◎ President, It's Raining Down Payments from Heaven ◎
12
Ning Ye could feel Bian Xun's gaze resting on her face with tangible weight.
It was like ice shards carrying a hint of chill, refracting a pair of dark eyes filled with deep inquiry.
? Weirdo. She had even helped boost his sales.
It's not like this money would end up in her pocket anyway. What a black-hearted capitalist.
She actually hadn't expected Qiongxin Company to hand such a cooperation opportunity to her.
After receiving the email, Ning Ye still went to pick up the child from kindergarten first. Not feeling comfortable leaving her alone at home, she simply took the child along for the visit.
It turned out that Qiongxin, the small gaming company in everyone's eyes, had secretly secured massive investment and was now backed by a well-known major corporation, its value skyrocketing overnight. During this period, they had repeatedly invited many people to visit the company. Everyone else complained it was too far or useless, only Ning Ye dutifully took the subway there three times, even bringing her child along.
Brother Ma from Qiongxin was also a father, and was particularly moved on the spot.
Qiongxin and its backing corporation weren't fools either. They must have conducted extensive data research and recognized the performance of Wujiang's product.
As for this directly secured large-scale cooperation, never mind how Ning Ye's year-end performance and job level might change, just the targeted bonus alone was already guaranteed.
When she returned to the company to report, she happened to catch the top leaders being present, even getting face time directly in front of President Bian.
Instantly, the looks in many colleagues' eyes around her became somewhat different.
Xu Lanyi sat before the ring light in the live-streaming studio, her expression beginning to stiffen.
Compared to a female celebrity's sales results, the surrounding office workers were naturally more focused on a colleague's performance. For a moment, all eyes converged on Ning Ye.
Xu Lanyi was in front of the camera, her every move recorded. She couldn't make any inappropriate expressions. Her originally relaxed, pampered hands resting on her knees unconsciously tightened on the hem of her skirt, her smile rigid.
Xu's fans were completely unaware, but they also heard the commotion off camera. When they heard someone had ordered ten thousand units, they grew even more enthusiastic than at the start—"the people's choice is the best!" So they placed orders one after another, and the high level of buzz also drew a large number of casual consumers.
In short, that night, Wujiang Group's sales revenue exploded.
Bian Xun watched indifferently for a moment before faintly waving his hand backward.
Assistant Zhang turned his head accordingly, looking at the elite lawyers who had been waiting behind the president and were now quietly making their exit, wiping sweat from his forehead—so you were originally planning to extort a sum from the actress if the sales didn't meet the target, right??
The president had said that if the actress didn't earn the company 16.18 million, he would sue her.
This man never said things just for fun.
The first product launch after his return with overseas technology and seizing power had achieved extraordinary success, yet no trace of joy appeared on the young, cold, and stern face of the president, as if the staggering sales figures had nothing to do with him.
This is a true person in power!
Assistant Zhang was filled with deep respect.
Bian Xun: "......"
...
Ning Ye had no intention of continuing to work overtime. She slipped out of the crowd and headed outside the company. Tao Tao was still at home waiting to draw her kindergarten homework with her.
Just after crossing the main road and turning into a side street, a black van pulled up beside her.
Ning Ye glanced out of the corner of her eye—it was that license plate number she had memorized.
The window rolled down, revealing the face of an unfamiliar woman who said politely, "Miss Ning, right? My boss has a few words she'd like to speak with you privately. Is it convenient?"
Ning Ye smiled gently: "No, it's not."
The other woman's "Then please come up" was already on the tip of her tongue, but she choked on it unexpectedly. She could only silently open the car door and step out, revealing the boss inside who had just finished her live stream.
Xu Lanyi sat upright in the car, smiling at Ning Ye. One sat, the other stood; the sense of superiority stemming from class difference subtly permeated the air.
The actress's voice held just the right amount of surprise: "I thought you looked familiar when I saw you earlier, and it really is you. My nephew is also at Xialu Kindergarten. I saw you and your daughter that day."
Ning Ye's delicate eyebrows raised slightly, her expression unchanged.
Nephew—oh.
Xu Lanyi first praised her performance earlier, then asked with great concern: "I heard the kindergarten is holding a Warm Autumn parent-child event next month. The kindergarten requests that both the child's mom and dad be present if possible. You're so busy working at Wujiang headquarters, can the child's father handle it instead?"
