Chapter 26.1
“Who are you?” the old woman said with a hostile face. “I’m demanding justice from her. What does that have to do with you?!”
“Does she owe your family money, or did she set fire to your house? If you have a problem, go to the police. What kind of behavior is it to throw a tantrum at a defenseless woman in the middle of the street?” Ye Xinuo took out her phone. “I’ll dial 110 for you.”
The old woman slapped Ye Xinuo’s phone to the ground, spat, then turned and left.
Because there were many onlookers, Ye Xinuo did not flare up. She silently picked up her phone, tossed her hair, maintained an elegant and charming posture, grabbed Qin Moyan by the sleeve, and left the scene.
Only after they had walked dozens of meters away and turned onto another street did she roar at the air, “So what if she’s old?! Does being old mean she can throw her age around and act like a hooligan? She even smashed my phone?! Can she afford to compensate me for the hundreds of priceless contacts inside my phone?! I’m so mad!”
After venting her anger at the air, Ye Xinuo saw Qin Moyan looking as if none of it had anything to do with her, and she became even more furious.
“And you! Someone threw an egg at you, and you didn’t even know to dodge? She doesn’t know, but do you also not know that ‘when there’s trouble, call the police’? Even if you didn’t call the police, you should at least know that a wise person avoids immediate losses, right? Why were you just standing there waiting for her to come up and hit you? Do you think you’re too good-looking and wanted to get more grounded by pulling hair with someone in the street?”
Only then did Qin Moyan say lightly, “What the old lady said isn’t entirely wrong. Many people will be laid off, and Hesen indeed can’t wash its hands of responsibility. I’m Hesen’s representative for China. Letting the old lady vent a little is nothing. From her perspective, I really am not a good person.”
“I never expected Director Qin to have such awareness.” Ye Xinuo let out a scoff. “Is poor people’s suffering suffering, but rich people’s suffering not suffering? Without Hesen, there might still be Huason or Johnson. Without you at Hesen, there would be someone else. If everyone took their anger out on the strong, society wouldn’t need to progress anymore. We could just compete to see who is more miserable.”
After saying that, Ye Xinuo waved her hand impatiently. “Forget it. Why am I bothering with you so much? I shouldn’t have taken this road today. How unlucky.”
Qin Moyan’s cool voice softened considerably. “No matter what, I should still thank Miss Ye today. Did Miss Ye not drive here? Wherever you’re going, I—”
“No need. I’ll take a taxi.” Ye Xinuo thought about it and still felt angry, so she added, “I just don’t like driving. Why do you care so much?”
Qin Moyan did not know how she had provoked Ye Xinuo, so she could only ask again, “Then do you need me to help take your phone to be repaired? After all—”
“What if you use the chance to repair my phone to steal my important information?” Ye Xinuo’s tone was unfriendly. “Don’t think that just because I helped you once, I regard you as a good person. Hesen is still eyeing Yesheng like a tiger watching its prey. I’m keeping an eye on you!”
Seeing that whatever she said was wrong, Qin Moyan simply bid her goodbye politely and walked toward the parking lot.
Ye Xinuo scratched her head in frustration, not knowing what had gotten into her just now. Wasn’t it just seeing Qin Moyan being bullied? Was there any need to be so angry at her for failing to live up to expectations? Besides, how could anyone possibly bully that old fox? She had completely stuck her nose where it did not belong.
In the end, she muttered, “She doesn’t even care. What does it have to do with you, Ye Xinuo?! Did you feed those extra five years of life to a dog? Where did this little princess temper suddenly come from?”
On Qin Moyan’s way to the parking lot, the enormous screen on the outer wall of the towering Han Group Building began broadcasting the news.
“Miss Han Qiuzi, the only daughter of Han Group, and Mr. Ni Mingxuan, the youngest young master of Nijin Group, have announced the cancellation of their engagement ceremony originally scheduled for August 20. However, this will not affect the close exchanges and cooperation between the two companies. As the successor of Han Group, Han Qiuzi has always strived to become a benchmark for independent women of the new era and to realize women’s value. In the future, she will also continue leading Han Group forward and carry on its glory.”
Qin Moyan pressed her lips together slightly. This must have been hard on the Han family’s public relations team. Even when canceling an engagement, they had not forgotten to elevate the message and win goodwill from feminists.
Thinking carefully, including the action just now, Ye Xinuo truly did like meddling in other people’s affairs.
One week earlier.
