Chapter 63 Making Trouble "Help me get some money, and use it to..."
The seven-day Chinese New Year celebrations passed in the blink of an eye.
On the first day back at work, the weather was unusually sunny, and Bai Ye thought it would be quite convenient to take the subway and walk a few steps, but Yi Sheng insisted on taking her.
My colleagues arrived at roughly the same time, since they were just there to mark the occasion. From a distance, many people saw Bai Yeke getting off the Panamera.
"I've truly been amazed!"
"I knew Designer Bai and Miss Yi were acquainted, but I didn't expect them to be this close! He drove her to work so early in the morning! Do they live in the same neighborhood, or did she sleep at her place last night?"
"Oh my god, I wish I had a rich best friend like that!"
...
Amidst the festive atmosphere, various formulaic jokes were mixed in.
"Happy New Year!" Colleagues from different departments exchanged greetings and visited each other.
He Xin seemed to be deep in thought, and winked at Bai Yeke.
She had previously guessed that Bai Yeke and Yi Sheng were together, but Bai Yeke neither confirmed nor denied it, so she was 60% sure. Now, seeing this, she was 80% sure.
She thought she was amazing, the only one who was sober while everyone else was drunk, the only one who saw through the truth!
Bai Yeke stepped forward and pinched her cheek. "That's enough!"
"Hey!" He Xin exclaimed in surprise, first covering her face nervously like a law-abiding citizen who had been harassed, then pointing at her, "No, really! How can you do this to Miss Yi?"
The name "Miss Yi" seems to be a switch for Bai Yeke; she smiles whenever it's mentioned.
Bai Ye bowed slightly and smiled, feigning politeness, "Okay, Mr. He, Happy New Year!"
The new year's work proceeded in a lively and joyful atmosphere.
The store is getting busier every day, with many people taking advantage of the Lunar New Year holiday to visit. Contracts are being signed one after another. However, the construction team and the store have different working hours, and they usually don't return until after the Lantern Festival.
By March, the construction team had been working for a while, and the entire project was on track. In particular, all the entries for "Dream Home" had been completed, and the highly anticipated semi-finals of "Dream Home" were about to begin.
Neither ordinary netizens nor most of the staff at "Santen" knew that the competition rankings had been manipulated.
Although Bai Yeke knew that her actual voting ranking was already first, she did not report or communicate with her superiors about the previous apparent ranking of third. On the one hand, even store managers might not know the inside story, and on the other hand, it would be meaningless for her, as a store employee, to talk to the headquarters executives. It was not something she could decide, and the headquarters had its own considerations.
Yi Sheng assumed that "Shentian" would correct it in the semi-finals and finals, and that they had already informed her, the "partner's partner".
On the third day of the "Dream Family" semi-finals, the rankings changed dramatically.
Bai Yeke rose from third to second, which was expected, but the second-place finisher also rose to first, while the first-place finisher dropped directly to third.
This ranking is baffling to anyone, and they can't quite put their finger on what's wrong with it.
Only Bai Yeke found it strange.
"Aside from me, in my opinion, those two people's skill level and popularity actually matched their rankings quite well. How come the rankings have been completely reversed this time?"
At the dining table, Yi Sheng picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks. "Hmm? But your ranking is rising, which is in line with the plan."
"If you find this strange, I can call Xiao Yang and have him go and ask what's going on?"
Bai Yeke shook her head, "Then it's better not to."
She was simply curious. She didn't want to get involved in things like vote manipulation and inflated numbers in these competitions, let alone let Yi Sheng use his power to get involved just for gossip.
On the other side, Lü Feiteng was arguing with the person in charge of the competition.
"Mr. Lu, please reconsider!"
President Lu waved his hand, "Xiao Lü, it's good for young people to have ideas, but does your dad know about this?"
Mr. Lu didn't want to get involved in this mess; it would do him more harm than good. Who knew if it would have any positive effects? And if he did do it, it would definitely have negative consequences.
Lu Feiteng's face stiffened.
He can never get past his father.
"This matter... doesn't need my dad to know, right?"
"Hehe." President Lu chuckled dryly. "It's all decided by the higher-ups. I can't make the decision myself."
"Besides, you decided to change the vote count on your own these past two days. I'm willing to cover for you. It's not a big deal, but if we report it to the higher-ups, neither of us will be able to explain ourselves."
Lu Feiteng took a step back. "President Lu, you have to lend a hand to my nephew. The semi-finals will be over in two days. You've watched Xiao He grow up. Let him at least win first place once."
After much hesitation, Mr. Lu said, "It's only in this semi-final. You can't rig the final again!"
"Yes, yes!" Lu Feiteng thought to himself, let's win the semi-finals first, and we'll talk about the finals later.
Having settled this matter, Lü Feiteng went to his stepfather's house.
Starting from within the company is still a bit risky. The best solution would be to eliminate the source of the problem, Baiyeke.
Lu Feiteng was puzzled. When he visited his cousin before the New Year, his uncle clearly harbored a lot of resentment towards Bai Yeke, but why did nothing happen afterward?
"Little Lü," his stepfather waved him over to sit down, his smile not nearly as warm as before.
Lu Feiteng's heart skipped a beat; he was starting to have a phobia of it.
President Lu gave him the same smile and gesture.
No, President Lu finally agreed to his request, and he'll definitely succeed this time!
