Yang Jinkuan's gaze was tightly locked onto the figure in the photograph. When Lin Xujia entered, she saw him staring blankly at the desk. She didn't know when it started, but she could always see him like this now.
His eyes lacked focus, a dull stare fixed on some spot, as if lost in memories—and those memories must have been beautiful, because every time Yang Jinkuan was like this, a faint smile would appear at the corner of his mouth.
Lin Xujia remembered the first time she had stumbled upon this, Yang Jinkuan had scolded her. After that, she became especially cautious.
Yang Jinkuan snapped back to reality, casting a cold glance at Lin Xujia, who had suddenly appeared in the study. He asked expressionlessly, "Didn't I say you're not allowed to be here without my orders?"
"I saw you weren't in a good mood, so..."
Hearing this, Yang Jinkuan abruptly stood up, sneering as he looked at Lin Xujia. "Are you concerned about me?"
Lin Xujia neither nodded nor shook her head. She only knew that whatever she said now would be wrong. Yang Jinkuan was extremely suspicious, and she was well aware that she was someone sent by Ye Yunchen—in Yang Jinkuan's eyes, nothing more than a plaything.
"Not talking? Or did Ye Yunchen send you to probe me?"
"No, I just simply wanted to..."
"Simply care about me? You'd better drop those little schemes of yours right now." Yang Jinkuan coldly scolded, then without even looking at Lin Xujia, he ordered, "Get out. Remember, next time, don't come in without my orders."
Lin Xujia stood at the door, head lowered. At that moment, her heart was calm. She seemed to have long grown accustomed to Yang Jinkuan's unpredictable moods. Only after she no longer heard his voice did she slowly retreat outside the study.
Closing the door, she stood there dazedly, recalling the phone call Ye Yunchen had made to her. His first words weren't asking how she was doing, but directly telling her to gather information.
Thinking about it, a bitter smile spread across her face. She felt weary, yet unable to extricate herself.
Catching a glimpse of someone rushing back with a hurried expression, heading straight for the study, she quickly turned and hid in a nearby corner. Only after hearing the door close did she slowly emerge, approach the study, and press her ear against the door.
"Boss, Xia Minghui's people have already left Yuzhou."
"That old fox Xia Minghui, daring to set his sights on me. If he wants to use me, he'd better see if he has the ability." Yang Jinkuan narrowed his eyes, gesturing with his hand. "Spread this news discreetly."
"Yes, sir. And Yuzhou?"
"Don't make any moves for now."
With the door in between, even pressing her ear tightly against it, Lin Xujia couldn't hear the conversation inside clearly. Frowning, she had to stay alert for any servants or bodyguards who might suddenly appear, while straining to catch the words.
The door creaked open. Fortunately, Lin Xujia was prepared and hid first, undetected. After the person left and went downstairs, she tiptoed out, glanced at the study, and then returned to her room.
Her room wasn't on the same floor as Yang Jinkuan's. He was on the third floor, while she was on the second. In Yang Jinkuan's words, she wasn't qualified to stay on the third floor.
The third floor was Yang Jinkuan's forbidden zone. Even the servants had to inform him and get his permission before going up.
Lin Xujia had thought about exploring it. The most vivid memory she had was the last time she accidentally went up to the third floor and was caught by Yang Jinkuan. Without a word, he dragged her straight to the inner chamber of his room.
That was her first time entering that inner chamber, and also her first profound experience of Yang Jinkuan's perversion and cruelty. The bloody lesson made her unable to easily forget the pain she had endured.
In her room, Lin Xujia carefully recalled what she had just heard. She hadn't expected Xia Yan to become such a hot commodity in everyone's competition.
Pausing, knowing that Ye Yunchen still cared deeply about Xia Yan, a meaningful smile curled at the corners of Lin Xujia's mouth. She took out her phone, composed a text message, and sent it to Ye Yunchen's phone.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunchen, who was handling matters, immediately opened the message the moment he received it without a second thought. Xia Yan was in Yuzhou. He pressed the intercom, and when his secretary entered, he directly assigned the tasks for the next few days.
"I'll be on a business trip for a few days. If anyone looks for me during this time, don't see them."
"Mr. Ye, you're going on a business trip?"
"Just remember what I said. No matter who comes, I won't see them."
"What about President Xia? And when will you be back from this trip?"
"I'll explain things to President Xia," Ye Yunchen said, looking down at the open document, signing his name at the bottom, then closing it and handing it to the secretary. "I'll be back within three days."
"Alright."
"Give this document to the project department. I want results in a week." Ye Yunchen lifted his eyes slightly to glance at the person still standing by the desk. "Anything else?"
"Oh, no, nothing."
"Then why aren't you leaving?"
