Chapter 45: Playing the Fool to Beg for Mercy

"Yu Jin, six years ago..."
Dongfang She trailed off, stopping right before he finished his sentence. At that exact moment, Yu Jin's heart leaped into her throat.
"What about six years ago?"
She forced herself to remain calm as she looked at him, her heart pounding like a drum.
Dongfang She glanced at her, irritably running his fingers through his hair. The fiery red of his locks contrasted sharply with the pale fairness of his skin, giving him a fiercely bewitching aura.
"It's nothing!" In the end, Dongfang She didn't bring up the past, which allowed Yu Jin to breathe a sigh of relief while simultaneously heightening her vigilance.
It seemed Dongfang She still remembered everything from six years ago. Ever since their very first meeting, he had repeatedly interrogated her about whether they had met before.
Clearly, his memory of that incident was crystal clear. He hated her, yet miraculously, he did not remember her face!
Ding-dong—
The doorbell rang, interrupting Yu Jin's stray thoughts.
Qin Ye had arrived. Dongfang She casually pressed a button on the wall, and the door swung open.
"Sir, I've brought him here." Qin Ye walked in carrying Fire, respectfully presenting the child before his boss.
Dongfang She had been sitting on the sofa, but upon seeing Fire, he suddenly stood up. With long strides, he walked right up to the boy, towering over him as he looked down. "The little fellow is quite handsome!"
Fire muttered inwardly, *Could someone with your bloodline possibly be anything less than handsome?*
"Hello, Uncle. We meet again!" Fire was neither servile nor overbearing, and his words were exceptionally charming.
Dongfang She raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing the child's face. "Are you really not my flesh and blood?"
Fire remained silent.
Qin Ye walked closer to Dongfang She. "Sir, just to go and fetch this little ancestor, I lost five hundred bucks!"
"Hmm?" Dongfang She raised an eyebrow.
"You're really something! You've got such a big illegitimate son and you didn't even tell me! The little darling asked me for a red envelope and I didn't even have time to prepare one!"
Fire thought to *himself, Was I really asking you for a red envelope? I was clearly shaking you down, alright?*
Dongfang She acutely caught the key phrase in his statement, narrowing his eyes slightly with an overwhelming, domineering aura. "You think he's my illegitimate son too?"
"Isn't he?" Qin Ye retorted. Cold sweat broke out across Fire's forehead, and Dongfang She's eyes grew increasingly dangerous as he narrowed them further.
The atmosphere in the living room turned bizarrely tense, and it seemed the truth was on the verge of exploding into the open at any second.
"Uncle Dongfang, Uncle Qin already gave me a red envelope. Are you not going to give me one?"
Left with no other choice, the little darling could only act cute, cracking jokes to steer the conversation away and save himself.
Dongfang She suddenly relaxed his expression and chuckled softly. He bent down to ruffle Fire's little head, looking at Qin Ye with a frank expression. "I certainly wish I had such a clever and articulate son."
Qin Ye scratched his head, completely baffled. What was that supposed to mean? Could it be that this kid wasn't his?
Deep inside, Fire felt a surge of smug satisfaction, his face blooming with joy like a peach. "Forget it, forget it. Uncle Dongfang is Auntie's boss, so we'll skip the red envelope. Just give Auntie a bigger bonus in the future!"
Dongfang She and Qin Ye both broke out in a cold sweat. Just how obsessed with money was this child?
Normally, Yu Jin didn't seem to starve or mistreat him in any way!
"Fire!" Right at that moment, Yu Jin emerged from the kitchen. Seeing Fire surrounded by two towering men, her heart nearly stopped in terror. With a burst of speed on his short little legs, Fire scrambled over, climbed right into her arms, and planted a loud kiss on her cheek. "Auntie, I missed you to death~"
Dongfang She's sharp gaze swept over, locking onto the spot on Yu Jin's face that had just been ambushed. He glared menacingly at Fire.
*You little brat! How dare you steal the master's patent!*
Noticing that Dongfang She's eyes were currently black, Yu Jin leaned in closer and whispered, "Did you use those eye drops again?"
Fire blinked mischievously, holding a finger up to his lips. "Nope! It's contact lenses! Shh!"
What a remarkably witty little boy!
The heavy stone hanging in Yu Jin's chest finally plummeted back into place. As a reward, she kissed Fire twice on his rosy little cheeks.