Gu Yan's cleverness backfired, and she lowered her head in shame.
Gu Tianlei, annoyed, felt the urge to smoke again. He lit one cigar after another, filling the office with smoke until the ashtray was overflowing.
Choking on the smoke, Gu Yan opened the window and urged him to smoke less, but to no avail.
Just then, there was a knock on the office door, followed by its opening. Gu Ze entered.
"Dad, why are you smoking in the office again? Cough, cough..." He was so choked by the smoke that he coughed violently.
Gu Tianlei immediately extinguished his cigarette and stood up, "Xiao Ze, how is it?"
"Here, have some water to soothe your throat. Take your time," Qin Meimei poured him a glass of water.
"No," Gu Ze took a sip of water. "He won't see me."
That night, after Lan Jiaojiao was thrown out of the skyscraper, Mr. Wu, whom she had invited, was also shown the door.
This greatly embarrassed Mr. Wu, and he became furious, severing all ties with the Lan family.
Gu Ze waited two days, hoping he would calm down, before trying to see him again, but the result was the same – he refused to meet him.
"How can this be? Aren't people in the black market driven by money, not by who you are?" Gu Tianlei asked.
The powerless are not afraid of the powerful. It was precisely because they understood this principle that they would not choose to cooperate with such people unless absolutely necessary.
"That's because..."
Gu Ze recounted what had happened at the skyscraper that day to them.
Qin Meimei's face immediately turned dark!
While people in the black market were indeed driven by money, those who frequented it were proud and valued their reputation above all else.
The skyscraper's act of "inviting people out" was, in fact, kicking them out. This was a blatant insult, and it was only natural for him to be angry.
However, Qin Meimei also gleaned a crucial piece of information: Yu He had gotten close to Chen Dong!
"Yu He! It's her again!" Qin Meimei gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with ferocity.
Then, as if struck by an idea, she sneered, "A bumpkin is just a bumpkin. At best, she's fit to be an assistant!"
Did she think that by cozying up to Qin Beiting's personal assistant, she could rest easy?
Crushing her would be as easy as crushing an ant!
Hearing her words, Gu Ze felt an inexplicable unease within him.
"Since things have reached this point, we have no choice but to pay a hundred times the price to hire Crow," Gu Tianlei made the final decision.
"Yan'er, you go contact them. It's best if Crow can help us solve this problem tomorrow. The good-for-nothings in the company can't hold on much longer!"
After all this trouble, not only had they not saved any money, but they had also offended people. Qin Meimei's disappointment in Gu Yan grew a little more.
However, the thought of "Crow's" influence sparked another idea in her mind.
"Give me the contact information. I'll handle this personally," Qin Meimei reached out to Gu Yan.
"But..." Gu Yan looked at Qin Meimei in surprise.
Crow was someone she had contacted, and she had negotiated the price of a hundredfold. Although it hadn't gone perfectly before, if she could secure this collaboration, the credit would be hers, and the shareholders would look at her with more respect.
But at this critical moment, Qin Meimei was trying to snatch the credit even from her own daughter!
"But what? Don't I have more authority than you?" Qin Meimei asked, gazing at her.
Gu Yan was unwilling but replied, "No, I'll send you the contact information right away."
---
Yu He stayed at the Ye family's residence until the end of the National Day holiday.
On the morning of her return to school.
At the dining table.
Yu He was eating breakfast when her phone vibrated incessantly. She glanced at it.
A Pig: [Crow, the Gu family has agreed to pay a hundred times the price!]
A Pig: [However, this time it's Madam Gu contacting me.]
A Pig: [Should I make her wait for a while before pretending to reluctantly agree?]
Crow: [No need.]
A Pig: [That's true. A nine-figure price is better to receive sooner. I'll reply and agree immediately.]
Crow: [The offer of a hundred times the price has expired.]
Crow: [Now it's two hundred times.]
A Pig: [Holy cow!]
A Pig: [Are you playing with her?!]
A Pig: [Or are you deliberately taking advantage of the situation?]
A Pig: [But I love it~]
Yu He imagined Qin Meimei's reaction upon receiving this message and a slight smile curved her lips. She put down her phone and continued eating breakfast.
As Ye Jianming saw that breakfast was almost finished, he got up to get the car keys.
"Yu He, the driver took leave today. As I happen to be free, I'll drive you and Zizheng to school," he said with a smile, trying to please her.
His fawning demeanor was a far cry from his former authority as the head of the family.
Yu He gave him a faint glance. He was being overly attentive for no reason.
She didn't refuse, but Ye Zizheng had objections first.
"I'd rather walk to school myself than share a car with a country bumpkin! Hmph!"
With that, he slung his small backpack over his shoulder and strode out ahead.
He was still upset about Yu He not staying in his study and had unilaterally declared their friendship over.
However, as he reached the courtyard, he pretended to tie his shoelaces and stopped.
He thought that if Yu He pleaded with him, he might condescend to agree to share a car with her.
To his surprise, Yu He merely cast a faint glance at him and then got into the car. Even Ye Jianming didn't try to persuade him. He started the car and drove off.
And left!
Ye Zizheng: !!!
Was he really their biological son?!
Inside the car heading to school.
Ye Jianming drove, occasionally glancing at the person in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
The girl lowered her eyes, engrossed in playing a game.
Her appearance was the same as before, and her aura was still that same aloof one, but their status was now vastly different.
"Yu He, what's your relationship with Young Master Qin Seven?" Ye Jianming asked.
He had wanted to ask this question for a long time but had never found a suitable opportunity.
If he had known earlier that she had such a good relationship with Qin Beiting, would he have ended up in this predicament?
Upon hearing the name, Yu He's hands paused as she played the game. They hadn't been in contact for several days since their unpleasant parting that night.
"It's none of your business," she replied indifferently, without even lifting her eyelids.
Ye Jianming was momentarily speechless. In the past, his temper would have flared up immediately. But now, he was a fallen dragon, no, a wise man knew his circumstances. He couldn't afford to be angry, nor did he dare to be.
"Yes, yes, it's not my business. But can you, out of father-daughter affection, persuade your brother to let me work at his company?" he asked meekly.
He added, "Any position will do."
His eldest son looked down on him and didn't allow him to meddle in the company's affairs, so he had to beg Yu He.
Otherwise, could he really go to a construction site to move bricks?
Yu He raised her eyes and looked at him. "Even as a cleaner?"
Ye Jianming: "..."
"I'll talk to brother," Yu He said.
Ye Jianming almost spat out blood. "...Never mind that. At least a management position, right? Dad still represents the Ye family's face to the outside world..."
He had been a general manager before!
Making him a cleaner was too much!
Yu He: "Head cleaner?"
Ye Jianming: "........."
Head cleaner, then so be it. At least it was a management position.