Chapter 204: This Is What She Deserves, and What I Deserve
Not long after the welcome banquet.
He Yingxin completed her onboarding procedures and, as she'd hoped, was assigned to a company near South City.
"With my talent, shouldn't I at least be able to land a CEO position?"
"Why just a manager?!"
"Huh? What? A ten-million-yuan annual salary, plus a riverside villa…"
In Ye Fuli's office, He Ying's loud outburst abruptly fell silent upon seeing the compensation package Ye Fuli presented.
He Ying cleared her throat twice, narrowing her eyes at Ye Fuli. "Don't you dare back out now!"
Then, as if afraid Ye Fuli might change her mind, she snatched the contract and signed it.
Ye Fuli chuckled. "Miss He, you prefer a leisurely life, not the hustle and bustle of a nine-to-five job, right?"
"Hmph."
He Ying didn't acknowledge Ye Fuli's words.
Still, she knew she lacked business acumen—eating, drinking, and enjoying herself suited her far better.
The majority of He Corporation now belonged to Ye Fuli, while the remainder was hers.
Even though her share was less than half, it was already a very favorable outcome for He Ying.
Without Ye Fuli, she had no idea which remote little country her greedy brothers and sisters would have shipped her off to.
"Alright! I'm off to play with my little sister."
"Stop right there."
Ye Fuli opened the drawer at her feet, pulled out a box, and handed it to He Ying.
"Take this to Ye Zhen."
Frowning at the red wooden box that clearly held jewelry, He Ying asked, "What is it? If it's something with special sentimental value, I'm not delivering it for you."
"…"
Ye Fuli, seated in the executive chair, visibly stiffened.
Clearly, He Ying had hit the nail on the head.
He Ying frowned, forcing herself to suppress the urge to open it, and quickly placed the item back in front of Ye Fuli.
"I won't deliver this for you. Figure it out yourself!"
As she spoke, memories of past grievances resurfaced, causing her to snort sharply.
She looked at Ye Fuli, who was deep in thought with her head bowed, and said, "Ye Fuli, you… you don't seem like someone who would be satisfied with just companionship, do you?"
Ye Fuli remained silent, only stroking the knuckle of her ring finger, rubbing it repeatedly.
Seeing her cowering like this, He Ying felt both pity and a sense of "she had it coming."
"You want to solidify your relationship with her."
"You want everyone to know about your relationship."
"Ye Fuli…"
At this point, He Ying let out a long sigh.
"Ye Fuli, you've locked yourself in the cage of the past. Do you plan to stay trapped there until you die?"
Time had passed long ago.
Ye Fuli lifted her head slightly, her gaze fixed on He Ying. "Ye Zhen saved you just once, yet you can't stop dwelling on it—even risking your life to fight me. But for me…"
"As for me, Ye Zhen saved me from the jaws of death time and time again."
"She could set aside all her guard and resentment, reaching back to pull me when I was determined to die. So what if she locked me in a cage for a lifetime?"
"It's what she deserves, and it's what I deserve."
…
Stepping out of Ye Fuli's office.
He Ying felt she had come to understand Ye Fuli anew.
"Sigh, this woman."
She sensed Ye Fuli had changed, yet it felt like she had merely reverted to her true self.
"Forget it! Their business has nothing to do with me. It's better if I stay out of it."
He Ying took the elevator down to the underground garage and drove straight out.
At that moment, Ye Zhen had just left the company, heading to school to submit her completed assignments.
Passing by the company reception area, Ye Zhen caught sight of Zhao Mengde staring at his computer screen with a smile that seemed almost too bright.
Finding it odd, Ye Zhen quietly edged closer to peek at his screen.
Seeing the screen filled with "Hmm hmm" and "Yay yay," Ye Zhen flew into a rage, grabbing Zhao Mengde's ear. "You jerk! What are you doing? You're actually using the company computer to watch this trashy stuff at work!"
