Romance
Liu Ying and Ji Quan joined the company in the same year, both with only a bachelor's degree. Given the current challenging job market, it's a good thing they were born early; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to get into even a small, ordinary company, let alone Shen's.
However, later on, Ji Quan transferred to KZ Technology. Twelve people who worked at the same time as him resigned, changed jobs, or got married... Only Liu Ying worked tirelessly, suffered all kinds of grievances, and stepped on the corpses of everyone else to get to the core figure step by step.
It’s not that Ji Quan doesn’t admire her.
Do you think it is so easy to serve the ruler who owns the entire Shen Empire?
To have reached this point, Shen Wentian must have endured hardships unseen by others, endured suffering unseen by ordinary people. Some people are simply poor and needy. Why should they be damned for groveling before the chairman and being always smooth and considerate? Why should those with noble personalities and no flattery consider themselves superior?
After all, there are only a few people like Liu Ying who can forge their own path among the elite. As a mob with no achievements, they like to slander a professional woman with a sharp style and considerable achievements. If they don't spread some dirty rumors, they will be unworthy of the position they have worked hard for.
If it were her, she might not be able to endure such injustice.
Therefore, Ji Quan said sincerely: "After this banquet is held, you will definitely be promoted."
Liu Ying exhaled, stubbed out her cigarette, and said self-deprecatingly, "I don't want that. I just hope nothing goes wrong at tonight's banquet. Otherwise, there will be so many greedy eyes staring at me from behind! They're sharpening their knives, just waiting to take over my job."
Ji Quan nodded and said with a proper smile, "How could I go wrong? I'm looking forward to the day when I congratulate you on your promotion and salary increase."
Liu Ying had no pleasantries to offer in return. She couldn't say she was waiting to congratulate her on her ascension to the title of Mrs. Shen. Although she had long understood Ji Quan's feelings for Shen Ji'an, she couldn't say anything because they had never spoken publicly. Their goals were different, and for her, love couldn't compare to the security afforded by money.
"Thank you."
*
Dian Chen'an's grandmother, Zhang Yunrong, was born into a prominent merchant family in Guangzhou. While studying abroad, she met Dian Chen'an's grandfather, Shen Wentian. In her youth, Zhang Yunrong was incredibly beautiful, attracting countless admirers, though Shen Wentian was far from the foremost. He suffered immensely in his youth from the pain of unrequited love, and after many twists and turns, he finally found her.
After completing his studies and returning to China, he witnessed the turbulent social reforms. He experienced many ups and downs in the stormy times and finally earned this family fortune.
In this family, Shen Wentian is the undisputed head of the household, and his orders are like imperial decrees. Each household has a spending limit, but only the original wife is allowed to spend her entire fortune to satisfy her every need.
Among the younger generation, only Shen Meiyue knew how to please her the most. At this moment, she was smiling sweetly and making her own plans: "Grandma, please take out your jewelry and let us see it."
Aunt Shen Lianxing curled her lips, thinking that the words sounded nice, "opening your eyes" doesn't mean "taking it for granted". She looked at her dearest mother, hugged her arms and acted coquettishly, as if it was her due, "I'll pick first!"
Zhang Yunrong was happy to coax the children to play. When she opened the cabinet, she was filled with dazzling jewels, filling the room with splendor.
After six months of absence, there was a new member of the family. Chu Jinxi had already entered the family, and now everyone had to call her "Fourth Aunt." The women in the family were all in the inner room, choosing clothes and jewelry, while Ye Yuanyin and Chu Jinxi sat in the side hall, chatting.
Chu Jinxi asked her: "Where have you been in the past six months?"
Ye Yuanyin was very cautious. Since Dian Yan had never told her anything, she was afraid of being exposed.
Chu Jinxi looked at her, laughing so hard that she fell backwards. "Little fox. Do you think that if you don't tell others, they won't know? Who in this family is a pushover?"
Ye Yuanyin wasn't a shy person, and she hadn't done anything harmful. "I went back to my hometown."
"Oh? Where?" The big star looked very interested.
"Jiutao Village." Ye Yuanyin knew that his hometown was not well-known. When he mentioned the place name, others looked confused. So he explained, "It's very close to the village where we used to be volunteers."
"Oh my..." Chu Jinxi exclaimed, "The scenery there is so beautiful. If it were made into a movie, the pictures would definitely be amazing. I'll take the director of photography there to scout the location if I get a chance."
Ye Yuanyin didn't take her words to heart. She was afraid that if she took them seriously, she would have expectations. If the expectations were not fulfilled, the disappointment would be even deeper.
After everyone had finished choosing, the two of them prepared to leave.
