Chapter 9

Chapter 9

After finishing his cup of coffee, Ye Zhiqiu put it down.

"Uncle," he asked, "you've spent your whole life teaching. Have any of your students worked in the field of new energy?"

"There are some," Lan Hua said. "Is this something your father asked you to ask about?"

"Not really," Ye Zhiqiu smiled. "I'm interested in doing business in the new energy sector myself."

Lan Hua pondered for a moment and then asked, "Does your father know about this?"

Ye Zhiqiu shook his head. "I don't plan on telling anyone."

Lan Hua had never run a business himself, but he knew how difficult it was. Not only was the risk high, but the investment requirements were also extremely demanding.

A flood of words filled with concern and caution rose to his lips, but they ultimately condensed into three words: "Do you have enough money?"

"I do," Ye Zhiqiu replied. "What I lack now is a reliable partner."

"I do have a few students who work in related fields. One of them just returned from abroad recently..."

As Lan Hua spoke, he looked at Ye Zhiqiu.

Young, handsome, with slender fingers more delicate than fine white porcelain, it was clear that he had been raised in luxury, making it hard to associate him with the world of business.

"But, they might not look favorably upon you," he said earnestly.

His student was talented, experienced, and ambitious—someone destined to make a mark in the rising tide of new energy. How could they possibly be interested in a young man who had never lifted a finger?

"But," Lan Hua couldn't help leaning forward and affectionately ruffling Ye Zhiqiu's jet-black, soft hair, "your uncle can help set up a meeting. Whether it works out depends on you."

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu's eyes immediately lit up.

"Thank you, Uncle," he said sweetly.

True to his word, the next afternoon, Ye Zhiqiu received a call from Lan Hua's student.

Lan Hua's student, Zhang Mian, graduated from a prestigious foreign university and later joined a local new energy vehicle company. He had recently resigned and returned to China, hoping to start a new venture.

Although still on vacation, he had already received an offer from the largest new energy vehicle company in the country, "Ruiyi."

Given his strong background and capabilities, Zhang Mian naturally looked down on the inexperienced Ye Zhiqiu, who had nothing to show in the industry.

The reason for the meeting was purely out of respect for his teacher.

But by the end of the meal, the relaxed and somewhat dismissive expression on his face changed, and a hint of seriousness crept into his brow.

"You can take your time to consider it," Ye Zhiqiu said, setting down his utensils with a smile. "Compared to Ruiyi, my offer is indeed not very attractive, and the risks are much higher."

"But looking at it another way, high risk also means high returns. If we can work together and break through, our future influence in the industry might even surpass Ruiyi," he paused and continued, "Ruiyi can provide you with the best platform, but because the platform is so good, there will be fierce competition. Even if you join, standing out won't be easy."

Coincidentally, the founder of Ruiyi was Nie Yunsong, the grandfather of Qin Jianhe, the current leader of Q.L. The current CEO of Ruiyi was Nie Fengjun, Qin Jianhe's mother.

Nie Fengjun was originally a fashion designer. Due to her exceptional talent, she became the last disciple of the renowned designer MICHEAL WANG.

At a fashion exhibition, the already famous Nie Fengjun met Qin Xusheng, who was relatively unknown at the time.

They fell in love, and Nie Fengjun gave up her position as chief designer of a high-end brand abroad to return to China and help Qin Xusheng build the empire of Q.L.

Unfortunately, after their success, their relationship ended in divorce.

After the divorce, Nie Fengjun left the fashion industry and took over her father's new energy company.

Under her leadership, Ruiyi has become the top new energy vehicle company in the country. Last year, Nie Fengjun even became the wealthiest person in the country.

Ye Zhiqiu could imagine the allure of Ruiyi's invitation to Zhang Mian.

However, since Zhang Mian chose to return from abroad, his ambitions might extend beyond that.

"If you join Ruiyi, your life will remain unchanged," Ye Zhiqiu asked. "At your age, wouldn't you consider giving yourself a chance to take a risk?"

Though his words were lengthy, they were delivered calmly, and the final sentence struck a chord with Zhang Mian.

His ambition did indeed go beyond what Ruiyi offered.

The private room fell silent as Zhang Mian seriously observed the young man across from him.

If initially, he found the young man too strikingly beautiful, now he was amazed by the bold spirit within that beautiful exterior.

Over the years, Zhang Mian had studied and worked around the globe, considering himself well-traveled.

Yet sitting here at this "negotiation table," he felt he had no control over the conversation.

Moreover, the young man across from him held some particularly enticing information.

Even glimpsing a fraction of it was enough to get his blood pumping.

"Making Ruiyi look up to us," Zhang Mian understood, might not be mere empty talk.

"Factory, equipment, raw materials..." Zhang Mian began. "You have none of these, yet you're imagining the future based on these papers?"

"I do have a factory," Ye Zhiqiu said. "But you'll need to negotiate for it."

Zhang Mian: "..."

EXCUSE ME?

Ye Zhiqiu pulled out the factory documents from his backpack and handed them to Zhang Mian.

Zhang Mian looked down at the factory for a moment. "With all the equipment, it would cost at least five million a year, right?"

