Chapter 197: The Timid Little Kitten Can Now Protect Others
Inside the coffee shop.
Liu Wei, her parents, and several waiting interviewers practically took over the entire first floor of the shop.
The scene looked downright bizarre.
Yet Liu Wei's parents saw nothing amiss, attributing it all to their daughter's exceptional talent.
Liu Wei sighed. "Dad, Mom, I can handle my job search on my own. Could you please stop interfering?"
"What are you talking about? You're about to graduate! The sooner you secure a job, the sooner you can relax. Don't you understand?"
"Liu Wei, don't be foolish. Your parents wouldn't harm you. These are all carefully selected, excellent opportunities. You must take this seriously."
Just then, the first interviewer sat down.
He studied Liu Wei, then glanced at her resume.
After asking a few brief questions, he indicated she was hired.
Liu Wei shook her head. "I'm afraid the workplace is too far away, and the compensation doesn't meet my expectations. I'm sorry."
Hearing this, Liu Wei's mother fell silent for a moment before sighing.
Indeed, the compensation wasn't quite good enough.
As for the distance to the workplace, that wasn't really an issue.
The main thing was that the pay was good!
"My apologies. Next candidate, please." Liu Wei's father stood up and shook hands with the interviewer. "Thank you for coming all this way."
The interviewer smiled and shook his head without saying anything, then picked up his bag and left.
After all, today was just going through the motions!
Giving Bai's company some face while earning a little extra cash—who wouldn't be happy about that?
One interviewer after another sat down in front of Liu Wei.
After yesterday's experience, Liu Wei had figured out how to handle them—and her parents—by being picky!
"It's not that I dislike your job, but the pay is simply too low—only two thousand five hundred a month?"
"With all due respect, your school's reputation for poor conduct is notorious. There was even a recent incident…"
"Your school is decent enough, and the pay is okay, but it's just too remote. If I catch a cold or fever, it'd be a hassle just to buy medicine! My health isn't the best, so that's a bit concerning."
…
By the time Ye Zhen arrived at the interview location, Liu Wei had already dismissed all ten interviewers.
Liu Wei's parents sat with furrowed brows, speaking earnestly to her.
Upon seeing Ye Zhen, the Liu parents fell silent, their eyes darting warily at her as if suspecting she intended to abduct their daughter.
Ye Zhen said nothing. She simply ordered several desserts and sent them to their table. She herself sat down at a nearby table, holding a glass of lemonade.
From the situation, she could tell Liu Wei was a smart girl.
Yesterday's events must have given Liu Wei some insight.
When you can't persuade your parents to change their minds, you have to shift your approach—and Liu Wei was clearly doing just that.
"Liu Wei, you refuse this and reject that—aren't you being too fickle?" Her father couldn't resist scolding her again.
"Don't be so picky. There's no such thing as a perfect job in this world," Liu Wei's mother whispered softly.
But Liu Wei remained unmoved, replying with solemn conviction: "If perfection isn't the goal, then any job will do! Must it be teaching? Must it be stable? I'll hand out flyers or deliver takeout—I'm not afraid of hard work."
This statement left her parents speechless.
"Oh, Dad, Mom! So many people are offering me jobs—doesn't that prove how capable I am?"
Liu Wei wrapped her arms around her mother's arm, gave it a little shake, and acted coy.
"Someone as outstanding as me will definitely find a job that satisfies us all! No need to rush—just take it slow."
Her father tried to say something else, but Liu Wei had already stood up to pay the bill, ready to drive them back to work.
"Dad, Mom, I've finished my business for now. You should get back to yours—don't let this delay your work!"
…
Half an hour later.
A visibly exhausted Liu Wei returned to the coffee shop.
She sat down across from Ye Zhen and sighed deeply. "This is unbearable! Whoever it is, they're so kind-hearted, setting me up with all these jobs…"
Ye Zhen asked, "How did the blind date go?"
"Don't even mention it! The guy looked about my dad's age. My parents couldn't accept it, let alone me."
