Chapter 9: Who Will Protect the Emperor When Assassins Appear?
9
Ning Ye watched the boss along with all the other employees.
The boss didn't eat after swiping his card; instead, he handed the food to Assistant Zhang.
Assistant Zhang was taken aback. When he accepted the simple three dishes and soup, he didn't know why he could see a complex mix of emotions in President Bian's calm and sharp eyes, such as solemnity, trust, and praise.
It was as if he had received not a dish of food, but a million-dollar year-end bonus.
Assistant Zhang: "?"
"Take your time eating," Bian Xun said casually, his gaze sweeping over the employees who were eating, then subtly glancing at a certain spot before striding away with an indifferent expression.
He passed by Ning Ye's table again, his gaze aloof and unwavering, the hem of his suit jacket billowing with a chilling aura that enveloped her face.
Ning Ye picked up her spoon, thinking: Crazy.
Anyone who didn't know better would think he gave Assistant Zhang a plate of cash. What was he so proud of?
The colleagues around him were quite envious: "Assistant Zhang is indeed the most trusted person by the boss's side. He even personally swiped his card to buy him meals!"
A group of female colleagues at a table in the distance huddled together excitedly, their faces glowing with excitement. "So handsome!"
Ning Ye focused on eating her meal. After finishing, she greeted Sister Zhou and Jiang Xinghe, then cleared her plate and left the cafeteria.
Xiaotiancai just sent a voice message, so she walked to a corner and picked up her phone to listen.
"Hello? Mom."
It was clearly a voice message, but Ning Zhitao said "hello" several times, as if she were making a phone call. Children's voices are naturally soft, and when spoken aloud, it sounded like a sweet, chewy candy.
"Mom, have you eaten? I had fish, chicken, vegetables, and strawberry yogurt for lunch!"
Ning Ye put down the receiver. The kindergarten group she was in had already posted photos of lunch, but the corners of her lips still unconsciously curled up slightly.
That's good; the child ate better lunch than her dad.
She lowered her head and slowly walked up the stairs. Afraid that the child couldn't read, she switched to voice: "I've eaten too. Are you full?" She even imitated a child's voice.
A dark, sleek figure stood atop the stairs, looking down at her with a cold and aloof gaze.
What's with the coquettishness?
We just added each other on WeChat after lunch and started chatting already?
The smile on the girl's face, when seen by him, was so gentle it was almost blinding.
She exuded an aura different from before, though it was hard to pinpoint exactly what had changed... Bian Xun's gaze fell on Ning Ye's phone screen, but she had just locked it.
Assistant Zhang stopped behind Bian Xun and, after quickly finishing his lunch (a complete waste), reported the latest developments in the case of the embezzled funds: "President Bian, we have marked all married employees with children within the group, and we will soon send people to screen employees who have used the Xiaotiancai app or engaged in sales activities on other platforms—"
Bian Xun gave a faint "hmm," and Ning Ye happened to walk up to him.
She looked up and saw those narrow, sharp black eyes staring at her with a mocking gaze, seemingly dissatisfied with something again.
Bian Xun recalled the male subordinate she had just exchanged WeChat contacts with; he was thin and frail.
Six years have passed, and the taste has deteriorated to this extent.
The young CEO glanced at her from above, his sharp, beautiful eyes filled with a venomous malice, and his voice was cold and detached, "I suggest you read the company regulations more carefully."
Ning Ye was completely confused, but Assistant Zhang, with her high EQ, understood the implication and kindly whispered a reminder, "Ms. Ning, company rules state that employees in the same department cannot develop overly close relationships."
Ning Ye: "?"
Assistant Zhang smiled apologetically, then strode after Bian Xun, continuing his report, "...Mr. Bian, but the number of married and childless employees in the company is enormous, so this might be difficult to implement in practice..."
Ning Ye quickly perked up his ears. Wait, was he really going to start investigating that little genius phone watch?
I've noticed you're a very meticulous person.
Ning Ye nervously gripped her phone and walked back to her workstation, her toes unconsciously stomping on the ground. After a while, she suddenly came to her senses.
She's unmarried and has no children, what's there to be nervous about?^^
…
evening.
Today was the first day of picking up the kids after school. Ning Ye left work on time, without even taking her bag. She just grabbed her water bottle and left, giving the impression that she would be back. In reality, she was already at the entrance of Xia Lu Kindergarten five minutes later.
Ning Ye, adapting to local customs, stood among the eagerly awaiting parents, each one like someone waiting for their own little cake to be baked. Soon, the first group of children emerged hand in hand with their teachers.
The parents immediately cheered, and various nicknames came one after another.
After the first batch of children was distributed, the second batch was quickly produced.
