When Xu Tingyu watched the video of You You getting lost, she couldn't help but wonder why You You had dodged the bodyguards and left with a stranger.
Now she understood.
It must have been Qi Ye who had used her as a lure and taught You You to do so.
During their last meal, Qi Ye's contact information had been added to You You's phone watch.
"Did you use me as an excuse to coax him to go with you?"
Seeing that Qi Ye didn't say a word, she pressed on.
There was a hint of evasion in Qi Ye's eyes. He instinctively wanted to explain, "I didn't want to hurt You You either."
But the truth was that he had taken advantage of a child's longing for his mother to deceive him.
So his explanation sounded pale and ridiculous.
"You said you didn't want to hurt You You, yet you kidnapped him. You said you liked me, yet you brought me here, separating me from You You.
"Qi Ye, I can't see your love. You've become someone I don't recognize at all. Maybe this is the real you, but I'm afraid of you like this."
She withdrew her hand. Her tears had stopped, but hatred slowly welled up in her eyes.
Qi Ye's hand suddenly felt empty. He instinctively reached out, but seeing the coldness in her eyes, he retracted it.
To Xu Tingyu's surprise, Qi Ye didn't compromise either.
He seemed a bit troubled, but still insisted, "I understand you're in a bad mood. After dinner, go and rest first."
With that, he got up and left the table first.
As soon as he left, Zhang Wan appeared. She didn't say a word, just stood beside Xu Tingyu and watched her without urging.
Xu Tingyu didn't need her urging.
She had no appetite for food in the first place. Seeing Qi Ye leave and her goal unachieved, she pushed the bowls and chopsticks away.
This man was more difficult to deal with than she had imagined.
When she was about to return to her room, she suddenly said, "I want a tracksuit."
Zhang Wan turned to look at her, her eyes sizing Xu Tingyu up. "But the boss said that dresses suit you better, so we've only prepared dresses."
"But I want to wear a tracksuit now. I don't want to wear a dress. It makes me uncomfortable."
Xu Tingyu suddenly burst out.
All that talk about like or dislike was a lie.
Qi Ye was just controlling her. He even restricted what she could wear.
"If you can't make the decision, go and ask him. I'm allergic. I don't want my skin to be exposed to too much air. I want to wear long sleeves and long pants."
She stretched out her hand to show Zhang Wan the allergic reaction on her wrist.
By now, the allergy had spread to her elbow, but the rash was rather faint. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't notice it.
But it was a lie to say that she didn't want her skin to be exposed to air. She just wanted to change into a "safer" outfit.
Seeing that she was really uncomfortable, Zhang Wan didn't dare to delay.
"Okay, I'll ask the boss's opinion. But Miss Xu, I'd like to remind you not to play any tricks or try to resist.
"This place is remote. There are no neighbors, and the security is very strict. Without anyone's help, you won't be able to leave. So don't waste your efforts."
Zhang Wan's intention was to discourage Xu Tingyu from having any other ideas.
Because of Xu Tingyu's act of breaking the vase, Zhang Wan had been beaten with a stick several times.
So now, in Zhang Wan's eyes, all of Xu Tingyu's actions were suspicious.
But Xu Tingyu caught a key piece of information from Zhang Wan's words.
She needed someone's help to leave this place.
Qi Ye had managed to bring her to the UK secretly, yet he still had to chain her up.
Did it mean that he was actually very afraid of her leaving this house?
In other words, if she could get out, she might be able to find someone who could help her.
Then Zhang Wan's words would be invalid.
How could this place be remote?
The more something was emphasized, the more likely it was the opposite.
She kept this in mind. In front of Zhang Wan, she didn't say a word, just gave a soft grunt.
Even when the chain was put on her again, she didn't say anything.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Wan returned to the room.
This time, besides bringing a tracksuit, she also brought a doctor.
The doctor was there to treat the allergic reaction on her body.
At first, Xu Tingyu wanted to ask the doctor for help, but no matter what she said, the doctor didn't even look up at her.
It was as if the doctor only had eyes for the allergic area, like a dummy programmed to do only one thing.
After the doctor applied the ointment to the allergic area, he quietly left.
Looking at the ointment on her arm that hadn't fully absorbed yet, Xu Tingyu suddenly laughed. "He really has great skills."
He had managed to recruit so many people.
And they were all so "well - trained" that she couldn't find any weak points.
Zhang Wan helped her unlock the chain and watched her change into the tracksuit.
Hearing her words, Zhang Wan said, "The boss is really amazing. It's your honor that he likes you so much."
Haha, these words made Xu Tingyu stop in the middle of changing. Then she let out a sarcastic laugh.
"You actually think this is an honor. Have you developed some kind of mental illness from being abused?
"Or do you think that as long as harm is done in the name of love, it's not harm anymore?
"What kind of environment did you grow up in? Why is your mind so twisted?"
Whoever wanted this kind of "honor" could have it.
Zhang Wan shook her head, seemingly thinking that she was being unreasonable.
"The boss has really done a lot for you. If it weren't for you, the company wouldn't have opened a branch in New York.
"Back then, when the company was opening the branch, the pressure from the board of directors was very high. But the boss, despite being sick, managed to withstand it.
"I don't know why you've never appreciated his kindness, but in my opinion, he really treats you very well."
Actually, Zhang Wan had known Qi Ye for several years.
Back then, they were classmates in the same university, but in different departments.
Since they were both Chinese, they got to know each other at a party and gradually became familiar.
Later, after Zhang Wan graduated, by chance, she joined Qi Ye's company.
At that time, the company wasn't very large. Qi Ye wasn't very aggressive in doing business. She always thought that Qi Ye just wanted to be content with a small fortune.
Because back then, he was very steady in his work and never took risks.
But then, he suddenly changed.
Qi Ye's personality became rather unpredictable. He even became somewhat extreme.
He often locked himself in his office and worked desperately, seizing every opportunity he could, as if he were competing with someone.
Even the company started to get involved in some gray - area industries.
Even in the UK, that was a very risky thing to do.
As his classmate, Zhang Wan had thought about advising him.
But as his subordinate, she knew that it was impossible to persuade him.
Qi Ye was very stubborn. He would never listen to others' opinions.
So she could only say nothing and just accompany him silently.
Later, she found out that all of Qi Ye's changes were because of unrequited love.
And this love was directed at his younger brother's wife.