The living room was quiet, except for Ye Qian’s voice, there was no other sound. When her voice fell, no one picked it up. The tranquility left a void in one’s heart.

Ye Ling was actually quite surprised, although it was also within her expectations. Her mother had always doted on Ye Qian, but given Ye Qian’s current reckless attitude, it was perfectly normal for her and her mother to fall out. Ye Ling hadn’t expected that their mother, who usually adored Ye Qian, would truly decide to leave Ye Qian behind and return to their hometown. She couldn’t fathom what Ye Qian had done to hurt their mother so deeply.

However, it was clear that at this moment, no matter how they questioned Ye Qian, she wouldn’t reveal the truth. Ye He Ping and Aunt Liu could see this as well. Ye He Ping looked at his younger daughter with disappointment in his eyes, yet with a look that suggested he was hesitant to speak.

"Dad, I know no matter what I say, you won’t believe it. I’m sure you think I’ve hurt Mom. But if you think about it, have I ever not listened to Mom growing up? How could I say anything to hurt her? There’s no reason to! I believe her decision to return home must be due to your remarriage," Ye Qian said directly, while Ye Ling felt Ye Qian’s approach was quite brazen.

At this point, Ye Qian still wouldn’t admit her mistake but rather placed the blame on others. Was she not afraid that this would make their father disregard her?

Thinking further, Ye Ling suddenly understood. Ye Qian’s face was thick enough to come here, and now with this attitude, it was clear she no longer cared about saving face.

"Yes, it’s all my fault. None of you are wrong. Your mom didn’t do anything wrong; everything she did was right. You haven’t done anything wrong either; you have your reasons for doing these things," Ye He Ping replied sarcastically. "Now that your mom’s gone back home and you’ve divorced, what’s your plan for the future? Why don’t you tell me before I leave tomorrow? At least I won’t leave you here not knowing what to do."

"I plan to stay in the company dorm for a while and see when I can get an apartment."

Before Ye Qian could finish, Ye He Ping impatiently interrupted her, "You staying in the company dorm is fine; however, you should stop thinking about getting an apartment. That’s impossible now. Besides, you’ve offended the Liu Family badly, and your job was arranged by them, it’ll be hard for you to stay there. You’re smart, you must have realized this, so start considering more realistic options!"

Directly being faced with reality like this, Ye Qian no longer cared about her own pride, or whether others would look down upon her. But when truly confronted, her face couldn’t help turning red and burned subtly.

"I think your future stops here. You should consider other options. You won’t be able to stay in the company dorm long-term. You should have some money saved up, so don’t spend recklessly. Save some for when you get laid off at least, you’ll need a place to stay and some extra money. As for me, you see my current situation, I have no job, even my living expenses rely on Aunt Liu. You wouldn’t want me to use Aunt Liu’s money for you, right? Even if Aunt Liu offered us money, I wouldn’t be able to accept it," Ye He Ping’s words poured out like a stream of consciousness.

Ye Ling sat silently on the side. She could see clearly that only when anger overwhelmed him could their father utter these mocking words. Every word served to disgrace Ye Qian. This was something their father had never done before. Even when he was angry or upset, he wouldn’t humiliate his daughter.

Ye Ling glanced at Ye Qian, eager to see how she would respond.

Ye Qian’s face was flushed, "Dad, I know you have opinions of me and thoughts about me, but you don’t need to worry. Even if I have to beg, I won’t ask you for money. I specifically came to see you today since we haven’t met in a while. Now that you clearly don’t want to see me, I’ll leave. You don’t need to worry about my situation; I can make things better for myself."

Her tone was firm as if she was confident in what she was doing.

Ye Ling’s eyes flickered, but deep down, she wasn’t affected by Ye Qian’s words. It was nearly impossible for Ye Qian to turn things around; her job had no prospect of progression, and she was bound to be dismissed. She had fallen out with the Liu compound, and her reputation in the company was poor. So both paths were blocked, and Ye Qian lacked any special skills and didn’t attend college. Her hopes for a comeback seemed impossible to Ye Ling.

Yet Ye Qian remained steadfast, which made Ye Ling, familiar with her, curious. If Ye Qian was acting this way, she must have something that gave her confidence. Ye Ling was eager to find out what it could be.

Ye He Ping looked at his youngest daughter, who was angrily confronting him again, "I’m not saying this to criticize you. I’m just voicing my thoughts; you can interpret them however you like. Children grow up eventually, and you are all adults now, married even. You can handle your own affairs. I’ve advised you before, but none of you listened. From now on, everything depends on yourselves. You should assume your father is powerless to help you!"

"I’ll remember what you said, Dad. Since that’s all, I’ll be leaving now." Ye Qian stood up, picked her bag from beside her feet, and walked out the door of the Li Family without hesitation.

And just like that, she left.

All the fury seemed to drain from Ye He Ping, leaving him limp and powerless on the couch.

Aunt Liu, an outsider, didn’t know what to say. She could only lift her hand to clutch his chest in comfort.

"Dad, don’t worry. Ye Qian will surely find a hotel to stay in tonight. Nothing will happen. She’s bound to go to the company tomorrow; they have a dorm there, so she won’t end up on the streets." It didn’t seem wrong to not keep Ye Qian close.

Moreover, she knew Ye Qian wasn’t here just to see their father. She didn’t even know their mother had gone back home, so how could she know if their father was even around? The thought crossed Ye Ling’s mind that Ye Qian possibly came with a favor to ask, only to be irritated by her father and forcibly left without mentioning it.

Ye Ling thought this was a good outcome. Otherwise, if Ye Qian had brought herself to ask, Ye Ling wouldn’t agree. This spared her from having to reject Ye Qian outright.