Chapter 153 Trapping Uncle Ye
After resting at home for two days, Ye Shengsong returned to school. Ye Yage, who was taken away by Ye Muen, shivered all over in the sweltering summer heat as she boarded a donkey cart heading to the countryside.
Accompanying Ye Yage was Ye Muen, whom she had called "Big Brother" for fifteen years. He rode his bicycle beside the donkey cart, appearing as carefree as if the day's events had nothing to do with him.
Ye Yage recalled the scene after she woke up that day. She opened her eyes to find herself in a confined room. The room was stuffy and airless, her clothes soaked through with sweat.
There was also a small candle, allowing a rough view of the surroundings.
"You're awake."
The familiar voice instantly put Ye Yage at ease.
"Dad, where am I?"
Ye Ba held the candle and walked towards Ye Yage, sitting down on a chair opposite her.
"You don't need to call me Dad anymore. We just need to talk about the future."
A pang struck Ye Yage's heart. She still couldn't stand by their side. Just because she wasn't their biological daughter, she couldn't compare to someone with a blood relation.
"Are you abandoning me just because I'm not your biological child? What about all these years of our relationship?"
"No one wants to abandon you. If you had remained as pure-hearted as before, we wouldn't have given up on you. At least we would have seen you off in style."
Ye Yage winced at the phrase "pure-hearted." She understood that Ye Ba knew everything.
"Dad, I haven't done anything for those people. They just found me."
"That's good. Let's talk about what they said to you."
Ye Yage didn't want to speak. She was afraid that saying anything would make her situation worse.
"They didn't say much, just that I should get married, marry someone they arranged."
"Heh, Ye Yage, this is why you're being abandoned. After raising you for fifteen years, you still turn out to be an ungrateful wretch, harming your own family."
Ye Yage felt both ashamed and wronged. She had always been powerless, everyone wanted to harm her, yet what ability did she have to resist?
"Ye Yage, you need to understand your current predicament. There are hundreds of people like you in their hands. You are chess pieces; if one dies, another takes their place."
Ye Yage trembled again. She didn't want to die.
"Dad, save me. I'll do as you say."
"Fine. Call Ye Huailin now and tell him you've been in contact with those people, and that you know where the Bai family's treasure vault is hidden."
Ye Yage thought of her Uncle, who had always been very kind to her. She wondered if what Ye Ba was asking her to do would harm him.
In reality, Ye Yage was a selfish and deceptively innocent person. She didn't want to hurt anyone, yet she wanted to protect herself. But in this world, one couldn't have everything.
"Dad, what happened between you and Uncle?"
Ye Ba had lost his patience. The damn weather was already hot enough to kill people, and his foolish son wasn't finding a cooler place.
"You don't need to worry about it. If you want to live, just make the call obediently."
Ye Yage was startled by Ye Ba's loud voice and dared not ask further, only nodding in agreement.
Ye Huailin answered Ye Yage's call impatiently. He had wanted this girl to do something for him, but she was so stupid. The Ye family members weren't around, and she still didn't dare to enter Ye Huaijin's study. What a useless idiot.
"Uncle, I want to tell you something. I discovered a secret, but I'm afraid to tell anyone else."
Ye Huailin's spirit immediately perked up, thinking the little girl had discovered some secret of his brother.
"Yage, don't be afraid. Uncle will protect you."
Hearing this, Ye Yage was still quite touched, feeling a sense of being protected. Just as she was about to say something, she felt a sharp prick from the pointed object at her waist, and pain immediately struck her.
Ye Yage looked at her elder brother, who was smiling, and tears flowed uncontrollably. This only made Ye Huailin feel Ye Yage's fear and terror even more.
"Don't cry, Yage. Hurry up and tell me what happened. Our Ye family will stand up for you."
"Uhh, Uncle, someone came to me and told me to find the location of the Bai family's treasure vault. Those people are very scary."
"Those people? Who are they?"
"He said he was the one who gave me everything, and now it's time for me to repay him."
Ye Huailin frowned. He knew who it was, but he didn't expect them to bypass him and approach Ye Yage directly.
"Then have you found the location of the Bai family's treasure vault?"
"Yes, I found it. I found a map in Grandpa's study. The location on it is the Bai family's old home in the countryside of Qishi. But I'm afraid to tell those people. I don't want to harm the Bai family."
Ye Huailin's eyes lit up with joy. Those people not only wanted to control the influential families but also their family foundations. Their scheme was indeed grand.
But who wouldn't want these things? Even he, from the Ye family, desired them, but Old Man Ye wouldn't budge. However, the Bai family was much richer than the Ye family. As long as he got his hands on it first and shipped it out, he could secure a way out for himself and let the person he loved most escape this place of turmoil with their child.
"Yage, your concerns are valid. Just tell me the specific location, and I'll handle everything else. Uncle will ensure your safety."
"Okay, the treasure vault is in the dry well in the old house, but it requires a key to open. Otherwise, it will be filled with mercury and destroyed."
"Then did you get the key?"
Ye Yage glanced at her elder brother. Ye Muen raised an eyebrow, extinguishing all of Ye Yage's remaining hope.
"I found it. It's with me."
"Alright, I'll come to get it from you now. Are you at school?"
"I'm not at school. I've brought the key to Qishi, but I'm afraid and haven't dared to go to the countryside yet."
Ye Huailin was no longer thinking much, only wanting to get his hands on the treasure and take it out.
"I'll send someone to find you immediately. Wait at the guesthouse."
"No, Uncle, I don't trust anyone else. I'm afraid those people will find me. Please come yourself."
Ye Huailin thought for a moment. If he set out, people would notice. It was inconvenient. But then he thought, as long as he was fast and hid well, he could directly transport the goods out of Qishi.
"Alright, Uncle will set off tonight. You wait for me at the guesthouse."
Ye Huailin hung up the phone, thought for a moment, then quickly took out a few rolls of money from his drawer, put them in his bag, and hurried out of his office.
After Ye Yage hung up the phone, she felt like her future had been tossed away. She didn't know what use she had anymore.
"Big Brother, what should I do next?"
"Leave a note for the guesthouse attendant, telling Ye Huailin to go to the Bai family's countryside alone."
So, Ye Yage was on her way to the Bai family's old house in the countryside. She didn't want to offend her uncle, nor did she want to be disliked by her parents. What should she do next?
Ye Yage thought of the gold and silver jewelry she had hidden at home, all gifts from the Bai family over the years. If she had those items, she could at least exchange them at the bank for five thousand yuan, and her future days would be much better.
But now, she hadn't even brought those jewelry pieces out. She didn't know if she would ever have a chance to go back and get them. She only had about a hundred yuan left, which was not enough for all these troubles.