Hearing this, the secretary's face flushed, and she hurriedly lowered her head and walked out. At the door, not paying attention, she bumped into Xia Siyue, who was coming to see Ye Yunchen.
Xia Siyue's face darkened. She looked down at the spot where she was hit, glaring at the secretary. "How do you do your job? Didn't you see me coming? How dare you bump into me? Do you not want to work here anymore?"
"S-sorry..." The secretary stammered out the words, her cheeks reddening. During breaks at the company, she had heard plenty about Xia Siyue—everyone knew she had a bad temper and it was best to steer clear of her.
"Sorry? You want to say sorry? I suggest you keep your eyes wide open. Doing things so carelessly—if you can't handle the job, get out of the company now. What a nuisance." Xia Siyue looked up, sneering at the secretary who kept her head down. The more she looked, the angrier she got.
"Get lost, now?" Xia Siyue snapped when she saw no reaction.
Hearing this, the secretary didn't dare linger. She kept her head down and fled the scene as fast as she could, afraid Xia Siyue might change her mind and cause more trouble.
Outside the general manager's office, there was a transparent glass panel. Standing close, one could vaguely see their reflection. Xia Siyue was right next to the glass. She raised her hand, smiled as she looked at her slender fingers, then brushed a few strands of messy hair from her forehead.
The bump had nearly ruined her hairstyle. Xia Siyue glanced at her reflection in the glass again, pursed her lips into a graceful curve, straightened her clothes, and pushed open the door to Ye Yunchen's office with her head held high.
"Brother Ye, am I interrupting your work by coming to see you suddenly?"
"Why are you here?" Ye Yunchen looked at the uninvited woman, his expression not pleasant.
"I don't have classes at school today, and I couldn't find anyone to eat with. I originally came to the company to find my dad, but I found out he wasn't here. So I thought I'd come to you. How about it? Want to grab a meal together?"
"I'm very busy right now. No time."
"Brother Ye, don't be so cold. I came all the way to the company. You can't send me away empty-handed. At least have a meal with me." Xia Siyue pouted, her tone carrying a hint of撒娇. In her experience, every man she set her sights on fell for this.
Ye Yunchen frowned, silently pondering what Xia Siyue was up to, and also what Xia Minghui was planning.
"Brother Ye, come on, come on. You helped me last time, so I should treat you to a meal anyway. Why not today?"
"Alright, then sit on the sofa over there and wait for me. I'll finish up here, and then we can go." Ye Yunchen no longer refused but accepted willingly. If she wanted to play games with him, he didn't mind playing along.
Xia Siyue happily obeyed, staying nearby and rarely speaking. Fortunately, Ye Yunchen had little work left. But now that he had to eat with Xia Siyue, his trip to Yuzhou would be delayed by a few hours.
With that thought, Ye Yunchen finished his tasks, picked up his phone and jacket, and walked over to Xia Siyue. Seeing her drowsy look, a strange smile appeared on his face.
"Miss Xia?"
Xia Siyue jolted awake, rubbing her eyes. "Brother Ye, are you done?"
"Yes, we can go eat now."
"Let's go then."
Xia Siyue chose her favorite restaurant, which was a bit far from the company, but since Ye Yunchen was driving, it didn't matter. When Ye Yunchen sat in the driver's seat, she directly got into the passenger seat.
Based on the driving route, it would take about twenty minutes to get from the company to the restaurant Xia Siyue mentioned. The route would pass by the apartment complex where Xia Yan lived.
During the meal, Xia Siyue clearly noticed Ye Yunchen's distraction. When she asked, she got a cold response, so she dropped it. Annoyed inside, she still forced a smile.
If she hadn't overheard Xia Minghui planning to break up Xia Yan and Lu Zhengting to marry Xia Yan off to Ye Yunchen, she might have remained indifferent. But since she knew, how could she let that happen?
Taking away everything around Xia Yan was something she found endlessly entertaining.
"Brother Ye, is the food here not good? I noticed you've barely touched your chopsticks."
"Maybe I'm not very hungry."
"Really? If you really don't like it, don't force yourself. I can take you somewhere else."
"No need to go through the trouble. After you finish eating, I'll take you home first."
"You don't need to take me home. How about we go..."
"No need. There's still work waiting for me at the company."
"Brother... Brother Ye, alright, whatever you say." Ye Yunchen's name almost slipped out of her mouth, but she caught herself in time, still smiling at him.
Ye Yunchen drove the reluctant Xia Siyue back to the Xia family villa, then immediately went home, packed a few things, and got on the highway heading toward Yuzhou.
As for Xia Siyue, when she returned home, she saw Old Madam Xia sitting sternly on the sofa, glaring at her with anger, though she didn't know why.