Forbidden Fruit [Full Text] - Chapter 28

Chapter 387 Furious

However, Ouyang Tuofei's use of "family" at the beginning left Ye Tianya with nothing to say. Coupled with the Ouyang family's approval of Ouyang Xin'er's matter, Ye Tianya no longer held a grudge and nodded, saying, "Tianya is indeed preparing to solicit bids for partners. If Grandpa Ouyang doesn't mind, Tianya will certainly trust family more."

Ouyang Tuofei smiled with satisfaction, saying, "Alright, Xin'er's uncle will discuss this with you later. Let's have breakfast first."

Ye Tianya inwardly bitterly thought, "Old foxes are shrewd." Ouyang Tuofei's move not only got Ye Tianya to agree to cooperate with the Ouyang family on the Xingye Hotel project, but also made it ambiguous. Was this considered a betrothal gift? If it was, it would be unprecedented, but a project cooperation couldn't be considered a betrothal gift at all. Ye Tianya knew that Ouyang Tuofei wasn't speaking incoherently because of old age and poor memory; rather, he was a shrewd old man deliberately making things unclear to extort money from him. However, Ye Tianya had no choice but to accept it all; for Ouyang Xin'er's sake, he was willing to comply.

Ye Tianya sized up Zhu Xingyuan. For some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity with this person, but he was certain he had never seen him before. He was certain that anyone who had seen such a person before, even if temporarily forgotten, would remember him upon seeing him again, because his appearance was simply too outstanding.

Although he was puzzled, Ye Tianya still politely inquired, "Minister Zhu, you've personally led the team out; you must be tired. Have you had lunch yet?"

Zhu Xingyuan replied gratefully, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Ye. We were just about to return to the company to store the documents before having lunch."

Ye Tianya exclaimed, "Excellent! Minister Zhu truly deserves to be one of the business elites of our entire group. Manager Tang, a talent like Minister Zhu should be given important responsibilities."

Tang Shaoyan nodded in agreement, and Zhu Xingyuan said even more gratefully, "Thank you for your high regard, Mr. Ye. Xingyuan will certainly do his utmost to live up to your expectations."

Ye Tianya reached out and patted Zhu Xingyuan on the shoulder. "Hehe, don't be so serious. Although you look a few years older than me, we're practically the same age. The Lincheng branch is busy right now, so let's have a good chat when things calm down. Okay, everyone's hungry, let's go get some lunch. Don't work too hard in the future. High performance is important, but health is more important, isn't it?"

Ye Tianya's friendly words made the large group of sales department employees who came back with Zhu Xingyuan extremely grateful. Looking at how excited they were, as if they wanted to sell their lives for Ye Tianya, Tang Shaoyan couldn't help but admire Ye Tianya's control over people's hearts.

When facing Zhu Xingyuan and the others, Xingye maintained a calm smile. However, as she walked out of the hall with Ye Tianya, her back to the group, her brows furrowed slightly. Like Ye Tianya, she also felt a sense of familiarity with Zhu Xingyuan, but couldn't recall where she had seen him before. As she pondered this, Xingye suddenly felt a chill on her back. She immediately prepared to turn around, but Ye Tianya naturally put his arm around her shoulder, preventing her from turning around. Although she could feel the chill on her back, she couldn't sense the source of the coldness. What caused it? Ye Tianya could clearly sense it—a cold gaze, a piercing glint in his eye. He could feel the hatred within that coldness. Although he sensed it, Ye Tianya didn't turn around. Moreover, when he sensed Xingye preparing to turn around, he naturally pulled her back, preventing her from turning. Only after feeling the cold glint disappear from his back did Ye Tianya release Xingye. The two turned around almost simultaneously, only to see a familiar figure in the bustling crowd squeezing into the elevator. Xingye suddenly looked up and met Ye Tianya's gaze. Both of their eyes were filled with confusion.

"Mr. Ye, what's wrong?" Sensing the unusual behavior between Ye Tianya and Xingye, Tang Shaoyan stepped forward and asked.

Ye Tianya smiled slightly and said, "It's alright, Manager Tang, Team Leader Luo, don't see me off any further. I'll probably be returning to S City soon, so I'll leave all the work here to you two. Especially, Minister Luo, our group plans to open Starry Night Hotels all over the world. This first hotel represents the image of the entire Starry Night Hotel and is also related to the development of subsequent hotels. Do you understand the importance of this project?"

When Luo Yang heard that Starry Night Hotels would not only open one hotel, but would also be opened all over the world like Hilton Hotels, he couldn't help but get excited...
Chapter 389 Lan Yu Leaves

What does Ye Tianya mean by opening Starry Night Hotels all over the world? It means that his Starry Night Hotel Special Project Team will become an important core department of Tianya Group in the future. How could he not be excited?

Luo Yang puffed out his chest and said firmly, "Don't worry, Mr. Ye, if anything goes wrong with this first hotel, I, Luo Yang, will pay with my head!"

Ye Tianya smiled and said, "I don't want your head. Your little head isn't enough to cover the hotel's reputation. Alright, go back and get busy. If you encounter any difficulties, report them to your superiors."

Tang Shaoyan and Luo Yang both nodded. Luo Yang personally opened the car door for Ye Tianya, while Tang Shaoyan stood respectfully by his side, watching them get into the car. It was a simple action, but the two personalities immediately formed a stark contrast. However, Ye Tianya needed Luo Yang's smooth and worldly-wise skills. Such a person could achieve twice the result with half the effort when opening up a new situation in a certain place. As a manager, the real ability is not how much you can do, but how many people you can recognize. Recognizing and utilizing talent is the true ability of a leader.

As they got into the car back to Ren'ai Hospital, Xingye immediately reached out and tightly grasped Ye Tianya's hand, saying, "Brother, didn't you feel that Zhu Xingyuan's back looked familiar...?"

Ye Tianya smiled and patted Xingye's hand, breaking it in her hand, saying, "Yes, I felt familiar too. Maybe we've met somewhere before. He interviewed at Qingfeng Group before; maybe that's when we saw his back."

Xingye shook her head worriedly, saying, "No, brother, it's not like that. I feel like his back looks like someone, like Ding Junfeng."

Ye Tianya smiled and hugged the worried Xingye, comforting her, "Alright, Xiaoye, in this world..." "With hundreds of millions of people, how could there not be a few with the same back view? Besides, didn't you see his face? How could it be Ding Junfeng?"

Xingye didn't speak again, nestling in Ye Tianya's arms like a little bird. She knew that since she could see it, Ye Tianya couldn't possibly be oblivious. She knew that Ye Tianya was just comforting her and telling her not to worry too much. Others might not believe how much someone's appearance could change, but for Xingye and Ye Tianya, with the precedent of Ye Xin changing into Ye Tianya before them, it was impossible not to have doubts. However, Xingye believed that her brother could handle everything. This trust was absolutely blind, yet absolutely firm.

After staying in Lincheng for another week, Ouyang Xin'er was able to move freely again. Although she was still extremely thin, that wasn't something that could be recovered in a short time. Ye Tianya picked her up directly. This time, Ouyang Xin'er no longer felt any burden. When she waved goodbye to the Ouyang family at the airport, Ouyang Xin'er showed a happy smile. It was a genuine smile of happiness that made Ouyang Biao Zhenhua feel a little regretful. He regretted that his persistence had caused his daughter too much suffering.

Back at the ends of the earth, Ouyang Xin'er was naturally greeted with a warm welcome from everyone at the manor. Even the usually jealous Li Lanyu was heartbroken to see her like this. Ye Tianya, seeing her like this, felt a slight sense of relief, but then she turned away and went to the study, saying earnestly, "Tianya, my parents are coming. I'm going back to stay with them for a few days."

Ye Tianya remembered that Li Lanyu had bought his parents a house in the Shangri-La neighborhood, but he hadn't noticed the news because he was in Lincheng picking up Ouyang Xin'er. Hearing that the Li couple were coming, Ye Tianya quickly smiled and said, "Uncle and Aunt are coming? When are they coming? I'll go with you to pick them up."

Li Lanyu laughed and said, "Even if you wanted to pick them up, I wouldn't dare."

Then, Li Lanyu revealed a devilish smile and said, "If my parents find out that their daughter has been defiled by you, hmph, you're dead."

"Ah..." Ye Tianya stood there stunned, while Li Lanyu giggled, then nestled into Ye Tianya's arms with a touch of sadness, holding him tightly and saying, "Look how scared you are, kid. Don't worry, I won't tell them. I'll be content to be your lover secretly for the rest of my life."

Ye Tianya was moved and picked Li Lanyu up in his arms, saying softly, "Sister Yu, how can I ever repay you?"

Li Lanyu blushed slightly and gave Ye Tianya a flirtatious look, saying, "What do you think?"

Ye Tianya chuckled and carried Li Lanyu into the small bedroom in the study, which was Li Lanyu's love nest with Lin Siyin and Ye Tianya. Li Lanyu, whose field had been neglected for so long, was once again thoroughly irrigated with passionate lovemaking. Finally, she nestled close to Ye Tianya, smiling alluringly, and asked, "Tianya, you haven't answered me yet. I need to go back to stay with my parents for a few days, will you agree?"

Ye Tianya was somewhat reluctant, but seeing Li Lanyu's pleading eyes, he could only helplessly say, "We've already agreed, it's just a few days, otherwise… hmph, I'll brave your father's hail of bullets to go to Shangri-La and snatch you back."

Li Lanyu was overwhelmed with happiness by Ye Tianya's domineering attitude, abandoning her fiery nature, and gently kissed him with a smile. Tianya said, "I knew you were the best. Don't worry, we see each other at the company every day." After saying that, Li Lanyu turned over and took the initiative, her true nature as a little slut resurfacing. Looking at Ye Tianya's proud and firm figure, she said with a devilish smile, "I don't believe that I can't control you without Lin Siyin!"

The spring scenery was boundless, but there was bitterness in her heart. Li Lanyu knew this in her heart. Ye Tianya, who was obsessed with Li Lanyu's devilish figure that would drive anyone crazy, did not notice the bitterness and unwillingness that flashed in Li Lanyu's eyes in her madness.

Ye Tianya had no idea that Li Lanyu's departure wouldn't be a matter of just a few days. Taking advantage of her parents' move to S City, Li Lanyu found an excuse that wouldn't cause any trouble for the other women in Haijiao Tianya, and voluntarily left. She couldn't bear Ye Tianya's constant companionship, so she decided to avoid seeing him and worrying about him. She would simply stay by Ye Tianya's side as his assistant, spending each day alone with him, and no longer thinking about Haijiao Tianya or the people there.

On the night Li Lanyu's parents arrived in S City, Ye Tianya escorted her back to Shangri-La. Although the couple didn't know his relationship with Li Lanyu, a visit was appropriate. However, Ye Tianya brought Lin Siyin along to avoid any misunderstandings. The working-class couple were extremely polite to Lin Siyin, who had cared for Li Lanyu, and to Ye Tianya, the benefactor who had healed their daughter's facial injury. The couple never dreamed that Ye Tianya, whom they had initially doubted about finding Li Lanyu a job, was actually the CEO of a large corporation. It should have been Ye Tianya who was awkward when they met this hidden son-in-law, but instead, it was the couple who were the ones who were awkward

. Seeing her parents' polite manner towards Ye Tianya, Li Lanyu smiled and pulled him aside, saying, "Dad, Mom, don't be so polite with him. This kid is my student. His current achievements are all thanks to my excellent teaching."

Ye Tianya smiled awkwardly. Mentioning his teacher in front of Li Lanyu's parents made him feel uneasy. He thought about what his kind-hearted couple would do if they found out that this "excellent teacher" actually taught him not in the classroom but on the bed in the bedroom. But humans are strange creatures; the more he thought about it, the more aroused he became. Suddenly, this thought made Ye Tianya shudder. What was wrong with him? Why was he thinking such nonsense? Had he really become so worthless? Lin Siyin chuckled to herself; it was rare to see Ye Tianya so embarrassed.

Seeing Ye Tianya's awkward smile, Li's father glared at Li Lanyu and said, "Xiaoyu, how can you talk like that? With your abilities, can you raise a CEO? You're always acting all cute and innocent; it's getting more and more outrageous." He then quickly turned to Ye Tianya and said, "President Ye, my daughter is just so outspoken; please don't take it to heart."

Lin Siyin smiled beside him, "Uncle, don't say that. Tianya and Xiaoyu are used to bickering; if she really acted like a good girl, we wouldn't be used to it. Tianya and I have some work to do, so we won't disturb you any longer. You three are finally together; you can chat all you want."

The couple assumed that Ye Tianya and Lin Siyin, as president and vice president, naturally had many things to do, so they didn't linger. They politely saw them out before turning back to curiously look around their new home.

"Xiaoyu, how much is the rent for this apartment? Why rent such a big place? We can't possibly live in it all. It's such a waste." After seeing Ye Tianya and Lin Siyin off, Li's father looked at the four-bedroom, two-living-room apartment with a pained expression and said.

Seeing her parents' advanced age, yet their inability to even dream of owning a small apartment, Li Lanyu felt a sharp pang of pain in her heart. However, she was immediately enveloped by another kind of happiness, which naturally came from Ye Tianya. Although she had chosen to leave the ends of the earth, she had not left Ye Tianya. She was certain she would not leave. She knew very well that after what happened with Zheng Guorong, there was no man in this world she could trust except Ye Tianya. Without Ye Tianya, even if she had a man she could trust, with her disfigured face, who would pity her? And take this apartment for example. She had only asked, and Ye Tianya had bought it in her name without hesitation. Although she was not a materialistic or vain woman, seeing her parents so moved by a mere apartment made her feel even more content in the haven of a powerful man. Although she felt jealous seeing groups of girls around Ye Tianya, she was completely devoted to him. This was the reason she chose to leave Haijiao Tianya; she didn't want to lose Ye Tianya, the only man she trusted, because of jealousy.
Chapter 390: Standing You Up .

Li Lanyu didn't tell her parents that the house was bought for her by Ye Tianya, but instead said it was allocated to her by the company as the president's assistant, and that the property rights already belonged to her. Her parents believed her and celebrated, praising their daughter's success. Little did they know the heartache Li Lanyu felt seeing her parents so happy over a house. With

Li Lanyu gone, suddenly there was one less person to rival Ye Tianya, and Haijiao Tianya seemed to have lost much of its vitality. Lin Siyin, who went back with him, also noticed this, but she was helpless. Although Ye Tianya hadn't expected Li Lanyu to use this opportunity to leave Haijiao Tianya, as Li Lanyu's best friend, how could Lin Siyin not see it? Since Li Lanyu had decided to leave, she couldn't stop her. Moreover, Li Lanyu's departure was not a bad thing. It was good for the harmony of Haijiao Tianya and for Li Lanyu herself. First, the departure of this jealous Li Lanyu avoided potential conflicts at Haijiao Tianya. Second, Li Lanyu was staying at the Shangri-La Hotel, so she could spend time with Ye Tianya at work. Even if they acted a little silly in the office, it was better than her constantly pouting and being jealous at Haijiao Tianya, making herself unhappy and others uncomfortable.

