"But he didn’t pick up...I called him twice."

Yang Ruqin’s beautifully shaped brows drew together upon hearing the defeat in her friend’s voice. Hey, hey, the battle hasn’t started yet, don’t give up so quickly!

"It went straight to voicemail after the first ring."

"What time did you call him?"

Zhao Lifei checked the phone. "Around one in the morning."

Yang Ruqin became worried. One in the morning was the exact time her brother arrived home yesterday. She knew because the Old Butler looking over Yang Feng’s mansion always reported to her mother the time he would come home.

This realization upsetted her. Feng-ge was stubbornly ignoring Zhao Lifei.

It was surprising for her to hear about this. Her brother was always patient around Feifei and tolerated almost all of her disrespect. Was the situation this serious now? Was he truly offended by her words?

"I’ll call him—"

"No!" Zhao Lifei yelled. When she saw the confused expression on Yang Ruqin’s face, she added on, "I created this mess, so I should be the one to fix it."

"Alright then." Yang Ruqin firmly nodded, agreeing with her approach. "Before you do anything, tell me where you think you screwed up at." She wanted to make sure Lifei had everything sorted out before heading into the battle.

Zhao Lifei awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "My stubbornness?"

Yang Ruqin slowly shook her head. "Your stubbornness was not the issue here. From my perspective, Feng-ge doesn’t seem to mind your spoiled temperament." She leaned into the chair, resting her face on her propped up arm. Even this simple pose made her look good, like a picture-perfect heiress.

"Well, he shouldn’t mind it in the first place, since he’s the one who encourages your behavior." She drily said, remembering the moments she witnessed her brother doting on Feifei.

"Think harder to the moment the fight started."

Zhao Lifei thought about the argument, deeply thinking about her refusal to stay in the bed. He was worried over her health, but she stubbornly pushed him away.

"He’s mad because I insulted him when all he wanted to do was care for me...?" Zhao Lifei sighed. They had both screwed up here. "His intentions came from a good place, but his approach did not."

Yang Ruqin slowly nodded, her face stern like a headmistress acknowledging a troubled student. "You’re absolutely right, he’s also in the wrong. But you have to understand, Feifei, my brother tries his hardest to chase after you. It’s okay to play hard to get or struggle to open up to him."

"My brother is used to having things always go his way. It’s in his nature." Her older brother was spoiled by both sides of the family for being the eldest and a son. Something like that was expected of him. "He doesn’t know how to properly take care of others, hence the reason why his approach is so overbearing. He was trying to keep you safe in the best way he knew: by locking you in a room. The same thing has happened to me in the past when a rough scandal broke out"

"I don’t want to justify his behavior, but I just want you to understand why he does it." Yang Ruqin frowned. "However, both of you guys have abnormally high egos that constantly clash with each other."

Yang Ruqin wanted to side with Zhao Lifei, but she also had an obligation to Yang Feng. In the end, she wanted both of them to be happy, and from her perspective, they were the happiest around each other.

"Your stubbornness will clash with his, and that’s completely understandable, but I recommend talking about it with my brother. Try to come up with a solution where instead of you guys rashly lashing out at each other, you guys can try sitting down and having a civilized conversation."

"Do you understand what I’m trying to say?" Yang Ruqin paused to give Zhao Lifei some thinking time. "My brother likes you very much and he does not want to lose you, but you’re constantly pushing him away. Because of that, he’s more inclined to think that all of his approaches aren’t working, thus, he gets frustrated." She continued to ramble, pausing every few seconds to breathe.

"Feifei, how do you feel about my brother? Your desire to enact action or not all depends on it. Think about it carefully."

Zhao Lifei was lost in her daydream while she pondered over Yang Ruqin’s words. After a moment of silence, her face clicked with recognition.

Yang Feng had done his part in chasing her, it was now her turn to do the same. At this point of their entwining path, it wasn’t a matter of pride or ego. What was most important was understanding how she felt for him and she already knew the answer to that question. Every part of her wanted him, hell, her heart was the craziest whenever she was with him!

It was finally time for her to run after a man who would actually treat her well without fail.

"’Yeah, I understand." Zhao Lifei nodded, ready to climb out of the bed and go to his office.

"Woah there, young lady! Where do you think you’re going?!" Yang Ruqin quickly blocked Zhao Lifei’s attempt of leaving the bed. She hurriedly grabbed the blankets and tucked the crazy woman inside.

"To personally see Yang Feng?" Zhao Lifei responded, like a lost and confused child who couldn’t see her wrongdoings. If he wasn’t going to pick up the phone, the only way to contact him would be to go and see him personally.

"Nuh-uh, you’re not going to personally see him. I’ll bring him here." Yang Ruqin said, shaking her head at the way Zhao Lifei’s brain worked. How could she not prioritize her body?

"No, Qinqin, I should be the one doing the chasing this time. On his way here, he’ll think too much and begin to expect things from me— hey! Put away the phone!" Zhao Lifei grabbed Yang Ruqin who had taken out her phone to call Chen Gaonan.

"Stop it, Qinqin—" In her attempt of grabbing the phone, Zhao Lifei had accidentally forced Yang Ruqin’s finger to press on the call key. It rang once, twice, and on the third time, a deep voice spoke up.

"Good afternoon, Miss Yang. How may I help you today?" Chen Gaonan politely spoke up, a slight noise in the background.

Yang Ruqin triumphantly smirked. "What is my brother doing right now?"

She stuck her tongue out at Zhao Lifei who looked infuriated on the bed, but didn’t dare to speak up now that the call was placed on speaker.

"Boss is currently on his way to a meeting—"

"Can the meeting be postponed?" Yang Ruqin cut straight to the chase, her shameless question took Chen Gaonan by surprise.

"I’m afraid that’s not possible—"

"He has tons of meetings, I’m sure he can place this one on hold."

Chen Gaonan slightly frowned but kept his voice respectful and firm. He knew the Yang women were very persistent when it came to placing family over work. This request was not uncommon, for it had happened many times before in the past.

"He has already boarded the airplane to the meeting. It’s on the other side of the country and the flight will take at least four hours." Chen Gaonan declared, his response stunning the women in the room.