Song Jia had already seen how Papa Ye looked like in Ye Jia's memories. But when she finally saw him in person, she still couldn't help but feel surprised.
Papa Ye didn't have similar features with Ye Minzhe at all. He was wearing a blue pinstriped suit and a yellow tie with a butterfly clip that Ye Minzhe's mother had given him. The buttons on his suit barely held back his bulging beer belly, which bounced up and down like a dribbling basketball because of his anger.
His hair was brushed back and was dyed yellow.
Song Jia found it hard to take Papa Ye seriously because his features looked uncannily similar to Maitreya Buddha. Actually, before Ye Minzhe's mother died, Papa Ye was very fit and muscular. Although he couldn't be called as handsome, his kind-looking face paired with his great body held a unique charm. And the fact that he looked like a silly white sweet while having the reputation of being the most feared gangster created a gap that was very moe. [1]
"Old man, you're finally here." Ye Minzhe released Song Jia and as if he completely didn't notice his father's red face, he smacked his father's beer belly once. "Oy, whose child are you carrying? Aside from Jia, I don't want any other siblings."
Papa Ye almost vomited blood from anger. "Pei, pei, pei! Your father is a man, ah!"
What kind of evil brat had he spawned? His darling was nice and elegant, the kind of fairy that couldn't be touched by the mortal world. And although he lived as a gangster for nearly half of his life, Papa Ye didn't do anything that was beyond his bottom line.
Even before this brat was born, every time his darling called him to listen to her swollen stomach, this brat didn't miss the opportunity to kick him. And when he was finally born, every pee had somehow happened right when Papa Ye was holding him.
It seemed that the old saying was indeed correct. Daughters were all thoughtful cotton-padded jackets, while sons were debt collectors.
Just look at this brat, his old man hadn't died yet and he was already thinking of his last will!
"Uncle Ye." Ding Xiuxiu came forward with a smile. "Don't mind Minzhe, he's just as relieved as the rest of us that you came so quickly. Uncle doesn't need to take his words to heart."
Papa Ye's expression eased. Ding Xiuxiu had been Ye Minzhe's friend since childhood, and he had always been fond of this polite and charming girl. Although his mouth spouted bad words about his son, who didn't know Ye Minzhe was the meat of his heart? Don't think that this old man didn't care about his only son.
For Ye Minzhe to become very spoiled and arrogant right now, who would believe that it wasn't due to Papa Ye pampering and spoiling him? This was his only child with his most beloved woman. In front of Ye Minzhe, Papa Ye was basically just a paper tiger. [2]
"Xiao Xiu, Xiao Che, and Qiye. I'm glad that the three of you are alright. What about Aotian? Where is he? How come I don't see him?"
Ding Xiuxiu shook her head. "Uncle Ye, that's what we're worried about. The last time I saw him, he was with..."
She glanced with hesitation at Song Jia.
Papa Ye followed her gaze. Of course, he had also seen her. Although he had formally accepted Ye Jia as his daughter, he also couldn't help but feel bitter every time he saw her slightly non-Oriental features. It reminded him of his affair, and the reason he had lost his beloved wife. Seeing her standing there beside Ye Minzhe, who inherited most of his beloved woman's exquisite features, Papa Ye felt his heart being stabbed with a sharp pain.
Love was beautiful and serene, but it was also deep and dark, two sides of the same coin that could bring both happiness and destruction.
Without Ye Minzhe, Papa Ye didn't dare to think what he would do after his wife's death. Papa Ye thought that maybe love was just madness, and it depended on the dose you took. Papa Ye also knew he was lucky, for he had already built a life with his beloved woman and she had given him the greatest gift he could ever want, which was a child that came from her womb.
"Who would care about that bastard?" Ye Minzhe asked irritably. "Maybe he ran off because he didn't have the balls to protect Jia. Since he doesn't have a pair, even if we don't rescue him, he can just float his way back to the country."
"You brat, that's your friend!" Papa Ye reached out and lightly decked him. He was a bit speechless hearing his son's poisonous words.
"Then you wait for him, Jia and I are going back first. Also, the ship isn't just sinking, there's crazy people eating other people inside the ship too. You've gotten so fat, you'll definitely be their first target."
Papa Ye didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was his son insulting him, or telling him in a roundabout way to be careful? He decided that for the sake of his blood pressure, he must believe that it was the latter.
"Fine, go, go." He waved his hand, feeling helpless. "This time, let a few guards escort you. I told you to bring some of them during your field trip, but you didn't want to. See what happens when you don't follow your old man's advice?"
"That's because I don't need them." Ye Minzhe raised an eyebrow. "And those muscular guards of yours...I already surpassed them a long time ago. If they got bitten by zombies, wouldn't my problems just increase?"
Papa Ye had nothing to say. It was true that this brat of his was abnormally talented, surpassing him by leaps and bounds. That's why he didn't guard him too tightly, because even if this kid was kidnapped for ransom, it was probably the kidnappers that would end up being pitiful.
[1] Gap moe: used to describe a contradiction in characters, typically an unexpected cuteness that was OOC for them.
[2] Ch. term for someone that appears powerful or threatening but actually harmless