Yun

Shuiqing sat quietly reading at the bar of the Heartbreak Bar. The bar was bustling with people, all of them heartbroken and leaving drunk and weeping – a constant stream of devastated souls. She'd seen it all before, and it had become commonplace. Yet, every time, she would think of that strange young man, the only one who had ever looked at her with admiration since she opened the bar, and the only one who hadn't gotten drunk. She remembered that day; after drinking the "Heartbreak" she'd personally concocted, he sat quietly in a corner of the bar for an entire afternoon, then left without a word.

From that moment on, every day when Yun Shuiqing opened the bar, she couldn't help but glance at that corner, at where that strange young man had sat. She'd been running the bar for over a year, and she could almost instantly understand the psychology of anyone heartbroken. But that strange young man was someone she couldn't comprehend. Even after witnessing countless heartbreaks, she couldn't understand what kind of heartbroken person could sit quietly for an entire afternoon after drinking "Heartbreak."

Seeing his own broken heart, Yun Shuiqing couldn't help but glance again at the table in the opposite corner. Still empty, Yun Shuiqing shook his head and gave a self-deprecating bitter smile. Perhaps that cup of broken heart had already healed him. Just as he was secretly laughing at himself for being so easily swayed by a strange person, Yun Shuiqing turned his attention back to the book. In this book, the male and female protagonists were fighting fiercely for true love, but the ending was tragic. Yun Shuiqing liked reading books like this; overly perfect endings always left her feeling a sense of incompleteness, because she didn't believe in perfect or ideal love.

Just like last time, when Yin Chao entered the Heartless Bar, it was deserted. The elegant woman was still sitting at the bar, engrossed in her book. Her tranquility made Yin Chao reluctant to disturb it. He quietly moved to the corner where he had sat last time and gently sat down. Unlike the others who entered the bar, he wasn't there to drown his sorrows; he was there for tranquility. He genuinely didn't know where to go or who to talk to to pass the time, so he thought of the Heartless Bar. In this serene place, his restless heart could find some peace.

There were no waiters in the bar, because the patrons were always easy to serve—just give them some drinks. The woman behind the bar hadn't noticed his presence, and Yin Chao didn't disturb her elegant serenity. He simply hoped to sit there quietly, forgetting the struggles of the business world, the hurt in his relationships, and everything else.

He gently closed his eyes and sat quietly. Influenced by the tranquil atmosphere of the bar, his heart was at peace. He even achieved a state of mental clarity, and the feeling of not having to think about anything was intoxicating. Only at this moment did he feel that everything pressing on his heart had disappeared. He, who had been almost suffocating, finally felt the relief of breathing...

Yun Shuiqing finally finished reading the ending of the story. The female protagonist paid the price of her life to awaken the male protagonist's lost heart, creating an eternal legend, but it also left the male protagonist alone for the rest of his life because of guilt. After reading it, Yun Shuiqing let out a long breath. This was the most perfect ending. She looked up to stretch her neck, but she froze the moment she looked up. Her gaze was fixed on that corner. There was someone there. She didn't even know when he had appeared. That person was the strange young man she had just thought of. The table in front of him was empty, but he sat there calmly with his eyes gently closed, motionless like a statue. Yun Shuiqing felt inexplicably that the strange young man sitting there had become one with her bar.

Natural, harmonious, tranquil—Yin Chao gave her the same feeling, a tranquility she didn't want to disturb. She glanced at the clock in the corner; it was 5:30. She knew that customers would soon arrive at the bar, and this tranquility would be broken by their arrival. She quickly and quietly stepped out from behind the bar, took out a "Temporarily Closed" sign, hung it outside, gently closed the bar door, and then returned to the bar, picking up another book to enjoy another love story…

When she returned to reality from the story, she looked up and saw that the corner table was once again empty. Outside, the streetlights were bright. The strange young man had left; Yun Shuiqing hadn't even noticed when he left, just as quietly as he had arrived. If it weren't for the "Temporarily Closed" sign outside, Yun Shuiqing would rather believe he had never been there at all.

※□※□※□※

Tang Wan's injury finally healed. She tore off the bandages from her foot and couldn't wait to take up her post. During her recovery at Tang Shaoyan's house, she thoroughly studied all the relevant work and materials for her department. Upon taking office, she immediately handled all tasks with exceptional skill, demonstrating the capabilities of a headquarters-appointed person to the entire department. As Tang Shaoyan's cousin, and given that someone surnamed Yao had once disobeyed her and been severely reprimanded by Ye Tianya, they held her in even higher esteem. With exaggerated embellishments, Tang Wan instantly became a 'key figure' familiar with and knowledgeable about the president. The employees below her looked at her with awe, as if she were an imperial envoy sent by Ye Tianya, causing Tang Wan a terrible headache.

Of course, not everyone treated her with the same reverence as an imperial envoy. Ding Junfeng was one of them. On Tang Wan's first day at work, a beautiful bouquet of roses appeared on her desk, with a card that read, "Ms. Tang, congratulations on your recovery. Please allow me to make up for my rudeness when we first met. Zhu Xingyuan will be waiting for you at the Western restaurant across from the company at 7 p.m.!" After reading the card ,

Tang Wan wore a strange smile, but the heart-pounding blush she felt when she first saw Ding Junfeng disguised as Zhu Xingyuan was gone. The strange smile faded, and Tang Wan tossed the roses into the trash can. Standing at the window, watching the endless stream of cars below, her smile turned cold as she muttered to herself, "Such an invitation is far too arrogant. Hmph, since that's the case, let's start with you!"

Ding Junfeng sat by the window in the restaurant, patiently waiting for Tang Wan's arrival, idly twirling his glass. He was confident that Tang Wan would definitely come. He was certain that with his current appearance and reputation at Tianya Real Estate, no single woman in the entire Lincheng branch of Tianya Real Estate, except for Tang Shaoyan, could refuse his invitation. Of course, his confidence only extended to the Lincheng branch of Tianya Real Estate; at least that day, when he encountered Ye Tianya and Xingye, Xingye hadn't given him a second glance.

Thinking of Xingye, Ding Junfeng's grip on his glass tightened unconsciously, his fingertips turning white. He had initially worried that Ye Tianya and Xingye would notice something, but in the rush of their meeting that day, they hadn't reacted at all. He could finally relax and proceed with his plan step by step. However, seeing Xingye and Ye Tianya together again felt like being bitten by a million ants, even though he was quite good at holding back. He didn't even realize how intense the hatred in his eyes was when Ye Tianya and Xingye had their backs to him.

Ding Junfeng calmly accepted the flirtatious glances and provocative looks from the beautiful women entering and leaving the restaurant, his vanity greatly satisfied. Many of these women were even more beautiful than Tang Wan, but Ding Junfeng didn't give them a second glance. In his world, hatred was everything; even pursuing women had to revolve around his revenge, like Tang Wan.

However, things didn't go as Ding Junfeng confidently expected. Seven o'clock ticked by, but Tang Wan still hadn't appeared. His phone rang; it was a text message from Tang Wan, a simple apology that she had something come up and couldn't attend the banquet. This sent Ding Junfeng's confidence plummeting from Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench, and his handsome face contorted with rage. He threw a banknote on the table and stormed off. He never dreamed he'd be stood up.

Tang Wan's car was parked in the parking lot opposite the restaurant. Watching Zhu Xingyuan emerge from the restaurant in a huff, Tang Wan's lips curled into a playful smile. She muttered to herself, "I'm playing you! I hope you don't disappoint me too much."

After discovering Ye Tianya's secret lover, Tang Wan was no longer the Tang Wan who would blush and her heart race even if Ding Junfeng bumped into her. They say a woman in love is foolish, but a woman who stands detached from love is definitely not foolish. Tang Wan knew that it was natural for a talented, capable, and most importantly, handsome man like Zhu Xingyuan to be arrogant. If she went even after his invitation, he would probably see her as no different from any other infatuated woman. So, she chose to stand him up, hoping to make this arrogant man look at her differently.

Ding Junfeng went on stage, the exciting climax was about to arrive, and the voting for 'One Sword to Godhood' was in its final days!! Friends who could still vote, please give me a few votes, thank you!

Chapter 391 Delayed Ink

Tang Wan's understanding of human nature was indeed correct. People are more curious and want more what they can't have. It's impossible for someone with Zhu Xingyuan's qualities not to be arrogant, and the easier a woman is to get, the less worthless she is in his eyes. And what he can't have is often the best.

Ding Junfeng didn't disappoint Tang Wan. The next morning, after arriving at her office, Tang Wan received another bouquet of roses, still signed by Zhu Xingyuan. However, the tone was remarkably tactful, showing no blame for standing her up. Instead, he seemed genuinely concerned, asking if she had finished her business.

Tang Wan recalled Zhu Xingyuan's furious outburst from the restaurant the previous night, then looked at the concerned tone in her hand, and a cold smile crept onto her face. She didn't intend to call him out; after all, Zhu Xingyuan was her first target. She politely called Ding Junfeng, thanked him for the flowers, apologized for standing him up, and once again politely declined his invitation. This made Zhu Xingyuan even more itchy inside; the intense sense of defeat made him want to explode. With his confident, habitual thinking, how could he possibly have guessed Tang Wan's little scheme? However, he had one strength: patience. To achieve his goals, he could even endure being bossed around and subservient to others. Could he really not tolerate a small setback?

While Tang Wan and Ding Junfeng were each pursuing their own schemes, Ye Tianya had already arrived at the Murong family home in GS City. Murong Piaoxue's parents weren't as cold as Ouyang Zhenhua; they received Ye Tianya very politely. Moreover, when Murong Piaoxue's matter was mentioned, the Murong couple weren't as forceful as Ouyang Zhenhua. This made Ye Tianya feel that the dawn of hope seemed not far away. However, the result left him disheartened. He had come to pick up Murong Piaoxue, but only received a handwritten letter from her: "Captain, Sister Ruyan came by. She said that Captain, you..." "Come pick up Piaoxue soon! Piaoxue is so happy! For the past six months, Piaoxue has been thinking almost every day about how to escape to the captain's side. But Piaoxue can never escape the clutches of Buddha and Guanyin (my parents). Captain, Piaoxue really wants to wait for you to come and pick her up, but... Sister Ruyan has something that Piaoxue needs to help with, so... Piaoxue can't wait for the captain anymore. After Sister Ruyan's matter is over, Piaoxue will definitely return to the captain's side, at most a year. Captain, wait for me, love you Piaoxue!"

"Uncle, when did Ruyan come?" Ye Tianya looked at Murong Piaoxue's parents immediately after reading the message.

The couple exchanged a glance before Murong Hang said, "It should be the day after you accepted the Ouyang family's test."

Ye Tianya was slightly taken aback, then understood why Murong Hang was so at ease letting Murong Piaoxue leave with Sima Ruyan without worrying that Sima Ruyan had conspired with him to take Murong Piaoxue away. It turned out that Murong Hang already knew everything that had happened in Lincheng.

After answering Ye Tianya's question, Murong Hang continued, "We elders can't interfere in your affairs as young people. We've left it to Piaoxue to decide. I think she knew you were coming, yet she left with Sima Ruyan. She already made that clear in her letter, didn't she? Since she's decided not to be with you anymore, we hope Mr. Ye won't bother us again..."

"What?" Ye Tianya was confused. He didn't understand what the Murong couple meant and asked in surprise, "Who said Piaoxue decided not to be with me anymore?"

"Didn't Piaoxue say that in her letter?" Murong Hang looked at Ye Tianya with a puzzled expression.

Ye Tianya was even more confused and handed over the letter, saying, "Uncle, please take a look."

Murong Hang took the letter with a puzzled look, and his face turned extremely ugly after just one glance. He angrily said to his wife, "Who got Piaoxue this time-delay ink? And dares to call me Buddha? Have you become Guanyin?" "

Time-delay ink?" Ye Tianya asked in confusion, "What time-delay ink? Uncle Murong, didn't you just say that Piaoxue should decide our own affairs? The Murong family is a century-old family, and we will definitely keep our word, right?" Although Ye Tianya still didn't understand what time-delay ink was, he didn't miss the opportunity to put Murong Hang in a difficult position.

Murong Hang was furious. The so-called time-delay ink was a tool for intelligence work, divided into two types: 'visible' and 'hidden' time-delay ink. 'Visible' time-delay ink means that the words written with this ink will only appear after a certain period of time, while 'hidden' time-delay ink means that the words written will disappear after a certain period of time. When Murong Piaoxue wrote the letter, she first used visible time-delay ink to write down what she really wanted to say, and then used invisible time-delay ink to write words of severing ties with Ye Tianya, all to deceive her parents. After the letter was placed in the envelope for a while, the words of severing ties with Ye Tianya written in invisible time-delay ink disappeared, while the true words written to Ye Tianya in visible time-delay ink were revealed. The Murong couple had been fighting with their daughter for a year, but this time they had fallen into her trap and were outmaneuvered by Ye Tianya. For the sake of the reputation of their century-old family, Murong Hang was both angry and helpless. He turned around and said, "I don't care anymore, do whatever you want!" and left. But even after he had gone a long way, he was still angrily muttering, "That damned Piaoxue, she actually tricked her father like this. When she comes back, I'll see how I, the Buddha, deal with her!"

The feeling of being trapped and unable to move by the two juniors made him furious. Both generations of the Murong family are genuine and optimistic, just like Murong Piaoxue, yet also just as straightforward.

Seeing her husband's rudeness, Madam Murong awkwardly said to Ye Tianya, "Mr. Ye, my husband is straightforward by nature, please don't take offense. Originally, we opposed your relationship with Piaoxue and the girls from the Ouyang and Nangong families. The reason, I think you can guess, is that although our ancient family doesn't completely reject monogamy, we don't want our daughter to suffer. Ah, well, since Piaoxue has gone to such lengths to run to you, we can stop her physically, but not emotionally. I don't know what urgent matter the Sima family girl encountered that dragged Piaoxue away. Let's wait until Piaoxue returns home before discussing anything further."

Ye Tianya was also helpless. What urgent matter could Sima Ruyan have that so many people in the Sima family couldn't help, only Piaoxue could. However, he hadn't expected that this trip to the Murong family would so easily put Murong Hang in his place. After Piaoxue returns, Murong Hang will have no reason to make things difficult for Piaoxue and him.

