!” he added enthusiastically.
Shen Jinhua also found it amusing and eagerly said to Tang Nuan, “Let’s cast the phone screen so we can show him!”
Tang Fei suggested, “Ye Shuyan, you should mute your phone. Whenever you want to play a tile, just have Nuan Nuan text it to you.”
Xie Feizhe was exasperated, “That’s a bit shameless, isn’t it?”
Ye Shuyan responded calmly, “Well, you could always bring your in-laws in to help.”
Everyone felt silent, realizing that not only would their in-laws likely find it boring, but Xie Feizhe didn’t even have a girlfriend, so where would his in-laws come from?!
It was clear that Ye Shuyan was still the same and even willing to tease people while in a relationship.
The author has something to say:
Today, Ye Shuyan was still the same old show-off.