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Ye Xiaohan had begun to slowly expand her sources of raw materials. Until she thoroughly consolidated and ensured the stability of these sources, she absolutely could not allow Liu Yuan the opportunity to disrupt them.
The two of them went back and forth, each trying to gain the upper hand, but neither achieved any advantage. On the contrary, this intense mental tug-of-war left both of them exhausted.
Liu Yuan was the first to lose his composure. With a sharp clap of his fan, he stood up to take his leave. "I have some trivial matters to attend to today, so I cannot chat with Boss Ye. Until next time."
"Then I won't delay Young Master Liu's important business. Please take care, and Peach Blossom Studio will always be ready to welcome you," Ye Xiaohan thought to herself that she would prefer if he never returned and hoped he would forget about the shop altogether.
However, contrary to her wishes, Liu Yuan seemed to have nothing better to do and repeatedly appeared before Ye Xiaohan under various pretenses, each one sounding quite plausible.
The more harmless Liu Yuan acted, the stronger Ye Xiaohan's wariness became. As the saying goes, a bite from a dog that doesn't bark is often more dangerous; it was those like Liu Yuan who pretended to be peaceful that would suddenly strike when you least expected it.
Moreover, with Liu Yuan's biting power, he was no Chihuahua; he was at least at the level of a Tibetan Mastiff. A single bite could easily cause serious injury.
Ye Xiaohan found herself juggling Liu Yuan while managing the shop, leaving her feeling overwhelmed and stressed. To 6 Wen and Yang Juanjuan, her busyness presented a perfect opportunity to drive a wedge between her and 6 Bei.
After discussing privately for a while, they concluded that since it was difficult to change 6 Bei's feelings for Ye Xiaohan in the short term, they would have to target Ye Xiaohan instead. As long as 6 Bei noticed Ye Xiaohan's shortcomings and annoying traits, he would surely waver. Once 6 Bei lost interest in Ye Xiaohan, they could act without worry.
6 Wen repeatedly urged 6 Bei to accompany Yang Juanjuan on outings for various reasons—today it was to buy needles and thread, tomorrow it would be for fabric, and later they planned to visit a temple to make a wish. Coincidentally, every route they took happened to pass by Peach Blossom Studio at the end of the street.
Thus, on those days, Yang Juanjuan walked closely beside 6 Bei as they passed by the shop. Inside, Ye Xiaohan appeared to be laughing and chatting with Liu Yuan.
This strange scene left onlookers dumbfounded. Wasn't 6 Bei famously affectionate with Boss Ye? Why was he so close to this suddenly appearing woman? And why did Boss Ye seem so friendly with the county magistrate's son?
The bewildered crowd shook their heads in confusion; it was best not to get involved in other people's affairs. These individuals were not easy to deal with; stepping into their mess would only leave one stuck in mud that couldn't be washed off clean.
Ye Xiaohan found herself increasingly unable to understand Liu Bei, aside from the outsiders. Logically speaking, given Liu Bei's personality, the 'ordinary Liu Bei' who appeared in front of everyone would not act so flamboyantly; he would rather hide away and sulk alone.
If it were the deeply hidden 'mysterious Liu Bei', he certainly wouldn't let his emotions surface over something so trivial. Instead, he should remain impassive, concealing his true feelings within.
Ye Xiaohan kept replaying Liu Yang's words in her mind, realizing that Liu Bei was indeed the smartest person in their family. She wondered if Liu Yang had noticed something; whether what he had discovered was the same as what she had sensed.
She had asked him about it at the time, but Liu Yang's lips were sealed tighter than a clam. His usual demeanor only hinted at his extraordinary nature.
What a joke!
However, no matter what psychological game Liu Bei was playing in front of her by maintaining closeness with Yang Juanjuan, Ye Xiaohan found it incredibly irritating.
Very irritating.
Ye Xiaohan felt displeased but was unwilling to admit it. Unwilling and afraid. Once she acknowledged that she was jealous of Liu Bei, it would mean admitting that he had become special to her.
If that were the case, she really wouldn’t be able to walk away.
Caught between jealousy and the need to control her emotions with reason, Ye Xiaohan felt more exhausted than ever.
Yang Juanjuan stopped in her tracks and timidly tugged at Liu Bei's sleeve, speaking softly, "Liu Bei Gege, I've run out of my blush, and I didn't bring much from home. Can you accompany me to buy a new box?"
