Chapter 12: Uncouth

  Ye Anning leaned against the door and slowly slid to the ground, her face buried between her knees, tears uncontrollably streaming out.

  After her mother left, she was bullied by Qiao Yun and her daughter. At first, she would distinguish a few words and resist, but with Qiao Yun's support, Ye Mingzhu was fearless. In Ye Qingyun's eyes, she was just a wild and unruly girl who caused trouble. She was lonely and helpless in that cold home, Shen Yicheng was her only reliance, he quietly accompanied her every time, waiting for her to cry enough before taking her to eat good food, he promised at her mother's grave to take care of her for the rest of her life.

  But a man's promise is no match for time, and after more than 700 nights, his heart changed, and the promise disappeared with the wind.

  Ye Anning burst into tears like Ye Mingzhu had stolen something from her before, then wiped away her tears and got up nonchalantly, doing what she needed to do, washing or sleeping as required.

  Ye Anning asked for a sick leave from school for one day. She didn't want to go to work, she just wanted to lie in bed and not go anywhere.

  But fate was not on their side, Ye Mingzhu's phone call came like a harbinger of doom.

  It rang for a long time, she knew that if she didn't answer it, Ye Mingzhu would keep calling, so she had to pick up, "What's the matter?"

  Ye Mingzhu's tone was consistently gentle, "Anning, your father wants you to come home for dinner tonight."

  "I'm going to work, I don't have time." Yan Ning didn't want to say another word to her.

  Ye Mingzhu whispered something on the other end of the phone, and Ye Qingyun's cold and angry voice came from the receiver, "Is a useless teacher busier than me, the CEO? You must come back to me!"

  This father who always got angry with her after saying no more than three sentences and never looked up to her teacher's profession.

  Ye Anning was too lazy to bother with them and responded coldly, "Got it."

  To her, going home was like a routine check-up. They called and she went back; otherwise, she really didn't want to set foot in this house forever.

  What Ye Anning did not expect was that Shen Yicheng was also there.

  In the living room, Ye Qingyun and Shen Yicheng were discussing business matters. Shen Yicheng must have given satisfactory answers, as Ye Qingyun nodded his head repeatedly with a cold expression. Meanwhile, Ye Mingzhu was leaning against Shen Yicheng's chest like a little bird, and the two of them would occasionally exchange loving glances, their affectionate behavior making others feel envious.

  Ye Mingzhu was the first to see her and warmly welcomed her, "Anning, you're back, come on in."

  Ye Anning wanted to sneer, but entering her own home still required someone else's invitation.

  Ye Qingyun's face fell as soon as he saw her, "It's so late and you're just coming back, making everyone wait for you, no manners!"

  Ye Anning was already used to his attitude and didn't bother to argue with him.

  "Let's eat." At Ye Qingyun's command, everyone headed to the dining hall. Ye Mingzhu quickly walked over to Shen Yicheng and handed him her hand, their fingers intertwining as they entered the dining hall together. Ye Mingzhu turned back with a smile, her eyes gleaming with pride and provocation in a spot where no one else could see. "Anning, come eat quickly."

  She told herself not to care, but what can she do when her heart doesn't listen. The unhealed wound in her heart was torn open again, bleeding profusely. She cruelly told herself to add more fuel to the fire, the harsher reality is, the sooner she'll be at peace.

  At the dinner table, Ye Mingzhu acted as a considerate older sister, constantly serving her dishes she disliked and was allergic to, including shrimp and eggs.

  Ye Anning couldn't bear it anymore and swept all the dishes on the table with one scoop, Ye Qingyun emphasized these etiquettes the most, immediately glared at her angrily, "Do you understand the rules?!"

  Ye Mingzhu hastily patted his back and said softly, "Dad, don't be angry, my sister must still be blaming me."