Perhaps Murong Hang himself knew he had been outmaneuvered by Ye Tianya. As long as Murong Piaoxue didn't budge, he would have no choice but to reluctantly accept Ye Tianya as his future son-in-law. That evening, he politely allowed Ye Tianya to stay at the villa. Murong Hang remained silent at the dinner table until everyone had put down their bowls, at which point he stood up and said to Ye Tianya, "Ye Tianya, come with me."

Ye Tianya didn't hesitate, stood up, and followed Murong Hang into his study. He knew that Murong Hang would definitely not truly abandon him. However, Ye Tianya never dreamed that the first question Murong Hang would ask after entering the study would be, "I'm really curious, what are your strengths that make so many girls so devoted to you?"

Ye Tianya was dumbfounded, stunned and at a loss for words. Murong Hang felt relieved seeing his foolish expression and continued, "Tell me honestly, have you already done anything to Piaoxue? Are all four of those girls yours?"

Ye Tianya blushed slightly but nodded honestly in admission. Upon hearing this, Murong Hang stood up abruptly and grabbed Ye Tianya's collar angrily, saying, "You damn bastard, so you got on the bus first and then bought the ticket, I...I..." Murong Hang was furious and raised his fist several times but held back. He shoved Ye Tianya away and stomped his fists like an angry child, pacing back and forth in the study. Ye Tianya could almost hear his rapid breathing due to the tense atmosphere.

Ye Tianya hurriedly explained, "Uncle, things aren't as you think. It was during training that we fell into the trap of those drug dealers..."

Murong Hang, who was pacing back and forth in the study, suddenly stopped when he heard about the training incident. After Ye Tianya recounted their encounter in the jungle and the information he later learned from the border defense company commander, Murong Hang's anger immediately shifted. He slammed his fist on the desk and angrily said, "Damn Fang Hua! So there were so many twists and turns in this story. I'm going to get the Fang family..." Murong Hang

was just starting to say this when he suddenly remembered that even when the four families joined forces, they couldn't do anything to the Fang family. Instead, they ended up losing to each other. He couldn't help but feel a little discouraged, but he quickly found a new target. He looked at Ye Tianya with a meaningful smile and said, "Hehe, why are you in such a hurry now? Since Piaoxue is determined to be with you, you can take revenge. If you can't even take revenge, then don't even think about getting my daughter."

Ye Tianya felt a pang of bitterness. He had been waiting to reap the rewards of his victory after outmaneuvering Murong Hang, but in such a short time, Murong Hang had found another opening, creating a hurdle for him. However, Ye Tianya wasn't overly concerned. The Fang family was his enemy sooner or later. Ye Tianya firmly stated, "Uncle, you don't need to mention it. I will take care of this grudge. Thank you for letting me and Piaoxue get together."

Murong Hang snorted, "Don't thank me too soon. The Fang family isn't so easy to deal with. Don't end up making enemies instead of catching the fox." "You're a fox spirit, and I, Murong Hang, keep my word."

Ye Tianya hurriedly nodded, "Yes, I know Uncle is a man of his word and will let Piaoxue decide her own affairs, so I can wholeheartedly pursue my revenge."

Ye Tianya deliberately stepped on his sore spot, making Murong Hang's face darken. He snorted, "You only remember that one sentence? I also said, if you can't deal with the Fang family, don't even think about getting my daughter. Remember that!" With that, Murong Hang slammed the door shut again, seemingly fleeing in disarray. Ye Tianya couldn't help but laugh behind him. Her goodwill towards Murong Hang far exceeded her feelings for Ouyang Zhenhua.
Chapter 392 A Lucky Deal

Old Han put down the detailed report sent by Xu Keming, let out a long sigh, and finally showed a relieved smile. He smiled at Long Tianxing sitting opposite him and said, "Although this result is not entirely satisfactory, it is still acceptable. At least it didn't give Ye Tianya a reason to lash out."

Long Tianxing chuckled and said, "Yes, this little guy is becoming more and more surprising. The Ouyang family mobilized all their elites, yet even after he protected eight girls without martial arts skills, they couldn't do anything to him. It seems that Ouyang Tuofei also knows that if they confront him head-on, it will be the Ouyang family that suffers in the end. Not only will they be branded as bullies, but Ouyang Xin'er's illness will not only not get better without Ye Tianya, but it will also worsen. The Ouyang family was forced into a corner before they agreed."

Old Long picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then smiled again, "I didn't see..." "It's rare to see such a strong-willed woman like Ouyang Xin'er. Of these four girls, I have the highest hopes for Sima Ruyan. She's intelligent, rational, calm, and magnanimous—a true talent. Her departure is likely a great loss for Ye Tianya."

Long Tianxing nodded, "That's not necessarily true. Whether Sima Ruyan returns depends on Ye Tianya's fortune. The Murong family, on the other hand, really opened my eyes this time. The father and daughter played mind games for a year, but in the end, Murong Hang fell for Murong Piaoxue's bottle of delay ink. Ye Tianya outmaneuvered him and forced him to let the two get together. Old Han, you know what, even though we're old, watching these kids' antics makes us feel younger."

Old Han said irritably, "You're so easy to talk about, but you seem so relaxed now. I've been worried sick about Ye Tianya the whole time." "Ye Tianya will fall out with the three families. If he can't clean up the mess, the consequences will be unimaginable. You're young, but I'm much older."

Long Tianxing laughed and said, "Alright, look at you now, you're happier than anyone else. You probably wanted to see this result all along, didn't you?"

Old Han smiled slightly, then sighed deeply and said, "That kid Ye Tianya didn't make things difficult for me. Sigh, this matter is settled for now. Next year will be the general election again, and I'll be busy again when the situation gets tense. Let's take advantage of the free time today and have a good three hundred rounds."

Long Tianxing moved to the chessboard and set up the pieces before saying with some worry, "Old Han, there's something I still think I need to remind you of. Sometimes, being moderate is a wise way to protect yourself. I'm really worried that your old bones can't withstand the pressure of being in the limelight."

Old Han sighed. "To use a phrase from your Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world), it's called 'Once you're in the Jianghu, you're not in control of your own destiny.' Anyway, with Ye Tianya's matter settled, there's absolutely no problem for him to take care of my precious goddaughter Qian'er while he runs his Tianya Group. Now I can focus on my work and eliminate your pawns!"

Long Tianxing sighed inwardly. Years ago, Nangong Qian'er's parents sacrificed themselves to save his old friend's life. Over the years, his old friend had been filled with guilt, treating Nangong Qian'er like his own granddaughter. He turned a blind eye to some of Ye Tianya's excessive behavior, partly because the higher-ups really needed Ye Tianya, and partly because he couldn't deny that he had selfish motives towards Nangong Qian'er. Now that Ye Tianya had handled everything, there shouldn't be any problems with taking care of Nangong Qian'er in the future, and his old friend could finally relax a lot.

Long Tianxing had originally intended to tell Old Han about the results of his investigation into the missing Ding Junfeng, but the leads he had sent to follow had gone cold at the hands of a murdered plastic surgeon from H country. Long Tianxing suspected that Ding Junfeng had undergone plastic surgery to alter his appearance, but because the surgeon was dead, all evidence had been destroyed, leaving no way to investigate. Several months passed without any progress; Ding Junfeng seemed to have vanished into thin air. Long Tianxing was worried about this, but seeing his old friend, who was preoccupied with the election battles, finally relaxed, he couldn't bear to burden him further. So, he remained silent and focused intently on the chessboard

.

"Minister Tang, I'm so envious of you! This is the third time already!" Tang Wan's assistant, seeing the roses on Tang Wan's table, made no attempt to hide her envy. "Minister Tang, Minister Zhu is practically the golden bachelor of our Lincheng branch! If you refuse again, someone else might snatch him up first!"

Tang Wan smiled nonchalantly. "What do you know, little girl? Minister Zhu just missed my promotion party last time because I was injured, and he's looking for a chance to make up for it. What golden bachelor? Look at you, all lovestruck! Aren't you ashamed of us women?"

The assistant shamelessly added, "Beauties love heroes, what's shameful about that? Minister Tang, if it really is to make up for the last party..." "Why did you refuse again? Are you afraid of falling for this handsome guy?"

Tang Wan said irritably, "Go away, go away! I was busy both times, as you saw. I'm free today, and I was just about to accept Minister Zhu's invitation. I can't refuse a minister's request, can I? Our departments might need each other's help in the future."

The assistant asked cautiously with a smile, "What if Minister Zhu really pursues you? Would you say yes?"

Tang Wan's face hardened, "Why do you always like to gossip? Remember this when you're at work at Tianya Group: don't be too gossipy. Mind your own business, understand?"

"Oh—I understand." The assistant busied herself with her work. In their eyes, Tang Wan was a 'veteran' of Tianya Group, and her experience was considered invaluable. Just like last time she told him not to hang up the banners, the deputy head of the public relations department surnamed Yao did just that. Yao got a scolding from the president and was subsequently demoted by Tang Shaoyan to the warehouse management department as the head of the storage department. Now, her casual remark, "Don't be so gossipy," would naturally be remembered.

The assistant turned and left. Tang Wan once again threw a large bouquet of flowers into the trash can without hesitation, but picked up the phone and dialed a number, saying, "Minister Zhu? This is Tang Wan. Thank you for the flowers, they are very beautiful. I'm really sorry for standing you up the last two times, I really couldn't get away both times. Tonight... I will definitely be there on time..."

After listening to the phone call, Ding Junfeng finally revealed a sinister smile on his face. He picked up the folder on the table, stood up, and slammed it down loudly, saying, "Colleagues, everyone come to the conference room for a moment. I'll arrange today's tasks..."

His former subordinates, Tang Shaoyan and Luo Yang, who he used to boss around, were now his superiors ordering him around. Even if Ding Junfeng felt extremely aggrieved, he could only suppress it in his heart. Only when he stood at the front of the table in the conference room during departmental meetings did Ding Junfeng find that feeling he had when he was in charge of Changfeng Real Estate, that wonderful feeling of ordering his subordinates around. Of course, now that his performance is evident, the team leaders below him have been running the business with him and have risen in rank along with his promotion. They naturally admire his abilities to the skies and would never complain no matter how he commands them.

Ding Junfeng, a former CEO, possessed more than enough leadership skills to manage a department. He calmly smiled and said, "From the day I arrived in Lincheng until today, all of Tianya Real Estate's assets acquired from Qianchangfeng Real Estate have been swept away by us..." As he said this, Ding Junfeng felt a tearing sensation in his heart, his face contorting slightly. His subordinates, assuming it was due to his excitement, listened intently to his summary: "It can be said that our performance is number one in the entire Tianya Real Estate, even the entire Tianya Group. This is the result of our hard work, a performance personally recognized by the group's top management, including President Ye Tianya..."

To boost his subordinates' morale and avoid arousing suspicion, Ding Junfeng, though extremely reluctant to mention Ye Tianya, had to put on this facade. For his revenge plan, he had to endure everything. This was something the person who had been working behind the scenes to create such achievements for him had frequently reminded him of.

"From today onwards, our business department's focus will shift. Preparations for the Starry Night Hotel are in full swing, and our work will change from selling apartments to procuring materials. Heh, judging by your expressions, you're all thinking this is a lucrative opportunity, right? Well, it is. We're no longer sellers, we're buyers now. Before, when we sold houses, we treated buyers to meals and nightclubs; now, we're the ones being treated. But let me make this clear: don't get so carried away by being invited to nightclubs that you forget your own mother. Whoever buys substandard materials will be fully responsible. We'll enjoy ourselves, but only if it's based on the company's interests and the image of our business department. Anyone have any objections?"

"No!" a manager roared. These lustful men knew their work had turned into a lucrative opportunity, and the thought of being treated to pleasure was bound to make them happy. Several female employees blushed and lowered their heads, too embarrassed to say anything. These salespeople all knew about the unspoken rules behind the scenes, but they all kept it to themselves. Moreover, in front of their handsome boss, they had to maintain a facade of composure no matter what.

"Alright, Lao Qi, you and your team are in charge of the aluminum alloy part. Take the task sheet down and do it according to the requirements. Lao Huang, you and your team are in charge of..."

After assigning the tasks, Ding Junfeng, having calmed down from the thrill of command, lowered his head and pondered. The materials part was indeed lucrative, and it was also related to the quality and reputation of the entire Xingye Hotel. Moreover, according to rumors, Ye Tianya planned to open Xingye Hotels all over the country and even the world. If the first Xingye Hotel had problems, what would the impact be? Ding Junfeng was tempted by this thought, but he also hesitated. He weighed the extent to which doing so would hurt Ye Tianya, and whether it was worth it...
Chapter 393 A Tale of Two Cities

In the same Western restaurant, at the same table, Ding Junfeng sat in the same spot, fiddling with the glass in his hand, watching the same hands on the same watch on his wrist, counting the ticks as they moved toward twelve—at exactly seven o'clock, Tang Wan appeared at the entrance of the Western restaurant. Ding Junfeng was delighted, stood up and waved to Tang Wan, his gaze following her elegant pale yellow evening gown until she reached him. Ding Junfeng gentlemanly pulled out the chair opposite him and gestured for Tang Wan to enter.

Tang Wan bowed gracefully in thanks, observing all the proper Western etiquette before sitting down apologetically, "Minister Zhu, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

Ding Junfeng flashed a smile that seemed to adore his own reflection, saying, "Miss Tang Wan, you're too kind. Today I've truly witnessed the sense of time of a veteran of the Tianya Group—not a second early, not a second late." Ding Junfeng then deliberately gave Tang Wan an appreciative once-over before adding, "Miss Tang Wan, you look stunning tonight. This evening gown must have only come into existence because of you."

Tang Wan giggled, "Thank you for the compliment, Minister Zhu." "You often compliment other girls like that, don't you?"

Ding Junfeng sat down opposite Tang Wan, took the menu from the waiter, and handed it to her, saying, "Not at all, I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart. Miss Tang, please order whatever you like. Also, we're not at the company now, so just call me Xingyuan. 'Minister' sounds too formal."

Tang Wan smiled and said, "Then I'll be polite. Brother Zhu is a rising star in our entire group right now. It won't be long before the president personally selects you to go to headquarters. If you don't do it now, you might not have the chance later." Tang Wan naturally used the old-fashioned yet polite form of address, 'Brother Zhu'.

Ding Junfeng humbly replied, "Tianya Group is full of talented people. My little achievements are hardly worthy of the president's attention. Miss Tang, please don't tease me."

Tang Wan chuckled, "President Ye has always been good at recognizing and utilizing talent. With Brother Zhu's talent, it's only a matter of time before he's given an important position. You'll have to treat us to a meal then."

Ding Junfeng was secretly displeased to hear Tang Wan praising Ye Tianya to the skies, so he changed the subject, saying, "Miss Tang, you've worked at headquarters for a long time, so you must know a lot about the origins of the companies under Tianya Group. Could you tell me about them?"

