Chapter 109

Chapter 109

In June, as the exam week before summer break approached, Ye Zhiqiu finally stepped back into the campus.

Previously, after the plagiarism incident involving Tang Yue, he had taken an extended leave from school.

Given his consistently excellent academic performance and unparalleled practical skills, coupled with Tang Yue's affected mental state following the incident, the school readily approved his leave, fearing that their simultaneous presence might escalate tensions and lead to unforeseen incidents.

Now, his reappearance on campus drew the attention of most people, even amidst the busy pre-exam period.

Many secretly hoped for a confrontation between the two, remembering how Tang Yue had threatened to jump off a building to force a meeting with Ye Zhiqiu.

Strangely, Tang Yue, who had previously ignored the public outcry and attended every class without showing any change in demeanor, suddenly vanished from campus over the past few days.

Whether by coincidence or not, it seemed as if he was deliberately avoiding Ye Zhiqiu.

This resurgence of rumors about the past incident further tarnished Tang Yue’s already damaged reputation.

After afternoon classes ended, Ye Zhiqiu left the school with his backpack, got into his car, and received a call from Tao Ruoqing.

Taking advantage of her illness, Tao Ruoqing had settled comfortably into the hospital.

Firstly, to avoid the wrath of Ye Hongxian, which had nowhere else to vent after the recent scandal.

Secondly, to escape the mockery of the high society wives who already treated her as a laughingstock.

Over the years, she had painstakingly maintained these relationships through flattery and endurance.

However, with Ye Zhixia’s humiliating marriage and the current crisis facing the Ye family, these relationships finally crumbled.

In the past, despite the Ye family’s middling status, her efforts had earned her some respect among the high society wives.

But now, she was like mud stuck to their shoes, something they wanted to shake off quickly.

If she dared approach them now, she would only face undisguised ridicule and coldness.

Even her hospitalization went unasked about by these women, who openly discussed the matter on social media without any restraint.

Tao Ruoqing, naturally strong-willed, did not wish to see anyone in her current state of exhaustion and despair.

However, with no more tea parties or card games to fill her time, she preferred calling Ye Zhiqiu more often.

When the caretaker was unsatisfactory, when her condition worsened, when the food sent from home lost its freshness, or simply asking when Ye Zhiqiu would come to visit her...

Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu smiled indifferently as he fastened his seatbelt.

"I've contacted Shaojun. Tomorrow, I'll transfer you to his private hospital where you can have customized meals, and I'll arrange for a new caretaker. I'll visit you when I have time."

After hanging up, he opened the chat window with Ye Zheng and sent a message.

"Yizhiqiu: Mom is sick. When are you coming back?"

In fact, even without this message, Ye Zheng and Ye Zhixia had already planned to return home in the coming days.

The escalation of the Gao Wenye incident, the changing landscape of domestic new energy, and the mysterious boss behind Yunkai, who had sparked numerous speculations and discussions, had already diverted much of the public's attention.

Although returning now might not be the best timing, Ye Zhixia was eager to distance herself from Gao Wenye and needed to personally handle the divorce proceedings.

Moreover, the changes in the domestic new energy market had rapidly impacted the international market, causing Ye Zheng to feel uneasy.

Not to mention, Ye Hongxian and relevant departments of the company had been frequently contacting him, and the company was already at a dead end.

Though he knew that returning now would not change anything, Ye Zheng could not abandon Ye Ding or Tao Ruoqing.

Others might not know, but he understood the extent of Tao Ruoqing's efforts and sacrifices for the Ye family's business over the years.

Yet, amidst his anxiety, he felt a strange sense of relief.

If the Ye family's business truly disappeared, would Tao Ruoqing stop being so hostile towards Ye Zhiqiu?

This thought lingered in his mind, leaving him in a state of conflicting emotions—fear and excitement, pain and relief.

The reason they had not immediately set out was due to Ye Zhixia's concerning mental state.

When they received Ye Zhiqiu's message, the brothers had just finished discussing their plans.

They decided to stay three more days.

If nothing else happened within those three days, they would prepare to return home, no longer delaying their departure.

However, upon receiving Ye Zhiqiu's message, they changed their minds immediately, and Ye Zheng booked early morning flights for the next day.

Fortunately, Ye Zhixia's luck held.

Just as they finalized their tickets and started packing, Gao Wenye finally responded to Cui Xuan's previous allegations.

With nothing left to lose, he released a video clip showing Cui Xuan trying to seduce him at the company.

In the video, Cui Xuan and Gao Wenye were clearly both playing roles—one reluctant, the other eager—making it obvious that neither was innocent.

Gao Wenye's reputation was already ruined, and compared to the previous videos, this one made him appear relatively clean.