Qin Moyan arrived at the appointed restaurant. When she took her seat, Ye Xinuo personally pulled out the chair for her.
She thanked her, her heart carrying a bit of caution. “Miss Ye, you didn’t invite me out today simply for a meal, did you? If there’s something, you may as well say it directly.”
Ye Xinuo put on a very wounded expression. “In Director Qin’s heart, am I such a utilitarian person?”
“What does Miss Ye think?” Qin Moyan asked in return.
Ye Xinuo shrugged and admitted, “Fine. I did ask Director Qin out today because I have something to request.”
Qin Moyan’s face rarely showed an expression. The end of her brow lifted slightly. “Oh? For Miss Ye to say the word ‘request’ makes me a little curious.”
“I hope Director Qin will step forward and make Old Master Han give up the idea of a marriage alliance with the Ni family.” Ye Xinuo bit her lower lip. “In return, whatever Director Qin wants, I will satisfy as much as possible. You may choose freely from the assets under my name.”
“Leaving aside whether I will help Miss Ye or not, I’m very curious. How is Miss Ye so certain that I can help with this?”
“Since we’re both sensible people, let’s speak plainly. If the Ni and Han families truly wanted to cooperate, there would have been no need to wait for Director Qin to make introductions. So the most important link tying them together is Director Qin, or more accurately, the intelligent system in Director Qin’s hands. Moreover…” Ye Xinuo paused for a moment. “One of Hesen’s factories is a very important supplier to Han Group.”
“I’m increasingly finding Miss Ye to be an interesting person.” Ripples moved through Qin Moyan’s pitch-black eyes. “I hear Miss Ye has recently been discussing an electric vehicle cooperation project with Director Tang.”
“Director Qin’s sense of smell is truly sharp.” Ye Xinuo could not help being amazed. She had proposed cooperating with Tang Jie only yesterday, yet Qin Moyan already knew today. That could only mean there was someone on her side leaking information. And yet the other party had no intention of hiding it at all. Was she certain that Ye Xinuo could do nothing to her?
Qin Moyan did not speak and only quietly waited for Ye Xinuo’s answer.
Ye Xinuo did not hesitate much and responded, “Fine. If Director Qin helps me, then I naturally should prepare a generous gift.”
If she said it did not hurt, even she herself would not believe it. But since the other party had something she wanted, that was better than her being unwilling to help.
Qin Moyan sighed from the bottom of her heart. “Doing business with Miss Ye is a pleasant thing.”
“Director Qin is truly not simple.” The corners of Ye Xinuo’s mouth curved, and she said with certainty, “You don’t even ask why I’m seeking your help. Perhaps it’s because Director Qin has known about Sister Yu Qing and Han Qiuzi’s relationship all along.”
Qin Moyan said, “Or perhaps it’s because I am not as talkative as Miss Ye.”
“Looking back now, I’m afraid you knew from the start that Sister Yu Qing cooperating with you was at my instruction, and you also knew I would cooperate with Han Qiuzi.” Ye Xinuo smiled and shook her head. “Nothing has ever escaped your control. And here I was, thinking myself clever.”
“Miss Ye need not belittle yourself. You are indeed very intelligent, beyond my expectations. However, I also have a question. May I ask you to answer it?” Qin Moyan lightly raised her eyelids and looked directly into Ye Xinuo’s eyes. “Miss Ye once painstakingly created the false impression in front of me that Miss Yu and you were estranged, hiding your strength and biding your time. Now you have taken the initiative to expose yourself, wasting all your previous effort. Don’t you find that regrettable?”
“There was a time when I had very deep obsessions.” Fragments of memories from her previous life flashed through Ye Xinuo’s mind, and a trace of unwillingness and gloom appeared in her eyes. “But people should live in the present. As long as that person is worth me doing this for her, there is nothing to regret.”
Just how many sides of Ye Xinuo had Qin Moyan not seen yet? For the first time, Qin Moyan felt such curiosity.
The large screen continued broadcasting other news, and all kinds of people hurried along the road, rushing to do their own things.
Qin Moyan withdrew her thoughts, opened the car door, and drove the car onto the asphalt road steaming under the blazing sun.
Han Qiuzi, the protagonist of the news, was currently sitting face-to-face with Ni Anqi, “tasting tea.”
“The engagement has been canceled, and you’ve lost me as your ‘sister-in-law.’ President Ni must be very angry, right?” Han Qiuzi’s lips lifted, showing her good mood.
