Cecilia Gu's words were a bit blunt.
But you couldn't deny that everything she said was true!
When Ethan Yin first returned to the Yin Family, he was full of ambition.
But after witnessing Charles Yin’s methods and secretly learning what happened to Sylvia Ran, Ethan Yin locked himself in his room for three days and nights.
Ever since then, whenever Ethan Yin looked at Charles Yin, the fear in his eyes never faded.
What kind of man was he, really?
It was as if there was nothing in Newport City he didn’t know, nothing he was afraid of!
Anything he set his mind to, he could accomplish.
Now that Cecilia Gu was warning him too, Ethan Yin certainly didn’t think she was just shooting in the dark.
The room Ethan Yin booked wasn’t far—just the first one past the corridor.
Cecilia Gu and Ethan Yin walked into the room, with Wendy the assistant following them in. The others stayed outside.
Because Cecilia Gu wasn’t very mobile, Wendy had to take care of her at all times.
Ethan Yin glanced at Cecilia’s noticeably pregnant belly, his eyes flickering.
Cecilia looked down at her own belly too, then, after a moment’s thought, asked, “You must already know exactly why you returned to the Yin Family, right?”
Ethan Yin’s expression immediately turned strange, but he still nodded.
Cecilia continued, “Technically, we shouldn’t meddle in the grudges of the previous generation. But sometimes, not meddling doesn’t mean you really don’t know. It’s true that Charles brought you back to the Yin Family with certain intentions, and those intentions involve me too. But you can’t deny that you benefited from it. The fact that you invited me and Charles to dinner today shows you’re smart. As for why Charles will be late, I’m sure you can guess the reason.”
Ethan Yin’s face turned a bit pale, but he nodded again.
“You’ve seen Charles’s methods for yourself these days. I don’t need to say much more, do I?” Cecilia smiled. “The New Year’s almost here. After the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, every day gets closer. In the Yin Family, besides Grandma, have you thought about any other backup plans? You should know, it won’t be long before Grandma really steps down. You know exactly whose hands the Yin Family’s future will end up in. So, since you’re a smart guy, don’t do anything foolish.”
“Thank you for your advice, sister-in-law.” Ethan Yin’s eyes flickered, as if he’d made up his mind. “The fact that you’re willing to say all this to me means you don’t treat me as an outsider. I know what I need to do now.”
If Ethan Yin hadn’t known about Charles’s methods before, after Sylvia Ran’s death, the things he’d heard—both openly and secretly—were enough to chill him to the bone.
So it turned out Charles Yin let Sylvia Ran run wild for so long not because he had deep feelings for her, but because he wanted to use her as a weapon to get rid of the eyesore in his way.
How ridiculous, how tragic, how pitiful—Sylvia Ran still thought she was the winner.
She never realized that everything was already under his gaze, with nowhere to hide.
After Cecilia finished saying all this and saw that Ethan Yin was deep in thought, she dropped the subject and changed the topic. "I heard you’ve been asking Grandma to let you work at Tenhowe Branch lately?"
Ethan Yin nodded.
"Since it’s just a position, aside from the salary, there’s no profit sharing." Cecilia picked up her cup and took a sip of water.
"I know," Ethan Yin replied gloomily.
The two of them fell silent, unsure what to say next.
Just then, there was a faint sound of footsteps outside.
A moment later, the door opened softly and Charles Yin walked in with Alex.
"You all got here early?" Charles Yin said with a smile.
Cecilia Gu felt a wave of relief as soon as she saw Charles Yin arrive.
There was a gentle, affectionate smile in Charles Yin’s eyes as he quickly walked over to Cecilia, reaching out to pat her on the head. "You’ve had a tough day."
"It’s fine." Cecilia reached out and held his fingers. At least he understood her.
These words were something Charles Yin would never say to Ethan Yin.
He was so proud, after all!
Besides, he had no reason to win Ethan Yin over.
To put it bluntly, Ethan Yin was just a burden.
If he got crushed, so be it—no real loss.
And if he got propped up, it wouldn’t hurt anything either.
But he’d never actually say any of that out loud.
Since he wouldn’t, the best person to say those things was Cecilia Gu.
As the sister-in-law, it was perfectly reasonable for her to advise her husband’s younger brother.
That’s why Charles Yin deliberately arrived late—so Cecilia could make things clear to Ethan Yin.
If Ethan Yin was smart, he’d know exactly what to do.
If he wasn’t, Charles Yin wouldn’t mind sending him to join Sylvia Ran.
When Charles Yin walked in, his gaze swept over Ethan Yin’s face. Seeing Ethan’s stiff expression and awkward eyes, Charles knew Cecilia had already said everything that needed saying.
