After the whole family went crazy and criticized the movie "Read My Mind", the heroine

Ye Guyan stood aside, quietly watching the two children bickering, with a helpless yet doting smile on her face. She shook her head gently, as if she was lamenting the innocence and purity of the children.

"You two little guys always try to take advantage of me." Ye Guyan rubbed Chen Shuyin and Chen Qiyu's hair lovingly and turned his head away pretending to be angry.

Chen Shuyin stuck out her tongue mischievously, pulled Chen Qiyu to run to Ye Guyan's side, and shook her arm coquettishly: "Mom, we know you are the best, don't be angry."

Ye Guyan laughed out loud at the cuteness of the children. She turned around and gently pinched Chen Shuyin's cheek: "You clever little ghost, I really can't do anything with you."

Chen Qiyu also took the opportunity to join in the fun: "Mother, your sister is so smart, you should be happy."

As he spoke, he winked at Chen Shuyin mischievously.

Ye Guyan looked at the two lively and lovely children, and her helplessness and doting became even stronger. She hugged them gently and said softly: "Of course mother is happy. With you two little guys around, how can mother not be happy?"

The three of them smiled at each other, as if the whole world was filled with warmth and love.

Zhou Mingyue stepped out of the gate of Mulanfang. The golden sunlight shone on her body, but it failed to dispel the haze in her heart. She did not go back to the palace as usual, but turned and walked towards Zhou Xiangbei's palace.

Shops on both sides of the street cast curious glances at her. After all, this princess was not a person who often appeared in the market.

Zhou Mingyue's heart was heavy, but her steps became more determined. She knew that she would face a tough battle next - not only a conversation with Zhou Xiangbei, but also a contest in her heart.

Arriving at the gate of the palace, the tall lintel looked solemn and ancient in the sun. The guards at the gate saw the princess coming and hurriedly saluted and informed the palace. Zhou Mingyue nodded slightly, as a response to their respect, and then waited quietly.

After a while, Zhou Xiangbei hurried out of the mansion, with a look of anxiety and expectation on his face. As soon as he arrived in front of Zhou Mingyue, he couldn't wait to ask: "Mingyue, how is the situation? Do we have any chance at Mulanfang?"

Zhou Mingyue looked at his anxious expression, and a complex emotion surged in her heart. She took a deep breath and then slowly said, "Brother, the situation is not optimistic. The clothes made by Ye Guyan are even inferior to those made by the tailor known as the 'best tailor in the world.'"

Zhou Xiangbei's eyes widened when he heard this, his face full of disbelief: "What? Is Ye Guyan really that powerful?"

"Yes," Zhou Mingyue sighed, "I saw it with my own eyes. The craftsmanship and design of the clothes are indeed beyond our imagination."

Zhou Xiangbei was stunned, as if the news had dealt him a heavy blow. He stood there in a daze, his expression changing from anxiety to loss, and then gradually to unwillingness and anger. He clenched his fists, as if trying to suppress his inner emotions.

"How is this possible?" He muttered to himself, as if he couldn't accept this fact. "We have been preparing for so long, are we going to fail just like that?"

Zhou Mingyue looked at him with mixed feelings. She knew how high Zhou Xiangbei's expectations were for this plan and how much effort he had put into it. But now, the facts were before her eyes, and Ye Guyan's strength was indeed above theirs.

Zhou Mingyue sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, holding a white piece in her hand, hesitating about where to place it. This was a habit she and Zhou Xiangbei had had for many years. Whenever they had something to discuss, they would always play chess while discussing the matter.

At this moment, she looked up at Zhou Xiangbei, her eyes full of confusion.

Zhou Xiangbei has always been calm and reserved, but today he seemed a little strange. There was a light flashing in his eyes that she had never seen before, which was hatred ignited by anger.

"Brother, why do you want to deal with Ye Guyan's group?" Zhou Mingyue asked softly, with confusion and worry in her tone, "Do they pose any threat to you?"

Hearing this, Zhou Xiangbei put down the black piece in his hand, looked up at Zhou Mingyue, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a chill emanated from him. His face was gloomy, as if covered by a layer of frost, which made people shudder.

"When I recruited Chen Qiyu, he said he would consider it, but later he rejected me outright." Zhou Xiangbei's voice was low and cold, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: "You know, from the time I was born until now, no one has been able to reject me except my father."

Having said this, he paused, as if trying to calm down his excitement.

Zhou Mingyue looked at him, and an inexplicable fear surged in her heart. She had never seen Zhou Xiangbei lose his composure like this, and she had never heard him speak in such a cruel tone.

"What's more," Zhou Xiangbei continued, his tone even colder: "His uncle Ye Shinian and I don't get along either. I will eventually eradicate this family."

Zhou Mingyue shuddered when she heard this. She looked at Zhou Xiangbei's face, which was twisted by hatred, and felt mixed emotions. She knew that she could not change her brother's decision, but she also knew that such hatred would only push Zhou Xiangbei into the abyss of destruction.

"Brother, do you really want to do this?" Zhou Mingyue tried to persuade him, "Not all members of the Ye family are bad people. Maybe we can try to reconcile with them..."

"Reconciliation?" Zhou Xiangbei sneered, "Mingyue, you are too naive. In this world, only the strong can survive. Since the Ye family dares to go against me, they must bear the consequences."

Zhou Mingyue was speechless and could only sigh helplessly. She knew that Zhou Xiangbei was completely blinded by hatred at this moment, and any persuasion would be futile. She could only pray that the coming storm would not be too fierce and would not affect too many innocent people.

Zhou Xiangbei looked at Zhou Mingyue's reaction and felt a little reluctant. But he knew that he couldn't be soft-hearted. In this world where the strong prey on the weak, only the strong can be invincible. He couldn't let his sister be too naive and let her get hurt in the future.

"Mingyue." He said softly, "There are no eternal enemies or eternal friends in this world. There are only eternal interests. Since the Ye family has stood on the opposite side of me, I cannot be soft-hearted towards them."

Zhou Mingyue lowered his head and was silent for a long time before he raised his head again, his eyes flashing with determination: "Brother, I understand. But I still hope you can find a way to reconcile with the Ye family. Hatred will only make people fall into deeper pain."

The two fell into silence again, with only the occasional slight collision of chess pieces on the chessboard. Zhou Mingyue knew that although this conversation had come to an end temporarily, the real contest had just begun.