Ye Zhi calmly unlocked her phone and began dialing the emergency services. Ye Qinya, biting her lip, looked resolute and remained silent.
Ye Yongxian panicked completely. "Xiao Zhi, wait..."
Ye Zhi sighed and put down her phone. Ye Yongxian had still been soft-hearted. After all, she was their daughter for over twenty years; even a dog would evoke feelings after being raised for that long.
"Ye Qinya, I'll give you one last choice." Ye Yongxian took a deep breath, his expression more serious than ever. "The Ye family or Ou Minghan, which one do you choose? If you choose the Ye family, we're still family, and bygones will be bygones. If you insist on Ou Minghan, then the Ye family will... no longer acknowledge you as our daughter."
"Dad..." Ye Qinya's tears fell as she stared blankly. She reached out to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry..."
Knowing her choice, Ye Yongxian turned away dejectedly and said to Ye Zhi, "Xiao Zhi, let's just let this matter go. From now on, the Ye family only has you and Yu Zhe as our children."
"As you wish," Ye Zhi replied indifferently.
If she couldn't use Ye Qinya to send Ou Minghan to prison, simply locking Ye Qinya away wouldn't achieve much. Ye Qinya, with her infatuated mind, wouldn't be awakened no matter how she was reformed, and it would also allow Ou Minghan to escape legal punishment.
It was better to let Ye Qinya return to Ou Minghan's side. After all, such a clueless teammate was best left to Ou Minghan.
Ye Qinya opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing. With red eyes, she prepared to leave.
"Stop," Ye Zhi said coldly.
Ye Qinya halted and looked stubbornly at Ye Zhi. "What else do you want?"
Ye Zhi stood up and calmly approached Ye Qinya. The next moment, she raised her hand and slapped Ye Qinya hard across the face!
*Slap!*
"Ah!" Ye Qinya cried out in pain. She instinctively tried to cover her face, but Ye Zhi grabbed her wrist.
Ye Zhi said coldly, "This slap is for Dad! We raised you for so many years, and it would have been better to raise a dog!"
Another heavy slap fell. *Slap!*
"This slap is for Mom! It would have been better to give birth to a piece of char siu than to give birth to you!"
Ye Zhi raised her hand again. *Slap!*
"This slap is for your brother! Having a sister like you is worse than not having one!"
Ye Zhi raised her hand once more. "This slap..."
But before her hand could fall, Ye Qinya's legs went weak from fear, and she collapsed to the ground crying.
Ye Zhi: ...
She forgot her lines!
The next moment, she grabbed Ye Qinya by the collar and raised her hand to strike!
*Slap!*
"I hit you because I hit you, why do you need a reason?!" Ye Zhi said coldly. After speaking, Ye Zhi let go, allowing Ye Qinya to fall to the ground.
Ye Zhi said indifferently, "Get lost!"
Ye Qinya was stunned by the blows. Half her face felt numb, and her teeth seemed loose. She looked at Ye Yongxian unwillingly, only to find him turned away, pretending not to see.
Ye Qinya immediately burst into tears. She staggered to her feet and ran away in disarray.
Only then did Ye Yongxian turn around, his demeanor seeming a few years older.
"Dad, let's go. I'll drive you back," Ye Zhi said calmly.
"Alright..." Ye Yongxian sighed. "I should also inform your mother about today's events."
Ye Zhi looked somewhat surprised. She had thought Ye Yongxian was just saying he'd cut ties with Ye Qinya, but he was actually going to tell Liu Lingyu. It seemed he was serious this time.
Ye Zhi said nothing. After tidying up the office briefly, they left.
As they went downstairs, Ye Zhi saw Qin Yuhan standing dejectedly in the lobby.
"Yuhan," Ye Zhi walked over. "You're still here?"
"Mmm..." Qin Yuhan forced a smile. "I was waiting for Qinya here. She ignored me. I think... we might not be friends anymore."
"Losing a good friend like you is her loss," Ye Zhi stated with certainty. Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, she turned to Ye Yongxian. "Dad, Yuhan helped us so much this time. Why don't we fund her studies abroad to learn piano?"
"Miss Ye, how can I possibly accept such a thing..." Qin Yuhan's eyes widened in surprise.
"There's no reason you can't accept it," Ye Zhi said calmly. "You've recovered the losses for Ye Corporation today, and this is what you deserve. Don't worry, regarding your family situation, we'll also help communicate with them slowly and do our best to persuade them once you're abroad."
"Yes, just listen to Xiao Zhi," Ye Yongxian said, recovering his senses and agreeing.
"Thank you, thank you so much..." Qin Yuhan said gratefully. "Miss Ye, I don't know how I can ever repay you..."
"No need for repayment. If you really want to repay me, then when you hold a concert in the future, let me organize it. I believe I'll be able to earn all the money back in just a few performances," Ye Zhi said.
Qin Yuhan: ...
Is Miss Ye oversensitive to emotion?
However, she knew Ye Zhi said this to alleviate her psychological burden.
"Okay, Miss Ye," Qin Yuhan said with a slight smile.
After sending Qin Yuhan off, Ye Zhi and Ye Yongxian also got into the car.
Silence filled the car. Ye Yongxian finally couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Zhi, if Ou Minghan treats Qinya badly, will she regret it and want to come back?"
"No," Ye Zhi said with certainty. "Dad, she left for her love. If she were to turn back, wouldn't that prove her choice was wrong? So, no matter how poorly she lives, she will never come back. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Ye Yongxian asked.
"Unless she lives very well, her life is very comfortable, and they are deeply in love, only then will she return to us ostentatiously to prove that we were wrong," Ye Zhi leaned back against the seat. "But at that time, it will be us who are struggling."
Ye Yongxian's expression turned grim.
"Dad, do you know Ou Minghan's parents?" Ye Zhi asked blandly.
She had wanted to ask this question for a long time but hadn't found a good opportunity.
Ye Yongxian was confused. "The Ou family?"
"I'm not talking about his adoptive parents, but his biological parents," Ye Zhi said in a low voice.
"I don't know about that..." Ye Yongxian frowned. "I only know he's a distant relative adopted by Ou Tiantian's parents. I never looked into whose child he actually is."
Ye Zhi's eyebrows slightly rose. Since Ye Yongxian had no recollection, she would have to investigate it herself in private.
"Sigh..." Ye Yongxian sighed helplessly. "Why is Qinya so foolish? What exactly does she like about Ou Minghan?"
Ye Zhi mused that even though Ye Yongxian had decided to sever ties with Ye Qinya, he still found it hard to let go of his concern for his daughter.
"Dad, just pretend you never had her as a daughter," Ye Zhi said bluntly.