An Yuting began to sob, her tear-streaked face evoking sympathy from anyone who might have seen her. “Brother Xiuqi, you weren’t like this before. You were so kind to me, but after you met Su Yaya, you changed…”

“Are you leaving or not? If not, I’ll call security to throw you out!” Shen Xiuqi’s voice was cold as he motioned toward the door, his patience wearing thin.

Seeing that his patience had run out, An Yuting knew being dragged out by security would be even more humiliating. Though impulsive, she wasn’t entirely foolish. She quickly weighed her options: if security escorted her out, it would be nearly impossible to visit Shen Xiuqi at the Shen Company again.

Biting her lip, her eyes reddened with unshed tears. Stubborn yet defeated, she whispered, “I’ll go.”

She cast one last tearful glance at Shen Xiuqi before slowly heading toward the door, hoping he might call her back. But when she reached it, she couldn’t resist turning around once more.

Shen Xiuqi stood beneath a cloud of tension, his expression dark and foreboding—like the calm before a storm, ready to erupt at any moment.

An Yuting lowered her head as tears spilled down her cheeks. Without another word, she left.

In the lounge, Su Yaya heard the door open and close, a clear sign that An Yuting had gone.

Once she was certain, Su Yaya, who had been hiding and eavesdropping on their conversation, let out a long sigh. She had been holding her breath the entire time, and only now did she dare to breathe more freely.

She heard a loud crash, followed by the sound of something shattering on the ground.

Su Yaya’s heart pounded in her chest, her breath catching in her throat. She didn’t dare breathe too loudly.

So intimidating. She was really scared!

She pressed a hand to her chest. Shen Xiuqi was furious because of what An Yuting had said—accusing him of finding a replacement for her sister. Even if it was true, she shouldn’t have said it to his face. It would be ridiculous to expect Shen Xiuqi to be pleased with her for exposing such a secret. His anger was obvious, and now, he was breaking things!

Even though he had gone quiet after smashing things, Su Yaya thought it would be wise to pretend she knew nothing. The last thing she wanted was to anger him further.

Glancing around the lounge, she decided the best course of action was to go back to sleep, acting as if nothing had happened. If Shen Xiuqi didn’t wake her, she would just stay asleep. That was her plan to avoid any trouble.

Yes, she was quite pleased with her decision.

Su Yaya felt her idea was brilliant!

She even gave herself a thumbs-up for her cleverness.

—