"Stop!"
Several thugs turned to see a tall, handsome man standing at the mouth of the alley, holding a mobile phone.
Gu Yan looked up and saw Ye Qichen. She was surprised, but quickly lowered her head.
She was utterly humiliated to be seen by him in such a pathetic state.
"Kid, mind your own business!" the leader of the thugs warned menacingly.
Ye Qichen raised his phone, his face cold, and said, "The police will be here in about five minutes. If you don't want to get arrested, get lost!"
The thugs exchanged glances. One of them recognized Ye Qichen and whispered in the leader's ear, "He's the eldest young master of the Ye family."
The leader thought for a moment, spat in Gu Yan's direction, and cursed, "You're lucky this time. Don't let me see you again! Let's go."
With that, he led his men away.
Ye Qichen looked at Gu Yan, who had fallen to the ground, her clothes disheveled and her appearance disheveled. He took a step forward.
Gu Yan immediately turned her back, as if afraid he would try to help her up. She quickly scrambled to her feet, clutching herself and trembling from the cold.
She kept her head down, not wanting Gu Ze to see her face.
Ever since the Gu and Ye families had a falling out, the two families had cut off all contact and become enemies.
Ye Qichen must have helped her without recognizing her. She didn't want him to recognize her and give him a chance to laugh at her misfortune.
"Has the Gu family fallen to this extent?" Ye Qichen said coldly.
Gu Yan's eyes widened. So he had recognized her all along?!
He was deliberately here to mock her, wasn't he?!
At the thought, Gu Yan clenched her fists tightly and was about to retort when a gray cashmere coat was thrown over her.
She froze for a moment, then pulled the coat down. She saw the man's tall, slender back as he walked away gracefully into the night.
She stood there, stunned, the coat in her hands still retaining the warmth of the man and a faint scent of cologne.
Gu Yan looked at the coat in her hands, and an indescribable emotion welled up within her.
...
Ye Qichen arrived at the KTV private room where Yu He and the others were. He saw Teacher Zhang, with her pregnant belly, seeing off students one by one. Only then did he understand why Yu He had asked him to pick her up.
If Teacher Zhang hadn't required parents to pick them up, Yu He would have probably gone home on her own.
Knowing the truth, he felt like crying.
"Thank you, Teacher Zhang. You should get back and rest early too."
Ye Qichen picked up Yu He, bid farewell, and the three of them walked out.
The winter nights in Beishi were colder than the days. Their breath turned into mist, and ice shards accumulated along the flowerbeds by the roadside.
Yu He saw Ye Qichen walking ahead, wearing only a cashmere sweater and no coat, and asked, "Brother, why are you wearing so little?"
Seeing that his sister still cared about him, Ye Qichen's mood instantly improved.
"I was in a hurry and forgot my coat. It's not that cold, and the car has a heater."
He didn't mention meeting Gu Yan. When they reached the parking lot, he opened the rear door for them.
"You're clearly sacrificing warmth for style," Ye Zizheng quipped as he got into the car.
Ye Qichen rolled his eyes at him, started the car, and asked Yu He, "Back to Tian Yu or home?"
He knew Yu He lived in Tian Yu, in a house that Qin Beiting had vacated for her. Only she and Xiao Xiang Zhu lived there usually, and Qin Beiting would occasionally visit for check-ups.
If it weren't for the public perception of Qin Beiting as a man of integrity with no rumors of affairs with other women, Ye Qichen would have suspected that Qin Beiting's "operation" was to keep Yu He as his mistress.
The thought made him angry, but he was also worried that interfering too much in Yu He's affairs would make her resistant, so he had to respect her choices.
*Sigh*, his dear sister, whom he hadn't had a chance to dote on properly, had already caught the eye of that old man Qin Beiting.
Meanwhile.
At Tian Yu, in the study.
Qin Beiting had just finished a cross-border video conference when he suddenly sneezed. Chen Dong, who was beside him, immediately looked over.
"Brother Ting, do you have a cold? Should I find Ms. Yu?" Chen Dong asked.
Qin Beiting: "It's nothing, no need."
The little girl had gone to a gathering with her classmates; there was no need to disturb her.
However, at this hour, it was probably time to pick her up.
Just then, the screen of the mobile phone on the desk lit up, indicating a WeChat message.
He tapped it open and saw it was from Yu He.
[Not coming back tonight. Going back to the Ye family.]
"..." Qin Beiting was silent for a moment, then looked up at Chen Dong and said, "Yes."
Chen Dong: ???
He was stunned for a moment, "You want to find Ms. Yu?"
"Yes."
Chen Dong: "..."
Didn't he say it was nothing?
---
Gu Family.
The living room was brightly lit, and Gu Tianlei paced back and forth in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
News of Qin Meimei's arrest had spread through the business world via rumors. The Gu family's company had been disqualified from a bidding event, and two major clients who had been cooperating with them had suspended new product collaborations. The company's stock had been in the red for several days.
Gu Tianlei was extremely annoyed, chain-smoking cigars.
Just then, Gu Yan returned, wrapped in a cashmere coat that didn't fit her.
Seeing her disheveled state, with a bruised and swollen face, a servant rushed forward, concerned, "Oh my God, eldest young lady, how did you get like this? Do you want me to call a doctor?"
Gu Tianlei heard the commotion and immediately turned around, stepping forward to ask, "Yan'er, how did it go? Did Master Shao agree?"
Gu Yan looked at Gu Tianlei. His face was full of anxiety, but he seemed oblivious to her disheveled appearance. Even the servant showed concern for her, but her own father only cared about whether she had completed her task.
A chill ran through her heart.
"Speak! How did it go?" Gu Tianlei urged when she didn't respond.
Gu Yan shook her head. "No, I didn't even get to see Shao Chen. I was chased out by some thugs."
Hearing this, Gu Tianlei's brows furrowed, his expression displeased, and he blurted out in frustration:
"How can you be so useless! You can't even handle such a small matter. Your mother was right, you're a complete failure, a waste of my upbringing!"
Gu Yan froze. Even though the living room was well-heated, she felt a chill crawl up from her feet.
"Dad, in your eyes, am I really that worthless?" she asked, her eyes welling up.
Since childhood, Qin Meimei had always favored Gu Ze. Even the piano, which she loved, was only for Gu Ze's fleeting interest. Qin Meimei immediately hired a famous British pianist as a private tutor for him, and only then did she have the opportunity to practice. But because her talent was inferior to Gu Ze's, Qin Meimei made her give up piano and study accounting, which she disliked.
After studying accounting, Qin Meimei still felt that she was not as competent as others. Although she gave her the position of Chief Financial Officer in the company, she had to personally oversee every matter.
At first, she thought Qin Meimei was doing it for her own good, but as she was constantly criticized, she realized that Qin Meimei was prejudiced against her and felt she was not as perfect as Gu Ze.
She had comforted herself that her mother was a bit harsh, but her father loved her. Yet, she had forgotten that her father listened to everything her mother said.
At this moment, she realized that in the Gu family, she was just an unwelcome joke. Even the Ye family, whom they had offended, had pity on her and gave her a coat, while her father's eyes were only focused on her mother's affairs.
"No, you're overthinking it." Gu Tianlei finally realized that he had spoken out of turn due to his own frustration.
As if just noticing Gu Yan's injuries, he said, "Go to your room and tidy yourself up. Call a doctor to treat Miss."
The latter part was directed at the servant.
Gu Yan clutched the coat draped over her, her heart growing colder. She turned and went upstairs.