Lu Feiteng breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged pleasantries with his uncle for a while, and prepared to get down to business.
Just then, my phone rang.
The screen displays: Dad.
Lu Feiteng almost choked; he had a very bad feeling.
“Dad…” Lu Feiteng answered the phone, and upon hearing this word, his stepfather’s eyes followed.
Under pressure, Lü Feiteng gave a dry laugh and got up to walk towards the bathroom.
"What exactly do you want to do?" Mr. Lü asked in a deep voice.
Lü Feiteng then recounted his grand ambitions.
After a long silence, Mr. Lü said, "I don't approve."
Lu Feiteng panicked immediately, "Dad!"
"But I don't object either."
In the end, Mr. Lü only said, "You're not a child anymore, and you know some of the rules of the business world. This time, the Yi family is involved, and the situation is complicated and difficult to handle. You may not even be able to speak up for the Yi family. If you offend them, the company will make its own decision, and I will not protect you."
“I…” Lu Feiteng was unsure.
Mr. Lü had already hung up the phone.
This was the first time no one was there to back him up, and Lü Feiteng's palms were sweating. He was in a do-or-die situation, and he made up his mind.
He turned and went back to the living room to try to persuade his stepfather again.
When his stepfather saw him coming, he still had a slight smile, but it was much fainter than before. Lu Feiteng's deliberate avoidance of his father's phone call made his stepfather feel a sense of distance.
Lu Feiteng was filled with anxiety, but he was completely unaware of it. Having made up his mind, he was determined to carry it out. "Uncle, what about Xiao Ke that I told you about last time..."
"Oh." The stepfather said casually, "Xiao Ke has been doing well lately. She even came back for dinner during the Chinese New Year."
Lu Feiteng frowned. "She—has she come to her senses?"
"What do you mean by 'repentance'?" His stepfather gave him a light glare. "She's always been pretty well-behaved. Although she was a bit rebellious before, she's generally sensible."
Lu Feiteng was greatly shocked. How could Bai Yeke's relationship with her family have suddenly become so good?
She doesn't want Yi Sheng anymore?
Pooh!
It's not her place to refuse.
Was he dumped by Yi Sheng?
But a snob like my uncle would never think so highly of a stepdaughter who has been abandoned.
"Then—" Lu Feiteng bluntly stated, "You're not going to get involved in her affair with Miss Yi?"
"They're doing fine," the stepfather said casually. "Why should we interfere?"
Lu Feiteng blurted out, "When did you become so open-minded?"
"..."
The stepfather's expression changed slightly. "Well, that's just how things are these days."
Lu Feiteng could tell that he wasn't being sincere.
"But didn't you look down on Yi Sheng before?" Lu Feiteng was anxious. In his plan, eliminating Bai Yeke's support was an important step. "Tell me, what kind of woman is a woman who is more assertive than a man in the business world?"
These are words that my stepfather once said himself.
The stepfather, however, seemed to have said those words not at all, and smiled subtly, "She's not a woman, she's a goddess of wealth."
Upon hearing this, Lü Feiteng froze on the spot.
He was a little slow to react—no, that's not quite right. He reacted immediately, but refused to accept it.
His blood temperature dropped sharply, and his face turned pale. "Oh, I see."
Lu Feiteng forced a polite, dry laugh and left his stepfather's house with unsteady steps.
He would never forget the last scene; his stepfather's contemptuous yet smug smile deeply stung him.
What he was so proud of, what he cared about most in his life, what gave him the confidence to look down on others, has now fallen into the hands of his rival.
He went to Bai Yeke, whom he had previously looked down upon.
Having lost this advantage, it seems that I have nothing left to offer.
How can he win this lopsided battle?
In the freezing cold of early spring, Lü Feiteng's back was covered in cold sweat, and he had no choice but to resort to even more drastic measures.
The competition is progressing along its established path.
The semi-final results are in, and two designers have emerged: Bai Yeke and a playboy named He.
Next week, they will enter the finals.
This result is both normal and unexpected, as two of the three most popular people have moved up in the rankings. However, it is also surprising that the original number one has fallen out of the top spot.
There was a lot of discussion online, with many people focusing on the fact that the first place winner had fallen out, but most of the discussion was concentrated on the finalists.
More importantly, the final is not only a battle among designers, but also among their partners and clients who will inspect the homes and express their opinions. Ultimately, the public will cast their votes based on these opinions.
When things reached a point where his life was in danger, Lü Feiteng's girlfriend came from out of town to encourage him.
"Get me some money and expose their relationship," Lu Feiteng decided.
He didn't have enough authority at the company, and the tricks he pulled in the semi-finals were already the limit. As for Bai Yeke's family situation, he also failed, and all the previous plans fell through.
"You should know that this could lead to retribution!" the older woman warned.
"So, don't be stingy with the money. Make sure someone takes the blame and don't drag me into it," Lu Feiteng instructed. "If this gets out, their popularity will definitely plummet. Who can stand voting for someone like that to win the championship? That guy surnamed Yi won't have an easy time either; his reputation is completely ruined."
The woman's eyes were filled with conflicting emotions. She knew that Lü Feiteng had once had a crush on Yi Sheng, but now they were acting like enemies.
Can she trust a man like that?
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Author's Note: Just a heads-up, my little angels, it's almost finished! I'm wrapping it up now~
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