As time flew by, it was the eve of the New Year.
Today was Friday, and Ye Jinmeng had two professional elective exams in the afternoon, so she couldn't leave school early to go home like usual.
Ye Jinmeng was lying on the bed in her dorm room, video-calling Shi Shuning.
"Shuning-ge, I miss you so much!"
On the screen, Shi Shuning's mouth opened in a standard wide smile, revealing eight big white teeth, and he said, "My darling, I miss you too."
Shi Shuning had started an internet technology company, specializing in research and development of artificial intelligence. As the company was newly established, Shi Shuning had been busy these days recruiting talents and traveling to various places for study.
He only slept three or four hours a day, and could only contact Ye Jinmeng during mealtimes.
"Shuning-ge, you have to eat well and rest well. If I see you've gotten thinner the next time we meet, I won't talk to you anymore."
Ye Jinmeng looked at Shi Shuning's thinner face on the screen, feeling a little concerned.
Shi Shuning's laughter was very gentle. "Okay, don't worry, Mengmeng, I'll take good care of myself."
"Then, when will you come back?"
Shi Shuning glanced at his wristwatch and estimated the time. "If everything goes well, I'll be able to handle the things here today, so I'll rush back tonight, okay?"
Ye Jinmeng shook her head, "No, don't do that. Instead of letting you rush back overnight, I'd rather you have a good rest and then I'll see you full of energy."
Seeing the concern on Ye Jinmeng's face, a warm current flowed through Shi Shuning's chest. "Mengmeng, I really, really love you."
Ye Jinmeng's face turned red at the sudden confession, and she started to stammer, "You... why are you saying these cheesy things? This is so cringy!"
While her mouth was saying it was cringy, her heart was feeling as sweet as eating candy, and she didn't dare look at the person on the screen.
The other person on the bed, Xu Wanwan, shook her head and said, "Ah, the sour smell of romance!"
"Okay, Shuning-ge, you should go eat now, I won't bother you anymore. I have two exams this afternoon, and I'll go home after I'm done."
Shi Shuning was reluctant to hang up the call so soon, but he really didn't have much time left, so he could only nod. "Okay, then you have a good nap, and have a good energy for the exams this afternoon."
"Okay, Shuning-ge, have a good afternoon."
"Have a good afternoon, my darling."
The video call finally ended, and Ye Jinmeng was still staring at her phone and smiling foolishly, when she heard Xu Wanwan's teasing voice.
"Mengmeng~ I really, really love you!"
"How cringy!"
Ye Jinmeng recognized that Xu Wanwan was imitating her and Shuning-ge's conversation, and she let out a fierce growl, "Ah!" and pounced on Xu Wanwan's bed, starting to tickle her.
"Ah ah ah, Wanwan, I'll let you taste the evilness of the human world!"
The dorm room was filled with laughter.
In the afternoon, Ye Group began its annual gala, the most anticipated and favorite celebration activity for all employees.
Ye Group's annual performance was always very high, whether at the headquarters or the branch offices, and they were very generous to their employees. Based on their contributions throughout the year, each person received a large year-end bonus, as well as many welfare games and lucky draws. The lucky ones could even buy an apartment in Hai City directly.
Old Master Ye, Old Madam Ye, Ye Junli, and Gu Qi, as the directors, all came to the company to attend the event.
Old Madam Ye loved this lively atmosphere and said with a smile to Ye Junli and the others, "After the gala is over, come to the old manor to celebrate the new year."
Ye Junli nodded, "That's naturally the case, Mother."
Old Master Ye looked around, puzzled. "Where's my little darling? How come she, the shareholder, didn't come?"
When Ye Jinmeng came of age, Old Master Ye had given her 15% of Ye Group's shares as a gift, making her a major shareholder.
A 15% stake is a big deal. To put it this way, Old Master Ye now has 35% of the shares, Ye Junli has 25%, and the president, Ye Jinchen, only has 10%, while Uncle Ye Junwen, Old Madam Ye, and Gu Qi each have 5%.
In other words, Ye Jinmeng's say in the group is even greater than her brother, the president.
However, as a family business, the decision-making power is not influenced by outsiders. Old Master Ye gave Ye Jinmeng so many shares just to provide a guarantee for his granddaughter.
Attending the annual gala as a shareholder is perfectly normal.
Seeing Old Master Ye asking about it, Ye Jinchen said, "Grandpa, Mengmeng has two exams this afternoon, so she couldn't come."
Old Master Ye nodded, "Exams are the most important."
"Grandpa, the gala will probably end around 5 o'clock, so you and Grandma can just follow Dad and Mom, as well as Uncle, back to the old manor. Mengmeng will finish her exams around 5:30, and I'll go pick her up at the university."
"Okay, I'll leave it to you then."
Sitting next to Old Master Ye, Ye Junwen had been silent, but the sentence Ye Jinchen just said gave him an idea.
His eyes flickered, and he said to Old Master Ye, "Dad, I'm going to the restroom."
Seeing Old Master Ye nod, Ye Junwen took his phone and left the venue.
In the restroom, Ye Junwen just randomly went into a stall, but fearing that the walls had ears, he didn't directly make a call, but quickly wrote a text message and sent it to Xiao Jianren.
"This afternoon at 5 o'clock, Ye Jinchen will set out from Ye's Group to pick up Mengmeng at Hai University. Seize the opportunity and have your people take action on the way Ye Jinchen goes to Hai University. The car is a black Mercedes-Maybach, license plate number Hai A·66666.
Remember, only success is allowed, no failure. If you fail again, I'll have to consider whether you're capable of working with me."
As soon as the message was sent, in less than a minute, Xiao Jianren replied: "Don't worry, the people I've found this time are definitely reliable, there's no way they'll fail."
Looking at the reply he received, a sinister arc appeared at the corner of Ye Junwen's mouth.
When Ye Junwen heard that Ye Jinchen would go pick up Ye Jinmeng alone, an brilliant plan immediately formed in his mind.
He thought that if Ye Jinchen was hit by a car on the way to Hai University, the entire Ye family would be thrown into chaos.
At that time, if he revealed the fact that Mengmeng was not a Ye family member, no matter how much they had doted on Mengmeng in the past, once they realized Mengmeng was not of their bloodline and that his own son or grandson had died because of going to pick her up, they would surely develop estrangement towards Mengmeng.
Xu Wanwan, who knew she was a Ye family member, would also hate Mengmeng, who had indirectly caused the death of her own big brother.
And at that time, Mengmeng would surely feel isolated and helpless, with Shuning currently out of town. Then Ye Junwen would have the opportunity to provide a warm haven for Mengmeng, and Mengmeng would surely start to rely on him.
Ye Junwen felt that his plan was excellent, the only downside being that it would cause a certain degree of shock to Mengmeng.
However, it doesn't matter, the greater the shock, the greater the opportunity for Ye Junwen to take advantage of the situation, and the stronger Mengmeng's dependence on him would be!