"Our family has been subcontracting some parts production from this factory every year, so I'm quite familiar with it," Ye Zhiqiu said with a smile. "The owner of this factory is called Huo Jun. We call him Uncle Huo, but in reality, he's a son-in-law, so he's notoriously henpecked."

As Ye Zhiqiu spoke, he handed a photo to Zhang Mian.

In the photo, a man and a woman were in an intimate pose. The man was in his forties or fifties, already showing signs of middle-aged weight gain, while the woman was young and strikingly beautiful.

"This guy is really lucky," Zhang Mian joked. "His wife is young and beautiful, and she even gave him a factory."

Ye Zhiqiu laughed. "This is his mistress. Rumor has it that she's pregnant."

Zhang Mian: "..."

"Take this photo and talk to him," Ye Zhiqiu said calmly. "He's most afraid of his wife finding out about this..."

Ye Zhiqiu paused. "Two million should be enough to settle it."

Huo Jun had always maintained a good relationship with Tao Ruoqing. Later, at least half of the investment Tao Ruoqing used to support Qi Xin came from Huo Jun.

While Ye Zhiqiu's method wasn't honorable, it was what Huo Jun deserved.

Zhang Mian: "..."

He must have gone mad.

Despite the unreliable nature of the young man in front of him, he somehow felt very reliable.

Even though he thought this plan was unethical, he couldn't help but want to try it.

.

Time flew by, and Ye Zhiqiu had officially joined VIA for a week.

During this period, Qi Xin had contacted him countless times, but Ye Zhiqiu ignored all calls and messages without mercy.

This shattered any hope Qi Xin had that Ye Zhiqiu might soften after learning about his condition.

After his fever subsided, when Jiang Nan visited again, Qi Xin no longer felt the intense joy he had experienced during their first meeting in the hospital.

He was anxious and uncertain, not even noticing when Jiang Nan left.

Clutching onto the last bit of hope, he dialed the number he could recite by heart once more.

Fortunately, this time, someone answered the phone, and upon hearing Ye Zhiqiu's voice, Qi Xin almost burst into tears of gratitude.

He didn't give Ye Zhiqiu a chance to reconsider and apologized repeatedly.

"I'm sorry. I know I have no right to interfere with your life," Qi Xin said sincerely. "I was just too weak due to my illness and too fond of you, which made me lose control. It won't happen again."

"It won't?" came the indifferent response from the other end.

"It won't," Qi Xin repeated.

He truly was scared of Ye Zhiqiu now.

"Do you have time tomorrow? Let's have dinner together," Qi Xin pressed on. "I miss you and want to see you."

The line fell silent, making Qi Xin nervous.

"How about the day after tomorrow?" Ye Zhiqiu finally spoke. "I have work tomorrow."

Ye Zhiqiu finally relented, and Qi Xin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll pick you up the day after tomorrow."

"Mm." Ye Zhiqiu acknowledged and hung up the phone.

Before he could put the phone back on the table, it rang again in his hand. This time, it was Jin Baobao.

"What's up?" VIA had given Ye Zhiqiu a private office, and he put the call on speaker as he continued drawing while listening to Jin Baobao.

"Are you really not going to the wrap party tomorrow?" Jin Baobao asked. "Even if you didn't go to Q.L, it's still a good opportunity to meet industry leaders."

"I need to visit a fabric factory in the suburbs tomorrow," Ye Zhiqiu said. "It's really tight on time."

"Alright then," Jin Baobao said reluctantly. "Since that's the case, I'll give the spot to Tang Yue. He's asked me several times, and I kept putting it off thinking of you."

Ye Zhiqiu's hand holding the drawing pen paused.

"Okay," he said.

"Annoying." Jin Baobao hung up the phone.

Ye Zhiqiu finished the fashion sketch quietly and then imported it into his email to send to Sun Wei.

VIA was a small company, and Sun Wei was both the founder and the lead designer.

Not long after sending the email, there was a knock on the door, and Sun Wei came in directly.

"How about dinner tonight?" she smiled.

She genuinely wanted to keep Ye Zhiqiu.

Although he had only been with the company for a week, his talent had already impressed her greatly.

Even though he only worked part-time, his output was comparable to that of a full-time designer, and almost every piece amazed her.

This was the first time in years of VIA's decline that she saw a glimmer of hope.

"No, thanks," Ye Zhiqiu said, tying his scarf and reaching for his coat. "I'm going to the factory tomorrow, so I need to do some homework and get some rest early."

"You're working hard, Xiao Ye," Sun Wei said, reminding him, "The attitude at the factory might not be great, so bear with it."

Seeing Ye Zhiqiu slightly puzzled, Sun Wei explained, "This factory was secured when VIA was on the rise. Back then, we had many orders and a large procurement volume, so everything went smoothly. Later, when we declined and our orders decreased, our procurement couldn't keep up, and the factory became less willing to take our orders. Especially recently, they've partnered with Q.L and are reportedly developing new fabrics, making them even less interested in us..."

Sun Wei gave an apologetic smile.

Ye Zhiqiu nodded, understanding.

"I see, Sister," he said with a nonchalant smile. "It's a minor issue."