Supremely Talented Tyrant
Chapter 972 - 971: Apology

"Hello, Linglan, it's me..."

After contemplating for a while, Ye Linglan ultimately pressed the answer button—not because she cared about Yan Ming, but because she wanted to see what this guy was really up to.

Once the call connected, a calm voice slowly came through. Hearing that exceptionally calm tone, Ye Linglan was momentarily stunned.

Yesterday, Hao Jian had taught him a harsh lesson, leaving him miserably defeated, and the matter even hit the headlines today. She had expected Yan Ming's call to bring a storm of rage, but unexpectedly, the man's tone was so calm, as if yesterday's events hadn't mattered at all.

"Speak directly."

No matter what this guy was thinking or planning, Ye Linglan didn't care. She only wanted to know what he wanted from her.

"Well, it's like this..."

Driving his sports car through the streets of Hua City, Yan Ming's face was dark, but his tone remained unnervingly calm. As soon as Ye Linglan's impatient words reached his ears, the corners of his mouth curled slightly, a cold laugh seeping into his thoughts.

Fine, I'll let you play innocent for now. I want to see how long you can keep up this facade. And as for that man of yours, I may not be able to beat him, but dealing with you? That's well within my capabilities!

Yan Ming wasn't entirely sure of Hao Jian's true strength. All he knew was that Hao Jian's skills far exceeded his own. For safety's sake, he decided to approach Ye Linglan first instead of Hao Jian, not that he had Hao Jian's contact information anyway. Hence, his first target was locked firmly on Ye Linglan.

His lips moved slightly, and the calm voice emerged from his mouth, tinged with an air of apology: "Sorry to disturb your rest. I'm just a little too anxious. What happened yesterday... I was truly out of line. My recklessness caused an unpleasant outcome between us..."

"You know, when a man likes a woman, he might do things that are utterly unbelievable, and that's something most people can understand. But I didn't expect myself to lose control the way I did yesterday. Today, I just hope to sincerely apologize to you..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Linglan's expression shifted slightly. She couldn't help but wonder—is it possible that all of Yan Ming's actions yesterday were merely impulsive jealousy?

Such reasoning from Yan Ming had Ye Linglan partially believing him. After all, people often make unpredictable, outrageous decisions in the name of love. Hao Jian himself had done plenty of things for her that she could hardly believe. She understood this well.

So, she responded hesitantly, "You don't need to apologize..."

She had said quite a few harsh words to Yan Ming yesterday, and now seeing him trying to apologize with such sincerity, Ye Linglan felt a twinge of guilt. She had ruined his prospects and caused him great harm. How could she justify accepting his apology?

"No, a proper apology is necessary. If it weren't for my impulsiveness yesterday, none of this would have happened. I just hope you can forgive my actions..."

Yan Ming wasn't surprised by Ye Linglan's response. If she had easily agreed to meet, he would've had reason to doubt her motives.

"Besides, we haven't had a proper conversation in quite a while. Let's use this opportunity to catch up." Playing the emotional card is always useful, and Yan Ming's phrasing was flawless—especially given Ye Linglan's personality, which made such sentiments challenging to refuse.

As the words left him, Yan Ming's eyes flickered slightly, then his voice carried a faint trace of amusement: "I hadn't expected that shortly after I graduated, you'd already found yourself a boyfriend—and such an impressive one at that. Had I known earlier, I wouldn't have made such a poor display yesterday, confessing my feelings to you on stage..."

"At the time, I assumed you were still single. When I learned you had a boyfriend, I was indeed taken aback. But what I felt more than anything was rage. Losing my cool that way is what led to the unfortunate series of events that followed..."

"I see..."

Listening to this, Ye Linglan believed him more and more. Hearing Yan Ming's calm tone, she couldn't help but think that he really didn't care much about yesterday's events.

If that were truly the case, then there was no point in letting their relationship become too strained. After all, having more friends rather than enemies is always the better choice in life—even if someone like Yan Ming might scarcely register within Hao Jian's radar.

