Chapter 113: Clarification

At that moment, a reporter suddenly turned and asked Yichen, “President Lin, is what she said true? Did you really hire her because she asked? And is your relationship truly fake?”

Yichen looked at Xiao Qi with a cool expression.

Anna raised her eyes to meet his, narrowed them slightly, then smiled gently at the reporter. “Miss Ye just made everything very clear; there’s no need for Yichen to repeat it, right?”

The reporter’s attention immediately shifted to Anna, who was linking arms with Yichen. “Excuse me, what is your relationship with President Lin?”

Anna gracefully withdrew her arm. “I am President Lin’s business partner and good friend. Today, I came to discuss some business with Yichen. Now that Miss Ye has clarified the situation, we have business to attend to. You all may leave.”

It’s quite normal for men and women to discuss business, and even if the reporters sensed something fishy and wanted to photograph them, this was Yichen Lin. Without solid evidence, no one dared to recklessly snap photos or spread rumors.

Moreover, Anna’s appearance completely dispelled any speculation about the relationship between Xiyang and Yichen.

If a man truly liked a woman, how could he let her clarify things alone? And in front of her, walk arm in arm with another woman?

All the reporters soon left.

Xiao Qi watched their backs.

She wanted to go in too.

She still had work to do!

Once upstairs, Xiao Qi hurried to the bathroom, splashed cold water on her face, and pulled a wry smile in the mirror.

It’s cleared up.

It’s over.

No more entanglements.

But she was still an employee of TC, and having taken the initiative to clarify matters single-handedly, surely that capitalist wouldn’t dislike her anymore, right?

So perhaps she could invite him out after work tonight and see how things went...

No, better to let things take their course. After all, they worked in the same building every day; chances to approach him would come.

As Xiao Qi stepped out of the bathroom and turned a corner, she almost collided with someone coming from the opposite direction.

Without even glancing, she brushed past the person’s shoulder.

“Thank you for stepping forward to clarify things today,” Anna said softly, tilting her head toward Xiao Qi’s back.

Xiao Qi stopped but didn’t turn around. “I didn’t come out for you, so you don’t need to thank me.”

What she really wanted to say was: You’re not the capitalist, so no need for your self-important thanks!

Anna approached with an arrogant air. “You coming here today was pointless. As long as I appear with him in front of the media, the focus will shift from your scandal to our new romance, whether it’s real or not.”

Xiao Qi looked her in the eye, refusing to back down. “If I’m not mistaken, President Lin was alone downstairs just now. You came uninvited, didn’t you?”

Anna hadn’t expected her to be so sharp-tongued. She sneered, “Yichen doesn’t need a petty person like you representing him, and you’re not worthy of it anyway. If you want the spotlight, you’d better know your place first. Don’t try to steal the show and end up losing more than you gain.”

Damn it, why had she ever thought this woman was beautiful and elegant?

She was nothing but a stuck-up fool.

Furious, Xiao Qi laughed bitterly. “Whether I’m worthy is not for you to decide. My business is none of your concern.”

“Today you admitted you have no relation to Yichen. Remember this: a lowly person like you doesn’t deserve Yichen’s feelings, and he will never love you,” Anna said with a cold sneer. “Next time you try to seduce Yichen, think about what you told the reporters just now.”

Xiao Qi was so angry her hair stood on end. “Which eye did you see me seducing—”

“Slap!”

A loud smack echoed down the hallway.

“That slap was because you stole my man.”

What? She slapped me and still had the nerve to say I stole her man?

Is he even her man? He clearly belongs to Ye Xiyang.

Xiao Qi would never let anyone on Earth bully her, especially someone she now despised.

Damn it, if she provoked her, she’d slap her back without hesitation.

Touching her cheek, Xiao Qi raised an eyebrow. “You owe me an apology.”

Anna found her amusing. “You still think you’re Ye Xiyang? Dare to act tough in front of me? Let me tell you, Yichen won’t protect—”

“Slap!” Xiao Qi struck back fiercely, her voice sharp. “I don’t need his protection. I can fight you myself.”

Anna hadn’t expected her to fight back.

“You dare hit me? You must have a death wish!” Anna raised her hand again.

Xiao Qi grabbed it firmly, staring coldly at her without fear. “If you hit me again, I’ll beat you until you have no teeth left.”

Just then, Yichen came over and caught the last sentence.

With his back to Xiao Qi, Anna, seeing Yichen appear, quickly pulled her hand away, stumbling backward.

Xiao Qi frowned.

“What are you doing?” Yichen came forward and helped Anna up. “Are you alright?”

Anna shook her head, her eyes glistening as she looked at Xiao Qi. “Maybe Miss Ye has some grudge against me, so she pushed me.”

