The afternoon discussion didn't end until it was almost time to get off work. Ye Yanxi and He Qiuyang returned to the office together. On the way, He Qiuyang suddenly claimed to be feeling unwell.
"I seem to have eaten something bad at noon. I've got a stomachache. I'll go to the restroom," He Qiuyang said while handing the materials in her arms to Ye Yanxi. "Could you help me take these materials back to the office first? It's inconvenient for me to carry them."
Seeing He Qiuyang biting her lips tightly, it seemed that the situation was really serious. Since it was just a small favor to help carry the materials, Ye Yanxi readily took them. She walked towards the office with the materials, while He Qiuyang rushed to the restroom.
She felt a bit bored while taking the elevator, so Ye Yanxi looked down at the materials. Fortunately, she had a good memory. With just one glance, she noticed that the set of confidential documents from noon was not among them.
Although she was a bit confused, she checked several times to make sure the materials were really missing.
Did He Qiuyang take out that confidential document separately for fear of losing it? Thinking this way, Ye Yanxi got off the elevator and walked towards the office.
When He Qiuyang came back, she took the materials from Ye Yanxi's hand and thanked her specially. Then she threw the materials into the drawer without even looking at them.
It was almost time to get off work. Ye Yanxi suddenly remembered that her phone was still turned off. So she immediately took out her phone and turned it on.
As soon as the screen lit up and after a while it reached the desktop, there were indeed several missed calls, all from Ye Junze.
She had turned off her phone on purpose to avoid being affected by Xiao Yu, so she missed Ye Junze's calls. She thought that Ye Junze must have been very worried when he found her phone was turned off.
Since that incident happened, Ye Yanxi realized that she hadn't contacted Ye Junze yet.
She was just thinking about whether to call Ye Junze back when she received a text message from Xiao Yu. He had an evening engagement and told her to go back by herself after work. He also told her to ask Xu Bei to take her and not to act alone.
It was just right that Xiao Yu would be away in the evening. She could take this opportunity to meet Ye Junze.
Thinking of this, she sent a text message to Xiao Yu: I'd like to meet my dad tonight.
This time, instead of sending a text message, Xiao Yu called directly. Ye Yanxi was startled. Seeing that the other colleagues around were still there, she lowered her head slightly and whispered, "Why did you call? Didn't you say we should text each other during work?"
"Which dad do you mean when you said you want to meet your dad?" Xiao Yu didn't answer her question but asked directly.
"I only have one dad... Of course it's the dad who has raised me for so many years," Ye Yanxi replied quickly.
Xiao Yu said, "Okay, I see."
Ye Yanxi heard the secretary reminding Xiao Yu about the meeting on his end, so she said, "You should go and get busy quickly. I'll go back right away after I meet him."
After hanging up Xiao Yu's call, Ye Yanxi finally raised her head. Her colleagues were all waiting to get off work at this moment.
When Ye Junze called Ye Yanxi, she answered after just one ring. Ye Junze's somewhat excited voice came from the receiver: "S... Xiaoxi, is that you?"
Hearing the long - missed voice with a slight tremor, Ye Yanxi felt her heart soften. Her nose felt a bit sour. She softened her voice and called out, "Dad, it's me."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the receiver. It seemed that Ye Junze was sniffling. It took Ye Junze a while to speak again: "Xiaoxi, what... what did you just call me?"
His tone seemed a bit uncertain as he carefully confirmed.
Ye Yanxi felt a bit sad, but still smiled. She raised her voice and shouted, "Dad, you heard right. You've always been my dad."
This time, Ye Junze seemed even more excited. "Xiaoxi, you called me dad. Did I hear it right? Do you still recognize me?"
"Dad, you heard right. You're my only dad," Ye Yanxi felt her heart filled, and she felt at ease. "Dad, let's go out for dinner tonight."
She didn't want to go back to the Ye family villa because Ye Weiqi, who didn't like her, was there. Going there would only make the atmosphere more tense.
Ye Junze immediately agreed. "Sure, sure. Where do you want to eat? Tell Dad, and Dad will take you there."
"Okay," Ye Yanxi said cheerfully. "Then I want to have a luxurious meal. Dad, don't feel bad about the money later."
"No, no. Dad will do anything you want."
After getting off work, Xu Bei drove her to the front of a restaurant. To avoid being discovered by Ye Junze, Ye Yanxi asked Xu Bei to stop the car early, and she walked over.
Ye Junze had been waiting at the restaurant entrance for a long time. When he saw Ye Yanxi's figure, he immediately walked up to her excitedly.
Because of what had happened before, Ye Junze didn't know how to face Ye Yanxi, so he couldn't say a word after seeing her.
