Chapter 90 As if divinely aided

Restaurants are bustling with people during dinner time.

Ye Baoling and Bai Zhu sat behind the screen, eating and chatting about work.

As sales of "Tumbleweed" increased and the number of employees grew, the office needed to be moved.

Ye Baoling said, "Our previous office at Qiyuan was two units combined. Now that Qiyuan and Huayuan have moved to the Yulong Building, the office is vacant and can be used by you."

"Sure. Thanks, boss." Bai Zhu joked, "How about rent-free?"

Ye Baoling: "It seems you've already paid six months' rent. Have the finance department calculate it; they might be able to give you a discount."

Her mobile phone rang, and when she answered it, Ye Baoshun's voice came through the receiver.

"Sis, is it convenient for you to talk on the phone?"

"you say."

"I killed someone."

Ye Baoling was startled and stood up. "Don't worry, wait a moment."

She covered the receiver and said to Bai Zhu, "I'm going outside to take this call."

As Ye Baoling left the restaurant, she walked to the roadside and whispered, covering her mouth, "What's going on?"

Ye Baoshun's voice was urgent: "I just killed Lü Tianyou. He bled a lot, he probably won't survive."

Ye Baoling was a little agitated when she heard that Lü Tianyou was going to die.

Who would have thought that the original owner's revenge was taken by her own cousin?

Although it wasn't for the original owner.

Ye Baoling quickly asked, "Has anyone seen it?"

"Yes, the woman he was having an affair with saw it."

Where are you? I'll come pick you up.

After hanging up the phone, Ye Baoling paid the bill first, then went inside to apologize to Bai Zhu, saying she had to leave early because she was in a hurry.

At the same time, she called Ye Huaizhang and asked him to ask his friends at the police station if anyone in a certain area had filed a police report.

Not long after, Ye Huaizhang called her back to confirm that Lü Tianyou had died en route to the hospital.

In a secluded spot in an old neighborhood, Ye Baoling spotted a figure huddled near a public phone booth.

She drove her car over there.

Seeing a car parked by the roadside, Bao Shun hesitated for a moment, then quickly ran over, opened the door, and got in.

After getting on the bus, Ye Baoshun took off the hood of his sweatshirt. He looked bewildered, thin and pale, and looked particularly pitiful.

Ye Baoling shoved the hamburger she had bought into his hands: "Eat it quickly."

Ye Baoshun hadn't eaten anything for most of the day and was very hungry, but he couldn't eat.

"Sister, what should I do?"

Ye Baoling comforted him, "Your brother-in-law is consulting a lawyer. Just listen to our arrangements."

After a while, Ye Baoshun finally calmed down. He obediently ate his hamburger and drank his cola, but the image of Lu Tianyou's surprised and incredulous expression was still in his mind.

He did not regret killing this heartless, unfaithful man.

He wouldn't regret it even if he went to jail.

Ye Baoling took him to Hyde Old Street and handed him over to Chen Weiqiang, instructing Chen Weiqiang to find a secluded place to hide for a while.

She then drove home.

At this time, the eldest branch of the Ye family had already been filled with people.

Ye Qizu was discharged from the hospital today, and Ye Qizong's people were also there.

The police came to investigate and searched the place thoroughly. Before leaving, they told them to notify the police as soon as possible if they had any news about Ye Baoshun.

After the police left and everyone dispersed, only Ye Qizu, Ye Kaisi, and Ye Baoling remained in Grandpa's study.

Ye Baoling then told them, "An hour ago, Baoshun called me for help, and I took him to a friend's house to hide temporarily."

Upon hearing this, Liang Meiyun, who was on the verge of collapse, immediately stood up and asked, "Where are you hiding?"

Ye Baoling did not answer the question, but said, "We need to come up with a solution as soon as possible: whether to make him turn himself in or to let him hide abroad."

Ye Kaisi never expected that the first person he contacted after his son's accident would be Ye Baoling, but at this point, he was at a loss.

