Chapter 17: He Will Drag You Down

Ye Hongxiao’s car passed by, and De Ling was afraid he might suddenly stop to see her in such an embarrassing state. Fortunately, the car slowly slipped past, its tail disappearing from sight, and only then did she slowly unclench her tightly held hand.

Qin Sheng’s car followed at the back. After the cars ahead had all left, he finally stopped. Lin Shanni, sitting in the front passenger seat, got out. Seeing Wang Siyang still wiping away tears, she was so angry she almost kicked him.

“Wang Siyang, if you’re a man, then stand up! What’s with all this crying and whining? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”

Only then did Wang Siyang snap back to reality, scrambling to his feet and pleading with Lin Shanni, “Miss Lin, please help me convince De Ling to forgive me one more time.”

Lin Shanni grabbed De Ling, pushed her into the car, then turned back angrily to Wang Siyang. “If you truly love De Ling, act like a man. Look at yourself in the mirror—do you realize how pitiful you look? I feel embarrassed for you!”

“Miss Lin, I love De Ling! I really do!” Wang Siyang exclaimed.

Lin Shanni had no patience left to argue further. She got back into the car and told Qin Sheng to drive off quickly, as if even staying one more second made her uneasy.

“Qin Sheng, please drop me off at the parking lot outside; that’s where my car is parked.”

De Ling said this, then fell silent, staring out the window. Lin Shanni sighed. “You’re in no condition to drive like this. Just leave it here. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone from the club pick up your car and deliver it wherever you are.”

De Ling wanted to refuse, but given her mood, she knew she wasn’t fit to drive, so she said nothing more.

Lin Shanni wanted to say something several times but was stopped by Qin Sheng’s glance. Still, she couldn’t help herself—she felt so sorry for De Ling.

“De Ling, if you have no feelings for him anymore, you should end it early. A man like that will only drag you down. Living with him means you’ll never have a chance to rise.”

End things? De Ling had thought about it, but every time she saw Wang Siyang’s weak expression, she felt unable to do so.

Though much time had passed, she still remembered when she was destitute and helpless, how he reached out to her and silently stood by her side. Having someone like that gave her inner strength.

In her heart, she believed that although he was at fault, she was partly to blame for paying him too little attention. She had been too domineering in front of him, which placed pressure on him.

De Ling knew Lin Shanni meant well, but she wasn’t ready to think about all this yet. Right now, her priority was making money to find a kidney donor to treat her mother.

Seeing no response from De Ling, Lin Shanni knew she didn’t want to talk. She then asked about the project. “Are you still planning to cooperate with the Ye Group?”

De Ling looked out at the deepening night, exhaled slowly, and replied, “Yes.”

But how to proceed, she had no clue, especially since she couldn’t even get a chance to communicate normally with Ye Hongxiao.

“Qin Sheng, can you talk to Brother Ye? It’s not about who handles the project, De Ling is already drinking and dining with him. What more does he want?” Lin Shanni nudged Qin Sheng’s arm. “Why don’t you handle this for me?”

Qin Sheng cleared his throat. Inwardly, he thought, You really know how to give me trouble. Don’t you know what kind of person Ye Hongxiao is? And judging by how Ye Hongxiao’s beloved Song Zigu is acting, who knows what he’s thinking about De Ling?

But since De Ling was in the car, he couldn’t be too blunt. He said tactfully, “Although we’re on good terms, business is business. Hongxiao always keeps work and personal matters separate. It’s really hard for me to intervene.”

De Ling understood Ye Hongxiao better than anyone and knew Qin Sheng was telling the truth.

But for what Qin Sheng did tonight, she owed him a debt of gratitude and said thank you. Then Qin Sheng added, “However, there is one other person who can make decisions on the Ye Group project.”

“Who?”

“Liu Feng.”