On the other hand, Cui Xuan, who had previously gained sympathy by claiming he was forced, now faced a barrage of criticism and scorn, all the sympathy turning against him.

Condemnation, insults, and ridicule...

Like rain, they poured through the internet, mercilessly pelting him.

As soon as the incident broke, many reporters rushed to surround Gao Wenye and Cui Xuan. At this moment, Ye Zhixia's presence in the public eye and among the journalists dropped to its lowest point.

Meanwhile, in a hotel suite, Ye Zhiqiu had just changed his clothes.

After leaving school, he drove directly to the hotel where he had arranged to meet Nie Fengjun, booking an hourly room on the top floor.

He double-checked the information on his computer and reviewed his negotiation plan once more before taking a brief rest and then retrieving the suit he had prepared earlier.

A white shirt and black suit, all meticulously tailored by his own hands with every stitch and cut.

No one knew himself better than he did, and no one understood the attitude and professionalism required for negotiations with Nie Fengjun better than he did.

So when he put on the suit, his sharp and efficient demeanor was immediately highlighted, and even his aura became much stronger than usual.

Tying his tie, Ye Zhiqiu readjusted his wristwatch and cufflinks...

Step by step, unhurried.

Just as everything was in order, Zhang Mian's call came right on time.

"Boss, have you arrived?" Over time, Zhang Mian's way of addressing him had changed, but his attitude had become increasingly respectful and submissive.

"I'm upstairs." Ye Zhiqiu spoke succinctly, giving himself a final check in the mirror before heading downstairs with his bag. "See you on the fifteenth floor."

With twenty minutes left before the scheduled negotiation time, out of respect, Ye Zhiqiu and Zhang Mian arrived early at the designated meeting room.

"Are we all set?" Zhang Mian asked, unable to hide his nervousness.

Thinking back to when he returned to the country, even being hired as an ordinary employee in Ruiyi's market department seemed like a great opportunity. But now, he was actually sitting across from Nie Fengjun at the negotiation table.

Nie Fengjun.

That was Nie Fengjun.

Although this wasn't a formal negotiation yet—more accurately, it was just about discussing initial cooperation intentions and sketching out preliminary terms—thinking of the other party being Nie Fengjun still made Zhang Mian solemn, flipping through the documents repeatedly.

After a moment, he couldn't help but turn to look at Ye Zhiqiu.

"Boss," he said, "do you think President Nie will bring her entire team?"

"No," despite being younger than him, Ye Zhiqiu's expression remained calm and composed, "it's just a casual chat."

Zhang Mian: "..."

What? You call this a casual chat?

As they spoke, the meeting room door was pushed open again by a server, and Nie Fengjun entered with her entourage.

Similarly dressed in formal attire, but this time, her long hair was neatly tied up, completely different from the casual and gentle appearance during their previous encounter, exuding a powerful and refined aura.

Behind her were several accompanying personnel. Though not a full team, there were five of them, all in suits and looking serious.

And one of them...

Ye Zhiqiu pursed his lips, stood up, and greeted first, "President Nie."

Then he looked at Qin Jianhe, smiling slightly, polite and courteous, "Mr. Qin."

The air fell silent for a moment.

Seeing Zhang Mian standing shoulder to shoulder with Ye Zhiqiu but deliberately stepping back half a step to assume a subordinate posture, even Nie Fengjun, with her extensive experience, was momentarily taken aback.

Then she subtly glanced at Qin Jianhe.

Though it hadn't been officially announced yet, anyone with discernment should know that Qin Jianhe would be the next person in charge of Ruiyi.

So inviting him along wasn't inappropriate.

But she was certain that Qin Jianhe didn't know that Ye Zhiqiu was the true leader of Yunkai.

Otherwise, when she first suggested bringing him along, he wouldn't have refused.

And his reason for refusing shouldn't have been "I need to have dinner with Ye Zhiqiu."

If it weren't for her mentioning the interesting proposal just before leaving tonight, Qin Jianhe might not have accompanied her.

At the time, she teased him, "Why don't you need to have dinner with Xiao Ye anymore?"

Qin Jianhe replied indifferently, "He has plans."

"Oh~" Nie Fengjun remembered saying at the time.

And now, seeing Qin Jianhe's focused gaze on Ye Zhiqiu, those words involuntarily resurfaced in her mind.

"Sorry," Nie Fengjun said to the others behind her, "we're all familiar with each other here."

Then she turned to an older man and said, "Old Jiang, why don't you take the others upstairs for a drink and relax. Xiao Yu and I will stay here."

Jiang had followed Nie Fengjun for years, and this sudden change in plans was unprecedented.

But he trusted Nie Fengjun's decisiveness and judgment, so without hesitation, he nodded and led the others out.

The large meeting room door closed again, and the room fell silent once more.