"B-Big brother..." The moment Charles Yin entered, Ethan Yin’s whole presence was completely suppressed.
He’d always been defiant, but he had to admit that the kingly aura Charles radiated was something he could never hope to match.
And Charles’s methods were something he could never measure up to, either.
Even if Ethan Yin didn’t want to admit it, he was destined to live under Charles Yin’s shadow for the rest of his life.
The smile at the corner of Charles Yin’s mouth made Ethan Yin lower his head in fear.
"Mm, you put a lot of thought into this," Charles Yin replied softly, sitting down next to Cecilia.
Alex and Wendy stood a little farther away, ready to follow their master’s orders at any moment.
Ethan Yin mustered his courage, looked up at Charles, and stammered, "I... I just thought, with the New Year coming, we’re all family, so I wanted to invite big brother and sister-in-law out for a meal."
(This chapter isn’t finished yet~ Please click next page to keep reading!)
Charles Yin’s long fingers tapped lightly on the back of the chair. He nodded slightly, his narrow eyes squinting a little.
He looked completely relaxed, but to Ethan Yin, he seemed utterly invincible.
Under that pressure, Ethan Yin couldn’t go on speaking.
"You talked to Grandma about getting a job?" Charles Yin brought up the topic himself.
"Yes..." Ethan Yin felt sweat bead on his forehead, but he didn’t dare wipe it away.
"Tenhowe Branch is Uncle Ben Yin’s turf, you know." Charles Yin said, giving Ethan a meaningful smile.
Ethan Yin quickly stammered, "I—I just thought, since it’s Uncle Ben’s turf, I could go there and help you check things out, big brother."
"Oh?" Charles Yin’s lips curled up. "Is that so?"
"Big brother!" Ethan Yin gritted his teeth, ignoring the itchy sweat on his back, and mustered up his courage. "I know I was wrong! I’ll never go against you again! I know you’ve always hated how Uncle Ben flaunts the Yin Family name outside. I’m willing to be your vanguard—go to Uncle Ben’s turf and clear out all the obstacles for you!"
The smile in Charles Yin’s eyes grew even stronger.
Tenhowe Branch was assigned to Uncle Ben Yin’s management more than ten years ago.
This Uncle Ben wasn’t Charles’s direct uncle, but rather an uncle from a collateral branch of the family.
In other words, he was part of a branch of the Yin Family.
Back when Charles Yin was fighting for control of the Yin Consortium, this Uncle Ben had teamed up with other uncles to challenge him.
Under Charles Yin’s ruthless tactics, two of the other uncles were sent straight to a psychiatric hospital.
After that, no one dared challenge Charles again, and he smoothly took over the Yin Family.
Back then, Charles was busy taking charge of the sprawling Yin Family, so he didn’t deal with the others right away.
Now, with the whole Yin Family in the palm of his hand, he was ready to settle old scores.
Ethan Yin turned out to be pretty clever, quickly picking up on Charles’s intentions and volunteering to go to Tenhowe Branch as his vanguard.
"I know I was too arrogant before. I even fantasized about... controlling the Yin Consortium. But now I understand how vast the Consortium really is—far beyond my reach. I’ve realized how naive I was. Big brother, since we’re family, please give me this chance." Ethan Yin seemed to make up his mind, suddenly stood up, and knelt before Charles.
Charles Yin and Cecilia Gu didn’t move.
The Yin Family was deeply traditional—the eldest brother was like a father, the eldest sister-in-law like a mother.
So Charles Yin and Cecilia Gu could accept this gesture.
"Big brother, sister-in-law, I’ll prove everything with my actions!" Ethan Yin ignored the cold sweat running down his face and bowed deeply to both of them.
"Good, you’re smarter than I thought." Charles Yin’s voice was clear and cold, but his next words finally let Ethan Yin breathe a sigh of relief: "Since you know your place, Angela Ma will be fine."
Cecilia Gu immediately turned to look at Charles Yin.
Charles’s eyes flickered, and he glanced at Cecilia, giving her a look that said, 'Don’t worry.'
After Angela Ma told Ethan Yin what happened that morning, he was suddenly jolted awake.
He thought he’d hidden Angela Ma well, but in Newport City, with someone new by his side, how could Charles Yin not find out?
Angela Ma was Ma Yan’s daughter, but not a member of the Yin Family!
The Yin Family refusing to acknowledge Ma Yan was one thing, but Ma Yan daring to blur the family bloodline was another!
That’s why Angela Ma would have to die!
Ethan Yin might not have realized this before, but when he remembered how Sylvia Ran tried everything to escape, only to be destroyed by Charles Yin in the end, he suddenly woke up—Angela Ma was in danger!
The Yin Family would never let Angela Ma go!