Ye Qi's ancestor cursed, "You can't even discipline your only son, what are you capable of?! Now you've caused such a huge disaster, how are you going to clean it up?"

Ye Kaisi and Liang Meiyun both lowered their heads and remained silent.

The old man asked again, "When will Attorney Jiang arrive?"

Uncle Xing replied, "Attorney Jiang's mother is seriously ill; he will arrive shortly."

Ye Huaizhang arrived first.

He had already consulted a lawyer on the way, and he analyzed for them: "If you hide abroad and can never return to Hong Kong, can you accept that? If you can't accept it, then the best option is to turn yourself in. The maximum penalty for murder is life imprisonment, and this case certainly won't result in such a sentence. Our lawyer, Yang, suggested that you could file a lawsuit for mental illness."

Ye Kais didn't understand: "Mental illness? Is it something that just appears out of nowhere?"

Ye Huaizhang: "Last time, when Bao Shun was provoked, he stabbed Zheng Junni. This time, he was also provoked and attacked Lü Tianyou viciously. The prosecution will find a professional psychiatric evaluation expert to conduct an evaluation."

Liang Meiyun asked, "Will I still go to jail?"

Ye Huaizhang: "It will definitely be necessary, but the sentence may be lenient depending on the circumstances."

Liang Meiyun instinctively objected: "If he turns himself in, Baoshun's life will be ruined. It's better not to turn himself in."

Ye Baoling reminded him: "Second Aunt, if Baoshun doesn't turn himself in, he can only hide abroad and never come back."

Liang Meiyun said defiantly, "If he doesn't want to come back, he doesn't have to. After what happened, staying in Hong Kong will only lead to gossip and judgment. We can go abroad to see him and keep him company. At least he won't have to go to jail or be labeled a lunatic."

Ye Kais was a little more rational. He asked, "Is there a high enough chance of winning a lawsuit on the moral grounds? I'm afraid that if we don't succeed in the end, we'll still get a heavy sentence."

Ye Huaizhang couldn't guarantee it would work; "We can't rule out that possibility."

Ye Qizu didn't like either of these options.

He sighed heavily and asked Ye Baoling, "What does Baoshun himself think?"

Ye Baoling: "He's a bit panicked right now, and he doesn't have any ideas yet."

They all fell silent, wanting to wait for the lawyer to arrive before discussing the matter further.

In the room, only the fish in the fish tank were carefree.

Ye Baoling felt a little melancholy.

When Attorney Jiang arrived, he gave similar advice.

They talked until almost midnight, when Ye Qizu couldn't keep up and needed to rest. He told Ye Kaisi and his wife to go back to their room to discuss things.

Then everyone dispersed.

Back in their room, Ye Kaisi and his wife had an argument.

Ye Kaisi hoped that Bao Shun would turn himself in: "If he turns himself in and goes to court, at least we will still have hope. If he doesn't turn himself in, then his life is over. He can only wander outside and will never come back. He won't be able to inherit the family business either."

“You only care about the old man’s inheritance, Ye Kaisi, don’t be so selfish! He’s your only son. He’ll be ruined if he goes to jail. We don’t need to give him money while he’s out there, isn’t it better to live a good life?” Liang Meiyun wiped away her tears, “I can go abroad to be with my son.”

Ye Kaisi paced back and forth in the room, hands on his hips: "A doting mother spoils her son. Ye Baoshun is a prime example of how you spoil him!"

Liang Meiyun retorted, "If a son is not taught, it is the father's fault. When did it become 'If a son is not taught, it is the mother's fault'? When things are good, he is your son, but when things are bad, it's just me who raised him?"

Ye Kais felt a headache coming on: "What should we do?"

“What else can we do? We can smuggle ourselves to Southeast Asia first, and then go to Europe from Southeast Asia, or Australia would also work. My sister is in Australia, so we can go to her first. Going to Canada is also an option. Doesn’t Grandpa own property in Canada? We won’t need to buy a house there.” In a very short time, Liang Meiyun had already planned out several escape routes.