Zhang Yunrong suddenly called Ye Yuanyin and said kindly, "Child, you haven't made your choice yet." As for Chu Jinxi who was standing aside, she automatically ignored this person.
Shen Meiyue, worthy of being the PR manager, automatically spoke up for Grandma: "Fourth Aunt is always walking the red carpet, and everything she wears and wears is sponsored by international brands, so naturally there's nothing to worry about."
Chu Jinxi smiled and said nothing. In this traditional family, it was better to be humble and modest than to show off and attract attention. She calmly followed the other women out.
Here, Zhang Yunrong brought Ye Yuanyin into the inner room. They saw gorgeous clothes, jewels and precious objects, and the room looked very rich.
She instinctively refused: "Grandma, I won't choose it. I won't be able to use it in the future."
Zhang Yunrong didn't respond, and continued to herself, "I think you look best in a Chinese-style cheongsam. Western-style ones are too ordinary and don't suit your temperament."
In this respect, Chen Yan'an resembled his grandmother, who also had a keen eye for fashion. The outfit her grandmother had chosen for her was a cold silver round-necked, square-breasted, buttoned top paired with a pine green, gold-patterned brocade wrap skirt. Wearing it, it accentuated her fair skin, long neck, and slender figure, creating a sense of perfect restraint and reserve.
Zhang Yunrong opened a large black lacquered wooden box and took out a fine jade necklace from it and put it around her neck. Ye Yuanyin wanted to refuse, but her grandmother stopped her.
"I know you're a child with a strong sense of self-esteem, and you might not be willing to accept our gifts. But sometimes, we need to express our feelings with these material things. When Huafeng passed away, he had no family around him. Thank you for accompanying him on his final journey. Grandpa and I have been discussing giving you a gift. This is a rare opportunity, so please accept it."
Ye Yuanyin's long-frozen heart suddenly cracked a little, and a feeling of warmth and touching surged up in her, and her eyes became wet.
"Good girl." Grandma held her hand again and said, "Go, you will shine tonight."
*
Coming out of the main house, I ran into my fourth uncle Shen Yuheng in the dark corridor.
Perhaps it was because he was celebrating a happy occasion, his complexion looked much better than it had been six months ago. Although he was nearly fifty years old, he looked about the same age as his wife, Chu Jinxi, because he took good care of himself.
"Fourth Uncle." Thinking of her past recklessness, she was a little afraid of him and automatically made way for him.
Shen Yuheng stared at her for a while, the amazement in his eyes had not faded yet. He didn't expect that this little girl who liked to explore people's hearts could dress up so well.
"When will you be back to work?"
Ye Yuanyin thought he would never come back. Who would be willing to serve such a moody person like you?
The people in the Daluo family were always deep in thought, and it was rare to see such a piece of unpolished jade that made a sound when struck. Shen Yuheng raised an eyebrow, took two steps closer, looked down at her and smiled, "Are you scolding me?"
As expected, her response was very simple, "No...no."
"It's been half a year. Have you changed your mind about your major?" There was expectation in Shen Yuheng's eyes, as if he was waiting for her to give in.
"have."
Suddenly some light appeared in his originally dark eyes. Ye Yuanyin would sometimes ignore the fact that he was suffering in his heart because of his normal appearance.
"What's changed?"
"You need to get treatment."
Shen Yuheng was stunned, then burst into a chuckle. It took quite a bit of strength to break a bamboo stick, so he looked at her with those dark eyes again. "You really don't know how to be tactful. It seems the last lesson wasn't enough. You don't care about others, you don't understand their difficulties, how can you soothe their pain?"
Only then did Ye Yuanyin understand his intention. It turned out that all the difficulties he had encountered were man-made obstacles just to teach him a lesson.
"Although you may be reckless and impulsive, you are truly sincere." Shen Yuheng looked into her glass-like eyes and said, "I'm actually looking forward to receiving your treatment now."
Ye Yuanyin hesitated. "Reason" told her to refuse, but "reluctance" made her try again.
Shen Yuheng saw her ambition, his cheek muscles twitched, and he said in a calm voice, "I'll contact you as soon as possible."
She didn't speak.
She's a real newborn calf. Shen Yuheng smiled disapprovingly and strode forward. As they passed by, he suddenly glanced at her clean, sincere face and gave her advice: "Beautiful things need to be done. Act coquettishly when you should, be submissive when you should, show some temper, and make a scene from time to time. Otherwise, Shen Yan'an won't like it, do you understand?"
Ye Yuanyin walked back to the room half-believing and half-doubting, but at that time Chen Dian had already returned from the company.
