33. Chapter 33: The Bottom Line

"I'm not eating anymore!" Her face was dark, and without pausing, she strode directly toward the exit. Li Xiaofen was left bewildered; what had happened in the blink of an eye? Before she could ponder it, she hurried to catch up.

"Yuanyuan, why are you running?" The friend they bumped into in the lobby was, in reality, her arch-nemesis. The two had disliked each other since childhood, constantly competing over looks, family backgrounds, and boyfriends. After marriage, the rivalry shifted to their husbands and jewelry—it was an endless cycle. The other woman's earlier remark had hit a sore spot, leaving her in a foul mood. "Everything was fine; why the sudden temper?"

"I'm in a foul mood, what does that have to do with you?" Chu Feiyuan snapped, turning her head to glare at her. "You go back to your chatting, and I'll stay in my mood. We have nothing to do with each other!"

"Is that any way to talk?" Li Xiaofen felt as though her kindness had been wasted. She had just clashed with her husband for her daughter's sake, only to be humiliated by the woman at their table, and now her daughter showed no concern, instead lashing out at her.

"Enough, enough, I don't want to talk about it. Are you coming or not?" Her face was full of impatience. She needed to leave quickly; if that wretched man followed her, it would be nothing but trouble.

Li Xiaofen stared at her, her gaze burning. No one knew a daughter better than her mother; she knew something was wrong. She asked in a low, stern voice, "What did you do to get this flustered?"

"Nothing, I didn't do anything!" Her eyes darted around, avoiding her mother's gaze. Seeing her daughter's behavior, Li Xiaofen felt a sense of unease. She grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the exit. "I'll deal with you when we get home."

Meanwhile, Chu Changyun was basking in the afterglow of his tryst. Yu Ying was incredibly sweet and attentive, which brought him great comfort. Once he was fully dressed, he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her deeply, promising, "Yingying, wait for my good news."

"When will I see you again?" Her moist eyes gazed deeply into his, overflowing with affection.

Her display made him even more reluctant to leave. He stroked her delicate cheek with his fingers. "Soon. Wait for my call."

"Alright, I'll wait for you." These simple words made Chu Changyun fall completely under her spell; at home, with Li Xiaofen, he had never enjoyed such tender affection.

Not long after he left, the door opened again, and a young man walked in. Upon seeing him, Yu Ying quickly rose and respectfully called out, "Young Master."

"Did you make contact?" The scent of decadence still lingered in the room. A flash of disgust crossed the man's eyes, and he stood as far from the bed as possible.

"I did not fail your mission!" Her demeanor was now completely different from the enchanting, soft woman from moments ago; her face was cold and her tone sharp and composed.

"Find a way to gather information on the Chu family, especially regarding his younger brother's household." The man brushed off his cuffs as if he had touched something filthy, then turned to leave.

"Young Master, why—" Before she could finish, his cold, piercing gaze cut her off. She lowered her eyes in dejection and replied timidly, "I understand, Young Master."

"Good. Do not try to probe my bottom line." The man pushed the door open and left, his final words drifting away in the wind. Yu Ying stared at the closed door. *Ha*, what right did she have? She had already given herself away, body and soul...

The man exited the Pride Bar, his gaze landing on a building not far away. The shimmering golden signage was particularly eye-catching: Qingcheng Group. He was looking forward to it...

In the lounge of the Qingcheng Group, Chu Yitong was sleeping soundly, clutching her quilt. It had been a long time since she had slept so deeply; for the past month, she had woken up every single night for no reason, unable to find rest.

Having finally finished his work, Xie Chenjing stood by the window, stretching his stiff body. He raised his wrist to check the time. *Hm, just in time.*