Ye Yuning had her hair cut short. It was a very neat short style. What the designer hyped up as something miraculous was, in her opinion, just the bob she used to have in middle school, wasn’t it? Now they just gave it all sorts of fancy names.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—her phone vibrated. She picked it up and saw it was Xiao Linye calling.
"Hello," she answered.
"Shall I pick you up tonight?" Xiao Linye asked.
"Have you finished handing over your work?"
Ye Yuning fell silent. Any satisfaction she’d felt about her hair instantly vanished. Why does this man always have to bring up things I don’t want to hear?
Sulkily, she said into the phone, "It’s all handed over."
"Alright then. What would you like to eat tonight? I’ll take you somewhere nice."
"Is it a last meal?" Ye Yuning asked.
People say that when you’re about to pay a heavy price, you get to eat something nice.
Xiao Linye’s tone immediately turned cold. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Yes, I’m talking nonsense," Ye Yuning muttered. Going to the Xiao Corporation—if that’s not a beheading, what is? A place where the design department could barely hold onto anyone for long, how good could it possibly be?
"Sorry," Xiao Linye said. "I just think you’re very talented and shouldn’t be doing menial work for long."
"Yes, I know, you’re doing it for my own good!" Ye Yuning retorted. I’m truly so grateful you’re doing this for my own good.
Ye Yuning had been a bit annoyed, but hearing Xiao Linye’s "sorry" softened her heart a little. This man, though somewhat overbearing, was probably just trying to do what he thought was best for her, given he didn’t know everything. This kind of thing might be off-putting to someone else! But Ye Yuning, in her entire life, had never truly experienced what it felt like for someone to genuinely ’do something for her own good.’ So even if Xiao Linye’s domineering approach was a bit much, she didn’t find it off-putting.
They chatted briefly on the phone before hanging up.
Ye Tong’s conflict with the attendant was still ongoing! In just the duration of that one phone call, the dispute seemed to have escalated considerably. The rıghtful source is 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
Furious, Ye Tong threw down her coat. "A refund! I want a refund today! What kind of scam den is this place? A single treatment costs over one hundred thousand!"
Ye Tong was truly seething. She had initially thought that one hundred thousand would cover various expenses for a year; who knew it wouldn’t even be enough for one session?
When Zheng Cai came upstairs, she heard Ye Tong’s hysterical shout. There were quite a few guests on the second floor. At this moment, all eyes were on Ye Tong. She hadn’t been back with the Ye Family for long, so not many people knew her. When Zheng Cai appeared beside her, some onlookers instantly recognized her due to a vague sense of familiarity.
"What are you doing?" Zheng Cai grabbed Ye Tong sharply. She gave the attendant an embarrassed chuckle, then pushed Ye Tong to the side. "What on earth is going on?" How dare she cause a scene here?
Ye Tong, who had been in a rage, froze for a moment when she saw Zheng Cai. "Mom, you—!"
"Don’t call me Mom." Zheng Cai was truly furious. What kind of daughter had she given birth to? It was utterly embarrassing! This place was full of her acquaintances, and Zheng Cai dreaded that someone she knew had witnessed the earlier scene. Indeed, her worries were justified; quite a few people had seen it.
Mrs. Wang, who always enjoyed one-upping her, saw it was indeed Zheng Cai’s daughter. She immediately rose and approached with a beaming smile. "Well, well, Mrs. Ye! So this is your daughter?"
Zheng Cai was rendered speechless. Ye Tong too. Both their faces involuntarily turned pale.
Furious, Zheng Cai shot Ye Tong a fierce glare, angry at her for making such a spectacle of herself. Ye Tong felt wronged, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Seeing the unpleasant expressions on their faces, Mrs. Wang continued, "I heard from my Old Wang that the Ye Family has been facing quite a bit of trouble recently. Has it all been resolved? Do you need any help from my Old Wang?"
"No need!" Zheng Cai snapped. She said it nicely, ’help,’ but who in their circle didn’t know that you’d be lucky if they didn’t kick you when you were down, let alone offer actual help?
Mrs. Wang, unfazed by her attitude, simply said, "Well, just let me know if you need anything." As she said this, Mrs. Wang gave Ye Tong a meaningful glance.
Zheng Cai was so furious her face alternated between flushed and pale.
Then, Mrs. Wang couldn’t resist twisting the knife. "Your daughter just returned, you need to be patient. Sooner or later, she’ll be as outstanding as Yuning."
Ye Tong was speechless. Her already ragged breathing hitched. Hearing Mrs. Wang’s words, her tear-filled eyes grew even redder. She wasn’t as good as Ye Yuning...! Why did these people have to keep reminding her? What was so outstanding about Ye Yuning, anyway? If she had grown up in this kind of environment, would she really be any worse than Ye Yuning?
Ye Tong glared at Ye Yuning, who was getting her hair done nearby, feeling a sense of suffocation. This commotion had been going on for so long, yet Ye Yuning acted as if it had nothing to do with her. What was the use of being ’excellent’? She was just an ungrateful wretch!