Tang Wan ordered a medium-rare steak and a salad, then handed the menu to Ding Junfeng, saying, "Tianya... " "The group's history is short, only a few years. Its main components are Tianya Real Estate and Xueya Shuangye. I don't know much about Tianya Real Estate's history, but I do know a thing or two about Xueya Shuangye. However, what I know should be in the documents distributed to various departments when the group was established. I think you've seen them, right?"

Ding Junfeng, after ordering his own food and adding a bottle of red wine, nodded and said, "I've seen them, but the information is too vague. For example, it doesn't record things like Xueya Shuangye being investigated by two major departments, and how President Ye ultimately won the lawsuit and turned the tables. Can you tell me about that?"

Tang Wan hesitated for a moment and shook her head. He said, "I'm not really clear about this. After the two major departments sent people to our office, everyone was given leave. And at that time, I think I was sent to work at Bingtian Electronics in B City. I don't know the specifics. Anyway, let's not talk about company matters. Let's talk about you. I heard you've never been in a relationship. I don't really believe it. With your looks, there should be quite a few girls who like you. How come you're still single?"

Ding Junfeng deliberately looked down at himself and said, "Yeah, this body looks alright, but I know I came into this world only to exist for one person, just like the clothes you're wearing." "It's as if this garment existed solely for you."

Ding Junfeng said, his gaze fixed on Tang Wan's eyes as he spoke, enunciating each word clearly: "I'm still single because I've been waiting for that person, and... I've found them!"

Tang Wan paused slightly, then smiled. At that moment, a waiter poured them both red wine. Tang Wan smiled, raised her glass, and said, "Then I'm filled with anticipation! Come, a toast to the angel you've been waiting for."

Ding Junfeng smiled, picked up his glass, clinked it against Tang Wan's, but didn't drink. Looking at Tang Wan with tender eyes, he said, "This glass is for you. The person I've been waiting for was arranged by God to meet me at the elevator entrance..."

"Cough—" Tang Wan choked after only taking half a sip, drawing stares from the surrounding guests. Such an elegant place couldn't tolerate such a choking sound. Tang Wan quickly grabbed a tissue from the table to wipe herself dry and said to Ding Junfeng with a wry smile, "Brother Zhu's joke was ill-timed. Look, it's made me look bad."

Ding Junfeng's eyes, brimming with tenderness that could melt titanium alloy, said to Tang Wan, "Tang Wan, I'm serious."

Ding Junfeng's tender gaze would be irresistible to almost any young woman, but not Tang Wan. His tenderness, seen through Tang Wan's two moments of despair, seemed utterly hypocritical. Poor Ding Junfeng kept putting on this act of tenderness, making Tang Wan feel utterly disgusted but unable to show it, enduring immense suffering.

Tang Wan was afraid that if she looked at this hypocritical tenderness any longer, she would be unable to help but show a contemptuous expression, so she lowered her head slightly to avoid Ding Junfeng's gaze. This action did not fall on Ding Junfeng's eyes, and he thought that Tang Wan was shy. He couldn't help but feel a great sense of satisfaction. But then he heard Tang Wan, who had lowered her head, say, "Brother Zhu, this should only be the second time we have met. Don't you think it's too hasty?"

Ding Junfeng had already anticipated the answer to this question. He said gently, "I know it was a bit rushed. I didn't believe in love at first sight before, but that day, the day I rushed out of the elevator and bumped into you, that feeling of being moved... I knew that was love at first sight. It also made me finally understand what I've been waiting for all these years..."

Tang Wan felt goosebumps rising on her back. If there were a love talk contest, Tang Wan was sure that this man surnamed Zhu in front of her would win the gold medal. She knew what it meant to be aloof. It wouldn't be appropriate to reject him immediately or accept him right away. So she raised her glass and changed the subject, saying, "Brother Zhu, you're here today to make up for the meal I missed when you treated me to your promotion last time. Put everything else aside for now, let me first toast you to congratulate you on your promotion and wish you continued success."

"Uh—"

Ding Junfeng's self-satisfaction was shattered once again. He had thought that Tang Wan would say something at this point, whether she agreed or not. However, his quick thinking wasn't as good as Tang Wan's. He didn't react for a moment and mechanically raised his glass to clink with Tang Wan's. Tang Wan didn't give him a chance to bring up the past and continued, "This restaurant has a nice atmosphere. Do you come here often, Brother Zhu?"

Tang Wan's glances around completely shattered the atmosphere that Ding Junfeng had worked so hard to create. Although Ding Junfeng was a genuine schemer, he was too obsessed with interests and wasn't as shrewd in matters of the heart as he was when he was scheming. Now, with Tang Wan's interference, the situation was developing differently from what he had initially imagined. He couldn't help but feel a little flustered and was led by Tang Wan's topic to say, "Yes, I'm under a lot of pressure at work. It's good to come here to relax."

“That’s true. Brother Zhu, the pressure in all your positions is indeed immense. Have you ever thought about your future?” Tang Wan tried to steer the conversation further, but Ding Junfeng interpreted it as Tang Wan wanting to understand him better. His confidence, which had plummeted to its lowest point, began to swell slightly again, and he started to employ his scheming oratory skills, talking to Tang Wan about life and ideals. Tang Wan didn’t make any statement until the end of dinner, and Ding Junfeng couldn’t help but get anxious. He stood up and solemnly said again, “Tang Wan, please give me a chance, okay?”

Tang Wan’s face flushed slightly, and she said, half-jokingly, half-angrily, “How can you… You believe in love at first sight, but I don’t. I don’t even know you…”

Seeing Tang Wan’s blushing and angry expression, Ding Junfeng secretly thought he had a chance. He hurriedly said, nervously but shamelessly, “You can get to know me slowly, anyway, I’ve already decided on you!”

"You—you're such a scoundrel!" Tang Wan blushed and scolded, then picked up her handbag and left. Her feminine demeanor filled Ding Junfeng with joy; he was one step closer to his success. He quickly paid the bill and chased after her, only to see Tang Wan already in her car, waving to him from afar, "Brother Zhu, thank you for your hospitality. I have to go to work tomorrow, and I still have some work to finish, so I'll be going now, bye-bye!"

Ding Junfeng watched Tang Wan's taillights disappear, his face immediately darkening, all traces of the excitement from a moment before vanishing. He found his car and got in, when his phone suddenly rang. Ding Junfeng picked it up and glanced at the number—an unknown number. He immediately guessed it was from the mysterious person behind him, because the person always used a different number to call.

"You want to pursue Tang Wan? Are you sincere or have ulterior motives?" The moment Ding Junfeng picked up the phone, that cold voice came through the receiver.

"What do you think? Do you think I still have the possibility of genuinely being in a relationship right now?" Ding Junfeng replied.

The person on the phone sounded somewhat annoyed: "Don't talk to me like that. Don't forget, how much of your success was thanks to me losing money behind the scenes? Since you have a purpose, I'm relieved. This woman is not simple. Although Ye Tianya may not trust her, she has Gu Letian's deep trust, and her sister is Ye Tianya's personal secretary. You've made a good move, but taking her down might not be easy. I've already had her information put in your mailbox at your residence. Go back and get it!"

Ding Junfeng wanted to tell the other party that he planned to tamper with the business department's material procurement, but all that was left on the other end of the phone was a busy tone. Ding Junfeng was furious, but he dared not show it in the slightest. Since that person knew he had arranged to meet Tang Wan, and knew that Tang Wan wasn't with him at the moment, he must be nearby. If he showed any resentment, it would immediately be noticed. Despite his immense frustration, Ding Junfeng could only fully utilize his patience.
Chapter 394 Inferiority

The next day, upon arriving at the company, Tang Wan seemed to have completely forgotten Ding Junfeng's words from the previous night. Ding Junfeng, however, persisted with his statement, "I've made up my mind about you," continuing to send her flowers every day, intentionally creating gossip pressure within the company. Everyone knew that Ding Junfeng was pursuing Tang Wan, and the rumors were embellished, making them appear to be a couple in the eyes of others.

Tang Wan pretended not to notice Ding Junfeng's subtle actions, throwing the flowers in the trash as usual. She also kept her distance from Ding Junfeng's invitations, accepting some and then refusing others, leaving Ding Junfeng itching and frustrated, yet his unwavering persistence moved everyone except Tang Wan.

Tang Shaoyan, one of the "moved" women, stopped Tang Wan after the morning meeting and said, "Wan'er, what's wrong with you? The whole company is buzzing about it, but you haven't reacted at all. Is Zhu Xingyuan really pursuing you?"

Tang Wan nodded and smiled calmly, "Yes, a bouquet of roses every day, haha, that guy's got the looks."

Tang Shaoyan frowned and said, "What's your attitude? If you don't like him, just reject him directly. Don't keep him hanging on. Actually, Zhu Xingyuan is a pretty good guy. He has such good looks and talent, yet he's never had any rumors with any girl since joining our Tianya Group. Although I don't quite understand, it seems like he's really pursuing you this time. You're not young anymore. If you think it's right, don't drag it out any longer, or someone else will snatch him away. He's definitely a fake." Of course, Tang Shaoyan didn't know that Ding Junfeng's act of pretending to be a gentleman and not getting involved with the company's female employees was all just for revenge.

Tang Wan smiled calmly, "Sister, I know what I'm doing, so don't worry about me. Work is already so stressful; how can you manage?"

Tang Shaoyan sighed, "I'm worried you're being immature... Oh well, never mind, you handle your own affairs. By the way, the materials the business department purchased will be delivered to the Xingye Hotel construction site in a couple of days. The quality control of the materials is the responsibility of your engineering department, so you have to be very careful. Don't make any mistakes; President Ye is paying close attention to this first Xingye Hotel, and its quality directly affects its future expansion and development."

Tang Wan nodded earnestly, "Sister, don't worry. Although that guy Ye Tianya..." "It's a mistake, but work matters are one thing, I know how to handle it."

Just then, Ye Tianya, who was driving with Li Lanyu and Xingye to Huaxia University to meet the four new students, sneezed. Li Lanyu, driving in front, couldn't help but turn around and ask with concern, "What's wrong? Have you caught a cold?"

Xingye, sitting beside him, also looked at Ye Tianya anxiously, reaching out her slender hand to touch his forehead to check for a fever. Ye Tianya grabbed Xingye's hand

and smiled, "I'm fine, Sister Yu, focus on driving. Maybe someone's thinking of me." Li Lanyu and Xingye chuckled. Li Lanyu, turning the steering wheel, laughed, "Is it one of your confidantes thinking of you again?"

"I think so too. Sister Yu must have been thinking of me just now." Ye Tianya always felt relaxed when he was with Li Lanyu, habitually teasing her.

Li Lanyu spat and said, "Go to hell! I was thinking about Beibei's little white rabbit just now. You step aside. You better tell me honestly, were you out flirting with other women again?"

Ye Tianya said with a wronged look, "Teacher, I'm a good student, don't wrong me."

Xingye couldn't help but laugh out loud again and said, "Sister Yu, you're my brother's administrative assistant, you're by his side every day. If he really is out flirting with other women, then it's your fault."

Li Lanyu felt a surge of pride. Of all the women in the world, she had spent the most time alone with Ye Tianya. But after her pride subsided, she inexplicably felt a pang of guilt towards Xingye. Xingye's generosity and selflessness in sharing his beloved with her, while she had tried so hard to possess more, made her feel ashamed. She said, "I can only keep his body. To keep his heart, I'll have to trouble you, Xiaoye."

Xingye turned her head and looked at Ye Tianya with a gentle smile, but Ye Tianya made a bitter face and said, "Oh no, when did I become a prisoner of all these beauties?"

Li Lanyu chuckled and said, "Regretful now? It's too late to regret it now—" Li Lanyu suddenly stopped and turned back to ask, "We're here. Should we drive straight in?"

Ye Tianya looked up and saw that they had arrived at the entrance of Huaxia University. After thinking for a moment, Ye Tianya said, "Let's drive in." He didn't want to cause any commotion at the entrance.

As the car drove past the school's large sports field, Ye Tianya couldn't help but glance at the rows of neatly dressed soldiers marching towards the field. It was the day the freshmen were returning from their military training, and Song Tao, Liu Caihong, and the others should be among them.

"Tianya, you and Xiaoye get out here. I'll go park the car and come right back," Li Lanyu said, stepping on the brakes.

Ye Tianya and Xingye got out of their cars and pointed to the stands on the side of the sports field from the front window, saying, "Sister Yu, we'll wait for you there. Be careful when you park."

Li Lanyu gave him a charming smile, then sped off, narrowly missing a group of students undergoing military training, making Ye Tianya hold his breath in relief.

The military parade music filled the air above the entire playground. Teams of students in military uniforms marched in neat formation to the entrance, their faces filled with tension and excitement. Ye Tianya, who had been through it all, knew that their excitement wasn't because of the parade itself, but because the grueling military training was finally coming to an end. The reviewing stand was already occupied by many people, naturally the school and military leaders in charge of the training. The surrounding stands were filled with older students. In peacetime, military parades, while showcasing military might, inevitably had a showy aspect, which is why many people viewed them as a spectacle. Ye Tianya had seen this kind of scene before and was used to it.

Li Lanyu quickly parked her car and was about to turn back to the playground to find Ye Tianya when she was nearly hit by a motorcycle coming from the side at the parking lot exit. Barely avoiding it, Li Lanyu was about to explode in anger when the motorcycle reversed after traveling a short distance. The rider jumped off, took off his helmet, and exclaimed in surprise, "Teacher Li, is that you?"

Li Lanyu was startled, then recognized the rider as her former grade leader from when she worked at the school. She remembered that this guy had given her flowers a few times back then, and later, when he saw her injured face in the hospital, he was vomiting and his skin was turning blue.

"So it's Team Leader Tan. Long time no see," Li Lanyu thought with a cold smile, but still greeted him with a smile.

The grade leader stared intently at Li Lanyu's injured side of her face, exclaiming in surprise, "Teacher Li, your...your face is completely healed?"

Li Lanyu smiled playfully, "What, doesn't Group Leader Tan want to see my face healed?"

"No...no, no, it's a wonderful thing that Teacher Li has returned to her former beauty, how could I not want that? I was in a hurry just now and didn't brush against you, did I?" Although the man surnamed Tan was concerned about whether Li Lanyu was injured, his eyes lingered on her face. Li Lanyu felt a little annoyed by his lecherous gaze, and her face turned slightly cold as she said, "I'm fine. Since Group Leader Tan is in a hurry, I won't bother you any longer." The man

surnamed Tan smiled awkwardly and said, "Actually, it's not anything too urgent. Oh, by the way, I no longer work in the student affairs office. This is my business card." "As he spoke, the man surnamed Tan handed over a business card, his face full of confidence.