As long as my son is alright and doesn't go to jail, everything else is secondary.

Ye Kaisi sighed heavily, wishing he had had another son.

*

Following the announcement of Suman Jewelry's acquisition of Gezhi Jewelry, Suman's stock price surged.

The question of whether Gezhi should change its name to Su Man was divided into two factions in the meeting room.

Those who support the name change believe that unification will make advertising and management easier, while also saving on marketing costs and expanding market share.

Those who disagree argue that Gezhi and Suman can be separated into two lines, just like some large brands have multiple sub-brands.

Zhou Wenxuan, who is in charge of design and marketing, said: "Gezhi Design is more fashionable and exquisite in craftsmanship, focusing on diamond and ruby ​​setting techniques, which is very suitable for young people who pursue mid-to-high-end quality jewelry. Suman's customers may be more mature and prefer gold, so our marketing direction is also mainly based on gold. The two brands and two directions are both under Suman Jewelry, but one is called Suman Gold and the other is called Gezhi Jewelry. The customer groups are different, so the marketing strategies will definitely be different..."

General Manager Lin Meijuan nodded: "Wenxuan makes sense. Moreover, merging Gezhi with them and changing the storefront and VI system would be another expense. It would be better to continue with two separate brands. This way, we can serve two completely different types of consumers."

Ye Baoling agreed: "So, the storefront of Su Man Jewelry will be changed to Su Man Gold? Everything else remains the same?"

"Most of Suman's storefronts actually have signs that say 'Suman Gold,' so there's no need to change them. This is a legacy issue."

After all, Suman Jewelry used to be called Suman Gold, and now it's just a matter of changing it back.

Someone suggested: "Should we add the name 'Su Man' before 'Gezhi Jewelry'? Some simple store signs could be changed uniformly so that people know that Gezhi belongs to Su Man."

Someone took out paper and pen and wrote it down.

【Su Man Gezhi Jewelry】or 【Su Man | Gezhi Jewelry】.

Ye Baoling looked at it carefully: "Let's design two patterns first and let everyone choose one."

...

The television in the living room on the first floor of the third brother's house was broadcasting news about Gezhi Jewelry being acquired by Su Man. Ye Jinfeng picked up the remote control and turned off the television.

Ye Jinliu, who was sitting next to him looking through the phone book, laughed at him: "You too, it's been so long, and you still can't let it go. Gezhi Jewelry is doing well, and speaking of which, you're one of the founders."

Ye Jinfeng unfolded the newspaper. "What founder? A founder who was driven away? It's shameful to even mention it."

"Think about it, it's better to give it to the eldest son's family than to the Li family, right? They'll be Huai Zhang's children in the future, so it's not like we're giving it to outsiders."

Ye Jinfeng didn't want to talk about this anymore. He asked, "Third Sister, you're always so rarely seen. What have you been up to?"

Ye Jinliu smiled mysteriously and said, "Gong Jinghui has a project that needs investment and asked me if I wanted to take a stake. I'm investigating."

Ye Jinfeng reminded her: "Don't invest recklessly if you don't understand. Putting your money in the bank and buying some bonds is safer than anything else."

"This is different. I'll tell you after I've investigated it thoroughly. Maybe you'll be interested too," Ye Jinliu said dismissively.

Ye Jinfeng smiled and said nothing more.

*

When Ye Baoling got home from get off work, Ye Kaisi and his wife, along with the old man, had finally reached a conclusion after discussing it for several days.

The risk of him turning himself in was still too great, mainly because after Ye Baoshun calmed down, he himself was unwilling to turn himself in, so they decided to send him out.

Liang Meiyun's younger brother had connections that allowed Ye Baoshun to take a cargo ship to Southeast Asia first.

Ye Baoling didn't try to persuade them any further. She gave them Chen Weiqiang's contact number, saying, "This is Weiqiang's phone number. You can contact him directly."

