Chapter 1278: Chapter 1278: You’re Not Going to Fall for My Daughter-in-law, Are You?

Ye Fan originally hadn’t planned to tell Zhao Feipeng what he’d found out. Even if he did, it wouldn’t help much; if Zhao Feipeng got impatient and made a move, one misstep and he might instead fall into Zhao Zhongtian’s hands.

The shady power Zhao Zhongtian controlled was anything but weak. Ye Fan knew full well that Zhao Feipeng was no match for him.

But in order to give Zhao Feipeng some warning and a bit of an upper hand, so he wouldn’t inexplicably end up in Zhao Zhongtian’s grasp, Ye Fan still laid out everything he had uncovered.

"I’d already guessed as much, but seeing all this still chills me to the bone. How I wish it weren’t true." Zhao Feipeng was in great pain. These sorts of family scandals were headaches for any clan; he never thought he’d have to face one himself.

How he wished it was all fake, that Zhao Zhongtian was still that younger brother of his, that his own son wasn’t dead.

But such naive wishes could only ever remain wishes; they were of no use against reality.

"For利益, you can really cast aside kinship?" Mother Zhao’s heart ached.

"I never believed Dad’s suspicions before. I didn’t expect it to really be like this. Is this still the gentle, refined Second Uncle I knew?" Jian Tao felt suffocated, her heart sore to the extreme.

Jian Tao had been determined to take revenge, but only now did she clearly realize how hard it would be to avenge Zhao Hai.

Who doesn’t want a harmonious family and united brothers?

But after something like this happens, it truly is enough to make one’s heart break.

"What is Second Uncle’s heart made of? How can he be so ruthless?" Jian Tao couldn’t understand.

Seeing that Zhao Feipeng’s emotions had stabilized, Ye Fan said, "All this information has been triple‑checked and was very hard to obtain. There’s no padding in it at all; it’s completely reliable."

"Honestly, we’re not even sure if telling you all this is the right thing to do." Mengyao said, "The internal strife in the Zhao Family seems unavoidable now. But the power Zhao Zhongtian holds can’t be underestimated. With just the Zhao Family’s strength, trying to solve Zhao Zhongtian by force is unrealistic. Yet aside from force, if you want to use official channels to punish him, the evidence in hand is insufficient. It’s not enough to strike Zhao Zhongtian dead in one blow. If you give him room to breathe and he goes for broke, the ones who’ll suffer will be you. Even if you use legal means to sanction Zhao Zhongtian, if Heipi and the others retaliate, your situation will still be extremely dangerous."

They had laid out all the pros and cons; now it depended on how Zhao Feipeng would handle this thorny problem.

To be frank, neither Ye Fan nor Mengyao was optimistic about Zhao Feipeng, nor did they believe he was any match for Zhao Zhongtian.

"Thank you both for speaking from the bottom of your hearts. Such great kindness, I have no way to repay. If we survive this, wherever the Zhao Family is needed in the future, we’ll go through fire and water without hesitation." Zhao Feipeng promised solemnly.

In truth he knew Ye Fan and Mengyao lacked nothing. In terms of financial power, the Chu Group was unimaginably rich; in terms of background and status, they were even more unrivaled. There really wasn’t any area where the Zhao Family could be of help to Ye Fan and Mengyao.

These words from Zhao Feipeng came from the heart; it was only natural. This was the only way he could express his gratitude.

More clearly than anyone, he understood that from the fact Ye Fan and Mengyao had never received any businesspeople from the commercial world before, from now on the Zhao Family would reap a generous payoff. Just by sitting and talking with Ye Fan and Mengyao, regardless of whether any business dealings were involved, it was obvious that the Zhao Family’s standing in the business world would rise with the tide.

But this benefit was something Zhao Feipeng might not live to see. What he was thinking about now was how to cling to life.

If real danger struck, it would be deadly. Zhao Feipeng didn’t know whether he could get through it.

He understood that once anything changed, he had a vague but real feeling that he was no match for Zhao Zhongtian.

It wasn’t that he was talking others up and putting himself down; this was a reasonable judgment based on the actual situation.

"I still need to remind you of one thing, Patriarch Zhao. With the information we currently have, you can’t bring down Zhao Zhongtian. If you startle the snake in the grass and force him into a desperate fight with you, your situation will be dangerous." Ye Fan said kindly, "So if you want to move against Zhao Zhongtian, you have to have ample evidence. Otherwise, if Heipi shoulders all the blame alone and Zhao Zhongtian remains untouched, the ones to suffer afterward will be you. You can show mercy for the sake of family ties, but I believe that for Zhao Zhongtian to have come this far, he’s long stopped caring about such things. What you cherish, he may not care about at all."

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Ye." Zhao Feipeng understood this in principle, but when it came to being ruthless, he really couldn’t bring himself to do it; compared to Zhao Zhongtian he was inferior. He also understood the consequences of startling the snake, so he couldn’t help feeling uncertain.

Mother Zhao looked at Ye Fan and Mengyao and said, "I have an unreasonable request. I hope you two will consent?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"You want us to help protect Jian Tao and her mother, keep them safe, right?" Mengyao had already guessed Mother Zhao’s intention.

As parents, especially when something like this happened in a big family, what they wanted most was for the younger generation to remain unharmed. Yet those very juniors were the ones in the greatest danger, because they were tied to inheritance of the family assets. If Zhao Zhongtian wanted to control the Zhao Family, he had to focus his main efforts on Jian Tao and her mother. His killing intent toward them would be the heaviest. As for the couple, Zhao Feipeng and his wife, he might not actually kill them. If he had even a shred of conscience left, he’d just bully and force them; there was no need to massacre them and cause unpredictable consequences.

"President Chu, you’re so perceptive that no thought can escape your eyes." Mother Zhao said sincerely, "I have no other requests, and nothing else to cling to. I only have Jian Tao and her mother on my mind. I beg you two to take pity and protect their safety. If there’s a next life, I will surely repay your great kindness, even if I must become a grass‑bound ring."

"We’ll trouble you, then." Zhao Feipeng also looked at Ye Fan and Mengyao with a gaze full of entreaty.

"Dad, Mom, what are you doing?" Jian Tao was on the verge of tears.

"Actually, we couldn’t just stand by and watch you in danger anyway. Not only will we take care of Jian Tao and her mother, we’ll also look out for you. So this matter, we’re already committed to handling."

Mengyao said generously, "And don’t feel awkward or confused about it. Ye Fan’s surgery was extremely successful, but there were some unexpected changes. Along with Zhao Hai’s feelings for Jian Tao and her mother, some of that was passed on to Ye Fan. In this sort of thing, we can only go along with what’s there; we can’t go against Zhao Hai’s wishes. It’s also for Ye Fan’s sake."

"Mr. Ye, don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to my daughter‑in‑law?" Zhao Feipeng’s expression suddenly turned vigilant, like a parent fiercely protective of his own, afraid that Jian Tao might be coveted by Ye Fan.