Chapter 193: Boss Ye Zhen, Too Kind-Hearted!
"The pink thing…"
Zhao Mengde cleared her throat twice, attempting to divert the conversation.
But alas, Ye Fuli was no fool to be easily deceived.
Ye Fuli kept staring at her with a deathly glare throughout the entire conversation.
"Nothing much. Just a music CD. She was listening to songs—pink memories." Ye Zhen picked up two more abalone and placed them in Zhao Mengde's bowl. "Eat up. And try to listen to fewer of those songs. They're not suitable for you."
Zhao Mengde remained silent.
Truthfully, she was resentful.
When Ye Zhen read those books, she never blushed. She could even listen to English vocabulary while reading.
That proved those books weren't anything special!
Why did she feel so hot after reading them, unable to sleep properly?
Zhao Mengde would never admit her willpower couldn't match that of a loli like Ye Zhen… But staying up late every night reading was taking a toll on her.
She couldn't stop! She just couldn't stop!
It was doing her no good at all, no good at all!
Ye Fuli closed her eyes and sighed softly. She knew this was the time to spend money—she'd gladly pay for some special intelligence.
Yet, to her surprise, Zhao Mengde—who’d always been utterly powerless against money—remained stubbornly firm this time, refusing to spill Ye Zhen’s little secret no matter what.
Taking advantage of a bathroom break, Ye Fuli cornered Zhao Mengde, determined to bribe him on the spot.
"As a mercenary who's been through gunfire and bullets, what matters most is integrity," Zhao Mengde declared with a straight face. "I know exactly what can be sold and what cannot."
Ye Fuli: "What if I gave you ten thousand yuan?"
Zhao Mengde snorted. "A measly ten thousand? I could just slaughter a few wild monkeys…"
Ye Fuli pressed, "What about a hundred thousand?"
Zhao Mengde's expression stiffened. "You know me—I've never been one to resist temptation."
Hearing this, Ye Fuli thought she might have a chance. But the next second, he flatly refused with righteous indignation: "But unfortunately, this time, I'd rather die than betray my employer."
"Then there's no room for negotiation."
Before she could finish, Ye Fuli swung a punch at her.
After a friendly exchange of more than a dozen blows, they finally left the restroom at the polite request of the waitstaff.
Returning to the dining table, Ye Zhen couldn't help but sigh, pressing her hand to her forehead as she looked at the two girls with their messy hair.
What on earth could possibly keep these two, who were like oil and water, sitting down to eat at the same table?
"Hurry up and eat—the food will get cold."
Ye Zhen stood up, picked up the plate, and served food into both their bowls.
"Is that enough? Not enough? I'll get you some more?"
……
……
Nanjing, Suburb.
In the reception hall of the Bai family's subsidiary.
Bai Ruoting met Liu Wei's parents.
Both were dressed in professional attire, their hair meticulously styled, their expressions equally stiff and unyielding.
Upon seeing Bai Ruoting, they both instinctively covered their noses.
This gesture made Bai Ruoting clench his teeth, yet he forced a smile: "Please, have a seat."
"What brings you here, young Mr. Bai?" Liu Wei's father didn't sit down. Instead, he shifted backward, positioning himself in the draft to avoid being overwhelmed by Bai Ruoting's scent.
Bai Ruoting asked flatly, "Do you know about the Bai Family Private Kindergarten?"
The two exchanged a glance.
Of course they knew it—after all, it was a nationally renowned elite kindergarten.
It was one of the enterprises under the Bai Group.
"Yes, we know."
"Then, what would you say if I were willing to recommend your daughter for an internship here and personally oversee her transition to a full-time position?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Wei's mother's eyes lit up instantly.
Her greatest wish was for her daughter to become a teacher.
Of course, a kindergarten teacher would be ideal—spending her days caring for little ones, gaining experience, and eventually becoming a devoted wife and mother.
"That would be wonderful," Liu Wei's mother immediately seized the opportunity. "But Mr. Bai, we've never been particularly close. Why would you help us?"
Bai Ruoting sighed. "You've been working for Bai Corporation for over ten years now, haven't you? By any measure, you're veteran employees. As the heir to Bai Corporation, showing concern for long-serving staff like you seems only natural."
It sounded perfectly reasonable.
But Liu Wei's father still hesitated.
