Ye Zhi returned to her office after a meeting, and her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen and pressed the answer button.
"Feng Jie, what's up?"
"Ms. Ye, congratulations!" Feng Jie said with a hint of teasing.
"Congratulations on what?" Ye Zhi asked, a little confused. She picked up a cup from her desk and brought it to her lips.
"Congratulations on your impending marriage to President Qi, of course!" Feng Jie replied cheerfully.
Ye Zhi choked on her water and coughed for a good while, saying speechlessly, "Feng Jie, where did you hear such a rumor? Come here and talk nonsense to me?"
"I heard it from Ou Minghan," Feng Jie said truthfully. "As for him, he heard it from elsewhere. Apparently, it first started spreading in the film industry because you two went to see a movie together and left together, and then people misunderstood. Anyway, pretty much everyone in Kyoto knows about it now."
Ye Zhi: ...
Who started this ridiculous rumor! If she ever found out, she wouldn't let them off!
Ye Zhi's heart skipped a beat, "You don't mean this rumor has spread online, do you?"
"Not yet. Given your and President Qi's special status, no one dares to post it online. It's only being spread privately."
Ye Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, if it spread online and tarnished President Qi Xuan's reputation, that would be troublesome! Then she wouldn't even know how to explain it to Qi Xuan, and it might even affect their friendship.
"Ms. Ye..." Feng Jie deliberated for a while before asking curiously, "You and President Qi have a good relationship. Aren't you thinking of developing it further?"
"Don't let Qi Xuan hear you say that," Ye Zhi said with a laugh. "Otherwise, if he misunderstands and thinks I'm trying to trick him into launching a satellite for Nandou, that would be bad."
"But what if he's willing?" Feng Jie couldn't help but ask.
Ye Zhi paused for a moment, then said with a hint of amusement, "Feng Jie, do you know what the three greatest illusions in life are?"
"What are they?"
"Your phone ringing, someone knocking on your door, and him liking you," Ye Zhi quipped. "Why is it that I don't have such illusions, but you're having them for me first?"
Feng Jie: ... Ms. Ye is beyond saving. President Qi, you're on your own!
"I won't assume things that haven't happened, but," Ye Zhi asked, somewhat surprised, "did Ou Minghan call you specifically just to discuss my gossip? He wouldn't be that bored, would he? There must be something else?"
"There is," Feng Jie replied, his expression turning serious. "Ms. Ye, Ou Minghan plans to win back Cen Ya, and he's determined to do so. Although he didn't say it, I'm quite sure he won't let Taoxun off the hook. What do you think, should we prepare something in advance?"
"No need. Let him come at us," Ye Zhi said with a carefree smile.
"Ms. Ye, I think it's better to be cautious," Feng Jie said solemnly. "Ou Minghan is the type to hold grudges. Taoxun caused him such a huge loss. As long as he secures Cen Ya and gains a new backing, he'll definitely compete with Taoxun again."
"Then let him try," Ye Zhi said with a slight smile. "Feng Jie, the situation this year is completely different from last year."
Feng Jie blinked in surprise and immediately understood.
Last year, Qianbai was the e-commerce giant, and Taoxun was its challenger, actually in a disadvantageous position. But this year was different.
Now the tables have turned. Taoxun is in an advantageous and unshakeable position, while Ou Minghan is the one in the disadvantageous position as the challenger. It should be Ou Minghan who wastes his brain cells thinking about what moves he'll make, not them.
"Besides, Cen Ya might be easy to win over, but the Cen family might not be," Ye Zhi smiled faintly. "This matter alone will be enough to trouble Ou Minghan. How much energy will he have left to focus on dealing with Taoxun?"
"Indeed," Feng Jie agreed wholeheartedly.
After hanging up, Ye Zhi received another call from Cen Xiucheng, who arranged the specific time for the property transfer.
In the evening, Cheng Yi arrived at the Half-Mountain Villa in a flurry.
The housekeeper saw her and asked in surprise, "Madam, why are you here?"
"I heard that Qi Xuan and Xiao Zhi already have a child? Is that true?" Cheng Yi asked excitedly.
"False," Qi Xuan said with a hint of helplessness.
"I knew it..." Cheng Yi said with a look of regret. "You haven't even managed to win over Xiao Zhi yet, how could you have a child?"
Qi Xuan: ...
So his own mother came over just to mock him? Was he really her biological son?
"The rumors these days are really getting more and more outrageous," the housekeeper lamented.
"Mom, could you help clarify this?" Qi Xuan said calmly.
"Oh dear," Cheng Yi looked at him with amusement. "What's wrong? You don't want people to misunderstand your relationship?"
Qi Xuan sighed lightly. "I just don't want these rumors to become a trouble for Ye Zhi."
"Alright, leave it to me," Cheng Yi agreed.
Suddenly, Qi Xuan looked up towards the door.
Cheng Yi turned her head in confusion and followed his gaze to the door. "What are you looking at?"
"Madam, that was Miss Ye's car," the housekeeper said with a smile. "She just got back. She'll probably be here for dinner soon."
Cheng Yi: ...
She was impressed. Qi Xuan could even recognize Ye Zhi's car? Why did she feel a pang of sympathy for him?
"Son, be more ambitious!" Cheng Yi said with an air of disappointment, as if he was failing her. "Don't always ask me to help clarify rumors. When can you make these rumors a reality!"
The housekeeper chimed in, "Exactly, exactly!"
Qi Xuan: ...
Did he not want that?
Not long after, Ye Zhi walked in.
Seeing Cheng Yi there, Ye Zhi greeted her happily.
They had dinner together, and at the table, Cheng Yi asked curiously, "Xiao Zhi, I heard that your Taoxun Film and Television has a new movie out. How's the box office?"
"The box office is decent," Ye Zhi replied truthfully. "Director Su gave us a fairly good release schedule. The movie recouped its costs within two days of its release."
"Really?" Cheng Yi said joyfully. "That's amazing!"
"It's also because the movie's budget was quite small," Ye Zhi said a little awkwardly.
"How small?" Cheng Yi pressed.
"The cost was only three million," Ye Zhi answered.
Cheng Yi: "...That is indeed quite small. But this is good. Since it's already broken even, you just have to wait to collect the profits!"
"Auntie, it's not that optimistic," Ye Zhi explained. "The first three days of a movie's box office are very important. Although this movie performed quite well, the publicity and distribution weren't great, and the number of viewers wasn't very high. I don't expect it to have much staying power. But it's okay, it's the first time, so consider it paying for tuition."
Cheng Yi looked at her with admiration. She loved Ye Zhi's composed demeanor, which was why Qi Xuan was so devoted to her.