“Baoshun’s uncle will send someone to pick him up. It will take a few days by cargo ship to reach Thailand, where there will be someone to meet him. After that, he will fly to Australia.”

Ye Qizu promised to give them money to buy a large estate in Australia, after which Ye Kaisi and Liang Meiyun could visit their son in Australia from time to time.

Because the police might be secretly watching the eldest son's family, none of the Ye family members went to see him off.

Before boarding the ship, Ye Baoshun called his mother, and the two arranged to meet in Australia.

*

Today is Monday, and a management meeting is being held in the conference room on the 29th floor of Yulong Building.

Because its production capacity cannot keep up, Ye Qingtang herbal tea has begun to outsource the production of bottled beverages to a large number of companies.

Outsourcing is costly and carries significant quality risks, so we can only discuss adding a supervisory and guidance team to conduct random inspections.

The expansion into the East Asian market is progressing smoothly. Currently, several agents have proactively applied to represent the South Korean and Japanese markets, with General Manager Qu and Manager Huang responsible for communication and negotiations.

When it comes to investing in mainland China, Huang Ying has many concerns because she travels there frequently.

“Labor and resources are cheap in the mainland, making it a very suitable place to invest in and open a factory, no problem. But conversely, if we want to open up the mainland market, we face far more difficulties than we imagined.”

Others agreed: "Wages are low in mainland China, and people use their money to make ends meet, not to buy drinks."

Huang Ying: "Yes. I think there is still some market for herbal tea and iced tea, but now Miss wants to open a mineral water factory and spend money to buy water. In the mainland, it is a high-end consumption. A bottle of water can buy half a catty of meat. Ordinary people can't afford it."

This is indeed a very real problem.

Ye Baoling happened to be going to Shenzhen, so she invited Huang Ying to go and investigate the market together.

That day, they crossed the border directly from Wenjindu in a business van.

Ye Baoling bought two plots of land in Shenzhen, and is currently developing the Futian plot within the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

Upon arriving at the factory area, all I could see were construction sites.

Uncle Gu Xianyong ran over with two safety helmets, saying, "I was just about to ask, why aren't we here yet?"

"There was a traffic jam when we got to the checkpoint." Ye Baoling took the safety helmet and put it on. She had seen the construction drawings and renderings before, and this was her first time inspecting the construction site.

Looking at the bustling scene before her, all of which belonged entirely to her own personal businesses, Ye Baoling felt a slight thrill in her heart.

Gu Xianyong explained from the side: "The main gate faces south. To the left of the entrance is the canteen, and to the right is the basketball court. Further in are Workshop 1 and Workshop 2, and then Warehouse 1 and Warehouse 2. Behind the canteen, to the west, where the foundation has already been laid, are the dormitories. There are two dormitory buildings; the larger one is for girls, and the smaller one is for boys."

Huang Ying asked, "When can it be completed and put into operation?"

Gu Xianyong: "Originally scheduled for the end of July, we are now striving to complete the project in early June. After that, we will install the production line, recruit and train workers, and strive to start production in late June."

Once this facility is operational, it will completely replace the existing production capacity of contract manufacturers.

Huang Ying then asked, "Are you planning to install two production lines?"

"We are planning to install two production lines. However, the production lines we ordered are different from those currently used in Gangcheng. The new production lines are more than three times more efficient than the old ones, so the two new production lines are equivalent to the capacity of the previous six production lines," Gu Xianyong explained logically.

Huang Ying smiled and said, "I didn't realize that Director Gu was so experienced."

Gu Xianyong quickly replied modestly, "I'm also learning as I go, just getting by."

After praising her uncle a couple of times, Ye Baoling then instructed, "The construction quality must be strictly controlled."

"Don't worry, everything is built according to standards. Our factory is more standardized than other Hong Kong-owned factories. It's unacceptable if it's not standardized. If it doesn't meet the standards, we have no connections and can use back channels."