Zhang Mian moved first, pulling out chairs for Nie Fengjun and Qin Jianhe and inviting them to sit down.

He did not suspect anything else, only assuming that Nie Fengjun's statement "we're all familiar with each other" was due to Ye Zhiqiu's employment at Q.L.

"President Nie, Mr. Qin, please take your seats," Zhang Mian said.

Qin Jianhe remained silent, sitting down opposite Ye Zhiqiu along with Nie Fengjun.

"Xiao Ye," Nie Fengjun smiled, "I'm delighted that we meet again in such a setting. You've surpassed my expectations."

"Thank you, President Nie," Ye Zhiqiu smiled back.

Feeling Qin Jianhe's intense gaze on him, he slightly lowered his eyes. "Shall we begin?"

"Sure." Nie Fengjun immediately flipped open the documents in front of her, entering the professional mode seamlessly.

The negotiation went smoothly.

At first glance, Ye Zhiqiu's terms did not seem too high. Similar to Xin Dongli, he asked for five percent of Ruiyi's shares and a reasonable share of profits from each related business deal.

However, considering Ruiyi's scale, his request was significantly more substantial than Xin Dongli's, almost like asking for the moon.

Nevertheless, after reviewing the rough proposal and project documents, Nie Fengjun readily agreed to his terms.

This was not just because the cooperation was highly attractive; most importantly, according to Nie Fengjun, Ruiyi would eventually be handed over to Qin Jianhe and Ye Zhiqiu.

If it was going to be theirs eventually, what difference did a day make?

Moreover, Ye Zhiqiu had presented such an intriguing design plan.

If successful, this could revolutionize traditional transportation methods and bring about a qualitative change in the world.

It was worth it.

Throughout the process, most of the interaction was between Nie Fengjun and Ye Zhiqiu, while Qin Jianhe only raised two relevant questions, both of which Ye Zhiqiu answered.

The negotiation concluded nearly half an hour earlier than expected. As the four stood up to leave, Nie Fengjun suddenly called out to Ye Zhiqiu.

"Xiao Yu," she smiled, "you and Xiao Zhang go ahead. I need to have a private word with Xiao Ye."

Qin Jianhe remained silent, his dark eyes fixed on Nie Fengjun.

"Don't worry," Nie Fengjun chuckled, gently pushing him away, "I won't make things difficult for him."

Zhang Mian: "…"

He glanced around.

Something felt a bit off, didn't it?

The meeting room door closed, and Nie Fengjun looked at Ye Zhiqiu with a smile.

"Was there any intention to test Xiao Yu in your arrangement?" she asked.

Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu's eyes widened slightly, surprised by Nie Fengjun's perceptiveness.

There probably was, though he hadn't seriously considered it.

Even after meeting Qian Wenhua, he already knew how precious Qin Jianhe's character was.

But once bitten, twice shy.

Perhaps his sense of security needed to pass through many checkpoints before truly reaching him.

Ye Zhiqiu did not answer Nie Fengjun's question. After a moment of silence, he spoke honestly.

"I just feel that you are his mother," he said, "and deserve my respect and seriousness."

Hearing this, Nie Fengjun's smile became even gentler. After a while, she softly sighed, "Good boy."

Just as she was about to leave, Ye Zhiqiu called out to her again.

"Aunt Nie," this time he used a different address, clearly indicating a shift to a personal conversation, "I have a question to ask you."

"Go ahead," Nie Fengjun said.

"I want to know how you managed to move past your past pain and start a new relationship," Ye Zhiqiu asked.

Realizing his impertinence, he continued, "I understand if this is too personal, so if you don't want to answer, it's fine."

Nie Fengjun shook her head, her smile deepening.

Just this expression told Ye Zhiqiu that she had long let go of the past.

"It's because I met someone wonderful, child," Nie Fengjun said, smiling, "Sometimes, one can only truly understand what they want after experiencing hardships, and learn how to face loss and gain with the right attitude."

"After all," she smiled, "dwelling on the past only makes oneself and those who love us unhappy."

Ye Zhiqiu stood silently for a moment, lost in thought.

After a while, he finally exhaled deeply.

"Thank you, Aunt," he said sincerely.

The meeting room door opened again, and the two emerged together.

Outside, Zhang Mian was watching the door somewhat nervously, while Qin Jianhe stood calmly by the window.

His posture was upright and composed, but like Zhang Mian, his gaze was quietly fixed on the door.

Seeing that the two of them finally came out, he stepped forward.

"Are you going home, Ye Zhiqiu?" he asked, his voice low and pleasant, revealing no other emotions.

At this, Nie Fengjun pursed her lips and smiled.

Only Zhang Mian: "..."

He looked around in confusion, left and right.

Why was that somewhat off feeling coming back, and getting more obvious?