Ning Ye had heard a bit about this too. Nowadays, kindergartens have a lot of parent activities. Just next month, there's a parent-child talent show, a daddy-and-kid sports day, and so on.
Xu Lanyi observed Ning Ye's expression. She knew that Ning Ye deliberately brought a large order during her live stream tonight, surely because she had sensed the crisis Xu had pre-planted and wanted to counter and provoke her.
She was about to enter the Bian family, so of course Ning Ye wouldn't let go of a cash cow like Bian Xun. The kindergarten's parent-child event was the perfect opportunity for her to approach Bian Xun.
Xu Lanyi smiled with a hint of mockery.
But that day at the Bian family's old residence, she had already tested Bian Xun's attitude towards children.
Bian Xun intensely disliked children and lacked patience.
The current him would definitely not easily accept a child that suddenly appeared. Moreover, troubling him right away to play a father's role would only provoke stronger aversion.
Xu Lanyi elegantly and calmly shifted her posture. Her confidence stemmed from having already verified the authenticity of her precognitive dream.
That dream told her that Bian Xun's ex-girlfriend would come near him with a secret love child, waiting for an opportunity. After waking up, she located Xialu Kindergarten near Wujiang Group based on the information and, sure enough, found them.
And in the storyline, she had also seen her own blissful future with both a son and a daughter. She saw Bian Xun standing by her side, the two of them raising two children of the same age together. Although the man's expression was still cold and aloof, the faint tenderness between those stern brows couldn't be false.
All of this would happen.
Xu Lanyi smiled and brought up, "We can be considered acquainted now. Don't feel distant from me. If you really have any difficulties, you can tell me. I'm ~very close~ with your boss."
"When I was in the US, I even met your boss during his startup days. I was recuperating from an injury in Pennsylvania back then—well, an accident from filming. Bian Xun was already handling the Bian family's overseas business there. He wasn't as imposing as the president he is now and went through quite a lot of hardship."
Hearing this, the previously uninterested Ning Ye finally looked up.
For the six years after their breakup, she had known nothing about how Bian Xun was doing abroad.
She wasn't not curious.
Especially during the first year after the breakup, she couldn't sleep every Friday night. She slowly learned to bypass the firewall to look at overseas websites, read the news there, and even added a US time zone to her phone.
Actually, she also felt the storyline would likely happen. After all, Ning Zhi Tao had in fact traveled back from the future. And her original characterization in the story—greedy for money, admiring power, using her daughter to pursue wealth—didn't seem entirely wrong either.
After all, she was indeed currently spending Bian Xun's money with her little one ^^
And was about to spend even more soon.
"So, when the kindergarten parent-child event starts, if you and the child's father can't attend, you can join my nephew's family to play~ My nephew's name is Gu Zixun."
Ning Ye also curved her lips slightly into a shallow smile and, under Xu Lanyi's meaningful gaze, pointed at Xu Lanyi's nanny van, the one that had once driven into the kindergarten.
"Only a child's immediate family members can apply for a temporary vehicle entry permit at Xialu Kindergarten," Ning Ye said, a light smile in her apricot-shaped eyes. "How did your car get into the campus?"
Xu Lanyi's face instantly turned pale.
It wasn't until Ning Ye had walked leisurely away that she clenched the handrail tightly.
Impossible. It was absolutely impossible for anyone to know about her relationship with Zixun.
...
The next day, Ning Ye received a delivery package with her new headphones at the company.
Wujiang's centralized warehouse was right in the Beijing suburbs, so delivery was fast. She had chosen a light purple casing for the headphones, especially fresh and pretty.
Many colleagues were particularly friendly to her today, though, of course, a few others had hostility in their eyes. After all, within a large department, the bonus pool was only so big, and the allocation of performance ratings was limited. If someone stood out too much, others would inevitably be pushed down the rankings.
Ning Ye remained unfazed.
Her team leader, after yesterday's incident, actually thought this young woman was quite reliable, knowing to report the contract to him first.
"Let's go, the big boss is having a meeting," the team leader said.
Ning Ye looked up, somewhat surprised. "Me?"
The top president was holding a large meeting, asking department heads to bring a few team leaders, and team leaders could bring subordinates along.
