Chapter 39: Knowing When to Retreat

A mere junior lawyer?

Lu Yao laughed self-deprecatingly and fell silent, awkwardly closing her mouth.

The entire room watched her in silence; it was as if countless invisible cold arrows pierced straight into her heart.

She sensed that Ye Zehong was deliberately finding fault, attempting to force her into retreat. If she backed down now, she would be playing right into his hands. It would mean the proposal had failed, and securing the Ye Group’s legal representation in the future would become nearly impossible.

She couldn’t give up; she couldn’t let all her recent efforts go to waste.

“President Ye, someone as distinguished as you surely wouldn’t concern yourself with knowing an insignificant lawyer like me,” Lu Yao steadied her emotions, a bright, confident smile gracing her lips. “However, your fiancée specifically chose me, among so many top lawyers, to handle your prenuptial agreement. Doesn’t that mean both you and she recognize my abilities?”

A collective gasp swept through the room. Everyone marveled at Lu Yao’s boldness—she dared to talk back to the Ye family without any fear of failure.

Melinda folded her arms, watching with interest, eager to see how Lu Yao would handle herself.

Ye Zehong’s gaze was cold and piercing as he stared at Lu Yao without immediately replying.

Liang Yi, observing Ye Zehong’s icy expression, guessed he was displeased with Lu Yao. Summoning his courage, he reprimanded her, “Miss Lu, let me make this clear—this is Ye Group. You’re here to present your proposal, not to question our understanding of your competence.”

Hearing her new lover speak, Melinda immediately jumped in to support him, “Miss Lu, if you’re not up to the task, step down now before you embarrass yourself further.”

Lu Yao shot Melinda a cold glare, suppressing her inner fury as she gathered the documents from the podium and strode back to her seat.

Whether it was anger or the fact that she’d skipped breakfast, the moment her hand reached for the back of her chair, her vision went black, her head spun, and she staggered, her body collapsing to the side uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Ye Zehong abruptly rose, taking a step forward as if to catch her, but his assistant reached her first, steadying her by the shoulder.

The assistant, Shen Yang, was a recent university graduate.

“Miss, are you alright?”

Lu Yao clung to Shen Yang’s arm as if it were a lifeline, only letting go once her vision cleared and she could stand by supporting the chair.

She gave Shen Yang a grateful smile. “Thank you. I’m fine.”

Shen Yang wanted to say more, but when he glanced up, he found Ye Zehong staring daggers at his hand. Realizing his mistake, Shen Yang quickly hid his hand behind his back.

It was only then that he recalled the custom-tailored suit Ye Zehong had urgently asked him to buy just days ago was now on Lu Yao. That could only mean…

An indescribable relationship between the two!

Yet, he was deeply puzzled. If Ye Zehong cared for Lu Yao, why did he keep picking on her?

Shen Yang sighed softly—he was still too young to grasp the tangled emotions of his older colleagues.

“Both your firms’ proposals have their merits. On the surface, Dacheng Law Firm’s proposal seems more advantageous for Ye Group. However…” Ye Zehong’s face darkened, his eyes cold as he fixed his gaze on Melinda, then Liang Yi, and back again, scrutinizing them for a full ten seconds.

Those ten seconds felt like torture under a blazing sun for Liang Yi and Melinda.

Especially Liang Yi, whose face had turned deathly pale.

Suddenly, Ye Zehong sneered and asked coldly, “You’re Wan’er’s cousin?”