Li Lanyu took it and glanced at it; it read "Director of Project Department, National University Science Park Management Office, Huaxia University." She thought to herself, "This guy really has connections; he's slipped into the government office so quickly." Seeing Li Lanyu's slightly surprised expression, Tan asked with a hint of smugness, "Professor Li, now that you're healed, are you coming back to work at the university?"

Out of politeness, Li Lanyu neither returned the card nor threw it away, but instead put it in her card holder, saying, "No, I'm not coming back. I'm just trying to make a living anywhere."

When Tan saw that Li Lanyu's card holder was full of cards, he was slightly surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Professor Li, do you have any business cards? It's good to have your contact information so old colleagues can stay in touch."

Seeing Tan staring at her card holder, Li Lanyu couldn't very well lie and say she didn't have any cards, so she reluctantly handed one over, saying, "My friends are still waiting for me over there; I'll take my leave now." "

Minister Tan, seeing that Li Lanyu was pointing in the direction he was going, quickly smiled and said, 'You're going to the main playground, right? I'm going there too, let's go together.' Before Li Lanyu could respond, he ran to push his motorcycle, but when he looked down at Li Lanyu's business card, he exclaimed in surprise: 'Administrative Assistant, President's Office, Tianya Group! Good heavens, Teacher Li… no, now Assistant Li, when did you join Tianya Group?'

Seeing Tan's surprised and envious expression, Li Lanyu felt a surge of satisfaction, thinking, 'Where did your smugness go?'

On the surface, she simply smiled and said, 'Minister Tan, have you forgotten who the president of Tianya Group is? I joined Tianya Group after I recovered from my injury.'

Tan glanced down at his shabby motorcycle and smiled awkwardly, 'That's right, I forgot. The president of Tianya Group was your former student. Teacher Li is truly fortunate to have such an outstanding student.'" "

Li Lanyu smiled calmly, "As the saying goes, a loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. If I hadn't been injured, the school wouldn't have fired me because I might no longer be able to work as a teacher. Maybe I'd still be a lecturer at the college now. Besides, that injury made me see the true colors of many people."

"Hehe, you're right, you're right..." The man surnamed Tan felt a little sweat on his forehead. Speaking of seeing the true colors, he was obviously implying that he used to like Li Lanyu and even sent her a lot of flowers, but he avoided her as soon as she was injured and looked bad. He chuckled awkwardly a few times, made an excuse to park the car, and drove off. Li Lanyu watched his back and pouted, taking a deep breath...

Chapter 395 Future Four Stars

When Ye Tianya saw that Li Lanyu's expression wasn't very good when she returned, he couldn't help but ask with concern, "Sister Yu, what's wrong?"

Li Lanyu pouted and said, "I just ran into someone, the grade leader from our office before."

Ye Tianya couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the guy who had vomited after seeing Li Lanyu's injury. "Did he vomit when he saw you today?" Li

Lanyu rolled her eyes at Ye Tianya, annoyed. "Vomit my foot! His eyes were glued to me today. You men, humph, not a single one of you is any good, lustful by nature!"

Ye Tianya was exasperated, having been dragged back into a tirade against all men. He could only resort to his recently learned trick, grinning shamelessly, "Food and sex are human nature. Sex leads to lust, there's nothing wrong with that."

"You—" This time it was Li Lanyu's turn to be exasperated. She snorted and turned away, looking at the students already lined up at the entrance of the training field, saying, "How are you going to find those four later? After the parade, these students, finally free, will be jumping around like crazy, scattering like birds and beasts. They might not all go back to their dorms." "She seems to know exactly how these students will react."

Ye Tianya lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "The freshmen went to military training as soon as they arrived at school. They'll probably be unfamiliar with the environment when they come back, and the first place they'll go is probably their dorm. If all else fails, we can go to the school's broadcasting room."

Li Lanyu suddenly thought of something and pointed to the opposite stage, saying, "Do we really need to go to the broadcasting room? Why don't you go across to the principal and ask him to have the host announce that the four of them are called to the stage when the military training ends? Wouldn't that save us the trouble?"

"Forget it, don't bother him." Ye Tianya was actually afraid of being scolded. He had missed the Asian Financial Forum because of Ouyang Xin'er, and the old principal must be very angry. Going to see him would inevitably lead to criticism.

However, Ye Tianya tried to avoid it but couldn't. Just as he finished speaking, a frail-looking young man in a suit and glasses squeezed through the crowd behind him and stepped forward to Ye Tianya, saying, "Hello, Mr. Ye, I am Huang Shaoyang, the secretary of the principal's office. The principal invites you." The young man pointed towards the opposite stage.

Ye Tianya was taken aback and asked in surprise, "The principal wants to see me?"

Huang Shaoyang smiled and said, "The principal saw you standing here, Mr. Ye, and asked me to invite you to sit on the other side. You can see the view better from there."

Ye Tianya was about to refuse when Li Lanyu quickly said from the side, "Okay, okay, Tianya, let's go to the rostrum for a better view. It'll also be easier to find people later, saving us from having to run to each dormitory. Besides, you don't want to bother the principal, but he saw you. It wouldn't be right not to go over and say hello."

Ye Tianya secretly glared at Li Lanyu. She was just trying to slack off because she was afraid the task of finding people would fall on her shoulders. She had no choice but to agree, hoping that the principal was busy with the military parade and wouldn't bother her.

After circling halfway up to the platform, the principal was speaking with an officer with two bars and four stars on his shoulders. The secretary led the three to the principal's side, bowing and whispering, "Principal, Mr. Ye has arrived."

The principal then looked up, smiling kindly as he stood up to look at Ye Tianya and the other two. But when he saw Li Lanyu, his smile turned to surprise, and he exclaimed joyfully, "You...you're Li Lanyu? Your face is healed?"

Li Lanyu smiled slightly and said, "Hello, Principal. Thanks to you, Tianya had an expert heal my face."

The principal, somewhat excited and overjoyed, said, "Good, good, good! All the teachers of the school..." "We all felt sorry for you. It's great that you can be cured." The old principal looked at Ye Tianya with satisfaction and said, "Although you sometimes don't listen to me, the principal, you did a good job in this matter. Respecting your teacher is commendable."

Ye Tianya and Li Lanyu exchanged a strange glance. They were hardly showing 'respect for their teacher.' If the principal knew their relationship, he'd probably have a heart attack and collapse on the platform. Ye Tianya quickly looked away and respectfully said to the principal, "Principal, I am very obedient, but sometimes I have no choice."

The principal chuckled and said, "Alright, I'm lazy..." "I have to argue with you. Oh, this must be Xingye."

Xingye stepped forward obediently and said, "Hello, Principal, I'm Xingye."

The principal chuckled with satisfaction, "Good, good. Seeing you children achieve such remarkable things is the happiest thing for this old man. You are all my pride." As he spoke, the principal introduced the officer next to him, "Come here and get acquainted. This is Commander Dai of the XXXX Regiment of the XXXX Division of the HB Military Region, who is in charge of our training for this batch of students."

Ye Tianya and the other two smiled and greeted the officer who had stood up when the principal stood up. The principal introduced them, "They have all..." "These are students from our Huaxia University. Li Lanyu, Ye Tianya, and Xingye."

The officer surnamed Dai was initially curious why the president of Huaxia University would value these students so highly, but upon hearing Ye Tianya and Xingye's names, he immediately laughed and said, "In our military, there's a saying: 'A strong general has no weak soldiers.' This saying applies perfectly to the president as well. Ye Tianya, president of Tianya Group; Miss Xingye, the angel of justice in the Lincheng case—I've admired you for a long time! Miss Xingye, please accept the respect of a soldier!" Without giving Xingye any chance to react, the officer straightened his chest and saluted her. His salute itself wasn't unusual, but it drew the attention of everyone on the platform, especially the other officers. Seeing their superiors stand and salute, they were confused and all stood up to look in their direction. Their presence made the commotion on the platform quite significant, drawing the attention of everyone in the entire parade ground. They watched the commotion with curiosity. At first, Ye Tianya stood in the crowd, and the audience was focused on the arena, so few people noticed him. But now that he was standing on the stage, the surrounding stands immediately erupted in discussion. People could clearly hear calling Ye Tianya and Xingye's names.

Even though Xingye had received training in interpersonal communication, she was still flustered and didn't know what to do in this situation. "Commander Dai, please don't do this. I can't accept such a grand gesture. Please sit down,"

Ye Tianya said hurriedly and nervously. "Commander Dai is a true soldier, a man of honor. He wouldn't even accept a salute from someone he doesn't respect. Everyone, please sit down. Time is almost up. Uh, Xiao Huang, have someone bring three more chairs. Tianya, you three can squeeze in here."

The officer surnamed Dai moved the chairs inwards. The officers to his side immediately understood what was going on. Before they sat down, they all moved their chairs a few steps to the side, leaving three chairs for the principal. At this point, Ye Tianya stopped pretending. He took the chair from Huang Shaoyang and first helped the principal and the officer surnamed Dai to sit down before sitting down with Xingye and Li Lanyu to the side of the principal. The old principal then whispered to the host in front of him, "Let's begin."

As the host went to the front to begin, the principal whispered, "Xiao Ye, I was just about to call you to the school, but you didn't come. You're usually so busy these days. What brings you here today? Don't tell me you came to see me. If it weren't for my sharp eyes noticing your white hair, you probably wouldn't have even greeted me." Ye

Tianya smiled awkwardly, "Principal, I was just worried that you're too busy and I'd bother you. I came to see those four new students."

The principal suddenly realized, "Oh, I remember now, you sponsored four orphans. But seeing them at this time... won't it have some kind of impact on them?"

Ye Tianya understood that the principal was just worried that seeing the four students he sponsored at this time might make them think he was seeking repayment. Ye Tianya smiled and said, "Actually, I came here ..." "I had thought about it before, but this situation doesn't exist. Two of these four are children from the Lincheng Orphanage, practically Xiaoye's younger siblings. It's imperative to meet them. I've met the third one before; we even made a promise to meet in China. I should meet him too. The only one I haven't met is the one from Tibet. But I've met all three of them, and it would be inappropriate not to meet him."

The principal exclaimed in surprise, "Two of them are from the Lincheng Orphanage? Xingye, you know both of them?"

Xingye nodded, "We grew up together, they're two or three years younger than me."

The principal sighed, "It's truly a miracle! So many talented young men and women from the same orphanage. I must visit that great director sometime." Ye Tianya and Xingye couldn't help but show their respect. The old director was the person they respected most in their lives. Now that even the Chinese principal showed such respect to the old director, the two of them naturally felt proud of him.

In such occasions, a leader usually gives a speech at the beginning, followed by rows of military trainees marching past the podium. As each formation marches past, their slogans resound, powerful, and their steps perfectly synchronized. Ye Tianya felt a surge of fighting spirit within him, and his aura unconsciously emanated from him. This affected the principal, Commander Dai, and several officers beside him, who couldn't help but turn their heads in surprise to look at Ye Tianya.

Xingye also sensed Ye Tianya's change, and seeing everyone looking at him with surprise, she quietly shook him. Ye Tianya snapped out of his reverie and quickly composed himself. The principal chuckled softly, "Youth is wonderful! Young people should be full of fighting spirit and strive to create their own success!" Ye

Tianya smiled awkwardly and quickly said, "The spirit of soldiers is truly inspiring, haha, I'm even influenced by it. By the way, Principal, could you... please inform those four people here for me later? Otherwise, I'm really afraid I won't be able to find them after the event ends."

Without hesitation, the principal agreed. After the parade, Li Lanyu personally stood in front of the microphone on the podium and said, "Please come to the podium immediately: Liu Caihong from Class 1, Grade xx, School of Communication; Song Tao from Class 1, Grade xx, School of Biology; Xiao Mingjun from Class 2, Grade xx, School of Trade and Investment; and Amate from Class 2, Grade xx, School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Please come to the podium immediately: Liu Caihong from Class 1, Grade xx,

School of Communication; and Biology..." Upon hearing the names of the four students announced by Li Lanyu, Ye Tianya's long-dormant fighting spirit, ignited by the parade, was rekindled. One in communications, one in biology, one in trade and investment, and one in architecture—these were the four rising stars he would cultivate in these fields. These four future stars would shine brightly in these four areas. Thinking of this, a confident smile unconsciously appeared on Ye Tianya's face. Just as the principal said, he would lead them to create a sky full of shining new stars...
Chapter 396 Bowing Heads Has a Reason

Li Lanyu Not long after the broadcast, Liu Caihong and Song Tao were the first to arrive at the podium. Xingye couldn't wait to step forward and wave at the railing, saying, "Caihong, Xiao Tao, come up quickly!"

"Sister Xiaoye—" Liu Caihong and Song Tao called out happily, running up the steps from the side. However, when they saw the principal and the officer with the rank of senior colonel next to Ye Tianya, they were slightly stunned. Out of habit, they saluted the officer with both feet together and said, "Greetings, Commander," before greeting the principal.

Seeing the two boys' behavior, the principal couldn't help but laugh and said to the officer, "Commander Dai, these kids have really trained hard; their demeanor is truly different. Good, good, good!"

The officer returned Liu and Song's salute before proudly smiling and saying, "Although the military training was short, after being tempered by the army, while it might not be a complete transformation, both their demeanor and physique will definitely have changed."

The principal smiled and asked Liu and Song with concern, "Was military training tough? Are you getting along well with your teammates?"

The two boys were touched to receive such personal attention from the principal so early in the new semester. Song Tao wasn't good at expressing himself, but Liu Caihong smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Principal. It was a bit tough at first, but we got used to it. Most of our teammates are from our class, and we've gotten to know each other pretty well."

The principal smiled and said, "That's good. Now that you're back at school, it's a new environment, and you'll meet many more people ." "New friends, university is the best time of your life, cherish it!"

The two respectfully agreed. Just then, two more students arrived. When Ye Tianya saw Xiao Mingjun, he smiled and waved, saying, "Xiao Mingjun, we meet again."

Xiao Mingjun stepped forward, first saluting the officer, then greeting the principal before saying to Ye Tianya, "Mr. Ye... Mr. Ye, we made a promise to meet in China, how could I break my word?"

Ye Tianya smiled and said, "Well done, I've been looking forward to seeing you in China for a long time." After saying that, Ye Tianya looked at the tall freshman behind him. His distinctive high-altitude red face confirmed to Ye Tianya that he was Amatai. Amatai seemed a bit shy, not saluting like the other three, and even his greeting to the principal was somewhat hesitant. When he looked at Ye Tianya, his mouth moved, but he didn't say anything.

Seeing his shy expression, the principal smiled kindly and said, "You must be Amatai. Your high-altitude features are quite noticeable. What's wrong? A real man shouldn't be shy. Stand up straight."

