You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

Bai Yuning pushed open the door and walked in, immediately seeing the woman sitting behind the mahogany desk.

The woman looked to be in her early forties, but she was very well-maintained, with fair and delicate skin and exquisite features.

Her long, jet-black hair was casually tied back, and she wore a well-tailored dark gray shirt with a discreet jade brooch pinned to her collar.

Her overall demeanor was cold and noble.

This woman was Ye Yunjin.

"Please sit down."

Ye Yunjin raised her hand, gesturing for Bai Yuning to sit down in the chair opposite her.

His tone was neither warm nor cold, neither deliberately polite nor obviously hostile.

Bai Yuning sat down gracefully and casually took off her sunglasses and placed them on the table.

The two women's gazes met in the air, neither speaking first, as if silently testing each other's weight.

After a silence of about four or five seconds, Ye Yunjin broke the deadlock with a faint smile on her lips.

"Ye Yunjin, the eldest daughter of the Ye family in Hong Kong, and the current CEO of the Ye Group."

Ye Yunjin's self-introduction was brief and concise, without a single superfluous word.

Bai Yuning's heart skipped a beat after hearing this. The Ye family of Hong Kong City?

The moment those words are spoken, their weight changes completely.

Even though Bai Yuning had spent many years working in the medical field, she had heard of the Ye family's status and influence in the Hong Kong business community.

The person who can sit in the position of CEO of the Yip Group is definitely not a simple character.

Bai Yuning showed no surprise at all, only nodding slightly in response.

Ye Yunjin picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and put the cup down. She said in a calm tone, "I guessed that the brat from the Jiang family would come looking for me, but I didn't expect him to act so quickly."

His gaze then shifted from Bai Yuning to the palm trees outside the window, and he asked casually, "But speaking of which, why didn't that little brat come himself? Why did he send you, an outsider?"

While it is true, no one would like to be addressed that way.

When Ye Yunjin's voice reached Bai Yuning's ears, even though she had been trying to restrain and disguise her emotions, her expression still visibly turned cold.

Bai Yuning leaned forward slightly, staring into Ye Yunjin's eyes, her voice calm and unhurried, "So what if he's an outsider?"

"Jiang Che is the younger brother I watched grow up. We eat together and celebrate the New Year together. We are siblings with blood ties."

"Miss Ye, do you think these aren't enough to qualify me to represent the Jiang family and sit across from you?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Yunjin turned her head and glanced at her, only giving a faint smile before not continuing the topic.

Bai Yuning had no intention of getting bogged down in such trivial matters. She sat up straight and asked directly, "Where is Xiao Qinghe?"

Ye Yunjin paused, holding her teacup. "She's safe. Miss Bai needn't worry about her."

"Miss Ye, I'm not asking if she's safe, I'm asking where she is."

"These two questions are the same to me," Ye Yunjin replied calmly. "It's enough that she's in a safe place, a place where no one will hurt her."

"Is that enough?" Bai Yuning couldn't help but chuckle. "Miss Ye, you think that's enough?"

"Did Xiao Qinghe agree to stay here? Did she personally tell you 'I'm willing to stay'?"

"Or is it that—" Bai Yuning tilted her head slightly, her gaze fixed on Ye Yunjin's face, "you didn't actually give her any choice at all?"

Ye Yunjin finally looked up and met Bai Yuning's gaze.

The two women's eyes met again, and the temperature in the air suddenly dropped.

"Miss Bai, whose seat do you feel you're sitting in right now?"

Ye Yunjin's voice turned colder, and her smile faded. "I said she's safe, and that's it. What other answer does Miss Bai want from me?"

Bai Yuning clenched her teeth slightly, knowing that Ye Yunjin was not bluffing.

The person who can sit in the position of CEO of the Ye Group in Hong Kong is not someone she can easily manipulate.

But she also couldn't go back empty-handed to face Jiang Che.

"Miss Ye, Qinghe is only eighteen years old this year. She has her own life and people she cares about."

"You brought her here without even saying hello. Don't you think this is no different from kidnapping?"

"Kidnapping?" Ye Yunjin raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing Bai Yuning's words, as if she had heard something amusing. "I'm taking my own daughter home, and that's kidnapping?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuning was immediately taken aback.

daughter?

She quickly went through the sentence in her mind, her gaze lingering on Ye Yunjin's face for a few more seconds.

If you look closely... their facial features do indeed have some similarities.

The shape of her eyebrows and eyes, as well as the curve of her nose, all show a strong resemblance to Su Qinghe.

Could it be that Xiao Qinghe is really the long-lost young lady of the Ye family in Gangcheng?

But I was entrusted by Jiang Che to check Xiao Qinghe's birth registration information at the hospital. She was clearly the child of the Su family couple.

What exactly is going on?

But Bai Yuning quickly suppressed her surprise and doubt. Regardless of the relationship between the other party and Su Qinghe, there was only one most important thing at the moment.

"Even if she is your daughter, you cannot disregard her wishes and force her to stay here."

After Bai Yuning finished speaking, the air in the study suddenly froze.

Boom-!

Ye Yunjin forcefully placed the teacup back on the table.

It was clear that Ye Yunjin's patience was nearing its limit.

"Miss Bai, you are not my mother, you wouldn't understand."

"What's wrong with a mother wanting to keep her child, who has been lost for eighteen years, with her?"

Bai Yuning stared at Ye Yunjin's increasingly gloomy eyes and pursed her lips.

She wanted to argue, but felt that many words seemed inadequate in the face of the word "mother".

After a long silence, Bai Yuning changed her approach.

"Miss Ye, let me put it another way."

"Xiao Qinghe now has someone who loves her deeply, and that person is frantically searching for her."

"You've locked her up here, but she's not thinking about you, her mother, but about my brother."

"Can you keep her physically, and can you keep her heart?"

Ye Yunjin remained unmoved. "She's still young and doesn't understand what true goodness is."

"She'll understand once she's been around me for a while."

Bai Yuning scoffed inwardly after hearing this.

Why does this sound so familiar?

It's exactly the same thing those controlling parents say—"I'm doing this for your own good" and "You'll understand when you grow up."

Bai Yuning knew that continuing the conversation would not yield any results.

Ye Yunjin is an iron plate; she can't pry it up.

But today's trip wasn't a complete waste, at least one thing can be confirmed—Xiao Qinghe is in this manor.

Bai Yuning stood up, picked up her sunglasses from the table and put them back on. "Miss Ye, I've said everything I needed to say. Whether you believe me or not is up to you."

"But there's one thing I have to remind you: you don't understand Jiang Che."

"Once he's made up his mind about something, nothing can change it."

"You think locking Xiao Qinghe in this manor will solve everything? Do you really think this method can stop Jiang Che?"