Ye Yuning naturally didn’t want to return to the Ye family home at this time.
But the image of the well-preserved pocket watch cover in Xiao Linye’s suitcase flickered through her mind.
She eventually responded with an "Mm" into the phone.
She hadn’t said she would go back, nor had she said she wouldn’t, yet this "Mm" instantly relieved Zheng Cai on the other end of the line.
"Then it’s settled! You must come back tomorrow at noon. I’ll have Housekeeper Zhang buy you a ten-year-old hen!"
In her excitement, what she said was somewhat unrealistic.
Ye Yuning was silent for a moment. A ten-year-old hen, she mused. She really could come up with anything.
Without responding to Zheng Cai’s insincerity and exaggeration, Ye Yuning hung up.
On the other end, Zheng Cai heard the dial tone but wasn’t angry.
Ye Shilong sat to one side, reading a newspaper.
Seeing her hang up, he asked, "How did it go? Did she agree to come back?"
Originally, they hadn’t been too anxious about Ye Yuning’s affairs.
But today, Ye Shilong had suddenly received an unconfirmed report that Lord Qi might not attend the banquet tonight.
This meant their plan involving Zheng Siyu tonight might fall through.
He was growing desperate.
The company couldn’t wait any longer; he couldn’t afford to miss a single opportunity.
Zheng Cai nodded. "Don’t worry, she agreed. I’ve raised her for so many years, after all. She’s not an ungrateful child."
Ye Shilong didn’t comment.
He understood Ye Yuning’s temperament to some extent.
If you showed her an ounce of respect, she’d repay it tenfold. Ultimately, it was they who hadn’t treated her well in the past.
Noticing the butler waiting nearby, Zheng Cai instructed, "Arrange for the kitchen to buy a chicken from the market tomorrow morning and stew it."
The "ten-year-old" detail was conveniently ignored.
The butler nodded. "Yes."
Zheng Cai admired her freshly manicured nails. As she lowered her gaze, her eyes glinted with calculation.
Ye Shilong glanced at her. "Remember what I told you."
His words made Zheng Cai stiffen.
She nodded. "I know."
From now on, whether they needed Ye Yuning or not, they couldn’t afford to show her any coldness.
Instead, they had to be exceptionally kind to her. Even if she currently wouldn’t agree to any of their requests, they still had to treat her well.
Thinking of this, Zheng Cai felt a surge of frustration.
But considering the company’s situation and Ye Shilong’s attitude, she had to endure it, however reluctant she felt.
Zheng Siyu came downstairs after changing. "Auntie, what’s wrong with this dress? Who touched it?"
Ye Shilong and Zheng Cai both turned to look at her.
Zheng Cai reacted first, standing up. "Oh? Where is it damaged? Quick, let me see!"
"It’s here! The zipper, Auntie, look! It won’t go up!" Zheng Siyu said anxiously.
Zheng Cai quickly took Zheng Siyu’s arm to examine it. The zipper was stuck halfway and wouldn’t budge.
This dress was very expensive.
For this evening’s event, Zheng Cai had spared no expense for Zheng Siyu.
But now, the zipper was clearly broken.
Zheng Cai grew anxious. "What happened? Wasn’t it fine before?"
Zheng Siyu replied, "It was. I just tried it on the other day, and it was fine when I took it off."
"And you haven’t touched it since?"
"Then how could it be broken?" Zheng Cai exclaimed, frustrated, as she tried to pull the zipper up again.
"I don’t know either," Zheng Siyu said.
Zheng Cai tugged at it several times, but the zipper wouldn’t move; it was misaligned at that point.
The dress had obviously been tampered with; otherwise, it wouldn’t be damaged this badly.
Ye Shilong glared at them, his expression dark. "What’s going on? The banquet is in just two hours, and the dress is ruined now?"
Shaken by his icy tone, Zheng Cai hurriedly tugged at the zipper a few more times, but to no avail.
"Auntie, what do we do? Someone must have tampered with this dress!" Zheng Siyu said, aggrieved.
She, too, was anxious.
Normally, getting dressed and doing her makeup for the banquet would have left them with just enough time.
But now, at this critical moment, the dress was ruined.
The words "tampered with" instantly ignited Ye Shilong’s and Zheng Cai’s fury.
They didn’t even need to think to know who had done it.
Ever since Ye Tong had returned, she had constantly found fault with Ye Yuning and meddled with her belongings.
Back then, they had turned a blind eye because they disliked Ye Yuning anyway.
But Zheng Siyu’s dress was crucial for tonight, and Ye Tong had actually dared to...!
Ye Shilong was livid.
He shot up, slamming the newspaper violently onto the table, and started upstairs to find Ye Tong.
His furious demeanor suggested that even if Ye Tong didn’t die today, she would at least be skinned alive.
Although Zheng Cai was also angry, Ye Shilong’s ferocity startled her.
She quickly grabbed Ye Shilong’s arm. "What are you doing?"
"Let go of me! How dare you still protect that scum!" Ye Shilong roared.
He was utterly enraged, itching to go upstairs and beat Ye Tong to death.