Ye Zhen chuckled. "You've been through a lot, Senior Liu."
After hastily eating a few bites of cake, Liu Wei prepared to head back to the office to catch up on her project.
Ye Zhen followed her, taking the bus back to the office together.
Before they even entered the building, the commotion in the lobby reached their ears.
The other two founders of the game studio were in the midst of a heated argument. One was clutching his laptop, red-faced and shouting at someone, while the other sat crouched in the corner, silently rubbing his head.
"I thought you were doing some real work, but it turns out you're just playing games all day!"
"Stop messing around with this nonsense. Go home and mind the store. Running the family convenience store is all you're good for."
"What? You're making nearly 20,000 a month?"
"If gaming pays that much, why not get your younger siblings in too? And your uncle's son, your second aunt's…"
Ye Zhen entered the room and shouted "Quiet!" several times, but the commotion didn't subside.
Exasperated, she grabbed a glass cup and slammed it hard onto the floor.
The dull thud echoed through the bustling hall, instantly silencing the market-like chaos.
Leaning against the doorway, Ye Zhen said lazily, "You want to take my employees back? Fine. We signed a contract. If they quit before finishing the project, they have to compensate me for all losses. Just pay up and take them."
"What?!"
"How come I never heard about this before?!"
"Son, how much compensation are we talking about?"
The two founders looked utterly bewildered.
But with their sharp minds, they quickly grasped the implication of Ye Zhen's words and immediately played along with her game.
"Oh my! Dad, we're looking at over a million in damages!"
"You smashed my computer—that needs to be paid for too! It had crucial project team data inside, and now it's all gone. Who knows how many millions that'll cost!"
The relatives who had joined the commotion upon hearing the figure of millions instantly backed away, terrified of being implicated.
As for their own parents, they stood awkwardly rubbing their hands, sighing heavily.
They glanced at Ye Zhen, hoping she might show some leniency, but she only gave a cold snort. "By the way, I'll mention this too—they're rushing to meet the deadline. If they don't finish within a week, they'll have to compensate me financially as well!"
Dealing with these people proved far easier than confronting Liu Wei's parents.
Liu Wei's parents were impervious to both soft and hard approaches, utterly unconcerned with money—they only craved what they perceived as stability! If they heard anyone pressuring their daughter, they'd surely fight tooth and nail in court…
But these people before her lacked that kind of stubbornness.
"Hey, Xiao Yu! What are you standing around for? Get to work! Goodness, how could you sign a contract like this?"
"Xiao Luo, stop loafing around and get to work!"
The intensity of their earlier argument was matched only by their current dread.
As they prepared to leave, Ye Zhen had her staff intercept them: "Hold on a moment. Before you go, you need to address the damages you've caused my company!"
At this moment, Ye Zhen still had her cute, innocent-looking face, but she already carried a certain air of authority befitting a boss.
Today, she would make these people understand: a loli might be easy to bully, but Ye Zhen herself was not someone to be trifled with!
…
Another half hour passed.
The men left Ye Zhen's company looking disheveled and defeated.
Watching them go, Ye Zhen divided the compensation she'd received between Xiao Luo and Xiao Yu.
"Work hard and don't let me down."
Ye Zhen wanted to pat them on the shoulder, but her height made it awkward. Instead, she gave their arms a firm thump.
"I'm counting on you!"
Xiao Luo and Xiao Yu both had reddened eyes and nodded firmly: "Got it!"
Later that evening.
That evening, Zhao Mengde recounted Ye Zhen's actions to Ye Fuli in vivid detail.
Ye Fuli listened in a daze, momentarily unable to believe this was the same timid little kitten she remembered.
She truly didn't need anyone's protection to thrive…
No, it was more than that.
She, Ye Zhen, had grown to the point where she could even protect others.
At this realization, Ye Fuli let out a relieved laugh.
If Ye Dad knew about all this, he'd be happier than anyone else.