Sister Zhou at the neighboring desk, who had been slacking off calculating tonight's Double Eleven pre-sale discounts on a piece of paper, perked up her head upon hearing this and shot Ning Ye a 'dog head' emoji expression, implying "if you rise to fortune, don't forget me."
As she passed by other colleagues' workstations, Ning Ye heard a few low tuts of disapproval, but she kept her back straight and carried herself with composure.
The meeting was held on the 25th floor. Ning Ye followed her team leader and department head into the spacious office. A geometrically designed pendant lamp hung overhead, and the wide floor-to-ceiling windows segmented the light. In the distance, at the sole head seat, a man in a well-tailored suit, his aura impeccably restrained, was spinning a pen between his long, distinct-knuckled fingers, seemingly deep in thought.
Ning Ye chose a corner seat, opened her laptop, and placed the newly unpacked light purple headphones beside it.
Bian Xun looked up and, across the large table with dozens of people, spotted them from afar, pausing slightly.
The meeting was long and actually had little to do with Ning Ye.
So, while listening, she happily thought about what to buy during the Double Eleven sale that night.
She wanted to buy a robot vacuum so she wouldn't have to bend over with a broom anymore. She also planned to get a lingerie washer with high-temperature wash and dry functions—it could wash both her and the little one's undergarments, freeing her hands for good. She needed to stock up on rich, moisturizing body lotion for autumn and winter, and skincare products. She should also buy more soft facial tissues; they went through them so fast after having a child. Oh, and she could stock up on a couple more cartons of that milk Taotao liked to drink, plus the puzzles and drawing boards they both loved playing with...
Life was so blissful.
Bian Xun's gaze fell on her several times, almost imperceptibly.
After the meeting, he returned to the president's office with a slight frown. As soon as he sat down, a new pair of headphones appeared conspicuously on the thick sandalwood desk.
With a light purple casing, just like hers.
Bian Xun abruptly lifted his dark eyes. "!"
A long, deep breath slowly escaped his thin lips.
...
After work, Ning Ye was walking home eagerly, planning to check for any missed items with Taotao and see if there was anything else they needed.
Just after crossing the street, she was intercepted by a black Maybach.
The car window slowly rolled down.
The distinguished man leaned by the window, his gaze like a deep sea hiding unknown undercurrents, fixed on Ning Ye's slender frame.
Was she the one swiping his card?
First, the possibility that she coincidentally bought headphones of the same color couldn't be ruled out.
But the transaction time last night happened to be right before she came to the company. She had no alibi.
Yet, if it really was her, it was hard to explain everything.
First, why would she buy children's logic books, a children's smartwatch, and children's face cream?
Bian Xun frowned in puzzlement.
Secondly—
Bian Xun cast an almost critical glance at her. If she could really magically swipe money from his card, why did her living conditions seem completely unchanged?
If she could take tens of millions from him, where was the house, the car, the watch, the bags?
Was there anything expensive on her at all?
An almost indescribable flicker of anger rose in his heart. If she could really spend tens of millions of his money, couldn't she live a little better?
Inside the Maybach, the man's eyes were hidden in the shadows cast by his brow bone and the bridge of his nose. His calm voice carried a hint of restrained emotion.
"Don't you know how to be good to yourself?"
He was gambling, conducting a final test to see if she would be provoked into swiping his card again for something truly expensive.
Then he could be one hundred percent certain.
Ning Ye: "?"
Showing up in a luxury car to humiliate her again? What a lunatic.
That night at 20:00, the global Double Eleven pre-sale began.
In a large penthouse somewhere in Beijing, Bian Xun, fresh out of the shower, bent over to pick up his phone from the coffee table.
He indeed received bills again—
200,000.
300,000.
500,000.
700,000.
But none were large sums.
Under his damp black hair, Bian Xun's eyes flickered. If the price of the fraudulent charges really was calculated by multiplying by ten thousand, like those previous transactions...
Then working backwards, what on earth were these things that cost...
20 yuan.
30 yuan.
50 yuan.
70 yuan.....
Had he been wrong?
Bian Xun tossed his phone aside and let out a self-mocking scoff. What kind of junk was this?
On the other side.
Ning Ye, holding her daughter: They're just deposits ^^
She had just paid ten deposits! She would pay the full amounts in one go tomorrow.
So exciting.
