"Nowadays, most young girls are unwilling to marry, pursuing independence and self-reliance. While this is indeed good, as parents, we still hope to see them settle down and establish their careers."
"We just hope they'll have someone to look after them in the future. Living alone feels fine when you're young, but as you get older, you'll feel lonely."
Ye Tiancheng didn't know why Helian Yi started chatting with him, but it wasn't a big issue. Besides, Helian Yi was the host, and Ye Tiancheng couldn't very well kick him out. It was fine to just respond to him, so Ye Tiancheng engaged in conversation with Helian Yi.
Helian Yi seized the opportunity to steer the conversation toward his daughter, then naturally brought up his daughter, Helian Yue, to probe Ye Tiancheng's thoughts.
Ye Tiancheng didn't know much about all this and simply chatted with Helian Yi based on what he heard and his own thoughts.
Helian Yi expressed his worries and concerns for Helian Yue, to which Ye Tiancheng replied, "All parents worry about their children. However, when it comes to my daughter, Qingcheng, once she grows up, I won't interfere too much with her romantic life."
"Selfishly, I hope that if Qingcheng finds a partner one day, it will be because she truly likes him and he is someone worth spending her life with. In that case, I will support Qingcheng."
"But if Qingcheng doesn't have such thoughts, I won't force her."
"Everyone is an independent individual, even if she is my child. She has the right to make her own choices and choose the path she wants to take in the future, as long as she doesn't regret it."
"As a father, all I can do is to carefully analyze the pros and cons of each choice for her at that time, allowing her to think carefully and not make rash decisions. It's actually fine if she doesn't get married. People can survive without marriage, and even if Qingcheng never marries, our family can still support her."
Ye Tiancheng's views were considered normal, especially since he married Hou Mingzhu, and the Hou family was in such a situation. Hou Mingzhu was their sole heir, and there were no rules about not passing down the family business to daughters.
Therefore, Helian Yi wasn't particularly surprised by Ye Tiancheng's statement.
However, Helian Yi had another motive, so he continued, "Marriage has its benefits. Having a companion is different from being alone. I don't object to Yue'er finding someone to spend her life with, even if there's a difference in social status. I won't object unless the person is problematic."
Ye Tiancheng nodded, "I didn't expect the Helian family head to be such an open-minded parent. For a prominent family like the Helian clan, it's usually impossible to have complete freedom in marriage, isn't it?"
Helian Yi was silent for a moment and said, "Yue'er is my most outstanding daughter. If possible, I naturally want her to find happiness."
Ye Tiancheng then said, "Miss Helian is indeed outstanding, a one-in-a-million existence. Someone like her wouldn't lack suitors. As long as you choose carefully, there shouldn't be any problems."
Helian Yi looked at Ye Tiancheng, "When family members look at each other, they naturally see the good in their children, but also their flaws."
"Yue'er is just too cold. Others are intimidated by her and find it hard to even strike up a conversation. It's impressive that you still find her outstanding. It seems you have a good impression of Yue'er."
This statement made Ye Tiancheng feel uneasy, as if he were discussing his potential partner with his girlfriend's or wife's father. However, his relationship with Helian Yue was nothing like that; in fact, if it weren't for Hou Mingzhu, they would have no relationship at all.
Ye Tiancheng certainly wouldn't take the bait. If he did, it would be too strange.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng simply said, "Actually, I haven't interacted much with Miss Helian. It's mainly because she is a good friend of Mingzhu's. I trust Mingzhu's judgment, and her friends must also be outstanding individuals. I truly know very little about Miss Helian, so please forgive me, Helian family head."
Helian Yi did not expect such a response and realized Ye Tiancheng was quite perceptive.
He wondered if Ye Tiancheng's words stemmed from his genuine love and care for Hou Mingzhu, or if he was merely responding in this manner out of consideration for Hou Mingzhu.
Ye Tiancheng felt it was a combination of both, but he certainly wouldn't explain so much to Helian Yi. After all, there was no need to share the details of his and Hou Mingzhu's married life with an outsider. Ye Tiancheng had no interest in sharing such matters with outsiders.
Helian Yi opened his mouth, wanting to say something but stopping himself. In the end, he just shook his head and said, "I don't have any other excessive demands. I just hope that the person Yue'er finds in the future can be as harmonious in their relationship as you and Mingzhu are. Nowadays, many people are fickle and fall in love with whoever they see. I don't want Yue'er to get hurt."
Ye Tiancheng then said, "Mingzhu and I indeed have a very good relationship. Neither she nor I would ever betray our family or marriage."
"In fact, marriage is not just about two people, nor is it solely about love. After marriage, it becomes a responsibility. Since I chose Mingzhu and married her, I will definitely uphold this marriage. Unless the other party betrays first, we will be together forever."