But from Ye Linglan's perspective, Yan Ming was still her former senior. It wouldn't bode well to let things become too confrontational between former classmates.

"Alright, tell me how you want to apologize."

"I'll wait for you today at noon, on the second floor of Lainer Hotel's restaurant. You must come. But it's best if you come alone..."

The corners of Yan Ming's mouth curled into a sly arc, his calm voice delivering the message: "Yesterday, your boyfriend left me in a miserable state. If I saw him today, it might create an awkward situation and ruin the sincerity of this apology. That wouldn't be ideal..."

"Fair enough."

Ye Linglan found Yan Ming's reasoning understandable. She'd feel similarly in his position. After all, they were rivals in love, and apologizing in front of one's enemy would indeed conflict with Yan Ming's overwhelming pride.

The fact that he could maintain such calmness and clarity while discussing things with her today was already an impressive display of restraint. If she refused him now, it might make her seem unnecessarily difficult.

"Alright, I'll go..."

Ye Linglan agreed. She didn't want Yan Ming and Hao Jian's dynamic to become too antagonistic. One was her senior, and the other was her partner—it was crucial to balance the connections delicately.

"Sis, who was that?"

Watching his elder sister slowly put down the phone, Ye Chunliang became curious, quickly asking with a curious expression. Earlier, he had witnessed firsthand his sister's angry face transform into a faint smile. That shift piqued his curiosity greatly—who could possibly affect her mood so dramatically?

"Just a friend who wants to apologize to me. I'm heading out for the meeting soon."

Ye Linglan didn't elaborate. She simply chuckled and then reached for her phone to dial Hao Jian's number...

"Huh..."

Noticing she dialed Hao Jian's number, Ye Chunliang couldn't help but utter a small sound of realization. It seemed his sister intended to have his brother-in-law accompany her to the meeting at noon?

After all, Ye Linglan was just a woman—and given the uncertainty surrounding Yan Ming's intentions, she thought it best to inform Hao Jian and play it safe. If anything undesirable happened, at least she'd have Hao Jian's protection.

Moreover, she didn't want to risk running into any mutual acquaintances who might misunderstand her meeting Yan Ming alone, only for the rumors to reach Hao Jian and cause him distress.

And besides, the idea of meeting Yan Ming alone felt inappropriate. Setting aside his personality, he was still a man, and she was a married woman...

"Lanlan, what is it now? It's so early. Can't you just let me sleep in a little bit longer?"

The moment Hao Jian answered, his groggy voice came through, prompting Ye Linglan to roll her eyes. Here she was, stressing about everything, yet this guy was happily snoozing away until now...

"Listen to what I have to say first. If you can still sleep soundly afterward, then go ahead."

"Hehe, alright, spill it. I was just kidding! Nothing in the world matters as much as my Lanlan does."

"Hmph, at least you know your place."

Ye Linglan snorted softly, then proceeded to recount the entire situation to Hao Jian in detail. By the end, she added, "I've already agreed to meet him. If you don't think it's wise, I won't go."

"If it's really as you've described, then meeting him shouldn't be a problem."

After hearing everything, Hao Jian rubbed his chin thoughtfully before responding.

What is Yan Ming up to?

That question had emerged the moment Ye Linglan mentioned him, growing sharper with every detail she shared.

No matter how much Hao Jian tried to anticipate Yan Ming's intentions, he couldn't figure them out. For now, he decided to let Ye Linglan go first and assess the situation. He'd keep watch from behind the scenes, ensuring Yan Ming wouldn't get away with anything.

Hao Jian simply couldn't trust that someone could remain so calm after having their future ruined. Especially someone like Yan Ming—whom he'd only interacted with during yesterday's incident but had already pegged as arrogant and petty.

"Alright, I'll go then..."

With Hao Jian's approval, Ye Linglan felt reassured. Now she could head to the meeting without worrying about dealing with a slew of aftermath issues later.

......