After thinking for a moment, he said again, “Give me the property deed.”

Madam Yu was startled and immediately refused, “No. The house cannot be given up under any circumstances.”

“I’ll just keep it ready.” Song Yifeng had a premonition that he wouldn’t get away without bleeding significantly today. The Ye family probably wouldn’t let him break the engagement so easily.

Because of Wang Wenzhi’s provocation, his perspective had broadened, and his desire to break the engagement had never been stronger than now. No matter the cost, he was determined to break this engagement.

Madam Yu couldn’t persuade her son otherwise and knew he had a sense of propriety in handling matters. She had no choice but to open the cabinet, take out the property deed, and hand it to Song Yifeng.

Song Yifeng had Guizi carry the silver box and went to the Ye family residence.

Upon arriving at the Ye residence, the doorman didn’t stop him but directly led him inside to the outer courtyard hall.

“Young Master Song, please wait here. I’ll go inform the Old Master,” the servant said at the bottom of the steps.

Song Yifeng nodded and glanced around the courtyard. Seeing that it was as quiet as ever, with passing servants bowing to him from a distance just as before, he finally felt relieved.

It seemed the Ye family had no intention of becoming his enemies, nor had they spread news of the broken engagement throughout the household. This would make the following matters easier to handle.

“This way, please, Young Master Song,” the servant who had gone to report returned and addressed Song Yifeng with the same respectful attitude as before.

His demeanor further reassured Song Yifeng.

He walked up the steps with composure and stepped over the threshold. But with one foot inside and the other still outside, he stopped abruptly.

In the hall, besides Ye Chongming, Ye Hongchang, and Ye Jiaxing—three generations of the family—there were also three women. One was Old Madam Ye, another was the matchmaker Zhang Yuniang, both of whom he recognized; the third was a woman in her fifties whom Song Yifeng had never seen before.

Seeing this woman wearing silk garments that were about sixty to seventy percent new, with a composed demeanor and sitting in the seat of honor among the guests, Song Yifeng knew she must be someone of some status.

His heart sank a little, and he also felt somewhat angry.

He had wanted to peacefully dissolve the engagement with the Ye family, but now it seemed the Ye family did not share the same intention. If that was the case, they couldn’t blame him for taking action against the Ye family in the future.

Madam Wu was seeing Song Yifeng for the first time.

As she observed his gaze sweep over her and Zhang Yuniang, revealing hatred in his eyes, she silently shook her head.

Everyone present was older than Song Yifeng, and now they were in opposing positions, so naturally, no one stood up to greet him.

However, the matchmaker Zhang Yuniang, being neutral and of lower status than everyone else, saw that the Ye family members weren’t moving. To avoid an awkward atmosphere, she quickly rose to welcome Song Yifeng: “Young Master Song has arrived? Come, come, please sit.”

Previously, as a prospective in-law, Song Yifeng was junior to several members of the Ye family, and naturally showed proper deference when facing them.

But now that he was about to break the engagement, he felt there was no connection between him and the Ye family. With his status as a Provincial Examination Graduate, he believed that Ye Chongming, with his merchant status, should be ranked below him and was not worthy of sitting as his equal.

So when he entered, he didn’t bow to Ye Chongming or Old Madam Ye. Seeing them seated in the positions of honor, with Ye Hongchang, Ye Jiaxing, and the unfamiliar woman seated in the lower positions and guest seats, and noticing that none of them intended to rise and offer him a seat, he grew more resentful, his face as cold as ice.

Nevertheless, breaking the engagement was the main issue, and he didn’t want to create additional problems because of this. He immediately sat down, leaving two seats between himself and Ye Jiaxing.

The Ye family was the party being rejected in the engagement, and those present were Song Yifeng’s elders, so their ignoring him was understandable. But for Song Yifeng to neither greet them nor bow, and to sit down directly with a cold expression, made Zhang Yuniang feel awkward.

Madam Wu also felt embarrassed on everyone’s behalf.

She shook her head silently once more.

The Ye family had chosen quite a poor grandson-in-law. Not only was his character flawed, but he also lacked any manners. His behavior was so unsightly that it was truly impossible to respect him.

No wonder the Ye family immediately agreed when they heard he wanted to break the engagement. Such a person—any family that married their daughter to him would be cursed for eight generations, harming their daughter.

Zhang Yuniang, who frequently visited many households, was a person who knew how to handle social situations. She also understood her role today.

Seeing the awkward situation, she didn’t sit back down but instead fulfilled her responsibility by addressing Song Yifeng: “Today, the Ye family invited me over, saying that Young Master Song wishes to break the engagement. Is this true?”

Song Yifeng opened his mouth, intending to repeat what he had told Ye Chongming previously, to position himself on the moral high ground.

It was the Ye family who had dealt in private tea, morally compromised, and he was unwilling to be tainted by association with the Ye family, which was why he wanted to break the engagement.

But he also knew that not mentioning the private tea matter was the best leverage against the Ye family. Once this handle was gone, if the Ye family became desperate and unwilling to break the engagement, what then? Even if they agreed to break it, what if they insisted on settling all expenses from these years?

Although Ye Chongming had denied the private tea matter that day, the fact that he so readily agreed to break the engagement made Song Yifeng suspect that the private tea business might be real.

So he swallowed his words and merely gave Ye Chongming a cold glance before nodding to Zhang Yuniang: “That’s correct. As for why I’m breaking the engagement, it’s naturally because the Ye family has done things I don’t approve of, not because I’m disregarding our years of connection.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Jiaxing flew into a rage and stood up with a “swoosh” sound: “What do you mean by that? What has the Ye family done that you don’t approve of? Don’t hide it, speak clearly.”

He pointed at Song Yifeng’s nose and scolded: “You ungrateful wretch! As soon as you gain some status, you look down on our Ye family’s less prominent position and want to break the engagement to seek a better match. Yet you speak so righteously, blaming our Ye family. I’ve never seen anyone so heartless and treacherous.”

Other than when he was a poor child of low status, when had Song Yifeng ever suffered such an insult? Previously, when visiting the Ye family, everyone from Ye Chongming to the servants had treated him with courtesy and respect. Moreover, he was a young man with little patience and full of vigor.

Being scolded by Ye Jiaxing with a finger pointing at his nose, he almost threw a punch.

Fortunately, he restrained himself at the critical moment, though his face was severely contorted.

With a reddened face, he looked at Ye Chongming, his eyes almost shooting fire: “Old Master Ye, is this how your family wants to handle this? Are we still breaking this engagement or not?”

Only then did Ye Chongming speak languidly, shouting at Ye Jiaxing: “Enough, say less and go back to your seat.”

Seeing Ye Jiaxing sitting back with an aggrieved expression, Song Yifeng immediately felt pleased, quite smug inside.

It seemed that the Ye family had indeed dealt in private tea; otherwise, how could Ye Chongming hold back his anger so much?

Ye Chongming looked at Song Yifeng: “Since we’ve all agreed to break the engagement, let’s be straightforward and clear things up. Yesterday, I asked you to bring all the expenses from these years so we can settle accounts and sign the document dissolving the engagement. Has Young Master Song brought the silver today?”