“Although I don’t know why Old Master Han suddenly canceled the engagement, Ah Qing doesn’t seem to have cared much about your engagement either.” Ni Anqi lightly raised her eyelids. “Don’t be anxious. There’s still a long road ahead. Mingxuan likes you very much.”
Han Qiuzi took a light sip of the Guanyin King tea in her cup and praised, “Good tea.”
Ignored by the other party, Ni Anqi had no reaction. She shifted the topic to the cooperation between the two families.
“A large portion of the Ni and Han families’ express delivery outlets overlap. In order to improve efficiency, we need to integrate them. Our Ni family’s express delivery has always been known for speed. Although the Han family’s speed is not as good as the Ni family’s, your service attitude is first-class. So I plan to cut some of our own employees and use that money to continue optimizing routes and configuring intelligent terminals, while your employees cooperate on the manual portion.”
Han Qiuzi waved a finger. “With President Ni arranging it like this, the Han family is taking a bit of a loss.”
Ni Anqi made a “please” gesture and asked politely, “President Han, if you have any ideas, please feel free to bring them up. Once those of us above reach an agreement, it will be easier for the people below to get things done.”
In the business world, even if two people’s private relationship was terrible, when interests were involved, they could still talk and laugh pleasantly and cooperate seamlessly.
This was perhaps something that would almost never happen among many ordinary people.
The two went back and forth, negotiating for nearly two hours before finally reaching an agreement and leaving separately. During this time, neither of them mentioned their emotional entanglements again.
At the same time, in a similar tea room, Yu Qing brewed a cup of tea for Old Master Ni, Ni Anqi’s grandfather.
“Although the Han family was the first to withdraw from the engagement, Yu Qing still wishes to thank her mentor.”
Old Master Ni picked up the teacup. “You clearly know I already intended to ruin this marriage. There was no need for you to ask me for this favor at all. Ni Mingxuan has never counted as a member of the Ni family in my eyes.”
“Even if this doesn’t count as fulfilling my request, shouldn’t I still properly show filial respect to you?” Yu Qing smiled. “Back then, when Old Master Ye sent me to train under you, that scene is still vivid in my mind.”
“Hahahahaha.” Old Master Ni let out a hearty and deep laugh. “Back then, I had three children under me, and every one of them suffered terribly. The other two gave up midway, and only you persisted until the end. No wonder Qisheng valued you so highly.”
“Mentor flatters me. Learning under you was like standing on the shoulders of a giant to look at the world. Such an opportunity is something one can only encounter by chance and cannot seek out, so naturally I had to cherish it properly.”
“You little girl, you only know how to flatter me.”
Yu Qing smiled and shook her head. “That’s not true. Besides, you don’t need a nameless junior like me to flatter you.”
After a slight hesitation, Old Master Ni narrowed his eyes. “I hear Anxin has been getting very close to that girl Xinuo lately?”
Yu Qing answered honestly, “They were university classmates. Their relationship is naturally a bit closer than ordinary people’s.”
“Ah Qing, you stayed under me before, so you should know my style of doing things. Building the Ni family’s business to its current scale naturally involved some shady matters, but I would not go too far.” Old Master Ni sighed. “Speaking of which, that child Anxin is the one most like me. On the surface, she pretends to be crazy and foolish, but in truth, she values blood ties and family affection and is unwilling to fight with her older sister. But…”
Old Master Ni did not continue, but Yu Qing understood what he meant.
“Mentor, please rest assured. Since Miss Anqi has chosen to cooperate with the Han family, then on the Ye family’s side, we certainly won’t let Miss Anxin suffer a loss.”
“Good. Let’s not talk about this anymore.” Old Master Ni revealed a satisfied smile. “Taste the tea, taste the tea.”
Yu Qing smiled on the surface, but in her heart, she had already begun calculating why Old Master Ni was so anxious to take the initiative and push Ni Anxin out.
It was true that she was grateful to Old Master Ni. But in the business world, there was no relationship that absolutely set aside interests. Especially when dealing with powerful people, it was equivalent to seeking skin from a tiger. One wrong step, and one could only accept the loss.
At the same time, she also felt a little heartache for Han Qiuzi. Wealthy and powerful families looked so glorious. But who could see the bloody scheming and infighting inside? Even biological grandparents and grandchildren would openly and secretly struggle for power, and there were no shortage of siblings fighting until blood flowed. Even though Han Qiuzi was an only daughter, she probably lived in constant fear as well.
How nice it would be if Xiaozi’s status were a little more ordinary.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!