This was the second time He Man had come to the company to find Ye Yanxi. Ye Yanxi still didn't know what her purpose was, but she was sure that nothing good would come of it.
After thinking for a while, Ye Yanxi decided that if she didn't see He Man, she would keep wondering. So she took the elevator to the first - floor lobby. She was determined to find out what He Man wanted from her.
As soon as she reached the first - floor lobby, she saw He Man at a glance.
This was the first time Ye Yanxi had seen He Man since her car accident here last time. She noticed that there was still a piece of gauze on He Man's forehead, indicating that the wound hadn't healed yet. Moreover, He Man looked extremely pale. Coupled with her heavy makeup, her complexion seemed even more sallow.
When He Man saw Ye Yanxi appear, she immediately stood up with a beaming smile. Although her face was haggard, her well - dressed appearance in famous brands still made her look presentable.
"Xixi, you're here," He Man greeted her enthusiastically.
Xixi? As far as Ye Yanxi could remember, during their few meetings, He Man had always called her by her full name. This enthusiastic address and the use of a pet name were so out of character.
Ye Yanxi's expression remained unchanged. She just stared at He Man calmly.
"I heard that Miss He wanted to see me. May I ask what it is about?"
He Man glanced around, then immediately pulled Ye Yanxi to a quiet corner. She affectionately wrapped her arm around Ye Yanxi's, looking like they were good friends meeting. But as soon as they reached an unoccupied area, Ye Yanxi expressionlessly pulled He Man's hand away.
He Man's face turned ashen when Ye Yanxi coldly pushed her away. She seemed to hold back her anger and quickly regained her gentle expression. Her face showed a complex mix of emotions for a moment.
Today, no matter what, she couldn't get angry at Ye Yanxi for the sake of her goal... He Man kept suppressing her anger.
"Miss He, please get to the point. I don't have much time to waste here," Ye Yanxi asked straightforwardly. It seemed that He Man really had something to say to her.
He Man tried hard to maintain a smile.
"Xixi, why are we being so formal with each other like strangers? Don't always call me Miss He. You can call me Manman like we did when we were kids," He Man said, trying to get closer.
Ye Yanxi also smiled. "Miss He and I are from different worlds. It's not appropriate to call you that, is it?"
"What's inappropriate? We used to live in the same room in the orphanage. It's a kind of fate that we meet again now," He Man said shamelessly.
"Yes," Ye Yanxi's eyes turned cold. "But did Miss He ever think of the friendship we had when we lived in the same room during our first meeting after sixteen years and every time she saw me later?"
"Xixi, aren't the things in the past already over? Let's talk about the present," He Man continued to smile.
Ye Yanxi sneered. He Man's smile seemed extremely glaring to her. She said sharply, "For the past sixteen years, you impersonated my identity and stayed with my biological parents. Did you ever think about where I was then?"
A layer of cold sweat broke out on He Man's palms. Her smiling expression was on the verge of collapsing, but for her own purpose, she still managed to hold back. She explained, "Xixi, listen to me on this matter. I was also unaware of it at that time. I just found out the truth yesterday. If I had known earlier..."
"If you had known earlier?" Ye Yanxi sneered and interrupted her. She stared at He Man without blinking. "Humph, even if you had known earlier, you might not have told me the truth, let alone... You knew all this as early as sixteen years ago, and you did it on purpose. Am I right?"
Hitting the nail on the head, He Man's heart sank.
She never expected that Ye Yanxi knew all this. But she would never admit it.
"Xixi, I was really unaware back then," He Man put on a pitiful look, and even a mist of tears welled up in her eyes. The pleading in her eyes was obvious. "When they came to find me back then, I was really happy. I thought they were my biological parents, so I just followed them without thinking. Xixi, you have to believe me."
How could Ye Yanxi believe her?
If she hadn't trusted He Man back then, things might have been different now. It was because of her wrong trust that she had lost sixteen years of family affection. Although... she didn't think she was that miserable now, it was just because she was lucky.
Fortunately, nothing bad had happened to her in the past sixteen years. If she had been unlucky, she might have been tortured to death by Lu Manwen sixteen years ago. Back then, Lu Manwen had left her outside in the rain all night, and she had had a high fever and almost lost her life.
However, she had managed to get through all the hardships and was safe and sound.
It was the cruel experiences of the past sixteen years that had made her understand many things.
In this world, everything has a cause and an effect. By chance, she had met Ye Junze, a father who cared about her whole - heartedly, and now she had also met Xiao Yu.
Even though she was living a fairly good life, she couldn't deny He Man's deep - seated scheming.
When they were kids, she had misjudged He Man. She had thought He Man was just an introverted little girl who liked to follow her around.
Who would have known that He Man had such a face, a hypocritical one, with a deep - seated mind and always calculating others.
Now, Ye Yanxi just thought it was ridiculous that He Man still came to find her.