Ye Yanxi still playfully and affectionately hooked her arm through Ye Junze's as if nothing had happened. "Dad, why are you waiting at the entrance? Although the sun has set, the heat hasn't subsided yet. It's still very hot outside. It's the same if you go in and sit and wait."
Suddenly, Ye Junze's eyes turned red again. He choked slightly, with happy tears welling up in his eyes.
He didn't expect Ye Yanxi would still be willing to call him dad.
"Dad misses his daughter, so he's standing outside waiting. It's not hot at all right now, not hot at all," Ye Junze's kind eyes always stayed on Ye Yanxi's face.
"Okay, okay. Then let's go in quickly. I'm already feeling hot," Ye Yanxi also looked at Ye Junze happily.
"Okay," Ye Junze's eyes were full of doting as he affectionately held Ye Yanxi's arm. "Dad will do whatever you say."
Suddenly, it seemed that there was no estrangement between them. It was just like the old days of father - daughter time. However, now they cherished the time they spent together even more.
The restaurant was chosen by Ye Yanxi. When Ye Junze came in and saw the simple furnishings, he couldn't help but frown and immediately wanted to pull Ye Yanxi out.
"Dad promised to treat Xiaoxi to a luxurious meal. Let's change to another restaurant," he said and was about to drag Ye Yanxi out.
But Ye Yanxi just smiled. "Dad, let's just stay here. Their food tastes good."
In the end, Ye Junze couldn't resist Ye Yanxi's stubbornness and stayed.
During the process of ordering food, Ye Junze watched Ye Yanxi order with a smile on his face, as if they hadn't had a meal together like this for a long time.
While waiting for the food to be served, Ye Yanxi still talked to Ye Junze about many things in her company and work as usual, as well as the recent cooperation between her company and an Italian company. Ye Junze listened quietly.
Ye Junze specially ordered a plate of braised fish, Ye Yanxi's favorite. After the dish was served, he picked a big piece for her and carefully removed the thorns.
"Daughter has been working hard these days. Come and eat more fish to replenish your body."
Ye Yanxi also smiled and picked a chicken wing for Ye Junze. "Dad, you eat too."
"Sure, sure."
Just after taking a bite, Ye Junze felt a bit uneasy. He looked at Ye Yanxi hesitantly, as if thinking about something.
"Dad, what's wrong? Isn't it delicious?" Ye Yanxi also noticed his abnormality. But she had eaten at this restaurant before and thought the food was good.
"It's not that it's not delicious..." Ye Junze hesitated for a moment and finally asked, "Xiaoxi, you... and your mom..."
Ye Yanxi knew what Ye Junze wanted to ask, but she pretended not to hear and smiled as she picked another dish for him. "Dad, try this sparerib. It's also delicious."
Looking at the spareribs in his bowl, Ye Junze frowned and raised his voice a bit. "Xiaoxi."
Seeing Ye Junze staring directly at her, Ye Yanxi had to put down her chopsticks and sighed. "Dad, I've told you on the phone before. You're my only dad in this world."
"But, Pinzhen..." Realizing that his tone was too familiar, Ye Junze immediately changed his words. "Mrs. He is your biological mother. Don't you... recognize her?"
"I think things are just fine the way they are. There's no need to recognize my birth parents. I've gotten through sixteen years like this."
"But... Xiaoxi, after all, she is your birth mother. She must be very eager for you to go back now. You..."
"I've thought about all these things. I don't want to change my current life. Can't we just be the same as before? Having a dad who loves me is enough," Ye Yanxi showed a smile and deliberately pouted. "Dad, I find that you're not as good to me as before?"
"Nonsense. You're Dad's daughter. If I don't treat you well, who else should I treat well?" Ye Junze's eyes dimmed. "But, your mom..."
"Okay, Dad. Let's not talk about this. I came here specially to have dinner with you today. Don't talk about these unhappy things. You're my only dad, and there's no need to say anything else. Okay?" Ye Yanxi interrupted Ye Junze's words firmly.
Ye Yanxi was a stubborn girl. Once she made up her mind, it was hard to change it. Looking at Ye Yanxi happily picking food for him, Ye Junze sighed and finally said nothing.
"Come on, Dad. This is your favorite dish. We've been talking so much that the food is almost cold," Ye Yanxi smiled and picked some more food into Ye Junze's bowl.
"You..." Ye Junze looked at her dotingly but was also helpless.
After dinner, Ye Yanxi didn't let Ye Junze see her off. After watching Ye Junze leave, she called Xu Bei to pick her up.
Just as she got in the car, Ye Junze suddenly turned his car around and drove back. Then he saw her getting into a black Cayenne.
If he remembered correctly, that license plate number belonged to Xiao Yu's car.