Thus, Ye Yanxi spent the entire night under Xiao Yu's torment. She cursed him as a brute in her heart and suddenly regretted why she had to know where he had hidden Xiao Hei and Xiao Hui. It was simply asking for trouble. As long as she found them, that should have been enough!
What she regretted even more was making a midnight snack for Xiao Yu. It had instantly replenished his energy, but it was she who suffered.
In a daze, she seemed to hear Xiao Yu's voice.
"Do you still want to know where I've hidden your two little mice?" Xiao Yu's voice was slightly hoarse. In the dark night, it sounded like a low chant, sexy and irresistibly alluring.
Ye Yanxi's mind was already bewitched. Finally, she carefully pondered his words and, holding on to the last bit of clarity, asked, "Where?"
"Stupid woman. Isn't there an iron railing under the balcony?"
What iron railing? Ye Yanxi was puzzled. Then she heard Xiao Yu say faintly, "I tied the cage outside with a rope."
Ye Yanxi was about to flare up. Her two little pets had been hanging outside all night, while she had been searching restlessly inside. It was simply too hateful! However, before she could get angry, Xiao Yu's actions intensified again, instantly shattering her will.
So, involuntarily, she forgot about this matter.
As expected, Ye Yanxi overslept due to the excessive demands of the previous night. Her body ached all over.
After a hasty wash, to her annoyance, Xiao Yu didn't wait for her to go to the company together. So she had to take the bus nearby and then transfer to the subway. She managed to arrive at the company just in time.
After clocking in at the Business Department, she was about to enter the office when she saw Xiao Yu walking out of their department. The two of them met face to face.
As she passed by Xiao Yu, Ye Yanxi clearly saw a sly smile on his lips, like that of a fox. She couldn't help but get angry and glared at him fiercely.
She had been in a hurry all morning, and with the physical exhaustion from the previous night, her legs were weak and lacked strength. Although she glared at him with great force, at that moment, her legs gave way, and her whole body leaned to the side.
Xiao Yu, who was beside her, quickly reached out and supported her.
This small commotion caught the attention of everyone in the office.
When he helped her up, Ye Yanxi felt his slightly calloused palm slowly rub against her skin, just like every time they had an intimate contact, filled with an ambiguous meaning. Ye Yanxi suddenly shivered, and her whole body felt hot. She wanted to stand up straight, but he held her wrist tightly, and she couldn't move.
Just when Ye Yanxi was so nervous that she was about to sweat, Xiao Yu lowered his head and whispered, "Did you rest well last night?"
After saying that, he straightened his body and continued, his voice not loud but just enough for everyone in the office to hear, "Are you okay?"
Facing everyone's gazes, Ye Yanxi glared at him. This man was really a good actor. She also lowered her voice and said, "Thanks to the president's kindness, I slept very well last night. And thank you, Mr. President, for sparing my two little pets."
Then, Ye Yanxi smiled politely and gracefully, "Thank you, Mr. President. I'm fine."
Their interaction only lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed like they had fought a great battle. Xiao Yu helped her up, then glanced at her indifferently and turned away.
To others, it was just an employee who almost fell, and the president happened to help her. It was a very normal thing.
But when Ye Yanxi returned to her seat, she felt He Qiuyang's unfriendly and even hostile gaze.
Recently, the Xiao Group had a cooperation intention with a well - known foreign company, Company F. Company F was also a powerful company in the country. If the Xiao Group could successfully negotiate a cooperation with it, the profits in the future would be immeasurable. Most importantly, it could enhance the international status of the Xiao Group.
Company F was not only discussing cooperation with the Xiao Group in City S but also with Tianyu Group, a competitor of the Xiao Group. It was said that they would choose a cooperation partner from these two companies.
Thus, this cooperation was particularly important for the Xiao Group.
Recently, everyone in the company had been busier than usual. The senior management had informed them of this matter, so the most talked - about topic among the employees during their breaks was this cooperation with Company F and which company, the Xiao Group or Tianyu Group, would win this opportunity.
