Ms. Chen didn't stand on ceremony any longer and got into the car.
When the car door closed, no one noticed a tear rolling down the cheek of Chen Chunyao, who was sleeping with her head tilted.
The limousine soon drove away.
Xu Tingyu also planned to take a taxi to leave.
"Brother, it's too late today. Are you free tomorrow? How about having a meal together?"
It wasn't the right time to talk now, and she also wanted to go back earlier.
Qi Ye leaned over, his gaze on the same level as hers.
"It's really a bit late, so you come back with me. We'll talk about tomorrow's business tomorrow."
He was a bit too close, and the faint scent of his perfume wafted over, as gentle as he was.
Xu Tingyu wasn't used to such closeness, but if she backed away, it would seem too deliberate.
So she just smiled slightly. "Brother, do you know where I live?"
The man seemed to pause for a moment, then quickly straightened up, his tone unchanged.
"I went back to the old house this afternoon. Mom complained to me a lot."
What he meant was that Liu Ning had told him everything about her three months back, including the fact that she was currently staying at the Qi's Hotel.
She was a bit surprised, and the smile on her face faded a bit. "Ms. Liu is so concerned about me. Should I be flattered?"
There was a bit of sharpness in her words.
But Qi Ye was still as gentle as ever. "Tingyu, I'll always be on your side."
Such a gentle word made Xu Tingyu feel extremely ashamed.
Right, the conflict between her and Liu Ning, even if it involved Qi Shifeng, shouldn't drag Qi Ye into it.
She smiled again, looking a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, brother. I couldn't help it."
Qi Ye didn't mind. He just asked her to wait for him.
He turned around and said something to his friends. Then his friends left first.
"Let's go. I also live there. Let's go together."
Xu Tingyu had no reason to refuse.
After getting in the car, Qi Ye asked her, "How's your relationship with Youyou?"
"Youyou is very well - behaved and sensible. She likes me very much."
When Xu Tingyu talked about Youyou, the tenderness on her face was always unhidden.
Qi Ye's expression was hidden in the darkness, making it hard to see.
Only his voice was still gentle. "Then have you brought up the matter of custody?"
Everyone knew that she came back this time for the custody of the child.
"I've given it up. At this stage, he is more suitable than me to raise Youyou."
Qi Ye was also from the Qi family, so there was no need to hide it from him.
But as soon as she finished speaking, she clearly felt the atmosphere in the car become a bit oppressive.
Qi Ye seemed a bit angry, but she couldn't see his expression clearly.
"Did he force you? Tingyu, you're now a successful career - woman and the child's biological mother. As long as you want, I can help you."
"Why don't you take the child abroad then, never come back, and never have anything to do with the Qi family again? Isn't that good?"
Xu Tingyu was a bit surprised that he would say such a thing.
Before this, although he also cared about Youyou's matters, he had never supported her in coming back to fight for custody like this.
Even when she decided to come back for a concert tour, he had worriedly asked her what if she met Qi Shifeng when she came back.
At that time, she had also generously said that she came back to see Youyou, so it was inevitable to meet Qi Shifeng.
Since she dared to come back, she wouldn't avoid it anymore.
Later, Qi Ye didn't say much. He just said that if she needed his help, just ask.
Unexpectedly, now that she had given up the custody, he would object so much.
Qi Ye seemed to realize that he had overreacted. He quickly softened his tone and added an explanation.
"What I mean is, if you don't want the custody but can't let go of the child, you'll have more contacts with the Qi family. I'm afraid you'll get hurt."
Xu Tingyu smiled slightly and comforted him instead. "It's okay. I'm not afraid anymore."
As he said, she wasn't the helpless person she used to be.
She already had enough ability to handle all of this.
Moreover, she had been back for three months, and Qi Shifeng hadn't let the Qi family affect her either.
Hearing her say this, Qi Ye was silent for a long time. Just as they were about to reach the hotel, he suddenly spoke again.
His tone was a bit tired.
"Since this is your final choice, I can only respect you."
It was the first time he had spoken to her in such a tone.
A strange feeling welled up in Xu Tingyu's heart, but before she could say anything, her phone rang.
It was a call from Qi Shifeng.
She answered it in front of Qi Ye and said concisely, "I'm already on my way back."
After saying that, regardless of what the other side said, she quickly hung up the phone.
From the moment she answered the phone, Qi Ye had turned his head and looked out of the window. He didn't turn back even after she hung up the phone.
Although he didn't look at her, he said faintly, "He also lives in the hotel?"
Xu Tingyu didn't know how to explain the whole thing, so she simply replied, "Yes."
Qi Ye didn't ask further, and the two fell into silence.
When they arrived at the hotel, Xu Tingyu saw Qi Shifeng standing at the door from afar.
Obviously, he was there waiting for her.
She smiled slightly and said to Qi Ye, "Brother, it's so late anyway. How about having a drink together?"
Qi Ye had already returned to normal and refused with a smile. "I don't think so. Otherwise, Shifeng will be unhappy again."
As they were talking, they got out of the car together.
Sure enough, Qi Shifeng was still smiling when he saw Xu Tingyu, but the moment he saw Qi Ye, his face immediately changed.
He strode forward, walked to Xu Tingyu's side, and took her hand a bit forcefully. "When did you come back, brother?"
"To be exact, I took a flight yesterday afternoon. I went home and then ran into Tingyu at the bar."
Qi Ye explained with a smile.
Qi Shifeng didn't show whether he believed it or not. He just said expressionlessly, "Okay. We'll talk about things tomorrow."
Saying that, he pulled Xu Tingyu and was about to go back.
Xu Tingyu didn't resist being pulled by him. She just turned her head and waved to Qi Ye as a farewell.
Back in the room, Xu Tingyu was full of the smell of alcohol from the bar. Afraid of waking Youyou up, she went to the guest bedroom to take a shower.
When she came out, she saw Qi Shifeng sitting on the edge of the bed. He didn't turn on the main light. Under the bedside lamp, he was lowering his head, and she didn't know what he was thinking.
She walked towards him while wiping her hair. "Why don't you turn on the light?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she was pulled into Qi Shifeng's arms, and the two of them fell onto the soft quilt together.
"Tingyu, I'm the one you like the most, right?"
His warm lips were right beside her earlobe. The breath from his words tickled her ear.
She couldn't help but dodge a bit, which was noticed by the man. He hugged her even tighter, and his hand grasped her waist and refused to let go.
"You're so sensitive now. You're like a lonely woman in the boudoir."
If it had been Qi Shifeng in the past, he would have rushed into her bathroom long ago and questioned her why she came back with Qi Ye.
Instead of sitting here alone, waiting for her to come out, and only daring to ask such a question.
And what he asked was whether he was the one she liked the most, not the only one she liked.