Zhao Mengde, his ear firmly in her grip, didn't bother resisting and quickly shut down the computer.
"Ouch! Ouch, ouch… Easy there, Boss Ye, you're going to pull my ear off, waaah~"
She dared not let Ye Zhen know that she wasn't actually reading someone else's romance comics—she was creating her own.
And the protagonists of this romance comic were none other than her two Boss Ye's.
If Ye Zhen and Ye Fuli ever found out about this, she was absolutely certain she'd be beaten to death.
So, death before exposure!
After Miss Mengde's desperate pleas, Ye Zhen reluctantly let go.
"This is a one-time thing!"
Just as she was about to leave, Ye Zhen noticed the goji berry tea in her cup.
Today's goji berries seemed to be even more than usual?
"Watch your kidneys! You're always flushed and red-faced—you'll wear yourself out sooner or later."
…
Mond College.
The three roommates in the dorm were chattering away, discussing where to go for summer vacation this year.
After all, the break was just around the corner.
With both money and free time, they wouldn't let any long summer break go to waste—they always had to get something out of it to feel satisfied.
"Xiao Ya, your test scores have been pretty good lately, huh?"
"Hehehe, not bad!"
Xiao Ya had stopped sleeping through class, determined to earn a good grade and catch Ye Zhen's attention.
Her midterm results were mediocre, and she hadn't even dared tell Ye Zhen.
This time, she was confident she could at least crack the top twenty in her class!
Lu Chengcheng watched her full of drive and couldn't help but sigh, "The power of love is truly great."
"Not bad! You've got to have some challenging pursuits in life, right?" Wang Xiaoya said, turning to Qiao Xin: "Right, Little Xin?"
Qiao Xin swallowed the pastry in her mouth.
Wiping her hands, she replied casually, "Oh, yeah, yeah."
"But you haven't been studying lately. Aren't you afraid I'll surpass you?"
Hearing this, Qiao Xin smiled meaningfully. "Xiao Ya, you're still so naive. Competing over grades is something only children enjoy. Mature adults like me have better ways…"
Before she could finish.
The dorm room door swung open.
Ye Zhen, who rarely came back, held three pastries and milk tea in her hands.
"Everyone here? Perfect timing. Here, enjoy them while they're still warm."
After distributing the treats, Ye Zhen turned her attention to Qiao Xin.
Qiao Xin, who had been smug moments ago, instantly grew tense: "Zhenzhen, what's wrong?"
In front of Ye Zhen, she was like a timid little wife, always meek and cautious.
"My company no longer needs investment."
Ye Zhen looked apologetic.
"I've had your five million yuan returned to you via the original payment method. Please check your account."
The truth was not that the investment was no longer needed, but that Qiao Xin's modest sum fell far short of the threshold for Ye Zhen's company today. Moreover, entangling herself in financial dealings with an admirer would be troublesome. Unless absolutely necessary, Ye Zhen would avoid such complications.
Qiao Xin's smile instantly turned strained.
Meeting Ye Zhen's bright eyes, she pouted and murmured, "Do you think it's too much? Are you embarrassed to take it?"
Ye Zhen: "…"
Well, I'm glad you see it that way.
"You're something else! Our student-run companies are just small-scale ventures, right? You suddenly bring in five million in investment—how could anyone possibly accept that?" Wang Xiaoya wore an expression that said she understood everything.
"But I just love it! I'm happy to do it!" Qiao Xin grew even more aggrieved.
Only Lu Chengcheng, who had remained silent throughout, fixed Ye Zhen with a deep, meaningful gaze.
While others might not know the true state of Ye Zhen's company, Lu Chengcheng had been keeping tabs on Ye Zhen and the Ye family ever since the "stepmother incident."
When she learned that Ye Zhen's "small company" was backed by the Ye family…
…she knew it couldn't possibly be a "small company."
Unfortunately, the two in the dorm had no clue about the real situation and were still trying to persuade Ye Zhen to accept "500,000" or "800,000" in investment…