Chapter 238: Shattered Memories

"You're here?" Yang Jieyu smiled and stood up as soon as she heard the footsteps.

"Ran into a bit of trouble, but at least I wasn't late," Yang Chen replied with a smile as he sat down.

Yang Jieyu didn't press for details about the trouble and went straight to the point, "What would you like to drink?"

"Anything will do," Yang Chen said casually.

Yang Jieyu suggested, "They have NuWak here, which you can't find anywhere else. Would you like a cup?"

Yang Chen was taken aback, "They really have NuWak?"

"Though it's a bit pricey, you saved Xiaoye, so treating you to a cup of coffee is no problem." Yang Jieyu laughed.

Yang Chen waved his hand, "Forget it. I know about that coffee, but I don't think I'll ever drink it in my life. Something simple is fine."

"Why not? Have you tried it before?" Yang Jieyu asked with curiosity.

Yang Chen laughed and said, "Don't you know how NuWak coffee is made?"

"I just know it's the most expensive coffee in the world, going for thousands of dollars per pound, even before other costs. Is there something special about it?" Yang Jieyu replied.

Yang Chen adjusted his sitting posture and nodded, speaking confidently, "You're right, scarcity makes it precious. NuWak is the rarest coffee still available, often referred to as the gold of coffee. It comes from a particular coffee bean found in Sumatra, Indonesia."

"You seem to know a lot about it?" Yang Jieyu asked with interest.

Yang Chen smiled lightly, "I spent some time there once, and a local friend gave me a small packet. Initially, I thought it smelled wonderful and liked it a lot, but after he told me about the production process, I returned it to him."

"What's wrong with the process?"

"Local farmers let a species of civet, a type of small mammal, into the coffee plantations when the coffee cherries are ripe. These civets love eating the coffee beans. After they've eaten enough to get diarrhea, the farmers collect the civet feces, pick out the undigested coffee beans, and use them to make coffee. These beans are considered the finest, and the coffee made from them is NuWak coffee," Yang Chen explained. "So, the world's most expensive and luxurious coffee is actually made from cat feces. It's funny, isn't it? Most people are proud to have a sip, but I guess I just think differently. I don't like it."

Yang Jieyu's expression changed slightly, and she covered her mouth, looking at her now empty coffee cup with a bitter smile, "I regret listening to you now."

"Sorry, I didn't know you were drinking that," Yang Chen said with an awkward smile.

Yang Jieyu called over the waiter and had their drinks replaced with two glasses of orange juice before she seemed to feel better.

"Xiaoye told me you're a Harvard graduate who came back from abroad. It seems you've really seen a lot," Yang Jieyu said calmly.

"Not really, the standards for foreign universities aren't that high. I just barely graduated," Yang Chen said, blatantly lying with a straight face.

Yang Jieyu nodded, "You're indeed very modest, but judging by how you handled those terrorists the other day, you're clearly more than just a returnee from abroad."

"I learned a bit of martial arts before and went through some military training. Maybe I trained a bit harder than others. Actually, I almost died; it was more like a desperate outburst of potential than anything mystical," Yang Chen replied cautiously, pondering the reason behind Yang Jieyu's invitation today.

Yang Jieyu asked Yang Chen a few more questions about his time abroad. Yang Chen made up a lot of stories, but there were no obvious flaws in his tales.

"Yang Chen, you're a very impressive young man. Yuan Ye could use a friend like you. Do you have any family? Why don't you come over to our house next time?" Yang Jieyu asked with a smile.

Yang Chen's expression remained unchanged as he replied, "No need. I'm alone. My foster parents have already passed away."

"Your foster parents? What about your biological parents?" Yang Jieyu looked intently at Yang Chen.

Yang Chen sighed and smiled faintly, "I don't know. I was adopted at a young age, and I have no idea who my biological parents are."

A flicker of emotion crossed Yang Jieyu's eyes, and she said with a hint of sadness, "I'm sorry. It must have been hard for you, being alone all these years."

"If it's hard because I didn't have parents, then no, it wasn't hard. I've gotten used to being alone. It's actually quite fine," Yang Chen said, expressionless.

Yang Jieyu's face visibly stiffened, but she forced a smile and nodded, "Yes, indeed. Parents who abandon such a young child are truly in the wrong."

"I assume they're no longer in this world," Yang Chen said.

Yang Jieyu was startled, "Why do you say that?"

"If they were still alive, I'd find it hard to understand how they could have the nerve to continue living," Yang Chen said, finishing his juice in one gulp.

Seeing Yang Chen stand up, Yang Jieyu hastily said, "Perhaps your parents had their reasons?"

