"For her own good... Hah!"
Impatiently grabbing her bag and standing up, Ye Yuning swept her gaze over the affectionate tea-serving mother and daughter. "Since it's for my good, then thank you very much!"
The words "thank you" prevented Zheng Cai and Ye Tong from continuing their pretense, forcing them to swallow their performance back down.
She agreed?
Under their disbelieving gazes, Ye Yuning had already walked to the entrance and changed her shoes.
Ye Tong quickly tugged at Zheng Cai's clothes.
Zheng Cai reacted, hastening to call out to Ye Yuning's retreating figure, "Remember to come back tomorrow to try on your wedding dress."
Without responding, Ye Yuning left with a sardonic smile.
Seeing Ye Yuning just walk away, Ye Tong still couldn't believe it and looked at her mother in shock. "Mom, why did she suddenly agree? Ye Yuning was clearly very angry just now, yet she didn't make a scene? That doesn't seem like her usual temperament."
Zheng Cai had the same doubts as Ye Tong, but she wasn't thinking too much about that at the moment.
She snorted. "Dare she not agree? Without her status as the Ye Family's young lady, who else could she marry? Marrying the Qin Family's young master is already a step up for her."
"Let's not worry about these issues for now. The pressing matter is to take back everything she has; all of it belongs to you."
Thinking back on all the years of gatherings with those ladies, everyone would mention how outstanding Ye Yuning was. The various mockeries and insinuations that the Ye Family had climbed up only because of Ye Yuning had been a suffocating burden in her heart for so many years. Today, she finally felt some relief.
「After Ye Yuning left the house.」
She got directly into an imposing G-Wagon. Sitting in the car, her mind was filled with the shameless demands Zheng Cai had made earlier. Ye Tong snatching her things—she had grown accustomed to that. But this matter of marrying her off to the Qin Family... no matter how she thought about it, something felt off. In her memory, the Ye Family and the Qin Family had no connection whatsoever. Could it be that Zheng Cai had struck some deal with the Qin Family? If that was the case, she had to admit, Zheng Cai was truly calculating. The Qin Family, the second wealthiest family in Upper City... was Zheng Cai betting that she wouldn't dare to confront them head-on?
"Heh!"
Ye Yuning scoffed.
She then pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts, her gaze ultimately locking onto a number.
Scenes from last night flooded her mind. Ye Yuning hesitated for a moment, then firmly pressed the call button.
Since Zheng Cai was so ruthless, then let's just see whether in three days the Qin Family would make things difficult for her, Ye Yuning... or if they wouldn't let Zheng Cai off the hook.
The phone was picked up after only two rings. A man's deep voice came through, "Hello."
"I'm Ye Yuning. Last night at the hospital, you said you would take responsibility for me. Did you mean it?"
Nothing inappropriate had happened between them last night. Therefore, Ye Yuning hadn't taken the man's promise seriously at the time. She never expected she would need it so soon!
After she spoke, the line went silent for a moment, even carrying a trace of suppressed tension.
Unable to hear a response from the man on the line, Ye Yuning's breathing grew heavier, and her grip on the phone tightened.
Eventually, she was even trembling slightly as she asked, "Or... how about I take responsibility for you?"
Such straightforward and bold words! Anyone receiving such a call would be too stunned to react immediately.
Just as Ye Yuning was about to lose patience, the man on the other end finally spoke, "How do you want me to take responsibility?"
Ye Yuning replied, "Marriage! The kind where we register and get a certificate!"
The air went quiet again. But this time, listening to the man's tense breathing on the other end of the line, her palms uncontrollably began to sweat.
When the man on the other end fell silent again, Ye Yuning spoke with urgency, "Sorry, my request is a bit inappropriate, but right now—"
"Why don't we meet to discuss it in detail?" the man interrupted.
"When?" he then asked.
Ye Yuning's anxious words were cut off. His directness, in turn, stunned her. "Are you asking...?"
"When do we get the certificate!" he clarified.
Ye Yuning asked, "Is now okay?"
"Meet me at the Civil Affairs Bureau entrance in half an hour."
Hearing this, the anxiety that had gripped her heart instantly vanished. She closed her eyes, feeling the tension in her chest slowly ease.
Although it was improper, she knew exactly what she was doing.
After hanging up, she started the navigation, started the car, and headed straight for the city center.
Three kilometers from the Civil Affairs Bureau, she hit traffic. The navigation showed a gridlock that wouldn't clear up anytime soon.
"I've already arrived!"
A text message popped up from the number she had just called.
Ye Yuning thought for a moment, then turned off at a side road, parked her car in a nearby lot, scanned a shared yellow bike, and rode off.