Sun’s father noticed his son’s hesitation; he didn’t press further, believing that after a few more conversations like this, his son would give up on Ye Qian.

"I’ve told you these things today, and I want you to think them over carefully. Think about whether I’ve made sense. Your mother and I are getting old, and I’m about to retire. How you fare in life has nothing to do with us, ultimately your future is yours alone, so it’s up to you how you choose," Sun’s father looked at his son, his eyes filled with disappointment, though he didn’t show it on his face, "I won’t say much more, just take a look at Liu Zhiyuan. He’s such a good kid, and everyone knows what his future would have been like. But what’s his situation now? Why did it happen? Isn’t it because he married Ye Qian? If it weren’t for the chaos at home, would Liu Zhiyuan be in this state now? A wise choice in marriage is important; there’s truth to the ancient saying."

After saying this, Sun’s father fell silent, simply watching his son quietly. Sun Mingjie dared not meet his father’s gaze, his mind wavered as well.

Indeed, he didn’t want to leave the company, but he knew that offending the Liu Family made recovery within the company impossible.

But after working hard for so many years, he was truly reluctant to just suddenly step down from the company.

However, he didn’t want to give up on Ye Qian either. She was the woman he’d been fond of since childhood, and they were together now, not caring about others’ opinions. If he let go now, wouldn’t all his efforts be in vain?

"Your mother and I don’t oppose your pursuit of happiness, but look at the current situation; Ye Qian’s character truly has issues. No one would like such a person, not just your mother and me, anyone would feel the same. Just observe her interactions with her family. If she were truly good, wouldn’t Ye Ling support her with their conditions? Why does Ye Qian need a job change?" Sun’s father guided his son gradually.

"Someone not liked by her family certainly has personal issues. If you decide to be with her, I’ve already said, your mother and I won’t do anything; we’ll pretend you are not our son." Sun’s father waved wearily, "I’ve said what I needed to, there’s nothing more to add. It’s up to you now to make your choices. If you break up with Ye Qian, your mother and I will try to arrange a proposal with the Liu Family. For now, just go home, don’t wander around outside. Your mother is surely worried about you at home, go see her."

"Dad, I’ll head home now." At this moment, Sun Mingjie’s mind was in chaos; he didn’t know what decision to make. He didn’t want to abandon Ye Qian nor his job at the company.

After leaving his father’s office, Sun Mingjie planned to go straight home. He knew his father had certainly communicated with the company, so he didn’t need to request leave again. But as he reached the company entrance, he saw a figure standing under a tree from a distance, it was Ye Qian in a white dress.

Sun Mingjie hesitated briefly, then strode over, "Ye Qian, why are you here?"

"I’ve finished with my transition today, someone told me you’d come here, so I wanted to see if I could meet you. That’s why I stood here, and here you are." Ye Qian’s face showed concern, "You didn’t come home last night, did your dad call you to scold you? I’m sorry for putting you through so much for me."

Sun Mingjie forced a smile, "Don’t worry, he didn’t say anything to me. Now that you’ve finished the transition, you don’t have anything else to do, right? Do you need to go back to the company to pack, or just head home?"

Thinking about his father’s words, Sun Mingjie felt inexplicably guilty facing Ye Qian.

Ye Qian sweetly smiled, "There’s not much to pack, I can go straight home, and then wait to report to the work unit. Are you free now?"

While speaking, Ye Qian shyly glanced at Sun Mingjie, sneaked a look at him, and then lowered her head again. Her shy demeanor made Sun Mingjie recall last night’s events, causing his body to feel hot.

Putting aside his father’s words, "Yes, I’m free, I’ll accompany you home!"

Ye Qian shyly nodded, but then raised her eyes with a bit of worry, "Is it alright for you to accompany me home? Won’t your parents be angry? Perhaps you should head home; since you didn’t return last night, they must be worried."

"Don’t worry, it’s fine, I have nothing in the afternoon, I’ll go back in the evening. Let me accompany you first!" Sun Mingjie’s eyes flickered, glancing around, seeing no one, he slipped an arm around Ye Qian’s waist, and they headed to their shared place.

At their place, the two naturally had a moment of intimacy, and by nightfall, Sun Mingjie hadn’t returned home. At the compound, Sun’s mother waited all day without seeing her son come back, and when her husband came in that evening, she couldn’t help but burst into tears.

No words were needed for Sun’s father to understand what happened; his expression tightened. He initially thought his son would return, but didn’t foresee him not coming back again.

His assistant had reported that his son met Ye Qian on the way and Ye Qian took him away. He hadn’t anticipated Ye Qian to have such methods, ensnaring his son, making it clear he needed to take stern measures.

On this end, the compound seemed to have decided how to handle Ye Qian and bring their son back. Meanwhile, upon hearing of Ye Qian and Sun Mingjie being together, Ye Ling’s expression darkened; she didn’t believe the Sun Family would be easy opponents, assuming Ye Qian’s reputation was too damaged for them to allow the two to be together.

Recalling Ye Qian’s confident demeanor in their last encounter, Ye Ling understood that Ye Qian was relying on Sun Mingjie.

But Ye Qian seemed overly simplistic; did she truly believe securing Sun Mingjie would guarantee success?

Without saying more, among their four-year university classmates, Ye Ling knew Sun Mingjie’s temperament better than anyone.

No need to think further, Ye Ling knew Ye Qian’s end wouldn’t be favorable.

Ultimately, it’s Ye Qian’s choice; Ye Ling neither wished to intervene nor cared to get involved.

Having divorced Liu Rui, Xiang Weilai was preparing to head back to the south, aware that upon returning, he didn’t know when he would return next time.