Zhang Wan wasn't overly nervous when Xu Tingyu was holding the broken porcelain shard against her.
But now, seeing the shard pressed against her own neck, she started to feel nervous.
"Miss Xu, let's talk this out. Don't do this," she said, her voice, which had been calm just now, now tinged with a hint of fear.
Xu Tingyu didn't know why Zhang Wan was so nervous and didn't bother to think about it. She simply repeated, "I want to see him."
Zhang Wan saw a faint red mark on Xu Tingyu's beautiful swan - like neck. A flash of fear crossed her eyes.
"Okay, I'll call right away. Miss Xu, please don't hurt yourself. I'll leave now."
As she spoke, Zhang Wan backed out of the room.
The scene was a bit comical.
Strictly speaking, Zhang Wan was the "dominant" kidnapper, while Xu Tingyu was the abducted victim at a disadvantage.
Xu Tingyu should have been the one being threatened.
But now, it was Zhang Wan who was being threatened.
After Zhang Wan completely left the room, Xu Tingyu sat back down on the edge of the bed.
She didn't know what they had injected into her, but after sleeping for so long, she had very little strength when she woke up.
More importantly, the shock of finding out that Qi Ye was the mastermind behind all this wasn't as mild as it seemed on the surface.
Just now, in the tense atmosphere, she didn't show it.
Now that the room fell back into silence, she was so angry that her whole body trembled, and her breathing became heavy.
Qi Ye, the man she had called "big brother" for so many years, had kidnapped her son!
The last time they met, he had even said that he liked Youyou and wanted to take him to the UK.
Was this his idea of "liking"?
The more she thought about it, the angrier and more pained she became.
Soon, some people came back in. They were all wearing masks and quickly cleaned up the mess in the room.
Zhang Wan soon reappeared. This time, she didn't wear a mask.
She was a very beautiful young woman, with a look of efficiency in her eyes. Seeing the untouched food, she frowned slightly.
"Miss Xu, the boss is on his way here. Please eat something. It'll make it easier for me to explain."
"Moreover, if you don't eat for a long time, you'll lose your strength, which is not good for you."
She seemed to be trying to persuade Xu Tingyu reasonably and emotionally.
But Xu Tingyu remained unmoved.
She sat on the edge of the bed, watching the people clean up, as if she hadn't heard Zhang Wan's words.
Zhang Wan wasn't discouraged. She said again, "Is the food not to your taste? Then tell me what you want to eat, and I'll have someone prepare it right away."
Xu Tingyu still didn't say a word.
She wouldn't eat anything or waste her energy arguing with others until she saw Qi Ye.
Zhang Wan gradually became a bit irritated and left the room again.
It was no wonder she was so restless. Yesterday, on the video call, Qi Ye had noticed the rope marks on Xu Tingyu's wrist and had flown into a rage.
As the main person in charge of the whole process, Zhang Wan had received "punishment". She had been whipped ten times on her back and couldn't lie down to sleep all night.
Even now, it still hurt when she walked.
If Xu Tingyu got herself injured or something else unexpected happened, Zhang Wan was worried about her own life.
Thankfully, Xu Tingyu was just on a hunger strike and didn't take any further extreme actions.
In the evening, Xu Tingyu heard the sound of a car engine turning off and the car door closing.
She sat up straight suddenly and tightened her grip on the broken porcelain shard in her hand.
Soon, there were footsteps approaching from afar.
Under her nervous gaze, the door was pushed open, and Qi Ye's gentle - looking face appeared at the door.
He was wearing a long black windbreaker. His face was a bit pale, and he had his usual kind smile.
It seemed as ordinary as every time they had met before.
But soon, his smile faded.
Because Xu Tingyu was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at him with a look he had never seen before.
Even when she hated Qi Shifeng the most, she had never looked at Qi Shifeng like this.
It was a complex look that mixed disappointment, disgust, confusion, and doubt.
"Tingyu, don't look at me like this. I can't stand your look," he said as he walked in slowly and closed the door behind him.
The room wasn't small, but without windows, it made people feel a bit oppressed.
Moreover, the tense atmosphere between the two of them made the air even more stagnant.
"I think you owe me an explanation," Xu Tingyu said coldly, not moving but gripping the porcelain shard even tighter.
Qi Ye stopped about two meters away from her.
"I just wanted to invite you to live in the UK. That's all," he said.
"Of course, if you still want to go back to New York, I agree. After all, I've already opened a branch company there just to be closer to you."
"But recently, it seems that you're planning to settle back in Kyoto. Tingyu, you can't play with me like this. Do you understand?"
Qi Ye slowly showed his signature smile again.
In the past, Xu Tingyu had thought he was gentle, considerate, and a very warm - hearted big brother.
But now, she only thought his smile was fake and disgusting.
"How am I playing with you? It's my own business if I want to go back to Kyoto. What does it have to do with you?"
Unexpectedly, her disgusted question made Qi Ye a bit unhappy.
"How does it have nothing to do with me? You're going back to Kyoto for Shifeng, aren't you? Tell me, how does it have nothing to do with me?"
A hint of madness flashed in his eyes.
But Xu Tingyu didn't understand why he was going crazy.
"What does it have to do with you? I signed a prenuptial agreement. I've never divorced Qi Shifeng, and this agreement is still in effect."
"So even if I go back to settle down and get back together with him, it won't affect his position in Qishi Group at all."
She was really angry.
If Qi Ye wanted to fight for the company, he could just fight Qi Shifeng fairly. Why did he have to involve Youyou?
"If you want money or power, just say so. Shifeng might not refuse you. Why are you so extreme?"
She wasn't sure about others, but she knew that Qi Shifeng wasn't that greedy.
It could be seen from the way he had cultivated Qi Ruixi.
Although he seemed cold, he actually craved family affection.
He had deep feelings for his elder brother Qi Ye and his younger sister Qi Ruixi.
"Extreme? Will he give it to me just because I ask? Tingyu, is his image in your heart really that good? Do you think he's such a kind - hearted person?"
Qi Ye laughed out loud, as if he had heard a funny joke.
"Hasn't he already given? Qishi Group gives you and Ruixi a large dividend every year. And isn't it difficult to manage a company?"
"I'm sure he'd be willing to give up the company's management rights and just take the dividends."
Both Qi Ruixi and Qi Ye had shares in Qishi Group. In fact, Qi Ye's shares were not much less than Qi Shifeng's.
But Qi Shifeng had worked so hard for the company that he had even coughed up blood.
"Do you think I'm after Qishi Group? Hehe, do you think I'm such a money - grubbing person in your heart?"