Rejection

Ban Ye grabbed Eucali by the shoulders and dragged her toward the door, but the more she did so, the more desperately Eucali struggled backward.

Seeing the situation take a sudden turn for the worse, Cheng Xiaoshu recovered from her brief shock and hurried forward to seize Hesta's arm, dragging her outside.

"What are you doing?!" Hesta flew into a rage and shook off Cheng Xiaoshu's hand. "She's the one causing trouble here, and you're dragging me away?"

"Listen to me, okay?" Cheng Xiaoshu looked at her. "Give me a few minutes... My judgment is sharper, after all. Isn't that what you said?"

Hesta said nothing, but she took a step back with Cheng Xiaoshu's pull and was then shoved unsteadily out the door.

"Wait here," Cheng Xiaoshu said in a lowered voice. "It'll only take a moment."

The door closed.

Hesta let out a long breath. Alone in the corridor, she paced back and forth, chewing over her anger again and again.

During that time, she repeatedly checked the time. Nine minutes later, Cheng Xiaoshu opened the door again.

"Come in."

The room had already returned to calm. As Hesta passed through the entryway, she glanced into the kitchen. There was no one inside, and the door panel she had punched through earlier stood out starkly in the silence.

"Where's that person?" Hesta asked.

"In the bedroom. I told her we'd say goodbye and leave right away—"

"Who said I was leaving—"

"Don't rush in there and start another fight," Cheng Xiaoshu said, looking at her. "A face-to-face conflict will only put Eucali in a difficult position."

Hesta looked at Eucali. She had her head lowered, tears still streaking her face. The sight made Hesta instinctively want to apologize, but she immediately bit down on her tongue. She suddenly