Just as Ye Shengsheng’s imagination was running wild with catastrophic scenarios, Ye Huaisheng was lounging on a deck chair by the pool of his villa, swirling a glass of red wine while finalizing several contracts worth hundreds of millions.
Ruan Qinglan placed a plate of fruit on the side table and settled into another deck chair, mirroring his relaxed posture. "Nothing beats the comfort of home," she sighed.
Ye Huaisheng ended his call, turned off his phone, and set it on the table before smiling at her. "Why’d you come down? Did you spray mosquito repellent?"
A cool night breeze brushed past them as Ruan Qinglan turned her head, took the wine glass from his hand, and downed it in one go. "Didn’t the doctor tell you to quit smoking and drinking?"
Ye Huaisheng rubbed his forehead, his eyes filled with exasperation. "Sweetheart, it’s just a renal cyst. Must you make me sound like an invalid?"
Some medical conditions were all bark and no bite, and renal cysts were the prime example.
Those under five centimeters in diameter didn’t even require treatment—just regular check-ups.
Yet the formidable CEO of Ye Corporation had been dragged by his wife to Sant'Agostino, a world-renowned oncology center, for this minor ailment.
The shimmering pool light danced across their figures as Ruan Qinglan shot him a glare from across the table. "I’m just thinking of your reputation. With so many prying eyes in Jing City, if you were spotted walking out of a urology clinic…"
His illustrious reputation would be ruined.
Ye Huaisheng was momentarily speechless. He poured himself another glass of wine.
His sleep schedule had been erratic lately, and the wine helped him unwind.
Ruan Qinglan checked the time and suddenly asked, "Why did Bian Che suddenly decide to invest? Do you think he has feelings for our daughter?"
Ye Huaisheng responded, "If he likes her, he should court her properly. Playing games won’t get my attention—especially since Shengsheng can’t stand him. I’ll always side with my daughter."
This doting father was beyond redemption.
The humidity from staying outside too long made Ruan Qinglan uncomfortable. She slipped on her sandals and stretched her neck. "I’m going to catch up on my drama. Don’t stay up too late."
Ye Huaisheng patted her waist. "Go ahead. I’ll wait for Shengsheng to come home."
This had been their routine for years—no matter how late, he always waited for his little princess.
Before leaving, Ruan Qinglan reminded him, "Eat the figs. They’re good for your kidneys."
About an hour later, headlights swept across the garden as the black iron gates of Jingyun Villa slowly opened, followed by the sound of rolling luggage wheels.
The driver parked in the courtyard and hurried to the trunk to retrieve the bags while the staff swarmed around the travel-weary Ye Shengsheng, fussing over her.
"Welcome back, Miss Shengsheng!"
"You must be exhausted from the long flight!"
"We’ve prepared bird’s nest soup for you. Would you like some to settle your stomach?"
After the grand welcome, she peered past the bustling maids toward the living room. "Is Dad asleep?"
"How could I sleep before my princess returns?" Ye Huaisheng stepped forward from behind the crowd, arms open wide.
Ye Shengsheng didn’t even bother changing her shoes before sprinting into his embrace, burying her face in his chest as tears welled up. "Why didn’t you come to the airport to pick me up? Ugh… Are you too weak to even go there now?"
The force of her hug nearly knocked him back a few steps. He smoothed her long hair and studied the little girl he’d spoiled since childhood. "I’m sorry. I was finalizing a contract and couldn’t make it to the airport with the driver. I’ve disappointed my precious girl."
Tears streamed down Ye Shengsheng’s cheeks as guilt gnawed at her. Her father was seriously ill, yet he still couldn’t escape the relentless demands of work.
She looked up at him with watery eyes. "Dad, I’ll start working at Ye Corporation tomorrow. Once I learn how to be CEO, you and Mom can retire in peace."
This was the first time Ye Huaisheng had heard such a bold declaration from his daughter. Fighting back a laugh, he played along. "Then you’d better learn fast. The company’s in your hands now."
He made it sound like a last will and testament.
Ye Shengsheng sniffled, her eyes red. "I’m a slow learner… You have to hold on a little longer…"
Ye Huaisheng nodded thoughtfully. "Don’t worry. My heart’s strong enough—after all, I survived tutoring you without ever needing an ambulance. Running a company is easier than teaching you math…"
The flood of childhood memories made her cry even harder.
Ye Huaisheng ordered the staff to prepare hot tea while he grabbed tissues to wipe her tears, studying her face. "Now tell me, who upset my princess? I’ll make them pay."
"Those paparazzi in Hong Kong are the worst!" she sobbed between hiccups. "They shoved their cameras right in my face… The photos are going to be so ugly…"
On the flight home, Ye Shengsheng had realized that Ye Huaisheng hid his illness not just to spare her worry but also to protect the company’s stock. With Ye Corporation already on shaky ground, she resolved to play along and grow up fast.
Her lashes lowered as she sneakily tattled, "And Bian Che! He outbid me for the pigeon’s blood ruby I wanted!"
Ye Huaisheng’s smile remained, though he already knew from Bian Che about the paparazzi chase and minor car scrape in Hong Kong.
"That brat. I’ll deal with him tomorrow."
Unaware of the melodrama unfolding in Ye Shengsheng’s mind, he spent the next fifteen minutes coaxing her upstairs to bed.
---
After a heavy downpour, the autumn chill finally dispelled Jing City’s lingering summer heat.
For three straight days, the skies remained overcast—mirroring Ye Shengsheng’s foul mood.
Following a tense shareholders’ meeting, she finished compiling the minutes and headed to the break room with her cup.
Ye Shengsheng had joined Ye Corporation as Ye Huaisheng’s assistant. After sitting through several meetings where shareholders—likely aligned with Zhu Xiangnan—spoke to her with thinly veiled hostility, she channeled her fury into aggressive typing.
