Chapter 31

Xiao Bing picked up his wine glass, and Ye Tianming took the initiative to refill it for him. Xiao Bing took a small sip and smiled, saying, "Young Master Ye, if you have something to ask, it can be considered a gesture of humility and respect."

Ye Tianming replied with a serious face, "I just happen to live in a wealthy family. I have never known who is above and who is below."

Xiao Bing looked up at him and asked, "Is it about your father's matter?"

"Exactly," Ye Tianming said with a worried look. "My father's health is getting worse. This time, he fell ill suddenly. We have consulted many famous doctors both domestically and abroad, but none of them could treat him. The only hope is to find Mr. Zhang Yizhi, who is known as the Medical Saint in China. However, Mr. Zhang retired two years ago and has not treated anyone since. We had already given up until you invited Mr. Zhang to Jiangcheng..."

Seeing that Xiao Bing was not impatient, Ye Tianming continued, "Since you can have Mr. Zhang treat your friend, you must have a way to ask him to treat my father. It all depends on your decision. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Since you were once a soldier, I believe you would never stand by and watch a life die in front of you."

"Soldiers are dedicated to protecting their country and people. Their nature is to defend their country and people. They have kindness and justice in their hearts. You might say that there are many people in China who are about to die, and you can help my family but not everyone. But now, this life is in your hands. If you don't help, are you still a soldier? Can your conscience be at peace?"

Xiao Bing's eyes gleamed with a faint light, and he smiled, asking, "Are you trying to provoke me?"

"I am provoking you, for my father to receive treatment," Ye Tianming said. "But I am also speaking from the heart!"

Seeing Xiao Bing's calm expression, Ye Tianming found it hard to guess his true attitude. He sighed slightly and continued, "The following words are what I, as my father's child, will say to you."

Xiao Bing leaned back in his chair, showing a posture of listening attentively.

"I have an older sister and a younger sister. They are all very excellent, and our parents have always loved us. Especially my mother, as my father was busy with his career and spent little time with us, it was usually my mother who took care of us. Our family was happy until five years ago, when my mother died suddenly at home. No one could find out the true cause of her death. Soon after, my father brought a woman into our home. She became our stepmother."

Xiao Bing didn't expect the Ye family to have such a story, it was like a soap opera in a TV drama.

"Since then, my father has focused all his attention on that woman and started to distance himself from us... except for my younger sister, who is still treated well, probably because she is young. I hate him... my mother's body was not even cold, and another woman had already moved into our home, married officially!"

"But, it was only when he fell ill this time that I realized... my father is still my father," Ye Tianming looked at Xiao Bing, pleading, "I am not asking for your help as a member of a wealthy family. No matter how many identities we have, there is one that is the purest and most important... that is siblings, father and son, husband and wife... Now I am asking for your help as the son of a patient who is about to die."

It was really not easy for a young man from a wealthy family to reach this point. Xiao Bing was somewhat moved. Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was marked as "Yezi." His face immediately showed a happy and slightly indulgent smile. After answering, Yezi's playful voice came from the other end, "Brother Bing, I'm almost at the noodle shop. Will you go out to eat with me today at noon?"

Xiao Bing smiled bitterly, "I'm talking business."

"Talking business?" Yezi asked suspiciously, "With a man or a woman?"

Xiao Bing laughed, "A man."

Ye Tianming's face showed a faint smile, and he said with a smile, "Girlfriend? Why don't you invite her to join us? We haven't started eating yet."

Xiao Bing explained, "She might not come."

Yezi heard this and pouted, "Who said that? I'm still hungry. Tell me where, and I'll come right away."

Xiao Bing thought for a moment and told Yezi the specific address, then hung up. Who knew how surprised the two siblings would be when they met.

After hanging up, Xiao Bing looked at Ye Tianming and said seriously, "I heard everything you said. I've decided to help you."

Ye Tianming was excited, "Brother Xiao, are you serious?"

Xiao Bing smiled and asked, "Don't call me Brother Xiao. How old are you this year?"

"Twenty-three."

"Oh." Xiao Bing asked casually, "How old are your sister and younger sister?"

"My sister Ye Xinyi is twenty-five, and my younger sister Ye Xiaoxi is exactly twenty."

Damn, I'm an old bull eating young grass, but it's only a six-year difference with Yezi, not that big.

Xiao Bing nodded and said, "Call me Brother Bing. They usually call me that."

If you call me Brother Bing now, maybe in the future, I'll call you brother-in-law.

