Harold’s help had placed Xia Xiaolan in an extremely awkward position. Hoffman didn’t trust her abilities – no one did. Even her internship at GMP was obtained through the C·W Architecture Design Competition, which was sponsored by Wilson Hotels. Thinking carefully, perhaps this had been paving the way for Xia Xiaolan from the start.

Did Xia Xiaolan have the ability?

Three days had passed since Xia Xiaolan got her independent desk, but she still hadn’t found an opportunity to turn around the unfavorable situation.

She no longer needed to work overtime!

Matthew had taken all the miscellaneous work, and she couldn’t get involved in the project, so, of course, she could leave work on time.

Daisy noticed Xia Xiaolan coming home particularly early for three consecutive days and found it strange. Xia Xiaolan’s explanation was listless: “Don’t ask, just count me as unlucky.”

However, because she got off work early, Xia Xiaolan received a phone call from Ye Xiaoqiong.

“Hello?”

“…It’s me, Ye Xiaoqiong.”

Ye Xiaoqiong had done considerable mental preparation.

Xia Xiaolan was overjoyed, “You finally contacted me! Did Du Zhaoji transfer you to another department?”

Ye Xiaoqiong was reluctant to say much, “I’m sorry about the production line issue. I was desperate to find a shortcut then, but thinking about it calmly afterward, I shouldn’t have pressured you.”

Unable to fulfill Du Zhaoji’s requirements even after speaking up, she was still transferred.

If she had known, she wouldn’t have said anything – it ended up being the worst outcome anyway.

“That’s all in the past, let’s not mention it. Which department did Du Zhaoji transfer you to? Can you talk freely now?”

“Yes, go ahead!”

Ye Xiaoqiong didn’t mention work matters. Xia Xiaolan figured that since Ye Xiaoqiong could return this call, she must still have some freedom – temporary neglect rather than complete banishment.

“I know you’re anxious because I mentioned your returned ancestral property. Before we start talking, could I confirm something – were you previously married to someone named Yuan Han?”

Over the phone, Ye Xiaoqiong’s breathing grew heavier, clearly agitated.

“…Yes.”

Someone with a quick temper might have angrily questioned Xia Xiaolan about why she was investigating their past, but Ye Xiaoqiong was naturally gentle and instinctively felt Xia Xiaolan had no ill intentions, so she forced herself to answer “yes.”

Just mentioning the past and Yuan Han filled Ye Xiaoqiong with hatred.

Xia Xiaolan had no intention of repeatedly poking at old wounds. Having confirmed Ye Xiaoqiong’s identity, she got straight to the point.

After briefly explaining Yuan Han and Zhou Yi, Xia Xiaolan stated her purpose: “I don’t know what you think, but if it were me, I absolutely wouldn’t let someone who hurt me go free. If you’re willing to help pull her down, Zhou Cheng and I would be very happy to help you!”

“Beep—”

The phone line went dead – Ye Xiaoqiong had suddenly hung up.

Xia Xiaolan sighed. She needed to give Ye Xiaoqiong time to process this. The whole Yuan family was scum, and Zhou Yi must have been blind to fancy Yuan Han.

If Miss Zhou hadn’t taken a liking to Yuan Han, he wouldn’t have divorced Ye Xiaoqiong so decisively.

Now Zhou Yi had safely given birth to a daughter, while Ye Xiaoqiong’s five-month pregnancy had been terminated.

If Xia Xiaolan encountered such things, she definitely wouldn’t let Yuan Han off, nor would she let Zhou Yi have an easy time!

Zhou Yi herself was foolish, not knowing Yuan Han had kicked aside his original wife for her… but would Ye Xiaoqiong believe this?

Xia Xiaolan believed it.

After getting involved with Yuan Han, Zhou Yi’s displayed intelligence seemed below 80, far lower than normal levels.

Although Xia Xiaolan felt that an early divorce was better than a late one, and that scum would eventually reveal their true nature – it was just a matter of when – she wasn’t Ye Xiaoqiong. She couldn’t make light of others’ pain or force Ye Xiaoqiong to trust and forgive Zhou Yi while only taking revenge on Yuan Han.

What evil deeds.

…

Ye Xiaoqiong was severely shocked.

So much so that she didn’t know what to say, her hands and feet not obeying as she hung up the phone.

Having hung up, she didn’t plan to call back immediately, instead sinking into her memories.

Lying on the cold operating table, feeling the forceps enter her body, crushing and pulling out the formed fetus inside her womb, the tearing pain wasn’t just physical… Discovering the pregnancy, feeling life growing in her womb, sensing the baby growing day by day, feeling its movements – a woman finds it hard to let go of her child after ten months of nurturing it through pregnancy.

The baby was perfectly healthy, but the Yuan family deceived her, saying the baby had problems and must be aborted.

The abortion came before the divorce.

They first lied about the baby having problems to trick her into getting an abortion. She cried while clutching her mother-in-law’s hand, and her usually harsh mother-in-law was unusually kind, persuading her to terminate the problematic pregnancy, saying she could have healthy children later.

But after the abortion, what she received wasn’t sympathy from the Yuan family, but news of divorce.

She hadn’t even finished her postpartum confinement period, still bleeding, walking hunched over, unable to straighten her back!

Ye Xiaoqiong never understood – during Chinese New Year when Yuan Han returned home from Beijing, he had been quite gentle with her. If their marriage was bad, how could she have gotten pregnant alone?

Just a few months later, right after her abortion, Yuan Han demanded a divorce!

Of course, Ye Xiaoqiong refused.

But what awaited her was endless humiliation from the Yuan family.

Yuan’s elder sister told her that actually nothing had been wrong with the baby – Yuan Han just didn’t want to stay with her anymore, felt sick seeing her, and definitely didn’t want to keep their child!

“…There are plenty of women who can bear children, if not you then someone else.”

At the time, Ye Xiaoqiong had no energy to ponder Yuan’s sister’s words, because she could barely survive in the Yuan household.

The Yuan family verbally abused her and denied her food, trying to force her to agree to divorce. She even fantasized it was all her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law’s mischief, pretending to agree to divorce so Yuan Han would quickly return from Beijing.

Meeting Yuan Han confirmed this was his intention.

Ye Xiaoqiong’s heart finally died.

She mentioned the returned property, only to discover the house had already been transferred to her mother-in-law.

The Yuan family wanted to throw her out!

Ye Xiaoqiong knew she had met a wolf in sheep’s clothing. After divorcing Yuan Han, she had no other relatives or friends to rely on locally. Only a sister at the street office sympathized with her, secretly giving her a letter of introduction. Ye Xiaoqiong, possessing nothing, boarded a train with just that letter.

“So that’s how it was.”

Ye Xiaoqiong looked up at the sky, tears still streaming uncontrollably.

So that’s how it was.

Yuan Han had caught the eye of a leader’s daughter, so he rushed to cast aside his troublesome ex-wife!

If his heart had changed, so be it.

At worst they could divorce – why did he have to trick her into aborting the baby first?

Probably afraid she’d cause trouble later with the child?

To be the leader’s son-in-law, naturally, he had to deal with his ex-wife cleanly.

Ye Xiaoqiong clenched her fists, nails digging deep into her palms:

“Deceiving me, humiliating me, tricking me… Did they think I was so weak and stupid that I wouldn’t fight back?!”