Chapter 221: I Will Not Give Up
"Ye, for the past ten years, not a single day has gone by that I haven't thought of you."
"I wanted to contact you, but I didn't have your information. I wanted to come find you, but my father, the King, wouldn't allow it!"
"He was worried I'd be in danger. If it weren't for him, I would have definitely come to the Dragon Country to find you by now!"
"We might even have had children by now!"
Xiao Ye coughed lightly and awkwardly pushed her away. "Princess Ali, you're still very young. You shouldn't overthink things."
"As for those wonderful times you mentioned, they're really just a romanticized longing for the past."
"You've constantly embellished it in your mind, which is why you can't forget it."
Although Xiao Ye didn't remember which one Ali was, he still recalled the details of his interactions with those foreign princesses.
It was mostly just daily consultations and offering medical advice.
In most cases, aside from the initial period that required bed rest, patients were able to move around during the later stages of treatment.
Traditional Chinese medicine advocates for exercise, as it encourages deep breathing and sun exposure, which helps balance yin and yang.
He figured this particular princess had probably just run wild in the mountains back then, which was why she found it so wonderful.
In reality, from an outsider's perspective, being a princess was the ultimate happiness.
But Ali didn't think so. She looked at Xiao Ye stubbornly. "No, I'm not embellishing it! It was real!"
"Ye, I came to find you this time to marry you!"
"I want to be with you forever. You're so amazing, only I am worthy of you!"
"As for those other poor, shabby women, they're nothing compared to me!"
As a princess, Ali was naturally very confident. "Ye, whatever you want, I can give it to you."
Xiao Ye felt a headache coming on. 'What a joke,' he thought. 'It's been ten years, and she's still into me? I really don't get it.'
'Besides, shouldn't Western and Eastern beauty standards be different?'
After saying her piece, Ali tried to throw herself at him again.
Xiao Ye immediately dodged. "Princess Ali, we're just talking. Keep your hands to yourself."
"I don't know what you like about me, but I respect your feelings."
"But I'm already in love with someone. We're about to get engaged and then married. I'm sorry, but I can't accept your affections."
Ali grew frantic. She had never imagined Xiao Ye would reject her.
"I'm a princess! If you get together with me, you can become a member of Country A's Royal Family! You'll be a true elite, a real noble!"
"Besides, what's so great about that woman? She can't give you anything!"
Ali looked at Xiao Ye with a wounded expression. "I can give you anything! I can even give things to the Dragon Country!"
"Don't you guys want our technology? I can persuade my father, the King, to hand it over to the Dragon Country for free!"
Even if Ali was the most favored daughter, the Royal Family of Country A wouldn't give up the foundation of their national strength just for her.
That technology could be traded for countless things!
Ali had been spoiled so rotten she had no idea what her own worth truly was.
A mere daughter was nothing compared to real benefits!
Xiao Ye looked at Ali seriously. "I'll say this one last time: I am already in love with someone."
"So I will not be with you. As for the conditions you've offered, I won't accept them either."
"Don't bring this up again in the future."
With that, he turned and left.
Having been rejected repeatedly, and all because of a woman she considered her inferior, Ali's anger flared!
"I already told you, she's not worthy of you! She's so poor and shabby, and her status isn't as noble as mine!"
"Why do you want her and not me?"
Xiao Ye couldn't be bothered to say more and simply opened the door and left.
As for the consequences of Princess Ali's fury, that was not his concern.
When his contact saw him come out, he immediately walked up to him. "Princess Ali wanted to see you... What did you two talk about?"
"She said she wanted to be with me, but I refused," Xiao Ye said, his expression unchanged.
The contact hadn't expected it to be true. "But she's a princess! The princess of a nation! Do you have any idea how many benefits you could get by being with her?"
Xiao Ye didn't break his stride. "I'm not interested."
With that, he stepped into the elevator and left the Diplomatic Hotel.
「Inside the presidential suite.」
With red-rimmed eyes, Ali smashed everything in sight to pieces!
"Why! Why doesn't he like me!"
"What's so great about that woman?!"
"No, I won't give up!"
Ali whipped her head around, stood on her tiptoes, and grabbed the translator's collar tightly. "Tell me why!"
The translator forced a smile. "Princess, please don't be angry."
"It must be that Mr. Xiao Ye has poor taste."
SLAP!
The crisp sound of a slap echoed.
"How dare you speak ill of my Ye! You're courting death!"
Despite the slap, the translator had to force another smile. "Princess, if the problem isn't with Mr. Xiao Ye, then it must be with that woman."
Ali froze for a second, then realization dawned. She immediately let go of his collar. "You're right. That must be it. It's all because of that damned woman!"
"No, I absolutely cannot let her keep monopolizing Ye."
"Send someone to bring her to me at once!"
"I'm going to make her give up on her own!"
"She's just a commoner. How can she compare to me? She's not worthy!"
The translator straightened his collar. "But... if we request to see her directly, I'm afraid Mr. Xiao Ye might get suspicious."
"Then don't let Ye know! Just bring her here secretly!"
「Inside a luxury shopping mall in the Imperial City.」
Ye Baiwei was here for an advertisement shoot. When Lin Chuyue found out, she immediately dragged her over to go shopping.
Ever since Xiao Ye's incident, the two of them had grown closer by the day, to the point where they now called each other sisters.
Ye Baiwei suppressed the sour feeling in her heart and accompanied Lin Chuyue from one shop to the next.
"What do you think of this dress?" Lin Chuyue asked, holding it up to herself in front of the mirror. "The clothes Xiao Ye bought me are just too expensive."
"A lot of them are haute couture, which I have no use for on a daily basis. With ordinary clothes like these, I wouldn't feel bad even if they got ruined."
Ye Baiwei knew Lin Chuyue wasn't trying to show off, but she still couldn't suppress the jealousy in her heart.
"It's very pretty, but since you'll be part of the Xiao Family from now on, there's no need to be frugal."
"Otherwise, the moment you wear a regular brand, you'll be on the front page of the entertainment news, with headlines saying you've married into a wealthy family but aren't favored."
"Even for a female celebrity like me, who isn't even from a truly wealthy family, if I'm seen wearing unbranded clothes, people will say I'm struggling financially and that my career is over."
In the end, Lin Chuyue still bought a few items. She linked her arm through Ye Baiwei's. "Come on, I'll treat you to something to eat."
"If I really do move to the Imperial City in the future, I won't know many people. You'll have to come see me every time you're here."
Ye Baiwei was naturally willing. 'Since I can't be with Xiao Ye,' she thought, 'I should at least try to get on good terms with Lin Chuyue.'