Walking into the inner workshop, where the progress was faster, a supervisor greeted Gu Xianyong.

"Director Gu, is this the new female colleague? She's quite beautiful."

Gu Xianyong's face darkened: "This is our boss, Chairman Ye, and General Manager Huang."

The supervisor was all smiles just a moment ago, but he became serious in a second. Such a young chairman? Are you kidding me?

But they didn't dare ask in front of others, and just smiled and nodded.

Ye Baoling and Huang Ying walked around the factory and she noticed that almost every worker was carrying a green military water bottle.

Nowadays, no worker can afford bottled water.

After the inspection, Ye Baoling and Huang Ying went to stroll through the nearby market.

The roadside stalls sell all kinds of drinks, but the most popular drink is still soda.

The soft drink is packaged in glass bottles, and the bottles are recycled after the drink is finished. It's cheap and thirst-quenching.

Other beverage options are limited, and bottled water costs 1 yuan per bottle, making it a high-end consumer item.

Ye Baoling understood that the mineral water business was viable and had great potential, but not now.

It's not too late to consider it at least five years from now.

Ye Baoling and Huang Ying each bought a bottle of soda and stood on the street drinking it. The country was in chaos, and their bodyguards were standing guard nearby, not daring to relax their vigilance in the slightest.

Huang Ying sighed, "Those two water source sites would have been great for building factories, what a pity."

Ye Baoling didn't want to give up so easily, so she changed her approach: "We can create a mineral water brand, with the main consumer market being Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. If possible, we can expand overseas, following the route of iced tea, and sell directly to Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea."

A few years later, when the lives of the domestic people have improved and there is market demand, they will turn their attention to seizing the domestic market.

Huang Ying nodded repeatedly: "That's a new idea. No mineral water company has gone international yet, but we can give it a try. After all, we have Ye Qingtang as a powerful backer, and we already have distributors."

The sales channels are mature and reliable.

Ye Baoling: "If we design the bottle to be more attractive and international, and don't price it too high, but instead target the mass market and win through volume, we might actually become a major international brand."

The two shared the same idea.

Huang Ying then asked, "Does this mineral water brand belong to Ye Qingtang or Huayuan?"

If it belongs to Ye Qingtang, then it is a listed company; if it belongs to Huayuan, then it is Ye Baoling's personal property.

Then of course, we should choose Huayuan.

However, we can use Ye Qingtang's resources.

Why not use the resources you have?

Huang Ying immediately went back to prepare the materials, and then went north to sign contracts for the two water sources.

Ye Baoling, on the other hand, headed east to the seaside.

Ye Huaizhang is also inspecting the construction site here today, but he is inspecting the port construction site, which is different from hers.

The two met at the port and then went to inspect the construction site together.

Compared to the small construction site Ye Baoling inspected that morning, the port in front of her was a true model of a construction maniac's work.

There were countless giant cranes, as well as large crane booms, excavators, heavy trucks, drilling machines, pile drivers... The rumbling sounds came from all directions, creating quite a lively scene.

Ye Huaizhang asked her, "How is it? Standing here, do you feel insignificant?"

Ye Baoling nodded and praised, "It's magnificent! Compared to you, we are truly insignificant."

She was unusually well-behaved, following him around and looking at things, broadening her horizons along the way.

Afterwards, we ate local seafood at a nearby small restaurant.

The seafood here isn't particularly abundant, but it's incredibly fresh.

After finishing our meal, we returned to the city and went to eat the incredibly delicious roasted pigeon that we had last time.

We stayed at a hotel in the city center that night.

The two took a bath together.

When talking about the two construction sites she visited today, she had just finished being modest in the afternoon, but now she's getting cocky again.

"Although your construction site is larger and more impressive than ours, it's not certain who will make more money. We are indeed running a small business, but as long as the scale increases, even small businesses can make a lot of money."

She is confident.

He used to dismiss these remarks as jokes.