"What do you want now that you've come to find me?" Ye Yanxi said bluntly. She didn't want to say more to such a hypocritical person.
He Man's face finally changed. Under Ye Yanxi's gaze, she opened her mouth nervously.
She had come to find Ye Yanxi today with nothing to lose. She couldn't back down no matter what. This was her last and only chance.
After making up her mind, He Man finally bit her lip, looking rather pitiful, and said, "Xixi, do you still remember all the secrets we shared when we lived in the same room?"
Ye Yanxi's expression remained unchanged. She said coldly, "I don't know what you're referring to."
"Do you still remember our promise that no matter which one of us became wealthy in the future, we wouldn't forget the other? And we also said that if we found our parents, we would ask them to adopt the other as an adopted daughter. Do you... still remember?"
Ye Yanxi knew that He Man must have come for something bad. She just smiled faintly without saying yes or no.
"What do you want?"
"Do you still remember when Mom wanted to adopt you as an adopted daughter? In fact, it was I who begged her to do so. It was just that Dad disagreed later," He Man lied without batting an eyelid, and her expression still looked pitiful. "When we first met in the hotel, I didn't ignore you on purpose. I was just too shocked and didn't react at all. I even mistook you for those people related to Mom and Dad's business. You know, there are always people who like to ask others for favors."
After He Man finished speaking, Ye Yanxi stared at her in disbelief. She just thought that a person could be so shameless and take things for granted.
Almost instantly, Ye Yanxi understood He Man's purpose for coming to find her.
It was nothing more than that now that everything was out in the open, and He Man wanted to return to the He family through her.
Jiang Pinzhen had gone back to the Jiang family in a fit of anger. He Zhenhua looked down on He Man even more. And Ye Yanxi knew better than anyone what kind of person Chu Beize was.
If she lost the title of the He family's daughter, He Man would probably have nothing left.
Ye Yanxi now knew He Man's true nature very well. Once He Man achieved her goal and Ye Yanxi posed no threat to her, she might even shamelessly ask Ye Yanxi not to let the He family members reveal the truth to the public, and then He Man would continue to enjoy her status as the young mistress of the He family as if it were her due.
The fact that He Man came to beg her meant that she was at the end of her rope. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to plead so humbly.
And Ye Yanxi's past kindness to He Man had now been used as a bargaining chip, and He Man was so self - righteous about it.
If Yan Zhen hadn't told her the truth, she might have considered this matter. But now, after what had happened in the past two days, she had thought things through.
Some people are born evil. Don't expect them to suddenly turn over a new leaf and have a pleasant conversation with you. Maybe one day when you let your guard down, they will stab you in the back, especially when people are faced with interests. Their hypocritical faces are all the same.
In the past, she used to think that Xiao Yu was rather cold - hearted and always kept a distance from others. But now she found that being cold was the safest attitude towards some people.
After listening to He Man's words, Ye Yanxi smiled faintly. "Did you say that?"
He Man's lips twitched visibly. She stared at Ye Yanxi as if seeing her for the first time.
"Xixi, every word I just said is true. You have to believe me. I really still regard you as my sister," He Man said.
"Sister?" Ye Yanxi glanced at her expressionlessly. "He Man, at this point, is it you who is too naive or me? Do you think I'll believe you?"
"Why don't you believe me?" He Man's eyes were filled with tears. She seemed to feel very aggrieved. "Everything I said is true. There's not a single lie."
"Really?" Ye Yanxi lifted her chin slightly, staring into He Man's eyes. She said coldly and sharply, "But I don't believe a single word you said!"
Ye Yanxi's cold and harsh words hit He Man's heart like hailstones. He Man's face turned deathly pale. She could no longer maintain her previous calm. For a moment, her pale face looked extremely hideous. "You..."
After giving He Man a quick look, Ye Yanxi curled her lips. "Just a little provocation and you show your true colors. He Man, don't waste your time on me. I won't believe your words. You'd better take care of yourself. I still have work to do. I won't see you out!"
After saying that, Ye Yanxi lifted her legs and walked towards the elevator.
"Xixi, I..." He Man got a bit anxious and grabbed her hand.
Ye Yanxi was forced to stop. Looking at the hand that He Man had on her arm, she scolded in a low voice, "Miss He, I think I've made myself very clear. If you keep being so unreasonable, I'll have to call the police. By then, things will get even more out of control. And if the police do a little investigation, the fact that you're not the He family's daughter will probably be exposed soon, and you'll really have nothing left."
After hearing this, He Man immediately let go of Ye Yanxi's arm in fear. There was unwillingness on her face, but she was helpless.
She could only watch Ye Yanxi's departing back, trembling with anger. Finally, she kicked a flower stand beside her in frustration.
Unexpectedly, the flower stand was already unstable. With her kick, there was a sudden noise, and the flower pots on the flower stand rolled to the ground. One of them happened to hit her foot, and she hissed in pain.