Looking at Bai Ruoting's disheveled appearance, he even felt a twinge of fear.
He feared Bai Ruoting was helping them because he had his eye on his daughter!
The Liu family wasn't exactly poor, though certainly not wealthy either. They were comfortably middle-class, neither rising nor falling, living a stable life.
They had absolutely no interest in climbing the social ladder.
They only hoped their daughter would marry a man with a stable job, excellent character, and a straightforward, honest nature—they certainly wouldn't want her to marry someone like Bai Ruoting.
Climbing the social ladder meant instability.
They wouldn't tolerate anyone disrupting their family's peace!
"If I may ask, young master Bai," Liu Wei's father hesitated before voicing his lingering doubt, "you haven't actually met my daughter, Liu Wei, have you?"
Bai Ruoting snorted. "What? Afraid I'd take a liking to your daughter?"
His unease laid bare, Liu Wei's father felt a pang of embarrassment.
But the next moment, Bai Ruoting dispelled his worries outright: "Rest assured, your daughter's looks aren't enough to catch my eye. If you don't want this opportunity, plenty of others will…"
"No! We want it. We desperately need this opportunity."
Liu Wei's mother hurried forward to pour Bai Ruoting a cup of tea.
"We entrust everything to you, Young Master Bai."
Satisfied with their attitude, Bai Ruoting promptly urged them to call Liu Wei and depart immediately to report to the kindergarten.
…
……
At that moment.
At Ye Zhen's company.
Liu Wei froze in place upon receiving her parents' call.
The game they'd developed had blazed a trail through the market, poised to become this year's breakout hit. It might even break out of China and conquer the global stage.
But at this critical juncture, how could her parents ask her to pack her things immediately and report to kindergarten?
"Senior Liu, what's wrong?"
Noticing Liu Wei's troubled expression, the rest of the team paused their work.
"Is there a problem with the game?"
Liu Wei shook her head and sighed. "Nothing. It's just my parents… Never mind. Don't worry about me. I'll step out for a bit. Keep pushing forward with the project. Don't let anything go wrong."
"Got it, Senior Liu."
Liu Wei had one fatal flaw: her blind devotion to her parents.
From childhood onward, she had always obeyed her parents' every word, practically molded into the shape they envisioned for her.
About four years ago, when one of her kidneys failed, her father sold their ancestral home and land without hesitation, and her mother donated a kidney to her without a second thought.
It was only through their sacrifices that she lived to see today.
Her parents frequently brought up that illness to demand filial devotion.
For years, Liu Wei had agreed to whatever they asked.
But asking her to abandon four years of hard work to become a teacher… Liu Wei simply couldn't accept it.
"I hope I can convince them."
Just as Liu Wei was about to step out to hail a cab, she ran into Ye Zhen, who had rushed back.
Though Ye Zhen didn't know what had happened, seeing Liu Wei's troubled expression told her something serious was amiss.
She stared at Bai Ruoting's bodyguard as he texted her back, reporting that Bai Ruoting had met with two middle-aged men. The bodyguard had spent a little extra money to find out the names of those two men and their positions within the company.
"The man surnamed Liu. Both are ordinary veteran employees…"
"It seems most likely they're Liu Wei's parents."
"I wonder what Bai Ruoting told them!"
Ye Zhen pondered this, already forming a plan in her mind.
Regardless, she would have to play it by ear and face whatever came next alongside Liu Wei.
The game was currently gaining momentum, and Liu Wei was crucial—nothing could happen to her!
"Senior, are you heading out? I'll drive you anywhere you need to go."
Liu Wei's eyes stung, and she nearly shed tears.
"Boss, this… this isn't right. I'm wasting your time."
"Don't say that," Ye Zhen smiled, gently patting her arm. "Come on, I have to ensure my employees' safety."
In the backseat, Ye Fuli and Zhao Mengde watched Ye Zhen and Liu Wei outside the car, both sighing simultaneously.
Ye Fuli: "Why are you sighing?"
Zhao Mengde shifted hands, propping his chin again. "Boss Ye Zhen is too kind to people. Her heart is too pure! She'll get taken advantage of easily."
She glanced at Ye Fuli again. "Why are you sighing?"
Ye Fuli remained silent.
She simply felt envy.
Ye Zhen gave warmth to everyone, and she had once given warmth to her too.
But…
Could she ever regain that warmth again?