The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

"Wait for me to pick you up after class. Tom will stay upstairs with you. Don't go out with anyone when I come up," Xi Yuanchen reminded him.

Yao Yingxi understood that when he said "anyone," he meant Xiuyan. This was because she had recently said, in a fit of pique, that she was going out for a late-night snack with Xiuyan.

She smiled slightly but didn't answer Xi Yuanchen's question. However, Xi Yuanchen knew that Yao Yingxi had taken it to heart.

Yao Yingxi opened the car door and got out, and Xi Yuanchen, worried, followed her out.

Yao Yingxi looked at him, puzzled. Xi Yuanchen said, "I'll take you up." It's so late now, there probably aren't many people in the building. If Yao Yingxi were to run into Liang Pingyin in the cramped elevator, the consequences would be unimaginable.

……

Country M.

Ye Xiaoya was packing her things when the two white and black men followed her with their blatant stares.

She frowned uncomfortably, and the two people were still sitting there, occupying their spots, until five o'clock in the afternoon.

Ye Xiaoya didn't feel comfortable going up to chase them away, so she simply ignored them. After all, she had no backing here, and avoiding trouble was always a good idea.

She took a rag and walked towards the two people; there was an empty seat at the next table that needed cleaning.

Just as Ye Xiaoya was about to walk past the two men, one of the white men grabbed her wrist: "Beautiful Oriental lady, may I have your contact information?"

"I'm sorry, I'm still working and can't handle personal matters." Ye Xiaoya said with a smile, a hint of disdain in her eyes.

"It's okay, we can wait for you."

Ye Xiaoya pulled her hand out of the two men's palms: "Excuse me, I have to work and can't chat with you." After saying that, she didn't care about their reaction and quickly went over to wipe the table.

The two white men and the black man reached out and touched their chins, their lips slightly curled up, their eyes filled with a determined look as they gazed at Ye Xiaoya.

Their gazes fell on Ye Xiaoya, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. Several times she wanted to explode in anger and yell at the two men. But then she thought about how she was all alone and powerless here, and if those two were not easy to deal with, she would be in even more trouble.

Considering all this, Ye Xiaoya could only hope that the two people would just want her contact information and not cause her any trouble.

She cleaned the table and was about to walk back past those two people when she felt uneasy, worried that they might hit her.

The two people didn't stop her, and Ye Xiaoya breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still scared. She secretly went to the restroom in the staff back area, took her phone out of her staff locker, and worried that the restaurant manager would find out. She cautiously looked at the door while dialing the number she knew by heart.

The call went through, but no one answered.

Ye Xiaoya paced anxiously, repeatedly muttering, "Brother Yuanchen, please, please answer the phone quickly, please, please answer the phone quickly."

Meanwhile, Xi Yuanchen was driving. He had his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes fixed on the road ahead. It was a little past nine o'clock at night, and the nightlife was just beginning. The roads were full of taxis and private cars.

He had put his phone on silent while he was shopping with Yao Yingxi, so he didn't notice that the phone next to him had rung.

The car continued driving until they arrived at Zhong Enming's studio. Xi Yuanchen glanced at his watch; it was exactly ten o'clock. He then picked up his phone and saw an international missed call, but he didn't pay it any mind. He dialed Yao Yingxi's number.

He frowned and dialed again, but to no avail.

Xi Yuanchen had no choice but to call Zhong Enming. Fortunately, unlike Yao Yingxi, Zhong Enming's phone was answered after ringing a few times.

"You haven't finished class yet?"

"Not yet, Yingxi is drawing up the design. What's wrong? Are you downstairs yet?" He knew that Xi Yuanchen would come to pick up Yao Yingxi.

"I'm coming up now." After hanging up the phone, Xi Yuanchen put his phone back in the inside pocket of his suit, opened the car door, and got out.

The building was quiet at the moment. He had just reached the entrance when he was stopped by the security guard.

Xi Yuanchen said calmly, "I'll go to the top floor to find someone."

The security guard looked Xi Yuanchen up and down. Seeing that he was dressed expensively and looked energetic, he figured he wasn't one of those people who wanted to commit suicide, so he put his hand down.

Xi Yuanchen walked straight inside. The elevator was quiet. Xi Yuanchen looked up at the constantly bouncing elevator number keys until he reached the top floor before getting out.

The top floor was completely dark at the moment, with no lights on and no one around.

Xi Yuanchen walked easily to Zhong Enming's studio, which was empty and dark.

A cool breeze blew in through the window, rustling the things on the table. Xi Yuanchen turned his head and glanced at the empty room, but the documents that had been blown by the wind made a rustling sound, which would have startled anyone who was easily frightened.

Xi Yuanchen walked through the studio's office area and went straight to Zhong Enming's office door. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Xi Yuanchen pushed open the door and entered. Yao Yingxi was hunched over her desk with a pen in her hand. Zhong Enming stood behind her, pointing at something in front of her: "The colors here don't match."

Both of them seemed to know that Xi Yuanchen was coming, and neither of them looked up.

Xi Yuanchen closed the door and walked to Yao Yingxi and Zhong Enming's side. His tall figure blocked the light, enveloping Yao Yingxi.

The two of them looked up, and Yao Yingxi saw Xi Yuanchen in front of her. She was surprised for a few seconds, then her eyes lit up: "Why did you come here?" After she finished speaking, she realized that Xi Yuanchen had said he would pick her up at ten o'clock. She raised her wrist, saw her watch, and then belatedly realized.

"Did you call me?" Her phone was on silent, and she hadn't noticed. Seeing that Zhong Enming wasn't surprised at all, she guessed that when Zhong Enming went to answer the phone, it was Xi Yuanchen who had called.

Xi Yuanchen looked down at the things in front of Yao Yingxi: "How much longer until we finish?"

"It'll be a while." Yao Yingxi looked down at the things on the table, then looked up at him and said, "Mr. Xi, why don't you sit on the sofa for a bit? I'll leave as soon as I'm done."

Xi Yuanchen nodded and said "Okay".

Yao Yingxi was about to say something more when Zhong Enming interrupted, "It's not like he hasn't been here before. Let's continue and finish quickly."

Yao Yingxi could only lower her head and continue working with Zhong Enming.

She did most of the talking. When Zhong Enming went to look at it, if he felt it was inappropriate, he would ask her to change it on the spot, so as not to waste more time if it was not good after it was finished.

Seeing Yao Yingxi drawing another picture, sketching out the structure, Zhong Enming walked to the sofa and sat down with Xi Yuanchen. He glanced at the time and said to Xi Yuanchen, "Do you want to go buy some food? She probably won't be finished for a while."

Upon hearing this, Xi Yuanchen frowned and turned to look at Zhong Enming: "How much longer?" It's already past ten o'clock. The two of them still need to wash up when they get back, and Yao Yingxi has classes to attend tomorrow. He doesn't want Yao Yingxi to stay up too late.

"I estimate another hour," Zhong Enming said casually. He didn't think there was anything wrong with Yao Yingxi staying up late; everyone has to learn something, and the process is always tough. But although it's arduous, she can gain experience and learn a skill, which he considers very worthwhile.