Whether it was the principal's command or the word "real man" that spurred the Tibetan lad on, he immediately straightened his back and stood up, but for some reason, he then timidly lowered his head again.

The principal chuckled and said, "Standing up straight is much better. You're such a tall and strong young man. Why are you looking down?"

Ye Tianya sighed inwardly. No one understood Amatai's feelings better than them, a group of former orphans. It was inferiority; he couldn't stand up straight because he had lived under the heavy weight of the world's scorn and oppression for many years, and it had become a habit. Ye Tianya stepped forward, walked to his side, patted his shoulder, and whispered, "Amathai, don't be like this. From now on, you don't need to keep your head down anymore. You're no longer a burden. You've been admitted to Huaxia University; you're about to become a pillar of society. The effort you've put in compared to others has already earned you enough courage to face everyone's gaze, understand?"

Amathai trembled, suddenly looking up at Ye Tianya, his eyes revealing an unusual light, mixed with a hint of surprise. He was surprised that Ye Tianya could read his mind. When Ye Tianya saw his surprised expression, he smiled slightly and said, "Have you forgotten? I've walked your path before."

Only then did Amathai speak his first words to Ye Tianya: "Thank you!"

Then he straightened up again.

The principal, who had been listening to Ye Tianya and Amathai's conversation, finally understood why Amathai was in such a state of mind. He smiled and said to Amathai, "Yes, young man, heroes are not judged by their origins. The badge you wear on your chest is the emblem of Huaxia University, a testament to your hard work, your pride. Standing on this campus, you both prove to the world that people are not born into different classes; it is through hard work that differentiates who they are."

The atmosphere became somewhat tense. Li Lanyu chuckled, "Principal, isn't that something Tianya said? You're plagiarizing!"

"Uh—, is that so?" The principal's face darkened. Several freshmen wanted to laugh but dared not, while Amathai looked at the principal with nervousness and worry, as if afraid of angering him. The originally serious atmosphere was completely ruined by Li Lanyu's words. Ye Tianya and Xingye finally couldn't help but chuckle. Xingye quickly came to the principal's rescue, saying, "Wrong! Although it was my brother who said those words, it was the principal who first advised him. So, principal, this doesn't count as plagiarism. My brother used what the teacher taught him, but that doesn't count either."

The principal's expression finally softened a bit, and he nodded hurriedly, "Right, right, I'm getting old and my memory isn't what it used to be. I almost got fooled by you, little Ye. I won't join in your young people's heart-to-heart talk. There's a dinner party later between the school and the military instructors; why don't you come along?"

Ye Tianya quickly waved her hand and smiled, "I'd love to! Eat at my alma mater!" "Of course, it's free food, but I've already made arrangements to take them out to familiarize themselves with the city. I'm afraid that will spoil your fun."

The principal deliberately sounded displeased. "Hmph, this isn't the first time you've spoiled my fun. Since the founding of Huaxia University, you're the first student to ever fire me. Last time at the Asian Financial Forum, everyone was scrambling to get a spot, but you only attended the opening ceremony and then slipped away. Fine, I won't force you. I can't afford to offend you now. I'm hoping you'll have a change of heart someday and donate a few hundred thousand to your alma mater."

Ye Tianya was secretly sweating. This principal certainly knew how to find ways to extort money. Ye Tianya chuckled awkwardly, "Principal, please don't be angry. I was just thinking of discussing with you about collaborating with the school to build a laboratory for the Tianya Group. How about a few hundred thousand, like you said?"

The principal's face lit up with joy, but he immediately shook his head vigorously, saying, "A few hundred thousand and you expect me to build you a laboratory? No way! Never mind, never mind. If you want to build the laboratory, come to my office another day. I have to accompany some guests today. You can go wherever you want, but you'll have to come back sooner or later for the sake of the laboratory."

The old principal then left with the group of officers, but after walking a distance, he seemed somewhat uneasy. "You said it yourself, the lab is built in China. If you want to relocate it, I'll bring people to demolish it for you."

Ye Tianya and Xingye exchanged a glance and smiled bitterly. Li Lanyu muttered beside them, "This old guy, he's been hiding his greedy nature so well all this time." After

the school leaders left, Liu Caihong finally dared to laugh out loud and asked Ye Tianya, "Brother Tianya, are you close to the principal?"

Ye Tianya looked at the old principal's aged yet still robust back and smiled, "Not really, but he's close to money, and I happen to be close to money too, so...hehe, what, girl, are you close to money?"

Liu Caihong chuckled, "I know Grandpa Qian, but he doesn't know me. However, I'm familiar with Brother Tianya, and Grandpa Qian is also familiar with Brother Tianya. Based on the commutative property in mathematics, Grandpa Qian should be considered familiar with me too, right?"

Liu Caihong's witty remark amused everyone, even Amatai smiled broadly, revealing two rows of white teeth. This young man was tall and imposing, and his smile was indeed quite handsome. He was just a little introverted.

After introducing the four to each other's families, Ye Tianya smiled and said, "Tomorrow is National Day. According to Huaxia University's tradition, you won't start school until October 7th, right? How about I show you around S City today?"

Of the four, Amaterasu and Song Tao were rather introverted and nodded silently. Liu Caihong was the most outgoing, and since she was already familiar with Ye Tianya, she immediately cheered and wholeheartedly agreed. Xiao Mingjun was clearly the most composed and steady of the four. He glanced at their camouflage uniforms before looking up at Ye Tianya and saying, "Mr. Ye, shall we go back to our dorms and change our clothes first?" "?"

Ye Tianya nodded approvingly, "Of course, go quickly. Meet at the school parking lot in half an hour. Also, in future formal occasions outside of Tianya Group, call me Ye Tianya or... well, I'm older than you, so just call me Brother Tianya or Brother Ye, like Rainbow and Xiao Tao."

The four hurried away. Ye Tianya, Li Lanyu, and Xingye exchanged glances. Xingye spoke first, "Xiao Tao is still the same as always, quiet and reserved."

Li Lanyu chuckled, "In my opinion, he's naturally introverted, and there's no way to change that. He should be a research talent!"

"Introversion can be innate?" Ye Tianya looked at Li Lanyu suspiciously.

Li Lanyu smiled smugly, "Haven't studied this, have you? Introversion is innate, what's so strange about that? What he just showed wasn't the shyness, inferiority, and timidity of Amaterasu, but a calm silence. Experts define this as innate introversion, while Amaterasu's introversion is acquired. This is because the influence of his environment made him feel inferior and unwilling to interact with those around him, which is why he appears introverted. Once his inferiority complex is eliminated, this can be completely eliminated. Even if his inferiority complex can't be eliminated, he can still be talkative and cheerful once he gets to know people. He's just shy and withdrawn when facing strangers."

Ye Tianya had to look at Li Lanyu in a new light now. Hearing her speak so eloquently, he couldn't help but admire her, saying, "I really didn't realize you were so knowledgeable in this area."

"That's right!" Li Lanyu said with a smile, "I have to thank you for this. Back then, because of you, you were such an unconventional person. When I, with my voluptuous figure, stepped onto the stage, you didn't even give me a second glance. Of course, I had to study your psychology. In the end, I didn't figure out your psychology, but I did read a lot of books on the subject, so I learned all this knowledge."

"Ah—, Sister Yu, so you liked my brother back then?" Xingyu exclaimed in surprise from the side.

"No way!" Li Lanyu blushed and retorted, "It's just that as a counselor, I naturally have to study their psychological activities in order to manage them well."

Ye Tianya smiled mischievously at Li Lanyu and said, "Really? Then do you need to study why I'm not leering at your beautiful legs?"

Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Li Lanyu suddenly puffed out her magnificent chest and said confidently with a flushed face, "So what if I am? Now your vanity is satisfied like never before!"

Ye Tianya broke out in a cold sweat. This time, he couldn't argue with her anymore...
Chapter 397 Inferior Materials

Looking at the curiosity and anticipation on the faces of Song Tao and the other three, Ye Tianya pointed to the surrounding high-rise buildings and said, "There is a rule in this place, which is that the strong survive and the weak are eliminated." "People are eliminated every day because they're not strong enough. Even if someone jumps off a building due to bankruptcy, at most they'll just become fodder for newspaper reporters to make money."

The four fell silent, their curious expressions turning serious. Ye Tianya continued, "Perhaps you think this is too cold-hearted, but reality is always much crueler than ideals."

Seeing the four become even more nervous, Ye Tianya laughed and said, "However, don't be so nervous. You have to believe in yourselves. Haven't we faced even more difficult and cruel things? I believe there's nothing you can't do in the future, right? Can you tell me about your ideals? Have you thought about what you want to do in the future? Amathai, you go first."

Ye Tianya intentionally pushed Amathai to the front, wanting to break down his shyness and get him to open up completely.

Amat first glanced cautiously at the other three, then finally looked at Ye Tianya and said, "Well... Brother Ye, I don't know if what I have is considered an ideal. My biggest ideal has always been to leave those mountains and see the outside world. Now that I've actually left, I find myself feeling a bit lost. I don't know what to do next."

Ye Tianya smiled and said, "Don't worry, don't worry, this kind of confusion is perfectly normal. But I believe you'll soon have a clear ideal. Xiao Tao, what about you?"

Song Tao blushed slightly and said somewhat shyly, "My ideal is to achieve something great like Brother Tianya."

Ye Tianya saw that he was blushing because he was afraid of being laughed at. But Xiao Mingjun laughed even more wildly, "Haha, you're thinking the same thing as me, but my ideal..." "I want to surpass Brother Ye."

Ye Tianya laughed and said, "Okay, then you'd better work hard. I've already started before you! Rainbow, what about you?"

Liu Rainbow thought for a moment and said, "My ideal..." She paused suddenly, secretly glanced at Song Tao, and then blushed and whispered, "It's to help Brother Tao achieve his ideal, just like Sister Xiaoye."

Liu Rainbow's bold expression made the shy Song Tao blush to the roots of his neck. Ye Tianya, Xingye, and Li Lanyu couldn't help but exchange glances, and then they all laughed. Li Lanyu, who hadn't spoken until now, said with emotion, "Song Tao, you are so lucky. You should cherish it."

Song Tao blushed but mustered up his courage, looked gently at Liu Rainbow, and then said firmly, "I will!" To ensure the quality of the construction materials,

Tang

Wan personally led the technicians to the construction site. The Xingye Hotel construction site was surrounded by a blue iron wall, and inside, tents were set up. The tents contained various building materials, and the machines for drilling and laying the foundation were ready and waiting for the order to start work.

Tang Wan found a mound of earth, stood on it, and said earnestly, "According to President Ye's plan, Xingye Hotels will be opened all over the country and even the world. Lincheng Xingye Hotel is the first and most important of this chain of hotels. Its quality and even its image are of great significance. There can be no mistakes. The quality control is in your hands, so you must take responsibility. Now, according to the original division of labor, everyone, let's get started!"

The technicians from the Engineering Management Department immediately got to work. They worked all afternoon, and only the technicians in the last tent had not yet produced results. They had not found any problems with the others. Tang Wan thought that since so many were fine, the last pile should also be fine. Just as she was thinking that Zhu Xingyuan was indeed a shrewd and capable general, the technician in the last tent came out and said with a serious expression, "Minister Tang, there seems to be a problem with this pile of cement!"

Tang Wan's heart skipped a beat, and her relaxed expression turned cold. She led the other technicians into the last tent, where there was a high pile of cement covered with a waterproof plastic sheet. Half of it had been lifted, probably by the technician who had just come in.

"What happened?" Tang Wan asked anxiously as soon as she entered.

A technician wearing glasses came forward and took out a small shovelful of sample, saying, "Minister Tang, this batch of cement does not meet the standards. According to the building design requirements, the cement used for the foundation should be 600 grade quick-setting cement. However, only the cement on the sides and around the perimeter meets the standard, while the top and middle are all just ordinary 300 grade cement."

Tang Wan, being an outsider, didn't quite understand what the various grades meant. She listened with a cold expression and asked, "What would be the consequences of using this ordinary cement?" "

Based on the structural design, the materials analyzed using structural mechanics principles cannot be altered. If we use this ordinary cement for the foundation, the hotel might be fine for ten or twenty years, but that's assuming no natural disasters like earthquakes. If there's even a minor earthquake, the consequences are unpredictable, but definitely dangerous. The quality control department would never approve our project during inspection. And inspections are usually done after the entire project is finished. If it fails inspection then, the entire building will have to be demolished and rebuilt. Leaving aside the image and impact, the losses to the project itself would be incalculable."

"Damn it!" Tang Wan's face turned extremely ugly. She threw the small shovel of cement she had just received heavily and angrily snorted, "Go and call the security guards at the construction site. Let's see if the cement was switched at the construction site or if the sales department embezzled the money!"

None of the cadres had ever seen their usually gentle and amiable female boss lose her temper like this before. They were all trembling with fear. The first one to react quickly went to find the site security guards.

The security guard guarding the materials turned pale with fright upon hearing that something had happened. He said nervously, "Minister Tang, don't scare me. If someone wanted to switch out this much cement, it would be impossible without several large trucks. I definitely would know that. Besides, all of these materials are sealed. When I brought these two technicians in just now, they were the ones who tore open the seals to check. This problem isn't with me!"

Tang Wan had forgotten about the seals in her anger and only then noticed that the other half of the plastic wrap still had seals on it. The pile of cement was wrapped in waterproof plastic from top to bottom, and the joints between the plastic wraps were sealed. So, the problem lies with the purchasing department.

Tang Wan, her face cold and decisive, ordered, "Reseal it! You keep a close eye on this pile of cement. No one is allowed to touch it until Manager Tang of the company gives the order!"

The security guard hurriedly went to find more seals, and only after Tang Wan signed each one did she seal it in front of everyone. Then, with a dark face, she said, "Let's go back. I want to see how Zhu Xingyuan explains this!"

After the Engineering Management Department discovered that the materials purchased by the Business Department had been smuggled in, the entire Tianya Real Estate Lincheng Branch was in an uproar. The problem lay with the department led by Zhu Xingyuan, a star employee of Tianya Group. Moreover, every important thing he had done in leading this department had resulted in such a problem. Watching everyone in the Business Department being called into the conference room, and the company's senior managers and several department heads entering with dark faces and the conference room door tightly closed, everyone secretly observing outside began to speculate about what kind of punishment Zhu Xingyuan would receive.

"Bang!" Luo Yang threw an engineering department test report in front of Zhu Xingyuan and said coldly, "Minister Zhu, the Xingye Hotel special project team has just been established and you're already trying to ruin my business. That seems a bit unfair. Can you give me a reasonable explanation?"

