Chapter 99: His Defenses Broken

On this day, at a senior management meeting, Ye Baoling appointed Qu Zhengming as the group's vice general manager and a director of the board, and announced that the company would carry out important personnel reforms.

Everyone predicted that the young lady would target the old ministers left behind by Ye Qizu.

Although many veteran officials in key positions have not yet received notification, they sense that the guillotine is about to fall and are trying to save themselves.

After much thought, the only one who could save them was Ye Qizu.

Since Ye Qizu was discharged from the hospital and returned home, it has been difficult for people to see him again.

These people had no choice but to gather in Lin Zhong's office, hoping to get some information from him and asking Lin Zhong to ask Ye Qizu to intervene and protect them.

Lin Zhong is the only one in the company who can still see Ye Qizu.

Lin Zhong didn't want to help, but out of consideration for Ye Qizu, he still called to tell him the relevant information.

Ye Qizu had no shares left and no say in the matter, so he had no choice but to call Ye Baoling.

"You want to reform? Fine. But don't be too radical. Slow down the pace appropriately. Those old ministers have worked for Ye Qingtang their whole lives. Even if they haven't made any great contributions, they have certainly put in a lot of hard work. If word gets out that you're indiscriminately killing these old ministers, it will have a bad influence."

Ye Qizu is a rather contradictory person.

On the one hand, he tolerates all kinds of nepotism in the company and generally does not easily fire long-term employees; on the other hand, he is quite stingy when it comes to employee benefits.

This kind of muddled policy, which fails to distinguish between rewards and punishments, is what Ye Baoling hates most.

She said, "The so-called veterans have basically reached retirement age. They are stuck in their ways and can't keep up with the times. They will only become stumbling blocks for the company. I'm not cutting the veterans, but giving them generous conditions so that they can retire and go home to enjoy their old age."

Ye Qizu: "Then you should take it slow and not take too big a step..."

Ye Baoling insisted: "I'm making a swift and decisive move. If this person is crucial to a key position and Ye Qingtang can't do without him, then I can't just fire him like that. If I can fire him, it means he's not important at all. Wouldn't it be better to concentrate resources on truly capable employees and management?"

Ye Qizu knew his granddaughter was right, but she didn't give him any face at all, which annoyed him.

What can we do?

He could only be annoyed; she wouldn't listen to him, and he was completely helpless.

After hanging up the phone, Ye Baoling guessed that Lin Zhong must have tipped off Ye Qizu. After a moment's thought, she pressed the internal line and asked her secretary to call Lin Zhong over.

Soon, Lin Zhong knocked on the door and came in.

After he sat down, Ye Baoling said, "President Lin, I would like to entrust you with full responsibility for the upcoming personnel reforms."

Lin Zhong didn't want to take on this hot potato; he didn't want to become the knife in the young lady's hand used to chop down his old colleague, but he had no choice but to accept it.

Lin Zhong gave an awkward laugh: "This job is a bit too hot to handle."

Ye Baoling smiled and said, "I think within the company, only you are capable of doing this well."

"Young Miss, you should tell me your thoughts first."

Ye Baoling explained her thoughts in detail before saying, "List out all the executives who fit the characteristics I just mentioned. We'll discuss it internally, and then you can talk to them. Those who are of retirement age should retire, and those who are not should be given compensation before leaving. Try to make it an amicable parting."

Lin Zhong promised to compile a list in two days.

Back in his office, Lin Zhong was in a real bind. He knew this was the young lady's warning and test for him.

If he doesn't do a good job, he'll definitely be fired too.

If he wanted to do well, he would inevitably offend a group of old colleagues, but he had no choice.

Unless he resigns and leaves.

Two days later, Lin Zhong provided a detailed list.

It's not hard to see that Lin Zhong put a lot of thought into studying this list.

Ye Baoling was very satisfied with this.

Lin Zhong said with a guilty expression, "Miss, could you... could you please not let me talk to them?"

Ye Baoling looked at Lin Zhong for a long time before nodding: "Okay."

Lin Zhong was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected the young lady to agree to his request so easily.

He said nervously, "Thank you, Miss."

Ye Baoling smiled slightly: "Uncle Zhong, do you think I'm about to use a knife on you?"

Lin Zhong's heart pounded. "If Miss wants to fire me, I will have no regrets."

"Sitting in your position, the biggest taboo is being easily swayed. Do you know why Ye Qingtang Herbal Tea wasn't managed as well as Su Man Jewelry before? For so many years, you've been completely manipulated by Ye Kaishen. Have you ever thought about why it was always your subordinates who were dragged down in the end, not his people?"

Lin Zhong knew his weakness, but he still wanted to defend himself: "I don't have as many tricks up my sleeve as Ye Kaishen."

She didn't beat around the bush, but pointed out incisively: "Over the years, under my grandfather's leadership, there were many times when you, Uncle Zhong, had no choice but to go along with it and play peacemaker."

Lin Zhong, who had been spoken to, fell silent.