The Marketing Department and the Public Relations Department were actively preparing for this. Before the arrival of the negotiating party, they had to ensure everything was perfect. However, there was a very bad piece of news privately circulated that the representative sent by Company F refused to meet anyone from the Xiao Group.
But if they missed this opportunity, the Xiao Group didn't know how long they would have to wait to soar to great heights.
When Ye Yanxi was assigned to deliver documents again, she happened to hear the senior management reporting the situation to Xiao Yu in his office. The high - ranking officials seemed to be at a loss about the fact that the representative from Company F didn't want to meet anyone from the Xiao Group.
Because of what happened last night, Ye Yanxi was still a bit angry and was going to mock Xiao Yu. But seeing everyone looking so worried and anxious about the cooperation, she wisely put down the documents and left.
After leaving the office, she heard two secretaries talking about this matter.
"I heard that the big boss of Company F was an alumnus of our president. I don't know what kind of feud they have. All our people sent to negotiate were sent back. It seems that the other side is determined not to consider cooperating with our group."
"Anyone can see that it's clearly on purpose. Sister Chen from the Public Relations Department has been very troubled these days. She has never failed in the past."
"Okay, let's get back to work. Don't talk about this privately. It's not good if the president hears it." One of them saw Ye Yanxi and quickly stopped talking.
Ye Yanxi walked past them pretending not to hear anything.
In the elevator, she began to worry. It seemed that this matter was really uncertain.
Before, there were rumors in the company that the people from Company F didn't want to meet anyone from the company. She thought it was just a rumor. But now, after going into the president's office and hearing it with her own ears, it seemed to be true.
Was it really because of some feud that they were deliberately targeting the Xiao Group?
About two days later, Xiao Yu's arm had almost recovered.
After work that day, Ye Yanxi was on her way to the hospital when she received a call from Xiao Yu, asking her to go home early after leaving the hospital and not to stay out too long. Ye Yanxi was a bit depressed. Xiao Yu had never said anything about what she did before. Just as she was about to ask, she heard Xiao Yu seem to be talking to someone else, and then the call was disconnected.
She guessed that Xiao Yu had been really busy these days.
As usual, she visited Ye Junze and then went to see Aunt Chen. Aunt Chen had just recovered and had taken her medicine and fallen asleep. Ye Yanxi asked the doctor about her condition and also asked if Aunt Chen's son had come to the hospital. Since she had informed the hospital before not to let Xiao Hang come to the ward to cause trouble, the doctor told her that Xiao Hang had been arrested by the police for causing trouble a few days ago.
Ye Yanxi knew that the hospital had done all these things mostly because of Xiao Yu. Because of her father's incident before, even the hospital director had been involved. She also understood that with her status, she couldn't ask the hospital to do much.
After knowing that Xiao Hang wouldn't come to cause trouble anymore, Ye Yanxi finally felt relieved. Aunt Chen could take this opportunity to recuperate well.
After leaving the hospital, Ye Yanxi planned to find a pet store nearby to buy some food for her two little pets. Since she had come to the hospital quite often, she had some impression of the small shops on the way. After walking for a while, she found the pet store, which was just next to a big hotel.
After buying things from the pet store, she was going to the bus stop.
After walking a few steps, she saw two people getting out of a car in front of the hotel.
One of them was Ye Yanxi's idol.
But why was Jin Yan here?
Out of curiosity, Ye Yanxi's eyes fell on the man who got out of the car with Jin Yan.
Because she had to memorize a lot of words for a long time, her memory was always excellent.
Just by taking a look, she recognized the man. Wasn't he the one in the most circulated photos in the company's internal group? The representative of Company F?
How did Jin Yan know him? And why were they together?
Leo seemed extremely gentlemanly. He made a gesture of invitation to Jin Yan, and his palm seemed to gently rest on her shoulder.
Jin Yan clearly wasn't very happy. She had a straight face and seemed a bit reluctant. At least, that's what Ye Yanxi saw.
