After hearing everything, Chen Chunyao neither denied nor admitted. Instead, she simply retorted to Xu Tingyu, "What do you want to say?"
Xu Tingyu wasn't in a hurry. She even curled the corner of her mouth and smiled. "What I want is to stop being a fool."
The last bit of color on Chen Chunyao's face faded away at these words.
Xu Tingyu was right. They had been friends for years and knew each other too well.
So she knew that Xu Tingyu's words meant that she wanted to figure everything out and make her, Chen Chunyao, be in the same boat with her.
"No way. You're their darling. No matter what you do, they can always find an excuse for you and sort things out for you.
"But I can't. I've already hit rock bottom. If I help you do these irrational things and it gets exposed, I'll be doomed.
"I'm different from you. I still have my parents to support and huge debts to pay off.
"I have to be careful with every step because there's an abyss beneath my feet. I have nothing left. Please don't push me anymore."
Chen Chunyao clenched her hands tightly to restrain her panicked heart.
She was in a dilemma now.
If she listened to Xu Tingyu and stood by her side, she would be going against Qi Ye.
She had already witnessed the consequence of going against Qi Ye and still hadn't managed to turn things around.
If she refused now, what would Xu Tingyu do to her?
Would she tell Qi Ye everything?
No, she would probably tell Qi Shifeng everything.
By then, if Qi Shifeng knew that Xu Tingyu's amnesia was man - made rather than an accident and it was her idea, she would be finished too.
All in all, she was the most miserable one.
It was all because of Xu Tingyu. She was actually pushing her like this now.
If it weren't for her, how could she have gotten involved in all these troubles?
The more Chen Chunyao thought about it, the angrier she got.
She was always lenient towards herself and strict with others.
It was actually she who wanted to get involved in this in the hope of a prosperous future.
She did get resources and connections from Qi Ye because of this.
But now, she was blaming all the faults on Xu Tingyu.
Fortunately, Xu Tingyu didn't give her a chance to catch her breath.
"Precisely because you have nothing now, you should take a gamble.
"This isn't me pushing you. It's the situation that's forcing you. Yaoyao, you know in your heart that Qi Ye doesn't like you.
"Do you think you still have a chance to turn things around by hiding secrets for him?
"I won't hide it from you either. You were able to come here this time because I begged him. Otherwise, you wouldn't have appeared in front of him at all.
"So now, your best choice is to stand by my side and cooperate with me.
"Of course, I can also guarantee that even if something goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility and will never betray you."
She used both kindness and severity, forcing Chen Chunyao to retreat step by step.
Actually, Chen Chunyao was also very clear about her own situation.
Qi Ye would never give her another chance.
Now she could only linger around Xu Tingyu like a dog, begging for scraps from her.
Who would be willing to be a dog when they could be a decent person?
Just as she was hesitating, Xu Tingyu said again, "I can introduce you to Director Pan. She's going to shoot a big - budget ancient - costume drama with a female lead soon."
Xu Tingyu had only connected with Director Pan after seeing the hot search yesterday.
The other party had also seen the news and sent her a message on their own initiative. After a few exchanges, they asked if she had any plans to make a comeback.
She was preparing to shoot another drama with a female lead and wanted to invite her to participate. Not as a stunt double, but as an actress.
Xu Tingyu had no intention of acting, so she declined politely, only saying that she would introduce a suitable friend.
It wasn't easy to get a role in Director Pan's dramas in the entertainment circle.
So this opportunity was very rare for Chen Chunyao.
"Don't worry. I won't let Qi Ye know about this either.
"Instead of waiting for Qi Ye to help you turn things around, you might as well do it yourself. A man's heart is unpredictable, and besides, his heart isn't with you."
Xu Tingyu reminded her again.
Actually, what she meant was that one shouldn't pin their hopes for the future on a man.
And one definitely shouldn't bet on a man's true feelings.
But to Chen Chunyao's ears, it became another kind of show - off—showing off that Qi Ye's heart was with her.
However, she was right. Relying on others to turn things around was unreliable. One could only rely on oneself.
Chen Chunyao looked at Xu Tingyu and nodded heavily. "Give me a few days to think about it."
But Xu Tingyu didn't relent. "I can only give you half a day to think."
For some reason, Chen Chunyao suddenly exploded.
"I know you've met Qi Shifeng and you've got some confidence, but don't forget that you lived with Qi Ye for three months.
"No man would not care. Do you think Qi Shifeng will still be infatuated with you?
"No matter what promises he made to you, it's just his unwillingness. Even Qi Ye's feelings for you are just an obsession."
She was angry and sarcastic.
Xu Tingyu always said that men were unreliable, but wasn't she where she was today because of men?
If she really didn't care about men, how could she have made the two Qi brothers turn against each other for her?
Facing her provocation, Xu Tingyu didn't take it to heart.
"How they treat me doesn't matter because I simply don't care.
"Although I still don't know how much of my past you guys have hidden, I believe that the past me would never have relied on men to live."
Why did she have low material desires when she was in the UK?
One reason was that she had no mood to spend money.
The other was that she always felt insecure.
She had been participating in various large - scale competitions since she was a teenager and could already support herself.
She remembered that she had also signed a prenuptial agreement after getting married.
So the feeling of asking someone for money, especially when that person was her significant other, made her very uncomfortable.
And spending money here as if she had suddenly been enlightened was because she needed to cash in.
After all, hiring a detective cost money.
Chen Chunyao was a bit shocked.
She didn't expect that after all these years, even though Xu Tingyu had lost her memory, she was still so stubborn.
After she was sent abroad by the Qi family, she had suffered so much. But she really hadn't relied on others and had walked out of the trough step by step on her own.
At that time, if she had just relented and asked Qi Ye or Shen Yan for help, she would have suffered a lot less.
But she didn't.
She never lacked the courage to climb out of the trough. Maybe that was why Xu Tingyu hadn't been defeated despite all the troubles she had encountered.
"Also, Yaoyao, I know you saw me meeting Qi Shifeng.
"Zhang Wan also knows. But I'm not afraid. You guys can tell Qi Ye all you want. Anyway, one day, we'll all have an open and honest talk.
"But I have to remind you that it's better not to be you who tells him."