As the words fell, Ye Chenhan hastily retracted the foot he had stepped out.
"You're not taking pictures anymore?" he asked.
She had been eager for photos just moments ago, but now she was preventing it?
Ye Chenhan felt that Ye Ziyu was like an actress, constantly changing scripts when they weren't suitable. He suspected that even veteran actors would struggle under her direction.
Unsure if she truly didn't want to know or if it was a fleeting thought, Ye Chenhan stood by the door, his feet glued to the floor, awaiting Ye Ziyu's next instruction.
"If Big Brother is here, then forget it. I'll see it myself later when I have the chance," Ye Ziyu finally spoke after a long wait.
For some inexplicable reason, she was becoming very much like Di Mingjue, harboring doubts about Ye Shaoting.
These thoughts were all because of Xingxing.
"Are you sure?" Ye Chenhan asked preemptively, afraid she would change her mind after he had just sat down.
"Mm," Ye Ziyu nodded.
With those words, Ye Chenhan felt at ease and moved to his seat. As soon as he sat down, what he feared happened.
"You should still find a chance to help me look at it!" Ye Ziyu's voice drifted from the phone, nearly causing Ye Chenhan to crush his mobile.
In less than five minutes, she had changed her mind! He suspected Ye Ziyu was simply retaliating for his earlier oversight.
"Help me handle this without Big Brother finding out. If you have problems in your relationship with Xixi, I will help you reconcile," Ye Ziyu offered as an exchange.
With such a benefit offered, the task would naturally be handled flawlessly, unless the other party was dissatisfied with the terms of the exchange.
"Deal!" Ye Chenhan agreed readily.
After hanging up, Ye Ziyu once again fell into a dull and arduous wait.
As the saying goes, one does not fight a battle without preparation, and he certainly wouldn't act without a plan. Ensuring there would be no further mistakes, Ye Chenhan emerged from his office.
He first scanned the corridor, and after confirming Xingxing wasn't there, he proceeded to Ye Shaoting's office.
To be honest, he was hesitant to enter. His primary fear was that upon opening the door, he would be met not by Xingxing, but by stacks of files.
His abilities couldn't compare to Ye Ziyu's; he feared he couldn't accomplish in a week what she could in a single day.
Before he could reach for the handle, the door opened on its own.
"Why are you standing there?" Ye Shaoting stood imposingly within the doorway, while Ye Chenhan, like a small servant, stood subserviently outside.
Despite his apprehension, his eyes first darted into the office.
Ye Shaoting followed his gaze and then shifted his body to block his line of sight into the office interior.
Sensing something was amiss, Ye Chenhan immediately lowered his head.
"Looking for Xingxing?"
"Big Brother, how did you know?"
It was evident in his eyes; Ye Shaoting had seen it with a single glance.
With his hidden intentions revealed, Ye Chenhan felt somewhat flustered. Telling Ye Ziyu would be difficult, but he also couldn't explain himself to Ye Shaoting.
He found himself caught in the middle, struggling to breathe.
"Tell me, why have you been so curious about Xingxing's matters today, and why have you been persistently trying to keep him close without any effort?"
Faced with two consecutive questions, Ye Chenhan didn't know how to respond.
They were all family, and keeping secrets wouldn't be good.
After much deliberation, Ye Chenhan cast aside Ye Ziyu's instructions.
"It's like this, Ziyu said Xingxing has a birthmark, so I was just curious to see where her birthmark is located?" Ye Chenhan couldn't elaborate further. Half-truths could only be understood by intelligent people.
Xingxing has a birthmark?
Could it be that Ye Ziyu knew that the child from years ago also had a birthmark?
No, if that were the case, it would expose everything.
Ye Shaoting spoke, "I've sent someone to take Xingxing to the Math Olympiad class."