"Let's get a divorce!"
These words exploded like a thunderclap in He Zhenhua's ears, echoing over and over again. For a moment, he almost thought he'd gone deaf.
It took He Zhenhua quite a while to come to his senses. In a panic, he grabbed Jiang Pinzhen's wrist. "Pinzhen, I know I've made mistakes. I was such a jerk before. You can beat me and scold me, but... please don't mention divorce, okay?"
Jiang Pinzhen had thought this through before making this proposal. It had taken her a long time to muster the courage to say it. After saying it, she felt a lot lighter.
Looking at He Zhenhua with a determined look in her eyes, she said, "Zhenhua, you've always taken good care of me and loved me since we got married. I've always remembered that. But... I just can't be with you anymore. Do you understand?"
After a moment's hesitation, Jiang Pinzhen continued, "If you really care about me, please let me go. I can't live with someone who has lied to me."
Jiang Pinzhen had heard about this from Jiang Ye. By chance, she'd overheard Jiang Ye talking to Mrs. Jiang and learned the truth about what had happened sixteen years ago. At first, she didn't believe it. Only after asking Jiang Ye did she confirm that He Zhenhua had planned it all along when he'd brought He Man back. She'd been kept in the dark all these years.
After learning that He Man wasn't her biological daughter, she'd always felt remorseful for not recognizing Ye Yanxi back then and being deceived by He Zhenhua. It turned out that it had all been He Zhenhua's plan. He didn't trust her. How could she accept that?
Now, the best outcome for them was to let each other go. If she continued to live with He Zhenhua, she would always be reminded of the past. How could she keep deceiving herself?
After thinking about it for a long time, she felt it was time to make a choice.
He Zhenhua felt a dull pain in his heart.
"Pinzhen, I'm sorry. I know I'm unforgivable. But... could you please not divorce me? I love you. You've always been the one I've loved all these years. Without you, I'd have nothing." Gone was his calm demeanor. At this moment, He Zhenhua was like a child who had done something wrong, pleading pitifully for Jiang Pinzhen's forgiveness.
Jiang Pinzhen looked away, unable to bear it. She was afraid that if she looked at He Zhenhua any longer, she would soften her heart.
But now that she'd said it, she couldn't change her mind.
So Jiang Pinzhen decided to leave. Before standing up and leaving, she left a message, "I've made up my mind and won't change it easily. Give up. I'll have the divorce agreement sent to your office tomorrow. You don't have to worry. I won't take anything from the He family."
"Pinzhen, don't go..." He Zhenhua's voice was mournful, but he could only watch helplessly as Jiang Pinzhen left.
No matter how he called her, Jiang Pinzhen walked out resolutely, without looking back or even pausing. Watching her figure disappear outside the door, He Zhenhua slumped into his chair, staring blankly at the teapot on the table.
He'd known this would be the result. A proud person like Jiang Pinzhen wouldn't stay with him if she knew the truth.
Now... he'd lost everything. Who could he blame?
Xiao Group.
The cooperation plan with the Italian company had been finalized, and it was time to officially start the project. The Italian clients needed to go to the site for on - the - spot investigation, so Ye Yanxi would naturally go with them.
So on Monday morning, Ye Yanxi received a notice. After finishing her current work, she went to the construction site with them. The site was far from the city center, so they wouldn't come back for lunch.
When they arrived at the site, accompanied by the Italian clients, the company manager, and the on - site supervisor, they roughly inspected the basic equipment and the blueprint for the completed project. The Italian clients nodded in satisfaction as they listened to Ye Yanxi's translation.
After a morning of on - site investigation, everyone was tired and hungry. Under the scorching sun of over thirty degrees Celsius, they were almost dehydrated. So Xiao Yu led everyone to a nearby hotel for lunch and a short rest.
Coincidentally, the nearby hotel belonged to the Chu Group.
After entering the private room, everyone took their seats one by one. Suddenly, someone outside the room laughed and pushed the door open. "I just heard that Xiao Yu was here, so I came to take a look. I heard you were working here early on. I was wondering if you'd come to this hotel."
The person who came was Mrs. Chu, Xiao Shuran, Xiao Yu's elder sister.
Xiao Yu looked up at the door. Seeing Xiao Shuran smiling at him, he frowned slightly.
"What are you doing here?"
Xiao Shuran smiled kindly. "You're my younger brother. Why can't I come and take a look? And since you're entertaining guests, as your elder sister, I should play the host."
"Okay, you've seen me. You can go now."
"Is that how you talk to your elder sister?" Xiao Shuran's face darkened. Ignoring him, she turned to the others in the private room and said, "Hello, everyone. I'm General Manager Xiao's elder sister. This hotel belongs to my husband. Please feel free to enjoy your meal. If there's anything we've done wrong, please let us know."
Everyone thanked her one by one.
Xiao Shuran looked delighted. Suddenly, her gaze stopped on a familiar face after scanning the room. Her eyes turned cold.
Ye Yanxi? Why was she here?
The moment she saw Ye Yanxi, Xiao Shuran's expression changed drastically. But she quickly regained her composure. In front of everyone, she couldn't say anything, so she left.
Ye Yanxi, sitting in the corner, was also restless. She never thought she'd run into Xiao Shuran here. No wonder her eyelids had been twitching all morning. She'd thought something bad was going to happen, and now it had come true.
Running into Xiao Shuran. It seemed that they were really destined to be enemies.
Soon, the hungry people weren't affected by Xiao Shuran's arrival. They all picked up the menu and ordered food.