"Hmph," Yang Chen laughed lightly, "Maybe. But it doesn't matter to me anymore. I have to go to work this afternoon, so I'll take my leave."

Yang Jieyu wanted to stop him, but Yang Chen was already heading towards the door. She could only sit back down helplessly.

Not long after Yang Chen left, a man dressed in a sharply tailored steel-gray suit, with a handsome face, deep eyes, and an air of strict military discipline, emerged from behind a partitioned area. He walked over to where Yang Jieyu was sitting, taking the seat where Yang Chen had just been.

Yang Jieyu looked up and gave the man a faint smile. "Brother, he really looks a lot like you did when you were young, both in how he talks and in his appearance."

The man sat with his back straight, his face revealing no emotions. "Jieyu, what happened today never happened. In the future, don't get close to him again."

"Why?" Yang Jieyu asked in confusion. "Ever since we abandoned Yang Chen, our sister-in-law has never been truly happy since she married into our family. Don't you want our family to be whole? He is your and sister-in-law's biological child! He was lost before, but now he's right in front of us, and he's turned out so well. Why won't you acknowledge him?"

"It's precisely because he appeared suddenly and, according to you, has become an extraordinary person that we need to be cautious. Our Yang family isn't an ordinary family. This year and the next are crucial election years. We must maintain a flawless reputation and cannot afford to give our rivals any leverage! Suddenly having a son appear would have huge negative repercussions," the man said solemnly.

"Brother! Is a political position more important than your own flesh and blood?!" Yang Jieyu exclaimed passionately.

"Jieyu! You are the eldest daughter of the Yang family. Don't you understand the importance of this? I have to consider the entire family and all those who depend on us. If we fall, it will cause a catastrophe! How can I make the same mistake twice for an error I made over twenty years ago?" the man said firmly.

"A mistake? It was your mistake, Brother. Why should the child bear the consequences?!" Tears welled up in Yang Jieyu's eyes. "Every time I look at Yang Chen's face, it's like seeing you when you were young. He's more amiable, more humble, and kinder than you ever were. Don't you feel guilty when you see him?"

The man took a deep breath, his expression cold. "Jieyu, to achieve great things, one must overlook small details. Our Yang family has had a strict code of conduct since the founding of the country. We've achieved this by sacrificing more than others can imagine. Don't try to persuade me anymore, and don't mention this to your sister-in-law. The successor of the Yang family must be born with a spotless background."

"Ha, spotless background," Yang Jieyu scoffed, standing up. "Pretending to be spotless on the surface only makes the filth underneath more obvious! Yang Pojun, I'm truly disappointed in you!"

With that, Yang Jieyu turned and made to leave.

"Yang Jieyu! Are you rebelling against the family?!" Yang Pojun shouted angrily.

Yang Jieyu halted abruptly, not turning back. "Don't worry. I'll act as if nothing happened and won't jeopardize your grand career. This is your sin, and one day you'll regret it!"

With that, Yang Jieyu quickly exited the café.

Yang Pojun sat there with a furious expression, his mind shifting through various memories, a complex look crossing his face.

Time is like yellowed paper, flipping back over twenty years ago:

On a snowy night, a military jeep parked in front of an orphanage in a small town in the northern part of the scorching summer.

A couple dressed in military coats handed a sleeping child, two or three years old, to the arms of an elderly woman.

The child slept soundly, huddled in a plush blanket on a night with the howling north wind, warm and unable to hear the sobs of the young woman.

After receiving a heavy envelope, the old woman flattered and hugged the child, then turned back to the orphanage.

The young couple watched as the woman carried their child back into the courtyard, then reluctantly got on the car and struggled to leave on a snowy night.

Over the course of time, over a year has passed.

When the couple returned to the orphanage, they were surprised to find that this remote courtyard had already been demolished.

There was no news of the children here, not even their contact information was left, as if they had disappeared out of thin air.

The young woman held her slightly raised abdomen and leaned against her husband's embrace, crying until she fainted.

All of this was completely unknown to Yang Chen as he walked back to Yulei after leaving the coffee shop. The emotions that Yang Jieyu finally expressed to him made him feel uneasy. Despite seeing so many storms, anything related to shattered memories from childhood always made it difficult for Yang Chen to calm down.

Just as I was walking in a daze, my phone in my clothes pocket vibrated because my pants pocket was torn.

Yang Chen took it out and was slightly surprised to find that it was Lin Ruoxi who called him.

Whenever Lin Ruoxi proactively calls him, there must be something to notify him of. Yang Chen smiled and answered the phone.