Zhu Qianying thought that by this time, the elders in the Yan family would all be asleep.

But she saw Yan Yuan in the living room.

"Uncle, aren't you asleep yet?"

Yan Yuan was focused on reading a book when he heard her call. He looked up and waved to her, clearly having waited for her.

Zhu Qianying quickly went over and sat down on the sofa opposite him.

This serious and unsmiling elder of the Yan family is old enough to be Zhu Qianying's grandfather.

Of course, Zhu Qianying herself was not well-liked by the Zhu family, and her impression of her grandfather was practically zero, so she wouldn't make any connections to him.

"Is work tiring?"

This stern elder and she had known each other for five years, but their relationship had always been nothing more than nodding acquaintances; they had basically never had a deep conversation.

Zhu Qianying was flattered and overwhelmed by such concern for her living conditions.

"Uncle, I really like this job, so it's not tiring!"

Zhu Qianying's mind was racing. She felt that this serious and important person would not ask about her work for no reason. In addition, considering that her elders always wanted to bring Yan Shao back to the capital to enter politics, Zhu Qianying became more cautious.

Yan Yuan's expression remained the same as before. He nodded and said, "Okay, then do a good job. Xiao Han is busy with work, so please help her out whenever you have time."

"Uncle, I will." Zhu Qianying nodded obediently, afraid that she might say something wrong and cause unnecessary trouble for Young Master Yan.

However, different professions are like different worlds, and even if Zhu Qianying wanted to help with Yan Shao's work, she couldn't. But she felt there was no need to say anything about it.

"Well, it's getting late. Go take a shower and go to bed. Be careful when you go back tomorrow!"

"Okay, goodnight, Uncle!"

Even after returning to her bedroom, Zhu Qianying still couldn't understand why Yan Yuan had waited for her to come back and say those words.

Just to find out about her work situation?

Or perhaps, they wanted to persuade her to quit her job and return to Yanhuang to help Young Master Yan? Or even, did they want to lure her back to the capital to take a position?

Or perhaps, it's simply because I can't say goodbye to her in person tomorrow, so I'm waiting for her to come back so I can say goodbye first?

Or perhaps he didn't mean anything by it; he just happened to run into her when she came back, and casually asked her a few questions. He really didn't have any ulterior motives, and she was just overthinking it.

After she finished showering, she nestled in bed and called Young Master Yan. She told him about it, and his words cleared up her doubts.

"You're not overthinking it. Your uncle probably wants you to quit your job and come back to Yanhuang to help me!"

"Are you so sure? Did he mention it to you?"

Zhu Qianying couldn't help but become curious. Could it be that Yan Yuan had mentioned this to Young Master Yan before?

"Yes, I haven't told you this before, have I? In the past, it wasn't just my grandparents who objected to my parents' relationship; my uncle didn't like my mom from the beginning either."

"But because my father really loved my mother, my uncle had no choice but to accept it. However, he privately approached my mother and asked her to give up everything in the Tong family and come to Yanhuang to help my father's career, but she refused. That's why my father was isolated and alone until he was over thirty years old before he finally got my grandparents' approval. If my uncle had been willing to step in and persuade them back then, naturally, my father and his family wouldn't have had to endure so many years."

Zhu Qianying never expected that there was such a past story behind it.

"Actually, what I'm most worried about is that he's trying to take advantage of me and lure me back to the capital. If that happens, you might have to come back to the capital to make a living for me."

Zhu Qianying expressed her inner thoughts.

"Ha, do you think you're that easy to fool or trick? I don't think so."

Young Master Yan was clearly reminded of the painful experiences he had endured over the past few years, and his tone naturally carried a hint of helplessness.

"It's hard to say. I used to be a bit smarter, but I've become much dumber since I started spending time with you."

"Yes, but it depends on the person you're with, right?"

For some reason, Yan Shao's tone became sour.

"..."

Zhu Qianying remained silent for a moment because she was thinking of Cheng Ye.

Sure enough, Young Master Yan then opened fire.

"You're incredibly shrewd around me, but with Cheng Ye, you're absolutely stupid! It's not advisable for a man and a woman to be alone in a room together, yet you insisted on being alone with a drunk man. What else can you call that but being stupid?"

Zhu Qianying couldn't blame Young Master Yan for his inexplicable outburst of temper, because if she were in his shoes tonight, she would probably be jealous too.

This has nothing to do with trust. As long as you have feelings for the other person, it's impossible for you to be completely without thoughts.

“It’s not like we’re alone together, okay? Brother Wang and Brother Zheng are here too. Besides, Cheng Ye is very well-behaved when he’s drunk. I didn’t even touch him. It’s not as dirty as you think.”

In the past, Zhu Qianying would not have bothered to explain such things; after all, the innocent are innocent.

But now, she's willing to patiently coax the jealous man on the other end of the phone.

It wasn't because she felt guilty, but because she understood very well that geographical distance could indeed make people feel uneasy and insecure.

This mentality exists in both men and women.

Therefore, she was willing to offer some words of comfort and reassurance to put his mind at ease. Although her tone was somewhat impatient, she genuinely didn't want him to be agitated or anxious about it.

Young Master Yan clearly understood that his accusations were unfounded. After listening to Zhu Qianying's explanation, he remained silent for a while, and then let out a long sigh.

"It's really ugly..."

Zhu Qianying remained silent because she knew that Young Master Yan's words were just self-deprecation, not meant for her.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow. Would you like to go home for dinner, or would you prefer a romantic candlelight dinner with me?"

After making a self-deprecating joke, Young Master Yan finally returned to his normal state.

"Let's go home. I promised Zizai I'd come home for dinner!"

Young Master Yan sighed again, "Sigh, what can I do? Even if he's my son, I still want to slap him a few times to vent my anger..."

After Zhu Qianying teased him a few times, Yan Shao took the initiative to report his whereabouts after returning home that day.

"I rushed back today because the Yi family has also heard the news and knows that the police's diagnosis report is out. They want to use this as a reason to bail Yi Wei out."

"Hmm, and then?"

"And then? How could that be! He's dreaming. Why should his daughter go crazy, hurt people, and then come home to live a good life? Since she's crazy, she should stay where crazy people stay, instead of going home to be a pampered young lady."

Of course, Yan Shao's rush back to L City was not only because of Yi Wei's matter, but also because of other things that had come to light.

However, he didn't want to say too much on the phone, afraid that she would overthink things.