Ye Zhi sighed inwardly, truly a man she had chosen well; even his proposal was so thoughtful, always prioritizing her desires. In this, she felt inferior to Qi Xuan.
"So, you're mentally prepared?" Ye Zhi asked curiously.
"Yes," Qi Xuan looked at her expectantly, "And you?"
"Let's wait a little longer then; I'm not ready yet," Ye Zhi replied with a smile. She wasn't lying; the gift she intended for Qi Xuan was still being prepared.
"Alright." Qi Xuan let out a soft sigh. Although disappointed, he wasn't entirely surprised. He had waited this long; he didn't mind waiting for Ye Zhi to be ready.
"Qi Xuan, trust me," Ye Zhi hooked her arms around his neck, smiling brightly, "I won't keep you waiting too long~"
"Alright." Qi Xuan chuckled, the disappointment dissolving.
*
With Zhan Ruoqing's paid assistance, Jiang Ke Wei quickly selected another suitable candidate. He then made slight modifications to his original plan and began promoting the newly signed female streamer.
Ou Ming Han's trial had also commenced. The proceedings were lengthy, with all evidence presented in court. Seeing the evidence, Ou Ming Han felt even more despairing than when he was on the island.
Despite his fervent defense, his sophistry appeared flimsy and insignificant against the irrefutable proof.
After the trial concluded, Ou Ming Han immediately summoned his lawyer.
Although the verdict had not yet been delivered, Ou Ming Han knew the outcome of this trial would not be optimistic. Therefore, he directly called his lawyer to begin preparing for an appeal.
In addition to the appeal, he also asked the lawyer to handle something for him. This lawyer had been recommended by Qin Yu Han, so Ou Ming Han instructed the lawyer to find Qin Yu Han and ask her to relay a few words to Cen Ya.
After leaving the detention center, the lawyer found Qin Yu Han and informed her of the matter.
Qin Yu Han found it utterly bewildering. Unable to comprehend it, she called Ye Zhi and told her about it.
"Ms. Ye, I genuinely find this strange," Qin Yu Han frowned, "If Ou Ming Han truly has something to say to Cen Ya, why doesn't he just have the lawyer convey it? Why go through me?"
Ye Zhi pondered for a moment, then chuckled, "Because you're needed as a 'witness'! Cen Ya hasn't shown any signs of trying to rescue Ou Ming Han, so he's likely getting desperate.
He's probably worried that if the lawyer simply relays the message, Cen Ya might pretend she heard nothing. Having you as a witness ensures Cen Ya has to react, whether she accepts or refuses, doesn't she?"
Qin Yu Han understood, her frown deepening. "So, the words Ou Ming Han wants me to convey are not sincere at all. He's just trying to deceive Cen Ya into helping him with all her might?"
"These two things don't conflict," Ye Zhi said calmly. "Given his situation, those words might not be entirely insincere. But at this moment, his purpose in saying them is naturally to make Cen Ya go to any lengths to save him. My assistant attended his trial; he speculates Ou Ming Han will likely be sentenced to death. Ou Ming Han himself must know this, so he needs to seize this last opportunity."
Qin Yu Han was at a loss for words. Ou Ming Han was treating Cen Ya as his last lifeline. Cen Ya might want to save him, but did she have the capability? He couldn't possibly expect Cen Ya to break him out of jail, could he?
"Are you going to help convey the message?" Ye Zhi asked.
Qin Yu Han thought for a moment. "I'll go see her. I'm going abroad the day after tomorrow, so finishing this for her before I leave would be a proper conclusion."
"Alright," Ye Zhi nodded. "Also, I happen to have a few words to convey as well. You can tell her when you see her."
Then, Ye Zhi whispered a few things to Qin Yu Han.
After hearing them, Qin Yu Han's mood became complicated. She asked, confused and uncertain, "Ms. Ye, is it really necessary to say these things? She wouldn't do something like that, would she..."
"It's hard to say. It's better to mention it," Ye Zhi replied.
"Alright then," Qin Yu Han agreed after considering it.
After hanging up, Qin Yu Han called Cen Ya. As expected, her number was still on the blacklist. However, Qin Yu Han didn't dwell on it. She tidied herself up and headed straight to Cen Ya's place.
Cen Ya had previously told her her current address, so Qin Yu Han drove there.
Upon reaching the apartment building where Cen Ya resided, Qin Yu Han went upstairs and rang the doorbell.
As soon as the doorbell rang, Cen Ya opened the door with a delighted expression, "Gu Sheng, you're bac—"
Before she could finish, her smile froze when she saw that the person at the door was not Gu Sheng but Qin Yu Han. Her face then fell into disappointment.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Qin Yu Han asked calmly.
Cen Ya reluctantly said, "My place... it's a bit messy..."
"It's fine, I don't mind," saying this, Qin Yu Han pushed the door open and walked in.
She looked around, feeling somewhat surprised.
Draft papers were scattered all over the floor. Qin Yu Han initially thought they were design drafts by Cen Ya, but upon closer inspection, they seemed more like random doodles than design sketches.
Although she wasn't an art expert, she could tell that Cen Ya's mind was very cluttered and agitated.
Noticing Qin Yu Han's gaze, Cen Ya flusteredly began to tidy the drafts.
Qin Yu Han helped gather the drafts from the sofa and placed them on the coffee table in front of her before sitting down.
The room was filled with Cen Ya's belongings, not at all suggesting a shared living space. Combined with Cen Ya's earlier words, Qin Yu Han suddenly understood something.
"Gu Sheng doesn't live here?" Qin Yu Han asked casually.
"He... he does live here! He's just been too busy lately!" Cen Ya defended herself frantically, then, with growing indignation, she questioned, "Yu Han, I've always considered you my best friend, but why did you introduce me to that kind of company for an interview? Do you know how they humiliated me?!"
Although Ye Zhi had already told her about the interview, hearing Cen Ya say it now still struck Qin Yu Han as absurd.
Qin Yu Han gave Cen Ya a deep look. Instead of defending herself, she said, "After you rejected Mr. Jiang, he signed another female streamer in a similar situation. She was once a pampered daughter of a wealthy family, and her entire family pooled their resources to help her husband build his career. But who would have known that her husband was keeping a mistress on the side, and then he and the mistress died in a car accident.
It was then that she learned her husband had emptied the company's funds and accumulated several hundred million in debt. Now, all that debt has fallen upon her. She's a few years older than you..."