Ye Yongxian carefully reviewed the development plan. In the past few days, Ye Zhi had been the talk of the capital. Everyone knew that the Taoxun company, founded by his eldest daughter, had burst onto the scene with immense success, outshining even the thousand-year-old Qianbai company.
Today, in particular, Ye Zhi's traffic-driving strategy had been eye-opening. Many of his friends had called to praise his daughter's capabilities. Some even had ulterior motives, wanting to introduce their sons to Ye Zhi.
Hmph! Did he not know what those old foxes were scheming? Absolutely not. His smart and capable daughter would never fancy their sons!
Therefore, he had to perform exceptionally well today, to earn Ye Zhi's genuine praise, "Dad, you're so amazing, you know so much!" instead of her disdainful remark, "Ugh, Dad, you don't even know this?"
He had to uphold his dignity as a father!
Ye Yongxian read it earnestly, but the more he read, the more his heart sank, and the more complex his expression became.
Finally, after a long silence, he looked up and asked, "Did you come up with this?"
"Yes," Ye Zhi replied, putting away her phone.
"So..." Ye Yongxian mused for a moment, then asked with some uncertainty, "Your ultimate goal is to establish a commercial empire centered around Taoxun?"
"I have that idea," Ye Zhi nodded.
Ye Yongxian: ...
His face felt particularly sore right now. He had thought Ye Zhi merely wanted to expand the company's scale, hire more employees, and so on, allowing him to pontificate and display his paternal authority.
But she was so ambitious, aiming to build a commercial empire. He, who had toiled in real estate for so many years, hadn't even become the top player in the country!
This question was beyond his curriculum; he didn't know how to answer!
"Xiao Zhi, come here," Ye Yongxian stood up and beckoned to Ye Zhi.
Ye Zhi walked over, looking a bit bewildered. "Dad, what's wrong?"
Ye Yongxian took a step aside and pointed to the spot in front of the office chair. "Come, stand here."
Ye Zhi, not understanding, stood there.
Ye Yongxian placed his hands on Ye Zhi's shoulders and, with a gentle push, seated her in the office chair.
"There," Ye Yongxian sighed in relief. "This position is yours now."
Ye Zhi was torn between laughter and tears. "Dad!"
"Don't call me Dad; I don't deserve to be your father," Ye Yongxian said with a mournful expression. "Your father is useless and can't help you."
Ye Zhi said helplessly, "Dad, you're not serious, are you..."
"I am serious," Ye Yongxian declared, looking utterly defeated. "From today onwards, Ye's company is yours to command. If you need money, just follow the proper procedures. If you want to cooperate, you'll sign two contracts yourself. If you need someone to consult on a plan, find someone else. I'm leaving. I'm going home to take care of your mother."
With that, Ye Yongxian walked towards the door.
"Dad, I can't handle all this alone!" Ye Zhi chased after him helplessly.
"Oh, then tomorrow I'll come work for you. Boss, can you give me the day off today? I want to go home and spend time with my wife," Ye Yongxian said plaintively.
Seeing that Ye Yongxian wasn't actually going to quit, Ye Zhi could only indulge him.
As Ye Yongxian reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned back, saying, "Don't forget the foot spa!"
"I won't forget, I won't forget!" Ye Zhi replied, amused.
After Ye Yongxian left, Ye Zhi stepped in to help him with the company for half the day. Fortunately, she was familiar with the affairs of Ye's company, so handling them was not difficult.
After work, Ye Zhi went to the flower and bird market.
She was planning to visit Qi Xuan that evening and needed to prepare a gift.
The butler had told her before that the bamboo and cymbidium she had given Qi Xuan were kept in his bedroom and had nearly died because he couldn't tend to them, so she decided to give him something easier to care for.
At the market, she picked out Pothos, Aloe Vera, Cacti, and various succulents, all of which she carefully packaged and took with her.
She arrived at Qi Xuan's home with the plants. Upon seeing her, the butler's face lit up. "Miss Ye, you're here, why bring gifts?"
"They're nothing valuable, just some flowers," Ye Zhi said. "These are all very easy to care for. I've checked; some can be watered however you like, and some don't need watering at all..."
The butler shot a chiding look at Qi Xuan, who had just come downstairs. See? This is all your doing.
"Miss Ye, you bought so many flowers for our young master. You truly are kind to him," the butler said with a smile.
"Not really, I came to see him today because I have something to discuss and wanted his opinion," Ye Zhi stated truthfully.
The butler: ...
Fine, he was used to it. It didn't matter; whatever they wished.
"We'll talk about it after dinner," Qi Xuan said calmly.
Ye Zhi nodded in agreement.
After dinner, Ye Zhi handed the business plan to Qi Xuan. "This is Taoxun's next phase of development. If possible, I hope to receive your new investment."
Qi Xuan's hand paused slightly. Should he transform into an ATM at this moment?
His expression quickly returned to normal as he took the plan. He asked with some surprise, "Today, Taoxun can be considered to have achieved a great victory. Your reputation, Ye Zhi, has spread throughout the capital. Instead of leading your employees to celebrate with champagne, you've already presented the next development plan?"
"One must always be prepared for unforeseen circumstances!" Ye Zhi said with a smile. Then, her smile faded, and she said sternly, "Moreover, this victory was only me defeating Ou Minghan, not Taoxun defeating Qianbai. Those old foxes who previously wanted to invest in Qianbai but never did will surely make their move now to carve up the rich pickings of Qianbai. Once they've divvied up the profits, it will be their turn to deal with me!"
Qi Xuan's eyes flickered. He hadn't expected Ye Zhi to have already considered these implications.
Indeed, after Ye Zhi secured this victory, Ou Minghan would have to cede some of his interests to accept investment.
Qianbai, after all, had a longer development history. By slowly pushing Ou Minghan aside, they could make Qianbai their own. Thus, for those investors, Qianbai was a more controllable option than Taoxun.
But once they took over Qianbai, their target would inevitably be Taoxun, the rising star.
"You see things quite clearly," he remarked flatly.
"Of course!" Ye Zhi said with a touch of pride. "To deal with those old foxes, I have to have a bit of the cunning of a little fox myself!"
"Who talks about themselves like that?" Qi Xuan chuckled.
"Haha, I like little foxes~" Ye Zhi said with a smile.
"I like little foxes too," Qi Xuan's heart stirred.
Ye Zhi's face was full of delight at finding a kindred spirit. "What a coincidence! Our tastes are quite similar!"
Qi Xuan: ...