After waiting in the private room for a while, the waiters served the dishes one by one. When the door was pushed open for the second time, a waiter put down a dish, bent down beside Ye Yanxi, and whispered in her ear, "Miss Ye, someone wants to see you. Please come out."
Ye Yanxi's heart skipped a beat. She guessed that Xiao Shuran couldn't hold back any longer.
What was coming couldn't be avoided.
Following the waiter out, the waiter led her to a quiet stairwell. As soon as she reached the door, Ye Yanxi saw Xiao Shuran waiting for her in the stairwell.
Seeing Xiao Shuran, Ye Yanxi was still polite. "Good day, Mrs. Chu."
"Why are you still working in the Xiao Group? What's your purpose?" Xiao Shuran asked accusingly.
Ye Yanxi smiled. "Mrs. Chu, do you have to interfere with what job I do?"
"The Xiao Group is our family's company. You've already broken up with Beize. It's not right for you to still stay there, is it? Or... do you think that by staying in our family's company, you can rekindle your relationship with Beize?" Xiao Shuran asked coldly, without any politeness.
Ye Yanxi thought she was overthinking and being ridiculous. She couldn't help but feel a bit amused. "Don't worry, Mrs. Chu. I'm just working part - time in the Xiao Group. I'll leave after the summer vacation. There's only half a month left."
"No, I won't allow you to stay until then. You must leave the company tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll call the HR department of the Xiao Group myself and have them fire you!" Xiao Shuran immediately got excited.
Ye Yanxi believed that she always kept her word. A narrow - minded person like her wouldn't let her go easily.
"Mrs. Chu, I've said that I'll resign naturally after I start school. There's only half a month left. Why do you have to make things difficult for me?" The most important thing was that Ye Yanxi really enjoyed working in the Xiao Group. She didn't want to resign.
Xiao Shuran sneered. Her vermilion nails tapped on the stair railing one by one. "Don't think you can fool me. I know what you're up to. Our Beize is already married. Give up. I won't let you have a chance to get close to him."
After saying that, Xiao Shuran gave her a cold look, with undisguised disgust in her eyes. "So, I'm asking you, no matter what, you must resign from the company voluntarily tomorrow. Otherwise, don't blame me for kicking you out myself."
Just as Xiao Shuran finished speaking, the door of the stairwell, which had been closed, was suddenly pushed open.
"I was wondering where you'd gone. The clients are waiting for you. Why did you come here?" Xiao Yu's tall figure appeared at the door. His gaze swept over the two of them and then landed on Xiao Shuran. "Mrs. Chu, may I ask what you're doing with my employee here?"
Hearing his cold and distant tone, Xiao Shuran frowned unhappily. "Xiao Yu, this employee of yours has a bad character. Since you're here, I'd like to let you know. It's better to fire such an employee as soon as possible."
"Oh? You say my employee has a bad character. I wonder what she's done to offend you?" His voice was deep and cold, without a trace of warmth.
"She's rude to her elders and lacks respect. She has no upbringing at all." Xiao Shuran glanced at Ye Yanxi coldly. "Moreover... she's an orphan with no parents."
Maybe Xiao Shuran also felt that her words were too harsh, so she swallowed the word "bastard" that had almost slipped out and replaced it with "orphan".
"I think you have a prejudice against her, Mrs. Chu. As far as I know, Yanxi is the opposite of what you said. She respects the elders and loves the young, and her work ability is always excellent. If she shows disrespect to some people, it's only because..." Xiao Yu paused and then said coldly, "Those people were unfriendly to her first."
Originally, Xiao Shuran was sure that as her younger brother, Xiao Yu would listen to her. And Ye Yanxi was just a small employee. It would be easy to fire her with just a few words. But now, it seemed that she'd thought too simply.
Every word Xiao Yu said was defending Ye Yanxi, and he seemed to be hostile towards her.
Hearing this, Xiao Shuran opened her mouth and stammered for a long time, "Xiao Yu, what do you mean? Do you think I don't deserve her respect?"
Xiao Yu remained calm and said indifferently, "I'm just stating the facts. If you insist on thinking so, I have nothing to say. Or..."
After a pause, Xiao Yu continued coldly, "Is the only reason you want to fire my employee that she's disrespectful to you? Or is there another reason?"
Xiao Shuran knew that this reason wasn't convincing, and she didn't intend to hide it anymore.
Almost instantly, she showed her true colors. She glared at Ye Yanxi viciously and gritted her teeth. "It's her, this vixen. She seduced our Beize and made him obsessed with her."
As if that wasn't enough, Xiao Shuran scolded harshly, "Even after our Beize broke up with her, she still deliberately clung to him. Her purpose of working in the Xiao Group is also malicious. She still wants to find a chance to get close to Beize."
After listening to Xiao Shuran's accusation, Xiao Yu looked at her expressionlessly. "I think you're overthinking, Mrs. Chu. Why would Yanxi still try to get close to Chu Beize?"
Xiao Shuran was a bit suspicious. She always felt that Xiao Yu was being evasive. Was it appropriate to be so affectionate when referring to an employee? And every word showed that he was protecting Ye Yanxi.
"Xiao Yu, how do you know she won't go to find Beize? Do you really know what kind of person she is?"
"Of course I do!" At this moment, Xiao Yu suddenly took long strides towards Ye Yanxi. After getting closer, he pulled Ye Yanxi into his arms forcefully. "Now, she is my woman."