Earlier, Grandpa Shen Wentian asked the best tailor in the city to take measurements for the men in the family, preparing four suits for each man, two Chinese and two Western.
He changed into four outfits in just one night. Do you think he's a spendthrift, too rich to spend, so he had to make a fuss about his formal attire? No, he's a penny-pinching businessman, used to splitting a dollar into two. As for clothes, as long as they aren't encrusted with diamonds, no matter how expensive they are, they're worthless. The key is to spend little on a grand display; he's after the Shen family's reputation.
Aunt Yang brought the tailored dress over for him to choose.
Chen Yan'an showed little interest and pointed casually at the chaise longue outside. "Put it there."
Ye Yuanyin walked in from outside. His eyes, which he had not yet retracted, suddenly jumped for a few seconds. He lowered his head for a while, then raised his head and looked at her again. The look on her face extended infinitely.
She felt uncomfortable being stared at and stammered, "W-what's wrong?"
"...No," he shook his head and smiled, then slowly looked at her again and said, "Nice clothes."
Aunt Yang smiled, closed the door and went out.
Ye Yuanyin looked at him with complicated eyes and asked without thinking, "Do you like the little drama queen?"
"???" Sediment was confused. "...What nonsense are you talking about? Your forehead—isn't it intact?"
Ye Yuanyin sighed softly and gave up the idea of changing for him at that moment.
The hardest thing in life isn't being able to do everything you want, but not having to do anything you don't want to do. She's already struggling to take care of herself, so how can she find the time to become someone else's favorite? She should just take care of herself first.
Of course, Chen Yan didn't understand her tortuous mental journey. He took out his cell phone and called Secretary Ma: "Bring the prepared things over."
Secretary Ma came quickly, carrying three or four black shopping bags. She handed them to him and left.
Yan Dian handed one of the shopping bags to Ye Yuanyin, and she took out a new mobile phone that had not been opened.
Facing her puzzled look, the man acted as if it was a matter of course, "After the project started, I couldn't stand any team member losing contact."
"Everyone gets one?" Ye Yuanyin was flattered. "Isn't the company's benefits too good? Thank you, boss."
Chen Yan curled his lips and said, "Everyone else gets it for free, but you get it deducted from your salary."
Ye Yuanyin was stunned. "Why?"
"Your expenses were paid out of my personal account," Chen Dian said, folding his arms and looking down at him. "It's only natural to pay back a debt."
Ye Yuanyin said angrily, "I've never seen anyone donate money to a charity and then ask for it to be paid back."
Sediment looked at her and laughed slowly and leisurely. "I'm just that stingy."
She hummed softly.
Several other shopping bags were handed to her, but Ye Yuanyin didn't dare to take them. She could barely pay for the cost of a cell phone, but who knew what was in these bags?
"Don't you want to open it and take a look?" There was anticipation in his voice.
Ye Yuanyin took it and unwrapped layer after layer of exquisite packaging.
It’s an old-style house with a glazed tile lamp hanging on the roof, and the reflected light is brilliant and dazzling.
The shoes he gave were a pair of golden-gray gradient crystal mesh pointed-toe flats, inlaid with diamonds from the toe to the shoe body, which were gentle, restrained and shining.
Like an endless torrential rain falling on his heart, Ye Yuanyin did not speak for a long time.
Chen Yan'an looked puzzled and cautious, as if waiting for approval.
"Ah!" She suddenly realized and quickly praised: "These shoes are so beautiful."
Chen Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Then he curled his lips, as if even he found it ridiculous. He said speechlessly, "This is the first time in my life that someone has been so cautious about giving a gift."
Her heart was like a crushed cookie box, shattered into pieces, yet a surge of warmth was eager to escape from the packaging. "Want to give it to me?"
"What else? Who else is in this room?"
Ye Yuanyin thought that the gift was so valuable that he couldn't even pay it back even if he sold it.
Sensing her emotions, Chen Yan repeatedly spoke carefully, "Don't underestimate yourself. Difficulties are temporary. One day, you will get what you deserve."
His tone was firm, as if he had never doubted her value.
A heavy rain fell in Ye Yuanyin's heart.
The constant dampness surged up, piercing her eyes with a stinging pain. Her lofty ambitions were in vain, yet now she worried about even affording a pair of decent shoes. Sedimentary An coated the barren reality with a layer of frosting, as if the future held endless promise.
Outside, Chen Jingxia knocked on the door and asked, "Brother, are you all done? Uncle You Jing is here and wants to see you."
Ye Yuanyin turned his head and saw that he was looking at him in a roundabout way.
The man opened his thin lips slightly, with a look of contempt on his face, "No."
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