◎ Developing a Sense of Possession Over His Money ◎
3
The next day.
"Mr. Bian, your phone has not been implanted with any virus. The bank cards and credit cards under your personal name are all in good standing, and your credit history is excellent. May I ask what exactly seems to be the issue?"
Bian Xun's face betrayed neither joy nor anger.
The entire Wujiang Group building was quiet and deserted, with only the lights on the top floor of the office tower still burning. The young CEO leaned back in his chair behind the long, thick sandalwood desk. Behind him, interlaced steel beams and glass framed the view, as if he held dominion over the city's dawns and dusks.
What was the issue?
Everything was the issue.
Could a low-quality drink mixed with artificial sweetener really sell for 120,000?
Was this the world's way of redistributing his personal wealth to the poor?
Bian Xun's personal cards weren't compromised, but the statements were indeed abnormal. The money was genuinely spent from his accounts, his money, yet it didn't flow to any merchant—it simply vanished into thin air.
Were the scum within the group trying to counterattack, targeting him?
But was his money so easy to steal?
The man's sharp, elongated eye corners gave him a cold, heartless appearance. His bony, distinct fingertips tapped soundlessly on the desk, but his train of thought shifted from that bit of milk tea money to that plain, pale face.
These past few days, his heart, usually as still as a stagnant pond, had been strangely unsettled.
Because of their reunion?
What gave her the right.
Bian Xun lowered his eyes indifferently. The leather chair beneath him swiveled as he looked down from his high perch upon the bustling commercial district and dense residential buildings.
The several residential complexes around the company resembled rows of blocks, housing countless people. And yet, she couldn't even afford to rent in such a place, with a contact address so remote.
Bian Xun scoffed softly, pressed the intercom, stood up, and walked out of his office.
Assistant Zhang was already waiting outside the door, handing the CEO his coat. The car was parked and ready on B1. They were headed to the coastal port outside the city.
Bian Xun slipped on a black overcoat over his suit, the layers fitting together with precise, dignified elegance. As he stepped out, he suddenly felt a strong palpitation.
It was like a sense of crisis brought by intuition. Bian Xun abruptly halted. In that instant, he felt he was about to pay a huge price.
Yet, after a moment of stillness, the feeling vanished without a trace.
Bian Xun: "?"
—"Oops, I paid with the wrong card!"
Over on Ning Ye's side, she was in the middle of paying the rent.
She had originally intended to use Bian Xun's black card, but the agent struck up a conversation, praising her for being decisive and remarking that she didn't even need to discuss renting with the child's father.
Ning Ye looked up and smiled without explaining. When she looked down again, out of sheer habit, she naturally selected her own Alipay account. By the time she realized it, the facial recognition had already smoothly beeped.
The payment was successful!
Annoyed, Ning Ye tapped at her phone screen. Fortunately, it was only the first month's rent, plus the agency fee and the housing deposit—about twenty-some thousand yuan in total.
On second thought, since she had paid her part in advance, it saved her the trouble of splitting the rent with her ex-boyfriend every month later.
She had gotten up early today to revisit the apartment. After parting ways with the agent, she went alone to the Xialu residential area to observe for quite a while. There really were many families with children here. She asked a few older sisters and grandparents. The teachers at the nearby Xialu Kindergarten were very responsible. Although the tuition was on the higher side, it covered three meals a day. Photos were posted daily in the parents' group chat, and there were plenty of children's activities.
However, given the location, many of the students' parents were wealthy or influential. At the start of the school term, luxury cars easily caused congestion at the entrance, and the children tended to be competitive about comparisons.
Ning Ye was renting here precisely for the door-to-door convenience. While children shouldn't engage in one-upmanship, if it really came to that, she wasn't afraid now either.
After comprehensive consideration, Ning Ye decided. Following the procedure, she filled out the information, verified the property-related documents, with the lease start date set for the day after tomorrow. The new apartment was rented for a full year, with a monthly rent of 7500, payable monthly via the app using the black card.
It shouldn't be too heavy a burden for the future Bian Xun.
Having resolved a major issue, and thinking that after the holiday she wouldn't need to squeeze onto the subway for work anymore, Ning Ye was in a good mood. This seemed to be the first piece of good news since the child's arrival.
She had also taken the opportunity to inquire about the enrollment process for Xialu Kindergarten. She could look into transferring and enrollment once she got back. Before that, she needed to settle the child's household registration...
Thinking of this, Ning Ye's steps towards her apartment door unconsciously slowed.
When her mother fell ill, Ning Ye had just been admitted to Jinghua University. One night, after learning that she could apply for student loans and that there were scholarships available every year, her mother left.
Since then, her hukou had been like a fallen leaf with nowhere to rest, drifting about. She owned no property in the capital, so she couldn't register it to any address. After enrolling at university, she made several trips to the household registration office at the local police station before finally managing to register her hukou under the university's collective household registration. After graduation, her hukou had to be moved out from the university. After much trouble, it was finally placed at the talent center of the district where her work unit was located.