Today, Liu Bei had also been urged by Liu Wen to take Yang Juanjuan out. He initially wanted to refuse; the guilt he felt earlier had long since faded after accompanying her time and again.
Having followed them so many times, it was about time to settle the score.
Yang Juanjuan saw that he was reluctant to go and immediately grew anxious. How could that be? Every time she dragged Liu Bei out, it was to provoke Ye Xiaohan, while also letting Liu Bei observe the interactions between Liu Yuan and Ye Xiaohan, creating discord between Ye Xiaohan and Liu Bei.
She quickly sought help from Liu Wen with her eyes. Liu Wen understood and said, "Liu Bei, your aunt knows you're feeling down. Just think of it as a way to clear your mind. Torturing yourself like this will only make those who caused you pain happy; they probably don't even realize how delighted they are!"
Upon hearing Liu Wen's words, for some reason, the first thing that came to Liu Bei's mind was Ye Xiaohan's smile on the street. Every time he passed by Peach Blossom Studio, he would see Liu Yuan inside, and Ye Xiaohan always looked so cheerful.
It seemed that she was even happier when she was with Liu Yuan.
This thought made Liu Bei's heart feel as if it had been pricked by a needle, followed by a dull ache spreading within him. He didn't know what he felt; he just realized that his feet were already moving forward.
It wasn't like he was specifically going to see her; he was just passing by. Liu Bei forced himself to accept this reasoning, ignoring what Yang Juanjuan was saying beside him.
Sure enough, today, Liu Yuan was there too. A mix of emotions surged within Liu Bei as his gaze unconsciously drifted in that direction.
It wasn't until he heard Yang Juanjuan mention buying cosmetics that he shifted some of his attention back to her. "Alright then, there's a Wanbao Studio on East Street that sells great blush and powder. Let's go there."
As a large store selling all sorts of good products, Wanbao Studio naturally had cosmetics as well.
Liu Bei knew this so well because when Peach Blossom Studio had just opened, as a business competitor, Ye Xiaohan had to understand her rivals' details. To help her out, Liu Bei had been assisting from the sidelines and had gained a general understanding of the cosmetics shops in town.
"But," Yang Juanjuan said with a look of grievance, pointing at the Peach Blossom Studio ahead, "I heard that Boss Ye's shop sells the best blush in town. Everyone rushes to buy it; if you come late, you might not get any!"
How could she expose Ye Xiaohan's "two-timing" up close without going to the shop, and how could she make 6 Bei dislike her?
Seeing 6 Bei hesitate, Yang Juanjuan continued to put on a pitiful look. "Oh dear, it was Juanjuan's mistake. Boss Ye still has customers over there, and Liu Gongzi seems to want to chat for a while longer. Let's not disturb them. 6 Bei, let's go to Wanbao Studio."
She deliberately made it seem like Ye Xiaohan and Liu Yuan were secretly doing something in public, just to provoke 6 Bei.
As she expected, 6 Bei took the bait. "Since Peach Blossom Studio is good, let's buy here. Besides, we're already here; why go far when we can stay close?"
With that, he lifted his leg and headed toward the shop—or perhaps he was heading toward Ye Xiaohan.
Ye Xiaohan naturally saw 6 Bei in the shop, along with Yang Juanjuan, who clung to him like an unremovable sticky note.
They passed by the shop entrance almost every day; it was obvious they were doing it on purpose. The location of Peach Blossom Studio was not convenient; it was at the end of an alley, not at an intersection, so they would have to pass by no matter where they went.
6 Bei was doing this just to annoy her! Ye Xiaohan glared at him inwardly. How childish! Did he really think everyone was like him, making such gestures over trivial matters?
"Boss Ye, you're busy; you don't need to entertain us. We'll just look around," Yang Juanjuan said, her face brimming with a sense of impending victory that she couldn't hide.
Ye Xiaohan raised her eyelids and glanced at her. Since you love to perform, I'll play along with you. Let me tell you, I didn't watch those melodramatic series for nothing.
"Sister Yang is being too polite. When you come to my shop, it's just like being at home. No need to hold back; take whatever you like and settle the bill over there." If you want to take advantage of me, you're a hundred years too early!
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