Han Muzi met up with Ye Linhan once again. She never thought that they would meet like this. As she looked at the pair of familiar, warm eyes from a distance, the faint smile in his eyes made her feel as if a thousand years had passed since their last encounter. She pursed her red lips then walked over toward him.
It didn’t matter whether it was five years ago or five years in the future—Ye Linhan was always a kind gentleman. As soon as she approached, he had already pulled out a chair for her and said, “Here, have a seat.”
“Thanks.” Han Muzi sat down after thanking him.
The waiter came over to take their orders before leaving with their bill.
Ye Linhan’s gaze fell upon her face. His eyes were full of warmth as he gazed at her and he spoke gently, “I thought you never wanted to meet me anymore.”
Han Muzi paused. Seeing his elegant appearance and comparing it to what he had actually done to her in secret, she couldn’t help but feel the irony in his words. Her red lips curled into a mocking smile as she sarcastically said, “Even if I did not want to meet you, you would still have found a way to force me to contact you, wouldn’t you, Vice President Ye?”
Ye Linhan’s smile faltered slightly at the mention of the name ‘Vice President Ye’. He looked at Han Muzi with frustrated eyes. “Why? Why are you so hostile to me now? What have I done wrong?”
“Hostile?” Han Muzi laughed. “Why would you think I am hostile toward you?”
“If you don’t have any animosity toward me, then why won’t you acknowledge me as your long-time friend? Why… would you address me like a stranger and call me Vice President Ye?”
Han Muzi looked at him silently. There were obviously no traces of a smile on both their faces.
Ye Linhan looked at her for a while, but finally and reluctantly backed down with a sigh. “Qi, don’t do this to me. I’ve told you before, I don’t mean any harm to you.”
“Then what is your purpose?” Han Muzi stared at him. “If you didn’t mean any harm, shouldn’t you have done nothing in the first place? Manager Yi and that contract too, wasn’t everything done according to your plan?”
Upon hearing this, Ye Linhan sighed deeply again. “I guess this brother of yours is really a villain in your eyes.”
Brother… The term of endearment sounded so distant that it stunned Han Muzi for a moment. It didn’t take long for her to coldly reply, “Ye Moxuan and I are no longer husband and wife, therefore, you are no longer my elder brother too.”
“You finally admit that I am no longer your elder brother.” Ye Linhan smiled slightly. “Five years ago, I refused to let you address me as your elder brother, but you wouldn’t hear of it. But five years later, the fact that you won’t even see me as an elder brother anymore makes me feel really sad. I wonder why?”
She remained silent.
“Honestly speaking, I knew nothing about the contract that you discussed with Yi Tian. If I had to say that I knew about it, then it would probably be after he had reported it. Only then did I realize that you were the business partner in this contract,” Ye Linhan spoke sincerely and seriously. His facial expression and the look in his eyes gave off the feeling that he was telling the truth, but Han Muzi just wasn’t willing to believe him.
It just felt like too much of a coincidence; how could he only have known after it had been reported to him? If he had only found out after it was reported, then… why did Yi Tian treat her that way?
Of course, she didn’t actually say those words aloud. Ye Linhan smiled and said, “Alright, since we have finally met, let’s not talk about these unhappy things anymore. I’m so happy that you are willing to meet with me today.”
Han Muzi pursed her red lips but did not answer him.
“If you won’t call me brother, then you can address me by my name. Just don’t call me Vice President Ye.”
Address him by his name? Han Muzi frowned. “Vice President Ye, that’s not really appropriate, is it? Actually, I came today with only one purpose in mind.”
“Yes, I know.” Ye Linhan smiled slightly. “You want to cancel the contract.”
Han Muzi paused and looked up at him. “Looks like you really don’t know anything.”
“Qi—”
“Vice President Ye,” Han Muzi interrupted as she held back her anger. “My name is Han Muzi. You can choose to address me as Miss Han, or go by my full name.”
Ye Linhan watched her steadily and the gentle smile on his face remained. After a moment, he spoke, “Alright, Muzi.”
Han Muzi was speechless. Does this guy not understand what I am saying? What she wanted was for him to address her by her full name, not for him to call her Muzi as if they were very close!
“Regarding the contract, as both companies have already signed the agreement, it’s not possible to cancel it. I know what you’re thinking, but this is related to your company’s best interests.”
Upon hearing this, Han Muzi felt her anger rise.
Ye Linhan smiled nonchalantly again. “Besides, I didn’t deliberately conceal my identity. Muzi, this time, it was your negligence.”
His words made Han Muzi grit her teeth in anger, but she found that she had nothing to say. What he said was true; Ye Linhan had not deliberately concealed his identity. Had Yan been more careful at the beginning, or if she herself had been more careful, they would’ve discovered who the founder of Blue Sky Company was. So, in the end… she could only blame herself.
Thinking about it, she took a deep breath, but still couldn’t say anything.
“Muzi, I really don’t mean any harm.”
“Ye Linhan,” Han Muzi looked up at him, calling him by his name for the first time. “I don’t care what’s going on between you two brothers, but after five years, I don’t want to become a sacrificial victim in your quarrel against each other.”
“Quarrel? Sacrificial victim?” Ye Linhan couldn’t help but frown. “Who said that you’re a sacrificial victim? Is that what you thought?”
“If not that, then what? You don’t actually think of me as a three-year-old kid, do you? That I would easily believe what you have just said?”
“Muzi, are you saying these things because you don’t have confidence in your own company? Do you feel that your company’s requirements are not excellent enough for the senior management of Blue Sky Company to want to cooperate with you on their own?”
Hearing that, Han Muzi paused. She had to agree that Ye Linhan was a master of communication. He could gradually lead you in a different direction, leaving you with no opportunity to refute.
Just like how he gave her that 300,000 five years ago. Although Han Muzi later begged Han Qing to return the money to Ye Linhan, Han Qing’s actions at that time would make one feel as if they couldn’t say no to whatever he said or did.
“You need to be more confident.” Ye Linhan smiled slightly and reached out to pat her head. A familiar gesture indeed, for it was something that he had always done.
Han Muzi merely watched him reach his hand toward her to gently pat her head.
“Do you understand?”
Han Muzi suddenly returned to her senses and sharply turned her head away, frowning at him. She couldn’t even get mad at him when all he did was look at her with a harmless expression. However, the more he acted this way, the more Han Muzi felt as if her chest was on fire. She wanted to express her anger at him, but she couldn’t and it made her miserable.
She gritted her teeth and snarled, “That sure sounds nice, but I don’t believe that you had nothing to do with that incident last time.”
Ye Linhan was taken aback. “What incident?”
“Vice President Ye, you must be really forgetful. You don’t even remember the little play that you directed?”