Xiao Qi truly admired her talent for twisting facts. “I didn’t push you. You fell by yourself, and you were the one who hit me first.”

“Shut up,” Yichen said deeply, looking at Xiao Qi with calm but commanding eyes. “You don’t need to come to TC anymore. I don’t want to see you. Now disappear from my sight.”

“Why should I leave TC?” Xiao Qi asked, slightly angry. “I didn’t do anything wrong. She hit me first and fell by herself. Don’t you believe me?”

“I heard and saw everything you said and did,” Yichen said calmly. “Thank you for stepping forward to clarify things today, but we are from different worlds, understand?”

Xiao Qi looked at Anna, who was holding Yichen’s arm, her eyes mocking. She suddenly smiled lazily. “No need to tell me. We’re not from the same planet anyway. But I didn’t do anything wrong, so I’m not leaving TC.”

Returning to her post, Xiao Qi barely had time to settle when Yiyang came out of the office.

“Xiyang, why are you just here? Hurry up, come to my office and see—”

He stopped abruptly upon noticing five finger marks on her left cheek, furrowing his brow. “What happened to your face?”

Xiao Qi didn’t want to explain and turned her face slightly. “It was cold today. I got chilled.”

“Who hit you?” Yiyang asked.

Knowing she couldn’t fool him, she said frankly, “Joanna hit me, but I hit back harder. She got hurt worse, so she’s the one who lost out.”

Yiyang’s gaze darkened. “Why did she hit you? Why come all the way here to do it?”

Xiao Qi hesitated, unsure how to explain.

She couldn’t exactly say the woman was jealous and hit her!

That would make her seem pathetic.

Anyway, she’d slapped back.

Sitting down, Xiao Qi said, “Yiyang, let it go. I didn’t really suffer any loss...”

“Is it because of my brother?”

Xiao Qi bit her lip, silent.

Yiyang pulled her up. “Come on, let’s talk to my brother. If he really doesn’t want you, then he should stop bothering you.”

“I’m the one bothering him,” Xiao Qi said gloomily, tugging his hand. “Our scandal was exposed, so I wanted to help explain things to the media. After this, there won’t be any entanglements between us.”

“But she still can’t hit you,” Yiyang said, holding her hand. “Even if you slapped back, she hit first. Come on, let’s talk to my brother.”

“He doesn’t believe me,” Xiao Qi said gratefully. “Yiyang, thank you for trusting me without knowing the whole story. Your trust makes me feel there are still good people on Earth.”

Yiyang looked at her, eyes shining. “Xiyang, I won’t let anyone bully you recklessly.”

“Sorry, I don’t think Ye Xiyang pushed you on purpose,” Yichen said softly beside her.

Anna, sitting on the sofa, looked up at him. “She’s the one who’s wrong, not you. Why are you apologizing? Or do you really believe her?”

Yichen walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, hands behind his back, calmly said, “Although I forgot her, I have a feeling she wouldn’t intentionally hurt others. But the matter is past; don’t dwell on it.”

Anna bit her lip, staring at his tall figure. “Fine. For your sake, I’ll let it go.”

Yichen glanced at her foot. “I’ll have Fang Li take you to the hospital to check it.”

“I’m fine,” Anna said coolly. “Yichen, you still care about her, don’t you?”

Yichen’s brows twitched slightly. “It’s not about caring. I just feel inexplicably annoyed by her.”

“But you already forgot her,” Anna scolded angrily. “Why do you still have feelings for her?”

“Perhaps it’s a sense of conscience. Besides...” Yichen looked away. “Didn’t I forget you too?”

“But we’ve known each other for a long time,” Anna stood up, frowning.

Yichen came over to support her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just twisted my ankle when I fell.”

Yichen’s gaze darkened as he helped her sit down.

“Brother,” two people came in and saw Yichen gently supporting Anna.

Xiao Qi instinctively wanted to leave.

Yiyang put his arm around her shoulder and smiled gently at her. “Xiyang, didn’t you say you wanted to talk to my brother? Now’s the time.”

Xiao Qi’s eyes went wide and blank. “I, I didn’t—”

“Forget it,” Yiyang interrupted. “I knew you’d forget. Let me speak for you.” He glanced at Anna, then back to his brother. “Brother, Xiyang wanted to explain things to you a long time ago. Though you two were together before, she has her own feelings now.” He looked at Xiao Qi warmly. “So don’t bother her anymore, especially with all those reporters and the overwhelming rumors online this morning. What was she supposed to do? She had no choice but to clarify things for you in front of the media. Otherwise, she’d be miserable dragging your name around. She hopes you take care of yourself from now on. I may be blunt, but don’t take it personally.”