After hanging up Zheng Cai’s call, Ye Tong struggled to suppress her trembling and dialed Xiao Shuo’s number.
But after two attempts, he didn’t pick up.
Only on the third try did a groggy male voice finally come through. "Hello."
He was still sleeping?
She was in this state, and he could still sleep!
Ye Tong’s anger reignited, but she forced herself to remain calm, asking in a restrained voice, "Where are you?"
"At home," Xiao Shuo replied.
"I’m coming over to see you!"
"Don’t. Don’t come!" As soon as Xiao Shuo heard Ye Tong wanted to visit, he coldly refused.
Ye Tong’s breathing grew heavy again.
She remembered how Xiao Shuo had disappeared after leaving the hospital and hadn’t even picked her up when she was discharged.
And now he didn’t even want her to come see him?
Her restraint had reached its limit. When she spoke, her tone was noticeably colder. "Xiao Shuo, what do you mean by this?"
"What do I mean? Ye Tong, do you still have the nerve to ask me? Look what your Ye Family has done to us!"
"..." Ye Tong’s breath hitched.
Without waiting for her to speak, Xiao Shuo continued, "Anyway, don’t come now!" His tone was devoid of any warmth and clearly impatient. After saying that, he hung up.
Hearing the dial tone, Ye Tong trembled even more with anger.
Her heart was ablaze with rage, but she had no way to deal with Xiao Shuo.
He had told her not to come, but how could Ye Tong give up so easily? She went directly to Xiao Shuo’s residence.
However, when she saw Xiao Shuo’s swollen face, she was taken aback.
"You, you, what happened to you...?"
Xiao Shuo’s face was still swollen, and seeing Ye Tong only worsened his mood. "Didn’t I tell you not to come?" he snapped.
Ye Tong asked, "What’s going on? How did this happen?"
As she spoke, she reached out to touch Xiao Shuo’s injuries, but he immediately blocked her hand. "Don’t touch!"
"What exactly happened?"
"What else could it be? It was your Ye Family," Xiao Shuo said, his voice sharp with anger.
The memory of yesterday’s miserable state was unbearable.
He had originally intended to settle scores with Ye Yuning, but after what happened, he subconsciously redirected his anger toward the entire Ye Family.
Ye Tong’s breathing quickened. "Our Ye Family?"
"That shrew! What on earth did your Ye Family adopt?"
By now, Ye Tong completely understood; he was talking about Ye Yuning.
Her breathing became even more labored.
She looked at Xiao Shuo, acutely aware of the stinging pain on her own face and the piercing ache in her leg.
It had to be said, Ye Yuning was truly a termagant; not only had she attacked her, but she’d also struck Xiao Shuo!
Who gave her the audacity to strike a member of the Xiao Family?
"You should go back," Xiao Shuo said. He didn’t want to say more and immediately moved to close the door.
Seeing this, Ye Tong instinctively pushed against the door.
At this moment, ignoring Xiao Shuo’s attempt to keep her out, she managed to say, her voice strained, "I... I need to talk to you about something!"
"What is it?" Xiao Shuo asked.
The impatience in his tone was even more evident.
He recalled his father mentioning the rejection of Ye Yuning’s manuscript, a decision that had cost them a significant number of shares. Combined with the incidents involving Huangyin and what had transpired in the office yesterday, he now found himself irritated by the mere sight of anyone from the Ye Family.
Including Ye Tong, who stood before him now.
Seeing his impatient expression, Ye Tong grew angrier, though she suppressed it. "The Qin Family visited the Ye Family today," she said.
"Then deal with it. Aren’t your parents home?!"
Deal with it? How could they deal with it?
Hearing Xiao Shuo’s current tone and his words, Ye Tong’s lips thinned as she stared at him. Resentment was plain in her eyes.
Xiao Shuo didn’t want to waste any more time with her, nor could he be bothered to engage. "Alright, I have things to do here. You should go back now," he said dismissively.
With that, he pushed Ye Tong out and SLAM! The door shut in her face.
Ye Tong stared at the closed door, her suppressed anger finally erupting.
She kicked the door fiercely twice. "I’m your fiancée! What do you mean, you *still have things to do*?"
What could possibly be more important right now than helping the Ye Family resolve the issue with the Qin Family?
The only response was silence.
Ye Tong’s face gradually paled. She had never imagined Xiao Shuo would treat her this way.
What did their relationship mean then?
He had been willing to break off his engagement with Ye Yuning for her sake. What was all that for?
「Meanwhile, at the Xiao Corporation.」
Xiao Linye was somewhat distracted during the meeting.
His mind was preoccupied with Xiao Shuo getting beaten up at Manlang. Considering how fierce that boss was, that young woman must be under a lot of work pressure, right?
"Sir? Sir?" Lai Shuo called out several times before Xiao Linye snapped back to reality.
Gao Ma’s design was complete and displayed on the projector. He glanced at it briefly, displeased.
It had to be said that while Manlang’s owner might have a short fuse, the design produced showed immense patience and care. Every detail was meticulously perfected.
At least at first glance, no major flaws could be found.
In comparison, the design on the projection screen was now thoroughly unappealing.
Seeing that he still wasn’t speaking, Lai Shuo asked softly, "What do you think of this?"
"What do *you* think?" Xiao Linye countered without answering.
His tone was clearly unhappy. This cast an oppressive mood over the entire meeting room, and Lai Shuo visibly tensed.
Truth be told, he also found Gao Ma’s design unsatisfactory.