To Ye Yanxi's slight surprise, the phone was actually answered. The person on the other end said "Hello" again, and only then did Ye Yanxi react. She replied in a flurry, "Um, hello!"
"Is this your phone?" The voice was calm, deep and pleasant to the ear.
Ye Yanxi's face flushed slightly. It was the first time in her life that she had lost her phone, and it had been picked up by a man with such a nice voice.
Thankfully, the person who picked up the phone wasn't a bad guy, and she still had a chance to get it back.
"Yes, yes, yes. The phone is mine." Ye Yanxi nodded repeatedly. "Are you available now? I can come and pick it up."
"It's too late." The man looked at the time and thought for a moment. "How about we make an appointment to meet tomorrow? I'll return your phone then."
Ye Yanxi thought it made sense. It was almost one o'clock in the morning. The other person surely needed to rest.
After hesitating for a while, she said, "How about noon tomorrow? I'll call you then."
"Okay!"
After they reached an agreement, they hung up the phone. Ye Yanxi gratefully returned the phone to her neighbor and then went back to her room.
On the other side, Xiao Yu was sitting in his office with dim lighting, looking at the phone whose screen had gone dark.
In front of the desk, two bodyguards in black were holding a middle - aged man down on his knees with his mouth gagged. It wasn't until Xiao Yu hung up the phone and gave a look that the bodyguards released the man's mouth.
"Mr. Xiao, please spare me. I promise I'll never do it again." The man on the ground immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy, his whole body drenched in cold sweat.
Xiao Yu didn't say a word. He stood up and walked slowly towards the man.
"You've been with me for so many years. You should know my temper well." His thin lips curled into a cold arc. In the dim light, his eyes were like cold stars, and the words he uttered were chilling. "If you can betray me once, you can do it a second time. How can I spare you?"
Every word was cold and intimidating, pressing in like a knife scraping at one's heart.
No one wasn't afraid of death.
The man's body trembled like a leaf, but suddenly a vicious look flashed in his eyes. "Mr. Xiao, don't forget that I have the confidential files of Xiao Group. If anything happens to me, the files will fall into the hands of our competitor."
Xiao Yu snorted. "So, you're threatening me?"
"I have no choice." The man knew this was his last bargaining chip and had to go all out. The veins on his hands bulged, and his eyes burned with hatred and madness. "Xiao Yu, let me go, or wait for the destruction of Xiao Group!"
Xiao Yu wasn't angry after hearing this. Instead, he laughed easily. "Do you think I'd leave such important documents on the table for you to steal?"
The man's smile froze. "What... do you mean?"
Xiao Yu shook his head and sighed. "I originally wanted to spare you, but I didn't expect you to be so determined to betray me..."
Looking at the cold and indifferent smile on Xiao Yu's face, the man suddenly understood something. He slumped to the ground in despair, completely losing hope.
Those who knew Xiao Yu well knew how ruthless and decisive he was.
Xiao Yu strode towards the door and casually said, "Take him away!"
"Yes!"
After walking out of the company, Xiao Yu took out his phone and dialed a number.
The voice on the other end was a bit surprised. "Mr. Xiao? It's so late..."
Before the person could finish, Xiao Yu interrupted. "Cancel all the meetings tomorrow!"
"Okay, yes!"
======
Ye Yanxi had a tutoring session at half - past ten, but she had had a hangover last night and lost her phone. Without the alarm, she rushed to the student's house in the morning without even having breakfast.
She arrived after half - past ten. She apologized to the parents sheepishly.
Since she was usually very punctual and responsible for the students, the parents didn't say much, but she still felt very guilty.
The tutoring session ended around twelve o'clock. Before leaving, Ye Yanxi apologized to the parents again and promised there would be no next time before she left.
The Ye family had cut off her financial support, so she needed this part - time job.
Ye Yanxi was wearing simple jeans and a white T - shirt today. With no makeup on, she had a high ponytail and was carrying a backpack, looking like a typical student.
Even so, her natural beauty was hard to hide. Instead, it added a bit of innocence and charm.
It was the summer vacation of her junior year, and it was very hot. After walking a few steps, Ye Yanxi was already sweating a lot.
It was the lunch break time for office workers. After thinking for a while, she used the landline in a convenience store on the roadside to call her own number.
The phone rang for a long time. Ye Yanxi thought the other person must be very busy and was about to hang up when the call was suddenly answered.
"Hello..." It was still that deep and mellow male voice.
Ye Yanxi held the phone hesitantly. "Hello, I'm the owner of this phone. Are you available this noon?"
They agreed to meet at Tianxin Square nearby. Ye Yanxi told the other person what she was wearing and went straight to the fountain in the middle of Tianxin Square. She stood in a conspicuous place waiting.
As the appointed time approached, Ye Yanxi began to feel a bit nervous. Although the man seemed polite, she couldn't judge his character just by his voice.
While she was waiting in a tangle, a little boy ran over.
She thought the little boy wanted to play with the water, so she subconsciously stepped aside. But unexpectedly, the little boy stopped in front of her, his chubby little hand holding a note.
"Sister, your letter!"
Ye Yanxi was a bit surprised. She pointed at herself in confusion. "For me?"
The little boy nodded and repeated in his childish voice, "Sister, this letter is for you."
Ye Yanxi opened the letter and smoothed out the wrinkled paper. A line of words suddenly jumped into her eyes: Wait for me at the old place, Ze.
At this moment, a black Cayenne was driving past the fountain and heading towards the underground garage of Tianxin Square.