At Ye Shilong’s command, Zheng Siyu forcibly took Zheng Cai upstairs. Zheng Cai was reluctant to leave, but under Ye Shilong’s warning gaze, she had no choice but to depart. When only Ye Tong and Ye Shilong were left, Ye Tong looked at Ye Shilong, her heart trembling slightly. "Dad, believe me," she pleaded. That one word, ’believe,’ only fueled Ye Shilong’s anger further. He ripped off his belt and lashed out at Ye Tong. SMACK! "AH!" The sound of the belt striking flesh, accompanied by Ye Tong’s hysterical screams, echoed throughout the Ye Family home. Upstairs, Zheng Cai trembled all over when she heard the scream. She instinctively started to go downstairs but was stopped by Zheng Siyu. "Auntie." "You... let me go downstairs!" Zheng Cai was so anxious she could barely speak. But Zheng Siyu firmly gripped her wrist. "But Sister really did tamper with my pastries." Zheng Cai froze at these words, her face stiffening as she looked at Zheng Siyu. Zheng Siyu continued, "She’s made many mistakes before, hasn’t she? Selfishly doing those things without any regard for the Ye Family?" Zheng Cai was silent. Her already shallow breathing grew more labored at Zheng Siyu’s words, and her hand on the doorknob slowly retracted. Siyu was right; Ye Tong had done such things before. All those things she did to Ye Yuning...! At first, they seemed to merely make Ye Yuning uncomfortable, but they ended up implicating the Ye Family as well. It was no wonder the company now faced troubles so severe they gave Ye Shilong a headache. Seeing Zheng Cai waver, Zheng Siyu pressed on, "Sister is still acting like a child. No matter how much you tried to reason with her before, she wouldn’t listen and still dared to pull such a stunt." "Although Uncle is furious, he’s still her biological father. He’ll know when to stop." The implication was clear: Ye Tong deserved a sound thrashing. Zheng Cai also knew she had been trying to teach Ye Tong these past few days that her situation had changed; she couldn’t afford to act so petulantly anymore. Yet today, Ye Tong had done exactly that. Thinking of the company’s current troubles and hearing the continuous screams from downstairs, Zheng Cai felt less sympathy for Ye Tong. She nodded. "You’re right. She needs a harsh lesson." "Exactly. Luckily, it was only salt she added. If it had been something else and I’d sent it to the Xiao patriarch, wouldn’t that have implicated the Ye Family again?" Zheng Cai nodded. "Yes, you’re right!" Thank goodness the pastries weren’t sent. If they really had been, it would have caused immense trouble. Zheng Cai, who had initially felt deep pity for Ye Tong, was now furious with her after hearing Zheng Siyu’s words. That wretched girl! The things she does are truly... infuriating! Previously, when Ye Tong snatched Xiao Shuo away, primarily to spite Ye Yuning, Zheng Cai hadn’t thought much of it. But now that something similar was happening to Zheng Siyu, her perspective had shifted entirely. She was acutely aware of what Zheng Siyu meant to the Ye Family now! If Ye Yuning truly didn’t forgive them, their hopes rested entirely on Zheng Siyu. Zheng Cai abandoned the thought of going downstairs, content to let Ye Shilong teach Ye Tong the harsh lesson she deserved. Downstairs, Ye Tong had been beaten by Ye Shilong and was cowering under a table. Ye Shilong was still seething, looking as if he wanted to beat her to death. Seeing her cowering under the table only enraged him further, and he bellowed, "Get out here this instant!" "I was wrong! I was wrong, Dad! Please don’t hit me anymore! I really know I was wrong!" Hot, searing pain radiated from her back. She didn’t know how many times Ye Shilong had struck her, but it was agonizing, as if even her clothes had been ripped to shreds. Ye Shilong roared, "Come out!" At that moment, Ye Shilong had no desire to waste words on her. He was infuriated just thinking about what she had done—how her actions had caused Ye Yuning to completely ignore the company. And before that mess was even resolved, she had dared to target Zheng Siyu. Did she think she was someone special? It was true they owed her for the many years she had been lost to them. But this family was definitely not a place for her to act so imperiously! "I was wrong, Dad! I really know I was wrong!" Ye Tong trembled with fear, desperately praying for Zheng Cai to hurry downstairs. Seeing Ye Shilong’s murderous demeanor, she truly believed she might be beaten to death today. However, she was doomed to disappointment. A significant amount of time had passed, and Zheng Cai still hadn’t come down. She knew, without even having to think about it, that Zheng Siyu must have stopped her! That wretched woman... She had indeed tampered with the pastries. But she hadn’t anticipated Ye Shilong returning at that precise moment. Her plan had been to wait until Zheng Siyu sent the pastries to the Xiao patriarch. Once they were rejected, Zheng Siyu and Xiao Qiye would have no chance together. But now... "Dad, please spare me this once! I’ll never dare to do it again!" Under such brutal punishment, how could she dare *not* confess?