Ye Baoling: "Uncle Zhong, don't worry, I won't harm you. Compared to other veteran officials, your talent matches your position. At least you won't become a stumbling block for Ye Qingtang's progress."

These words touched Lin Zhong deeply. At this awkward time, gaining the young lady's approval was a very gratifying thing.

Finally, Ye Baoling said, "However, from now on, just be responsible to me and the board of directors in your work..."

The implication was that she should stop tattling on her grandfather.

Lin Zhong quickly replied, "I understand."

Good that you understand.

Ye Baoling handed the list back to Lin Zhong: "Have the deputy general manager of the human resources department talk to them. If you're worried about being harassed by them, you can take a vacation and go on a trip."

Lin Zhong was quite grateful: "Thank you for your understanding, Miss."

It wasn't until two days later that Ye Qizu heard about this, and he knew he couldn't change anything.

His era has come to a complete end.

*

After work that day, Ye Baoling invited Wang Simin and Gu Man'er to have dinner together at a roadside food stall.

Gu Man'er now exudes the aura of a professional elite, and Wang Simin complimented her, "She looks like a future top lawyer!"

Gu Man'er pulled out a chair and sat down, without any modesty: "I hope so too. But let's wait until I become a partner before we talk about it. Who's treating today?"

As they spoke, the two of them looked at Ye Baoling.

Ye Baoling smiled and nodded: "My treat."

"We should have chosen an expensive restaurant," they always say.

But most of the time, I still end up choosing these kinds of lively, bustling food stalls.

Ye Baoling liked this kind of restaurant. She took the menu and said, "Hurry up and order."

Wang Simin said without ceremony, "Then I'll order the most expensive. I'll have ginger and scallion razor clams, and salt and pepper mantis shrimp, the biggest ones, with roe..."

Gu Man'er: "One serving of butter crab, and one platter of braised dishes, please..."

Ye Baoling ordered vegetables and tofu.

The three of them ordered six dishes.

Ye Baoling asked Gu Man'er, "What has Fang Haiming been busy with lately? I've called his office several times but no one has answered."

Gu Man'er poured tea and washed the dishes: "He went to the mainland to attend an archaeological forum and will also be visiting several places to inspect goods. He probably won't be back for at least half a month. Cousin, what do you need him for?"

Ye Baoling: "I wanted to ask him to help appraise the antiques. Let's wait until he comes back."

She's also going to the US, and she should be back around the same time.

Halfway through her meal, she received a call from Ye Huaizhang.

He had just finished a meeting and wanted to ask her out for dinner.

"I'm already eating. The razor clams are delicious, do you want some? I can take some home for you."

After she hung up the phone, Wang Simin laughed and said, "Looks like we've interfered with the boss's private time."

Ye Baoling: "We have our own private time every day, and you can't bother us."

"Hey!" they laughed at her, "You've been married for so long and you're still so clingy, it's unbearable to watch."

Ye Baoling smiled and ignored them.

She ordered three dishes to take back to Ye Huaizhang.

He ate with great relish right there on the square table in her living room.

Food from street food stalls is flavorful, juicy, and has a wok hei (wok aroma), offering a completely different culinary style from refined private kitchen dishes.

She sat beside him watching him eat, and he smiled and looked up at her: "Is there something you want to tell me?"

She smiled and paused for a moment before saying, "When I come back from the United States, we will have just celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Our marriage agreement is also about to expire."

Ye Huaizhang paused slightly, put down his chopsticks, and their eyes met. In that instant, he couldn't be sure what she was thinking.

This is what Ye Huaizhang considers his biggest failure: he can dominate his career, but he is in a passive position when it comes to relationships and marriage.

He tried to remain outwardly calm. "What are you thinking?"

“I’ll be in the US for about ten days this time. Let’s use this time to think things through. Okay?” she said in an extremely gentle voice.

Ye Huaizhang put down his chopsticks; he couldn't eat anymore. "My attitude has never changed. I don't want a divorce."

She didn't say anything.

The biggest advantage of the divorce for her is that she can use her own identity to completely control the Ye family and become the head of the Ye family. She doesn't want any other subordinate identity.

She said, "Even if we get divorced, we can still be together."

What kind of talk is that?

Has she made up her mind to divorce him?

Ye Huaizhang's defenses crumbled instantly.

He stared at her intently: "We can get a divorce. According to the agreement, I'll give you 20 million yuan. You give me back the ugly Wang Jue from the second and third wives."

She no longer needs the ugly king's jade pendant; she's just still curious about it.

“After the divorce, we will just be distant relatives, no longer husband and wife. Our relationship will be illegitimate, and we can never be together again.”

After saying that, he stood up, picked up his coat, and walked out.

Seeing that he was angry, she whispered, "You haven't finished eating yet. Finish your meal before you leave."

She was still in the mood to talk to him about food, which made him even angrier.

Bang!

He slammed the door shut and left.

Ye Baoling sat quietly on the sofa, and after a long while, she tried to reflect on what she had said wrong.

