Mrs. Wang observed their increasingly dark expressions, then, with a satisfied smile, she turned and walked away. An unsettling feeling gripped Zheng Cai as she looked at Ye Tong, her gaze so intense it seemed she wanted to devour her. However, Ye Tong was currently looking at Ye Yuning. Zheng Cai followed her gaze and saw Ye Yuning, appearing like a mere bystander, getting her hair done. At that moment, Zheng Cai’s face turned an even deeper shade of purple with rage. "Mom~!" Ye Tong cried out aggrievedly. Zheng Cai glared fiercely at Ye Tong. She wanted to scold her harshly, but seeing so many acquaintances present, she gritted her teeth and said, "I’ll deal with you when we get home." Without waiting for Ye Tong to respond, Zheng Cai walked straight toward Ye Yuning. Although she had practically watched this girl grow up, Zheng Cai felt a strange pressure when facing her. Zheng Cai approached her and asked, "When did you get here?" "I’ve been here the whole time," Ye Yuning replied indifferently. She still didn’t spare Zheng Cai a single glance. This blatant disregard made Zheng Cai perceive an unprecedented arrogance emanating from her. Hearing that Ye Yuning had been there all along, Zheng Cai knew she must have seen and heard everything. Even so, she didn’t help Ye Tong at all! Is her heart made of stone? So cold! Dıscover more novels at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱 Just as Zheng Cai was about to say something more, her phone rang in her bag. She quickly pulled it out; it was Ye Shilong calling. She answered, "Hello." "Where are you?" Ye Shilong asked coldly from the other end. Zheng Cai replied, "I’m out. Are you home?" Ye Shilong commanded, "Come back right now!" Even through the phone, Zheng Cai could clearly hear the displeasure in Ye Shilong’s tone. Zheng Cai felt a twinge of nervousness and subconsciously asked, "Is... is something wrong?" "We’ll talk when you get back!" With that, Ye Shilong hung up. Zheng Cai stared at the blank phone screen, then glanced at Ye Yuning again. She wanted to say something, but after a moment’s thought, she decided against it and simply turned and left. After Ye Tong and Zheng Cai left, Ye Yuning stayed for about another hour. The stylist mentioned her hair was a bit dry and applied a hair mask, which took some time. Once everything was done, she returned to the studio. Chen Wei exclaimed in surprise, "Ah? Boss, why did you cut your hair?" Her baby face already made her look young, and this new haircut made her look even more like a child. Ye Yuning took a mask from her bag, put it on, and asked, ", can you recognize me?" "Boss, are you really trying to go undercover or something?" Since this morning, she bought a full-coverage sun-protective outfit and a mask. Now, even her hairstyle is completely different. It seems like everything she’s doing is to prevent others from recognizing her. Given her position here, she doesn’t seem to need to go to such lengths! So what’s the purpose of all this? Ye Yuning cut in, "Enough chitchat. Can you recognize me or not?" "No!" Chen Wei shook her head. She had transformed so completely that Chen Wei almost hadn’t recognized her at first glance. Hearing this, Ye Yuning finally seemed satisfied. Chen Wei added, "With such a drastic change in your appearance, even your own mother wouldn’t recognize you, let alone someone who isn’t very familiar with you!" Ye Yuning froze for a moment when she heard the words "own mother." Own mother...! The term was apt, but unfortunately, in her world, such a person had never existed for her. "Get me an iced coffee, thanks." Ye Yuning sat down in her office chair. Frankly, when it came to family, she didn’t know what to say. Previously, she had indeed been quite envious of the familial affection the Ye Family showed Ye Tong. Even people as awful as Ye Shilong and Zheng Cai, when it came to their own daughter Ye Tong, seemed to want to give her the best of everything in the world. But recently, Ye Tong’s actions had clashed with the Ye Family’s interests. So-called familial affection, it seemed, wasn’t an all-powerful bond that could transcend everything. Chen Wei handed an iced coffee to Ye Yuning, who downed half of it in one gulp. Noticing Ye Yuning’s suddenly somber expression, Chen Wei tentatively asked, "Why the sudden gloom?" Ye Yuning shook her head. "It’s nothing." Over the years, she had never shown a vulnerable side in any emotional matter. Familial affection had always seemed like something indifferent to her, something she could take or leave. But now, with Xiao Linye’s appearance, the tenderness he showed her—a tenderness not born of familial ties—made her increasingly curious about what true familial affection was really like. Was it really all like what she saw with Zheng Cai and Ye Shilong...? After Chen Wei left, Ye Yuning rummaged through her bag. As she was pulling her hand out, the bag tipped over with a THUD. Then, she heard a CLINK as something fell out. Ye Yuning looked down and saw it was the old-fashioned pocket watch she had found in Xiao Linye’s suitcase that day.