Watching the elder's aura manifest as he spoke, Ye Qiu was deeply shaken and nodded silently.

The elder looked at Ye Qiu with growing satisfaction, waved his hand, and said, "You may go now. Stay with us for dinner later."

Ye Qiu nodded: "Then, Grandfather, I shall take my leave."

"Go on."

Ye Qiu slowly retreated.

After Ye Qiu left, the elder spoke to the person next to him, "Could the technology have been wrong?"

A sturdy middle-aged man emerged from the nearby grove and respectfully replied, "Elder Ye, our technology is flawless. The DNA of that Ye Qiu matches the Third Young Master perfectly."

"Then that's quite odd. If they're the same, how come the birthmark is gone?" The elder's wise eyes were filled with confusion.

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps Lady Xiu Juan remembered incorrectly, or maybe the birthmark faded over time?"

The elder glanced at the middle-aged man and said, "Jing Tao, you, as Huaxia's top-Level DNA research expert, how could you say something like this — that birthmarks could fade?"

The man named Jing Tao thought for a moment and said, "There's indeed such a possibility."

"Oh?" The elder was skeptical.

Jing Tao explained, citing examples from abroad where consuming certain foods and generating certain hormones in the body could suppress melanin birthmarks and others.

Over time, the birthmark would gradually fade away, possibly disappearing entirely.

"So it's entirely possible," the elder's eyes once again gleamed with excitement.

Jing Tao said, "Exactly. The Third Young Master should be nearly 20 now. Over 20 years, all kinds of pigments would have surely faded."

The elder grew excited, his eyes flashing with light once more.

Just then, the fishing line suddenly moved, and the elder became overjoyed, eagerly starting to reel in the fish that struggled to escape...

Clearly, he was now deeply convinced that Ye Qiu was indeed his biological grandson, and the birthmark was merely faded.

...

After leaving the elder's courtyard, Ye Qiu followed several servants towards the dining room.

Although he wanted to visit Xu Lei at the hospital right away, since the elder had invited him to dinner, it wasn't appropriate for him to leave.

"Once home, I must ask Dad what's going on, where Grandfather has gone?"

Ye Qiu resolved that the first thing he'd do upon returning to H City was to ask Ye Xiong.

Besides, he was curious; if he truly was a descendant of the Ye Family, why would Ye Xiong leave the Ye Family?

Moreover, during the conversation with the elder, Ye Xiong wasn't mentioned at all.

A bit puzzling, Ye Qiu felt that even his Level 5 intelligence was insufficient.

Shaking his head, he followed the servants to the dining room.

The Ye Family dining room was large and splendid, with a long pearwood table adorned with rows of decorations, goblets, and dinnerware.

On either side of the table were rows of matching pearwood chairs, presently occupied by some high-ranking authorities of the Ye Family.

Ye Xuan, Ye Han, Ouyang Feng, and others were prominently present.

Upon seeing Ye Qiu arrive, everyone looked towards him.

Those who believed Ye Qiu's identity was extraordinary, eager to ingratiate themselves, all displayed kindly, flattering smiles at him.

As Ye Qiu passed by them, many greeted him.

Even though Ye Qiu did not know them, he still returned their greetings individually.

When he came to Ye Xuan and saw the anticipatory look in her eyes, he asked somewhat puzzled, "What's the matter?"

"Is that so?" Ye Xuan replied.

Ye Han was also intently observing Ye Qiu, and Ouyang Feng looked at Ye Qiu with full anticipation.

"What do you mean?" Ye Qiu was confused.

Ye Xuan whispered, "Grandfather just spoke with you, didn't he inquire about your identity? Are you part of our Ye Family?"

Ye Qiu suddenly understood and realized that Ye Xuan and the others were aware. He smiled and shook his head, "No..."

For some reason, as soon as Ye Qiu shook his head, Ye Xuan felt relieved, even somewhat happy.

"yesi"

Meanwhile, upon seeing Ye Qiu shake his head, Ye Han breathed a sigh of relief and shouted excitedly.

He then looked at Ye Qiu coldly, his disdain evident, provocatively showing a middle finger.

"How could it not be!"

Ouyang Feng frowned at Ye Qiu, feeling increasingly dissatisfied.

Although those around did not know what had happened, seeing the expressions of Ouyang Feng and Ye Han, they were puzzled, and after a round of discussion, their view of Ye Qiu shifted.

Earlier they thought the elder invited Ye Qiu to the courtyard, hinting at an extraordinary identity, but now seeing Ye Han and Ouyang Feng showing clear disdain and mockery towards Ye Qiu, they believed Ye Qiu might just be someone the elder whimsically tasked with handling some matter.

With this thought, their expressions as they looked at Ye Qiu turned disdainful, and they felt disgusted at once wanting to ingratiate themselves with Ye Qiu, growing more displeased with him.

Some, wanting to curry favor with Ye Han, stood up and said to Ye Qiu, "What are you doing here, kid? We're having a family gathering, and you're an outsider. Why come in?"

"Exactly, why attend our Ye Family's gathering as an outsider? And positioning yourself so prominently, do you think you're a young master of the Ye Family?"

The dignitaries in the room began to attack Ye Qiu, Ye Han looked on coldly, sipping his red wine, eager to see how Ye Qiu would react.

But upon hearing their words, Ye Qiu coldly smiled inwardly, thinking, "A bunch of snobs."

Yet he said nothing, instead telling Ye Xuan, "I was planning to see Teacher Xu Lei, so I shall take my leave."

Ye Qiu had no desire to mingle with these people, urgently wanted to see Xu Lei, and previously lacked a suitable excuse to leave; now, he took advantage of the situation...

"Ye Qiu, you..." Ye Xuan was anxious.

Yet, as those present saw Ye Qiu silently depart, they began mocking and discussing him, believing Ye Qiu's identity was merely that of an insignificant kid.

Ye Han also sneered, thinking, "A coward indeed, luckily such a person isn't my brother, or he'd disgrace the Ye Family entirely."

Ye Qiu ignored them and hurried outside, afraid that if Elder Ye appeared soon, he wouldn't be able to leave.

Yet the more one fears, the more it comes true.

As Ye Qiu was leaving, a servant announced Elder Ye's arrival.

Everyone in the room rose, Ye Qiu frowned, glancing at the door a few steps ahead, intending to slip past.

But just as he stepped forward, Elder Ye's resounding voice echoed, "Ye Qiu, where are you off to?"

As Elder Ye spoke, Ye Qiu halted, and all eyes in the room turned sharply towards him.

However, their gazes carried a mocking touch.

Ye Han secretly chuckled, thinking, "Bold kid, daring to move when Grandfather arrives? Watch how Grandfather deals with you in anger."

Intending to please his grandfather, Ye Han thought and then chided Ye Qiu, "Ye Qiu, aren't you aware of the rules of our Ye Family? Not knowing that when Grandfather arrives, everyone must remain still? You're showing disrespect to Grandfather?"

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