All these years, she had always had a single-page household register.
She never imagined that now, she would be turning to the next page.
—"Ning Zhitao."
Ning Ye pushed open the apartment door and called out. An immediate, crisp, and loud "Here!—" came from inside.
Ning Zhitao was at home using Ning Ye's computer to watch cartoons, her round, grape-like eyes completely focused. The small rented room had no TV, but she didn't mind at all. She even thought the computer was more convenient because you could move it around to watch, much better than the old 100-inch big TV!
When Ning Ye first learned the child's formal name, although she found it unbelievable and felt no personal connection, she somehow intuitively understood the sentiment behind choosing that name.
Ning Ye was born to be a leaf, there to set off others. When she was with Bian Xun, she also seemed like a special backdrop arranged to showcase the young master. But the birth of her daughter was the fruit.
A mother's little grape.
It had to be said, this was the first holiday in the six years since the breakup that Ning Ye had someone to keep her company, even if that someone was a little person.
"We'll go out to eat later," Ning Ye couldn't help poking a little dimple in the child's soft cheek, "and then get ready to move to the new home."
"Wow, great!!" The little one was clearly excited. She scrambled up from the bed and started packing her non-existent luggage. "Then we'll need Dad to drive that big black car to move our stuff, right!"
Ning Ye paused. She hadn't formally discussed the parent issue with the child yet. Before moving, she decided to explain seriously. "We won't ask him for help. From now on, it will just be the two of us living together, okay?"
Between her and Bian Xun, it was best to maintain the current, purely financial relationship.
Ning Zhitao froze. She, of course, loved life with her mom, but she obviously hadn't considered what it would be like if her dad never appeared.
Complex thoughts crossed the little human toddler's mind. Her chubby face displayed a rich variety of expressions. Finally, her two small brows knitted together, and her round eyes suddenly showed a distinct sadness. Just as Ning Ye was about to explain, she heard the child's voice murmur faintly.
"Is Daddy... dead?"
"?"
Ning Zhitao had actually noticed for a while that things weren't quite right!
She was a smart baby. She knew that if Daddy were still alive, how could he not drive Mommy home, how could he let her carry things herself, how could he not come to see them for so many days?
Ning Zhitao quickly accepted this news of death. Her little mouth drooped, and she wailed with a mournful cry:
"Dad—"
"He's not dead, not dead!" Ning Ye frantically covered her daughter's mouth.
What a filial daughter!
Ning Zhitao immediately quieted down. "That's good then."
Ning Ye felt a bit amused, but her eyes held a trace of hesitation. "Taotao, are you... on pretty good terms with your dad?"
Ning Zhitao made her choice without a second thought: "But I'm better with Mom. The very, very best."
Ning Ye was taken aback. She had never been chosen so decisively before and instinctively asked, "Why?"
"Because Daddy only became Daddy because Mommy chose him," Ning Zhitao said, shaking her head and hugging her tightly. "But I don't need to be chosen—I'm already Mommy's daughter!"
...
That evening, the peaceful and pleasant National Day holiday was disrupted by a bombshell announcement.
Bian Ziwen, a department manager at Wujiang Group, was arrested tonight while attempting to leave the country at the Jinwai Port. He had allegedly embezzled a huge sum of the group's investment funds by fabricating investment projects and forging partner capital contribution certificates in the group's name for external cooperative investments, transferring the money to accounts of companies he actually controlled.
As soon as the news broke, Ning Ye's company-wide chat group exploded.
The new CEO, who had only been in his position for a few weeks, was showing his iron-fisted, swift, and decisive style. Starting to crack down on members of the Bian family was a subtle signal.
In the night wind.
Beneath the ferry.
The man's thin black overcoat billowed in the wind. Next to his polished leather shoes, Bian Ziwen was pinned to the ground, cursing and shouting.
"Bian Xun, I'll fuck your ancestors! You've got the whole Wujiang Group now, and you still care about this petty cash?!"
Bian Xun's expression was indifferent, his voice cool and cutting. "Which ancestor? Point one out for me to see."
Bian Ziwen was stunned, his face flushing for a long moment before he finally snapped and yelled, "You're just getting back at me, aren't you?! You blame me for reporting that little girlfriend of yours to Grandpa back then. Damn it, I was helping you! Did you think Grandpa would ever accept that little girlfriend of yours?! What kind of trash was her family anyway—"
A leather shoe connected with his ribs. Bian Xun kicked him, and the portside finally fell quiet. Turning around, Assistant Zhang hadn't quite managed to hide the shock in his eyes when he heard CEO Bian speak calmly, "Take him back to deal with it."
"Yes, sir!" Assistant Zhang bowed his head and hurried forward.
He had only been groomed over the past five years and never knew CEO Bian had once had a girlfriend. But the boss had never shown any sign of attachment all these years; it seemed he had long since stopped caring.