She was so gentle today!

She even packed some food for him.

Ping knocked and came in, tidying up the table as she asked in a low voice, "Did you two have a fight?"

Ye Baoling said innocently, "We didn't make a fuss."

He left unilaterally due to a fit of anger.

Sister Ping whispered her advice: "Men all care about their pride. If something happens, just take a step back. You all need to stand together against outsiders now."

Who doesn't care about saving face? She does too.

Lying in bed that night, Ye Baoling felt a void in her heart. Usually, when he wasn't around, she didn't feel much, but today, she missed that elastic and comfortable place so much.

Ah, men.

Over the next few days, Ye Baoling went to the factory in Shenzhen to attend the opening ceremony of the workshop. The factory was named Huayuan Beverage Company and would temporarily only produce outsourced beverages for Ye Qingtang.

After returning from Shenzhen, she set off for the United States.

Upon arriving in the United States, I first visited Lisa and her husband, as well as some American business partners, and then conducted financial transactions.

I will go to Dunhus University a week later to submit my paper and take some final exams.

After submitting her paper that day, as she came out of the professor's office, Chen Yulan came up to her and quietly told her that Ye Huaizhang had arrived.

"Huh?" Ye Baoling was somewhat surprised.

"He was invited to give a speech on the new economy, which was held at the Wells Auditorium. My son-in-law was afraid you wouldn't be happy if you knew he was there, so he had Dong Jian call me beforehand to tell you. He's here."

He understands her.

She doesn't like unexpected surprises.

Ye Baoling asked, "Is he in the Wells Auditorium?"

"It should start at 2:30."

It's 2:40 now, it's only a five-minute walk there, and I can even listen to his speech.

She wasn't the one who got angry last time, so of course she had to go and support her.

They immediately went to Wells Auditorium and found it full of people.

She found a seat in the middle to back and sat down to listen to Ye Huaizhang on stage talk about the various possibilities for the future economic situation.

He said that the future world economy should be dominated by information technology industries such as computers and communication technologies.

This is still very forward-thinking in the current context.

Standing on the stage, Ye Huaizhang delivered his entire speech without notes.

He was confident, composed, and spoke fluently, with a smile on his face and sharp, bright eyes.

She listened quietly, a slight smile playing on her lips.

I recall Gu Man'er describing his speech at her university as having a very personal style and charm.

That's true.

After the speech, thunderous applause filled the auditorium.

Ye Huaizhang did not stay to interact with the university students; he left directly through the back door.

He didn't wait for her.

As Ye Baoling emerged from the auditorium, she thought that Ye Huaizhang might be waiting for her to compromise.

No way.

Why didn't you greet her when you came?

After getting on the bus, she couldn't help but ask Chen Yulan, "Did Dong Jian say how long they'll be staying here?"

"He didn't say." Chen Yulan didn't understand why Ye Huaizhang hadn't come to find Ye Baoling, but she didn't dare to ask.

We went back to the hotel after having dinner.

After Ye Baoling finished showering, she received a long-distance call from Huang Ying. They talked about company matters for more than ten minutes. Before she could hang up, the landline by the bed rang.

He hurriedly said goodbye to Huang Ying before picking up the landline receiver.

Hello!

"It's me," Ye Huaizhang's voice came through the phone. "I live next door, do you want to come over?"

Ye Baoling laughed, putting on airs: "Can't you come over yourself?"

"I just slipped and fell in the bathroom and I've limped. I might have to go to the hospital." His voice was low and sounded pitiful. "We haven't even been married for a year. Maybe it's karma for what you said about getting a divorce."

This terrifying metaphysics!

"Is it that serious? Is Dong Jian here? I'm coming over." Ye Baoling went over in her bathrobe without even changing her clothes.

I knocked on the door next to me, and as soon as I went in, I was blocked at the door.

Looking at Ye Huaizhang, who had all four limbs intact, she laughed at him, "Is it your middle leg that's lame?"

He leaned in and kissed her. "Do you want to try it now and see if it's lame?"

With just a slight kiss, he raised his head; how could he possibly be lame?

"You're not angry anymore? Weren't you supposed to be so arrogant and ignoring me?" she teased him on purpose.

He didn't answer, only busy kissing her neck. Before long, she was too busy to talk and they made love passionately at the door. In any case, their bodies liked each other.

It wasn't until he carried her inside that she realized the entire room was filled with her favorite blue flowers.

They even used flower petals to spell out "I LOVE YOU".

He had never done anything so mundane before; this was the first time.

He held her tightly and whispered in her ear, "Please don't get a divorce."

Seeing that she didn't speak, he almost pleaded, settling for second best: "Then let's extend it for another year, okay?"

Another year?

Seeing that she still didn't speak, he suppressed his almost broken heart and said, "What do you think is wrong with me? I'll change."

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Author's Note: Ye Huaizhang: Chapter 99, wishing us a long and lasting relationship [dog head with rose in hand]

Ye Baoling: Vulgar [laughing and crying emoji]