But Jin Yan still followed Leo into the hotel. There was a business car following theirs. Several tall and imposing men in black got out of it. They seemed to be bodyguards and also followed them in.
Seeing this scene, Ye Yanxi felt a bit uncomfortable. No matter what Jin Yan's attitude was, she seemed to be forced.
Ye Yanxi hesitated for a while and then followed them into the hotel. Then she saw Leo affectionately putting his arm around Jin Yan and getting on the elevator.
At this moment, she couldn't just follow them rashly. What if there was nothing wrong?
Suddenly having an idea, Ye Yanxi went to the front desk first. She had seen Leo and Jin Yan standing there for a while just now.
The hotel was very grand in decoration. It was obvious that most of the guests were rich or of high status. The receptionist sized Ye Yanxi up. Ye Yanxi was still wearing a simple T - shirt and jeans today. Seeing a girl who looked like a student, and with Ye Yanxi's small face, she seemed no older than a high - school student. So there was a hint of contempt in the receptionist's eyes.
"Miss, our hotel doesn't serve minors." The receptionist's tone wasn't very friendly.
Ye Yanxi was good at observing people's expressions and naturally understood what the receptionist meant.
She looked at the receptionist pitifully and said, "Hello, I'm Jin Yan's cousin. I just saw her come in. I'm currently staying at her place, but I lost my house key. So I'm here to get the key from my sister. Do you know which floor she's on?"
With her clear and innocent eyes full of sincerity and pleading, the receptionist was deceived. She sized Ye Yanxi up again and saw her blinking pitifully. So her attitude softened. "Wait a minute. I'll check for you. Miss Jin is in Room 608."
Ye Yanxi squinted and smiled, thanking the receptionist happily, "Thank you!"
After getting on the elevator, Ye Yanxi quickly found Room 608. But to be on the safe side, she didn't get too close because there were several bodyguards patrolling outside the room all the time. They looked so vigilant that even a fly would find it hard to get in.
Going up now would be like walking into a trap.
But this wasn't a good solution either. She couldn't find out anything here, and there was no sign of anything abnormal in the room. Had she been wrong?
But there must be something unusual between Jin Yan's expression and Leo.
Just when she was at a loss, the elevator door opened, and a waitress pushed a food cart out.
The waitress was talking into her walkie - talkie while walking. Ye Yanxi heard that she was going to deliver food to Room 608.
Wasn't this the opportunity? Room 608.
Ye Yanxi almost instinctively walked towards the waitress. During those few steps, she also prepared her emotions.
"Hello, are you going to deliver food to Room 608? I'm Miss Jin's younger sister. Today is my sister's first day back from abroad. I want to give her a surprise. Look... Could you do me a favor?" Ye Yanxi looked at the waitress with her bright and pleading eyes.
After a five - second pause, the waitress somehow nodded and agreed to her.
So, five minutes later, Ye Yanxi was wearing the waitress's uniform and pushing the food cart boldly to stop outside Room 608.
She had worked in a hotel before, so she did it quite naturally. The bodyguards didn't suspect her and let her knock on the door.
A few seconds later, a very impatient and irritable voice came from inside, "What is it?"
"Excuse me, sir. I'm here to deliver food." Ye Yanxi replied immediately.
"Come in!"
So, the bodyguards outside didn't stop her and opened the door to let her in.
Ye Yanxi pushed the food cart with her head down, and out of the corner of her eye, she quickly scanned the general situation in the room. She saw Jin Yan lying on the big sofa, seemingly asleep, and there was a glass of red wine in front of her.
So soon? It had only been about half an hour!
Ye Yanxi immediately sensed something was wrong. Her brain received this signal and instantly became tense.
Just as she was thinking about what to do, Jin Yan, who had been dozing on the sofa, suddenly woke up. Seeing this, Leo's face showed a hint of surprise, and he quickly went over to support Jin Yan.
"Yan, you're awake!"