Ning Ye spotted Ning Zhitao in the crowd. She was holding hands with a little girl, her eyes wide with laughter, looking like she had a great day.
Ning Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mom!" As soon as Ning Zhitao saw her, she immediately let go of her friends and jumped towards her.
Ning Ye is now experienced and knows to squat down in advance to catch the child, otherwise she will be knocked down by the child's recoil.
Each child was carrying a paper bag, which Ning Zhitao proudly handed to Ning Ye, saying, "This is a welcome-back gift bag!"
The logo of Xia Lu Kindergarten happens to be a crystal grape, which was made into the shape of a bag charm. Ning Ye casually clipped it onto her bag strap. Ning Zhi Tao was very happy, because this way she could accompany her mother to work.
Holding her mother's hand, she turned back to say goodbye to her friends from today.
Goodbye, Zhang Sijie~
“Bye-bye Ning Zhitao~” the friend responded cheerfully.
Ning Ye then looked at the mother opposite her. The two smiled at each other. The mother's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise and astonishment, but she tactfully did not ask any further questions. The two left with their children, seemingly both living in Xia Lu Community.
"How did you get along with the other kids today?" Ning Ye asked, holding Ning Zhitao's hand as they swung their arms together like they were on a swing as they walked slowly into the neighborhood.
“That’s great, Mom! Zhang Sijie’s dad also works at Dad’s company!” Ning Zhitao looked up at Ning Ye. “Zhang Sijie said her dad has a very high position. That’s amazing! Is it higher than Mom and Dad’s?”
Ning Ye felt a pang of sadness, but still said quite frankly, "Her father's position is indeed likely higher than mine."
…but it's unlikely to be as good as your father.
Ning Ye was leading her child across the road when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a black car silently driving into the park through a side gate. That kind of car wasn't common; all the windows were covered with frosted black privacy film, and it was usually used to transport celebrities.
Ning Ye paused, and instinctively memorized the license plate number.
…
The next day at work, the promotion of AD600 Cloud Sound Pro indeed became the focus. Their business unit and the marketing sales that work with celebrities are different. They are targeting government and enterprise clients and are pursuing large-scale cooperation.
Ning Ye reported that she had previously worked with a small game company at the branch office and was willing to visit them. After reviewing the information, the team leader shook his head, "Qiongxin, they are too small and located far away." Clearly, he did not think the other party had any ability to cooperate.
But the team leader didn't reject it either, only saying that they couldn't send a car or reimburse the expenses, and that they would have to find a solution themselves.
After thinking it over, Ning Ye decided to go anyway. She had just transferred to headquarters and didn't have many clients assigned to her. Even though Qiongxin was a small company, it was still a resource she was familiar with, and besides, they had sincerely invited her in the email.
After reporting to her team leader, Ning Ye picked up her bag and walked out of the company, only to find someone behind her. She turned around and saw Jiang Xinghe, the man whose family owned a children's hospital, from yesterday.
Meeting Ning Ye's clear gaze, his fair face paused slightly before he explained, "They also sent me an email."
Ning Ye nodded, and seeing that the other person wanted to take a taxi, she said, "Let's take the subway? I know how to get there."
Jiang Xinghe and she boarded the subway one after the other. The boy seemed to have something to say but hesitated. After a long silence, he suddenly whispered, "I'm sorry, I was driving past the kindergarten and saw you."
Ning Ye was startled. As the subway car swayed, she looked up and saw a pair of gentle, apologetic double eyelids, devoid of any malice. This was the first time someone she knew had seen her with a child, but it would be hard to believe that the child wasn't hers, given how much Tao Tao resembled her.
“I won’t tell anyone. I just don’t want to keep your personal information without your knowledge,” Jiang Xing explained calmly.
Ning Ye nodded. "Thank you."
After a long pause, the other person, as if having mentally prepared themselves, asked, "So, what are you now...?"
Ning Ye replied calmly, "I'm single." She made her stance clear in time to avoid further curiosity about the child's father.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinghe's usually reserved eyes lit up. "You've worked hard."
That day, the girl in the white cardigan and light purple cotton shirt stood out in the crowd. Her features were delicate and dreamlike. When she turned her head to the side and talked to the children, even the cool autumn breeze seemed to soften.
After this conversation, Ning Ye and he unexpectedly became acquainted. She also discovered that Jiang Xinghe was from Jinghua University, a year ahead of her in the Computer Science department. He had gone on exchange in his sophomore year, so she had never met him at school.
The character setting of graduating from Beijing University, working in Wujiang, and being one year older seems a bit familiar...
Ning Ye also asked Jiang Xing which children's hospital it was. After finding out the name, she searched it up and silently put away her phone with a "!".
It turns out that not only is the boss a big shot, but even a random colleague of his is from a very wealthy family.