Ding Junfeng felt a surge of anger, but he forced himself to suppress it. Luo Yang's tone reminded him of the way he used to reprimand Luo Yang back at Changfeng Real Estate. He never expected that thirty years later, his old subordinate would speak to him like this. However, he could only swallow his anger and say, "I'm sorry, Team Leader Luo. I admit that the problem lies in our business department. It's my fault as the department head. But everyone is working for the company. How could you say I deliberately ruined your business? I'm still completely confused about this matter. I was just urgently recalled and haven't figured out what happened yet." His

face was cold . Sitting at the head of the table, Tang Shaoyan spoke calmly yet authoritatively: "Then, Minister Zhu, everyone from your business department is here. Clarify the matter in front of everyone, so that Team Leader Luo won't misunderstand you. You need to understand that if this batch of materials had problems and hadn't been discovered, Tianya Real Estate would have lost hundreds of millions. This loss is a responsibility that none of us in the entire Lincheng branch can bear. Don't blame Minister Luo for blaming you. If something goes wrong, he won't be the first to suffer."

Seeing Tang Shaoyan side with Luo Yang, Ding Junfeng suddenly remembered how Tang Shaoyan had stormed off at Changfeng, and Luo Yang had left without saying goodbye. Several of the other ministers had also been high-ranking executives at Changfeng Real Estate, all abandoning him during Changfeng's crisis. He wanted to slam his fist on the table and slap each of them, but he couldn't. If he did, he would never be able to do so again.

"Yes, yes, please give me five minutes, Manager Tang, I'll get to the bottom of this right away." Ding Junfeng said, swallowing his anger, and then glanced at his subordinates, whose faces were all pale and gloomy because of this incident, and said coldly, "Team Leader Zuo, all the cement purchases were handled by your team, right? Can you explain this to me?"

Zuo Liquan had already questioned him when he heard about the cement problem, but his most capable and trusted assistant was unreachable at this crucial moment. Because the cement that Tianya Real Estate needed was a special type, the cement plants around Lincheng did not have much in stock. Time was tight, his team was short-handed, and Zhu Xingyuan was unwilling to send more people to help. He had no choice but to have his assistant lead a group of people to purchase from several cement plants at the same time. The ones he was responsible for were definitely fine, so the problem must lie with his most trusted assistant.

His supervisor was always capable and shrewd, never making a single mistake, which is why he confidently entrusted him with decision-making and signing authority, letting him make his own decisions. But unexpectedly…

Chapter 398 Eliminating Dissidents

All eyes were on Zuo Liquan, waiting for his explanation. Zuo Liquan stood up painfully and said, “President Tang, the problem with the materials this time is my fault. Because of the tight schedule and the special nature of the materials, our team was short-handed and had to split up to collect materials from various manufacturers. Originally, I was supposed to personally sign all the orders, but because the manufacturers were scattered and it was tiring to travel back and forth, I took a shortcut and gave the signing authority to my assistant. But now I can’t contact this assistant at all…” Zuo Liquan continued, “It was my laziness that led to this situation, and no matter the reason, it was a problem caused by my team. I am willing to take full responsibility!”

Zuo Liquan’s willingness to take full responsibility made Ding Junfeng unable to resist revealing a barely perceptible smugness, but this smugness fell right into the eyes of Tang Wan, who had been watching him closely. Tang Wan couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

Tang Shaoyan lowered her head and thought for a moment before saying, "As a manager, the most important thing is not power but responsibility. Regardless of who in your team did this, the main problem is that you delegated the signing authority. As the team leader, you are culpable. Fortunately, the colleagues in the engineering department discovered it in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Although no serious losses were caused, we cannot let this go unpunished as a warning to others. Team Leader Zuo, you have two days to find out who embezzled this material payment, or you will bear all the responsibility! As for the handling of your dereliction of duty, it will be handled by the HR department according to company regulations! Do you have anything to say?"

Zuo Liquan sighed and said, "I have nothing to say. This is my responsibility!"

Tang Shaoyan then looked up and said, "Originally, this matter only required finding the person responsible ..." "I only need people, but I've called everyone here, especially everyone I can from the sales department. The reason is simple: I want to remind you all that your job is to buy things with money. It may seem stressless, but the burden on your shoulders is heavy. If a problem arises, the losses will be beyond what you can bear individually. This is the first time something like this has happened in our Lincheng branch since its inception. I'm making this clear upfront, and the same applies to other departments. If anything similar happens again, I will deal with it severely without mercy. It's safe to say that the income of Tianya Real Estate employees is among the highest in Lincheng and even nationwide. If anyone is still greedy and tries to profit from this, don't blame me, Tang Shaoyan, for being ruthless!"

Tang Shaoyan possessed a unique air of authority when she was cold and aloof. Even her cousin, Tang Wan, felt her powerful aura and secretly praised her cousin for being a woman who had weathered many storms. Tang Wan, recalling the hint of smugness in Zhu Xingyuan's eyes, was about to set a trap for him when Tang Shaoyan spoke first: "Minister Zhu, the task assigned to your business department this time wasn't very heavy. Why did you assign such a heavy task to Team Leader Zuo's group? You can't escape responsibility for this. Your business department has problems, and you, as the minister, should reflect on your actions."

Ding Junfeng hurriedly and earnestly admitted his mistake: "Yes, yes, yes, when assigning tasks, I only thought that one group responsible for one type of material wouldn't cause chaos. I didn't consider the details of each material's procurement. This was my oversight. Please, HR, give me the appropriate punishment."

Ding Junfeng used a feigned retreat to advance, proactively requesting punishment. Tang Shaoyan... Tang Shaoyan couldn't criticize him any further, so she looked up at everyone and said, "I hope everyone remembers that the core spirit of our Tianya Group's corporate culture is one word: family! Every employee in our company should care for each other like brothers and sisters in a family, and think about each other's needs. Everyone should look to the future so that our company can achieve long-term development!"

After Tang Shaoyan finished speaking, Ding Junfeng's expression became slightly unnatural, but Tang Wan smiled. Although Tang Shaoyan didn't say it explicitly, those who knew the inside story understood that Ding Junfeng had assigned such a heavy task to Zuo Liquan's team because Zuo Liquan in the business department was somewhat dissatisfied with Ding Junfeng. He was clearly making things difficult for Zuo Liquan and deliberately challenging him.

After hearing Tang Shaoyan defend him for a few moments, Zuo Liquan's pained expression eased slightly. He glanced at Ding Junfeng but remained silent. The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Tang Shaoyan said helplessly, "I really dislike meetings like this. They make everyone uncomfortable. So I hope we never have another meeting like this again. Everyone, please disperse. Minister Zhu, immediately organize people to repurchase the substandard materials, contact the manufacturers to see if they can return the defective materials, and report the final losses to me."

Everyone agreed to the meeting adjournment. Ding Junfeng, watching him from afar with a half-smile, moved his lips but ultimately said nothing and left the meeting room first.

Zuo Liquan searched for his assistant for two days, but the assistant seemed to have vanished into thin air. Meanwhile, Zhu Xingyuan reported a loss of 120,000 yuan. Before the personnel department could make a decision, Zuo Liquan resigned to take responsibility.

Ding Junfeng stood by the window, arms crossed, watching Zuo Liquan leave downstairs carrying a box of his belongings. A smirk played on his lips as he muttered to himself, "Don't blame me, blame yourself for being so ungrateful!"

Zuo Liquan was a former team leader in the sales department, Ding Junfeng's equal. Back then, Zuo Liquan was Ding Junfeng's fiercest competitor. Now, Ding Junfeng had risen to department head, and employees from other teams were all trying to curry favor with him. Yet, Zuo Liquan still didn't seem to care. Ding Junfeng knew that Zuo Liquan was quite capable; if it weren't for the mysterious person secretly helping him, he might not be Zuo Liquan's match in sales. However, Ding Junfeng wasn't one to tolerate talent, and Zuo Liquan's arrogant demeanor infuriated him. Moreover, within the sales department, he absolutely didn't want anyone opposing him or hindering his revenge. If there was such a person, he would eliminate them.

When Tang Shaoyan entrusted him with the preliminary material procurement work for the Starry Night Hotel, he had already begun plotting this conspiracy. His scheme was a double-insured, two-birds-with-one-stone plan. If the smuggled materials were discovered, he could easily eliminate Zuo Liquan, a thorn in his side, thus removing a dissident. If they weren't discovered, even better; when the Starry Night Hotel was completed and inspected, Ye Tianya would suffer heavy losses, and Zuo Liquan could then be blamed. Zuo Liquan never dreamed that his most trusted assistant was one of the people the mysterious figure had planted to assist Ding Junfeng. Since something had gone wrong, he certainly wouldn't let Zuo Liquan find him.

The matter ended there; the lost funds couldn't be recovered, and Tang Shaoyan could only have the finance department cover it. Ding Junfeng, the biggest winner in the whole affair, wasn't as excited as one would expect. This was because it was Tang Wan who discovered the smuggled materials, and she hadn't consulted him before directly reporting it. This clearly showed that his long pursuit hadn't won her any favors.

"This woman seems really difficult to deal with," Ding Junfeng thought to himself. He needed to intensify his pursuit of Tang Wan; without winning her over, it would be difficult to make any moves in the future, let alone use her.

Although Tang Shaoyan hadn't reported the situation at the Lincheng branch to headquarters, Ye Tianya was fully aware of it. After putting down the information on Lincheng, he simply smiled and didn't offer any opinion. He looked up and smiled at Gu Letian and Lin Siyin, asking, "What do you think of this?"

Gu Letian glanced at Lin Siyin, and seeing that she didn't intend to speak first, he spoke first: "This kind of thing can happen in every company, especially in the purchasing department. Embezzlement is common. Generally, companies concentrate the signing and approval authority in the hands of a few key people. This time, the problem really stems from that team leader named Zuo Liquan delegating too much power."

Ye Tianya nodded, then looked at Lin Siyin, who finally spoke. "Tang Shaoyan handled this matter reasonably, and it's fortunate that Tang Wan discovered it in time, otherwise our losses would have been much more than just a few hundred thousand," said Ye Tianya.

Ye Tianya nodded with a smile, flipped through another folder, glanced at it a few times, and then laughed, "Tong Jiale is really arrogant with the right to be so. In just a few months, he's managed to make the pharmaceutical company so successful."

Lin Siyin laughed, "Yes, this black-skinned man is indeed incredibly shrewd. His market insight is something even I admire. Moreover, he's not limited to the conventional. Pharmaceutical marketing companies in the city usually don't think much of the small profits from running pharmacies, but while he was doing pharmaceutical wholesale, he also opened nearly ten pharmacies in the city." "He's good at creating hype. Even with this price war, he's once again boosted your and Xingye's reputation. The citizens genuinely believe you're doing this out of kindness, lowering drug prices for their benefit. But who would have thought that for a company that never worries about supply and deals in wholesale drugs, even small profits on high volume can generate substantial earnings?"

Gu Letian chimed in with a laugh, "This guy, aside from being a bit arrogant, is really something else. And you know what? His dozen or so chain discount pharmacies have quite a reputation among the citizens. If they maintain this momentum, they'll capture a large market share in retail."

Ye Tianya listened to the two talking while looking at the reports. After Gu Letian finished speaking, he put the reports down and said, "Actually, the largest sales volume of medicines is still..." "Hospitals and pharmacies can never compare to hospitals. The promotional effect of one doctor in a hospital is something ten pharmacies can't match. People say that even the most disobedient person has to obey a doctor. You have to accept whatever medicine the doctor wants to prescribe. So, opening up the hospital market is the most profitable. Tong Jiale has obviously realized this in his plan. Hehe, I'm looking forward to seeing if there will be any new surprises in next month's report. Well, his achievements are all expected. Let's not talk about him anymore. I called you here today because I have an important decision to discuss with you."

Lin Siyin, as Ye Tianya's woman, already knew about Ye Tianya's plan, but Gu Letian immediately looked at Ye Tianya seriously.

Chapter 399 Crazy Plan

Ye Tianya smiled and said, "It's like this, now that several companies in our group are on track, the pharmaceutical company is handed over to Tong Jiale, so we don't need to worry about it. We still have surplus funds, and I plan to move towards biopharmaceuticals." "

Pharmaceuticals?" Gu Letian repeated in surprise.

Ye Tianya nodded and said, "That's right. Now that the pharmaceutical company has started, let's add some icing on the cake. I plan to build a laboratory at Huaxia University to research biological health products. Living conditions have improved, and citizens are paying more attention to health. Health products can also be made into gifts, so the market potential is huge. Most importantly, I'm planning to move into the field of AIDS treatment drugs!"

"AIDS!!" Even

Lin Siyin showed a surprised expression this time. Ye Tianya hadn't mentioned this to her.

“That’s right. AIDS. According to official statistics, 8,000 people die from AIDS every day in China alone, with 15,000 new cases. The actual number of AIDS patients and AIDS carriers is estimated to be 10-20 times higher than the official figures, that is, more than 1 million but less than 10 million. Our situation in China is relatively mild, not to mention Africa and countries like the US that opened up earlier. Heh, you can imagine these numbers. If we could develop such a drug, the profits would be unimaginable.”

Gu Letian frowned and said, “If we could develop such a drug, putting aside the profits, it would be a tremendous achievement for all of humanity. However… many organizations around the world have been researching treatments for this disease for decades, and there have been no results yet. How easy is it to develop such a drug?”

Ye Tianya smiled confidently, “Just because others can’t develop it doesn’t mean we can’t. It’s just that it might take up a considerable amount of funding, and who knows how much more funding will be needed after we achieve results? That’s why I asked you two to discuss this.”

Lin Siyin and Gu Letian both lowered their heads in thought. After a while, Lin Siyin was the first to look up and said, "I support you. After the lab is established, we won't just be researching AIDS drugs, we can also generate other profits, right?" Gu

Letian shook his head and smiled wryly, "To be honest, Xiao Ye, this idea is a bit crazy. To be honest, I'm not too willing to raise my hand for it, but since you have this idea, I will fully support you. After all, you've created more than one miracle, I'm almost numb to it. In terms of funding, our group currently has sufficient working capital. If we encounter a shortage of funds, we will try to reduce the funds of our other companies to support you."

Seeing that the two agreed with his idea, Ye Tianya smiled happily, "Okay, then let's shock the world about our Tianya Group again!"

Gu Letian and Lin Siyin couldn't help but exchange a glance. Ye Tianya's fighting spirit and ambition hadn't appeared for a long time, and now it seemed to them that the successful research of AIDS drugs was a very easy thing. Although they were somewhat reluctant to believe it, they were very happy to see Ye Tianya regain his fighting spirit.

With the support of two business magnates, Ye Tianya felt even more confident. After discussing the 'hotel plan' and 'gymnasium plan' that Tianya Real Estate would be implementing with Gu and Lin, he personally drove to Huaxia University to talk to the old president about the laboratory. Ye Tianya believed that as long as he was willing to fund the research on AIDS treatment drugs, the old president would definitely not refuse. What he wanted was Huaxia University's entire expert system in biology, chemistry, and other related fields. Of course, he would also take the opportunity to extort some brain cells from those old academics, occasionally getting some health supplements out of them.

