Chapter 242: Should Start Calling Me Dad

Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Should Start Calling Me Dad

Han Xiaorui’s eyes lit up. "Of course I want to see it! Your ship has arrived, so I’ll buy a couple of flower baskets to congratulate you."

"Haha, that ship is yours too. You have a twenty percent stake," Ye Feng replied. "Once we’re married, the rest of the shares will be yours as well."

The sudden sweet talk made Han Xiaorui blush. "I don’t want them. I have my own business. It might not be much compared to the Xu family’s, but I built it myself, bit by bit."

Ye Feng chuckled. "Can’t you be a little more ambitious?"

"What’s the point of being so ambitious?" Han Xiaorui looked puzzled. "I can’t even spend all the money I make now. Even if I took over everything from the Xu family, I’d still spend the same amount."

Han Xiaorui had no other hobbies. She just liked to eat, wear pretty clothes, and put on beautiful jewelry.

Ye Feng smiled. "The department stores just got some new collections in. I’ll take you clothes shopping."

Han Xiaorui’s face lit up with a smile, her joy irrepressible. "I’d love that. But not today. Let’s go shopping together next time I’m free."

"Oh, right. How are you adjusting to taking over the Xu family’s business?"

Ye Feng stretched his arms. "It’s going okay. My aunt and grandpa are at the company, so I’m learning from them. I’ll probably have to travel for business a lot in the future, though—to the United States, Japan, Europe, and Southeast Asia."

Han Xiaorui was taken aback. "The business is that huge?"

Ye Feng smiled. "As our country continues its Reform and Opening-Up, we’re increasing investment here and gradually decreasing it elsewhere. Our nation’s advantages are becoming more apparent, and its potential is growing."

Han Xiaorui nodded. "Your family should focus on bringing in things that aren’t available in the country. You don’t need to invest in things we can already make here."

Ye Feng smiled. "Exactly. Right now, even though it’s just low-end semiconductor manufacturing, it’s actually considered very advanced here in our country."

"To be honest, I’d love to jump straight to the cutting edge, but foreign restrictions on exporting the relevant equipment are a huge frustration."

"But we have to turn that frustration into motivation. We need our own people to figure out how to make it themselves."

Han Xiaorui nodded. "Whatever we can’t produce in our country, foreign countries sell to us at exorbitant prices. The moment we can make it ourselves, they immediately drop their prices."

"Spending the money is one thing, but we also have to deal with their condescension. It’s infuriating. But I believe our country will definitely catch up. When our children are grown, they won’t have to put up with this nonsense."

Ye Feng agreed. "Exactly. That’s why my grandpa donates to universities, to cultivate high-tech talent and hopefully achieve a breakthrough sooner rather than later."

Whether in his covert work or in business, Ye Feng felt that every step was a struggle.

But even so, he had to rise to the challenge.

This was the mission of his generation.

Yang Jianguo and Wu Cuicui were surprised by Ye Feng’s visit to Yang Minmin, but they appreciated his kind gesture.

He brought many nutritional supplements and beautiful clothes for Yang Minmin.

After their little daughter fell asleep, Wu Cuicui tidied up and whispered, "That Ye Feng, he really cares deeply for Xiao Rui. He’s even willing to keep in touch with us."

Although Yang Jianguo didn’t smoke, he held a cigarette in his hand and sighed.

"You’re right. Ye Feng is very smart, and he understands how people work. By accepting Xiao Rui, he’s accepting everything that comes with her."

"Pingping and An’an will always be a part of our lives, and Ye Feng is about to become their stepfather. That’s why he values these connections so much."

"Unlike that scoundrel Yang Jianming, who threw away such a wonderful wife and such wonderful children! He just fools around all day, stirring up one mess after another."

"My Second Uncle is cleaning up his messes all day long. He’s so stressed his hair is turning white. It’s a good thing that menace went to the United States. Now that he’s far away, he can go bother someone else."

Wu Cuicui said emotionally, "When Xiao Rui first got divorced, everyone thought it would be hard for a woman with two kids to get remarried."

"But now I see it really depends on the person! Xiao Rui is beautiful and capable, plus she’s so straightforward and big-hearted. She has a great personality. Even I, a woman, adore her, to say nothing of men!"

Yang Jianguo nodded. "We’re happy for Xiao Rui if she can find happiness. Pingping and An’an’s biological father is unreliable, so it’s good for them to have a dependable stepfather."

Wu Cuicui smiled. "When Xiao Rui and Ye Feng get married, do you think Pingping and An’an will have to start calling him something different?"

Hearing this, Yang Jianguo felt a pang of bitterness. "Honestly, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I hope Pingping and An’an do start calling him ’Dad.’ They’re still little, and if they call him Dad, they’ll be a real family. People won’t fixate on it being a second marriage, which would be better for family harmony."

"But emotionally... no matter what a scoundrel my cousin is, he’s still my little cousin! Pingping and An’an are my nieces, and I still wish they only had him as their one and only father."

Wu Cuicui rolled her eyes at that. "Having a father like Yang Jianming is worse than having none at all! Your cousin never held them or soothed them once after they were born. And he thinks he deserves to have such beautiful daughters as Pingping and An’an? He can dream on!"

"You can get mad if you want, but there are some things I have to say. Once Xiao Rui and Ye Feng get married, I think Pingping and An’an should start calling him ’Dad’."

"Like you said, the kids are still little! They need a father too. And whether his feelings are genuine or not, if Pingping and An’an call him ’Dad’ from a young age, Ye Feng will dote on them for that alone."

"If they keep calling him Uncle Ye, it’ll feel like they’re two separate families instead of one! I’ll bring this up with Second Uncle; I’m sure he’ll agree!"

Just then, Yang Zhigang came in carrying two tins of milk powder.

"Agree with what? You two get along so well and never fight. What are you bickering about now?"

Yang Jianguo smiled sheepishly and said nothing.

Wu Cuicui, however, didn’t hold back. It was clear that Ye Feng and Han Xiaorui’s relationship was getting better and better, and marriage was just a matter of time.

Han Xiaorui and Dahuang had saved Yang Minmin, which made her as dear as a blood sister to Wu Cuicui.

As for that scoundrel Yang Jianming, Wu Cuicui loathed him from the bottom of her heart.

Now that she was raising her own little daughter, she found that the more the child grew, the more she loved her—and the more she loathed Yang Jianming’s irresponsibility.

"Second Uncle, we were just talking about how well Ye Feng and Xiao Rui are getting along, and how it’s only a matter of time before they get married."

"Pingping and An’an are still so young, so I was suggesting that when they get married, the girls should start calling Ye Feng ’Dad’."

Yang Zhigang paused for a moment, then sighed and broke into a smile.

"They should. The girls aren’t even four years old yet. They probably don’t even remember what their own father looks like."

"Ye Feng is a dependable man of good character—he’s mature, and he comes from an excellent family. Having a father like him would be a blessing for Pingping and An’an."

Both Yang Jianguo and Wu Cuicui were taken aback. "Second Uncle, don’t you feel sad or have any regrets about this?"

Hearing this, Yang Zhigang shook his head and let out a weary laugh. "At this point, I wish I could trade my own son for a different one. How could I possibly demand that Pingping and An’an must accept that scoundrel as their father?"