Knock, knock, knock. Someone rapped on the door.
"Come in," Charles Yin replied in a low voice, not even looking up.
The door opened and someone walked in briskly, placing a report in front of Charles Yin. "Chairman, this is the recent update on Ethan and Yina. Also, about Cherry Miller—"
Charles Yin quickly looked up and said, "Speak."
"We've figured out why Cherry Miller suddenly broke up," the person reported with head bowed. "It was because Cherry's biological father suddenly contacted her and produced something that could utterly ruin Ms. Miller's reputation."
"Oh?" Charles Yin immediately put down his pen and nodded. "Explain in detail."
After speaking, Yin Sicheng left his desk and sat down on the sofa.
"Back then, Housekeeper Mi's husband was a petty thug in France. To make ends meet, he did a lot of disgraceful things. During that time, in order to extort money from Housekeeper Mi, he not only beat her but also..." The person hesitated before continuing, "He even let several creditors take turns humiliating her."
Yin Sicheng was silent for a moment.
The so-called humiliation was probably much worse than that.
Sure enough, the investigator continued, "Not only that, he recorded a video of the whole incident. Assistant Mi's biological father is using this video to blackmail her, demanding monthly payments or he'll expose the footage and reveal Housekeeper Mi's identity. It seems this started about four years ago. Since then, Assistant Mi has been threatened, and every month she transfers hush money to his account. Housekeeper Mi is now Madam's trusted aide. If that video gets out, it'll be a heavy blow to both Housekeeper Mi and Madam."
"So Cherry just gave him money?" Charles Yin asked sharply.
"Assistant Mi gave him money to keep him quiet, but also tried to track him down and destroy the video. Several times, her team nearly found his hideout, but he always managed to slip away at the last minute," the investigator continued. "It seems she even increased the payment and sent more people after him, but still failed."
Yin Sicheng nodded. "So that's how it is."
"Chairman, do you want our people to intervene?" the investigator asked.
Yin Sicheng shook his head. "Not for now."
"Understood." The investigator stood respectfully to the side.
That evening, when Charles Yin got home, he told Cecilia Grant about Cherry Miller's situation.
Cecilia Grant frowned as soon as she heard it. "No wonder Cherry's changed so much lately—quitting her job, breaking up... So this is why. Silly girl, why didn't she just tell me?"
Charles Yin reached out to massage Cecilia Grant's shoulders, speaking gently: "It's not exactly something you'd want to talk about. Especially when it's evidence of her mother's humiliation. Cherry is proud—she wants to handle it herself."
Cecilia Grant sighed, "You're right. Cherry is just carrying too much on her mind. But that bastard is just too much! How could he do something like this? And then use it to threaten Cherry! Absolutely unforgivable!"
Charles Yin knew Cecilia had raised Cherry Miller as her own daughter. He said, "Cecilia, since this is Cherry's decision, let's not interfere for now. Besides, taking revenge herself will feel much better than us meddling. Cherry's been holding onto this anger for four years—let her finally let it out."
"But what about Ethan..." Cecilia sighed. "They're really made for each other, aren't they?"
Charles Yin chuckled softly. "Don't worry, your son isn't someone who can be easily defeated. And honestly, this whole thing is a good test for the young couple."
Cecilia was still a little hesitant.
"Cecilia, Cherry is the daughter-in-law we've all approved of. One day, she'll take over for you and become the lady of the Yin family." Charles patiently explained, "To be part of this family, she can't be a naive pushover. This is the perfect chance to see her skills and temperament—to see if she's truly fit to be the next matriarch."
Cecilia was clearly swayed.
"The moment Cherry was threatened, she immediately thought about fighting back. Unfortunately, her opponent is too cunning, and Cherry missed the chance to catch him red-handed, which is why he’s gotten away with it for so long. She was also worried about hurting the wrong person. If she pushed too hard and the truth came out, it would devastate Butler Mi. He’s only just begun to recover from his past trauma after all these years. Cherry’s hesitation is understandable—it shows she’s a caring and thoughtful daughter. She’s always quietly protecting her mother."
"There’s another reason, probably because of you." Charles Yin, ever the strategist, saw right through Cherry’s concerns. "Cherry respects you deeply. If this scandal broke, it would definitely hurt your reputation, and that's the last thing Cherry wants. So she’s chosen to endure, to wait for the right moment, to lull her enemy into a false sense of security before striking back hard. Cherry’s intelligence is unquestionable."
"When you put it that way, it does make sense." Cecilia sighed again. "But I feel so sorry for those two kids. They love each other, but they still can’t be together."
"Isn’t it just because our son is too impatient?" Charles Yin chuckled. "If Ethan hadn’t rushed to get married, Cherry wouldn’t have felt the need to clear things up so quickly. She’s doing all this to protect us, even if it means sacrificing herself."
Cecilia’s heart ached even more. "Ah, these kids… They’re nothing like how simple we were back then."
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"And things are getting pretty lively with the kids right now." Charles Yin couldn’t help but laugh, lowering his voice to Cecilia. "Cherry has suitors popping up around her, and Ethan’s got people chasing after him, too. Just wait—the days ahead are going to be interesting."
Cecilia shot her husband a look. "You’re enjoying your own son’s trouble, aren’t you?"
Charles Yin replied, "I just can’t stand that kid acting so old and serious all the time. He needs a little trouble, seriously. Hmph!"
Charles would never admit it, but this was just a dad’s grudge: if those two hadn’t monopolized his wife for so many years, he wouldn’t be so bitter now!
Anyway, watching his son struggle is just entertaining!
And just like that, Cecilia was convinced by Charles and really stopped worrying about it.
Meanwhile, Ethan Yin had no idea that someone was thinking about his beloved. Completely oblivious, he returned to China.