Tears welled up.
The visit to Qiongxin Games went smoothly. Ning Ye toured their latest development progress like an old friend, and then actively promoted the new Yunyin Pro launched by Wujiang Group. She was meticulous in her work and had done thorough research, which she presented in great detail during the meeting.
Back at the company, Jiang Xinghe looked at her with genuine admiration.
They had just returned to their department floor when they suddenly heard a great commotion throughout the entire floor.
Sister Zhou spotted them quickly and called out, "Come quick, come quick! A female celebrity has come to the company and is handing out her endorsement gifts!"
Ning Ye looked up unsurprised and saw the woman just like in her dream. Xu Lanyi's exquisite makeup and appearance seemed to be from a different world from the workers, yet she was very friendly, handing out small gifts to each employee.
Not far behind her, Bian Xun coldly raised his eyes, watching her and Jiang Xing walk in together. He noticed the grape pendant on her canvas bag swaying back and forth, unconsciously brushing against the sleeve of the person beside her.
Bian Xun's face was grim.
Xu Lanyi recognized Ning Ye almost instantly.
She had seen the photos at Grandpa Bian's place, but she had to admit that seeing Ning Ye in person made her stand out from the crowd at a glance.
It was a subtle charm, yet it possessed a youthful, fresh quality, like morning mist, with a unique beauty... No wonder it managed to swindle Bian Xun out of his money.
The actress looked Ning Ye up and down. This girl was not wealthy, and her clothes were very simple. Her clothes looked to be worth no more than two hundred yuan, and there were no ornaments on her neck or wrists.
Of course, if you want to extort more money, you have to live a hard life to show the hardships of being a single mother.
Xu Lanyi sneered inwardly. She had come today to give this person another push.
This girl looks young, but she's quite composed. She hasn't revealed the matter of her illegitimate daughter to Bian Xun yet, which shows she understands the art of waiting for the right price.
But Ning Ye, who yearns for the wealth that Bian Xun cannot obtain, craves an even more luxurious life, and everything she already possesses is enough to easily provoke her.
Xu Lanyi, with the friendly smile of a movie queen, walked among the employees, saying, "Please don't be shy, everyone. This is a face cream from a French brand that I endorse. It's for mothers and babies, so it's suitable for families with young children."
Sister Zhou looked up the price and exclaimed in surprise: "A small bottle costs more than a thousand yuan. No wonder celebrities are rich."
The workers were naturally overjoyed and began interacting with the actress, with many able to recite lines from her films.
When Xu Lanyi passed by Ning Ye, she saw Ning Ye's quiet almond-shaped eyes under her long eyelashes up close and knew that Ning Ye must be trying her best to endure.
She's so young, raising her child alone, and she didn't contribute a single penny while searching for money. She must have endured a lot of bitterness, which gradually distorted her mentality.
When she finally couldn't resist asking Bian for money, Xu Lanyi's wish was about to come true.
So Xu Lanyi deliberately put two more boxes in Ning Ye's hands, saying, "It's okay, they're not expensive. As long as everyone's happy~"
"Your Highness is mighty! Long live Your Highness!" someone shouted, recalling her classic image from a palace drama.
Xu Lanyi smiled and glanced at Ning Ye out of the corner of her eye, then walked back gracefully and calmly to Bian Xun's side, her eyes sparkling.
Ning Ye looked down and searched for the brand on her phone; she was actually tempted to buy it.
As expected of a celebrity, their ability to drive sales is truly impressive.
Ning Ye clicked into the flagship store and saw that the brand also had a special baby cream. She immediately placed an order for a jar for 998 yuan.
Of course, it's the card that was swiped to find the other side.
After making the purchase, Ning Ye put the items into her bag in a very good mood.
The colleagues around were also in a great mood. Chang Qi, who was standing on the other side, always loved to liven up the atmosphere. He took the lead and shouted the classic line from Xu Lanyi's palace drama, "There's an assassin! Protect the emperor!"
Her colleagues burst into laughter. Xu Lanyi smiled and looked up at Bian Xun, a gesture that was even a bit over the line, immediately causing countless employees to gossip like crazy.
Amidst the noise, Bian Xun lowered his eyes to look at his phone.
Everyone is receiving gifts.
He had 9.98 million yuan transferred out of his account.
"Assassins! Assassins! Protect the Emperor!" Some people even got carried away with shouting it.
Xu Lanyi said with a smile, "It was all just a joke..."
Bian Xun looked up and said, "Get lost."
Xu Lanyi's face turned pale, and the surroundings fell silent instantly.
Bian Xun looked at everyone expressionlessly: "Shut up, all of you."
Who protected him?
A note from the author:
----------------------
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The title and cover may change, so please don't get lost!
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