Bian Xun turned and walked away, his black hair and cold face the picture of aloofness.
The car sped through the evening wind as the news spread throughout the entire company and even the whole family clan.
Ning Ye saw the news just after she had settled Ning Zhitao to sleep.
Embezzled a massive amount?
Wasn't that taking the lifeblood of a heartless capitalist?
A sense of self-approval rose in Ning Ye's heart—she would never spend that much of Bian Xun's money.
She knew her limits.
Sister Zhou, with the best sources, was gossiping in a private group using a burner account, even though everyone knew it was her.
[I heard our boss and Manager Bian actually had beef way back, dating to when the boss was in university!]
[University? Could it be something like a campus romance? Hard to imagine the boss having human emotions.]
[Isn't it rumored online that CEO Bian will have an arranged marriage?]
[I heard Manager Bian tried to run off with tens of millions embezzled. He's not from the main branch of the Bian family, so once the boss took over, he probably figured he couldn't skim any more money and tried to make one last big haul. He already had one foot on the ferry, but it was all for nothing in the end.]
Ning Ye raised an eyebrow. Bian Ziwen—she knew him.
In university, he was the first member of the Bian family she had ever encountered.
...Really not a memory she wanted to revisit, and it had nothing to do with her anyway.
But her phone suddenly rang with a call from an unknown number. When she answered, it turned out to be Assistant Zhang's gentle voice. "Hello, Miss Ning. Due to the incident within the group tonight, we need you to come to the company. Would that be convenient for you?..."
Ning Ye's heart instinctively skipped a beat. She had only spent a little of his money—surely this wasn't a warning shot? Besides, the money she spent was all for raising the child.
Wait, spending his future money had nothing to do with the present Bian Xun, right?
Ning Ye quickly composed herself. "May I ask what you need me to assist with?"
"Please don't be nervous. This is an emergency-initiated comprehensive internal review of the group. Our records show you had some association with Mr. Bian Ziwen in the past, so CEO Bian asked for you to come in to clarify the situation. He also mentioned that if the subway is inconvenient for you, you can use the corporate ride-hailing service."
Ning Ye: "..."
Humiliating her again, was he? And through someone else.
Ning Ye fiercely hailed a cab, but she didn't use the corporate Didi.
She upgraded to a premium car service using Bian Xun's black card, arriving at the company smoothly after spending 124 yuan of his money. Only then did her anger at being called into work during the holiday subside.
Assistant Zhang was already waiting downstairs, as the elevator to the CEO's office floor required special access. After escorting her to the 30th floor, the elevator doors dinged open.
A distant scream echoed over.
"Bian Xun! You bastard, you're so rich, what's wrong with giving me some?!—"
Ning Ye's steps faltered.
It was hard to imagine, but she actually felt a moment of empathy with Bian Ziwen.
At the end of the corridor, against the floor-to-ceiling windows, a man stood with his back to the desk edge. The city's neon lights fragmented in his black hair. He wore only a black dress shirt, the fabric strained over the broad, straight lines of his shoulders and back.
A cool, low, and piercing male voice carried over, tinged with laziness: "What else did you swallow? Spit it out yourself."
"Nothing! Really, nothing else!"
Bian Ziwen, his wrists bound, desperately tried to squirm away. Lifting his head, he suddenly caught sight of the young woman walking in.
A slender figure, a porcelain face small and delicate, yet her features were stunningly beautiful—unchanged from her student days years ago. But Bian Ziwen wasn't in the mood to appreciate beauty now. His eyes widened suddenly as understanding dawned. "You? You?"
Bian Xun, however, didn't even glance at the approaching Ning Ye.
The screen of the phone beside him lit up briefly. He picked it up and looked.
Another 1.24 million had just been deducted from his black card account.
"? Hah."
The bodyguard nearby took the hint and immediately stepped forward, pressing down on Bian Ziwen to continue the lesson. "Still transferring! Still transferring the boss's funds, are you?"
Bian Ziwen was fucking wronged. "I really didn't do that!?" Wasn't he tied up?
But no one believed him.
Bian Xun seemed to only then notice Ning Ye standing not far away.
The young CEO glanced over from the corner of his eye, his gaze cold and indifferent. "You don't mind if I teach a lesson to someone who betrayed me, do you?"
Ning Ye maintained her composure. "Not at all."
Her ex-boyfriend held grudges over the smallest things. Was he warning her again?
But she hadn't spent much of his money. She had no need to panic.
Ning Ye even asked calmly, "I have no connection whatsoever with this gentleman. May I ask how much he betrayed you for?"
His cool, dark eyes finally settled completely on her face then, as if etching her into his gaze, scanning every inch of her skin and bone structure. He spoke slowly, "What's mine, even a single cent, is mine."
...He was still so stingy.
Ning Ye's face remained placid, but inwardly she worriedly tightened her grip on the card in her pocket.
What to do? She was starting to feel possessive of his money too.
