Lily had never been scolded so harshly before, and her eyes immediately reddened with emotion.
"Guo Yalan, are you crazy? Can't you see what this little tramp is thinking?"
Guo Yalan sneered, "I can see what you're thinking though - you wanted to splash me, didn't you?"
Lily's heart tightened under Guo Yalan's piercing gaze.
Indeed, Lily wanted nothing more than to splash Guo Yalan, but she didn't dare. So now she and Qi Li were of the same mind, using Han Ziyu as a scapegoat - after all, there was no cost to bullying Han Ziyu.
Seeing Lily's guilty conscience, Guo Yalan said directly, "Apologize."
"What?" Lily was dumbfounded.
"Apologize to the young lady. What, you don't understand simple words?" Guo Yalan crossed her arms, presenting an intimidating stance.
Han Ziyu looked up at Guo Yalan in surprise, only able to see her solid back, yet feeling extremely safe.
Overwhelmed by the aggressive atmosphere and the stares from everyone around, Lily immediately turned to Qi Li with a pitiful expression, seeking help.
Qi Li truly couldn't understand why Guo Yalan was defending Han Ziyu again. Seeing Lily on the verge of tears, he frowned.
He said to Guo Yalan, "Why are you still so temperamental? It's just a small matter."
As soon as Qi Li finished speaking, he saw Han Ziyu suddenly look up at him.
His heart skipped a beat, and he inexplicably couldn't meet her gaze. Had his words hurt her?
He couldn't be blamed though - after all, she hadn't been cooperative before.
Besides, what was her status compared to Lily's?
Standing beside Han Ziyu, Ji Fei could feel the resentment radiating from her, and was mentally cursing quite colorfully.
Honestly, regarding Qi Li's previous hiring of a stand-in, since he hadn't really taken advantage of Han Ziyu, Ji Fei had at most considered him a narcissistic fool who was full of himself and self-deceptive. But hearing his words now, Ji Fei felt that Qi Li's true nature was simply lacking.
[Even though Qi Li wouldn't have to worry about offending Lily, it's clear he still ranks people by their status. Even if he has developed feelings for Han Ziyu, deep down he still looks down on people without status or background, thinking it doesn't matter if they suffer because there's no cost. If he were to stand up for her, that would just be asking for trouble. It seems there's a huge gap in values between these friends. My Qin Xian is still the best.]
Qin Xian: My?
Qin Xian had been listening to Ji Fei's criticism and was also dissatisfied with Qi Li's behavior, but that sudden possessive remark caught him off guard. His brain short-circuited, stopped thinking, and he sweetly gazed at Ji Fei. In this tense atmosphere, he was probably the only one whose thoughts were completely out of sync.
While others were fighting, he was savoring love.
Hearing Qi Li's response, Guo Yalan couldn't help but laugh mockingly.
Guo Yalan shrugged, "Good thing we broke up back then. I knew we weren't compatible."
This statement hit Qi Li's nerve hard, and his face truly darkened.
"Guo Yalan, you..."
"Shut up, this has nothing to do with you," Guo Yalan cut him off.
Now it was Qi Li's turn to tremble with anger.
Glaring at Lily with displeasure, she said, "When you do something wrong, you should apologize. What are you hiding for, making it seem like I'm bullying you?"
"Guo Yalan, don't push too far."
"So it's okay for you to bully others but not okay for others to bully you?" Guo Yalan sneered, "Besides, I'm not bullying anyone - I'm upholding justice."
Lily finally couldn't hold back anymore and shouted, "Guo Yalan, you're just an idiot! Are you pretending not to know or can you really not see? She's your stand-in! Do you know what a stand-in is? She's a fake trying to replace you! Why are you protecting this kind of cheap woman? You don't even know how she's been seducing Young Master Qi using a face similar to yours. Otherwise, how could a mere working girl stay by Young Master Qi's side for so long? You should be teaching her a harsh lesson!"
Guo Yalan suddenly fell silent and turned to look at Han Ziyu.
Although it was common knowledge, having it stated so directly made it extremely awkward. Han Ziyu became nervous under Guo Yalan's gaze, and suddenly felt a strong emotion surge within her - she didn't want Guo Yalan to dislike her.
But what original would like their counterfeit version?
It would be considered merciful if she didn't slap her.
Han Ziyu didn't expect any kindness from Guo Yalan, let alone having her speak up for her.
But it was such a shame - they looked so similar, and Guo Yalan had been so friendly before. She was such a good person, and Han Ziyu felt a special kind of affection. Although it might have been presumptuous of her, she wished they could have met under different circumstances - perhaps they could have been good sisters.
Her feelings toward Guo Yalan marked the first time since losing both parents that Han Ziyu had such a strong desire for family.
And this was coming from someone who had always been independent and didn't even care for having a boyfriend.
"That... no... I never wanted to replace you, much less seduce anyone, I just..." Han Ziyu was so anxious she didn't know what to say.
[If it weren't for the confidentiality agreement, Han Ziyu would probably want to shout out that it was just an employment relationship. Unfortunately, I can't help explain either, since I'm supposed to know nothing about it. The most infuriating is Qi Li - he's the one who paid for this, yet he seems to have conveniently forgotten that part. It's absolutely maddening. I hope Guo Yalan doesn't misunderstand Han Ziyu.]
Guo Yalan paused, then smiled helplessly, "Sister, whether that's true or not, I'd suggest you find someone else - this one's not worth it."
[Pfft, I'm really growing to like Guo Yalan's personality more and more. Qi Li truly doesn't deserve her.]
This statement stunned everyone around them.
This... why did it sound like she was disapproving of a friend's boyfriend and advising her to break up?
Shouldn't Guo Yalan and Han Ziyu be in an awkward, opposing relationship?
Actually, Guo Yalan had previously thought Qi Li just had a preference for this type of appearance, and the similarity was coincidental. But after seeing Lily and Qi Li's attitude toward Han Ziyu, she began to have doubts.
Now that Lily had completely torn away the veil of pretense, Guo Yalan fully understood Han Ziyu's position.
She just wasn't sure about Han Ziyu's feelings for Qi Li, and when uncertain, she always followed her instincts. Since she quite liked this young girl, she might as well protect her.
"Ah... ah, oh, you're absolutely right," Han Ziyu was stunned, probably never having encountered this kind of situation before. "But I swear, I have absolutely no relationship with him now!"
Guo Yalan smiled with satisfaction.
The conversation between Guo Yalan and Han Ziyu completely trampled Qi Li's dignity - who could have imagined these two would team up to humiliate him?
"Guo Yalan, Han Ziyu, you, you both..."
[So you've finally realized they're on the same side? Pfft pfft pfft~]
Guo Yalan immediately shot Qi Li a warning glare, "Why are you so chatty? This is between us women - can't you men just stay out of it? You're so annoying."
Then, Guo Yalan fixed her gaze on Lily, "Your turn."
Lily finally realized she couldn't count on Qi Li and stepped back in fear.
