An hour passed with a single scene replaying, Shen Lin, standing by, felt his hand itch to intervene hundreds of times.
"President Di, is there a problem?" Shen Lin finally asked after much hesitation.
His eyes, long fixed on the screen, had already started to feel dizzy. Di Mingjue slumped onto the chair, exhausted.
Seeing his unusual state, Shen Lin quickly turned to fetch a glass of hot water.
He pushed the glass of water away and closed his eyes. Darkness enveloped him, but his mind continued to race.
The lips of Ye Jiaxu and Ye Yubin moving incessantly played in Di Mingjue's mind, amplified endlessly, like an old film, glitching and repeating over and over.
"President Di, shall I search for other surveillance footage?" Shen Lin inquired.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Di Mingjue's eyes snapped open. He looked at the nervous Shen Lin. "No need. Go find a lip-reading teacher now."
"A lip-reading teacher?" Shen Lin thought he misheard.
Di Mingjue pointed to the computer screen. "Once you find one, have them watch the video. Have them write down what they can decipher."
Understanding his intent, Shen Lin immediately went to make arrangements.
In Sijiu City, everything was difficult. Without familiar connections, every task required slow exploration, considerable time, and personal execution.
Di Mingjue reopened the paused video, watching it intently with his chin resting on his hand.
*Buzz buzz~*
He slipped his hand into his pocket and his fingers brushed against his vibrating phone.
"What are you doing?"
The call was answered, and Ye Ziyu's voice immediately came through.
Di Mingjue glanced at the screen, noticing several unread messages. It appeared Ye Ziyu had sent them.
"I was just busy. Why are you calling me suddenly? Did something happen?" Di Mingjue stood up, anxious.
Rustling sounds drifted from the earpiece. Ye Ziyu sensed his worry. "I'm fine. I just missed you and wanted to hear your voice."
In reality, she had called because her previous messages had gone unanswered, and she was worried.
Di Mingjue pressed the phone harder against his ear. "Could you repeat what you just said?"
This was the first time she had proactively expressed her affection.
Ye Ziyu glanced at Ye Chenhan, who was making a face opposite her, and walked out of the office with the phone. "I said I missed you!"
A single sentence made Di Mingjue's heart bloom. He spoke tenderly into the phone, "I miss you too. I'll come find you at noon so we can have lunch together."
Ye Ziyu leaned against the wall, looking down at her toes. "Okay, I'll book a restaurant."
"Mm," Di Mingjue nodded affectionately.
Catching a glimpse of his reflection on the ground, Ye Ziyu looked up.
Ye Shaoting approached, his gaze falling on the phone by her ear.
"We'll talk when we meet later. I have to hang up now."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Ye Ziyu put her phone in her pocket.
Ye Shaoting looked at the lingering blush on her face and heard her earlier words of "I miss you" echoing in his ears, igniting his hatred for Di Mingjue.
"Brother?" Ye Ziyu called out.
His thoughts pulled back, Ye Shaoting cleared his throat. "I heard about what happened last night. Are you alright?"
"Big Brother knows too." Ye Ziyu felt rather embarrassed.
Seeing that everyone in the Ye family was about to know, and each person acted as if she had been defiled by Huang Cheng, their unsolicited sympathy left her unsure how to respond.
Ye Shaoting nodded. "Ye Corporation will not cooperate with Huang Corporation. You won't have any more opportunities to meet them."
For the sake of so-called familial relationships, a superficial gesture was necessary. Not cooperating with Huang Corporation would result in no losses for Ye Corporation and would also increase Ye Ziyu's trust in them.
Because she wouldn't cooperate?
Ye Ziyu instead felt a pressure on her. "If cooperation is necessary, I don't mind."