Li Xiaotian was also taken aback for a moment when he received Ye Qingmei's call, but he wasted no time and rushed to her side as quickly as possible.
Zhao Tianlong, Fang Yuan, this couple were Ye Qingmei's biological parents!!
Li Xiaotian recalled, this was what Ye Qingmei had told him on the phone just now.
Biological parents? Li Xiaotian's eyes flickered. Ye Qingmei was adopted by the Ye family, this was no secret; half of the noble families in Jiangcheng knew about it back then.
Therefore, Li Xiaotian's first reaction to Ye Qingmei's suddenly appearing biological parents was disbelief.
"Long Yi, investigate Zhao Tianlong and his wife. Their background, I want all the information," Li Xiaotian instructed Long Yi over the phone.
Upon arriving at Fengxing Building, Li Xiaotian went straight to the reception hall.
In the room, the crying of two women could be heard from afar. Ye Qingmei hid in a corner, her face a mixture of sadness and hatred. Fang Yuan, leaning in Zhao Tianlong's embrace, looked at Ye Qingmei's face with guilt and heartache.
"Qingmei!" Li Xiaotian quickly walked to Ye Qingmei's side. Ye Qingmei also walked towards him, and the two embraced.
"Xiaotian, I want to go home!" Ye Qingmei said with a choked voice, which pierced Li Xiaotian's heart like needles.
"Alright, we're going home!" Li Xiaotian nodded, then prepared to leave with Ye Qingmei, completely ignoring Zhao Tianlong and his wife in the room.
"Min'er! Mom was wrong, please give Mom a chance!" Fang Yuan, seeing Li Xiaotian about to take Ye Qingmei away, became anxious, cried out loudly, and ran over.
Ye Qingmei quickly hid behind Li Xiaotian, giving Fang Yuan no chance to approach her. At the same time, she exclaimed anxiously.
"Ms. Fang! Please respect yourself. I am Ye Qingmei, not some Zhao Min! I don't acknowledge you as my biological parents, nor do I want to find them! I hope Ms. Fang and Mr. Zhao will not bother me again."
"Min'er!" Fang Yuan froze in place, her face instantly turning pale. Ye Qingmei's words chilled her to the bone.
"How dare you! Unfilial daughter!! How can I, Zhao Tianlong, have a daughter like you?" Zhao Tianlong suddenly roared, his eyes fixed on Ye Qingmei with anger. He quickly stepped forward to protect Fang Yuan, then glared at Ye Qingmei and said.
"Whether you admit to being Zhao Min or acknowledge us, it's not up to you to decide! The blood of my Zhao family flows in you, so you must acknowledge it!"
"Only we have the choice to acknowledge you or not, not you to acknowledge us!"
"Ye Qingmei, I advise you to think carefully and don't miss this opportunity to become a phoenix. You might be very proud of your current achievements, but let me tell you, your achievements are nothing compared to the bottom of the barrel among the younger generation of my Zhao family!"
"Brother Long, Brother Long, don't say that about Min'er. Min'er did nothing wrong, it's us who are wrong, Brother Long!" Fang Yuan quickly interrupted Zhao Tianlong, her face full of pain. She regretted bringing them here.
After speaking, Fang Yuan turned to Ye Qingmei and said, her voice filled with tenderness.
"Min'er, don't listen to your father. He's talking nonsense. It's okay if you don't acknowledge us now. I know this is too sudden for you, you can accept it slowly!"
"No, I don't want to see you again. As for the Zhao family that Mr. Zhao mentioned, I cannot afford to ascend, nor do I want to," Ye Qingmei said, her voice slightly cold. She had been sad earlier, but after hearing Zhao Tianlong's words, her heart had turned very cold.
When she was young, she often looked forward to her biological parents taking her home, and she had fantasized about meeting them. As she grew up, that naive thought diminished, but she still missed them occasionally.
However, after having her daughter Tiantian, and experiencing those three years she never wanted to recall, she had no illusions about her biological parents anymore. Since they had abandoned her to fend for herself, she, Ye Qingmei, would pretend she had no such parents.
Moreover, where were her biological parents when she was at her most difficult time and needed help the most? Now that she had her own family and a stable career, they only came to acknowledge her as their daughter; it was too late!
After speaking, Ye Qingmei pulled Li Xiaotian, preparing to leave. However, Zhao Tianlong spoke again, his face flushed, and he said.
"You'd better think clearly. Not everyone has the chance to become a member of the Zhao family. Although we abandoned you back then, your mother and I feel guilty about it. The matter back then was complicated, so I won't say more."
"But this time, since we've found you, this is your opportunity. After becoming a member of the Zhao family, your status and your future will change drastically."
"I know you're holding a grudge, but this is about your future. I hope you consider it carefully and don't do something impulsive that you'll regret!"
Hearing Zhao Tianlong's words, Ye Qingmei's eyes instantly turned red, tears flowing silently. Li Xiaotian held her tightly, his expression cold. He glanced back at Zhao Tianlong and said mockingly.
"Zhao family? What the hell is that? If my wife wants it, I'm willing to give her ten Zhao families!"
After speaking, without waiting for Zhao Tianlong to respond, Li Xiaotian took Ye Qingmei and left.
"You scoundrel!! How dare you!?" Zhao Tianlong roared, his face flushed, gasping for breath in anger. His Zhao family, a top noble family in Long Country, was being looked down upon like this?
"Does he know what he's saying? Does he know what he's saying? We are the Zhao family! The top noble family in Long Country, the Zhao family!!" Zhao Tianlong yelled at Fang Yuan, who looked sad and paid no attention to his words.
"Is that person Min'er's husband?" Fang Yuan said softly.
Zhao Tianlong's eyes widened immediately. He glanced at Fang Yuan, then gritted his teeth and said.
"Alright, I accompanied you here. We'll leave in the afternoon. Since this daughter refuses to acknowledge us, we don't need to lose face by begging her!"
"Brother Long, don't be like this. Min'er also has her difficulties. How much grievance has she endured over the years? How much hardship has she suffered? It's only right that she resents us. We should give her more time," Fang Yuan pleaded, her voice urgent.
"Humph! Then you stay by yourself!" Zhao Tianlong snorted, furious. However, he continued.
"If she wants to become a Zhao family member and wants the Zhao family to recognize her, she must meet a few conditions!"
"First, Fengxing Finance shall be handed over to the Zhao family and become a Zhao family asset."
"Second, divorce her husband. As for that child, our Zhao family will only accept her. Her husband and child are not qualified!"