In the photos, Leo looked gentle and handsome. He seemed to be a well - educated and noble gentleman. But Ye Yanxi was sure she wasn't mistaken. When she first entered the room, the Leo she saw was completely different from the one in the photos. There was a hint of cruelty in his eyes, not the cold - bloodedness like Xiao Yu's, but a kind of coldness that made people feel terrified.
So, when she saw the sleeping Jin Yan, she felt very nervous.
Jin Yan opened her eyes and saw that it was Leo. Disgust was written all over her face, and she reached out to push him away.
"Get away! Don't touch me!" But she clearly had no strength in her hands. She staggered and fell back into Leo's arms.
"You've had too much to drink. Be good. I'll help you go in and rest." Leo half - carried Jin Yan and dragged her towards the bedroom.
Jin Yan started to struggle fiercely, trying to break free from his restraint.
"Get out! Let me go. I want to go back."
"Yan, don't you forget why you're here today? Don't you want Company F to cooperate with the Xiao Group? I only have one request. As long as you stay with me for one night, just one night, and I'll immediately give the Xiao Group a reply." Leo's voice was very low, probably because Ye Yanxi was still in the room.
Even so, Ye Yanxi could roughly understand what he meant. This Leo was clearly taking advantage of Jin Yan under the guise of work.
Jin Yan was Ye Yanxi's idol. Seeing her beloved senior sister fall into the hands of this monster, Ye Yanxi's sense of justice flared up. Without hesitation, she rushed up, pulled Leo away from Jin Yan, and protected Jin Yan.
Suddenly being pulled away, Leo's face darkened when he saw it was Ye Yanxi.
"What do you think you are? How dare you meddle in other people's business? If you don't want to work in this hotel anymore, just say so. I'll have your manager fire you right now."
Ye Yanxi didn't care what Leo said. She supported the unsteady Jin Yan.
"Miss Jin, are you okay?" Looking at Jin Yan's pale face, Ye Yanxi was a bit worried.
"I'm okay. Why are you here?" Jin Yan was surprised and stared at Ye Yanxi with wide eyes when she saw who was supporting her.
"It's me, Miss Jin. Can you still stand up now? I'll take you out right away."
Suddenly, Leo flew into a rage and shouted, "Where the hell are you all?"
As soon as he finished speaking, several bodyguards who had been patrolling outside the door instantly rushed in. They were all tall and imposing, standing in a neat row, looking very intimidating.
Seeing this situation, Jin Yan said to Ye Yanxi worriedly, "You go first. This has nothing to do with you."
"No, I can't leave you here alone."
Although Ye Yanxi was trembling nervously inside, she still tightly held onto Jin Yan's arm and glared at Leo. "I'll take you out of here. I'll never let you fall into the hands of this brute."
Leo looked down at Ye Yanxi contemptuously and sneered, "Who do you think you are? You think you can save her? You'd better worry about yourself. None of you will leave here today."
Ye Yanxi was also angry now. "Then let's give it a try."
Leo snapped his fingers, and then six bodyguards surrounded Ye Yanxi. Ye Yanxi was still supporting Jin Yan, but she easily kicked away the nearest bodyguard.
Then, without giving them a chance to react, she knocked down another one. Taking advantage of the moment when the two bodyguards fell, Ye Yanxi immediately supported Jin Yan and ran towards the door.
The six bodyguards didn't expect such a thin and seemingly weak woman to knock down two of them in an instant. They stared at them in disbelief as they rushed out of the door and forgot to chase them.
A few strong and burly men were actually scared by a woman. Leo was furious.
Pointing at their noses, he scolded, "Why the hell aren't you chasing them? If they get away, all of you will die!"
Ye Yanxi felt that they weren't walking fast enough while supporting Jin Yan. So she simply carried her on her back. There was no time to wait for the elevator, so they took the stairs. But their speed was too slow. They had only walked less than three floors when the people behind caught up.
Ye Yanxi put Jin Yan down. "Miss Jin, you go