"It's a pity that many people nowadays don't understand this principle. Marriage is not just an emotional union; after marriage, commitment is also a matter of morality."
Ye Tiancheng felt a pang of emotion. He hadn't been good in the past, but fortunately, Hou Mingzhu truly loved him and was willing to give him another chance. Now that he had a fresh start, he would never repeat his mistakes and make Hou Mingzhu sad again.
However, while Ye Tiancheng thought this in his heart, Helian Yi, who had come to test him, felt a great sense of foreboding.
If Ye Tiancheng maintained this attitude, things would become quite troublesome.
He was unwilling to betray his marriage, and Helian Yue was Hou Mingzhu's good friend. How could Ye Tiancheng possibly accept Helian Yue and agree to be with her?
Helian Yi began to worry. If this was the case, things would be very difficult to manage. What should he do? Elder Helian Sheng would certainly not give up on this idea easily. Their Helian family was also at a dead end, and there were no better options available at the moment.
So, what should he do?
Helian Yi was filled with anxiety, but as the head of a prominent family, he was not someone who couldn't control his emotions. Therefore, no matter how turbulent his emotions were, Helian Yi maintained a calm demeanor, revealing nothing.
Thus, he simply smiled and said to Ye Tiancheng, "The relationships between you young people are truly enviable. It's so rare to find young people like you and Mingzhu nowadays."
Afterward, to avoid appearing too abrupt or strange, Helian Yi chatted casually with Ye Tiancheng for a while longer. Then, using the excuse that it was getting late and he shouldn't disturb Ye Tiancheng and the others, Helian Yi took his leave.
Out of politeness, Ye Tiancheng escorted Helian Yi to the main entrance of the courtyard before turning back.
Ye Tiancheng had been the one doing most of the talking with Helian Yi. Fatty and Little Fox hadn't said much. Fatty stayed for a while to keep them company, suggesting that Ye Tiancheng and Helian Yi weren't discussing anything serious, just making small talk. So, after listening for a bit, he left.
Little Fox was observant and had nothing else to do, so she listened to the entire conversation.
When Ye Tiancheng returned after seeing Helian Yi off, Little Fox saw him walking back. As Ye Tiancheng approached, she couldn't help but ask, "What was the Helian family head here for?"
Little Fox didn't believe that Helian Yi had just come to check on things and chat with Ye Tiancheng.
How could the head of such a prominent family have so much free time?
Helian Yi must have had many matters to attend to. His sister-in-law, Hou Mingzhu, who was traveling the world with Ye Tiancheng, couldn't let go of her work and was often incredibly busy. This was just her status as an heir. Once Hou Mingzhu fully took over the Hou family's business in the future, who knew how busy she would become.
If Hou Mingzhu was like that, Helian Yi would only be busier.
Therefore, anything that allowed Helian Yi to take out so much time must have been essential. It would have been somewhat understandable if he were spending time with his children or relatives.
But these people were complete outsiders to Helian Yi.
Thinking this, Little Fox found him very suspicious. However, Helian Yi's outward demeanor showed no flaws. Little Fox had observed carefully during his visit and hadn't noticed anything amiss, yet she felt something was off, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it.
When Ye Tiancheng returned, he heard Little Fox's question and replied, "We are very important to the Helian family. After the mess they made earlier, they greatly offended us, and now they have to rely on us. How can they not be worried?"
"So, they must be trying their best to appease us, hoping we won't hold a grudge, or even better, hoping to strengthen our relationship. However, due to the previous entanglement, it's not easy for them to make a move."
"It's not particularly strange; it's quite normal."
Little Fox still felt something was not quite right, but Ye Tiancheng's explanation seemed reasonable, and the facts were as he stated. What else could there be?
At this critical juncture, the Helian family shouldn't dare to plot against them so quickly. After all, they still needed to rely on them. If they had made so many underhanded moves in secret, and if it were discovered, it would be detrimental to the Helian family.
At this point, doing nothing would be better than making such moves. Therefore, the possibility of Helian Yi harboring malicious intentions was indeed low.
Little Fox couldn't figure it out, so she had to accept Ye Tiancheng's explanation and shook her head, "Alright, it is indeed like that. Perhaps I'm overthinking it."
Seeing Little Fox like this, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Overthinking? What nonsensical things are you thinking about?"
Little Fox said helplessly, "I just felt it was a bit strange that he parked outside our courtyard and didn't knock for a long time. After coming in, he didn't do anything important, just wasted time chatting with you, Big Brother."
"In my impression, the heads of prominent families are usually very busy, the kind where time is money. Sister-in-law is still just an heir, and she's already incredibly busy. Not to mention someone already in the position of family head. So, I subconsciously felt it was abnormal."
"People of their status shouldn't waste time on meaningless things. I always feel that every action they take has a deeper meaning and isn't that simple, especially since you, Big Brother, are not his son or brother."