"But..." Liu Lingyu looked conflicted, "You're sisters..."
Ye Zhi sighed, "Mom, it's precisely because I don't want to upset you that I never held Qin Ya accountable for what she did before. But she's becoming more and more excessive. If this continues, who knows what she'll do? Mom, I'm sorry, I can't be a good sister by sacrificing myself."
Liu Lingyu felt a pang of sadness. Ye Yongxian patted her shoulder and said, "Forget it. This time, Xiao Zhi really can't be blamed. Qin Ya went too far. Xiao Zhi, you can go back first. We won't let you be wronged."
Seeing Liu Lingyu still hesitating, Ye Yongxian continued to persuade her, "Even if they need to reconcile, it should be Qin Ya finding a way to earn Xiao Zhi's forgiveness, not forcing Xiao Zhi to suffer."
Liu Lingyu felt relieved and nodded in agreement, "That's right. Both palms are flesh. As parents, we must be fair and impartial."
Ye Zhi was slightly stunned, inwardly marveling, "What incredible, god-like parents! Impartial, open-minded, and just. So many parents can't achieve this!"
It was a pity that such good parents met such an end, which was truly lamentable. If before, Ye Zhi only wanted to save them out of indignation, then now, she was genuinely moved and hoped they could avoid that unfortunate future.
Ye Yongxian and Liu Lingyu sent Ye Zhi off to her car. After watching her leave, they returned to the living room.
Ye Qin Ya had already dried her hair with a towel and stood in the living room with a wronged expression. They didn't immediately scold her. Instead, they first sent Ye Yuzhe back to his room, then pulled Ye Qin Ya to sit on the sofa. They reasoned with her, explaining where she had gone wrong.
Ye Qin Ya maintained her innocent demeanor, feeling increasingly wronged as she listened. "But, Sister and Zhou Cheng Yuan are really a good match..."
"A good match for what!" Ye Yongxian felt his blood pressure surge. He finally understood why Ye Zhi had thrown that cup of water. He slammed the coffee table in anger, "What is Zhou Cheng Yuan? He's a toad trying to eat swan meat!"
"Yongxian, that's not the point," Liu Lingyu disagreed. "Qin Ya, the problem isn't about whether they're a good match or not. Although Zhou Cheng Yuan is indeed quite bad, even if there was a man who was a perfect match for your sister and liked her a lot, as long as your sister doesn't agree and doesn't like him, no one can force her. Has your sister ever forced you to do anything you didn't like? Since she hasn't, why should you force her?"
Ye Qin Ya said stubbornly, "But I'm doing it for her own good..."
Even the usually patient Liu Lingyu became a little angry. Seeing Ye Yongxian about to lose his temper again, she reached out and tugged his arm, then continued, "Fine. Since you insist you're not wrong, then we won't interfere in your sisters' affairs anymore. To prevent discord between you two sisters, you'll take turns coming home, one week each, so you don't have to meet at home. In front of you, we won't mention your sister, and in front of your sister, we won't mention you."
"Mom..." Ye Qin Ya looked shocked. She couldn't understand why they wouldn't agree!
She had always gotten her way when she persisted. For example, when she applied to university, moved out, dated Ou Minghan, or even when she had conflicts with Ye Yuzhe. Initially, they had objections, but as long as she insisted, they would support her.
Ou Minghan and Zhou Cheng Yuan were friends, and she and Ye Zhi were sisters. Weren't they a perfect match? This way, Ou Minghan wouldn't have to worry about Ye Zhi deliberately targeting him, and their family relationships would be more harmonious.
This was clearly a win-win situation. Why were they acting out of character and siding with Ye Zhi? Could it be, as Ou Minghan said, that her parents were more biased towards Ye Zhi?
Afterward, Ye Yongxian and Liu Lingyu indeed never mentioned Ye Zhi again, even when Ye Qin Ya tried to persuade them, they quickly changed the subject.
Soon, Ye Qin Ya left the Ye family unhappily and returned to Ou Minghan's place.
She told Ou Minghan everything: how Ye Zhi absolutely refused to attend the celebration banquet, how their parents sided with Ye Zhi, and how they had almost scolded her.
"Minghan, what should we do? My parents simply don't agree with their relationship. My parents are even angry with me because of it," Ye Qin Ya said aggrievedly. "How can we help my sister and them now?"
"You said your sister is attending a business reception tomorrow?" Ou Minghan asked immediately. "Where is the reception?"
Ye Qin Ya hesitated. "I didn't ask for details. She only said she was going with Dad..."
"Then it must be the business reception at Chenxi Hotel," Ou Minghan's eyes flashed with a chilling glint. "That's perfect. We can invite Zhou Cheng Yuan and attend together tomorrow!"
"Ah?" Ye Qin Ya suddenly hesitated. She had actually glossed over how angry Ye Zhi was and hadn't told Ou Minghan. If she also went to the reception tomorrow, Ye Zhi would likely give her a cold shoulder.
She pondered for a moment and said, "But aren't we still holding a celebration banquet for him?"
"We're not holding it anymore," Ou Minghan frowned. "Your sister isn't going, so why hold a banquet? Zhou Cheng Yuan is currently angry with me, probably because he feels I haven't helped enough with this matter. It's a good opportunity for us to give him a surprise tomorrow and let him know I'm still helping him!"
"But..." Ye Qin Ya became even more hesitant, still thinking of an excuse not to attend the reception.
However, before she could finish thinking, Ou Minghan's phone rang.
He got up to answer it and then quickly told Ye Qin Ya, "Tiantian has a fever. I'm going to the hospital."
Ye Qin Ya hurriedly stood up, "I'll go with you!"
"You and Tiantian always end up fighting whenever you meet, so it's better not to go," Ou Minghan said with some impatience. "You go to sleep. You don't need to wait for me to come back."
Ye Qin Ya lowered her eyes in disappointment. She wanted to say something, but Ou Minghan had already strode away.
At this moment, Ye Zhi had also returned to the Half Mountain Villa.
She received a call from Liu Lingyu, who informed her of their decision.
Ye Zhi was genuinely surprised. Although she was angry tonight, she had indeed been using the situation to her advantage.
She really didn't want to have a teammate like Ye Qin Ya around, so she decided to break ties directly. But she never expected her nominal parents to go to such lengths, arranging for the sisters to avoid meeting at home.
After hanging up, Ye Zhi walked onto the balcony.
She glanced across at the opposite building. It was dark, suggesting that Qi Xuan had not yet returned from his business trip.