No wonder her father’s health had deteriorated, surrounded by these wolves.
In the break room, she ran into Manager Lin, the most insufferable of them all, refilling his teacup.
Ignoring him, she pressed the coffee machine button. The whirring noise soon gave way to the rich aroma of coffee.
Manager Lin eyed her for a moment. "What did you study in university?"
A deliberate jab—he already knew.
"Jewelry design."
She didn’t look up, focusing on the coffee machine.
Noticing her diamond earrings, he smirked. "Shouldn’t an artist like you be creating masterpieces? What a waste, playing assistant to Old Ye."
Every word dripped with condescension.
Unfazed, Ye Shengsheng pulled out a sugar packet, her lips curving slightly. "No worries. I pick things up quickly."
Manager Lin stiffened. His youngest son had a learning disability—still struggling with multiplication tables in third grade. Her remark was a direct insult.
"Girls should focus on marriage. Staying home to raise children suits you better."
She poured half a packet of sugar into her cup, tossed the wrapper into the trash, and looked up with a cool smile. "Manager Lin is right. So, you’d better start looking for a daughter-in-law as soon as possible."
In situations like this, the one who loses their temper is the loser.
Chanting "I’m not angry" in her head, Ye Shengsheng stormed toward Ye Huaisheng’s office like a runaway train, ready to accuse him without even hearing his side of the story. What kind of disrespectful, pompous shareholder dared to say such things? Would they have the guts to repeat it in front of her father?
Ye Shengsheng’s anger had already burned from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, threatening to consume her entirely.
The secretary at the CEO’s office knew her identity and didn’t dare stop her, only whispering a hurried warning, "Miss, Director Ye is inside."
Aunt Qingzhai was here too? She paused mid-step.
Ye Qingzhai had worked at Ye Corporation for years, overseeing finance, and was known for her icy demeanor. The two of them had never been close.
The door to the CEO’s office wasn’t fully closed. Ye Shengsheng signaled for the secretary to leave, then slipped past a decorative landscape screen and pressed her ear against the door, shamelessly eavesdropping.
Ye Qingzhai stood with her back to the door, dressed in a black-and-white tailored suit, her hair coiled into a flawless bun.
"Shengsheng’s presence in the company these past few days hasn’t been well-received by the executives. Don’t let her come in tomorrow."
Seated at his desk, signing documents without looking up, Ye Huaisheng replied, "Does my daughter need to care about their opinions? Anyone who’s unhappy can go to HR and resign."
Ye Shengsheng silently raised a thumbs-up at the door for her father. Unshaken by anyone’s moral pressure—truly the strategic mastermind behind Ye Corporation.
Ye Qingzhai crossed her arms, her tone unyielding. "You know Shengsheng. She’s always been impulsive, and her so-called business ideas are just things she picked up from TV dramas. She sets grand goals but never follows through. The colleagues assigned to assist her are miserable, and several VPs have already come to me pleading—"
The tip of his pen suddenly tore through the paper. Ye Huaisheng set it down after a long pause. "Then hire her a few more assistants—"
"You indulge her in everything. Canceling the arranged marriage on a whim—it’s this kind of recklessness that’s upsetting the shareholders—"
She couldn’t listen anymore.
Her fingers tightened around her coffee cup, knuckles whitening. Ye Shengsheng quietly retreated and headed to the second-floor restaurant terrace.
A suffocating weight pressed against her chest, demanding fresh air.
She downed the now-cold coffee in one gulp. Bitter.
Opening her phone’s notes app, she scrolled through the list of terms she hadn’t understood in meetings—break-even point, long-tail effect… Her finger hovered over the delete button before decisively erasing them, along with the late-night business proposals she’d painstakingly drafted.
Some things weren’t meant to be mastered just because you started at a high level.
The sunlight was blindingly bright. Ye Shengsheng leaned against the wooden railing, her hair swaying gently in the breeze, the only lively thing about her otherwise gloomy mood.
After a moment’s hesitation, she opened her phone settings and unblocked the messages she’d previously filtered.
The most recent one was from Bian Che:
"Have you made up your mind yet?" Sent three days ago.
She reread the message several times, debating whether to reply, when another notification popped up—a link from the same number.
Her finger slipped, accidentally opening it. A Weibo post from a gossip account called "Eight Shopkeeper" appeared, the headline screaming for attention:
EXCLUSIVE! Bed Photos of B-Surnamed Tycoon’s Son with Male Lover Leaked!
The images were blurry, both men heavily pixelated, but Ye Shengsheng recognized the setting immediately—the Four Seasons Hotel incident.
Scrolling down, she found the comments section already flooded with users playfully "dropping an ear" emoji in perfect formation.
Her breathing grew uneven.
Luo Ziming’s mess hadn’t even been resolved—what the hell was Bian Che playing at now?
Without hesitation, she yanked him out of her blocklist and dialed his number.
After a few rings, the call connected. A deep, lazy voice answered, "Hello?"
"Bian Che, what’s the meaning of this post?" Her voice, carefully modulated to sound detached, was meant to preserve her aloof persona.
The background noise on his end was chaotic, wind howling—he must have been outdoors.
Bian Che’s tone was cool and indifferent. "Who is this?"
Ye Shengsheng: "…"
For a second, she wondered if she’d dialed the wrong number. But after double-checking the screen, her fist clenched at her side.
This bastard didn’t even know who she was? After sending her all those messages? Was he schizophrenic?
Every nerve in her body was on fire, erupting like a volcano.
"I’m your ancestor. Next time you want to talk to me, remember to burn some incense first."
She hung up without another word, promptly sending Bian Che straight back to the blocklist.
