CHAPTER 504: 485: RETURN (SECOND UPDATE)

If it weren’t for the table between them, Si Daochen would have wanted to tightly hold Ye Qian’s hands at this very moment and tell her that she was not wrong.

No one knew how much hatred and anger he felt in his heart when he heard about the Liu Family’s incident. Since childhood, in his impression, Ye Qian was so kind, so he had always been worried about how Ye Qian would be. The past few days, she was restless, often sitting here alone, ordering a few dishes and waiting, hoping Ye Qian would come. Indeed, heaven seemed to have heard his prayers, as Ye Qian came. True to his expectations, she was still so kind; even though she was the one hurt, she was worried about others.

"I know you comfort me like this because you treat me as a friend, but I’ve thought a lot these past few days. Back then, everyone had already lost face, yet I dragged Jiang Yan into it. She was exposed in front of everyone, leaving her with nowhere to go. I thought about it afterward and felt really terrible; I’ve always been regretting it and feared facing my colleagues for fear of facing their gaze." Ye Qian said in a low voice, "Do you think I’m a terrible woman? Why did I do this? Since the affection is gone, we should part ways amicably. Let them be together, after all, one is my friend, and the other is my husband."

"Ye Qian, you shouldn’t be so kind. Exactly because they’re your good friend and your husband, their betrayal deserves punishment and blame, not you." Si Daochen didn’t know how to express his anger and worry inside, "You are a good woman; he doesn’t know how to cherish you. If... if it were me, I would hold you in the palm of my hand and never let you get hurt. Don’t be sad; if he’s not there, someone better will cherish you, treat you as the most precious thing." He expressed his inner thoughts passionately, his face flushed, and quickly explained, "Don’t overthink; I didn’t mean anything else. I just want to tell you that you’re great."

Ye Qian looked up, smiling at him, "You don’t have to explain, I’m not overthinking. I know you treat me as a good friend. Thank you for seeing me so well. Honestly, hearing your comforting words makes me feel much better. I’ve been blaming myself these past few days. It’s been hard on my heart—I couldn’t eat or sleep. Hearing your words today, I’ve been comforted a lot. Perhaps no one else would understand me, but you definitely will."

Si Daochen looked at her with shining eyes, "Don’t worry, no matter what others say or think about you, in my eyes, you’ll always be the best."

Ye Qian blushed under his gaze and looked down shyly, "I see the dishes haven’t been touched, and you haven’t eaten, right? We ordered them, and we shouldn’t waste them. Let’s call for two bottles of wine, and we’ll have a drink together!"

Though it wasn’t completely dark yet, the restaurant was almost empty. The owner was sitting there, half-asleep, not paying attention to what the two were saying. Si Daochen quickly nodded and called the owner to bring two bottles of beer, and the two sat there drinking and talking, just like usual.

They sat there, chatting about everything under the sun, occasionally laughing out loud, but no one noticed a figure standing silently outside the hotel, watching the scene with a face of dissatisfaction, jealousy, and anger flashing before it settled into calm as they turned and slowly walked away.

After the Liu Family incident broke out, the Liu parents, who remained silent regardless of their son, hurried back. This situation was beyond their ability to salvage; Liu Zhiyuan resigned and spent all day holed up at home.

Mr. Liu’s hair turned completely white overnight, and he looked a few years older. When he went to the company, he lacked the glory of the past, and although everyone said nothing on the surface, he felt embarrassed and progressively became more silent.

Mrs. Liu stayed at home daily with her son, fearing he might act rashly in despair. With only one son, she couldn’t bear to let go.

As for the Jiang Family, Jiang Yan seemed unaffected because her actions quickly led to company discipline. She left without leaving any word at home, causing Ding Jie to cry several times and fall seriously ill. Only after recovering did she start gathering information about her daughter.

After all this turmoil, nearly a month had passed. Ye Qian gradually returned to normal at the company. Though she didn’t fuss over it, she knew that others were secretly gossiping about it.

Regarding Ye Ling, because her mother cried out at the courtyard entrance, the incident reached her mother-in-law Ye Zhenfen’s ears. Ye Zhenfen abandoned her vacation and rushed back, staying constantly beside her daughter-in-law for fear of Bai Xue’s ruckus.

During this time, besides the Liu Family incident, there was also Bai Lianhua’s. Since Bai Lianhua’s job was arranged by the Li Family, Ye Zhenfen asked Ye Ling if she wanted to transfer Bai Lianhua to another job unit after the matter spread in the department, but Ye Ling refused. After all, they were only cousins, and with Bai Lianhua’s nature, no matter how good you are to her, she won’t genuinely appreciate you and will occasionally blame you for not treating her well. She doesn’t know gratitude, so Ye Ling didn’t plan to help her.

On the Shen Family’s side, it was quite peaceful. Gao Xique got married, but Ye Ling didn’t attend. Only Shen Bin went over, made a brief appearance, and left the gift money before departing. The Shen Family did not make any issue of this, nor did the Lin Family. However, three days later, when Lin Tao and Gao Xique came over with gifts to visit the courtyard, Ye Ling did not stop them but invited them in for a few polite words before bidding them farewell. Lin Tao, even if foolish, realized the Li Family was not so enthusiastic towards Gao Xique and asked her about it afterward, but Gao Xique easily convinced him with a few words.

Days passed one by one, without any major events aside from the Liu Family incident and Liu Zhiyuan’s case. A month later, Liu Rui returned suddenly without notifying the family.