Ye Zhi stopped, a slight smile curving her lips. "Mr. Cen, not everyone is qualified to invest in Taoxun."
Then, Ye Zhi turned and left, not wanting to say another superfluous word.
Cen Xiucheng frowned. This meeting with Ye Zhi was far from what he had expected.
The unrest in Country K a few months ago had affected the Cen family.
In truth, the Cen family had not had much interaction with the former prime minister. The King was simply using it as a pretext to seize the Cen family's assets.
Initially, the Cen family had not considered leaving Country K, as their roots were deeply planted there. Therefore, they had retreated step by step, hoping to exchange a portion of their assets for the family's safety.
However, the royal family wanted everything.
They were unwilling to give it up, but in this absolute monarchy, the Cen family had nowhere to turn for justice. It was precisely for this reason that Cen Xiucheng proposed developing in another country. After deliberation, they chose the country where Cen Ya had grown up.
Yet, it was not easy to establish a firm foothold in another country quickly. Moreover, with the King still coveting them, they could not act too overtly.
Therefore, they hoped to have a representative there.
The best candidate for a representative would have been Gu Sheng, who was devoted to Cen Ya. It was a pity that Gu Sheng lacked business acumen.
They had also considered adopting Cen Ya's Ye family. However, Cen Ya had reacted strongly against this, and the Cen family also disliked the Ye family.
When he had rescued Cen Ya, she had many old scars and her mental state was poor, clearly indicating she had suffered greatly. And it had not been for a short period.
Consequently, they were highly displeased with the Ye family who had adopted Cen Ya.
How could they have remained indifferent while Cen Ya endured such suffering?
Not only that, but their eldest daughter had achieved remarkable success in her career within just one year. It was evident that the Ye family had poured all their resources into supporting her.
Such blatant favoritism naturally worsened their impression of the Ye family.
Especially when they saw Cen Ya crying every time she mentioned the Ye family, and how she presented herself as gentle and pitiable before them, claiming she had finally experienced the joy of being loved by parents and family. How could this not break their hearts?
After discussion, they finally decided that Cen Ya herself would be the representative. However, they would hire a professional manager to assist Cen Ya. Daily company affairs could be handled by the professional manager, while major decisions would be controlled remotely by Cen Xiucheng.
As for the Ye family, although the Cen family detested them, they did not wish to be criticized. Therefore, they planned to offer some money to completely sever ties with the Ye family, to prevent them from becoming parasitic bloodsuckers who could not be shaken off by leveraging their upbringing of Cen Ya.
However, they had not expected the Ye family to be even more eager to sever ties with them, wanting no entanglement whatsoever.
Especially Ye Zhi, who was far from being a selfish, greedy, and incapable person. Instead, she was decisive and principled, not greedy, and did not demand an exorbitant price.
Could it be that there was some misunderstanding?
Cen Xiucheng rose, preparing to go and ask Cen Ya.
However, he made over a dozen calls and could not reach her!
Cen Xiucheng immediately sent people to look for her, only to discover that Cen Ya had gone to a hotel room with Ou Minghan!
Cen Xiucheng's eyes went dark with anger. He directly stormed into the hotel room, ordered his subordinates to beat Ou Minghan severely, and brought Cen Ya out.
"Cen Ya! What is going on with you?!" Cen Xiucheng exclaimed, disappointed. "Have you forgotten how this man treated you?! You were just listing his crimes one by one at the banquet, and now the two of you are in bed together?!"
"Brother, you've misunderstood..." Cen Ya's face flushed. She lowered her head guiltily and stammered, "My dress was torn. He was just helping me book a room so I could change my dress. Nothing happened between us, Brother..."
"Change clothes? Then why didn't you go to the changing room?!"
Cen Xiucheng almost fainted. He wasn't stupid; the purpose of booking a room was self-evident, wasn't it? Besides, he could tell whether anything had happened between Cen Ya and Ou Minghan.
"Brother, why don't you believe me..." Cen Ya's eyes welled up with tears, hurt.
Cen Xiucheng felt a headache coming on. It was useless to dwell on the matter since it had already happened. Moreover, he had other things to discuss.
"I met Ye Zhi just now," Cen Xiucheng said in a deep voice.
Cen Ya immediately tensed.
"She wants you to transfer the house you are currently living in to the Ye family."
"I knew it..." Cen Ya smiled sadly. "The house the Ye family gave me was just for show. If I had truly accepted it, they would have taken it back..."
Seeing her distressed expression, Cen Xiucheng felt a pang of sympathy. He quietly comforted her, "Xiaoya, give it to them. You will have no further connection with the Ye family. But don't worry, your brother will buy you another one. Tell me, which area of the capital do you like for a house, and you can choose freely."
"Can I really?" Cen Ya looked at him expectantly.
"Of course!" Cen Xiucheng promised.
Cen Ya bit her lip. "I want to buy the Ou residence..."
"Cen Ya!" Cen Xiucheng's expression turned stern. "You are forbidden from having any further contact with Ou Minghan from now on!"
Cen Ya was startled. It was the first time she had seen Cen Xiucheng so stern.
She shrank her neck and whispered, "Then, then I want a house in the Half Mountain Villa..."
"Alright, I'll help you buy it later," Cen Xiucheng readily agreed. "By the way, Xiaoya, what kind of person is Ye Zhi? I saw Chairman Su of Su Corporation highly recommend her, and she doesn't seem like a greedy person."
Cen Ya tensed again, her eyes filling with tears. "Brother, do you like Ye Zhi too?"
"No!" Cen Xiucheng looked bewildered. What was she talking about?
"Brother, you don't need to consider my feelings..." Cen Ya said aggrievedly. "I know Ye Zhi is beautiful and charming. Wherever she goes, all men adore her. They are willing to help her achieve her career unconditionally, even without a title. It's normal for you to be attracted to her, and I understand if you want her to be the Cen family's representative. I will bless you both..."
"Xiaoya, what are you saying? I was just asking..." Cen Xiucheng's headache intensified. "Forget it, forget it. I won't ask about her. Anyway, you and the Ye family are settled, and we won't have any dealings with her."
Only then did Cen Ya relax.
*
The next day, Ye Zhi went to the Ye family to discuss the matter of child support with her parents.
However, as soon as she arrived at the Ye family's residence, she received a call from Zhan Ruoqing.
"Ye Zhi, I'm going to share a popular question on Zhiwei with you in a moment!" Zhan Ruoqing said excitedly. "Guess who posed this question?"