He seemed as heartless as ever, intent on finding ways to hurt his own heart.
"I haven't bothered you at all during this time, and yet Brother Ye still wants me to disappear from your side completely. Honestly, Brother Ye, doing this is quite hurtful."
Hou Mingzhu could no longer control herself. She had never felt so wronged in her life. Because she hadn't suffered so much hardship before, she couldn't truly understand what it meant to be wronged.
However, after lying dormant for so long, the outcome was the same. This was an unprecedented blow to Hou Mingzhu.
"I'm sorry! Please don't cry anymore. If you insist on serving others in the company, then consider everything I just said as if it were never spoken. You can continue to stay in the company, but no matter how long it takes, the work you do will be the same. I truly feel there's no need to waste your precious time."
With Ye Tiancheng having said all that, Hou Mingzhu actually understood the general situation. A forced melon isn't sweet. Ye Tiancheng didn't want her to get the latest information, so no matter how hard she tried, it would be useless.
Success depends on people, but plans are made by heaven. When heaven doesn't help, although fighting against heaven can be endlessly enjoyable, forcing both parties to suffer is rather pointless.
"Brother Ye, I've made up my mind. I'll be resigning from the company soon. You don't have to be in a difficult position anymore. However, before I leave, can you grant me one wish?"
"What wish do you want granted?"
"The Agricultural Conference. Can I appear there as your secretary? At least let me broaden my horizons. Also, after working so hard for so long, I want to give myself some psychological comfort. At least I'll be closer to you, rather than all my efforts being in vain, which makes me look incredibly foolish."
Hou Mingzhu's willingness to resign from the company certainly brought Ye Tiancheng a lot of relief. It was only a matter of time before problems arose with the eldest daughter of the Hou family working as a general laborer in his company.
"Alright, then you can come with me. You don't need to be an assistant or anything; just appear by my side as a friend."
For some reason, when facing Ye Tiancheng, no matter how excessive his actions were, as long as Ye Tiancheng showed even a little warmth towards her, Hou Mingzhu seemed to hate him less.
"Thank you, Brother Ye."
To avoid wasting food, Hou Mingzhu ate all the beef noodles and then praised them.
"It truly is delicious beef noodles. Thank you, Brother, for bringing me to eat food that holds such significance for you."
Hou Mingzhu was actually quite endearing at times. It was a shame that her initial impression was so bad. If he hadn't thrown her into the mountains back then, and if things had started differently, the outcome might have been different.
"Shall I pick you up tomorrow morning? We'll go to the Agricultural Conference together."
"Yes, thank you, Brother Ye."
Ye Tiancheng didn't have much anticipation for the Agricultural Conference, having attended it once before. He just needed to avoid the pitfalls as much as possible.
Ye Tiancheng was quite a man of his word. He picked up Hou Mingzhu early the next morning. Hou Mingzhu sat in Ye Tiancheng's front passenger seat for the first time and behaved exceptionally well.
"Brother Ye, after the conference ends, I'll go back to the company to resign."
"No rush, just arrange your time as you see fit."
The Agricultural Conference officially began. As Ye Tiancheng entered the venue, Hou Mingzhu suddenly felt unwell and went to the restroom.
Su Muxian, seeing Ye Tiancheng alone, happily ran over to him and even hooked her arm around his.
"I thought it was someone else. Isn't this our Su family's future son-in-law? Why haven't you brought anyone today? You're all alone, looking quite lonely. How about I reluctantly accompany you as your female companion?"
"This is an Agricultural Conference, not a cocktail party. There's no need for a female companion. By the way, why is Miss Su here?"
"Getting an invitation for me is a simple matter. How about it? Even if it's not a cocktail party, you must be quite bored alone. Do you want me to accompany you?"
Su Muxian had no interest in this Agricultural Conference at all. It was only because Ye Tiancheng would be there and would be releasing new products that she went to great lengths to obtain an invitation. On the surface, she spoke as if it were effortless, but in reality, she had put in a lot of effort, pulling strings and spending money. All of this was to get closer to Ye Tiancheng.
"Hello, Miss Su. You're here too."
Before Ye Tiancheng could reply to Su Muxian, Hou Mingzhu returned from the restroom. Seeing this scene, it wasn't just Hou Mingzhu who felt awkward; Ye Tiancheng and Su Muxian were also extremely uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, did I act foolishly? It seems Brother Ye already has a female companion."
"I suddenly have a stomachache. You two chat first; I'm going to the restroom."
Ye Tiancheng felt very awkward. He didn't know how to respond. Since the two women were present, he emulated Hou Mingzhu's earlier action. However, Hou Mingzhu's stomachache was real, while Ye Tiancheng was faking it to avoid facing such an awkward situation.
Ye Tiancheng ran to the restroom, entered a stall, and took out a cigarette to smoke.
Ye Tiancheng rarely smoked. The reason he suddenly lit up was that he was in a terrible mood, with a hurdle he couldn't overcome, which led him to choose to smoke a cigarette to calm down.