Things went so smoothly that Ye Tianya couldn't help but want to shout with delight. After hearing Ye Tianya's plan, the old principal agreed without hesitation. When it was just the two of them alone in the office, under the starry night sky, he couldn't help but laugh heartily, saying, "I was just worried about not finding a suitable research topic for these old guys. Letting their brains sit idle is no good; it would be a huge loss if they rusted. Now, this is a great project! With you, this cash cow, standing right next to us, why worry about funding? No need to say more, I agree. I'll let the foundation decide where the lab is built." "The construction department will find you the land, and construction can begin. Of course, the design drawings shouldn't be a problem for your Tianya Group."

Ye Tianya smiled and gestured to Xingye, who had obtained a lawyer's license and was working in the legal affairs department of Tianya Group, to take out a disk and hand it to the principal. "The design drawings are here. See where on campus you can put them, and arrange a place for them for me."

The old principal smiled meaningfully and said, "You must have calculated that I couldn't refuse, so you prepared everything, right?"

Ye Tianya chuckled but did not refute, tacitly agreeing. However, the two did not expect that after they left, when the old principal opened the design renderings on the disk, his heart almost broke, causing him to lose several heart medications.

The news that Tianya Group would establish a biological laboratory at Huaxia University spread like wildfire, attracting worldwide attention. Tianya Group's past actions had always been shocking; what sensational event would the establishment of this laboratory bring this time? However, to avoid excessive external interference, Ye Tianya intentionally kept the news of his AIDS research under wraps, only announcing that the laboratory mainly focused on developing health products. This calmed public curiosity.

With the laboratory settled, Ye Tianya suddenly found himself with free time again. Having not personally managed the stock market for a long time, he couldn't resist the urge to try again. All the companies were operating smoothly, requiring only occasional decision-making, and the workload wasn't too heavy. He simply delegated other tasks to Lin Siyin and Gu Letian, returning to Xueya Shuangye once more. Xueya Shuangye had focused on developing real-world investments recently, achieving some success in the stock market but lacking any major breakthroughs. With Ye Tianya personally in charge, Xueya Shuangye once again stirred up a storm in the stock market. Upon hearing that Ye Tianya was back in charge, his colleagues couldn't help but feel that dark clouds were beginning to gather in the clear sky, foreshadowing an impending storm.

Upon learning that Ye Tianya was returning to his old ways, Yin Chao became interested as well. The first-generation product from Beyond Technology's collaboration with MC hadn't even reached its second-generation update cycle, while the second generation was already in preparation using the improved MC system created by Ye Tianya. Beyond Technology's new project hadn't even started yet, and Yin Chao, feeling empty inside, also came to join the fun. This news of the two Chinese giants joining forces again sent shivers

down

the spines of the industry, with all eyes fixed on Xueya Shuangye, eager to see what Ye and Yin would do. ## ...

Forcing herself to banish the jumbled thoughts from her heart, which had been at peace for many years, Yun Shuiqing turned her gaze back to the pages of the book. However, the story in the book no longer seemed as captivating as before. Yun Shuiqing was somewhat absent-minded. She was used to the quietness of the bar at this time of day, but every Wednesday, that strange young man would appear there. Although the two of them never spoke to each other, not even exchanging greetings, he would quietly arrive, and she would quietly close the door. He would quietly leave when it got dark. Every Wednesday, he would sit there quietly for an entire afternoon. It seemed to have become a habit, a natural part of her life. Although Yun Shuiqing was unwilling to admit it, she had developed a feeling that someone would be with her every week at this time, on this afternoon.

After reading "Yun Shui Liao" twice, she still couldn't absorb anything. Looking up again, the table was still empty. Yun Shuiqing sighed, put the book down, and gracefully stood up from the bar stool. She went to the liquor cabinet, poured herself a glass of red "Heartbreak" liquor, walked around the bar to a corner seat, glanced around the bar, and gently sat down in the spot where the strange young man always sat. She picked up the glass and downed it in one gulp, just like he always did when he came. After finishing, she gently closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair, and quietly soaked in the bar's tranquility. She wanted to try and understand the strange young man's state of mind. In this corner, at this table, in this action, Yun Shuiqing's previously chaotic mind surprisingly calmed down. She sat there quietly until it was almost dark and customers started arriving, reluctantly emerging from that tranquility

.

After regaining her senses, Yun Shuiqing did something that even surprised herself later: she placed a "Reserved" sign on the corner table.

# # # # # # # # # # # #

Yin Yan didn't go to the Heartless Bar this Wednesday afternoon. He couldn't go there at this time anyway. His and Ye Tianya's investment in this phase totaled more than 100 million yuan, and now it was the critical moment to recoup their investment. In just five days, the investment of 100 million yuan had grown by an average of more than 10%, with some transactions even reaching 50%. As long as they sold it all off, they could recover at least tens of millions of yuan in profit. How could he leave at such a crucial moment? The situation in this battlefield where money is the weapon is ever-changing. A slight mistake could result in heavy losses. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people who are rich one moment and go bankrupt and commit suicide the next.

On the screen was the interface of a real-time stock market information software that Ye Tianya had given him. Every second's price movement was displayed instantly. This second-precise analysis software made Yin Chao's mouth water. He couldn't help but turn to Ye Tianya, who was deep in thought, and said, "Boss, I really want to crack open your head and see what's inside. How did you write this software? Just put it in Chaoyue's office!"

Ye Tianya kept his head down and didn't speak, as if he hadn't heard him at all. Yin Chao couldn't help but ask again, but Ye Tianya suddenly looked up and said, "Oh no, Yin Chao, immediately sell Jiale and Tongxing stocks! " "Quickly..."

Chapter 400 The Mastermind.

Yin Chao had never seen Ye Tianya so nervous before. Hearing him urgently order to sell immediately, he immediately sold off dozens of lots before turning around and asking in confusion, "What's wrong? What went wrong?"

Ye Tianya said somewhat solemnly, "Don't say anything yet, just sell as much as you can. I'll tell you after you've sold them all!"

Ye Tianya himself also started selling. Yin Chao looked at the two stocks that were still rising wildly and couldn't help but feel a little heartache. He could have made a lot more money if he had waited a little longer to sell. But since Ye Tianya had told him to sell, he wouldn't doubt it. Anyway, the price had already risen by nearly one yuan from the three yuan and seventy cents they had bought.

Soon Yin Chao understood why Ye Tianya was so nervous. When he had more than seventy lots left, Jiale and Tongxing stocks plummeted like freefall. He simply couldn't get rid of the more than seventy lots he had.

Ye Tianya leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh. "Yin Chao, how many do you have left?"

"Seventy-one lots. What about you?" Yin Chao wiped his forehead, which was covered in sweat.

"I have seventeen lots left. If I'm not mistaken, these eighty-eight lots should be worthless. Jiale and Tongxing are probably doomed to bankruptcy." Ye Tianya gave a bitter smile, then stood up, leaning on the armrest of his chair. He poured himself a glass of water, then poured another and handed it to Yin Chao. "That was close! Settle the accounts."

Yin Chao took the water, took a sip, typed a few lines on the keyboard, and then looked up. "Not counting the eighty-eight lots we have, we still made seven million four hundred and seventy-three thousand."

Although he said he made that much money, there was no excitement in Yin Chao's voice.

This was probably the most embarrassing time for the two of them. Even when they were doing every transaction at Xueya Shuangye as part-timers, the tension wasn't as great as today, after all, today's transaction amount was tens of millions.

"What exactly is going on?" Yin Chao switched the computer interface to monitor mode. This round of 100 million yuan of their funds was not only invested in Jiale and Tongxing. The other ten or so shares were still not ready to recoup their investment, so he dared not be careless.

Ye Tianya said somewhat dejectedly, "There are people behind Jiale and Tongxing. This is a master, and they are very good at disguising themselves."

"Someone's manipulating things?" Yin Chao asked suspiciously, "How did you come up with that?"

Ye Tianya smiled wryly, opened his computer, and pulled up a news item about Jiale and Tongxing's collaboration on developing a new type of optical fiber material. Ye Tianya pointed to the news on the desktop and said, "Normally, news of two companies collaborating on a new material development would cause the stock market to rise, but I suddenly remembered hearing that the HR department received a job application from Jiale's chief engineer. Even their chief engineer is starting to prepare for the worst. There's definitely something wrong with that, so I went to the bank and did some shady stuff, checking the cash flow of these two companies. I found that they were actually dumping money out and siphoning it in, so..."

Yin Chao clicked his tongue in surprise, "So Jiale and Tongxing are manipulating their own stock prices? That doesn't make sense. Neither company is desperate yet. Who would be stupid enough to sell themselves like this?"

Ye Tianya continued, "That's why I..." Thinking that there were other people behind these two companies, and that this person was the real boss of both companies,

Yin Chao suddenly realized, "You mean, this person is controlling the two companies behind the scenes, just like you manipulated Xueya Shuangye and Tianya Real Estate?"

Ye Tianya nodded and said, "That's right, but this person definitely doesn't just control two companies. He must have more important assets, which is why he would let go of these two companies that are neither worth keeping nor worth discarding, and use them to make a fortune to do other more important things."

Yin Chao lowered his head and thought for a moment and said, "Is there another possibility? Do you think he might have committed some crime and wants to abscond with the money?"

Ye Tianya smiled noncommittally. This possibility was not impossible, but if he was really in such a hurry to abscond with the money, wouldn't he have arranged this scheme months ago to let someone fall into it? And if no one fell into it, wouldn't he have worked for nothing and attracted the attention of the relevant authorities? But if this possibility was true, then this person was definitely a terrifying person. At least his composure in the face of danger was admirable.

"Can we find this person?" Yin Chao couldn't help but become interested in this expert behind them.

Ye Tianya shook his head and smiled bitterly, "It's difficult. Even if we wanted to find out, it would take time. Since the Commercial Secrecy Law was passed, information in this area has become much harder to find. But I will try to find out." Ye Tianya then said to the somewhat dejected Yin Chao, "Alright, don't be so discouraged. At least we escaped unscathed this time. Keep an eye on these ten or so companies behind us. It's time to get rid of Qianqiu and Maoming."

Although Ye Tianya was advising Yin Chao, it seemed like he was also comforting himself, while he was racking his brains trying to figure out who the other party might be...

While Ye Tianya and Yin Chao were pondering who the other party might be, in the general manager's office on the top floor of the Qin Corporation, Qin Tai was also deep in thought, thinking about the unknown opponent in the invisible market of the stock market.

My assistant just reported that although Jiale and Tongxing made nearly 300 million yuan from this deal, at the crucial moment when everyone was buying in, some people were frantically selling off, with a turnover of over 20 million yuan. This means that not everyone only saw the good news about Jiale and Tongxing's collaboration on developing new materials; some saw the underlying purpose.

Who is this person?

Qin Tai and his assistant were both deep in thought, racking their brains.

"Ye Tianya!" Almost simultaneously, Qin Tai and his assistant looked up sharply and said the same name in unison.

"It must be him. Didn't we hear the news recently that Ye Tianya is personally taking charge of Xueya Shuangye again? I've thought about it, and he's the most likely candidate. Does President Qin think so too?" the assistant said confidently.

Qin Tai nodded, revealing a smile that his assistant couldn't decipher. "He's quite the dangerous guy. We've been planning this for almost half a year, and he still managed to see through it. Heh, don't you feel a bit like, 'Why did Heaven create both Yu and Zhuge Liang?' If there's always someone like that blocking your way, like having a shark fin stuck in your throat that you can't swallow or spit out, what would you do?"

The assistant's expression changed slightly, then a hint of ruthlessness flashed across his face. Qin Tai quickly waved his hand and said with a smile, "Wrong, wrong, wrong. First of all, you can't do anything to him. Even if you could, killing him would be a waste. Sometimes having an opponent isn't necessarily a bad thing. A world without opponents would be very boring. You'll understand later."

The assistant smiled somewhat sheepishly, "I haven't reached Mr. Qin's level yet."

Qin Tai chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "You can go now. Do everything you can to erase any trace of our relationship with the Jiale and Tongxing families. Although he'll find out sooner or later, we can delay it as long as possible. Also, you should check as well. We can't just keep our eyes on Ye Tianya. What if the person who discovers our plan isn't him but someone else? If we keep focusing on Ye Tianya, we'll not only be laughed at, but we'll also be put on the defensive."

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away." The assistant bowed to Qin Tai and turned to leave, but Qin Tai stopped him and asked, "Has the Qin family father and son made any moves lately?"

The assistant turned back. "Nothing special. Qin Ting is still indulging in a life of debauchery every day. Chairman Qin... seems to have noticed something, but it's just suspicion."

"Hopefully, it's just suspicion, otherwise..." Qin Tai said, a peculiar smile appearing on his lips. This time, the assistant understood Qin Tai's smile, but also felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet. If a third party were to witness their conversation, they would be utterly astonished by the assistant's obeisance and Qin's direct address of the "Qin family father and son."

As Qin Tai's assistant left the office to arrange for an investigation into whether Ye Tianya was responsible for the only regret of the plan, Ye Tianya's car had already arrived at the Blue Palace.

"Boss!" The valet at the entrance recognized Ye Tianya's car, opened the door for him, and immediately greeted him respectfully in a low voice.

Ye Tianya nodded, patted his shoulder, and handed him a large red banknote, saying, "Thank you for your trouble. Find a place to park."

The valet could accept tips, but he wouldn't accept a tip from the boss. Seeing the money Ye Tianya offered, he quickly waved his hand, saying, "Boss, I can't accept it. It's my honor to park for you." The quick-witted fellow then got into the car and went to park. Ye Tianya shook his head and smiled wryly, reluctantly taking the money back. He stepped into the Blue Palace, where a supervisor greeted him respectfully in a low voice, calling him "Boss."

"Is your manager here? Take me to see him," Ye Tianya said with a friendly smile.

The supervisor was a shrewd and capable-looking woman, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Ye Tianya could sense the aura of a martial artist emanating from her. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Boss, the manager is meeting with an important guest. Please find a place to sit for a while! I'll go contact the manager right away..."

Ye Tianya stopped the supervisor, who was about to turn her head to speak into the miniature communicator on her shoulder, and said, "No need, I'll sit in the bar for a while! Let me know as soon as your manager is finished."

"Yes, Boss, please go ahead." The supervisor led Ye Tianya to the bar before leaving. Ye Tianya sat down at the bar and ordered a glass of red wine. Just as he was about to take a sip to moisten his throat, a girl leaning against the bar suddenly looked up and exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Tianya!"

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Forbidden Fruit [Full Text] - Chapter 28

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