After being beaten up a few times, he dared not underestimate a word she said. He hugged his wife tightly and said, "Can I get some shares in the mineral water brand you want to start? I'll put up the money and invest in it for you."

Ye Baoling glanced at him with a smile: "I'm not short of money. I've already paid you back the bridging loan I borrowed from you last time, with interest."

"Mr. Ye, give me a chance to work together." He kissed her.

Ye Baoling returned his kiss, then cruelly refused with a smile: "No."

He was actually afraid that the two of them would argue if they collaborated. He said it casually, but she rejected him so readily that he lost face.

So I want to find it from other places.

He placed his hand on her chest, pressed it down, and was about to slip it inside from behind, but he held back at the crucial moment. He asked, "Did you bring it?"

Before leaving home today, she said she was in charge of taking care of the little quadrilateral.

"I asked the doctor to prescribe birth control pills for me." She just wanted to try what it felt like without them.

Hearing that she didn't need to wear a mask, he was even more excited than she was, and he thrust himself in from behind.

It was definitely different; the veins were strong and clearly defined. She didn't like being in the water at first, but after being in the water for a short time, she unexpectedly rose to a high level.

After getting out of the water, they went twice more; it had been a long time since they'd felt so refreshed and invigorated. They've been busy lately; sometimes they might not get to go a week without a break.

Therefore, we must enjoy ourselves to the fullest today.

*

Liang Meiyun bought a bunch of things back, including various tonics for making soup, which she planned to take to Australia.

Ye Kaisi said to her, "Your son isn't coming anytime soon, why are you in such a hurry?"

“I’ll make the arrangements first. He’ll go to Thailand, rest for a day, and then take a half-day flight to Australia. He’ll settle in at my sister’s house, and then I’ll fly there.”

She couldn't stand being here for even a day longer.

Now the whole city is filled with news about her son murdering his homosexual lover. Relatives and friends avoid seeing each other as much as possible, and when they do, it's always awkward.

Liang Meiyun opened a box of large scallops, wanting to smell them, but she was too clumsy and spilled them all over the floor.

Ye Kais clicked his tongue upon seeing this: "Look at you..."

The maid rushed over to tidy up.

Liang Meiyun sat down, clutching her chest. "I don't know what's wrong with me today, my mind is in turmoil. That family surnamed Lü must have been trying to poison us with voodoo dolls."

Ring ring ring ring!

The phone rang, and the maid answered it, saying, "Second Madam, it's your uncle on the phone."

Liang Meiyun walked over and answered the phone, "Hello!"

It was a call from her brother.

Her brother didn't know what he wanted to say, and stammered for a long time before asking Ye Kaisi to answer the phone.

It turns out that Ye Baoshun's cargo ship was supposed to arrive at the Thai port ahead of schedule. They were supposed to transfer to a small boat and sail across the sandy beach to reach the shore, but an unexpected shipwreck occurred, and everyone on board perished.

Liang Meiyun, who was listening nearby, collapsed.

Upon learning the news, Ye Qizu suffered another stroke and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

After hearing about Ye Baoshun's accident, Ye Baoling couldn't feel happy at all, for some reason.

She sat on the sofa for a while, and for a moment, it seemed that the annoying, selfish Ye Baoshun had really become her cousin.

Two days later, Ye Baoling received a phone call from an unknown number in the conference room.

"Sister, it's me."

Ye Baoling almost cried out in surprise. Because there were people around, she didn't dare call his name and quickly walked to the side: "Where are you? Are you alright?"

Ye Baoshun: "I'm in Southeast Asia. Don't tell Grandpa or my parents about my phone call. I plan to make my own way in the world for a while."

-----------------------

Author's note: Ye Baoling: It's truly like divine assistance.

Ye Huaizhang: Didn't you plan this all by yourself step by step?

Ye Baoling: I counted 1234 steps, and the rest of the story unfolded on its own. I was quite surprised.

Ye Huaizhang: I don't believe it. [Let me see]

Ye Baoling: Really [resting chin on hand]