Ye Tiancheng's occasional indulgence unexpectedly attracted the Nuwa Stone.
"You brat, how can you start smoking after just a moment's absence? That's not good for your health. What kind of troubles can make you look so dejected? That's quite unusual!"
"Don't even mention it. I'm so annoyed. Attending an Agricultural Conference has become more complicated than a cocktail party. There are even female companions, and not just one, but two! The key is that it's Hou Mingzhu and Su Muxian. On the surface, they seem harmonious, but in reality, they're subtly competing. That feeling of brewing storm is unbearable."
It was because the atmosphere was too oppressive that Ye Tiancheng ran to the restroom to smoke a cigarette. He seemed to have relaxed a lot. Otherwise, being near those two women, the one under the most pressure was himself. It's not easy being a man.
"So, you have too much good fortune with women, and you can't enjoy it. I hope you don't get too arrogant. Those are the eldest daughters of the Su and Hou families. For most men, these two women are unattainable dreams. Yet, after obtaining them, you don't cherish them at all, leaving two beautiful ladies hanging like this."
Nuwa Shi was becoming more and more outrageous. Ye Tiancheng quickly reminded her.
"I haven't obtained anyone. Whether it's with Su Muxian or Hou Mingzhu, I'm completely innocent. You need to be more accurate with your words, otherwise, you'll make me sound like some evil scumbag who gets girls but doesn't cherish them properly."
"As long as you want them, these two girls, although of excellent quality, are still yours for the picking. At a public conference like this, if you choose one to accompany you, it signifies your intentions. Everyone will know who you truly like."
Upon hearing Nuwa Shi say this, Ye Tiancheng became even more fearful. He didn't feel this much pressure before, but now it was increasing.
"If you put it that way, then I need to be even more careful. In public places, I must maintain distance from these people. Otherwise, if I'm misunderstood, it will also delay Hou Mingzhu and Su Muxian from finding partners. Wouldn't that be a great sin on my part?"
Initially, Ye Tiancheng hadn't thought that far ahead. After all, he was just there to go through the motions and attend the Agricultural Conference. He didn't believe that appearing together publicly meant they belonged to each other. Ye Tiancheng's thoughts were actually quite simple.
"Don't be silly. Both of those girls have feelings for you, but you, on the other hand, seem to want to reject them all. I don't know what you're thinking; I really want to give your head a good kick."
It was like the emperor wasn't anxious, but the eunuch was dying of anxiety. Ye Tiancheng was a bit bewildered as to why Nuwa Shi was getting so agitated.
"I don't know what's gotten into you. Why are you so worked up about me being with any woman?"
"Ye Tiancheng, that's a very heartless thing to say. We share the same birthday, like grasshoppers on a string. How can I not care about your lifelong happiness? Your business is my business, and my business is still my business."
"Alright, then I'll tell you the truth. I haven't taken a liking to anyone. In my heart, Qing'er is still the best and most considerate. If there's only room for one woman in my heart, it can only be my dear Qing'er."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng speak like this, still lingering over a dead person, made her furious.
"The woman you have in your heart, no matter how good she is, is ultimately dead. The dead cannot be revived. People must look forward. Hou Mingzhu and Su Muxian are so wonderful! One is radiant, the other is ethereal. One is a red rose, the other a white lily. Other men probably wouldn't be able to come into contact with them in their lifetime. Now they're being offered to you, and you're still unwilling. It seems you're only fit to be a farmer; you can't handle a little elevation."
"You stinky rock, your temper has really grown today. Just criticize me a bit; don't go on and on. You should at least leave me some room to maneuver. Is it also wrong for me to be devoted?" Recalling his miraculous encounter upon waking from a dream, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but retort to the stinky Nuwa stone.
"By the way, you mentioned that life cannot be redone. I don't know if you're willing to believe me, but I've experienced these things before, albeit in a dream. I deliberately didn't follow the trajectory of the dream, and many things have deviated from their original course. But strangely, even with significant deviations, fate always finds a way to lead to the same destination through different paths. So, I'm too lazy to evade anymore; following the normal course isn't bad either."
Nuwa Shi heard Ye Tiancheng say this and remained silent for a long time. Finally, she responded with a look of astonishment.
"I think there's something wrong with your brain. I can't be bothered to talk to you anymore. If you don't like anyone, then don't string the girls along. Just be clear with Hou Mingzhu and Su Muxian to save future trouble. If you happen to like either of them, then quickly confess your feelings. You have the choice of two sons-in-law from prominent families, and perhaps you'll live a life that others envy. Tsk, tsk, you're truly blessed."
"Why should I make a choice? When I was in my dream, I particularly liked to flirt around. I didn't even spare Wang Xiaomiao, Fatty's wife. But now I'm tired of it. Besides Hou Qing'er, who will forever remain in my memory, no one else holds any attraction for me. I'm too lazy to agree or refuse anything; as long as I'm at ease, I don't care about the fate of others."