Ye Tianming didn't mind and smiled, raising his glass, "Brother Bing, thank you for helping me. As a son, I can fulfill my filial duty. I'll drink to you."

The two clinked glasses and drank together.

"Brother Bing, which unit did you serve in before?"

Xiao Bing smiled but didn't answer.

Ye Tianming laughed, "It's fine. If it's inconvenient to say, don't say it. Are you from Jiangcheng?"

"No." Xiao Bing shook his head, "Jiangcheng is a comrade's hometown."

"Jiangcheng is a good place. If you have time, I can show you around."

Xiao Bing smiled, "I'll definitely come if I have the chance."

Ye Tianming was a young master without any arrogance, and Xiao Bing was a young man with a free and easy personality. The two chatted quite happily. Knowing that Xiao Bing's girlfriend would come soon, Ye Tianming didn't eat much, just talked and drank.

After a while, Yezi arrived. When she opened the door of the private room and saw Ye Tianming, they both froze. Ye Tianming was puzzled, "Little sister, why are you here?"

"Brother..." Yezi glared at Xiao Bing fiercely. This big bad guy, how could he be sitting here having a meal with my brother, and he didn't even tell me on the phone, leaving me completely unprepared.

Xiao Bing was also helpless, thinking, I didn't know what you were thinking, and I wanted you not to come, but you didn't listen. Now, someone is asking me for help, and it turns out I'm dating their sister. This feels so strange.

Ye Tianming was a smart person. From Yezi's glare at Xiao Bing, he immediately understood. His face changed slightly, and he asked, "Brother Bing, is Yezi your girlfriend?"

Xiao Bing nodded, "Yes!"

Ye Tianming frowned, his eyes showing a hint of thought, "You didn't know she was my sister before?"

"I knew."

"Um." Ye Tianming nodded.

Yezi walked over and sat next to Xiao Bing, asking curiously, "Why are you sitting together?"

Xiao Bing smiled bitterly, "We're discussing something. Your brother is asking me to find Mr. Zhang to treat your father."

"Mr. Zhang?"

"The old man you met that night."

"I remember."

Ye Tianming, however, didn't pay attention to what they were saying. He was deep in thought, and after a long while, he suddenly looked up, frowned, and said seriously, "I don't know if you're just playing around or if you're serious..."

Yezi remained silent, clearly surprised by the situation and unprepared.

Xiao Bing, as a man, naturally had to speak up, replying seriously, "Yezi is the first girlfriend I've ever acknowledged. I think I'm serious."

Ye Tianming nodded, "I know what kind of person my sister is. From a young age, she has never had a boyfriend and has never liked any boy. I thought she would wait until after college... Actually, it's normal to have a relationship during college, and my father might not approve, but I don't care about your family's wealth or whether you're a match. I don't care."

Xiao Bing listened carefully. He knew that the previous words might be Ye Tianming's true feelings, but the key was what Ye Tianming was concerned about.

Sure enough, Ye Tianming suddenly changed the subject, "But she is my sister. I don't care if the other person is from a wealthy family or an ordinary person, but I must know if their background is clean. I need to know if their intentions are pure. Brother Bing, I don't know anything about you."

After saying this, Ye Tianming's eyes fixed on Xiao Bing, "I had someone investigate you, but they found nothing. I hope you can tell me about your family background, including which unit you served in."

Xiao Bing shrugged, somewhat helplessly, "Maybe it's not reasonable, but what if I don't say?"

"Then I can't agree to you being my sister's boyfriend. The Ye family is the first family in Jiangcheng, and my father is the richest man in Jiangcheng. Every day, all kinds of men want to be my sister's boyfriend, with various motives. I can't put my sister in danger."

Yezi didn't want Xiao Bing to fight alone. After hearing her brother's words, she immediately said stubbornly, "I trust Brother Bing."

"But I don't!" Ye Tianming said stubbornly, "Unless he tells me about his background, I can't trust anyone when it comes to you! He's too mysterious, and I can't take the risk!"

Xiao Bing suddenly asked a serious question, "If you oppose us being together, I won't agree to let Mr. Zhang treat your father. What would you choose?"

Ye Tianming's expression struggled for a while, then he grabbed the glass on the table and smashed it on the ground, suddenly standing up. The usual gentle and polite Ye Tianming now looked like a madman protecting his young, with a hint of madness in his eyes, "I would rather be shattered like jade than be whole like a tile!"

"Alright, I agree."

"What?"

Xiao Bing smiled faintly, "To save your father!"