Yan Jun had been waiting at the door. From afar, she saw Ye Yuning coming around the corner and hurried to meet her. As Yan Jun drew closer, she saw the rash on Ye Yuning’s face, her red-rimmed eyes, and their misty appearance. Yan Jun was stunned. "You... you’ve been crying?" Yan Jun exclaimed. "Is it that obvious?" Ye Yuning replied. Hearing Yan Jun ask, Ye Yuning instantly felt a sense of relief. Yan Jun was shocked to realize Ye Yuning had actually cried. Everyone who knew Ye Yuning knew that despite her petite stature, she was a complete tomboy. Who among her friends had seen her cry in all these years? Xiao Shuo had nearly been crippled by her for getting involved with Ye Tong. And now, she was crying just because Qin Jinchuan was supposedly going to make her eat chili peppers? Impossible. That’s absolutely impossible! "You... really cried?" Yan Jun asked, looking at Ye Yuning in disbelief. Ye Yuning didn’t answer directly. "What do you think?" Yan Jun was speechless. If she had to say, it was impossible! However, looking at Ye Yuning’s red-rimmed eyes and the lingering moisture, all signs pointed to her having cried. Ye Tong emerged from inside. Seeing Ye Yuning and Yan Jun, especially Ye Yuning’s red eyes, she clicked her tongue twice, TSK TSK, then remarked sarcastically, "So, even you have times when you cry!" Ye Yuning’s expression immediately darkened at the sight of Ye Tong. No doubt Ye Tong already knew what happened inside and wanted to gloat. Any other time, Ye Yuning would have taught her a lesson, making sure Ye Tong understood she couldn’t just laugh at anyone’s expense. But now, considering the tears in her eyes wouldn’t last long, she didn’t want to waste time on Ye Tong. She started to walk past Ye Tong and head inside. As they brushed past, Ye Tong grabbed her wrist. "Ye Yuning, if you beg me now, perhaps I can still save you." Ye Yuning said nothing, her gaze fixed on Ye Tong—sharp, piercing, and inquisitive. Ye Tong looked back, all traces of her previous dejection and dishevelment gone, replaced by the vigor of a revived fighting cock. Especially when meeting the fierceness in Ye Yuning’s eyes, she showed no fear. "Well? Are you going to beg?" "Beg? Who the hell do you think you are?" Yan Jun, who had been standing aside silently, exploded in anger, shouting at Ye Tong. "And who the hell are you?" Ye Tong shot back, even more rudely to Yan Jun. "This is Ye Family business! You have no right to interfere!" She had been suppressed so harshly recently, and those terrifying days were finally over. Facing those who had once eagerly wanted to stomp her down, she felt she had to teach them a lesson—whether it was Ye Yuning or anyone close to her. Hearing "Ye Family business," Yan Jun sneered. "Ye Yuning’s surname might be Ye, but she’s not one of *your* Ye Family." Anyone who’s known Ye Yuning for years knows she practically raised herself in the Ye Family, left to fend for herself. They built their fortune on Ye Yuning’s back! Now that their biological daughter is back, not only have they kicked Yuning aside, but everyone wants to come and stomp on her too? Yan Jun couldn’t stand it anymore and directly confronted Ye Tong. When Ye Tong heard Yan Jun say Ye Yuning wasn’t part of the Ye Family, she scoffed. "No wonder she’s such an ungrateful wretch. Turns out, everyone around her is just as unappreciative." Ye Yuning’s breathing instantly grew heavy. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⟡𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵 She violently shook off Ye Tong’s hand and, in the same motion, slapped her across the face. "Will you ever stop?" It was one thing for this bunch to constantly target her, but now they were even going after the people around her. That, Ye Yuning could not tolerate. Ye Tong stumbled and fell. Ye Yuning instinctively raised her foot to stomp on her. However, just as she lifted her foot, she saw a figure flash past the doorway. A glimpse from the corner of her eye was enough to recognize Ji Nan. Remembering her purpose for coming here today, she quickly pulled her foot back. Then, dabbing pitifully at the corners of her eyes, she cried, "I’ve done everything I possibly could for the Ye Family! Just because I didn’t listen to you and marry the eldest young master of the Qin Family, you treat me ? It’s my own life, my own major decision—is it wrong for me not to agree?" Ye Tong, who had been about to shield herself, was bewildered by Ye Yuning’s sudden change in demeanor. Yan Jun was also stunned by this abrupt shift and tugged at Ye Yuning’s sleeve. "Ningning, you...?" "I’ve given you everything you wanted! I even gave you my fiancé! What more do you want from me? Why can’t you just leave me alone?" Ye Yuning’s eyes grew even more moist. Yan Jun: "..." Wait, what on earth is happening? Ye Tong was also baffled, especially when she heard Ye Yuning say she had "given" her fiancé to her. At that, Ye Tong’s fury erupted. "What do you mean, ’given’ him to me? It’s obvious you didn’t want him! Stop playing the innocent victim, you wolf in sheep’s clothing!" Ye Tong felt like she was going mad. Seriously, has Ye Yuning lost her mind? What is she doing...? As if Xiao Shuo was someone she ’gave’ away! At first, Ye Tong truly believed she had snatched him. But later, seeing Ye Yuning’s indifference towards Xiao Shuo, she finally understood! No wonder her reaction was so mild when Xiao Shuo rejected her—she’d actually wanted to dump him long ago...! This damn woman! She’s too much! Ji Nan had timed his exit to greet Ye Yuning, only to walk in on such a dramatic scene. He halted his advance, turned around silently, and slipped back inside. Ye Yuning, catching Ji Nan’s retreat from the corner of her eye, instantly dropped her expression. "So what if I’m a wolf in sheep’s clothing? It’s still better than a sanctimonious hypocrite like you! FUCK! You’re utterly disgusting!" The abrupt, extreme shift in her demeanor left both Yan Jun and Ye Tong even more stunned. It was unclear whether Ye Yuning’s final "disgusting" was aimed at Ye Tong or her own recent performance. In any case, she had suddenly become cold and indifferent once more.